While it would seem Justin Guarini hasn't done much since his time on American Idol, other than the movie From Justin to Kelly, and an unsuccessful album release, nothing can be further from the truth. He's done television, movies, and another album, as well as several humanitarian efforts. He didn't disappear, just seemed to take a somewhat less public role than being part of the number one show in the country.

Justin had girls screaming early on in his time on American Idol, and even Paula Abdul appeared quite taken with him. Reared in Doylestown, Pennsylvania by his mother and stepfather. He had ties to Atlanta, Georgia, as well, as his father is a retired police chief in the city, with his mother being a journalist who at one time worked for CNN in Atlanta. He spent his childhood performing in several boys' choirs, and his time as a young man was spent singing in an a capella group, Midnight Voices. They released an album together, and Justin then traveled back to New York City to try out for a new show called American Idol.

Always a huge favorite on American Idol, Justin was a hit because of his smooth voice and curly locks. He had his detractors, with myself being among them through much of the season, and was sometimes the butt of jokes while he was called "Sideshow Bob," because of his hair. It was the first season for this show, so many, including Justin, didn't know how to take British judge Simon Cowell. Justin let his early success go to his head a little bit, though, and after he was panned by Simon, he asked the crowd in the auditorium what they thought of his performance, in an effort to go over Simon's head, obviously thinking the only people's opinions that mattered with the audience. He apologized the following evening, but nonetheless, the next week, he found himself in the bottom three, much more humbled, yet survived.

The rest of season one of American Idol went better for Justin, and I started to see his appeal musically. By the time it came down to final three, including Justin, Kelly Clarkson, and Nikki McKibbin, it was clear there were only two possible people that could actually win, Justin or Kelly. As they got to final two, many thought it could easily have gone either way, but the one thing that was clear, was that these young kids had given Fox a bona fide hit. In the end, when Justin lost, it was probably for the better, as A Moment Like This just wasn't a guy's song to sing, and he said as much in interviews after, saying that the was definitely Kelly's song.

Although it's worked differently in all the Idol seasons since season one, and although Justin had signed a recording deal with 19 Entertainment, he was not allowed to release his album before Kelly's, and her release was allowed extra time in order for her to have the creative control she was looking for with it. Compounding the problem, also released on the day of Justin's CD were the singles from season two's winner and runner-up, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. It had taken so long to get Justin's album out, that with Ruben and Clay's fans competing to show their pride for their favorite, the previous season's runner-up didn't have a chance.

Also coming out around this time was a movie by the same people behind American Idol, as they aimed to cash in even more on Kelly and Justin's success, From Justin to Kelly. The only awards it won were two Razzies, and coming at a time when Kelly was having great success, she needed to distance herself from Justin and this movie as quickly as possible. She didn't do it quickly enough, though, as she was with Justin when he was ticketed in Texas for running his JetSki up on land and nearly running it into a 5 year old girl. Most stinging to his reputation, was the fact the little girl's father said he didn't even apologize afterwards.

The additional problem for Justin was that while he was waiting for Kelly's album to be released, he couldn't accept any outside offers, so he passed up a guest stint on Friends, en emcee role for Cabaret on Broadway, a role in Fast and the Furious on TV, recording a soundtrack, and becoming a Tommy Hilfiger model. He was then dropped by RCA, and paid American Idol back for his shoddy treatment by dropping 19 Entertainment as his representation.

Justin went back to what he knew best, jazz, and released an album in late 2005, Stranger Things Have Happened, with one critic comparing him to Al Jarreau. While another album is in the works, Justin is also working with other musicians. He appears as the featured vocalist on an album by David Hughes, and composed the music for the hymn Did You Know That I Know Your Journey. Both the music and lyrics for the song Everlasting were written by Justin, for Project Everlasting, a documentary series. Also used in the documentary was the title track off Stranger Thanks Have Happened.

Unbeknownst to many American Idol fans is the fact that singing isn't Justin's only talent. He's also a very accomplished actor, yet didn't seem to show it on From Justin to Kelly. After appearing in Good Vibrations pre-Broadway, he declined the offer to follow the show to Broadway. He appeared in an episode of the TV series Run of the House, as well as the film Tilt-A-Whirl. Planned for release this year are two more films, each with a starring role for Justin. For season six of American Idol, he has been added to the cast of Idol Tonight, to add his commentary to this year's crop of Idols.

Justin spends much of his time as the national spokesperson for Support Musical Education, and was even part of a delegation that spoke about their efforts in front of Congress. Later at a private function that was held for the members of Congress and their families, Justin was emcee, and performed, too. This work won him the NAMM "Music for Life" Award. He helps out other charities when time allows, such as Habitat for Humanity, Foundation of Global Harmony, and Rockers on Broadway.

It may have taken him a few years, but it seems Justin's career is finally taking off. I've even weakened to him. While I didn't originally understand his appeal when he was standing on the American Idol stage next to Kelly Clarkson, when I have seen reruns of that season on American Rewind, I get it. He does have a certain charm to him, and even Paula fell for it, although it usually doesn't take that much for her. Not to mention the fact that the guy can really sing. He recently trimmed back his trademark big hair, and I think that's a good sign. It's time to put all that behind him, both American Idol and the hair, and move on to being an accomplished artist, both on stage and over the airwaves.