‘Idol’ finalists sing each other’s praises
By Lauren Beckham Falcone
Saturday, May 20, 2006 - Updated: 09:03 AM EST

Are you on the “Soul Patrol”? Or do you have “The McPheever”?

No matter: The two “American Idol” finalists feel as if they’ve already won.

“I think at this point I feel so much freer,” said Katharine McPhee in a conference call yesterday. “It is still a competition, but we’ve both won. We both have record deals, we both have the same kind of press.”

Taylor Hicks and McPhee will belt out their best Tuesday night at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. On Wednesday, one will be named the fifth “American Idol.”


“This finale is going to be awesome,” Hicks said. “I can’t share with you the details, but there will be some moments for me and Katharine that are unique.”

Hicks already seems ordained the winner. The 29-year-old Birmingham, Ala., native revealed yesterday that his road to “Idol” was serendipitous. Hicks was in New Orleans on the eve of Hurricane Katrina. Instead of flying him back home, Southwest gave him a ticket to anywhere in the United States. He headed to Las Vegas for the “Idol” tryouts.

“It’s interesting how stuff works,” he said.

McPhee, who admitted she has faltered on stage the last few weeks, seemed more at ease now that she has made it to the finale.

“I don’t have any gimmicks,” she said. “I’m just going to wear a hot dress and a nice pair of shoes, look fabulous and try to sing my best.”

As for Hicks, he might break out the harmonica.

“We’ll see,” he said.

Though the race is close, each has respect for the other.

“I think Taylor’s main advantage is that he’s really free on stage,” McPhee said. “I get nervous and clench up. That’s something Taylor is really, really great at. We’re both so different.”

Hicks said he admires McPhee’s vocals.

“She’s had some great moments on the show, and it’s so cool to see someone that talented. I’m a fan.”

After the finale and the tour, the two are looking forward to the spoils of fame and fortune.

“I’d love to put out a pop album with a bluesy sound to it,” McPhee said. “Kind of soulful, like Joss Stone, Norah Jones. I’d love to do film. Broadway? I’d like to put that on my resume.”

And Hicks?

“The (tour) bus,” he said. “As a struggling musician, on the road traveling from place to place, I would usually see the buses on the road to the next destination and dream of being on one. Now I have the opportunity.”

Source: www.theedge.bostonherald.com

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