America Got It Right This Time!

Say hello to our newly crowned American Idol, WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Swapping shifts so I could tune in to the 'live' telecast was definitely worth it! :D

The results announcement segment was only a couple of minutes long, but the buildup was a nail-biting affair ( though also very entertaining, with guest appearances by Prince, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Al Jarreau, Meatloaf, Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken ).

And as a small - but SIGNIFICANT - side-step, Clay looked absolutely phenomenal, with a new Beatles mop do, singing Elton John's Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me in his usual flawless style.

He's gone from redhead to blonde to the latest brunette. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.

Ahem. Sorry about that. :)


Yes, back to Taylor. I was hoping he'd burst into tears, but he's too composed and happy for that. However, his voice did break when Ryan asked if he had anything to say after the news that he'd won, to which he replied with a resounding, "SOUL PATROOOOOOL!"

My mom and I cheered so loudly I think our entire block heard us. Football fanatics we're not, but Taylor Hicks deserves every calorie we have! :D

I notice Ryan didn't announce the margin of votes separating Taylor and Kat. To me, this indicates that the difference was quite large, which is why it was diplomatically left out, as opposed to season 2, when Clay "lost" to Ruben by only 0.5%.

You know what else I think? Elliott's fans decided to vote for Taylor. Heh heh. :)

Wow, I haven't shed tears for an American Idol finalist since Clay Aiken.

Congratulations, Taylor! You so deserve this, and you're gonna be the biggest Idol star ever!