taylorhicks

If you're a Taylor Hicks fan and wanted to learn some interesting pieces of information to share with your friends about him, you've come to the wrong place.

The OC Register recently did a telephone interview with Mr. Soul Patrol and learned he didn't really have all that much to say.

Hicks seemed a little standoffish with his responses and just didn't seem very willing to give anything more than a reserved answer to the interviewer's questions (you can see him give the same treatment to our very own Jay Black here).

I realize that the title of this post is courting a little controversy, but I think it's a question worth asking. Before we begin though, let me say this: I am not a "fattist". I've been very quickly saying goodbye to my own slim self one pizza slice at a time. Also, I'm a big fan of Santa Claus and William Howard Taft. Plus, I think that the FDA should require syrup on everything -- including syrup.

Okay, now that I've headed off all angry comments with that disclaimer, let's get to the meat of the matter: would it be possible for an overweight woman to win American Idol?

Howard Cohen of MiamiHerald.com seems to think so. In today's post he points out that several AI finalists didn't take top prize, but the show still helped catapult them to success. Jennifer Hudson's Golden Globe win last night certainly puts her on the top of the list for "Most Successful Ex-American Idol Losers," well, at least for the time being.

I'm going to start off with the negative stuff, because I'm well aware that these are the gems that people want to read so that they can tell me how I'm so horribly, horribly wrong.

I'm not angry, just disappointed: Project Runway, Scrubs. God, Project Runway was just plain painful this season. Not only did we have to put up with Vincent and Angela for an ungodly long time, they were brought back for an additional challenge! Then, Jeffrey, the designer with the worst collection of all (well, in my personal opinion), won the whole competition. Livid, I was. I definitely expected better taste from what I've long considered the classiest reality program on television. And as for Scrubs, I think it's lost its charm... JD does that stupid nasal voice all the time (it's at its worst when he does that damn "zoom zoom zoom"), his pregnant girlfriend is an awful character, and Dr. Cox's hair looks like something ripped off a 70s model home floor. I used to think Scrubs was hysterical, but it's really missing something now and I've almost lost complete motivation to watch. If the upcoming musical episode doesn't restore my faith, I doubt anything will.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Taylor Hicks was named the most well-mannered person of the year. I guess the "National League of Junior Cotillions" didn't read the TV Squad Taylor Hicks interview.
  
• The drama on The View continues with a Rosie vs. Donald fued.
  
• Evangeline Lilly's rental house in Hawaii burned to the ground yesterday.
  

A correction concerning yesterday's show: It was brought to my attention that yesterday's story concerning Michael Jackson's plans to sell his Neverland Ranch on a reality show was untrue. I apologize for the misinformation. I always try to double-check information before using them on the show, but in this case my multiple sources were all incorrect. Thanks to Jason for the heads up.

The video's embedded after the jump below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.

The people behind the FOX megahit say that a bombshell is coming to the show in midseason. To quote producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz, it's "something that will blow America away."

Hmmm ... what could this possibly be? A viewer at home has a chance to win a million dollars? All of the contestants are robots? Ryan Seacrest is going to reveal that he's ... Catholic (hey, where did you think I was going with that?).

Maybe they're going to do a crossover with another FOX show. Maybe bad guys will take over the studio and hold everyone hostage, and then it's up to Jack Bauer to rescue everyone and clear the phone lines so America can get through and vote for their favorite singer.

The new season starts on January 16.

[via TV Tattle]

Related:
American Idol ain't broke
Taylor Hicks: The TV Squad Interview
How much for an American Idol to appear at your party?

There's probably no fame-train that moves quicker than the one you board when you get on American Idol. In as little as five months, you go from struggling young artist to one of the most famous human beings in America. I can imagine it being overwhelming (I mean after all, in just under a month I went from unknown comedian to internationally famous TV Squad blogger, and the literally tens of emails I've received since then have swamped my inbox). To get into the finals, much less actually win the contest, must make for a difficult transition into the world of celebrity.

Even harder than that is maintaining the momentum. For every Kelly Clarkson there's a Reuben Studdard, and there's a kind of second contest after the winner is crowned to see what he or she does with his or her newfound fame.

It's with this is mind, I'm sure, that the latest winner of American Idol, Taylor Hicks, is releasing his first album. It's called Taylor Hicks and it's dropping just in time for the holidays (and, one imagines, the never ending string of American Idol promos that run during said holidays). He was gracious enough to sit for a telephone interview with me to talk about the new album, his recent comments concerning the show, and the worst pre-Idol gig he ever had.

Weird Al Yankovic's goofy songs was the first music I ever really got into, and his sense of humor pretty much defined my own during my early impressionable years. I've always said that the success of his albums was dependent on the music and pop culture landscape of the time (it seemed that if Michael Jackson was having a good year, so would Al), but this time around I think his new album has also been helped by some great videos that have found a wider audience thanks to YouTube and other video sites.

Weird Al's latest video, a take on Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud?" titled "Do I Creep You Out?" was animated by the boys at JibJab.com, and you can check it out here. Don't try to find it on television, though, the video is online only. Al plays a lonely stalker who just wants to save a girl's used chewing gum and stick her fingers in his mouth. Personally, I don't think that's too much to ask.

[via AWN]

Sometimes you find the strangest things on the internet when you weren't even looking for them. I read an article about Idol winner Taylor Hicks playing a little club show after his concert in San Jose and went looking for some video to share with the Idol fans at TV Squad. Sure enough, it's out there. You can see a couple clips from the show by following this link.

But wait... just like a Ron Popeil infomercial, there's more! While digging up the San Jose video, I stumbled on a little gem from the Birmingham City Scenes Festival. Taylor Hicks on stage rockin' the mic with Snoop Dogg. He spends most of the song dancing and playing harmonica, but about 2:30 in he does a little rapping. It's a strange thing to see. Interesting, but I like my Taylor Hicks a little more Dr. John and a little less Dr. Dre. Watch the video after the jump.

Taylor Hicks settled a lawsuit he filed against a former Nashville producer who sold his older songs on iTunes. The settlement gives Taylor possession of three songs that his former producer was selling. In exchange, Taylor promised not to file any further litigation against the man.

The songs, called "The Fall", "Son of a Carpenter" and "In Your Time" were recorded by Taylor in 1997. Two of the songs were briefly for sald on iTunes, but apparently on a handful of them sold before they were removed.

According to The Smoking Gun, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks filed a lawsuit against a former Nashville music producer who is selling Hicks' older songs on iTunes. The songs are from 2001, when Taylor tried and failed to get music labels to pick him up. The producer, William Smith, reportedly sent an e-mail to Hicks' lawyers letting them know that he was planning to market a few of his old songs on iTunes and that "anything in his past that would reflect negatively upon him will stay there". Smith also mentioned that he has turned down five-figure offers from tabloids to talk about Taylor's sexuality and (alleged) past drug use. Sounds like a threat, eh? Hicks and his lawyers thought so, too. A judge signed a temporary restraining order, barring Smith from selling the old songs on iTunes.

The top ten finalists from this season of American Idol will have an audience with the President on Friday. The performers will already be in Washington, D.C. for their "American Idols Live" tour. They are the first group of American Idols to meet the President and the group may have Taylor Hicks to thank for that. His ninth grade teacher is now Laura Bush's personal secretary! I'm sure some jokes will be made about how Taylor Hicks got more votes than the President did in the last election, but that's super lame. Teen-agers with speed dial aren't exactly a fair comparison.

I wonder if the President watched American Idol this season. What do you think President Bush watches on television (other than Fox Newschannel)?

Poor Taylor Hicks. He was just named Hottest Bachelor by People magazine. In the article, he mentioned his first crush was when he was in third grade and he really liked a sixth grader. He must've named the girl because, two weeks after the article appeared, Taylor's first crush contacted the magazine. Her name is Christy Lee Worsham and she's married (say it now: "Ahhhhh."). She told the magazine, "He was such a fun kid... He was like a brother to me." Ouch! What guy wants to hear that? Well, Taylor, there's always hope that the blonde woman you made eye contact with on a plane recently is single and is flattered that you mentioned her in People magazine.

Today, Ford launches a new line of commercials featuring American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. He'll be singing 'Possibilities' to promote what Ford is calling its "year-end" sales event even though it's only June. This press release includes a statement from Taylor Hicks that makes me think he has suddenly become a tool, "I'm thrilled to be given a chance to perform it [Possibilities] as part of the Ford family." Hmmm... I wonder who gets more money out of that deal: American Idol or Taylor?

All right ladies (and gentlemen as well), get those dialing and keyboard fingers ready to contact American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. According to People magazine, the 29-year-old crooner is tops in their hot bachelor list. It's either the silver hair or his dancing prowess; I just can't make up my mind.

While Taylor is happy about the listing, he tells People that he is more than willing to give up the single life and settle down. In fact, he would like to settle down with a blond-haired beauty he exchanged glances with on a recent airline flight. To help the newest winner of American Idol, the magazine has set up e-mail and snail mail addresses for the woman to contact Hicks.

Joining Taylor on this list are bachelors such as recently divorced Nick Lachey, Scrubs' Donald Faison, Kenny Chesney, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and Kevin Federline. Oh, wait, Kevin is married to Britney Spears. So, those women in his Las Vegas hotel room must have been members of his church group. Now I understand.