China's "American Idol" voters sent 271'000 SMS

The name may not roll off the tongue quite like American Idol does, but that hasn't kept the Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Super Girl contest from sweeping China.

Like American Idol, which named its winner Wednesday night, China's Super Girl gives aspiring singing stars a shot at televised fame and fortune.

And amid an Idol-like mania, young women all over China have lunged at the opportunity.

Last week, the spotlight fell on the regional finals and the three-hour program, televised live, featured the five finalists.

In a country where televised fare still features military officers belting out patriotic anthems, viewers have found Super Girl irresistible.

Super Girl is surprisingly participatory. This remains a country where people can't elect their leaders. But they can vote for their favorite singers.

The final round — between Zhao Jingyi (the schoolgirl), She Manni (the glamour queen), and Huang Yali (the tomboy) — was decided by more than 271,000 viewer votes cast that evening through text messaging.

emily | 8:18 AM | SMS and Television |
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