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Latest news - Fame The Musical
Ben & Jessica win Fame The Musical
Thousands applied, 50 enrolled in Fame School and 12 made it to the Helix. After 10 weeks our search for Nick & Serena came to an end on Sunday night when Ben Morris and Jessica Cervi were crowned the winners.
After the emotional rollercoaster that was the semi-final, Ben, Sarah, Sean & Jessica took to the stage for one last time on Sunday and they were joined by some very special guests. The night kicked off with the reappearance of an old friend; Jacinta Whyte. She was back to join Simon, Erica and Robert on the judging panel.
The finalists were tasked with singing their favourite song of the series and singing a celeb duet. Sarah chose to sing Don’t Rain On My Parade from Funny Girl and the judges said she had become a leading lady during this process. Ben sang his version of Cry Me A River, and once again Erica was on hand to deliver some refreshing insight, proclaiming he had become a master of his instrument. For some reason the Helix erupted...
Sean sang his beautiful version of Fight For This Love and the judges told him he had grown a lot throughout the series. Finally, Jessica closed the main show with the Etta James classic, At Last. Once again, the judges were blown away by her.
As well as singing their favourite songs, the finalists sang duets with West End stars Susan McFadden and Noel Sullivan. The night marked Susan’s return to the Helix after nearly 8 years, having previously sang as a contestant on RTÉ’s You’re A Star. She sang the Charlie Chaplin song Smile with Sean and the Lion King hit Can You Feel the Love Tonight with Ben. Noel, the current star of Grease in the West End sang You’re The One That I Want with Jessica and Suddenly Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors with Sarah.
Our results show kicked off with the 8 previously eliminated finalists returning for one final group number. Singing Don’t Stop Believin’ they stormed the stage and then led into a very special version of Time Of My Life from the movie Dirty Dancing.
The announcement came toward the end of the results show, and after nearly 2 hours of voting, the public crowned Ben & Jessica the champions. Sean & Sarah were both obviously sad but took it like pros and the judges all said it wouldn’t be the last we’d be hearing from both of them.
Ben & Jessica will be appearing on stage very soon in the touring show Fame The Musical which launches in Grand Canal Theatre on August 20th.
Our Semi final double elimination - End of this road for Roisin and Michael
How did we get here so fast? It feels like just last week that Drew left and now we have come full circle and are approaching our final this Sunday!! For our seventh live show the contestants had free rein to choose songs they felt best showcased their vocal talent. However they were not left to go it alone completely. We saw behind the scenes footage of Erica working with each boy and girl individually helping them to connect more personally with the lyrics. With only 6 left in the competition the emotions were running high and the pressure was on. All of our contestants rose to this challenge and put on a fantastic show. The opinions of the Judges were split and in the end the voting public made the ultimate decision. Erica felt Ben had a rocky start but yet Robert was impressed by his technical ability and added that “many have the dream but few have the talent” and that Ben was one of the talented few. All three Judges felt that Roisin performed her vocal beautifully but that she did not connect with the song. Performing ‘Come what May’ Simon was initially worried for Michael as he opened his song but felt he really nailed it by the end. Robert was disappointed with his rendition and urged the public to vote based on previous weeks and not his performance on Sunday. Agreeing for the first time ever Robert and Simon loved Sarah’s ‘Memory’ and Robert stated that she could be one of the country’s brightest musical theatre stars. Erica was “stunned” by Jessica’s performance and once again commended her on her strength and power and stage presence. Echoing this opinion Simon said it was “sensational”. Our last performance of the evening was Sean’s ‘This is The Moment’. All three Judges agreed that this was a perfectly chosen song and Robert felt it was an “extremely secure, beautifully delivered version”. There was no sing off in this show and the male and female with the lowest votes had to end their journey there and then. This was our toughest results show yet as the Judges could not save anyone. The girls were up first and we could see the fear in their faces. Sarah’s name was called out first and we were left with Jessica and Roisin. As Jessica’s name was called out next we saw her break down. Roisin was gracious in defeat and expressed her gratitude to her family for all their help in this process. The boys were out next and we could see the emotions even before the results were revealed. Ben was the first name through to next week. Then it was down to Michael and Sean. The moment of truth came and Sean was saved. Michael was visibly upset yet regained his composure in time to also thank his family for all their support over the last 7 weeks.
In the Final of ‘Fame The Musical’ we have Sarah O’Connor, Jessica Cervi, Ben Morris and Sean Carey. Two of these talented performers will go on to become Nick and Serena in the touring production and next week. We cannot wait!!!!
Lurgan's Conleth Leaves Fame The Musical after our 6th Live Show
Our 6th live show gave our Judges a chance to test the finalist’s diversity and range as performers. ‘Judges Choice’ challenged our finalists to do something that they haven done before or show us a progression in an area in which they have not proven themselves. With our semi finals just around the corner a place in the final is there for the taking.........
Sean’s challenge was to move beyond ‘raw talent’ into the professional realm and in order to do so he was asked to perform ‘Footloose’, the all singing all dancing classic. Simon confessed that he is a man who has brought choreographers to tears over the years and he was impressed with Sean’s performance. Erica and Robert also enjoyed it yet Robert still felt it was still just a “really good amateur performance”. Sean remained upbeat however and quoting another classic song he told us he is having ‘The time of my life’.
Ben was asked to perform ‘Home’ from The Wiz to demonstrate an ability to show a genuine connection with the lyrics and to really embody the song whose subject matter as we all know is close to his heart. He gave a “top class” performance according to Simon and Erica told Ben that his performance gave her chills. He also impressed Robert C Kelly who deemed it a “fantastic rendition”.
Over the past weeks the judges have been concerned with Roisin’s pitching so they wanted to hear a more rounded sound and see if she can play a love interest – something that the role of Serena would require. Usually a critic Robert did feel she “sang it beautifully” but added “until the end” to spoil it! This did not go down well with Roisin’s gaggle of supporters in the audience! Simon agreed with Robert and but also told her that he loved her interpretation.
The question on the Judges lips for Conleth was can he be a leading man? Singing ‘Maria’ Erica felt he rose to the challenge and sang a difficult song beautifully. Genuinely moved by his performance Simon loved the intensity and control he displayed. Not one to mince his words Robert told him it was “textbook” however instead of thinking about Maria he was thinking about Conleth! He didn’t buy into it at all but told him he was a “clever” performer.
This was another “fantastic” performance by Sarah according to our surly impresario Robert. ‘Westend Sarah’ was her challenge and she delivered West End star. Stunning Robert C Kelly – no easy task – Sarah’s ‘Defying Gravity’ performance did exactly that taking Erica’s breath away!
Comedy and dance was order of the day for Jessica and boy did she pull this off! Giving us a “rapid” rendition of The Producers ‘If you got it Flaunt it’ Jessica ‘struuted her stuuf’ all over that stage and the Judges and audience loved it! Just nearly avoiding a wardrobe malfunction (and Simon’s eye) Jessica still didn’t bat an eyelid as she somersaulted over the ballet bars while singing in a French/German/Swedish accent proving she truly is an all rounded triple threat.
From geek to chic Michael’s task this week was simply to ‘stand and deliver’ and show us his progression has evolved beyond the fashion stakes. The ‘Impossible Dream’ that he sang about is more than possible as the judges gushed about his remarkable voice. Singing as if it was “the last song you will ever sing” the Judges all felt Michael absolutely nailed it!
In unsurprising fashion the voting public disagreed with the judge’s critiques and they were once again faced with “an impossible decision” with Sarah and Conleth in the sing off. Unfortunately Conleth was voted out of the competition reluctantly and not before our Judges told both performers they could easily grace a West End stage. Lurgan boy Conleth left with his head held high and his Show Reel in his back pocket and he exited to a standing ovation. Join us next week for the penultimate episode as we see all the finalists singing for survival for a place in our final.
The sun goes down on Caoimhe's time in Fame The Musical
Lucky for us the sun didn’t keep the supporters and fans away from The Helix yesterday. As hoards of ‘tanned’ faces arrived in DCU our 8 remaining finalists were gearing up for our 5th live show. This week the emphasis was on songs from the Big Band Swing era. Conleth opened the evening with his 10/10 performance of ‘Dancing Fool’ full of energy and delivering “on all counts” according to Simon. Following him was Jessica, who despite feeling under the weather in the build up to the weekend she went out on stage “like a true pro”. As Erica said “the show must go on and it went on”. Caoimhe sang the classic ‘Sway’ and failed to impress the Judges. Calling her “as sensual as a packet of crisps” Robert’s critique was met with boos from the crowd. Erica advised that it time now time to rise if she was to survive. Michael’s rendition of ‘My Secret Love’ put Erica “at ease” and Robert felt “he set the bar” for the competition. Sarah took on a comedic role this week with her upbeat and entertaining performance of ‘Nobody does it like me’. Robert was uncharacteristically gushing and told her that finding someone like her was the reason they started this process. Sean’s performance was unfortunately not met with the same high praise. All the Judges felt that his choice of song was poor and did not suit his vocals. Singing ‘Life is just a bowl of Cherries’ from Fosse Simon told Rosin that previously he had been worried for her but felt she did a good job with her performance. Robert felt she was showing better control. Ben sang us out on a high note with Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Cry me a River’. The Judges were amazed and Erica was weak at the knees. She felt he had now proved himself as a leading man. Simon said his delivery of the song was the “personification of cool” and Robert felt it was a “Master Class”.
The votes were counted and Caoimhe and Conleth were in the bottom two. The judges have been full of praise for Conleth for his recent performances and it did not come as a shock when they kept him in the competition. Caoimhe emotionally sang us out with Star Maker and vowed to continue with her career in show biz. Next week tune in for our 6th live show as we drawer closer and closer to finding our new Nick and Serena.
Hollie O' Donoghue is the 4th person to leave 'Fame The Musical'
Who knew an ash cloud would become such a regular part of our week. Once again it drifted to our doorstep and almost kept our Judge Robert C Kelly from making it to the show! But low and behold he sailed in (literally) just in the nick of time. And boy was he lucky he did. What a night! Yesterday we reached the halfway mark and our finalists gave a nod to the biggest and best musical numbers from a time gone with our ‘Classics’ theme for the evening. With 9 performers left in the competition they really had to knock one out of the park to stand out from the crowd. And once again they didn’t disappoint. Michael opened the show with a sexy performance of ‘Cabaret’ and the Judges loved it! Robert felt it was a ‘phenomenal’ performance and Simon expressed his concern for the other finalists. Roisin’s ‘I can’t say no’ received a mixed response. Robert was not a fan. Erica loved it and Simon thought it was her best performance yet. Once again the Judges disagreed over Conleth’s ‘Some Enchanted Evening’. Robert called it a ‘Cabaret’ version of the song and didn’t find it believable. Simon thought it was beautiful and Erica felt he took in the whole room with his performance. “Now your talking” was the first comment out of Simon’s mouth after Caoimhe sang ‘Something Better than This’. All the Judges agreed she has come along way and Robert considered her ‘most improved performer’ since last week yet still said she was not there yet. Sarah once again topped the polls with our Judges. Her ‘breathtaking’ rendition of ‘My Funny Valentine’ stole their hearts and gave them goosebumps. Robert said it was ‘beautifully executed’ and Erica congratulated her on starting the song fully. Robert named Sean Carey our ‘dark horse’ of the competition after he sang ‘Miracle of Miracles’ from Fiddler on The Roof. Erica felt he showed commitment and Simon thought that although it was pitchy he handled himself well. Jessica closed the competition with ‘Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine’. The Judges were stunned by her ‘staggering power and control’. Erica and Simon could not get over how someone of her age could deliver this mature song in the way that she did. A hot favourite with the crowd the banter with Jessica and Simon continued as the north side jokes begin! Two other favourites with our crowd and Judges were Ben and Hollie. Robert thought Hollie ‘stormed it’ with her song choice ‘Wherever He Ain’t’ and Erica said that she belongs on the stage. Simon felt Ben’s performance of ‘If I Loved You ‘ from Carousel was ‘a prime example of how to sing a love song’ and whoever he was thinking of was a lucky person! ‘A Leading Man’ was how Erica described him and Robert felt he did a fantastic job of a hard song. However even with such heavyweight endorsement the voting public disagreed with our 3 Judges and Hollie and Ben found themselves in the bottom two and had to ‘sing off for survival’. Reluctantly Simon and Erica saved Ben over Hollie and Robert expressed his upset at the way it had fallen. However the show must go on and next week Ben will have another chance to win your votes with a ‘Big Band’ number as we head into the final stages of our show......
Stuart's journey ends at our third live show
Our third live show in The Helix was full of thrills and spills. A full line up saw 10 of our finalists take the stage. The standard was really high and the judges were in good spirits. Even Robert was fully involved in the ‘Love In’ that was Sunday night. Hollie was strong vocally, Sarah looked ‘phenomenal’, Michael made a great song choice, Stuart saw a huge improvement, Sean stormed his ‘strange and dangerous song’, Jessica was fantastic and powerful, Conleth had great strength and focus and Ben nailed it! Phew – Only Roisin and Caoimhe were subject to minor criticisms. Robert and Simon felt that Roisin’s performance just didn’t work and she was unsure of herself physically. Caoimhe was accused by Robert of crying constantly and he told her that it that weakness bothers him! Negative feedback aside both girls were kept in the competition by the fans and will be able to show the judges again next week what they are capable of!
The big shocker of the evening happened during the results show when a miscommunication led to Stuart being told he was safe and that Conleth had received the fewest votes. But low and behold Derek had to call Stuart back to tell him there had been a mistake and it was he who was in the bottom two. Conleth was visibly flummoxed and we couldn’t believe our ears. This is live TV though people! And the show must go on. Like a true professional Stuart graciously accepted this defeat and joined Sarah for the second time in the Sing Off for Survival. Both of the finalists put on an excellent performance but faced with ‘an impossible decision’ reluctantly the Judges voted Stuart off two to one.
Philomena is next to leave Fame The Musical
This week we sadly said goodbye to Philomena Fitzpatrick after her 'brave' attempt at wowing the public with her rendition of Diva's Lament. A powerful performance, however Robert felt her song choice would hinder her - not to mention the choice of outfit!! Another negative fashion critique from our increasingly picky judge Robert C Kelly. This isn't Project Runway Robert! Feathery skirts aside, Erica recognised the power in Philomena's voice and Simon said it was top notch. Alas this was not enough to save Philomena from the Sing off where she was joined by our boy from Lurgan, Conleth Kane. Once again a surprise in the bottom two the judges unanimously voted to keep Conleth in the competition.
Hollie, Caoimhe, Sean and Michael managed to win over the public's vote with or without backing from our judges. Describing Sean as a 'Dad dancing at a wedding' Robert thought that Sean had also chosen his song badly. This opinion was not shared by the others. Simon felt that Sean nailed it and Erica said he had a real charm and he clearly loved being up on the stage. Hollie 'Astonished' all our judges with her performance. Thankfully Robert didn't cry this time but the praise was as endless as Hollie's voice.Michael's performance transported all the judges. Simon said he absolutely took him away and it was 'fantastic'. Fashion guru Robert loved his new makeover and all round it was welldone.ie for Michael! Caoimhe's Lets Hear it for The Boy was met with mixed feelings from our trio. Erica loved her 'beautiful voice' and Simon said she had further to go. They all felt her nerves had held her back however the public did not agree. Caoimhe will be back next week with our other 9 remaining finalists; Sarah, Stuart, Jessica, Roisin, Ben, Conleth, Hollie, Sean and Michael. Who will be next? And who will be nearer the dream??
Eurovision and Fame The Musical Flashmob
Flash Mob!
The Fame finalists are about to step their game up and embark on one of the most ambitious dance projects ever undertaken in Ireland. Next Thursday May 6th the 10 remaining Fame finalists will be leading a crowd of dancers in a flash mob that’s going to form part of a European wide event that will be screened at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest! And our finalists are calling on you guys to take part and help make it a night to remember and show Europe just how talented we are.
You don’t need to be a dancer to take part, and you don’t even need to know the dance. This is about having as many people take part as possible and just having fun. All you need to do is show up on the night, our Finalists will demonstrate the moves and we’ll get you dancing in no time.
How?
Just come to Meeting House Square next Thursday May 6th at 8:30pm in colourful clothes, (no branding or you’ll be sent to the back!) and yes, leg warmers are welcome. We hope to be finished by 9.45pm.
Anything else?
If you really want to be top of the class and give the Fame finalists a run for their money, you can check out the YouTube links below to see how the dance will look. Oh, and bring some water because you’ll be working up a sweat.
Dance I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfBhLVCJkt0
Dance II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQvHnJ_kuqg
Dance III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNMpbPspGpg&feature=PlayList&p=DE15755066AA8B45&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=54
Monday 26 April
Drew, Drew, Drew. How did it end so quickly? Last night in The Helix saw our Glaswegian sweetheart sadly voted off by the judges. We almost felt sorry for them faced which such a difficult choice......almost! One by one as Derek announced the names of finalists that were safe, little by little our hearts sunk and we realised we were going to lose one of our two hot favourites Sarah or Drew. Robert was amazed, Simon was stunned and we were on the edge of despair. Watching them in the sing off was more like witnessing the two winners on stage in the Grand Canal than the two runners up in a sing off for survival! But as Derek said “That’s just the way it goes”. However we predict big things for Drew in the future so watch this space!
Hats off to all of our boys and girls. We saw amazing performances all round by our finalists and they did themselves proud. We especially loved Jessica’s dress which was another star of the show! Erica described her as “delicious” and she won the hearts of our audience and judges alike. Ben was described as technically amazing but the judges said that we need to see more of his personality. Our “Maybe This Time” mystery lady Róisin got her second chance and a big seal of approval from all of the judges. Robert revealed that when they chose their original 6 girls he felt it was a mistake that she wasn’t in the live show and it was lucky for her and lucky for them that she made it on to The Helix stage. Stuart put in a lively and exuberant performance but unfortunately for him the judges were unconvinced. He did however make it through to the next round of the competition so maybe next time he will win them over!
Welcome to our Fame Blog!
Welcome to Fame The Musical’s weekly blog! Dust down your leg warmers, don your hot pink leotard(yes we know you have one), slip on your dancing shoes and join us the insider’s update on the latest happenings in The Helix on each Sunday.
This week has seen the first 6 finalists Ben, Drew, Stuart, Sarah, Jessica, and our mystery girl slogging it out in rehearsals in preparation for the first LIVE show this Sunday at 6:30pm. Who is our 6th finalist? Who will be there first to leave? Who will wow the judges? How many times can you vote? Does Drew have a girlfriend?
So many questions!
Tune in at 6:30pm on RTÉ One THIS Sunday to find out!