Former "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar arrives at the Bloomberg News Gala that followed the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington on Saturday. Malakar is in demand since his ouster from the show. STEPHEN J. BOITANO | Associated Press

"It's really weird. I mean, I'm just Sanjaya from Seattle," the 17-year-old "American Idol" cast-off said Monday on "Live With Regis and Kelly."

"It's paparazzi (who) get at you," the former Hawai'i resident said, "and fans come up and try to give you hugs and get autographs. I would love to just be able to hug everyone and give autographs and take pictures, but you can't."

Malakar was voted off the Fox talent competition last week after a long and unlikely run in which he outlasted better singers and captivated millions of TV viewers with his goofy charm and ever-changing hairdos.

He wants to be a triple threat: singer, actor and model.

"Like, I really — what I want to do is experience the whole entertainment business because, I mean, I'm not just a musician, I'm an entertainer," Malakar said.

Fresh off "American Idol," the lanky teen/media It Boy is in demand. Another stop on his post-show publicity tour was David Letterman's "Late Show" on CBS, where Malakar was to read the "Top Ten" list Monday night.

On Saturday, he attended a White House correspondents' dinner in Washington as a guest of People magazine.

"It was really weird because the governor of New York came up to me and said, 'I'm a fan, I vote,"' Malakar said.

"That's fantastic," said Kelly Ripa, co-host of the syndicated daytime talk show.