Last Night's Idol: Sanjaya's Hair Reaches New Heights
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Episode 24
You knew American Idol had reached a crazy high point the second you saw the incredibly polarizing Sanjaya Malakar and his latest surprise: He was standing there with his hair pulled up in a flouncy mohawk. It was so tall the camera had trouble fitting it in. It looked as if a giant squirrel were desperately clinging to the back of his scalp.And Sanjaya was clearly thrilled with it. As he sang a rather insipid version of No Doubt's "Bath Water," he gave the hairstyle flirty, funky little shakes. His vibe was more androgynous than ever – he's starting to remind me of Jaye Davidson, the gender-bender from The Crying Game. He makes Clay Aiken look Amish. Simon simply threw up his hands and acknowledged that Sanjaya has moved beyond critical judgment. He's shameless, he's fun, he's a star unto himself. Whether he is good or bad is actually not even relevant.
I'm not sure Idol can afford to lose anyone as entertaining and original as Sanjaya at this point because the show on Tuesday was generally duller than I'd expected, especially given that the week's coach was Gwen Stefani. She was so platinum and shiny-smooth. She looked minted. She was also polite and to the point, trying to rein in the singers' excesses. Everyone sang pretty much to form, with Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis and Lakisha Jones the standouts and the others dutifully straggling behind.
My guess is that Chris Richardson is out. On the other hand, if the vote is based on over-the-top hair, I think Chris Sligh and his ringlets deserve to go as much as Sanjaya and his mohawk.
For more from last night, see AOL's Idol coverage.
