news articles 17 January 2004

[Elle]

Popular TV idea hasn't been left idle

Saturday 17 January 2004
(A picture of Guy Sebastian heads this article)

Always nice to see promoters milking an idea to the max. Fresh from watching Australian Idol Winner Guy Sebastian's debut album rocket to the top of the charts, those fellow idol lads and lasses (the final 12) are soon to embark on a national tour, or an "Australian Experience" as the promoters scream. Promoter Michael Chugg is taking Sebastian, above, and his colleagues on the road, promising no expense will be spared in creating a 'topnotch world class concert".
(Brisbane Entertainment Centre, January 29) with the whole shebang to be MC-ed by IdolJudge Ian " Dicko" Dickson. Certain the price of tickets is world class. It's $ 69.40 for one and the bargain basement price for a family of four is $246.90, although groups of 10 get in for $ 58.40 each. Can Hardly wait.


(Note, this article has not been added to the Couer mail's webpage yet (unless someone else can find it)but it certainly is in Brisbane's Courier Mail). Can send a copy if necessary.

[maggie20ct]

thnx for that elle

[Inside Australian Idol]

Wedding singer is same Guy
January 17, 2004

It wasn't until halfway through Australian Idol that one of the original Blockettes, Amity Dry, realised Guy Sebastian sang at her 2001 wedding.

"My sister rang me and said, 'I think that's the guy from your wedding'," recalls Dry, who forged her singing career thanks to publicity from the show.

"He didn't have an afro then so I didn't recognise him.

"We wanted gospel singers and a friend recommended him. That voice is just unbelievable," she says.

Dry ran into Sebastian again at Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne on Christmas Eve. "It was great to see him again, especially because we've both had such a whirlwind year," she says.

"Here we were both singing at the carols, which has been my dream since I was a little girl."

With Sebastian having just moved into a new flat in Sydney's eastern suburbs, perhaps Dry can help him out with some renovating tips.


dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1266&storyid=761786

[Inside Australian Idol]

BMG Sacks Idol Judge

A second high profile BMG Executive was dumped this week, as the Sony BMG merger moves closer to happening.

Thomas Stein, head of operations in Germany, Switzerland and Austria has announced he is leaving the building, just two days after the removal of L.A Reid from the top position at Arista in the USA.

Stein, a well known personality in Germany after acting as a judge on the local version of Pop Idol, has managed to raise his own profile in the last year but the Financial Times reports that under his leadership the company has failed to focus sufficiently on the search for new long-term talent.

According to the Financial Times, BMG chairman and chief executive Rolf Schmidt-Holtz is moving in hard on the bottom line and taking a serious look at profitability.

BMG Australia also cleaned house with their local roster last year dropping long term A&R developed artists You Am I and Jack Jones (Irwin Thomas) in 2003 to make room for the SMS voted for Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll and Millsy.

Earlier this week, Sony and BMG took their merger plan to the European Union for approval. If there are no problems, the approval will be given on February 12, 2004. If any issues arise, they must be dealt with by May 12, 2004.

The US antitrust also needs to approve the merger for the American market but with an EU go-ahead that will be purely a formality.

The combined new company, to be known as Sony BMG, will be based in New York.


by Paul Cashmere


www.undercover.com.au/news/2004/20040117_bmg.html