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MUMBAI: Twenty-nine-year old Taylor Hicks from Alabama beat LA
gal Katharine McPhee to be crowned the American Idol in the
finale of the fifth season. A whopping 63.4 million votes were cast
and America made its choice. According to host Ryan Seacrest, Hicks
took the majority of the fan votes, though he did not reveal how
close McPhee came.
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Taylor
Hicks -- The winner takes it all!
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Hicks now joins the likes of Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben
Studdard and Fantasia Barrino, who have been previous season winners.
However, the result of fifth season of American Idol doesn't
come as a surprise as Hicks had wooed TV audiences with his raw singing
style and boisterous personality.
Hicks foisted the ubiquitous catchphrase "Soul Patrol!"
on an unsuspecting audience and turned it into a national movement.
What Hicks has won is an RCA recording contract and his first single
will be Do I Make You Proud.
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Katharine
McPhee and Taylor Hicks on judgement day
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As for the network that airs the show in the US - Fox, the two weekly
Idol episodes remain the top-rated shows in the US, raking
in tens of millions of dollars for the network.
The American Idol seasons have been a ratings goldmine for
Fox. The show has continued to rate high even in its fifth season
and has given the network the biggest hit in prime time, propelling
the broadcaster to first place this season in the ratings race for
viewers aged 18 to 49.
'AMERICAN IDOL' FINALE DRAWS 35.4 MN VIEWERS
It was not only Taylor Hicks that emerged winner on American
Idol's fifth season finale. Fox, too emerged as a major winner
in terms of the ratings it clocked. According to Nielsen Media Research,
the finale of Fox's two-hour American Idol special was a
big hit among viewers, drawing an audience of 35.4 million people.
Idol opened at 8 pm with 27.4 million viewers, climbing
steadily to a peak of 42.9 million in its final half-hour as Hicks
edged past Katharine McPhee to take the crown.
This makes it the second most-watched Idol finale ever behind
2003's competition, which was watched by 38.1 million viewers. Last
year's contest won by Carrie Underwood was seen by 30.3 million.
In Canada, CTV said the American Idol season finale peaked
at 5.2 million viewers when Hicks was announced as winner.
The American Idol TV audience was only about two million
viewers shy of the Oscars for being the most-watched television
event of the year after the Super Bowl.
What has also added to the popularity and interest levels in American
Idol through the seasons is the incessant coverage by the print,
internet and television media.
Shows like Entertainment Tonight and Saturday Night Live
give constant updates on every twist and turn on Idol.
Dedicated websites and blogs have also kept the interest levels
high. On the other hand, producers of the show claim that the success
of season five came from the fact that they had a particularly good
batch of talent.
The finale of the fifth season had plenty of star power with the
likes of Ben Stiller, Heather Locklear, Mary J. Blige and David
Hasselhoff. What's more, the Baywatch star got all teary
eyed when Hicks was announced the winner. Prince too made a surprise
appearance on the show and performed.
After the winner was announced, runner-up McPhee was reportedly
quoted as saying that she hadn't expected to win and didn't have
any regrets.
McPhee said she planned to take a week's break before heading for
the American Idol tour with Hicks and the other finalists.
(Picture courtesy: www.mtv.com)
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