Archuleta not the 'Idol,' but still in the mix

NEW YORK - Much like his "American Idol" cohort, season seven winner David Cook, runner-up David Archuleta has signed with 19 Recordings/Jive. If history reveals anything, fans can expect an album from the 17-year-old pop singer this fall or winter, after his stint with the American Idols Live tour concludes.

It's possible that the Utah native might be penning some songs for the effort himself. Archuleta noted recently that he has "started to write some songs. I thought that was really fun to do . . . I'd like to get into that more. I think this experience on 'American Idol,' trying to figure out what songs work best with your voice and trying to arrange them, has really helped and I'd like to see if I can write some more stuff, because I've only written, like, three songs all the way."

Three songs sung by Archuleta have already impacted the Hot 100 chart. His versions of "Imagine," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "In This Moment" debuted at No. 36, No. 58 and No. 60 last week, though they slid off of this week's tally.

The Idols tour kicks off July 1 and runs through Sept. 13, featuring this season's other top 10 finalists such as Cook, Brook White, Sayesha Mercado and Jason Castro. It comes to the Wachovia Center on Aug. 13. *