Jennifer Lopez? Nah. Kara DioGuardi? Over her. American Idol Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta shares with me his dream team to step in as Idol’s new judging panel.

Judge One: Elton John
“He would be really cool,” says Archuleta. “He is an icon who has established himself strong in the business. He has taken risks and has been through it all. He would be respected and people would really listen to what he has to say. He’s also English like Simon, so we could expect him to speak his mind.”

Judge Two: Randy Jackson
“Randy is one of the few originals left, so I think for old time sake it would good to have him around,” Archuleta says. “When people look at American Idol, he’s someone we all think of.”

Judge Three: Madonna
“She does what she does and always surprises people,” notes Archuleta. “She was the trend starter. She would be a very open, opinioned judge who would make sure what she says is helpful to those on stage.”

Wohoo! David Archuleta walked the red carpet at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards. David didn’t just walk the red carpet though, he also took home an award for Choice American Idol Alum!

James Jeffrey and Lupe Marie Archuleta blame irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, and have agreed to share joint custody of their three minor children. They have five in all, including singer David, 18.

The elder Archuleta made himself known during his son’s fruitful run on ‘American Idol’ two years ago.

In the court papers, James Jeffrey requests that Lupe pay him $349 in child support each month, they both waved any alimony requests. They’ve agreed to sell their house in Murray, Utah and split the profits.

This is actually their second filing for divorce. The first came in 2002, but they backed out right as David was gaining attention for his singing.

James Jeffrey was arrested in January and charged with soliciting a prostitute at a Utah massage parlor. Archuleta’s attorney claims that his client was there strictly for a back problem, and that no sexual activity occurred. He pleaded “no contest” to the charges, and resolved the situation by paying a $582 fine.

He is up against Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, and Kelly Clarkson in the American Idol Alum category. In the Fan Fanatics category, he is pitted against the Glee Cast, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and the Twilight Cast.

Move over, Justin Bieber, there’s another pint-sized singing sensation on the scene! David Archuleta might be short in stature but he’s certainly not short on talent. This crooning cutie rose to fame with the help of not just one but two star-making making machines: Star Search and American Idol. The Utah native claimed the title of Junior Vocal Champion at the age of 12, and while he might have only come in second to David Cook two years ago on American Idol, his success in the music industry is second to none.

Shortly after his run on American Idol, David Archuleta released his self titled debut album. The album itself went on to sell over half a million copies, while the lead single ‘Crush’ became one of the biggest hits of 2008, moving 1.8 million downloads. And late last year, he released a Christmas album which included covers of yuletide favourites like ‘Silent Night’, ‘O Holy Night’, and ‘Ave Maria’.

These days, David is hard at work in the studio working on a follow up record. The teen heartthrob is working with some of the same great writers and producers, like Emanuel ‘E-man’ Kiriakou, who helped craft his debut, but he says he wants his follow up to be a bit more grown up. According to his blog on DavidArchuleta.com, he’s taking the reigns by writing more of his material this time around as well. He told the L.A. Times earlier this year, ‘Lyrically, I just want it to sound more like me. I want people to say, ‘This is David talking.’ Instead of just interpreting.’ David obviously knows what he wants, and it sounds like a recipe for success!

Fun Facts About David

-David Archuleta was born in Miami, FL on December 28, 1990, but spent most of his childhood in Murray, Utah
-David’s fans and friends on American Idol call him ‘Archie’
-In 2005, David suffered vocal paralysis and had to undergo risky surgery on his vocal chords.
-David gets his vocal chops from his mother, Lupe, who is also a singer.

Earlier this year he was heavily involved in disaster relief efforts for Haiti; the singer donated his time to the NBC Hope for Haiti telethon, funds to Plane to Haiti, and lent his voice to the Spanish language We Are the World remake. Even more recently, he’s teamed up with DoSOmething.org to help other teens who have been affected by natural disasters. Gotta love a star who’s heart is as big as his talent!

With a gorgeous voice, a knack for songwriting, and a heart for helping people, it’s easy to see why David Archuleta has held on to his American Idol fanbase well after his run on the show and picked up new fans along the way. Keep an eye out for this book this summer, and his next single, which is due to impact radio later this year.

Thank you to Becca for the scans and to ArchieRx.com for posting them on their site.

On April 26th, 2009, David was in Newcastle, UK, as the “warm-up” performer for the band McFly. Just before his trip, many of us were wondering if he would perform Angels, a song that is practically a British Anthem…and if the UK audience would accept this young American singing “their” song.  Well, let’s look back and see how that turned out.

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David’s Chords of Strength cover was released! The book will be out May 4th, you can pre-order.

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David Archuleta performed with Jordin Sparks at the “X the TXT” event on February 3. The concert was held at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.

“X the TXT,” a campaign sponsored by Allstate Insurance, hopes to stop the dangerous practice of texting while driving.

Back in November, Sparks said, “I am really passionate about this issue and am so thrilled to have an ‘X the TXT’ event at the Experience. The event is focused on encouraging people to make a difference in their communities and families. By pledging not to text and drive we can save thousands of live – choosing not to pick up the phone and keeping your eyes on the road can be the difference between life and death.”

Teens and families at the event were asked to add their thumbprints to a banner as a public pledge not to drive and text.

All of the proceeds raised by her events will benefit a number of charities, including the Miami Children’s Hospital. On February 4, Jordin and David delivered teddy bears to children at the hospital.

To find out more about “X the TXT,” visit www.facebook.com/thumbsuppledge.

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This will be updated when needed as time goes on.  Comments will be cleared as I add to this list to prevent confusion and lessen the comment “clutter”.

Last updated on 3/4/10.

Originally posted on September 26, 2009.

POLLS:

Who is the greatest ‘American Idol’ runner-up? (aka “Which #2 is Really #1?”) Another USA Today poll.  It’s a tight race between David and Adam Lambert!

Who Is Better: David Cook, David Archuleta or Justin Bieber?

American Idol’s Hottest Guy:  It’s a tight race between our David and David Cook!

Who’s your favorite American Idol contestant of all time? A “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” blog poll!

USA Today’s Favorite Album of 2009!  CFTH is in the poll.

Disney Dreaming Fan Art Contest!  The 4th picture is the only one that has David on it!  It’s a blend of David, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez.

Tweeter Wall Polls: Best American Idol Ever II, Mr. Twitter, Best of Twitter, Musician of the Month, Top YouTube Musician, Best Fansite, Best David Archuleta Site, Best Website, Best Album, and Best Celebrity Website.  Thanks to Katheryn and Cassie for the list!

Best Singer of 2009!  David’s behind Justin Bieber.

Impressed with David’s post-Idol career? Obviously!  David’s slide is the 4th one in.

Are You a David Archuleta Fan? We all know the answer to this one. :)

Which David is Yours? This poll is sponsored by Sony Music.  You can vote as many times as you like, but you must clear your cookies between each vote.

FHR Radio’s Monthly Artist Vote for their Artist of the Month!

Which upcoming album by an American Idol runner up are you most excited about? The poll is below the article.

The Best Website Ever (TWBE)’s Best Idol Ever poll:  This poll resets itself on the 1st of every month. You have 5 votes per day per category.

REQUESTS:

Request David to be on Oprah! Oprah’s producers want to know who YOU want to see on her show!  Get David on there and ask if he can sing a song (or all 13, hehe) from his Christmas CD.  Tell them about how sweet, nice, wonderful, generous and amazingly talented our David is in your message!

FHR Radio’s Song Request form. Request all of David’s songs here!

MediaBase.  Request David’s songs on your local radio station.  There’s now a 2nd MediaBase list!  Request David’s songs there, too!

Radio Disney.  Request all of David’s songs, including “I Wanna Know You”!  All of David’s songs are under his name on the Artist tab.  “I Wanna Know You” is found in an alphabetical search.  (Thanks for the tip, Cassie!)

America’s Top 40:  Request “Zero Gravity” once everyday.  You can request all of David’s other songs as well.

XM 20 on 20:  Request “Zero Gravity” frequently (i.e., every 5-10 minutes).  Also, call their toll-free number (866) 553-2020 so we can get the song on their online request list.

Stream David’s songs and videos on AOL.  Streaming counts toward David’s airplay time.

Chart Central:  Vote for “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” once every hour.

MTV Latin America:  Write David Archuleta – “Crush” in the Otro box.  Then your first and last name in the next two boxes, and your email address in the bottom box.  Then click “Votar” to submit your vote.  You can vote as many times as you like.

Sirius Hits:  Request David’s songs!

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So, if you haven’t got his first album yet this is a pretty good time!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/david-archuleta/id294043248

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