Survivor on TV

Sanjaya Malakar will always be known as the ponyhawk guy of American Idol. For those who think it is not good enough,let it be known that it is enough to have a TV career of sorts. Malakar,whose eyeball-grabbing hairstyles and his ability to annoy Simon Cowell made more headlines than his singing skills,is soon to be on the second season of the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

The show,which will air in India in July,has been panned as one that stars wannabes and has-beens. But that hasn’t stopped Malakar from being upbeat about his participation in it. “I’m glad to be on this show. I see this as an opportunity to make a great deal of money for a charity which provides education and shelter for orphans in India.” Fair enough. Malakar does have his heart in the right place and a few minutes into the conversation,you realise that the 19-year-old is still not used to his celebrity status. “It does get crazy,” he admits,“You can’t do things the normal way. There have been dark times,like when you can’t attend your own prom without being mobbed.” But he has made his peace with that,as he has with being parodied and ridiculed in the media. Moreover,he says,you get the opportunity to do a lot of good work besides which you also meet many new faces. “People often walk up to me for a chat. It is funny,but that is how I met my best friend.”

I’m a Celebrity also stars,former supermodel Janice Dickinson,actor Stephen Baldwin,pro wrestler Torrie Wilson,among others. The contestants will be marooned in a jungle where the fittest will survive. “I’m sure I’ll do very well in the wild. I have very strong survival skills,” says Malakar. Considering that he has endured both the brickbats and bouquets that a celebrity-driven culture threw at him,we are inclined to take his word for it.