Anwar Robinson links: 1, 2 and his profile on BlackPlanetLove.com, here .

Before anyone gets upset I've only put 'gay' in uppercase because the other thread for Scott has 'criminal record' in uppercase as well with lots of exclamation marks. I'm not bothered about him. This is just some news, OK.

Anwar needs to sort himself out or he'll be going home. He can't rely on a big finish all the time. Being in the bottom 3 will be a wake up call for him.

Yes, I saw that "Blackplanet" thing a few days ago, but to be honest I don't think that is shocking because I think most people knew he was gay. I think Scott will be the one going home, not Anwar. I think Scott has been getting a lot of sympathy votes before and now people will look down on him.

Why oh why. I still want to have Anwar's babies. Suppose I'll have to get out the turkey baster. It couldn't have been Scott that was gay could it? Oh no. It had to be the gorgeous one. Typical.

I didn't know he was gay!!! Sob sob sob!

So what if he's Gay. We were never gonna get him anyway He's still a lovely looking fella

Very true, but I could dream!

Phwoaaarr!!! My gaydar has beeped more than once with lovely smiley Anwar (but then it beeps with Simon - maybe that's wishful thinking on my part).

He's GOT to give a good performance this week - I don't want him to go from the comp just yet. He's candy to the ears and the eyes and he is everything I want from an American Idol.

I think your gaydar is working perfectly

I thought most people could tell fairly early on that both Anwar and Mario were gay!

In this day and age it doesn't matter, or does it in the States?

It probably depends upon whereabouts. Anwar *might* have trouble going back to his teaching job, with this information known... OTOH, if he did, I suspect that there are other school districts that would be happy to take him.

I can never be too sure - it's gotten me into some awkward situations in the past!!!


It'll probably balance out - he'll get MORE support from some quarters (he'll probably get more women's votes oddly enough (as has been shown from this thread already!), as well as from gays, friends of gays, friends of friends of gays etc) and less from others (right wing religious/political types and the whole of the Deep South! (is the Deep South thing as bad as it was before? I don't know...).

It shouldn't matter, and hopefully he won't be any better or worse off for it, just as being male or black shouldn't make a difference. What DOES go in his favour is he's well gorgeous and has a beautiful voice that I want to hear a LOT more of.

I hope it makes no difference to Anwar's chances but in George Bush's America it might do - Americans (generalising here) tend to vote along regional/ethnic/religious lines which means not only is AI a popularity contest it is also a tribal vote contest. He would have to be very good to transcend this, but we know he can be, so he just needs to put on the magic he did at the start of the series.

Does it not depend upon which geographical areas AI is popular in? What I mean is, the US is roughly divided along cultural, ethnic and relgious lines, defined geographically with Americans on the outside and Murkans in the middle. If the Americans can be motivated, then someone with talent will be the winner. if the Murkan vote is bigger, then Carrie U will crush any opposition just on the grounds of her look and background.

You also have to take into account that US TV is way downmarket of UK TV, even the ITV audience. Upmarket America takes out NYC/SF/LA/Seattle/ Chicago etc and downmarket brings in Dumbsville Kentucky and Hispanic and Afr/Amer bits. To their credit they do hang on Simon's every word (if they can understand it).

The typical US TV viewer is female (so is ours) middle aged (ours is elderly) obese (ours is overweight) and has never been out of state (ours has been to Benidorm). The US voter is everyone, ours is three years old with a pink phone or your mum or a bunch of gay blokes. They are more likely to vote for a female, an old person, a black person and someone with very big hair and a very big voice who sings coun- hhh - treeeEEEH - guerss who? We are more likely to vote for a male, a gay person, a Muslim, a French person, a disabled person, someone not very good (and then not buy their CDs).

Anwar is gay ? and ? so what!!!! so is Elton, george, Will and well loads more who cares, he aint a murderer is he... that would be news

hahah you are funny very true ...almost ...but I got to say you almost got the whole population to rights ... so who will win the Election ? joking !!!!!!!!!


ps i don't want to go to benidorm , I want to spend a week in an igloo with eskimos ( as long as they have broadband)

sadly in some closed minded places in the states it does matter....where people don't get out much...and pass judgement on anyone or anything different... but not in San Francisco...I am sure he will be welcome there!!!

Loving all of these thoughtful analyses of America... (hope that is the plural of analysis ...as I am an uneducated MURKIN , I simply wouldn't know)....
Why try to figure it all out???....just let it all go.....

Is america a homophobic nation, do they discriminate against gays? Because if they do, he'll be out.

Having said that, I can see as a potential Will Young

America is huge and complex with 300 million different opinions. Make that one less because Ryan Sea-list is an American. They are generally very keen on freedom and minority rights (when talking about them, not necessarily allowing them, see Current Presidency under headings 'feeding tube', war on terror, gay marriage etc).

However TV-land is another country where reason frequently flies out the window. When Janet Jackson as much as flaunted a bejewelled nipple on TV there was more coverage and beating of breasts (not hers) than this last week with the passing of Il Papa. A squillion complaints were sent in. A huge fine was levied. And all live sports TV is now on a delay long enough to recup offending appendages and still have time for milk and cookies.

TV execs quiver and quake in front of the likes of the Christian Coalition and big brand advertisers such as Burger King's Big Whoppers. There is also great conservatism over family TV compared to the UK. They over-react, as all executives do, worrying what everyone else will think instead of thinking what they themselves think and acting cool and sensible as I myself would do without fail in times of crisis, were I to face any. (That said the gorgonesque Nancy Grace's daytime descriptions of Michael Jackson's shower cubicle action leave one open-mouthed, to use an inappropriate term.)

However, to date I am not aware that America knows Anwar is gay and is talking about it/him/that/anything else other than the Pope/Camilla/Rainier/anyone else European unelected.

So Anwar can soldier on regardless, happy, gay even. (Soldier? Which one is he? The one that sings the marching songs.)

I don't have a gaydar, but your one sounds funny!!! lol

TBH, good luck to Anwar, looks like a nice guy but he has not been performing well as of late and he is beginning to sound very dull!

This thread is proving very popular, far more so than I was expecting. So for all of his (male and female) admirers here are some links with high definition image grabs of Anwar taken from previous shows.

Anwar Robinson: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Great voice, great smile but will that be enough to keep him in the show?