news articles 7 november

[Inside Australian Idol]

Guy with the 'fro has 'flu
From Sydney Confidential
November 7, 2003

IDOL favourite Guy Sebastian has come down with flu just days before his final Sunday night performance.

"I thought it was just a cold, but today I'm aching all over and like, I'm having trouble talking now," he said, laughing.

"Nah, I'll be right. I'm dosing up with everything I can," he told Confidential yesterday.

* * *

WOULD Shannon Noll still be in the Idol race if Cosima hadn't pulled out?

That's just what he'd like to know.

Talking to Confidential yesterday in his first interview since Monday night's shock revelations, Noll said his rise to the top following the controversial withdrawal of Cosima de Vito, who revealed she had throat nodules, had left him in "a bit of a daze".

"I was a bit bemused. I knew she had problems with her throat and she was sick, but I didn't know she was going to do that that night - they never told us," he said yesterday.

"We weren't told the final results. I asked, but they wouldn't say. They said they stopped the voting early, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

"I still haven't heard. I'd just love to know. I had a go that night, but they weren't going to tell me, they didn't give me a chance."

The Daily Telegraph


www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7794477%255E28477,00.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

MTV boss blasts Idol shows
November 6, 2003

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A top MTV boss today slammed Australian Idol-type television talent shows for producing a string of manufactured stars who did nothing to salvage the beleaguered music industry.

"These programs make good TV but from a musical point of view, they do not have any value," Brent Hansen, President and Chief Executive of MTV Networks Europe told Reuters.

Television shows that propel total unknowns to instant stardom have been huge ratings winners, including in Australia where the final of Australian Idol will go ahead at the Sydney Opera House on November 19.

But Hansen is clearly not a fan.

"I totally believe they have devalued us, taken us back to light entertainment and voyeurism" he said. "I think people will turn away from it. They are looking for more substance."

Hansen, whose music channels have a huge influence on pop tastes, is not alone in his caustic dismissal of Instant Pop.

Music veterans like Elton John and George Michael have complained bitterly about the trend and Bono, lead singer of the Irish supergroup U2, has argued: "People are sick to the teeth of processed and hyped pop bands. It is crap."

Hansen, in Edinburgh for tomorrow night's MTV Europe Awards, said the beleaguered music industry must hold its nerve and take time to nurture talent if it is to recover from its current slump.

"Disposable and ephemeral will, I hope, become less of an attraction both to people who are signing the artists and to the audience," he said.

"I think it will come right as long as there is confidence from the labels right through from the indies (independents) to the majors in signing new talent," he added.

The latest industry figures paint a dismal picture. Global data showed music sales tumbled almost 11 per cent in the first six months of this year, piling more pressure on music companies to do deals to survive.

Despite big hits from pop queen Christina Aguilera and rapper 50 Cent, the industry has been ravaged by Internet downloading and CD burning.

Hansen was strikingly upbeat despite the gloom.

But he said it was vital "people don't lose their nerve and that the industry continues to be an art and not a science. It is not just about quick burns and quick returns."

Predicting a hit is almost impossible. Nine in every 10 albums in the United States lose money and labels get little change from a million dollars when launching a new artist.

"There is always a risk that you are going to put everything behind one or two acts because they are going to bring in the numbers you need," Hansen said.

That temptation, he added, should be firmly resisted.

Reuters

www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/06/1068013288767.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Press release

Australian Idol punters going cold on Guy as the favourite fights the flu!

Australian Idol bookmaker Centrebet says that punters are rediscovering
their faith in Shannon Noll as competition favourite Guy Sebastian fights
the flu and message board posters line up to praise the Condo Kid's
selection of songs for Sunday's show.

Guy (1.20) was all the rage following Cosima DeVito's withdrawal from the
contest, with Centrebet taking several four-figure bets on the South
Australian star, including one wager of $5,000 at 1.20 and another one of
$2,500 at 1.15. But now Shannon (4.00) is attracting support after choosing
Bryan Adams and Jimmy Barnes tracks.

And Guy is not the only Croweater that Centrebet is tipping to do well on a
big stage over the next few weeks. South Australian stunner Olivia
Stratton, of Mount George, is one of the betting agency's favourites for
the Miss World beauty pageant. Stratton is 51.00 to beat more than 100 of
the world's prettiest women to the famous crown.

Log on to www.centrebet.com to view its latest prices.

About Centrebet

The world's first online sports betting agency, Centrebet's explosive
growth continues ten years on from its launch. Punters are flocking to
Centrebet because of its better odds, comprehensive sports betting options
and guaranteed payment of winnings.

Centrebet operates in the world's strictest gaming jurisdiction.
Australia's Northern Territory Government licenses Centrebet. Its Racing &
Gaming Commission digitally monitors all transactions for the protection of
Centrebet and its worldwide clients.