news articles 30 september

[Inside Australian Idol]

Rumour Mills turning
By Sydney Confidential
September 30, 2003

IT'S a shame the Australian Idol house isn't fitted with Big Brother-style cameras.


Is Robert Mills Idol's biggest flirt?


Judging from the state of some of the Idol hopefuls on Sunday, mainly nursing sore throats, it's been suggested there may be some interesting stuff going on behind the scenes.

And a cheeky question from Mark Holden to Robert Mills got the rumour mill turning.

Following Mills performance, a smiling Holden asked him how many times he woke up in his own bed in the Idol house.

Mills swore he had no idea what Holden was talking about and according to Steve Murphy, Idol publicist, the comment was meant to poke fun at Mills' popularity with girls.

"It's because he's (Mills) a ladies man and he loves to flirt," Murphy said.

"It's certainly not with anyone in the house."

He also defended the others and denied there was any late-night partying.

"They had a really big week in Melbourne, they're all a little bit run-down and when one of them gets sick, they all get sick," Murphy said.

Break out the Vicks.

The Daily Telegraph

www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7417004%255E28477,00.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Kelly creeps through again
By Toby Forage
September 30, 2003

IF Kelly Cavuoto wasn't restricted to singing a native tune for next week's "Australia's Own" themed Idol sing-off, she might have chosen the Destiny's Child anthem Survivor.


Kelly Cavuoto is all smiles for at least another week.


For the second successive week, the 22-year-old rock-chick was hauled out as one of the three most unpopular performers of Sunday's second knockout final - yet again she was spared the chop.

By her own admission, she might not be so lucky next Monday night, although while others are asked to vary their song choices and widen their scope, she continues to sneak through on simple rock tunes that display just one, and perhaps the only, string to her bow.

Gone ahead of her instead are Cle Wooten and the junior of the group, Lauren Buckley, 17.

So overwhelmed was Buckley that she had to be helped through her farewell performance of Lady Marmalade by Cle in the first instance and then her bawling Idol stable mates, who stood as one to sing her away with tears of solidarity.

Lauren could only murmur a quick "thank you" before leaving the show, where she was praised a number of times by Ian "Dicko" Dickson as exactly what he was looking for.

But ultimately, the watching public grew tired of her, and the choice on Sunday of the saucy hit that burst into the charts again on the back of Moulin Rouge and lingerie clad real-life pop idols Christina Aguilera, Pink, Maya and Lil' Kim was odd and awkward.

Cle had chosen Janet Jackson's That's The Way Love Goes, which was also a choice that ultimately led to her downfall. She put in a staid performance that belied her huge vocal talent and diva's heart.

Star of Sunday was undoubtedly Shannon Noll, the country lad with a rugged exterior but a soft centre. He blew the judges and the audience away with his version of the Aussie classic What About Me and looks set for the long haul.

The seven that join him for next week's show are Kelly, Rebekah LaVauney, Guy Sebastian, Cosima De Vito, Robert Mills, Levi Kereama, and Paulini Curuenavuli.

But there might not be so many tears for next week's losers. Guest star Kelly Clarkson - who won the American Idol series last year - told it how it is on the show last night.

"It's a lot of hard work and you won't have a life if you win," she said.

Pop stardom - who needs it?

www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7417256%255E28477,00.html

[Pinkline Jones]

Absolute rubbish - the star of Sunday night's show was Paulini - its an insult and an untruth to suggest otherwise. Shannon is a karaoke performer - Paulini is a SINGER.

[guysachamp]

Pinkline im not sayin that i dont like paulinie cuz besides guy of course, shes my fav but this comp isnt just after a 'singer' they r after an idol, not just any old singer, anyone can sing, not saying every1 is good, but evry1 can sing

[idle]

nah, i can't hear her heart in the songs. call me stone cold, but i think she has a wee way to go yet.
armchaircritic.