I hate the show for a fundamental reason. I think it hurts music cuz it's only out to make money. There are bands and singers out there who are paying their dues working shit jobs, playing crappy clubs and busting their asses to be heard and they've got more talent than anything that wins AI. They're the ones that deserve to be heard, not stupid pop tarts like Kelly Clarkson. She didn't pay any dues. She basically won a beauty contest where you sing and now she's on the fast track. There are musicians out there who should be heard, but won't cuz they don't fit in with what AI is looking for. The whole show is just wrong...in the same way MTV was wrong.
I actually do like Taylor Hicks, though, mostly because he did pay his dues, work shit jobs, and bust his ass. He's been playing in clubs with his local band for years, and this was sort of his big break. Plus he's actually talented.
His American Idol-approved solo album hit the shelves recently, and all the reviews said that the songs he wrote were quite good, because they had a real bluesy feel to them, but the ones the American Idol people had him sing were terrible, because they were trying to make him out to be something he wasn't.
Figures.