news articles 11 january

[Inside Australian Idol]

Idol stars prepare for national tour
By Christine Sams
January 11, 2004
The Sun-Herald


Oz Idol's final 2 ... Shannon Noll (left) and Guy Sebastian

The two stars of the Australian Idol grand final were back together in Sydney last week, to begin rehearsing for the Idol concert tour, which will take in six Australian capital cities.

Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll have not spent any time together since the TV grand final which attracted 3.65 million viewers last year. But their lives have changed immeasurably since their success in the reality TV show.

Both men - one from Adelaide, the other from Condoblin - have moved to Sydney, where they are concentrating on their recording careers.

Sebastian's album is No.1 on the Australian charts after he nudged Delta Goodrem off the top spot, while Noll has just finished recording his debut CD for BMG.

Both singers will be the headline performers for the Australian Idol national tour, which starts on January 23, and takes in cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.

Twelve performers from the reality TV show will take the stage at venues including the Sydney Entertainment Centre, in an event being organised by the same team that created the Long Way To The Top tour.

"It's great to see Shannon again," said Sebastian, after rehearsals with musical director John Foreman inside the Sydney Opera House.

The Australian Idol tour arrives in Sydney on Australia Day, with a second show scheduled for January 27.


www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/10/1073437521456.html

[mobbedy]

Local vibe
By Paul Stewart

The pain of fame

AUSTRALIAN Idol star Robert Mills has confirmed he was recently
punched out outside a pub on Victoria's west coast.

"I really do not know what it was all about," he said while promoting
the forthcoming tour by Australian Idol finalists, including shows at
Rod Laver Arena on February 6 and 7.

"I think the guy did it so he could brag to his mates, 'I hit Millsy'.

"It was not that upsetting because I play football and am used to it,
but what was surprising and nasty was it just came unexpectedly out
of the blue. Behind play if you like."

Mills said his fling with American heiress Paris Hilton and the
attention - and even the odd fits of jealousy and envy - it had
attracted could have been behind the attack.

"We were just two young people having a good time. That's all," he
said.

"It was an amazing Melbourne Cup Day for me, considering for the past
few years I have been providing the entertainment in one of the small
bars after the event."

Mills and fellow Idol finalist Cle Wooten said they had eagerly
watched friend Guy Sebastian recently when he battled it out on World
Idol.

"I thought the show itself was terrible," Mills said.

"How much did they spend on the set - $20? The two guys compering it
were no good and the judges were just trying to outbitch each other.

"Guy was easily one of the best singers on the show."

Wooten said she had not had a chance to speak to Sebastian,
describing him as "the busiest man in the world".

Despite the fact that neither has signed a major record deal since
the end of Australian Idol, they have been linked to several
interesting projects.

Mills is said to be joining the cast of Neighbours, white Wooten's
name has been linked to The Secret Life of Us.

Wooten confirmed she would soon shift from Perth to Melbourne.

"At the moment, we are all concentrating on the Idol tour, where we
get to sing a couple of songs on our own and then in groups," she
said.

Mills said a record deal had proved hard to obtain despite his high
media profile.

"I have had a great idea for a reality television show, though, and
that is to go into a lot of different work places and get the people
working there to stage their own version of Idol," he said.

thanks to luke from yahoo!