David Archuleta is now one of the most recognizable faces in pop culture and many are wondering how the young and seemingly very shy seventeen year old star can handle the pressures that are soon to be staring at him as he moves on from American idol.  He is in the top three with David Cook and Syesha Mercado and has outlasted the more mature voices of Brooke White, Carly Smithson and that shocking elimination of Michael Johns.

Archuleta may very well win American idol and with that comes a lot of publicity.  So how will he cope?  First he’ll lean on his mom and dad, reports People magazine.   “They’ve always been there to give me support and advice,” says Archuleta, 17, of parents Jeff and Lupe.  “They help remind me what matters in life - which things are important and which things I shouldn’t worry about.”

Jordin Sparks, last year’s winner, who was also 17, is “a role model”, he says.  When he met her, “it was neat to see how normal of a teenager she still was.”  She has done a fantastic job of handling the instant fame pressure.  David Archuleta also chimes in on those screaming girls that always seem to surround the stage. - “It’s pretty cool,” he says, giggling.  

“People put the time and effort into making signs for you with your name and pictures on it!  I do appreciate it.  To have that kind of effect on people is amazing.”  All of our American idol coverage is here.  The contestants go home this week and that gives them a bit of time outside of the very scripted idol life and could make for some very interesting news.