|
 |
| Katharine McPhee (L) of Los Angeles and Taylor Hicks of
Birmingham, Alabama, the two finalists on the "American Idol"
television show, pose as they arrive for the final telecast in which
the winner will be announced, in Hollywood May 24, 2006.
(Reuters) |
Taylor Hicks, the 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-filledfinale that included Prince and Mary J.
Blige.
Hicks, 29, of Birmingham, Ala., 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.
"Soul Patrol!" he shouted, acknowledging his avid fans by their
nickname. "I'm living the American dream," he added as he closed out the
show with a performance of "Do I Make You Proud."
It was Katharine vs. Taylor, McPheever vs. the Soul Patrol, with a
recording contract and the fifth "Idol" title up for grabs.
More than 63 million votes were cast, "more than any president in the
history of our country has received," Seacrest said.
Fans picked the raw sound and footloose moves of Hicks, who made his mark
on Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" on Tuesday's show. The
sultry McPhee's well-trained
voice was shown to perfection on the standard "Somewhere Over the
Rainbow."
Last season's victor, Carrie Underwood of Checotah, Okla., opened the
finale, joining Hicks and McPhee on "I Made it Through the Rain" and later
soloing on "Don't Forget to Remember Me."
On Tuesday, Underwood won two trophies at the Academy of Country Music
Awards, underscoring how much an "Idol" victory can mean. She was named top new female artist
and won best single for "Jesus Take the Wheel."
Hicks and McPhee weren't as odd a finals pairing as second-second
finalists Ruben Studdard and Aiken, but close.
McPhee was the first Los Angeles native to make it
big on "American Idol." With a singer-vocal coach mom behind her and a
starlet
's beauty,
McPhee looked and sounded groomed for success.
Hicks, whose thatch of prematurely gray hair
helped him stand out from the pack, had barely
survived the first audition
at which judge Simon
Cowell warned he didn't have a chance of advancing in the contest.
McPhee attended the prestigious Boston
Conservatory for a semester; Hicks has been a fixture on honky-tonk
stages. McPhee skillfully played to the cameras, all calculated seduction; Hicks
stomped across the set, with Cowell once comparing him to a drunken
dad at a wedding.
Despite the lack of offstage drama, or because of
it, this edition of "American Idol" was the most-watched yet. Compared to
last year, the show was up 14 percent in total viewers.
(Agencies) | 
