October 03, 2008

David Archuleta Guest-Stars As Reality-Show Contestant On Nickelodeon's 'iCarly'

By Gil Kaufman (MTV.com)

His debut single, "Crush," is already crushing it on the charts, so American Idol season-seven runner-up David Archuleta is about to do what every pop star dreams of: branch out into TV.

Yes, technically, he's already a TV star, what with Idol being the TV's ranking ratings behemoth, but the apple-cheeked singing sensation is scheduled to branch out into non-reality TV on Thursday (October 2), when he films a cameo for Nickelodeon's iCarly.

According to People.com, Archuleta will play a fictional version of himself on an episode of the show slated to air in the spring, titled iRocked the Vote. The sitcom stars fellow budding pop star Miranda Cosgrove as a teen who runs her own popular online show. Archuleta, 16, will portray a contestant on an Idol-esque show called America Sings who gets a huge spike in votes after being endorsed on Carly's webcast.

The iCarly gig comes just a few weeks after the singer dropped the "Crush" video, in which Archuleta plays guitar and piano on a boat dock while pining for a blonde cutie who romps nearby with a flock of Abercrombie-looking teens. The singer is reportedly still at work on his self-titled debut album, which is due out on November 11. In a September 29 post on his MySpace page, Archuleta gave an update on what he's been working on.

"I'm just checking in from the studio, but if you're wondering if I've been able to do anything else this last week besides working on the album, I was able to go to the Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick concert last night!! Woo Hoo! Haha," he wrote. Archuleta said he got to go backstage and meet Journey but was so frazzled by his recording schedule that he forgot to bring his camera.

"I definitely wanted to take a minute to thank everyone again for your support," he wrote. "I can't believe how well 'Crush' is doing, and I'm so happy that you all like it. Everyone has been so supportive, from the reaction to the song and video to the comments and voicemail messages I'm getting. I'm working really hard on this album and hope everyone loves it!"