Category Archives: CTV

Canada has spoken, and it’s about time we got around to a Top 10. Who made the cut, and who fell by the wayside? All the info after the jump. And trust me, it’s downright explosive. Could four favourites have been the ones going home?

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It’s the final week of the pre-Top 10 portion of Canadian Idol, and looking at tonight’s performers…I don’t know if there is a worthy Top 5 here. But, I can be proven wrong: here’s their opportunity to prove, once and for all, that they belong here. Tonight, it’s the girls’ turn to shine or, conversely, not shine.

Annika Odegard – “Ordinary Day” (Vanessa Carlton)

Dearest Annika, I am quite sorry for this…but that just doesn’t work. Much like last night’s opener Matt Rapley, the piano didn’t help you. In your case, you were very engaging performance wise but the voice didn’t hold up; this is the exact opposite of Matt whose performance didn’t improve but his voice stayed consistent. Annika isn’t a terrible singer, but that was vocally off for me. It was much better, more real, but I think it still needs a lot of work in the vocal department. In fact, it was really off key. (Also, is she dating that curly haired youngin’ she met during auditions? Or are they just friends? Any gossip, anyone?)

What the judges think: Jake thinks she has finally rediscovered himself, Farley thinks she let down her hair, Sass thinks she’s good, and Zack thinks it was good as well.

Worthy of Top 5? No. Look, this showed a lot of promise, but without that piano she was apparently terrible, and then she sings arguably worse but with a piano and she’s immediately infinitely better? She was more engaged and real, maybe, but the voice still isn’t mature enough to sell me on it. While she was relatively great for the judges compared to last week’s drudging, I don’t think she was any better here vocally.

Khalila Glanville – “For You I Will” (Monica)

This is more like it: after last week’s unfortunate song choice, Khalila chooses to belt out an R&B power ballad that showcases her voice well. She isn’t perfect, or overly original, but it is much more what she is trying to do. There were some rough moments, but her voice actually did a really good job of making its way through the song. It was a performance that doesn’t make you turn the channel, but at the same time won’t change your mind about her or the show.

What the judges think: Farley felt that she pushed her voice a bit more than usual, Sass thinks that she didn’t have enough wow factor, Zack thinks it was trying a bit too hard to hit a home run but has a ludicrous amount of positive things to say about her, and Jake thinks there was a couple of off moments but overall strong.

Worthy of Top 5? Yes. Even though she’s not perfect, Zack is right: she is mature and sophisticated and has room for growth within the competition.

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It’s the final week of the pre-Top 10 portion of Canadian Idol, and looking at tonight’s performers…I don’t know if there is a worthy Top 5 here. But, I can be proven wrong: here’s their opportunity to prove, once and for all, that they belong here. On a non-musical note, Idol is working with Ronald McDonald House to build a vacation home for families with sick children. Details on the auction being organized to raise funds can be found at Idol.ctv.ca.

Matt Rapley – “I’ll Be There” (The Jackson Five)

Matt is incredibly honest in telling us that he basically just stands around when he performs. So, this time, he sits around and performs while playing the piano. His voice sounds pretty damn impressive considering that he is also playing the piano, but sitting down is the last thing he needed to show more energy in his stage performing. It was interesting to see it, and it does prove him as a real musician, but I don’t think it allowed him to showcase anything we didn’t already know. Still his best performance thus far.

What the judges think: Jake felt he was too close to the mic but was glad to see the piano, Farley felt that he needed more energy, Sass thinks that it was smooth and beautiful, but Zack believes that he hasn’t demonstrated enough maturity or standing for something enough to make a record. Zack doesn’t think he’s at that level.

Worthy of Top 5? No. I’m with Zack, he just doesn’t have enough energy or artistry involved. He’s just a completely and utterly bland performer, even behind his piano. He’s not terrible, he’s just nothing. And that’s almost as bad.

Greg Neufeld – “Daughters” (John Mayer)

Greg wants an intimate moment on stage, and we get to see a lot more rehearsals this week. This is good, because it makes more sense when Greg is sitting on the stage. He performs the song from there, and it’s good…but as the Elder points out: “Greg Neufeld is to John Mayer as Mika is to Queen.” I didn’t feel it was all that intimate, but it was the opposite of Rapley. In sitting down, he actually grounded his annoying dancing and allowed the energy to flow through vocal dynamics and singing, of all things. It’s an engaging performance of a song that worked for his voice, even if even John Mayer hates its popularity.

What the judges think: Farley felt it was great, Sass felt he nailed it, Zack feels that he might have some issues with being too perfect for the public but thinks he is very, very good, and Jake thinks that you can never be too perfect and that Greg is, in himself, a show.

Worthy of Top 5? Yes. No matter how much we bring up “Rocket Man” (Which went unmentioned tonight), I think that Greg is a seasoned performer that could be a strong addition to the Top 5…especially considering the other options.

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7:29pm: We’re starting early according to my computer, but not according to my watch. Ben arrives on stage wearing his usual attire, and it appears the girls are up first. Please note: Ben’s shirt is unbuttoned, and it seems like he has a sunburn as opposed to a tan under there. It does not look pretty. Not that he ever does.

7:30pm: We’re saying hello to the judges, who were harsh this week. It was really all their fault, so they can’t complain too much. And now we recap: The Guys and The Girls.

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After last week saw the departure of two girls, one of whom was more than out of place without her instrument of choice, this week we’ll divide the pageant girls and the musicians even more distinctly due to the instrument rule being in effect. Of course, like the guys, very few will likely end up using them. Will it separate the best from the rest, or just result in more muddled performances? Let’s watch and see.

Martha Joy – “To Where You Are” (Josh Groban)

Two nights, two Josh Groban songs. If Zack was talking about pageant stuff last night, this is yet another example of it. These young singers are talented, but they need to pick songs and perform them instead of just singing them as if that’s all they need to do. Josh Groban needs to be put on permanent hiatus for this series, without a doubt.

Instrument: Nope, she’s focusing on the singing.

What the Judges Think: Jake felt no emotion and thinks it might be a lack of experience, Farley felt she made a decent effort but felt some stylistic choices were off, Sass felt it was shaky in the beginning, and Zack thinks that she needs to live up to her last name and thinks she is at the highest level of any singer in the competition technically.

Growth from Last Week: I’d say it was better than last week, but it was still Josh Groban so it can only be so much growth.

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[Sorry for the lateness on this particular recap: I was away for the day and had to watch Idol in two parts thanks to travel time]

And we’re back for another week. After the debacle that was last week’s episode, the producers are allowing performers to bring their guitars (Or other instruments) on stage with them to give them a boost of confidence and showmanship. Will it make all the difference in the world, or just drag them down? Let’s find out.

Liam Styles Chang – “She’s So High” (Tal Bachman)

This song basically all comes down to whether or not he can hit the high notes in the chorus, and the answer is that he can. He can also nail the lower register stuff, which makes for an engaging and quality performance.

Instrument? Nope, Liam has gone guitar-less. And I think it’s a good choice, as he is able to focus on hitting the notes in the song as opposed to performing with the guitar as well.

What do the judges think? Everyone loves the ability to go from high to low, but Zack felt that there wasn’t enough dynamism in the high notes to make it a record worth buying…but then completely back tracks and claims that he’s a rock star. Oh Zack.

Growth from Last Week: A less inventive performance might knock him down a few pegs, but staying vocally consistent is important at this stage in the competition.

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Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to your Canadian Idol results Liveblog. Who will be headed home, and who will be safe another week? Let’s see.

7:30pm: Ben Mulroney opens with your typical preview of the night’s action along with the usual rapid fire introduction of the judges. It is apparently Zack’s birthday.

7:31pm: Here’s…well, everything we already saw from the guys. All of the details are here: Week One – The Guys.

7:32pm: Impressively, they smash them all into one minute per night and the girls were next: Week One – The Girls.

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EDIT: The results are in. For the full details from the results show, click for Cultural Learnings’ Full Recap!

There is little question that Canadian Idol’s first week was fantastic, divine, stunning…according to CTV’s press releases. According to viewers, and really the show’s judges as well, the nights were fairly mediocre bordering on terrible at certain points. There were some standouts, but the real story is who will be going home tonight. At the end of each show I labeled four individuals as being at risk of being eliminated, and here’s how I think things might go down tonight.

The Guys

Derek Hoffman

Why He Could Go Home: Singing the All America Rejects’ “Move Along”, Hoffman showed little of the “rock star” potential Zack sees in him. It was grating, it was off-key, it was spastic, and to be honest there wasn’t a single good note in the whole song. He didn’t have the power for it, and came across as just another garage band singer.

Why He Might Not Go Home: He’s young, he could be classified as cute in teen girl land, and he at least sang something current to stick with the show’s demographics.

Andrew Austin

Why He Could Go: He performed an older song (“Freedom 90”, which I quite enjoy personally), he failed to ignite the stage, and he’s too old to draw from the show’s main fan bases while lacking charisma to draw in older viewers.

Why He Might Not Go: He received a half decent amount of coverage as part of Greg Neufeld’s well reviewed Group during Top 100, and alliterative names are always each to remember.

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Last night, the guys led off with a series of performances that ranged from technically sound to strangely awkward, and pretty well everywhere in between. There was one thing that united them: absolutely none of them could dance. Can the girls find more even ground on the singing, and perhaps bring a little bit of rhythm to the proceedings? Well, let’s take a look and see how the Top 11 Girls fare.

Tara Oram – “Rose Garden” (Martina McBride via Lynn Anderson)

Okay, fun story: the only reason I know this song is due to my addiction to Time Life infomercials. And I kind of like it, in its charming little way; I, unfortunately, only know the song’s chorus since that’s all that was on the infomercial. But this is a completely charmless performance of the song, and the band is far too strong on what is really quite a quiet song. She never felt comfortable on stage, as far as I could tell, and it reeked of bar performance all the way. Not bad singing wise, but just…uninteresting.

What the judges think: Jake felt it was a bit breathy at points, almost rushed…but the singing was to her strength. Farley felt it was nerves, but it made sense to reaffirm her identity, while Sass felt that it showed her sweetness that she loves. Jake has been a Tara-skeptic, and she stands for something which he has to respect even with some opening night jitters.

What will Canada think: She’s incredibly engaging and charming in the non-singing parts of things, and being from Newfoundland basically guarantees her into the Top 10 at this stage. I am slightly worried about her rapidly shrinking figure, however.

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Ben Mulroney mugging for the camera, the band guy from Mike Bullard, and 11 too short performances: Canadian Idol has officially returned. The episode started with a dud of a joke from Ben Mulroney, so it is clear that things aren’t changing much. Will the contestants be similarly stuck in that rut? We’ve never really seen these people performing in a setting like this one, so how will they fare? Cultural Learnings is along for the ride, and has the full recap of all of the Top 11 performances. Stick with Cultural Learnings throughout the summer for even more coverage of Canada’s biggest reality show.

Jaydee Bixby – “Johnny B. Goode” (Chuck Berry)

This was right in Bixby’s wheelwell, if you will; performing in bars since 11, it is clear that Bixby is a confident performer. The only problem that I had personally was that his voice never felt overly strong within the song: it was distinctive, it was different, but it didn’t feel like a star performance. I also felt that his backing band kind of overpowered him, and he felt almost a little bit out of place without his guitar…actually, a lot out of place.

What did the Judges think: Zack felt he needs to learn how to dance, Sass (And Zack) felt he was retro as opposed to old-fashioned, Farley was fairly positive, and Jake felt it was a bit too familiar and old.

What will Canada think: He’s had so much airtime, and is so different from most of the other contestants, that he’s coasting into the Top 10 on being different alone.

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