http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18014242/

By Craig Berman
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 11:25 a.m. ET April 9, 2007

To hear critics talk, Sanjaya Malakar’s ascendancy to the final eight on “American Idol” is a travesty, threatening the success of the show’s brand name and the credibility of the musical competition. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sanjaya is not the best singer in the history of the competition. He’s not even the best of this season’s finalists. But he’s not a disaster either. In fact, those who are looking to tear him down or use him as an example of the shows weakness need to keep a few things in mind before ranting away.

Sanjaya’s not the one who put himself into the semifinals. Every time the judges rip on Sanjaya, or insinuate that he shouldn’t be on the show, keep in mind that it wasn’t the show’s viewers who made him a candidate in the first place. That honor belongs to none other than the three judges; Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell.