American Idol...what you didn't see

Technorati tags: American Idol, Sanjaya Malakar, Gina Glockson, Stephanie Edwards, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Jordan Sparks

American Idol always has the great behind the scenes stuff.  People Magazine covers it well, I love the stuff I find out the day after the elimination.

"King Sanjaya: It's Sanjaya Malakar's universe – we just live in it. An audience member at Wednesday's elimination show quickly found that out when during the pre-show he held up a sign that read "Buh-Bye-Ya Sanjaya." A none-too-pleased Idol staff weren't happy about the negative message and decided to confiscate the sign, fold it up into a little square and dispose of it. But there was no shortage of positive banners. Among them: "Sanjaya is my hero!," "Beat-boxing Blake is the bomb," "Jordin Sparkles" and "The Wildcats Love Melinda.""

"Welcome Back, Stephanie! When ousted Idol Stephanie Edwards showed up at Wednesday's show, she got fans in a tizzy. While the singer was on line with the rest of the audience members to go into the theater, fans began to notice her and gave her an ovation. The love continued inside when Stephanie, who was accompanied by her pal Whitney, took her seat right across from Sanjaya's dad. A line of fans formed, each one eagerly holding a pen, some with T-shirts and one even holding a cup for the former Idol to sign. This went on practically right up until the announcement for everyone to take their seats as the show was about to start. A gracious Stephanie, with a smile on her face, happily signed each and every one."

"Family Feud (Sort Of): During the pre-show, warm-up comedian Bill Sindelar had two young female fans dance onstage as audience members on the left and right competed in a which-side-is-the-loudest-side competition. But one audience member who was sitting right in the front row wasn't being enthusiastic enough. Turns out, it was Jordin Sparks's mom, who was a little too nervous for her daughter to join in the fun. So, Sindelar found Sanjaya's father, who was sitting a few seats behind her and asked him to show Mama Sparks how it's done. Mr. Malakar went crazy for the fans, screaming and hollering in delight. That sparked a friendly competition and when her turn came, Jordin's mom started wiggling her hands in the air and screaming like crazy. Both agreeing on a tie, Jordin's mom and Sanjaya's dad hugged it out at the end of it all."