Post by Inside Australian Idol on Sept 22, 2003 19:21:31 GMT 10
Idol sing-offs begin
By Sophie Tedmanson
September 22, 2003
WITH a bit of Led Zeppelin, a touch of Jackson Five and a hint of Elton John, the nation's newest reality TV popstar wannabes strutted their stuff last night in the first of nine live concert sing-offs.
The 12 Australian Idol contestants, who are vying for a recording and management contract with BMG, performed for the first time on a large stage, with a full band and - most importantly - in front of a 450-strong crowd.
The 70s-themed concert, which was screened live on the Ten Network, marked a new direction for the show, which had not rated as well as expected. Like the similar Popstars series on Seven, Idol has followed the auditions of thousands of wannabes in their bids for stardom.
But, while Popstars ratings increased every week, Idol's have decreased since it first aired with 1.7million viewers, varying from 1.1million to 1.4 million.
According to Idol's executive producer, Stephen Peters, the trend with the international versions of the program is that from now the ratings usually increase with the hype of the live concerts.
"The competition starts to rocket up from here," he said.
Over the next nine weeks, the contestants will be voted out after singing in concerts that will have themes such as 80s, R&B, rock 'n' roll, big band and Australian-made. The final concert will be held at the Sydney Opera House in mid-November when the winner will be announced.
Contestant Shannon Noll, a 28-year-old farmer from the NSW town of Condobolin, said he thought the person who was crowned the Australian Idol would have more success than the winners of the Popstars series, who had since stopped recording. They had the chance to emulate the winners of the British and US versions of Idol, who had maintained a chart-topping career since leaving the show. "Everyone has a really good chance of making a good career out of it," Noll said.
As for his own ambitions, Noll - like most of the Idol finalists - said if he did not win the show he would still pursue a singing career.
"I want to get something out of this," he said. "That's the reason I entered. I want to make something happen."
The Australian
entertainment.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4459,7336621%255E10431%255E%255Enbv,00.html
As Idol idles, wannabes out to show they rate
September 22, 2003
Sophie Tedmanson
* Entertainment reporter
WITH a bit of Led Zeppelin, a touch of Jackson Five and a hint of Elton John, the nation's newest reality TV popstar wannabes strutted their stuff last night in the first of nine live concert sing-offs.
The 12 Australian Idol contestants, who are vying for a recording and management contract with BMG, performed for the first time on a large stage, with a full band and -- most importantly -- in front of a 450-strong crowd. The 70s-themed concert, which was screened live on the Ten Network, marked a new direction for the show, which had not rated as well as expected. Like the similar Popstars series on Seven, Idol has followed the auditions of thousands of wannabes in their bids for stardom.
But, while Popstars ratings increased every week, Idol's have decreased since it first aired with 1.7million viewers, varying from 1.1million to 1.4 million.
According to Idol's executive producer, Stephen Peters, the trend with the international versions of the program is that from now the ratings usually increase with the hype of the live concerts.
"The competition starts to rocket up from here," he said.
Over the next nine weeks, the contestants will be voted out after singing in concerts that will have themes such as 80s, R&B, rock 'n' roll, big band and Australian-made. The final concert will be held at the Sydney Opera House in mid-November when the winner will be announced.
Contestant Shannon Noll, a 28-year-old farmer from the NSW town of Condobolin, said he thought the person who was crowned the Australian Idol would have more success than the winners of the Popstars series, who had since stopped recording. They had the chance to emulate the winners of the British and US versions of Idol, who had maintained a chart-topping career since leaving the show. "Everyone has a really good chance of making a good career out of it," Noll said.
As for his own ambitions, Noll -- like most of the Idol finalists -- said if he did not win the show he would still pursue a singing career.
"I want to get something out of this," he said. "That's the reason I entered. I want to make something happen."
The Australian
entertainment.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4459,7333008%255E10229%255E%255Enbv,00.html
By Sophie Tedmanson
September 22, 2003
WITH a bit of Led Zeppelin, a touch of Jackson Five and a hint of Elton John, the nation's newest reality TV popstar wannabes strutted their stuff last night in the first of nine live concert sing-offs.
The 12 Australian Idol contestants, who are vying for a recording and management contract with BMG, performed for the first time on a large stage, with a full band and - most importantly - in front of a 450-strong crowd.
The 70s-themed concert, which was screened live on the Ten Network, marked a new direction for the show, which had not rated as well as expected. Like the similar Popstars series on Seven, Idol has followed the auditions of thousands of wannabes in their bids for stardom.
But, while Popstars ratings increased every week, Idol's have decreased since it first aired with 1.7million viewers, varying from 1.1million to 1.4 million.
According to Idol's executive producer, Stephen Peters, the trend with the international versions of the program is that from now the ratings usually increase with the hype of the live concerts.
"The competition starts to rocket up from here," he said.
Over the next nine weeks, the contestants will be voted out after singing in concerts that will have themes such as 80s, R&B, rock 'n' roll, big band and Australian-made. The final concert will be held at the Sydney Opera House in mid-November when the winner will be announced.
Contestant Shannon Noll, a 28-year-old farmer from the NSW town of Condobolin, said he thought the person who was crowned the Australian Idol would have more success than the winners of the Popstars series, who had since stopped recording. They had the chance to emulate the winners of the British and US versions of Idol, who had maintained a chart-topping career since leaving the show. "Everyone has a really good chance of making a good career out of it," Noll said.
As for his own ambitions, Noll - like most of the Idol finalists - said if he did not win the show he would still pursue a singing career.
"I want to get something out of this," he said. "That's the reason I entered. I want to make something happen."
The Australian
entertainment.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4459,7336621%255E10431%255E%255Enbv,00.html
As Idol idles, wannabes out to show they rate
September 22, 2003
Sophie Tedmanson
* Entertainment reporter
WITH a bit of Led Zeppelin, a touch of Jackson Five and a hint of Elton John, the nation's newest reality TV popstar wannabes strutted their stuff last night in the first of nine live concert sing-offs.
The 12 Australian Idol contestants, who are vying for a recording and management contract with BMG, performed for the first time on a large stage, with a full band and -- most importantly -- in front of a 450-strong crowd. The 70s-themed concert, which was screened live on the Ten Network, marked a new direction for the show, which had not rated as well as expected. Like the similar Popstars series on Seven, Idol has followed the auditions of thousands of wannabes in their bids for stardom.
But, while Popstars ratings increased every week, Idol's have decreased since it first aired with 1.7million viewers, varying from 1.1million to 1.4 million.
According to Idol's executive producer, Stephen Peters, the trend with the international versions of the program is that from now the ratings usually increase with the hype of the live concerts.
"The competition starts to rocket up from here," he said.
Over the next nine weeks, the contestants will be voted out after singing in concerts that will have themes such as 80s, R&B, rock 'n' roll, big band and Australian-made. The final concert will be held at the Sydney Opera House in mid-November when the winner will be announced.
Contestant Shannon Noll, a 28-year-old farmer from the NSW town of Condobolin, said he thought the person who was crowned the Australian Idol would have more success than the winners of the Popstars series, who had since stopped recording. They had the chance to emulate the winners of the British and US versions of Idol, who had maintained a chart-topping career since leaving the show. "Everyone has a really good chance of making a good career out of it," Noll said.
As for his own ambitions, Noll -- like most of the Idol finalists -- said if he did not win the show he would still pursue a singing career.
"I want to get something out of this," he said. "That's the reason I entered. I want to make something happen."
The Australian
entertainment.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4459,7333008%255E10229%255E%255Enbv,00.html