Kalan Porter crowned 2nd Canadian Idol

Courtesy the Toronto Star:




Elfin charmer, 18, wins Idol laurels
Victory by Kalan Porter comes as no surprise
Young man from the Hat a big hit with female teens


HO ANDERSON
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER

Tousle-haired Kalan Porter, charmer of millions of teenage girls and, no doubt, a great many of their mothers, claimed the crown in last night's Canadian Idol finale, beating out Theresa Sokyrka.

"I just want to say a big thanks to my parents and my family, the judges, everyone at CTV," said the curly-haired ranchers' son, as he was hugged by Sokyrka and confetti rained on the stage.

Then he sang the tune especially written for the Idol winner, "Awake In A Dream."

Once backstage, he told the media, "When I won, the first thing that went through my head was, `Oh crap, I have to sing.'"

Then Porter formally signed a BMG recording contract in front of the press.

His win didn't come as a surprise. For weeks, the elfin college student from Medicine Hat, Alta., has been the prohibitive favourite to win the talent contest, with an online betting site offering increasingly shorter odds on his chances.

Along the way, the baby-faced Porter got criticized at times by the judges for bland interpretations of songs, but his big voice and cherubic looks were a big selling point for viewers.

Saskatoon's Sokyrka sounded hoarse and tired after the show, but excited by the experience. "I'm going to get some rest and say goodbye to the wonderful people I've met," she said.

So ended the second season of the phenomenally successful show based on Pop Idol, the British series that spawned a host of worldwide spin-offs.

The first Canadian Idol winner, Ryan Malcolm from Kingston, Ont., returned last night to sing a song and wave around a guitar.

In the audience was Gordon Lightfoot, who applauded as one of his songs was performed by the young Idol cast.

Among others in the crowd were Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert, actors Don McKellar, Patrick McKenna and Jonathan Crombie, tennis player Daniel Nestor and skater Kurt Browning.

Out west, thousands gathered in arenas in Medicine Hat and Saskatoon to view the finale and cheer on their hometown favourite.

The latest Idol began in early June, when almost 9,000 pop stars of the wannabe variety gathered at auditions held in nine cities to compete for a place on the Idol roster. During a tense selection period, presided over by judges Farley Flex, Sass Jordan, Jake Gold and Zack Werner, that number was whittled down to 32 for telecast purposes.

By now Canadian Idol's formula is familiar to most everyone: each week the contestants perform songs in a different genre while being subjected to gruelling critiques or, less often, glowing praise from the judges. However the true power lies with the viewers. Based on their votes, the talent pool is thinned each week, one by one.

Canadian Idol has been a bona fide success, and CTV confirmed last night there will be a third season. In all, 32 million votes ("one for every Canadian," said host Ben Mulroney) were cast in the second season, well beyond the 20.5 million tallied last year.

The final showdown won by Porter tallied 3.6 million votes.

Last month, to stir viewer interest, the program brought in Lionel Richie as a guest judge. Contestants sang Richie's hits from the 1970s and '80s, after which the pop star offered his comments.

"You sing with such maturity, it's frightening," gushed Richie after Porter sang one of his songs.

Small wonder, given the time he's had to practise. According to his bio, Porter was humming Brahms' Lullaby when he was 18 months old. Whether belting out a song or simply flashing his smile, the young man with the poodle curls was a crowd favourite from the outset.

With files from Canadian Press