“American Idol” isn’t Triangle native Anoop Desai’s first television appearance. The University of North Carolina graduate student appeared on a popular WRAL children's show in the late 1990s.
Desai played “Raj” on “CentralXpress.com,” which won multiple awards, including seven regional Emmys, two national Iris awards and a national Gabriel award.
Original producer David Creech described the show as a precursor to national shows with the same premise including “iCarly” on Nickelodeon.
The show focused on a group of students maintaining the school’s Web site. It tackled serious issues such as race and death. It ran from 1997 to 2001.
Creech described Desai as “a delight to work with” and “very intelligent.”
Desai, 22, is a member of the all-male a capella group the Clef Hangers at UNC. He was named a top 13 finalist on “American Idol” and has recovered after a disastrous performance of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” several weeks ago.
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UPDATE: You asked for it - more Anoop footage will be available soon! I am finding some of the best clips to include online in the coming hours! Stay tuned!