Sanjaya Malakar: Record Label Already Waiting?

"America Online members have spoken and the votes are in. 75% of 177,000 plus people who voted say Sanjaya Malakar is the worst singer who has ever appeared on American Idol. But that hasn't stopped record labels from lining up to sign Malakar once he's off the show.
BodogMusic, which enjoys close ties to everyone's favorite American Idol betting odds monitoring website, Gambling911.com, will reportedly offer Mr. Malakar a recording contract once he is voted off the show (assuming he ever gets voted off the show).
Sources have told Gambling911.com that 'higher ups' at BodogMusic would like to team Malakar up with their marquee star, singing sensation Bif Naked.
Our source, who wishes to remain anonymous, said:"

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ABC News: For Iraqis, an Idol to Rival Sanjaya

It was a contest that captivated a nation.

In Iraq, it was a reason to celebrate and escape the daily grind of violence and car-bombs as Shada Hassoon, the Iraqi contestant in this year's Star Academy competition, won first prize in an emotional finale on the Middle East's version of "American Idol."

As the announcement was made, Hassoon burst into joyful tears and proudly draped herself in the Iraqi flag as the presenters adorned her with flowers and fans besieged the stage to worship their star.

The 26-year-old singer, nicknamed the "Daughter of Mesopotamia," was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and was educated in Paris. Hassoon is only half Iraqi — her mother is Moroccan and her father is from Hilla, a town 60 miles south of Baghdad, and is a member of a mixed Sunni-Shiite tribe. In the Middle East, nationality is determined by the father.

'Idol' curiosity Sanjaya builds following :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Television

"Flowing hair and a precious smile have their rewards.
Especially if you're Sanjaya Malakar, who is considered one of the weakest performers on ''American Idol'' but has a fan base that has helped him survive multiple rounds of viewer elimination.
In the online community and in Malakar's home state of Washington, the croaking crooner seems to have a loyal following of friends, family and fanatics who would like nothing better than to see him achieve the ultimate ''Idol'' success and be the last singer standing in May.
''I think he has a career ahead of him, whether he wins or not,'' said Pat Wright, a gospel choir director in Seattle who has known Malakar for five years.
Wright, who calls in weekly to vote for Malakar, acknowledges that much of his support likely comes from an online community of young fans enthralled with his chameleon hairdos and flashing grin.
''He's very handsome. That's most of it,'' she said. ''He's a teenager, and young girls and guys really like him.''"

Sanjaya's American Idol run - is it credible? | Reuters.com

"He's the weakest singer with the best hair and the cutest smile. He is mocked on late night chat shows and the target of anti-'American Idol' forces.
But Sanjaya Malakar has lived to see another round of 'American Idol', prompting a passionate debate over whether America's most watched TV show has lost its credibility or unwittingly created another media superstar.
'Will Sanjaya kill 'American Idol'?' asked one fan in a posting on the www.idol-mania.com Web site on Thursday.
Malakar, 17, was easily voted through by the public to the final 9 of the 6th season of the singing competition on Wednesday after becoming one of the most-talked about people on U.S. television."

Vietnam gets its own American Idol spin-off

Television producers in this karaoke-crazy country are hoping to have a smash with ``Vietnam Idol,'' the newest version of the singing contest that is a major hit in the West.

A Vietnamese advertising company purchased the rights to ``American Idol'' for an undisclosed sum from FremantleMedia, which produced the first ``Idol'' show in Britain, according to Nguyen Chi Tan, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Television network, or HTV.

The show, to be produced by HTV, will be broadcast on eight channels nationwide.

Following the same format as the U.S. show, a parade of would-be pop stars will audition before a three-judge panel and try to win the votes of television viewers across this nation of 84 million people.

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