Whenever I watch American Idol, I laugh at the zero-subtlety factor that goes into their shameless plugs. They're like, "LET ME JUST TAKE A SIP OF THIS COCA-COLA PRODUCT OUT OF MY COKE CUP AND THEN GET IN MY FORD AUTOMOBILE." They just don't care and who can blame them? Those producers are sleeping on pillows made of freshly-ground $100 bills.

But lately, I've noticed a promotional tie-in that's much less obvious. Nicki Minaj, who seems to alternate between Queen of England and space alien gone off meds in her role as judge, has sported neon pink lipstick in pretty much every episode that I can glean. Between auditions, she's often seen casually lifting a Hello Kitty mirror to her face and reapplying the pink lipstick in a black tube, cameras rolling.

The goods? As far as I can tell it's MAC's Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick, a $15 limited edition tube Ms. Minaj promotes. She also has a lavender shade coming in February, which based on the promo shots looks a lot more wan and strange than the pink. I'm sure we'll see her wearing it on the live shows coming up. MAC's Viva Glam line has been around for years, and every sale goes toward HIV and AIDS causes. Ricky Martin (who never returned my fan mail when I was 13) is promoting his own lip conditioner for the line, too, until Nicki soon goes it alone with the purple hue.

The Viva Glam lines are always fun and chock-full-o celeb power. I picked up the Lady Gaga Viva Glam nude lipstick a couple years ago, thinking it would be a great neutral staple to have in the arsenal (also, I may have replaced my Ricky Martin obsession with a Gaga obsession, still have received no return letters, etc.). I was not so impressed with it in the end, but at least the money went somewhere positive. 

I don't know what kind of deals the stars get for endorsing Viva Glam since it has a charity element, but I will say that Nicki is doing a smooth job of making us want it twice a week while she fights with Mariah.

Deal Diva Stephanie

Photos: MAC, AP