Have you ever watched American Idol and thought, “Gee, this terrible group medley would sound a heck of a lot better had they bothered to record it ahead of time instead of singing it live on air?†If so, well, we’ve got a pinch of bad news for you: They already do that! This stunning new detail came to light thanks to season-one Idol runner-up Justin Guarini, who boldly pronounced last week that he thought some of this year’s contestants appeared to be lip-syncing during the group numbers. Idol producers hoped that the allegation wouldn’t make a dent in the pop-culture consciousness — after all, Guarini’s show, Idol Wrap, does air on the TV Guide Channel — but after a wave of public outrage somehow began cresting, they were forced to issue a statement confirming the cover-up.
According to a report in today’s New York Times:
Manfred Westphal, a spokesman for FremantleMedia North America, which produces “American Idol†for Fox, at first denied the charge, saying on Tuesday: “The Idols don’t lip-sync, period.†But on Wednesday, in an e-mail message, Mr. Westphal said: “Due to extensive choreography and to balance their voices with open mikes against a screaming audience, the Idols do sing along to their own prerecorded vocal track during the group performances only.â€
Ooh, burn! And although this revelation has no direct effect on the show’s outcome, it does confirm a suspicion we’ve had about Guarini ever since we first laid eyes on his mop top back in 2002: Maybe he is Idol’s version of Sideshow Bob, after all!