What an amazingly busy week it’s been in the Archuworld.

Friday was back home day where David was interviewed by the Herald Extra and made the Deseret News prior to doing his sound check for the “Charity Begins At Home” event. “Charity Begins At Home” honors Utah military causes and families.

Saturday brought droves of fans from near and far to the internet, anticipating David singing the Star Spangled Banner at the Real Salt Lake-Colorado Rapids soccer match.

David was back on stage after the game which ended in a tie to perform a four-song concert including Touch My Hand, Crush, A Thousand Miles and Zero Gravity. His performance was also covered by the local Fox News station.

As David fans from around the world started shifts to catapult David into the Tweeterwall of Fame, news from David started arriving about the upcoming FanBundle. A fight to the finish proved the ArchAngels are a mighty force to reckon with as David claimed the top spot and was declared Mr. Twitter Universe with 63,501 votes !!

By Monday morning bright and early David was back at the airport, flying off to Washington DC. David was invited by Daphna Ziman, founder of Children Uniting Nations to perform and speak at the CUN Conference. Again David made headlines, from some rather news worthy sources, USNEWS and USA Today.

David accompanied himself on the piano while performing fan favorite “Imagine”, as well as the an a capella version of “Prayer Of The Children” which resulted in a spontaneous standing ovation.

And even David’s Monday night dinner was the talk of the town:

Hot Shots at the Power Spot

Power players Gabrielle Union, Terrence Howard, David Archuleta, Ben Chavez (of Civil Rights fame) and Shawn King dropped in to enjoy some Italian fare in honor of Daphna Ziman and Russell Simmons and to celebrate their earlier work on the Hill during the “Keeping the Promise to our Children” conference – promoting student mentoring and child welfare. (Teatro patron, Mark Freeman, snapped this shot of Howard between courses.)

The atmosphere was casual, and the food great as always. Teatro may not have won the nod at the RAMMYs, but these celebs sure knew it was the spot for some influential interacting.

Monday also confirmed additional solo concerts added to his already busy summer.

• July 28 at Byham Theater in Pittsburgh, PA
• August 6 at Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford, IL
• August 9 at Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, SD
• August 10 at The Rave Eagles Club in Milwaukee, WI.

Tuesday was a day of celebration in Archuworld as the release of the eagerly anticipated FanBundle found it’s way onto iTunes.

David himself became his own best promoter as blogs, vlogs, twitters and voice messages sailed across the airways.

@DavidArchie Well all right guys I’m going to bed. Don’t forget about the iTunes digital bundle!! Night! I hope I can fall asleep… heh..1:48 AM Jun 9th from web

@DavidArchie The fan pack is now on iTunes!! Touch My Hand Video, A Thousand Miles unplugged, and Zero Gravity now available! Hope you guys enjoy it!10:27 AM Jun 9th from web

Mirror Mirror on the wall – and speaking of vlogs, David’s tendency to be distracted makes this one of his funniest.

As if his thanking his fans through his vlogs was not enough, David continued to thank his fans through other means.

@DavidArchie Wow thanks you guys for all the feedback!! I’m happy to hear you guys like it!! ! Gonna try and take a quick nap now though haha10:41 AM Jun 9th from web

The FanBundle quickly climbed the iTunes charts and by mid morning Touch My Hand landed comfortably on top as the #1 Music Video.

David’s pals, Brooke White, and Jordin Sparks all tweet about Archie’s fan pack:

TheRealJordinIf you havent…make sure you go pick up @davidarchie ‘s fanpack on iTunes. I GOT MINE!

realbrookewhite Hi @davidarchie! All your fans got me excited about your fan pack, can’t wait to hear zero gravity! gonna go get it now:-) Yay!

David was asked some questions at the end of the UNC Gala, his responses reminded us of how truly real David continues to be.

And what would the week be like if there wasn’t a little controversy surrounding David…this next item stirred the pot in ArchuWorld as fans debated whether it was a good or bad thing for David to be voted one of the 7 Sexiest Latin Reality TV Stars

Spectacular evasiveness left everyone wondering where in the world was David Archuleta? Tweets would reveal he was delayed at an airport after the Washington D.C UNC event, but no word on when or where he was flying. Cryptic tweets followed and turned Archuworld upside down with laughter.

Finally ~ later Thursday afternoon, David would reveal he’d safely arrived in Los Angeles to do some recording and writing. With confirmation straight from David, we can all look forward to a little something special this Holiday season, when David releases his first Christmas Album.

@DavidArchie Saad. No TV screen on this airplain. So no instruction video with that red headed delta flight attendant. I like that video lol.

And in reply, Delta Airlines tweeted David:

deltaairlines @DavidArchie – glad you like the video! We like yours too. Vote for fav onboard snacks here http://tinyurl.com/n9sqgs . Have a great flight!

- Dawn65 and Brooklyndawn

Archuworld took a break last week (TDCers were evidently too exhausted from their excitement at seeing David in such an intimate setting in NYC), so here’s a two-week edition.

Good Works & Cool Concerts
David started the week with an appearance at the Utah MS Foundation to present a $50,000 check from the Credit Union. Read about it in the Salt Lake Tribune. Utah Fox 13 did a nice TV interview about the event. Note that he wore the orange Crush MS bracelet that was mentioned in an earlier TDC article, Giving Back, Crush MS.

David sang Happy Birthday to Cindy Hales after the MS event. She turned 50, according to Brett. You can download the mp3 of birthday song here.

Concerts seem to be on David’s list of things to do while he is home relaxing in between tours. Regarding a No Doubt concert, he posted these via Twitter:

Gonna watch the Paramore and No Doubt concert tonight. Should be fun!5:30 PM May 25th from txt

My ears are still ringing from how loud it was at the arena haha. But going to bed now, so good night!about 21 hours ago from txtGot back from the concert. It was great! Had a lot of fun with my little sister and mom who came along hahaabout 21 hours ago from txt

Loved Paramore’s set! No Doubt is on now. Crazy cool stage!about 24 hours ago from txt

Here’s a very brief radio interview, but with some good stuff. David talks about how he’s learned to be more comfortable with moving around on the stage.

One of the highlights of the week was when David took the stage with REO Speedwagon when the band’s Can’t Stop Rockin’ Tour stopped in Salt Lake City’s Rio Tinto Stadium last Saturday night. You can catch the tail-end of David and the band’s performance of “Roll With The Changes,”where David and lead singer Kevin Cronin engaged in a bit of dueling vocal riffs — priceless. Even the commentators at mj’sbigblog weighed in on David’s ever-increasing stage command and confidence.

David in the news
Future plans (working on second CD and a Christmas CD), David the entrepreneur, the fan pack, serving his mission, and here’s a great article discussing David’s philanthropy.

Tweety Bird
David currently has more than 70,000 followers on Twitter. Earlier this week there was a dearth of tweets from David, and the fans from IDF lament that he may not win the Mr. Twitter Universe contest, ha ha!

On being onstage with REO Speedwagon:

Oh man…. I forgot how much I love AOR music!

DavidArchie: Styx and REO Speedwagon concert is over now. REO Speedwagon invited me onto the stage, and had an amazing time.

Family time:

DavidArchie: with my little sister on her field trip for lunch. haha. All the little kids!

DavidArchie: Watching my other little sister play softball haha

DavidArchie: In the theater going to watch Up!!!

DavidArchie: Up was amazing!! Pixar for the win! Haha. Family is spending time with my grandpa now.

Archurandomness:

DavidArchie: Sitting in the chair getting a haircut! 2 minutes ago from web

DavidArchie: Oh awkward I just came on the radio. Haha. Done with the haircut though!

David is not only a tweeter, but the subject of tweets as well as friends, fans, and co-workers get into the act:

LisaMShepherd: David Archuleta just joined REO on stage for a few bars. He was the crowd favorite helping sing “Keep On Rollin”

Lazza1307 @tommcfly: your concert got me into david archuleta so much, i now love him =D he rocks!

tommcfly @ DavidArchie: Mate! How are you? We’re in Rio at the mo, missing having you guys on tour with us! Hope it’s all going well!

@tommcfly tweeted back @DavidArchie: dude, terminator style!

JustBusyBee: I’m hatching a plot to get David Archuleta’s Zero Gravity played on my radio station after it comes out….

Jordin tweet:

Crush by one of the most amazing people in the world: @davidarchie just came on my cd player. His album is always in rotation! Miss you

This picture made quite a splash this week…

Finally, here’s a very appealing, very relaxed interview with David from the Daily Herald in Utah… Looks great, sounds great, is great.

AI Tour Summer 2008
This annual tour takes the finalists across America. Since David had already signed a record contract, not only was he touring, he was recording every chance that he got for his upcoming debut CD. His set included four songs: Angels, Apologize, Stand By Me, and When You Say You Love Me. Night after night many were wowed by his voice, and many were starting to notice his charisma and growing performance technique. Before and after the venue throngs of fans waited in the summer heat to great him.

Crush
Headlines blared “Archuleta Crushes the Competition” after his debut single raced up the charts, topping iTunes just hours after its release. The song became both a chart and critical success and began to silence those who had considered David solely a ‘ballad boy’. “David Archuleta” the CD debuted at number two on Billboard and currently has sold approximately 700k in the US. Crush has sold 1.8 million downloads and is still an AC radio mainstay.

Jingle Ball/Jam
David appeared in a slew of mini sets across the US promoting his CD during the holiday season. The one that always comes to mind is the Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden, when David was sandwiched between Kanye West and Chris Brown. He not only fit right in… he rocked it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCG9vGeNnyU

Solo Tour
At the beginning of the year David embarked on his first solo tour, playing a couple of dozen medium sized venues. The reviews of both fans and critics were positive as David had grown as an entertainer, blossoming on stage before our very eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCG9vGeNnyU

Asia, home again and McFly
David got a Beatles style welcome from his Asian fans during his press events and promotional performances. Back in the states he returned to the Idol stage and, hampered by nerves, he later roasted his own performance. Finally David toured with the UK band McFly. Bolstered by his fans who came from far and wide, David relied on his pristine voice, stage presence, and matinee idol good looks to win over the McFly fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owTfslYg8KY

Reunion
David Archuleta and David Cook performed a back-to-back concert in Manila. During their stay they were given a warm reception by the fans; both have strong fan bases there. The concert sold out. 50,000 tickets were sold, with reportedly an equal amount swarming the grounds outside the venue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nk4XXaPAc

The Present
So much has been said, and will be said about how far David has come, and where this road will take him. What has impressed me the most about David is his drive and determination. He is both tenacious and humble. It’s taken him a long time to realize that yes, the fans come to see him. He seems to try hard to not miss an appearance or an opportunity to greet his fans. David works hard at his craft, but he plays just as hard, taking the opportunity to take in the local flavor of the city or country he visits whenever he can. He’s a young man playing with slime at the Kid’s Choice Awards, and the next he’s working the stage with more than a hint of sass and maturity. I have no doubt that this is David’s passion. There is no question for me but that this is what he was put on this earth to do.

The Future
As another cycle of American Idol begins, and another winner and runner have been determined what can we expect as David’s ties to the show are perhaps relaxed? Will David become a Disney icon? Or will he become, as many of us hope, the type of performer he admires? Will he have the respect of someone like John Mayer, or the cool reputation of Jason Mraz? Soon he will go on tour with Demi Lovato, and is also working on material for his second CD. With talent like David’s, expectations must be high. I have no crystal ball. No prognostications. I do expect that it will be something to keep his growing fan base talking, tweeting, and blogging. I mean, how can we not? He’s done so much in this year since Idol ended, I can only imagine what he will do with even more confidence and experience. I think his future is bright. The accolades will be many. Yes, he’ll stumble sometime, but he’s shown resilience that belies the image many had of him. He’s come a long way in this incredible year.

-brooklyndawn

(And thanks to our own vermeer for the beautiful artwork.)

A Week of Promos, Concerts, and Mangoes: UK Tour Ends, Arrival in Manila!

This past week’s activities included concerts and promotions on two sides of the world. During the early part of this week, David completed his successful run as McFly’s opening act in Britain. From all accounts, David made a positive impression on McFly, McFly’s fans, and some British bloggers. “Femalefirst,” a British lifestyle blog for women, reported on May 11 that “Archuleta put on an impressive performance, showing no signs of any stage fright or shyness. The man who won over 42 million votes in American Idol clearly knows he has a talent, and shows it off well.”

Meanwhile, anticipation built for the David Archuleta/David Cook concert in Manila on Saturday, May 16. David arrived in the Philippines on May 12. The local media reported that both were mobbed at the airport:

David subsequently posted a message to Twitter upon his arrival:

“Arrived safely in the Philippines! Crazy at the airport! lots of cameras lol. I saw all the fans outside and banners! Thanks you guys!! We had a layover in Doha, Qatar. Never thought I’d ever go there or in the Middle East. Would’ve liked to wander, but maybe another time.”

David’s promotional schedule has been packed since his arrival in Manila. According to his Twitter messages, he had dinner with Cook and Sony Asia representatives on the evening of his arrival. He told fans on Twitter that he was gearing up for the coming busy days:

“Ok, let’s see if I can adjust to the time zone here and sleep early. Need to get a lot of rest for the busy schedule this week. G’night!”

David’s song, “Zero Gravity,” continued to be a popular discussion topic this past week. After one of his latter British performances in Leicester, David shared with a group of fans that the much buzzed-about song would hopefully be released soon. This information was a contrast to David and the band’s previous statements that the label was showing resistance toward releasing David’s version and was instead shopping the song around to other artists.

After arriving in Manila, David watched American Idol’s Final Three performance night. He commented on Twitter: “We have got a competition here! I really enjoyed watching it, and really impressed. Your opinions?” Ever the diplomat, he added that he did not favor a contestant.

In anticipation of Saturday’s concert, David appeared at many promotional events for Filipino television programs, magazines and newspapers, and radio stations. Security has been tight and guards are stationed even outside both Idols’ hotel rooms. TDC’s own Jackryan4da, who posted details about the promotional events and her unexpected encounter with David in the hotel, listed David’s itinerary on TDC.

David’s “Meet and Bye” event at the Mall of Asia on Wednesday was packed. He seemed flattered when fans sang for him at the Mall of Asia event.

David perhaps didn’t have time to blog this week because of his busy schedule, but his diligent Twitter messages have kept fans informed. Among his first-time experiences this past week was trying Philippine-grown mangoes: “Wow, this mango I’m eating is really good. I don’t usually eat just a plain mango, but right now I’m really happy that I am.”

David later shared with fans that he ate two mangoes for breakfast one day. In one of this past week’s most endearing quotes, he shared on Twitter: “I’m going to explode from breakfast.”

David’s week began with Twittering, included sightseeing, Twittering, concerts, and ended with more Twittering!

David performed three back-to-back concerts in Ipswich, Croydon, and Oxford, this week after slaying the crowds in London and Southend last weekend. It is evident that David continues to expand his performance skills and loosen up, and as he noted in this week’s blog,

I always wonder what people must be thinking watching me move lol, but I think the less you’re concerned about how strange people must think you look up on stage, the more you can just let go and get into the song. I’m trying to let myself get into that mind set more, and it’s been working .

Back home in the states, David’s appearance on Hannah Montana and their ‘duet’ aired on Sunday night to great ratings. Although the song premiered on Disney Radio to fans who were disappointed that David’s solo parts were removed, David helped Hannah Montana beat the Jonas Brother’s debut that same night, forcing many to admit, David Archuleta is greater than all boy bands.

David continued his Twitter obsession and there were a few tweets that almost caused the late night TDC’ers to crash their computers, but we probably should let you look those up yourselves. He also shared some cute moments with his pal Jordin Sparks as they both Twittered about a ‘conference call’ with Newsweek that included past idol winners and other idol notables. Archie´s tweet, “It was good to hear your cheerful voice! Hope to see your face sometime soon though lol.”

It seems that everyone is Twittering and David seems to be the subject of a diverse group of Twitterers. After David was surprised to attend a The Fray concert, they tweet:

“Just played the first of two highs in London town. David Archuleta stopped by after playing a show here earlier this evening. Nice guy.“

Nice guy? Ya think?

From Tom’s (McFly) Twitter:

“In the toilet at Croydon listening to David Archuleta sing Angels…it’s a magical moment.”

And just to continue the David lovefest from those who haven’t been following him since Waiting on the World to Change, here are some comments taken from the McFly boards:

he was really good last night!
I only knew three of his songs, but enjoyed his whole set
he was really cute, and pitch perfect, great voice
loved everyone singing along to angels

On Wednesday night’s American Idol they featured past idol Homecoming shows. Featured was the now infamous “where did they all park’ video from May 9^th, 2008, David Archuleta Day in Murray, Utah.

On a sad note, David Cook’s brother Adam lost his valiant fight against brain cancer. David sent his friend kind words of condolence. Cook ever the trouper, kept his commitment and ran the Race of Hope that same morning.

Let’s end the week with a little recommendation from David.

Absolute, The Fray.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmN6dc2mq5U

The week began with David finishing up his promotional tour of Asia.  The buzz he created continues …and continues… and continues.

David gave a candid interview to The Star, at the Pyramid Tower Hotel, and discussed his second-place finish on American Idol, his vocal paralysis, and touring.  He doesn’t think fame will change him, and says  he’ll never abandon music.  His usual self-deprecation was in evidence, too:

“I never shut up … I’m weird looking.”

Two big stories dominated the latter part of the week in ArchuWorld:

Rumors of a tour with Demi Lovato, and a return to the American Idol stage.  Fans are split on the news of the tour, and the split sparked debate all over the web, including here at The David Chronicles, where a number of our regular columnists chimed in with their opinions. David’s IDF section generated more than 200 pages on the subject since it was first rumored on April 10th. Fans and other observers at mjsbigblog’s comment thread debated the decision as well.

David’s American Idol appearance means that he will miss the first two shows of the UK McFly Tour, where he is scheduled to appear as the opening act.  They explain it quite nicely on their MySpace site.

The Demi Lovato tour rumors were confirmed, and tour dates were posted.

Random bits of adorkableness:

A fan in Malaysia feeds him Chili Padi.

David sings Happy Birthday in Cleveland… and David vlogs while he walks an endless airport hallway, bidding farewell to Asia and looking ahead to the UK.

Finally, no week is ever complete without a song recommendation.

Archuworld was focused on the East this week, and it was unclear who was happier about David’s first Asian tour — the fans in Singapore and Malaysia, or David himself. With a combination of equal parts excitement and calm that can only be David, he reported in a video blog how he loves rain and humidity, and didn’t need to set the fire alarms off by steaming up his hotel room with the shower in order to soothe his vocal chords.

David was actually quite the communicator this week. He posted pictures and numerous Twitter-style updates on the Malaysia-based mobile media broadcasting service, Pacmee, and blogged about the weather, Chap Stick, malls, the Utah concert (with thanks to his opening acts), plus a song of the day — he covers all the bases!

The Malaysian fans gave David a Beatles-style welcome, and the airport pandemonium made it all the way to Z100’s Elvis Duran show. Perez Hilton also gets in on the hype.

One of the most David stories of the week came by way of a cleaning woman who David encountered in the bathroom of a school he visited in Malaysia. According to the admiring reports of the maintenance worker, David extended his hand, introduced himself, and complimented her on keeping the school so clean… That’s our David.

Filed under How Cool is That?

• Real men wear “I <3 David Archuleta” tee-shirts.
• David hugs a crying fan and sings a Seal song to her.
• David gets a plaque for winning the Love It or Shove It contest (“A Little Too Not Over You”) at a Malaysian radio station 51 nights in a row. They finally took his song out of the competition and put it on a wall of fame. The station, which is owned by Sony, had to get approval for the presentation, which apparently involved considerable negotiations. Some of the comments to David during the presentation:

The last two days you have been here, I’m sure you know what a huge fan everyone is — all, male, female, we all love you — and it’s not only because of the singing, even though, that’s what drew us to you in the first place. But since then, we found out the wonderful person that you are, an amazing young young man. And, we just want to say: Don’t change. Stay true to yourself. We love you.

Finally, it bears mentioning that this is the first time in his life that David has traveled and performed entirely on his own, without family or guardians or handlers. Judging from his mood all week, we’d say, “Hey Mikey! He likes it!”

Since we first heard the rumblings of a solo tour, we have wondered what a David Archuleta tour would be. We worried about the type of venue. We pondered whether said venues would be suitable for our burgeoning star. We fretted over mosh pits. Questioned whether to mosh or not to mosh. Whether to throw caution to the wind and fly cross country to see one more show.

Once the tour started, we wondered whether the critics would be fair. We wondered whether he would be able to endure such a whirlwind tour, his first solo tour ever. Most of all we probably wished, wondered, prayed whether ‘they’ would love him like we do.

So now we know (vicariously for many) it is better to mosh, than never to have moshed at all. We know that this young man is a force, and although he may be compact in stature, he is strong, vital, and equipped to meet all challenges. We know that the stage is where his magic is made. We know the critics can’t help but tip their collective hat, and give a nod to him because he is the real deal.

Some of us are actually having a little separation anxiety. Our beloved is about to show the world (well at least parts of Asia and the U.K.) what we already know: that David Archuleta is a multi-faceted, once in a lifetime, extraordinary talent. So fans in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, hang on to your seats. Watch out McFly fans. You are about to be amazed.

We’ve come so far as a fan base. Although we still angst and fret, there is also a feeling of certainty in the air. We know that he won’t be denied. Any worries of Disneyfication, or Montanization dissipate with every strut, every flex, and every beam of that megawatt smile.

Every time he steps on that stage with the growing confidence far exceeding our wildest expectations, we are renewed. We forget all of the worry, the fretting, maybe even a little of the fear. If David had any of the same pre-tour apprehension that we did, it must be gone by now.

His solo tour was sold-out success, with fans traveling from literally around the world to see him. The love he poured out on stage was matched and magnified by the adoring crowds.

So now what? What do we do until he graces that stage again? Until he takes Asia and the U.K. by storm? I say we sip a little Angels Tonic. Follow it with a Barriers Chaser. If that is not enough, I would prescribe a Zero Gravity Mojito. After that I would suggest we just catch our collective breath and exhale. Then we strap ourselves in again, this ride has just begun.

— brooklyndawn