Taylor made

The American Idol buzz is louder than ever locally and nationally as the fifth season concludes. It's impossible to get away from news of the show and since Birmingham has had three contestants in the top three for the past three years, it has become a sport of sorts -- an entertainment Iron Bowl. Unfortunately, the past local winner and runner-up don't seem to be making the most of their success. Bo Bice, when not punching ex-NFL linemen in bar fights, has been headlining small town America music festivals and has stayed way below the radar in the last year. Ruben Studdard looked like he would fill the now empty void left by the late Luther Vandross. It seemed like the beginning of a great career, but where is Ruben? He has done a lot of local charity work and has a new album in the works produced by the legendary Mario Winans, but seems to have sunk in the public profile department.

The American Idol curse seems to treat the winners and runners-up like novelty acts that won a talent show and are quickly disposed of when the next season starts. Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken are the exceptions to the rule, but why those two? I think Fantasia Barrino's performance of "Summertime" in Idol's third season is second to none and where is she now on the music horizon?

The crapshoot pendulum does swing back in good ways. Chris Daughtry was officially asked to become Fuel's new frontman today, just hours after he was voted off the show. Had he won the competition, his obligations to Fox would have never allowed that. Chris is a rocker and he needs a band, not so much a solo pop career, and now he has that. Losing is winning in this case and Daughtry's bevy of fans will get to see him at his best, not singing those horrific Brady Kids medleys that Idol is so fond of, but rocking out unabashedly with eyeliner, dry ice, black leather and pyrotechnics.

However, the crown for the ultimate Idol turnaround goes to Frenchie Davis. The Mandissa of season two was anything but Simon Cowell's preconceived notion of an emaciated pop princess. She was my favorite from the start of the season and I was infuriated when she was kicked off the show for appearing on an adult web site years before.

This remained baffling when last season's creepy guy-we're-supposed-to-feel-sorry-for-but- don't, Scott Savol, was allowed to stay on the show after it was revealed he had domestic abuse charges against him for roughing up the mother of his baby. Savol broke the law, stayed on the show and is now probably bussing tables at Shoney's.

Frenchie had the best last laugh of any Idol contestant. Her brief time on Idol didn't go unnoticed and last year she toured with Rent, after appearing on Broadway with the show. Take that Fox and I certainly hope Davis got to slap fives with Vanessa Williams for borrowing the best move from her play book (no pun intended).

After getting the part in Rent, Davis said to The Seattle Times, "Have you seen the contract for the people who win? They would have owned me for years. And 10 years from now, I don't want to just be known as that Frenchie from American Idol." The girl is as smart and honest as she is talented.

I will pull for Taylor Hicks as long as he's on the show, but I fear what being winner or runner-up might do to the guy. He has a genuine quality about him and a style that is resurging, thanks in part to the success of the movies "Ray" and "Walk the Line". American roots music will always have a fan base, from many different demographics, and Taylor does fill a the dreaded adult contemporary niche pretty well -- as well as it can be filled I suppose. I do think he goes beyond the genre by bypassing the cliched rock stud attitude and persona (Constantine Maroulis and Ace Young) and he gets major props in my book for actually knowing how to play an instrument on stage -- and well. How many Idol contestant can that be said for? Last time I counted there were none.

If he plays it smart like Kelly Clarkson and establishes a great amount of creative control of his sound with his first release, he could go places. I think the novelty of the dorky dance moves will need to cease by the end of the season because they are getting a bit played out, but there is stage presence, confidence and talent that sets Hicks apart from the novices Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee. Regardless of the outcome of the show, I think Taylor will have it made if he plays his cards right and learns from the past successes and failures of the show.