With the Waldrep, Stewart & Kendrick City Stages Presented by Lanny Vines & Associates — or as we call it here on Earth, City Stages — just a week away, it’s time to plan your schedule.
But who to see? What to hear?
Why, fear not, music fans: Have we got a mix for you. Eighteen tracks (one for each year of the downtown music festival) to showcase a little bit of everything: country, funk, hip-hop, Cajun, rock, jazz, Latin and more.
No great overarching message can — or should — be culled from the results of Tuesday’s state primaries. Certainly not with a turnout of 38 percent.
As 6/6/(0)6 passes into history, Alabama still stands, daring to defend its rights. Losing candidates may be temporarily shaken from their world of denial by landslide defeats, but the future is wide open. Isn’t it?
What’s left to rail against in this election in 2006, 2008 and beyond? Gays are contained, for now. The Ten Commandments and the rule of law still cohabit peacefully, though out of wedlock. And godless neo-Nazis can’t become attorney general. Maybe state treasurer, but definitely not AG.
Have Alabamians managed to avoid once and for all eternal damnation?
It’s every voter’s headache and every candidate’s nightmare: ballot problems.
At Fire Station No. 12 in Birmingham, it’s a reality. A ballot mix-up could cause potential problems for state senate candidates in today’s Alabama primary election.
Taylor Hicks, the new American Idol, is caught in a whirlwind of media interviews. The Birmingham native spoke to reporters via teleconference earlier this afternoon about the meanest thing Simon Cowell said to him, why his dream woman should cook and what he would’ve sung (or not sung) on the show.
• The big secret
Honestly, I never watched the show until I was on it. While Bo (Bice) and Ruben (Studdard) were on “American Idol,” I was trying to work and perform. All the reactions were genuine because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. It was a great thing to go through not having watched it before.
• Going gray as a teen
I didn’t know what to make of it. It kinda just slowly grew on me, literally.
• Staying gray
Me and Dean the hair artist for the show had been battling back and forth on it. I didn’t change it when I was 18; I’m not changing it now.
Congratulations to Taylor Hicks, the 2006 American Idol!
The 29-year-old Birmingham native won the title Wednesday night before an estimated 36 million viewers. And today, he’s front-page news across North America.
Check out the full gallery of nearly 200 newspapers covers, as well as our favorites on the jump.
For “American Idol” fans, it’s all about soul as gray-haired Taylor Hicks won the title tonight.
The 29-year-old Birmingham native defeated Katharine McPhee in the final week of the top-rated reality TV singing competition on Fox. Hicks becomes the second man and the second Birmingham resident to win the “Idol” crown, following Ruben Studdard’s victory over Clay Aiken in 2003.
“Soul Patrol!” said Hicks onstage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. “I’m living the American dream. Thank you, Soul Patrol. Thank you, America. Thank you to the fans. Thank you to the American Idols.”
Hicks wins a recording contract and is expected to release his first single, “Do I Make You Proud,” by June. Hicks and McPhee received new cars during the telecast.
McPheever vs. the Soul Patrol. It’s the final showdown on “American Idol,” with Birmingham’s Taylor Hicks against Los Angeles’ Katharine McPhee. Each picked two favorites from earlier rounds, then sang new singles. Who won the hearts and minds of the audience in the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood … and more importantly, the audience across America?
Recap after the jump …
Updated with audio, video.
It’s the final showdown on “American Idol.” If you want to join fans of Birmingham’s Taylor Hicks, you have a few options for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Updated with important info on Wednesday’s BJCC party.
Taylor Hicks will compete on “American Idol” for the last time Tuesday night. But during months of competition, the Birmingham native has stood out for more than just his singing voice.
We present the Top 10 Taylor Hicks moments from this season.
(Sorry for the downtime, but a bonus video is on the jump.)
Back up on GoFish.com.
Katharine McPhee took time Friday to talk with reporters via teleconference from Hollywood during the final week of “American Idol.” The 22-year-old Los Angeles native faces off for the crown in the reality TV competition Tuesday night against Birmingham’s Taylor Hicks. Hicks praised his competitor as a “great friend” and a “very talented girl.”
A few highlights from her interview:
• Plans for her first CD
I definitely want to do a pop kind of an album, with bluesy sounds to it, soulful stuff along the lines of Joss Stone. And I love Norah Jones. It could be a collaboration of those things, a jazzy feel that’s also bluesy and contemporary, something that could be in the Top 40.
You may have heard about a movie based on a best-selling book about a religious mystery that spans the globe and brings new understanding to humanity and the world beyond.
Well, it’s not coming to Birmingham.
Birmingham’s Taylor Hicks took time today to talk with reporters via teleconference from Hollywood during the final week of “American Idol.” His competitor, Katharine McPhee, spoke earlier to the media. A few highlights:
• The next album
I would like it to be a really good representation of who I am as an artist. There’s gonna be some things I want to do creatively that I’ve never been able to get to do before “American Idol.” Possibly a little bit cutting edge — there are some things in my mind that would be cutting-edge music.
I just want really good songs. If I can feel it, it doesn’t matter if I wrote it or somebody else.
There’s a couple of albums that I’ve done before “American Idol” that I’m very proud of. I would like to re-release on a bigger scale, possibly re-record.
The power of three was unleashed tonight on “American Idol”: three songs, three contestants, three phone numbers. Record mogul Clive Davis helped the judges pick the songs, while the singers finished with their own choices.
Birmingham’s Taylor Hicks put on some soulful showstoppers, looking like a lock with Katharine McPhee for the finals next week.
Recap after the jump …
Updated with video, elimination.
Taylor Hicks received an Idol’s welcome on Friday.
The Birmingham native spent the day in town visiting with family, giving interviews and receiving gifts from city and state officials. The same day, Katharine McPhee visited her high school in Los Angeles and Elliott Yamin led a parade and took batting practice in Richmond, Va.
Tonight, all three resume competition for the title of “American Idol.”
But before Hicks takes the stage, let’s take another look at his whirlwind hometown visit. Plenty of photos and video after the jump.
The Soul Man is heading home.
Not to worry. Birmingham native Taylor Hicks advanced to the final three this week on “American Idol,” facing a singing showdown with Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin for the title to be announced May 24.
But before the competition resumes Tuesday, the finalists are making promotional stops in their respective hometowns Friday. Yamin returns to Richmond, Va., and McPhee, well, she’s stuck in her hometown of Los Angeles.
Updated schedule.
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