Idol Worship: Catching Up With David Archuleta

David Archuleta within driving distance? We're there! Since Archie was back in Hollywood last weekend to shoot a performance for the Nickeleodeon hit show iCarly, we decided to pop by the set and catch up with last season's American Idol runner-up. We arrived to to find David and iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove knee-deep in taping promos for his guest-starring role (airing Feb. 7), which can only be described as moments of acute awkwardness. But he got the hang of it soon enough, and even hinted later that there could be more acting gigs in his future. After performing two songs for the network's "Crush Night" (his first hit, "Crush," and second single, "A Little Too Not Over You"), David sat down to talk to us about this new phase in his life, and what may come next (a duet with Miranda?!). Read on for our exclusive (and classic Archie) Q&A... 

First off, how were your holidays?
It was so nice to be home because I haven't hung out with my brothers and sisters for so long. They've changed a lot over the year, and I didn't even notice. My 12-year-old sister has really matured. And my 9-year-old sister, well, she's kind of the same, but my brother's even taller. It was great to catch up with them and see what they're into because I didn't realize how out of the loop I was. It's like, you don't appreciate how busy you are until you come back and realize, "Woah, I missed a lot of my family life!" So I've been spending time with the family. My birthday is between Christmas and New Year's, so we all went to Las Vegas together, saw "Blue Man Group," you know...

And you were at the inauguration in D.C.?
I sang the National Anthem at the Latino gala, which was fun. Obama didn't come by, but there were a lot of cool people there. I got to meet Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony and they were super nice. They're some of the most well-known Latino people and were just so warm, welcoming and embracing to everyone. I was shocked that they knew who I was, but they watched the show! Marc was saying, "She calls you her other man and normally, if she did that, I would kick their... But you're OK." I was, like, "Awesome!"

So here we are on an entirely different kind of stage. How did you like your guest-starring experience on iCarly? Did Miranda give you pointers?
I didn't really ask for any. It's kind of like, the more you do it, the more you get the hang of it and find your own way of acting. I hope to do more acting — nothing too fancy or serious, more fun like this. But it's amazing to see how Miranda is in person, because she plays pretty nasty characters sometimes, like on Drake and Josh and in School of Rock. But we had a great time and I love hanging out with her. It's nice to work with someone who's in a similar situation, because Miranda has a record deal, too.

She's hoping to have an album out this summer, and told us she'd love to do a song with you.
Like a duet? That would be way cool.

Speaking of duets, you had your younger brother Daniel play with you at Sundance. Can we expect to see a repeat on your upcoming tour?
I don't know. That was kind of an experiment to see how it would go, and my brother still has some work to do. But it would be cool to have him come out on tour and play with me. It's more special that way, when you have someone who means a lot to you up there on that stage. And the thing about Sundance was, he got to experience a little bit of what I went through.

Any plans to pull a Jason/Michael Castro move on a future season of Idol?
Idol is not his thing, really. He just likes to play guitar and stuff, he doesn't have that big American Idol voice. Plus, he already has his own fans. A video he put up on YouTube got over 100,000 views, which is crazy.

How are you liking the more positive Idol so far this season?
I like it a lot. I still feel bad for people who do bad, but I'm so happy about the new setup and that Kara Dioguardi is there, because she has a lot of knowledge, experience and spunk. And she knows what she's looking for.

You've called her tough before. Was she like that working with you in the studio?
She just told it like it was. She's that kind of person — really forward, but easy to talk to and work with.

She and Simon do seem to clash a lot. When it comes time to voting, who do you think viewers will listen to?
Simon. People still put their trust in Simon, where they've kind of built their foundation on what Simon says. Like even if they like something, they'll change their mind if Simon says it's terrible. Or vice versa. He has a strong influence on people. But I think will Kara will shake that up a little because she's new and has really caught people's interest. Plus, she has a lot more experience with writing. But we'll have to see whether they agree with each other. I'm sure they'll try to have some tension there to liven things up. No matter what, it'll be good for the show.

This year, they're also having the Top 12 live in one house. How do you think that would have played out on your season?
A house together with, like, guys and girls? That's kind of risky. I think it would've been tough. We had roommates, but I like my privacy. Especially with performing; you're out there in front of everyone and meeting  so many people and smiling for so many pictures, it's nice to have a moment where it's no one but yourself. The we-all-live-here-it's-all-fair-game kind of thing? I don't know.

Any plans for you to perform on the show this season?
I haven't been approached yet, but I'd like to, even though it will be kind of weird to be back on that stage.

-- Shirley Halperin