news articles 23 may 2005

[Inside Australian Idol]

Idol James is mauled by a lion
May 23, 2005

AUSTRALIAN Idol host James Mathison has come off a little worse for wear after promoting the weekend's Brisbane auditions for the TV talent quest.

While filming for the show at the Gabba, in front of 44,000 mad AFL fans, Mathison decided to crash tackle the huge Brisbane Lions mascot to the ground.

His co-host Andrew "Farrah Fawcett" Gunsberg and the crowd thought the whole thing was hilarious – until Mathison emerged from the lion's mane with blood all over his face.

Turns out, in his haste to tackle the mighty lion, James had split his lip.

He ended up in an ambulance on his way to hospital where he received more than a few stitches.

***

Still on Idol, apparently there are two desperadoes who have been following the travelling audition roadshow around the country.

One boy from Adelaide has auditioned in both Adelaide and Melbourne and vowed to travel to Brisbane, Perth and Sydney until he gets in.

The second wannabe is a mother of a nine-month-old boy from Melbourne who has auditioned in Cairns, Hobart and Melbourne.

She too has been unsuccessful so far – but is on her way to Brisbane to try her luck again.


www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1266&storyid=3165194

[Inside Australian Idol]

Brissy's Idol hopefuls
By Jennifer Dudley
May 23, 2005

FAME lured them from lives of quiet desperation and returned them just as quickly yesterday - Brisbane's wannabe singers, performers, actors and dreamers who thought they could be the next Australian Idol winner.

Thousands arrived in their teen-pop finery, many doing impersonations of Britney Spears or 50 Cent, with midriff tops, over-styled hair and jeans so tight they could stymie a good voice, or so loose they could fall off to impress a judge.

Style did little to impress the Brisbane judges though, with few able to wave a pink "congratulations" card and many making the walk of rejection through a different door.

Redbank Plains resident Matt Costello made the long walk for a second time yesterday, after auditioning and being rejected twice in as many days.

But Mr Costello said he was not deterred.

He planned to audition again today just as he had done, unsuccessfully, for the first two seasons of Australian Idol.

"I believe I've got the qualities to do it ... even though I've had no training," he said.

Mr Costello, who sang Walking in Memphis to the judging panel on both occasions, said he felt he was improving.

The latest judge - one of the show's producers - said he "just needed to sharpen up" his vocal skills.

Australian Idol co-host Andrew G, who helped entertain the Brisbane crowd yesterday, said the audition process made contestants vulnerable and brought out the best and worst in people.

"You see them nervous, scared, happy, upset; you see them in clothes they probably didn't wear out of the house but got changed into on the train," he said.

"You see disappointed dads, proud dads, stage dads, stage mothers, pushy people, you see it all.

"Drunk people - there's usually always one."

Rebecca Lockhart, 16, of Robina, was one of the contestants who brought her father, Nick, yesterday and had him camp overnight at South Bank to ensure she could audition a second time.

The petite blonde songstress, who has previously sung in shopping centres and school plays, performed a gospel tune for the judges and earned herself a televised audition before Marcia Hines, Mark Holden and Kyle Sandilands on Wednesday.

"Hopefully it'll open doors for me even if I don't win," she said.


entertainment.news.com.au/story/0,10221,15373420-10229,00.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Ricki-Lee's video Hell
May 23, 2005

FORMER Aussie Idol contestant Ricki-Lee Coulter had the time of her life shooting her debut video clip over the weekend.

And with her single Hell No! airing on radio today, the Gold Coast gal is understandably overwhelmed by the whole experience.

"I don't know what I feel," she said. "It's really weird but it just hasn't registered yet.

"I think when I hear the song on the radio when it's spontaneous and I'm not expecting it, that will really freak me out."

In her typically charming and effervescent way, Coulter explained that the single was all about having some attitude when things went wrong.

She spent Saturday filming close-up shots for the shoot and then last night, endured a 12-hour shoot on location in the heart of Melbourne.

The street location shoot involved 100 extras and a massive traffic jam.

"It was such fun," she said.

"I got a bit teary when I walked in (on Saturday) because it dawned on me that this was my video.

"And then I was such an idiot, because we watched it back, and I said, 'Oh my God, it looks like a video,' and then I realised what I'd said."

Hell No! is written by the guy who co-wrote Delta Goodrem's Born to Try.

Coulter is still working on her album, which she is hoping to release by August.

With her profile on Channel 9's Celebrity Circus, it's great timing for the June 13 release of the single.


entertainment.news.com.au/story/0,10221,15375306-7484,00.html