World Idol news article 02/01/04

[Inside Australian Idol]

No idol win for Guy
January 2, 2004

Norway's Kurt Nilsen has won the World Idol crown, beating 10 other contenders including Australia's Guy Sebastian.

Sebastian, 21, from Adelaide, wowed judges in the international contest which was taped in London before Christmas and broadcast to a world-wide audience of 100 million viewers on Boxing Day.

But Sebastian's rhythm and blues version of the Louis Armstrong ballad What a Wonderful World was not enough to secure the title over Nilsen's version of U2's Beautiful Day.

"I'm shivering right now you could say,'' Nilsen, a plumber, said after taking out the title.

"I'm sorry about my English right now. Happy New Year people."

Nilsen impressed judges during the competition but received mixed reviews about his looks.

Australian judge Ian 'Dicko' Dickson likened Nilsen to a hobbit from Lord of the Rings.

"You have the voice of an angel and the face of a hobbit," Dickson said after the winning performance.

"If they had a Middle Earth Idol you'd be it."

American judge Simon Cowell was more forward.

"We have allowed a lot of ugly people to become recording artists. If this was on radio rather than television, you would walk it."

United States' Kelly Clarkson came second, followed by South Africa's Heinz Winckler and Britain's Will Young.

Sebastian came seventh.

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham made a special appearance, giving her support to America's Clarkson and also wishing viewers a happy new year.

Sir Elton John also dropped in to belt out a tune.

The competition tested the talents of the winners of Idol shows from 11 countries around the world.

Other countries represented were Germany, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada and the Pan-Arabic region.

Viewers had 24 hours to phone or text message their votes after the Boxing Day broadcast, with no nation permitted to vote for its own representative.

Sebastian, who today sported his trademark afro and wore jeans and a black suit jacket, was shot to national stardom after winning the popular Australian Idol reality television series in November.

He beat fellow Australian Idol contestant Shannon Noll, 27, but both have secured recording contracts with record label BMG Australia.

Sebastian has since proved that a television competition can create a pop star, storming to the top of the Australian single charts with his first song, Angels Brought Me Here.

His debut album, Just As I am, has also gone platinum four times.

Sebastian wrote three of the 12 tracks on the album.

- AAP

www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/02/1072908880337.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Canadian Idol Malcolm 6th in world competition

LONDON (CP) — The judges focused on Norwegian Kurt Nilsen's gap-toothed grin, but television viewers were more impressed with the one-time plumber's voice as he won the first ever World Idol competition Thursday.

Canadian Idol winner Ryan Malcolm finished sixth in the field of 11 singers who won Idol competitions in their own countries, but the former waiter from Kingston, Ont., was pleased he took part in World Idol because of the exposure it gave him outside Canada.

"Kurt's a really good friend now and I'm extremely happy for him, he deserved it 100 per cent," said Malcolm, 24, whose single 'Something More' went to No. 1 on the Top 40 charts in Canada before the release two weeks ago of his first album Home.

"I had a lot of fun and got to meet a lot of good people."

Malcolm, who spent the Christmas holidays in Morocco, said World Idol has helped his fledgling singing career.

"I think I may have grown as a performer," he said in an interview after the show was taped Thursday afternoon in London. ``Just exposure-wise, even in London here, I'm getting recognized quite a bit and actually even in Morocco, which is kind of crazy, so that way it has definitely grown. That was the point."

The results of the talent contest were based on votes cast by viewers following the World Idol show that was broadcast Christmas Day on CTV.

American Kelly Clarkson, the favourite among the judges, was second in the voting, with Belgian Peter Evrard finishing third. Britain's Will Young came fifth.

The New Year's Day show featured guest performances by former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and Elton John.

During the first broadcast, most judges were more interested in Nilsen's looks than his rendition of U2's 'Beautiful Day'.

"You have the voice of an idol but you look like a Hobbit," said Australian judge Ian Dickson. "If this were Middle Earth Idol you'd walk it."

Each of the 11 participating countries had its own voting system to rank the performers. All got the maximum 12 points available to them in their own countries, which couldn't vote for their home-grown winners. The remaining points were then assigned based on where the contestants finished in the voting.

That means in Canada, viewers couldn't vote for Malcolm, but he automatically got 12 points.

The winner of the Canadian vote got 10 points for finishing first, the second place finisher got nine points with the scale dropping by one for each finishing place down to one point for 10th.

Nilsen won the contest in nine of the 10 countries where viewers could vote for him in addition to taking the maximum number of points in Norway. He ended up with 106 out of a maximum 112 points that were available. Clarkson had 97 points. Malcolm received 62 points.

The number of votes cast in each country weren't released.

In the Christmas Day show, Malcolm's performance of the Hollies classic 'He Ain't Heavy (He's My Brother)' was criticized by the judges for lacking passion.

"Sincerity was just a little light," said British judge Pete Waterman.

There was no prize for winning World Idol. The winners of the national Idol contests have received record deals and career guidance.

In the U.S., the Fox television network said it was slightly disappointed with the 6.5 million viewers that World Idol attracted on Christmas Day, but CTV declared itself satisfied with the nearly two million viewers who tuned in for Malcolm's performance.

"It was a bit of a test for us at CTV because Christmas Day has never been a traditional day of original programming," said Ed Robinson, senior vice-president of comedy and variety at the network. "So it was an experiment for us and an occasion to see how the audience reacted and they reacted in a big way."

An average of 1.9 million people watched the show on CTV last week, with the numbers peaking at 2.2 million during the last half-hour.

Robinson said it's too soon to say if a second World Idol will be held, adding it depends on how many other countries want to participate and whether the British producers of the show see a future for it.

"It wouldn't just be our decision," he said. "It's been successful for us and we'd certainly want to look at it again."

CTV has announced that auditions will be held in nine cities for Canadian Idol 2. Auditions will take place from mid-February through April in Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and St. John's, Nfld.

www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=
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[Inside Australian Idol]

Norway's Kurt wins World Idol
8.57PM, 1 Jan 2004


Norwegian singer Kurt Nilsen has won the clash of the world's Pop Idols. (Picture: http://www.worldidol.tv)

Former plumber Kurt was named World Idol following a special edition of the talent contest which featured the winners of all the overseas shows.

Britain's Pop Idol Will Young finished fifth in the competition, hosted by Ant and Dec.

Kurt won maximum points from nine of the 11 countries which voted in the contest for his rendition of U2's Beautiful Day.

After being announced as the winner, a tearful Kurt said: "This is totally amazing," and to the other 10 Pop Idols he said: "I love you guys."

The US's Pop Idol, Kelly Clarkson, finished second in the competition, while Belgian rocker Peter Evrard - who sang a cover of the Nirvana song Lithium - was third.

Following Kurt's performance, judge Simon Cowell said: "You have an astonishingly good voice and I think you could be the dark horse to win this competition."

Kurt won the Norwegian version of Pop Idol in May last year. His single She's So High went straight to number one in the Norwegian singles chart and is the country's biggest selling single to date.

www.itv.com/news/1901192.html

[Inside Australian Idol]

Kurt Nilsen Norway Wins World Idol

Kurt Nilsen from Norway has been crowned World Idol in London, beating Australia's Guy Sebastian and favourite from the USA Kelly Clarkson.

While Sebastian was one of the few acts to receive a favourable response from the bickering judges Nilsen copped a slagging for his looks with grand poobah Simon Cowell calling him "ugly".

By trade, Kurt is a plumber and father of two.

He sang U2's 'Beautiful Day' on the international show but released a cover of Tal Bachman's 'She's So High' after winning the Norwegian contest.

by Paul Cashmere


www.undercover.com.au/news/2004/20040102_worldidol.html

[Guest]

Here are some translated norwegian articles about Kurt winning. And I mean SOME...there is like 100 different ones in norwegian newspapers...

THE WORLD FOR KURT

Congratulations Kurt! Congratulations Bergen! Congratulations Norway!

Kurt Nilsen won a convincing and truly deserved victory yesterday, in the first World Idol ever!
With nine points ahead of the american idol Kelly Clarkson was it no doubt: The world wants Kurt! From Australia to
South Africa and USA to the home country of pop Great Britain got the plumber from Arna his well deserved pop-points,
and his renidition of U2's "Beautiful Day" is a new norwegian triumph.

His many ten-pointers and superb victory was a triumph it shows respect of. Kurt isn't only our man, but the man many TV-viewers
has gotten impressed by.
Even though it was only 11 countries in yesterdays final, has Kurt Nilsen written himself into norwegian popularity history, like when A-ha got #1
in Usa with "Take On Me" and when the "Bobbysocks" won norways first victory in Eurovision Song Contest with "La det swinge".

Which one of these triumphs is the biggest, remains unsaid, when it's difficult to put this victories against each other. But the viewers in big, important
pop-countries like Great Britain, USA and Germany wanted Kurt! The judges cruel and harsh comments didn't affect the voters. And Kurts unbelievable awesome voice
and stage-presents charmed the viewers, and clothes & looks didn't, luckely, have anything to say!

The world is now open for Kurt. He will be an attractive person the weeks&months ahead. With the strong media attention he now gets,
is it really important that he is surrounded by good and right people/managers. "Everyone" want's a piece of him.


Does he get the right advices, his music can do great all over the world. His "I" album is a perfect start and a good "card" also for his international audience.
Here he shows his awosome voice he has.

The poeple around Kurt Nilsen has to say no & yes to the right things. The down-to-earth west-"lendingen" has to now shown he can deal with the big pressure and
fuzz around him. I think he will manage that also in the future.

Let us hope he manage that in the months to come. The danger of "too much" is present. He has to hold back. He has a year ahead of him before a new world idol
get crowned, Kurt has to use that to his own best. Norway got on the first day of the new year a new person written in the history books:

KURT NILSEN. his time as a plumber is for now over! He's so high! (<---That's kind of an inside joke, since Kurt's first single is called "She's So High".)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEER-”DOG” ON CHAMPAGNE PARTY

Last night were the world idol out celebrating with his friends in his band Fenrik Lane. It got an crazy champagne party. But Kurt, just wanted beer.
-“This isn’t exactly Hansa” says Kurt. Champagne is obviously not the plumbers favourite drink. But when VG (The newspaper) bought him an cold beer, shouts Kurt &his friends, Yes thank you very much. Kurt, that doesn’t say no to a cold beer in good company, didn’t let his band-buddies down. Last night, after Kurt had met the cheering crowd of Bergen-“sere” and had been interviewed by Norwegian and international press, he met his friends in the bar on hotel Admiral.

Even though it has been not much playing in Fenrik Lane the last year, hasn’t the friend gang forgotten about each other.

-“I will never give up Fenrik Lane. This gang will I always play with. With out them it wouldn’t have been a Idol-victory.” Says Kurt.

NO JEALOUSY

The three idol-widows are far from jealous on Kurt.
-It won’t be a lot of concerts anymore, but we will have to live with that. Fenrik lane, has thanks to Kurt sold over 17 000 copies of their EP “Come Down Here”.

Kurt hasn’t heard anything from U2 himself, even though he has given their hit “Beautiful Day” a real “upswing”. (I didn’t know how to translate the Norwegian word oppsving to English, so I just translated it directly)

-“No, had Bono called me, I think I would have fainted.” Says Kurt about his biggest Idol.

FUTURE PLANS

Kurt’s manager Jan Fredrik Karlsen and the record company will discuss Kurt’s future out in the world.

-“It’s not on me. I take the chance I get, and is ready to go for it – as long as it doesn’t affect my family. I love my girlfriend and my children very much.” Says Kurt.


Here you can see a picture of them out celebrating: www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2004/01/03/387479.html


---------------------------------------------

”MR.UGLY” WON!

It’s a fact. We aren’t a gang of geeks in Norway. The whole world loves the hobbit plumber from Arna.
“Beautiful Day for pop-plumber” , “Kurt’s Lord of the Sings”. This is the headlines from the world today. In our own country is almost every newspaper covered with Kurts gap-toothed grin. It’s not “to put under the chair” that it’s incredibly funny that our own Mr. Nilsen won over all of the other idols from countries from around the world, and stood left as “World Idol”. The World Idol from Norway.

GAY PARADES AND LENE MARLIN GRINS

And it wasn’t even a small victory. Oh no. Kurt got top score from every country, except the Arabic countries. Even the Americans and English people, which daily produces pop-pinups on a “collecting board”, was charmed by “Kurten”; the father of two who more wants a beer on the football pub, rather then doing long interviews.

It’s really a paradox that Kurt wins a pop-idol contest in this days, when extreme make-overs, gay parades and beauty clinics stands in line to improve humans image. Today it isn’t a thing that can’t be fixed, removed or added. Even Lene Marlin has crawled to the “braces world”. And she got what she wanted. Now she looks like every other un-recognisable pop-babes.

GRUMPY KELLY

But “Kurten” with the gap toothed grin won’t chance his looks. And even though, crushed he the “Prom Queen” girl Kelly Clarkson, the Ken-doll-look alike Heinz from South Africa and not least the Robbie Williams-look alike Will young. And it’s not “to put under the chair” that the beautiful idols looked quite surprised when the plumber from Arna stole the show.

“MR. UGLY” WON

“Mr. Ugly won” says it in the British newspaper “The Daily Mail”. And isn’t this the main reason the world loves Kurt? And of course he has an awesome voice.

But I think we love Kurt because he is the most “human”. “Kurten” doesn’t seem threatening like those “nude” singing girls on MTV. When he sings he expresses a simple-ness and honesty which we aren’t used to see on the screen anymore. He is the before-picture in a commercial of how much they can do with some extreme-diets and right clothes. And at the same time we feel sorry for him. We cheer for his voice out laud but we think to ourselves: “Poor guy, he hasn’t been lucky with his looks.” It’s like in those old highschool-movies where we breaths out in relief when the un-popular geek wins the girl in the end. Because this means that even us normal-people with our mistakes and needs, are worth something.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

We could believe that it was typical Norwegians to vote for a pop-idol which are so far from a boyband member as we can get. But we got proven wrong. All over the world sat viewers right before Christmas and heard Kurt being called “ugly” and thought; “Poor guy. No, not in hell. Enough is enough! You are not allowed to talk too people that way.”<br>
“Mr. Ugly” won and it got us to feel a whole lot better.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kurt Nilsen(25) was obviously moved when he met the media tonight.
Up to 3000 persons cheered the world idol winner when he landed in Bergen.

It became a completely chaos when the idol hero landed on Bergen airport Flesland this afternoon. Marching band, flags and screaming teenagers meet the world idol.

But the many people who showed up, didn’t get the chance to see so much of their hero. He disappeared quickly into a car and to a interview with the big American TV-station Fox News. That led to that the expecting press conference had to be put out for over one hour.

When the 25 year old finally got to meet the media, he came with this invitation:

-I love my family very much, and I am very proud of them. And I’m asking you to leave them alone. I hope you will respect that.

He was obviously moved by what he had experienced the last 24 hours after he won world idol.

-It’s been tough ,but I’m mature for it ,Kurt Nilsen said.

Meet by 3000

Only hours after, he experienced real Kurt mania.
When he landed in Bergen around 2 pm he was meet by near 3000 people at the airport.

In front of the crowd he said:
-Bergen city, this wouldn’t be possible without you!

Then he raised his world idol trophy.

The police had to help Kurt trough the screaming crowd and out to the black car that was waiting. When the car began to drive many of the teenagers started running after it.

-I got moved when I saw that there was a marching band there when I came out, Kurt says.

Crushed the rivals

-I was totally knocked out. I couldn’t understand what had happened. Suddenly I stood there with a 5 kilo trophy in my hands, Kurt said after beating the rival Kelly Clarkson from USA.

[Ana Nguyen]

On the 2nd January 2004, I've heard from news and World Idol the Results Show in London that the first guy called Kurt have won from World Idol.That's not fair.
Alexander Klaws is the best coz he dance and sang at the same time. When the judges said about Alexander "the worst performance, ever".That's disgusting why they do that? He's talented.
Guy is beautiful and still the best and sang "what a wonderful world' and the Dutch judge sald that he was'nt talented. What da hell?
Jamai has the best style, image and voice. I like the way what he dressed. Jamai came last and that's not fair.

[Michelle]

Guest-Ana said:

Alexander Klaws is the best coz he dance and sang at the same time.

ROTFLMAO! ;D

[UniqueShaz]

Guest-Ana said:

On the 2nd January 2004, I've heard from news and World Idol the Results Show in London that the first guy called Kurt have won from World Idol.That's not fair.
Alexander Klaws is the best coz he dance and sang at the same time. When the judges said about Alexander "the worst performance, ever".That's disgusting why they do that? He's talented.
Guy is beautiful and still the best and sang "what a wonderful world' and the Dutch judge sald that he was'nt talented. What da hell?
Jamai has the best style, image and voice. I like the way what he dressed. Jamai came last and that's not fair.

I thought Guy got good comments from all judges...

[Pinkline Jones]

LOL - Let's get this straight - Alexander Claws cannot sing nor can he dance and combine those two non-talent aspects of his character and you get a comedic performer that Ringling Bros Circus would be keen on signing up.

PINKLINE

[Astrid]

YAY! Go Kort - Go Norway ;D