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читать дальшеDear Sanjaya,
Thankyou for every little thing you have knowingly or unknowingly done that have affected me in so many different levels. I am pretty sure you have gotten the gist of how public perceives you as a contestant. Even if you have kept yourself away from the Internet and media, the AI host, the judges, the audience and the vote reflects the real world. From the little crying girl to judges unfair cruel verdict, from audience's boos and Ryan's sarcastic remarks and rude tactics to the millions of votes that are pouring on your way, says it all. For a 17 year old to stand amidst all this and to still keep your game going is a very admirable to say the least. I am so proud to see you make the most of what you have in hand. We all know (yes I am talking about Fanjayas), including yourself, that you are not the strongest vocalist. But to me and to your fans, you ARE the American Idol. Because we believe one needs to have more than a vocal cord to be crowned an American Idol. Let me explain why we think you have got it all.
America has always stood for a place "where dreams come true" thus the phrase "American Dream". People from all over the world come here to live that dream. I am sure your father has tons of story to tell you about that. Being an American is believing in yourself and making an impossible a possible while having fun doing it. And you have done exactly that. You know your limitations and you know your audience. And you are doing everything possible within your reach without offending anyone to keep your audience entertained. For a 17 year old that is nothing less than a genius. While a lot of people are too eager to give the credit for your success to few losers (whose names I will not name), we Fanjayas know where most of your votes are coming from and who your true fans are.
I distinctly remember you when AI first introduced you to us. You were being a typical 17 yr old sibling jokingly competing with your sister and telling her that you were the better one. Then few seconds later when judges asked you in your sister's absence whether you were better than your sister you said "I dont think so, but...". Then you sang "signed, sealed, delivered" by Stevie Wonder and you did it so beautifully. After you finished your audition all three judges applauded for you and said you were in fact better than your sister and were glad to have you on board. But when Ryan asked later who the judges thought to be better, you simply refused to answer. Later when they announced the selected candidates and you found out that you were selected but your sister was cut, you cried along with your sister. The amazing thing was there was not a trace of joy on your face. You proved to us what a beautiful person you are. There are greater and deeper reasons why your fans are rooting for you. This is the reason it is so hard for your fans to reduce themselves down to the level of this competition and vote based on just the vocal cord.
We also admire the fact that, you realize that you are put against all these other talented singers. You have even admitted yourself that you do not think that your vocals are as good as a lot of other contestant. But still you have taken each weeks theme very seriously and done your best to do justice to it each and every possible way, to the point of making yourself look silly. People say that you are taking it as a joke but matter of fact is you are the only contestant who has challenged themselves to come out of their shell and deliver what each week theme requires you to do. Every song you have sung is very different from the other. From a classic like "Stepping Out" to a funky rock like "Bathwater". And each of your performance reflects the message of the song. You might not have nailed all of them but you certainly showed your braveness. You are one of the very few contestants who has taken this as a true challenge and pushed themselves to the edge even with you limited vocal range. This alone commands some respect.
You also realize that you are competing on television and your true judges are the folks sitting in front of the TV across the nation. You are very smart to figure out that there are myriads of people watching the show and each will connect to the contestant at a different level for different reasons. For that reason each show, you show us a different side of you. From the clothing to the hair style to hula dancing to singing in Spanish. Every week you are completely different. That versatility is rare to find in show business and yet another reason we admire you.
Now let us focus on your singing. Since I put so much importance on other factors you are probably thinking that we do not think much about your singing. In fact, we love it. Your voice reflects who you are. So, no matter what you sing, we will enjoy it to the fullest. I can see why it would drive people who are rooting for other contestants crazy. What they dont understand is, while they are busy analyzing through a microscope, we have already seen the whole picture and have made up our minds. We love the smoothness in your voice, your effortless style of singing. We do not need you to dramatize the singing and show the whole range in one singing. We do not need you to shout your lungs out to show that you have voice. As long as it is audible and as long as you sing well enough for me to want to hit the repeat button, you have done your job. And guess what, you are doing just fine in that department as well.
Always remember that there are always going to be people who will envy you and not like you for whatever reason. I hope at such time when you find yourselves hurt, you can think of countless fans like me who are ready to be entertained and spend hard earned dollars on your performance.
Sanjaya, no matter what the outcome of the show is and no matter how the shallow media portrays you and your story, please be assured that you have a true fan base who truly loves you as person and as an entertainer. While I am sure you will excel at whatever you do, I am also confident your fans will be rooting you in every walk of your life as long as you keep the pureness in your spirit intact. Good luck Sanjaya, I hope to see you succeed and keep us entertained for decades to come. Keep smiling you little champion.
A true fan.
PS: BTW, I have not declared myself a fan of any other person in 30 years of my life whom I did not know personally. I hope that means something to you Sanjaya
If any of you are a true fan of Sanjaya like myself, then please pledge yourself below. And if do not like Sanjaya please express your resentment somewhere else.
Caryl | 4/25/2007, 11:00 pm EST
I do not think anyone can really judge Sanjaya’s singing as he was never given the chance to develop after being compared to Elvis and the Beatles from his affect on the audience members.
Can anyone be expected to reach their goal - develop confidence and skill - when they are under constant attack -maliciously hateful at that - especially by those who have the power to actually make or break you.
Mega super stars like Jennifer Lopez and Tony Bennet both clearly said he was a good singer although this was not fully aired until the final moments after the cut.
Could anyone - caucasian or other -be expected to win a national talent competition with wide spread vicious and cruel statements repeatedly being aired, written, and printed as too new stories on every media format throughout America every single day - gathering widespread momentum as more media and individuals jumped on the bandwagon including the usually tasteful, CNN Showbiz Tonight.
The fact Sanjaya continued to withstand the month long abuse from the media, the show, and America is truly amazing!!! And he is only 17 years old.
Can you think of anyone in the history of America who has come under the daily hateful scrutiny of this country like Sanjaya and ever survived?
Name anybody - any star - ever.
I cannot think of any other idol candidate who has had to endure this ongoing cruel treatment week after week in the 4 years I have been a viewer. This was not a fair competition. It took immense courage to continue to face America week after week admist an all encompassing direct hate campaign against oneself.
His confidence was never expected to shine through.