Howie Mandel."Canadian Idol," which was put on hiatus in 2008, might have lasted longer if more viewers were drawn to the judges.
But its panel of music industry insiders, Farley Flex, Jake Gold and Zack Werner, never changed in six seasons. Sass Jordan, the singer of the group, was never going to have the legacy of "American Idol" saviours Jennifer Lopez or Steven Tyler.
Now, with "Canadian Idol" production company Insight on board with Rogers Media to bring "Canada's Got Talent" to Citytv, the window of opportunity has arrived to develop an entirely different cast.
Still, some overlap between "Idol" and "Got Talent" could be inevitable, given how co-creator Simon Cowell, journalist Piers Morgan and renaissance woman Sharon Osbourne have bounced between one incarnation of these talent shows and another.
The success of the American and British versions, along with franchises around the world, has made "Canada's Got Talent" one of the most anticipated shows of the coming year.
With its expansion beyond music acts, and none of the age limits associated with other singing competitions, the show has connected with a broader demographic.
Audition dates across the country have been announced for Canada. Names of the host or judges remain a mystery.
Speculation has continued to swirl that Toronto-born Howie Mandel, who has served as a judge on "America's Got Talent," would be a natural candidate. But his participation in Citytv's upfront presentation to advertisers last month was limited to a taped message, and faint hope he would take on a similar role.
The view that a Canadian talent show needs to feature exclusively Canadian adjudicators will be challenged in August when Global debuts the six-part "Canada Sings."
Rob Van Winkle, better known as rapper Vanilla Ice, was tapped to offer his opinions on workplace glee clubs across the country alongside Jann Arden and Pierre Bouvier of the band Simple Plan.
CBC has also conducted long-distance auditions for its forthcoming music competition "Cover Me Canada." Performers have until the end of this week to submit videos of songs by Bryan Adams, Tom Cochrane, Gordon Lightfoot or Alannah Myles to determine whether they'll be invited to stand under the TV spotlight this fall.
Nicole Appleton, the Hamilton-born singer who became known as a member of girl group All Saints, has been tapped as host. But some would be more likely to tune in if her husband, outspoken former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, was solicited for opinions on remakes of mouldy Canadian oldies.
"Canada's Got Talent" may want to snag the part-time Toronto resident instead.
(CP Photo)
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