Andrew Lloyd Webber is looking for Dorothy

It would appear that Andrew Lloyd Webber IS going to press ahead with his Wizard Of Oz show, despite initially changing his mind (a few times) due to commitments with ‘Love Never Dies’.

Very bad decision in my opinion and, despite my enormous adulation for musical theatre, I really think this will be a turkey. We already have Wicked in the West End, so why would we need The Wizard of Oz?!

The talent search doesn’t even have an imaginative show name FFS!

Additionally, isn’t it about time we looked for more male leads as we’ve already done ladies twice before now? I would presume that the token lad (and hopefully not yet another stage school brat child)  is going to be the person they get to play Toto? (WTF is that all about – really, Toto, a singing dog?! *sigh!!*)

No doubt the show will be even more packed with gay innuendo (and not just from Graham Norton!)… they’ve clearly just gone, oooh ‘Nancy’ got a few laughs, let’s go the whole hog.

He should stick to what he knows best, his OWN musicals – many of which I’d love to see come back, not least Jesus Christ Superstar (especially with one of the more well known Jesus’ -  Glenn Carter – currently in Jersey Boys, the West End would really benefit), Aspects of Love or a proper production of  Sunset Boulevard (casting for Norma Desmond or Joe Gillis would be awesome!).

Boo.

Lord Lloyd-Webber to find Dorothy

Lord Lloyd-Webber’s latest Saturday night talent show will search for a girl to play Dorothy and a dog to play Toto in The Wizard Of Oz, the BBC says.

Winners of the programme will star in a West End production of the musical.

It follows BBC One’s I’d Do Anything, Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? which also found musical stars.

The new programme, also called The Wizard Of Oz, will again be presented by Graham Norton.

Lord Lloyd-Webber, 61, said the previous talent shows he had made with the BBC had “provided an incredible shot in the arm for musical theatre in Britain”.

I can’t wait to work with the BBC again in the hunt for Dorothy – an iconic role of course made famous by a young Judy Garland in the film in 1939,” he added.

“But, as a cat man myself, however, I approach casting Toto with considerable trepidation.”

The search for Dorothy will begin with auditions across the UK in early 2010 with the programme airing later in the year.

Lord Lloyd-Webber’s fellow judges have yet to be announced.

X-Factor Audition Process 2009

For my main posts on X-Factor 2009, please click HERE.

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I’ve just come across this somewhat scathing article on the X-Factor audition process for 2009 and thought that I’d share.

I think that this is what we’ve all known for years, but even still, it does turn me off this new format quite a bit (and, as regular readers will know,  I was hardly encouraged by it to start with!).

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What happens at an X Factor audition?

by Genevieve Hassan
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

It’s 6.30am and I’m standing outside London’s O2 Arena with a big crowd of people. No, I’m not queuing up to get concert tickets – I’m lining up to audition for the X Factor.

I’d received an audition letter, which sternly informed me that anyone who arrived after 9am would not be seen, so I thought getting there bright and early would see me done by 1pm at the latest.

How wrong was I? A theme park-style snaking queue had already formed and I was seemingly at the back of it.

But everyone kept shuffling forward in stops and starts, eager to get that little bit closer to the door, so while we were moving I took the opportunity to check out my competition.

There were all the usual suspects – the flamboyant cross-dresser; the two women in their wedding dresses; and the man with a plastic chicken on his head.

I befriended the girl standing next to me, 23-year-old Kenny from London, who had brought her husband along for support.

She had never auditioned before, but her husband had filled out the application form, so thought she’d have a go.

Cunningly (or so I thought) I had brought a portable chair and Harry Potter book with me to pass the time. It drew some curious looks at first – but I was vindicated two hours later, when people’s feet began to ache and those looks of pity turned to envy.

Finally, 9am came and a warm-up man came out to greet the excited crowd.

We were told to shuffle forward again so that, instead of standing in the rather polite two-by-two line we had formed, we lost any semblance of personal space whatsoever.

The reason for this eventually became clear: We would be filmed by overhead cameras whilst we waved our hands, bounced up and down, screamed and raised our arms above our heads in a cross whilst shouting: “I have the X Factor!”

We did this for an hour until host Dermot O’Leary appeared and recorded some links to camera, followed by more cheering. This lasted another long, tiring sixty minutes and the gathered throng were now becoming bored and tetchy.

At 11am, we were finally allowed to enter the O2 Arena, but auditions were not to begin until everyone was seated. It sounded reasonable enough but, with 10,000 people to process, we weren’t all in place until 12.15pm. At which point Dermot filmed yet more links and the crowd were made to repeat everything that had just happened outside.

Unbelievably, production staff went around handing out hand-made posters for people to hold up saying things like “I have the X Factor”, “I love you Cheryl” and “Pick me Simon!”. I had always thought they were lovingly made at home…

Once again we were made to stand up, sit down, scream, wave our hands and dance. When the auditionees began to revolt (there was audible moaning and complaining) a member of the production team took out a loud hailer and told us off.

If we didn’t want to participate “then you shouldn’t be here”. One guy was singled out and made an example of. He got up and left.

Nearly seven hours after I arrived, the auditions finally began in little makeshift booths in the middle of the arena floor.

No TV judges here – we were told we’d be singing to a member of the production team. If successful, we’d receive a golden ticket, allowing us to return and sing to a more senior production member.

If that went well, we’d get to sing for Simon and, presuming we made a big enough impression (good or bad) the footage might eventually end up on TV.

Having the auditions in the open meant that everyone could see – and hear – everyone else’s performance.

There was a strange, hushed silence at first as people listened in, followed by gasps at certain show-stopping performances and cheers as people ran out waving their golden tickets.

The same songs could be heard over and over – And I’m Telling You from Dreamgirls, Bill Wither’s Lean on Me and various Alicia Keys tunes.

In the booth, someone sang a pretty off-key version of I Will Survive, yet unbelievably (or perhaps predictably) he was given a pass to the next round.

Undoubtedly he was entertaining and would make good TV, but I couldn’t help thinking that, if the TV judges told him the truth, he would be mystified as to why he had been through so many gruelling rounds of auditions.

Finally, it was my turn. I was greeted by a girl who looked like she was in her mid-20s and after a few pleasantries (no chance to give my life story or find out why I wanted to win) I sang a verse and chorus of Sam Brown’s 1989 hit Stop.

“Thank you, but I’m afraid this time it’s a ‘no,’” she said.

“Okay, can I ask why?” I replied.

“Sorry, we don’t give feedback.”

And that was it. After 11 hours wait, it was all over in a minute.

I’m no Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey, but I can hold a tune, so I thought I had a chance of passing the first round at least. I guess I should just be happy I wasn’t bad enough to be humiliated on national TV…

As I was leaving the O2, Kenny caught up with me to find out how I got on.

She hadn’t made it through either, but I was surprised when she told me: “Next year I’m coming back and I’m going to be better prepared.”

Given the day I’d just had, I’ll think I’ll pass.

Gay sex ‘not criminal’ in India

A bit of good news has been reported for gay rights in India this morning via the BBC News website.

‘Hurrah’ is my initial reaction, though I would think that this is not really going to change the opinion of the general populus, and of course there would be concerns about a public backlash… only time will tell how this all pans out I guess. But even still, historic ruling and kudos to the people in the High Court in Dehli for having the balls to make it!

A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has ruled that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults is not a criminal act.

The ruling overturns a 148-year-old colonial law which describes a same-sex relationship as an “unnatural offence”.

Homosexual acts were punishable by a 10-year prison sentence.

Many people in India regard same-sex relationships as illegitimate. Rights groups have long argued that the law contravened human rights.

Delhi’s High Court ruled that the law outlawing homosexual acts was discriminatory and a “violation of fundamental rights”.

The court said that a statute in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which defines homosexual acts as “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and made them illegal, was an “antithesis of the right to equality”.

‘India’s Stonewall’

The ruling is historic in a country where homosexuals face discrimination and persecution on a daily basis but it is likely to be challenged, says the BBC’s Soutik Biswas in Delhi.

It also promises to change the discourse on sexuality in a largely conservative country, where even talking about sex is largely a taboo, our correspondent says.

Gay rights activists all over the country welcomed the ruling and said it was “India’s Stonewall”.

New York’s Stonewall riot in 1969 is credited with launching the gay rights movement.

“It [the ruling] is India’s Stonewall. We are elated. I think what now happens is that a lot of our fundamental rights and civic rights which were denied to us can now be reclaimed by us,” activist and lawyer Aditya Bandopadhyay told the BBC.

“It is a fabulously written judgement, and it restores our faith in the judiciary,” he said.

But the decision was greeted with unease by other groups.

Father Dominic Emanuel of India’s Catholic Bishop Council said the church did not “approve” of homosexual behaviour.

“Our stand has always been very clear. The church has no serious objection to decriminalising homosexuality between consenting adults, the church has never considered homosexuals as criminals,” said Father Emanuel.

“But the church does not approve of this behaviour. It doesn’t consider it natural, ethical, or moral,” he said.

In 2004, the Indian government opposed a legal petition that sought to legalise homosexuality – a petition the high court in Delhi dismissed.

But rights groups and the Indian government’s HIV/Aids control body have demanded that homosexuality be legalised.

The National Aids Control Organisation (Naco) has said that infected people were being driven underground and efforts to curb the virus were being hampered.

According to one estimate, more than 8% of homosexual men in India were infected with HIV, compared to fewer than 1% in the general population.

A *possible* Doctor Who movie?

The following was posted on twitter this lunch time…

BBC Films have confirmed a Dr Who film script is in development. But IF it does go into full production that’s likely to be some time away.

So, to be clear, it’s not guaranteed a Dr Who movie will be made. All BBC Films are doing is developing a script, before making a decision

Posts were made by Lizo Mzimba (he of Newsround, and now BBC News fame).

If these initial exploratory probes into the viability of a Who movie were to prove fruitful, then this could potentially be VERY exciting!

Hurrah, and here’s hoping!

Zavvi Goes Into Administration.

So, Zavvi have also gone to the administrators : BBC NEWS

• For FAQ’s regarding the administration, including what to do if you have Gift Vouchers (you can no longer redeem them for goods or services) or wish to return/exchange items going forward – CLICK HERE for the administration notice on Zavvi’s website.
• What does putting a company into ”administration” mean? BBC Article.

Personally, I find that quite surprising/a shock, mostly because I think that it shows a prime example of creditors bankrupting companies.

In this case, EntertainmentUK/the Administrators had no choice but to demand payment for the £106 million to cover the stock already in Zavvi, and so of course they couldn’t pay it (they were still struggling to make a reasonable profit as it was!) and have had to go into administration. This could have happened as quickly as an invoice landing on their Accounts Payable clerk’s desk, and a frantic meeting with the board before deciding that they needed to call in the administrators, though in reality was probably known for a few days and with talks between Zavvi and EUK’s administrators (as they won’t have wanted to force Zavvi into problems either!).

Yes, everyone knew that EUK was going to go under – it’s been drawn out for long enough – however I don’t think anyone expected it to have this big an impact. The precedent is also quite worrying… especially for Zavvi’s creditors and those to whom had business agreements/dealings with Zavvi!

In hindsight, even if Zavvi had been able to pay the £106 million, would they have been able to find a new distributor to keep the stock on their shelves…? That in itself is unlikely, and so perhaps the writing has been on the wall for some time for Zavvi… it’ll be interesting to see how it all gets disected in the coming weeks.

On a wider note, companies are very cash rich just after Christmas and aren’t holding much stock – therefore, I think we will see a lot of companies toppled by their creditors as those creditors will want to do this kind of thing when assets are already liquid as opposed to tied-up in stock (which is why Woolies are having to take their time over closing and brand it as a “sale”).

Once again, we’re back to this idea of “doubt”… if a company doubts that another is creditworthy and demands all outstanding payments are made, chances are that the company is going to struggle. What started with the banks being ’silly’ has now turned into a serious problem hitting the high-street and people’s lives in a more direct way - and of course the Government will not underwrite shops as it does banks!!

Virgin Megastores / Zavvi was a failing brand, no doubt about it, however I’m surprised that the competition commission haven’t had much to say about this yet as it leaves HMV as a pretty monopolistic high street leader in the personal entertainment retail sector.

An alarming total of 3 brand-name administrations have been announced in the last 24 hours… right before Christmas… January is predicted to be a lot worse (

All I want for Christmas is yoooooooou!

Cor Blimey!

I think that I’ve just seen what I’d like for Christmas this year – so cute!!!!

BBC NEWS | UK | Zoo celebrates new pygmy hippo – BBC have video footage via this link as well as the usual full story.

Marwell Zoo are asking people to vote for their favourite name – I went for ‘Lola’ – well, she does look like a bit of a show-girl!

BBC NEWS | UK | Whose hand is on the button?

BBC NEWS | UK | Whose hand is on the button?

Rather interesting news item by the BBC – may be worth a listen!

The Human Button is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 on Tuesday 2 December and again on Sunday 7 December at 17:00.

Banksy hits New York

Just came across this article posted on BBC News and was pleased to see that they included a video clip of the exhibition too.   (BBC NEWS article)

Little unsure of how Banksy would hold a major exhibition without being seen by anyone… but I guess that’s all part of the charm of his work and the artist himself.

Cracking exhibition which I really enjoyed watching the video for.

Below is the article from The Independant which goes into a bit more detail and explains a little more of the thought behind it – again, a really enjoyable read – and comes complete with pictures!

Banksy becomes a pet shop boy in New York

Artist’s 7th Avenue ’shop’ installation has customers and art world surprised

For days, New Yorkers had walked past workmen installing a pet shop. Spotting what appeared to be a leopard and monkey through the window on 7th Avenue, a few had even marched in to complain about the small space in which the wild animals were confined. But yesterday, The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill was revealed to be the latest work by the street artist Banksy, complete with convincingly real “animatronic” creatures that moved around the store to beguile onlookers.

The pet shop is open for business every day until midnight until 31 October and although people cannot buy its contents, they can walk in and view the “exhibition”, Banksy’s first in New York.

Artworks inside include two fish fingers floating in a fish bowl, robotic rabbits wearing pearl necklaces, a couple of chicken nuggets which appear to be sipping ketchup, hot dogs writhing underneath heat lamps and a CCTV camera nurturing its young. A middle-aged man in overalls, employed by Banksy, dragged an “Open for Business” sign on to the pavement yesterday to mark its opening.

The street artist from Bristol offered a written explanation for the installation. He said: “New Yorkers don’t care about art, they care about pets. So I’m exhibiting them instead.”

He added that there was a serious, philosophical aspect to the work, saying: “I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing.”

For fans of his work, the sudden emergence of the guerrilla artwork was a characteristic move. There was no opening party, no guest-list and no complimentary drinks. The shop had taken him four weeks to refit a store that had sold trinkets. Before it was outed as an artwork by The New York Times, it had attracted genuine customers last weekend, who were sent away by workmen who claimed the shop was not quite ready for business.

It is the latest in a string of cultural hijackings that have seen Banksy travel the world installing fake museum exhibits, and statues. What appeared to be most extraordinary for New Yorkers yesterday was that the pet shop appeared to be a fully functioning retail outlet that boasted a menagerie of lifelike models of exotic creatures and several endangered species of wild birds.

There had been hints that Banksy was in town, days before the pet shop appeared, with a series of giant rat paintings appearing across lower Manhattan during the past seven days.

Banksy defended the pet show exhibition even though it contained no graffiti by saying: “If it’s art and you can see it from the street, I guess it could still be considered street art.”

The exhibition is clearly visible day and night through the large shop frontage and has caused scenes of congestion and concern amongst local residents. Banksy said: “There have been complaints from people who are unhappy about being on their way to work and seeing two hot dogs performing a sex act. But it’s no more unnatural than the process behind making a sausage in the first place.”

U.S. debt clock runs out of digits

BBC NEWS | Business | US debt clock runs out of digits

I must say, I saw this on the BBC News website this morning, and it did make me chortle some what.

Even in the current financial crisis, there’s still a glimmer of humour to be had.

It feels rather surreal however to be giggling at the idea of the USA taking on much more debt than was ever envisaged… especially when one wonders which countries/institutions can afford to be lending the US Government $11 trillion as debts. Surely they’ll never realistically see it back?!

Large Hadron Collider forced to halt

Latest News on CERN’s LHC :

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Hadron Collider forced to halt

Hopefully this won’t prove *too* problematic as, given the cracking start things got off to earlier in the month, it would be fantastic to see that success continued throughout the project.

Although they may not be able to begin smashing particles next week, given as how they were initially scheduled to be doing this in Mid-October, I don’t think that we can complain too much D

UPDATE: LHC out of action for ‘at least two months’