Tara Merrin of Sun Media reports on the new Idol rule, that contestants can play instruments:

• ‘Canadian Idol’ raising the bar
  “Judge Farley Flex says Canadian Idol is the first of the world’s countless Idol shows to encourage musical accompaniment. ‘We are absolutely the first, but I think others will follow. I personally think it is going to have an impact on the perspective people have on the winner, if the winner happens to be someone who does play (an instrument).'”

Vinay Menon of the Toronto Star interviews the judges:

• I asked. Idol’s judges answered
  “Viewer Alert: a new season of Canadian Idol is just hours away. How do I know this? Media advisories. Billboards. On-air promotion. Email from jaded spies. Recent nightmares. And the fact my cats are now barricaded in the basement, wearing earplugs while manically painting a wall mural that depicts Ben Mulroney as a whiskered Antichrist.”

Alex Strachan of CanWest Media interviews Judge Jake Gold:

• Canadian Idol dips into talent pool for another season
  “Jake Gold, Idol judge, music producer and artist manager — his clients include Gord Downie, Brian Byrne and Sass Jordan — insists that the untapped talent pool is not drying out, unlike in some countries.

From CTV:

8:30 p.m. – Canadian Idol – SEASON PREMIERE
Canada’s most watched summer series returns with a format change that has dramatically changed the game: instruments. The season begins with a 90-minute episode featuring the best and the worst auditions from Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Winnipeg, St. John’s and Halifax.