Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 20/06) - Producers from the hit CTV program Canadian Idol will visit Yellowknife next week to scout for venues to host the show's pre-auditions in the capital.

Mike Gunther sings at the 2005 North of 60 Idol competition at the Legion. Canadian Idol is coming to Yellowknife to search out our local talents for competitors in the next season of the popular TV show. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

Yellowknife singers will have a chance to audition at a yet-to-be determined location some time in February, said publicist Anne-Marie La Pointe.

In 2005, the competition held its Northernmost auditions in Whitehorse.

"We just got a lot of great stories from the North last year and that's what we're back for again this year," she said. "We're excited that Yellowknife is happy to have Canadian Idol come."

Some broadcasters at CJCD deserve some of the credit for bringing the event to the NWT, she said.

Last year, Mix 100 radio host Paul McMullan issued a live on-air challenge to the show's executive producer, John Brunton, asking him to bring the auditions to Yellowknife in 2006.

"Their interest early on last year was fantastic," La Pointe said. "Paul started everything up."

When McMullan and Mix 100 colleague Joanne Cochrane learned that Canadian Idol was preparing to name 10 cities for this year's auditions earlier this week, the radio hosts kicked their campaign into overdrive.

"I went on the air and asked Yellowknifers to e-mail CTV.ca," Cochrane said. "While I was on the air, Paul was e-mailing (La Pointe) reiterating the positive points about Yellowknife."

Listeners began e-mailing the network to lure the show to the NWT and on Wednesday an 11th audition site was added to the list.

Although the final competitions will be held in English, singers in the pre-auditions are welcome to sing in Dogrib, French or other languages of their choice. The contest is open to all musical genres. Singers must be between 16-28 years of age.

The pre-auditions will be filmed and performances by a few singers will be broadcast in the early episodes of the show next fall. Within a week or two of the auditions, the judges will present gold tickets to any singers selected to advance to the next round. That includes an all-expenses paid trip to tryouts in a major centre in the South.

"We'll give out as many gold tickets as there are great singers," La Pointe said. "There's certainly no limit or any kind of ratio. We hear that there's some great talent there so we're going to give out as many gold tickets as we can."

Yellowknifer singer Mike Gunther will be among the auditioners.

"I think it's a magnificent opportunity for anyone who wants to go after it," he said. "North of 60 was a pretty big thing and Canadian Idol is huge."

Gunther was an audience favourite during last year's North of 60 Idol competition at the Legion.

He will keep in practice at Hotshots' Friday night karaoke, which hosts lots of strong amateur talent every week. Kiera Kolson will also be in line to audition.

"I'm happy that (Canadian Idol) decided to give Yellowknife a chance because we have so many talented people here that have a lot to offer the competition," she said.

"I definitely want to try out."

The biggest challenge for Kolson will be fitting the try- outs into her busy schedule.

She is performing at the Aboriginal Achievement Awards in Vancouver later this month. Then she headlines an Edmonton gala to promote the second World Indigenous World Youth Conference followed by a performance in Rae at the First Annual Tlicho Youth Conference.