LOS ANGELES — Backstage meddling has caught up with "American Idol" favorite David Archuleta's dad, who's been banned from rehearsals, a person working for the TV talent contest said Friday.

Jeff Archuleta was told this week by producers that he can no longer join his 17-year-old son David as he prepares for the show, the person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person wasn't authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The show's action was first reported Friday by the online Web site TMZ.

David Archuleta of Murray, Utah, is one of three contestants left as the top-rated Fox show heads toward the May 20-21 finale. The fresh-faced teenager with the big voice has consistently been deemed a front-runner by the judges and been a consistent fan favorite.

Jeff Archuleta's intense backstage involvement had become a source of concern for the series, the person connected with "American Idol" said — but it was a lyric change on Tuesday's show that pushed producers to act.

Despite a warning, Jeff Archuleta insisted on altering "Stand by Me," one of two songs his son sang on the show Tuesday. By adding a verse from Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls," the father incurred additional costs for "American Idol," the person said.

*** Sidebar: And this made me GAG, by the way!!! ***

Fox declined comment. Attempts to reach Jeff Archuleta for comment were unsuccessful. A phone number listed under his name in Murray, Utah, was no longer in service, and Fox did not immediately respond to a request Friday evening for help in contacting the family.

Earlier Friday, David Archuleta was honored at a hometown celebration held at his high school in Murray, which Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman declared "David Archuleta Day."

The singer and his family declined to be interviewed at the event, but David Archuleta did speak with the Salt Lake City Fox affiliate, KSTU-TV. "Wow," he exclaimed as he viewed the cheerleading squad outside his stretch limousine.

Wahoo!!!! We are finally getting down to the end! I am excited. The only thing that I am upset about is the fact that Syesha is still here! I def. think it should be Michael or Carley in the bottom with the 2 Davids!

I was able to see the final scores from Last year - Just thought it would be interesting to share - First off, NO ONE got the 10 bonus points last year!! (I think that's gonna change)

FYI.... you will still be able to vote who the winner will be before the finale, which will give you an additional 3 points, if you get it right.

Anyway.. our team grew this year with 21 of us, last year there were 12 - And next year we can fill up to 50 spots!!

So, these were the final scores last year:
StacyLou - 28
Jeanne - 27
Andre - 26
Me (Maria) - 24
Lisa C - 22
Trish - 22
Michelle - 21
Jess - 16
Jenn - 14
Sharon - 12
Shan5879 - 8
Crissy - 6

Everybody better get their butts over here - like the show or not, it's fun to compete and see how we do : ) Plus we have Jessie's board too. One big happy family with a non monitary gambling problem : ).

Okay,,, I know we are still watching IDOL - But, for those who are interested, I'm gonna send out the invites to play "so you think you can dance" - I'm not sure how many of you want to play - esp. since summer is coming,,, but, I will be watching it, I like the show - It's just like IDOL except they are dancing and I think they are such talented kids. - So feel free to sign up when you get the invite and to also pass the invite to your friends.

What on earth am I going to be snarky about, I ask you!?
LOL!

A lot of people are writing off Syesha already because she has been in the bottom three so much, but I say NOT SO FAST and I say this without bias that comes from Syesha being a local girl to where we live. This is my observation. All three have a big, important, idol skill that the other two do not have or have a lot less of.

David A: Regardless of what you think of his voice, it is far and away the strongest of the three and he seems to have the widest vocal range. So David A gets the singing talent award.

David C: Really, his voice is so-so. But in NO season of idol has someone been so good at arranging his own music to make it his own and contemporary. This is really important to future success.

Syesha: She can sing, though I don't think she has lasted this long because of her voice. She does not have an AMAZING voice. What she does have, and has had all season, but has shown it more recently is stage presence. She draws you in to the performance so well you don't necessarily worry about the singing.

I could honestly see any of the three being voted off next week, but the way the voting has gone in the past it will probably be Syesha.

YEA....Jason is GONE. Go David A.

Did you know you can see who everyone picked to win the show? Go to the Week by Week standings and scroll to the bottom. To the far right you will see who picked whom! Surprisingly, those in our top spots picked people who are already off the show so they can get the 10 points. There will definitely be a shakeup in the end.

It has been brought to the attention of all of America that "Lil David", aka "Porkchop", aka David Archuletta, will not be able to perform next Tuesday night! Why you all ask??? His head won't be able to fit through the studio door! I think that the judges need to stop pumping this kid up. When is he going to come outside his box and do something different. Frankly, He bores me! I'd like to see him try to belt out a song by Aerosmith or similar. He would die! He needs to M-O-V-E- around the stage a little more and give us some dance moves. Where's his rythm? He always looks like he's about to cry. Noone like a cry baby! Ok, now back to your regularly scheduled programs. (I mean like, who "didn't" think Jason was going, obviously wasn't watching the same show I was last night! hahahha)

Why did I vote for David Cook? Well, I had this revelation at 5:58 pm yesterday, what if there is an upset like with Chris Daughtry? Also, I saw that everyone in the group voted for Jason to be off (rightfully so). My thought was, if there is an upset, I can zoom ahead into the lead. If Jason got voted off, I would be in no different a place than before. I guess it was a stupid idea, but, I am sure some of you are thanking me:)) Ok...chat with you later. Also, what do you guys think of the idea of a potluck for the last night? We could do it here, and everyone can just bring something. Let me know!

Currently in the midst of conference work, I wanted to take a few seconds to say thank you to the American Idol gods. I think we all knew it was time. I'd also like to say how much I think Syesha has grown. How often was she going home? Hell, I'll admit she was on my list a few times. Now, is the final 2 going to be who we think it will be? I don't know. Get in those last few points before we're locked!

A) Be stuck in a car with Paula Abdul for 4 hours,
B) Listen to David Archuletta's inevitable upcoming album,
0r C) Miss most of Idol because your daughter is wide awake and screaming.

No, death is not an option.

Well, congratulations to all who voted to send Jason home. The leader board is new and improved today. I tried to think like an Idol voter would (teenage girls 13 to 16) and almost immidately my head started to hurt. I realized they don't think as much as they react to a situation...send Jason home. Don't be rediculous. He's so cute and his hair and his eyes...you get the idea. I thought that there would be a backlash the that awful Simon saying "I'd pack your bags." I voted Syesha. I was told it was a bold move. In retrospect, I have to agree. I could have moved to a tie for second, but sanity or the lack of it put me with Paula and Marge. Good company, needless to say but out of the money for sure. Now Syesha has a 1 in 3 chance of beating the Davids. To those who voted Syesha to win it all, good luck. And to the rest, as Yogi said,
"It ain't over till it's over."

It is now impossible for me to win. I give. I hang my head in shame. The women prevail. Ill take my Dairy Queen now.

Its a miracle lol....... He really acted like he didnt want to be there anymore though.

And about time......Jason needed to go, especially after forgetting the words to his song!

Jason is finally gone! Congrats to all but Derek for the right pick. I was tempted to go against the crowd but it seemed like it had to be Jason finally.

I'm so sad he's gone! I knew it was his week after those two performances, but I still voted for him like 20 times. Let's have a moment of silence for our fallen idol. . .

Yep. I amaze myself.