Post by Inside Australian Idol on Dec 19, 2003 1:12:52 GMT 10
'World Idol' hopefuls strut stuff
By KEVIN WARD
Canadian Press
LONDON -- Alexander Klaws is Germany's idea of a pop idol, but his voice leaves Simon Cowell bewildered.
The Pop Idol judge whose savage attacks have equally angered and demoralized want-to-be pop singers on two continents figures Klaws must be a nice guy, because he's not much of a singer.
"You must have an amazing personality because people win these things on their personalities," Cowell told him after he performed Maniac during this week's taping of World Idol.
"There is not a cat in Hell's chance of you winning this based on that performance, because it was terrible."
And so begins the search for the first World Idol, to be carried on CTV on Christmas Day from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. The Canadian version of the show will be hosted by Ben Mulroney.
Following from the success of the Idol franchise in countries around the world, World Idol brings together the winners of 11 national contests to decide the top performer among them in a worldwide vote.
Seen by some as a glorified karaoke contest and by others as a chance to unearth genuine musical talent, the concept has undoubtedly had an impact on the music industry since it was first broadcast in Britain almost two years ago.
Ryan Malcolm, a native of Kingston, Ont., went to No. 1 in the Top 40 charts in Canada after being named Canadian Idol with his first single Something More before the recent release of his album Home.
Britain's Will Young has churned out a succession of hits since he won Pop Idol in 2002, and Kelly Clarkson capped her chart-topping success in the United States on the heels of winning American Idol with a recent Grammy nomination.
Now the winners are going global in a two-hour TV show that a judge from the German program Deutschland Sucht den Superstar described as a "surreal circus."
Spiky-haired Malcolm performs He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, a Neil Diamond hit from 1970, on the program, a performance that received mixed reviews.
Zack Werner, Canada's own Mister Nasty in the judging ranks, praised the performance. "You should be proud of what you did, bro,'" he said.
But British judge Pete Waterman thought Malcolm lacked passion and soul. "Sincerity was just a little light," he added.
Malcolm seemed unfazed by the criticism of his dance steps and overall presentation, giving the taping one of Idol's patented confrontational moments when he provided an assessment of the judges.
"It's a gig and they're doing it very well," Malcolm said to the comedians Ant and Dec, hosts of the British and U.S. versions of the show. "I think most of them lack personality, because they're just mean."
Before World Idol was taped, the 24-year-old former waiter said he was looking at the program as an opportunity to reach a larger audience, although he would still like to win.
"I'm a little less worried about winning, I think just the exposure itself is a great thing," he said in an interview. "I think I will give a better performance because I can be a little bit more relaxed and not be so uptight, and not really worry about the judges."
The show's taping revealed unabashed breast-beating patriotism by the judges in favour of their national winners, mixed with a series of culture clashes.
Diana Karazon, 20, who won the Super Star competition spanning 22 Arab countries, left most of the experts flummoxed when she sang the Arabic love song Ensani Ma Binsak.
"It wasn't spine tingling, but I enjoyed it, whatever it was?" said Werner.
Any flag waving shouldn't be taken too seriously, however. Some of those who were asked during the warm-up to chant U.S.A. when Clarkson appeared were Londoners who just happened to sit in the seats assigned to the Stars and Stripes by World Idol's producers.
Clarkson was virtually anointed the winner by Cowell, although the voting system cancels any advantage she might have had with a home population of more than 300 million backing her.
Cowell said he expected to find undiscovered talents, but instead heard a collection of average singers with quirky personalities in a contest that he described as a sprint between "racehorses and donkeys."
Clarkson and Young are the thoroughbreds in Cowell's estimation while the rest, with the possible exception of two other performers, simply make up the numbers.
Among Cowell's possible spoilers is Norwegian Kurt Nilsen, whose appearance caught the attention of the Briton who appears on the show as an American judge.
"We've allowed a lot of ugly people to become recording artists, and that's not a bad thing," he said after watching Nilsen sing U2's Beautiful Day.
"It's not a modelling contest," replied the one-time plumber through a gap-toothed grin.
Each of the 11 countries involved in World Idol will use their own voting systems to determine the winner in their country. Points are then allocated to each contestant based on where they finish in the voting.
All the performers will get the maximum 12 points available to them in their own countries, which can't vote for their national winner. The remaining points are assigned based on where the contestants finish in the voting.
That means in Canada, viewers can't vote for Malcolm, but he automatically gets 12 points. The winner of the Canadian vote will get 10 points for finishing first, the second place finisher gets nine points with the scale dropping by one for each finishing place down to one point for 10th.
The winner will be announced on CTV on New Year's Day between 9 and 10 p.m. ET in a show taped earlier that day in London.
With Mulroney hosting the Canadian show, it will look distinctly different from those seen elsewhere and it also won't resemble what die-hard fans of Canadian Idol have come to expect.
"This is more of a pageant-style show, this is not whittling it down week after week," said Mulroney. "This is an opportunity, more than anything, for all of these people to present themselves to markets that haven't seen them yet."
When it comes to marketing, Belgian Peter Evrard realizes his long flowing brown hair, goatee and selection of Nirvana's heart-racing Lithium might be out of place at World Idol.
But the combative Evrard, who fronts his own rock band, was ready for Cowell when he accused him of being a heavy metal sellout for even agreeing to come on the pop show.
"You guys made it this way," the powerfully built former construction worker shot back. "Who are you to judge me for being unreal, actually."
A look at the 11 contestants in World Idol:
Poland, Alex, 18 -- Alicja Janosz, known as Alex, has always loved being on stage and made debut at eight in a talent contest. In World Idol, she sings I Don't Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar.
Germany, Alexander Klaws, 20 -- His debut single has sold 1.1 million copies in Germany. On World Idol he performs Maniac.
Pan-Arabia, Diana Karazon, 20 -- The Kuwaiti-born Karazon lives in Jordan. She won the region's version of Idol spanning 22 countries. A former aviation student, she sings the Arabic love song Ensani Ma Binsak on World Idol.
Australia, Guy Sebastian, 21 -- A former recording engineer and vocal coach, Sebastian's performance on Australian Idol was the most watched TV program in the country so far in 2003. On World Idol, he performs What a Wonderful World.
South Africa, Heinz Winckler, 25 -- Winckler has postponed his law studies to pursue his dream of making it as a pop singer. He performs Aerosmith's Don't Want To Miss a Thing on World Idol.
The Netherlands, Jamai Loman, 17 -- A student, Loman's single after he won Idols in Holland has gone four-times platinum. On World Idol, he sings Elton John's Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.
United States, Kelly Clarkson, 21 -- The former cocktail waitress from Texas sold 236,000 copies of her debut single A Moment Like This/Before Your Love in its first week, becoming the first single since 1999 to sell more than 200,000. The Grammy nominee performs You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman on World Idol.
Norway, Kurt Nilsen, 25 -- A one-time plumber and father of two, Nilsen was performing in bands before he won Idol in May 2002. On World Idol, he sings U2's Beautiful Day.
Belgium, Peter Evrard, 29 -- A hard rocker by nature, Evrard won Belgium's Idol in May 2002. The former construction worker sings Nirvana's Lithium on World Idol.
Canada, Ryan Malcolm, 24 --The Canadian Idol winner had a reprieve on the show when he was given a wildcard chance to rejoin the contest after he was originally voted off. Since winning the contest in September, he has had chart-topping success. The former waiter from Kingston, Ont., sings He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother on World Idol.
United Kingdom, Will Young, 24 -- It's been almost two years since Young won the first Pop Idol contest in Britain, but since then he has released a series of hit songs. The former student performs Light My Fire on World Idol.
www.canoe.ca/Television/dec17_worldidol-cp.html
By KEVIN WARD
Canadian Press
LONDON -- Alexander Klaws is Germany's idea of a pop idol, but his voice leaves Simon Cowell bewildered.
The Pop Idol judge whose savage attacks have equally angered and demoralized want-to-be pop singers on two continents figures Klaws must be a nice guy, because he's not much of a singer.
"You must have an amazing personality because people win these things on their personalities," Cowell told him after he performed Maniac during this week's taping of World Idol.
"There is not a cat in Hell's chance of you winning this based on that performance, because it was terrible."
And so begins the search for the first World Idol, to be carried on CTV on Christmas Day from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. The Canadian version of the show will be hosted by Ben Mulroney.
Following from the success of the Idol franchise in countries around the world, World Idol brings together the winners of 11 national contests to decide the top performer among them in a worldwide vote.
Seen by some as a glorified karaoke contest and by others as a chance to unearth genuine musical talent, the concept has undoubtedly had an impact on the music industry since it was first broadcast in Britain almost two years ago.
Ryan Malcolm, a native of Kingston, Ont., went to No. 1 in the Top 40 charts in Canada after being named Canadian Idol with his first single Something More before the recent release of his album Home.
Britain's Will Young has churned out a succession of hits since he won Pop Idol in 2002, and Kelly Clarkson capped her chart-topping success in the United States on the heels of winning American Idol with a recent Grammy nomination.
Now the winners are going global in a two-hour TV show that a judge from the German program Deutschland Sucht den Superstar described as a "surreal circus."
Spiky-haired Malcolm performs He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, a Neil Diamond hit from 1970, on the program, a performance that received mixed reviews.
Zack Werner, Canada's own Mister Nasty in the judging ranks, praised the performance. "You should be proud of what you did, bro,'" he said.
But British judge Pete Waterman thought Malcolm lacked passion and soul. "Sincerity was just a little light," he added.
Malcolm seemed unfazed by the criticism of his dance steps and overall presentation, giving the taping one of Idol's patented confrontational moments when he provided an assessment of the judges.
"It's a gig and they're doing it very well," Malcolm said to the comedians Ant and Dec, hosts of the British and U.S. versions of the show. "I think most of them lack personality, because they're just mean."
Before World Idol was taped, the 24-year-old former waiter said he was looking at the program as an opportunity to reach a larger audience, although he would still like to win.
"I'm a little less worried about winning, I think just the exposure itself is a great thing," he said in an interview. "I think I will give a better performance because I can be a little bit more relaxed and not be so uptight, and not really worry about the judges."
The show's taping revealed unabashed breast-beating patriotism by the judges in favour of their national winners, mixed with a series of culture clashes.
Diana Karazon, 20, who won the Super Star competition spanning 22 Arab countries, left most of the experts flummoxed when she sang the Arabic love song Ensani Ma Binsak.
"It wasn't spine tingling, but I enjoyed it, whatever it was?" said Werner.
Any flag waving shouldn't be taken too seriously, however. Some of those who were asked during the warm-up to chant U.S.A. when Clarkson appeared were Londoners who just happened to sit in the seats assigned to the Stars and Stripes by World Idol's producers.
Clarkson was virtually anointed the winner by Cowell, although the voting system cancels any advantage she might have had with a home population of more than 300 million backing her.
Cowell said he expected to find undiscovered talents, but instead heard a collection of average singers with quirky personalities in a contest that he described as a sprint between "racehorses and donkeys."
Clarkson and Young are the thoroughbreds in Cowell's estimation while the rest, with the possible exception of two other performers, simply make up the numbers.
Among Cowell's possible spoilers is Norwegian Kurt Nilsen, whose appearance caught the attention of the Briton who appears on the show as an American judge.
"We've allowed a lot of ugly people to become recording artists, and that's not a bad thing," he said after watching Nilsen sing U2's Beautiful Day.
"It's not a modelling contest," replied the one-time plumber through a gap-toothed grin.
Each of the 11 countries involved in World Idol will use their own voting systems to determine the winner in their country. Points are then allocated to each contestant based on where they finish in the voting.
All the performers will get the maximum 12 points available to them in their own countries, which can't vote for their national winner. The remaining points are assigned based on where the contestants finish in the voting.
That means in Canada, viewers can't vote for Malcolm, but he automatically gets 12 points. The winner of the Canadian vote will get 10 points for finishing first, the second place finisher gets nine points with the scale dropping by one for each finishing place down to one point for 10th.
The winner will be announced on CTV on New Year's Day between 9 and 10 p.m. ET in a show taped earlier that day in London.
With Mulroney hosting the Canadian show, it will look distinctly different from those seen elsewhere and it also won't resemble what die-hard fans of Canadian Idol have come to expect.
"This is more of a pageant-style show, this is not whittling it down week after week," said Mulroney. "This is an opportunity, more than anything, for all of these people to present themselves to markets that haven't seen them yet."
When it comes to marketing, Belgian Peter Evrard realizes his long flowing brown hair, goatee and selection of Nirvana's heart-racing Lithium might be out of place at World Idol.
But the combative Evrard, who fronts his own rock band, was ready for Cowell when he accused him of being a heavy metal sellout for even agreeing to come on the pop show.
"You guys made it this way," the powerfully built former construction worker shot back. "Who are you to judge me for being unreal, actually."
A look at the 11 contestants in World Idol:
Poland, Alex, 18 -- Alicja Janosz, known as Alex, has always loved being on stage and made debut at eight in a talent contest. In World Idol, she sings I Don't Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar.
Germany, Alexander Klaws, 20 -- His debut single has sold 1.1 million copies in Germany. On World Idol he performs Maniac.
Pan-Arabia, Diana Karazon, 20 -- The Kuwaiti-born Karazon lives in Jordan. She won the region's version of Idol spanning 22 countries. A former aviation student, she sings the Arabic love song Ensani Ma Binsak on World Idol.
Australia, Guy Sebastian, 21 -- A former recording engineer and vocal coach, Sebastian's performance on Australian Idol was the most watched TV program in the country so far in 2003. On World Idol, he performs What a Wonderful World.
South Africa, Heinz Winckler, 25 -- Winckler has postponed his law studies to pursue his dream of making it as a pop singer. He performs Aerosmith's Don't Want To Miss a Thing on World Idol.
The Netherlands, Jamai Loman, 17 -- A student, Loman's single after he won Idols in Holland has gone four-times platinum. On World Idol, he sings Elton John's Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.
United States, Kelly Clarkson, 21 -- The former cocktail waitress from Texas sold 236,000 copies of her debut single A Moment Like This/Before Your Love in its first week, becoming the first single since 1999 to sell more than 200,000. The Grammy nominee performs You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman on World Idol.
Norway, Kurt Nilsen, 25 -- A one-time plumber and father of two, Nilsen was performing in bands before he won Idol in May 2002. On World Idol, he sings U2's Beautiful Day.
Belgium, Peter Evrard, 29 -- A hard rocker by nature, Evrard won Belgium's Idol in May 2002. The former construction worker sings Nirvana's Lithium on World Idol.
Canada, Ryan Malcolm, 24 --The Canadian Idol winner had a reprieve on the show when he was given a wildcard chance to rejoin the contest after he was originally voted off. Since winning the contest in September, he has had chart-topping success. The former waiter from Kingston, Ont., sings He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother on World Idol.
United Kingdom, Will Young, 24 -- It's been almost two years since Young won the first Pop Idol contest in Britain, but since then he has released a series of hit songs. The former student performs Light My Fire on World Idol.
www.canoe.ca/Television/dec17_worldidol-cp.html
