Australian Idol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Australian Idol is the Australian version of the hit British TV show Pop Idol. It is a talent contest to find a pop performer and is hosted by Andrew G and James Mathison aired on Network Ten and broadcast on the Austereo Radio Network. The first season started on July 27, 2003, and finished on November 19.
The first season was won by Guy Sebastian ahead of Shannon Noll while the 2004 season saw Casey Donovan win ahead of Anthony Callea. The 2005 season was won by Kate DeAraugo ahead of Emily Williams. The 2006 season ended on Sunday, November 26 and was won by Damien Leith ahead of Jessica Mauboy.
Contents |
[edit] About the show
The panel of judges for the Australian show are Mark Holden, a former pop star and now music producer, Marcia Hines, a soul singer, and Kyle Sandilands, a radio personality. Sandilands replaced Ian "Dicko" Dickson, a marketing manager of BMG Australia, who left after the second season for the competing Seven Network. On November 30, 2006, it was announced that Ian Dickson is returning to the show from the fifth season onwards as a permanent fourth judge of the competition.[1]
This show is a competition which gives people the chance to win a recording contract with Sony BMG. The show is filmed at the Global Television Studios in Sydney.
[edit] Auditions
Auditions are held in major cities around Australia to find each season's contestants. As of 2007 the audition locations are; Adelaide, Albury/Wodonga, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Bunbury, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, Darwin, Dubbo, Hobart, Kalgoorlie, Launceston, Melbourne, Mildura, Newcastle, Perth, Rockhampton, Sydney, Wollongong and Wagga Wagga.[2]
During auditions contestants perform a song of their choice before all three judges who then respond with either criticism or praise followed by a yes or no vote as to whether the contestant has been accepted.
[edit] Top 100
Generally around 100 people are accepted from the auditions who then go to Sydney to participate in various performances which help judges decide which of the contestants will make it into the next tier. These consist of both solo and group performances and are on which judges base their decision to cull the number of competitors down to 24.
[edit] Semi-finals
The top 24 format has varied season to season, however as of 2006 takes the form of splitting contestants into groups from which both the audience and judges choose a select amount to keep. A wildcard entrant from the eliminated competitors is then chosen and reinstated into the competition, who by this stage becomes the 12th competitor. Performances generally last around 2 minutes and are followed by comments from each of the three judges.
[edit] Finals
As the number of performers reaches 12 the contestants are given the task of choosing a song, in accordance with a weekly theme, to perform live on national television. Viewers then telephone (or SMS) their vote(s) in relation to who they want to stay another week.
On elimination shows the people with the 3 lowest amounts of votes are taken into the 'bottom 3', before being read first who is safe for another week and finally who has been eliminated.
[edit] Grand Finale
The winner of Australian Idol is announced during the spectacular Grand Finale at the Sydney Opera House. Featuring fireworks, an outdoor concert with many Idol stars and highlights of the series.
[edit] Contestants commercial performance
- Main article: List of Australian Idol commercial releases
The success of Australian Idol has been reflected on the Australian charts with three finalists albums and multiple contestant albums all enjoying considerable success so far. In addition, all of the winners have had their debut singles open at number one on the charts and achieve Platinum status.
In total, Australian Idol contestants have sold approximately a million albums in Australia since November 2003. BMG who signed up the two original finalists have presented Guy Sebastian with a royalty cheque for a million dollars in July 2004, with Shannon Noll also receiving a similar cheque later in the year.
As of May 2006, Australian Idol contestants have enjoyed over forty top 40 hits in Australia since November 2003. The strength of the success of Australian Idol contestants in the charts was shown when Shannon Noll's single "Learn to Fly" debuted at #1 just a few sales points ahead of "Angel Eyes" by Paulini Curuenavuli on the Australian singles charts of 12 July 2004. Paulini's single even jumped up to #1 the following week. Paulini's and Guy Sebastian's singles and albums, as well as one of Ricki Lee's singles, have also featured prominently in the Urban Music charts.
[edit] References
- ^ "Sydney Morning Herald", Sydney Morning Herald, November 30, 2006
- ^ "Audition Locations", Australian Idol official site, 2007
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Australian Idol
- Australian Idol on ten.com.au
- Australian Idol at the Internet Movie Database
- NEWS.com.au Follow Australian Idol 2006
- Australian Idol blog on WHO.com
| Australian Idol |
|---|
| Hosts and Judges |
| Andrew G | James Mathison Mark Holden | Marcia Hines | Ian "Dicko" Dickson | Kyle Sandilands |
| Winners |
| Guy Sebastian | Casey Donovan | Kate DeAraugo | Damien Leith |
| Runners-Up |
| Shannon Noll | Anthony Callea | Emily Williams | Jessica Mauboy |
| Seasons |
| Idol 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Other |
| List of semi finalists | Young Divas | Australian Made: The Hits | List of commercial releases |
International franchises: Arab world • Latin America • West Africa • The former Yugoslavia • World Idol
