If at first you don't suceed...
Besides The Logies, Australian Idol may well be the single most reliable source of pop culture tragedy in this country. And as if the pathetic ‘careers’ of some of the show’s graduates haven’t provided amusement enough, SonyBMG have packaged four of them as the ‘Young Divas’ with a concert tour and single release.
Paulini (Season One – recently released flop single ‘Rough Day’), Ricki-Lee (Season Two – was previously signed to indie label Shock records), Kate DeAraugo (Season Three’s dismal winner) and Emily Williams (Season Three runner-up – hasn’t even released a solo single!) have come together to rehash a camp classic, Donna Summer’s Stock Aiken Waterman penned 1989 hit ‘This Time I Know It’s For Real’.
Besides the fact that they’ve butchered one of my favourite songs, the stench of desperation is what really makes this a notable release. Does the title of the song intentionally refer to the failure of their previous projects?
Apparently the concert will feature the ‘divas’(a rather premature use of a title usually attributed to the likes of Aretha Franklin or Cher) performing “their biggest and best hits”. After that twenty minutes they’ll be “whipping the crowds into a frenzy together … with a hand picked selection of great songs”.
Fifty bucks for an evening of Karaoke? Sounds like fun.
Still at least Cosima Devito is nowhere to be seen. A friend of mine recently saw the Season One Idol finalist (she of the ‘throat nodules’) on a ‘red eye’ flight from Perth to Sydney (that’s the one that departs at 12am and arrives at 6am – usually the cheapest one). Clearly her life is no longer a smorgasbord of hair extensions and recording sessions with Diane Warren. I wonder if her parents, who took out a mortgage to finance her flop debut album, are homeless yet?
UPDATE: 'TTIKIFR' bowed at number 7 on the ARIA chart. Not bad, I suppose. Now let's see if it helps Punani's new single, slated for release this week...
posted by weasel at 9:32 PM
10 Comments:
We should totally go to this together.
You'd have to stop me from heckling though.
No chance I'd stop you heckling, but if I wangle some freebies I'll invite ya.
I've seen Punani perform twice (always for free, i swear) and she wore the same outfit both times... but she's thin now so I wonder if she bought something new or just got it taken in??
I can't get over the extremely heavy airbrushed highlight down Punani's hips.
Praise the Lord that Cosima isn't in it. We have to find ONE SMALL THING that is a positive in all of this. They probably asked her but she probably turned them down LOL. BTW Sony's reasoning for not signing Emily was, I heard, that they considered her to be a too similar act to Paulini...LOL. At least Emily would have moved some units post AI.
Cosima may not be one of the Young Divas, but she is touring, supporting Demis Roussos on his current Australian tour.
It must be an eyebrows thing.
Weasel, you shouldn't let your sentimentality for the original cloud your judgement of the cover! Having heard the cover first, then the Donna Summer original second, I have to admit that the Young Divas make the song a little more interesting! The recording is better, the vocals are better (please admit that Donna Summer's vocal was tweaked beyond recognition in the chorus of that recording, admit it, admit it!) and it's a little more energetic and less SA&W production line gruel! Let's face it, the original was not written with Donna Summer in mind (and neither was the cover of the accompanying album on which she tries to look Japanese..). Although it's a nice snapshot in time for her it won't ever be as great as the Giorgio Moroder stuff. I think it's a perfect choice for the group, and you'll note it has jumped to number 2?? (N.B. Do you honestly think this song was recorded with artistic integrity at the front of Sony's collective mind?)
N.B.2. Punani debuted at no.50. I think you only need to do a signing at one HMV store to reach that level of sales.
I don't know who you are timberley, but I'd read your blog if there was one. i heart you.
I just listened to a bit of the Punani single. Oh dear.
Methinks a Young Divas album may be in the offing.
"Why it is wrong to even tempt people to leave comments on anything to do with Australian Idol, an essay in 5000 words or more." Case closed.
I'm forced to admit that I've gotten into the cover now. I still prefer the original, but I always did love a SAW classic sung by a washed up bint. Her vocals are so effortless, and the drum machine and cheesy beats so irresistible.
As for Punani v Emily bedazzler, I think Emily's failure would be even greater. At least 'Angel Eyes' was a hit. It's not like anyone wnats to buy a fucking cover of 'I Will Always Love You'.
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