Entertainer Wins "Idol", Singer Loses

Congratulations to Taylor Hicks, the fifth winner of American Idol. For your sake, I hope that you're career is more like Kelly Clarkson than, say... Rueben. Or Fantasia. In the end, Taylor won by having a very dedicated, willing-to-kill-for fanbase. (Grey Charles, one of the more popular Taylor Hicks websites, has a explenation of how to mobilize the Soul Patrol every Tuesday night.) And the constant "Soul Patrol!" shoutouts seemed to keep them energized... Taylor was never in the bottom 2 throughout the competition. (Kelly Clarkson is the only other "Idol" winner who was never in the bottom two.)

Runner-up Katherine McPhee stunned the nation with her sultry rendetion of "Over the Rainbow", but couldn't steal America's attention away from the Soul Patrol king. The powerful - yet young! - singer just couldn't beat the 29-year-old powerhouse entertainer that is Taylor Hicks.

Now comes the real challenge for all Idol contestants. The competition is done, and they all have name reckognition. Now they have to take the initiative to get an album deal, make themselves marketable (have fun, Bucky!), and have to make themselves worthy of selling millions of albums.

If they can't accomplish that, then their "Idol" experiance will be nothing more than a footnote on their resume. Just ask Justin Guarini.