As I write this we are at the Top 10 stage of the competition.
We’ve already lost 2 girls and no guys.
The first to go was the gutsy Holly from Mildura. She fell victim to the Curse of the Carnivool. You might remember last year Reigan sang a song from the WA band Carnivool early on in the comp and was summarily ejected. Holly did the same thing. Sang a punk song no-one knew. Dicko claimed to know it but he was just doing his Dicko-pedia thing. He’s been trying to be Glenn A. Baker and giving us dribble from Wikipedia. Glenn A. would be 10 times more interesting and have cost the network 100 times less than Dicko – but that’s another story.
Anyway, Holly got the boot too. The public is happy for someone to be true to themselves but they are unforgiving if you are not simultaneously true to them too. You can't ignore your voting, buying public. I particularly liked Holly and really feel she was a loss to the compeition, especially in light of the next week being Rock Week and that show being full of really weak rock.
I can only hope Holly has similar luck to Reigan. Don’t know whether this is public or not but Reigan is in a band with Kyle’s missus Tamara and another ex-idol Hayley Aitken and they’ve been working with Snoop Dog and have a big record deal in the States. Kyle is involved with Andrew Klipple, who was behind The Veronicas and the Vines and is a first class operator. I’ve seen some early footage and they look and sound sensational. I think Kyle’s got a winner there. Hopefully, Tamara will be a huge success in this incarnation and Kyle can live off her and retire from the radio and TV and get even fatter!
Second to go was Brianna. Betty Boop, deaf in one ear. There was very little surprise there given that she was out of tune almost all the way thru every song. She says she is deaf in one ear but true or not its no excuse. I discussed with her off camera the need to compensate if she can't hear. To get the foldback right. Have them turn up an instrument she can focus pitch on like the piano and work her performance around being within earshot of those speakers. If she can't do that then Dicko was right to say she should resign. Sadly for her, the public decided for her.
Rock Night was a disaster and lots of people are saying it was the worst Idol night ever. How short our memories are. Every year we hit this hurdle sooner or later. Its easy to forget that this is a huge learning curve for these contestants. We have a lot of real youngsters this year. Out of home and in a mansion with a lot of distractions. The partying, the paparazzi, the pressure.
Some will bend and some will break. It happens every year. Even Guy didn’t surface in year one in the first few weeks. He snuck up on us a month or more in and then flew like an angel into the Grand Final with Shannon.
Speaking of Shannon, he came into the radio show this week. Eleven Top Ten hits in a row! Wow! Don’t know of any other local artist Idol or not, to have done that!
The Dicko, Holden and Chrissie Show has been beaming out across Australian on the Nova network every Monday from 3-4 pm. Its been a hoot. I’m loving it. Chrissie was on Big Brother and is a really smart funny girl. I had never met her before this but am enjoying working with her.
Dicko is his usual verbal diarrhea dominating self. He can't stop himself from taking over everything and filling every space. Last week the producer made Chrissie the anchor and it was a relief to have her doing most of the talking and not Dicky.
I’m still hoping that when he goes to the US in the next couple of weeks to do his new show American Band on Fox he might find the commute too difficult and simply stay there and leave Idol to Marcia, Kyle and me. I honestly think it was a better show with only three judges. Pity we cant vote him off, although if it was up to the public, I’m not sure I’d survive that vote! Best not mention that idea!
I was delighted to see that A Starter Wife won some Emmies in the US this week. I’m glad my one scene and 2 lines of dialogue could get the mini-series over the line on the big Award night. Stay tuned for my role of an immigration officer on Fat Pizza on SBS soon – it’ll be hard to recognize me. Can't wait.
Still not completely over the loss of Husny from the Wild Card show. I was apparently alone in wanting him to get thru. I think he’s got something really special and as a self-described ‘ Asian-Arab’ represented a part of the Australian community that hasn’t been widely seen on our screens. I almost got into a physical fight over him with the producer but when the votes came in I had to accept that you can't win every fight. I hope Husny comes back next year.
Another one I hope comes back is Dewayne from Tassy. When I watched the Final 24 show back at home with my family and saw us say 'no' to him I thought – uh-oh, we’ve made a mistake. He has one of the very best voices I’ve ever heard and what Dicko described as his Forrest Gump personality I see as a quiet dignity. His song ‘Shelter‘ that he wrote for the elder women in his life was simply glorious. Yes, we make mistakes. Dewayne, please come back next year and grace our show with your great talent. Maybe Dicko will have moved on already by next year if his US venture works out and Marcia and I can get you thru to the public vote in the Top 24 of 2008. I’m sure you will capture the Australian heart given another chance.
On the good news front, I’ve been auditioning for acting roles and got another part. I’m going to play Lee Gordon in the musical Shout. It will open in Melbourne in January at the Arts Theatre and then travel to Sydney at the Lyric Theatre. It’s the first time I will have been on the boards since I played Joseph in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the mid-seventies. Once, every 30 years. Just like my sex life .....
I’m also going to be doing some more radio on 5AA in my old home town of Adelaide for the 2 weeks before Xmas. It’ll be great to be home for a minute to hang out with my dear old mum and my son Cane and his new wife Karina.
Back to Idol.
There are still ten weeks to go and I’m confident there will be some great performances ahead. Jacob is gaining confidence, Daniel has some real presence and an inner light that is glowing and growing. Chrissie Swan dubbed him Teen Wolf, I’m going to steal that name and start using it on the show.
Ben has one of the best voices in the comp and just needs to find a way to harness the vulnerability he undoubtedly has, to find a great moment. Natalie is a great singer and just needs to find the real emotion. Mark needs to find the surprise and is in danger of being too predictable, little Lana, well she has the tweeny vote but has yet to deliver to me.
Matt is brilliant and just needs to pick songs that aren’t too ambitious for him; Carl seems to be the favoured son right now - I respect his service with the Navy - anyone who has been to Iraq deserves our admiration and thanks, but as a singer, he needs to work on the thinness of his vocal sound. His low end is good but his mid and higher ranges are really weak,
Marty is a cool dude but needs to master his nerves and Taresai – well, she’s the little bomb we’re all enjoying watching to see when she will blow up!
More later.
Australian Idol 2007 - 5th Season Auditions
In February 2007 the Idol team began its 5th trek around the country in search of the next Australian Idol .
This year Idol went to 18 cities including first timers like Bunbury, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Mildura, Coffs Harbour, Woolongong, Newcastle and back to Darwin for the second time where Jessica Mauboy joined the team to catch up and say hi to this year's contestants.
Idol '07: The judges fine tune their respective characters
Once again the talent pool was far from shallow and the Top 100 [ more like top 130 ] was stacked full of diverse styles and ages. This year's crop of 16-17 year olds is incredible with multi-skilled songwriters, singers and musicians that belie their young age . In contrast, the older group has been swelled due to the success of Bobby and Damien last year and there is a ton of really credible rock guys that are going to have to battle it out for the public's vote .
Anthony Callea
Watch out for some first time contestants from communities within Australia that have not been represented before. Can't say more now, you'll just have to tune in and you see what this means.
2007's Top 24 are possibly the strongest ever and more than one will join the ever-growing list of Idol alumni who are gracing the charts and our TV screens. Anthony on 'It Takes Two' and Ricki-Lee's new single which is currently roaring up the charts. Damien's'22 Steps' is one of the year's finest - backing up his massive success over Xmas with an album that is bound to be the highest selling CD of 2007-8.
Dicko's back and the judging panel is bigger than ever . Watch out for the clashes and stoushes that will doubtless unfold as the egos fight for airtime and push Rove back to a 10pm Sunday slot . [Rove is supposed to be on at 8.30 but try getting Kyle, Dicko, Marcia or Mark to shut up !!!!! ]
Also, watch out for Dicko and Holden on the radio soon - can't say more right now but the dumb and dumber brothers may well be on your radio really soon. More Later !
Mark & Dicko at Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards '06
Mark and Dicko appeared on stage together at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards '06, to perform 'The Fart Song' - a number written by Mark in honour of Dicko winning this year's Fave Old Fart award.
As well as Dicko, there were other Idol related award winners:
Idol re-invented itself in 2006 with world first innovations including allowing contestants to perform with instruments and a special night where they could sing their own original songs.
There was an audience choice night and a judges' choice night; where Mark chose 'Nessun Dorma' by Puccini for Damien who then delivered one of the highpoints of the series and was tagged 'The People's Tenor'. Damien is the first Idol to receive 2 Touchdowns on one night and a total of 4 for the series.
Damien Leith
Damien won the 4th series and as the Australian Idol 2006, has joined the growing list of Idols with #1 one records with his winner's song, 'Night of My Life' . In another Idol first, his album will not be recorded immediately and released before Xmas. Instead, it will be released early next year, giving Damien the time to make the album he wants to make .
In a surprise announcement, Dicko has defected from Channel 7 and will be the 4th judge on Idol 5 in 2007, thereby answering the question - who really did win 'Celebrity Survivor'?
Idol was one of the ratings hits of Australian TV for 2006, regularly averaging over 1.6 million viewers on Sunday and Monday nights - improving on last year's ratings by 15-30% week after week.
Mark is set, with rest of the team, to rejoin the auditions for Idol 5 in March 2007.
Mark in NBC mini-series
Mark finishes the year with an acting role in the American NBC mini-series "The Starter Wife".
From the best selling book and starring Debra Messing of ' Will and Grace' fame, 'The Starter Wife' is a sassy and witty story of Gracie Pollock, a woman redefining herself after years of marriage to a Hollywood studio head. As a "'tween queen" she seeks refuge with all the wrong people; the wannabe rich and famous as well as the usual healthy dose of mysterious hunks.
Debra Messing
In December Mark made his way up to the Gold Coast to film his cameo scene with Debra and was surprised to find himself on set with not only the star of 'Will and Grace' but with the gorgeous Miranda Otto and one of Australia's great actresses, Judy Davis.
'The Starter Wife' recently aired on NBC and has been nominated for the prestigious American Emmy Awards. The series has been bought by Network Ten for airing in Australia sometime in 2007.
In other acting news, Mark plays the part of an Immigration Detention Officer in the latest series of 'Fat Pizza' to be shown on SBS in October 2007.
Mark , who is virtually unrecognisable as the aggro officer, claims: "working with Paul Fenech on Pizza was one of the best acting experiences I've ever had " . It should be a riot .
Also look out for a return cameo from Pauly and the Stooges on the Sydney audition episodes of Idol 2007.
Mark reports:
Anyway, Holly got the boot too. The public is happy for someone to be true to themselves but they are unforgiving if you are not simultaneously true to them too. You can't ignore your voting, buying public. I particularly liked Holly and really feel she was a loss to the compeition, especially in light of the next week being Rock Week and that show being full of really weak rock.
Second to go was Brianna. Betty Boop, deaf in one ear. There was very little surprise there given that she was out of tune almost all the way thru every song. She says she is deaf in one ear but true or not its no excuse. I discussed with her off camera the need to compensate if she can't hear. To get the foldback right. Have them turn up an instrument she can focus pitch on like the piano and work her performance around being within earshot of those speakers. If she can't do that then Dicko was right to say she should resign. Sadly for her, the public decided for her.
Speaking of Shannon, he came into the radio show this week. Eleven Top Ten hits in a row! Wow! Don’t know of any other local artist Idol or not, to have done that!
Still not completely over the loss of Husny from the Wild Card show. I was apparently alone in wanting him to get thru. I think he’s got something really special and as a self-described ‘ Asian-Arab’ represented a part of the Australian community that hasn’t been widely seen on our screens. I almost got into a physical fight over him with the producer but when the votes came in I had to accept that you can't win every fight. I hope Husny comes back next year.
travel to Sydney at the Lyric Theatre. It’s the first time I will have been on the boards since I played Joseph in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the mid-seventies. Once, every 30 years. Just like my sex life ..... 
Ben has one of the best voices in the comp and just needs to find a way to harness the vulnerability he undoubtedly has, to find a great moment. Natalie is a great singer and just needs to find the real emotion. Mark needs to find the surprise and is in danger of being too predictable, little Lana, well she has the tweeny vote but has yet to deliver to me.
