Producers admit to contestants' lip-synching on 'American Idol'

Los Angeles, March 29 (IANS) Producers of American singing competition 'American Idol' have admitted that there is some degree of lip-synching on the hit Fox reality show.

Accesshollywood.com reports, Manfred Westphal, a representative for FremantleMedia North America, which produces the show, said that occasionally the contenders sing to a track but not when they're vying for votes.

'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,' he said.

He did insist, however, that during their solos, the contestants absolutely do not employ the use of a backing track.

The controversy over whether the 'Idol' contenders sang to tracks came up when Season 1 finalist Justin Guarini bashed the show's group performances during his show, 'Idol Wrap,' last week.

'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,' Guarini said on his post-'Idol' show.