Idol’s Back! Idol’s Back! For the Third Time, Idol’s Back!
By Laurel E. Anderson
Kourier-Standard June 3/05
I am not a singer. I’m a writer, a reality television junky (only the good shows) and a music lover who weeps when some else’s dream comes true (just little tears of happiness) and that’s the only way I can explain my preoccupation with these shows- I am fascinated by the journey taken that may lead to stardom-or not!
By the time you read this I’ll be long gone and back again. Free of responsibility and hitting the open road on Laurel’s excellent spring adventure. Like I said in a previous column, Canadian Idol isn’t stopping in Ottawa this year but that didn’t stop me. I caught a jet plan to Toronto-the last stop on the tryout tour this year. It promised to be the biggest and the bestest as far as tryouts go and I wanted to go along for the ride.
Well the trip for me was definitely worth it. Obviously I didn’t try my hand at singing again this year and no, it’s not due to the age limit but more to my shyness and lack of singing voice (okay, so I’m a bit older and didn’t qualify). Held at the Toronto Convention Centre, this was a venue destined for stars and wannabees alike and they came in droves. I had almost forgotten about the constant singing and warming up of voices from last year, until I entered the restrooms.
Everyone looked up when I entered-must have been because of the Idol ‘crew’ shirt I was sporting and I noticed that no one seemed to be actually using the facilities for what they are meant for and instead had set up mini ‘dressing rooms’ and all that was missing was a director’s chair with a name on it like you’d see on a movie set. I went into that bathroom with minimal makeup and a bandana in my hair and came out fully made up with fancy curls and enough hairspray to calm the winds in Kansas! Just walking through the haze of spray and singing of scales was enough to keep me from drinking anything else the rest of the day.
And for some of the talent, this was as far as their journey would go. There were nerves and tired voices mixed in with voices sure to be heard in the Top 100 but so few would make it past the first round and before leaving the Convention Centre, would head back to the same restroom where the dreams of ‘could,’ ‘would’ and ‘if’ would be left behind in salty tears until next year.
The first dispatch of Canadian Idol 3 has just hit airwaves this week with 3 episodes featuring highlights from Idol’s 13 week cross-country audition tour and if these early shows are any indication of what’s to come, the summer line up of Idol promises to give you a reason to turn on the television during a summer television season full of repeats and infomercials. Canadian Idol 3 promises once again to bring us our next homegrown singing hero and more than a few entertaining moments and chuckles along the way.
So stay tuned and pick your favourites early on and see how far they get. Let’s watch together and see just who makes it through about 33 ‘auditions’ to be crowned Canada’s next Idol. How does the saying go? “Third time’s a charm.”