LJ Idol Presents:

Yeah, I think we'll never know where the friends list comes into play. Everyone has different tastes and I often find that I don't always vote for the entries that many people will recommend or vote for. And a lot of writers have a fan base, not just a friends list, but fans here on Idol, too.

I know that this is often one of the biggest discussions during Idol. I also know that Gary works to "correct" it some by having contestant only votes, member only votes, and such like that.