Why Middle America loves Taylor
May 25, 2006. 08:19 AM
VINAY MENON
TELEVISION CRITIC
TORONTO STAR
A year ago, nobody would have used the word "Idol" to describe Taylor Hicks.
But last night, the barmy, silver-haired singer prone to ill-advised boogieing and Rain Man sloganeering — "Soul Patrol! Soul Patrol! Soul Patrol!" — emerged victorious on the TV phenomenon known as American Idol.
As predicted by pollsters and bookies and people with too much time on their hands, Taylor, who hails like three of the previous four winners from the U.S. South, vanquished California rival Katharine McPhee after earning a majority of the 63.4 million votes cast Tuesday night.
With his penchant for corny quips and gaudy blazers, the prematurely grey Taylor — he's 29 going on 46 — may look more like an intoxicated wedding singer than a newly minted pop star.
No matter. At precisely 9:58 p.m. last night, the future arc of his ribs-and-catfish life was forever changed when host Ryan Seacrest said: "Now, America and the world, it is the moment of truth ... the winner of American Idol Season 5 is ... Taylor Hicks!"
Taylor whooped. His hometown of Birmingham, Ala., erupted on a monitor. And Katharine, the 22-year-old chanteuse and daughter of a vocal coach, hugged him graciously, though disappointment glistened in her eyes.
Yes, after nearly two hours of truly bizarre duets, colour-co-ordinated ensembles, taped segments, musical infomercials, bad comedy, live remotes, unrestrained mocking of Idol rejects, all-around filler — and a surprise performance by Prince — Taylor had defeated Katharine under a cloud of confetti.
So the analysis will begin this morning. Why did he win?
The reason is simple: American Idol is not a singing competition, as we're constantly told, but a popularity contest.
And since it's on television, sight matters as much as sound. If this was a radio show, last night's finale would have undoubtedly featured Chris Daughtry and Paris Bennett. But from the outset, Taylor was the most visually engaging contestant: odd, mesmerizing, peculiar, endearing.
He wasn't like anyone we had seen before.
The victory of Alabama's new favourite son will also come as no surprise to demographers given the origins of previous winners — Kelly Clarkson (Texas); Ruben Studdard (Alabama); Fantasia Barrino (North Carolina); and Carrie Underwood (Oklahoma).
While George W. Bush has occupied the White House, every Idol champ has hailed from a so-called Red State. And eight of the 10 finalists (winner and runner-up) have come from the South and Midwest.
How popular is the show in Dixie? Consider this: at times this season, nearly 50 per cent of every television set in Taylor's hometown of Birmingham was tuned to American Idol. Viewers in Red States also seem more likely to support their local contestants than those in Blue States, as was obvious last week when Taylor and Katharine were shown mingling in their communities.
The crowd that greeted Taylor was massive and boisterous and deafening. Katharine's supporters, by contrast, were decidedly more reserved. And last night? The only live remotes came from Alabama. So much for California Dreamin'.
If regional voting habits can be extrapolated from all this, nobody should be surprised by Taylor's win.
Though two previous girl-guy showdowns ended with female champs, with Katharine residing in Sherman Oaks, Calif., well, the poor thing never stood a chance.
This season was, by any measure, an extraordinary success. The juggernaut averaged 30 million viewers per week, up 14 per cent from 2005. (In Canada, Tuesday's penultimate episode drew more than 3.1 million viewers.)
Throughout the winter, American Idol obliterated everything in its path — from the Grammy Awards to the Olympics. And for the second consecutive season, it catapulted Fox into the No. 1 spot with viewers 18-49, the demographic coveted by advertisers. As such, Fox was charging $1.3 million (U.S.) for a 30-second spot on last night's finale.
According to Variety, movie studios were also mesmerized by Idol this year, spending more than $56 million on film ads — or more than was spent on Lost, 24 and Grey's Anatomy combined.
The buzz wasn't restricted to North America. American Idol is now licensed in 154 countries. Viewers across the planet — from India to Israel, Iceland to Malaysia — followed the contest that ended with Taylor's glitzy coronation.
The Idol contagion has spread across the globe like a warbling epidemic. A new season of Canadian Idol begins Monday, while other homegrown versions are now produced in 34 countries.
The Idol brand is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion. And, collectively, more than 1.7 billion votes have been cast for Idol shows, or roughly 1 vote for every four people on the planet.
How confident and cocky is the show? Last night, it bestowed fake awards — The Golden Idols — on itself, Oscar-style.
The two-hour finale started with the Top 12 Idols performing with fourth season winner Carrie Underwood. They took the stage garbed in white, looking like an invading army of photogenic extraterrestrials.
The show was broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, where 3,000 screaming fans — including many slightly embarrassed celebrities — were joined by a global television audience estimated to be more than 200 million.
And, for those with McPheever, don't cry for Katharine. She seems to understand the show's extensive, star-making apparatus.
As she said recently: "It is still a competition, but we both have won. We both have record deals and will be getting the same amount of press."
Ah, spoken like a true Idol.
Maybe Fox can replace "So You Think You Can Dance? 2" with "Canadian Idol". I bet it would be a smart move, especially for those of us who are going to go through Live Thread withdrawls...