Vote for the Worst enjoys being a fly around the Tyrannosaurus Rex that is "American Idol."
`"American Idol" isn't really a talent competition," said Dave Della Terza, who founded the snarky Web site in 2004, in an interview. "It's a carefully crafted realty show."
Della Terza hasn't made many friends at Fox and its corporate parent News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) or among rabid fans who regularly accuse him of trying to ruin America's most popular television show. Their angry emails on Vote for the Worst are hysterical.
Topic number one on the minds of his readers is Sanjaya Malakar. For those of you who are in a cave or in a coma, Malakar is a hapless young man who has managed to charm his way into the hearts of the American public. Every week, millions of viewers wait to find out what pop song the 17-year-old will butcher next.
In other words, Malakar is perfect for Vote for the Worst.
"It's pretty obvious that he's scared out of his mind," he said. "It's so awkward that the judges never know what to say."
Last night was no exception. Malakar put his long flowing brown hair into a mock Mohawk. His rendition of No Doubt's "Bathwater" was weird. Simon Cowell summed it up perfectly when he said that at this point it doesn't matter what the judges say about Malakar. Cowell is Sanjaya's "favorite" judge because he's "brutally honest," according to the show's Web site.
This season has had a few highlights for Della Terza. Idol contestant Chris Sligh, the chubby guy with the curly hair, gave him a shout out after finishing one of his songs. The site was also mentioned on VH1's "Best Week Ever."
"He understands the humor behind our Web site," he said of Sligh.
Maybe he'll have more time to enjoy Vote for the Worst. Sligh's rendition of "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" didn't rock the house.
Try as it might, Fox can't ignore Vote for the Worst.
The site gets about one million hits a day and as many as four million hits on show nights. I had trouble getting on Vote for the Worst during last night's broadcast.
Vote for the Worst makes money, but not enough for Della Terza to make a living, he said.
Della Terza took pains to point out that he has a real job. Actually, he's got two of them.
"This is definitely not a job," he joked.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-28-2007 @ 12:29PM
Idol Fan said...
What is up with Sanjaya? The Mohawk was out of control. He must think he can do no wrong, because of all the support he is receiving from people voting for the worst.
Catch Sanjaya's Mohawk pictures here:
http://idol-mania.com/american-idol-fan
3-28-2007 @ 1:43PM
ol-harley said...
sanjaya is the worse sing i have heard in a long time .
3-28-2007 @ 3:20PM
funkmaster said...
Sanjaya is going supernova. Anyone who stands in his way is gonna get burned! He is going to crush all of the other puny contestants and wave "buh-bye" to Simon at the finals. Then he'll take over Simon's chair at the judges' table next year.
3-28-2007 @ 11:01PM
maureen said...
this has to be a joke in regards to sanjaya... he certainly is not in the calibur of the rest of the group...i cant believe he made it to the top ten.. i think he is getting out of all he can- what is the worst he can do- get a stupid record deal? but he puts a bad name/reputaion on the other singers...if he goes beyond to the top 5( i will be ill!) - then i think all the callers for him are definitely insane and god help us if that hairdo had any hairspray in it- he will go up in flames!!!! please sanjaya- give it up!!!
3-29-2007 @ 7:16AM
judy slater said...
I am a loyal fan of American Idol and I am so ready to quit watching because of Sanjaya. I decided to join the girl who went on the hunger strike last week and quit eating until he gets booted off. I need to lose weight anyway so atleast I can get something good out of the misery he's making people go through every week. Also people need to keep their young girls off the phone next week so they can't vote for him. If they wanna vote for cute they should be watching America's Top Model ect...
3-29-2007 @ 7:17AM
sandy gotthard said...
Sanjaya needs to be pitied,,, irregardless of Howard Sterns plot to rattle the IDOL ,,, did he ever think of the FALSE sense of security he is giving this poor boy? REMEMBER the day will come when reality is going to bite... SHAME on all,,, AND for the record HE will not be the IDOL there is justice as there has been in America for years and the deserved talented person will be the winner...
3-31-2007 @ 3:23PM
Ellen said...
I think anyone who takes American Idol so seriously that they would join in vote for the worst, or be personally offended by Sanjaya is truly pathetic. Get over yourself. If you do not like the show don't watch, losers.
4-01-2007 @ 8:42PM
Renegade said...
Oh come on, you guys have got to be kidding...to even attempt to say that American Idol is a talent show is ridiculous. Let's call it what it is, a popularity contest. Past years have proved that. The popular, cute or ones with the sappiest story seem to win. I say..ROCK ON Sanjaya...prove to America how fake this show REALLY is!!!
4-01-2007 @ 10:02PM
Name said...
The best singers in the United States are not on American Idol: they can get recording contracts on their own. Some people think VFTW is hurting the good contestants because they won't get recording deals. Well, there were professional singers long before recording companies existed, and there will still be professional singers long after recording companies disappear.
American Idol is directly responsible for the flood of bad music in recent years, because it promotes singing as a way to get rich quick, so everyone with half a voice is trying to get in. Go to the "Are you the worst idol" section of VFTW and listen to the songs. They're terrible, but not much worse than some songs on the radio. The difference comes only from the expensive "mixing" (i.e. voice-altering) equipment that a recording studio can get you, hence the importance of a record deal for crappy singers like those on American Idol.
I listened to a Celine Dion song recently and I was shocked: I had forgotten what a good voice actually sounded like. Her voice stood out, it didn't just blend in with the music. Now, I know she's in a class all her own, but on American Idol the background singers often outshine the contestants!
VFTW just exposes American Idol for the sham competition that it is and for their shameless conditioning of their viewers to bad music. Here's an experiment: go to the "Are you the worst idol" section of VFTW, pick your favorite song, and let it play non-stop in the background while you surf the net. After an hour or two, the music will actually sound not so bad! Now listen to a song from a singer you consider good, then listen to the bad song again. Now you will hear how crappy the voice in the bad song really is. Same thing applies to American Idol.
4-02-2007 @ 10:11AM
Corey said...
See a photo of Dave Della Terza at http://infohype.blogspot.com
4-03-2007 @ 10:53PM
EVELYN said...
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH SANJAYA...I HAPPEN TO LIKE HIM....DOESN'T MATTER WHAT ANYONE ELSE THINKS OF HIM...IF HE IS STILL ON AMERICAN IDOL IS FOR A REASON..I THINK HE SINGS PRETTY GOOD...AND AS FOR HOWARD STERNS.....WHO GIVES A SHIT WHAT HE THINKS..I NEVER LIKED HIM TO BEING WITH...HOWARD STERN MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS ...WHAT IS IT WITH U IS YOUR RATING GOING DOWN OR SOMETHING ...LEAVE SANJAYA ALONG HE HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING TO YOU.....
4-05-2007 @ 11:08AM
CAROL said...
DID IT EVER OCCUR TO ANYBODY THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME AN INDIAN HAS TRIED OUT FOR THE SHOW MUCH LESS GOTTEN THIS FAR.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY INDIANS ARE LIVING IN THE USA? GAZILLIONS!!! I AM NOT A HOWARD STERN FAN BUT YOU ARE ALL GIVING HIM TOO MUCH CREDIT!!
4-09-2007 @ 2:03PM
jamison said...
sanjaya is the worst singer i have ever heard. Please take him off the show or we down south are going to quite watching it