Celtic Thunder - Musical Event February 2012

CELTIC THUNDER TO TOUR DOWN UNDER

The international success story continues in Australia.

Over the past twelve months, Australians have been quietly discovering what American audiences already know, that CELTIC THUNDER is a phenomenal international hit. With their DVD and CD "The Show" having just gone twice Platinum in Australia and their DVD "The Show" still in the Top 30 ARIA charts after a staggering 33 weeks, CELTIC THUNDER - Emmet Cahill, Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, George Donaldson and Neil Byrne - are set to tour Australia for the very first time in February 2012.

Celtic Thunder formed in 2008 and comprises of five diverse performers who are each a powerhouse in both their solo and ensemble songs. The group is backed by the dynamic Celtic Thunder Band and their shows are known for the use of dramatic effects of lighting and choreography as well as a stage set resembling an ancient stone pathway suggestive of those referenced in Celtic lore. They've now toured the US and Canada, coast to coast, four times with over 200 concert dates and 400,000 concert tickets sold, while their albums have sold well in excess of one million units. They are commencing their fifth tour of the US this September.

"We are blown away by the reaction to Celtic Thunder in Australia. We had such a great welcome when we were out there in March for promo so we can't wait to get back, and bring The Show out on the road and meet our Aussie fans" said Celtic Thunder's Keith Harkin.

For more information please visit www.celticthunder.ie/

Ticket Prices

Platinum $149.00
Gold $119.00
Gold $107.10 (Groups of 10 or more)
Silver $99.90
Celtic Thunder Experience $299.00

Ticket prices include GST and Booking Fees. Transaction Fees may apply.

Celtic Thunder Experience Package inclusions:
- Exclusive Meet & Greet with two members of Celtic Thunder
- 1 hour pre-show on-site cocktail function
- Substantial canapés
- Premium beer and wine beverage package
- Official Tour Programme
- Souvenir Gift

Celtic Thunder - Musical Event February 2012

UB40 Star in Perth for 80s Gig

Staving off jetlag with a red, red wine at a city hotel only an hour after landing in Perth yesterday, former UB40 frontman Ali Campbell admitted that he still doesn't travel too well.

"I'm like a fine wine, me," the 52-year-old reggae-pop legend joked to AAA. "Bit of sediment, you know what I mean, and I get shook up."

The Birmingham-born Campbell is in town to headline tomorrow night's 80s Dance Picnic Party, which also features Billy Ocean, Junior Marvin and Big Mountain.

Ian "Molly" Meldrum was due to host the event, before his pre-Christmas fall and subsequent hospitalisation. Campbell sent his best wishes to Meldrum and recalled playing early hit *One in Ten *on Countdown during UB40's first visit in 1981.

The English outfit also scored hits such as *Red Red Wine *, *(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You *and *Here I Am (Come and Take Me) *in the 80s and early 90s.

Despite enjoying success well into the past decade - they picked up a Grammy nomination for 2006 album Who You Fighting For - Campbell quit UB40 in 2008 and now tours with a new line-up.

The singer explains that he walked after his bandmates refused to give him time off to tour and promote his solo album Running Free.

According to Campbell, there are long-running financial anomalies and he was "demonised" by the band's management as well as his older brother, singer *Robin Campbell *, and saxophonist *Brian Travers *.

The rest of UB40 have carried on without Campbell, with another brother, *Duncan *, joining the band. The singer has not spoken to either brother since he quit.

"I can't believe what they've done," Campbell said. "What they're busy doing is destroying the legacy of UB40. They are absolutely dire. I don't mind saying . . . it's shocking."

Campbell has released three solo albums but says he is still untangling himself from a "massive web of deceit and skulduggery" with his former bandmates.

"There's no going back," he said. "I'm thoroughly enjoying myself and I'm in control. After having compromised with eight people over 24 albums and being with them for 28 years - I could've killed them."

The singer, who embarked on his mission to promote reggae music after seeing *Bob M * *arley * *and the Wailers *play Birmingham in 1975, is happy to reflect on UB40's success.

The band emerged from the racially diverse area of Balsall Heath, where Campbell and his brothers would attend reggae house parties hosted by members of the local West Indian community. Taking their name from the Unemployment Benefit Form 40, their first proper gig was a fundraiser for the pro-welfare Claimant Union in 1980.

"We were disenfranchised, angry youth in Thatcher's Britain," Campbell says.

That same year, *Chrissie Hynde *approached them at a London gig to tour with the Pretenders, then the UK's hottest band. During the tour, UB40's debut single, *King/Food for Thought *was released and went to No. 4. UB40 rapidly became one of Britain's biggest bands, playing Top of the Pops and gracing the cover of Smash Hits. MTV also made them worldwide stars, airing the video to I Got You Babe, the 1985 duet with Hynde.

Campbell laughed at the memory of going from the dole to Top of the Pops in a few years. "I was voted Most Fancied Male at one point in one of the little girlie mags."

UB40 Star in Perth for 80s Gig

UB40 Star in Perth for 80s Gig

Staving off jetlag with a red, red wine at a city hotel only an hour after landing in Perth yesterday, former UB40 frontman Ali Campbell admitted that he still doesn't travel too well.

"I'm like a fine wine, me," the 52-year-old reggae-pop legend joked to AAA. "Bit of sediment, you know what I mean, and I get shook up."

The Birmingham-born Campbell is in town to headline tomorrow night's 80s Dance Picnic Party, which also features Billy Ocean, Junior Marvin and Big Mountain.

Ian "Molly" Meldrum was due to host the event, before his pre-Christmas fall and subsequent hospitalisation. Campbell sent his best wishes to Meldrum and recalled playing early hit *One in Ten *on Countdown during UB40's first visit in 1981.

The English outfit also scored hits such as *Red Red Wine *, *(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You *and *Here I Am (Come and Take Me) *in the 80s and early 90s.

Despite enjoying success well into the past decade - they picked up a Grammy nomination for 2006 album Who You Fighting For - Campbell quit UB40 in 2008 and now tours with a new line-up.

The singer explains that he walked after his bandmates refused to give him time off to tour and promote his solo album Running Free.

According to Campbell, there are long-running financial anomalies and he was "demonised" by the band's management as well as his older brother, singer *Robin Campbell *, and saxophonist *Brian Travers *.

The rest of UB40 have carried on without Campbell, with another brother, *Duncan *, joining the band. The singer has not spoken to either brother since he quit.

"I can't believe what they've done," Campbell said. "What they're busy doing is destroying the legacy of UB40. They are absolutely dire. I don't mind saying . . . it's shocking."

Campbell has released three solo albums but says he is still untangling himself from a "massive web of deceit and skulduggery" with his former bandmates.

"There's no going back," he said. "I'm thoroughly enjoying myself and I'm in control. After having compromised with eight people over 24 albums and being with them for 28 years - I could've killed them."

The singer, who embarked on his mission to promote reggae music after seeing *Bob M * *arley * *and the Wailers *play Birmingham in 1975, is happy to reflect on UB40's success.

The band emerged from the racially diverse area of Balsall Heath, where Campbell and his brothers would attend reggae house parties hosted by members of the local West Indian community. Taking their name from the Unemployment Benefit Form 40, their first proper gig was a fundraiser for the pro-welfare Claimant Union in 1980.

"We were disenfranchised, angry youth in Thatcher's Britain," Campbell says.

That same year, *Chrissie Hynde *approached them at a London gig to tour with the Pretenders, then the UK's hottest band. During the tour, UB40's debut single, *King/Food for Thought *was released and went to No. 4. UB40 rapidly became one of Britain's biggest bands, playing Top of the Pops and gracing the cover of Smash Hits. MTV also made them worldwide stars, airing the video to I Got You Babe, the 1985 duet with Hynde.

Campbell laughed at the memory of going from the dole to Top of the Pops in a few years. "I was voted Most Fancied Male at one point in one of the little girlie mags."

UB40 Star in Perth for 80s Gig

School Holidays Australia: Another Page Turns in Tale of the Yellow Wiggles

GREG Page had given up on the idea of being a Wiggle. When illness forced him to retire from the famous Australian group five years ago, Page's only connection to the entertainment world was the Elvis Presley museum he had set up in Parkes, NSW.

Yesterday in Sydney, however, the 40-year-old donned his familiar yellow jersey and announced his return to the band he helped create 20 years ago with fellow musicians Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Anthony Field.

"It's really like I never left," Page told The Australian. "It's like I walked out the door yesterday and walked back in today. There is still the same chemistry between us.

Page was forced to quit the Wiggles in 2006 after contracting a rare illness, dysautonomia, which causes fatigue, making it difficult for him to meet the demands of being on stage. He was replaced in the act by singer Sam Moran, who had been an understudy in the group beforehand.

Moran stood down yesterday to allow Page to return.

Moran, who released a solo album in 2010, said in a statement he would be pursuing other interests and spending more time with his wife and two year-old daughter.

"I am very proud of my five years as the yellow Wiggle and the group's continued success with me as their lead singer."

Not all Wiggles fans were happy about the announcement, with some suggesting on the band's Facebook page that the Wiggles should become a five-piecewith Page and Moran.

"A lot of people have grown up with Sam and will be disappointed," Page acknowledges, "but I'll step in and hopefully we'll be able to connect with all of those children as well."

Page's condition has improved through treatment and he now feels strong enough to cope with the busy schedule.

"My health is good," he says.

"My condition is managed in a way that it doesn't affect me during the day, but of course recently I haven't been doing concerts so it is going to be a challenge being back on stage. I'm confident of being able to manage it because I have an understanding now of what the condition is."

The Wiggles are one of Australia's most successful musical exports. Last year they earned $28 million from touring globally and from sales of DVDs and CDs.

Albums such as Yummy Yummy, Toot Toot and Here Comes the Big Red Car have made them a household name across the globe.

Page's first gig of his second phase as a Wiggle starts next week, when the four musos enter the recording studio to write and record new material for a DVD and CD. That will be followed by tours of Australia, Britain and the US in the coming months.

"I've had a look at the schedule for the year ahead and we're going to be working as hard as we used to," he says. "That's a good thing. It keeps everybody on their game.

Another Page Turns in Tale of the Yellow Wiggles

David Hasselhoff arrives in Sydney for Filming of Celebrity Apprentice Australia Series

A FRESH-EYED David Hasselhoff arrived in Sydney last night, ahead of his appearance on Channel 9's Celebrity Apprentice Australia.

Looking much happier than most people who have just arrived on a flight from London, Hasselhoff was all smiles as he slipped through the gates at Sydney Airport.

Channel Nine producers have claimed former Baywatch star Hasselhoff will guarantee the second series of Apprentice will make global headlines.

Hasselhoff will raise money for his nominated charity, Surf Life Saving Australia - a nod to his Baywatch days.

He'll join others including big-name signings outspoken AFL identity Jason Akermanis and former Australian Idol judge Ian "Dicko'' Dickson in the new series, filming for which began in Sydney this week.

The new cast also includes TV presenter Charlotte Dawson, Amazing Race winner Nathan Jolliffe, MasterChef favourite Marion Grasby, water-ski and boxing champ Lauryn Eagle, comics Vince Sorrenti and Fiona O'Loughlin, Getaway personality Ben Dark and Bollywood star Tania Zaetta.

Finance whiz Mark Bouris returns to anchor the boardroom.

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival

These summer holidays, Mickey Mouse and his band of friends, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, will perform in the musical extravaganza Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival. Joined by Disney favourites, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story, this fun-filled concert experience is sure to entertain the whole family!

Disney hits are remixed to the hottest sounds of today featuring hip hop, pop, swing, reggae, rock, country and much more! The irresistible lineup of performers including, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, Ariel, Sebastian and Ursula; Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie, Woody, Buzz and Jessie are among the more than 25 Disney stars featured in this jam session!

You can't resist dancing, singing, playing your air-guitar and laughing with this band of characters! Come join them at Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival for a lively concert experience guaranteed to deliver enough rockin' memories to last a lifetime.

For more information visit www.disneylive.com.au

TOUR DATES*:

Wed 28 - Fri 30 Dec - Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Fri 6 & Sat 7 Jan - Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Mon 9 & Tue 10 Jan - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tue 17 & Wed 18 Jan - Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Sat 21 Jan - WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Mon 23 & Tue 24 Jan - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
*Ticketek is selling for the above venues only.

Book at Ticketek

Kanye West Melbourne Side Show Sold Out – Sydney Selling Fast

Kanye West’s Melbourne side show has not sold out, with punters snapping up every available ticket to the event. The only chance Melbourne fans have to see Kanye West now, is to see him headlining the Big Day Out at Flemington Racecourse on Sunday, 29th January.

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Sydneysiders should take note, there are just a few tickets remaining for the Sydney Entertainment Centre show, and we recommend you get in quick to avoid disappointment.

Kanye West Big Day Out Side Shows

Friday, 27 January, 2012 – Sydney Entertainment Centre
with special guests Sneaky Sound System
Tickets available from: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au Ph 136 100
& http://www.bigdayout.com

Tuesday, 31 January, 2012 – Melbourne: Sidney Myer Music Bowl
with special guests Sneaky Sound System
SOLD OUT!

Big Day Out 2012 lineup

Sunday, 22 January, 2012 – Gold Coast Parklands
Smith Street, Southport. Gates open 11am
Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer.
Big Day Out website tickets sold out. Tickets still available from Ticketmaster (website only)
http://www.ticketmaster.com.au, plus Rockinghorse (Brisbane), Sunflower Pacific Fair (Broadbeach) and Kill the Music (Brisbane)

Thursday, 26 January, 2012 – Sydney Showground
Showground Road, Sydney Olympic Park. Gates open 11am.
Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer.
Big Day Out website tickets sold out. Tickets still available from Ticketmaster (website only) http://www.ticketmaster.com.au plus Red Eye Records (Sydney)

Sunday, 29 January, 2012 – Melbourne Flemington Racecourse
Epsom Rd, Flemington, Melbourne. Gates Open 11am
Tickets $165 (incl GST) + bf*. Strict limit of 4 tickets per customer.
Big Day Out website tickets sold out. Tickets still available from Ticketmaster (website only) http://www.ticketmaster.com.au

Perth Tourism News: Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - Perth Show - Australia

Legendary American pop music icon Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons will perform in Perth on Tuesday, March 27 at the Pioneer Women's Memorial, Kings Park & Botanic Garden from 4pm.

Coming to fame in the 1960s Valli’s is stronger than ever in the 21st Century.

Fans can expect to hear Valli and his band The Four Seasons perform much loved hits on their national tour of Australia, including songs such as Sherry, Let’s Hang On, Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye), Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Rag Doll, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Working My Way Back To You.

The band has had 71 chart hits in the US including 40 in the Top 40, 19 in the Top 10 and eight reaching number one.

Valli has toured constantly since 1962 and his songs have featured in such movies as The Deer Hunter, Dirty Dancing, Mrs. Doubtfire, Conspiracy Theory and The Wanderers.

As many as 200 artists have done cover versions of Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You from Nancy Wilson to Lauryn Hill.

Tickets are on sale now for $109 at www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - Perth Show - Australia

Poppins Gets a Flying Start in Brisbane

After nearly two years on the road perfecting their performance, the cast and crew of Mary Poppins will debut their Brisbane show to the largest ever advance booking in Queensland.

Director of Disney theatrical productions James Thane told AAP the production was thrilled to open on Thursday night in Brisbane, a few hundred kilometers south of Mary Poppins' author PL Travers' birthplace.

"It's a very special moment in the life of the show, internationally, to come back to where the creator of the character was born," he said.

Mr Thane said he had high hopes for the show's success in Brisbane.

"It will be similar to, I think, Melbourne and Sydney where we played to just about 100 per cent capacity."

Verity Hunt Ballard who plays Mary Poppins, told reporters Brisbane audiences can expect a first-rate performance as the cast and crew have perfected the show over the past 18 months.

When asked how she had managed the challenges of playing such an iconic character, she told reporters: "the corset helps".

Matt Lee, a former judge on TV's So You Think You Can Dance, plays Bert, and said it was "mind-blowing" to be involved with such a widely loved production.

"It's such a beautiful story, so wonderfully told by this amazing cast," he told reporters.

Lee said the show's worldwide success would be replicated in Brisbane and that he was eager to return to his performing roots.

"I'm in the biggest forum now for people to judge me," he said. "I love what I do."

The previous ticket sale record for Queensland was held by Wicked, but with nearly 80 per cent of the season's tickets sold before opening, Mary Poppins looks set to fly away with it.

Poppins Gets a Flying Start in Brisbane

Annie The Musical To Get Red Carpet At The Star: Sydney, Australia

Annie The Musical is to get the red carpet treatment at it's 'Sin City' Sydney location this coming Thursday night.

It's hard to imagine that the Lyric Theatre was once closely tied in with the former Star City Casino, but it was. Annie The Musical is hardly the kind of show you would expect to see at a casino complex, but with Echo Entertainment's The Star and its push of mainstream entertainment, its exactly the kind of thing to expect, and for the most part, the media and public at large have been lapping it up.

The Star's Lyric is hardly a stranger to top line entertainment acts with just some of the more recent guests who performed there in various capacities being Snoop Dog, Al Pacino and, Elton John, and the famous 'An Officer And A Gentleman', also produced by John Frost, will play at The Lyric this coming May.

Music News Australia has been able to secure a red hot list of some of the celebrities expected to show up for Thursday's red carpet event:

Kelley Abbey Trevor Ashley Lorraine Bayly Rachael Beck, Ian Stenlake and daughters Mark Beretta Hayley and Nathan Bracken Lauren Brant (Hi-5) Casey Burgess (Hi-5) Tom Burlinson and family Tina Bursill Jonathan Coleman Penny Cook and family Lorrae Desmond Sophie Faulkner and family Mark Ferguson and family Anthony Field and family Amanda Harrison (Wicked) Erika Heynatz and Andrew Kingston David Jones Roberts (Home and Away) Sonia Kruger Jay Laga’aia and family Toni Lamond Guy Leech and family Edwina McCann and twin daughters Glenn McGrath and family Angus McLaren Ben Mingay (Jersey Boys) Sam Moran Amanda Muggleton Barry O’Farrell, Premier of NSW Peter Phelps and family Matt Shirvington and family George Souris, Minister for the Arts Karl Stefanovic and family Maria Venuti Samara Weaving (Home and Away) Matthew White

Sydney has apparently already fallen in love with Annie, and we suspect that the Alan Jones factor (active media heavyweight playing a role in the musical) hasn't hurt ticket sales or its publicity machine.

Ticket sales musical Annie are rocketing towards 100,000! We understand there are currently about 80,000 theatregoers already claiming their seats to the musical, which opens to the public tomorrow night, and no doubt will be swamped by news media.

Approximately 20,000 of those tickets were sold in the past couple of weeks, despite strong competition for the entertainment dollar, including the Phantom Of The Opera sequel Love Never Dies, which begins previewing on Sunday. Who would have thought that The Star would be giving the likes of the Capitol Theatre and the Sydney Opera House a run for their money with musicals et al.

"If anyone has any concern about musical theatre going down the drain, they're in the wrong business. People are spending their money and wanting great entertainment", producer Frost has told Australian media.

The battle for the Australian entertainment dollar is just heating up, and certainly Sydney's The Star is going full speed ahead and betting that world class entertainment will remain paramount in the quest to bring more punters to land based casinos and entertainment complexes.

Extra media blurb we secured...

The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie is back, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including It's the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, N.Y.C. and the ever-optimistic Tomorrow, Annie is one of the most awarded and loved musicals of all time. Reprising one of his all-time favourite roles as the charismatic and sophisticated New York ‘zillionaire' Daddy Warbucks, is Anthony Warlow. He will be joined by the ever-popular Nancye Hayes playing everyone's favourite villain, Miss Hannigan. Todd McKenney, Chloë Dallimore and Julie Goodwin also bring their talents to this delightful musical. And in a special treat, radio star Alan Jones will join the cast in the role of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

A MESSAGE FROM PRODUCER JOHN FROST

It gives me great pleasure to bring ANNIE back to Australian audiences. When I produced this show 12 years ago I was overwhelmed by the response it received. ANNIE is such a well known, well loved production that appeals to so many different age groups. Its popularity means that it is staged once a year in many countries around the world, and I have no doubt that the Australian audiences are well and truly ready to see it again.

This time around, I am especially delighted to be able to work once more with Australia's favourite leading man, Anthony Warlow and theatrical legend Nancye Hayes.

To be taking this wonderful show and the star studded cast on tour in 2012 presents a unique and exciting opportunity to reach a new generation of Australians and it gives me enormous pleasure to think that people Australia wide will again be able to experience this special production.

Websites

The Star www.star.com.au

Annie The Musical www.anniethemusical.com.au

Lyric Theatre www.lyrictheatre.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com

Media Man News www.mediamannews.com

Casino News Media www.casinonewsmedia.com

Music News Australia www.musicnewsaustralia.com