Why didn't you put up a link to Sanjaya's performance of Sweet Chriot, which he performed with Pat Wright's choir in 2006? It is just as readily available on YouTube as the You Really Got Me clip feauring Ashley Ferl, and given the nature of the Black Nativity performance, would have been in much better taste. To use the Black Nativity performance as just another excuse to bring up the same old, tired (and by now cliched') reference to the whole Crying Girl thing was a cheap shot, and frankly, not a very imaginative one, at that. Also, I would think that you local journalists and writers from the Seattle area could try giving the kid a little bit more in the way of morale support, considering he IS from that area. It's a shame that this kid can't even seem to rely on his own local press to simply give him a pat on the back and say, You're doing great, kid, we're proud of you. That is, without being snarky or making it sound like a backhanded compliment in the process.

Fair enough.

He was only about 14 when that video was made too.

I just read that his current vocal coach is Stevie Wonder's coach and long-time friend. Sweet melodious voice there with a lot of potential if focused well.

Might want to take a look at his Besame Mucho the week before he departed AI :-) The potential is definitely there, at age 17. Not your usual shouted AI performance though. And not what most would call a "trainwreck" (though that can be fun for some!)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XA0BH5eWH0w
Hmmm, maybe I'll try to embed that since you allow it here.

Nice to see you put up the vid of Sweet Chariot, as a previous commenter suggested. THANK YOU.

You say you don't understand Sanjaya Malakar's appeal. Well for many of us, it is simply that we saw past the cheap shots from the judges and realized that this was a very young, very sweet kid, with a beautiful voice, who was getting a bum rap. Otherwise, how do you explain his Seattle audition and his melodious version of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"? Or the snippet they showed of Hollywood week, when he just as ably sang "Some Kind of Wonderful"? Or that it was the JUDGES who put him through to the voting portion of the contest?

Or that guest mentors Tony Bennett, J-Lo, Diana Ross and Peter Noone all endorsed his "right" to be there?

And yet, this myth took hold that he couldn't sing.

Compare his worst performances on AI with the worst of the other top 8 (take out Melinda Doolittle). Vocally, I think you'll hear the same flaws from them as you heard from him. And Sanjaya was only 17, inexperienced, and being figuratively roasted alive - by AI, in the media, and by a great portion of the public.

But the best part was, he didn't crumble. He stood strong, he kept smiling, and he never gave up. In fact, he came out fighting - witness the gutsy You Really Got Me and the fearless Bathwater/ponyhawk. A few weeks later, he gave us the beautifully rendered Besame Mucho. Yes, this kid can sing.

So there's talent, there's the underdog factor, and there's the strength-in-the-face-of-adversity aspect. Add to all of this a killer smile, great hair, and a winning personality (see any of his post-idol interviews. Watch the women go ga-ga and the men be utterly won over) and you start to get the picture.

Then he went on tour and proved not only that he can sing, but that he is one heck of a performer. He lit up the stage like you never saw on AI, and the crowd LOVED him. He fully embraced the sexy persona required for such songs as The Way You Make Me Feel and Proud Mary (his duet with Melinda Doolittle), and then sold it to the audience. They bought it, too.

In just a few months, he had grown in ability and confidence beyond the expectations of even his most ardent fans.

I had the good fortune to meet him backstage on the tour. This kid has a rare quality that draws people to him like bees to honey. It's the smile, yes, but there's something else, something intangible that makes people want to be around him. He's mesmerizing. I saw it time and again (I was backstage with him twice, for extended periods of time) with fans and non-fans alike. I can honestly say I've never seen anything quite like it. Some call it charisma, others "star quality" or the "it" factor. Whatever you call it, people find it irresistible.

And then there's his personal philosophy of tolerance, charity, and love, that comes across in his interviews and in his actions.

So there's something for everyone - from deep thinkers to lust bunnies; from grade-schoolers to grannies. Which is why he has an incredibly diverse fan base, spanning all ages, ethnicities, nationalities, and walks of life. Just take a look at his fan site Dazeoffire.com.

Given the AI history, I can understand why some people don't "get" Sanjaya's appeal, but I think it's only a matter of time before they're going to be pleasantly surprised. He has a TV appearance coming up in your area - Christmas in the Northwest - and he's working on an album. I would urge you to check him out for yourself, not just rely on what other people say. The kid deserves a fair chance.

my fellow dazers have made exceptional points , its truley sad & troubling ,when a nice sweet young man like sanjaya keeps having to deal with naysayers & people who say they dont GET HIM & continue pulling him down, but sanjaya ignores these things but WE HIS FANS DONT,thats because we believe in him , & WE ARE ALL WALKS OF LIFE , AGES , ETHINICES , & COUNTRIES . he has a beautiful voice listen to sweet chariot or better yet tonight on FOX REALITY CHANNEL watch the rerun of american idol sanjaya is #8 he got the PIMP SPOT ,which is a very coveted spot on the show ,here you will see a young man SINGING A SONG IN SPANISH & he DOESNT SPEAK SPANISH BUT HE SANG IT BEAUTIFULIY !watch , listen open your ears ,& mind , judge for your self ,if that doesnt convince you SANJAYA will BE GUEST APPEARING on a show NORTHWESTERN CHRISTMAS THIS IS FOR CHARTITY FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER he will be singing, the show will be airing in your area listen & watch form YOUR OWN OPINION & NOT LISTEN TO WHAT OTHERS SAY & you say you seen black nativity ??? BUT THIS IS SPECIAL the total experince gospel choir will be singing & performing & yes HONORING sanjaya & the two other idols, SANJAYA WAS HONORED ON DEC 2 HE WAS ONLY PARTIPATING FOR THAT DAY ,HE SANG & PERFORMED FOR TWO SPECIAL SHOWS THAT DAY & BOTH shows were SOLD OUT !!! & THIS IS ALSO CHARITY BENIFITING SEATTLE , if none of this convinces you that this young man CAN SING & HAs HUGE POTETIONAL then CHECK OUT HIS i - tunes , but you have to be willing to OPEN YOUR EARS , MIND & HEART !! if you still dont GET SANJAYA AFTER LISTENING & WATCHING HIM , KNOW THIS HE IS PARTIPATING IN THE BLACK NAVTIVTY & THE NORTHWESTERN CHRISTMAS TO HELP OTHERS , BOTH ARE BENFITING PEOPLE IN NEED ,SANJAYA is the ONLY IDOL so FAR USING HIS POPULARITY & FAME to HELP OTHERS IN NEED not HIMSELF, he is a young man with a big heart , big BRIGHT SMILE & a BEAUTIFUL VOICE TO MATCH & O.M.G.he's only 18 !!!he has time on his side & alot of potenioal & TALENT to be successful in life.

This is the funniest thing I've seen all week.

Interesting that you say, "it's nice enough, but once is plenty for a lifetime". I saw the Dec 2 performance and it was incredible. Yes, I did go as a Sanjaya fan, but I intend to go again, just because ALL the performances were outstanding.

This interpretation of the Nativity is unique and interesting. Sanjaya's performance was vocally incredible and spiritually moving.