American Idol

"American Idol" might not exactly qualify as art, but it sure does a good job of imitating life. In a world of hanging chads and voting machines, it was only a matter of time before the television juggernaut endured its first voting manipulation controversy. There are rumblings that this season's edition of "American Idol" is being gamed in favor of 16-year-old contestant Sanjaya Malakar. No one is saying the show's producers are using the butcher's thumb in favor of the modestly talented Malakar (watch him perform here) -- in fact, he's received only lukewarm praise from Randy, Paula and Simon -- but the idea has been floated that a subversive campaign led by Howard Stern and block voting from Indian call centers are reasons why this less than stellar contestant has been able to keep making the cut.