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LaKisha, Sanjaya: Hometown Idols
America voted, and LaKisha Jones was not declared its idol. Clearly, America does not speak for Flint, Michigan.
Both Jones and previously ousted American Idol wannabe Sanjaya Malakar were gearing up for heroes welcomes from their respective hometowns of Flint and Federal Way, Washington this week, to congratulate them on a job well done—or, in the latter's case, done—on the juggernaut talent competition.
Jones, the 27-year-old single mother, was originally due to touch down in her humble hometown Friday for a celebratory parade—which would have been part of her hometown visit captured by the American Idol cameras for next week's semifinal special—though in the wake of her elimination on Wednesday night's results show, her festive reception has been placed on hold while she makes the requisite post-mortem media rounds.
Still, when she does make it back to the city that dubbed her "Flint's Rose," she can expect plenty of pomp and circumstance.
"The city is going to treat her like an idol," City Attorney Trachelle Young, who is helping organize the festivities, said. "She deserves it."
Among the star treatments Jones can expect when she arrives in town next week: a parade outside City Hall, the bestowal of the key to the city and a free six-month lease of a Buick Lucerne, courtesy of the mayor's wife.
Oh, the glamour of Hollywood.
In the meantime, Jones, who said she will bide her time before embarking on the American Idols Live! tour this summer by waiting "for the phone calls to come in and see what happens," said she needs no reassurance that a fourth place finish can still mean success.
"Only thing I can say is, 'Look at Chris Daughtry.'"
Of course, a seventh place finish could prove to be equally lucrative.
Malakar, who was voted off the show just three weeks ago, touched down in his suburban Seattle hometown Wednesday, proving that the man with a thousand hairstyles can still make the little girls cry.
A crowd of more than 600 fans turned out to welcome the would-be Idol at a local mall this week, signing autographs—"Keep smiling" for girls, "Rock on" for boys, per the Tacoma News Tribune—for more than 200 Fanjayas, the first of whom waited in line for more than five hours to meet the hometown hero.
The honor of Malakar's signature set the throng back $1 per scrawl, with proceeds from the event going toward World Vision, a Christian humanitarian group based in Federal Way.
"I'm so happy to be home," he told the crowd.
Not that he will be there for long.
Malakar, who required the assistance of two bodyguards for his visit, said he, his mother and his sister Shyamali, who also auditioned for the show, would be moving to Los Angeles in September to focus on his musical aspirations and burgeoning celebrity.
"It's kind of surreal," he told the Tribune. "It's fun, but it's awkward to deal with in such a small amount of time. You don't really have time to let it sink in."
Malakar is due to join Jones and the rest of the American Idol top 10 on the summer tour.
It's a reunion that Jones, for one, said she's looking forward to...sort of.
"Sanjaya is like a little brother that got on your nerves all the time," she said. "I could be, like, just having a moment and he's jumping all over the place. I'm like, 'Sit down!' But I also appreciated the fact that he trusted my judgment, he took my advice and that he also was there when I needed him."
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