A look back at 'American Idol'

Every year, American Idol provides its share of water-cooler gossip.

Whether it's the judges' ongoing cat-fights, Paul Abdul's alleged drinking, slurring, spacing-out problem, or those nasty rumoured affairs between the panel and the contestants, the show is nothing if not entertaining.

And while this season has been short on the really big scandals -- no one was arrested for throwing a phone at their girlfriend or kicked off the show for flashing their goodies -- it had its share of page-turning ups and downs.

BRIGGS & JAYNE

Controversy erupted early on when judge Simon Cowell made some rather rude comments, which hit way below the belt for some viewers. In Seattle, Cowell told a young singer, Kenneth Briggs, he looked like a bush baby and asked the contestant's new overweight friend, Jonathan Jayne, who suffers from mild autism, if he had borrowed Randy Jackson's (huge) trousers. Internet bloggers and TV personalities denounced Cowell for going too far. Both Briggs and Jayne became celebrities, appearing on a number of late-night shows and morning news programs.

ANTONELLA BARBA

When racy photos showing 20-year-old Antonella Barba topless on a beach appeared online, the mainstream media took notice. Hours of TV were dedicated to discussing whether or not the singer should be forced off Idol. But things really heated up when Rosie O'Donnell called Idol's 2003 decision to disqualify semi-finalist Frenchie Davis -- a black contestant who also posed topless , but keep Barba on the show, "racist."

SANJAYA MALAKAR

When fans look back on Idol's sixth season, they will likely remember it as The Year Of Sanjaya. The 17-year-old tone-deaf singer, who finished in seventh place, became a bona fide star thanks to a few crappy performances, dozens of hairdos and one very emotional fan. As soon as the Top 10 was announced, the people at votefortheworst.com, shock jocker Howard Stern and Perez Hilton (to name just a few) threw their support behind Malakar. His status as the newest teen heart-throb was then sealed by not one, but two, Saturday Night Live sketches.

THE EYE-ROLL INCIDENT

One day after the Virginia Tech shootings last month, Simon Cowell was unknowingly shown rolling his eyes as Idol wannabe Chris Richardson expressed sadness over the killings. The next day, the nasty judge went into damage-control mode, appearing on host Ryan Seacrest's radio show to set the record straight. Cowell said his annoyed look was in response to Richardson's earlier comment about deliberately singing through his nose, not the tragedy.

BAYLIE BROWN

While Baylie Brown's elimination during Hollywood week did not receive a lot of press, it was big news for bloggers. The 16-year-old, small-town Texan, who everyone thought was a shoe-in to win, not only had a great voice, but the looks to match. Although Cowell called her "Commercial with a capital C," the panel decided to axe her when she forgot the words to one of her songs. Fine, but did anyone else hear Sanjaya's performance that same week? Now if that's not controversy, what is?