TV, eh?

From the Canadian Press:

• Sebastian Pigott jumps from ‘Idol’ fame to acting stint on ‘Being Erica’
  “Pigott popped up in the season premiere of the time-travelling series as an intriguing barista at Erica’s favoured cafe, but on Tuesday, his storyline takes off as his character reveals a musical side, and a charming ability to get under Erica’s skin.” Read more.

From Nick Patch at the Canadian Press:

• Mulroney suggests big ‘Idol’ changes
  “Canadian Idol host Ben Mulroney says he doesn’t know if the show will return for a seventh season – but if it does, he thinks producers should consider some drastic changes. ‘If it were up to me, I would really blow up the model,’ Mulroney said Tuesday in an interview.” Read more.

From Brian Towie of Metro Canada:

• Year of the Letdown
  “Disappointment hardly encapsulates a grim year when dross thrived and the axe fell on the righteous and wicked alike. Puerile Yankee knock-offs such as Project Runway Canada and So You Think You Can Dance Canada drew huge audiences despite cringe-inducing banter from Tré Armstrong and Leah Miller — whose saccharine anima won’t abandon my brain no matter how many times I envision a flaming school bus crashing into a room full of harp seal puppies.” Read more.

From Jeffrey Bento-Carrier of the New Brunswick Tribune:

• Canadian Idol may never return
  “Although CTV is downplaying any rumours of cancellation, its recent decision to hold off on the new season of Canadian Idol into 2010 does not bode well for the future of what was once the Great White North’s top show.” Read more.

From Joel Rubinoff of the Toronto Star:

• A broken Idol whose time had come
  “The homegrown series was canned because of creative bankruptcy, not cash flow problems.” Read more.

From Brad Frenette of the National Post:

• Five reality show franchises that should replace Canadian Idol
  “To fill the void in the breaking hearts of reality television fans across the country, allow me to present five franchises that someone really should bring to Canadian television (Global, call me – I’m in the directory!)” Read more.

From Murtz Jaffer in the National Post:

• Canadian Idol cancelled for 2009
  “The official word on Canadian Idol is in and you will not be seeing it in 2009. ” Read more.

From BBM Canada, Canadian Idol at #2 and 4 (1.467 million, 1.377 million), Flashpoint at #6 (1.289 million):

• Top Programs – Total Canada

From BBM Canada, Canadian Idol at #3 and 7 (1.334 million, 1.157 million), Test the Nation at #14 (912,000), Flashpoint rerun at #18 (861,000):

• Top Programs – Total Canada

From CTV:

• Theo Tams will ‘Sing’ as the next Canadian Idol!
  “The 23-year-old music student from Lethbridge, Alta., was crowned the winner on Wednesday night’s star-studded finale, beating out Mitch MacDonald, a 22-year-old carpenter and musician from Port Hood, N.S., after four million votes were cast.” Read more.

From a media release:

Tickets Go On Sale Tonight for Top 3 Tour Beginning November 9

• Top 3 Canadian Idol finalists Mitch McDonald, Theo Tams and Drew Wright will be joined by other Top 10 finalists in select cities across Canada in 26-date national concert tour

You’ve seen them on TV. Now you can see them live. CTV today announced that Canadian Idol’s final three competitors will head out on a 26-date, cross-country concert tour this fall. Beginning November 9, Top 3 finalists Mitch McDonald, Theo Tams and Drew Wright will hit the road for the second annual Canadian Idol Top 3 Tour. Last year’s inaugural tour sold out across Canada, and this year’s concerts are destined to be bigger and better than ever.

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From a media release:

Canadian Idol Puts Prison Break Behind Bars with 1.5 Million Viewers

With one night to go before the winner is revealed, Canadian Idol is hitting all the right notes. Last night’s final performance episode was the No. 1 program on Canadian television last night with an audience of 1.5 million, delivering 50% more viewers than the new FOX/Global simulcast of Prison Break (978,000, down 22%) at 9 p.m. ET.

The penultimate episode, which featured Top 2 finalists Theo Tams and Mitch MacDonald duking it out for the championship, was watched in whole or in part by more than 2.6 million Canadians and peaked at 1.65 million viewers in its second half hour. Canadian Idol was also the most-watched program of the day in the key advertising demo Adults 25-54 with 657,000 viewers, besting Prison Break by 11% (592,000, down 22%).

Source: Preliminary overnight data, CTV Total, Global Total (BBM Nielsen Media Research).

From Lindsey Ward of Sun Media:

• Idol winner still a toss-up
  “East or West? Blond or brunette? Piano or guitar? When it comes to choosing this year’s Canadian Idol, it’s all a matter of personal preferences.” Read more.

From Melanie Patten of the Canadian Press:

• Canadian Idol finalists: optimistic for their careers
  “Most of 2008 is a blur for Mitch MacDonald and Theo Tams, but life isn’t bound to get any less hectic as they prepare to square off for the final time on Canadian Idol.” Read more.

From BBM Canada, Canadian Idol at #1 (1.269 million) and 4 (1.110 million), Flashpoint rerun at #11 (920,000):

• Top Programs – Total Canada

From Lindsey Ward of Sun Media:

• Final ‘Canadian Idol’ face off
  “That’s right — it’s time for the sixth annual Canadian Idol crowning. On Monday, Nova Scotia’s Mitch MacDonald and Alberta’s Theo Tams will have one last chance to sing for your votes, and the CTV sing-off’s final results will be unveiled during a two-hour season finale on Wednesday — which will feature performances by Mariah Carey, John Legend, Idol alum Jacob Hoggard’s band Hedley, last year’s forgotten Idol Brian Melo, Idol mentor Jully Black, and the songsters from this year’s Top 10 whose names have already slipped my mind.” Read more.

From a media release:

Canadian Idol Top 10 Reunite to Perform Live in an Exclusive Concert on Canada AM, Friday, September 5 on CTV

Five days before the newest Canadian Idol is announced to Canada, the Top 10 Idol finalists will reunite for an exclusive live concert on Canada AM this Friday, September 5 from 8 to 9 a.m. ET on CTV.

The Top 10 will perform hit songs from throughout Season 6 followed by Top 2 finalists Mitch MacDonald and Theo Tams each performing one of their favourite solo numbers from the show.

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From Sarah Miller of the National Post:

• Canadian Idol: season six report card
  “The sixth season of Idol saw the program try a lot of new features, but keep very little of them. It also introduced Jully Black as the show’s new “cast member” and once again proved that while girls may rule American Idol, it’s the guys who rock Canadian Idol.” Read more.

From a media release:

Mitch MacDonald and Theo Tams to Battle for Title of 2008 Canadian Idol

It’s East versus West. With only eight days to go before the next Canadian Idol winner is crowned, it was revealed live on CTV tonight that Mitch MacDonald and Theo Tams will battle to become the next Canadian Idol. Collingwood, Ontario’s Drew Wright was eliminated from the competition after the 28-year-old Musician and House Painter received the fewest of close to four million votes cast following Monday’s performance episode featuring the songs of Canadian legend Bryan Adams.

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From BBM Canada, Flashpoint at #4 (1.177 million), Canadian Idol at #5 and 10 (1.128 million and 952,000):

• Top Programs – Total Canada