Australian Idol Gossip

"THE first three finalists on Australian Idol have been selected, and Anne Robertson was the first to go through.

The 22-year-old reminds The Eye of Paulini Curuenavuli, and has had a similar background, being raised in churches where she honed her singing.
Robertson had an innocence that was refreshing when talking to The Eye yesterday.
"I'm just so grateful about having the opportunity," she said.
"It's really weird. I'm surprised about the whole thing."
Robertson works at an Salvation Army employment agency in Sydney, but will soon give that away and move into the Idol house with the other finalists.
Fellow finalist Tarni Stephens has already been labelled the rock chick of Idol, but is keen to point out that she is looking forward to the other genres.
It's just not all about rock.
"I consider myself versatile," Stephens, from Brisbane, said.
"What I do want to bring to Idol is more of the live band thing, and not just pop."
The third finalist is replacement Wiggle Chris Luder, from NSW, the favourite with Centrebet. ">Herald Sun: Hymn-singing Anne in heaven [19aug05]: "Hymn-singing Anne in heaven

19aug05

THE first three finalists on Australian Idol have been selected, and Anne Robertson was the first to go through.

The 22-year-old reminds The Eye of Paulini Curuenavuli, and has had a similar background, being raised in churches where she honed her singing.
Robertson had an innocence that was refreshing when talking to The Eye yesterday.
'I'm just so grateful about having the opportunity,' she said.
'It's really weird. I'm surprised about the whole thing.'
Robertson works at an Salvation Army employment agency in Sydney, but will soon give that away and move into the Idol house with the other finalists.
Fellow finalist Tarni Stephens has already been labelled the rock chick of Idol, but is keen to point out that she is looking forward to the other genres.
It's just not all about rock.
'I consider myself versatile,' Stephens, from Brisbane, said.
'What I do want to bring to Idol is more of the live band thing, and not just pop.'
The third finalist is replacement Wiggle Chris Luder, from NSW, the favourite with Centrebet. "

Herald Sun
19 Aug 05

"Hi all,

Thought I'd give my opinions on last night's show.

Dan [I don't wanna be- Gavin DeGraw]

Started very nervously, almost like he was singing in a wrong key. Improved greatly after that. Has a great voice; Unfortunately we didn't hear it last night. A personal favourite, I hope he gets through.

Jade-Lori [I thing- Amerie]

Looked nervous, as did most last night. Performance was pretty good. Sung quite well.Nothing wrong, yet nothing stood out. Just might miss out.

Lindsay [Time after time- Cyndi Lauper]

Hmmm.......Gets points for a different arrangement. Voice was very good however facial expressions did put me off slightly. (Was that what Mark was on about??) There was no need for that reaction to Mark's comments. Really touch and go on him. Might just sneak the 3rd place.

Chloe [Because of you- Kelly Clarkson]

Looks; tick, Voice; tick, song choice; tick. I think she's a certain finalist. Picked a tough song and did it very well.

Seth [Signed sealed delivered- Stevie Wonder]

Came home with a wet sail to demonstrate his vocal abilities, but for most of the performance he seemed slightly restrained. Didn't do much for me.

Anne [Home- The Wiz??]

Excuse my unfamiliarity with this song, but she was really the only one that really got my attention. Brilliant all round performance. The winner.

Josh [All my life- K Ci and Jo Jo]

Dreadful! Can thank his looks if he gets through. Easily the worst of the night.


Irene [Turn the beat around- Vicki Sue Robinson

Maybe it's the song, but I agree with Kyle that it was a "naff" song choice. Tried to dance too much and voice suffered accordingly. Almost bordered on cabaret.

Chris [Beautiful soul]

Ewww! Actually made Jesse McCartney sound like a great singer!!! Seemed all wrong, even though it may have been a plea for votes. Beat boxing??? Puh-lease...............

Tarni [Sweet Child o' mine]

Initially left me cold with her Sydney auditions of "Rush you" and "La la", but I believe she did a darn good job last night on a rock classic. Will probably fight it out with Lindsay for 3rd.


In summary............

1st- Anne, 2nd- Chloe 3rd- Lindsay or Tarni (although I sincerely hope Dan gets through)


Oh....and word on the Judges. Most comments were pretty constructive and honest last night. But how could Kyle not know about Kelly's new single (rather than album track as he called it) and admitting he likes Beautiful Soul!!!

Please feel free to give your opinions.

Regards,

Jim"

Fair summary from Jim. Can't say I totally agree as we all have individual tastes.
I guess we'll see what the public think on tonights elimination show!

Idol Meister

Idol down to 30 - TV & Radio - Entertainment - theage.com.au: "Network Ten has unveiled the final 30 contestants who will battle it out for this year's Australian Idol crown.
The final 30 have been broken into three groups of 10, to be narrowed down to just 12 individuals over the next month.
The lucky dozen will then fight for a chance to become the next Guy Sebastian or Casey Donovan, the past two winners of the television talent search competition.
This year's group includes a single mum who loves Beyonce, a rocker who idolises Pink and a handyman who bears a resemblance to the first series runner-up Shannon Noll.
Dan Spillane, a 25-year-old handyman and real estate agent from Brisbane, auditioned for Australian Idol in 2003 but failed to make the cut.
Two years later, Spillane believes he has what it takes to win the competition.
'(Judge) Mark (Holden) said to me, 'your breathing (song phrasing) was everywhere and you look like an accountant - come back and show me a contestant image',' he said.
'A lot of people could walk away and shrug that off as harsh criticism. But I listened to that.'
Spillane said despite having a goatie, he was not trying to emulate Shannon Noll's look.
'I suppose that I like Shannon Noll. I respect him,' he said.
'But the idea of the facial hair was to cover my baby face once I left real estate.'
South African born singer Jade-Lori Crompton, who moved to Australia when she was four and now lives in Perth, grew up singing in churches.
The 22-year-old said she looked up to previous American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, who is also black and a single mother.
'But I don't ever want to be the mum of the competition,' Crompton said, adding that she hoped viewers would not play the race card with her eiteither.

However, someone the aspiring star would like to emulate is singing diva Beyonce.

"Oh my God, I love Beyonce," Crompton said.

"I always wanted to be like her."

Brisbane punk rocker Tarni Stephens has a unique style and says she's proud of it.

"I think it's important to be original," the 27-year-old with peroxide blonde hair said.

"Someone said to me last night that when we were watching ... you know every time you're on TV, you don't have to look for you because the hair stands out.

"I just hope people like me for who I am and not just think I'm trying to be different."

Top 30 contestants for 2005 Australian Idol:

Sydney

Roxane Lebrasse, 22
Natalie Matiuk, 23
Victoria McGee, 20
Anne Robertson, 22
Leah Rushforth, 25
Jeremy Bourke, 19
Seth Huapu, 18
James Kannis, 19
Chris Luder, 26
Chloe Zuel, 16

Melbourne

Irene Bosmans, 21
Milly Edwards, 17
Laura Gissara, 21
Lee Harding, 22
Rocky Loprevite, 25
David Mardini, 27
Siosifa Sait, 26
Lindsay West, 27

Brisbane

Katherine DeAraugo, 19
Daniel England, 21
Daniel Spillane, 25
Tarni Stephens, 27
Lauren Street, 19
Emily Williams, 20
Benjamin Worthington, 22
Natalie Zahra, 16

Adelaide

Catherine-Louise Vasilakis, 19
Joshua Williams, 17

Perth

Jade-Lori Crompton, 22
Michael Williamson, 21


"

This article appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald today:

"Given the depths of abasement many would-be Casey Donovans seem willing to plumb, it is surprising the 'Australian Idol Advantage' e-book has been a publishing dud.

The $18.95 e-book promises to 'significantly increase your chances of making it past the first round' in Australian Idol 2006, with insightful chapters such as 'Stand Out from the Crowd', 'Smile' and 'Be Prepared'. But the publisher, Dean Marino, of Infonook Enterprises, says he has sold only 30 copies. 'It's based on an American Idol version of the book, which has been pretty successful over there,' he told Spike. 'I guess I'm still learning the ropes of internet marketing.'

Marino told Spike his book offered commonsense advice to help someone get noticed in the first round, not win the series. 'If they're not good enough the book ain't gonna get them there,' he said. An executive producer of Australian Idol, Stephen Tate, offered his own, equally ambiguous, suggestion: 'The best advice that anyone can give is to be yourself, because that's what we're looking for.'"

Me thinks Ben Cubby and Edmund Tadros (failed marketer who turned to gutter journalism) dwell on the negative in their spike column. Not much constructive to say about anything. Guess it makes them feel powerful that they can write what they want and not add any value. Many hopefuls have never ever auditioned anywhere before. At least the e-book gives them a clue on what to do and also some guidance which is more than can be said about this article. The Spike column isn't the most insightful piece of writing I've ever read either!

"Queensland: 41
Victoria/Tasmania: 33
Perth: 8
Adelaide: 23
NSW: 44
Total through to Sydney: 149...
But the final audition show said there were 150?"

Wow, 150 made it into the top 100! Lucky it isn't called Mathematics Idol!
Idol Meister

"Pus. Marsha said. Pus. Weird. Very out-of-character for Marsha. Maybe being sandwiched between two blokes is finally getting to her after series one and two.

Anyway, didn't Melbourne cement itself last night as Australia's pre-eminent home for arrogant, up-themselves, self-deluded airheads! Sydney ain't got nuthin' on you girlfriend! Shit shit shit. And F**king ugly too. Orthodontists must have been creaming their pants last night at the sight of so many good awful, crooked teeth.

Now to be fair, not every single person could have had an off-key, cat-in-the-throes-of-death voice, it just felt like it. I'm sure they showcased a few talented auditionees too....it's just that I didn't notice (I tend to turn off at the first signs of genuine talent on the part of someone else).

But one word of disappointment - Kyle. He's not turning up half as arseholey and cuntish as I expected him to be. Maybe he's just warming up. Fingers crossed."

Perhaps Kyle is a bit shy? NOT!
Idol Meister

"In 2004 a staggering one hundred thousand Americans auditioned for the fourth series of American Idol in 2005 which is a lot of dreams dashed in the process. How do you stand out? Forget being a copycat for a start and remember the �Idol flaw� if you want to be a pop idol. If you look back at my AI diary of commentary in recent years you may see that I have indicated that there is a flaw in the selection process for any Idol contest.

It goes beyond just getting past the producers outside in the initial auditions where thousands are waiting. It goes right into the finals and can be seen every week on the show, not just in the comments of critics who blame selective editing for failures and successes. There is much more to it than that (song selection and phone voting being key factors).

So how do you get past all of this or even just beyond your first audition? How do you market yourself as a potential money-maker in the industry whilst being television-friendly for viewers in the, mostly, 16-39 year old demographic? I have made suggestions right here on Celebchaos in recent years and I have enjoyed reading Simon Cowell�s book in addition, which has some excellent advice.

I have recently discovered though that the best answer to it all however can be found in �Australian Idol Advantage�. Sure Idol is very much a controlled process for ratings. That means that there are no guarantees. Every year I declare that most finalists are poor singers (even some of the �popular� ones). It is all part of the flaw but if you are a stronger singer it can give you the edge to start with.

Beyond my beliefs as expressed here, if you follow the comprehensive guide that is �Australian Idol Advantage�, and, as I do believe, if you have a raw but unique talent that can be developed before the nation, then you can move to the next step. You may even make it all the way to the end in the contest and beyond.

Can you handle Marcia, Mark and Kyle (Sandilands - the new judge)? Then click the banner above and find out more today. There are so many excellent tips in this guide that you just cannot afford to ignore it. With several years of reality television commentary behind me I have just about seen it all. So I would not recommend something that did not contain expert, thorough advice on the entire process if I did not believe it can work.

This guide is more than just common sense that you can read anywhere. It is an excellent reference and comprehensive guide for any Idol auditionee. If you are serious about making it on AI you must read ‘Australian Idol Advantage’ so click on the banner above and invest some time in your success now!

Australian Idol Advantage - the must-read comprehensive Idol audition guide!
Ridge Rogue
Celebchaos Australian Idol
http://www.celebchaos.com/australianidol.htm
"

I agree whole heartedly Ridge!

Idol Meister

Here are some singing audition tips to help you along:

- Know your music/song

- Know the lyrics well

- Know your tempo (how fast or slow you perform the song).

- Know exactly where you will begin singing and where you
will end.

- Good posture promotes good breathing and singing technique,
so stand up straight and tall.

- Concentrate and focus on what you are singing about, not
where you are and who is watching you.

- If you make a mistake, don't giggle and acknowledge your
mistake. Instead, keep going and cover your mistake as if
the song were written that way.

- Find a focus point. Don't let your eyes roll around in your
head. Pick a spot and visualize the person you are singing to.
Do not look down at your feet.

- Practice introducing yourself and the song to the auditioners
beforehand

- Take a moment to compose yourself and when you feel ready to
sing, nod to the accompanist.

- Stand with feet slightly apart and your body firmly centered.
(Ears over shoulders, over hips, over balls of feet, etc., chest
up and ribs out/expanded, but never rigid).

- Use body movement to help express the meaning of the song (arm
gestures, and simple movement, not a complicated dance)

Important tips:

- Never yell or scream before singing (or ever!)

- Do not consume chocolate, milk, or soda before singing.
These cause excess secretion of mucous which is not good for singing.

- Keep vocal chords, nose and throat moist. Drink plenty of water!

"Casey Donovan says she wouldn't have made it through the first round of Australian Idol auditions this year with new judge Kyle Sandilands on the show.
'The new Idol is good but I just don't know what is going on with picking all of the hot chicky babes,' Donovan said.
Sandilands replaced Ian 'Dicko' Dickson on this year's judging panel, joined by regulars Marcia Hines and Mark Holden.
After just four episodes of the third series of Australian Idol, Sandilands - a breakfast radio presenter - has been criticised for choosing people simply because of their looks.
Donovan began her Idol journey listing the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain as her musical idol and auditioned wearing baggy skater clothes with her head bowed.
Naturally shy, she admits not fitting the mould of the perky, waif-like, blonde pop princess.
'He would have booted me out the door,' Donovan said when asked how Sandilands would have responded to her audition.
'He probably would have said to me, 'who are you?' I would have been paid out, not very good.'
Advertisement
AdvertisementDonovan won last year's Australian Idol competition, beating Anthony Callea to the crown and following in the footsteps of Guy Sebastian.
But her first album For You failed to sell as many copies as Callea's.
The 17-year-old said she couldn't understand the constant comparisons.
'I am a bit annoyed with it,' she said.
'It takes its toll on me, but it hurts my family even more.'
Her new single Flow is one of Donovan's favourite songs on the album, but local radio doesn't seem to have supported the release.
Her first single Listen With Your Heart was a top 10 airplay hit and her second release What's Going On reached the top 30"

No matter how prepared you are for your audition,
you will probably experience at least a little stage
fright. Even the most experienced performers get nervous
before they perform. No one wants to make mistakes,
but we all experience them at sometime or another.

Don't focus on your failures (do learn from them) but
remember your successes. Think of auditions as learning
processes, then the fear of failure won't have as much power.

'Break in' material in other venues (i.e. in front of your
family or friends) before using it at an audition. This
will help strip the audition of its importance and makes it
easier to go through the audition process.

If you haven't tried it before, give Karaoke a try. Go to
a Karaoke venue and practice singing in front of people."