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Post by Skip on Jun 22, 2004 20:24:08 GMT 10
Run of the mill? Not this celebrity
Cheeky star: Rob Mills will perform in Shepparton on July 17.
June 22 2004
Shepparton News
Almost Australian Idol Rob Mills is coming to Shepparton.
The man widely known as "Millsy" will play at Shepparton's Eastbank Centre on July 17, in a concert that is sure to excite his many fans.
Mills shot to prominence as a finalist of last year's hit series Australian Idol.
After being voted off the show, he continued to make headlines thanks to a fling with hotel heiress and actress Paris Hilton.
His current single, Ms Vanity, is at number 12 on the Australian single charts, while his album Up All Night debuted this week at number 21 in the album charts.
Stay tuned to The News for more information on tickets and times in the coming days and weeks.
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Post by Skip on Jun 22, 2004 20:26:53 GMT 10
What the gossip mags say
By Jacqueline Maley
June 22, 2004
It's that time of year again - when the gossip magazines serve up an a la carte list of the year's "sexiest people" - and we, the peanut-gallery public, try to stomach it without vomiting.
Sigh. It seems that in order to be a "sexy" person these days, you must possess bucketloads of false modesty, even as you splay your legs and expose as much flesh as is legal in a magazine that doesn't have a plastic seal.
It also helps your cred if you reveal a tortured adolescent past, and the fact you've always felt like an "outsider".
Hence Who tells us Beyonce Knowles was "shy and unpopular at school" and Keira Knightley is described as a "slightly dorky, beanpole tomboy" who is unaware of her own beauty. Jennifer Garner, star of Alias, is described by the creator of her show as "a beautiful girl, with an ugly girl's personality". Those ugly chicks - always so nice.
With all the eloquence of a good Aussie bloke, the Australian Idol runner-up Shannon Noll realises "not being ordinary looking" is part of his appeal, and the singer Justin Timberlake tells Who: "I don't think I'm so sexy, but I appreciate that women do." It's good of him to be so understanding. (As for Lenny Kravitz's inclusion in the list, can people please stop feeding this man's delusions about himself? Don't we all have enough suffering in our daily lives already?)
NW continues to flog the bloated carcass of the celeb fatty article. Of course, no fat story would be complete without everybody's favourite heifer, the actress Kirstie Alley.
The article is entitled "Kirstie's Fat Confession". It seems she is so obese these days that even her revelations are overweight. To NW's great alarm, Alley does not seem to realise how serious her condition is. "I know what I did in my life to get there," she says. "I ate too much and had too big of a party. I don't think it's too tragic." NW, however, begs to differ, stating her size has "alarmed experts". The woman is clearly in denial.
In other news, Timberlake has revealed himself to be a prat during his tour down under (who would have thought?) and NW wades into the murky psychological waters of celebrity sibling rivalry. Nicky Hilton, the sister of Paris, dealt with her inadequacies by becoming a handbag designer, and the father of sisters Jessica and Ashlee Simpson simply gave the less famous sister her own show in order to even things up. Easy.
NW and New Idea have made the simultaneous discovery that former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham's nipples are constantly erect. Nipple implants, botox or simply a sensitivity to draughts? Both mags will stop at nothing until they have delivered answers.
As for Woman's Day, it is pre-occupied with one thing, and one thing only: the fertility of Princess Mary Donaldson. Poor Mary is still flushed from her honeymoon and yet WD beseeches her: "Give us a royal baby!" The mag makes lewd jokes about nookie within earshot of the parents-in-law and helpfully points out that "at 32 her biological clock is ticking".
Woman's Day will not stop until a royal heir is produced, and indeed NW would be delighted if the new Danish princess piled on some kilos, a la Kirstie Alley. So perhaps it would be best for everyone if she got knocked up. And quickly.
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Post by Skip on Jun 22, 2004 20:27:49 GMT 10
"Idol" mania sweeps into Asia
Tue 22 June, 2004 09:33
By Sze Toh Yuin Munn
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Emylia Abdul Rahman braved a tropical rain storm, the risk of public humiliation and a 12-hour wait for a shot at fame and fortune.
As Singapore's version of American Idol enters a third round of auditions, Rahman is one of thousands whose passion for the American reality-TV show and nervous self-confidence underline the budding Asian phenomenon of "Idol-mania".
"We were all standing in the rain for one hour and everyone refused to budge till there was a storm," said the 23-year-old, who likes to be known as "Axl".
In Singapore, the first Asian nation to start the competition, about 3,000 people registered for the first round of auditions in June -- or about one of every 1,400 people in the wealthy island-state of four million.
Some, like Rahman, take inspiration from American Idol's most famous castoff -- William Hung, whose hatchet job of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" catapulted the ethnic Chinese engineering student to fame and even a tour date in Singapore in September.
"I find him interesting," says Rahman. "From his example, you can see you don't have to be at the top to be famous as long as you have something special that people can relate to."
Indonesia, Malaysia and India will follow with Idol competitions of their own.
"I've been singing every day since young for an opportunity like this," said 20-year-old Ratillahwati Sumathi, sitting on the floor of a sprawling convention centre with hundreds of others waiting for a turn with a panel of judges.
"I'm prepared to do anything," said Sumathi, a bespectacled civil servant, her long black hair wound in a pony-tail, as she summoned confidence to face judges in the first round.
Secrecy shrouded the first two rounds of auditions. Media were barred from the performances. Singers who passed into the next rounds were prohibited from speaking with reporters on some subjects or revealing their full names.
"Most of them had braved the elements and a long wait to perform, which goes to show how dedicated they are to achieving their dreams," said Selena Ho, a vice president of programming and promotions at MediaCorp TV, which is broadcasting the show.
"Their passion and enthusiasm really stood out," she said after the first round. "Auditions have been eye-opening and we definitely saw some talent."
QUITTING THE DAY JOB
Singapore is better known for producing engineers with an eye for calculus than singers with an eye for stardom, launching only a handful of award-winning musical careers in a region dominated by Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Japanese singers.
But the government, known for heavy-handed censorship, has thrust the performing arts into the centre of its policymaking and urban planning in recent years, opening a gleaming Esplanade concert hall in 2002 to showcase international and local talent.
Organisers say some serious competitors even quit their day jobs to train for auditions, and one showed up with a fractured leg. "It's my dream to be on stage," said Deepak Kishinchand, 24, sitting on the floor, his crutches beside him.
Soft-spoken Eurasian Scott Klyne, 18, hoped Idol would mark a new beginning. "Winning this will open up a whole new horizon," he said.
Like Rahman, who was booted in the first round after her rendition of West Life ballad "Flying without Wings" failed to impress, Klyne also failed to make it into the second round.
Singapore's first idol will win a Platinum music contract with Bertelsmann AG's BMG unit, which owns more than 200 record labels in 41 countries.
'JUST BE MYSELF'
Since the "Idol" concept began as a talent-scout reality TV show in Britain in 2001, the phenomenon has swept more than 30 countries, from the United States to Iceland, Slovakia and Australia, before hitting Asia.
"American Idol" and "World Idol", where winners of international shows compete, are popular in Singapore, and past winners such as Americans Fantasia Barrino and Clay Aiken, and Australian Guy Sebastian, are well known.
"I love Guy's voice," gushed awe-struck idol hopeful Audrey Cheong. "I will do as he said in an interview, 'Just be myself and let my talent shine through'," said the 23-year-old, dreamily, clutching her idol registration forms.
MediaCorp has yet to announce when Singapore Idol will air on local TV. But while some people chase their dreams and others emulate their idols, some simply joined for the fun of it.
"Singapore is a very boring country, there is nothing to do. I'm just trying to find something to do," quipped personal trainer, Remi Abdul Rahman, 30.
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