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Any Girl Will Do - Joseph Stars And Den Of Vice
16th Apr 07
joseph.jpg“DREAM SHOW VICE SHOCK,” says the Star’s front-page headline, and we are engrossed and intrigued.

A picture of Any Dream Will Do host Graham Norton adds to the sense of shock. Can it be that the presenter of a BBC talent show to find the lead in a stage musical is – gulp! – straight?

Reading on the truth becomes no less fanciful as readers learn of how “vice girls” are “sneaking through a side gate” of the mansion where the show’s 12 finalists are staying.

“Everyone is in shock about the hookers,” says an insider. “The moaning and groaning goes on all night.”

So Joseph is a goer, or a go-go-go goer, as fans of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat might have it?

Inside the paper and there is a picture of a woman. She is smoking a fag. She is wearing knee-high boots. She is leaning against a wall. A leg is cocked. She is a “model” pretending to be a prostitute, or a vice girl, as is her wont.

And her type have been using the back of the mansion to service clients.

And, no, not one of the show’s contestants is involved as either a hooker or a punter. They are in the clear. And Norton’s sexuality remains a matte of innuendo, waved phallus and crass joke.

The story is that the show’s stars are being disturbed by the sounds of rented copulation.

A show insider says this is “no laughing matter”.

“These boys need their sleep. The last thing they need is to hear hookers carrying on with punters right on their doorstep.”

Is it? Joseph is the Biblical story of the son of Jacob, a man with 12 sons, one daughter and four wives.

Surely the sounds of sex put the show in context, and the stars in character...

anorak

Nort out of ten, says Graham Sun

22 April 2007
TV DREAM TURNS PALS INTO RIVALS people

CURTAIN CALL
Exclusve by Nicola Methven, TV Editor 21/04/2007

AS ITV's Grease Is The Word goes head to head with BBC's Joseph: Any Dream Will Do tonight, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber has bowed out of a third reality stage series to concentrate on writing a new musical.

The theatre impresario said there won't be any follow-up to Joseph, which came in the wake of last year's How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? Instead he's to write the sequel to his hit musical Phantom Of The Opera, which is likely to be called Phantom Of Broadway.

Lloyd Webber said: "I need to get back to writing. I want to throw myself into it. Over the Easter weekend I wrote the first song and I'm really pleased with it."


The news will come as a blow to BBC bosses, who are fighting a ratings battle with ITV's copy-cat show Grease.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? has been nominated for a Bafta while Joseph is pulling in up to 7 million viewers each week.

Lloyd Webber is also being lured away by offers from America, where TV firms are keen to stage a theatrical reality show.

One option is making Jesus Christ Superstar. He laughed: "I'd love to do a search for Jesus, but the BBC couldn't do that. It's probably against editorial policy. I'd have to do it in America."

Lloyd Webber has ruled out making a series in Los Angeles. He explained: "I've told them I'll think about it, but only if it was in New York. Broadway is the heart of theatre in America."

He also ruled out a long-term move to the US. "My kids are here and I wouldn't want to miss them growing up."


Meanwhile, he's already lined up last year's Maria winner Connie Fisher with her next role - Funny Girl. He said: "She'd be great. She's like Barbra Streisand in the way she moves, a bit awkward." mirror

DREAM FOR DI
EXCLUSIVE Joseph winner to perform at memorial concert for princess



ANDREW Lloyd Webber will show off his new Joseph at the Diana Memorial Concert.

Whoever wins the right to wear the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the BBC1's talent search Any Dream Will Do will make his first public appearance at the Wembley Stadium show on July 1 - what would have been her 46th birthday. Princes Charles and sons William and Harry will be among the 90,000 audience - and hundreds of millions will watch on TV around the world.

Lord Lloyd Webber, 59, said: "The show's highlight will be the very first public performance by our programme winner.

"It will be nerve-racking for whoever wins - but what a fantastic opportunity it will be too!"

Between songs he will talk about about his memories of Diana - a close friend. "I still miss her all the time. It just seemed the right thing to do," he said.

Other stars appearing include Sir Elton John, Joss Stone, Bryan Ferry, Duran Duran and the English National Ballet.

Any Dream Will Do lost its second finalist last night in the public vote.

The favourites are Londoner Lee Meade, 25 - exposed by the Sunday Mirror as a professional West End performer - and builder Rob McVeigh, 23, from Rotherham.

sundaymirror

JOSEPH IS A WINNER
By Nicola Methven 23/04/2007


THE BBC's Joseph: Any Dream Will Do beat ITV's Grease on Saturday - but the battle proved disappointing for both sides.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for the star of his latest West End musical won only 5.3 million viewers, 800,000 down on the previous week and 1.4 million fewer than the launch last month.

ITV producers were hoping to benefit from the later timeslot for Grease at 7.25pm.


But it dropped 100,000 on the previous week at 4.2 million.

The BBC insisted: "We are pleased that we were more than a million viewers ahead of Grease."

The good weather was also disastrous for BBC1's Doctor Who, which got its lowest figures of this series.

After launching with 8.2 million, the fourth instalment managed only 6.3 million. mirror

Joseph evictee vows his return Sun

For crying Out loud, Denise Sun

ANY DREAM BOY WILL DO
JOSEPH EXCLUSIVE: The finalists.. and what judges Denise and Zoe think of them




LEWIS BRADLEY

Student, 17, from Middlesbrough

DENISE: He looked good in his loincloth, great physique. He was my choice for Joseph last week. I just don't want him to get complacent because he's had good comments.

If he performs like last week, he'll be here at the end.

ZOE: I want to get a pair of scissors to his hair! I like men to be men. But Lewis is brilliant vocally, and he's completely adaptable.

He just needs to work on his falsetto voice, which he'll be using this weekend.

BEN ELLIS

Student, 18, from Scarborough

DENISE: He can act but struggles vocally and you can sense a fear when he's on stage. The negative comments he's had have knocked his confidence but Andrew did save him for a reason. He needs to stop worrying and find some confidence, just believe in himself a bit more.

ZOE: He was in the bottom two in the first week and I expect him to be in the bottom two this week. His performance was out of tune. He's very confident and does things with his voice which perhaps are a bit too brave for him right now. I'm working on his pitch, which needs to be more careful. But he's a great performer and he's a fabulous actor - and that's what is getting him through.

KEITH JACK

Supermarket worker, 19, from Midlothian

DENISE: He's an amazing singer. Watching Keith perform, I think he could be Joseph. But looking at him afterwards, he doesn't fit the mould of what I'd want my Joseph to look like. Maybe it's because he looks so young. He'll have a great career in musicals whatever happens.

ZOE: He's got a fantastic voice for a little guy. But Keith has a lazy mouth - to create different sounds you've got to open your mouth. He's not used to being on stage, but he's getting better at holding his head up high and really performing, so I've got high hopes for him. I'd be gutted if he got knocked out this week. He's got a bit of a twinkle.

ROB McVEIGH

Builder, 23, from Rotherham

DENISE: I love him - he's full of surprises. He wants this badly and he deserves it. He looks good in his loincloth, he's a nice guy and he's given the others a run for their money. This could change his life and he loves it. He was born to perform - we need to get him off the building site and on to the West End stage.

ZOE: Bob The Builder just goes on stage, turns it on and owns the audience. A couple of the professionals could learn from him - it's a natural talent. He's pulled it out the bag every week. But I don't know whether the public want a rough and ready Joseph. Rob's a hard, northern digger man and Joseph is a soft character. He's a wild card for me.

DANIEL BOYS

Actor, 28, from London

DENISE: He didn't stand out at Joseph School but he impresses me more and more. In rehearsals, he has been the best - great comic timing. He's got an amazing voice and there's something really sincere about him when he sings. There's nothing false about him which is attractive. He'll make it to the final.

ZOE: He's got a bit of experience and that's quite hard because I'm trying to completely change his voice from the way he's always sung. He tends to sing quite high, up in his nasal area. He's got a beautiful tone, although it would be easier if he hadn't been trained. But I think he'll get to the semi or the final because he's such a solid performer.

SEAMUS CULLEN

Sales and marketing executive, 35, from London

DENISE: Seamus looks the part with his cute face and curly hair. His performance is great but I worry that he's doing his own thing and isn't a team player. Personality is important and Seamus is looking after himself. On-stage it is a competition, but offstage you have to relax a bit more.

ZOE: Vocally he's good but he suffers quite badly with his nerves on the night and has yet to understand what it means to stand in the middle of the stage and act and sing like a complete leading man. I think his age works against him, because the older you get, the more nervous you get. This is his last chance and perhaps that's why he's so nervous.

CHRIS BARTON

Student, 20, from Ormskirk

DENISE: I was shocked he was in the bottom two last week. Chris is one of the few who is an all-rounder. I hope he stays in this competition but I'm not sure the viewers think he's right for Joseph. He looked more boyish in his loincloth than the others. I'm not too worried though because he's got a brilliant career in musicals ahead of him.

ZOE: He's fed up of people going on about his teeth. He's a sweetheart and vocally I think he's brilliant - he rarely sings out of tune. Sometimes he's a bit breathy but he's a strong candidate. I don't know what the public were thinking last week - his performance wasn't camp, he can rock 'n' roll with the best of them.

CRAIG CHALMERS

Cabaret singer, 25, from Edinburgh

DENISE: With acting, you need to draw on personal experiences, and if you're singing a song that's heartfelt, you have to put yourself in that place. That's what Craig needs to master. He looks good though, and the viewers like him.

ZOE: Craig's sung in lots of pubs, so this has been a real challenge for him vocally. But he soaks it up, he's really, really willing to do anything to sound like a musical theatre singer. He works so hard, and he's had this inner ear infection making him dizzy which hasn't helped. He's quite a looker if you're an 18-year-old girl. But his acting is a little bit weak, so he needs to work on that.

LEE MEAD

Singer/actor, 25 from Southend-on-Sea, Essex

DENISE: Don't be negative about Lee just because he's had some theatre experience. He could be a great Joseph, and he looked fantastic in his loincloth. I did fancy him, but I've now got a boyfriend so I'm just window-shopping.

ZOE: Everyone assumes that because he's professional he must be really secure when he's on stage. But, in fact, he's the most insecure performer I've ever met. He over-analyses things and his insecurity about himself and his performance has meant that he's lost out on some lead roles in the past. But he looks really beautiful and should get to the final.

ANTONY HANSEN

Student, 17, from Abingdon, Oxon

DENISE: A dreamboat. He's got a great body, a beautiful face and cute eyes. His performance has come a long way since he started but he needs to step it up a gear. I'd like to see him loosen up and really go for it.

ZOE: I'm 36 so I feel quite motherly towards him. Vocally, he's got a long way to go but he's beautiful and the girls like him. I'm trying to make him toughen up his vocal style.
Mirror

29 April 2007
SINITTA 'IS ZO AWFUL'

FIERY Any Dream Will Do judge Zoe Tyler has launched a bitchy attack on rival show Grease Is The Word panellist Sinitta.

The West End singer quipped: "Sinitta just makes a bikini and a fur coat look good."

She was speaking as the BBC1 talent show, which is searching for a Joseph, last night went head-to-head with ITV1's Grease in its hunt for a Sandy and Danny.

People

JOSEPH'S DREAM DEAL
30/04/2007



THE winner of TV show Any Dream Will Do has bagged a huge recording deal - before being chosen by the public.

Eight contestants are still vying to take the role of Joseph in the West End show that will follow the programme.

But Louis Walsh, who will manage the winner, has secured a £200,000 deal with Universal Records for who ever wins.

Louis told the Mirror: "It is a great contract.

"The idea is to rush out an album of Joseph songs straight after the series ends. I'm sure it will be very popular.

"I'm used to looking after pop acts so this is different and it's going to be great fun."

The Andrew Lloyd Webber show is currently winning in a reality ratings battle against rival ITV show Grease Is The Word. Mirror

TWO JOSEPHS EXIT ANY DREAM WILL DO .contactmusic.

Antony: I'm a West End baby

JOSEPH wannabe Antony Hansen has hung up his multi-coloured coat after getting the boot from Any Dream Will Do on Saturday night.

And it was blonde hopeful Craig Chalmers who outshone the 17-year-old, after Andrew Lloyd Webber saved him in the sing-off.

SUN

Any Joseph will do for final 8 Sun

DENISE SPILLS BEANS
CELEBRITY DENISE VAN OUTEN THE MOUTHY PRESENTER SPILLS THE BEANS ON HER NEW MAN AND REVEALS HER FEARS FOR VICTORIA BECKHAM


DENISE van Outen admits the Joseph boys have achieved what most men would find impossible - they made the Essex girl blush.

The sexy star reveals that the previous night she was boozing with a bunch of the boys from Any Dream Will Do and the cheeky wannabes quizzed her about what she gets up to in bed.

"I took them out for dinner and they were asking me really personal questions like: 'How many times a week do I have sex?'," she splutters, in mock outrage. "I couldn't believe it! I was like, 'Oi! Have some respect!'"


As a judge on the BBC1 show to find the lead for Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the 32-year-old admits she has grown close to the hopefuls and they in turn seem to fancy her like mad.

And, even with only four hours sleep, when she's squeezed into eye-poppingly tight skinny jeans and with her long hair tousled, you can see why.

But there's an extra reason why she's got a sexy sparkle. The blonde bombshell has a new man and is smitten.

Denise grins: "I've got a fella. A nice hunky actor."

She met James Lance at London's Sylvia Young stage school 20 years ago. They remained mates all that time but have only just realised they fancy each other.

Even so, she is trying to be cautious: "It's very, very early days. Look, we've been dating for four weeks and everyone is making such a big thing of it!

"He was photographed leaving my flat but he's known me for so long and I did tell him what it was like with me and how people are fascinated with my love life," she smiles, talking about their romance for the first time in depth.

"I warned him and he understands it."

Like Denise, James flits between home in Brighton and LA, and Denise laughs when she recalls that a friend had seen them together only a few weeks ago and suggested they would make a great couple.

"It happened without us even realising it," she laughs. "The thing is I have got really close friends like Johnny Vaughan and David Walliams and nothing has ever happened romantically with either of them. So it's weird James and I allowed ourselves to cross that line."

Smiling, she says when they finally got together about a month ago, it took her by surprise but James, 32, star of Teachers and The Book Group, had been confident before he made his move.

She explains: "After we got together, I said, 'How did this happen?' And he said apparently I gave him this 'look' and he went, 'Yeah!' And that was it."

One of Denise's big loves was Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay and she was also engaged to nightclub owner Richard Traviss. She recently declared she thinks 90 per cent of men are unfaithful and she stands by that.

"A lot of women don't want to face up to it," she explains. "I've seen how married men behave. It's quite shocking. In LA everyone cheats on each other! But my ideals are high and infidelity has never been the cause of any of my break-ups. It's a deal breaker. I don't want to be with anyone who does that. It's pointless."

At the moment though her main focus is on Any Dream Will Do. Her spats with fellow judge John Barrowman, the Torchwood star, and voice coach Zoe Tyler make great TV.

"John expects so much from our Josephs," she says. "We need to be a little bit lenient because sometimes you don't need to be the best singer or dancer to have star quality. I'm looking for someone who is going to be sexy and fanciable and guys don't normally pick up on that."

It's 10 years since Denise burst onto our screens on The Big Breakfast. She played Roxie in Chicago to great acclaim but after the mauling of her Channel 4 TV show Something For The Weekend, she moved to the US to lick her wounds. But what was meant to be a break was transformed after she landed the job of presenting NBC's Grease: You're The One That I Want!

A year later, she is hot again and Denise says it's good to be back in Blighty. "When I landed at Heathrow I kissed the ground," she says. "That's how happy I was to be home." Her love of London is one of the reasons she is supporting Norwich Union's City v City, a 10km challenge in the capital's Greenwich Park on Sunday, June 3, with rival races in Glasgow and Liverpool on the same day.

Her old mate Gail Porter heads the Scottish run while actor Ricky Tomlinson cheers on runners in Liverpool. "We'll thrash Gail and Ricky," Denise declares.

When Any Dream Will Do ends next month Denise will fly back to her second home in Beverly Hills.

She loves the lifestyle: "I have a great life and I'm learning to surf. I'm crap though." But she is aware some people might find it tough to cope with LA because of the focus on appearance. She expresses concern for Victoria Beckham who moves there next month.

"Will I see her in LA? She's so thin, I don't know if I'd know if she's standing in front of me!" she jokes. "I like Victoria but I just hope she will be okay. If you're not a very secure person in yourself then LA is the worst place to be. I worry for her a little bit. If you have problems or issues, it's not the best place to be."

Denise who is a perfect, leggy size-10 and tucks into salad while we talk, is cross when she is bracketed as a super-skinny celebrity: "I hate it when magazines put me on the cover and say I've gone from a size 12 to an eight," she says. "It's just rubbish. I've been lucky and never been a size 12 and it's just misleading to people. I've never been on a fad diet. In LA I live on sushi or salad but within a week of being back I had a pint of Guinness, a curry and fish and chips."

She blames some eating issues on mums who talk about their own weight battles in front of their children. "I'm so against it. It's really irresponsible. It's one of the worst things that mothers can do.

"My mum never, ever mentioned it. One of my friends the other day said in front of her daughter, 'Oh no, I can't eat that, I'll get fat'. And I told her off. Young ears pick up on that."

On the subject of children, her face lights up. "I've always wanted to be a mother. I'm 33 this month and women get broody. I've been broody for 10 years!

"I see myself having a family with someone and sharing my life with them. However long it lasts. I never think to myself 'Oh God, I'm going to end up on my own.' I've got too much to give, it would be a waste." Mirror