Canadian Idol 4, August 28: Two By Four

First off, a few notes from the Bassett. The Rush Line was surprisingly short tonight, and I bet every one of them got in. Their support seemed pretty evenly divided, though there may have been a few more Chad supporters than the others. The “Fan of the Night” award went to a young Bluenose lassie who was fully decked out in provincial tartans and face paint. Her reward was a great seat, right down front in about then third row.

Once again, I chatted with Craig’s dad pre-show. He told me the Idols were very busy this week, what with learning two songs, group numbers… AND THE NEW 2006 IDOL SINGLE! I’m not sure if any “final” tracks were laid down, but certainly all four have seen the future and hope that it is theirs! Executive Producer John Brunton confirmed their busy schedule, adding that it included preparation for next week’s visit to New York.

Tonight, Sue Brophy warms up the audience with an energetic version of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” No one’s having more fun up there than Sue. In fact, at least one of these kids could learn from that.

At various points of the evening we found out that among us was American Idol 4’s final four contestant Anthony Federov, who’s growing his hair at a more normal length now, and figure skater supreme Brian Orser. Brian did NOT sing during a commercial like Emanuel Sandhu. What DID happen during a commercial, I’m saving that for the end.

OK, Enough preliminary stuff!

Series host Ben Mulroney welcomes us to the show. Referring to the voting, he tells us, “Last week, the margins were razor-thin.” I can believe that, from the last six contestants it’s been closer than in any previous season.

Ben moves on by bringing out tonight’s contestants to much applause. When I watch my tape they all seem to have equal support, but live, I think Eva has a clear margin. Maybe it’s the mannish suit?

Ben next introduces the judges and reminds us they were also in charge of the play-list. Scanning it, I think there’s some real strong efforts ahead. Ben asks the judges the now-traditional I.D.P.Q.s (Incredibly Deep Probing Questions). The first is for Jake, who is asked about the tug of war between playing to one’s strengths while still showing diversity. Jake says they picked songs to make the Idols look good, but challenge them nonetheless, and, “It was really important that the Canadian public saw what we saw in them when we first saw them.” Wow, read that one fast four times!

Asked how they picked the songs, Sass says there was a lot of negotiation. At least, I think that’s what she said, it did ramble into some strange Sass-isms after she accidentally called Ben “Zack.”

Ben asks Farley about the top four contestants, and he comments favourably on the diverse talents and styles that remain. Ben notes that every performer will sing two songs tonight and asks Zack about the importance of range and versatility. Zack tells us there’s no obscure songs here and “it’s all fantastic material. Tonight, either you put up… or it’s Ben Mulroney.”

Well, at least Jake’s reply was worthy.

Opening the show is Tyler Lewis, now the last representative of all points west of most everywhere. Jake feels this song represents what Tyler is about, and Farley agrees. Sass likes how “he taps into his emotional core.” Zack says, “He has great nature pipes and knows how to sell a lyric.” Back to Jake again, he notes that Tyler is encountering culture shock in Toronto but has retained his honesty. Does that mean he gives his quarters to panhandlers?

Tyler will sing Tom Cochrane’s “Big League,” a Juno Award winner that only took Tom fifteen minutes to write.

Jake: Jake likes the sentiment Tyler delivered but doesn’t think this was his best performance.

Sass: Sass thinks there’s a chance that one day, Tyler will be playing in the big leagues. Well, only if he skates better than he dances…

Farley: Farley notes he missed a couple of notes, “And they were big notes,” but likes the way he sold the song.

Zack: Zack says, “I was so prepared to go, “He shoots, he scores,” but unfortunately, you came out real flat in the third period.”

Brian: On the plus side, it is nice to see Tyler perform up-tempo without constantly riding an invisible horse. However, he’s not very fluid about the stage and vocally, the volume is low and unsteady at the start. Overall, the excitement of this song is lacking and he might be too young for this tune.

Finally, there are some truly nasty notes in there, not excluding the final big note. I do like the verse before that note, though. However, this is final four, you gotta be able to deliver the melody at this stage. If he doesn’t pick it up in half an hour, he ought to be at risk.

Our second performer is Chad Doucette. The judges like Chad’s charisma, that he is engaging, and that he has such a memorable voice. Sass wants him to go a little more up-tempo, while Jake likes his intensity. His number is “Hanging By A Moment,” from Lifehouse.

Sass: Sass says it shows that he likes that song. She says that when he stopped thinking about the song and let loose, “Chad rocked.”

Farley: Farley liked the transition as well and says, “I enjoyed that.”

Zack: Zack says, “I thought the first half, you looked “deer-in-the-headlights, raccoon-in-the-tree, but then the song opened up so you opened up.” He hopes Chad comes out bigger and better next time.

Jake: Jake says, “You delivered it, you did exactly what we thought you could do.”

Brian: Initially, ugh! Chad starts singing in a very low key, which we’ve already seen he doesn’t do with the greatest of volumes… it’s almost uncomfortable getting past the first four lines. The second verse starts off nowhere near the melody. I’m squirming in my seat at this point, it is really disconcerting.

However, when Chad gets to the meat and potatoes of the song and the Chad-isms come out, it’s right in his wheelhouse and much improved. I like it that besides singing to the camera he also sings to the balcony (not so evident on TV) and the band. However, he also needs to do better next time out.

During this commercial something nifty happens, but I’m going to save it for a little later in the article.