Strictly Come Dancing 2009
Posted on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 8:40 PM
The 2009 BBC series 7 of Strictly Come Dancing kicked off on September
18th. The 16 contestant's names and pictures can be viewed here.
Week 14 (The Final)
The Finalists. Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan (danced first) and Ricky
Whittle and Natalie Lowe.
Each couple danced 4 times, including a
head-to-head Lindy Hop
and a show dance. The judges put Ricky Whittle
and Natalie Lowe top by only 4 points.
BUT
the public vote won the title for Chris Hollins and and Ola Jordan.
The following is a list of the contestants who were eliminated week by week during the series.
Week 13 (Semi Final) Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna
This was a
complete travesty of justice with Ali & Brian being
by far
the better dancers than Chris and Ola who went on to the final.
Obviously
they received fewer public votes, despite scoring a perfect 40/40
in
week 8 for the Viennese Waltz and a perfect 50/50 in the semi final
for
the American Smooth !
Week 12 (Quarter Final) Laila Rouass and Anton du Beke
Week 11 Natalie Cassidy and Vincent Simone
Week 10 Ricky Groves and Erin Boag
Also in week 10 Jade Johnson and Ian Waite retired from the competition
following
the injury Jade sustained prior to the week 9 show.
Week 9 Phil Tufnell and Katya Virshilas
Jade Johnson sustained injury prior to the week 9 show and was unable to dance.
Week 8 Craig Kelly and Flavia Cacace
Week 7 Zoe Lucker and James Jordan
Week 6 Jo Wood and Brendan Col
Week 5 Joe Calzaqhe and Kristina Rihanoff
Week 4 Lynda Bellingham and Darren Bennett
Week 3 Rav Wilding and Aliona Vilani
Week 2 Richard Dunwoody and Lilia Kopylova
Week 1 Martina Hingis & Matthew Cutler
Series contestants and their professional partners.
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Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna |
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Lynda Bellingham and Darren Bennett |
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Joe Calzaqhe and Kristina Rihanoff |
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Natalie Cassidy and Vincent Simone |
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Richard Dunwoody and Lilia Kopylova |
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Ricky Groves and Erin Boag |
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Martina Hingis and Matthew Cutler |
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Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan |
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Jade Johnson and Ian Waite |
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Craig Kelly and Flavia Cacace |
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Zoe Lucker and James Jordan |
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Laila Rouass and Anton du Beke |
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Phil Tufnell and Katya Virshilas |
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Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe |
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Rav Wilding and Aliona Vilani |
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Jo Wood and Brendan Cole |
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Strictly Come Dancing 2008
Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 at 3:41 PM
The 2008 season of the BBC Television program Strictly Come Dancing,
commencement
date 20th September, Grand Final 20th December 2008.
Sixteen celebrities paired with sixteen professional dancers competed to take over the crown won by Mark Ramprakash & Karen Hardy in 2006 and Alesha Dixon & Matthew Cutler in 2007.
This immensely popular program, in its sixth series, was hosted by Bruce
Forsyth and Tess Daly
with the usual panel of expert judges, Craig
Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.
Each week one celebrity was eliminated as a result of the judge's marks and public phone-in.
ANALYSIS OF THE FINAL 2 PROGRAM'S SCORING
Semi Final judges points Rachel 3 Lisa 3 Tom 1
Public
vote Rachel 2 Lisa 1 Tom 3
Total Rachel 5 Lisa 4 Tom 4
Final dance 1 Rachel 40 Lisa 40 Tom 35
Final
dance 2 Rachel 39 LIsa 40 Tom 38
Points Rachel 2 Lisa 3 Tom 1
Plus
last week's totals gives Rachel 7 Lisa 7 Tom 5
Giving points
allocated Rachel 3 Lisa 3 Tom 1
The BBC were completely wrong in NOT having a
dance off in the semi final
which would quite likely have meant that
Tom would have been elimiated.
Despite Tom AGAIN being bottom of the leader board
in the final, after the public vote
Lisa was eliminated - presumably
because she received fewer votes than
the other two, and Tom went on
to win the competition with a dance which
was
a model of abandon and activity (Tom apearing to be
like a rag doll
at times) against Rachel's
pure, technical dance.
Couples in the Grand Final
THE WINNERS
Tom Chambers &
Camilla Dallerup.
Despite coming 3rd in the judges scoring,
behind
Rachel (scored 79/80) and Lisa (scored 80/80),
and helped by popular
voting rather than voting based on dance ability,
his final dance was
a model of abandon and activity and finally won the day.
SECOND
PLACE
Rachel Stevens & Vincent Simone.
Fantastic
series for them, they scored the most maximum points
of all
contestants and broke several Strictly records.
Certainly my
favourites, and would have been worthy winners
if the BBC had not
saved Tom and Camilla from elimination in the semi final.
THIRD
PLACE
Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole.
Despite
scoring 2 maximum 40's for their dances
(coming top of the leader
board)
they were disappointingly
eliminated by the voting public.
The following is a list of the contestants who were eliminated week by
week during the series.
|
Week number |
Contestants eliminated |
|
13 Semi Final |
In a surprise, and wholly unprecedented move,
|
|
12 Quarter Final |
Austin Healey & Erin Boag
|
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11 |
Christine Bleakley & Matthew Cutler |
|
10 |
John Sergeant & Kristina Rihanoff decided that Jodie Kidd & Ian Waite
|
|
9 |
Cherie Lunghi & James Jordan
|
|
8 |
Heather Small & Brian Fortuna
|
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7 |
Andrew Castle & Ola Jordan
|
|
6 |
Mark Foster & Hayley Holt
|
|
5 Mixed from now |
Don Warrington & Lilia Kopylova
|
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4 Ladies only |
Jessie Wallace & Darren Bennett
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3 Men only |
Gary Rhodes & Karen Hardy
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2 Ladies only |
Gillian Taylforth & Anton Du Beke
|
|
1 Men only |
Phil Daniels & Flavia Cacace |
The contestants are as follows.
| Photo | Contestant details |
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Cherie Lunghi
Leading lady of stage and screen, Cherie Lunghi has appeared in practically every popular drama or series going: from Casualty and Cutting It to Hotel Babylon; Cherie has also starred in Waking the Dead, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Secret Diary of a Callgirl and The Manageress, where she played the first woman in Britain to ever become manager of a professional soccer team.
Cherie first burst into the public consciousness as Guinevere in the acclaimed film, Excalibur. She also appeared in Oliver Twist, The Mission alongside Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons and Jack and Sarah with Richard E. Grant.
James Jordan
James is a Latin American specialist. He is married to and dances professionally with Ola. They both joined the Strictly team in series four.
They have been dancing together for six years and turned professional in 2003. Since then they have been Closed British finalists in 2005, UK Open Rising Star finalists and British Open Rising Star Professional Latin runners-up in 2006. |
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Andrew Castle
Swapping the courts for the dance floor, former British number one tennis player Andrew has been a breakfast presenter on GMTV on ITV1 since 2000.
A member of the BBC tennis team, covering Wimbledon and all the major tennis tournaments, Andrew has been lead commentator on all Men's Singles Finals since 2003 working alongside John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Jimmy Connors, and Tim Henman. He was also a member of the UK's Olympic teams in Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992.
Ola Jordan
Polish born, Ola is a Latin American specialist and, with her husband James, is taking part in Strictly for the third time. Ola and James have been dancing together for eight years, and professionally for the last five years. |
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Christine Bleakley
Christine's career did not begin in front of the camera. In actual fact she trained as a floor manager in television in her native Northern Ireland. She quickly climbed the TV production ladder, emerging as a solo presenter on BBC Northern Ireland for such shows as Skyhigh and First Stop.
Her big break in the UK came when the producer of The One Show called her up and asked if she would step into then presenter Myleene Klass's shoes as she had unexpectedly gone into labour. She's since been made co-presenter with Adrian Chiles.
Matthew Cutler
Matthew is a Latin American dance specialist and has claimed the title of UK Closed Professional Latin Champion in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
Last year was Matthew's best, winning the show with Alesha Dixon. "Winning Strictly Come Dancing last year was like a dream come true for me," he chimed, "Alesha was amazing, she had the rare balance of dedication, fun and talent. The whole experience was mad, exciting, exhausting - I loved it!" |
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Austin Healey
Strictly Come Dancing has had its fair share of colourful contestants and former rugby union ace Austin Healey certainly continues this tradition. While his all-round talent and international and domestic triumphs made him a regular fixture of the sports pages, Austin has also created headlines with his views on team mates, rugby rivals and club managers.
On the pitch he achieved international recognition at an early age - he played for England under 21s in 1992, aged just 19 and was an integral member of the Leicester team that dominated the sport from 1998 to 2002.
Erin Boag
Erin is a strong, vivacious Kiwi, who specialises in ballroom dancing. Her professional dance partner is fellow Strictly dancer Anton Du Beke. She has made it to the final of the show in previous series, with partners Julian Clary and Colin Jackson, last year she danced with Willie Thorne.
Erin was The 2003 IDTA Classic Champion. |
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Gillian Taylforth
Gillian is the Queen of the Soaps, with more than 20 years starring in Britain's most popular TV shows including playing the role of Kathy Mitchell in EastEnders, as Jackie Pascoe-Webb in ITV1's Footballers' Wives, and more recently as Sgt. Nikki Wright in ITV1's The Bill.
Gillian's main reason for taking part is because she is a huge fan of the show and loves dancing and keeping fit. She also feels that she's been working so hard at acting recently, that it was about time she had a bit of fun.
Anton Du Beke
Anton is a typical English gentleman, but is well known for his naughty sense of humour! Anton specialises in ballroom dancing and dances professionally with Erin Boag. Together, Anton and Erin won the IDTA Classic in England in 2003.
Anton has appeared in Strictly since series one when he came third with Lesley Garrett. |
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Don Warrington
Don's most famous for playing the role of Philip Smith in the sitcom Rising Damp. He has also appeared in the crime drama C.A.T.S. Eyes, New Street Law, Manchild and Dr Who.
Don has always wanted to learn how to dance, believing it's a wonderful skill to acquire. He'd especially like to learn some of the more 'classic' ballroom dances.
Lilia Kopylova
Lilia is gentle and softly spoken, but below the surface lies a cheeky Russian minx. Her speciality is Latin American and together with her partner and husband Darren Bennett, also appearing in Strictly, they are ranked the number one Latin American couple in Britain.
Lilia won the third series of Strictly with Darren Gough. |
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Heather Small
Heather Small is a pop singer best known for fronting M People. The 1990s saw the Manchester dance act notch up twenty Top 20 hits, the highest of which, Moving On Up got to No.2 in 1993.
Outside of M People, Heather appeared on the 1997 Children In Need song Perfect Day, alongside such pop legends as David Bowie, Bono, Elton John and Boyzone - to name just four.
Brian Fortuna
Brian started dancing when he was four years old at his Mother's dance studio in New Jersey and has since danced in and hosted hundreds of shows. He was born and raised in Philadelphia and is now based in Los Angeles. Both of his parents have held nationally ranked titles in Ballroom and Latin.
He specialises in wheelchair Ballroom and Latin dancing and has coached and choreographed the award winning salsa team 'Ritmo Latino'. This is Brian's first appearance on Strictly, although he has taken part in the American version on the show, 'Dancing with the Stars'. |
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Gary Rhodes
As one of Britain's most foremost TV chefs, Gary Rhodes is no stranger to heat (or patterned trousers), which will hopefully stand him in good stead on the Strictly dance floor.
Gary has been a chef for over 30 years, having run several Michelin-star restaurants, made guest appearances on numerous cooking shows, and presented his own shows Rhodes Around Britain and Gary's Perfect Christmas. He was awarded an OBE in 2007.
Karen Hardy
Karen danced into first place with her partner Mark Ramprakash in series four.
Before her retirement from the competitive world of dance in March 1999, Karen's successful partnership with Bryan Watson saw them both crowned as undefeated champions in many national and international competitions. |
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Jessie Wallace
As EastEnders' own Kat Slater, Jessie Wallace is no stranger to spectacle. Her talent and a run of searing storylines has earned her a string of awards from Best Actress to Sexiest Female.
Since leaving Albert Square in 2005, Jessie has appeared in BBC One's A Class Apart, BBC Four's Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall and ITV1's Wild At Heart. Jessie has also been keeping up appearances on the stage, making her West End debut in Rent Remixed in 2007.
Darren Bennett
Darren is a down to earth, cheeky guy who loves his Northern roots. Darren and his partner and wife Lilia Kopylova, also appearing in Strictly, are currently ranked the number one British Latin American couple.
Last year, Darren partnered with Letitia Dean and together they reached the quarter final. Although they were both struck down by illness in one particularly hard week, Letitia's confidence and talent grew throughout the competition. |
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John Sergeant
John Sergeant is one of Britain's most popular and respected broadcasters and authors. His award-winning career as a political journalist has been as lengthy as it has been successful and seen him interview heavyweight luminaries such as Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and John Major.
In recent years John has become as famous for his appearances on comedy shows such as Have I Got News For You, QI, and Room 101.
Kristina Rihanoff
Kristina was born in Siberia and fell in love with music and dance at a young age. When she was six years old, she began to study ballet.
She has been trained in Latin and Standard styles, as well as Rhythm and Theatre Arts. It is the Latin harmonies that truly stir her passions. |
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Jodie Kidd
Supermodel Jodie Kidd is one of Britain's most successful and loved models. Her international modelling career has seen her grace the covers of Elle Magazine in an astounding five countries, British Vogue, The Face and Tatler.
As well as being a successful cover model she has also taken to the catwalk for the world's greatest designers, including Jasper Conran, Julien McDonald and Chanel amongst many others.
Ian Waite
Ian's speciality is Latin American and he made it to the European Professional Latin Championships finals in 2003. This will be Ian's fifth series of Strictly, after grabbing second place with Denise Lewis in series two and third place with Zoe Ball in series three.
Ian dances professionally with fellow Strictly dancer, Camilla Dallerup. |
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Mark Foster
Mark Foster is arguably the most successful swimmer Britain has ever produced. Six times a World Champion, his bulging trophy cabinet holds 10 European Champion medals and two Commonwealth Champion medals. He has also broken eight world records in his career.
August 2008 saw Mark compete in his fifth Olympic games - recognising this feat, Mark was voted by his team-mates as the Team GB member who would carry the British flag at the Olympic Opening ceremony.
Hayley Holt
Hailing from Auckland, Hayley joins the Strictly roster for the first time this year. She started ballroom and latin dancing at the age of seven, and her accolades include New Zealand Professional Ballroom Champion.
Hayley thinks it's hard to remember that Ballroom and Latin dancing are such a foreign concept for the celebrities: "I try not to hit them with too much information straight away." |
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Lisa Snowdon
Television presenter, model, pin-up and all round girl next door, Lisa Snowdon has firmly established herself as more than just a pretty face. As well as being one of the UK's top models, Lisa has also carved out a successful career in television.
Lisa is a host and judge on Living TV's Britain's Next Top Model, and she also starred in this year's Celebrity Apprentice on BBC One for Sports Relief, and presented on BBC Two's Through the Keyhole, alongside Sir David Frost.
Brendan Cole
Brendan Cole returns for his sixth Strictly Come Dancing competition. Brendan moved to London from his native new Zealand when he was 18 to seek a career in dance, financing himself with a number of jobs, including being a warehouseman and a builder.
Brendan specialises in Latin American dancing, during his career he has been both Asian Pacific Latin America Champion and New Zealand Latin American Champion. He won the first series of Strictly with partner Natasha Kaplinsky. |
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Phil Daniels
Some know Phil Daniels best as Jimmy in the cult film Quadrophenia, the Britpop generation knows him as the voice on Blur's Parklife, and a new breed of EastEnders fans know him simply as Kevin Wicks.
Phil isn't just a multi-talented actor, it turns out he's a sporting all-rounder too. This year he even did the London Marathon. On a slightly more bizarre note, Phil is a trained knife-thrower, and once practised his skills on Jonathan Ross!
Flavia Cacace
Italian-born Flavia first joined Strictly in series four and was last year's runner up with partner Matt De Angelo.
Flavia and her professional partner Vincent Simone have appeared as Argentine Tango specialists on Strictly Dance Fever and Strictly Come Dancing. |
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Rachel Stevens
As a UK pop star, Rachel formed an integral seventh of successful pop group S Club 7. During their tenure, the pop act racked up 11 Top 40 hits, including chart toppers Reach, Don't Stop Movin' and Have You Ever.
The band called it a day in 2002, and Rachel branched out as a solo singer a year later, scoring several Top 10 hits, before hanging up her sparkly gloves in 2005. Rachel can also count being an FHM magazine favourite and the first woman to appear in a campaign to raise awareness of testicular cancer among her achievements.
Vincent Simone
Italian Vincent Simone comes from a dancing family; both his parents are professional Ballroom and Latin teachers. He joined Strictly in series four, dancing with Louisa Lytton.
Vincent and his partner Flavia, who is also appearing in Strictly, have been dancing together for 11 years. They have won numerous championships including UK Professional Ten Dance, UK Professional Showdance, UK Argentine and World Argentine Tango Show. |
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Tom Chambers
Tom Chambers sets millions of hearts aflutter on a weekly basis with his portrayal of registrar lady-killer Sam Strachan in BBC One's Holby City. His heartthrob status is only likely to increase once female Strictly viewers get to see him in his sequins!
Tom is a huge fan of dancing, and one of his ambitions is to make and appear in a Singing in the Rain-esque British movie. He thinks there's no better way to prepare for such a goal than to compete on Strictly.
Camilla Dallerup
Camilla is a blonde, Danish beauty with huge charisma who specialises in Latin American dancing. During her career she has been both Asian Pacific Latin American Champion and New Zealand Latin American Champion.
Her professional dance partner is Ian Waite, who also appears in Strictly. Camilla reunited with former partner and fellow Strictly dancer Brendan Cole in 2007 to represent the UK in the first Eurovision Dance Contest. |
Courtesy BBC
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, BBCc, Strictly Come Dancing, Cherie Lunghi, James Jordan, Andrew Castle, Ola Jordan, Christine Bleakley, Matthew Cutler, Austin Healey, Erin Boag, Gillian Taylforth, Anton Du Beke, Don Warrington, Lilia Kopylova, Heather Small, Brian Fortuna, Gary Rhodes, Karen Hardy, Jessie Wallace, Darren Bennett, John Sergeant, Kristina Rihanoff, Jodie Kidd, Ian Waite, Mark Foster, Hayley Holt, Lisa Snowdon, Brendan Cole, Phil Daniels, Flavia Cacace, Rachel Stevens, Vincent Simone, Tom ChambersCamilla Dallerup
I'd do anything
Posted on Saturday, April 05, 2008 at 9:07 PM
On Saturday 29th March 2008 the televised hunt for a new Nancy to play in the West End production of Oliver began on BBC.
The show entails aspiring Nancy's, chosen from thousands of entrants, facing the cameras in a live show. After the show the public voted by telephone, and on the following Sunday the two Nancy's with the lowest number of votes to endure a sing-off and then a final decision by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.
At the same time, 12 young lads, again chosen from many aplicants, compete for three places as Oliver in the same show, although each week one is chosen to go forward to the semi final stage.
The three Olivers chosen on week 9 from the
shortlist of 8 were
Gwion,
Laurence and Harry.
All three will
become part of the show cast,
taking
turns to play Oliver. Well done lads.
The nation's choice for Nancy was Jodie.
Strangely enough the producer of "Oliver", when asked whether he was pleased said "I am very pleased for Jodie".
Somewhat of a back handed compliment, obviously he would have preferred Jessie.
|
Week |
Lowest Nancy's |
Eliminated |
Saved |
Oliver chosen |
|
10. 31st May 2008 The final - second part |
|
Jessie |
Jodie |
|
|
10. 31st May 2008 The final - first part |
|
Samantha |
|
|
|
9. 24th/25th May 2008 The semi final |
Rachel and Samantha |
Rachel |
Samantha |
|
|
8. 17th/18th May 2008 |
Niamh & Rachel |
Niamh |
Rachel |
Johnny |
|
7. 10th/11th May 2008 |
Ashley and Niamh |
Ashley |
Niamh |
Laurence |
|
6. 3rd/4th May 2008 |
Sarah and Rachel |
Sarah |
Rachel |
Harry |
|
5. 26th/27th April 2008 |
Keisha and Niamh |
Keisha |
Niamh |
Alexander |
|
4. 19th/20th April 2008 |
Ashley and Francesca |
Francesca |
Ashley |
Kwayedza |
|
3. 12th/13th April 2008 |
Keisha and Tara |
Tara |
Keisha |
Arthur |
|
2. 5th/6th April 2008 |
Cleo and Keisha |
Cleo |
Keisha |
Chester |
|
1. 29th/30th March 2008 |
Amy and Francesca |
Francesca |
Amy |
Gwion |
Technorati Tags: gbtamc.co.uk, Oliver, Nancy, BBC, Webber, West End
Dancing on ice 2008
Posted on Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 9:49 PM
Week 10. The Grand Final. Each of the finalists, Chris Fountain, Suzanne Shaw and Zaraah Abrahams were asked to dance the "flying" routine followed by their favourite routine form the series. Although Chris and Zaraah did very well, Suzanne was awarded 2 perfect scores of 30/30 for her dances.
After the break the viewers voted Chris and Suzanne into the skate off, where they each interpreted "Bolero". After another tense wait
Suzanne Shaw
was revealed as the champion of the series.
Well done to all of the contestants, and congratulations to Suzann on becoming a very worthy champion.
On Sunday 13th January the 2008 edition of ITV's Dancing on ice program saw 12 celebrities taking to the ice in the first knockout competition program.
The original 12 celebrities were Tim Vincent, TV presenter and actor, Sarah Greene, also TV presenter and actress, Chris Fountain, actor, Aggie MacKenzie, TV presenter, Greg Rusedski, retired tennis player, Suzanne Shaw, TV personality, Steve Backley, retired athlete, Linda Lusadi, Emmerdale star and former Page 3 favourite, Michael Underwood, presenter, Samantha Mumba, Singer and actress, Gareth Gates, singer, and finally Natalie Pinkham, TV & radio presenter.
Each celebrity dances with a professional partner, and are awarded scores by 5 judges. When all have danced, telephone lines are opened and the general public's votes added to the judges. The 2 celebrities with the lowest total scores then dance again, and the judges made a final decision as to who should be eliminated from the competition.
Unfortunately it appears that, as with many of these phone-in programs, the viewers seem to vote for their favourite personality, rather than the best dancers. Thus Greg Rusedski remains in the competition after week 7, causing other, better, dancers to be eliminated. Such a shame.
Results of the weekly competition.
24/01/2008. Michael Underwood unfortunately
broke his ankle whilst training and had to withdraw from the competition.
Zaraah
Abrahams, actress and standby skater, replaced him from week 3.
|
Week |
Lowest celebrities |
Saved |
Eliminated |
|
1. 13th January 2008 |
Samantha Mumba & Sarah Greene |
Samantha Mumba |
Sarah Greene |
|
2. 20th January 2008 |
Tim Vincent & Natalie Pinkham |
Tim Vincent |
Natalie Pinkham |
|
3. 27th January 2008 |
Samantha Mumba (with a damaged hamstring) & Steve Backley |
Steve Backley |
Samantha Mumba |
|
4. 3rd February 2008 |
Steve Backley & Aggie MacKenzie |
Steve Backley |
Aggie MacKenzie |
|
5. 10th February 2008 |
Tim Vincent & Steve Backley |
Steve Backley |
Tim Vincent |
|
6. 17th February 2008 |
Zaraah Abrahams & Steve Backley |
Zaraah Abrahams |
Steve Backley |
|
7. 24th February 2008 |
Zaraah Abrahams & Linda Lusadi |
Zaraah Abrahams |
Linda Lusadi |
|
8. 2nd March 2008 |
Zaraah Abrahams & Greg Rusedski |
Zaraah Abrahams |
Greg Rusedski |
|
9. 9th March 2008 |
Gareth Gates & Zaraah Abrahams |
Zaraah Abrahams |
Gareth Gates |
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, ice, dancing, ITV, celebrities, Tim Vincent, Sarah Greene, Chris Fountain, Aggie MacKenzie, Greg Rusedski, Suzanne Shaw, Steve Backley, Linda Lusadi, Michael Underwood, Samantha Mumba, Gareth Gates, Natalie Pinkham, Zaraah Abrahams
Strictly Come Dancing 2007
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 10:55 AM
GRAND FINAL UPDATE SATURDAY 22nd DECEMBER
THE FINALISTS. ALESHA DIXON & MATTHEW CUTLER
AND MATT DI ANGELO & FLAVIA CACACE
THE WINNERS. ALESHA DIXON & MATTHEW CUTLER
At the end of a 12 program series, and after a magnificent dancing competition in which each couple danced no less that 5 dances, Alesha Dixon & Matthew Cutler were crowned Strictly Come Dancing Champions of 2007.
During the Final, the couples danced twice, and the judges awarded marks, with only a difference of 2 points separating. Both couples received 3 perfect 10 scores for their first dances - Alesha by then having received a total of 19 perfect scores during the whole competition. The bothn couples danced to a tune selected by the judges.
And so to the results show where each couple danced a Viennese Waltz followed by a show dance. Matt did brilliantly in the show dance, even showing off a one-handed lift - what confidence Flavia must have in Matt, but Alesha finally stole the show in the last dance, and, with Matthew, was later crowned champion.
Well done to both couples but especially to Alesha, Matthew, Matt and Flavia.
The series was probably the best yet, and it was also great to see all 14 celebrities taking part again together with their respective partners.
Well done to all of the celebrities and to the BBC for a magnificent series of shows. Now we look forward to next year.
The 2007 season of the BBC Television program Strictly Come Dancing kicked off on Saturday 6th October.
Fourteen celebrities paired with fourteen professional dancers will compete over the next few weeks to take over the crown won by Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy.
The program series is hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly with the usual panel of expert judges, Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.
And just a reminder of last year's winners, Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy.
Each week one celebrity is eliminated as a result of the judge's maks and public phone-in. The following is a list of the contestants eliminated by week.
|
Week number |
Contestants eliminated |
|
12 The Final |
Matt Di Angelo & Flavia Cacace |
|
11 Semi final |
Gethin Jones & Camilla Dallerup |
|
10 |
Letitia Dean & Darren Bennett |
|
9 |
Kenny Logan & Ola Jordan |
|
9 |
Kelly Brook & Brendan Cole withdrew from the competition |
|
8 |
John Barnes & Nicole Cutler |
|
7 |
Kate Garraway & Anton Du Beke |
|
6 |
Penny Lancaster-Stewart & Ian Waite |
|
5 |
Dominic Littlewood & Lilia Kopylova |
|
4 |
Gabby Logan & James Jordan |
|
3 |
Willie Thorne & Erin Boag |
|
2 |
Stephanie Beacham & Vincent Simone |
|
1 |
Brian Capron & Karen Hardy |
The contestants are as follows.
| Photo | Eliminated week | Contestant details |
|
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|
Alesha Dixon Alesha is best known as one third of the late-nineties R & B girl band, Mis-Teeq, who topped the charts with numerous singles including Scandalous and One Night Stand. Alesha is now a popular TV personality, guest hosting shows such as CD:UK, and this year presented ITV2's coverage of the Brit Awards. She has also appeared as a guest judge on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy and Channel 4's reality TV show Musicool. Alesha will begin filming for her first film, Milestones, in March next year alongside Alex Kingston (ER) and Brian Cox (X-Men). Matthew Cutler Matthew is a Latin American dance specialist and has claimed the title of UK Closed Professional Latin Champion in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005. He was married to, and danced with, Nicole Cutler (Strictly series two) before they split in 2003. But in July 2006, Nicole and Matthew returned to the floor as dance partners. |
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Brian Capron Brian's acting career has spanned over 35 years, but he is best known for his role as serial killer Richard Hillman in ITV1'sCoronation Street. He has also appeared as Ozias Harding in Where the Heart Is and starred in the West End as the narrator in the musical The Rocky Horror Show. In 2003 Brian won 'Best Actor', 'Best Exit' and 'Villain of the Year' at the British Soap Awards. The same year he was also nominated for the 'Most Popular Actor' at the National Television Awards. Karen Hardy Karen is the current reigning champion of Strictly Come Dancing after dancing into first place with her partner Mark Ramprakash in series four. She is one of the most highly regarded women in dancing today. Before her retirement from the competitive world of dance in March 1999, Karen's successful partnership with Bryan Watson saw them as undefeated United Kingdom, International, British National, World Masters, Open Italian, Yankie Classic, London Open and Osaka World Trophy Champions of Latin American dance. |
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Dominic Littlewood Dominic worked in the new and used car business in Essex until his cheeky and charismatic personality caught the eyes of TV producers who gave him his first TV appearance on Channel 4's Faking It, teaching a vicar how to be a car salesman. He has presented To Buy or Not to Buy (BBC One), How I Made My Property Fortune (BBC Two) and Beat the Burglar (BBC One). More recently he helped members of the public to get good deals from salespeople in BBC One's Don't Get Done, Get Dom. He can currently be seen weekdays at 7pm as a reporter on BBC One's The One Show. Lilia Kopylova Lilia is gentle and softly spoken, but below the surface lies a cheeky Russian minx. Her speciality is Latin American and together with her partner and husband Darren Bennett, also appearing in Strictly, they are ranked the number one Latin American couple in Britain. Lilia won the third series of Strictly with Darren Gough and was runner-up partnering Matt Dawson last year. |
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Gabby Logan Gabby lives and breathes sport. A one-time international gymnast, Gabby is now a BBC Sports presenter on TV and radio. The daughter of former Wales international football player and manager Terry Yorath, she is married to former Scotland international rugby player and fellow Strictly contestant Kenny Logan. Gabby and Kenny are very competitive, so this should be interesting! Gabby presents BBC One's Inside Sport, and the Gabby Logan show on BBC Radio 5 Live. She also writes regularly for The Times newspaper. James Jordan James is a Latin American specialist. He is married to and dances professionally with Ola. They both joined the Strictly team in series four. They have been dancing together for six years and turned professional in 2003. Since then they have been Closed British finalists in 2005, UK Open Rising Star finalists and British Open Rising Star Professional Latin runners-up in 2006. |
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Gethin Jones Gethin is a presenter on Blue Peter. Some of his varied highlights include flying with the Red Arrows, being attacked by an alligator in Louisiana and fighting as a Samurai Warrior in Japan. Before joining Blue Peter, he started his presenting career on children's programmes for Welsh television channel S4C. Camilla Dallerup Camilla is a blonde, Danish beauty with huge charisma who specialises in Latin American dancing. She is Asian Pacific Latin American Champion and New Zealand Latin American Champion. Her professional dance partner is Ian Waite, who also appears in Strictly. Camilla reunited with former partner and fellow Strictly dancer Brendan Cole this year to represent the UK in the first Eurovision Dance Contest. |
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John Barnes Footballing legend John Barnes earned 79 England caps during the late 80s and early 90s. John has racked up an impressive 752 appearances for four clubs scoring 562 goals, he later went on to be Head Coach for Celtic. John is now highly in demand as a TV football match analyst and studio guest. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the game. Nicole Cutler Fun-loving South African Nicole is a Latin American specialist. After splitting up with dance partner and ex-husband, Matthew Cutler, in 2003, Nicole partnered Robin Sewell from June 2005 to June 2006, when they were runners up in the closed British Championships and ranked second in England. Nicole joined the Strictly team in series four when she danced with Nicholas Owen. |
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Kate Garraway Kate is a presenter on GMTV, joining the team in September 2000. Her career started in BBC Radio as a reporter. She later moved to work as a production journalist and reporter with Central Television News, Meridian, BBC News 24 and Sky. Kate has made numerous TV appearances, including BBC Two's Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News for You? This year Kate became a quiz master grilling contestants for the BBC quiz show The People's Quiz. Anton Du Beke Anton is a typical English gentleman, but is well known for his naughty sense of humour! Anton specialises in ballroom dancing and dances professionally with Erin Boag. Together, Anton and Erin won the IDTA Classic in England in 2003. Anton has appeared in Strictly since series one when he came third with Lesley Garrett. |
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Kelly Brook Kelly is a model, actress and TV presenter. She first hit our screens in 1999 when she was chosen to present The Big Breakfast alongside Johnny Vaughan. She later co-hosted reality TV show Celebrity Love Island. Kelly spends a lot of time in the USA, where she has acted in many TV shows and feature films, from playing Victoria Hardwick in Smallville to lead roles in House of 9 with Dennis Hopper, Absolon with Christopher Lambert, Three with Billy Zane and Fishtales where she plays a mermaid. She has also starred in a Miss Marple drama for ITV and this year she was a guest star in BBC Television drama Hotel Babylon. Brendan Cole Brendan Cole returns for his fifth Strictly Come Dancing competition. Brendan moved to London from his native new Zealand when he was 18 to seek a career in dance, financing himself with a number of jobs including being a warehouseman and a builder. Brendan specialises in Latin American dancing, is Asian Pacific Latin America Champion and New Zealand Latin American Champion. He won the first series of Strictly with partner Natasha Kaplinsky. |
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Kenny Logan Kenny is a Rugby Union footballer who played wing for Scotland and London Scottish. Kenny gained his first cap for Scotland against Australia in 1992 aged 20. Having won 70 caps over 13 years, he retired from international rugby union after the 2003 World Cup. Kenny is married to sports presenter and fellow Strictly contestant Gabby Logan. They have two children. Ola Jordan Polish born, Aleksandra (Ola) is a Latin American specialist and, with her husband James, is taking part in Strictly for the second time. Ola and James have been dancing together for seven years, professionally for the last four years. James is dancing with Kenny's wife Gabby, which means for the first time ever on Strictly, we have two married couples competing against each other. |
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Letitia Dean Letitia is best known as Sharon Watts in the popular BBC soap EastEnders. One of the original cast members, Letitia was only 17 years old when the show began in 1985, and left for the final time in 2006. Letitia was presented with the coveted award for outstanding achievement at the 2005 Inside Soap Awards, as homage to her work in EastEnders. Letitia has also starred in numerous theatre and television productions including The Hello Girls, Casualty and Doctors; police drama The Bill, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, Channel 4 sitcom Drop The Dead Donkey and the 1995 film England, My England. Darren Bennett Darren is a down to earth, cheeky guy who loves his Northern roots. Darren and his partner and wife Lilia Kopylova, also appearing in Strictly, are currently ranked the number one British Latin American couple. Darren won series two of the show with Jill Halfpenny, but went out in the fourth week of series three with partner Gloria Hunniford. Last year, dancing with Emma Bunton, he made it to third place. |
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Matt Di Angelo Matt is best known as Deano Wicks in EastEnders. He was a student at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and started his career with modelling and TV commercial roles. Matt's other TV appearances include roles in I Dream, Sunday morning kids TV show Smile, Harbour Lights and Telling Lies where he played Derek. In 2006 Matt was nominated for the 'Sexiest Male' at the British Soap Awards. Flavia Cacace Italian-born Flavia first joined Strictly in series four, when she danced with Jimmy Tarbuck, who sadly had to drop out of the contest for health reasons. Flavia and her professional partner Vincent Simone have appeared as Argentine Tango specialists on Strictly Dance Fever and Strictly Come Dancing. |
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Penny Lancaster-Stewart Penny is a freelance photographer, model and actress. After finding success as a model Penny trained to be a photographer, undertaking numerous fashion and beauty assignments for newspapers and magazines. During 2005 Penny made her highly successful West End debut in Tonight's The Night. This was followed by a television role playing opposite Neil Morrissey in Elixir Man. Penny is married to rock star Rod Stewart and they have a son, Alistair. Ian Waite Ian's speciality is Latin American and he made it to the European Professional Latin Championships finals in 2003. This will be Ian's fourth series of Strictly, after grabbing second place with Denise Lewis in series two, third place with Zoe Ball in series three and being knocked out in the second week of series four with his partner Mica Paris. Ian dances professionally with fellow Strictly dancer, Camilla Dallerup. |
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Stephanie Beacham Stephanie Beacham trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) before beginning a prolific career in acting in television, film and theatre. She has starred alongside Ava Gardner and Marlon Brando. She played the iconic Sable Colby in the popular 80s soaps Dynasty and The Colbys. She more recently starred in popular ITV prison drama Bad Girls and played the part of 'Felicity Wentworth' in the feature film Love and Other Disasters alongside Brittany Murphy, Gwyneth Paltrow and Orlando Bloom. Vincent Simone Italian Vincent Simone comes from a dancing family; both his parents are professional Ballroom and Latin teachers. He joined Strictly in series four, dancing with Louisa Lytton. Vincent and his partner Flavia, who is also appearing in Strictly, have been dancing together for 11 years. They have won numerous championships including UK Professional Ten Dance, UK Professional Showdance, UK Argentine and World Argentine Tango Show. |
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Willie Thorne Willie Thorne is a former professional snooker player, commentator and the current World Seniors Snooker Champion. He has had a very successful career, gaining a total of 14 tournament victories worldwide. Willie is famously the World Record holder for the highest number of 147 breaks in the history of snooker (a staggering 190) earning him the nickname "Mr Maximum". Erin Boag Erin is a strong, vivacious Kiwi, who specialises in ballroom dancing. Her professional dance partner is fellow Strictly dancer Anton Du Beke. She has made it to the final of the show in previous series, with partners Julian Clary and Colin Jackson, last year she danced with Peter Schmeichel. Erin was The 2003 IDTA Classic Champion. |
X Factor 2007
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 9:56 AM
Leon Jackson wins X Factor 2007 out of a total of 150,000 hopefuls.
In the final show brother and sister group "Same Difference" lost out on the final selection, and, although Rhydian undoubtably performed the best, he missed out and the big prize.
It does seem to me that the final result depended more on personal choice and popularity than on singing ability. The same goes, to a large extent, to "Strictly Come Dancing". Rhydian was certainly the best performer of the series, and I thought that Leon lacked charisma, but there it is. Leon won on the night.
It will be interesting to see how his first record does over the Christmas period, and to chart his future.
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, X Factor, Leon Jackson, Rhydian, Same Differenct, television
Diana Princess of Wales
Posted on Sunday, July 01, 2007 at 3:57 PM
Above compilation picture of Diana and Althorp - her resting place.
July 1st 2007 saw a massive five hour concert at Wembley Stadium in celebration of what would have been the 46th birthday of Diana, Princess of Wales. 63,000 people attended the concert which was televised in full by the BBC.
Organized by Princes William and Harry, many of Diana's favourite musical artists took part including Elton John, Tom Jones, Bryan Ferry, 'Status Quo', Rod Stewart and 'Take That'. Also performing were 'Duran Duran', Will Young, Joss Stone, Nelly Fortado, Lily Allen, 'The Feeling', James Morrison, P Diddy, Natash Beddingfield, Orson, Kayne West, Pharrell Williams, The English National Ballet and Roger Hdgson of Supertramp, and many, many more.
Funds raised will go to charities supported by Diana and the two princes, including Centrepoint, HIV charity Sentebale, The Diana Memorial Fund and others.
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, television, diana, princess, wales, princess of wales, diana princess of wales, wembley, wembley stadium, BBC
Soapstar Superstar
Posted on Saturday, January 13, 2007 at 10:25 AM
Saturday 13th January 2007.
Both contestants sang magnificently, there were special songs from groups made up of the girls and boys in the competition and then the long awaited result.
And the worthy winner of the grand final was Antony. Many, many congratulations on a very well deserved triumph. Commiserations to Hayley.
Friday 12th January 2007.
Tupele left the competition, having polled the lowest number of votes on Thursday evening. The remaining 3 artists will each sing 3 songs in tonight's semifinal only 2 of them going into the final on Saturday 13th.
Update.
After an exhausting week, all 3 stars performed brilliantly in the semifinal, including a dance routine.
Eventually Mark was eliminated by the viewers, and Hayley and Antony will appear in the grand final on Saturday.
Well done to all of the stars for all of their performances during the week, and good luck to both finalists.
Thursday 11th January 2007.
Independent Television's singing contest, where stars of television "soaps" compete against each other, reaches its climax this weekend.
The 11 original stars in the contest were Hayley Tamaddon (Emmerdale), Antony Cotton (Coronation Street), Verity Rushworth (Emmerdale), Alan Fletcher (Neighbours), Gemma Atkinson (Hollyoaks), Elaine Lordan (East Enders), Leon Lopez (Brookside), Mark Furze (Home and Away), Tupele Dorgu (Coronation Street), Jane Dawson (Coronation Street) and Matthew Wolfenden (Emmerdale), of whom 7 have been voted off the show by viewers, leaving
Hayley 
Antony
Mark 
Tupele
As a result of the viewer's votes on Thursday evening, only Hayley and Mark are safe from elimination on Friday. Depending on who polled the lowest number of votes, either Tupele or Antony (both of whom have given amazing performances throughout the competition) could be dropped from the semifinal show. Exactly who will be announced at the start of the Friday evening show.
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, ITV, Television, Soapstar, Superstar, Soapstar Superstar, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Brookside, East Enders, Homa and Away, Hollyoaks, Hayley Tamaddon, Antony Cotton, Verity Rushworth, Alan Fletcher, Gemma Atkinson, Elaine Lordan, Leon Lopez, Mark Furze, Tupele Dorgu, Jane Dawson, Matthew Wolfenden
Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy win Strictly Come Dancing 2006
Posted on Sunday, December 24, 2006 at 1:55 PM
In the grand final of BBC Television's Strictly Come Dancing 2006 Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy won with a dazzling display of five separate dances. The judges said that the quality of dancing in the final, which also included Rugby Union player Matt Dawson and his partner Lilia Kopylova, was "exceptional". Indeed Mark and Karen achieved a maximum score of 40 out of 40 for their Salsa dance. However the last of their dances, the Freestyle, provided a fitting end to a great competition. With marvelous lifts interspersed by many different dance steps, Mark and Karen received two, yes two, standing ovations before the voting public eventually awarded the title to them.
After the show Mark attributed his success to Karen. "Karen has given me the experience of a lifetime," said Mark.
Mark was the second English cricketer to win this competition. In 2005 the winner was Darren Gough whose partner, strangely enough, was Lilia Kopylova, partner this year of Matt Dawson.
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, BBC, Television, Mark Ramprakash, Karen Hardy, Matt Dawson, Lilia Kopylova, Strictly Come Dancing, Cricket, Rugby, Rugby Union
Leona Lewis - winner of X-Factor 2006
Posted on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 2:28 PM
UPDATE 24th December 2006.
It's official. With sales and downloads
exceeding half a million, Leona becomes the Christmas number 1 single in
the UK,
ousting Take That's "Patience" which was number 1 for 6 weeks.
Many, many congratulations to North London's 21 year old singer Leona Lewis on a very well deserved win in the Independant Television's X-Factor competition 2006.
As the winner of X-Factor (she is rumoured to have received almost 5 million votes) Leona’s first debut single will be “A Moment Like This“ which will be available in stores from 20th December 2006, and it is confidently expected that it will become the Christmas number 1 single in the UK - already having clocked up the highest number of downloads in 2006.
NOTE. The following links all point to pages on the YouTube web site.
In the contest each of the 2 finalists were asked to sing the song which had been chosen for the record release of the winner. After the result had been announced, Leona sang a reprise of “A Moment Like This” (3:49) which you can view by following this link.
The song A Moment Like This by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid was written to be the first single for the winner of the first season of American Idol, the winner being Kelly Clarkson.
Kelly's winning persormance can be viewed by following this link. In the video Kelly is exploring an abandoned theatre. She can be seen taking the stage to sing, and clips of her singing on American Idol are also shown.
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, ITV, Television, Leona, Leona Lewis, X Factor, A moment like this
A problem like Maria
Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 9:39 AM
September 16th 2006, Connie Fisher's life changed forever.
It was the night she won BBC Television's "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" contest, securing her life-long dream - to play the lead role in a West End Musical.
From thousands of hopeful singers, just ten young ladies (Connie, Helena, Siobham, Abi, Aoife, Belinda, Laura, Leanne, Meliz and Simona) were selected to appear in the televised knockout competition in front of judges David Ian (co-producer of "The Sound of Music") John Barrowman (ex Doctor Who), Zoe Tyler (vocal coach) and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (writer of the show and co-producer). Each week the ten hopefuls sang live on air, but each week one was eliminated until only four remained for the final, with bubbly Connie finally winning.
And so Connie was off to the London Paladium to start a hectic round of rehearsals as Maria in "The Sound of Music". Not everything went according to plan during the rehearsals as her understudy resigned, and her leading man was replaced with just one week to go before the opening night.
Connie was delighted to win the competition. "I feel on top of the world, thanks very much. I won't let you down. Every night will be an opening night. Thanks for making my dreams come true." And certainly the audience and theatre critics acclaimed her performance
Technorati Tags: gbtamc, BBC, Television, Connie FIsher, Paladium, The Sound of Music
X Factor
Posted on Tuesday, June 06, 2006 at 9:45 AM
ITV television's X Factor - Battle of The Stars - also came to a finish on Monday 5th June 2006.
Throughout the last week stars have been sining on stage and the general public invited to phone in their votes.
The final was between Lucy Benjamin, star of ITV soap opera Eastenders, and Matt Stevens, Bath and England Rugby Union player.
The voting was said to be extremely close, and the eventual winner was Lucy Benjamin.
The "Stars" talent show follows the "amateur" versions screened in recent years, with Shayne Warne being last year's winner. Now the hunt starts for amateur contestants for the next series, to be screened later in the year.
Strictly Dance Fever
Posted on Sunday, June 04, 2006 at 9:27 AM
The BBC Television series Strictly Dance Fever reached the grand final on Saturday 3rd June 2006 - with 10 couples selected from tens of thousands of hopefuls over a period of 10 weeks gradually reduced in number based on votes received from the 4 judges and the phone-in public - and I actually managed to pick the winners.
If you haven't followed the series then full details can be found on the BBC web site.
Well done to ALL the couples who took part in the series. It really was an eyeopener how they progressed from rather amateurish efforts at the start of the series to very professional performances in the final rounds.
Three couples were in the final program, with Ben and Stephannie receiving the lowest number of votes, and thus going out of the competition.
That left Darren and Lana and Darrien and Hollie. Both of these couples achieved maximum scores from all of the judges, although whilst Darrien and Hollie managed that for both their dances, Darren and Lana on only one dance.
And so to the final pronouncement by compere Graham Norton, and the winners ?
Darrien and Hollie, who received their trophy from last year's winners, Joseph and Sadie.
The prize for the winners was £50,000.00, and contract to appear in the hit London West End musical Footloose.
Again, well done and many congratulations to Darrien and Hollie.
