Toronto, Ontario (July 13, 2005) – Thousands auditioned. Only 10 are left. The final positions in the Canadian Idol Top 10 were filled tonight when it was announced live on CTV that Aaron Walpole’s and Josh Palmer’s second shot at stardom were successful. The two competitors – who missed the cut in previous weeks – received the most votes following last night’s Wild Card performance episode. They now move forward – with eight others – into next week’s first Canadian Idol Top 10 show, an expanded 90-minute broadcast live from Toronto’s John Bassett Theatre. A record 2.1 million votes were logged last night, an increase of 24 per cent compared to the same episode last season.
With Palmer and Walpole now added, the Canadian Idol Top 10 is comprised of six women and four men, ranging in age from 16 to 26 and hailing from Kamloops, BC to Burlington, NL. The 10 finalists represent Canada’s diverse musical talent, regional distinctions and rich history of musical excellence. There are three competitors from Ontario, two each from British Columbia and Alberta and one each from Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Six of the 10 are teenagers. All will be household names before the summer is over.
In tonight’s live broadcast, host Ben Mulroney brought three of the eight Wild Card competitors to centre stage as the top vote-getters: Dianelys Hernandez, 21, a Cuban immigrant from Saint John, NB; Josh Palmer, 22, a musician and songwriter from Saskatoon, SK; and Aaron Walpole, 26, a singer and actor from St. Thomas, ON. Mulroney first announced that Walpole had received the most votes for his performance of Dobie Gray’s Drift Away. Mulroney then announced that the final competitor advancing to the Top 10 was Palmer – for his rendition of Elvin Bishop’s Fooled Around and Fell in Love – sending Hernandez back to the competitor couch.
Next week, Aaron and Josh and their Top 10 co-finalists will perform live in front of an audience of 1,000 screaming fans at Toronto’s John Bassett Theatre in the first of nine, Top 10 performance shows. The first Top 10 show is an expanded 90-minute special, airing Tuesday, July 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.
Meet the Canadian Idol Top 10:
* Daryl Brunt, 16, Sudbury, ON
* Amber Fleury, 26, Calgary, AB
* Rex Goudie, 19, Burlington, NL
* Casey LeBlanc, 17, Nackawic, NB
* Ashley Leitao, 18, Burnaby, BC
* Melissa O’Neil, 17, Calgary, AB
* Josh Palmer, 22, Saskatoon, SK
* Suzi Rawn, 22, Kamloops, BC
* Emily Vinette, 17, Ottawa, ON
* Aaron Walpole, 26, St. Thomas, ON
Tickets for next week’s live performance and results shows sold out immediately after going on sale yesterday. The next block of tickets, for shows on July 26 and 27, goes on sale Tuesday, July 19 at 12 noon ET at Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 416.870.8000 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca.
Credit: CTV
