news articles 30th June

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tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/tvweek/interview22.asp

from christine:
Star search

Australian Idol hit the road in April in search of our next music star.

We asked judges Mark Holden and Ian “Dicko” Dickson what they thought of the talent…<br>
Tamworth
The team went looking for another Shannon Noll, but were disappointed. Dicko: Tamworth is our country music centre, but we just saw the same crappy R’n’B singers you see everywhere.

Perth
Last year’s Cosima De Vito was discovered in Perth, so the judges had high hopes…Dicko: There were superb turnouts in Perth, but just not very good talent at all.

Hobart
While the Apple Isle’s beauty impressed the judges, the talent did not. Mark: It was a disaster. I didn’t say yes to anyone until the very last person, who was a 16-year-old girl named Ameli.

Canberra
This year saw the first Idol auditions in Canberra and the talent was a surprise. Mark: Canberra was actually quite good. I can’t reveal how many got through to the top 30, but it was a good surprise.

Melbourne
It wasn’t the talent that most impressed Mark in Australia’s second-largest city. Mark: The loonies in Melbourne were spectacular. On the talent front there were a few people, but I was disappointed.

Brisbane
Brisbane may have been wet, but that didn’t stop the talent from shining. Dicko: For the second year running Brisbane was fantastic. They are just so keen and enthusiastic up there.

Adelaide
The home of last year’s winner, Guy Sebastian, produced some talent! Mark: Adelaide was good, but a couple of people were there from Melbourne to take another crack at Idol.

Darwin
The huge surprise of the auditions. The talent there was very impressive. Mark: Surprisingly good. There are a couple of people from Darwin that are quite interesting and groovy.

Sydney
Highest population equals highest talent count. And they turned on the charm. Dicko: Last year Sydney was light on talent, but this year it was sensational.

Idol mania is here again as the search begins for tomorrow’s stars.

FACTS & FIGURES
Number of kilometres travelled– more than 16,000
Number of days on the road – 54
Number of cities visited – 19
Number of venues used for the auditions – 17
Number of hotels stayed in – 15
Number of security guards – 180
Number of people who queued – more than 50,000
Number of auditionees – over 20,000
Number of tissues used – 120 boxes
Most popular songs – R Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”, “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” from the Sister Act two soundtrack and “Amazing Grace”.
Wacky outfits worn – nurses’ uniforms, a muu-muu, the Australian flag, a Grim Reaper outfit, furry animal suits.

Idol gossip
*TV WEEK scooped all the gossip from the auditions.
Perth, the judges gave the thumbs up to a 15-year-old girl who turned 16 on the last possible day of qualifying. She’s the youngest ever Idol contestant.

*Perth also had a rapping rabbi try out!

*In Melbourne, Rove’s Peter Helliar turned up to audition dressed as a bogan rocker with a mullet. He had a scuffle with security after the judges turned him down.

*Last year’s hyperactive top-30 finalist Roderick made another appearance in Melbourne – but was shown the door.

*A big, scary man turned up to the Sydney auditions with a biker jacket and goatee calling himself, “Al Ka Holic – the wog full of grog”. He performed a really bad rendition of a Van Halen song and didn’t get through.
Sydney saw one of the most moving moments of Idol ever when a woman turned up, only 48 hours after giving birth, to perform. There was hardly a dry eye in the house and yes, she got through.

*Keep an eye out for Mary, a young Asian girl from Sydney, who sounds like a chipmunk sucking on helium.

*One of the more colourful Sydney auditionees was Phillip. He began whistling and dancing, then went into beat boxing, heavy metal and humming, then back to whistling. He got through.

Did you know?
The auditionees have to perform three times before they can make it into the final 100:
1.They audition in front of producers.
2. On the same day they perform in front of the executive producers.
3. They perform in front of the three bigwigs – Marcia Hines, Mark and Dicko, who have the deciding vote.

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Rumours tip wannabe idol in the top 100


By Roger Oldridge

June 30 2004
Shepparton News


Keep an eye on your television screens and a hand on your remote control as the second series of Australian Idol premieres in less than two weeks' time.
As reported in The News last month, there are very strong rumors former Tatura boy Ben Eaton has made the final 100 contestants.

Bound by contractual agreements with the show's producers, neither Mr Eaton or his parents were able to confirm the rumours.


It is expected the show will air on Tuesday nights for its first few episodes before reverting to its standard Sunday night slot when Channel 10's other reality phenomenon, Big Brother, winds up around the end of July.

Fellow Tatura singer Natalie Ferguson made the final 40 contestants in last year's series, leaving us to ponder - is there something in the water out Tatura way that lubricates the vocal cords just enough to make the residents sing better?

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2 idols making own names
DIRECTLINE By Boy Abunda
The Philippine Star 06/30/2004

It’s a phenomenon that has gripped the whole world. Be it American Idol, Canadian Idol, Pop Idol, Australian Idol or even our very own "idol" searches, one thing is clear–stardom still is the ultimate measure of success.

Take the case of Gareth Gates. Here was a boy who could barely utter his own name due to a stammer he had suffered all his life, yet when he first sang Flying Without Wings on Pop Idol, a voice so pure and charged with emotion came out, it could make even a grown man cry.

It was as if Gareth had been born to be a superstar. Not only did he have the voice of an angel, he was a natural on camera and his model looks make him a photographer’s dream. Women simply adore his liquid brown eyes, disarming smile and those gorgeous dimples! It was clear from the start that Gareth was going to be a star.

"We knew we’d found a star in Gareth from the first day we saw him. He has a unique gift that makes you sit still and listen the moment you hear his voice and the emotion he puts into every word is breathtaking," says Simon Fuller, Pop Idol format owner.

This comes as no surprise to those who know him, as music has been a passion of Gareth since his early years. Aside from being a superb singer, he also plays several instruments. He is an accomplished pianist and songwriter whose love affair with music began at age eight and quite by accident. His school was staging a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Gareth was given a bit part. "All my mates were in it, so I thought, why not? It would be a laugh," he says.

But as soon as his teachers heard him sing, he was given the part of Joseph. "My mom and dad came to see it. They had never heard me sing and my mom was in a flood of tears. It was like, ‘What’s going on here? You can really sing.’"

Since then, singing became a lifeline for Gareth. "For so long, I had struggled to express myself properly with speech. Then I discovered that I could do it with music. That’s the reason why I put so much into it when I’m up there on stage," he explains. "I can sing without faltering because it requires a different kind of breathing to speech."

In the summer of 2001, Gareth auditioned and almost went all the way in the award-winning TV series Pop Idol, where he came second to Will Young. "I was gutted at first, but I was pleased for Will. I realized that it didn’t matter. I got a record deal and the opportunity to do what I’ve always wanted to do and that’s what really counts."

Since then, Gareth Gates has won many awards including Favorite UK Male Singer in UK’s National Music Awards; Best Male Solo Artist in Smash Hits Awards 2003; and Favorite Male Artist in MTV Asia Awards 2004 with the release of his two albums: What My Heart Wants To Say in 2003 and his just released repackaged album Go Your Own Way.

Go Your Own Way features the beautiful ballad Say It Isn’t So and the uplifting dance number Spirit In The Sky. Also included in this special edition release is a bonus CD which includes the acoustic version of his hit single Anyone Of Us plus five other brand new tracks.

"Life will never be the same for me. I’ll never be able to walk down the street again without being approached by hot chicks. It’s such a hard life," Gareth laughs. "Seriously though, it’s fantastic. Now, I can really concentrate on my career and love of music. It’s wicked!" Enter Clay Aiken
Meanwhile, Gareth Gates’ American counterpart, Clay Aiken is likewise fast making a name after finishing second to Ruben Studdard on the second series of the highly rated Fox TV show American Idol.

Following the show’s climax in May 2003, Aiken signed a recording contract with RCA Records and entered the studio with veteran producer Clive Davis to work on his debut album, which enjoyed immediate success the following month when its lead-off single, This Is The Night, ousted Studdard’s Flying Without Wings to the top slot in the Billboard Hot 100.

Aiken also released his first solo album, Measure Of A Man in October, featuring the chart-topping single Invisible.

(Gareth Gates’ Go Your Own Way and Clay Aiken’s Measure Of A Man are available locally in CD and cassette formats at record stores nationwide distributed by BMG Records Pilipinas.)