— Kalan Porter, Theresa Sokyrka and Hedley confirmed to play Idol stage —
Canadian Idol will devote a special episode to the music of Canadian pop icons Barenaked Ladies, CTV announced today. As Canadian Idol gains momentum heading towards its finale in less than a month, CTV revealed the themes and guest stars for the remaining episodes of the hit series. In addition to the salute to the Barenaked Ladies (Sept. 6/7), additional themes include the Music of Elvis Presley (August 30/31) and next week’s tribute to Burton Cummings and The Guess Who (August 23/24). The live, two-hour Canadian Idol finale is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.
With just four weeks and five competitors left, Canada’s summertime obsession is heating up. This week’s Canadian Idol performance episode was the most-watched yet, with an audience of over 2.3 million. A season-high 3.3 million votes were received, pacing at 12 per cent higher than last season. Canadian Idol remains Canada’s most-watched television show.*
The remaining episodic themes are:
Tribute to Burton Cummings and The Guess Who, August 23 and 24
The Canadian Idol Top Five pay tribute to Canada’s greatest rock and roll band ever, The Guess Who. The songbook features classics from Burton Cummings and The Guess Who including “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” “No Sugar Tonight,” “Timeless Love,” and “My Own Way to Rock.”
The Music of Elvis Presley, August 30 and 31
Next weekend, the Canadian Idol Top Four travel to Graceland to visit one of the most sacred shrines in music in preparation for the following week’s Elvis homage. While in Memphis, the Final Four will also rehearse and workshop at the legendary Sun Studio, the birthplace of Rock and Roll. on Tuesday, they perform two songs each by The King. on Wednesday’s Results Show (Aug. 31), Canadian Idol runner-up Theresa Sokyrka makes a special guest appearance and performs a song from her Gold-selling debut CD These Old Charms.
Salute to Barenaked Ladies, Sept. 6 and 7
With sales of over 10 million CDs around the world, Barenaked Ladies are true Canadian idols. Now, after work-shopping with the Juno-winning and Grammy -nominated quintet, the Top Three perform two songs each from BNL’s extensive songbook. on Wednesday’s Results Show (Sept. 7), Season Two Top Three finalist Jacob Hoggard and his band Hedley perform their new single “On My Own,” which recently entered Nielsen’s SoundScan Singles Chart at Number one. Hedley’s self-titled debut CD is released Sept. 6.
Grand Finale, Sept. 13 and 14
In the first half of Canadian Idol’s two-part grand finale, the Top Two have one last chance to sing their case to the nation. Each finalist will sing their version of the new Canadian Idol single (to be released Sept. 15) as well as two other songs. Later that night, Canadians vote for the next Canadian Idol. on Wednesday’s live Grand Finale (Sept. 14), the Canadian Idol Top 10 return to the stage for two hours of celebration leading up to the big moment. Last year’s champion, the double platinum-selling Kalan Porter, takes a break from his non-stop touring schedule to perform once again on the Canadian Idol stage.
Canadian Idol airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. on CTV.
Tickets to Canadian Idol’s live performance and results shows are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by telephone (check local listings). Tickets go on sale at 12 noon on the Tuesday prior to the next week’s shows and sell out quickly. Rush tickets are also available to the most enthusiastic fans showing up at the John Bassett Theatre two hours before show time. Visit idol.ctv.ca for more information.
Canadian Idol was created by Simon Fuller and is produced in association with CTV by Insight Productions, along with Atlantic Canada-based Rink Rat Productions and Alberta-based Aquila Productions. John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby are Executive Producers. Mark Lysakowski is Supervising Producer. Senior Producer is Sue Brophey. Jane Rimer is Executive Consultant for FremantleMedia. Regional Producer is Mary Sexton. Rick Lewchuk is Senior Vice-President, Program Planning and Promotion, CTV Inc. Ed Robinson is Senior Vice-President, Comedy, Variety and Talk, CTV Inc. Susanne Boyce is CTV President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group.