Although Summer is officially still a couple of weeks away, it's already hot where I live. I used to recommend that people stay indoors and listen to Taylor Hicks when it gets hot like this. Unfortunately, I started getting reports of women all over the U.S. having heat strokes just listening to the gray-haired dude belt out that Modern Whomp Music. Now I recommend that you get in a tub full of ice water before hitting the play button.

So while you start filling your tub with ice, I'll bring you up to date with the latest Taylor Hicks and TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com happenings.


"Grease" on Broadway
Have you heard the news yet? Taylor Hicks is heading to Broadway!

Our very own gray-haired crooner will be playing the part of Teen Angel in the Broadway musical revival of Grease. The part has been played in the past by many notable singers, including Chubby Checker, Al Jarreau, and Jennifer Holliday. Frankie Avalon played the part in the 1978 movie. The character is a kind-of guardian angel who sings the song "Beauty School Dropout" to Frenchy after she, well, drops out of beauty school.

Taylor will join the cast for his summer run on June 6 and continue in the part through Sepember 7. To see Taylor prominently featured in an ad for Grease, visit the Grease Ad from A NY Newspaper thread on The Main Board of our Forum.

Grease plays at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, located at 256 West 47th Street in Manhattan. You can buy tickets to see Taylor Hicks in Grease through Ticketmaster.


Recent Taylor Happenings
May 10 - Boots, Blues & BBQ - Taylor performed at this charity event to raise money for Hannah Home, a Shelby County long-term housing program that provides support to help women get back on their feet. Our MySpace Operator, Jess, has shared some of the pictures she took. You can find them in our Blues, Boots and BBQ May 10th 2008 Birmingham Alabama thread on our Soul Patrol Photo Gallery board.

May 16 - "Today" - Although word leaked out the day before (flying like crazy all across the Soul Patrol), Taylor appeared on the fourth hour of NBC's Today show to announce that he would be taking the Teen Angel role in the Broadway musical revival of Grease. You can see the video of Taylor's announcement on the "Today" - 5/16/08 thread on our Featured Video board. NOTE: You must be logged into your account to view the video.

May - Pictures from Italy - For two weeks near the end of May, Taylor was on a cruise ship in Italy. Although he had plenty of time to be a normal cruiser, he was also a Guest Motivationl Speaker and a Performer at point during the trip. Click on the link above to see a few pictures of Taylor during the cruise.


Cancelled Taylor Happenings
May 15 - Regions Charity Classic - Originally scheduled to take part in the Pro-am part of this annual golf tournament, Taylor had to pull out because of a family illness (he did not say who was ill) and a scheduling conflict. Click here to read the article about it.

May 31 - Boomtown Gala - Taylor was suppose to have performed at the 55th Annual Boomtown Gala, a country-themed fundraiser for SHARE, INC. Unfortunately, Soul Patrollers who went said that Taylor was a no-show. At this time, we do not know what happened to cause Taylor to miss this event.

May (rumor) - "American Idol" - So by now you most likely know that Taylor did not make an appearence on American Idol this season. We know from his NASCAR Aaron's 499 appearance that he did have an AI commitment to fulfill, and it is believed this commitment was to appear on the show. We think, however, that the above mentioned family illness and scheduling conflict may have kept him from being able to appear.

August 23 - "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" Tribute - Due to Taylor's upcoming summer Broadway run in Grease, he has had to pull out of this Beatles tribute at Wolftrap's Filene Center in Vienna, VA. Bo Bice, AI Season 4 runner-up, will be taking Taylor's place. Per Wolftrap, no ticket refunds will be given although you can exchange your ticket for a different concert there. In addition, Taylor's Angels is helping to match Taylor Hicks sellers with Bo Bice buyers. If you have a ticket to this event that you no longer want, and you don't want to exchange it for another concert, then visit the Wolftrap Ticket Exchange! thread on The Main Board of our forum. In addition, Taylor has sent out an apology for the cancellation. You can read it in the From Taylor thread on The Main Board of our Forum.


What's next for Taylor?
Click on the name of an event below to be taken to the corresponding thread on the Forum for more information.

July 4 - "A Capitol Fourth" - We can now confirm that Taylor Hicks WILL perform at this year's A Capitol Fourth, with new host Jimmy Smits. According to the official press release, "the multi-award winning event will be broadcast live in high definition on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, July 4, 2008 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET."

Fall 2008 - Taylor has been quoted as saying that part of the reason he took the Grease role was so that he could stay in one place for an extended period of time and to finish working on and record his next album. He has also stated that this will be a country-influenced album. While mention of this has evoked thoughts of old-time, over the top country twang, many of our members actually think that Taylor would be a natural fit into the sound that much of Country music has become these days. Read more about this latest development, along with what our members have to say, in the Taylor's 2nd album *country-influenced* thread on The Main Board of our Forum.

As always, we will post any new appearances we find out about on our Appearances board, so make sure to check it often.


Troop Drive - Part 5
Heart Full of Soul Being Sent to Military Hospital - Part 5 of the Proud of Our Troops drive has begun, sponsored by Jewelry Sprout.

We are asking everyone to please support and uplift U.S. Troops who are patients at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington, DC by sending them Taylor Hicks' inspirational book, Heart Full of Soul. Jewelry Sprout is accepting both the hardcover and the audio versions of the book. Show your love and thanks to the troops by giving them something that will lift their spirits and give them enjoyment during the time they are recuperating at the hospital. The goal for this drive is to have a book for each inpatient at the hospital. There are approximately 270 patients at Walter Reed.

You can purchase Heart Full of Soul through Amazon.com: Hardcover Book..     Audio CD..

Please send the books directly to Soldiers' Angels, located at www.soldiersangels.org. Soldiers' Angels has been kind enough to handle sending the books to Walter Reed hospital. You may include a note or letter if you choose.

Jewelry Sprout appreciates everything that Soldiers' Angels does to help with the Proud Of Our Troops drive.

For more information about Part 5 of the Proud Of The Troops drive, questions, or the mailing address for Soldiers' Angels, please visit the Troop Drive - Part 5 thread on The Main Board of our Forum.


Please vote for TOSP on Idol Topsites
Idol Topsites is a ranking system for Idol related Websites. Each member site puts a voting button on their own site so their visitors can vote for them. The more votes a site gets, the higher ranked they are. Idol Topsites also has a rating system for visitors to rate how much they enjoy a site on a scale of 1 - 10 (the rating system does not affect the ranking system). Every Idol Topsites member site is listed in both the combined category as well as the Idol category that best describes them. In our case, we are listed in the American Idol category.

If you enjoy visiting TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com and/or reading our Newsletter, please click the link above and then click "Yes" to vote for us on Idol Topsites.


New Soul Patrol lines in the TOSP Store
We have recently added three new Soul Patrol lines to TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com Store.






Get Whomped



Are you always having to explain what Whomp music is to your friends? Then this "Get Whomped" shirt line is for you! It has the definition on the back!










Got Soul? - Harmonica Embroidery



We have taken our "Got Soul?" line, our most popular, added a Harmonica to it, and turned the whole thing into an embroidery! Now you can stitch the "Got Soul?" question into a hat or shirt!










The Right Place



Have you come to the right place? If so, then let people know it with our "The Right Place" line.







Click on any of the links above to view all the different items the new lines are available on. Visit our TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com Store to see all of our Soul Patrol lines.


TOSP's News Page
TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com is always on the lookout for news articles about Taylor Hicks. We keep an eye on many different news agencies in an effort to bring you all the news about Taylor that's fit to print..... or in our case, post.

When we come across a news article about Taylor, we will post it on our TOSP News Page for you. From concert reviews, to information about upcoming performances, to news about what is next in Taylor's career, you can keep up with it all right here.

In addition to articles about Taylor, you will also find articles about other current and former American Idol contestants. We may also include articles about other song and dance reality shows from time to time, including our favorites Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance.

If you are using a RSS Feed capable Web browser, like IE7 or FireFox, you can click on the orange RSS Subscription button while viewing the TOSP News Page to subscribe to it. This way, you will always know what is going on with Taylor Hicks and TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com.

Some recent news articles you may have missed:

'Idol' drama hurts so good - but it does hurt - The writer of this article talks about his love/hate relationship with watching American Idol. While this may not be news for a lot of people, there is a good mention of Taylor Hicks in it, which makes it good enough for us to post.

Taylor Hicks exclusive interview - Taylor Made - MyFox Gulf Coast interviewed Taylor Hicks about everything from his win on American Idol to life after Idol to what he's doing now.

Taylor Hicks places a safe bet for tonight's 'American Idol' finale - Mary Colurso, The Birmingham News blogger, recently talked with Taylor Hicks about his upcoming Grease role. But during the conversation, she asked him his opinion on this year's American Idol Finale.
Several news articles were written about Taylor going to Broadway:

Taylor Hicks prepares for Broadway role in 'Grease'

Taylor Hicks to play Teen Angel in Broadway's 'Grease'

Grease Is the Word for Taylor Hicks

'GREASE' GETS HICK

Taylor Hicks to play Teen Angel in the Broadway revival of "Grease"

Taylor Hicks To Join 'Grease' as 'Teen Angel' 6/6


Interesting threads on the Forum
If you haven't visited TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com lately, you may not have seen these interesting discussions. Click on the name of the thread to be taken to it.

OMG YOU GUYS - TOSP member ellen :] was browsing through Photobucket and found a picture of Taylor in a suit and tie and wearing sunglasses. And I have to confess, Taylor is looking good. I may not *thud* and drool over it, but that's okay. There are enough of you doing that already.

Taylor at Ona's (from convention) - Taylor made a stop at Ona's Music Room late on May 10, a welcome treat for the Soul Patrollers taking part in the Pub Crawl at the Soul Patrol Convention. TOSP member ellen :] has posted a few pictures that she found from the event.

Harvey Korman of 'Carol Burnett Show' dies - The world lost a truly great comedian on May 29 when Harvey Korman passed away at the age of 81. Best known as one of the stars of the Carol Burnett Show, Harvey rarely made it through one of their comedic sketches without cracking up to some degree (especially if Tim Conway had anything to do with it). Many of us are saying goodbye to Harvey and watching some of our favorite clips of him. Come and join us in celebrating his legacy of funniness.


DJinKC - TOSP's newest Moderator
On May 14, longtime TOSP member Donna (DJinKC) became our newest Forum Moderator. She has been a member of the Forum since May 30, 2006. According to her stats, she has spent 62 days, 6 hours and 53 minutes on the Forum. She has made over 3,000 posts, with almost one-third of them being made on our Miscellaneous board and another almost one-third being made on The Main Board.

If you would like to, you can welcome Donna to the Staff. Just visit the Congratulations DJinKC - TOSP's newest Moderator thread on The Main Board of our Forum.


TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com is coming to Facebook
Many of you have requested that we create a Facebook group, so we have done just that. Longtime member Elizabeth (Bofizzz) will be running our Facebook group. In fact, she is hard at work seeing what all she can do with the group and getting it set up. And once she does, we will make an announcement letting you know.

If you would like to welcome Elizabeth to the Staff as our TOSP Facebook Operator, you can do so on the Welcome our newest Staff member: Bofizz, our TOSP Facebook Operator thread on The Main Board of our Forum.


Pick the next song played on TOSP
It's time to pick the next Taylor Hicks song to play on our Website. This time, you will be voting from the songs found on Taylor's post-AI debut album, Taylor Hicks. There are 12 songs to choose from. To record your vote, please visit the Which song from "Taylor Hicks" do you want to hear on TOSP's main page and MySpace page? thread on The Main Board of our forum. You have until June 3 to vote, at which time the winning song will be posted on both our Website and MySpace page for all to hear. NOTE: You must be logged into your TOSP account to vote.


"American Idol" News
Congratulations to David Cook, the season 7 winner of American Idol. Welcome to the club, David.

Although not expected to be released until sometime this fall, David Cook's first post-Idol album can be pre-ordered. You can pre-order his CD through Amazon.com...

Simon Cowell wants Ant and ..o host American Idol - Could we have two new hosts on American Idol next year? Is Ryan leaving the show? Probably not. Since the article was first published, we've heard that Larry King is contracted to do his show until 2011.

Simon Cowell Reveals American Idol Needs to Go Younger - Season 7 of American Idol had one of the overall youngest group of contestants in the show's history. But it could go even younger if Simon Cowell gets his wish to lower the minimum age to 14. Could he and the show be asking for trouble if they did?

Ace Young, 7th place finalist from Season 5, will release his debut album, Ace Young, on July 15. You can pre-order his CD through Amazon.com...

Jon Peter Lewis, 8th place finalist from Season 3, will release his second album, Break The Silence, on July 22. You can pre-order his CD through Amazon.com... NOTE: The release date has been pushed back from June 3.

Jennifer Hudson, 7th place finalist from Season 3 and Academy Award winner, will release her debut album, not yet named, on September 30. You can pre-order her CD through Amazon.com...


TOSP Blogs
Here is what the TOSP Bloggers are currently blogging about.

Alan's Blog - Recently, Simon Cowell stated that he believes America got it wrong when they voted Taylor Hicks the winner of American Idol Season 5. Although not the first time Simon has made this comment, this time it really bothered Alan. In his latest blog entry, "No, Simon Cowell, we did not get it wrong," Alan shares his displeasure at the comment along with a few comments from his fellow Soul Patrollers on what made them take notice of Taylor Hicks in the first place.

Mandy's Blog - So you have filled your belly with a heaping mess of Alabama BBQ. What do you have for dessert? A helping of Taylor, of course. Mandy went to the "Boots, Blues, and BBQ" charity event in Alabama on May 10, which was held to help raise money for Hannah Home. As always, Mandy has taken us on a step-by-step journey of the night and have provided us with plenty of videos for us to watch.

Sheena's Blog - On American Idol, contestants are often praised for taking risks with songs and making them their own. Sheena shares four of her favorite American Idol daredevils: Blake Lewis, David Cook, Chris Daughtry, and Katherine McPhee.

As always, the TOSP Bloggers love to hear from you. So please leave your thoughts and comments behind on the blogs.


Help support TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com
Please help support this site through one of the following ways.

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"So You Think You Can Dance"
Season 4 of my favorite Summer series, So You Think You Can Dance, is currently underway. You can follow all the action on our "Dancing with the Stars" / "So You Think You Can Dance" board.


TOSP on MySpace


Don't forget that TOSP also has a MySpace page. Our MySpace Operator, Jess, loves to read your comments and talk with you through the MySpace message system. If you haven't added us as a MySpace friend yet, we hope you will.


I look forward to seeing all of you on the forums.

Sincerely,
Alan (jatterb)
TheOfficialSoulPatrol.com Administrator