New Global singing competition to feature Jann Arden and Vanilla Ice as judges

Global announced yesterday a new singing competition that is Glee meets American Idol, with a little bit of America’s Best Dance Crew thrown in for good measure—all with a Canadian twist, of course. Canada Sings showcases workplace glee clubs as they learn vocal routines and choreography and, ultimately, compete to perform on a national stage. Jann Arden, Simple Plan’s Pierre Bouvier and Rob Van Winkle, a.k.a. Vanilla Ice, make up the panel of judges for the competition, while former MuchMusic VJ and current ET Canada correspondent Matte Babel is set to host the program. Each hour-long episode will feature two competing teams, with a winner declared at the end. The 12 real workplace glee clubs, drawn from across Canada, include:

• Airborne11—Aptly named, since this glee club comes from the Air Canada Centre
• The Edutones—a team representing Eric Hamber Secondary School in Vancouver, B.C.
• Hammer Cruisers—representing the Hamilton Police Male Chorus, of course.
• Junk Notes—a team from 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, based out of Vancouver, B.C.
• Just Energetics—from Just Energy in Mississauga, Ontario
• Keg Spirits—from none other than Toronto’s Keg Steakhouse & Bar
• The Power Chords—from GoodLife Fitness in Toronto
• Pulse—one would hope the crew from The Scarborough Hospital has one
• Run DRC—rivaling Hammer Cruisers for best pun, this team hails from Toronto’s Distillery Restaurants Corporation
• The Sound of Fire—sirens, anyone? This team represents Toronto Fire Services
• Wolf Pack—a pat on the back to Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies from Cambridge, Ontario, for this Hangover reference
• The Zooper Stars—We would have gone with Zooper Troopers, but hey. From the Toronto Zoo.

The airdate for Canada Sings is still TBA, but tapings are going on right now.

• Jann Arden, Pierre Bouvier And Vanilla Ice Announced As Celebrity Judges For Canada Sings [Shaw Press Release]