Canadian Idol’s Cross Country Tour by Laurel E. Anderson
(first published in the Kanata Kourier Standard on June 11, 2004)

Canadian Idol 2 is back! After months of traveling the country to find the next Ryan Malcolm, it all ends up back in Toronto where a record 155 gold ticket winners will meet to duke it out for one of the coveted 32 finalists spots. The madness and mayhem that accompanies the audition process for a competition of this size was chronicled in the first three episodes of the Canadian Idol 2 series that debuted last week on the CTV network.

Episode one covers the Ottawa and Toronto auditions and I know that everyone in Ottawa is hoping that one of our own makes it to the finals. For me, having worked in the audition rooms in Ottawa, watching the show has been that much more exciting. I have my own favourites that I would like to see make it through to the gold ticket round but just like everybody else, I have to watch the show to find out what happens as that information is a closely guarded secret.

But before I discuss the actual shows I must mention that my work at the registration desk was caught on camera and I am on the show, albeit briefly. After the opening montage, the name of the city, Ottawa, pops up on the screen and then right after that, comedian Jon Dore welcomes the first contestants in to register. The camera quickly pans over to the registration desks. What? It’s my registration desk. That’s the back of my head. Am I sure you ask? Absolutely! That’s my tangled mess of auburn curls. I’m not expecting this and so I get excited and feel silly at the same time. It’s only the back of my head for goodness sake! It has taken me more than ten minutes to get the tape to pause on the back of my head and eventually the pause expires and my fleeting moment of fame goes along with it.

Okay, back to the show. Last I wrote, the preliminary judging had taken place and the competitors were gearing up to compete for the celebrity judges. The stakes are higher now as everyone tries to sing their way to the final competition in Toronto. Judges Jake Gold, Sass Jordan, Farley Flex and Zack Werner are all back and the fab four offer some thoughts on this year’s competition and what they are looking for in an Idol. Sass Jordan says that she is ‘less forgiving because I have less patience.’ Zack Werner (some call him our Simon) is ‘looking for unique people who genuinely can win the show.’ Farley Flex believes that ‘we have the opportunity here to go one step further than we did last year’ with Jake Gold summing things up by saying ‘last year we picked just good singers, this year, it takes more.’ And so the competition begins.

In true Ottawa spirit, host Ben Mulroney and partner in crime, comedian Jon Dore, get silly throughout the episode with their participation in Winterlude activities. They compete with each other in an ice carving competition and they ‘pair’ skate on the canal and for full theatrical affect; Jon wears a pink skating costume. There will be lighter notes like this throughout the show with some more appreciated than others. I find it really hard, watching the contestants that are really bad but think they are good. Is it just me or do you just feel really bad for these ones?

I count at least six singers that came through the audition room that I assisted in but I can’t tell who got gold tickets. There were several standout performers in Ottawa although they did not necessarily stand out because of their singing. One performer, I will call her ‘Pinky,’ was dressed all in pink and had the spunk to go with it when she half pleads and half asks, “why don’t you like me?” There were many competitors who knew how to dress but did not know how to sing. It was almost like the better the costume, the worse the singing.

Do you have a favourite yet? Someone you are crossing your fingers for to make it to the final 32 in Toronto? I do. Anmary Legault stood out to me right from the beginning. She is French and lists her day job as working in construction as an electrician. She goes on to say that she just sings for fun and that she often sings ‘on the job.’ She is beautiful, sweet and modest. “My parents will be proud,” is her first reaction to receiving her gold ticket. I plan to keep my eye on her.

There were other contestants from Ottawa that were surely entertaining but not Idol material. One example was the ‘theatre guy’ who sang a song by Alanis and sounded just like her. He sounded just like her. Fascinating!
And then the last singer in Ottawa is up after a forever of waiting and it is apparent to the audience that the judges are tired and have had it for the day until Andrea Gal takes the stage. The judges love her with one saying that they had not been inspired until she sang. Great endorsement and a good note to end the Ottawa auditions on with twenty-two gold ticket winners headed to Toronto.

The competition moves slightly west to Toronto. The SkyDome is in a frenzy as it is taken over by singers instead of ball players. World Idol winner Kurt Nilsen makes a surprise guest appearance to rev the crowd but this crowd doesn’t need much revving. As Ontario’s capital, the Toronto contingent does not let its audience down. Conga lines are formed and the lineup for registration looks like one big, fun camp out. Even the judges join in, trading serious, professional demeanors for smiles, chuckles and full out laughter as they have fun with some of the less talented Idol wannabes.

We all hear a bit of Rhinestone Cowboy by one hopeful but instead of a gold ticket, he is told to ride his horse out into the sunset. Many other competitors don’t make the grade and some take it better than others. Zack tells one competitor, “you can’t sing a lick” while another singer turns on Zack after hearing that he won’t get a ticket and tells him that his pants are too tight. While all this is going on, Ben meets and greets the contestants after they perform in the infamous ‘kiss and cry’ area, offering support to those that don’t make it while Jon provides some much-needed comic relief.

There are some entertaining side stories to the Toronto auditions like singer Mohanza Kelly who brought a favourite teacher and friend for support and while we don’t know his story, we know he has one and you just want to root for him. Then there is Joshua Seller, the curly blonde, living in this car for five days during auditions and while I’m no judge, I thought he was good and apparently the judges agreed as he captured their votes. Zack said he was one of the best that he had seen. Not long after came Brock Groombridge, a 16-year-old farm boy who sings in the barn. His disheveled look coupled with an honest voice, is sure to make good television if he makes it to the next round. Sass votes for him saying, “I love him” while Jake says, “he sucks.” Either way, Brock gets his ticket and is on his way. 34 competitors survive this round.

The judges head out to the east coast for a bit and then to Montreal. They don’t see much they like that first day in Halifax, calling it a bad day but a new day brings hope and a few fresh voices crop up with eleven hopefuls making the cut to go to Toronto. In St. John’s one competitor sings poorly and says through her tears, “ I just want to entertain the pants off some Canadians.” To break things up between competitors, the focus shifts to the judges and their working relationships and the love and respect they all feel for each other no matter how much they may disagree in front of he cameras while judging. Just when it looks like we may have a major love fest on our hands, nine Newfoundlander Idol hopefuls strike gold. The hip city of Montreal showcases idol hopeful Liz Titan, a 16 year old who lives in Montreal but is from Zaire. She sings ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman’ and wows the judges. She leaves with a big smile and a gold ticket. Seventeen others share her fate in this style capital and will meet in Toronto for the big ‘sing off.’

Idol now heads out west and in Winnipeg we see several contestants with great dance moves. This will not get them to Idol status but the Ukrainian dancing is entertaining nonetheless. Stephanie Champagne breaks up the dance floor when she comes to compete with a huge entourage of friends and family and the camera follows her to her Dad’s office after her gold ticket performance, where she shares the news with him. There are many happy tears as Idol leaves Manitoba with 14 gold tickets.

In Regina, singers are treated to celebrity guest Brent Butt, a Saskatchewan native and star of the CTV show, Corner Gas. Contestant Theresea Sokyrka shows up and the judges are glad she did. From a very musical family, Theresea has music in her blood. She more than impresses the judges with one saying that he is surprised that she is 23 years old and no one has heard of her yet. It’s one of the strongest votes of support in the competition so far and Theresea leaves with her gold ticket, one of only eight given out in Saskatchewan.

The West Edmonton Mall is a new stop on the tour and with the biggest turnout so far, a worthwhile stop. Like the other cities, there are singers that flop on stage and those that rise to the occasion. Marilyn Lamouche is an 18-year-old native singer who knocks the socks off the judges in more than one way. Not only can she sing, she floors viewers with her boxing prowess. Turns out that our beautiful singer from Edmonton is also a serious contender in the ring. She is sure to be another fan favourite. Nineteen hopefuls pack their bags for Toronto.

Vancouver is the last stop on this whirlwind tour. Things get a little silly and funny with Ben and Jon as they sum up this cross-country journey with another one of their playful montages. We also see the shoe go on the other foot when members of the media are given a taste of what it is like to compete when they sing for the judges and have to listen to feedback, both good and bad. Shane Wiebe has the honour of being the final competitor in the final city and the West sends fourteen of their best to Toronto.

The search is over and the show ends with thoughts from the judges and promises of what is to come in Toronto where this lucky group of one hundred and fifty-five will work hard and compete until they are down to thirty-two finalists. I spoke with Scott Henderson, Manager of Communications for programming at CTV and I asked him what was making the show better this year. He replied, “People have a connection with the show because it could be someone they know competing. The show makes a connection on a local level with viewers and the fact that the viewers know what to expect when watching, makes the show more entertaining.” And when I asked Scott what makes the public connect with Canadian Idol as viewers, he summed it up quite simply when he said, “the appeal is because they are ordinary people competing and you get to see them as they become stars.”

The show ends with the Top 5 Not to Do List; don’t forget the lyrics, don’t make excuses, don’t abuse the set, don’t talk back to the judges and don’t mess up the national anthem. Hey, maybe we can all take some of these words of wisdom and use them in our everyday lives and not just when we sing. Or, we can just do what Ellen DeGeneres suggests on her daytime talk show, “pack a lunch and be prepared to dance” because this competition is far from over and is sure to heat up, especially if we see a few of Ottawa’s best in the final thirty-two. Let’s cross our fingers!
back