Born To Shine kicks off tonight on ITV1, just when you thought that there would be no TV talent shows left this summer!

In aid of charity, the show showcases celebrities who are keen to learn a new skill and talent and members of the oublic will be asked to vote for who they think mastered it best.

On tonight’s show Nick Moran will try his hand at playing the piano, Jodie Prenger will attempt rapping and newlyweds Michael Underwood and Angellica Bell will perform a tap dancing routine.

In a surprise twist the stars will be mentored by some of the UK’s most gifted children, as they learn the new skill.

Each Sunday night, the famous faces will have to perform not just for their young teachers but also for the judging panel consisting of Denise Van Outen and Jason Gardiner. The duo will be joined by a surprise celebrity judge each week. This week’s guest judge is Girls Aloud star, Kimberley Walsh.

Other celebrities lined up for the next few weeks include Comedian Jason Manford, Presenter Ruth Langsford, Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter, Emmerdale’s Tony Audenshaw and Lesley Dunlop, Rugby player Gareth Thomas, presenter and journalist Jennie Bond, actor and presenter Joe Swash.

Born to Shine is supporting Save the Children’s No Child Born to Die campaign which launched in January of this year aiming to save millions of children’s lives.

Natasha Kaplinksy , who is an ambassador for Save the Children, says:

“The programme will see some very talented children passing on their skills to a range of top celebrities. I am excited by the prospect of seeing how the famous faces tackle the challenges and delighted that they’re all doing it to help raise money for Save the Children, a charity very close to my heart.”

Born To Shine: Sunday, 17 July 2011, 8:00PM – 9:00PM ITV1

View the original post Natasha Kaplinksy presents Nick Moran, Jodie Prenger, Michael Underwood and Angellica Bell on Born To Shine! on Unreality TV

Jodie Prenger, who won last year’s BBC competition ‘I’d Do Anything’ made an appearance on Saturday night’s Over The Rainbow.

Showing the Dorothys what it takes to become a West End star, Jodie sang her main Oliver song ‘As Long As He Needs Me.’ We weren’t overly impressed with Jodie’s progress over the last year. Her vocals were as strong as ever but while trying to convey emotions through her facial expressions and movements, she ended up looking terrified and slightly constipated! It seems like her acting skills haven’t improved much at all.

View the original post Over The Rainbow: Watch Jodie Prenger sing ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ (VIDEO) on Unreality TV

I’d Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger has already dropped from a size 16 to a 14 whilst rehearsing for the role of Nancy, but she is determined to go even further and fit into a pair of size 12 jeans.

However that’s as far as she wants to go, because Jodie is sure the public don’t want to see a skinny Nancy.

Jodie told this week’s Closer magazine:

‘No one wants a stick-thin Nancy – after all she’s described in the book as stout!’ she said.

‘She’s supposed to be curvy with a good bust. I’d always want to keep my 36DD boobs so I can do justice to my corset.’

‘I’m always jumping on and off tables, so playing Nancy is a good workout in itself’, she says.

Before competing on BBC’s I’d Do Anything, Jodie also took part in reality TV diet show The Biggest Loser on Living TV and, over six months, lost almost half of her body weight, dropping to 9st 9lbs and a size 10.

Now that she’s lost the bulk of her weight, Jodie says she’s the happiest she’s ever been: ‘At 18st, I put on a bubbly front, but underneath not an hour went by without me feeling miserable about my weight.

‘Only a fat person can understand that. I feel like my life began at 27 – when I first lost the weight – and it’s been a total whirlwind ever since!’

View the original post Jodie Prenger Sheds Stones For Role Of Nancy on Unreality TV

Jodie Prenger was certainly not the most experienced person who auditioned for this years I’d Do Anything, and before she takes on the role of Nancy, Jodie is about to appear in the ensemble cast of Les Miserables to build on her acting skills.

Cameron Mackintosh, who will be producing Oliver!, said: “One of the great things about Jodie is that she grasps every opportunity offered to her and she is eager to work.

“When she won I’d Do Anything, Jodie told me that she didn’t want to sit around for six months but wanted to really use the time before going into rehearsals – I’m delighted that this is one of the things she’s chosen to do.”

It also recently emerged that Jodie has been attending acting school, RADA in order to prepare her for her stage debut.

View the original post Jodie Prenger To Make Stage Debut In Les Miserables on Unreality TV

It seems that Cameron Mackintosh was so worried about Jodie Prengers acting skills that he has enrolled her for a crash acting course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Jodie won BBC talent search, I’d Do Anything in May, but rumours persisted that Mackintosh would rather have had Rachel Tucker for the role.

Jodie admitted to The Sun: “Singing live on Saturday night TV in front of millions of people was not nearly as scary as tackling Shakespeare at RADA.”

Last night, a source said: “Jodie is not a fully-trained actress and Cameron just wanted to make sure she’s up to scratch by the time rehearsals start in October.”

View the original post I’d Do Anything: Jodie Prenger Sent To RADA on Unreality TV

View the original post I’d Do Anything: Too Much Information Jodie!!!! on Unreality TV

Jodie Prenger has hit back at Oliver producer, Cameron Mackintosh after he implied she was too fat for the role of Nancy, and revealed his preference for fellow contestant Jessie.

Prenger declared: “Cameron gave me little slights and said he wanted Jessie — who I love to bits — to win.

“But I want to give him the best Nancy that he’s ever seen and I’m confident I’m going to do it.”

Jodie added: “I’ll never be a size zero — the closest I’ve got to that is my shoe size — but I’m a REAL woman and Nancy is that too. I’m not ashamed at all.

View the original post Jodie Prenger Declares: I’ll Be The Best Nancy EVER! on Unreality TV

I don’t know why I was so shocked that Jodie won ‘I’d Do Anything’ last night. She and Jessie were the only two that had never been in the bottom two, so they obviously had a lot of public support. But in the end I thought the public would do the predictable thing and vote in the young pretty girl.

In a way, after all the Britain’s Got Talent ‘fix’ claims, it was nice to see people vote in I’d Do Anything, for the person they thought was most talented, and not who they fancied or who the judges wanted them to choose.

Do I think that Jodie was the best choice for Nancy? In a word no, but then I think the best girl for the role left the show last week and so out of the final three I didn’t really have a favourite. Jodie is a fantastic singer, but she certainly doesn’t have the acting skills that Rachel Tucker possesed.

Lucky then that the Oliver stage show isn’t opening for six months, so Jodie will have plenty of time to work on her acting and her vocals.

View the original post Jodie Prenger Wins I’d Do Anything! on Unreality TV

Jodie Prenger may have already lost a whopping 11 stone, as part of Living reality TV show, ‘The Biggest Loser’, but it seems as though that might not be enough for Cameron Mackintosh.

Jodie is up against Jessie and Samantha in this weeks I’d Do Anything final, however Oliver producer Cameron Mackintosh is said to favour the slimmer girls for the roile of Nancy.

‘Cameron thinks she is a bit too big and has more or less said so,’ said Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber to the Daily Mirror.
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But Sir Andrew disagreed with Mackintosh and said: ‘Jodie could be anybody’s idea of Nancy – I can see it absolutely.

‘She has got a lovely voice and a super personality. She has experience as well.’

View the original post I’d Do Anything: Is Jodie Prenger Too Fat For Nancy? on Unreality TV

Plus size Nancy wannabe Jodie Prenger hit our screens like a breath of fresh air on Saturday night, when she delivered a gutsy audition in BBC’s I’d Do Anything.

But it turns out that this isn’t Jodie’s first foray into the world of reality TV. In fact just two years ago Jodie won Living TV slimming challenge The Biggest Loser after shedding 8st 7lb in six months.

A source at the BBC1 show, told The Sun: “Jodie’s enjoying it as she knows how reality TV works.”

View the original post I’d Do Anything: Jodie Prenger Already A Reality Winner on Unreality TV