news articles 29 december

[Inside Australian Idol]

Sebastian's idle moment is over


December 29, 2003

OUR "weird" looking World Idol hopeful, Guy Sebastian is on his way back to London for judgment day.



Support ... Guy's brother Ollie (right) and Alex Perilli

Sebastian has spent a media-free five days with his family for Christmas – the most time he's had off work in more than nine months, according to a BMG spokesman.

He flies to London today, without Australia's representative judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson who is not needed for the live final show.


Guy's family and friends report they've had a busy Christmas making phone calls and e-mails to overseas friends and family to help him win the World Idol crown.


Australian fans are being asked to contact the show's website – www.worldidol.tv – if they will be in the UK on January 1, the day the verdict show is recorded. Producers are looking for about 15 of Sebastian's supporters to go along to the live recording of the show.


The finale of World Idol screens live on Channel 10 from 6.30am next Friday and will be repeated that night at 7.30pm.

dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1266&storyid=694170

[Inside Australian Idol]

TV's 10 best moments of 2003
The Eye
29dec03

WHEN you think of the box and 2003, once again reality television programs dominated. Looking back, The Eye names 10 of its favourite TV moments this year.

1. The winner is . . . Guy Sebastian
AT one stage, 3.6 million Australians tuned into see the man with the now world-famous fro win Australian Idol on November 20.

The whole spectacular at the Opera House in Sydney was event TV at its best, and proved Australians could match anyone in the world when it came to television production.


2. The winner is . . . Fiona and Adam

IT may seem like a memory to many, but the hype over The Block rivalled that of Australian Idol.

Around 800,000 Melburnians watched every week. It was quality television when totally unscripted, working-class boy Adam Thorn cried uncontrollably on girlfriend Fiona's shoulder when the couple won the big prize.

Also, who could forget the boys, Waz and Gaz, fighting with macho Paul upstairs? Totally Australian in format, watch for The Block 2 next year, which will also be filmed in Sydney.


3. Kath and Kim final episode

WHO could forget the '80s flashbacks in the final episode in what is proving to be one of the best Australian comedies of all time.

The blue-light disco scene and the dancing where Kim met Brett was partly inspired by visits by comic actors Jane Turner and Gina Riley to Inflation nightclub in King St many years ago.


4. Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton lying that his Grandmother was dead on Survivor: Pearl Islands

IT was the most callous move on Survivor yet, when evil Jon Dalton lied to everybody in an acting job worthy of an Oscar. Winner Sandra Diaz-Twine was the only contestant who did not believe him. It helped Dalton make it to the final three, where he was unlucky to not go further.

Watch for next year, it will be one of the big hits of 2004.


5. Madonna and Britney kiss on the MTV music awards

IT was an obvious set-up, and a blatant publicity attempt, according to many critics, but it still made us all sit up and watch.

The publicity didn't help – both Britney and Madonna's new albums have flopped in Australia.

Author Madonna has been missing from the world stage.


6. Regina Bird winning Big Brother

WITH all the changes, for a while there the third series of Big Brother had everybody confused. That was until Tasmanian Regina Bird became a major part of the show's storylines.

Everybody fell in love with Reggie, who was by far the most sincere of all the housemates.

Other highlights of the season included the fight between Victorians Chrisse Swan and cop Ben Archbold, and housemate Belinda becoming the first ever to leave the house on her own accord.


7. Carson Kressler's one-liners on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

OUTSIDE of the US, Queer Eye has had most success in Australia.

Every Tuesday morning, usually the straightest blokes in the office have something to say about the Queer Eye. Often, water cooler conversations centre on fashion assassin Carson, who has the most incredibly quick one-liners that are impossible not to laugh at.

Get set for the Aussie version of the show, although we don't know how anybody can top "killer" Carson.


8. Delta at the ARIAs

AS expected, Delta Goodrem cleaned up, winning seven ARIAs.

Because of Goodrem, the awards, hosted by Rove McManus, were must-watch television.

The defining moment came when Goodrem broke down after being presented with another award after Darren Hayes sang Lost Without You.


9. Pauline leaving prison

WHEN One Nation founder Pauline Hanson left prison, it made for a classic press conference.

It was as if Prisoner had made a real-life comeback in 2003.

Talking of Prisoner, Channel 7 wins no points for screening the British version, Bad Girls, after 12am on a Friday night. The British are up to series six, while we are only now watching series two.


10. Chip and Reichan winning the Amazing Race

THIS show probably has the biggest cult following in Australia.

This year's series was one of the best, with gay couple Chip and Reichan taking out the race. They were two of several gay people who won over television in the US in 2003.


www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8274015%255E2902,00.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Guy Beats Delta To Final Number One of the Year

Guy Sebastian has turned in another amazing week of sales maintaining a lead over Delta Goodrem and finishing off the year at number one.

Sebastian's 'Just As I Am' album sold 70,539 units this week in Australia, ahead of Delta's 'Innocent Eyes' at number two with 60,019 sales.

The last three weeks have been the biggest sales weeks of the year. Last week was the year's third biggest retail week with total sales in the Top 10 amounting to 375,657 units. The previous week holds the record with 390,449 units sold and the week before that was number two with 382,596 units selling from the Top 10.

December has been a boom month for the Australian music industry. The Top 10 albums accounted for sales of 1,340,103 units over the last four weeks.

Black Eyed Peas had the nation's biggest selling single this week. 'Shut Up' moved 25,558 units just ahead of Delta Goodrem's 'Predictable' on 24,534.

by Paul Cashmere


www.undercover.com.au/news/2003/20031229_deltagoodrem.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Guy and co draw in viewers
The Eye
29dec03

WORLD Idol turned out to be a winner for Channel 10.

Although it is not the ratings season, the Boxing Day show still did very well, with 2.7 million people tuning in to watch Guy Sebastian, Will Young, Kelly Clarkson and company.
It would have been the most-watched show in any official ratings week.

Since we can't vote for Guy, The Eye did a quick survey and found many people are voting for Norwegian Kurt Nilsen, who sang U2's Beautiful Day.

The only negative comments the judges had to say about Nilsen was that he was ugly.









In the betting, Nilsen is fourth favourite, behind Clarkson, Young and our Guy.

Our Eye spies overseas tell us the order of the finalists was different in each country.

In Ireland, Guy came on second.


www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8274018%255E2902,00.html