The bloviating clusterfuck of self-important "cultural critics" makes me want to indulge in every shape of corporate pop schmaltz available. What exactly by the way is subversive about sitting comfortably tenured in elite institutions like NYU and Columbia getting paid a large salary to snottily thumb your nose at people's choices of entertainment?

Barely concealed contempt for people in the pages of obscure journals and books that nobody buys except the students you choose to gouge vs. getting a playful kick out of some schlock at the end of day working? Aww how low that more people opt for the latter in life. Personally, if an aging hippie hack like Todd Gitlin tsk-tsk's me because I'm not engaging in faux activism on behalf of the causes of his choosing, I'll wear it as a badge of honor.

And I agree with the reader who asks, wherefor art thou, Camille Paglia?

NOW!

Before his 15 minutes are up!

...any new broadcasting gigs since "Laugh-In" went off the air??

And that's really all I have to sa-a-ay...uh...have a nice da-a-ay...scuddah-hoo, scuddah-ha-a-ay...

Ok, I'm done.

I too remember being at my grandparents house while they watched Ted Mack's Amateur Hour. It is a disgrace that the news organizations and cultural critics of that era contrived to deprive American citizens of in-depth daily analysis of our nation's amateur contests. Remember how in the dark we were when we could actually go to live battles-of-the-band contests that were not even broadcast, let alone re-run on 24 hour cable news stations, dissected by morning happy-news programs, detailed on radio call-in shows, headlined by print and virtual magazines, re-evaluated in our newspapers? Christ, were we stupes or what?

So haunted am I by the ghosts of our lost amateur and semi-amateur entertainment past that I cannot bring myself to be subversive enough to watch or vote upon today's corporate-sponsored mega talent contests. It just wouldn't be right. Let it be the cutting edge youth of today who undertake such subversive actions. I offer them an approving "Up against the wall, motherfuckers! Vote for your favorite little singing person! YEAH, MAN!"

I got a case of sanjaya once. Pencillin cleared it right up. The whole show is a bad joke. All you kareoke lovers are welcome to it.

I can't get enough of the letters from the self-important non-Idol watchers who are shocked that Salon has deigned to cover Idol and Sanjaya. I'll be back to read more....after the Idol results show.....

A vote for or against Sanjaya will not take down the Idol franchise, but it is still a deeply satisfying move for fans and anti-fans of the show. As a fan who watched my favorites be pushed aside year after year in favor of those contestants with better stories (aka the Sabrina Sloan effect), the fact that there's such a groundswell to buck the system is very gratifying.

Yes, I voted for Sanjaya. Actually, I take that back. I used the Dial Idol software to vote for Sanjaya for me, as well as support other contestants that I felt deserved my vote that week. Or in the case of this week, I voted against Haley.

It's not subversive, but it's damn fun. People are thinking about the phenomenon way too much.

I just need to mention how great the art is for this story. I know that the graphic artists at Salon don't get much love, but this image is especially great. Much of the work they do is good (and some of it is just servicable). Props to you Graphics Dept.

Turn off the fucking TV and take a walk or read a book. Jesus Christ, who cares about fucking American Idol?

to all those commenters here who give Salon a hard time about covering pop culture, get over yourselves. the reason i have salon as my homepage is because i appreciate the breadth of topics the site covers. the quality of the coverage on Salon - across the board - is in my opinion far superior than sites of its ilk.

while i am greatly interested in and concerned about the state of the world, the world is a big and multi-faceted thing. just as i appreciate Rolling Stone for covering topics not related to music, i appreciate Salon for its unique and wide-ranging perspective on the world.

so lay off.

American Idol's broadcast season is perfectly timed with a low point in the national sports cycle. Football is over, baseball just getting started, basketball lurching on to the enternal playoffs...so instead of getting heated up over sports stars we can devote our mental energies to Sanjaya vs. Melinda vs. Lakeisha vs. Jordin.

Hey, those programming chiefs at Fox are no dummies!

I can see it now. Next Thursday's New York Times front page "News Analysis," written by R.W. Apple: "Sanjaya Survives Yet Another Week of American Idol." All the analysis and hyperventilating of what it all means is just silly.

Many but not most people that watch the show generally like him. Relax, Sanjaya won't win. Blake Lewis, a genuinely talented young man, or Melinda Dolittle, a mannequin who has the gift of song, will prevail.

Having followed the show fairly regularly since the first season, I've explained my interest in just these words: It's like staring at a corpse. It's both repugnant and strangely compelling at the same time.

I'm not a fan of Sanjaya. I'm a Blake Lewis fan. His performance of "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane was impressive.

There's no controversy here, nor can Howard Stern or anyone else truly affect the outcome when 33 million votes are being cast each week. People have every right to express their bad taste in performers through their votes. Sanjaya won't carry the day because he can't carry a tune. He's charming and works it as best he can, but he will be eliminated eventually.

Those of you who think there's some deeper meaning to all of this are crackpots.

I heart Sanjaya

Disclaimer: I am a music snob, and of Indian origin. I watched AI in its first season, as it was great cheesy fun, but since then have only watched the auditions. This season I have been following AI, because of Sanjaya. I live in Canada so am not a voter.

I heart Sanjaya because:

1. HE CAN SING:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDtTVSkFHyM

Listen to that and tell yourself he an not. He is not Fantasia Burrino, but he is a competent singer. His numbers are no worse that recent AI guest, Michael Buble.

2. HE IS CUTE

It drives the wannabe macho boys/men and super poised girls/women crazy that people like this unfinished thing, but to millions of others he says “hey, its OK to be shy and gawky and mixed up 17 year old – you still got something special”. He will never be mean if you make a fool of yourself, and smile with you. Because he probably got lots of sand kicked in his face, but he carried on doing his own thing.

3. HE DOES HIS OWN THING

He does know about the haters and his “bathwater/Mohawk” performance was his was way of saying the hell with it, I am gonna do my thing, you are laughing at my hair? Then get a load of this Mohawk!!! The words”I am diving to my own destruction” – it was too crazy for the NOT SO non conformist snobs out there – but the kids got it and they loved it. there is not one manufactured pop star out there who has taken such a risk.

4. HE DRIVES PEOPLE CRAZY

a. The haters really hate the fact that he has fans – pre teens and their mums and grand mums are a big segment. The racist comments on You tube about him and his sister are shocking and hideous

b. But if you go to the AI message boards, he has the most messages and they are mostly from fans – its clear that he is liked by the core young AI fan club

c. The media is on a feeding frenzy – could it be because he is so real and unique and has an independent following, that makes mass media and Salon angry.

5. ITS NOT HOWARD STERN

Sorry, but if you troll the net , not snobby old people sites, but actual AI websites and kid spaces and you tube, its clear that he has many many fans.

6. HE IS A POP STAR silly!

He sings better than Justin and he could be in school with your kids – and he would not diss them – he would be fun and polite – get on the band wagon people

WHY THE HATE????

MOST OF ALL HOW AFRAID WOULD YOU BE TO SAY YOU LIKED SANJAYA, IF YOU DID?