The Malakar/American Idol

We, the undersigned, request the immediate removal of contestant Sanjaya Malakar from the American Idol competition. Through statements made by the American Idol judges live on air, it is clear that contestant Malakar is viewed as having sub-par skills. Suspicion regarding the legitimacy of his voting results has been catalogued through television, radio and the internet. International outrage has grown over contestant Malakar's continued advancement through the competition that results in the elimination of other contestants, who have received significantly higher praises from the judges.

It is in our opinion that in order to create a fair playing ground for all contestants and to avoid future embarrassments, American Idol's voting policy for eliminations must be re-examined.

We petition the creators, producers, directors and sponsors of American Idol to make the following modifications in the show's voting procedure:

(1) Each judge is given three scales (of one to ten) to judge a contestant's performance in the following three areas: technical ability, presentation, and overall experience.

(a) Technical ability - will cover the technical aspect of the contestant's vocal performance (pitch, tone, quality et cetera).

(b) Presentation - will cover the contestant's presence, ability to connect with audience, appearance, and showmanship.

(c) Overall Experience - will cover the judges' overall feeling regarding the contestant's performance.

(2) The total of all three judges' ratings is averaged on screen at the end of each contestant's performance preceding quick comments from all three judges.

(3) At the end of each performance episode, the judges' ratings are organized into rankings to determine the bottom group, which is a predetermined amount by the remaining number of contestants of each round.

(4) The contestants in the bottom group are then shown on screen to viewers for voting.

(5) The contestant(s) with the lowest votes out of the bottom group is/are then eliminated and revealed on a follow-up episode.

We feel that the experience held by judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell will provide viewers with a professional-grade evaluation to make informed decisions when voting for contestants. The above styled modification to the present voting procedure will afford contestants with a checks-and-balance voting system as well as increase the credibility of the show's search for the next American Idol.