Hail Sanjaya

Sanjaya is saving American Idol.

Sanjaya's smart. He's a ham. He dominates the stage. And best of all, he's a terrible, terrible singer.

Last night, he sang "Besame Mucho." An awesome song, which was delivered largely in-key. And as the camera panned him for the closing shot, he followed the camera with those big sappy eyes and winked. Pure theater. Tonight, they gave him the critical "te quiero, mi amor," whisper from the group song: Enrique Iglesias's Bailamos. And the producers are supporting Sanjaya's surge to power, largely because it makes the show a lot more interesting.

Let's be honest: American Idol is a glorified karaoke/popularity contest. It's so ridiculous it's fun. But after six seasons of watching contestants take the show ultra-seriously, what a relief to have a comedian up there. Best of all, Howard Stern has ordered all of his legions to vote for him, thus undermining the silly show entirely.

Nearly everyone goes down in flames on reality shows. Hopefully Sanjaya can take the system down with him.