Reality caught up with reality TV last night, when "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar was finally booted from the show. Sanjaya, as he's known to legions of fans and detractors, gained attention for his missed notes, his faux-hawk, and his popularity on the sabotage website votefortheworst.com
Despite the "Idol" judges' repeated pans, the 17-year-old survived into the final seven, raising the possibility that a contestant whose distinguishing characteristics were his coif and his absence of vocal talent would emerge as the winner in the season-long viewer voting. Sanjaya's rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" settled that question. (More American Idol stories.)