Taylor Hicks - 2006 American Idol Finalist Taylor Hicks

American Idol announced their 2006 finalists - 12 men and 12 women... and Taylor Hicks is definitely my favorite American Idol - although I guarantee Mr. Hicks doesn't win the contest. Taylor Hicks is the oldest Idol at 29 and looks 40 - with ultra gray hair and a bizarre habit of twitching while singing classic songs. What I like about Taylor Hicks is his appreciation for music that doesn't always fit on American Idol - his favorite artists are Van Morrison, Bob Seger (a personal favorite) and Billy Joel. I also like the way Hicks stands out from the other cookie cutter singers that traditionally appear on American Idol. Go Mr. Gray!

Feb. 20th Taylor Hicks Update

Fox posted their Taylor Hicks factoids - the night before the first week of voting begins (Tuesday is the women's competition, Wednesday is the men's, and Thursday is the voting). Below are the Taylor Hicks facts from Fox:

Age: 29
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Audition City: Las Vegas
Favorite Female Artist: Cyndi Lauper.
Favorite Male Artist: Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Bob Seger.

March 1st Taylor Hicks Update

Tough night for Taylor Hicks as he tried singing Lionel Richie's "Easy" and, while he didn't fail... it wasn't great. Taylor's voice is made for certain moods and genres... Lionel isn't one of them. I also believe that going first in the evening wasn't helpful for Taylor. While his performance ranked behind Chris Daughtery's and Gedeon's - Taylor should be safe. His Ray Charles-esque voice will carry him through the week... especially as a few other contestants struggle with mediocrity.

THE 24 AMERICAN IDOL FINALISTS (SEASON 5)

Ace Young
Ayla Brown
Brenna Gethers
Bucky Covington
Chris Daugherty
David Radford
Elliot Yamin
gedeon mckinny
Heather Cox
Jose “Sway” Penala
Katherine McPhee
Kelly Pickler
Kevin Covais
Lisa Tucker
Mandiza Hundley
Melissa McGhee
Paris Bennett
Patrick Hill
Rebecca O’donahue
Robert Bennet
Stephanie Scott
Taylor Hicks
Will Makar

Note: As the 2006 American Idol season continues, I will continue to update these individual singer and performer guides with information about each of the Idols. Enjoy the guides and feel free to let me know if there is information I've missed or should post!