Taylor Hicks vs. Katharine McPhee was American Idull

The Idol machine has grinded to a screeching halt for the season, emphasis on “screeching.” I don’t know about anyone else, but the whole thing seemed rather anti-climactic. Before I get into the finale, however, let’s talk about the sing-off between Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee.

Taylor and Kat: American Idull

There were several things wrong with Idol’s final singing competition, beginning with all the ballads. Not only was the show a major snooze-fest, but the “performances” just confirmed my belief that the wrong duo competed for the title. Katharine sang a song she had just sang the week before, and Taylor did a poor job on a song that he impressed me with earlier in the season, “Levon.” Katharine’s final performance, which will become her single, was excruciating. But what was up with the judges? Were they hearing what I was hearing on Katharine’s last song, or did they just decide to lie to save face? Better yet–were they lying to fool us, or were they really trying to fool themselves? Katharine was off-key for most of that final song. Her mother’s face said it all–she had her mouth covered, attempting to conceal a look of pure horror. Sorry, Peisha; we saw and heard it. Katharine was sourer than a lemon-lime “Now or Later,” and Taylor was—well, Taylor. Taylor is no balladeer, but the entire night, we had to sit through him painfully working his way through ballads, save one song. By the time the show concluded, I found myself wanting “Consolation Idol,” featuring Elliott and Chris–the duo who really deserved to be on that stage.

It is so painfully obvious now that Chris and Elliott were “eliminated” to ensure Taylor’s victory, though I will never understand why Idol wanted him so badly, badly enough to risk the integrity of their show. Kat was no competition. The morning after the competition, WSB Radio in Atlanta revealed the responses to their on-line poll, “Who Should Win American Idol?” The broadcaster hesitated before revealing: “Katharine came in third to I Don’t Care.” Just like she came in third to Elliott and fourth to Chris. The station’s full breakdown was: Taylor, 49%; I Don’t Care, 35%; and Katharine, 16%. On my way home that evening, I heard the results of the updated poll: Taylor, 53%; I Don’t Care 33%; and Katharine, 14%. Sure her fans voted her into the finale. Keep thinking that. If you’re not interested in that prime piece of swampland I offered before, I now have a bridge on the auction block. Oh, but you have to pay to move it from San Francisco yourself. I can only assume that the voting public voted for the best vocalist of the night, Daniel Powter. And he wasn’t the least bit pitchy.

I have to admit that I’m glad my sister broke me down and made me watch Idol that one last time. Every one of Elliott’s and Chris’s fans should feel satisfied and vindicated. They didn’t fail to support their idols; the show failed to support them. In the end, they are both better off out of the AI Machine. I strongly believe that both will receive contract offers, and both are equipped to do well in the industry. Chris has a classic rocker’s voice and had the opportunity to perform with his favorite band, Live.  He will do well. After Elliott’s rendition of “A House Is Not A Home” and his duet with the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul, Mary J. Blige, I dare say his future is clear. Now, I’m really over it all. The main objective of these contestants’ participation in this “competition” is exposure that enables them to pursue their dreams. Both of these young men received that opportunity, and both will do well in their chosen genres.

The Machine treated us to several pleasant surprises in the finale. Mary J. Blige was a big surprise. She is on top of her game right now and doesn’t need AI to promote her CD. I’m sure it was a real treat for Elliott; not only did he perform with a big star, but he held his own. I see big things in his future. The biggest surprise, however, was Prince. I almost choked on my Coke and fell off the sofa when he stepped through those doors. I am still wondering how Idol pulled that one off. I find it quite telling, however, that of all the celebrities who appeared on AI’s finale, the two most current, contemporary acts performed with Chris and Elliott. Was the Machine trying to make up to the Chrisaders and the E-Train/Yaminions, or did these celebs request to appear with these two? We may never know. Either way, I believe these appearances to be a big boost to both Chris and Elliott’s careers. We will be seeing them again—soon.

Another interesting issue we witnessed was Taylor’s and Katharine’s home crowds. It appears that Taylor’s fans had to be housed in a stadium, while Kat’s could have easily fit in my living room. Okay, I’m exaggerating—our family room. Becky and her sister appeared to be officiating from above, while Tamyra stood in the midst of the “crowd.” The camera was pulled up much closer on Katharine’s crowd, while at Taylor’s home base, the camera continuously panned the huge crowd. I still can’t get over how stupid The Powers That Be think we all must be. Finally, Randy and Ryan confirmed for us on Larry King Live that the vote “wasn’t that close.” Well, duh. What happened to that three-way tie from last week? Bogus. Speaking of the voting, when the show first began, Ryan told us the show received a “huge vote” but failed to reveal how many. Later, he revealed that the finalists received 63 million votes, but he decided not to mention that they had four phone lines each and a longer period of time for voting. I’ll let you do the math. The finale of Idol is a classic example of when one should not even bother to vote, and I will certainly take that with me next year. I do believe our votes count to a certain point, but as the show draws to a close, the manipulations begin in earnest. I may watch this show again—especially if they find another Elliott—but I would never again waste my time voting, and that’s exactly what voting is: A big fat waste of time. Voting aside, the jury’s still not quite in on whether I will watch again. I don’t think I can stomach another finale where the eliminated contestants out-sing the finalists.

The show is over for the year. Still, I read the ugly comments from the bashers, even from some members of the press. Bash Elliott all you want, but the fact remains that Elliott is still moving CDs as if he they were his own. Mary J. Blige’s “The Breakthrough” has seen a sharp increase in sales since her duet with Elliott on Idol, and another artist who calls himself “Big Planz” has sold out an independently made CD on which Elliott sang on three tracks more than two years ago. This CD was originally listed in the 500,000s on the Amazon.com site; it now sits at number 2,279. A customer review at Amazon says it all:

When this joint was recorded, it was done so with the addition of an unknown kid from Virginia laying down sweet vocals on three of the tracks. That voice is the unmistakable sound of American Idol's Elliott Yamin. And now that the Yamin Nation has gotten ahold of Big Planz, those plans just got a little bigger.

Yes, Elliott does have an unmistakable sound. That sound ensures that Elliott will realize the success of which he has dreamed for so long, in spite of The Powers That Be and in spite of the superficial public. With all that said, I am ashamed to be a part of this society right now; ashamed that our country is so superficial, ashamed that we cannot recognize talent when we hear it, ashamed that looks take priority over all else, ashamed that we have still not yet learned to embrace and celebrate the important things in life. With everything that is wrong in this world, we are more concerned about someone’s facial and/or body appearance rather than what they add to our society. I am ashamed for us as a people. This type of thought will only serve to drive us further apart and further into oblivion. I am not the type to feel superior to others; however, I am proud to feel extremely superior to those who choose to put things that shouldn’t be important in life first. Looks fade, and jeans get tight. Humility, heart, sincerity, and class—all things Elliott—are important in life. The killer vocals don’t hurt either. We should all be so blessed.

Shirley has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis on Creative Writing, from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix.