Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines has told the Daily Telegraph that it was wrong that Kyle Sandilands was sacked from the show last year. Kyle was dumped after he questioned a fourteen year old about her sex life on radio in front of her mother where she revealed she had been sexually assaulted.

Marcia said in the article:

“It was one of the most unfair things I’ve seen,” she said, of Kyle, who was sacked as a judge following a controversy on his radio show.

“He’s my buddy. I like Kyle. Kyle says what he wants to say. Most people are the same way but they’re not on TV. I was so bummed out that he was taken off the show.”

Hines said she agreed with popular opinion that new judge Jay Dee Springbett was boring.

“You said it, so I don’t need to repeat it,” she said. “Jay Dee and Dicko were too similar. There was no humour. That’s where Kyle came in.”

Marcia Hines in the article did not reveal what she thought her role on the show was.

Kyle’s TV career is continuing to thrive with a gig on Australia’s Got Talent, and the new X Factor.

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Look I firstly want to say I am real sorry that former Australian Idol contestant Tom Williams was the subject of a violent attack, however blaming Australian Idol producer’s for it is a bit spurious.

Tom from Adelaide who was a contestant in the year that Wes Carr won told the Herald Sun he blamed the Australian Idol producers for the attack which left him badly injured.

The article states:

Tom Williams was beaten so badly he fractured his eye socket and he says the incident took place because producers didn’t provide contestants with adequate support after the show.

“After Idol they completely drop you,” Williams told The Sunday Telegraph. “I was there with all this exposure and it was difficult without any support.”

After being booted off Idol in 2008, the year Wes Carr was crowned winner, Williams returned to Adelaide to live with his parents. He finished Year 11 but dropped out because he claims he was bullied by fellow students and teachers.

Two weeks ago, Williams claims six men attacked him in Adelaide’s Melrose Park.

He is reluctant to discuss details as charges have been laid and the matter is likely to be heard in court.

“They were calling me a faggot and all that kind of stuff before they started kicking me,” said Williams, in Sydney to promote his debut single, LOL

Personally I don’t know how the producers could have stopped the attack unless he wanted a personal bodyguard at all times since he finished the show.

I suppose people have to way up the positive benefits of getting TV exposure on reality shows, ie it can fast track their career versus the negatives of people recognising them when they are out in public.

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There is no doubt that Lisa Mitchell is a talented songwriter and performer, anyone who watched Australian Idol the year she was on it could see here was a girl with a bright future.

She signed with an independent record label and went to London to learn her craft. In great news for her and women in the entertainment industry as well she won the Australian Music Prize. It is a $30,000 prize with artistic support, and it is the first time a woman has won the prize.

It is unfortunate that she is embarassed by her Australian Idol past, something that has given her a high profile and has made it easier for her to gain media stories.

The SMH article states:

An emcee at the Museum of Contemporary Art said Mitchell had ”thrown off the shackles of Australian Idol, which is no mean feat”. Indeed, the show is often pilloried as yielding overnight but fleeting fame and next to no credibility.

But English-born Mitchellwas not fazed by references to her past on the TV talent show – she placed sixth in 2006.

”I just hope that people can take my songs just for my songs, not for anything that has happened in the past,” she said.

Considering American Idol contestants tend to embrace their road to fame, it is something the Australian ones are still not particularly comfortable with. Matt Corby appears to be slightly embarassed by his time on the show as well.

This year on American Idol appears to be the year of the alternate girl with Crystal Bowerstox and Siobhan Magus looking to be front runners.

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It is official Brian McFadden will join Kyle Sandilands and Danni Minogue on the judging panel of Australia’s Got Talent. Channel Seven have overhauled the show and is trying to obtain a younger audience.

Also Brian has revealed he has for a second time tried to get custody of his daugthers but failed. The Daily Telegraph article states his attempt to obtain custody occurred after his ex-wife Kerry Katona was caught snorting coke in her bathroom at home.

This is pretty crap for him, and I  am astounded that the UK courts think it is ok to let the kids live with someone who appears to go from crisis to crisis.

The only thing I can think off was if he requested them to come and live in Australia and the judge thought it was too far away.

The other job recruiting Australia’s Got Talent has done from Australian Idol has been two executive producers from the show. Does this mean Idol is not going to be revived ever? (Source news.com.au)

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The Sydney Morning Herald’s TV section The Guide is suggesting British producer Simon Cowell hopes to have his franchise The X Factor on Australian television. He will be holding a series of meeting in February with Australian network representatives about the show.

The X Factor was a flop last time it was made here with Kate Cerbrano, and Mark Holden as judges, but with fresh judging talent, plus the singers that would normally have auditioned for the now cancelled Australian Idol it could be a success.

Australia’s Got Talent is currently holding auditions as well. So if you were thinking of auditioning for Australian Idol this year, you could now tryout for the popular Channel Seven show. Go Channel Seven’s website if you are interested.

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Over the past couple of years there have been a couple of romances between country singers dating much younger women who are reality TV stars.

Now the cynic in me would think these romances would not last, but I was wrong.

One was popular country singer Adam Brand who met girlfriend Jade Hatcher who is 20 when he was on last year’s Dancing With The Stars. They won the series, and their relationship is still going strong. He is teaching her to sing and they are working on some projects together. (Source Daily Telegraph)

Also James Blundell created controversy a few years ago when he left his wife for singer Jesse Curran. Jesse was an Australian Idol in 2007 when the scandal broke, and it did not help her get into the top 12 with James who is 20 years her senior in the front row.

However appear to be very much together at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and will perform together today. Full story Daily Telegraph

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If the rumour is true that former Australian Idol judge Kyle Sandilands is to become a judge on Australia’s Got Talent, Channel Seven have proved just how canny they are.

With news Australian Idol won’t be on our TV screens this year Australia’s Got Talent is looking to grab some of the younger demographic who previously have not watched the show.

I must confess if Kyle is on it I will definitely watch it, not sure I fit the younger demographic they are looking for! Full story on Daily Telegraph.

They suggest that if Kyle signs on either Red Symons or Tom Burlinson will get the flick.

In other Australia’s Got Talent News, judge Danni Minogue is pregnant with her first child. The Sunday Telegraph has a nice article about her and how she is now famous in her own right.

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Sabrina Batshon was one of the more intriguing individuals on this year’s Australian Idol, and I have been wondering what she has been up to and in the clip above she talks about what she has been doing.

In summary:

• She has been writing songs,
• Scouting for a record company,
• Got engaged, and
• She will be touring.

No dates are out yet but if you are interested in seeing her perform keep an eye on her website http://sabrinabatshon.com.au/

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In nonsurprising news, Australian Idol will rested for 2010 according to the Daily Telegraph..

Even though the show had been announced in the Channel Ten 2010 line up, it was always unlikely it was going to go ahead.  As I suggested in a previous blog post that Channel Ten did not want to kill it off last year at a time they were making the positive announcements of the next year’s programming.

This season’s finale only garnered 1.4 million viewers.

Dicko confirmed he has not renewed his contract and is looking around for other TV projects.

Though hopefully it will be back bigger and better in 2011 as Ten has asked Fremantle to think about ways to re-launch it.

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Poor Jay Dee Springbett, he was a last minute replacement judge on Australian Idol for disgraced radio personality Kyle Sandliands in 2009, and it would appear he is about to be dumped from the show.

An article on news.com.au suggests the judge is not coming back to the show, and that Channel Ten are looking for bigger and better replacement.

Australian Idol has not been officially signed yet, but it is believed it will be. It has been suggested that Kyle might be coming back to the show.

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