Talk:Sanjaya Malakar

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Contents 1 American Idol.com interview 2 "Somehow" 3 MySpace 4 The View 5 External links 6 VFTW 7 Indians voting for him 8 native spelling 9 NPOV 10 Bicultural 11 Tears of Joy?? 12 controversy? 13 Gross misinformation. 14 POV concerns 15 Trivia 16 Jimmy Kimmel 17 External links - VFTW 18 AIM 19 Have you seen this video spoof of him? 20 Girls name 21 Biography 21.1 Early years 22 bathwater

[edit] American Idol.com interview

His profile and interview questions from AmericanIdol.com should be added. It is availible at http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season6/sanjaya_malakar/ 68.33.214.160 23:17, 2 April 2007 (UTC)Ryan 4/2/07

[edit] "Somehow"

In the interest of neutrality I don't think we should include he has "somehow" made it through to the final 11. There is no doubt about the fact that he made it through as a result of a popular vote. The word "somehow" implies this is in dispute, which is not the case.

I am pretty sure that the “somehow” pertains to “how is he getting the votes?”. I know that I personally have a hard time believing that many people think that he is a good singer—of course, that is something of an opinion, but I know that I would stop listening to any radio station myself that would air his “music.” I don’t personally think that he can sing worth a rat’s behind. —Mike Trausch ^{Fd0man•Talk to me} 03:50, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

You are correct, somehow is a POV word. Thanks. -- Zanimum 16:31, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] MySpace

Someone should delete the myspace link, obviously Sanjaya or someone else has deleted or deactivated the account. 67.191.131.5 15:18, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Done. FOX forced the finalists to shut down their MySpace accounts. Easy for them to do that, too. News Corp owns both Fox and MySpace. -- Zanimum 16:30, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The View

Why is this page protected? If you're going to mention that Howard Stern wants him to win, you might mention also that many other hosts, like the women on the View, have repeatedly talked about how he doesn't deserve to be where he is, and that he is 'tone deaf'. Let's include it! Just Another Fat Guy 17:27, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

The page is protected to deal with rampant vandalism.

Yes, many shows have hosts who've dissed Sanjaya. However, we need a published source, or at least a blog, confirming your statement that they have made such statements. -- Zanimum 16:30, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] External links

Whats with deleting the external links? desinole

According to the external links guidelines, we should avoid blogs and fansites if possible. --Woohookitty^Woohoo! 04:06, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

Sanjaya makes it big in the Finnish news: http://www.hs.fi/viihde/artikkeli/USAn+heikoin+idols-kokelas+ker%C3%A4%C3%A4+%C3%A4%C3%A4ni%C3%A4/1135226189378 "The worst contestant of Idols gathers votes". This is the largest newspaper in Finland with circulation around 400 000. I sincerely think this should be in the exteral links :-) -- Axe from Finland 01:10, 30 March 2007 (GMT)

I hope you're joking. The article is in Finnish. I suggest you write an article about him for the Finnish Wikipedia and include that external link there. Moncrief 21:47, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] VFTW

Shouldnt this ardticle mention that the only reason he is still in the show is because of the mobilized efforts of VFTW? it really needs to be cited.--Gigaguyser 13:24, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

There is no evidence that this is the only reason he's still in the show. Thus, the mention that they picked him is enough. -- Zanimum 16:09, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

I disagree, while VFTW and Stern takes most of the credit, I believe the tween fanbase keeps him going. Either way, none of this is provable, so it should not be included Yearsago 14:40, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Indians voting for him

Chip Franklin from WBAL has jokingly suggested that people in India wake up in the wee hours of the morning to vote for him... --PeanutCheeseBar 12:05, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

I believe that their computers only accept votes from American phone numbers. -- Zanimum 16:09, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

It was meant as a follow up (joke) comment to Mike Trausch's comment; there's obviously nothing to back up what I said. --PeanutCheeseBar 16:14, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Howard Stern started this rumor inadvertently by making a joke about it. He was not serious.

I think that this may actually be true. It is possible to run a computer program using some online telephone service that gives a US phone number. Also, many US numbers are blocked, such as mine, and I can still vote.

[edit] native spelling

Does anybody know how his name is spelled in the Hindi or Bengali alphabet?

Sanjay Malakar in Bengali - সঞ্জয় মালাকার. Hindi is irrelevant since he is of Bengali ethnicity. Gnanapiti 04:18, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I am a Bengali editor; Sanjaya Malakar is actually pronounced as Shonjoya Maalaakaar in his native Bengali language.--Pinaki ghosh 01:14, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Do you know that that is his native language? He was born in the U.S. Should we give the Irish-language spellings for every American of Irish heritage? Moncrief 18:02, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

It made no sense. Just because his great-great grandfather may have been Bengali, or something obscure like that, doesn't mean his article needed to show this so blatantly. It was deleted by User:Hojimachong. --68.109.149.66 05:20, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV

The NPOV tag was added by User:Mientkiewicz5508 with the comment

Phrases like "despite criticism from all the judges" and everything else make this sound like a Sanjaya lovers article.

We should address this quickly so the tag can be removed. Remember Wikipedia policy is to not remove it until there is a consensus that the POV problems are solved. Gnixon 14:15, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

I don't understand the comment. Does he mean it sounds like an anti-Sanjaya article? The article seems very neutral and un-POVish to me. Does anyone think it's POVish somewhere? Gnixon 14:15, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

I don't know. After reading the article, I just was very annoyed with the "I love Sanjaya" overtones. One line in particular Despite the criticism from all three judges, Malakar has made it through to the Top 10 (although he came close to elimination on March 14, 2007, when he was in the Bottom 3).-- It makes it sound like poor Sanjaya is being picked on by the judges but he has triumphantly made it to the Top 10. After learning that he made the top 40, Sanjaya did not immediately celebrate and instead went to console his sister. makes him sound heroic, and I'm not sure that the particular sentence is even necessary, as the article is not actually about his sister, but about Sanjaya. Malakar hails from Federal Way, Washington--again with the "triumphant" feeling. Simply saying Malakar was born in Federal Way, Washington would suffice I believe. Also, the article could stand being without describing Tood Beamer High School as "newly developed". It's not relevant to Sanjaya and once again makes it sound like the perfect and amazing Sanjaya transferred to the school for the lavish lifestyle/environment of a newly developed school. If he did indeed transfer there (and you can find a reference for this) because the school was newly developed, that would be one thing, but I find that description is unnecessary. Perhaps I'm being overly picky and in a foul mood, but it just seems to me that it's very "I Love Sanjaya"-ish. I also am particularly annoyed by the fact that he's listed as a "singer" and that it is his occupation as well. To the best of my knowledge the contestants don't actually receive money while on the show and thus aren't making a salary/living as a singer. He's a contestant on a reality talent show. That's it.Mientkiewicz5508 15:53, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

He's a singer because he got a job to sing on a reality singing competition show. All of the AI contestants have this in their "occupation." He wasn't born in Federal Way, I'm guessing he was born in either Seattle or some other Seattle suburb. The "newly developed" is in front of Beamer High because it's serving as a bit of an explanation of why he transferred, likely because his address got rezoned to the new school in Federal Way whereas Shoreline is farther. I agree with Gnixon, the article is neutral & un-POV -- maybe it's just you. Elle Bee 16:02, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

I've just read this article and I don't think it's non-NPOV at all. The concerns that Mientkiewicz mentions above are silly. It's not POV to say "Despite criticism...." It's a boring fact: all of the judges criticized him, and yet he still progressed to the top 10. How else could it be phrased? "Hails" is a neutral word when it means "comes from" - it doesn't mean "Hail, Sanjaya!" And the high-school was opened in 2003, so it's newly-developed. How can that possibly mean that Sanjaya is being unduly favoured? ... discospinster _talk 02:19, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

I think most of the statements are presented very factually, but I replaced "hails" with "is from" and rephrased the sentence about him making the top 10. Can you re-read it and see if it still seems POVish to you? Notice nowhere is anyone praising Sanjaya---if you happen to think he looks heroic because of the judges' criticism and his behavior with respect to his sister, I'm not sure that's saying anything about the article.  :) Let's try and get everyone satisfied and remove the tag ASAP. It would be best if Mientkiewicz5508 removed it himself. Gnixon 14:37, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Great! Mientkiewicz5508 removed the tag. Thanks, everyone. Gnixon 22:27, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bicultural

To classify Sanjaya as a multiracial child is inaccurate for both his mother and father are Caucasian. It would be more accurate to describe him as someone of bicultural heritage.

Desi 102 06:35, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Mother, yes but not for the dad. In the American usage - Caucasian American - Indian Americans are not included in the definition of "Caucasian". The father is classified as Asian American. Elle Bee 13:07, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Indians are NOT caucasian. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.158.189.81 (talk • contribs) 18:41, April 4, 2007 (UTC).

Exactly. Elle Bee 19:17, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Really? Well someone needs to tell my Sociology Proferssor that. He taught us that Indian were indeed caucasian. There are 3 types of people, caucasian, mongoloid, and negroid and most Indians are definitely caucasian. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.46.15.166 (talk) 19:23, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Tears of Joy??

The article currently says: "performance in the Top 11 episode, crying tears of joy, although ..."

Once again, another example of an unverifiable claim. The most we can say is that she was shown on TV, crying. It is possible that she was crying because he grandmother died, or maybe she has an emotional mental disorder. EITHER WAY, we can't say that, all we can say is, SHE WAS CRYING! - Abscissa 13:10, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17745094/ good enough for a cite?--Koncorde 16:14, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] controversy?

The "Controversy" section currently reads:

On March 19, 2007, Howard Stern announced that he was launching a campaign with his listeners to vote for Malakar to win the competition.[6] Some Stern regulars, such as Jeff The Drunk, have claimed to have voted for Malakar at least 300 times. The weblog Vote for the Worst has Malakar as its current "pick" for the sixth season top 12 after previous candidates Antonella Barba and Sundance Head were eliminated.[7] A few American Idol fans who use MySpace have claimed to be on hunger strikes until he is voted off.[8] Conversely, a 13-year-old girl named Ashley Ferl was highlighted repeatedly during Malakar's performance in the Top 11 episode, crying tears of joy, although Ferl also cried for Melinda Doolittle and many other contestants.[9] The controversy and fan reaction were satirized on the March 24, 2007 broadcast of Saturday Night Live, during the Weekend Update segment (the show's musical guest for the night was Carrie Underwood, the winner of the fourth season of American Idol).[10] Simon Cowell has threatened to leave American Idol if Malakar wins. Some commentators also believe that if Malakar wins, it could be a shark jumping moment for American Idol.[11]

What exactly is the controversy? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.178.78.17 (talk) 23:11, 30 March 2007 (UTC).

The controversy is that he is an obviously horrible singer, and this is no longer a singing competition. Mechasam 16:06, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

If nobody's gonna respond I'm gonna take out that section somehow. --24.178.78.17 04:44, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

The information in that section is worth keeping, but maybe Controversy isn't the best title. Do you have any suggestions for a different title or what content to add/remove? Gnixon 16:14, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

What about Media Buzz? If you go to google, sanjaya has more than 2,000 news articles in the past month, and more than 15,000 blog mentions. Not to mention the Numerous Youtube clips, from viewers to more professional areas (celebtv, jimmy kimmel, bill o'reilly etc). Good or bad, he has serious media buzz Yearsago 14:37, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Gross misinformation.

What is going on here? The article is locked (understandably so), but there are hateful sentences and complete misinformation left throughout the article:

1. After learning that he made the top 40, Sanjaya immediately celebrated and forgot to console his sister. -- everyone who watched knows this is blatantly false
2. and was voted into the Top 10, although he will soon be eliminated. -- what in the world?
3. and forgot most of the words to the song, while just screaming it. -- again, this is completely unacceptable
4. to make fun of Sanjaya -- this needs to be rephrased; it makes it sound like Seacrest did it in a mean spirited manner
5. Once again, Malakar avoided the Bottom Three and out of pure luck entered the Top 9. -- again, unacceptable

Look, I dislike Sanjaya as much as the next person, but what happened to neutrality here? Can someone with the power to edit protected pages make an attempt at fixing these?

[edit] POV concerns

I added a NPOV tag due to some comments on the article: unsubtantiated statement "All the media hates him". judgemental statement "After learning that he made the top 40, Sanjaya immediately celebrated and forgot to console his sister", unsubstiantiated speculation "although he will soon be eliminated", etc. My concerns are addressed by latest edits from Jmartin5 and Tenjikuronin so I believe the tag can be removed now. Lpm 16:57, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Great! Thanks for raising the issue. Gnixon 18:03, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trivia

I was going to add a citation to the triva section but I dont know how. Can someone else do it for me because the one trivia thing we do have I think needs to stay becuase it shows his growing popoluarity but it doenst offer a citation which I know will make some people mad. Rosario lopez 21:33, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't really think there's much citation wise you would need to do for it. It's fine the way it is right now. Darrik2 20:35, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Jimmy Kimmel

Should Jimmy Kimmel be included under the title controversy? KImmel has had at least 4-5 clips/montages about sanjaya. Also 'The Soup' with 'House of Sanjaya Yearsago 14:33, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] External links - VFTW

Since you mentioned Vote for the Worst, wouldn't it be reasonable to add it to the external links? It's not really a fansite or a blog. Hmwith 15:38, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] AIM

his aim is Sanjay369

I might be new to Wikipedia, but I'm pretty sure such information is not considered to be encyclopaedic Vishnuchakra 20:39, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Have you seen this video spoof of him?

http://www.hollywoodsquared.com/videos/sanjaya-easter-greeting/ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.203.188.117 (talk) 00:44, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Girls name

The thirteen year old girls name should not be on this site. There was a controversy over including a famous kid hacker a while back, and his name was not included. She is only thirteen and whether or not Wikipedia policy bans it is irrelevant, IMHO.(OR even if all the newstations say her name). For her sake please remove it. (or at the very least her last name) 74.137.230.39 03:28, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

She was in the news and on the Today show. Her name stays, first and last. That's all. Elle Bee 13:27, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

She has also made several TV appearances since she was on the show. The full name needs to stay. Michael 16:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years

Do we know for certain that his Dad is Bengali. The article that is used as the citation only mentions that he is East Indian and nothing about being Bengali.

I am a Indian Bengali user and I can assure for certain that Malakar is a Bengali surname only. This surname does not occur with other ethnicities other than Bengalis. Bengali people largely live in Eastern India and Bangladesh besides other places like Europe and USA.--Pinaki ghosh 03:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] bathwater

Just did a revert and wanted to explain it. I usually don't like YouTube links, but look at this one. Malakar did clearly fumble the words after the 1st chorus. After "attractive women". Here are hte lyrics. I didn't here him sing the word "bountiful". Fumbled right over it. --Woohookitty^Woohoo! 08:05, 7 April 2007 (UTC)