American Idol Updates @ BLOGGED

At the recently concluded Asian Idol in Jakarta, Indonesia, Taylor Hicks sang his single. “Heaven Knows” together with his harmonica. Later on, he sang his American Idol single “Do I Make You Proud” together with the six finalists of Asian Idol.

Don’t forget to watch Taylor Hicks later tonight at the Glorietta 4 park, at 7:00 PM.

The schedule for the rest of the days are:

Greenbelt: December 19, 2007
Greenbelt 3 Park 8:00 PM Concierge Hotline: (632) 757-4853

TriNoma: December 20, 2007
Activity Center 7:00 PM Concierge Hotline: (632) 901-3000

American Idol fans will get a treat this Christmas season with the presence of American Idol Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks.

Taylor Hicks will be performing in selected Ayala Malls starting next week!

This is the schedule I got from the Ayala Malls website:

Glorietta: December 18, 2007
Glorietta 4 Park 7:00 PM Concierge Hotline: (632) 752-7272

Greenbelt: December 19, 2007
Greenbelt 3 Park 8:00 PM Concierge Hotline: (632) 757-4853

TriNoma: December 20, 2007
Activity Center 7:00 PM Concierge Hotline: (632) 901-3000

The reigning champion of American Idol is shrinking. And for once it has nothing to do with the perception that Taylor Hicks is not selling enough albums. The southern gent is dropping some pounds. People magazine has a photo of the newly slimmed down Taylor is this week’s issue. According to a report from the weekly entertainment magazine The 6′1″ Soul Patrol singer has shed nearly 22 lbs., going from 215 to 193, since his American Idol win last May.

People asks - “How’d he do it?” By ditching fast food and such southern comforts as fried chicken. He substituted a healthier diet of salads, brown rice, fish and chicken noodle soup. “It’s good for your throat,” he says. “It’s also comforting, but it’s light.”

read more?

source: http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272612152.shtml

Taylor Hicks looks great. With a tour and a winning slim figure, he might be able to pull of more fans and buyers for his new record. Let’s give Taylor Hicks a big round of applause.

In this recent article from People Magazine titled, “Simon Trashes Jennifer Hudson and Taylor Hicks”, Simon says, “As for Taylor Hicks, who won season 5’s competition, “They (Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson) loved him. I couldn’t stand him. I didn’t get it,” Cowell snapped, adding that “at the end of the day you have to find a bona fide recording artist. Just because you win the show doesn’t mean you will sell a lot of records. Chris (Daughtry) is the one who sold the albums, not Taylor.”

This man digs his barbs into the meat of the most profitable area of Idol. Controversy. By Mr. Cowell’s very contentious nature he creates buzz for the show and that creates viewers. He is an intelligent, savvy man who innately knows how to butter his bread. Commentary about Taylor Hicks, whether positive or negative, gains immense attention which is Mr. Cowell’s main role on the show. Hudson, who may have only finished 6th in 2002 on the show recently has won an Oscar for her acting debut in the movie Dreamgirls. Cowell’s commentary in this recent article, attributes Idol for her success. While the show may have served to assist her in gaining attention, credit should be placed on her shoulders for the advancements she has made for herself.

Source: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/03/04/084051.php

Technorati Tags: Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Hicks

I really feel bad for Taylor Hicks. He is best seen live than heard over the radio, or any audio feed . I think that is where his magic lies. He needs repackaging which entails more live shows.

Reports have it that

American Idol winner Taylor Hicks is struggling to make the transition from talent show winner to established singer, new reports claim.

There is speculation that Hicks’ album hasn’t sold as well as expected and there are fears in his record label’s camp that he didn’t capitalize on his win quick enough.

Hicks’ self-titled, album, released in December, debuted at No. 2 on the charts and has so far sold 640 000 copies. However, although initial sales were high, it slid to number 136 in the US charts this week, yahoo news is reporting.

Albums by previous winners such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have sold a lot better in comparison in the weeks after they were issued. And fellow finalist Chris Daughtry, who along with Katherine McGhee lost out to Hicks, has sold over 1 million copies of his self titled debut. .

Tom Corson, executive vice president of J Records, (a division of Sony BMG), which signs the show’s singers says that the reason for this is that Hicks took a little longer than some of the other Idols to complete the album, with his first single, ‘Just To Feel That Way,’ debuting on radio’s airwaves only three weeks ago.” And, if the single performs, we’ll turn it around, so we’re quite — we’re quite optimistic about things as it stands right now.

Hicks is currently on a nationwide tour in support of the album, and says he has a plan to boost sales: “It’s slow and steady wins the race” he told the AP in an interview this week.

“I mean, it’s been a packed house every night,” he continued. “It’s a very musical show and it’s very real and very raw. And that’s who I am as an artist.”

Source: http://www.tvgrapevine.com/index.php/topic,10248.msg29710.html

Soul Patrol needs to work hard this time around.

Technorati Tags: American Idol, Taylor Hicks

I love Taylor Hicks album cover. He looks amazing and so much thinner now.

From ‘Idol’ Taylor Hicks has No. 1 single

Season five “American Idol” champion Taylor Hicks’ soulful rendition of “Do I Make You Proud” will debut on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart to be published Thursday.

The silver-haired Alabama native sold 190,000 physical singles and another 38,000 digital downloads of the track, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Season two runner-up Clay Aiken scored the No. 1 spot with “This Is the Night” with a whopping 393,000, staving off winner Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings” (286,000).