Monthly Archives: October 2006

The Keep Kate Campaign

Tags: , ,
October 31, 2006 – 4:22 pm

You’ve probably all read the rumours that X Factor producers are seeking to replace Kate Thornton after the current series. Simon Cowell even made a barbed remark on Saturday night’s show when he asked Kate if she was still here. “Just about” was her reply.

Well, I have to say that I’m on the fence about Kate as a presenter, but there’s a group of people who are serious about Kate staying on as presenter - The Keep Kate Campaign.

When these guys contacted me a couple of days ago, their MySpace had only 12 friends. Now they’ve got 171 and counting! Hey, that’s more than me….

Anyway, if you’re a Kate Thornton fan and you want her to stay on as X Factor presenter, then head on over and pledge your support! Although, it seems like they may have already achieved their goal!

Oh, and while you’re at it, add Unreality TV to your friends list too…

By Gerard McGarry | Posted in X Factor | Comments (2)

Gene Simmons Family Jewels: Happily Unmarried

Tags: , ,
October 30, 2006 – 9:00 am

Gene Simmons Family JewelsI’m a bit of a rocker at heart, so when Tabby told me we’d been sent a couple of episodes of Gene Simmons’ new reality show Family Jewels, I couldn’t wait to get watching them.

Happily Unmarried has a nice intro - if you’re not familiar with KISS. Showing Gene in full Kiss make-up and dressed as “The Demon”, you get to see some family footage that shows just how messed up this family could have been.

This (presumably the first) episode, introduces us to the family and one of Gene’s most distinctive traits: abhorence of marriage. We find out that Gene believes that marriage is the ultimate recipe for misery and he describes his 20+ year partnership with Shannon Tweed as being ‘happily unmarried’. However, the rest of the family don’t see it that way….

Gene decides to throw a surprise party for Shannon, enlisting the help of his son Nick and Shannon’s sister Tracy. But while he’s away at a party, Shannon figure’s out what’s going on and they decide to turn the tables on Gene by having a party for him!

In the meantime, Gene’s attending a party at Hooters in Las Vegas, and gets some unwanted attention from what he thinks is a stalker. It turns out that the woman is getting married in a Chapel O Love and her would-be husband is a huge KISS fan. She invites him to give her away at the wedding, which he does, but not before questioning the wisdom of the groom:

So, when Gene returns home, his tale gives Shannon an idea for the ultimate surprise party - an ambush wedding! You’ll have to watch the rest…if it ever comes to the UK!

Verdict

After seeing The Osbournes, you’d be forgiven for expecting more of the same. But Gene Simmons is an exceptionally sharp fellow and his family seem just totally cool. Unlike Ozzy and Co., the Simmons family is actually quite harmonious. It’s sort of like watching a 50’s ‘mom and pop’ sitcom set in a modern day rock star’s home!

They have little bits of VT that they play throughout the show, featuring members of the family chatting for the camera which are witty and endearing at the same time.

Anyway, I’ve got another episode to watch, so watch out for another post soon. I’d love to eventually see the whole Family Jewels series, it looks like a lot of fun.

By Gerard McGarry | Posted in Reality TV | Comments (2)

The Hunt Is On For The Next Australian Princess

Tags:
October 29, 2006 – 4:28 pm

Join ITV2 as the search to find a girl worthy of Australia’s most glamorous title gets underway again! Twelve lucky girls have been selected for the chance to be transformed into ladies fit for a prince. Along with Australian personality and host Jackie O, Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell is back to help these potential princesses make their dream become a royal reality. Australian Princess Series 2 is brand new and exclusive to ITV2. Wednesdays from 15 November at 8pm.

Every little girl dreams of becoming a princess, and 12 ordinary young women will battle it out for the coveted title of Australian Princess 2. With glittering prizes worth thousands of dollars also to be won, this fairytale with a difference begins as the girls, aged between 19 to 30, arrive at Sydney’s Hilton hotel to meet Jackie O and start their training.

Our budding princesses come from all walks of life and among those vying for the title are a goth, a doctor, a graphic designer, a variety of students, a barmaid, a receptionist, a car saleswoman, a beauty therapist and most unlikely of all - a pig farmer!

The girls will be preened, pampered and polished to within an inch of their lives as they learn how to walk, talk and act like proper ladies. Paul Burrell leads a team of experts, including British etiquette and grooming professional Jean Broke-Smith. They take on the ultimate challenge - to turn these modern day Eliza Doolittles into bona fide royalty.

After weeks of hard graft and nail-biting eliminations, the remaining six princesses-in-training head to England and are introduced to a world they have only ever imagined. They dine with royalty, experience the Royal Derby in the presence of the Queen and are courted by three sophisticated English gents – a future Baronet, a member of the exclusive Chelsea ‘party set’ and a young property developer with a secret.

Unbeknownst to our princesses-in-training, the property developer is actually Prince Michael, an undercover prince who will crown one of the girls Australian Princess 2 at a lavish masked ball held at Leeds Castle in her honour.

But only one girl will reach the pinnacle. Who will shake off their old life to dance with a real prince and be crowned the next Australian Princess? Don’t miss this real life My Fair Lady fairytale with a sprinkling of the Cinderella story.

Australian Princess Series 2 is brand new and exclusive to ITV2. Wednesdays from 15 November at 8pm

By Lisa McGarry | Posted in Reality TV | Comments (2)

X Factor: For once in my life..

Tags: , , , , , , ,
October 29, 2006 – 9:59 am

Finally, a decision I can’t complain about. And its taken us to week 3 for me to stop shaking my head at the Great British Public.

Okay, so the MacDire Brothers are still there (have the people voting for them considered seeing their doctor, their audiologist or their psychiatrist? Perhaps a block booking to all three would do the job) - but Dionne and Ashley were definitely two of the worst performances last night. If you want to see my thoughts on all the songs last night, you can look at Lynne’s Blog And poor Dionne, whose performances have worsened week after week was inevitably going home. At least she’ll be spared Sharon picking any more dodgy songs for her (why on earth was she singing that song? She could have done an amazing job on Fever, which would have been endlessly more Big Band)

Just for a change, I can even agree with Louis Walsh. Yes, yes, I know, its not often I have anything in common with the weird little Irishman, but he was on the ball. Ashley was horrendous last night - but he can do better. I don’t think that Kerry will be able to raise her game any higher. She didn’t have a bad voice (well, she can sing better than I can) - but she just didn’t have any stage presence or any passion. There just was no X Factor - and that’s what the show is all about. Hopefully, Ashley will now realise that he isn’t as good as he thinks he is, and will buck up his ideas. Quite how well he’ll do with an Abba track, I have no idea.

It will be interesting to see just how well the boys do with the whole Abba theme. Of all the themes, this will probably be the one where Ben will struggle the most - having said that, his performance last night is still sending shivers down my spine.

I’m also dreading to see just how smug Simon is next week - the only mentor with all his acts intact. With both Sharon and Louis now down to two acts, they’ll both have to raise their game - and actually consider what songs SUIT their remaining artists.

By Administrator | Posted in X Factor | Comments (1)

X Factor: Kerry McGregor Is Fourth Act To Leave X Factor 2006

Tags: , , ,
October 28, 2006 – 9:21 pm

Kerry McGreggor: X FactorIn tonight’s X Factor double eviction Kerry McGregor was the second act to leave. Kerry, Dionne and Ashley were all in the bottom three acts with Dionne leaving after polling the lowest number of votes.

Kerry and Ashley then participated in the weekly sing off and it was predictable from the start that Kerry would be the act leaving tonight.

I am glad that Louis saved Ashley tonight as he is definitely the most marketable of the two acts. I half expected Louis to send Ashley home purely to spite his arch rival Simon Cowell, but for once Louis played fair and as a result Kerry McGregor has sang her last X Factor song.

By Gerard McGarry | Posted in X Factor | Comments (4)

X Factor: Dionne Mitchell Is Third To Leave

Tags: , ,
October 28, 2006 – 9:02 pm

Dionne Mitchell: X Factor ContestantIn tonights double X Factor eviction Dionne Mitchell is first to have fallen under the axe.

Dionne definitely did not perform at her usual high levels tonight, but she is an amazing vocalist and certainly does not deserve to leave at this early stage.

I suspect that tonights result was influenced more than a little by Simon’s criticism of Dionne week after week. If she had been in his team I truly believe that she would ahve lasted at least another few weeks, if not to the final show.

By Gerard McGarry | Posted in X Factor | Comments (1)

ITV2 Cordially Invites You To Michelle And Andy’s Big Day

Tags: ,
October 28, 2006 – 8:49 pm

ITV2 invites viewers to take an exclusive look into the lives of Pop Princess Michelle Heaton and her Prince Charming Andy Scott-Lee as they prepare for the celebrity wedding of the year. As Michelle and Andy throw open the door to their very special day, an army of two wedding planners, a wedding stylist, eight bridesmaids, two best men, a pool of celebrity friends and an OK! deal are all on hand to ensure the most important day of their lives runs smoothly. Michelle & Andy’s Big Day is new and exclusive to ITV2, starting 4 December and continuing 11 & 18 December, 9pm.

Michelle juggles MRI scans and the possibility of having to have a pacemaker inserted, with bridesmaids’ fittings and final wedding plans. It’s been a struggle from the beginning and with only days left until the big day will it be happily ever after or is Michelle and Andy’s celebrity wedding bubble about to burst?

Exclusive footage of the big day will accompany Michelle and Andy every step of the way, from home to the church, the exchanging of the vows and their star studded wedding reception. After the exclusive footage of their wedding, we follow the happy couple on their glamorous honeymoon, providing an inside view on the start of a new life together.

Who will they invite and what will they wear? What plans do they have to keep the paparazzi out and where will they go for their honeymoon? ITV2 viewers will have to RSVP to find out!

Michelle & Andy’s Big Day is brand new and exclusive to ITV2, Monday 4, 11 & 18 December, 9pm.

By Gerard McGarry | Posted in Reality TV | Comments (2)

X Factor

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
October 28, 2006 – 8:01 pm

Another week, another show, another Unreality X Factor chart!

Be sure to let us know your thoughts and suggestions either here or on our forum!

1) Leona Lewis: Tonight Leona blew the judges away with her version of ‘Summertime’. Her performance was reminiscent of early Mariah Carey (before she turned to crap) and her vocals were truly amazing.

2) Ben Mills: Ben took a risk this week with the big band number. He performed for the most part without a band! Ben sang ‘Smile’ and accompanied himself on piano. His vocals were unrivaled by any other male on the show tonight. Without the backing singers and band we were able to fully appreciate Ben’s voice, it was one of those hair raising performances. This man has to make it to the final 3!

3) Robert Allen: Tonight Robert sang Mr Bojangles and it was a much more restrained performance than we are used to seeing from Rob. Probably because of that, I found the performance a bit bland to begin with, but as the song went on, Robert began to let go somewhat and he really took off from there. I have loved Robert’s performances every week and this week he didn’t let me down!

4) Eton Road: The boys tonight gave a great performance of ‘Mack The Knife’ and although Simon thought it was a “complete and utter mess”, I loved it! I think the boys manage to shine no matter what the genre of music and can somehow adapt themselves and the song so that it seems the track was written just for them.

5) Ray Quinn: Ray opened the show with ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’ this evening and I thought it was his best performace in the competition so far. He looked confident and comforatble with his song, he danced brilliantly and for once his cheesines was entirely suited to the song.

6) Ashley McKenzie: I realised something was a bit off with Ashley’s rendition of Moondance tonight even before he fluffed his lines. I thought he looked nervous and like he was really concentrating and for once his performance did not seem anywhere near effortless. Ashley has a fantastic voice and a great style, but tonight though he got a lot better as the song went on I felt he struggled a bit with this number.

7) Dionne Mitchell: I love Dionne’s voice, she is probably one of the best vocalists in this years show, but tonight she failed to blow me away. I didn’t feel that she was given the chance to show off with this song and I felt that in picking it Sharon made a very poor choice. Dionne is every bit as talented as Leona but tonight she did not manage to showcase her talent in the way which Leona did. I agree with Simon that at times Dionne can look uncomfortable on stage and certainly did at points tonight, however, I imagine that with some coaching this could easily be rectified and I don’t think it is nearly as big a problem as Simon would have us believe.

8) Kerry McGregor: Tonight Kerry performed ‘You Can’t Take That Away From Me’ and I think it was her best performance in the competition so far. Kerry looked much more relaxed and confident than last week and the song definitely suited her voice very well.

9) The MacDonald Brothers: After much debate The MacDonald Brothers and Louis Walsh finally decided on ‘I Love You Baby’ for this weeks song. The boys harmonies were good and their vocals were spot on, but it lacked something. There was no spark, I just couldn’t get excited. I hope these boys last another week though, I thought they were really good in bootcamp and maybe with a different song they would be a bit more impressive.

10) Nikitta Angus: Nikitta had a hard task tonight, not only did she have sing but she had to perform a choreographed dance routine as well. Sharon Osbourne felt that her vocals suffered somewhat because of the dancing and I would strongly agree. Firstly the song didn’t allow her to show off her vocal ability and secondly she was trying so hard to get her dance steps right that she forgot to put her heart and soul into the song. I think Nikitta has massive talent for such a young girl but she didn’t quite hit the mark tonight.

By Gerard McGarry | Posted in X Factor | Comments (2)

Nanny 911 Is Back!

Tags:
October 27, 2006 – 4:28 pm

Parents of America fear not – the Nanny 911 team is on its way.

HEAD NANNY LILLIAN returns to the boisterous homes of America, for a fourth series of the top rated show. Accompanying her are three of the most head strong childcare specialists in Britain, all of whom possess an immense amount of parenting wisdom. Nanny 911 series 4 is brand new and exclusive to ITV2, Tuesdays from 7 November 8pm.

Nanny Lillian has spent the past 25 years ironing out frazzled parents and their unruly children. Having worked for the British upper classes, she believes nannies should be mentors to their charges. Lillian has a team of highly experienced nannies working with her and together with Lillian’s trusted butler FRAISER, she assigns the most appropriate nanny to help the troublesome families. With each nanny’s individual skills, families are left feeling refreshed and reformed.

NANNY DEB is not far behind Lillian, with over 20 years experience under her belt. Deb believes consistency is the key to improving the behaviour of misfit children.

NANNY STELLA is a veteran of structure, although her softer side professes the importance of love. She uses her distinct sense of humour to diffuse situations, but is clear that she is not out to win any popularity contests.

NANNY YVONNE implores respect between children and their parents.

In the first episode, Nanny Stella is appointed to the Elgin family and it is immediately clear there is a serious communication problem within the household. The eldest daughter, Shasta is ready to erupt at any moment and her younger brother, Shiloh regularly explodes into fits of hysteria. Unsurprisingly, the baby of the family, Kea is taking the lead from her disobedient siblings. Whilst, dad Rich seizes every opportunity to escape the testing situations, mum Suzie tries hard to negotiate with the children. However, the three terrors always demand more. Stella is clear that boundaries must be set within the family routine for a happy home life.

Nanny 911 Series 4 is brand new and exclusive to ITV2. Tuesdays from 7 November at 8pm

By Lisa McGarry | Posted in Reality TV | Comments (0)

HELL’S KITCHEN RAW: Friday 27 October

Tags:
October 27, 2006 – 4:18 pm

In tonight’s episode, Chef Gordon Ramsay gathers the four remaining trainee chefs and breaks the news that he has invited three top chefs to dine in Hell’s Kitchen tonight. As is traditional in Ramsay’s restaurants, the kitchen will be selecting the menu for them. The contestants opt for a menu of spaghetti with lobster, Salade St. Jacques and Beef Wellington.

Out in the dining room, the three master chefs have finished Keith’s appetiser and Jean Phillippe is at the hot plate with their feedback. Unfortunately, the pasta wasn’t cooked uniformly and the chefs were not impressed. Things only get worse when Sara informs Ramsay that she does not have enough salmon to complete the service.

Despite all the trouble, the cooks complete their second consecutive service. They get through the last ticket and Ramsay commends Heather for a job well done. He asks her to pick two competitors for elimination. In the dorms, Virginia takes a radical step and asks Heather to eliminate her. Virginia simply does not feel like she is ready to run her own restaurant.

The four cooks return to the dining room and Heather promptly chooses Virginia and Sara, as she promised. Ramsay reminds Virginia that she won the previous challenge and he promised her a place in the final three. Being a man of his word, Ramsay does not want to withdraw his offer. Fighting through tears, Virginia admits that she does not want to go.

Hell’s Kitchen Raw is a Granada Entertainment USA Production for ITV2. It airs on Friday 27 October 12:30 AM to 1:30 AM

By Lisa McGarry | Posted in Hell's Kitchen | Comments (0)