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Former American Idol contestant Justin Guarini caused some controversy earlier this week when he disclosed that when the Idol singers do their big group numbers, the singers are lip-synching. First the people at Idol said "the Idols don't lip-synch, period," but now they admit that it's true. I guess you always look silly when you publicly add the word "period" to a denial.

On what planet is this new, breaking news?

American Idol is in full swing, but let's not forget where it all began. I caught up with Justin Guarini, who gave us his lowdown on the current season, bikini girl, and what it takes for an Idol to go the distance after the season ends.

TVS: So some Idols fade away and some – like you, for instance – are still in the public eye years later. What's the secret?

Justin:I can't speak for other idols, but I feel very blessed to have made it to the top two on season one. That season had such an impact on people, and even though I've been in and out of the spotlight, people remember me, whether it's for my hair or for my voice or whatever. You can't buy that. There's no amount of press you can do to stick in peoples' consciousness like that.

Going into last night's finale of American Idol, I was very excited to see the Davids battle each other for the title. It was the first American Idol in a while that did not have an obvious winner at the outset. Even though it really was David Archuleta's night, I still hold out hope that David Cook might pull out a win. He's the one with the most potential and is the better performer. Little Archuleta has that killer voice, though.

Anyway, last night's epic battle got me thinking about past American Idol finales and whether any of them were this much of a contest. It seems like we've gone into most of the American Idol finales with obvious winners. Here's a breakdown of the past American Idol finales, and whether they stack up to last night's performances:

Welcome back to "AI Aftermath," where we explore Idol's past. Each installment, as one more American Idol hopeful is eliminated from the competition, we take a look back at contestants past who were eliminated at the same point. We'll examine how they did on the show and what they've been up to since their eliminations. In honor of David Archuleta's elimination in the finale, we'll be looking at other second place finishers.

This week: 2nd place finishers, featuring featuring Justin Guarini (Season One), Clay Aiken (Season Two), Diana DeGarmo (Season Three), Bo Bice (Season Four), Katharine McPhee (Season Five) and Blake Lewis (Season Six).

Justin Guarini is the new co-host of TV Guide Channel's Idol Tonight. You remember him, right? He's the lovable guy with the cute curls that sometimes stray into Sideshow Bob territory, who was no match for Kelly Clarkson during the finals of the first season of American Idol. Guarini is currently working on this third album, which he describes as "soul-funk" and he has a role in an indie film.

He'll share hosting duties with season three Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell and WB's Popstar winner Rosanna Tavarez. TV Guide has renewed Idol Tonight for a second season, which starts airing in March once the contestants are narrowed down to twelve people.

I've caught Idol Tonight a few times and I only find the season one retrospectives to be interesting because that's when the contestants really didn't know what they were in for. Plus, Kelly Clarkson without make-up!

I realize that the title of this post is courting a little controversy, but I think it's a question worth asking. Before we begin though, let me say this: I am not a "fattist". I've been very quickly saying goodbye to my own slim self one pizza slice at a time. Also, I'm a big fan of Santa Claus and William Howard Taft. Plus, I think that the FDA should require syrup on everything -- including syrup.

Okay, now that I've headed off all angry comments with that disclaimer, let's get to the meat of the matter: would it be possible for an overweight woman to win American Idol?

This is an old clip from MadTV, but I just found it, so it's new to me, and probably to many of you too. The clip, called "Since We Were On," spoofs the first three seasons of American Idol winners (Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino) and runner-ups (Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo), as well as Simon Cowell, and the unforgettably-bad William Hung.

Thanks to My Super Sweet Sixteen, we all now know that no party is complete without a surprise, private performance by a pop idol. Fortunately, the cast of American Idol is more than willing to shill themselves out for your next shindig. Their asking prices, however, range from $300,000 for Kelly Clarkson to $2,000 and change for second season finalist Kimberly Caldwell.

The New York Post has kindly given us a run-down of Idol artist fees. Whether you pay $75,000 for Ruben Studdard or $30,000 is going to depend on how well you're connected within the entertainment industry, but is $75,000 too much to ask for your guests to hear "Sorry 2004" live? You can also expect to pay more for an Idol mini-concert versus an Idol meet-and-greet.

Just when I was convinced that American Idol season one hanger-on Nikki McKibbon had dropped off the face of the earth... Presto! She appears (looking a little like Shirley Manson, don't ya think?).

Nikki, number one on my list of American Idol contestants who stayed on the show too long, has a new single and... DVD? Her single isn't online yet, but her record company promises that it will be here soon. Nikki announces her new record deal on her personal website. Sounds like it's going to be a rock album. I know I bash her as hanging on too long, but she sounds so positive about her new album, that I can't help but hope for the best for her.

[Via Pop Candy]

The funny thing about each and every season of American Idol is the contestants with mediocre talent who continue to sail through to the next round. You know what I'm talking about. They're cute and cuddly and have oodles of personality, but they're a little short on the talent category. There's a faction of television-watching, telephone-using Americans out there who insist on keeping these people on the show while other contestants with more talent get the boot.

I have five examples of American Idol contestants who wouldn't go away:

5. Constantine Maroulis. Yeah, I said it. Constantine thought he was sexy and talented. Not an attractive characteristic on a man who only has mediocre looks and talent. Constantine regularly sang out of tune and falsely advertised himself as a rocker. He was in Rent, for crying out loud! A musical! The dude was a poser and I wanted to slap that pout right off his face. I think we all know who the true rocker was last season. (P.S. More proof he's a poser: his new album is Adult Contemporary. Watch out, Clay!)

It's not entirely unheard of for stars to accidentally omit thanking someone during the heady rush of an awards acceptance speech. Hardly anyone forgets to thank God or Jesus, but accountants, personal assistants,  ex and current spouses, sure. I can totally understand how someone might forget one name out of the long list of names they have to rattle off in 20 seconds. When accepting two Grammy awards Wednesday night, however, Kelly Clarkson neglected to mention the show that gave her big start - American Idol. Clarkson, who won awards for best pop vocal album for "Breakaway" and female pop vocal performance for "Since U Been Gone", thanked pretty much everyone else on the planet, but not Idol or its judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul. Clarkson defended herself afterwards, saying she thanked "the fans" and that's American Idol.

Well, not exactly, Kelly. I mean, don't get me wrong - I think Kelly Clarkson rocks, and she's done very well for herself since she won Idol, beating out Justin Guarini (who, since that godawfulness of the film From Justin to Kelly, seems to have slipped into obscurity). But if you look back at photos of Clarkson before and during her audition, compared to now, she hardly resembles her former self. Without Idol, she might very well still be hawking popcorn at that movie theater job and singing Celine Dion songs in smoky karaoke bars instead of cradling two Grammys. I bet Simon was...displeased...at the lack of love for Idol.

Kelly Clarkson just solidified her standing as my favorite American Idol (sorry Bo, you're #2). She has managed to escape from the strangle-hold that American Idol has on most of its contestants' careers. In an article that comes out in today's Time magazine, Kelly says she didn't want to make From Justin to Kelly with runner-up Justin Guarini but she was contractually obligated. I never saw it, because it looked like some terrible version of Beach Blanket Bingo and it only got 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. She said, "I knew when I read the script it was going to be real, real bad...I could not get out of it." Kelly eventually did get out of her contract with 19 Entertainment, the studio that manages all the American Idol winners, when folks in charge wouldn't allow her to write any songs for her new album, Breakaway. She ended up writing or co-writing six of twelve tracks and now is managed by a new company. Just call her Miss Independent.

By the way, Kelly is scheduled to perform on the Grammy Awards this Wednesday. She is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. Knowing that her personal stamp is on that album, I'm definitely rooting for her!

People online has a nifty little photo-story updating us on some of our favorite American Idol contestants who didn't win the title. Here are a few:

• Diana DeGarmo: after spending the holidays entertaining the troops abroad, she's joining the cast of Hairspray on Broadway on February 7.
• Frenchie Davis: proving that racy photos on the internet aren't the end of all things, she's a cast member of Rent on Broadway, where she's been since she was prematurely booted off the show in 2003.
  
• William Hung: thinking he's entitled to more than 15 minutes of fame, he's still performing crap from his three, yes three, albums.
• Tamyra Gray: the one who should've gone against Kelly Clarkson in the finale, Tamyra is working on her second album and persuing more acting roles.
• Josh Gracin: lookin' a little thick around the middle, Josh just kicked off a tour where he is opening for Trace Adkins. He and his wife, Ann Marie, now have two children.
• Corey Clark: ah, who the hell cares?

The story also includes new photos and updates on Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, LaToya London, and Justin Guarini.

Hey, did you guys know that there used to be two hosts of American Idol? Ryan Seacrest and the inferior Brian Dunkelman shared hosting duties during the first season of the singing contest. You can meet this Dunkelman person now that American Idol has gone into syndication. You can also meet a shy and humble Kelly Clarkson and an ego-free Ryan Seacrest (really!). The re-runs, dressed up with "never-before-seen" footage, will begin airing on weekends in the fall with the title American Idol Rewind. Right now, Tribune Entertainment, the syndicator of Idol is only planning to re-air the first season. If it's popular, subsequent seasons will receive the same treatment.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have a love-hate relationship with American Idol. I hate Ryan Seacrest, product placement, crappy singers, and the cruelty of the whole thing. I bitch and moan about the show and roll my eyes, yet I can't turn away. I MUST WATCH AMERICAN IDOL. So, to follow up yesterday's post, here are The Five: Reasons I'll watch American Idol (even though it pisses me off):