culture
Vanilla Ice Thinks Charity is Nice
We talked to the '90s pop-rap superstar and his fellow Canada Sings judges about reality television with a benevolent twist.
Photo by Mark O'Neill
The first thing Vanilla Ice did when we entered his dressing room was gesture toward a platter of berries.
“Want some fresh fruit?”
The refreshingly well-mannered performer (real name: Rob Van Winkle) joins singer Jann Arden and choreographer/creative director Laurieann Gibson as a judge for season two of Canada Sings, a show in which teams of co-workers compete against other workplace teams in a show-choir setting, with the winning team earning a donation to their charity of choice.
Though he was part of the judges’ panel for the show’s first season as well, Van Winkle (Mr. Ice?) still finds the gig emotionally taxing. “It’s not like any show out there,” he says, pointing out that, unlike other talent competition reality programs like American Idol, the competitors on Canada Sings aren’t looking to launch entertainment careers.
For Arden, this distinction was a major reason for joining the project. “It’s not about people being stars,” she says. “It’s about people helping in their communities. It’s a great opportunity to see everyday people doing really extraordinary things to help their fellow man.”
Toronto-bred (but L.A.-based) Laurieann Gibson, the newest addition to the Canada Sings judge team, calls the opportunity to participate in the program “a little blessing that fell out of the sky.”
“When I found out what the show was about—regular people, having the access to singing and dancing under the lights onstage, and doing it for somebody other than themselves—I was shocked,” she says. “Because every day I do this at a very high level, and I do work with a lot of ego—an unnatural amount of it—I was very grateful to do something to prove that it’s not always about that.”
Van Winkle admits that the “regular people” element of the competition brings about its own unique challenges. “It’s emotional, because of the ties with the charity,” he says. “The cause is so much more genuine with this show, which makes it a lot more difficult from the judging standpoint. [The contestants are] stepping out of their work environment to come in here. You’ve gotta consider all these things they’re going through.”
But, overall, he’s glad to be a part of it—and, pleased to be in Toronto. He’s planning on staying in town an extra week after filming wraps to catch all the must-see tourist attractions.
“I went out to Dundas and whatever that street is over there, that little square where the fireman does his show—have you seen him?—and the Elvis guy painted in silver sits there like a mannequin,” he says, brandishing an array of tourism pamphlets to demonstrate his research on the matter.
“I’m bringing the fam in, too. So if you see me around, HEEEY! Shake a hand, make a friend.”
We originally stated that the prize of Canada Sings is a $10,000 donation to the charity of the winning team’s choice. The amount of the donation hasn’t actually yet been announced for this season.