Let's analyze this statement made by Simon regarding why he regards a Taylor Hicks win as a nightmare and what it means for Taylor Hicks fans...
First question... out of the so many singers ( e.g. Kate, Mandissa, Elliott, Paris, etc.)
why is Simon singling out Taylor for worry ?
Well, if Gray Charles is correct in that marketing Taylor is a plunge into uncharted waters,
then I can't think of any other legitimate reason other than this --- TAYLOR IS LEADING THE VOTES !!
Think of it this way --- there are some other people who are marketing challenges. But in this batch,
I don't see a lot of problems. Let's look at them one by one :
It can't be Mandissa because we have Reuben Studdard as her male equivalent ( stout, talented and R&B). Mandissa
also has that gracious personality and her gospel flavored singing appeals to the spiritual nature of a lot of
viewers of which there are tens of millions ( not only here but overseas as well ).
It can't be Kate because she is eminently marketable --- young, talented, beautiful, sultry and goofy girl-next-door
personality.
It can't be Paris because she is very similar to Fantasia and has a pedigree that has worked ( her grandma, Ann Nesby).
It can't be Ace because he has the boy band, hunky yet vulnerable look that appeals to young ones and even older
ladies (dare I say Paula ???)
It can't be Bucky because he's probably going to go this week or the next.
It can't be Lisa because she's splitting the precocious child vote with Paris and clearly isn't winning. And even if
she does, so what ? She has the look, the cover-girl pinup model image ( perfect for 17 magazine ) and clearly can sing.
NO MARKETING PROBLEM HERE.
Simon clearly isn't worried about Kellie because he seems to be on her corner all the time ( prefering her over
Carrie Underwood ??? ). I think he already knows how to use her pretentious naivete to sell. Remember, this is the
man who among others, gave us the Spice Girls.
That leaves us with Elliott, Chris and Taylor.
Elliott is hard to market because of his image. He looks like the fawn, Mr. Tumnus ( anyone seen NARNIA ?) or
an Amish farmer with the bad teeth. How can you market someone like that ? Elliott is someone you listen to, not
look at. But Simon isn't worried about having to think of marketing Elliott, which indicates that he isn't on top
of the weekly votes.
So, WHY WHY WHY would he, of all people mention Chris and Taylor and then say he's worried that Taylor will win ??
THE ONLY LOGICAL CONCLUSION IS GOOD NEWS TO Taylor's fans --- IT IS BECAUSE HE IS ACTUALLY LEADING IN THE VOTES THAT
COME WEEK AFTER WEEK ( in case you didn't notice, Simon said this after Taylor sang Levon and he ate crow by saying he
was wrong about Taylor : "I have never seen a greater positive response to anyone in this competition" ).
Hence, take this as a race at this point in time between Chris and Taylor. It will all boil down to this in the end:
1) When the others are eliminated one by one, to whom will most of their votes gravitate to ?
2) Whose fans (Chris vs Taylor) are more rabid, numerous and motivated to vote.
So, to Taylor fans, DO YOU WANT HIM TO WIN OR NOT ? I can't answer that for you.
And if Taylor wins, how large is his fan base ? Will it be large enough like the Claymates to ensure platinum sales ?
If this question can be answered with a "yes", Simon will be glad to see Taylor win. At this point in time, the jury
is still out on this one.
My personal opinion is Taylor's career will be similar to say, the Grateful Dead. He'll have a cult following, but
won't be as mass appealing as say, Kelly Clarkson or Mariah Carey.
I think you're on to something here. Simon also said that by this stage you can really tell who's in and who's out, because the difference in the number of votes is IN THE MILLIONS.
So, it's no longer a horse race. Win, place, and show are pretty much decided.
I guess I don't even have to vote tonight.
Here's a question to ANYONE out there who is knowledgable in the record industry...
Many people tell me that for movies to recoup their production budget, they have to make at least TWICE their production budget on the box office to cater for all other expenses -- advertisement, promotion, etc.
Hence, if King Kong's production budget is $200 M, they have to make at least $400 M to break even ( since they made over $600 M worldwide to date, I guess they've made a ton of money already ).
Now here's my question --- HOW MUCH DOES A RECORDING ARTIST MAKE per unit of album sold. For example, Carrie Underwood has sold ( according to figures ) close to 2.8 Million albums ( close to triple platinum ). How much does that mean to her personally in terms of dollars ?
That would explain their favoritism for Chris all right.