“I’m living the American dream!” an overjoyed Taylor Hicks exclaimed last night after being named the fifth American Idol.
Backstage with dozens of reporters who had flown in from all over the country to cover the Idol finale, the 29-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama, declared, “I didn’t think Americans would embrace gray hair the way they did.”
When asked by one reporter what his victory said about “middle aged men with gray hair,” Hicks replied, “Do what you want to do! Be happy and be proud!” And while many reporters in the room shook off the assertion that “29” constituted “middle age,” Hicks, known as the Silver Fox to Idol fans, who are themselves known as the Soul Patrol, let rip one of his signature cries of joy, “Whooooooooo!”
Hicks admitted that when it came time for the announcement at the end of Wednesday’s two-hour finale, “I was just telling myself, don’t fall to the floor. Don’t let your knees buckle.”
Asked about the unforgettable purple jacket he wore during his performance of “Living for the City” on Tuesday’s show, Hicks said, “I saw it about eight weeks ago in a store. I was thinking if I am going to be able to perform at the finale in the top two then I am buying that jacket!
“It happened!” Hicks continued. “I got to buy the purple jacket and have [judge] Simon [Cowell] critique it!”
The days ahead “are all gonna start running together,” Hicks said in anticipation of the whirlwind of interviews and media appearances required of freshly minted Idol winners. And then, proving that with age does indeed come wisdom, he added, “But I love the press! All of you guys!”
Hicks and the rest of the top-ten finalists will soon head out on the annual cross-country American Idols tour. He’s most looking forward to “the echo of the arena. As a performer, you never get that experience because you work your way up from performing in small bars. To hear the echo is a dream come true!”
Of his close competitor Katharine McPhee, Hicks smiled and said, “She’s going to have a bright future no matter what she chooses.”
As for McPhee herself, she told reporters that she would like to model her career after Julia Roberts.
“I want the same things any normal person wants, children, a family,” she said, adding, “and this career!”
Prefacing her observation with the caveat that she did not want “to say anything negative” about the competition, the 21-year-old Los Angeles-area native gently said of her loss, “I definitely think you get a little more of an advantage being from a small town. Well, not a small town, but being from the South. (The majority of Idol finalists and winners during its five seasons have been from southern states.)
When the show went to Graceland in Memphis for Elvis Week, she said, it became clear to her that people in that part of the country are different. “It’s a whole different feel. Basically I got to meet real down to earth people and those are the people who are voting and start crying when you talk to them.
“Everyone in L.A. is from those towns, but they’re all jaded now,” she laughed.
As jaded as they may be, proud Los Angeles citizens plastered storefronts all over the city with signs of support, encouragement and love for their girl. Hundreds of fans gathered at a Katharine McPhee support party at Universal City Walk Wednesday to watch the finale on a gigantic closed-circuit television.
McPhee said she didn’t expect to win the competition. “Just before Taylor and I had our duet I said I didn’t think I would win and didn’t expect to win.” She revealed that she had been “losing her voice” during rehearsals for Tuesday night’s all-important final contest, noting, “That was the only thing causing any panic in me.” She “stopped talking” around 10 o’clock Tuesday night in preparation for Wednesday’s show.
Even though she wasn’t named the fifth American Idol, McPhee said she feels like a winner anyway. “I don’t need any sad faces or anyone feeling bad for me. It would just be silly to feel bad at this point. I just got a record deal pretty much. I got a great new car! I got so many new shoes and new fans!”
Asked about the legendary Meat Loaf, her duet partner in the finale, McPhee admitted, “I knew the name but I didn’t know what he looked like. I didn’t know “It’s All Coming Back to Me” was his song. I thought it was a Celine Dion song!
“It was an interesting experience working with him. During rehearsals he was, like, performing! In my face! He’s a theatrical rocker dude! As soon as I bought into it we evened each other out.”
McPhee plans to “finish the press thing,” which involves talking about her experience on American Idol and promoting her single, “My Destiny,” which she performed at the end of Tuesday’s show. (Winner Hicks will also release a single of his closing song, “Do I Make You Proud.”) Then she’ll take a week off to visit friends in New York and go somewhere tropical “to get a little sun.” Then it’s back to Los Angeles to begin rehearsals for the Idols concert tour.
The best thing about the Idol experience, McPhee said, is “getting to touch people’s lives. That’s the thing about celebrity. It’s not about the glitz and glamour. While it’s great you get all these clothes and your hair and makeup done, celebrity should really be used to touch people and reach them in a way you wouldn’t. I really look forward to doing that.”
