A gala that beats its normal time by almost 25 minutes, young people in tears clapping on their forearms, funny door-to-door visits à la Julie Snyder, the return of the twins Annie and Suzie Villeneuve and Marie-Élaine Thibert which takes from Stéphane Venne: Star Academy brought back key elements from its past to propel its new season, Sunday evening, on TVA.
Posted at 7:15 a.m.
And after commissioning original theme songs from Laurence Nerbonne, Hubert Lenoir and Jérôme 50, the producers of the popular TV show also decided to return to the classic formula implemented in 2003: select an already known anthem and modernize it.
Every Sunday, the 14 academicians of 2025 will now sing Don’t leave without me by Céline Dion, a piece which allowed Charlemagne’s diva to win the Eurovision contest in 1988. In France, the 2022 cohort of Star Academy on the TF1 channel had also opted for this catchy refrain from the Quebec superstar, which fits perfectly with the values of surpassing and aspiration of this musical show.
An excellent choice in line withAnd it’s not over andA new day will dawn. Another good idea: return to so-called “gendered” endangerments, which allow boys or girls to breathe for a short week.
In this very busy first winter gala, we felt the desire of host and producer Jean-Philippe Dion to reconnect with the past of Star Academywhich had been evacuated from the last two editions. Almost all the competitors from 2003 to 2022 were applauding in the stands on Sunday evening, not forgetting the presence on stage of the winners from 2003 and 2005, Wilfred LeBouthillier and Marc-André Fortin. Discovery in the 2012 vintage of Star AcademyMélissa Bédard participated in the tribute to Richard Desjardins by taking up The heart is a birda super moving performance which allowed him to win the hearts of the public at the time. Stunned, Michel Rivard also burst into tears in front of the amazing Mélissa Bédard.
PHOTO ALEXIS GR, PROVIDED BY TVA
Richard Desjardins and Mélissa Bédard
To return to Richard Desjardins, he was treated to a very long number in which he did not push the note except at the very end, on Do you love me. It was strange to see the 76-year-old singer-songwriter sitting on the floor, while Isabelle Boulay (Jenny), Éric Lapointe (A nice big slow), Sara Dufour (The song of the bum), Francis Cabrel in video (When I love once I love forever), Mélissa Bédard (The heart is a bird) and Marc-André Fortin (Do you love me) revisited his successes. The staging could have been less conventional, let’s say.
The opening sequence was the most successful and moved back in time to the winter of 2003, as Quebec fell under the spell ofAnd it’s not over with the Villeneuve twins, Wilfred and Marie-Élaine. To introduce the faculty, each of them was entitled to their solo moment in the style ofLive from the universe : Feel Happy for Véronic DiCaire, Dancers dances for Emily Bégin, The forest of the unloved et Two by two gathered for Pierre Lapointe, as well as Come back (where are you hiding?) for Director Garou.
Now, it is difficult to assess the potential of the new academicians, since 12 of the 14 lucky ones were excused from individual performances on Sunday. They were catapulted directly into the Academy, housed in a huge loft in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal.
Several of them, who have already participated in The voice or to The junior voicehowever, looked paralyzed on stage at Mel’s studios. Even though Jean-Philippe Dion gave them confidence, they froze and responded with monosyllables. Will have to work on that.
-PHOTO ALEXIS GR, PROVIDED BY TVA
Jean-Philippe Dion and three academics on stage at Mel’s studios
At the helm of this giant liner, Jean-Philippe Dion had a better start than Patrice Michaud in 2021. A few discomforts here and there, particularly in impromptu exchanges with young people, but nothing to leave without him or take him far from here for the next 12 weeks.
Dangerous intensity
The very intense actress and host Tammy Verge played big and (too) loudly at Big Brother Celebritieswhich earned her, on Sunday evening, the title of “fucking Geneviève Borne” by being the first competitor to suffer eviction.
Honestly, Noovo’s second-year reality show winner, Stephanie Harvey, deserved to go out more. In one short week, Tammy Verge was more entertaining and engaging than a full season of Stephanie Harvey, a very self-effacing professional video game player, whom “you would benefit from keeping,” she pleaded to her comrades.
However, the balance of power tilted towards the recruits, because three champions (Martin Vachon, Liliane Blanco-Binette and Frédérique Turgeon) made a rookie mistake by chattering behind the back of Tammy, who was dozing, incognito, in her bunk bed.
Tammy Verge overheard their entire secret conversation and attempted to exploit this gaffe of the three experienced contestants to her advantage, but was unsuccessful.
Another blunder made in the last episode? That of the bosses Fabiola Nyrva Aladin and Danick Martineau, who solved the cryptex in the night without pressing the red button. The next day, another questionable decision on the part of comedian Martin Vachon, who revealed to all the participants the existence of the letters hidden in the light screens of the house-studio. Why divulge such valuable information to the wind?
In the end, it was an undeserving person, Liliane Blanco-Binette, who inherited the powers of the red crystal, which were not specified by the host Marie-Mai, dressed in a grafted cream cocktail dress to a winter down jacket.
Thank God, it was a rookie, singer Barnev Valsaint, who was crowned boss for the second week, because the champions were preparing to zigzag the new ones one after – or against – the other. Say your pagan prayers, Celine Dion’s former backup singer could take us to another world or another life. And bye-bye, a champion must go.
