As promised, I come bearing a bounty of fresh new interviews today. I had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend as well as meet many of the artists from season two, and I want to share the first batch with you now. Here they are:

• Season 1 champ Javier Colon caught me up on where he’s been and if he’s happy with his success post-show
• Team Christina’s Chris Mann said my favorite phrase ever: “Idol can suck it”
• His duet partner Monique Benabou talked about the causes she supports
• Team Cee Lo’s Cheesa Laureta cracked me up
• Her duet partner Angie Johnson discussed her feelings on going from Afghanistan to Hollywood
• And Team Christina’s Jesse Campbell gave advice to fellow single parents

I’m far from done: there will be more interviews next week! Stay tuned!