From the Canadian Press via CBC:

• Eva or Craig? Idol to crown champ as hometown rallies overtake Que. and N.L.

From a CTV media release:

It’s a Nail-Biter: Canadian Idol Champ Wins by Just 3% in Closest Race Ever; Winner Announced Sunday on CTV

Toronto, ON (September 14, 2006) – Is it Craig or Eva? This year’s Canadian Idol champion has won by a nose in the closest vote ever, CTV announced today as preparations continue for this Sunday’s blockbuster season finale.

— Western Canada determines winner as voting details announced —
— African Children’s Choir join Nelly Furtado and Melissa O’Neil as special guests —

With three days still to go before the winner is revealed, CTV is taking advantage of the opportunity to reveal voting data from Monday’s final vote that demonstrates it’s a horserace like never before. And unlike most federal elections, the West, for once, has had the final say, playing king-maker – or queen-maker – in Canada’s biggest popular vote this year.

By the time the eastern voting window closed at 11 p.m. EDT following Canadian Idol’s final performance episode on Monday, votes for Top 2 competitors Eva Avila and Craig Sharpe had resulted in a virtual tie. It was votes from Western Canada during the second voting window that determined the winner, with Sunday’s eventual champ edging out the runner-up by only 131,000 votes out of a total of nearly four million cast, a margin of just 3.3 per cent. The identity of the winner still remains a closely-guarded secret, secured in a sealed envelope under lock and key until Sunday night’s show.

Continue reading Canadian Idol Champ Wins by Just 3% in Closest Race Ever; Winner Announced Sunday on CTV →

From the Calgary Sun:

• Due battle for Idol Crown: Eva overpowers Craig Sharpe in the final performance show

From the Ottawa Citizen, an interview with Canadian Idol finalist Eva Avila:

• Avila ready for finals

And from the Calgary Sun, more on the other finalist, Craig Sharpe, and Avila:

• Cdn Idols set to face off

And from the Vancouver Province, profiles of the two finalists:

• Two starry-eyed kids in finale

From a CTV media release:

She’s heating up the charts around the world after kicking off the Canadian Idol Top 10 phase earlier this season. Now, she returns to perform live on the Canadian Idol stage for the first time.

CTV announced today that international superstar Nelly Furtado has been secured to perform on the supersized, 90-minute season finale of Canadian Idol, airing live on Sunday, September 17 at 7 p.m. ET.

Furtado will perform the Canadian television debut of her latest hit “Maneater,” which reached No. 1 in the U.K. Since her first appearance on Canadian Idol in July, Furtado’s double-platinum album Loose returned to the No. 1 spot on Nielsen’s SoundScan charts. After performing an acoustic version of her hit single “Promiscuous” on Canadian Idol, the track remained the No. 1 single in Canada for seven weeks running while occupying the No. 1 spot in the U.S. for eight weeks.

In addition to gracing the covers of numerous international magazines over the past few months, the Universal Music recording artist won three Teen Choice Awards and was nominated in three categories at the 2006 MTV Music Video Awards. Furtado is in the midst of a whirlwind promotional tour that will take her to Japan, Australia, London, New York City, Mexico and back home to Toronto.

“Nelly Furtado is an artist who represents the truly eclectic nature of Canadian music,” said Susanne Boyce, CTV President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group. “Her diverse musical background is a direct reflection of her Canadian heritage. She’s a great choice to help us celebrate the end of another stellar season.”