Sanjaya Malakar - Tears for Shyamali Revisited and Top 24

American Idol Season 6 is being re-aired on Fox Reality Channel.

I was a Sanjaya Malakar fan from Day One, and if you weren't, seeing Sanjaya cry after his sister Shyamali got cut would have made you one as well.

I still believe that Sanjaya was just too good to pass up by Fox (seeing him in real life convinced me), but if they were on the fence with him (they did not show any footage of him singing in Hollywood until he got into the Top 24), this crying scene is what arguably got Sanjaya in. You can't beat spontaneous real-life drama like this. Makes for great TV, and was a highlight of the auditions. Looking back, Fox obviously wanted that to carry over into the Top 24 -- what would the crying boy do? Etc. etc. etc. Of course little would anyone know what would eventually happen! Sanjaya would move on to become a cultural phenomenon.

So if I may give my unsolicited advice to you the likely/unlikely American Idol auditioneer (there is one more judges round in Atlanta for the auditions for Season 7) -- after you have your singing down pat, make sure you are cute/sexy/hot, and/or have a backstory that is marketable. Marketable being either something a lot of people can relate to or admire, or something very very interesting. Why? So we the fans can talk about that, aside and/or inspite of your singing. Do not be cookie cutter! Or if you have to, you better be the best cookie in the bunch.

Ah yes, Sanjaya's tears for Shyamali. Good times. Good times.

Seattle Auditions
Sanjaya Audition
Top 10 Auditions for American Idol 6
Tears for Shyamali (Original post)

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