Sanjaya " I did it My Way! "Voted Off American Idol

Sanjaya Malakar the 17 year controversial American Idol Candidate said he did it his way on American Idol, and he'll take the same approach to a career that he hopes will encompass music, acting, modelling and whatever else comes his way.

The morning after Malakar was voted off the singing contest, the 17-year-old with the unique hairdos and hotly debated singing talent sounded tired but composed as he fielded questions during a teleconference.

His near future includes a scheduled appearance Monday in New York on Live With Regis and Kelly, the American Idol season finale next month and then an Idol concert tour with the other top 10 contestants.

Given the divided reaction to him, was he considering hiring a bodyguard? He's already looking into it, he said.

After that, there's college, with the Berklee College of Music in Boston his goal, and a wide-ranging career that will probably include performances with his sister, Shyamali, 19, who unsuccessfully auditioned for Idol.

Malakar, who gave the world the "ponyhawk" hairstyle and at times left brutally erudite judge Simon Cowell at a loss for words, said he knew he was likely to be voted off this week.

"When I saw the show on Tuesday I kind of had a feeling and then I was in the dumps all day on Wednesday. I kind of knew," he said.

He didn't get to sing his first choice of song Tuesday: Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz," settling instead for Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About."

The show's producers quashed the first choice, he said. American Idol is sponsored by Ford.

The singer was routinely savaged by Cowell as he developed into one of the weakest, most awkward Idol finalists ever.

Still, the gangly teen managed to outlast better singers by cultivating an unlikely fan base that helped him survive round after round of viewer elimination.

Among Malakar's supporters: radio shock jock Howard Stern and the website VotefortheWorst.com, which has long promoted American Idol's tone-deaf candidates.

Malakar was asked yesterday if he was surprised by his staying power, especially with Cowell's increasingly harsh criticism.

"I was just focusing on trying to get past each week," he replied.

"My philosophy was to stay true to myself and just try to put my personality out there," Malakar said, an approach he intends to stick with.

He respects Cowell as "an amazing person" and says he learned more from him than anyone else on the show.

Cowell returned

"I miss him, probably in the same way as I would miss now my favourite horror movie," he said.

"I don't mean that nastily, because I like horror movies. But there's a kind of like, `I hate it, I love it.' And that's how I felt about Sanjaya."

He was a "very sweet guy, quite entertaining, but a horrible singer," Cowell said.

Six contestants remain in the competition: Lakisha Jones, Blake Lewis, Jordin Sparks, Chris Richardson, Melinda Doolittle and Phil Stacey.

Up next on Idol is April 24, and April 25 Idol Gives Back Shows. Many stars will appear on the Idol Show on 4-24, 2007. On 4-25, 2007 the next American Idol will be Voted Off.