Music News - Idol Chatter
03 December 2003 - 0 Comments
Don't expect New Zealand Idol to necessarily follow the exact blueprint laid down by the American and Australian versions - it seems the New Zealand brand may be missing the ‘bad cop’ judge which has been a central strand to the Idol phenomenon elsewhere.
Melanya Burrows, Head of Publicity at South Pacific Pictures (home of Shortland Street and creators of the New Zealand version) says the company is not necessarily looking for the same judging combination set up in the US and Australia.
The goal, she says, is to find looking for three people who 'work well together.'
“I know people have been approached here to judge though and are reluctant because they don’t want to be stigmatised as the bad guy,” says BMG MD Mike Bradshaw, whose company will release the winner(s) music.
“I think the bad guy thing is great."
An announcement on the judging line-up will be made 'at TV2's discretion.' Auditions are due take place in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch in January.
NZ Idol age limit strikes sour note
Sherryl Lee of Masterton is 37 years, three weeks and two days old, a singer in demand around town - but according to New Zealand Idol criteria, she's musically over the hill.
The Idol television talent quest phenomenon which has swept the world is to be launched early next year in New Zealand.
Lee, who pumps petrol at a service station, busks, sings karaoke and has performed at the hot-air balloon fiesta in Wairarapa for the past three years, said she tuned into American Idol or Australian Idol and thought, "What a buzz, I could do that and I'm ready for the next step".
But to her disappointment she discovered she was too old. To qualify, singers must have been aged between 16 and 29 on November 24.
That struck a sour note with Lee, who said the earlier programmes emphasised that the voice and talent were what counted and she believed she had the X-factor.
"You can be an idol at any age if you've got that X-factor.
"How can there be an age limit? If you've got the talent, that's what matters because looks can be changed."
A spokeswoman for South Pacific Pictures said yesterday that the age limit for New Zealand Idol was consistent with the American and Australian programmes and had been extended two years to compensate for New Zealand's smaller population.
The company believed the age range for New Zealand Idol was very fair, particularly as the words "pop idol" generally conjured up an image of somebody "quite young".
Lee said she had no intention of being relegated to the musical scrapheap because of her age, and was certain her busking and other gigs would provide more opportunities.
The show first premiered as Pop Idol in Britain in October 2001 and since then 12 idols have been crowned in 10 countries.
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