news articles 21 june

[Inside Australian Idol]

Brave Antonia's special date
By NATALIE WILLIAMS
June 21, 2004

SIX-year-old Antonia Gazzo was so excited about her date with Australian Idol star Shannon Noll she picked out a special denim outfit and had her hair cut so she would look her best.



Very fantastic . . . a kiss from her idol Shannon Noll brings a joyous smile to the face of Antonia Gazzo

But just getting out of bed and dressed to face the day is a huge task for this brave little girl who communicates through her computer, with purpose-designed pictures and her own drawings.

Antonia was born with spastic quadriplegia and cerebral palsy and gets around in a wheelchair.

Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Antonia's dream came true in Newcastle on Saturday night, just before Noll went on stage for a concert at the Newcastle Panthers Leagues Club.

"She watched Australian Idol from start to finish and was devastated when Shannon Noll didn't win," her mother Marissa said.

"He was her absolute favourite. She has heaps of posters of him – they are not just all over our home but also in her classroom at Glenroy Special School [in Melbourne].

"She has his CDs and her favourite song is What About Me. I think she has a connection with that song.

"She was so excited about her first plane trip and then meeting Shannon. She wrote that it was all 'very, very fantastic'.

"To see her so happy does wonders for both of us."


dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1260&storyid=1508181

[Inside Australian Idol]

Bird finds reality soulmate
From Sydney Confidential
21jun04

IN a reality television romance to bring a tear to your eye, Confidential hears there's a new man in Regina Bird's life - Shannon Noll's brother, Adam.

Forget the hubby Adrian, and see ya later to the new boyf Craig Lane, the woman once chained to a deep fryer has declared she is seeing Adam, a member of Shannon's band.
Asked by a Confidential reader in Hobart what she was doing seeing the band Cypress at the Entertainment Centre earlier this month, Reggie told Annette she was there to see her boyfriend.

"My boyfriend's in the band," she told Annette.

She said she was so devoted to Adam it was the third consecutive night she had been in the front row.

When Confidential spoke to Adam in Melbourne - where Reggie just happens to be currently "housesitting" for a few months - about the alleged relationship he revealed that there was definitely a friendship there.

"Her relationship with the group is through Shannon and myself," Adam said somewhat cryptically.

"She came down [to the Hobart gig] and we spent a bit of time together.

"There is nothing happening at this stage ... it's on a friendship basis anyway," Adam said.

Reggie and her husband of seven years separated in January.

That was less than six months after walking away with the $250,000 cash prize for her winning Big Brother.

She was out and about shortly after with lookalike Sydney man Craig Lane within three months.

However that relationship now also appears to have ended.

Reggie "was having a break from it all" and could not speak to Confidential, her spokeswoman said.


www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9902904%255E10431,00.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Still lots to learn even if you began rocking in the cradle
By Richard Jinman
June 21, 2004

When high school band the Labels tell you they were born to rock, you'd better believe them. Their parents include former members of illustrious bands including the Go-Betweens, Mental As Anything, the Lime Spiders and Sydney punks Shock Treatment.

Formed a week ago as part of the annual Bondi Wave music education program, the five-member group have already written their first song, Optical Illusion. Gathered in a rehearsal room at the Bondi Pavilion this week there was plenty of debate about their "direction."

"It's bluesy sort of rock," said 13-year old bass player Otis O'Doherty, son of Mental as Anything founder Pete O'Doherty.

"No, it's not," said 12-year old drummer Lucinda Needham, daughter of former Go-Betweens drummer Lindy Morrison, who tutors Bondi Wave.

"I don't really care," said saxophonist Millie Hall, 13, whose dad, Phil, played bass with the Lime Spiders and the Drop Bears.

One of eight high school bands formed as part of this year's Bondi Wave, the Labels' enthusiasm confirms rock'n'roll is still potent 50 years after its invention. The Wave, a publicly funded annual three-month program of seminars and workshops open to NSW musicians aged 12 to 28, aims to make sure it stays that way.

Seminar topics range from copyright and marketing to digital audio production and songwriting. It's a reality check for starry-eyed young musicians whose dreams of instant fame are shaped by television shows such as Australian Idol and Popstars.

"We don't hide the fact that this is a really hard industry to be in," said Wave's co-ordinator, Kerry Digby. "Everyone wants to get out there and be famous, but it's an illusion that we'll all have a No.1 hit. We're giving them the truth."

Ms Digby said about 420 students would be involved in this year's program, which ends on July 31 with a showcase concert featuring bands including the Labels. Upcoming events include a songwriting symposium on July 3 featuring Steve Kilby (the Church), Brendan Gallagher (Karma County) and former Go-Betweens member Amanda Brown, and a video clip production course on July 17.

Three of the Labels are girls, but Ms Digby said rock was still a male-dominated medium. The Wave is trying to get more young women involved by running events such as a women's computer music course.

"I think the average 14-year-old boy is lot more confident than a 14-year-old girl," Ms Digby said. "That turns around in a few years, but it's important to boost their confidence."

www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/20/1087669847280.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Kasey Chambers Scores A Hat Trick

Kasey Chambers has maintained her number one spot on the Australian chart for a third week in a row.

Her 'Wayward Angel' album sold 16,496 units last week blocking Beastie Boys from a number one debut with their first album in five years 'To The 5 Boroughs'. Last week, Kasey blocked the high profile Velvet Revolver 'Contraband' album from grabbing the top spot as well.

The second highest debut was out of the Top 20. Rob Mills came in at number 21 with sale of 3119 his 'Up All Night' album. The Shrek 2 soundtrack was at number 22 after selling 3038 units. 'Call Off The Search' by Katie Melua debuted at number 31 with 2291 units sold and Gyroscope 'Sound Shattering Sound' debuted at number 37 with 1999 units sold.

The real success stories in the chart are Jet with 'Get Born' and Pete Murray with 'Feeler'. Jet's album sold a further 7,956 copies last week and maintained a number 3 spot after 40 weeks on the chart. It is now 4x platinum. Murray's 'Feeler' album has spent 45 weeks on the chart. It is currently at number four and sold 7,652 units last week.

By Paul Cashmere

June 21, 2004

www.undercover.com.au/news/2004/june04/20040621_kaseychambers.html