these two words say it all.....

SOUL PATROL!!!!!

I just had to say it.....

Yep, he won it! He's paid his dues and he deserves it. You may not have heard about how he ended up in Las Vegas to audition. As they always say, things happen for a reason:

Taylor Hicks had been in New Orleans the night before Hurricane Katrina hit, he encountered problems trying to evacuate the city, but he succeeded. Handling matters in a diplomatic manner, the airline responded in kind, providing him a free ticket anywhere in the country. He had planned to attend the Memphis September 5th, American Idol auditions, but they were cancelled; Memphis could not take in the American Idol crowds with incoming victims from Katrina requiring shelter. Instead of forfeiting his efforts to try out for this show, Taylor later used that free ticket to attend the Las Vegas auditions.

As for last night's show, here were the high/low-lights:

Puck 'n Pickler - Funniest part of the show! See, if you're not from the South, you don't understand Kellie Pickler. I grew up with girls like Kellie, and you just have to love them!

Meatloaf - Can't decide if this Meatloaf was half-baked or a bit overdone. Either way, he was terrible.

Toni Braxton - Normally she's a good singer. The bride claims she was lip syncing, but I just think she was bad. Why she took a song about poverty and tried to make it sexy is beyond me. Bad.

Taylor and his harmonica - Finally, we get to hear him play the blues harp. If he had done it during the competition, he would have been disqualified. Outstanding!

Elliott and Mary J. Blige - I was alone on this at home, but I enjoyed the performance. Maybe it's the song, but I liked it.

Group songs - I enjoyed the guys' performances, but the girls were just OK.

So another season is over. And needless to say, I'm glad it turned out the way it did. Back in January Taylor sang "A Change is Gonna' Come". And it did. We don't have an American Idol that came from a mold. We have one that broke the mold.....