Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gabriella Cilmi Back at Number One

With all the excitement of Jason Mraz’s tour announcement yesterday, I forgot to check the ARIA charts. So I did it today,Gabriella Cilmi and I was thrilled to see Gabriella Cilmi has taken back to the top spot with “Sweet About Me.” She ousted the powerhouse duo of Madonna and Justin Timberlake to do it, so it’s no mean feat!

Aussie girls seem to be the flavour of the month at the moment. Vanessa Amorosi’s climbed on spot with “Perfect.””She’s happily sitting at number nine, just ahead of The Veronicas’ super catchy new sopfest “This Love.”

And the album charts are jam-packed with Australians! Mum’s favourite Andre Rieu is still sitting at number one with his Aussie inspired album Waltzing Matilda.

But Damien Leith’s Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation isn’t too far behind! It’s at number two, just ahead of golden girl Gabriella Cilmi’s newie Lessons to be Learned.

A little further down the charts we’ve got The Presets still hanging around with Apocalypso at number six. They’ve swapped places this week with Carl Riseley’s crooning covers CD The Rise.

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson have fallen to number eight with Rattlin’ Bones, just ahead of Kate Ceberano’s newest covers collection So Much Beauty.

Check out all the chart action below!

ARIA Singles Charts

  1. “Sweet About Me” – Gabriella Cilmi
  2. “4 Minutes” – Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake
  3. “Low” – Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
  4. “Bubbly” – Colbie Caillat
  5. “Dream Catch Me” – Newton Faulkner
  6. “Better in Time” – Leona Lewis
  7. “American Boy” – Estelle feat. Kanye West
  8. “Love in this Club” – Usher feat. Young Jeezy
  9. “Perfect” – Vanessa Amorosi
  10. “This Love” – The Veronicas

ARIA Albums Chart

  1. Waltzing Matilda – Andre Rieu and Mirusia
  2. Catch the Wind: Songs of a Generation – Damien Leith
  3. Lessons to be Learned – Gabriella Cilmi
  4. Hard Candy – Madonna
  5. Spirit – Leona Lewis
  6. Apocalypso – The Presets
  7. The Rise – Carl Riseley
  8. Rattlin’ Bones – Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
  9. So Much Beauty – Kate Ceberano
  10. Call Me Irresponsible – Michael Buble

Image source: Lee Jordan @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Shannon Noll’s Shock Drugs Confession

Yesterday Shannon Noll came clean about his addiction to drugs and alcohol. Shannon told The Sunday Telegraph that he turned to drink and drugs after the death of his father Neil seven years ago.

“You can live well, do everything right, and still be killed,” he said. “So I thought I’d have a crack at everything. I didn’t let myself think about him [his father] when I was smashed. Consequently, I found myself getting smashed a lot.”

Shannon said his children Cody, Blake, and Sienna, gave him the motivation to beat his demons.

“I got to a stage where I had to own up to it. I’d turned into a zombie on the lounge. I wasn’t doing anything useful.”

Shannon didn’t go into detail about his vices, but did admit to using marijuana heavily and enjoying a beer.

Shannon’s going to be slammed for his mistakes because he’s a role model, and I can see the logic there. Like it or not, celebrities are placed on pedestals and their behaviour does influence other people. But I think going public about his habits is gutsy move. It takes a big man to admit they’ve done the wrong thing. And who knows? Maybe his talk about change will motivate someone else to clean up their act.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Russell Morris and Dragon Honoured by ARIA Hall of Fame

Dragon and Russell Morris will be inducted in the ARIA Hall of Fame this year. The two acts are the first of the five to be inducted by ARIA on July 1.

Russell Morris is best known for his epic “The Real Thing,” and his recent work with Jim Keays and Darryl Cotton.

“When I first began the music path on which I eventually embarked – and walked the full distance – I thought it would be all over at the age of twenty five, and by thirty I would be back doing accounting!” he exclaimed. “So to be here right now and receiving this wonderful award is not only amazing but a beautiful surprise.”

Dragon may be technically a New Zealand band, but that won’t stop us honoring them. Their classics “April Sun in Cuba,” “Get That Jive,” “Are You Old Enough,” and “Still in Love with You,” are favorites of easy-listening radio stations around the country. The band’s lead singer Marc Hunter sadly passed away ten years ago. His brother Todd carries on the band’s name with singer Mark Williams.

“It is an honour to be included in the Hall Of Fame and it has always been a privilege to be part of the Australian music industry even though we may have felt like outsiders for much of the time. It is great to be included with bands and musicians whose work we admire,” Todd said in a statement.

“It is fitting that this should happen exactly 10 years after Marc died. I wish he was here and I know he would be thrilled. There have been 35 members of Dragon since 1973, from the original members to the current band, and this induction is for all of them. As a member of a band that has been playing on and off for 35 years, I’ve got to say it’s been a great pleasure and this is a great compliment for all involved.”

The 2008 ARIA Hall of Fame awards will be held at Melbourne Town Hall on July 1. For the first time, members of the public can purchase tickets through Ticketek.

Image source: Mandy Hall @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Free Presets Download

In the lead-up to their sold-out national tour, The Presets have decided to give something back to their fans.

Every person who signs up for their mailing list will receive a free download of “Are You The One?” Too easy! This monster hit has been remixed by French production whiz Lifelife.

Listen out for the song in the upcoming BMW commercial, which should hit our screens soon!

Image source: Dani Lurie @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Guy Sebastian Prepares for Wedding Day

We all know Guy Sebastian’s one of the nice guys. So it should come as no surprise to hear there wasn’t a stripper in sight when the soul star celebrated his bachelor party last weekend.

Guy shunned the traditional boozy night out for a spot of paintball with his family and friends in Adelaide.

Guy will marry his longtime love Jules Egan in Sydney tomorrow. The event promises to be a lavish affair, with Jules flanked by a whopping six bridesmaids! We can look forward to one of those women’s magazines releasing exclusive photos from the big day.

I hope the weather continues to be as glorious as it has been! Good luck Guy and Jules!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Hefty Fee For the Privilege of Joining New Ticketek Club

So today I bit the bullet and forked out $95 to join Ticketek’s new Privilege Club.

I must admit, with the price of concert tickets being what they are I wasn’t keen to shell out another hundred to join. But in recent times it’s become increasingly more difficult to nab the good concert tickets before the scalpers, so I figured I’d see how this serves me.

The $95 yearly fee promises plenty, but only time will tell whether it’s worthwhile. The lure of premium seats is especially enticing. I’ll also be keen to see whether the privilege club presales are better than your average Ticketek ones, and whether we’re treated better than fan club members.

I must say I’m not sure I’ll really use the waitlist, since my finger tends to be pretty much on the pulse when it comes to concert tickets anyway. But it is interesting to see which acts are rumored to be heading our way soon.

I’m not sure whether I’ll find value in the special packages either. The ones currently on sale don’t really do a lot for me, but you never know what will crop up in the next year.

The promise of news on extra tickets for sold out shows might be nice if I can’t secure them the first time around. Although if I still can’t get tickets this way, I might have to give up on the club I think!

The biggest sweetener though is the $50 Cellarmasters voucher Ticketek is offering for all new members joining before June 16. If this ends up being a waste of money at least I can drown my sorrows with some good grog!

Image source: Yvette de Wit @ Unsplash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Shannon Noll vs Wil Anderson

The bitter verbal sparring between Wil Anderson and Shannon Noll appears to be on again!

Wil Anderson’s always loved picking on Shannon, but when Wil made some jokes about Shannon’s late father things went a little bit too far. That’s when Shannon challenged Wil to a boxing match, which Wil politely declined.

Now this was two years ago, so you’d expect all parties would have moved on. But during Shannon’s appearance on 60 Minutes last Sunday night he called Wil “weak, another man’s bootstrap.”

Wil did his best to get Shannon on his MMM radio show on Monday. When those plans didn’t pan out, Wil challenged Shannon to put up or shut up.

“It was one little joke a long time ago and I did say sorry. Does he need to hit me? I’m happy for him to hit me – if it will stop him banging on,” Wil said.

As a regular viewer of The Glasshouse, I hardly think there was one little joke. But it all makes me wonder, will anyone hit anyone here? My money’s on Shannon if the pair end up stepping inside a ring!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Waiting No Problem For Lovestruck Lisa

It’s no secret that devout Christian Dean Geyer has been saving himself until marriage. But his fiance Lisa Origiliasso insists she’s not getting married just to get busy!

“We’re not rushing down the aisle – once people find out that we’re not getting married next week, just so whatever we want to happen can happen, they’ll realise we’re happy with this stage,” she told OK! magazine.

“It wasn’t a big deal for me [to wait], I love him for him.”

Awww that’s so sweet!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Augie March Prepare Album Number Four

We haven’t heard a lot from Augie March lately, but that’s all about to change. The Melbourne indie outfit is heading into the studio this month to record their highly anticipated fourth album.

It’s shaping up to be a doozy too. The band will work with American producer Joe Chiccarelli, who’s famous for his work with Frank Zappa, U2, Beck, The Shins, and The White Stripes. They’re also going to record it in Neil Finn’s Roundhead studio. Think he’ll pop in and collaborate with the boys?

The album should be released later this year.

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Aussie Country Stars Head to Nashville

Plenty of Aussies will be flying the flag at the 2008 Country Music Festival in Nashville next month. Troy Cassar-Daley, Adam Harvey, Melinda Schneider, Steve Forde, and new kids Shea Fisher and Jasmine Rae will all head to America’s country music capital.

“There are a lot of younger people in country music now and I think it’s going to expand generations because we’re singing about everyday issues,” Shea told The Sunday Telegraph.

“We sing about things we’ve done in our lives. It’s really exciting in country music now because we can make the genre bigger.”

“No genres stay the same,” added Jasmine. “Everything crosses over … you’ve got rock, pop, country rock and country pop. People need to see that country is moving forward, just like any genre.”

The festival will put the Aussies in front of 200, 000 country music fans. Other artists on the bill include country music royalty Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, and Dwight Yoakam.

Image source: Adam J.W.C. @ Wikimedia Commons