If you're a huge fan of the group numbers that kick off every episode of the American Idol results show, you'll be sad to hear the performances are pre-recorded. Yup, the latest crop of Idol contestants are guilty of lip synching.The validity of the opening performances came into question recently when season one Idol runner-up and current co-host of TV Guide's Idol Wrap, Justin Guarini, said on his show:
"Every single year we can't stand the group performances. I know they can't stand it either. And I think what makes them even worse now is that they're lip-synched. They're really prerecorded now."
Manfred Westphal, a spokesperson for FremantleMedia North America, the company that produces American Idol, initially denied the charges. But on Wednesday Westphal owned up to the rumors telling the New York Times:
"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."
As if this is a surprise. The show takes a group of untrained and inexperienced singers and asks them to not only perform perfectly in front of a huge live audience every week, but also harmonize with a group of people, while dancing. It's a pretty daunting task, but isn't this a singing competition?
Still, Westphal assured fans that the group performance is the only part of each show that is recorded.
Except of course for the solo performances, which are recorded before each live show and sold on iTunes after the show airs. But Westphal swears that other than the group numbers, all performances on the show are live.
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