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I’ve never been able to understand the US’s obsession with “American Idol.” Which is actually a TV transplant from the UK and the fertile brain of Simon Cowell. The big news today is that that the world’s worst singer, Sanjaya Malakar, who horrified and captivated millions in his improbable run on the show, was finally voted off it Wednesday night. On Tuesday night's show, Simon Cowell had slammed his performance as "utterly horrendous." And for once, the notoriously mean English judge was vindicated. Malakar, though lacking in the singing department, consistently delivered the season's most bizarre and talked-about performances, even daring to sport a huge ponytail mohawk hair style that added novelty to an otherwise excruciating rendition of No Doubt's "Bathwater." Big time radio shock jock Howard Stern and the Web site VotefortheWorst.com, which has long promoted the show's really bad candidates, have kept Sanjaya’s “dream” alive. But now it’s over… Or is it? The betting is he’ll live forever on YouTube.

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