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| Show 5 - November 22nd 2003 (Beatles Night) |
| With tonight being Pop Idol's 'Beatles Night' we knew we were guaranteed wall-to-wall quality songs. We also hoped for some quality performances and we weren't disappointed. |
| The only question mark hanging over tonight's show was the biggest one...who would be departing tonight? The finalists are so evenly matched now it's almost impossible to predict. Having been surprised so many times in recent weeks, we now expect to be surprised...and unsurprisingly we were! |
| Click on a links below to read more about the corresponding sections of tonight's show... |
| Tonight's show began, as usual, with a little look back at the high points of the finalists' week. The first of these was last Sunday: everybody was dressed up to celebrate birthday dinner with Ant , or so they thought. There was great excitement when they discovered they each had an invite to the Premiere and After-Show Party of the new brit film 'Love Actually' . Michelle pondered for a moment "Ant's birthday or Colin Firth...hmmmm?", and she drifted off to her land of dreams. It wasn't long however before those dreams became a reality. |
| A few glasses of champers and a limousine ride later the heady hopefuls came face to face with their movie idols. Leading man and would-be prime minister Hugh Grant popped over to say "Hi guys". However Michelle's leading man was yet to introduce himself. "Nice to meet you, Hi..." said Mr Colin (Darcy) Firth as he greeted Michelle with a twinkle in his eye. Jane Austen couldn't have penned it any better than this. There they stood for a fleeting moment hand-in-hand, and this wasn't Colin Firth the cardboard cutout, but the real life version of the man she does love...actually! The whole group were grinning ear to ear as they said hello to Colin, and none more than Michelle! |
| To top off a week of glamour each of the contestants had a photoshoot this week and before each of tonight's performances we were given a glimpse of their snappy-happy action. |
| Sam was dressed casually, but his performance was by no means a casual one. He gave a confident and intense rendition and was brimming with stage presence. |
| Sam seemed very much 'in the moment' - Was Sam the man of the moment in the eyes of the Pop Idol panel? |
| Foxy: Sam, do you know I'm glad this week has happened for you because singing the pop songs in a way doesn't suit you because in an earlier heat I think Simon said 'you're a little rocker trying to get out.' And you didn't sing that like The Beatles would have sung it, you sang it like Joe Cocker sang it and there's a real gravel in your voice and your confidence is growing and...bloody aweseome! |
| Nicki: I think last week Sam, last week you really shone and erm, y'know we're all very interested in you because it was the judges choice that you came back into the competition and the way you performed tonight I think we were absolutely right to bring you back...that was fantastic once again. |
| Pete: Sam where are you from? |
| Pete: Barnsely 'n' it...not far from Sheffield, Joe Cocker was from Sheffield...you have that sort of voice....you did pull it off mate, well done! |
| Simon: Erm, I remember saying a couple of weeks ago Sam, whatever it was, once you find that one killer song you're gonna really stamp your identity on the competition, which you did tonight. I would say this is the first time I've actually seen you since we've gone into this section, where you've gone out there actually believing you can win competition. It was fantastic! |
| Ant: Aw, what a fantabulous start to the show then! Great comments from the judges. |
| Sam: Yeah, it is...that's amazing...when Simon...I've always remembered that when Simon said 'you need to pick a song that you're gonna relate with' and from that week I knew I wanted to do this because I thought 'this is my style'. We all need to pick an identity for ourselves now and that's me that...what I did there is me, my style and it's what I wanted. |
| Ant: So it's even more pleasing that the judges recognised that...and you know.... |
| Sam: Yeah ...because me...that is me and how I sing and write or perform...so...to be just be doing a Beatles song, because I am a really big Beatles fan. |
| Ant: You are... and got the watch! |
| Ant: Beatles watch on there...you are probably the biggest fan out of all of them. |
| Sam: Probably yeah...yeah and it's just amazing to be performing one of their songs on this stage live, it's just...it's incredible. |
| Dec: Well you did it very, very well. Well done for the moment. Ladies and Gentlemen that's Sam! |
| After a rocky few weeks Susanne knew she needed a song that would suit her style as much as her new straight-look hairstyle suited her face. |
| Happily for Susie 'Ticket To Ride' saw her riding high once more. |
| Susanne's strong performance impressed Nicki, Pete and Foxy but didn't quite hit the spot for Simon. |
| Nicki: Interesting week for you this week, because the last few haven't been that great, and I think erm, last week's result was a bit of a shock, you know so close to leaving. I think we've seen Susanne come back into this competition, it's a difficult song to sing, you did make it your own. You've got a unique style of performing and I think you managed to deliver that again for us tonight, so back where you should be Susanne. |
| Pete: You know, anybody my age...The Beatles are gods to us...and I'm glad to see that somebody picked one tune from when they wrote great pop songs. And I actually think you did an amazing version of that and you put your own interpretation on it and I think you did very well!! |
| Susanne: Thank you. Thanks Pete. |
| Foxy: Susanne, you had, to be fair, had sort of three quite duff weeks when we'd all been saying 'god please be good' because we all thought you were brilliant. And when we first saw you we saw such potential and I think finally it's back. And I really hope you stay in tonight. I hope people pick up the phone and vote because you're very good. |
| Susanne: Thank you. Thank you. |
| Simon: That was risky. Erm, I think Susanne, compared to Sam you've kind of gone backwards where he's gone forwards. And I said to Pete when you were singing this is make or break week for you. I just have a worry that that may just have been a little bit too quirky for the audience at home. |
| Susanne: Okay, that's fine, thank you Simon. |
| Susanne: I'm good, I'm good. |
| Susanne: I enjoyed that... |
| Susanne: ...I really did. |
| Dec: I don't think it was 'too quirky' for the audience here was it? (Audiense chants 'no') |
| Ant: I'm going to pick up on something Nicki said. 'Back where you belong' this week, you know 3 out of 4 judges there really enjoyed your performance there tonight. Is that how you feel as well? Do you feel the last couple of weeks you... |
| Susanne: ...Yeah, yeah, they've been hard and I would be lying if I said they haven't...almost completely shattered my confidence so... |
| Susanne:...It's such a wicked song...I mean The Beatles...I was trying to pick a song and I was just like: 'That one's good, that one's good, I like that one, I like that one... |
| Ant: That one, that one... |
| Susanne: ...exactly. So I don't really think you can go to far wrong with such a brilliant band. It was such a privilege to come out here and sing. It was really wicked. |
| Ant: And you did it very, very well. Ladies and Gentlemen, Susanne! |
| This week it was a trendy and bespectacled Chris who took the stage. Chris looked good and he sounded 'really' good. This was probably the most vocally controlled performance that Chris has given in this competition and he really did bring out the emotion and the tenderness of the song. |
| After shaky reception last week, Chris faced the panel again with a heart full of hope... |
| Pete: Right, well in my lounge I have the piano that that was played on and I love that piano, I love that song. I thought the start was a brave...because of course you have to pitch without anything to pitch to. You struggled for the first 3 bars but after I thought you were magnificent, well done! |
| Foxy: Er, Chris, I know you've got a bit of an eye infection, that's why you're wearing glasses. I think the glasses suit you and you should not worry about wearing them because they suit you and there are some lovely glasses out there. So don't worry about that...I think I'm part of (why you) changed them before but don't worry. I think you are a natural singer but you're an unnatural performer for me... |
| Foxy: ...and that makes me kind of go 'Oh I'm not sure if he's a pop idol at all.'. |
| Chris: Okay. (Groan of sympathy from the audience). |
| Nicki: Chris I think this is your best week so far. |
| Chris: Thank you very much. |
| Nicki: Out of the whole competition I think this was the best I've ever heard you sing (cheers)...and I'm going to remember this performance...I'll definitely remember it. |
| Simon: Sorry...er, Chris, er I did give you a hard time last week and I think it was justified. I have to say this week I thought you were fantastic! (cheers) Great...well done. |
| Dec: Slightly emotional after that? |
| Dec: 'Cos you did get a bit of a hard time last week didn't you? |
| Chris: (filling up) Yeah, I know I haven't (holding back the emotion) ...oooohhhh! (Audience cheers Chris)...I know I haven't given my...done my best before and I really wanted (emotional) to do this one well. |
| Ant: Well you did...fantastic comments...the audience loved it, well done mate! |
| Chris: Yeah, I'm really happy. |
| Dec: Alright...thanks very much, we'll let you go...Ladies and Gentlemen Chris! |
| This was a curious choice of song for Roxanne, it has a reflective lyric that we don't naturally associate with someone her age. After Roxanne's performance last week Pete Waterman sounded a note of caution, he told her the key she chose for her song was too low. Despite this Roxanne did choose a low key for her renditon of 'Let It Be' tonight. However she still sang it well and as usual gave it a very competent treatment. |
| She really looks the part and is very comfortable with herself on stage. How comfortable would the judges be about her overall performance tonight?... |
| Foxy: Roxanne, I was in a cab on Thurday night...the taxi driver's a bloke called Bob, and we were discussing Pop Idol and he goes 'you know who should win Foxy...It's got to be Roxanne'. So I go 'why?' and he goes 'because she's beautiful, she's talented, she can perform a song and she's got the x-factor.' Now bizarrely that may go against you, because I think people kind of go 'well we've got lots of popstars like that'. I hope they pick up the phone, because I completely agree with him. I thought that was great! |
| Nicki: I wasn't quite sure where that story was going, but it came out good in the end anyway. (laughter) |
| Foxy: Thanks for your confidence there! |
| Nicki: No, I agree with Foxy, some of the low notes just sound a little bit uncomfortable but I think you've got so much more to give. |
| I think we've got better things to come from you if you stay in this competition, because you've got fantastic potential. Well done! |
| Pete: I think that you know...these songs are difficult to sing and I think you struggled a little with that, because it's a man's song, you know that makes it difficult. It's also a performance song, not particularly (a) melodic song. I don't think that's gonna hurt you, but I don't think that's one of your better weeks. |
| Simon: Erm, I sort of agree with Pete a little bit Roxanne. I mean I love the song, I think it's probably the best Beatles song of the lot. Erm, but ...I wasn't blown away, I wasn't. Erm we've heard better tonight unfortunately. |
| Roxanne: I'm alright yeah. |
| Dec: Sounded really good over here. I mean I think everybody here in the studio enjoyed it as well. (cheers) |
| Ant: Are you a bit down after the judges comments? |
| Roxanne: Yeah...you are though, I mean you just...you're on stage trying to perform well and then it's hard when you know you're told 'not very good' or they don't like it so...oh well. |
| Dec: Don't worry too much, as ever everybody at home has got to decide what happens tonight okay? |
| Roxanne: (agreeing) mm hmm. |
| Dec: For the moment then everybody it's Roxanne! |
| Dressed in a fetching blue-green chiffon top, Michelle offered another confident performance tonight. Uncharacteristically she began the song sounding slightly off key but she quickly recovered and got into her groove. By the end of the song she had set the place alight with some superb vocal improvisations. |
| Nicki, Foxy and Simon all enjoyed Michelle's rendition of The Beatles classic 'Hey Jude', however Pete's reaction was negative and pretty scathing actually. |
| Nicki: Hi Michelle. Michelle I'm going to start on a negative, but hopefully finish on a poitive. Erm, beginning of that song, I don't...it just didn't work for me, I don't know whether it was the key or what was wrong, it just didn't work. You then got into the ad libs near the end and it was the 'true Michelle'. They were fantastic and that's what I love to hear you sing. (cheers) Fifty-fifty. |
| Pete: (looking quite upset) I'll keep it brief. Not for me at all thank you. |
| Foxy: Quite a good week, toenails painted ...and you met Mr Darcy and it's going well so far. One of the greatest melodies of all time you've sang. I agree with Nicky, not great to start with, but I thought the end...it was stomping. |
| Simon: Erm, I'm going to echo, what Foxy and Nicki said, ignore Mr Grumpy on my right! (Pete W). I...you know, Michelle...you know, because everyone keeps saying to me 'oohh you really like this girl Michelle, why?'. The reason I like you is that I wanted this year, this competition, to produce somebody different. Because I am so bored of the same look over and over again...and you are not only a breath of fresh air to the competition, you're just a breath of fresh air to the pop music business at the moment, so good on you! |
| Dec: Well look at that, 3 out of 4 ain't bad. |
| Michelle: It's better than I thought! |
| Ant: ...I tell you what, I'm getting worried about Simon. You want to start checking the bushes outside your house. (laughter). There's a bit of a stalker going on there at the moment. |
| Michelle: I think I'll cope! |
| Dec: What will Mr Darcy say? |
| Michelle: Oooohhh! Colin Firth! |
| Dec: Because he's in your house as well. |
| Michelle: What do you mean Dec? |
| Dec: I mean the cardboard cutout that you bought off the internet. |
| (Michelle looks genuinely embarrassed!) |
| Michelle: ...(embarrased) I've got a cardboard cutout of Colin Firth! |
| Ant: Well at last you got to meet the real thing though anyway. |
| Michelle: Well you know...let's move on! |
| Dec: Well well done tonight... |
| Dec: Great reaction, the crowd loved it...Let's hear, Ladies and Gentlemen...Michelle! |
| Leather clad Mark bounced on the stage with an upbeat rendition of Help! He elected not to sing a ballad this week, and as a consequence the song he chose may have seemed a bit lightweight when stacked up against the other Beatles classics that were performed tonight. |
| Nevertheless Mark received very positive comments from Pete, Foxy and Nicki. Simon however seemed a little less than impressed... |
| Pete: At the risk of sounding 56, "they don't write songs like that any more". Well done Mark! You know one of the problems is I think those songs are so stylised. Erm I don't expect anybody to sing songs like 'The Beatles'...you did well kid. |
| Mark: Cheers, thanks a lot. |
| Foxy: I'd have to say it was great fun, good telly, everyone singing along around the country I'm sure but it was a bit caberet that performance for me...Whereas Sam and Susanne manage to do their own style I thought that was sort of a bit of a good Karaoke. |
| Nicki: Well Mark, like the England Rugby team, a great ending to a great show. |
| Simon: Sorry I think the title said it all (groans) not good enough Mark, absolutely nowhere near good enough. |
| Mark: Okay...that's alright, that's alright...bless ya! |
| Mark: I knew he was gonna get the title of the song in! |
| Dec: Yeah...(laughs) It was always the risk of singing that song wasn't it. A mixed reaction there! |
| Dec: How do you feel it went? |
| Mark: I thought it sounded really good. Personally. |
| Mark: ...I'm my own worst critic so.... |
| Dec: It must have been so difficult to choose a Beatles song. ? I mean every.... |
| Ant: Did you go, I wanna sing that, I'd like to sing that etc. |
| Mark: ...no, because they've got so many good ones. So you just went 'yea, yea'. |
| Ant: How do you...I'd like to sing that, I wouldn't like to sing that, I wouldn't mind singing that, I..... |
| Mark: ...I didn't want to sing a ballad...oh god my lips are dry! |
| Ant: You're free to like them there's no problem.. |
| Mark: No I didn't want to sing a ballad, I wanted to do an uptempo song. Where all the crowd are doing...hopefully all the audience enjoy yourself...It was a pleasure. |
| Mark: Not as big as Sam...I'm up there. |
| Ant: Because he's got a watch and everything. |
| Mark: I've just got the pointy shoes! |
| Ant: Well well done tonight....so at the moment everybody, Mark Ladies and Gentlemen. |
| Last week as we waited for Ant to Dec to announce the results of the voting we were treated to singing from USA Pop Idol 1 number 1 Kelly Clarkson. This week it was the turn of our very own Pop Idol Winner, Will Young, to provide the results show entertainment. Will sang 'Leave Right Now', his new single release which is due out on Monday. It's a song that makes the best use of his incredible voice and we believe this one will be a hit! |
| Next the panel announced their predictions for who would be leaving tonight, and they were unanimous, 'Mark' would go...but happily for Mark they were unanimously wrong! He was declared 'safe' just a few minutes later. |
| This week Ant and Dec announced the fate of the contestants in a slightly different fashion than of late. They first spoke to each contestant in turn, and gave them a summary of the panel's remarks. Only after they had completed this round-robin did they see fit to announce who was safe and who was not. It was all very exciting as we had already been told that only a few percent separated the bottom 3 in the competition! |
| After four of the contestants had been declared 'safe' we knew that another expulsion shock was on the cards, the unsafe 2 were Roxanne and Susanne. Afer a long pause, the bad news came for Roxanne, she would be the latest finalist to leave the show. |
| Roxanne looked sad but retained her composure and went on to thank the production team, the pubic and her fellow contestants for contributing to her great Pop Idol exeperience. So for now at least, it's a fond farewell to the very talented Roxy. Let's hope it's not too long before she is sparkling on our TV screens again! |
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