American Idol: In Defense of Taylor Hicks: The Non-Favorite of the Judges
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Every season, American Idol has contestants they push on us. I call these the ‘favored ones’. I’m not so sure if it happened in season 1, but in subsequent seasons, Ruben, Fantasia and Carrie were shoved at us ad nauseum and it was obvious they were anointed to win. This year, it is of course happening again.
Will anyone be surprised when Chris Daughtry wins American Idol 5? Of course, there is the odd chance that Katharine McPhee or Elliott Yamin can sneak in there and grab it away, but I doubt it, unless that’s what the producers and Simon decide that’s what they want. In any case, it is becoming increasingly obvious that they do NOT want Taylor in that coveted spot.
When Taylor first auditioned in Nevada, Randy and Paula were the ones who liked him. Simon said Taylor did not have enough of an Idol image, and questioned why his colleagues were supporting him when they would never put him through to the next round. Simon did acknowledge he was wrong about that, but I know that those initial comments stayed in my memory for a long time when thinking about Taylor. Simon later said that he got more comments about Taylor than anyone else, and later ‘predicted’ that Chris and Taylor, and Kellie, would be in the finals. I don’t know what the game is here, but based on Simon’s comments to Taylor since then, it is clear that he does not like him and is trying to avoid that prediction coming true at all costs. Yes, Simon can be mean to everyone, but his comments to Taylor are especially biting and hurtful, specifically those asking him if he was drunk.
Why is Simon doing this? Taylor has tons of soul, and sings straight from within. He puts his entire being into his music. This comes through to many viewers, and because Taylor has a huge fan base, he can still possibly win this whole competition. That is scary to the powers-that-be. Taylor does not fit the mold of a classic idol. He’s got gray hair, he’s quirky, and his dance movements can politely be described as jerky. Taylor has a style of his own. He cannot be pigeon-holed into any set category. His look is certainly unique. Although those are wonderful qualities, sometimes in the American Idol world, more ‘mainstream’ is wanted, and uniqueness is not.
When Bucky was interviewed after his elimination, what he said illustrated this point very well. ''Simon, a lot of times [in his music-business career] he signs boy bands and stuff like that,'' Covington says. ''So for him to like someone like me or Taylor [Hicks] it's out of the question. No matter what we do, he's not going to like us. We're just not his thing.” Well said, Bucky.
Another interesting fact is that since the Top 12, Taylor has not been given the coveted last singing spot, ever. Chris has gotten it twice, and Elliott, Kat and Paris have gotten it once. Just an oversight? You decide.
This past week, Nigel admitted that Taylor was forced to change his song choice on Monday, the day before the performances. He had originally chosen to sing “Try a Little Tenderness” but it was decided that that was not a song that Andrea Bocelli would sing, so it was out. Who are they kidding? This is reminiscent of changing Clay’s ‘Vincent’ arrangement at the last minute and then criticizing him for forgetting the words. Again, a contestant that is different needs to have a weak performance so the criticism can be justified. Never mind the behind-the-scenes manipulation that made the weak performance not totally the contestant’s fault.
The final straw, and the one finally making me write this article in Taylor’s defense, was that Vote For the Worst has chosen Taylor as their new candidate. Actually, it’s good for Taylor to get the extra votes, but their reasoning for choosing him clearly summarizes what this article is all about:
“By making him change his songs and not letting him sing the way he wants to sing, they're making sure Taylor doesn't show off how talented he is…..I'm sure he joined the competition to try to bring something different. The producers don't want something different though, and it's obvious that they're breaking his spirit, even going as far as to make him change his song at this last minute last week because they didn't see "Try a Little Tenderness" as a love song. What? That doesn't even make sense…..Simon Cowell also hates Taylor, as is evidenced by his reaction at his audition and his reaction each and every week. Simon wants Taylor out now, because he can't stand to promote someone so unmarketable.”
I, for one, do not think Taylor is unmarketable at all. I think they are running scared that one of the non-chosen ones is actually doing well, and are trying to sabotage him to the best of their ability. I hope enough Taylor fans are angry enough to do something about this, and the only thing that would matter, besides VOTING, is to make the public aware of the situation.
STRICTLY FOR TAYLOR HICKS FANS ONLY
early SPOILER for this coming week (May 2).
The Idol Boards, MJs Big Blog and Gray Charles are all telling us that Taylor has been practicing Bon Jovi's :
"Who Says You Can’t Go Home?"
as his choice for his Billboard top 100 song.
Still no news as to which song he will choose for the theme -- Songs from the year you were born.
I have thought, right from the beginning, that Taylor's talent and uniqueness, could make him the American Idol. I was furious when Simon made the remark about him being drunk, but Taylor is a class act and lets it roll. I wasn't aware that some of the other things were happening and I certainly hope that if this is what Taylor wants, he will be succesful in getting it. I listen to his music all the time and would certainly buy any new stuff he records.
Good article post 9601.
Me either! What's wrong with something "different" at the music store? They must think that the only people who buy music are 15-27 years old. Taylor is sooooo talented, and he's not even my favorite! I look forward to anything he records in the future.