Family and friends defend Sanjaya
Sanjaya Malakar might not be American Idol's best vocalist -- but he is the one receiving all the press. He is also fodder for countless parodies (including this one with bunnies and Bob Dylan), and has caused desperate people to embark on ridiculous hunger strikes . However, Sanjaya doesn't just have his haters. He is loved by J.Lo, and backed by Howard Stern. And this week, even Simon Cowell didn't completely hate him.
While America may be split on Sanjaya, his hometown friends and family still love and support him.
Sanjaya's aunt, Christi Recchi, recently defended him against his critics, saying, "There are better ways to spend your time and energy [besides] bashing some 17-year-old kid who has been swept up in this whole thing."
Sanjaya's pastor and choir director said, "I hope people know I'm so proud of this young man. He's a perfect example of what our young people are made of these days."
I defended Sanjaya weeks ago in a post that caused even more heated debate. Here's the thing -- I'm not even a Fanjaya. I just wanted to point out that the hate wasn't necessary. It shouldn't be personal. Whether you like his singing or not, he's still just a human being like the rest of us.
But the debate will rage on. The haters say he's killing Idol. His supporters say he makes things interesting. The press can't stop talking about him, because the public can't stop talking about him. He's just a 17-year-old kid who was plucked from obsurity and now has become a household name. And that is the power of American Idol.
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