I need to clarify my Phil Stacey post

Thank you very much for this blog. Phil Phans are extremely loyal and will defend him vehemently. Phil inspires that kind of loyalty because of his love for the Lord and his humble appreciation for each phan individually. If he could, he would personally thank each and every phan for supporting him, voting their fingers off, and continually uplifting him and his family in prayer.

Because of this loyalty, there are times we take offense when none was intended. It is so hard to get a point across over the internet without facial expressions and tone of voice. I apologize if we jumped to conclusions based on your post

Thank you, Joanne, for this apology. I started to think afterwards that I myself have been a bit too harsh in my reply. But I have to agree with Meliss, that Phil does have loyal phans, and some, like myself, have to be careful, too, that I don't offend the author of a blog. As far as Phil's myspace sites, the myspace.com/philstaceymusic one was considered Phil's official site while he was with Lyric Street. I believe he said once that he had to let his phans know about the one from Lyric Street because everyone was posting at myspace.com/joelphilip, which he considered his personal one. For now his personal one is the official one as well. I am sure we will soon have updates concerning any sites he will have.
I wanted to add to the part about Taylor Hicks. His fellow season 5 contestant and one of my other favorites, Ace Young, had a run on "Grease" on Broadway as well, playing Kenickie. Because of the economy, the show was shut down 2 weeks before Ace finished his run. He, too, did very well on Broadway. He has worked very hard himself to have a singing career, which he had since age 9, and I would have loved to have seen his cd have more success than it has. He put 2 years into it, going independent, and he has been quite open in his more recent reviews about Idol not having given him more support. So Ace's fans are not too happy with Idol because of that. But he is a Grammy nominee for having cowritten the chorus to Daughtry's "It's Not Over," and he said that after "Grease" he will return to L.A. to write with others who want to write with him. So he has had some success, and it did take hard work. Ace will be hosting the show "American Idol Extra" on the FOX Reality Channel, beginning in March, I believe, when they start with the top 12 shows.

I also did not care for the offhand remark as if staring in a Broadway show was nothing. Taylor Hicks worked extremely hard and more than paid his dues before he was on AI. And he has worked nearly nonstop ever since and is doing quite well. His new album called "The Distance" and out March 10 is going to be very good. He wrote with some of the best writers around and had a producer and musicians that have worked with Eric Clapton and Faith Hill just to name a few. He has started his own record label and worked out a deal with Grease to cross-promote the show and his album. He is not only touring the Grease show all over the country but at the same time doing his own concert shows for his album. He earns everything he gets.
His new single is out, you should check it out, its called "Whats Right is Right" and it is a song about commitment in a relationship. It is a beautiful song and can be downloaded at itunes or amazon.
Just type in Taylor Hicks whats right is right.
Phil Stacey was my favorite from the year he was on and Ace is a doll

CfPhilfan, you didn't offend me at all! I'm glad to apologize when I'm wrong, LOL.

Your info about Ace just further proves my point: American Idol is not a free ticket to stardom, like my friend suggested. These artists work their tails off, and many of them get to the show after years of work the TV fans never see. And while the exposure is great, it isn't a guarantee of chart topping success. Altho I didn't know Ace co-wrote that Daughtry song. That's awesome. See, you learn something new every day!

American Idol probably helps artists network and connect, and build a fan base, but they don't just show up and sing and win a Grammy. But that's what some fans of the show think.

You Phil fans are great and I appreciate you pointing out my errors. :)

Joanne
host of the GS blog