Citation :Sharpe, Avila will race to finish line as friends in competition
Sharpe, Avila will race to finish line as friends in competition
By TIM ARSENAULT
Newfoundland’s Craig Sharpe is on the verge of establishing a new pinnacle in Rock music.
The 16-year-old Canadian Idol finalist from Upper Island Cove has already done as well as fellow Newfoundlander Rex Goudie, last season’s runner-up in the CTV singing contest.
With a little encouragement from the veteran, Sharpe is preparing for Monday’s final performance episode of the season.
"Rex’s advice that he’s been giving me for a long time now is just be yourself. That’s it. Rex came this far and he knows exactly what I’m going through here. He’s really supportive," said Sharpe during a conference call from Toronto with media.
"He’s really down to earth, too. Nothing has changed about Rex, I don’t think."
Sharpe sounds intent on keeping his feet on the ground, too. He said that making it from the first show of the season to the last without being eliminated has been a rewarding experience.
"I think that I’ve grown a nice bit since I’ve been in the competition, not only performance-wise but maturing. I’m learning so much about the music business and performing on stage. It’s really good experience for when I leave the competition for my career ahead of me, hopefully."
The perks of making Idol’s Top 10 include several one-on-one tutorials with celebrity guests. Sharpe said those sessions will have a lasting impact.
"It’s awesome just to get to work with Tony Bennett and all of the rest of them. It’s just a blessing for me. Everything that they’ve taught me so far and all the advice they’ve given me will help me through the years now. It’s priceless. It really is."
Another benefit to making the cut on Idol is the chance to forge relationships that could last a lifetime. For example, instead of becoming bitter rivals, Sharpe and 18-year-old Chad Doucette of East Chezzetcook became pals in the Idol mansion.
"Me and Chad were really good friends in the competition. For all of the Top 10 that we had, I don’t think there had been any ruckus between any of us.
"Living together, you’d think you’d get a little fight on the go but that never happened. We were all best friends and we all can’t wait for each other to come back for the finale."
Sharpe even has fond words for Gatineau, Quebec’s Eva Avila, his 19-year-old companion in the Top Two.
"Eva’s amazing. We’re both different. Eva can do things that I can’t do. There’s some things I can do that Eva can’t because we have such different styles of music. She’s more an R and B kind of feel and I’m pop."
Avila — ho had been working as a postal clerk before the contest began — echoed the friendly sentiment during a separate conference call, calling Sharpe more of a family member than a competitor.
"He’s the most fun person I’ve ever met. I think he’s the funniest guy. He’s just so full of energy and he’s so hilarious and we have the best time together. It’s like we’re brother and sister, actually. It does not feel like a competition. It just feels like we’re putting on a real kick-butt show together."
But it’s a show with a guaranteed recording contract waiting for the winner (and probably for the "loser," for that matter). So both finalists are knuckling down to present themselves in the best light.
"I’m just going to work really hard these last couple of days because this is my last shot. I really want to win but I’m just going to try to get my songs down pat," said Sharpe.
"The pressure’s on. There can only be one winner. I want to win. Eva wants to win. . . . I put pressure on myself all the time but I’m going to try to let loose and not be nervous this week."
Avila, a favourite of the judging panel for her more advanced performances, said she was trying to use the pressure as motivation.
"I think I’m a lot stronger than I used to think. It’s been so much pressure and hard work but it’s so worth it. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster but I’m getting through it and I’m not even feeling tired. I just love it and I’m having the time of my life. I just have so much willpower and passion and I’m just really happy with myself," said Avila.
"When I perform I just try to get lost in the moment. I try to not think about anything else but the song and I try to be as connected to it as I can. If that comes off as being graceful and poised, I’m so flattered that I can come across (that way).
"I try to feel the lyrics and convey a certain emotion. I want people to feel what I’m feeling. I’m just trying to be as relaxed and as devoted to the song as I possibly can."
Both contestants were prohibited from revealing what they’ll be singing on Monday but it is known that both will be doing versions of Meant to Fly, the song that will be the winner’s first release to radio stations.
The final vote-worthy performances will be delivered on Monday at 9 p.m. The results won’t be revealed until the following Sunday at 8 p.m.
source
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Entertainment/527170.html
La grande finale du 17 septembre
Citation :A Star Is Born
Oh, the pressure as Quebec singer prepares to shoot for the moon in final of Canadian Idol
BERNARD PERUSSE
The Gazette
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Even if you've never spoken to Eva Avila, you get the sense that the cheery-sounding voice at the other end of the phone usually runs at many miles a minute - and that it's now approaching the speed of light. But how laid-back would you sound if you were one of two Canadian Idol finalists still standing, and it was down to either you or 16-year-old Craig Sharpe going home in eight days with a serious jumpstart on a career?
That's pressure. Even non-followers of Idol can't seem to stand the suspense. And try adding what the 19-year-old singer from Gatineau has already been through. Less than three months ago, she was still working as a postal clerk at Les Galeries de Hull. This week, a typical day involved workshopping songs for the next show, filming promo shots for CTV, press interviews and photo shoots. Thursday, she faced a phalanx of gushing media reps in a conference call. Tomorrow, there will be a camera rehearsal, soundchecks, wardrobe fittings and makeup to contend with.
"I don't know how I do it, actually," Avila told The Gazette. "This is so much hard work and pressure to take - but, at the same time, it's just the best adventure, the best experience of my life. It's so worth it, because this is exactly in the middle of the world I want to be in. And it's only the beginning, if you think about it - even though the show is almost over. This is only a glimpse of the big machine that is showbiz."
For some viewers, Avila's potential took a quantum leap in the season's most recent shows. Granted, she's not a total novice. She won the Jeune Diva du Quebec contest in 2004 and sang on the same bill as Andree Watters and Nanette Workman in Gatineau's Hot Air Balloon Festival the same year. Still, this is almost household-name big time, and she knows it.
"Week after week, I'm getting more and more comfortable on the stage. I've done TV shows before. I've performed in front of thousands of people," she said. "But this is such a different vibe. You're performing for millions of people across Canada, and you're being judged by them."
Which is certainly one reason not to expect gossipy tales of romance in the Idol mansion. Forget it. It's a brother-sister/best-friend type of thing, Avila said. Planning to pry for dark moments or self-doubt, then? Don't bother. Most of Avila's answers have a clear keeping-her-eye-on-the-ball theme. There's no room for self-doubt - and that's probably part of what brought Avila to this point. A sense of destiny, in fact, seems to be precisely what gets her through this madness.
"I always remind myself that I never had a doubt that this is what I want to do for a career. I just remind myself, 'Eva, this is your dream. You can't screw it up. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.' I talk to myself a lot, in my head," she said. "And I keep thinking about everybody who supports me and how happy I'm making them by doing this, so just everything is right. I feel like this is all meant to be, so I just keep reminding myself that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be."
With that kind of attitude, does it really matter whether she wins on Sunday, Sept. 17? You don't have to be an Idolmaniac to see future stardom - one way or another - in her onstage charm and poise or the phrasing of her vocals on the Billie Holiday classic God Bless the Child. And as a francophone artist, the sky's the limit in Quebec.
The question hanging in the air, however, is what the music industry will do with her. It's not exactly daring to suggest that when the corporate machine gets working, artistry is often the first victim. But Avila clearly isn't worried about that, either. The Canadian Idol winner gets a recording deal with Sony BMG, and the singer predicted that if she wins, the label will "get" her style. "They know what kind of voice I have. They know what kind of music I want to put out there. So I'm not worried a bit," she said.
Hip-hop, soul and rhythm and blues, with a Latin flavour, would be the main ingredients of the first album, she said.
"My Peruvian background is very important to me, so I would love to include instrumental elements, like a Spanish guitar or a flute. If I could throw a couple of Spanish songs on my album, I would be delighted - and French, of course. It's my first language."
The mix wouldn't be too far from the sound of her idol, Nelly Furtado, she said.
"When she came out with I'm Like a Bird, I was 13," Avila said. "I was doing shows at my school and I was opening shows and contests. I was trying to make my way into show business and I was trying to take that plunge into the industry - and when I heard her first album, I think my heart stopped. It was, like, 'This is what I want to do. This girl is everything I want to be as a performer, as an artist.' "
Destiny again. Uncertainty is not welcome, nor should it be.
"Of course, I think about the future," Avila acknowledged. Fears? Well, yes, but not the dark kind that keep us awake at night. "My biggest fear is to have some sort of regrets - to walk away from here saying, 'I didn't give my best performances. I didn't give it my all.' But right now, I've done my best so far," she said.
"I'm just scared that I'll feel like I haven't given my 150 per cent. That's what I'm going to try to do on the finale. I'm going to perform like there's no tomorrow."
Eva Avila and Craig Sharpe have their final sing-off on Canadian Idol Monday at 8 p.m. on CTV. The winner will be crowned during the 90-minute season finale Sunday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.
source:
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/n ... c5905a3f54
Oh, the pressure as Quebec singer prepares to shoot for the moon in final of Canadian Idol
BERNARD PERUSSE
The Gazette
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Even if you've never spoken to Eva Avila, you get the sense that the cheery-sounding voice at the other end of the phone usually runs at many miles a minute - and that it's now approaching the speed of light. But how laid-back would you sound if you were one of two Canadian Idol finalists still standing, and it was down to either you or 16-year-old Craig Sharpe going home in eight days with a serious jumpstart on a career?
That's pressure. Even non-followers of Idol can't seem to stand the suspense. And try adding what the 19-year-old singer from Gatineau has already been through. Less than three months ago, she was still working as a postal clerk at Les Galeries de Hull. This week, a typical day involved workshopping songs for the next show, filming promo shots for CTV, press interviews and photo shoots. Thursday, she faced a phalanx of gushing media reps in a conference call. Tomorrow, there will be a camera rehearsal, soundchecks, wardrobe fittings and makeup to contend with.
"I don't know how I do it, actually," Avila told The Gazette. "This is so much hard work and pressure to take - but, at the same time, it's just the best adventure, the best experience of my life. It's so worth it, because this is exactly in the middle of the world I want to be in. And it's only the beginning, if you think about it - even though the show is almost over. This is only a glimpse of the big machine that is showbiz."
For some viewers, Avila's potential took a quantum leap in the season's most recent shows. Granted, she's not a total novice. She won the Jeune Diva du Quebec contest in 2004 and sang on the same bill as Andree Watters and Nanette Workman in Gatineau's Hot Air Balloon Festival the same year. Still, this is almost household-name big time, and she knows it.
"Week after week, I'm getting more and more comfortable on the stage. I've done TV shows before. I've performed in front of thousands of people," she said. "But this is such a different vibe. You're performing for millions of people across Canada, and you're being judged by them."
Which is certainly one reason not to expect gossipy tales of romance in the Idol mansion. Forget it. It's a brother-sister/best-friend type of thing, Avila said. Planning to pry for dark moments or self-doubt, then? Don't bother. Most of Avila's answers have a clear keeping-her-eye-on-the-ball theme. There's no room for self-doubt - and that's probably part of what brought Avila to this point. A sense of destiny, in fact, seems to be precisely what gets her through this madness.
"I always remind myself that I never had a doubt that this is what I want to do for a career. I just remind myself, 'Eva, this is your dream. You can't screw it up. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.' I talk to myself a lot, in my head," she said. "And I keep thinking about everybody who supports me and how happy I'm making them by doing this, so just everything is right. I feel like this is all meant to be, so I just keep reminding myself that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be."
With that kind of attitude, does it really matter whether she wins on Sunday, Sept. 17? You don't have to be an Idolmaniac to see future stardom - one way or another - in her onstage charm and poise or the phrasing of her vocals on the Billie Holiday classic God Bless the Child. And as a francophone artist, the sky's the limit in Quebec.
The question hanging in the air, however, is what the music industry will do with her. It's not exactly daring to suggest that when the corporate machine gets working, artistry is often the first victim. But Avila clearly isn't worried about that, either. The Canadian Idol winner gets a recording deal with Sony BMG, and the singer predicted that if she wins, the label will "get" her style. "They know what kind of voice I have. They know what kind of music I want to put out there. So I'm not worried a bit," she said.
Hip-hop, soul and rhythm and blues, with a Latin flavour, would be the main ingredients of the first album, she said.
"My Peruvian background is very important to me, so I would love to include instrumental elements, like a Spanish guitar or a flute. If I could throw a couple of Spanish songs on my album, I would be delighted - and French, of course. It's my first language."
The mix wouldn't be too far from the sound of her idol, Nelly Furtado, she said.
"When she came out with I'm Like a Bird, I was 13," Avila said. "I was doing shows at my school and I was opening shows and contests. I was trying to make my way into show business and I was trying to take that plunge into the industry - and when I heard her first album, I think my heart stopped. It was, like, 'This is what I want to do. This girl is everything I want to be as a performer, as an artist.' "
Destiny again. Uncertainty is not welcome, nor should it be.
"Of course, I think about the future," Avila acknowledged. Fears? Well, yes, but not the dark kind that keep us awake at night. "My biggest fear is to have some sort of regrets - to walk away from here saying, 'I didn't give my best performances. I didn't give it my all.' But right now, I've done my best so far," she said.
"I'm just scared that I'll feel like I haven't given my 150 per cent. That's what I'm going to try to do on the finale. I'm going to perform like there's no tomorrow."
Eva Avila and Craig Sharpe have their final sing-off on Canadian Idol Monday at 8 p.m. on CTV. The winner will be crowned during the 90-minute season finale Sunday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.
source:
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/n ... c5905a3f54
JOYEUX NOEL ET BONNE ANNÉE 2009!!!!
Citation :SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 - 14:38 ET
Western Canada Determines Canadian Idol Outcome as Champ Wins by Just 3% in Closest Race Ever; Winner Announced Sunday on CTV
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Sept. 14, 2006) - Is it Craig or Eva? This year's Canadian Idol champion has won by a nose in the closest vote ever, CTV announced today as preparations continue for this Sunday's blockbuster season finale. With three days still to go before the winner is revealed, CTV is taking advantage of the opportunity to reveal voting data from Monday's final vote that demonstrates it's a horserace like never before. And unlike most federal elections, the West, for once, has had the final say, playing king-maker - or queen-maker - in Canada's biggest popular vote this year.
By the time the eastern voting window closed at 11 p.m. EDT following Canadian Idol's final performance episode on Monday, votes for Top 2 competitors Eva Avila and Craig Sharpe had resulted in a virtual tie. It was votes from Western Canada during the second voting window that determined the winner, with Sunday's eventual champ edging out the runner-up by only 131,000 votes out of a total of nearly four million cast, a margin of just 3.3 per cent. The identity of the winner still remains a closely-guarded secret, secured in a sealed envelope under lock and key until Sunday night's show.
After 12,173 auditions, 31 episodes and 36,354,969 votes, it's down to just two competitors as summer's most-watched television program comes to a close in a performance-packed, 90-minute season finale this Sunday, September 17 at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings) on CTV. The fate of Top 2 finalists Eva Avila, 19, from Gatineau, QC and Craig Sharpe, 16, from Upper Island Cove, NL will be revealed at the conclusion of Sunday's show, but before that, CTV presents a non-stop musical celebration of Canada's favourite TV series. Avila and Sharpe will be reunited with the remaining eight finalists from the Top 10, who return to the Canadian Idol stage for several group numbers.
source:
http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/release ... For=612100
Western Canada Determines Canadian Idol Outcome as Champ Wins by Just 3% in Closest Race Ever; Winner Announced Sunday on CTV
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Sept. 14, 2006) - Is it Craig or Eva? This year's Canadian Idol champion has won by a nose in the closest vote ever, CTV announced today as preparations continue for this Sunday's blockbuster season finale. With three days still to go before the winner is revealed, CTV is taking advantage of the opportunity to reveal voting data from Monday's final vote that demonstrates it's a horserace like never before. And unlike most federal elections, the West, for once, has had the final say, playing king-maker - or queen-maker - in Canada's biggest popular vote this year.
By the time the eastern voting window closed at 11 p.m. EDT following Canadian Idol's final performance episode on Monday, votes for Top 2 competitors Eva Avila and Craig Sharpe had resulted in a virtual tie. It was votes from Western Canada during the second voting window that determined the winner, with Sunday's eventual champ edging out the runner-up by only 131,000 votes out of a total of nearly four million cast, a margin of just 3.3 per cent. The identity of the winner still remains a closely-guarded secret, secured in a sealed envelope under lock and key until Sunday night's show.
After 12,173 auditions, 31 episodes and 36,354,969 votes, it's down to just two competitors as summer's most-watched television program comes to a close in a performance-packed, 90-minute season finale this Sunday, September 17 at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings) on CTV. The fate of Top 2 finalists Eva Avila, 19, from Gatineau, QC and Craig Sharpe, 16, from Upper Island Cove, NL will be revealed at the conclusion of Sunday's show, but before that, CTV presents a non-stop musical celebration of Canada's favourite TV series. Avila and Sharpe will be reunited with the remaining eight finalists from the Top 10, who return to the Canadian Idol stage for several group numbers.
source:
http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/release ... For=612100
JOYEUX NOEL ET BONNE ANNÉE 2009!!!!
Arg je viens de lire ca et je crois que je vais faire une crise cardiaque! Pour les non-anglophones. Ca dit juste qu'il y a que 3% de votes qui separent le gagnant du "runner-up". Donc le gagnant a seulement 131 000 votes de plus que celui qui va finir 2e.
En fait ils disent que c'est l'ouest du pays qui a fait la différence dans les votes. Car dans l'est (Québec, maritimes) c'était pratiquement égal.
Je me peut plus d'attendre ainsi!
En fait ils disent que c'est l'ouest du pays qui a fait la différence dans les votes. Car dans l'est (Québec, maritimes) c'était pratiquement égal.
Je me peut plus d'attendre ainsi!
Ninty a écritArg je viens de lire ca et je crois que je vais faire une crise cardiaque! Pour les non-anglophones. Ca dit juste qu'il y a que 3% de votes qui separent le gagnant du "runner-up". Donc le gagnant a seulement 131 000 votes de plus que celui qui va finir 2e.
En fait ils disent que c'est l'ouest du pays qui a fait la différence dans les votes. Car dans l'est (Québec, maritimes) c'était pratiquement égal.
Je me peut plus d'attendre ainsi!
très bien résumé!
En fait ils disent que c'est l'ouest du pays qui a fait la différence dans les votes. Car dans l'est (Québec, maritimes) c'était pratiquement égal.
Je me peut plus d'attendre ainsi!
très bien résumé!
JOYEUX NOEL ET BONNE ANNÉE 2009!!!!
felix a écritsur le forum de CI
Citation : Who is the next canadian idol ?
Craig 128 51.00%
Eva 123 49.00%
Total: 251 votes
2% de différence en faveur de Craig....
Moi je dis que ça ne veut rien dire du tout. Seulement 251 personnes ont répondu à ce sondage, ce qui représente un très très mais très faible taux de participation si l'on considère qu'il y a des milliers de votes qui ont été comptabilisés lundi dernier! à moins que j'interprète mal les données ci-dessus, je ne crois pas qu'on doive même sans préoccuper. À mon humble avis, Eva a autant de chance que Craig, sinon plus, d'être gagnante!. Mais je suis d'accord avec vous sur une chose, c'est que c'est bien trop long d'attendre six jours avant de dévoiler les résultats!
Citation : Who is the next canadian idol ?
Craig 128 51.00%
Eva 123 49.00%
Total: 251 votes
2% de différence en faveur de Craig....
Moi je dis que ça ne veut rien dire du tout. Seulement 251 personnes ont répondu à ce sondage, ce qui représente un très très mais très faible taux de participation si l'on considère qu'il y a des milliers de votes qui ont été comptabilisés lundi dernier! à moins que j'interprète mal les données ci-dessus, je ne crois pas qu'on doive même sans préoccuper. À mon humble avis, Eva a autant de chance que Craig, sinon plus, d'être gagnante!. Mais je suis d'accord avec vous sur une chose, c'est que c'est bien trop long d'attendre six jours avant de dévoiler les résultats!
Citation :Rejected 'Idols' pick their faves
By LINDSEY WARD -- Winnipeg Sun
Rob James.
Rob James has no choice but to sit back and watch Craig Sharpe or Eva Avila claim the Canadian Idol crown tomorrow. But don't expect to see him -- or fellow local contestants Jeremy Kozielec and Keith Macpherson -- slumped over all puppy dog-eyed because the coveted karoake crown is gone from their reach.
For one, James (and his fellow Top 10 castoffs) will get primetime facetime performing a number during the 90-minute CTV blowout on CKY Ch. 5 at 7 p.m. But what's really got the 28-year-old former half of pop duo McMaster & James lit up is his on-again love with his former flame.
"I made a pact with myself years ago that I would never give up on music and you know, I came dangerously close to that after (McMaster & James) saw their demise," says James from Toronto. "But you know, I think this experience has rekindled that fire and I can't see myself doing anything else -- at least for the next little while."
After being bounced from the Top 7 on Aug. 8, James -- the first 'Pegger to make the Top 10 -- tossed aside his fallback career plans to become a dental hygienist to concentrate on music, using what industry pros like Nelly Furtado, Supertramp's Rodger Hodgson and vocal coach Deborah Bird taught him on the show.
And where there's fire, there's smoke -- Big Smoke. James is settling in T.O. to write songs for a handful of artists and work on his solo album, set for release in the new year. He'll be back and forth between there and here to continue current projects as a producer and put on a thank-you concert for local Idol supporters in late October.
But first, it's time to put an end to this Idol madness. While uber-modest James jokes the show "couldn't possibly be the same without me," he's been keeping close watch on his sometime rivals-turned-pals.
"For me it's hard to not to watch it closely, having been so involved with both the show and the other finalists' lives. We're all pretty close. I talked to a few of them after the shows, found out how they felt and that sort of thing. It's a very unique experience."
And as we suspected, James isn't picking sides -- even though Newfoundland's Sharpe wasn't in his estimated Top 2.
"I had predicted a different final two. I had predicted Eva and Tyler (Lewis) in the final with Craig getting a close third, but I guess I missed the mark."
Fellow Winnipeg contender Kozielec -- eliminated from Idol's Top 22 on June 28 -- is less hesitant to spill his pick.
"Personally, I'm rooting for Eva," Koz says. "From the very start you could tell she's in a league of her own. She's got every single sort of thing a record company could want ... If for some reason she didn't win, I guarantee she'll have a bigger single than Craig."
Since being cut from the show, the musician-slash-aspiring actor's been crazy-busy working as an extra on the Winnipeg Beach set of Global's Falcon Beach, writing with his rock band Floor 13 and designing his own line of jackets.
Idol "kinda opened me up to a lot of things," he says.
Homeboy Keith Macpherson, cut from Idol two weeks after Koz, is also a member of Team Avila.
"I've always been a huge fan of what Eva's doing," Macpherson says from Toronto, where he played a gig with his folk-pop outfit Easily Amused. "I think she's got potential to be a star and a great singer. From what I remember of her -- she was my neighbour at the hotel -- she was so focused."
A work ethic is something she shares with Macpherson. The 27-year-old has a full calendar that includes rubbing noses with bigwigs at the film fest, gearing up for a handful of upcoming U.S. gigs, pre-producing Easily Amused's next album (due in March) with bandmate Renee Lamoureux -- and trying to avoid gas jockey-inflicted hospitalization.
"Yesterday I was filling up our van with gas and this guy came up and started singing one of the songs I sang on Idol," he says. "The gas attendant looked like he was going to beat us up."
Macpherson says many Idol fans have approached him on the streets since he left the show, but strangely enough, not a single soul will join him in front of the tube for tomorrow's finale.
"I'll be watching it in my home in River Heights, all by myself. So if anybody in Winnipeg's interested in coming over for a few beers and kicking back to watch the finale, I'm in."
source:
http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/09/16/1848427.html
By LINDSEY WARD -- Winnipeg Sun
Rob James.
Rob James has no choice but to sit back and watch Craig Sharpe or Eva Avila claim the Canadian Idol crown tomorrow. But don't expect to see him -- or fellow local contestants Jeremy Kozielec and Keith Macpherson -- slumped over all puppy dog-eyed because the coveted karoake crown is gone from their reach.
For one, James (and his fellow Top 10 castoffs) will get primetime facetime performing a number during the 90-minute CTV blowout on CKY Ch. 5 at 7 p.m. But what's really got the 28-year-old former half of pop duo McMaster & James lit up is his on-again love with his former flame.
"I made a pact with myself years ago that I would never give up on music and you know, I came dangerously close to that after (McMaster & James) saw their demise," says James from Toronto. "But you know, I think this experience has rekindled that fire and I can't see myself doing anything else -- at least for the next little while."
After being bounced from the Top 7 on Aug. 8, James -- the first 'Pegger to make the Top 10 -- tossed aside his fallback career plans to become a dental hygienist to concentrate on music, using what industry pros like Nelly Furtado, Supertramp's Rodger Hodgson and vocal coach Deborah Bird taught him on the show.
And where there's fire, there's smoke -- Big Smoke. James is settling in T.O. to write songs for a handful of artists and work on his solo album, set for release in the new year. He'll be back and forth between there and here to continue current projects as a producer and put on a thank-you concert for local Idol supporters in late October.
But first, it's time to put an end to this Idol madness. While uber-modest James jokes the show "couldn't possibly be the same without me," he's been keeping close watch on his sometime rivals-turned-pals.
"For me it's hard to not to watch it closely, having been so involved with both the show and the other finalists' lives. We're all pretty close. I talked to a few of them after the shows, found out how they felt and that sort of thing. It's a very unique experience."
And as we suspected, James isn't picking sides -- even though Newfoundland's Sharpe wasn't in his estimated Top 2.
"I had predicted a different final two. I had predicted Eva and Tyler (Lewis) in the final with Craig getting a close third, but I guess I missed the mark."
Fellow Winnipeg contender Kozielec -- eliminated from Idol's Top 22 on June 28 -- is less hesitant to spill his pick.
"Personally, I'm rooting for Eva," Koz says. "From the very start you could tell she's in a league of her own. She's got every single sort of thing a record company could want ... If for some reason she didn't win, I guarantee she'll have a bigger single than Craig."
Since being cut from the show, the musician-slash-aspiring actor's been crazy-busy working as an extra on the Winnipeg Beach set of Global's Falcon Beach, writing with his rock band Floor 13 and designing his own line of jackets.
Idol "kinda opened me up to a lot of things," he says.
Homeboy Keith Macpherson, cut from Idol two weeks after Koz, is also a member of Team Avila.
"I've always been a huge fan of what Eva's doing," Macpherson says from Toronto, where he played a gig with his folk-pop outfit Easily Amused. "I think she's got potential to be a star and a great singer. From what I remember of her -- she was my neighbour at the hotel -- she was so focused."
A work ethic is something she shares with Macpherson. The 27-year-old has a full calendar that includes rubbing noses with bigwigs at the film fest, gearing up for a handful of upcoming U.S. gigs, pre-producing Easily Amused's next album (due in March) with bandmate Renee Lamoureux -- and trying to avoid gas jockey-inflicted hospitalization.
"Yesterday I was filling up our van with gas and this guy came up and started singing one of the songs I sang on Idol," he says. "The gas attendant looked like he was going to beat us up."
Macpherson says many Idol fans have approached him on the streets since he left the show, but strangely enough, not a single soul will join him in front of the tube for tomorrow's finale.
"I'll be watching it in my home in River Heights, all by myself. So if anybody in Winnipeg's interested in coming over for a few beers and kicking back to watch the finale, I'm in."
source:
http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/09/16/1848427.html
JOYEUX NOEL ET BONNE ANNÉE 2009!!!!
Citation :'Idol' to crown champ Sunday
By CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI
TORONTO (CP) - For nearly a full week, the identity of the country's next Canadian Idol has remained sealed in an envelope under lock and key.
But on Sunday, fans finally learn whether it's the dimpled pop crooner Craig Sharpe or soul diva Eva Avila who's won the coveted title that brings a guaranteed record deal and blanket publicity.
The excitement of finally knowing will be overwhelming, 19-year-old Avila predicted after her last performance Monday.
"When that moment comes, that particular second when me and Craig are going to be on stage, holding hands and waiting for (host) Ben (Mulroney) to say The next Canadian Idol is,' da-dum-dum, I don't know how I'm going to feel," said a giddy Avila.
"I think I'm going to have a heart attack."
Sharpe, 16, said he's let go of trying to steel himself for possible disappointment or elation upon hearing Canada's verdict, choosing to let fate take its course.
"Whether you prepare yourself or not, if you're not meant to win you're not going to win," said Sharpe, who admits he's voted for himself about six times throughout the whole competition.
"If I don't win, be happy for Eva. If Eva don't win, you know, she'll be happy for me. That's the kind of relationship we both have."
"Whatever happens we're going to be happy for each other, anyway."
Idol officials say just 131,000 votes separate the pair - a margin of just three per cent from the nearly four million votes cast - and that the race was ultimately determined by voters in western Canada.
Sharpe and Avila were at a virtual tie when voting closed at 11 p.m. ET following their last performance Monday.
The new champ will be revealed in a 90-minute live broadcast Sunday that will feature the return of the eight other Top 10 finalists, chart-topper Nelly Furtado and last year's Idol winner, Melissa O'Neil.
Massive parties will meanwhile take over each teen's hometowns.
The vice principal of Sharpe's elementary school says the people of Upper Island Cove, N.L. will invade the town community centre with several bands and a six-metre projection screen.
"It holds a thousand and we're going to fill it to the rafters," said David Osborne. "We're going to party."
Osborne said the entire community has been consumed by Sharpe's steady ascension to the Top 2.
"This is the only topic of conversation - it's a small town of 1,650," he said. "They actually argue over how good he is."
Premier Danny Williams, meanwhile, will be in the studio audience at Sunday's show.
Over in Gatineau, Que., everyone's talking about Avila, said Mayor Marc Bureau.
"In Gatineau everywhere, and the province of Quebec, too," said Bureau, adding that a huge celebration is planned at city hall. "In every shopping centre, she's very popular."
Suzanne Gougeon says watching her daughter go through the competition week after week has been emotionally exhausting.
"I'm just holding my breath for her," said Gougeon. "I'm not nervous about her performance, I'm just feeling her emotion because, from a mother, I guess, the umbilical cord is there and it just goes right into my stomach and I can feel her emotions and she makes me so proud."
Proud father Calvin Sharpe said he had a hard time putting into words the emotional roller-coaster he's been on.
"It's pretty stressful," said Sharpe, who expected up to 150 family and friends to attend the live taping with him in Toronto.
"But the way I see it now, Eva and Craig are both winners and without a doubt they're going to have probably amazing careers."
source:
http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/09/ ... 92-cp.html
By CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI
TORONTO (CP) - For nearly a full week, the identity of the country's next Canadian Idol has remained sealed in an envelope under lock and key.
But on Sunday, fans finally learn whether it's the dimpled pop crooner Craig Sharpe or soul diva Eva Avila who's won the coveted title that brings a guaranteed record deal and blanket publicity.
The excitement of finally knowing will be overwhelming, 19-year-old Avila predicted after her last performance Monday.
"When that moment comes, that particular second when me and Craig are going to be on stage, holding hands and waiting for (host) Ben (Mulroney) to say The next Canadian Idol is,' da-dum-dum, I don't know how I'm going to feel," said a giddy Avila.
"I think I'm going to have a heart attack."
Sharpe, 16, said he's let go of trying to steel himself for possible disappointment or elation upon hearing Canada's verdict, choosing to let fate take its course.
"Whether you prepare yourself or not, if you're not meant to win you're not going to win," said Sharpe, who admits he's voted for himself about six times throughout the whole competition.
"If I don't win, be happy for Eva. If Eva don't win, you know, she'll be happy for me. That's the kind of relationship we both have."
"Whatever happens we're going to be happy for each other, anyway."
Idol officials say just 131,000 votes separate the pair - a margin of just three per cent from the nearly four million votes cast - and that the race was ultimately determined by voters in western Canada.
Sharpe and Avila were at a virtual tie when voting closed at 11 p.m. ET following their last performance Monday.
The new champ will be revealed in a 90-minute live broadcast Sunday that will feature the return of the eight other Top 10 finalists, chart-topper Nelly Furtado and last year's Idol winner, Melissa O'Neil.
Massive parties will meanwhile take over each teen's hometowns.
The vice principal of Sharpe's elementary school says the people of Upper Island Cove, N.L. will invade the town community centre with several bands and a six-metre projection screen.
"It holds a thousand and we're going to fill it to the rafters," said David Osborne. "We're going to party."
Osborne said the entire community has been consumed by Sharpe's steady ascension to the Top 2.
"This is the only topic of conversation - it's a small town of 1,650," he said. "They actually argue over how good he is."
Premier Danny Williams, meanwhile, will be in the studio audience at Sunday's show.
Over in Gatineau, Que., everyone's talking about Avila, said Mayor Marc Bureau.
"In Gatineau everywhere, and the province of Quebec, too," said Bureau, adding that a huge celebration is planned at city hall. "In every shopping centre, she's very popular."
Suzanne Gougeon says watching her daughter go through the competition week after week has been emotionally exhausting.
"I'm just holding my breath for her," said Gougeon. "I'm not nervous about her performance, I'm just feeling her emotion because, from a mother, I guess, the umbilical cord is there and it just goes right into my stomach and I can feel her emotions and she makes me so proud."
Proud father Calvin Sharpe said he had a hard time putting into words the emotional roller-coaster he's been on.
"It's pretty stressful," said Sharpe, who expected up to 150 family and friends to attend the live taping with him in Toronto.
"But the way I see it now, Eva and Craig are both winners and without a doubt they're going to have probably amazing careers."
source:
http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/09/ ... 92-cp.html
JOYEUX NOEL ET BONNE ANNÉE 2009!!!!
toutit3 a écritcomment ca la soeur a mon chum vient de venir me dire : hey c la finale de canadian idol pis c....... qui a gagné...
c demain msemble non ?
Demain,ctv,19h.
Citation :Canadian Idol
Tomorrow: 7:00pm
The 2006 Canadian Idol will be crowned
source:
http://www.ctv.ca/programs
--Message edité par felix le 2006-09-16 20:44:21--
c demain msemble non ?
Demain,ctv,19h.
Citation :Canadian Idol
Tomorrow: 7:00pm
The 2006 Canadian Idol will be crowned
source:
http://www.ctv.ca/programs
--Message edité par felix le 2006-09-16 20:44:21--
JOYEUX NOEL ET BONNE ANNÉE 2009!!!!
