Anthony, Emelia and Marty progress to the Top 12 | BACK
| 30 August 2004
Anthony Callea, Emelia Rusciano and Marty Worrall were
the remaining wildcard finalists to make up the Top 12.
On tonight's hour-long live result show, the Idol judges
named two contestants to progress to the top 12, while
the final spot was voted by the public.
The first judge's choice finalist to be named was Anthony
Callea his version of "The Reason" proved popular with
the judges who saw great potential from the singing teacher.
The next surprise judge's choice finalist was student
and mother Emelia Rusciano with her version of Alicia
Key's "If I Ain't Got You". Hosts James Mathison and Andrew
G them named the top two most popular contestants voted
by the public over the last 24-hours, they were Marty
Worrall and Ngaiire Joseph. Of the two, Marty progressed
to the Top 12. His performance of "Somewhere We Only Know"
proved popular with the national voting audience while
Ngaiire narrowly missed out.
Tune in tomorrow for the special "Australian Idol- The
House Party" when the Top 12 idol finalist move into their
new home for the remainder of the contest and meet up
with some of last year's Idol contestants. Also tune in
on Thursday for "Inside Idol" at 7.30pm for all the behind
the scenes action.
And tune in next Sunday at 7.00pm when the first of the
themed show goes live when the Top 12 constants will perform
"Australian Made" songs in the next stage of the Australian
Idol 2 competition.
Wildcard contestants Perform | BACK
| 29 August 2004
The special wildcard group battled it out in the last
of the Semi-final heats of Australian Idol tonight. Adrian
Hood, Anthony Callea, Carlos Velazquez, Emelia Rusciano,
Emily George, Garth Ploog, Liza Schulberg, Marty Worrall,
Ngaiire Joseph and Tara Del Borrello all sang a song of
their choice which they believed demonstrated their singing
ability the best to a nation audience. Judges Marcia,
Ian and Mark then gave feedback on their individual performance.
Here is list of what each contestant performed on the
wildcard semi-final, 29 August 2004 and their corresponding
voting lines-
Adrian "Way You
Make Me Feel" 1902 55 55 61 Emily "Killing Me Softly" 1902 55
55 62 Garth "Harder To Breath" 1902 55 55
63 Emelia "If I Aint Got You" 1902 55
55 64 Ngaiire "Don't Let It End" 1902 55
55 65 Carlos "Senorita" 1902 55 55 66 Tara "I Turn To You" 1902 55 55 67 Anthony "The Reason" 1902 55 55 68 Liza "Do I Do" 1902 55 55 69 Marty "Somewhere We Only Know" 1902
55 55 70
Or SMS Name to 19 10 10
Phone and SMS lines open until 6.50pm, Monday 30 August.
Phone voting and SMS voting will be charged at 55 cents.
The ten contestants then have a nervous 24-hour wait to
see which contestant Australia voted to progress to the
finals and the two contestants voted by the judges to
make up the Top 12. Tune in tomorrow from 7:30pm to see
what who will progress to the Top 12 and who will be told
that they are heading home.
Saving the best till last? | BACK
| 29 August 2004
The position in which a Top 30 contestant performs on
the Sunday night performance shows seems to affect the
result of the telephone and SMS voting. All of the contestants
who performed last in the Sunday performance shows have
made it through to the Top 12.
The past three weeks saw Hayley Jensen, Amali Ward and
Dan O'Connor all progress to the Top 12 with all of them
performing last on their respective nights and all having
the voting number 1902 55 55 70. Last year a similar pattern
emerged with Rob Mills, Lauran Buckley and Idol winner
Guy Sebastian all performed last on the performance show
in their respective rounds last
year.
Also in the last three weeks, Chanel, Angie and Ricki-Lee,
went through from their respective groups after all performing
fourth in their semi-finals with 1902 55 55 64 as their
voting number.
It would seem that there is a higher chance of progressing
through to the next round if the contestant performed
last on the night or forth just before the second commercial
break, with the national TV audience remembering and voting
for the later performance than the earlier ones. Or could
it be that by coincidence the better performances were
positioned later on in the Sunday programs.
What do you think? Does the position in which a contestant
performs influence your vote? Or is it the luck of the
draw? Have you say in the Inside Australian
Idol Forum.
No cast single or album this year | BACK
| 29 August 2004
Idol judge Mark Holden has revealed that there will not
be a Top 12 cast single or album this year despite the
success of last years CD sales.
Writing on his official site Holden wrote:
"Disappointed to announce that there will be no cast
album or single this year. I had been informed by BMG
in a 2 line email earlier in the year that I would not
be doing it despite the fact that it was a double platinum
money spinner for BMG and a payday and opportunity for
the Top 12. I had hoped that John Foreman might get the
nod this year and give it a crack but apparently its been
squashed altogether by the UK powers that be... bummer!
Its a loss all round for the contestants, for the Australian
record business, the retailers, for the Australian writers,
producers, musicians, studios, engineers etc who would
have worked on it."
Last year the Top 12 cast single "Rise Up" reached
the #1 on the official Aria Charts and the Top 12 Australian
Idol album debuted at #3.
Ricki-Lee, Casey and Dan progress to the Top 12 | BACK
| 23 August 2004
Ricki-Lee Coulter, Casey Donovan and Dan O'Connor were
the third lot of three contestants to progress to the
Top 12. On tonight's live result show, hosts James Mathison
and Andrew G, back from illness, named the top four contestants
voted by the public over the last 24-hours, they were
Marty Worrall, Ricki-Lee, Casey and Dan. Of the four,
Ricki-Lee Coulter, Casey Donovan and Dan O'Connor progressed
to the Top 12.
Ricki-Lee's version of "Can't Get Enough Of Your
Love" by Barry White proved popular with the voting
public, while Casey's emotional performance of "Here's
Where I Stand" also proved popular with the national
voting audience. Dan O'Connor also progressed to the top
12 with his performance of Josh Kelly's "Amazing",
while Marty Worrall narrowly missed out.
Tune in on Thursday for "Inside Idol" at 7.30pm
for all the behind the scenes action and the naming of
the ten top 30 finalist who have another chance at progressing
to the next round with the Wildcard show.
Also tune in next Sunday at 7.00pm when these Wildcard
constants will perform and the final three will be selected
to make up the Top 12 finalists for Australian Idol 2.
Get "The Official Inside Story" | BACK
| 23 August 2004
Australia's first Idol was full of drama, intrigue, abrasive
comments and unquestionable talent… now you can get
the inside running on all the backstage goss and on stage
scandal.
The competition that shocked and captivated a nation has
been dissected in the newest book from rock writer Jeff
Jenkins, "Australian Idol: The Official Inside Story".
"Australian Idol: The Official Inside Story"
takes us back to where it all began - from audition to
adulation, Inside Story recounts every twist of this life-changing
competition.
You get it all….
The diatribe: "How did you get dressed today? You
look like you covered yourself in superglue and ran into
an accessories store." & "From the try-hard
deluded to the absolutely brilliant…" Dicko
The wisdom: "You said your friends told you you should
be a singer or a stand-up comedian - I hope you're funny."
Mark. "You have a future, not as Australian Idol,
but you pursue that future." Marcia
The advice: "Basically, he just sat me down and said,
'Make sure you haven't got any boogers and wear deodorant'."
Guy on Dicko's directives for handling media interviews.
The hair care secrets: "I don't think that people
realise that all I really do is get up, spray my hair
and go out." Guy
And then the prediction: "That's a voice. That's
the standard.' Dicko as Guy leaves his first audition.
So now the winner has gone to number one, we can relive
the moments that shaped the competition where the wildest
of dreams came true.
"Australian Idol: The Official Inside Story"
is the story behind the scenes, jam packed with info on
the stars, loads of gossip and more of those harsh comments
from the judges!
With a round by round commentary of the entire competition,
from 10,000 contestants to one winner, "Australian
Idol: The Official Inside Story" is a must for those
who were glued to the screen for the whole of series one,
and can't wait for the start of series two.
Author Jeff Jenkins is one of Australia's premier music
writers and certainly knows his music. He writes for the
weekly radio show Take 40 Australia and is the senior
contributor to Melbourne's Inpress magazine, writing the
weekly Australian music column "Howzat!".
The accompanying "Australian Idol Ultimate Poster
Book" records all the
moments in full colour, bedroom decorating glamour. Cover
your walls, your books, your locker with the faces you
know and love - Guy, Shannon, Paulini, Millsy, Dicko,
Marcia….
The "Ultimate Poster Book" features posters
on each of the final 12 contestants from Video Hits host
Kelly to tabloid cover boy Rob Mills. The giant A2 poster
in the centre features #1 chart-topper and Australian
idol winner, Guy on one side and runner-up and #1 recording
artist Shannon Noll on the other - so you can show your
true allegiances.
"Australian Idol: The Official Inside Story"
(RRP $14.95) and "Australian Idol Ultimate Poster
Book" (RRP $12.95) are available from all good book
and department stores from early August.
Group 3 Perform in Australian
Idol Semi-Final | BACK
| 22 August 2004
The third group in the Semi-finals of Australian Idol
performed tonight. Billie Mccarthy, Carlos Velazquez,
Casey Donovan, Christie Green, Daniel O'Connor, Emelia
Rusciano, Garth Ploog, Marty Worrall, Nicole Wheatley
and RickiLee Coulter all sang a song of their choice which
they believed demonstrated their singing ability the best
to a nation audience. Judges Marcia, Ian and Mark then
gave feedback on their individual performance. Here is
list of what each contestant performed on the third semi-final,
22 August 2004 and their corresponding voting lines-
Nicole "I Don't
Want To Miss A Thing" 1902 55 55 61 Garth "Something Beautiful" 1902 55
55 62 Christie "Anytime You Need A Friend"
1902 55 55 63 Ricki-Lee "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love"
1902 55 55 64 Carlos "Yesterday" 1902 55 55 65 Emelia "Good Luck" 1902 55 55 66 Casey "Here's Where I Stand" 1902
55 55 67 Marty "Drops Of Jupiter" 1902 55 55
68 Billie "Stormy Weather" 1902 55 55
69 Dan "Amazing" 1902 55 55 70
Or SMS Name to 19 10 10
Phone and SMS lines open until 6.50pm, Monday 23 August.
Phone voting and SMS voting will be charged at 55 cents.
The ten contestants then have a nervous 24-hour wait to
see how Australia voted. Tune in tomorrow from 7:30pm
to see what who will progress to the finals and who will
be told that they are heading home.
Australian Idol producer faces
legal challenge | BACK
| 22 August 2004
Australian Idol producer Grundy Television will be forced
to face the Equal Opportunity Commission after an Idol
potential has filed a complaint against the 16-28 years
age restriction set for the competition.
40-year-old Carl Bailey says the reality television show
barred him from auditioning because he does not fit the
16-to-28 age bracket.
The decision to enforce an age limit for the Australian
Idol 2 auditions was met with anger by older Idol hopefuls
who have missed out on their chance to become part of
the series in auditions earlier this year.
The outraged father-of-two has launched an age discrimination
complaint against Grundy Television, the makers of the
program.
"I feel that I'm sticking up for everyone over 28,"
Mr Bailey said.
Grundy has rejected his claims of discrimination and say
the show's age limit does not breach the state's equal
opportunity laws.
"Australian Idol is a program designed specifically
to provide opportunities for young, undiscovered performers,"
the company said in a statement.
"Grundy, producers of Australian Idol, believe the
age limit in Australia is not inconsistent with obligations
under any equal opportunity legislation and we are not
obliged to apply for exemption."
Mr Bailey, a photographer from Warburton, has sung for
most of his life and performs rock and ballad tunes at
his local pub.
The age limit also caused a strong reaction since the
first series, which also limited contestants aged between
16-28 years.
Although the same restrictions were in place at this year's
auditions, Mr Bailey had planned to sing a version of
Meatloaf's Heaven Can Wait. "I decided to fight this
on my own level and turned up at the auditions with a
banner saying 'Fair Go To All Aussies. Over 28s Idol',"
Mr Bailey said.
"I was only there for about 10 minutes, but the security
guard said I couldn't audition. The security manager said
he had the power to arrest me, so I left."
Inside Australian Idol reported
on the anger from over-28s in April.
Angie, Amali and Daniel progress to the Top 12 | BACK
| 16 August 2004
Angie Narayan, Amali Ward and Daniel Belle were the second
lot of three contestants to progress to the Top 12. On
tonight's live result show, hosts Andrew and James named
the top four contestants voted by the public over the
last 24-hours, they were Angie, Amali, Liza Schulberg
and Daniel. Of the four, Angie, Amali and Daniel progressed
to the Top 12.
Angie version of "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin proved
popular with the voting public, while Amali's performance
of Joss Stone's "Some Kind Of Wonderful" also proved popular
with the national voting audience. Daniel Belle also progressed
to the top 12 after last night's controversial confrontation
with judges. He progressed with his version of "Rock DJ"
by Robbie Williams, while Liza narrowly missed out.
Tune in on Thursday for "Inside Idol" at 7.30pm for all
the behind the scenes action with the next group of ten
consisting of Billie Mccarthy, Carlos Velazquez, Casey
Donovan, Christie Green, Daniel O'Connor, Emelia Rusciano,
Garth Ploog, Marty Worrall, Nicole Wheatley and RickiLee
Coulter.
Also tune in next Sunday at 7.00pm when these constants
will perform and three more will be selected to join the
Top 12 finalists from Group 1 and 2.
Group 2 Perform in Australian
Idol Semi-Final | BACK
| 15 August 2004
The second group in the Semi-finals of Australian Idol
performed tonight. Adrian Hood, Amali Ward, Angie Narayan,
Barry Southgate, Chloè Skipp, Daniel Belle, Gabriel
Cabrera, Liza Schulberg, Tara Del Borrello and Yasmine
Dia all sang a song of their choice which they believed
demonstrated their singing ability the best to a nation
audience. Judges Marcia, Ian and Mark then gave mostly
negative feedback on their individual performance suggesting
contestants weren't picking the right songs and were not
extending themselves or shining. Here is list of what
each contestant performed on the second semi-final, 15
August 2004 and their corresponding voting lines-
Yasmine"Free"
1902 55 55 61 Gabriel "Careless Whisper" 1902 55
55 62 Chloe "Turn Me On"' 1902 55 55 63 Angie "Chain Of Fools" 1902 55 55
64 Barry "Up Where We Belong" 1902 55
55 65 Tara "My Immortal" 1902 55 55 66 Adrian "Burn" 1902 55 55 67 Liza "You Put A Move On My Heart" 1902
55 55 68 Daniel "Rock DJ' 1902 55 55 69 Amali "Some Kind Of Wonderful" 1902
55 55 70
OR SMS FIRST NAME TO 19 10 10
Phone and SMS lines open until 6.50pm, Monday 16 August.
Phone voting and SMS voting will be charged at 55 cents.
The ten contestants then have a nervous 24-hour wait to
see how Australia voted. Tune in tomorrow from 7:30pm
to see what who will progress to the finals and who will
be told that they are heading home.
The highly sought after tickets for the Top 12 Idol finals
will be available from the official website after next
week's results show. The official site states that, "The
Australian Idol online Box Office for studio audience
tickets will open immediately following the result show
on August 23, 2004."
It is believed that a ballot system will be introduced
to distribute the tickets and possibly this year a small
fee will be charged for the tickets with profits going
to charity.
Like last year, the live performance finals are expected
to be filmed at the Global Television Studios in North
Ryde in Sydney on Sunday and Monday nights.
The real reason for the dramatic withdrawal of Maya McClean
from the Top 30 was finally confirmed this week. Speaking
to TV Week this week sister Nandy confirmed that the twins
got a part in the Lion King musical and that was the reason
Maya withdrew from the competition.
The article stated, "Both girls were cast together
as singers and dancers in the smash hit musical The Lion
King, and the opportunity to perform together and earn
money was too great to pass up.
"The Lion King's a good opportunity," explains
Nandy.
"We want to get our career going together and we
want to be recording and working on our duo act. If you
sign with Idol you can't do anything until three months
after the contract finishes and it's hard turning down
a whole year's worth of paid work."
The talented 24-year-old Sydney twins will appear in the
musical from October, and are continuing work on their
demos to send to record companies."
Previously Maya cited the separation from her twin sister
as her main motivation for leaving the contest. Inside
Australian Idol first reported on the real reason for
the dramatic withdrawal last month
when forum poster "GrrlCanMove" revealed
that:
"….my friend Maya [McClean] who got through
to the top 30. (she was from sydney, the twin who got
through). Anyway she just dropped out of the contest and
they made her sign a confidentiality agreement where she
can only say that the reason she left the comp was because
she didnt want to leave her sister, but the real reason
is, she just got a part in the Lion King musical."
Got any other inside information
on any of the Top 30 send it to-
insideaustralianidol@yahoo.com.au
Courtney, Hayley and Chanel
progress to the Top 12 | BACK
| 9 August 2004
Courtney Murphy, Hayley Jensen and Chanel Cole were the
first three contestants to progress to the Top 12. On
tonight's live result show, hosts Andrew and James named
the top four contestants voted by the public over the
last 24-hours, they were Hayley, Ngaiire, Chanel and Courtney.
Of the four, Courtney, Hayley and Chanel progressed to
the Top 12. Courtney's version of Maroon 5's "She Will
Be Loved" proved popular with the voting public, while
Hayley's performance of "Angel" also proved popular with
the national voting audience. Chanel also progressed to
the top 12 with her version of "Glory Box", while Ngaiire
narrowly missed out.
Tune in on Thursday for "Inside Idol" at 7.30pm for all
the behind the scenes action with the next group of ten.
Also tune in next Sunday at 7.00pm when these constants
will perform and three more will be selected to join Courtney,
Hayley and Chanel, the Top 12 finalists from Group 1.
GROUP 2
Adrian Hood, Amali Ward, Angie Narayan, Barry Southgate,
Chloč Skipp, Daniel Belle, Gabriel Cabrera, Liza Schulberg,
Tara Del Borrello and Yasmine Dia.
Group 1 Perform in Australian
Idol Semi-Final | BACK
| 8 August 2004
The first group in the Semi-finals of Australian Idol
performed tonight. Anthony Callea, Ben Eaton, Chanel Cole,
Courtney Murphy, Emily George, Hayley Jensen, Laurence
Sorbello, Meri Bosenavulag, Ngaiire Joseph and Prinnie
Stevens all sang a song of their choice which they believed
demonstrated their singing ability the best to a nation
audience. Judges Marcia, Ian and Mark then gave feedback
on their individual performance providing both criticism
and suggestions. Here is list of what each contestant
performed on the first semi-final, 8 August 2004 and their
corresponding voting lines-
Anthony
'Angels' 1902 55 55 61 Prinnie 'Natural Woman' 1902 55 55 62 Courtney 'She Will Be Loved' 1902 55 55 63 Chanel 'Glory Box' 1902 55 55 64 Laurence 'Amazed' 1902 55 55 65 Ngaiire 'No More Drama' 1902 55 55 66 Emily 'Ain't No Sunshine' 1902 55 55 67 Meri 'Wind Beneath My Wings' 1902 55 55 68 Ben 'Freedom' 1902 55 55 69 Hayley 'Angel' 1902 55 55 70
Or SMS first name to 19 10 10
Phone and SMS lines open until 6.50pm, Monday 9 August.
Phone voting and SMS voting will be charged at 55 cents.
The ten contestants then have a nervous 24-hour wait to
see how Australia voted. Tune in tomorrow from 7:30pm
to see what who will progress to the finals and who will
be told that they are heading home.
Top 30 replacement announced
| BACK | 8 August 2004
After last Thursday night's dramatic withdrawal by Maya
McClean from the Top 30 her replacement has been announced.
Yasmine Dia will replace Maya after the finalist officially
withdraw from Australian Idol last Thursday on "Inside
Idol".
Maya NcClean withdrawal from the Top 30 citing the separation
from her twin sister, Nandy, as her main motivation for
leaving the contest.
Idol-related merchandise will be expanded this year following
the success of the program last year with Idol confectionery,
DVDs, sleepwear, perfume, Barbie dolls and hair accessories
expected to be released on the back of the second series
of the show.
The Australian reported that, "non-programming licences
related to Idol already generate 35 per cent of joint
rights holder Fremantle Media's international Idol profits,
according to Fremantle's Asia Pacific licensing manager
Jon Penn. Fremantle and 19TV are the format owners.
"It has to be one of the top licensed TV properties
available at the moment," Penn says. "It's created
a new tier of TV licensing properties."
Penn has sold category-exclusive licences for Idol-related
merchandise to close to 20 companies this year, up from
just six last year.
Telstra is the most recent company to come on board. The
major Idol sponsors on Ten - including McDonald's, Telstra,
Sony, L'Oreal, Mazda and Nestle - along with second-tier
sponsors Energizer and Johnson & Johnson, have promotional
deals that include competitions with "money-can't-buy"
prizes, such as access to Idol contestants.
But Idol creates a convergence between three major entries
on the wish list of advertisers: the desire to integrate
brands with high-involvement media properties, music and
with celebrities.
It's also a very positive program, according to Ten's
national sales development manager for light entertainment
Jan Staunton. "In Idol you don't throw people out,"
Staunton says. "You vote people through."
Neither Fremantle nor Grundy, its production arm in Australia,
nor Idol broadcaster Network Ten will put a figure on
the revenue Idol generates - except to say it's big. In
Australia it includes the $15 million to $20 million Ten
is rumoured to have paid for the broadcast rights, at
least $18 million from the sale of television sponsorships,
CD deals with BMG and revenues from concerts, as well
as off-screen licence sales, promotion revenue and retail
sales of Idol-stamped products."
Australian Idol licensed products include:
Barbie Idol
Fragrance
Karaoke machines
Audition songbook
DVDs
CDs
Children's musical toys
Board game
Adult and teen clothing
Sleepwear
Underwear
Loungewear
Bath bombs
Hair accessories
Novelty confectionery
Books
Digital camera
Mobile ring tones
Who did this year's top 30
support last year? | BACK
| 8 August 2004
Going through the contestant biographies of the Top 30
(only 28 contestants listed), Inside Australian Idol forum
member MaybeNext has tallied the top 30 contestant
answers to the question, " Who was your favourite
Idol from last year?"
The tally is:
Guy 12
Paulini 9
Shannon 2
Stu Cambell 2
Millsy 1
Rebecca 1
Bek 1
Cle 1
Some listed a couple (double votes from one person and
first call on the others)
Australian Idol betting agency Centrebet
says that Chanel Cole is its favourite to win the second
series of the show after the judges unveiled the top 30
contestants ahead of Sunday's first heat.
The Bega performer is Idol's big cheese according to the
Alice Springs-based bookmaker, which is taking bets at
$4.00 that she follows in the footsteps of chart-topping
singer Guy Sebastian.
Cole is one of the 10 competitors who will participate
in Sunday's first public heat. It should be worth watching
as four of the top six in Centrebet's exclusive market
are in the opening group.
Australian Idol winner:
$4.00 Chanel Cole (Bega);
$5.00 Ben Eaton (Melbourne);
$7.00 Daniel Belle (Sydney);
$8.00 Courtney Murphy (Perth);
$9.00 Billie McCarthy (Sydney);
$11.00 Ngaiire Joseph (Lismore);
$13.00 Gabriel Cabrera (Sydney);
$15.00 Daniel O'Connor (Mount Annan);
$17.00 Garth Ploog (Melbourne);
$21.00 Angie Narayan (Brisbane);
$26.00 Liza Schulberg (Melbourne), Amali Ward (Hobart);
$34.00 Emelia Rusciano (Adelaide), Barry Southgate (Sydney),
Prinnie Stevens (Sydney), Marty Worrall (Kerang);
$41.00 Anthony Callea (Melbourne), Ricki-Lee Coulter (Gold
Coast);
$51.00 Christie Green (Darwin), Carlos Velazquez (Sydney);
$67.00 Tara del Borrello (Perth), Adrian Hood (Geelong),
Hayley Jensen (Canberra), Chloe Skipp (Wollongong), Nicole
Wheatley (Fremantle);
$81.00 Meri Bosenavuluagi (Melbourne), Emily George (Sydney);
$101.00 Casey Donovan (Sydney), Maya McClean (Sydney),
Laurence Sorbello
(Townsville);
$21.00 any other person.
Chanel upset over IAI thread
| BACK | 8 August 2004
On last Thursday's behind the scenes program Inside Idol,
Bega's Chanel Cole was visibility upset after reading
posts on an internet fansite. The post in question appeared
on Inside Australian Idol's unmoderated message board
and expressed the view of a poster named 'SHISSO'
who believed that Chanel was trying to be like Bjork and
did not have a voice as strong as other competitors.
Instead of having a negative effect, the subsequent reaction
from idol viewers have seen increased support for Chanel
rallying behind the idol contender and other top 30 contestants.
After a 90 minute special tonight the Top 30 Australian
Idol finalist were officially announced. The top 30 contestants
were revealed after two additional days of auditions at
the Seymour Centre in Sydney. The remaining 72 contestants
who made it through the first elimination round were required
to perform in groups of three and four in front of the
judges. They were then reduced to 52 when a further 20
contestants were sent home. The remaining 52 were required
to perform a song of their choice in a solo performance
in front of the judges and follow contestants. The judges
then deliberated and finally named the top 30 for Australian
Idol 2004.
In alphabetical order here is the confirmed list of the
official Top 30 semi-finalists of Australian Idol:
Adrian Hood
Amali Ward
Angie Narayan
Anthony Callea
Barry Southgate
Ben Eaton
Billie Mccarthy
Carlos Velazquez
Casey Donovan
Chanel Cole
Chloè Skipp
Christie Green
Courtney Murphy
Daniel Belle
Daniel O'Connor
Emelia Rusciano
Emily George
Gabriel Cabrera
Garth Ploog
Hayley Jensen
Laurence Sorbello
Liza Schulberg
Marty Worrall
Maya McClean
Meri Bosenavulagi
Ngaiire Joseph
Nicole Wheatley
Prinnie Stevens
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Tara Del Borrello
The top 30 list provided by "theofficialtop30"
and posted on Inside Australian Idol last
week did not include the following names who have
successfully progressed to the top 30: Marty Worrall,
Emily George, Daniel Belle and Casey Donovan. While the
previous inclusions Alessandro Bellino, John Kerr, Naomi
Tia and Samantha McClymont were incorrect.
The top 30 were divided into three groups of ten contestants
with the first group performing next Sunday, 8th August.
The first confirmed group of ten semi-finalist to perform
in the next round next Sunday consist of:
GROUP 1
Anthony Callea, Ben Eaton,
Chanel Cole, Courtney Murphy, Emily George, Hayley Jensen,
Laurence Sorbello, Meri Bosenavulag, Ngaiire Joseph and
Prinnie Stevens.
Contestant to withdraw from
Top 30 | BACK
| 1 August 2004
It is almost certain that Maya McClean will make a dramatic
withdrawal from the Top 30, citing the separation from
her twin sister as her main motivation for leaving the
contest. Maya McClean progressed to the top 30 while sister
Nandy failed to impress the judges earlier in the series.
However, as reported last week
in our rumour section, forum poster "GrrlCanMove"
wrote the following:
"….my friend Maya [McClean] who got through
to the top 30. (she was from sydney, the twin who got
through). Anyway she just dropped out of the contest and
they made her sign a confidentiality agreement where she
can only say that the reason she left the comp was because
she didnt want to leave her sister, but the real reason
is, she just got a part in the Lion King musical."
For whatever reason Maya NcClean is almost certain to
officially withdraw from Australian Idol this Thursday
when the announcement will be aired on "Inside Idol"
hosted by Leah McLeod.
Viewers may also recall that the McClean twins also made
a pact to stay together on the second series of Channel
Seven talent program "Popstars".
Tune in this Thursday August 5 for "Inside Idol"
7.30pm on Network Ten for all the action and to find out
who replaces Maya and makes it through to join the Top
30.
