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You hearing anything about Taylor's song selection for the night being scrubbed late in the process and him "settling" for the one he sang?

Yes, I got it from various boards as well. That was reported by his keyboardist in a FOX interview. Apparently Taylor's first choice could not be approved ( by TPTB or by the original artists ). So COUNTRY ROADS had to be his second choice. And yes, he looked quite un-enthused by the song.

The thing you have to understand about Taylor and even great singers like the dearly departed Eva Cassidy is they are close crowd performers. They sing in very informal settings like a bar, a club or a blues alley where you don't have more than 50 people listening to you.

The power of their attraction lies in a slow crescendo to a climax. It's a story they want to slowly spin and build until it reaches a soaring conclusion.

Listen for example to Taylor's outstanding version of GEORGIA... it was close to 7 minutes long with long guitar riffs in between that started slowly and then climaxed into an outstanding burst of bluesy passion.

Most of Taylor's songs in his CDs are like that. They last close to 4 minutes long.

One other singer who performs that way (similar to Taylor Hicks ) is the now departed but glorious singer -- Eva Cassidy. Just listen to her versions of say, FIELDS OF GOLD and SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW ( which has been emulated in AI by Tamyra Gray and Kim Locke)... it's the same. They start slowly and then build into a climax in the end. Her songs are seldom less than 4 minutes long.

Why am I saying this ? Well, to simply tell you that a venue like American Idol cannot do justice to the delibarate styles of guys like Taylor Hicks or maybe Eva Cassidy. A 90 minute song hardly lets you build on it before you already have to end. Notice the version of Taylor's TROUBLE.. it was building momentum and then ended in an anti-climax. Hence, the understandably tepid response from Randy, who was expecting more.

Well, what can I say ? If you want to see the real talent of guys like Taylor, you have to give him TIME to perform.

One of the reasons ( among others) why Country Roads was a certifiable disaster for Taylor was simply because of the rush to finish. It ended before it barely began.

I absolutely agree with this assessment I got from another Idol board poster :

Mandisa's boot seemed predictable for three reasons:

1. The producers have been subtly de-pimping her: Simon has been on record stating strongly that she couldn't win. She hasn't gotten a pimp spot or extra camera time in a while. This show is about glamor as well and her (how do I put it gently), Girth, inspite of her beautiful face and class act, did not help.

2. She's had two mediocre outings in a row accompanied by harsh criticisms--particularly by Simon.

3. The controversy over her association with Christian author Beth Moore ( who is opposed to gay marriage ) probably cost her some votes. While this story didn't hit the mainstream press in a big way, the Advocate and the TV Guide both covered the controversy.

My Hollywood friends tell me that this association caused quite a Hollywood backlash. You don't get support from a community where you live, that gave us among others --- BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.

I think it reached enough people to have an impact. If she had a base of Gay voters initially, I imagine many stopped supporting her as the news broke.

Be that as it may, I'm sure we'll be hearing more from Mandisa in the future. I'll be looking forward to her gospel album. George Huff did quite well with his. I see no reason why this won't happen to Mandisa.

Apparently Taylor's first choice could not be approved ( by TPTB or by the original artists ). So COUNTRY ROADS had to be his second choice. And yes, he looked quite un-enthused by the song.

He couldn't find a better second choice?

One of the reasons ( among others) why Country Roads was a certifiable disaster for Taylor was simply because of the rush to finish. It ended before it barely began.

Part of the problem is that he didn't LIKE the song choice. He shot himself in the foot, a self inflicted wound. He's lucky he didn't lose his leg in the process. jmo