The eight remaining contestants vying for the part of Joseph in the BBC’s reality TV show, Any Dream Will Do, have something else to make the effort seem worthwhile.

The winner of the show will not only land a leading West End role, but Louis Walsh, who has agreed to manage the winner, has also managed to secure them a £200,000 record deal with Universal Records.

Louis told the Mirror: “It is a great contract.

“The idea is to rush out an album of Joseph songs straight after the series ends. I’m sure it will be very popular.

“I’m used to looking after pop acts so this is different and it’s going to be great fun.”

Next we’ll be hearing that there is to be a Joseph film!

Broadway star, Denise van Outen, has revealed that she turned down the chance to judge on last years TV show, How Do You Solve A problem Like Maria, as she didn’t want to seem bitchy.

Denise told The Observer newspaper:

“I just felt it wasn’t right. I felt uncomfortable about being on the panel and giving my criticism. Because if I was going to do it, I wanted to be really honest.

“But I felt if I’m going to be really honest, I don’t want to do that to other women. It can seem bitchy. I just don’t feel comfortable doing that. I don’t want to criticise other women.

“It’s just not something that I want to be doing.”

Any Dream Will Do has certainly been the success story of the year for the BBC. The smash hit reality TV has seen off competition from ITV’s Grease Is The Word admirably and once again this week has whooped the show in the ratings.

Any Dream Will Do, took 5.5 million viewers and a 29% share for its first outing, with ITV’s Grease is the Word managing just 3.6 million viewers and an 18.3% share.

Why do viewers prefer the BBC’s musical show to ITV’s….Kevin O’Sullivan from The Sunday Mirror has given us his five reasons:

1 Far from being “the world’s greatest musical”, Grease is garbage compared with the strangely likeable Andrew Lloyd Webber’s tune-tastic Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

2 Grease’s couldn’t-careless judges Sinitta, David (yawn) Gest and Brian Friedman don’t know what they’re talking about. And their fiery fellow panellist David Ian is so constantly furious with them it’s a bit frightening.

3 Failing to fake any semblance of sincere interest, humour-free host Zoe Ball brings nothing to ITV’s party except a very loud voice. But on the Beeb, Graham Norton’s razor-sharp wit helps make things far less po-faced.

4 Grease Is The Word’s feeble finalists are so lacking in star quality they’ll need to change the catchphrase to: “You could end up having to be Danny and Sandy.” And here’s a new one for Any Dream Will Do: “You could be gay!”

5 Sinitta’s clothes. Sinitta’s presence. Grease executive producer Simon Cowell’s absence.

What do you think?

The News Of The World have reported today on the close links between some of the finalists on ITV’s Grease Is The Word and BBC’s Any Dream Will Do, and top record producers.

They explain that from Grease Is The Word, Susan McFadden has close ties to Simon Cowell through her brother, Brian McFadden and Antony Kavanagh has already had a two record deal with Virgin records.

On Any Dream Will Do, Craig Chalmers has already been a finalist on Pop Idol and entered the UK top ten with a Scottish band called No Reason.

A TV insider revealed: “There are serious questions being raised about how many shows like this can be sustained.
“Popstars, Pop Idol, The X Factor and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria drained the talent pool.

“That is the main reason why The X Factor has lowered the age of entry this year to just 14 - the producers realise they need to find people who haven’t appeared on TV before.”

What do you think? Are we running out of undiscovered talent in the UK or could there be a more sinister explanation for all these ‘coincidences’?

Fiesty vocal coach from BBC’s Any Dream Will Do, Zoe Tyler, has hit out at her ex pupil Sinitta who is currently judging on ITV’s Grease Is The Word.

Zoe not only criticised Sinitta but also questioned her right to judge on that type of show, saying:

“Sinitta just makes a bikini and a fur coat look good.”

She added:

“Yes, she’s done a few West End shows but she doesn’t have my expertise. She doesn’t know what’s right.”

To be honest I’d have to agree with Zoe.

Shockingly, Seamus Cullen has left Any Dream Will Do tonight, after facing a sing off with Ben Ellis.

I have got the feeling that Andrew wasn’t a big Seamus fan for weeks now so his choice to save Ben was no real shock.

As the show closed and Seamus sang Close Every Door To Me, but he changed the lyrics. The closing line should have been sang “I have been promised a land of my own” but Seamus sang “I have been promised a SHOW of my own.”

So was this just extreme optimism or has Seamus already lined up a job in a major show in case the Joseph thing didn’t work out. I would really love to know as I was an unashamed Seamus fan!

Antony Hansen has become the next Joseph wannabe to leave BBC’s Any Dream Will Do. He was the obvious choice after his tuneless performance of Take That’s Patience earlier in the night.

He faced the sing off with Cabaret Craig, but Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber felt that Craig was the safer choice for the West End.

Antony performed Close Every Door to me as he left the show and I wish he could have conveyed that level of emotion during his earlier performance, if he had he definitely wouldn’t have left tonight.

If you have been watching BBC’s Smash Hit TV Show Any Dream Will Do, and want to share your views or see what the rest of us are thinking of each contestant, come on over to the Unreality TV forum! See ya there!

Keith Jack has swapped stocking shelves at his local supermarket for singing for his supper on BBC’s Any Dream Will Do. But the humble teenager has assured the public that if he gets voted off he won’t be resentful, just grateful for the experience.

Speaking to The Daily Record Keith said: Read more & comment »

After reading an article in The Mirror today, I am beginning to seriuosly wonder about Denise Van Outen’s judging skills on the new BBC Tv series Any Dream Will Do.

The Mirror is carrying an article giving Denise’s and fellow judge, Zoe Tyler’s opinion on each of the shows finalists. Zoe is concerned by the mens acting and singing skills and makes comments such as: Read more & comment »

There are now 10 finalists left as legendary composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber and his panel continue their quest to find a new Joseph. In the third live show, the remaining hopefuls take to the stage to prove that they have the drive, determination and sheer, unadulterated talent to land one of the best-loved roles in musical theatre.

In the presence of Lloyd Webber and his esteemed panel of experts – Broadway and West End leading lady Denise van Outen, celebrated theatre producer Bill Kenwright, Torchwood star John Barrowman and outspoken vocal coach Zoe Tyler – the West End wannabes battle it out to prove that they have the charisma and star quality worthy of the Technicolor™ Dreamcoat.

Graham Norton hosts as the Josephs give it everything they’ve got to win this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to star in the West End. Once the panel have given their expert opinion, viewers are able to vote for their favourite. Whose dreams will be shattered? And who will still have the chance to be the public’s Joseph?

Later this evening at 9.45pm on BBC One, viewers can find out which Joseph has been voted off by the public, and which Josephs survive to perform in next week’s live show.

Saturday 28 April
7.30-8.35pm BBC ONE
9.45-10.10pm BBC ONE

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s recent smash hit TV show, ‘How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria’ has helped Sir Andrew shoot up the Sunday Times Rich List, replacing Paul McCartney in the number two spot.

According to Philip Beresford, who compiled the Sunday Times Rich List.

He said: “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? has not harmed Andrew Lloyd Webber. The reality TV shows have clearly helped.

“The exposure means that the shows, when they open, get free PR, translating it, dare I say it, into bums on seats.

“The Sound of Music is on at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre and it is his production so it’s a double hit.”

He added: “Without the shows, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wealth would have gone up a little but he would not have replaced Sir Paul McCartney in the list.”

Louis Walsh can hold a grudge and it seems as though he is unwilling to let go of the one he has against Simon Cowell. Today he has vowed that he will never work with Simon Cowell or the X factor again.

“I want nothing to do with the X Factor or Cowell – I never want to work with him again” Louis very clearly stated.

He went on to heap praise on BBC TV show, ‘Any Dream Will Do’ which just happens to be the biggest rival to Simon Cowell’s ITV reality show, Grease Is The Word.

Louis stated: Read more & comment »

For the third week running, BBC’s reality TV show, ‘Any Dream Will Do’ beat ITV’s ‘Grease Is The Word’ in the ratings.

5.3 million viewers, tuned in to Andrew Lloyd Webbers Any Dream Will Do, while Grease achevied 4.2 million.

ITV producers were hoping to benefit from the later timeslot for Grease at 7.25pm, but their figures actually dropped by 100,000.

Any Dream Will Do finalists, Lewis Bradley and Ben Ellis, have been friends since attending the Italia Conti drama school in London. But taking part in the BBC show has not helped their friendship. In fact if reports are to believed the rivalry between the pair is tearing their friendship apart.

A BBC1 insider told The People:
“In the beginning they stuck together like glue.

“Now they’re not even rehearsing within earshot of each other. It’s certainly very frosty between the pair.”

Lewis, 17, got upset after Denise Van Outen said his singing last week was “disappointing”.

Fellow judge John Barrowman then told him to “take note” from 18-year-old Ben.

Our source added: “Their friendship has definitely taken second place to their ambitions to win the role of Joseph.

“Lewis didn’t like being told to take a leaf out of Ben’s book. He wants to turn things around.”