Jonathan Storm | Death knell for 'Idol'?

Can a vocally challenged 17-year-old string bean with a smile brighter than the xenon headlights on Ludacris' Lexus bring down America's pop-culture behemoth?

Backed by organized efforts to distort the voting - most notably a campaign by satellite radio star Howard Stern - and generating an unprecedented public fascination, Sanjaya Malakar has become the focal point of this season's American Idol.

And, according to one media analyst who has done extensive research on the show, that's not good.

"It's already starting to cause trouble," says Stacey Lynn Schulman, who has examined how Idol connects with its fans. "People gravitated toward the show because it was a true contest, providing real people with real talent with real opportunity. Sanjaya degrades that. . . .

"The essence was about the real competition. If this goes too far, they'll lose the audience. They'll lose the faith."

Schulman is doubly qualified to comment. She was a professional studio singer for years. "When I put on my vocalist hat, I think, 'Oh God, help us,' " she said.

Rearranging his long locks every episode and milking shouts from the audience, Sanjaya last week got props as an entertainer from judge Randy Jackson. But his performances have left Simon Cowell, the hanging judge, basically speechless. Cowell has said he would leave the show forever if Sanjaya won.

At least the teen throb is aware that it isn't his talent that is lighting up the Idol switchboards. "I want to prove to America that I really can sing," he said last week.

America doesn't care. It's voting for him anyway. Sanjaya has consistently finished safely in the middle of the pack. And in AOL's American Idol poll, a good popularity barometer that is not affiliated with the show, he vaulted into first place this week, ahead of presumptive favorite Melinda Doolittle.

Yahoo's Buzz site, which tracks online search requests, reports that Sanjaya is not only the most sought-after of the current Idol contestants, he is receiving more searches than any previous Idol winner, and this week even surpassed Justin Timberlake and (gasp!) Harry Potter.

Searches are up at another site, too. Buzz found that hits at www.votefortheworst.com had jumped 154 percent after last week's Idol.