Sanjaya Malakar reads the Torch Reports

Before the start of the American Idol Tour last summer, Sanjaya Malakar's fans at dazeoffire.com thought of a great project: to have a virtual "torch relay" of reporting on Sanjaya Malakar's performance on every single stop on the tour. When Lou (dazeoffire's moderator) first e-mailed me about it, I thought: this is going to be a logistical nightmare... but then what the heck. And true enough, if build it, people will come. So after a quick signup period, each stop had a designated Fanjaya who wrote a detailed report, took pictures and even video if possible, and then the torch was passed for the next concert. We covered almost every venue, I believe, and if there was a vacancy, there would be a panic announcement on Rickey.org (LOL). Also, a few days into this after hearing about the project, Momjaya gave a backstage pass to the Torch Bearer, so almost everyone got to see Sanjaya in person, which was at first a secret added perk. (Sometimes, the backstage thing didn't happen so we had reports of seeing Sanjaya behind a fence, in a hallway, etc.) It wouldn't have been possible without the help and commitment of everyone involved, and I have to say, it was one of the best experiences I've had with American Idol. Everyone had an amazing story to tell, and the excitement was infectious.

So Pooja (the other dazeoffire moderator) finally gave Sanjaya Malakar the printed albums (5 total!) of the Torch Reports filled with the best pictures and written accounts of the Fanjayas on tour. I think that it is just awesome that he is able to see his American Idol experience through our eyes.

Guess what -- it's almost been one year since Sanjaya Malakar sang Besame Mucho! Wow, how time flies. Feels like yesterday.