Post by Inside Australian Idol on Dec 1, 2003 0:04:01 GMT 10
Idol riches
Like the Olympic Games, only with cover versions, World Idol sees 11 singers battling for global pop domination. Peter Robinson paints a Fuller picture of the hopefuls
Saturday November 29, 2003
The Guardian
Going global: World Idol contenders Kelly Clarkson and Will Young
At Christmas, Pop Idol winners from around the globe will dominate the ITV1 schedule. Over two nights, 11 hopefuls will argue over whose phone votes can add the most cash to Simon Fuller's terrifying personal fortune ("will battle it out to be crowned the planet's biggest pop sensation"), and the results could go either way.
With the UK's reality pop audience currently hell-bent on eliminating any semblance of personality from the Top 40, will American Idol Kelly Clarkson romp to victory? And what about Belgium's rogue metaller, or even our very own "spunk", Will Young?
Anything is possible, as someone once sang - though this is the Fullervision Song Contest, so we already know the real winner.
Heinz Winckler, Idols, South Africa
The South African series boasted alleged voting syndicates, a presenter who was admitted into drug rehab halfway through the series and a grand final whose format was rejigged at the last minute from two to three contestants, avoiding an all-white finale. Still, enough of the boring stuff - let's talk about dogs. Heinz has a 14-year-old Maltese, with whom he recently stayed at the Twelve Apostles Hotel in Oudekraal - the only five-star hotel in South Africa to allow pets in bedrooms.
Kurt Nilsen, Idol, Norway
Kurt thrashed runner-up Gaute Ormåsen, who has since been described as "the Norwegian Justin Timberlake". As in the UK, both Nilsen and Ormåsen recorded the song eventually released by the winner - She's So High, a cover of a song which scraped the UK Top 30 in 1999. Back then it had been performed by the son of Randy "You know, as in Turner Overdrive" Bachman, and it is just as wonderful today.
Peter Evrard, Idool, Belgium
This Andrew WK lookalike performed Nirvana's Lithium during the Idol heats and, after debuting what would be his first single on grand final night, commented: "I'd never have chosen that single, but it could have been a lot worse." Of his wardrobe he adds: "I always wear black because it's easy to combine. I don't have to ask myself whether this colour goes with that colour." Peter's debut album is called Rhubarb.
Ryan Malcolm, Canadian Idol, Canada
Back home in Amherstview, Ontario, Ryan - whose all-engulfing fame led him to open last month's Hamilton 2003 World Cycling Festival - and two other members of the Malcolm clan enjoyed minor success on the covers band circuit. Their ace-sounding A Bit Of Nostalgia - Requestfully Yours is available for purchase now at www.abitofnostalgia.com. Ryan's own idol is golfer Mike Weir. Crazy but true.
Diana Karazon, SuperStar, Pan-Arabic Region
"I feel success in every moment," says Diana, who won SuperStar in August following a gruelling, 21-week search. "Especially when I stare at my mother's face." Upon winning Diana said nothing but dedicated her performance to the people of Lebanon, the people of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah, the Arab nation as a whole and the children of Palestine. Which makes a change from "my stylist". Fortunately the final, in which Jordanian Karazon and Syrian Rowaida Attiyeh battled it out, managed not to cause any serious political "issues". The power of music, eh viewers?
Alexander Klaws, Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar, Germany
Some 62% of German 14- to 49-year-olds watched the grand final, in which housewife's choice Alexander overcame flu and romped to victory. A shame he ever recovered, really. His most recent single was from a German Gladiator film. In Free Like The Wind he sings: "He fights hard, will he reach his aim? He'll survive for his friends, he is like a crying wolf tonight. He is the winner in the end." Well that's ruined the film for the rest of us, hasn't it.
Kelly Clarkson, American Idol, USA
Clarkson's stepfather calls her Mariah Kelly, because it sounds a bit like Mariah Carey, who is a singer, like Kelly. The hours must just fly by in Dallas. Upon winning, the ex-cocktail waitress filmed From Justin To Kelly, a summer holiday romp with runner-up Justin Guarini which made S Club's Seeing Double look like Citizen Kane. In tattoo news, Kelly has a Japanese symbol on the back of her neck, which means "Blessed". She also has a tattoo on her right wrist, though sadly it is not the word "Brian".
Jamai Loman, Idols, Netherlands
Jamai has an interesting selection of spectacle frames and has lent his tones to songs such as Always On My Mind, Love Is All Around and Everything I Do (I Do For You). There is, frankly, no way on earth that this man will win World Idol.
Will Young, Pop Idol, UK
Will's mature new direction is reflected perfectly by his new album sleeve, in which the world's first Pop Idol is pictured jumping off a dry stone wall. Will came out as a gay shortly after winning Pop Idol, but while you'd find Fred Durst more likely to discuss the ins and outs of life as a homosexual, Will did go out and buy Kylie's Slow on the morning it was released, opting for the £3.99 CD, rather than the £1.99 version. How very highfalutin'.
Alicja Janosz, Idol, Poland
Since winning Idol, this Susanne Shaw lookalike has decided that she wants to be called Alex. Fair enough. A massive-selling debut album is already out of the way and she's tipped to represent Poland in next year's Eurovision Song Contest with I'm Still Alive, a song whose title seems to epitomise the struggle that all Pop Idols face when it comes to their second album. Alex/icja puts her success down to God-given talent, hard work, and luck. "I don't know anything more than this," she concludes.
Guy Sebastian, Australian Idol, Australia
Guy - who calms himself down before a performance by entering what he terms "Grooveland" - is the newest Pop Idol of the lot. Crowned last week, Guy found maintaining his virginity "freaking hard", but the real tragedy in his victory is that the crown did not go to would-be Oz Idol Peter Ryan. Ryan's day job was ensuring weekly quotas were met in the mating section of a piggery in New South Wales. Under Ryan's watchful eye, around 300 new piglets were born a week - making Peter a bit like the pig world's answer to Simon Fuller.
· World Idol, Christmas, ITV1
www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1095447,00.html
Like the Olympic Games, only with cover versions, World Idol sees 11 singers battling for global pop domination. Peter Robinson paints a Fuller picture of the hopefuls
Saturday November 29, 2003
The Guardian
Going global: World Idol contenders Kelly Clarkson and Will Young
At Christmas, Pop Idol winners from around the globe will dominate the ITV1 schedule. Over two nights, 11 hopefuls will argue over whose phone votes can add the most cash to Simon Fuller's terrifying personal fortune ("will battle it out to be crowned the planet's biggest pop sensation"), and the results could go either way.
With the UK's reality pop audience currently hell-bent on eliminating any semblance of personality from the Top 40, will American Idol Kelly Clarkson romp to victory? And what about Belgium's rogue metaller, or even our very own "spunk", Will Young?
Anything is possible, as someone once sang - though this is the Fullervision Song Contest, so we already know the real winner.
Heinz Winckler, Idols, South Africa
The South African series boasted alleged voting syndicates, a presenter who was admitted into drug rehab halfway through the series and a grand final whose format was rejigged at the last minute from two to three contestants, avoiding an all-white finale. Still, enough of the boring stuff - let's talk about dogs. Heinz has a 14-year-old Maltese, with whom he recently stayed at the Twelve Apostles Hotel in Oudekraal - the only five-star hotel in South Africa to allow pets in bedrooms.
Kurt Nilsen, Idol, Norway
Kurt thrashed runner-up Gaute Ormåsen, who has since been described as "the Norwegian Justin Timberlake". As in the UK, both Nilsen and Ormåsen recorded the song eventually released by the winner - She's So High, a cover of a song which scraped the UK Top 30 in 1999. Back then it had been performed by the son of Randy "You know, as in Turner Overdrive" Bachman, and it is just as wonderful today.
Peter Evrard, Idool, Belgium
This Andrew WK lookalike performed Nirvana's Lithium during the Idol heats and, after debuting what would be his first single on grand final night, commented: "I'd never have chosen that single, but it could have been a lot worse." Of his wardrobe he adds: "I always wear black because it's easy to combine. I don't have to ask myself whether this colour goes with that colour." Peter's debut album is called Rhubarb.
Ryan Malcolm, Canadian Idol, Canada
Back home in Amherstview, Ontario, Ryan - whose all-engulfing fame led him to open last month's Hamilton 2003 World Cycling Festival - and two other members of the Malcolm clan enjoyed minor success on the covers band circuit. Their ace-sounding A Bit Of Nostalgia - Requestfully Yours is available for purchase now at www.abitofnostalgia.com. Ryan's own idol is golfer Mike Weir. Crazy but true.
Diana Karazon, SuperStar, Pan-Arabic Region
"I feel success in every moment," says Diana, who won SuperStar in August following a gruelling, 21-week search. "Especially when I stare at my mother's face." Upon winning Diana said nothing but dedicated her performance to the people of Lebanon, the people of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah, the Arab nation as a whole and the children of Palestine. Which makes a change from "my stylist". Fortunately the final, in which Jordanian Karazon and Syrian Rowaida Attiyeh battled it out, managed not to cause any serious political "issues". The power of music, eh viewers?
Alexander Klaws, Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar, Germany
Some 62% of German 14- to 49-year-olds watched the grand final, in which housewife's choice Alexander overcame flu and romped to victory. A shame he ever recovered, really. His most recent single was from a German Gladiator film. In Free Like The Wind he sings: "He fights hard, will he reach his aim? He'll survive for his friends, he is like a crying wolf tonight. He is the winner in the end." Well that's ruined the film for the rest of us, hasn't it.
Kelly Clarkson, American Idol, USA
Clarkson's stepfather calls her Mariah Kelly, because it sounds a bit like Mariah Carey, who is a singer, like Kelly. The hours must just fly by in Dallas. Upon winning, the ex-cocktail waitress filmed From Justin To Kelly, a summer holiday romp with runner-up Justin Guarini which made S Club's Seeing Double look like Citizen Kane. In tattoo news, Kelly has a Japanese symbol on the back of her neck, which means "Blessed". She also has a tattoo on her right wrist, though sadly it is not the word "Brian".
Jamai Loman, Idols, Netherlands
Jamai has an interesting selection of spectacle frames and has lent his tones to songs such as Always On My Mind, Love Is All Around and Everything I Do (I Do For You). There is, frankly, no way on earth that this man will win World Idol.
Will Young, Pop Idol, UK
Will's mature new direction is reflected perfectly by his new album sleeve, in which the world's first Pop Idol is pictured jumping off a dry stone wall. Will came out as a gay shortly after winning Pop Idol, but while you'd find Fred Durst more likely to discuss the ins and outs of life as a homosexual, Will did go out and buy Kylie's Slow on the morning it was released, opting for the £3.99 CD, rather than the £1.99 version. How very highfalutin'.
Alicja Janosz, Idol, Poland
Since winning Idol, this Susanne Shaw lookalike has decided that she wants to be called Alex. Fair enough. A massive-selling debut album is already out of the way and she's tipped to represent Poland in next year's Eurovision Song Contest with I'm Still Alive, a song whose title seems to epitomise the struggle that all Pop Idols face when it comes to their second album. Alex/icja puts her success down to God-given talent, hard work, and luck. "I don't know anything more than this," she concludes.
Guy Sebastian, Australian Idol, Australia
Guy - who calms himself down before a performance by entering what he terms "Grooveland" - is the newest Pop Idol of the lot. Crowned last week, Guy found maintaining his virginity "freaking hard", but the real tragedy in his victory is that the crown did not go to would-be Oz Idol Peter Ryan. Ryan's day job was ensuring weekly quotas were met in the mating section of a piggery in New South Wales. Under Ryan's watchful eye, around 300 new piglets were born a week - making Peter a bit like the pig world's answer to Simon Fuller.
· World Idol, Christmas, ITV1
www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1095447,00.html
