Taylor Hicks crowned new 'American Idol'
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Alabama native Taylor Hicks , the soul singer whose gray hair belies his 29 years, emerged victorious from last night's fifth-season finale of Fox-TV's "American Idol" competition.
After watching Tuesday's (5/23) final showdown between Hicks and 23-year-old Katharine McPhee , "Idol" viewers cast more than 63 million votes, the majority of which apparently came from Hicks' fan base, which he calls the "Soul Patrol." (The show did not specify the breakdown of the votes.)
The victory earns Hicks a recording contract, and he is expected to release his first single in the next few days.
Hicks' win flew in the face of "Idol" judge Simon Cowell's take on the singer; known for his brutal honesty, Cowell had derided Hicks throughout much of the series, beginning with the singer's original audition, after which Cowell opined that Hicks shouldn't advance to the next stage.
Hicks now joins the ranks of previous "Idol" winners Carrie Underwood , Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard and Grammy-winner Kelly Clarkson.
The two-hour finale, which aired live from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, featured a number of special appearances, including a duet from third-place finalist Elliott Yamin and singer Mary J. Blige, who performed U2's "One"; a tribute to Burt Bacharach featuring Dionne Warwick; and the return of former "Idol" contestant Clay Aiken.
Previously eliminated finalists Chris Daughtry and Paris Bennett got to grab the spotlight one more time, with Daughtry performing with rockers Live on the group's new single, "Mystery," and Bennett teaming with Al Jarreau for "We're in This Love Together."
Meanwhile, McPhee and Meat Loaf shared the stage to perform "It's All Coming Back to Me," and Hicks linked up with Toni Braxton for "In the Ghetto."
Capping the night was a surprise performance Prince , who is promoting his recently released, chart-topping album, "3121." On Tuesday (3/23), the pop/funk/rock/R&B icon dropped a hint about his appearance on the show by sending out an email blast containing a Prince photo with the words "1st Corinthians 10:14," which refers to a biblical passage that reads: "Therefore my brothers, have nothing to do with the worship of idols."
Hicks, McPhee, Daughtry, Bennett, and Yamin, as well as additional Top 10 finalists Bucky Covington, Mandisa, Kellie Pickler, Lisa Tucker and Ace Young, will join forces for a 60-date summer tour.
'American Idols Live' tour
July 2006
5, 6 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena
7, 8 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center
9 - Hartford, CT - Hartford Civic Center
11 - Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
12 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
13, 14 - East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
15, 16 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
18 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
19 - Cleveland, OH - Wolstein Center
21 - Rochester, NY - BlueCross Arena
22 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
23 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
25 - Bridgeport, CT - Arena at Harbor Yard
27 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
28 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
29 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Coliseum
30 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
August 2006
1 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Bobcats Arena
2 - Columbia, SC - Colonial Center
3 - Duluth, GA - Arena at Gwinnett Center
5 - Sunrise, FL - BankAtlantic Center
6 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
8 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena
10 - Nashville, TN - Gaylord Entertainment Center
11 - Columbus, OH - Value City Arena
12 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center
13 - Saint Louis, MO - Savvis Center
15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
16 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
17 - Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds
18 - Louisville, KY - Freedom Hall
19 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
20 - Peoria, IL - Civic Center
22 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
25 - San Diego, CA - Sports Arena
26 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
27 - Anaheim, CA - Arrowhead Pond
29 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
30 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion At San Jose
September 2006
1 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
2 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
5 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center (on sale 5/25)
7, 8 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie (on sale 5/25)
9 - Houston, TX - Reliant Arena (on sale 5/25)
10 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center (on sale 5/25)
12 - Duluth, GA - The Arena at Gwinnett Center (on sale 5/24)
14 - Huntington, WV - Big Sandy Superstore Arena (on sale 5/25)
15 - Norfolk, VA - Constant Convocation Center (on sale 5/25)
16 - Reading, PA - Sovereign Center (on sale 5/25)
17 - Syracuse, NY - War Memorial at OnCenter (on sale 5/25)
19 - Hershey, PA - GIANT Center (on sale 5/24)
21 - Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center (on sale 5/25)
22 - Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Center (on sale 5/25)
23 - Bridgeport, CT - Arena at Harbor Yard (on sale 5/24)
24 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Center (on sale 5/24)
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