Exciting times for So You Think You Can Dance Australia host Natalie Bassingthwaite, with news she is pregnant with her first child.

Here is a link to an exerpt in Ok Mag, but you will need to buy the mag for the full enchilada.

I hope it goes well for her.

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Sonia Kruger Splitting From Her Husband James

Apparently the separated at the end of last year with heavy workloads cited as the cause of the break up. No third parties have been named. They were married for six years. Full story Sunday Telegraph.

Johnathan Pease Has Had His Role Downsized In Australia’s Next Top Model

Johnathan Pease who is the “photoshoot director” on AuNTM has had his role reduced due to concerns he was to flirtatious with the very young model’s last season. Also rumours circulating last year that he was dating a school girl has also not helped his reputation. Considering I have not seen him do to much directing at the shoots, I don’t think his reduced role will be missed.

Axle Whitehead Joins Home And Away Cast.

The former Australian Idol alumni will play bad boy rocker Liam Murphy on the show. He will debut on the show on March 5. He said an the article here that he was surprised that Channel Ten sacked him after the famous ARIA penis flashing incident.

Logie Nominations Now Open

TV Tonight has a list of who you can vote for in this year’s logies. So You Think You Can Dance is up for best reality TV show, as is Natalie Bassingthwaite for Gold Logie, and Silver Logie for best presenters.

Bonnie Lythgoe the judge from So You Think You Can Dance will be particularly pleased that fans can vote for her as best new Female TV talent, with Matt Lee also in the male section of the best new talent Logie.

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You would have to be in coma or illiterate  to not know  So You Think You Can Dance Australia is starting this Sunday.

As the publicity machine is in overdrive with the show’s host, Natalie Bassingthwaite, in just about every magazine and newspaper in the country. If Mastermind were to be revived my specialist subject on the show could be “The Bass”.

In the interviews Natalie talks about the criticism she attracted last year. In an article in the Courier Mail she said to expect an improvement:

Bassingthwaighte has two words for her early critics – watch out.

“I just think bagging someone that is just having a go is not healthy for the soul or good for being Australian but, in saying that, I get it and it’s a job,” she says.

“I never said, ‘I am going to do this show and I am the most brilliant host in the world’. I said, ‘I will have a go’. All I will say is I hope that that does make young girls go, ‘I am going to have a go too’. I am OK with it (now, but) at the time it was hard.”

I find it strange that she would think people were not going judge her on her performance? Her role is pivotal to the success of the show. And if it ain’t working of course viewers were going bag it. At the beginning she was not great but by the end of the series that had been a huge improvement and I suspect she will be great this season.

In the TV Week article she say’s the following:

• A lot more professional dancers auditioned this year;
• She is enjoying the role a lot more this year as she is not as nervous,
• She is not in contact with any of last year’s dancers but she does see them out and about every now and then,
• Her film Prey will be out this year,
• She hasn’t had a chance to miss the Rogue Traders,
• Her boyfriend Cameron helped her a lot with her solo album, and they co-wrote a song,
• Her New Year’s resolution is to not take on board too much, and enjoy every moment,
• She will not be returning to Neighbours.

Now if you still need more Natalie Bassingthwaite and SYTYCDA news here is another article in The Age.

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So You Think You Can Dance host Natalie Bassingthwaite has said that Meryl Tankard needs to eat her words.

Tankard who is a choreographer and who considers herself a part of the arts intelligensia in Australia famously took a swipe at the popular dance show last year. She said the performances were so awful on SYTYCD that they should not be considered dance. Also she said “It’s like a fast-food version of dance.” Previous stories on the Tankard’s criticisms are here and here.

Ahead of the launch of the second series of SYTYCD Bassingthwaite told the Sun-Herald ” I think it does put a smile on your face when someone bags something that you’re a part of and then it’s successful – it’s kind of like a cheeky grin,”

“I think it was just a shame that [it came from] someone in this industry- which is small, really. Dance in Australia wasn’t known that much. I think we allowed it to have a platform, we gave it a space, where more people would go and see her pieces.”

“More [than] anything I found it bizarre that she would bag her own,” she says “It’s like being in a netball team and you start bagging netball. I mean, what are you doing?”

Well I think Natalie’s spot on comments are a big “fuck you” to the Meryl. And chances of you getting on the show Ms Tankard. Zero.

Also in the interview Natalie said the turn-out for this year’s auditions was enormous.

She said ” Because it was such a huge success [last year], not only did they come out of the woodwork this year but it looked like some of them have been training their butts off.”

SYTYCD Au will start on Sunday 1 February at 7.30pm.

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Photo courtesy of Daily Telegraph

Natalie Bassingthwaite reveals today in the Daily Telegraph that she is feeling much more confident going into season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance Australian (SYTYCD Au).

She has hired an acting coach to help her with the second series. She said the criticism of her performance on the first few show last year hurt.

She says:

“I was really aware of it (nerves) at the time and in the first few episodes I was so petrified you could see me shaking.

“So I got an acting coach last year and I think I’ve found it.”

This is great news as SYTYCD was great last year, if the last few hiccups can be removed then it will be fabulous this season.

Anyway good news for fans Channel Ten have released the new SYTYCD website, and it looks super slick. Click  here. to get to it.

It looks likes Jason Coleman has had his paddlepop lion hair cut into something funkier. Only thing I don’t get is the poll on the site asking who is our favourite judge and Matt Lee has 50 %  of the votes. Hopefully only about 10 people have voted.

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Jessica Mauboy Is Now Single.
Adelaide Now says that Jessica Mauboy three year relationship with her boyfriend Abdullah is now over. Time apart is the reason given. However she can console herself with the news that her single Burn is number ten on the charts. Source The West.

Simon Cowell Judgement Gets Clouded By Sex
Now Mag quotes Simon Cowell’s ex girlfriend Sinitta who says his judgement is clouded by sex. Personally I think this is way to much information.

Sinitta appears to keep her media profile high by gibbering about her famous ex all the time. He must not care as she is holidaying with him in Barbados. I wonder what she will divulge from there.

Kara DioGuardi The New Judge On American Idol Has Hit The Publicity Trail
New judge Kara DioGuardi is now out spruiking the show that will be commencing next week. She thinks the male contestants may have the edge this season. Full interview here.

Top Chef Chicago Chef Spike Is Holding a Burger Presidential Inaugeration Party.
Spike, who really should get his own show with his off sider from Top Chef Season Four Andrew. Who would ever forget Andrew saying about Spike “I am not gay but I would let him bang me.”
Anyway he is holding a more relaxed inauguration party at his Burger Joint in DC.

If you are lucky enough to be in Washington at that time the details are here.

Updates On What Top Chef Contestant’s Are Now Up To.
People mag has an article which outlines what some of the chefs are now up to, and where they are cooking.

Also Adventurous Tastes Blog reviews Top Chef Chicago runner up Richard Blais’s new burger restaurant in Atlanta, and gives it the thumbs up. I am not sure about the Krispy Kreme milkshake.

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 10 Winner Whitney Thompson Honoured.
Whitney who was the first plus size model to win ANTM has named as one of MSN Lifestyles Most Influential Women In 2008.

Natalie Bassingthwaite To Perform At Mardi Gras Party.
You know you have made it in Sydney when you are asked to perform at the Mardi Gras party. Congratulation to So You Think You Can Dance Australia host Natalie Bassingthwaite as she will get to shimmy and sing there. Full story in here.

Update On What Former Australian Idol Marty Simpson Has Been Doing
I’m With The Band has an update on he who went much further then he should have, Marty Simpson, and what he has been doing post Idol, apart from smoking pot.

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Kristy Hines To Get Married in March.
Kristy Hines, host of Project Runway Australia, is not going to muck a round with a long engagement. Apparently the invitations have been sent out for a three day wedding spectacular from March 18-20 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Here is an article where she talks about why she loves him so. There is no mention on whether they plan to have children. Congratulations to you both.

Channel Seven Has Apologised For Sonia Kruger’s ‘racist’ Comments.
Channel Seven has apologised unreservedly for Sonia Kruger’s distasteful comments to musical director Chong Lim on the television show Dancing With The Stars.

The network insisted the presenter’s remarks were not intended to be racist, especially as the pair enjoyed a long-standing friendship.

Kruger made the derogatory comments about a “sweatshop of illegal immigrants” slaving away on her wardrobe for the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

“Let’s just say there’s a sweatshop full of illegal immigrants working on them right now,” Kruger said before referring to Lim, the show’s Malaysian-born musical director.
“How’s the family, Chong? All right?”

Sonia this week refused to apologise about the remarks. Maybe she was just trying to highlight that Australian designers are known to have their clothes made in sweatshops where pay and conditions are bad…….Ok maybe not.

Full story on Daily Tele

Natalie Bassingthwaite Admits Her First Audition For SYTYCD AU Sucked.
In an interview in the Sunday Telegraph “The Bass” says her first audition for the Australian version of SYTYCD was not great.

In the interview she reveals:
Because she tried to emulate the style and brash attitude of the successful American version of the show, her first audition, by her own admission, “sucked”.
“I did a terrible audition. I walked away thinking: ‘I’m really bad at this. Even if they want me to do it, I don’t think I can.”’

But Channel 10 programming boss David Mott invited her back for a second audition – and Bassingthwaighte won the job.

Natalie had mixed reviews for her hosting style this year, but she did improve by the end of the season. Lets hope this continues into the next year.

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