Archive for 2006

Last night on Canadian Idol Eva Avila and Craig Sharpe battled it out for the Idol Crown. Each Idol sang three songs – the winner’s single “Meant To Fly”, favorite song of the season that they performed previously and their personal favorite. The John Bassett Theatre was on fire last night with Eva & Craig signs everywhere. I was feeling a little disappointed thinking if the finale had been tonight I would have been in Toronto at the Top 2 show. However there was nothing disappointing in last night’s performance, both contestants were outstanding.

1) Craig Sharpe – Craig opened the performance show with the winner’s single – Meant To Fly written by Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida and Gaby Moreno. From the moment Craig began this song his performance gave me goose-bumps. Craig’s voice soared through this song and he really owned the stage during this performance. I agree with Jake that this the best thing that Craig has done. I love Craig’s voice and his wide vocal range but I don’t always feel his performances are believable – this one sure was! If I haven’t agreed with one thing Zak has tried to say this season I sure agreed with his big hug to Craig at the end of the song. He deserved every bit of applause and praise. Thrilling performance and a great start to the night.

2) Eva Avila – Wild Horses (Natasha Bedingfield) I had never heard this song before but I sure enjoyed Eva’s beautiful voice singing it. She looked stunning in her purple dress – she oozes star quality and charisma. Wild Horses was a beautiful, passionate performance that showcased Eva’s powerful vocals. Great job!

3) Craig – I Surrender (Celine Dion) Craig sang this song very well but I have to say I was disappointed with the song choice. He showed his broad range and the notes were all good but somehow this song fell short for an Idol Top 2 performance. Jake thought the band overpowered him and I thought the backup vocals did him in – either way it was a bit underwhelming.

4) Eva – Meant to Fly (winner’s single) I didn’t know how Eva was going to sing this any better than Craig but she was full of surprises last night. Eva’s soulful interpretation was pitch perfect and the song showcased her powerhouse vocals. This was Eva’s song and the winner just sang it.

5) Craig – What Hurts the Most (Rascal Flatts) Craig showed us again why he’s in the Top 2 with another polished performance that he sang in the Top 22. I wouldn’t have picked this as my favorite “Craig” performance however, his natural ability to sell a song came through and I enjoyed it.

6) Eva – How Come You Don’t Call Me (Alicia Keyes) Eva closed the evening with her compelling rendition of Alicia Keye’s hit. Eva sang this during the Top 6 “unplugged” episode. I would have picked this song as one of my favorite “Eva” performances and it was even better than her original. Eva had three impressive performances last night but this was the highlight. Wow – amazing I was speechless.

 

I loved the new Idol single “Meant to Fly” and like last year’s hit “Alive” it’s hands-down a much stronger single than the American Idol winner’s song. Last night’s Top 2 performances showcased two very talented contestants but when the confetti falls next Sunday night I think Eva will be the new crowned Idol.

 

The Canadian Idol Finale will air next Sunday night at 7:00 pm. Special guest Nelly Furtado, this year’s Top 10 and last year’s Canadian Idol – Melissa O’Neil will all be performing for the 90 minute special. I will be at the John Bassett Theatre next Sunday to see the Idol Finale and will be reporting Monday morning from Toronto.

E-mail – diane@idoloutlook.com

 

Tony Bennett opened the Top 3 Results Show last night. He may be eighty years old but he’s still got it. Backed by his quartet the crooner sang “I Got Rhythm” – with such wonderful phrasing and control. Our Top 3 took the stage and sang – “Just in Time” and “The Best is Yet to Come”. I have to admit, this season the Idols have not sounded that good together in group numbers. Still the Tony Bennet quartet was wonderful to hear so all was not lost. Mr Bennett came out again and sang his classic “The Good Life.” Pure bliss….

Ben announced over 4.37 million votes were cast for the second week in a row. To make this show into an hour the Idols sang one song from Monday night’s performance show. Tyler sang “It Had To Be You” again and quite frankly once was enough. Eva sang a beautiful rendition of “God Bless the Child” – flawless again. I was disappointed to hear Craig sing “The Way You Look Tonight” because I would have loved to have heard “Danny Boy” again. His performance was a bit flat but he seemed more comfortable on the stage this time. After the Top 3 performed Ben announced the contestant with the least amount of votes – Tyler Lewis! Yes –  ”It had to Be You” Tyler! Finally the voters got it right.

Our Top 2 Canadian Idols – sixteen year old Craig Sharpe from Newfoundland and 19 year old Eva Avila from Gatineau, Quebec! Maybe not the Top 2 I had hoped for at the beginning of the summer – that would have been Eva & Rob but certainly this will be an entertaining finale. Tyler closed the show with Just A Gigolo (I ain’t Got Nobody).

 

Next Monday the Top 2 Idols will be performing 3 songs each. One of the songs will be the new Idol winner’s single “Meant To Fly” a ballad written by Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida and Gaby Moreno. Each competitor will also sing their favourite song they have previously performed and also a new song of their choice. The road to Idol will end Sunday September 17^th when the new Canadian Idol will be crowned.

 

Last night on Canadian Idol the Top 3 sang the music from the great American songbook in a Tribute to Tony Bennett. It was an amazing night of music with some outstanding stage performances. Tony Bennett coached the Idols when they flew to New York City last Thursday. With the help of the very polished Canadian Idol Orchestra it was the most entertaining show to date.

 1) Craig Sharpe opened the show with “The Way You Look Tonight”. Craig looked very dapper in his white suit but he didn’t have his usual confidence on stage. The beginning was a bit shaky but he performed the rest of the song quite well. The judges mentioned that Craig was only 16 so he didn’t have a real connection to the song. However, Kalen Porter sang this song two years ago and it was superb. Kalen was only seventeen at the time and he sang The Way You Look Tonight with a lot of maturity.

2) Eva Avila – “God Bless the Child”. This was the night Eva turned into a star – she looked exquisite and her flawless performance gave me goose-bumps. I forgot I was watching Canadian Idol and thought I was watching a seasoned performer . This is a very tough song to sing and she sang it brilliantly.

 3) Tyler Lewis – “Just a Gigolo (I ain’t Got Nobody)” This was not a very challenging song and Tyler still didn’t do a very good job with it. He couldn’t hold on to a few notes and wasn’t even clapping in time. Tyler looked like he was having fun on stage but the singing was flat. I must be hearing something very different than the judges because they want this guy to be around another week.

4) Craig came back a second time and sang “Danny Boy”. I thought this was one of Craig’s most powerful performances. His emotional delivery was very heartfelt and I really felt he connected with the song. This performance should keep him around for the Top 2.

5) Eva sang “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” as her second song. This was another solid performance from Eva. She looked beautiful, sang with pitch perfect vocals and looked very confident on stage. There’s no question that her two performances were the best of the night. After last night there should be no doubts that Eva deserves to win this competition.

6) Tyler closed the show with “It Had to Be You”. This was certainly better than his first performance but not nearly as good as what the judges were saying. Tyler is very lucky to still be on the Idol stage at this point – he just isn’t in the same league as the other two competitors.

Last year Melissa was the star of the standards night with her rendition of “It’s De-lovely”. This year Eva was the star of the evening with her two performances especially her emotional delivery of “God Bless the Child”. Tyler should definitely be packing his bags tonight if the voters get it right. Even Tony Bennett mentioned Tyler “looked good for TV” with no mention about his singing ability.

The Results show will be an hour long tonight with Tony Bennett singing live for the first time on an Idol stage. He will be performing a song from his new CD- “Duets-An American Classic”.