Vote Mookie... not Wilson or Blaylock?

I don't usually watch "Canadian Idol" or "American Idol" or "Dancing with the Stars" or "So You Think You Can Dance?"....

It's not because I'm an "Ed McMahon's Star Search" stalwart. It's because I find the whole talent pageant thing stale and way too cheesy (minus any kind of ingratiating, nudge-wink camp factor). And when this trend blows over, these shows are so going to date the 2000s and make us groan in embarrassment (they already have if you've caught the "American Idol" recap shows).

And even more than that, I just usually find the contestants way too earnest and posey.

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But that's all been thrown on its head by a contestant on this season's "Candadian Idol". Mookie Morris from Toronto (in full discolsure, who's brother I went to university with).

Mookie, who's real name is Peter but got his nickname from the famed Toronto Blue Jays player Mookie Wilson, is the antidote to all the phony-baloney "rockers" that have been featured on these kinds of shows. Sleezoid D-bags like Daughtry who's rock pedigree is built on regurgitating post-grunge rip off artists like Fuel, designer stressed t-shirts, and bad facial hair.

Mookie is actually cool without trying to be cool. He's got some nice snarly vocals (without trying to sound like Eddie Vedder) and instead of looking tortured, he actually looks like he's having fun. Remember Chuck Berry anybody? Remember Rock n' Roll?

He's got good taste too, as he's been performing songs like "Twist n' Shout", "Valerie" by Mark Ronson via The Zutons, "These Eyes" by The Guess Who, and "Naive" by the Kooks (clip below, song starts at 1:07).



Proving Mookie's impressiveness, I think this Monday will see the unlikely event of me actually voting on one of these talent shows. Do the same yourself. Vote Mookie! (Next show's on Monday July 28th at 9pm).