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Posts: 3886
01/09/2009 12:09 PM
"Just David" With a non-stop year full of once-in-a-lifetime moments, screaming fans, and a chart-topping, self-titled album, you would think it would faze singer DAVID ARCHULETA, but, as Amy Choate-Nielsen finds out, the spotlight of fame hasn't seemed to faze him one bit. He's still just David. It's 8 a.m. on a Thursday morning, and David Archuleta is standing in a corner of the Los Angeles International Airport talking to me on the phone. He's got his back turned, a trick he learned to try to stay incognito, and he's facing the wall, but it only takes a minute for the first person to walk by and happily ask for an autograph. Sure, he's on the phone. And sure, he's so tired he yawns and apologizes for it about every five minutes. But no, it's no problem to sign an autograph. "Wow, that's ironic," he says to me, since I just asked him if people recognize him everywhere he goes, and nonchalantly he said something like "not always." "I think they're going to take a picture with me now," he says. He poses for a second, then goes on to tell me the logistics of avoiding the mobs of fans that lurk in malls and high schools. "Dangerous" is the word he uses, but before long, he pauses, and I can hear him smile, and without missing a beat he says, "Hi! How old is he? Sure. You're welcome." Another picture. Not only is David Archuleta tired, busy, and standing in a corner, but he is genuinely gracious and interested in these strangers who keep stopping him. It's not forced and it's not false, it's just who he is: a guy on the verge of his 18th birthday, traveling with his dad to Disneyworld. He's also the guy with a new, self-titled debut album that's been riding high in the pop charts, the guy who's tired because he was up performing the night before at a big-ticket concert, who has girls screaming his name, and who was a runner-up on one of the country's most popular television shows, American Idol. But Archuleta is trying to move away from that last one. He started wanting to shed his American Idol identity before the show was even over, like many who use the show to break into the music industry. It happened in his dressing room, just after the season finale. Archuleta was taking it all in, reeling in the moment, when Simon Fuller, the show's creator, stepped through the door. "He said, 'You did great work,' and, 'Aren't you excited to be with Jive Records?'" Archuleta says. "I was like, whoa. It was all thrown at me, and it never stopped. Right there, in my dressing room, I got signed." Life has been a whirlwind since that night in May. There was the Idol tour, then radio shows, interviews, an appearance on MTV -appearances all over the place, really-recording his own album, releasing it in November, filming music videos, and keeping his fans updated on his Myspace page, www.myspace.com/davidarchuleta. But somewhere in there, in between the concerts and photoshoots, Archuleta took a break. He came home to Murray to spend time with family and see friends-and get his Eagle project finished. In three days. The newly-hatched pop star went on a merit badge blitz, making up for lost time. And one day, before he had to go to a recording session, Archuleta got friends and family to help him plant 180 trees and shrubs in a little park alongside the Jordan River. "I don't know how it happened, but I started out with 10 and I ended up with 21 (merit badges) by the end of it," he says. "It was really exciting to me, especially when I almost gave up hope. I think that shows you should never, ever give up hope." Archuleta is incredibly grounded for a guy who can-even in a hat and after the lights have gone down-get recognized walking into a Broadway showing of "Wicked" and cause a scene. He says he owes his normalcy to his family. "I think I've pretty much stayed the same," Archuleta says. "It feels like I'm going through a transition in life and going through a different stage, but I feel the same." He pauses as another fan walks by and calls out, "Nice CD!" and he thanks them, then goes on talking about how normal things are. "I'm just David, and a lot more people know who I am now than before, but it's not like I'm a different person because of that," he says. "That's the important thing about family, because they help remind you. They say, 'This is David,' and when you come home, they still treat you like a David." All of this talking is making him thirsty. So he goes to look for a drinking fountain with his dad's cell phone still in hand, and then suddenly he realizes that his own phone is missing. "Oh no, oh no," he says. "Dang it. I think I left it on the plane. That is not good."Archuleta starts negotiating with the airline employees, trying to get back on the plane that's about to take off for Vancouver, but they're less than helpful. They say no, and they give him a toll-free lost-and-found number to call instead, but Archuleta never pulls the celebrity card. Even though while he was standing there -on hold with the lost-and-found messaging service, watching the plane take off with his phone, a man asking for his autograph-Archuleta never said to the airline employees, "Don't you know who I am?" A few minutes later, Archuleta has to head to the gate where his father is waiting, where his flight is already boarding. His phone is long gone. "It's OK," he says, "I'm over it now." He's willing to hope for the best and move on, kind of like the next step in his career. Archuleta is already planning his own tour for next year. He's already filming more music videos, already singing at more concerts. There's a lot left to Archuleta's future, and not all of it has been pinned down yet. "I just want to continue improving," he says. "I want to continue trying new things and keep on doing music. Along with music I want to keep on doing my best in whatever it is I do-to make sure I'm happy with what I'm doing so I can look back and say I'm happy with what I did and with what I was able to accomplish, no matter what it is."Archuleta barely makes his connection to Florida, where the Disney crowd awaits. He says the attention he receives as one of America's newest heartthrobs is "a gift you receive that you're trusted to use well," and that it's "important to reach out to as many people as you can because of the attention you're receiving." I'm betting there will be plenty of people to ask Archuleta for an autograph wherever he goes next, especially if and when he returns to Utah. And since he's bound to receive so much attention, there's one thing that he could really use-a new phone.
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01/09/2009 12:34 PM
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01/09/2009 4:41 PM
01/10/2009 12:12 PM
01/10/2009 12:14 PM
01/10/2009 8:45 PM
01/10/2009 10:58 PM
01/10/2009 11:31 PM
01/12/2009 2:10 PM
NEW BLOG
New York, New York Hey everyone! It's me again, and I'm just checkin' in with you guys here in New York.... eating grapes... haha. I've gotten a chance to spend more time with my family lately, and it's been sooooo nice catching up with them. It's nice just to hang out and talk, or play video games, or do some music stuff together, or go out for lunch with my brother and sisters. I also got to hang out with my friends, which was also really fun. The governor's inauguration was so cold! But it was a good experience getting to sing for him again, even though the flag kept like hitting me in the face haha. So Utah time was good. Oh! I've also been getting more exercise in, which has felt amazing! I haven't really gotten the chance to go running and stuff for a while, so I was so excited to be able to fit that in. What made it really fun is I got to work out with my friends a lot, and that made it a lot easier to spend more time at the gym or wherever haha. But yeah. I'm in New York for a performance I have at the Hard Rock Cafe, where I'm doing a small set for Bauer Publishing's J-14, M and Twist Magazines. I think some contest winners have been invited too! I love New York, even though it's freezing! I don't deal too well with the Utah cold or the New York cold, so I always have to make sure the heat's blasting in my room. After New York, I'll be heading back to the West coast to LA to do a few more things. But that's all I really have to say for now. See you guys around! P.S. I hope I'm getting better at not rambling too much about things! I'll keep working at it haha. Song for the day: Stranger In Moscow - Michael Jackson
LOL! I'm just checkin' in with you guys here in New York.... eating grapes... haha. Reminds me of that interview where he's eating grapes and says, "That skin, dangit!" even though the flag kept like hitting me in the face haha. I love him.
01/12/2009 2:20 PM
01/13/2009 2:58 AM
01/13/2009 11:50 AM
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01/13/2009 2:43 PM
01/13/2009 4:13 PM
OMG do we love David Archuelta! Why do you ask? Besides the fact that he's such an amazing, sweet guy, he's totally genuine, and he sang the romantic anthem of the year "Crush"? Well, because he's the new spokesperson for Do Something's disaster relief grants! Yesterday, we shot his new PSA here in New York. He was so fun to hang out with! Before the shoot, David told us that the "fur" on his coat was fake, but he wasn't going to wear it in the shoot, just in case anyone thought it was real. He was totally sensitive to his animal-loving friends. David also hung out with our auction winners, Julia and Aimee (who flew in all the way from Nashville!!), the whole time, talking all about what he's been up to since his American Idol days of fame. They were amazing. Julia was so inspired she told us she's even going to apply for a disaster relief grant, and start a Do Something club at her school. Yay David!! Talk about celebs inspiring people to do good things. CGG drilled David, talking all about his idea of a perfect Valentine's day date, what he thinks of the new American Idol judge, and what his plans are for the inauguration. You'll just have to stay tuned to CGG for the interview!
01/13/2009 6:22 PM
01/13/2009 8:16 PM
i could dance all nite wrote: Yesterday, we shot his new PSA here in New York. He was so fun to hang out with! Before the shoot, David told us that the "fur" on his coat was fake, but he wasn't going to wear it in the shoot, just in case anyone thought it was real. He was totally sensitive to his animal-loving friends. - http://www.dosomething.or...d/we-love-david-archuleta
Yesterday, we shot his new PSA here in New York. He was so fun to hang out with! Before the shoot, David told us that the "fur" on his coat was fake, but he wasn't going to wear it in the shoot, just in case anyone thought it was real. He was totally sensitive to his animal-loving friends.
01/14/2009 12:22 AM
I thought the "fur" thing was awesome, too. It shows (once again) how considerate and caring he truly is.
David Archuleta Isn't Ready For Broadway While some 'American Idol' contestants have used their fame to launch their careers on Broadway, David Archuleta says he's not going to be one of them. Archuleta admits he'd rather be focusing on his music career than worry about following in the footsteps of Broadway bound Idols like Clay Aiken or Fantasia Barrino. "I never really thought about [performing on Broadway.] I am more about performing and doing music," Archuleta said. "Maybe my tastes will change but not right now," he added. Instead Archuleta gushed about performing an intimate concert in New York's Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on January 12. "I'm so excited," Archuleta said. Honored to be performing in the same venue as music's greatest legends, he added, "It's a cozy setting, so it will be a lot of fun." Drawing in hundreds of screaming fans for private concert, Archuleta was finally able to interact with his fans--something that was difficult to do during the nationwide 'American Idol' tour. Even though he has temporarily given up sold-out arenas, Archuleta is excited things are starting to calm down. "It's really chill and laid back... I'm finally getting a chance to see my family and friends," he said. Despite his quick breather in New York, he is already planning for the next step in his career. "We are working on my own tour... I'm excited about it because we did the 'American Idol' tour but it was not my own thing. It will be really exciting to see how that all goes," Archuleta said. While no dates have been released, he promises fans that they won't be disappointed Archuleta auditioned for 'American Idol' in July 2007 and starred as one of the top contestants on the show. He became the Season 7 runner-up, with his votes falling just short of his competitor, David Cook. http://www.popeater.com/m...ready-for-broadway/304393
01/14/2009 12:54 PM
01/14/2009 2:23 PM
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