“Welcome to the UNIVERSE OF SANJAYA!!” American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar yelled out during yesterday’s show—after Simon Cowell called his performance “incredible.”

Cowell isn’t alone in his, er, support.

“I want that funny Indian kid to win,” actress [1] Rose McGowan told the snaparazzi while signing autographs earlier this week. “He’s horrible. He’s great.”

“I can’t even comment on the vocals anymore,” said judge Randy Jackson last night. “What I like about you now is that you’ve turned into a great entertainer.”

Even[2] Tony Bennett agrees. “I really think you’re terrific,” he told Malakar, adding that he appreciates his “sense of humor.”

Now Kentucky Fried Chicken has come forward, saying Malakar will be given [3] a free lifetime supply of KFC’s Famous Bowls if he sings on stage in a bowl haircut. “We’re sure America will be as ‘bowled-over’ by your take on this classic look as they are by our KFC Famous Bowls,” KFC’s president wrote in a [4] letter to the singer.

Tell us what you’re thinking in the comments-section below (especially re: the latest ‘do. Is it more Sopranos or Saturday Night Fever? Also: “Sanjaya is my Papaya?” Please explain.).

More: [5] Sanjaya also makes me cry; Making [6] girls cry since 1989; [7] Starving for Sanjaya; It’s in [8] his hair.