The real winner is not the most talented, the most good-looking or even the sexiest. The real winner has to be entertaining and generate a lot of publicity, good or bad, in the media. Sanjaya Malakar is a winner because there is no reason or hard and fast rule in pop culture. It is almost a therapy session for the public whenever he sings, acts, or dances because they hate to see him and yet they get to release their anger and disappointment against a lame public figure who simply smiles his way through all the public beating and flogging.
sanjaya-malakar.jpg

Sanjaya Malakar will probably never be noticed if he weren’t in American Idol. Being booted out before the finals doesn’t make him a loser. Being on national TV and becoming the most talked about contestant in the show has made Sanjaya a well-known public figure, even if he was condemned and criticised by many. His boyish innocence and cute looks make him a celebrity. His mediocre voice makes him human. He has become the most searched male star on Yahoo! tipping the scale against the popular fictitious character Harry Potter. He also stands to gain millions of dollars from endorsement deals, TV appearances, and CD sales. He has in effect won the American Idol. He also inspired Internet spoof videos, T-shirts, and a backlash campaign against American Idol on the Internet.