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Post by dededom on Nov 22, 2006 19:36:57 GMT 10
News Article: Final countdown for idols | BACK |
posted by Inside Australian Idol on Wed 22 November 2006
Final countdown for idols
Sarah Nicholson
November 21, 2006 11:00pm
JESSICA Mauboy and Damien Leith have made a pact with each other to enjoy the last few days before the Australian Idol finale on Sunday.
The pair, who beat 10 other wannabe performers to make it through to the grand final of the Channel 10 singing competition, have also promised to forget about what's at stake and enjoy the thrill of being on stage at the Sydney Opera House.
"If I was looking too much at winning then the last two weeks would be really hard," Leith says.
"Jess and I both want to have a good time, and both of us are already winners because we have proved ourself and everyone knows what we can and can't do by now.
"It will be the last time we are going to be on stage so we have both decided to sing songs that we really like."
Mauboy says her approach to the final night of competition will be the same as her preparation for every other Australian Idol performance and that she would be looking at the final as "just another gig".
"I have tried to stay the same through Idol, and with the final I know that if I just sing it the way I want to sing it I will show myself through the performance and do a good job."
While last year's finalists Kate DeAraugo and Emily Williams were considered to be very similar performers, this season's top two couldn't be more different when it comes to artistic styles and influences.
Mauboy, who has an Aboriginal mother and an Indonesian father, is only 17 and hails from Darwin in the Northern Territory while 30-year-old Leith comes from Ireland and is married with a young son.
And when it comes to singing Mauboy is a classic pop diva, with a sound that's similar to Beyonce Knowles or Mariah Carey, while Leith has more of a rock edge to his sound.
As each appeals to a different audience Leith says it would be hard to predict who will join previous Idol winners Guy Sebastian, Casey Donovan and DeAraugo.
Dean Geyer, who was the last person to be eliminated from Australian Idol on November 13, has tipped Leith to be victorious on Sunday but he has predicted the result will be close because both performers have the goods to succeed in the music business.
"I personally think it will be very close, but Damien has done really well in the past couple of weeks, getting the touchdowns, and I think he is on the rise," Geyer says.
"Jessica is still young, but she has matured so much through the competition and she has turned into a woman, she just needs to focus and put a smile on her face."
Geyer says he was thrilled to see two very different performers make it through to this season's Idol finale.
"The audience has chosen Damien and Jess, and I think they have got it right, the public has surprised me a bit this year because I expected that they would have chosen real pop singers to make it through," he says.
"But we have had a real mix of performers the whole way through, from alternative to pop, so the public has done its job well.
"The ratings seem to be really good this year but I think that's because the show is different this year, the format has changed to include original music and to encourage song writing.
"That was something that was new for the show this year, and it has worked well."
Australian Idol, Ten, Sunday 7.30pm
Source: Courier Mail
posted by Inside Australian Idol on Wed 22 November 2006
Final countdown for idols
Sarah Nicholson
November 21, 2006 11:00pm
JESSICA Mauboy and Damien Leith have made a pact with each other to enjoy the last few days before the Australian Idol finale on Sunday.
The pair, who beat 10 other wannabe performers to make it through to the grand final of the Channel 10 singing competition, have also promised to forget about what's at stake and enjoy the thrill of being on stage at the Sydney Opera House.
"If I was looking too much at winning then the last two weeks would be really hard," Leith says.
"Jess and I both want to have a good time, and both of us are already winners because we have proved ourself and everyone knows what we can and can't do by now.
"It will be the last time we are going to be on stage so we have both decided to sing songs that we really like."
Mauboy says her approach to the final night of competition will be the same as her preparation for every other Australian Idol performance and that she would be looking at the final as "just another gig".
"I have tried to stay the same through Idol, and with the final I know that if I just sing it the way I want to sing it I will show myself through the performance and do a good job."
While last year's finalists Kate DeAraugo and Emily Williams were considered to be very similar performers, this season's top two couldn't be more different when it comes to artistic styles and influences.
Mauboy, who has an Aboriginal mother and an Indonesian father, is only 17 and hails from Darwin in the Northern Territory while 30-year-old Leith comes from Ireland and is married with a young son.
And when it comes to singing Mauboy is a classic pop diva, with a sound that's similar to Beyonce Knowles or Mariah Carey, while Leith has more of a rock edge to his sound.
As each appeals to a different audience Leith says it would be hard to predict who will join previous Idol winners Guy Sebastian, Casey Donovan and DeAraugo.
Dean Geyer, who was the last person to be eliminated from Australian Idol on November 13, has tipped Leith to be victorious on Sunday but he has predicted the result will be close because both performers have the goods to succeed in the music business.
"I personally think it will be very close, but Damien has done really well in the past couple of weeks, getting the touchdowns, and I think he is on the rise," Geyer says.
"Jessica is still young, but she has matured so much through the competition and she has turned into a woman, she just needs to focus and put a smile on her face."
Geyer says he was thrilled to see two very different performers make it through to this season's Idol finale.
"The audience has chosen Damien and Jess, and I think they have got it right, the public has surprised me a bit this year because I expected that they would have chosen real pop singers to make it through," he says.
"But we have had a real mix of performers the whole way through, from alternative to pop, so the public has done its job well.
"The ratings seem to be really good this year but I think that's because the show is different this year, the format has changed to include original music and to encourage song writing.
"That was something that was new for the show this year, and it has worked well."
Australian Idol, Ten, Sunday 7.30pm
Source: Courier Mail
