news articles - 5 May

[MaybeNext]

Idol swings vote for Aussie classic

By Jonathon Moran, National Entertainment Writer

May 5, 2005

IT'S been 23 years coming, but songwriter Garry Frost has finally been recognised for his 1982 chart-topper What About Me.


Nominations for the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA awards), recognising composers and songwriters who have achieved excellence in their craft, were announced in Sydney today.

What About Me, which was originally sung by Moving Pictures and has again been in the charts over the past 18 months with a version recorded by Shannon Noll, was nominated under the most performed Australian work category.


"Obviously it made some people happy and that is the idea I guess," Frost said today of the song which he believes has never before been nominated for any award.


"It is not the best song I have ever written but it is certainly the most popular song I have ever written.


"You can't really pick whether people are going to like a song."


Also in the most performed Australian work category are Guy Sebastian for All I Need is You, Delta Goodrem for Predictable, Pete Murray with So Beautiful and Nic Cester for Jet's Look What You've Done.


"The song is really the kernel of the industry and if you don't have the composers, the songwriters, there is no music industry," APRA spokeswoman Sally Howland.


"That is why it is really important to recognise them through these events."


Newcomer Missy Higgins scored herself two nominations in the song of the year category with Ten Days and Scar.


She will go up against Eskimo Joe with From the Sea, Jet with Look What You've Done, and The Dissociatives with Young Man Old Man.


While a number of the awards are based on statistical analysis, the Song of the Year category is voted on by APRA members and is considered the most prestigious.


Nominees in the most performed country work include Kasey Chambers, Troy Cassar-Daley, the late Slim Dusty and Melinda Schneider.


"There are a lot of great people in the category but honestly, I am just so pleased to be nominated", Schneider said today.


Most Performed dance work nominees include Daniel Merriweather, Infusion, Mr Timothy, Cheyne and the Hilltop Hoods.


In the category for most performed foreign work are 3 Doors Down with Here Without You, Anastacia's Left Outside Alone, Hoobastank's The Reason and Maroon 5 with She Will and This Love.


For most performed jazz work, nominees include Christopher Abrahams, The Necks and Fogg.


Other categories include songwriter of the year, most performed Australian work overseas, the Ted Albert Award for outstanding achievement and the breakthrough award.


The ceremony will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney on May 30.



List of nominees for the 2005 APRA Music Awards:


Most Performed Australian Work


All I Need Is You – Guy Sebastian, written by Guy Sebastian, Adam Reily and Alun Firth


Look What You've Done – Jet, written by Nicholas Cester


Predictable – Delta Goodrem, written by Delta Goodrem, Kara DioGuardi and Jarrad Rogers


So Beautiful – Pete Murray, written by Pete Murray


What About Me – Shannon Noll, written by Garry Frost and Frances Swan




Most Performed Foreign Work


Here Without You – 3 Doors Down, written by Bradley Arnold, Robert Harrell, Christopher Henderson and Matthew Roberts


Left Outside Alone – Anastacia, written by Anastacia Newkirk, Dallas Austin and Glen Ballard


The Reason – Hoobastank, written by Daniel Estrin, Douglas Robb, Chris Hesse and Markku Lappalainen


She Will be Loved – Maroon 5, written by Adam Levine, James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Michael Dusick and Michael Madden


This Love – Maroon 5, written by Adam Levine, James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Michael Dusick and Michael Madden




Most Performed Country Work


Answer to Billy – Slim Dusty, written by John Dohling


Factory Man – Troy Cassar-Daley, written by Shane Howard


Hollywood – Kasey Chambers, written by Kasey Chambers


Like A River – Kasey Chambers, written by Kasey Chambers


Real People – Melinda Schneider, written by Melinda Schneider and Michael Carr




Most Performed Dance Work


City Rules – Daniel Merriweather, written by Daniel Merriweather


Girls Can Be Cruel – Infusion, written by Manuel Sharrad, Jamie Stevens and Francis Xavier


I Am Tha 1 – Mr Timothy featuring Inaya Day, written by Tim Dudfield, Inaya Day, Bradford Pinto and Gary Pinto


I've Got Your Number – Cheyne, written by Cheyne Coates


Nosebleed Section – Hilltop Hoods, written by Barry Francis, Matthew Lambert and Daniel Smith




Song of the Year


From the Sea – Eskimo Joe, written by Finlay Beaton, Stuart Macleod and Joel Quartermain


Look What You've Done – Jet, written by Nicholas Cester


Scar – Missy Higgins, written by Missy Higgins and Kevin Griffin


Ten Days – Missy Higgins, written by Missy Higgins and Jay Clifford


Young Man Old Man (You Aint Better Than the Rest) – The Dissociatives, written by Daniel Johns and Paulmac




Most Performed Australian Work Overseas


Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet, written by Nicholas Cester and Cameron Muncey


Cold Hard Bitch – Jet, written by Nicholas Cester, Christopher Cester and Cameron Muncey


Down Under – Men At Work, written by Colin Hay and Ronald Strykert


Love Is In The Air – John Paul Young, written by Harry Vanda and George Young


Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden, written by Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones




Most Performed Jazz Work


Christmas Island – Christopher Abrahams, written by Christopher Abrahams


Drive By – The Necks, written by Christopher Abrahams, Anthony Buck and Lloyd Swanton


Mighty Fly – Fogg, written by Jeff Raglus and Bruce Haymes


Rocket To The Moon – Fogg, written by Bruce Haymes and Jeff Raglus


Trip Me Up – Fogg, written by Jeff Raglus and Bruce Haymes


AAP

dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1267&storyid=3073760

[Skip]

Circus celebs shine
May 05, 2005

FOR Ricki-Lee Coulter, facing the Wheel of Death, flying trapeze and highwire was nothing compared to meeting her teen crush on the set of Channel 9's Celebrity Circus.

"I used to be in love with (ex-Home and Away star) Dieter Brummer,'' gushes Coulter, a finalist in last year's Australian Idol.
"When we got here I went up to him and just said straight away, 'Look, I was one of those girls. You were plastered all over my walls' and he just cracked up laughing.''

Despite its slightly kitsch premise - training nine semi-famous celebrities to be Circus stars - the five-part series follows on from the popular Celebrity Overhaul.

The weight-loss reality show was a ratings smash for Nine and proved Australian audiences loved watching celebrities being pushed out of their comfort zones.

"They're not here to lose weight or get rid of any bad habits, but it's no less of a challenge,'' says producer Julian Cress, who created Celebrity Overhaul and The Block with David Barbour.

"While we want it to look like it's fun and everybody's having a good time, it's not playtime. They're working really long hours, they're tired and they're sore and it's dangerous.''

Among the familiar faces who stagger wearily from trailers stationed at Silver's Circus, just outside Melbourne, for Day Five of their eight-day Circus boot camp are Coulter, Brummer, Kimberley Davies (ex-Neighbours), Dylan Lewis (ex-Recovery), Cameron Daddo (ex-Perfect Match) and Australia's Funniest Home Video Show host Toni Pearen.

They will be joined later by Olympic gold medallist Kerri Pottharst, Outback Jack's Vadim Dale and his American fiance, Natalie Franzman.

"We wanted people who had always wanted to run away to the Circus, given the opportunity,'' explains Cress.

After breakfast the group work on their various acts, which they will have to perform in a grand show at the end of the series.

In the big top, Brummer prepares to tackle the trapeze.

"Dieter has taken to it really well,'' Cress says. "He had to learn how to drop from the trapeze into the net and while it doesn't seem like such a difficult thing when you watch the professionals do it, the fact is, if he makes one false move he will break his neck.''

Down on the ground, Pearen despairs momentarily with her acrobatic act. "This is ridiculous,'' she says, clearly in pain. "I don't know what made me think I could do this.'' But in a blink the tiny brunette grasps the rings and hoists herself back up for another go, her muscled trainers smiling.

"I am really thrilled that they are bringing to this show as much effort as they would put into anything in their lives,'' says Cress. "They all have this innate ability to find the reserves of energy and determination that they need to put on a show and do it well.''

And besides, he says, everybody loves the circus.

"It's nostalgic. It's charming. It reminds you of when you were a kid, no matter how old you are. You just get that feeling when you walk in and see that sawdust on the floor.''

Tony Gassor, director of Silver's Circus, says the reality series was something his family had wanted to do "for a very long time'', ever since 1960s TV star Tommy Hanlon quit the small screen to join them as a performer.

"It's a real shame Tommy can't see this, because he was the original Celebrity Circus,'' Gassor says.

"These days when you're watching movies, nothing is real any more. When you see the Circus, that man doing the triple somersault is doing the triple somersault. It's not computer generated. It's real, it's dangerous and we love it.''

Dylan Lewis does not appear to be loving it. He is hanging in a harness and starts shrieking when the straps begin to pull a little too tightly in the wrong areas.

"He's a natural clown. He will be great and add a lot of comedy to Celebrity Circus for sure,'' says Gassor.

Hidden away from the cameras are Coulter and Franzman, whose lack of upper body strength meant they "had to go with something that's on the ground'' and are working on a magic act. But Coulter also hopes to dazzle the crowd in other ways.

"I want to be sort of hanging on a trapeze and singing or something. We're trying to work out how (her singing) is going to work in. We want to make it beautiful and magical. It's really for the kids and for families.''

But will Celebrity Circus be for a national television audience?

"Some people are a bit sceptical about it, but I think it's going to be really cool,'' Coulter says. "They're not trying to make it a big huge television extravaganza. It's about us coming here and seeing how these guys live and being a part of it.''

Cress agrees, saying the "family of Circus performers'' and "family of celebrities'' have really bonded.

Celebrity Circus, Sunday, Nine 6.30pm

entertainment.news.com.au/story/0,10221,15186888-10229,00.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Grease still the word after 25 years
21:47 AEST Thu May 5 2005
AAP

More than 25 years after it made its screen debut, Grease is definitely still the word.

The cast of the new Australian stage production of Grease - The Arena Spectacular held a final dress rehearsal ahead of Friday's opening night in Sydney.

The musical is based on the 1978 film, which tells the love story of Sandy (first played by Olivia Newton-John) and Danny (John Travolta) and their friends from Rydell High.

The new production boasts an all-Australian cast of more than 50 performers.

Neighbours regular Natalie Bassingthwaighte stars as Sandy, while former Neighbour Craig McLachlan takes on the role of Danny.

Having already played the lead role of Danny twice in overseas versions, McLachlan may be forgiven for thinking he really is John Travolta.

But the actor, who sported a huge ducktail haircut and leather jacket for his role, confesses he's never watched the original.

"Never seen it," said McLachlan, who appeared in the British version of the production and the 1998 Australian show.

"Because I would probably tend to just try to do a John Travolta impersonation."

McLachlan said he jumped at the chance to work with singer John Farnham, who has been cast as the Teen Angel - the role taken by Frankie Avalon in the cult film.

"John's doing it and I've known John for 20 years and we've never ever done anything together professionally," McLachlan said.

"I thought I'll have one last lash before I get too old, while the knees are still up to it."

McLachlan said after three cracks at the Grease role, he had no plans to do a stage production of Saturday Night Fever, although he "could see himself in a white suit".

"I thought I might do Stayin' Alive and maybe Pulp Fiction, the musical on ice," he joked.

Grease also stars Magda Szubanski and former Australian Idol contestants Rob Mills and Courtney Murphy.

The movie, which features the hits You're The One That I Want, Greased Lightning and Summer Nights, is still one of the most successful films of all time.

About 20 million copies of the soundtrack have been sold around the globe.

The Australian production will open at Sydney's Entertainment Centre before touring Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.


©AAP 2005

news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=44941