It doesn't matter what Diesel's cultural background is, Wynter argues. "He belongs to the culture that's particularly hot right now, whatever you want to call it, not some amorphous 'multiculture.' It's not an ethnic group, unless you consider 'American' an ethnic group."

And why not? White-bread Kelly Clarkson may have won "American Idol," but it was mixed-race Justin Guarini who made the girls bounce on the sofa cushions all summer long and helped drive the ratings. His ethnicity mattered a whole lot less than his cuteness.

Justin (and all of "American Idol" for that matter) represented another important trend in 2002 --- the up-from-nowhere phenomenon.