First, here’s the final word on the crying girl from the only media outlet I can find that actually talked to her, “The Los Angeles Times”…
The girl is Ashley Ferl, a 13-year-old from Riverside, California. She and her family got tickets to attend a taping of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” that also included tickets to a rehearsal of “Idol” or “Smarter.” Ashley’s family, of course, chose “Idol.” Ashley was so excited to see the rehearsal that she started crying. The producers took note and invited the family to attend the live show from a prime location.Most interestingly, even though she probably helped Sanjaya make the top 10, Ashley said her favorites are Sanjaya, Melinda, Gina and Jordin and would not choose one over the others…
Meanwhile, an “Idol” fan is taking drastic measures to try and stop the madness. A girl who calls herself “J” on MySpace is staging a hunger strike until Sanjaya is voted off…So, do I truly believe there was a conspiracy to keep Sanjaya on the show? I really hate to use that word, but it was definitely unfair to show Ashley so much during Sanjaya’s performance.
You may be asking yourself why they would want to keep Sanjaya on the show. Let’s see…Howard Stern is talking about it, all the major Internet sites and TV shows are talking about it. Could that be incentive for the show?
And I believe they think Sanjaya will sell concert tickets. I was stunned when they didn’t take the top 11 last year to include Kevin Covais, who seemed so popular with young girls (Personally, I think he would’ve been more entertaining than Lisa Tucker.).I know I said earlier that if Sanjaya was in the top 11, the show might step in, but I think they think they’re on to something now…
But heaven help whoever has to produce this year’s “Idol” CD. What on Earth will Sanjaya sing?...
