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All I Ever Wanted: The Final
Two -
September 10-11
Crunch time is upon us. This
week, Brian Melo and Jaydee Bixby compete to become this year's Canadian Idol,
so now, more than ever, it's time for them to bring it.
Earlier this week, to prepare
for this, the two of them paid a visit to New York for a mentoring session with
2 members of Bon Jovi! And one of the 3 songs that they'll each perform will
come from that band's songbook; they'll also each perform a song of their
choice, as well as this year's winner's single! After the judges' opening
comments, and an introduction to the finalists, we get to a brief bio of Bon
Jovi. They have sold over 120 million albums around the world, and they're
adding to that with their latest album, "Lost Highway"!
Alright, let's get things
started. The first round features songs from Bon Jovi, and let's see who's up
first... (We didn't see a coin toss like in American Idol to determine who
would choose the order, in case anyone is wondering.)
Jaydee Bixby
Age: 17
From: Drumheller, Alberta
Audition City: Calgary
Times in Bottom group since Top 10: 0
During his meeting with Jon Bon
Jovi and Richie Sambora, he was told that in time, he will need to find his own
voice and style. With that, we see Jaydee perform "Who Says You Can't Go
Home". Jake thought that from what he could hear, Jaydee sang it pretty well,
but he didn't feel that the words sounded believable. Sass said that he just
did what he does really well. Zack said that he could barely hear what Jaydee
sang because the microphone was a bit too far from his mouth at times.
Now, for his opponent...
Brian Melo
Age: 25
From: Hamilton, Ontario
Audition City: Toronto
Times in Bottom group since Top 10: 2 ('60s; Queen)
When he met with Jon and
Richie, they said that there wasn't much to critique, but they did say that when
he gets to the 2nd half of the chorus, he needs to own it. With that, Brian is
on the stage to sing "This Ain't a Love Song". Farley said that that was "Melo-dramatic"
in the best way possible. Zack felt that he sings from his heart like a real
man, and he's proud to be sitting there and being a part of this. Jake simply
said, "Brian Melo: 1, Jaydee: no score."
After a mention that Gordon
Lightfoot is in the audience tonight, we now move on to the second round, which
features this year's winner's single, "All I Ever Wanted". Jaydee tackles the
song first, and apparently, he sounds different when singing this one.
Farley would have liked it a
lot more if it sounded more like how Jaydee normally sounds. Zack felt that
he's cracking under the pressure like a bad egg. Jake thought that there were
some weak spots in that performance, but he was believable this time.
We then see that the finalists
each got the chance to bring a loved one in to make their hair look better.
Jaydee's sister, Jodi, and Brian's mom, Maria, each got the treatment. After
that and a break, it's time to see how Brian does with the winner's single.
Zack said that he is here for a reason, and he knocked one out of the park.
Jake said that it sounded like Brian wrote it, and he had chills through the
whole thing. Sass simply said that he owned it.
By the way, remember the
project mentioned earlier in the season, where Canadian Idol and the Ronald
McDonald House charity joined forces to build a family retreat at Bear Mountain
in B.C.? Well, Ben has some good news about that; they have raised over a
million dollars for the project!
Anyway, to me, this is looking
like a one-sided final so far, but there's still one more round to go; the
singer's choice. Jaydee steps back on the stage one more time, and in what some
may consider a surprising choice, he has picked "It's Not Unusual" by Tom
Jones. Jake thought that he was entertaining in the way that he can be
entertaining, but he lacked some of the swagger that the song needed, and it
came off as amateur-ish. I couldn't understand what Jaydee said in response,
but Jake responded back with, "Whatever. Save it for the Internet." Sass felt
that he cut a dashing figure in that suit, and he seemed comfortable doing
that. Farley felt that he was more in his comfort zone here than in his first
two performances tonight.
There's still one performance
left before Canada can vote for the winner, and it goes to Brian. He closes the
show with "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. Sass thought that he picked a
fantastic song, and did an awesome job with it. Zack said that he just needs to
do the things that make him who he is, and he's going to have a great career no
matter what. Jake felt that his humility and grace have kept shining throughout
this competition, and he gave 3 performances tonight that were as good as he has
ever seen. And Jake finishes with a reminder that this is a singing
competition, and there was some great singing from Brian.
That is what I call a fantastic
finish to the final performance show of the season! They both came a long way,
but in the end, only 1 can win. Who do I think should/will win? Well, simply
put, Brian outsang Jaydee in all 3 rounds tonight, so I think Brian should win.
And if we take that into account, and add the fact that whoever goes last in the
final has the advantage (statistics don't lie), I think it's safe to say that
Brian will win.
Tomorrow night, the votes will
have been counted, and after a series of performances from Bon Jovi, Eva Avila
(last year's winner), Avril Lavigne, and others, we will find out who gets to
call himself this year's Canadian Idol!
--------------------------------------------
It's been a
wild summer, but tonight, the season comes to an end. What kind of surprises
will we see? And more importantly, who will win?
We start this
big night with the Top 10 making a tribute to Bon Jovi in their own way; by
singing a medley of the group's songs, beginning and ending with "You Give Love
a Bad Name"! It wasn't perfect, but they did great! Afterwards, we find out
that almost 5 million votes have been cast last night, before getting a reminder
of who is performing tonight. We then get to some comments from the judges
(sitting on a couch this time), generally praising both Brian and Jaydee, and
after a break, we see that earlier, the finalists got to meet Avril Lavigne.
Some of the things that she mentioned to them were that she has been performing
differently now than when she only had her first album, and that when she first
signed with a major record label, her parents let her leave school, with plans
of doing the home schooling bit (though she apparently didn't).
With that, we
go to a live performance of Avril's new single, "Hot". Afterwards, she mentions
a tour where she'll be in Canada around March or April of 2008, before going
into another performance. This time, it's "When You're Gone". I wouldn't call
myself a fan of hers, but she sounded good tonight. After a break, we see that
Dave Kerr, this season's roving reporter, has a fake newspaper with comments
about how "hot" he is. I'm pretty sure that a real newspaper wouldn't be that
flat, and just say "NEWS PAPER" in big letters on the front.
Now, during the
Canadian Idol auditions, there was also a Media Idol bit going on, where members
of the media could audition on behalf of their charities. It was, um,
interesting, to say the least. Jake, Farley, Sass, and Zack judged them, and
unlike in the actual competition, those 4 decided the winner. So, who won?
Peter Harrison, from C100 FM in Halifax!
After that, how
about some time with Brian Melo? His hometown has been supporting him all the
way, and as an example of this, we get a live shot inside Hamilton Place, where
about 2,000 of his fans have gathered! Also there is one of Brian's close
friends, Johnny, who had convinced him to audition in the first place! After a
brief chat there, and another break, it's Jaydee's turn to see a few thousand of
his supporters in Drumheller, this time in a hockey arena! And Darlene, a
friend of Jaydee's family, is there to chat for a bit!
Next up is a
collection of songs from each member of this season's Top 10. Basically, they
each sing something that they've done earlier in the season. That is, except
for Brian and Jaydee, who sing together, and are soon joined by the others. I
thought they all sounded really nice tonight! Of course, they haven't been the
only ones to grace the Idol stage this year; we now get a montage of various
guests, such as Rihanna, Maroon 5, Enrique Iglesias, Queen, and Kelly Clarkson!
And since we're on that subject, it's time for a live performance from Bon Jovi!
This is their first ever live Canadian performance on TV, and they're performing
"Lost Highway"! Afterwards, we find out that a tour is being planned, but
nothing has been confirmed yet, at least as far as Canadian dates go. And just
for the heck of it, they follow that up with "It's My Life"! That rocked!
There's still
under an hour to go before we get to the results of last night's vote. So, the
filler keeps coming, this time with a clip about the fans. The people who cheer
their favourites, boo negative comments from the judges, and cast those votes
that keep singers in the competition. Following this is one more group
performance from the Top 10, and this one is dedicated to the fans. This is all
pretty much one big "thank you" from the show to the fans who watch and vote,
and help to make this show what it is.
After another
break, we flash back to last season, when Eva Avila was named as the winner.
She has had a few singles so far, and she has even gotten into modelling! With
that, she's now on the stage to perform "Fallin' For You"! Then, she is
presented with a platinum award for her single, "Meant to Fly" (last season's
winner's single), and a gold award for her album, "Somewhere Else"! Brian and
Jaydee brought out those awards, and Eva gets a chance to give them some advice.
After another
live shot from Drumheller, we look back at Jaydee's road to the final. This is
followed by a performance from Jaydee, singing Elvis' version of "Johnny B.
Goode" (which he did in the Top 22). After that, we move on to Brian's road to
the final. This is followed by a live shot from Hamilton, and a performance
from Brian, singing Radiohead's "Karma Police" (which he did in the Round of
5). 2 great performances. Since there's still time, let's see some more of how
Brian and Jaydee did to get themselves the votes that brought them here! And
let's follow that up with a medley from both of them, showing off their
respective genres! Then, we find out that they'll both be on the winner's tour
this fall, along with Carly Rae Jepsen (who finished 3rd)!
So, how are
they going to follow that up? How else? The results! It's been a long road
for both of them, but only one can win. But first, some final comments from the
judges. Farley feels that they have both taken advantage of this journey, and
he has a lot of anticipation for their careers. Jake just wants to know who
won. Zack says that Jaydee has created a lot of buzz about himself, but
tonight, "the Hammer comes down". Sass feels that these two will definitely be
going on to greater things.
So, with almost
5 million votes cast last night, Canada has spoken. And the winner is...
BRIAN MELO!
The confetti
comes down, and we get a live shot of the celebration in Hamilton! Brian says
that a year ago, he didn't think he'd be standing there, but there he is! And
after all the thanks to everyone, Brian closes the show with "All I Ever
Wanted"!
With that,
another season comes to a close. Again, we've seen a lot of awesome
performances, and although I may not have expected some of the results that we
saw earlier this summer, I can definitely say that in the end, the right person
won. As for next season, we'll just have to wait and see what kind of talent
steps up then. See ya! |
