pikepss Weekly on David Archuleta

Good morning Honeybees and Fans!

Twenty five years ago we were concerned about hunger and starvation in Africa. Last week a remake of “We Are The World” made its broadcast debut for the earthquake survivors in Haiti. This week a new version in Spanish was recorded with David Archuleta among the talented Latino singers invited. Itunes should have this version by March 1st.

David has been flying between Los Angeles and Miami so often these past couple of weeks his frequent flyer miles are probably bursting over the top. Songwriting with Eman will continue when he returns to Los Angeles shortly, and he continues to work on his book between charity events and songwriting.

His blogs haven’t gotten any shorter to the delight of his fans, so enjoy! Fox 13 Utah highlighted Murray High School and reflected how the school managed the media circus during David’s homecoming during American Idol‘s Season 7. The Shorty Awards has David in the top 5 finalists and he is #3 in the ten favorite past Idol Twitter-heads.

Another busy week for David and a great many interesting events to cover, but my favorite of all is that he is learning to dance the Bachata! I will be looking forward to that particular video!!

Have a safe and happy week!

Media

Reviews and Interviews

Shorty Awards
17 February

Real-Time Photo Finalists
Photos shared publicly on social media sites can bring us behind the scenes and to the front lines in an immediate, unprecedented way. For the first time, the Shorty Awards will recognize the Real-Time Photo of the Year.

Five finalists were chosen from your nominations. They are photos taken in 2009, shot from a camera phone, and uploaded to a site such as Twitpic, Yfrog, Tweetphoto, Facebook, and Flickr. These images are currently being judged by the Academy on how interesting and newsworthy they are, and how well they make use of the real-time nature of the medium. While the Academy members deliberate, you can see the finalists and judge for yourself:

Plane in the Hudson
By Janis Krums
“There’s a plane in the Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy.”

Iranian protests [graphic image]
By Mojtaba Samienejad
“attack to university of Tehran / crime #iranelection”

Twitpic from space
By JAXA astronaut Souichi Noguchi
“Full Moon, seen from space!”

Newborn
By MoJoe Roberts
“Thanks everybody! Stats: 9lbs, 19inches born at 8:18pm.”

About to have wisdom teeth extracted
By David Archuleta

The winner will be announced at the Shorty Awards ceremony in New York City at the Times Center on March 3.

Estefan, Jones Prep Spanish ‘We Are the World’
Billboard.biz
by Leila Cobo, Miami
February 17, 2010 – Latin

A large group of Latin acts, helmed by Emilio Estefan and Quincy Jones, are in the process of recording a Spanish language version of “We Are the World.” Spanish language lyrics for the track, called “Somos el Mundo,” were penned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan and approved by Lionel Richie and the We Are the World Foundation.

Final recording will take place February 19 in Miami, taking advantage of the presence of many artists in town for Univision’s Premios Lo Nuestro. A music video and making-off special will air on the Univision network. As with the original “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” all proceeds will go to the rebuilding of Haiti through the We Are the World Foundation.

“This means the reach of the song will truly be global, because it’s available not only in English but also in Spanish,” said Emilio Estefan, who is producing the track with Jones and is also producing the video and the television special.

This marks the first time “We Are the World” is translated to another language. Although the Spanish-language version includes major Latin stars like Thalía, Alejandro Fernandez, Vicente Fernández, Gloria Estefan, Paulina Rubio and Luis Fonsi, among many, many others, the list also includes mainstream cross-over acts like David Archuleta, Carlos Santana, Andy Garcia, Pitbull, Jon Secada and Taboo of Black Eyed Peas. At press time, over 30 acts had confirmed their participation, including AB Quintanilla, Alacranes Musical, Ricardo Montaner, Tito El Bambino, Olga Tañón, Ednita Nazario, Jorge Celedón and Arthur Hanlon.

The video will premiere March 1 on the “Cristina” show – one of the Univision network’s top-rated programs – and will be followed by the special. The track will be available for sale on iTunes.

18 February

Fox 13 Now Utah features Murray High School and David!

Fox 13 Utah featured a two-part story on Murray High School, David Archuleta and how they both dealt with the sudden focus on them from the national media. These videos cover part of his 2008 AI Homecoming and the circus that followed him and his high school.

19 February

Top 10 American Idol Twitterers
by Jim Cantiello MTV Newsroom

Internet addicts, rejoice! The season nine “American Idol” contestants will be allowed to tweet (and update Facebook and MySpace pages) for the first time in the show’s history! So far the top 24 has remained mum, but while we wait for the newbies to peep their first tweets, I thought it’d be fun to highlight my top 10 favorite “Idol” Twitter-heads from seasons past.

10. Kelly Clarkson
The original “Idol” only picked up Twitter somewhat recently, but she took to it like a champ. (Sort of.) Kelly has always made her fans feel like close personal friends and her Twitter page is no different. And when she decides to speak her mind, you’ll want to be one of the first people to hear it.

9. Frenchie Davis
Long before Chris Golightly, we had the original DQ diva, Frenchie Davis. Lucky for us, Frenchie’s sass levels are still through the roof, and the woman knows her way around a Twitter trend. As Frenchie would say, “Werq!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

8. Paula Abdul
Do you watch “Idol” and miss Paula’s New Age-y words of wisdom? There’s a very easy way to fix that problem — click the follow button.

7. Danny Gokey
Danny is the undisputed king of TMI tweeting. Belly-button lint! Laxatives! Thanks for the nightmares, Gokey!

6. Tatiana del Toro
Two words: alien abduction. Yes, season-eight semifinalist Tatiana brings her patented cray-cray each and every time she steps into the Twitterverse. From ranting about haters to sharing epic stories about near-death experiences, Tatiana’s feed is just as wild and unpredictable as she was on the show. Think of her as the Courtney Love of “Idol” twitterers. Awesome.

5. David Archuleta
Like Archuleta himself, the tweets that come from the giggly season-seven alum are sure to make you smile. His hilariously simple messages read like excerpts from haiku poems and when he decides to tell a story (in 140 characters), he does so in a charming and quirky way.

4. Melinda Doolittle
Season six’s humble diva with the big booming voice is refreshingly honest, delightfully self-deprecating and just plain adorable. And she’s still a die-hard “Idol” fan, so you may get some live commentary on new episodes too.

3. David Cook
No surprise that the self-described “word nerd” is an A+ Twitter user. These days he’s hard at work on his sophomore album, yet he’ll still find a way to make his “I’m in the studio” updates playful.

2. Kris Allen
The season-eight winner has been accused of having “no personality” by lazy journalists, but any of his 150,000 Twitter followers would beg to differ. Whether he’s ruminating on R. Kelly lyrics or pontificating on ad campaigns for major fast-food chains, the pint-sized Idol always seems to come up with something LOLworthy. Plus, his clever use of captions on TwitPics is unparalleled. (For an added Kris Allen Twitter experience, follow his bandmate @calevis24 too.)

1. Alex Wagner-Trugman
Alex’s time on “Idol” may have been (too) brief, but this season-eight top-36er is the best-kept secret on Twitter. Follow his misadventures as he returns to being a normal college student! Keep up as he pals around with his famous friends! Bust a gut as you take in his witty observations on pop culture or posts an awesome cover of “Pants on the Ground” (before every other goofball with a guitar did). He’s like your funny best friend who happens to have Diablo Cody on speed-dial. (Bonus: He replies to his followers regularly. Some people are really into that sort of thing.)

How do you think the season-nine Idols will compare to these 10? What “Idol” stars did I leave off the list? (I know, I know. But Adam Lambert’s tweets used to be epic. Now? Not as much.) And are you following me on Twitter? Let me know in the comments.

Twitters

DavidArchie & Friends

15 February

DavidArchie – Happy Presidents Day! Or Presidents’ Day? haha

DavidArchie – Or President’s Day…Either way have a good day everyone!

DavidArchie – Edit, edit, edit. blegh haha. Gonna go out for a run and enjoy the sun for a little bit.

DavidArchie – Ah I feel all rejuvenated now! Getting ready to head out and record at @EmanuelKiriakou’s studio.

DavidArchie – Hangin’ in the studio with Eman, and now @ClaudeKelly is here too! I’m in the presence of a pretty amazing songwriter and singer here.

16 February

DavidArchie – Pita chips and hummus=so good.

DavidArchie – “Catharsis”, hm that’s the first time I’ve heard that word. It’s a cool word though.

DavidArchie – Man it’s been a long day lol. I think it’s a good time to call it a night though and go to bed. By this point, good morning!

17 February

DavidArchie – “Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat. Most people have attained their greatest…

DavidArchie – success just one step beyond their greatest failure.”

DavidArchie – Headed to @EmanuelKiriakou’s to record! In LA traffic right now though.

18 February

DavidArchie – Headed to the East Coast. I’ll be back in LA soon though. Still have some writing and recording to do here!

DavidArchie – My mom’s teaching me how to walk in a straight line. I’m used to having my feet turn out so it’s hard, But hey it feels better.

DavidArchie – It’s my sister’s birthday! Happy birthday to her. She’s 11 now.

DavidArchie – Just got out of the recording booth. Exciting stuff! Haha.

DavidArchie – Caught some of Premio Lo Nuestro. Congrats to Aventura for the 5 awards and to all of the otherand winners performers!

19 February

DavidArchie – My account is verified again! Thank you!! Today has already started out well haha. Great to be back in Miami for a little.

DavidArchie – All right going to run some errands now with my mom and her cousin.

DavidArchie – Man, I never noticed how high high heels can get sometimes. Some girls walk around on their tip toes. That’s gotta feel weird lol.

DavidArchie – Had an awesome day here in Miami! It was a neat experience being with so many great and talented Latinos for “Somos El Mundo.”

DavidArchie – My mom is teaching me how to dance to bachata. I love bachata.

David’s Twitter Party

From Snarky Archies

20 February

DavidArchie – Hey everyone, check out my new blog! Weekend blog

DavidArchie – Spending time with some family! We’re goin’ bowling!

DavidArchie – My cousin won. At least I got 2nd place haha. That’s better than I thought I’d do!

Appearances

We are the World, Miami, Florida

18 February

We Are The World In Spanish
from Snarky Archies
Translated via Google translator.

From PrimeraHora.com:

This past weekend was released through the cyber network that the Cuban producer Emilio Estefan and his wife, singer Gloria Estefan, are planning a Spanish version of the recently reformulated authorship charity song by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, “We Are The World”, also to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti.

At that time only confirmed it had taken for the shares of Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio and Marc Anthony. But the list of participating artists will be much larger and appear the same as Puerto Rican singers Gilberto Santa Rosa, Olga TanonTito El Bambino, Ednita Nazario, Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, Kany García and maybe Elvis Crespo, among others.

This was confirmed today in an interview with Primera Hora David Naranjo, Estefan family publicist.

Naranjo said that once the producer Emilio Estefan obtained permission from Lionel Richie to write the song in Spanish (under the name of We are the world), he began working at full steam in the recording of the single with the blessing and help of Quincy Jones, producer of the first and second editions of the item.

The recording will take place tomorrow, Friday at American Airlines Practice Court in Miami, Florida taking advantage of the situation of the Premios Lo Nuestro and will be released on March 1 on the Cristina Show on Univision. It is expected that as part of this initiative, Univision also send a special that will include video footage of the subject and the making of it.

“The impact of the issue now will be global,” said Estefan to Billboard.biz.

Thalia, Alejandro and Vicente Fernandez, David Archuleta, Carlos Santana, Andy García, Pitbull, AB Quintanilla, Ricardo Montaner and Taboo of Black Eyed Peas also participate in the Latin recording of We Are The World by Haiti.

How cool that this video will not only premier on the Cristina Show on Univision, but Univision will also be airing a “making of” special of this recording!!

20 February

David being interviewed in Miami for the recording of the Spanish version of “We Are The World”. He looks so handsome and confident and extremely happy to be there for this event.

David’s Blogs

Videos, Phone Messages, Etc.

I Love You, I Love You, I Love You, David Archuleta! Such a Sweet Valentine’s Day Surprise!

20 February

David’s Weekend Blog!

Hey guys! Hope you guys have been having a good week. This week has been pretty crazy for me! I’ve been working a lot on the memoir that I’ve been working on, and it can be pretty challenging since I’m not used to writing and thinking about myself as much as I have to with this book lol. It’s really cool though because a lot of the things you may have forgotten about in your past start to come back when you start thinking hard and a lot about events and memories you have back there in your brain that might be a little rusty. They’re still there though, you just have to really take some time to ponder haha. It’s been challenging with all the other things we’ve had to do with the project too, but I’m looking forward to seeing how everything comes together at the end and sometimes it’s good to challenge yourself farther than you may normally be used to!

Other than the book, I’ve also been working on some more writing and recording this week. I got to spend more time with Eman this week and I’m really pumped about the song we finished writing! I also recorded another song a few days ago at his studio which I think has a great message to it. I haven’t been able to get into music as much this week with all the work I’ve had to finish with the book, but I’ll be kickin’ back into gear next week back in LA.

So now I’m back in Miami, and I’ve had such an awesome experience here! I was able to be a part of the Spanish We Are the World project “Somos El Mundo” and it was really great! Emilio and Gloria Estefan got the project together, and they along with their staff are some of the nicest people you could ever work with. This is the first time they’ve ever done this song in Spanish, so I’m really glad to have been a part of it with so many talented Latin artists. I love it when people come together to help out, because it really is amazing how much strength comes when people come together. It was neat being able to help in the Hope for Haiti telethon and see how much good came from everyone coming together to unite to help the people in Haiti. There’s power in numbers. The damage happened so quickly in Haiti, and now they need to recover from all that has happened there. I was watching the news last night and saw that Kris Allen went out to Haiti to help out. I thought that was so cool. I really look up to him for all that he does for other people. I know that he’s done a lot of missionary work in a lot of different places and countries, and I think people should do things like that more. Even if you aren’t able to go to a different country, you can still help by sending donations to good causes, or help out the people who may need your help even in your own country, state, or town.

Being at the Somos El Mundo recording yesterday was my first time being around and meeting so many Latin artists. I was pretty nervous with the interviews and being new to that crowd, but it was really fun at the same time and a lot of really nice people. It was good to see PeeWee there, and Ednita Nazario was incredibly nice! Jon Secada, Cristian Castro, Ricardo Montaner, Chayanne, Thalia, and Luis Fonsi were some of the people there. I was like in shock and thought I was going to pass out when I met Luis Fonsi lol. He’s such an amazing singer. The video will premiere on Univision March 1st on Cristina. She’s a very popular Hispanic talk show host if you aren’t familiar with her. She was there yesterday as well, and it was crazy seeing her there because she’s just one of those people I never thought I’d get to meet. I remember watching her when I was little. But anyway I’ve written enough for today, so I will talk to you guys later! Ciao!

Song for the day:

“All You Need Is Love” – Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile has a new EP out with some covers on it, and she did a great rendition of this Beatles song.

Pictures

Random Pictures

17  February

James Fauntleroy shows off his David Archuleta gold album plaque that just arrived. He co-wrote “My Hands,” “Running,” and “Zero Gravity.”

American Idol Season 7 Top Three Highlighted in TV Guide May 19-25, 2008 issue!

Google Alerts

Hollywood Week, Part 3

“American Idol” 2010 – Hollywood Week Part 3 – Even More Cutting
by Eric Rezsnyak
City Newspaper Entertainment

Aaron Kelly is looking so much better than he did at his initial audition – he barely even resembles that kid. When we saw his first Hollywood number I was blown away – HUGE voice. But then he thoroughly botched the lyrics in his group number, and as we saw earlier this episode, he did the same with his final solo. That is a BAD track record, and not acceptable in my book. One mistake is bad enough; two is a pattern. He made it through, and we basically have David Archuleta Pt. 2. That’s not totally a bad thing.

This was such a painful evening…Aaron is definitely no David Archuleta.

Impressed Songwriters

David Archuleta – @davidarchie in the booth….where he belongs when he’s not on stage.

16 February 2010

by pikepss

It’s hard to distinguish who is more impressed with whom—David Archuleta with the songwriters he has been working with these last few weeks or the songwriters Emanuel Kiriakou and Claude Kelly with David.

Such amazing talent gathered together in one room creating the best of Pop Music today with the realization they have the best Pop singer in their presence! Their mutual admiration for one another is priceless and so will be the music they are creating! What a treat we will have when David’s album is finished!

18 February

‘American Idol’ recap: Semi-Charmed Lives
by Michael Slezak
EW.com

Plodding, pacing and a few bunk calls by the judges drain some of the joy from seeing the first seven singers advance to the season 9 semifinals.

Aaron Kelly: Proof that someone high up in the Idol food chain is either helpless to resist the rosy red cheeks of teenage male singers, or at least cynical enough to know a certain segment of fans must have a contestant whose head they can fantasize about squeezing off and dangling from their rear-view mirrors. Indeed, with Aaron’s ”yes, ma’am” responses and his big doleful eyes, it’s easy to see how the judges fell for his charms. But whether or not the kid has the emotional maturity and vocal confidence to actually contend for the season 9 crown, well, that’s an altogether different story.

I mean, can anyone out there imagine that two weeks from now, the kid will be ready to deliver anything in the same division, let alone the same league, as David Archuleta’s Top 20 Week take on ”Imagine” back in season 7? Sure, Aaron’s initial audition to Miley Cyrus’ ”The Climb” was impressive, but that was in a little conference room in front of only the judges and some crew members. Up there on the massive Kodak stage, Aaron struggled with the lyrics to ”Get Ready” during the group round, and again whiffed on ”Angel” on Day Three. And while the nervous quaver in his voice during the latter track added some poignancy to the proceedings, I couldn’t help but feel like the judges had prematurely sent a potential stick-ball prodigy to the Major Leagues for the aw-shucks irresistibility of seeing him swim around in a big ‘ole uniform. I hope Aaron proves me wrong, but somehow his step forward felt like a disservice to both him and the show.

18 February

2010 Winter ‘American Idol’ Games torching up our television sets
Posted by Todd Mossburg
The Seattle Times: Idol Confessions

I’ve got O fever to go with my AI fever. (I don’t think I can say the O word without paying some outrageous name-rights fee.)

I haven’t left my recliner in front of the TV set in over 100 hours. So in solace of our nation’s current quest to dominate in Vancouver, I say cue those triumphant trumpets and slowly mix in this announce track…

Voice Over: Jim McKay

“Spanning the AI globe to bring you the constant variety of blog. The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat. The human drama of vocal-cord competition. This … is Idol Confessions.”

Time to light my torch (an apple-spice scented candle), fire the starter’s gun, because the mogul-filled path to the Top 24 is a deep snow drift of talent. Let the AI voice games begin! Someone spin the state songs of our gifted singers as they step up to the Mossy Medal podium.

Gold Medal – Crystal “Jewel” Bowersox from Elliston, Ohio
State song: “Beautiful Ohio”

I believe she will be this season’s dark horse with voters because she’s not gonna garner those inflated teen texts. You know them, they’re the ones that will text 10 CA/DA’s to every one text for the strongest singer. (CA/DA = Clay Aiken/David Archuleta)

20 February

Which David Archuleta “To Be With You” Video Will Be Featured On The World?
by Derek Sheldon

Tonight I came into the wonderment of discovering a new song. The Baron LOVES new songs which move him. The best present you can give me is a new song to fall in love with. The song title I came across tonight was written by Kara D and David Archuleta, and titled, “To Be With You.” I decided to feature a post and personal take on this song tomorrow with a neat follow-up to my interview with him. However, I need your help David Archuleta fans! I need to pick the video off YouTube to feature! So do you want to help me? Please leave comments below to which one I should use..and if your choice is not offered, send me a comment as well with the link! You David fans are an AMAZING bunch! I am glad to be so fortunate to report on him and his career.

This was one of my personal favorites – Enjoy!

Fans

blogs,
vids, VIPs

David Archuleta – Autographed My Christmas From The Heart CD
by pikepss
18 February 2010

Today was a great day! My autographed Christmas from the Heart CD just came back from the framer. During David Archuleta’s Christmas tour I was fortunate to bid on a bag of fan goodies at an auction with the proceeds being donated to one of David’s charities. It was also mentioned that his CD would be autographed for me before the end of the evening.

As promised, it was signed and will always remain one of my favorite items from David!

Thank you so much!

Human Interest

Diamond Empowerment Fund

Green Malachite bracelet

Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) is happy to see David wearing the Green Malachite bracelet in support of African relief.

pikepss’ Pick of the Week

Somos El Mundo

Somos El Mundo – February 19, 2010

David looks very happy and contented after recording “We Are The World” in spanish! Why shouldn’t he; that’s what he does best—Sing! Very handsome in his black vest!

News Buzz Comments

Somos el Mundo
ABC News

David Archuleta said it was great to see how many celebrities were willing to come together for the cause. “I love this song. It’s just great to be able to be a part of it in Spanish,” he said.

Yucatan.com

Otros cantantes que participan en la grabación de este viernes son Banda El Recodo, Carlos Santana, Chayanne y David Archuleta.

MIAMI (AP) — Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Quincy Jones and other singers are partnering with Univision to record a Spanish-language version of “We are the World.” The song will be used to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims. Other singers participating include Carlos Santana and David Archuleta.

DA Weekly Buzz about David Archuleta!