Celebrity Pop Idol gets the go-ahead

[Kaz]

Story from Ananova

A new TV reality show which puts 10 faded pop stars back in the limelight is set to start filming next month.

Reborn In The USA will see the likes of Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley, Dollar and Elkie Brooks perform on tour in America.

Cameras will follow the acts as they travel the US on a tour bus for the ITV Saturday night show, presented by Davina McCall.

The other artists are Gina G, Then Jericho frontman Mark Shaw, Eurovision star Sonia, former EastEnders actress Michelle Gayle, Imagination singer Lee John and Haydon Eshun, one-time child star of 90s boy band Ultimate Kaos.

Local audiences will choose their favourites and the two least popular acts will be put to a Pop Idol-style phone vote by the British public. Whoever loses will be kicked off the bus and return home.

The series begins in the spring and the tour will take in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Detriot, Memphis, Nashville, Cleveland and New York.

The artists will perform cover versions of songs connected to each city they visit.

Series producer Nicholas Steinberg told Media Guardian: "This show gives them a chance to be rediscovered with a clean slate.

"American audiences won't know who they are so they will be judged purely on their voices," he added.

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Must keep a look out for this!

Going by the people mentioned in the article, Tony Hadley has the best voice as far as I'm concerned. :dazzler:

What do you think? :spin2:

[LEE]

Hi Kaz

Yeah I saw this earlier today:

CLICK HERE (http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=26412)

Not quite sure what I think about this one, could be worth a watch, if only to see Davina.

:flower:

[Janette]

I'm sorry but Sonia?


I couldn't stand it!!!!!!!!!!!


:nono:


(Tony Hadley's very cute though)

[Kaz]

Ooops! Sorry, LEE. :blush:

I wasn't a great fan of Sonia either, Janette - and I'm not sure that the American audience will be either. Or Gina G or Dollar.

I think they're more likely to go for Tony Hadley or Elkie Brookes - but who am I to judge? :laugh:

[LEE]

I used to really like Elkie Brooks.

:dazzler:

[LEE]

Here's another article from The Sun about it, with pictures of the people taking part.

CLICK HERE (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2003071987,00.html)

:flower:

[Kaz]

Another article from today's People online:

DOLLAR star David Van Day and ex-East 17 singer Brian Harvey have been refused entry into America because of drugs cases.

The pair had hoped to boost their career by taking part in ITV1 reality show Reborn In The USA.

Last night Day was hoping to appeal against the decision but Harvey has now been dropped from the show which plans to re-establish former stars with concerts in the US.

Harvey is awaiting trial accused of possessing cocaine with intent to supply and Day was convicted of having the drug in 1988.

A show insider revealed: "Brian is gutted - he was hoping this could put him back in the spotlight."

Davina McCall will present the show - dubbed Has Been Idol - which includes Day's Dollar partner Thereza Bazar.
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Will Brian Harvey never learn? What an idiot.

I'm surprised at David van Day though - he always seemed to have a squeaky clean image.

[Romantic Old Bird]

This will be fascinating and uncomfortable in equal measure I suspect.

It does have the feel of 'desperate last chance for fame' about it. In a way I am sorry to see some of them showing themselves up in it.

I thought Tony Hadley had a good voice in the 80's but recent sightings made him look well seedy with a set of seriously bad choppers and I think I would rather remember his new romantic phase!

Elkie Brooks was good too. I know they both still have a healthy tour booking schedule, even though they aren't exactly A list.

You can't blame any of them for trying. Look how much the whole reality bit did for the Tony Blackburn and the GHASTLY Tara Hyphen-Poshbird.

It does smack of desperation though.

[peachy]

Am I the only one who has grown a bit sick of celebrities and what they will do to remain in the limelight. What happened to dignity? When your moment of fame is over for heaven's sake just find something more meaningful to do and bow out. I find our obsession with celebrity fun but the celebrities themselves really do seem to think they are important. I find watching some of these saddoes desperately trying to resurrect a long dead career bewildering and embarassing to watch. Many of them have very little talent and were really lucky to make an impression first time round, please guys and gals, just take your wads of cash and take up painting, hang-gliding or fishing and give us all a bit of a break. I'd rather watch ordinary people living in a house than so-called celebrities, or talented young people learning to perform whether on pop Idol or in Fame Academy than watch some washed up old has-beens making desperate attempts at touring USA.

Having said all that I shall probably be there watching it and commenting on it with the rest of you. A pretty pointless post really, wasn't it? Still I enjoyed getting it off my chest. I think I was inspired by watching poor Les Dennis in Celbrity BB, which I personally found too embarrassing and toe curdling to watch.

[Romantic Old Bird]

I do agree about Les Dennis, particularly. Such a desperate and ill-advised move on his part. I really don't think any of that group have benefitted particularly, but Les just underlined what we already suspected about him:

He is a terribly ordinary man, not very 'showbiz' or very marketable, and we watched his relationship falling apart in front of us. Just awful.

[James]

Am I the only one who has grown a bit sick of celebrities and what they will do to remain in the limelight

No peachy, you're not the only one. Reading about the personal lives of celebrities usually just leaves me cold. Whenever I see a headline about Zoe and Fatboy, or Jude and Sadie I just think, 'Yeah, whatever'

I think we've lost sight of the reasons that they became famous in the first place. i.e. their talent.

Though I guess that one of the reasons that I like reality TV is that it involves ordinary people.

[Kaz]

Well, it looks as though they're one down already, before we've even seen the show! See THIS ARTICLE (http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_757196.html?menu=entertainment.latestheadlines) . Bye bye, Mark Shaw! :xyxwave:

There's another article about Dollar in particular HERE (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,5-2003101104,00.html). Personally, I was quite shocked at how old Theresa Bazar looks! :shocked:

[Kaz]

Blimey - it just gets worse and worse. ALL of the contestants for 'Reborn in the USA' are now threatening to quit if THIS ARTICLE (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,5-2003101746,00.html) from the Sun Online is to be believed. :shocked:

Will there be anyone left to watch when the first show goes out this Saturday night, I wonder!!! :spin2:

[BigSister]

Hopefully im going to keep a eye on this
It looks intresting:hugesmile:

:elephant::elephant::elephant::elephant: