American Idol: Taylor's Night


Neither Elliott Yamin nor Katharine McPhee made any serious missteps. In fact, Katharine McPhee's stunning version of "Over the Rainbow" stopped the show...for a few minutes. Then, Taylor Hicks took the stage and turned in his defining performance of the competition, a moving version of the classic "You Are So Beautiful."

Although it is fun to watch Taylor Hicks get into the music and dance around the stage, he proved once again last night that he is at his best simply letting his voice wrap itself around a top-notch song. When his vocals are at their best, the body motion is distracting. Anything can happen in American Idol voting as last week's elimination of Chris Daughtry proved. However, it seems clear now that Taylor Hicks will be in the finale as the favorite to win, and it's anyone's guess who will join him.

Taylor Hicks was one of the first contestants to stand out from the pack, and last night he made a serious move to appeal to fans well beyond his solid base. If Taylor does indeed win, last night may be seen as his most important night of the entire competition.