American Idol 2006--Live Thread (Part III)

Fox ^ | 5-8-06

[Netizen]

I love my dog. But if anybody's getting a diamond necklace it's gonna be me.

No kidding! Hard to believe that people can throw away money like that huh?

[Netizen]

I really disliked the way Simon sat in his seat while everyone else was on their feet applauding. Made him look like a arrogant pouting little fool.

Yep, it showed what he is really like and it showed how he really felt about the winner.

And remember when Simon was doing the talk shows just before the finale and saying how he wanted somebody else in the final two. Let's see, Katharine was one of his favorites so who would he be replacing with someone else? hmmm I guess it would have been Taylor, that he wanted out of there. I really think he wanted a Chris and Katharine finale.

[Netizen]

Idol Chartwatch, May 30: Idol Fever Hits the Charts

http://www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1913.art&page=1

Before we get started, I want to congratulate Taylor Hicks on winning American Idol 5. It was a special night and I look forward to charting Taylor’s music for years to come. I won’t have to wait long, either. His first single, “Do I Make You Proud”/ “Takin’ it to the Streets,” will be released on June 13. (You can preorder it by clicking on the link or in the righthand column of the website). Katharine’s ( “My Destiny”/ “Think”) will be out the following week.

Congratulations to Carrie Underwood as well. Last week, Carrie took home two Academy of Country Music Awards – New Female Vocalist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” This coincided with the anniversary of her winning last year’s competition, and further emphasizes that Idol is turning out legitimate artists who are being recognized by their peers. Kelly Clarkson also appeared on the broadcast, singing with Rascal Flatts.\

snip

Bo Bice’s album, The Real Thing, dropped to #171 on the Billboard 200 this week. Bo was supposed to appear on the Idol finale (as I noted last week), and even cancelled two shows to be available. No one is sure what happened, but I’ve heard that he was bumped when Prince agreed to appear on the show. We’ll never know for sure, though.

snip

We’ll also be watching for this year’s Idols to show up on next week’s Digital charts. All the songs from the CD are available for download on iTunes and other services, and Chris’ “Wanted Dead or Alive” has been leading the pack on “Today’s Top Tunes” all week (#12 at the time I wrote this). Taylor’s “Takin’ it to the Streets” is second (#23), with Elliott’s “Moody’s Mood for Love” at #58, and Katharine’s “Think” at #72. I figure Chris and Taylor will end up on the charts for the first time next week.

Idol may be over for the season, but the game now is all about CD sales and radio airplay. It’s just getting started!

[Wolfstar]

The vote totals are so horribly slanted by people voting several hundred times that it's hard to measure what his fan base looks like in terms of numbers.

It's possible to at least conceptualize the numbers with a rough rule-of-thumb calculation.

Using round numbers, there were 60 million votes. Let's say Taylor got two-thirds of the total, or 40 million votes. If just 100,000 individuals got in 400 votes each, that's 40 million votes.

In other words, it isn't necessary for a large number of individuals to vote in order for the vote totals to be very high.

[Netizen]

American Idol 5: Taylor Hicks – Soul Survivor!
http://www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1912.art&page=1

snip

Now that I’ve had a few days to rest and reflect on all of this, and also to watch and read some of his post-Idol interviews, I realize that Taylor Hicks may be the best strategist that American Idol has ever seen. He may not have had a strategy going into the show, but he quickly learned how to maneuver through the competition, ultimately ending up as the sole survivor. He played the game his way and won. He played smart, and I’m certain that there were times during the competition when he had to strongly assert himself in order to ensure the best showcase for his vocals. He probably ticked off a few people in his wake, but that too is part of the game.

Taylor didn’t win every battle – “Country Roads” is proof of that – but he did maintain his musical integrity and rarely appeared to be out of his element. He stood up to the stylists who thought he should dye his hair and he dressed the way he felt most comfortable. Taylor has said that he’s been preparing for this opportunity for ten years, and when he saw that it was within his reach, he went for it full tilt. He did it his way, and I have no doubt that he will do whatever he can to make sure that his CD is as authentic as possible.

Taylor’s smartest move probably wasn’t even calculated, but once he became aware of the existence of a fan base that was calling itself the Soul Patrol, he became his own biggest cheerleader. No one in the history of the show had acknowledged their fans by name, and I really believe that this was an important key to his winning. He genuinely appreciated the support, and his shout-outs were his way of saying thank you. Sure, he annoyed a lot of non-Taylor fans, but so what! He made a real connection with his fans that grew stronger every week, and ultimately, these people were willing to go to extreme measures to help ensure his victory.

Critics, who never supported him in the first place, are predicting that all this support will erode as time goes on, and that Taylor will never find a place in the current music scene. Are they in for a surprise! Perhaps they really don’t understand that the Soul Patrol is not just a catchphrase. The Soul Patrol is a huge group of people who appreciate Taylor’s love for bluesy, soulful music and are more than ready for something different. Over the course of the competition, the group evolved into an online organization with almost military precision and a singular purpose.

snip

Unless you were part of it, you’re probably not aware that as the competition narrowed down, the Soul Patrol actually developed a plan of action to help people vote. Several boards posted detailed instructions and tips for text voting and downloading autodialing programs. Thousands of people who had never texted their votes before went out and bought Cingular go-phones – so many in fact that the Cingular help site actually crashed at one point! A lot of these phones will be donated to women’s shelters and other charities in Taylor’s name now that the competition is over.

The Soul Patrol has a new mission now, and that is to push Taylor’s single ( “Do I Make You Proud”/ “Takin’ it to the Streets”) to the top of the Amazon.com sales chart. It is generally understood that pre-sales are an indicator to record company producers of an Idol’s popularity, and have an impact on how the artist will be promoted post-Idol. This effort will be the Soul Patrol’s first opportunity to convert voting power to spending power, and members are being asked to donate extra copies of the single to our troops overseas.

There’s no reason to believe that this group is going to dissipate any time soon, and certainly this support is going to ensure that Taylor’s single will sell very, very well. They are also going to be buying his first album. I recently pulled some numbers for past Idols and runners-up and was reminded that Clay’s Measure of a Man went double platinum in four weeks. I think the Soul Patrol is just as motivated as the Claymates were, and may be even larger. If that’s the case, the future looks pretty rosy for Taylor Hicks. I think he is going to surprise a lot of people before this year is over!

[merry10]

he will be on fox and friends tomorrow at 0850

[Sue Perkick]

LOL. Must be nice.

[BamaDi]

didn't you mean "bow wow" what a waste? sorry could restrain myself....

[merry10]

I dont' know. I think he made those comments to push Taylor. And I think he wanted Taylor in the finale and he definitely thought Kat should be out of it evidenced by his saying so when it was between her or Chris leaving. I think he wanted Chris and Taylor in the finale, jmho. If he had picked the song for Elliott, it might have been something better than what Paula picked.

[Jen]

Over the course of the competition, the group (Soul Patrol) evolved into an online organization with almost military precision and a singular purpose.

Just proves the adage: "Old age and cunning beat youth and skill any day". Those tweeny Katfans never had a chance! hahahaha

[BamaDi]

great write-up, analysis and re-cap! thanks

[heylady]

I just pre ordered Taylor's CD. Amazon was matching it with a CD called "under the Radar" I heard that the CD Under the Radar that Amazon is selling is not the Taylor Hicks CD. Has anyone any information on this?

[Netizen]

I guess we'll never know, unless Simon decides to tell us.

[Netizen]

I just pre ordered Taylor's CD. Amazon was matching it with a CD called "under the Radar" I heard that the CD Under the Radar that Amazon is selling is not the Taylor Hicks CD. Has anyone any information on this?

I looked at it the other day and it is NOT the Taylor Hicks CD - Under the Radar. I think you have to get that from LasersEdge.

[sirchtruth]

Simon could have shook it so many times but HE DIDN'T! Simon was very grim faced after it was announced that Taylor won and didn't even clap his hands for awhile. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

I just think Simon's game is to try and make $$$. How many contestants hand did Simon shake? That has nothing to do with this! Simon didn't like Taylor's style, I understand that, but I can see Simon recognized Taylor's talent and market ability. So what, Simon took a while to clap his hands, or shake Taylor's, that has nothing to do with whether or not Simon saw talent in Taylor.

[SirLinksalot]

Here's a question posted to me by someone on another board... maybe you guys ( anyone ) can help answer it...

---

How do radio stations play Taylor’s song -- DO I MAKE YOU PROUD -- when it hasn’t been released yet? I called a station this morning to ask for it, and they said they couldn’t because it wasn’t out yet. I told them stations around the country have been playing it, but I couldn’t tell them how. What’s the deal?

[silent_jonny]

at one point someone asked Taylor how he's changed over the course of the season. Before Taylor could answer, the bitch said, "I'll answer that for him,"

Ugh. I didn't see the Larry King interview, but I have no trouble imagining this.

I did see McPhee's Seacrest interview on E! and she behaved the same way, like she's the queen and Taylor, Chris and Elliott (or anyone else) is lucky to be sharing her oxygen.

I'm so glad she didn't win.

[silent_jonny]

Hope everyone is ok. :)

Me too :) And I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day weekend!

(Looks like I missed another "heated discussion")

[Wolfstar]

How do radio stations play Taylor’s song -- DO I MAKE YOU PROUD -- when it hasn’t been released yet?

I don't know the answer for sure. As best I understand it, radio stations can get permission from whoever owns the rights to a song to play it in their rotations, even if the song is not released as a single. That helps generate buzz, so I doubt the owner(s) would refuse to give permission. As for the stations, if they think a particular song will be hot in their market, it benefits them to play it as soon as possible, so they can catch the wave and ride it longer.

At the moment, Taylor is at #54 on Mediabase with an up arrow and a "bullet" of 403. (# of spins is called a bullet):

54

TAYLOR HICKS

Do I Make You Proud

2006

---

403

0

403

3.475

It isn't uncommon for radio stations in some markets to play songs that are not official singles. For example, Kelly Clarkson's song 'Gone' is on her 'Breakaway' album, but it has not and will not be released as a single. Yet in a few markets, radio stations have received tons of requests for it, so they play the song and it shows up on Mediabase (currently #106).

[silent_jonny]