As promised, it was a star-studded affair, with many special guests and performances before Ben Mulroney finally revealed the winner of this year's competition. And yes, folks, something finally - FINALLY - went right for me on Idol this summer, when Theo Tams was crowned this year's winner! Theo really did deserve the victory - his voice is amazing, his performances were memorable and strong, and I'm sure he'll go a long way in the music business and sell lots of records. Kudos to him & I wish him well!
So now I'll run down my list of highlights and lowlights for the night.
First of all, after watching performance after performance, it struck me how the Canadian Idol finale is a lot like an awards show - without any awards being presented in between. And to be quite honest, I'd far rather they fill in the two hours with just performance from the Top 10, Top 2, and re-cap reels, because that's basically all that interested me last night. Brian Melo? Nice to see ya back, but I didn't like his song at all. John Legend? Honestly, never heard of the guy before this past week, and while I think he's a handsome dude, his music isn't my thing. Jully Black? She had her ups & downs as sort-of-co-host this year, but her performance last night was just "meh" for me. I enjoyed the re-caps of her hanging with the contestants more. Again, not my cuppa tea. And Mariah Carey? She looked a little Botox-y, her mic stand was awfully twinkly...and aside from those notables, not much else to say. Another letdown.
Fair to say that the only non-Top-10 performance I really enjoyed was by Hedley, singing my favourite Hedley song, "Old School". Loved it.
Now, for me, as a huge fan of Sebastian Pigott's (bet ya didn't know that, eh?), the big highlights of the night were anytime he was on stage. Literally. Even when he was so much as just standing there, my eyes were on him. My gosh, how I've missed the guy.
The Top 10 kicked off the show by singing "Can't Stop This Thing We've Started" by Bryan Adams, then they each broke off to do their own mini-performances. Sebastian rocked out to CCR's "Down on the Corner", and it was really cool. Reminiscent of his "Lucille" perfomance. And boy, was he looking good last night!!
After a taped segment that took us to Malawi with Ben & Farley to promote UNICEF, the Top 10 took the stage again for a special performance - it was very touching. Again, my eyes were on Sebastian the whole time. Holy hell, he's hot.
The final time they all took the stage together was my absolute favourite part of the night. Partly because they sang "Home" by Daughtry, aka Chris Daughtry, a former American Idol contestant of whom I'm a big fan. Partly 'cause I love that song. Partly 'cause it was Sebastian's best vocal of the night - he really nailed the little part he got to sing. It was just perfect!
When we finally got down to the business of the Final 2, both Theo and Mitch were allowed to showcase their favourites from the summer. Theo chose "Weak in the Knees", and just like the first time around, he did an amazing job with it. Absolutely wonderful. I was also really happy that Mitch decided to reprise "Love this Town" - it was one of my favourites, too, and when he sang it, I actually thought, "Ya know, it wouldn't be so bad if he did win this thing..."
Last but not least, the guys joined together for one final hurrah, taking on Blue Rodeo's "Hasn't Hit Me Yet", with Theo on piano and Mitch on guitar... And it was really, really awesome. The best Final 2 performance ever. The lyrics were appropriate for the situation they were in, and the harmonies were excellent. I hope that they decide to record it together and put it on one of their future albums. It's sure to be a part of the Top 3 Tour which they will be going on this fall with Drew. So cool!
I was thankful on finale night that Sebastian's older brother, Oliver, didn't go unmentioned. I spotted him briefly in several of the re-cap packages, and it really was a credit to him when Theo brought him up when he spoke of how nerve-wracking it was when they narrowed the group down to the Top 24. He said that when he was brought in for his final judgement, along with two other guys, he was sure they were all being sent home, because eight guys had already been selected, and Oliver and Sebastian were both still waiting in the room. I still consider it a travesty that Oliver didn't make it to the Top 10. Every time I listen to his songs, I'm absolutely floored by how amazing he is, and it was nice to hear the eventual winner give him those kind of props. Obviously, the Pigott brothers were highly respected by their peers on the show, and I don't doubt that even Theo probably wonders how it wasn't Ollie standing next to him last night.
I was searching for Oliver and the rest of Sebastian's family in the crowd last night, but I was never able to pick them out. Of course, the camera is always seeking out the celebs in the crowd, and they were there in droves last night - MuchMusic VJ's; the judges for So You Think You Can Dance Canada (which starts tonight); athletes like Kurt Browning; prolific Canadian newscasters; actors from shows like Degrassi: The Next Generation; and other performers, like Matt Dusk. In fact, Dusk was my favourite, because when the camera zoomed in on him, they seemed to ignore the fact that he was sitting right next to Tie Domi!! Apparently Tie is no longer recognizable enough to get his own "shout-out"!! HILARIOUS!!
Oh - and I also loved it when Theo was finally announced the winner and the rest of the Top 10 gathered on stage while the red-and-white confetti fluttered down on them. It appeared as though Earl & Sebastian were trying to catch the little pieces, chasing them around the stage - it made me laugh just watching them, and it reminded me of what a great group it was this year.
All in all, it's been a great season on Canadian Idol, with many highs and lows, but at the end of the day, I do think the best man won.
Congrats to Theo, and I'm looking forward to what he does in the future!
