Sanjaya waves bye bye-ya

Well, it couldn't have lasted forever. The dreadful Sanjaya was voted off of American Idol tonight. I'm not surprised.

I really did want to see Idol get hijacked, but in the end, I knew Fox would never let it happen. The show is the biggest ratings juggernaut on TV in decades, with millions of dollars in ad revenue at stake. Adding to the pressure Fox must be feeling is that Idol's ratings aren't as sparkling this season as they usually are.

In addition, the intolerable Simon Cowell stated he'd quit the show if Sanjaya won. Plus, Idol would have been revealed to be the sham that I think it is anyway had Malakar won.

I find it curious that Fox does not release vote totals, which (obviously) should cast the whole legitimacy of the show in doubt. But, millions of gullible viewers remain duped, as they have for years.

Does anyone honestly think that Fox honestly lets voters truly decide who the winner is every season? Like all reality shows, I believe the fix is in - the outcome is predetermined long before the final episode.

Anyway, who cares? (Less and less people with each successive show, it turns out)

Idol now officially sucks for this season. I'll tune in next season in time to see who Vote for the Worst is encouraging everyone to vote for.

Can Sanjaya Persevere?

Tonight Sanjaya Malakar faces another crucial test on American Idol - can he survive another week? The suspense is killing me softly, but not as softly as Sanjaya's melodies! AAAAAAAAgggggggghhhhhhhh - I need to be de-programmed. Just kidding.

I've never been a fan of the show (and I'm still not), but I've been watching because I soo want Sanjaya to be the next American Idol. Hey, if for no other reason, it's because Simon has said he will quit if he wins it. That's all the reason you need right there to vote for the guy.

For more details on why you should vote for Sanjaya and, more importantly, why American Idol sucks, click Here. Vote for the Worst is endorsing Malakar's candidacy, and I support VFTW!

You can also get your Sanyaya wear at Vote for the Worst, too. If he wins, I may have to get the t-shirt above.

Yes! Sanjaya moves on...

Sanjaya gets one more week. Can he take it all? I dunno, but I hope so.

Many argue that he's wrecking American Idol. Boo Hoo. I can't stand the show - Simon, the theme music, Paula Abdul, Ryan Seacrest, the list goes on and on. I've already blogged at length about how I despise the show, so no need to repeat myself.

Ratings are down 30 percent since the first show. My heart is breaking wide open.

I dislike sounding hateful, but Melinda Doolittle, who is favored by many to win, just annoys me. Her constant false modesty while seemingly always fishing for compliments is reason enough to change the channel.

The Soup has hilariously parodied Doolittle, so I'm hoping she keeps advancing because I want more Soup sarcasm about her.

Go Sanjaya, and don't forget to vote for him.

Photos from AP

American Idle: ratings slide is on

This could be a first - a television producer blaming declining ratings on Daylight Saving Time. People so rarely surprise me, especially in Hollywood, but I don't recall a producer ever using that one.

Whatever the reason, the proof is in the pudding - Nielsen Ratings show that American Idol's popularity may be waning. Ratings for the Tuesday "performance shows" off 10 percent compared to last season. However, don't start crying a river for the likes of Simon Cowell just yet - the show is still pulling in an average of 28 million viewers every Tuesday night.

I have to admit - I haven't pulled this hard for a show to fail since Survivor. (Yes, I know, it's still on TV, but it's popularity is at least waning a little.)

This past Wednesday's "results episode," which saw Gina Glocksen get the gate, was the least-watched episode of the season, according to TV Week.

But Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe said, as reported on TMZ.com, that what's causing the problem is Daylight Saving Time, which started three weeks earlier this year. Lythegoe said that ratings trend down every year when the time change kicks in. That makes sense, really, because I'd rather go outside in the daylight and get eaten alive by mosquitoes than watch 60 minutes of Idol.

"Even if we lost 50 percent of our audience, we'd still be in the top three shows in the country," Lythgoe said at a press conference on Monday. Cocky and full of hubris, without question, but Idol has been such a ratings behemoth the last five years, I suppose he can afford to be.

I wonder (hope) if Sanjaya Malakar is the reason that ratings are down. I doubt it, though, because I think the show is actually getting new viewers because of this train wreck. I've already voted for him once, and I'll keep on voting for him, because I hate American Idol and I'd love nothing more than to see him win. It might bring down Rupert Murdoch's precious franchise, and nothing would be better than that.

Websites like Vote for the Worst have proliferated this year to poke American Idol in the eye.

In the About Us section on Vote for the Worst's Website, the sites creators hit on the head why I hate the show:

We're back! Votefortheworst.com was started in 2004 to support voting for the entertaining contestants who the producers would hate to see win on American Idol. Why do we do it? During the initial auditions, the producers of Idol only let certain people through. Many good people are turned away and many bad singers are kept around to see Simon, Paula, and Randy so that America will be entertained.

The site's right - finding the best singer in America is only a small part of Idol's goal. It's main purpose is to entertain America (and sell records). During the first half of the season, it's all about putting down bad singers, which I too believe the producers of the show intentionally let in just so morons Simon, Paula and Randy can belittle and degrade them. Reeeeeaaaalllllly cool.

Keep on voting, America - we need another week of Sanjaya, even if no one is watching because it's lighter out longer.

Photo from AP

New Jib Jab vid worth a peek

This isn't Jib Jab's best work, but it's still pretty good. I'm constantly complaining about what the media gatekeepers in our country consider news, and this video takes a bit of a pot shot at that, so I like it.

As a society, we are getting closer and closer to pre-9-11 levels of obsession with idiotic, inane things. It seems like a time long, long ago when we were obsessed with an Oval Office BJ, Gary Condit, shark attacks and reality television.

Yay! We're just about back! American Idol routinely makes bigger headlines than the War in Iraq, the War on Terrorism, or President Bush's war on our Constitution.

Good job, Jib Jab. Now get started on your 2008 presidential primary videos - I'm looking forward to them.

Sanjaya survives

This has got to be annoying to Fox and American Idol producers. I don't watch the show, and I'm not a fan, but it appears that the voting is being influenced to some extent by Howard Stern's listeners. Stern considers Sanjaya to be the worst contestant, so he's encouraging his listeners to call in and vote for the Michael Jackson clone.

I think it's hilarious. Next week, I'm voting for him. Maybe even twice.

Bookmark American Idol's Website so you can vote for Sanjaya next week.

Another season over... damn!

So, another season of honoring false idols is over. Thank freakin' God! From the annoying theme music, to asshole Simon, to pathetic Paula. Gee, I'm really going to miss it. But, just when I got on my haughty high horse about people patheticly tuning in and never missing an episode of this drivel, I took a quick read of my own blog and realized that I basically have the same devotion to sports, hockey in particular. Okay, touché. Let it be noted that I'm capable of some self examination and introspection. But at least sports are real, and not a blatant attempt to pander to the public's idiotic obsession with "reality" TV, a textbook misnomer is there ever was one. The whole damn show is scripted, from start to finish. The really unwatchable episodes are the early ones of a new season, when the show clearly picks pathetic singers (a.k.a., softballs over the plate) so Simon can smack them out of the park.

Has anyone ever given thought to the idea that this may also be a blatant attempt by an increasingly desperate music industry to prop up slumping record sales? Just a thought.

To be fair, though, some real talent has emerged from this show, most notably Pennsylvania's own Kelly Clarkson. The woman has real talent. And this year's winner, Taylor Hicks, has a great voice. So, I'm willing to give the show some props, but all of the pomp, circumstance, and bullshit that goes along with the show render it unwatchable to me. And Ryan Seacrest is more annoying to me than all four yentas on The View, combined. That's saying a lot.

And do I need to point out the fact that it's a laughable disgrace that Hicks received far more votes than any U.S. presidential candiate, ever? Yes, I know, people can vote more than once, but to those people, I'd say this - if you can sit there and mindlessly vote 10 times for your favorite Idol, which doesn't make a damn bit of difference in your life, make sure to get your ass to the voting booth whenever there's an election, too, because that vote does have an impact on your life. I'm sure more than a few who voted for their favorite Idol didn't make it to the voting booths last election, and in '00 and '04.

And for those who still think that "their vote doesn't make a difference" (in the presidential elections), why are you wasting your time voting after watching American Idol, then? (I know more than a few people who can't explain away this contradition.) Anyway, to those people, I'd say this...