Sanjaya to dine with George Bush

Indian-American teen Sanjaya Malakar, whose dream run in the American Idol talent hunt has just come to an end, will now be a guest at a White House correspondents' dinner, also expected to be attended by President George W Bush.

The 17-year-old who survived several rounds in the show despite numerous questions being raised about his singing prowess, has been invited to the glittery event by the People magazine.

'The most gushed-over guests at Saturday's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner will be eclipsed by the one-name sensation just added to the list: Sanjaya,' the Washington Post reports.

'People magazine cleverly snagged the latest American Idol evictee -- the weak-voiced, shaggy-maned teen sensation (with the camera-happy smile) who survived so many eliminations to become the most controversial love-him-or-hate-him contestant in the show's history.'

Sanjaya was voted out by the viewers of the Fox Television show on Wednesday, and the paper said, 'People's celebrity wranglers nailed his RSVP within hours of his boot.' The much-talked about Idol contestant, who had grabbed the media attention more for his wacky hairstyles, will also brush shoulders with US film and television actress Valerie Bertinelli and Robert F Kennedy Jr.

The report said Sanjaya will be at the dinner at Washington Hilton with his mother and is expected to make the scene at Bloomberg's glitzy after-party.