Canadian Musicians Become Television Karaoke Experts

Canadian musicians and singers are either extending their time in the public spotlight or killing whatever cool credibility they might have had by acting as judges for the Karaoke Star Jr. program that began airing last week on YTV and CMT.

That's all we need: a Canadian Idol feeder system.

Former Canadian Idol finalist, and star of CMT's The Tara Diaries, Tara Oram and Toronto R&B singer Danny Fernandes are the show's full-time adjudicators. They're joined by a singer or musician in each city that the show visits to judge the vocal skills of crooners between the ages of six and 15.

The celebrity judges are: Marianas Trench singer/guitarist Josh Ramsay (Vancouver); R&B/pop singer Kreesha Turner (Edmonton); 2005 Canadian Idol contestant Josh Palmer (Saskatoon); The Waking Eyes singer/guitarist Rusty Matyas (Winnipeg); The Midway State frontman and CHARTattack special correspondent Nathan Ferraro (Toronto); singer/songwriter/guitarist Luke Doucet (Ottawa); 2005 Canadian Idol runner-up Rex Goudie (St. John's); and singer/songwriter Rebekah Higgs (Halifax).

Live auditions are over, but you can do it on the show's website until April 5. The Karaoke Star Jr. champion will be revealed on the May 19 episode.