Taylor Hicks on Jay Leno last night

Taylor Hicks has Hurricane Katrina to thank for his "American Idol" win. Hicks told Jay Leno that he got one of the last taxis out of New Orleans as Katrina was about to hit. He said that after a 15-hour ride he ended up at the airport in West Monroe, La. Hicks said his airline offered him a free ticket anywhere in the U.S. Hicks chose Las Vegas on a whim, because he had never been there before. It was in Vegas that Taylor auditioned for Idol. He says it was fate that took him there. [CBS]