Taylor's TV appearances this week

Today 5/30/06 - Regis and Kelly - Also Katharine will be on tomorrow and Elliott on Thursday.

Thursday 6/1/06 - Taylor and Katharine are both scheduled for The Today Show on NBC and just Taylor is scheduled for The Early Show on CBS.

Friday 6/2/06 - Ellen. Ellen has never been very positive about Taylor so it will be intersting to see if she says she is a big fan or something like that.



That's all I have so far. I will also keep my Taylor Hicks Page updated with media appearances, when I find them out.

Taylor Hicks - 2006 American Idol

Congratulations Taylor!!!

American Idol top 2 - Taylor Hicks makes the Soul Patrol proud...

Last night belonged to Taylor. I would like to say the final performances were a real showdown, but I think Taylor took it pretty easily. Katharine put all her chips in one basket, and I don't think it will pay off for her.

Here is my completely biased review -

The songs:

Taylor Hicks -

Living For The City - Taylor opened with a bang with this one. I thought he sounded better than the first time he performed it, the first week of the top 12. Taylor really knows how to grab the audience and he had everyone with this one. He sounded awesome he completely owned the stage and song. Grade A+

Levon - This was the first song Taylor performed on American Idol and I thought it was a nice way to bookend the show. I do think this performance lacked some of the enthusiasm he had for that first week, but that could be because he is so confident on the stage now. I do think this song shows off his voice in a nice way. The first time I heard him sing it, I thought he had a really good tone, and I still feel that way. Another thing I really like about his version of this song, is that he doesn't sound anything like Elton John, so it gives him a chance to show off his own style. So, while not the showstopping performance it was the first time, it was still very good. Grade B

Do I Make You Proud? - We all know that for the finale a generic sounding pop song is written for the contestants that is supposed to be their first single. The lyrics are supposed to "fit" the contestants and are usually about as corny as you can get. That being said I think Taylor knocked this one out of the park. No, it wasn't the best thing I've ever heard him do, but unlike Katharine, he took his song and ran with it. I got kind of jolt when it first started because it didn't sound like anything Taylor would write or pick on his own to do. But, then he turned the song into his own and he sounded awesome. The ending really brought it home. He showed that the next phase of his career started at that moment and that he was ready to win. Grade A


Katharine McPhee -

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - I think this was a poor song choice for the final performance. Stylistically the song belongs to someone else. Vocally, it sounds great when KT Tunstall does it, but it doesn't fit Katharine that well. It just wasn't a good way to enter into the finals. Grade - C

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - I think Katharine was banking on gaining a lot of first time viewers votes by doing this song for the second week in a row. To me it was kind of like trying to win twice with one performance. This song carried her into the finals, and she was trying to use it again to win the whole thing. Thinking back over the last several weeks, this song was the only one Katharine got enthusiastic praise from all the judges on. It's like she would be winning twice because of one song performance, if she were to win, which she won't. Like last week, I thought Kat sounded ok, but didn't show any real emotion for the song. She's kind of like the Kenny G of American Idol. She links a lot of scales and big notes is how to emote; it's not. Grade - I'm not going to regrade this. She did it the exact same way she did it last week.

My Destiny - I'm not sure what Katharine's destiny is, but it's not winning American Idol. Katharine did not seem comfortable with this song at all. Granted it was a brand new song and the lyrics were corny, but that's the way American Idol is. You've got to embrace it, like Taylor did, or it will fall apart, which is what happened to Katharine. She tried to hit some big notes, but in the end it seemed like she just gave up. It was annoying that the judges told everyone to think of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, instead of this one. It's all part of the competition, and this is what we're supposed to be hearing on the radio. Grade - D


If all is fair and right in the world Taylor will win this tonight.

Good luck Taylor - the Soul Patrol is proud of you.


P.S. - the 2 hour finale stars at 8 PM tonight. The final 12 will perform. I've heard a lot of rumors. I think we will be seeing something special from Chris. Katharine is performing with Meatloaf (?) and whoever is performing with Taylor has been kept secret (at least at the time I'm writing this).

Make Taylor Hicks your next American Idol - this is it. Pre-show thoughts...

VOTE FOR TAYLOR HICKS

Just did a test and Taylor's numbers for tonight are:

1-866-IDOLS-02

1-866-IDOLS-04

1-866-IDOLS-06

IDOLS translates to 43667 - so 1-866-436-6702

Today is it for performances. The format for tonight is they had the choice of doing either, a reprise of 2 past performances and the coronation single, or they could do one past performance, one new song of their choice and the coronation song.

One piece of good news I found out yesterday is that Taylor and Katherine will not be doing the same coronation song, as I had previously thought. I believe Katharine will be doing the Nick Lachey song and I don't know what Taylor will be doing. Maybe Taylor is the one doing Nick Lachey, but I was holding out a small glimmer of hope that he would be doing one of his own original songs. The only reason I had that hope, is they did show him singing Soul Thing during his homecoming, and he mentioned in an interview that it might be released as a single. However, he is doing something written by other people, just not Nick Lachey. Actually I'm begining to think Nick Lachey has nothing to do with tonight.

I have heard Katharine is doing 2 past performances, I don't know what songs. They can't choose one from last week.

I believe Taylor will be doing one past performance and one song he hasn't done before. A lot of his fans are hoping he will finally do Georgia On My Mind. If you've never heard his version you can get it at Gray Charles. Update 9:15 AM Pacific time - I guess the rumors are that Taylor will also be doing 2 past performances. I know which 2 are rumored.....Spoilers ahead.......

**************************SPOILERS*************************************************

Levon and Living For The City

It should be a good night.

For more reasons why Taylor is the best of the bunch, check out this article.

Good luck Taylor!

Make Taylor Hicks your next American Idol part 2 - Why....

What Taylor would like to do for his album:

I would like it to be a really good representation of who I am as an artist. There’s gonna be some things I want to do creatively that I’ve never been able to get to do before "American Idol." Possibly a little bit cutting edge — there are some things in my mind that would be cutting-edge music.

I just want really good songs. If I can feel it, it doesn’t
matter if I wrote it or somebody else. Taylor Hicks 5-19-06 from a
press teleconference.

When I used to think of American Idol I thought of pre-packaged, totally manufactured, flash-in-the-pan pop music. I thought of someone like Katharine McPhee.

Katharine McPhee looks pretty, sings pretty and has no distinctive style of her own. The powers that be can turn her into whatever kind of pop star they want.

When I think of the kind of music that I would want to see on the current market I think of music with a lot of heart and soul. I think of real musicians who play because they love music. I think of someone like Taylor Hicks.

When I first saw Taylor in his audition I thought, this guy is awesome, so I guess that means he won't make it on this show. Why did I think that? Because liking classic rock, r&b and soul music has never made me the most popular kid on the block, but it did usually make me one of the youngest people at the Eric Clapton, Who, Paul McCartney or Ray Charles (especially Ray) concert I was at.

So there's Taylor, who's three years younger than me, singing my favorite kind of music, and I'm thinking what he might have been thinking, that today's audience is not going to go for it. Not the American Idol audience at least.

I was wrong. The buzz on Taylor started almost immediately. The Soul Patrol was started sometime in between the airing of his audition January 31st and his first performance of Levon on February 22nd.

He has fans of all ages, though most seem to be around my age. His fans come from all walks of life and he has even developed a substantial international following.

Taylor is the real deal. He is a real musician who loves music. He plays intruments and he writes songs. I don't think Taylor minds his new found fame, but I don't think fame was his motivation for doing it. I think Taylor wants his voice to be heard by every person who may want to hear it.

Despite being one of the most unlikely American Idol contestants ever, Taylor seems to play the game better than anyone else. He does the themes (no matter how lame), puts up with last minute song changes, the judge's criticisms, photo shoots, group sing-alongs and Ford commercials. And he always does it with a smile. He is humble and gracious and most importantly he always thanks his fans.

Say what you will about the Soul Patrol shout outs, Taylor knows why he's there.

A vote for Taylor is a vote for music.

Make Taylor Hicks your next American Idol - part 1 - Voting

I'll cover the reasons why Taylor should be the next American Idol this weekend, but first let's talk about how to do it.

Over on Gray Charles (the best Taylor site on the web!) they have a voter tips thread going, with some useful information.

http://www.graycharles.com/index.php/2006/05/19/all-about-voting-tips-tricks-and-techniques/

Due the "close" vote totals last week, voting this week is more important than ever. We will be getting 4 hours, so some serious dedication is required.

Despite some theories that the landlines may get maxed out, regular dial voting is still very important. I have 2 prepaid Tracphones that I use. I can dial the regular numbers and vote as many times as I want without using any pre-paid minutes. That's the way those particular pre-paid phones are set up. The calls are so short, it doesn't tick down the minutes.

I also have my regular phone I can dial with.

Text votes, however, may end up deciding the outcome.

I don't like the idea of advertising for Cingular by asking people to go out and get Go Phones...but if you are in need of a pre-paid cell phone, and/or your current mission in life is to make Taylor the next American Idol, you should get a Go Phone.

I thinkI fit into both categories. My Tracphone is ok, but I could use an upgrade, so I decided to take the plunge and get a Go Phone. Now I have a new phone, and I can text for Taylor.

The amount you want to invest in text votes is completely up to you of course. If you buy one from the store (at least from a Cingular store) they come already charged, so you have until Tuesday to do it. All you need to do is add your desired amount of minutes. I think it might be too late to order online, so going out and picking one up is the best way to go.

Well that's it for my voting tips. The next post will be more fun.

Taylor Hicks in the top 2....

The Soul Train came to a screeching halt last night, when it was announced that Elliott Yamin received the fewest number of votes on Tuesday night.

The Soul Patorl's mission became even more clear.

So now it's Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee in the big finale at the Kodak theater next week.

According to the show the final 3 were in a statistical tie, with Elliott losing by a .2% margin, with the top 2 only being separated by .4%.

I don't believe that for a second. Does anyone really believe these three have an equal amount of fans all placing an equal amount of votes?

I think American Idol is doing some damage control. Here's why:

After the Tuesday night performances, several media sources declared that Taylor Hicks would win American Idol. An article on Fox New.com even said the finale would be boring because Taylor was the obvious winner.

While these are great compliments to Taylor's Tuesday performance (and well deserved compliments) they don't help the show in terms of ratings.

Fox needs people to tune in for the finale. It needs to be the must see show of the week. They have to make it seem like the race is close. I'm not saying it's not close, but it's probably not as close as they want us to think.

So were the percentages bogus? Probably not. They probably just didn't include all the information. There are some theories about maxed out phone lines. Meaning if each line reached it's capacity, then the number of calls received would eventually even out. This seems like the most likely scenario. They gave the land line totals, without the text votes.

Keep in mind that I'm not implying Elliott wasn't actually last, because I think he was. I'm just saying the info given last night wasn't the actual total of votes.

For more analysis of last night check out James Hudnall's site.

I have more thoughts on next weeks show, but I'll save it for later.

Go Taylor! Go Soul Patrol! Vote!

American Idol...your final 2 will be Taylor Hicks and...

...I'm going to have to change what I thought yesterday and say that the other member of the top 2 will be Katharine. I think she may have edged out Elliott last night. I'm pretty positive Taylor is safe. If he's not safe then something weird happened, but I don't think there's any reason to think he's leaving tonight.

The performances:

Taylor Hicks -

Clive Davis' choice - Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen. Clive personally called Springsteen to get this one approved and The Boss said ok. Does that mean he likes Taylor? Maybe. This was an unusual choice, but not as unusual as for the other 2. I'm thinking if he actually called Springsteen, there are a few other more classic choices he could have picked, but this one wasn't bad. Taylor did a good job with it. It wasn't a stand out vocal, but he sounded good and the dancing with Paula was fun. Grade - B

Judges (Randy Jackson) choice - You Are So Beautiful - written by Billy Preston, most famous performance by Joe Cocker (I'm so glad Randy pointed out Billy Preston wrote this). I was a little skeptical about this song, because it's very repetitive. However, I loved Taylor's version. The best part was that Taylor came up with his own phrasing and didn't sound like Joe Cocker at all. Actually the best part was his building falsetto "ooh..." in the middle. He got his highest praise ever from Simon on this one. Grade - A

Taylor's choice - Try A Little Tenderness by Otis Redding. Taylor was going to do this a few weeks ago, but wasn't able to, but I think it's almost better that he got to do it in the top 3 instead. He did a great job with this one. The song is perferct for his voice and style, and he came up with his own way of doing it at the end. Anyone who thinks Taylor overdid anything is probably not familiar with any Otis Redding live versions. Grade A+

Katharine McPhee -

Clive's choice - I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly. This may have been the worst Clive pick. Do people still like this song? Katharine didn't seem to know what to do with it. She made the weird decision not to actually sing the title of the song in the chorus. Isn't that the hook? Not a great performance from Kat. I also didn't like her "you've been hard on me the last couple of weeks" to the judges. As if she didn't deserve any criticism. She also sounded whiny when she said she didn't pick this song. It was true, but that's part of the competition. Grade D

Judges (Simon) choice - Somewhere Over The Rainbow - I'll guess I'll have to take back that this wasn't a good choice from Simon. He believed this was the perfect song for her. Personally I didn't like the performance. I thought the low notes were out of her range, and the rest unmemorable. I don't think it was the "moment" it could have been. Simon said it was the best performance of the entire competition? I definitely don't get that. I can think of several better ones. Grade - B-

Kat's choice - I Aint Got Nothing But The Blues by Ella Fitzgerald. A very unusual choice for Kat, and she didn't pull it off well at all. It's a blues song, yet she was bouncing all over the stage. Vocally it was overdone, and the whole thing just didn't work. She said she didn't want to be compared to any current singers. She would rather be compared to Ella Fitzgerald instead? Katharine's overconfidence in her voice is what has always turned me off on her. Grade C.

Elliot Yamin -

Clive's choice - Open Arms by Journey. Clive Davis has a very weird definition of classic. This was a horrible choice for Elliott and Elliott clearly did not look like he enjoyed singing it. It just wasn't a good song, and like Katharine, Elliott didn't try to do anything buy just get through it. Grade - C

Judges (Paula) choice - What I Won't Do For Love by Bobby Caldwell. Elliott was ok on this, but it wasn't a great song. It just wasn't what was needed to carry Elliott through to the finals. It wasn't memorable. Grade B-

Elliott's choice - I Believe To My Soul by Ray Charles. Elliott didn't do the Ray Charles version of this, he did the Donny Hathaway version. It's the kind of pop-soul style I don't really care for, and like his second song, this one wasn't memorable. After his electrifying performances last week, this week was disappointing for Elliott, and he will probably go home tonight. Grade B-



It's a toss up between Elliott and Katharine leaving, but I think Katharine has the edge. Her Somwhere Over the Rainbow was more memorable than anything Elliott did last night, and Simon proclaiming it the best of the season probably stuck in voters minds.

I'll be a little disappointed if Elliott's not in the top 2, but I ultimately just want Taylor to be there, and I'm pretty sure that's what's going to happen.

American Idol Top 3 preshow - Taylor Hicks, Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee...

Update 12:33 PM Pacific time -

There are going to be 3 phone numbers for each contestant tonight. Taylor is going last! If you are on the west coast you can try them out right now (votes not being counted of course). I got Taylor's voice on:

1-866-IDOLS-03
1-866-IDOLS-06
1-866-IDOLS-09

Note - as of 2 PM Pacific time - I get busy signals, so testing period is over. These will probably be the correct numers, but just a reminder to make sure you double check when you vote. Just make sure you are hearing the contestants voice you want to hear.

Elliott is first and Katharine is second.

(post from earlier today starts here)

The Clive Davis spoilers I listed a couple days ago were not true. This article lists the real ones, if you want to see them. I'm excited about Taylor's! His song is by one of my favorite artists of all time.

It's down to the wire now. 2 will move on to the finale next week and one will be done. Going in I would say this is Katharine's last week, but the performances could change everything.

Elliott is certainly on the upswing. Taylor seems to be a lock. Katharine seems to have the weakest fan base, but they do like to text vote.

However, just because Taylor seems to be a sure thing for the finals, doesn't mean his fans don't need to vote. A lot of Taylor fans would like to see Elliott in finals with him, but the best thing is to just let Elliott's fans take care of that. We all saw what happened to Chris last week. It could happen to Taylor too, if fans think they don't need to vote for him.

Let's keep up the momemtum Soul Patrol! Keep voting for Taylor Hicks!

If you need any further inspiration to vote for Taylor - read this article - Why I Like Taylor Hicks - by James Hudnall.

Taylor Hicks in Alabama part 2....

Taylor was greeted by 20-30,000 fans yesterday when he returned home to Birmingham Alabama.

His day consisted of a TV appearance and performance with his band on the Good Day Alabama morning show, another performance at the Galleria Mall, and yet another performance at a local park. Gray Charles has some video clips of his GDA and Galleria performances. There was also a parade through downtown Birmingham, he met with the mayor, was presented the keys to the city and later on met with Bob Riley, the governor of Alabama.



photo courtesty of Gray Charles.com
photographer:Robin4Tay


Taylor already looked like a star during his musical performances. He was able to play his guitar and harmonica and looked so natural up on stage with his band. I mean no disrespect to Elliott and Katharine, but seeing Taylor in his element, shows how much on a higher level (or maybe I should just say different level) he is. He has the stage presence, the ability to win over the crowd and most importantly his own music. I don't think the homecoming's of the other 2 come close to what Taylor had.

I'm tired of hearing people say Taylor doesn't have the best voice. For one, it's subjective. Taylor has the voice I personally enjoy listening to the most. That's why I like him. His dancing and stage presentation is secondary to that. When people try to say Taylor shouldn't win because he technically doesn't have the best voice I wonder what kind of music they listen to. Are they only putting on Pavarotti albums? I doubt it.

Whatever. Most of the time I don't let it bother me, but sometimes it does. I just don't like it when people say it like it's a proven fact. People could just say that they don't personally like Taylor's singing. I personally don't like Kat's style, I don't go around saying it's a fact that she's not that good. It's just my opinion based on my own personal preference.

Sorry about the tangent. I'll be glad when competition is over and Taylor's embarking on the next phase of his career.

Taylor Hicks spoilers for next week...and a couple others too

I'm a little overwhelmed by Taylor info today. I'll try to get some highlights up tomorrow. For today I'll end with some spoilers for Tuesday.


If you don't want to know what the contestants are singing next week ignore the rest of this post...


****************************************************************************

Spoilers Below

****************************************************************************

Taylor said for his personal choice he will be singing a love song he wanted to do ealier, but wasn't able to. Seems like it will be Try A Little Tenderness.

Randy picked You Are So Beautiful for Taylor to sing. This song was written by Billy Preston but the most famous recorded version is by Joe Cocker. Great choice!

Paula picked What You Won't Do For Love by Bobby Caldwell for Elliott. I don't know this song, but I've been hearing it's a blue eyed soul ballad. The songs obscurity could be bad for Elliott, but then again he's done a lot of obscure songs on the show.

I think Simon may be taking out his frustration about Chris leaving on Katharine, because he picked Somewhere Over The Rainbow for her. This will be an interesting one for her. If she tries to get into it, she'll oversing it (as usual). If she holds back it becomes kind of a kids song. I'm not sure the song will go over that well no matter how she sings it. It's pretty old fashioned. She'll have stiff competition from Taylor and Elliott this week too.

There is a rumor that Clive Davis picked First Time Ever I Saw Your Face for Katharine, but it hasn't been substantiated yet.

I haven't about Clive Davis picks for anyone else, and no word on personal choices for Elliott and Kat yet.

Update - 12:00 AM 12/14 - I've heard a rumor that Clive Davis has picked Walking In Memphis by Marc Cohn for Taylor. Not sure if it's true or not. While this song is no classic, it's perfect for his voice.

Taylor Hicks in Alabama...

Fox - Birminham has several video clips of Taylor's visit to Alabama. There are some clips of him performing with his band this morning on Good Day Alabama.

http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/Entertainment

I haven't actually had a chance to watch it myself. Gotta try and stay productive at work today. Only 8 more hours to be here.

From Fox 6 website:

Taylor in Top 3, Birmingham & Hoover Plan Big Welcome Home

Birmingham’s Taylor Hicks was “safe” again this week on FOX6’s American Idol. Now, as a member of the “Idol Top Three”, Taylor and American Idol plan a visit to Birmingham. Taylor will travel to Birmingham today with an Idol film crew. They will produce a segment on Taylor’s hometown that will air on Tuesday’s Idol show.
Taylor’s day begins here at FOX6 where he will appear live on FOX6’s Good Day Alabama from 7-9am.
After Good Day Alabama, the City of Birmingham will honor Taylor with a parade down 20th Street North at 12 noon. The public is invited to line 20th Street North from 1st Avenue to Linn Park to cheer on Taylor. The parade will end at Linn Park on Short 20th Street, across from City Hall. At the park, Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid will present Taylor a key to the city. Taylor is also expected to perform for the people of Birmingham.
FOX6 News plans live coverage of the parade and Taylor’s performance Friday during a special expanded FOX6 News at Noon
After the Birmingham celebration, Taylor will travel to Hoover where Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos will welcome Taylor to Riverchase Galleria at 1:45pm. Taylor and his band will perform for the people of Hoover in the Galleria Grand Atrium. This event is free and open to the public.
FOX6 WBRC also plans extensive exclusive online coverage of Taylor’s day in Birmingham. Check out www.myfoxAL.com for exclusive Taylor news all day long. Look for exclusive “behind the scenes” photo galleries and video clips of Taylor’s interview and performance here at FOX6.



Wish I was in Birmingham.

Your American Idol top 3: Taylor Hicks, Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee!

Chris Daughtry is gone and Simon is probably wondering if he's lost his touch. He's only 1 for 3 on the top 3 predictions he made weeks ago.

I think no one saw this top 3 coming, except Taylor being in it. And even then magazines like Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone had Taylor leaving this week, so Taylor being at the top has never been a sure thing either.

Elliott Yamin has been all but ignored as a contender by the media and by the judges when they make their talk show rounds. Well, he'll have to be noticed now. He's like the Rocky of the bunch. No one thinks he'll go the distance, but he just keeps hanging in there.

I think we're looking at a Taylor/Elliott finale. Katharine has been on thin ice for a while and I don't think she can surpass either Taylor or Elliott to make it to the top 2.

Chris was the first really big shocker of the show, but the reasons why he is no longer there are clear.

- I don't think his fan base was ever as strong as the show producers thought it was. The kind of music Chris does, only appeals to a very specific audience, and a good portion of that audience doesn't care about American Idol. Chris' shark stare into the camera every week was not going to win over fans of other music genres. He just had no way to broaden his fan base.

- He never seemed to have any fun. He wanted to be the rocker of the show and to him that apparently meant being super serious when he sang. The problem is that not only alienates the audience, but it didn't work for every song he did. He had a lot of trouble fitting his style into the themes. Though he was praised for not compromising, he did ultimately have to. There was no way to go out and make something sound like modern rock every week.

-After the praise for not compromising Chris decided to go out and do the hardest rock he had done yet, Creed's What If. There are two problems with this. One it's Creed, a lot of self respecting rock bands hate them and two the song was just not good. This time he received criticsim for doing his rock thing. Simon said he had "crossed the line," this is American Idol after all. And the thing is he never really rocked again after that. He came close with Renegade, but he was never truly the same and he got boring.

- Finally, I think Chris never fully recovered from the Walk The Line "who's arrangement is it?"controversy. At that point the one trick pony label was already taking hold, and then he became the unoriginal one trick pony.

With all the talk about Taylor not being American Idol material, it was really Chris who wasn't. He just couldn't handle all the themes. His style was too one dimensional for the show.

American Idol does Elvis...The Soul Train picks up speed to a Taylor Hicks and Elliott Yamin finale

Like I said yesterday, Elliott went into last night with his sights set on making it to the top 2. Chris Daughtry sleep walked through the entire night, making it seem like he's ready to go home.

Showing he's not ready to leave yet, Taylor Hicks raised the bar for himself once again. Katharine McPhee gave it a good effort, but was outclassed by Elliott and Taylor.

I'm adding letter grades to the performances this week, because merely ranking them, just doesn't get the point across.

Here's the order - best to worst:

Taylor Hicks - In The Ghetto. I've been waiting all season to hear Taylor sing like he did on this song last night. He made this song his own and he sounded great. Anyone who thinks he is only an "average" singer needs to have their ears examined. He nailed the high note, and even as a die-hard Taylor fan, I was completely blown away. A+

Elliott Yamin - Trouble. I was a little worried when I first heard Elliott was doing this song. Done wrong it could sound like a rip off of Bad To The Bone, but Elliott did it right. Elliott completely owned this song and proved that he is trouble to the rest of the contestants. For the second time last night I was blown away by a performance. A+

Elliott Yamin - If I Can Dream. I was really worried when Elliott said he was doing this song, because I had never heard it before, and I thought an unfamiliar song would turn off the audience. I was wrong. Elliott commanded the audience's attention with this one and he couldn't have sounded better. Like Paula, I thought this was Elliott's best performance, until I heard this second song. A

Taylor Hicks - Jailhouse Rock. To be honest I wouldn't have picked this song for Taylor. It doesn't have a lot of range and there's not much to it. Taylor sounded about the way I expected him to, which is that he sounded good. He didn't really do anything that surprised me, but he did manage to throw in a few interesting dynamics here and there. The performance is fun and energentic and was meant to be a crowd pleaser, which it was. Taylor is probably the only contestant that has to please different types of fans. There' s the ones that want to see him dance and have a good time, there's those who just want to hear him sing and then there's the ones that want some of everything. I fall into the last category, though if I could just hear Taylor sing I would be just as happy. Predictably Simon hated the dancing so he didn't comment on Taylor's singing. B+

Katharine McPhee - Hound Dog/All Shook Up. Katharine tried to have some fun with this one, and threw in a lot of dancing. The singing was ok, nothing special, but I did like that Katharine was making an effort to do something different, even if the dancing around seemed a litte self-conscious. Proving he is not biased just against Taylor, Simon hated the dancing. I've come to the conclusion that Simon likes boring singers. Does he ever go to concerts? Entertaining the audience is half the battle. C+

Katharine McPhee - I Can't Help Falling In Love. Why was this song so easy to predict? Because Katharine loves these types of ballads. She's trying too hard though, and she completely oversang this one. She hit bad notes all over the place and she completely missed on the last note; a horrible way to end the last performance of the night. She reminded me of Jessica Simpson the whole night. The self-consciousness when she's trying something out of her element and then the attempt at being emotive by oversinging. I don't mean the comparison in a good way, but then again a lot of people like (or at least they used to like) what Jessica Simpson does, so maybe it's not bad either. C-

Chris Daughtry - Suspicious Minds. Chris may have performed the most boring version of Suspicious Minds ever. This is a great song, and Chris almost completely ruined it. Where was the emotion? Where was the frustration and desperation to song is talking about? Did Chris even understand what he was singing about? It doesn't seem like it. Simon said this song worked, probably thinking Chris would come back with something better for his second performance, but it only got worse. Don't be surprised Simon reconsiders his reaction to this if Chris is in the bottom 2. D

Chris Daughtry - A Little Conversation. I thought this was a completely bizarre song choice and Chris didn't pull it off at all. He mumble his way through the first part of the song and then picked it up at the end. Too little too late, and he completely overdid it by screaming a couple notes out at the very end. D-

If all is fair in the world Chris and Katharine will be in the bottom 2 and Chris will go home.

Katharine, Taylor and especially Elliott have all made efforts to improve and grow over the course of the competition and Chris still sounds the same as he did when he sang Wanted Dead or Alive for his first performance. For that alone he should be packing his bags this week and not get a chance at making it to the finals.

American Idol Elvis pre-show...Simon says an advantage for Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry...

I say don't rule out Elliott Yamin. I'm sure Elliott knows very well that this may be his last week. And he may try to go all out this week to win over some votes. All indications point to a Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee top 3. However, nobody thought Elliott would be in the top 4 so who's to say he can't hang on for another week.

Elliott's build in popularity has brought a new term - The Soul Train. People on board the Soul Train are hoping for a Taylor/Elliott finale. I'm one of them, so I guess I'm on board the Soul Train.

Unlike Simon I don't think this week is an advantage for Chris at all. He may be a rock singer, but he has no blues to him and he certainly doesn't swing. Also, as I've pointed out before, his knowledge of classic rock only seems to go to about 1990.

I don't know if Chris will try to turn Elvis into modern rock this week, but it might not go over to well if he does.

I'm thinking they will all take Taylor's lead from last week and do someting fun and something serious.

Katharine will probably do a ballad like I Can't Help Falling in Love (this is not a spoiler, I have no idea what anyone is doing) and be her usual boring self with it. Then she will probably try to get all cute and fun with something like Angel in Disguise.

For Chris I'm thinking Jailhouse Rock might be a good choice. Maybe he'll also pick a ballad like Are You Lonesome Tonight.

There are tons of songs Taylor could do. I'm hoping for Kentucky Rain or Suspicious Minds for his more serious choice and then something like All Shook Up or Little Sister for a more rocking and fun choice. Please, please, please no actual Elvis impersonations. I don't think he will.

I think the same choices I mentioned for Taylor could work for Elliott. Those are the two I'm most looking forward to, which is no suprise since they're my two favorites.

Please Taylor fans do not throw votes Elliott's way unless you now hope Elliott will win. At this point in the competition no one is safe. I like Elliott a lot too, but there can only be one winner. Only vote for the person you want to win!

American Idol says goodbye to Paris Bennett...

So if you went two days not knowing who got voted American Idol it was Paris Bennett.

It actually took me this long to get over that horrible group song - We Are All One - or whatever it was called, they sang on Wednesday night.

I believe the song was written by Nick Lachey, and I think that pretty much says everything. I did get a kick out of watching Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks pretend they were really into it. Chris with his meaninful rock stare and Taylor belting out the lyrics, while probably both thinking it was the lamest thing yet that they've had to do on the show.

Even lamer than the beyond lame Ford commercials they have to do each week.

So after that we find out Taylor and Chris are safe - no surprise whatsoever. And then we find out Paris is in the bottom 2, and like they did the week Bucky was voted off, she gets to sing. After she's done, we have our billionth commerical break of the night and they come back to announce Elliott is joining Paris in the bottom 2. He reprises On Broadway from the previous night.

I think I sense a pattern - if Elliott is in the bottom the producers want to remind everyone how good he is to boost his chances for the next week.

And it is Paris that's going home. It's no surprise, I didn't even see any "the show is rigged" posts on message boards the next day.

Later that night the final 4 - Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee - were wisked off in a private jet to Graceland to work with Tommy Motola on Elvis songs. I'm sure that whole thing makes sense to someone. Apparently Priscilla Presley will make an appearance as well.

Only three more weeks until the big finale. Simon says he would put money on a Taylor and Chris top 2, and I agree, but I wish it would be Taylor and Elliott.

American Idol Top 5...Taylor Hicks back on top

Just like the judges said, last night was a mixed bag of good and bad performances.

Here's how I rank them.

Theme 1: Year of birth

1. Taylor Hicks - 1976 - Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry. Taylor took Rod Stewart's advice about performance to heart with this one. He decided to grab the audience by taking a fun song and going all out with it. Those who have some of Taylor's live shows downloaded, or who have actually been to them, will know that Taylor frequently throws in a few lines from other songs during his performances, so I got a kick out of him doing it here. Towards the end he threw in "I want to take you higher" from Sly and the Family Stone's Higher.

2. Elliott Yamin - 1978 - On Broadway by George Benson. I thought Elliott had a rough start, but then worked in to a great vocal performance. I liked the way Elliott really go into the ending of song, and he was really able to show off his voice. I think he should be able to hang on for another week after tonight.

3. Chris Daughtry - 1979 - Renegade by Styx. Renegade is the one and only Styx song I like and Chris did a pretty good job singing it, but I thought it was kind of boring. I liked that he was making more use of the stage, and even ventured to the stage behind the judges for the first time. One of my problems with Chris is he never makes anything his own. This version sounded exactly like the Styx version. Chris, however, never gets accused of doing karaoke, it may be good karaoke, but that's what it still is.

4. Paris Bennett - 1988 - Kiss by Prince. Ok, so Prince's version of Kiss came out in 1986, but Paris gets to do it because Tom Jones covered it in 1988. Interesting to note that Paris only mentioned Prince, and not Tom Jones though. Kiss is one of my favorite Prince songs, and his version is nearly impossible to beat, and Paris didn't come close. I don't think this song suited her at all.

5. Katharine McPhee - 1984 - Against All Odds by Phil Collins. Katharine didn't seem into this song at all. The performance was boring and she just wasn't singing well. I started being reminded of Kellie Pickler's last 2 performances, which is not a good sign. Ryan asked her where she thought she started having trouble and she said it was as soon as she started singing. LOL.


Theme #2: Top 10 from any Billboard chart.

1. Taylor Hicks - Something by the Beatles. The Beatles are my favorite band of all time, and I couldn't believe Taylor was able to do one of their songs. So Taylor was able to grab a song from the top 10 catalog chart, that's pretty cool, or as Simon said "clever." I love hearing a good Beatles cover, and Taylor went beyond my expectations with this one. I was a little worried at first that he might go for the Joe Cocker arrangement, which I don't really like. Taylor sang this one beautifully and showed that he is here to stay.

2. Elliott Yamin - Home by Michael Buble. I didn't really like this song, and I didn't think it showed off Elliott's voice enough. To quote Randy "it was just ok for me."

3. Katharine McPhee - Black Horse to the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall. Great song, weird performance. Katharine performed the entire song on her knees. I was so ditracted wondering when she was going to stand up, I could barely listen to her singing. I guess she sang it ok, but her voice lacks to rawness necessary to make this song sound really good.

4. Paris Bennett - Be Without You by Mary J. Blige. I think Paris doesn't sound very good singing new songs. She sounded pretty good, but it didn't do anything for me. She was unable to win me over on a song I didn't know, and didn't really like once I heard it.

5. Chris Daughtry - I Dare You by Shinedown. So adding a second song to the week caused Chris to blow out his voice. The judges all pointed it out, and Simon even seemed a little angry, and I guess he should be. If Chris can't sing two songs on one night during the week, how is he supposed to record an album and tour with it? This song wasn't very good, and it was too high for Chris. He sounded bad.

Taylor took the most advantage of having 2 songs and showing some versality, so I think he comes out on top for the night.

Paris left no impact on me, and I think she may have had her last night.

Bottom 2: Katharine and Paris. It could be Elliott instead of Katharine, but I think Katharine's off night may have hurt her this week.

Going Home: Paris

Vote Taylor Hicks...Don' let American Idol become boring.

Word on the street is Taylor is returning to form this week and performing the way he wants to perform! Let's hope it all works out for him.

This may be Taylor's most important week of the competition, and I, and most of his fans, think he should just go out there and do what he does best. He got on the show on his own terms and he should win it (or lose it, but no need to think like that) on his own terms.

I can't say how many times I have heard people say "Taylor is not American Idol material."

So What?

That is why you should vote for him.

Don't let American Idol remain the fast food of the music world. We don't need any more manufactured pop stars. Why do you think they are now pushing Katharine to win? She would be the most easy for them to mold into exactly what they want, which seems to be another Kelly Clarkson.

Keep Taylor in the competition or it may become the most boring show on TV.

So many people who watch the show don't vote, but if you like Taylor now's the time to start.

My rank of the top 5:

Taylor Hicks
Elliott Yamin
Paris Bennett
Chris Daughtry
Katharine McPhee

Taylor Hicks Pac Man

What will the think of next...

Taylor Hicks Pacman


Happy first day of May everyone!