My favorite Idol contestant

We watched American Idol last night, the one where the judges picked the top 24 contestants (12 guys, 12 gals) who'll go on to be judged by popular vote. Yah, I though I wouldn't be getting caught up in this again, but so help me this crop of singers has some people I really, really want to see go far. This might be the best group since Season 2 (the one that produced Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken). And though there's a lot of these singers I'm gonna be cheering for, none of 'em has captured my attention quite like this guy...It's Taylor Hicks from Birmingham, Alabama. Anyone who's watched this so far - especially last night's show when he entered the judges' room playing his harmonica - knows that Hicks not only sings really good, he seems to have real personality and a heart of gold. Just going by what I've seen of him so far, he comes across as an incredibly humble person too. Which seems to be a key strength for those who've gone the distance on this show. So to Taylor Hicks and all the other contestants: Good luck!

EDIT 1:26 PM EST: I just noticed that North Carolina has four contestants in the top 24... tying with California for state with most singers in this year's competition. The Tarheel crew are: Heather Cox from Jonesville, Bucky Covington from Rockingham, Chris Daughtry from McLeansville, and Kellie Pickler from Albemarle. Throw in the fact that Clay Aiken is from Raleigh and Fantasia Burrino is from High Point and what can ya say: this state really has a set of pipes!