Vote Or Not

18 years ago

Sanjaya Malakar has picked up some dubious, although valuable, support in his campaign to win American Idol. Although he has been panned repeatedly by judges and media critics as one of the worst talents this season, Malakar made the Top 10 on the strength of audience votes.

A grassroots campaign, driven by critics of the program, has aided Malakar. The website VotefortheWorst.com has selected him as its pick for the season and shock jock Howard Stern has launched a campaign with his listeners to support Malakar. Several tabloids have also alleged that Indian call centers are voting for him and skewing the results.

Past winners and near winners have gone on to lucrative show biz careers. So whether or not Malakar makes the final cut in May or has any talent, he has built up enough of a cult following to gain lucrative endorsements and movie roles in the months ahead.