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September 14, 2003
Jon adds a touch of fun
By STEVE TILLEY
Having served as one of the show's street correspondents since the very first auditions in Winnipeg, Ottawa native Dore has seen the writing on the wall. And when Canucks cast their votes for either Ryan Malcolm or Gary Beals to become the first ever Canadian Idol, the winner is going to be ... "Tyler Hamilton," said Dore, on the phone from his digs in Toronto. So, um, that would be Edmonton's Tyler Hamilton, who got voted off the show a month ago? "I have a feeling he is going to sneak out this win somehow," Dore said. "You can quote me." This could be why stand-up comic Dore was hired as one of Canadian Idol's resident correspondents, interviewers and instigators of general wackiness - he's not exactly 100% serious all the time. On last Tuesday's show, in which Calgary's Billy Klippert got the heave-ho and took with him the dream of the first Canadian Idol being Albertan, Dore had an exchange with host Ben Mulroney in which he revealed his ongoing dislike for the affable ex-P.M.'s offspring. For better or for worse, he wasn't being serious. "That couldn't be further from the truth," Dore said. "Ben is awesome. He definitely has surprised me, because obviously you have a preconceived idea of who someone is, and then you get to know them. We just laugh and have a blast." Very diplomatically put. More believably, Dore said his relationship with the idols themselves goes beyond the banter caught on camera. "Oh yeah. It's as simple as going out after the show for a couple of drinks, or when we went down to Vegas ... the camera shows what we have to do for the show, but outside of that it's dinner and talking ..." And strippers? "Well, I wouldn't say strippers. Just talking and hanging out and poking fun. It's kind of like a family or a high school kind of thing. We've got a job to do, but outside of that we totally hang out." Dore candidly admits that he probably wouldn't have watched Canadian Idol if he wasn't involved with it. But he says his position on the inside has given him a unique perspective on what the series has done for its participants and maybe even the Canadian music biz. "Yeah, some of the show is campy and weird. But maybe it's tough for Canada to swallow that we're kind of creating a star system, and idols, and a reason for kids to go crazy." Given its huge ratings and the ongoing American Idol phenomenon south of the border, it's a pretty sure bet there will be another Canadian Idol. Dore, who's knocking around some ideas for a TV show of his own, doesn't know yet if he'll be involved. "I've been offered a position to host a morning show on Al-Jazeera, so I'm going to have to weigh the options," he deadpanned. "I don't know. If I were to do it again I'd want a dressing room the size of Ben Mulroney's, that's for sure." |
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