Taylor Hicks Takes Idol Crown!

[DudeAsInCool]

America crowns a new 'Idol'

Alabama's Hicks celebrates success on top-rated show

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Taylor Hicks, the mop-topped manic dancer who wooed TV audiences with his raw singing style and boisterous personality, was named the new "American Idol" Wednesday in a pop star-filled finale that included Prince and Mary J. Blige.

Hicks, 29, of Birmingham, Alabama, became the latest in a string of Southern and Midwestern contestants to win the Fox talent contest after collecting more viewer votes than runner-up Katharine McPhee, 22, of Los Angeles.

Read more:

Source: CNN

[Excrement_Cranium]

Because we needed a new Joe Cocker/Michael MacDonald on top 40 radio....

[Wolfie]

Sounds like he got the sympathy vote.

[moonglow]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I've never seen american idol(and probablly won't start watching it now )

Sounds like he got the sympathy vote.

[DudeAsInCool]

The host, Ryan Seacrest, said 63.4 million votes were cast this season, boasting, "That's more than any president in the history of our country has ever received."

Read more:

Source: NY Times

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

"That's more than any president in the history of our country has ever received."

SO true they actually made a movie out of it:

American Dreamz

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

'Idol' Taylor Hicks signs record deal

NEW YORK - Taylor Hicks has taken step two on his "American Idol"-fueled career, signing the record contract that comes with winning the hit show.

The gray-haired crooner inked a pact with music mogul Clive Davis in conjunction with 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by "AI" creator Simon Fuller, it was announced Wednesday.

The 29-year-old Alabama native's recording of two songs — "Do I Make You Proud," which he performed in the show's finale, and a soulful cover of the Doobie Brothers classic "Takin' It to the Streets" — will be released in stores and through digital outlets on June 13.

Read entire story here.

[Wolfie]

Now the trick is to get the second one on his own.