NEW YORK: Sanjaya Malakar may have been voted out of the American Idol competition, but his popularity as the goofy kid of the weird hair styles and weak vocals is taking him places, and like how! Riding high on the crest of the "Sanjaya effect" that’s sweeping up the youth of the country, the Seattle-based teenager who was riled, ridiculed or laughed off by hardcore ‘Idol’ fans around the country as well as television hosts, was last week rubbing shoulders with media and Hollywood elite at the White House Correspondents’ annual gala in Washington D.C. Invited by the People magazine, it was not without coincidence that Sanjaya was seated a mere two tables away from President George W. Bush.

Rubbing shoulders with media and Hollywood glitterati, Sanjaya posed for pictures with several celebrities at the banquet. He then went studio-hopping in New York where he was interviewed or was part of some of the top television channels, including the Late Night Show with David Letterman, NBC’s Today show in the morning and even Nickelodeon.

Despite scathing criticism from Idol judges for his unquestionably bad singing, Sanjaya amazed the nation with an endearing rebellious cheek and disarming charm to keep coming back with more, often keeping the audiences in suspense over his next hairstyle and wardrobe selection. His popularity among the youth is evident from the crowds that turned up outside the television studios in New York last week, where he was recording for David Letterman. Screaming fans waited to shake hands with Sanjaya, get his autograph and take his pictures.

"Sanjayaed" kids flocked outside the NBC studios Tuesday morning to get an eyeful of their ‘idol’ even as he was on the Today Show. Sanjaya said that for the future, he wanted to go to college while pursuing his music. Sanjaya’s father Vasudeva Malakar came to America over two decades ago as a priest and singer for Hare Krishna temples.

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