Latest Westlife News

note: thanks to the following websites for providing some of the news items found on this site - Worldpop | MTVasia | dotMusic | The Sun | BBC | WENN | Agnes =)

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The Westlife news archives can be found at the bottom of the page

Westlife in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Westlife in Mexico!

1/13/02

pic courtesy of Hello! and Nouf's Westlife Page. More pics to be added this week.

Bryan and Kerry in South Africa

Secrets can't stay forever. Bryan and Kerry are spending their honeymoon at the South African resort Sun City. They were staying at the Lost Palace Hotel. At the hotel's Trader Bar, Bryan joined the hotel band and sang Mustang Sally. The couple stayed in the hotels' special African-themed VIP suite, with their own butler, private jacuzzi and balcony. Other guests said the couple were happy to pose for photos and sign autographs. That's really sweet of them to do that on their vacation!

1/11/02

World of Our Own video

The video looks to be an adventure scene. The boys will be in Reservoir Dogs style suits (Reservoir Dogs is a movie made by Quentin Tarantino). They will get chased in their Hummer Jeep by cops. They will also be accompanied by a couple mean looking dobermans. Bryan said: "It was good fun. We looked great in the suits and loved our bad-boy look."

1/10/02

(pics courtesy of Hello! magazine. magazine is in UK stores now. right click and hit "view image" to enlarge pics)

"BRYAN'S my best friend and knight in shining armour all rolled into one." So says Kerry about Bryan. It is not Kerry, mother of baby Molly, who has been eating for two, it seems, but her husband. In between mouthfuls of cake, however, the lardy one finds time to express his love for his bride. "She's the mother of my baby - and a really great mother - and she's my best friend," he splutters (pausing only to pick the crumbs off the Hello! hack's frock and put them back into his mouth). "I can't believe my luck."

And neither can we as we feast (down, Bryan!) on every moment of their special day. Like any wedding day, however, it wasn't without a last-minute hitch - in this case, with the groom's choice of attire. At the eleventh hour, Bryan (real name: Brian) decided that a traditional morning suit made him look like a hotel porter - and quickly dispatched master tailor Louis Copeland to come up with a new design.

Which he did - and immediately sent the price of gold braid on the futures market into the stratosphere. But our Kerry loves him in it. "He looks amazing," she beamed. "To me Bryan looks just like James Dean..." A Rebel Without A Cause?... No, probably just Giant.

Kylie vs Westlife on Feb 18

It seems Kylie is not a fearless one as she takes on Westlife on the singles chart on February 18 with her new single "In Your Eyes". Westlife will be releasing their 2nd single "World of Our Own". Analysts are pinning the #1 prize on Kylie at this point in time due to the current buzz surround her. Her first single "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" recently sold its 1 millionth copy (and as a side note, I've heard it several times state side on the local radio station). Kylie's camp is confident that she'll beat Westlife, as they think their single sales are usually rather low. We'll see about that. I'd bet my money on Westlife over Kylie.

New Tour Dates

Westlife have announced a string of extra dates for their forthcoming UK arena tour.

Extra dates are as follows:

May

11 - Glasgow SECC (2pm)
24 - Birmingham NEC
31 - London Earls Court

Tickets, priced at £22.50 (£25 in London), will go on sale this Saturday, January 12.

More on Kian's rock desires

Kian revelaed more of his desire to turn himself into an axe-wielding rocker! In fact, he is so desperate to "rock-out" - like his favourite band, Metallica - that he recently bought himself a guitar. Kian said, "I always wanted to be in a rock band and practised at home. Now I have bought myself a little Christmas present from America. It's a Fender Strat guitar and it's beautiful. Every Christmas me and my brother get together and form our own rock band.. He plays bass and I play guitar. There are seven children in my family and all of us play an instrument of some kind so it's in the genes."

1/09/02

More from the wedding

Guests: S Club 7

Quotes:
Singer Brian Kennedy: "It was a fantastic service. It was very romantic and very uplifting for everyone in the church. There was a lot of love in there.”

party coordinator Joanne Byrne: “It is a big Irish family wedding. They are out to have a good time and it is going to be a very late night.”

Superintendent Eamon Courtney: "No disrespect to the couple, but they wouldn't be the biggest draw for crowds". [he further commented that the event had gone smoothly,remarking that Westlife's fans weren't the type to start rioting.]

The local police admitted it was ultimately a B-list event despite the sizeable tabloid media presence which had billed the event 'the celebrity wedding of the year'.

General

Paul Harrington, a former Irish Eurovision winner, provided the entertainment at the £100,000 reception where guests enjoyed a buffet lunch. Outside a magician amused the invited crowd while they queued for security checks.

Slane Castle was decked out in £6,500 worth of white lilies. Slane Castle is often used as a venue for concerts and has played host to U2, Robbie Williams and Bob Dylan. However, yesterday Westlife declined to play, preferring to enjoy a few drinks, according to a spokesperson.

Things you might already have known (from Hello! Mag)

The newlyweds met in August of 1999 on the Smash Hits tour, featuring both Westlife and Atomic Kitten, but didn’t immediately hit it off. “The first time I ever saw Brian and he asked me out I said no. I wasn’t attracted to him,” admits Kerry. That would soon change. Their paths crossed again in November and by the New Year they were engaged.

“We drove to Donegal, which is about four hours from Dublin, and eventually pulled up outside Doe Castle,” she told HELLO! in an exclusive interview earlier this year. “He took my hand and we climbed over this fence. He said, ‘Do you know why I’ve brought you here? This is the spot where my granddad proposed to my nana’. He then got down on his knees, pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him.”

Due to pressures from the music industry, however, the two kept their love secret. “My record company and my manager and the band were totally against me coming out publicly about Kerry,” Bryan said. “They thought it would damage Westlife’s popularity, and then Kerry’s people thought it would damage her popularity. If we were staying in a hotel, we wouldn’t even open the door for room service. We worried that if they saw us, they’d tip off the papers.”

Eventually the two came clean, and soon after announced more happy news: they were expecting their first child. In late September 2001, after what doctors described as a “quite difficult” birth, they welcomed baby Molly at Dublin’s Mount Carmel Hospital.

“We are going to spoil her rotten and I am not ashamed to say that,” said the proud new mother of her daughter who, as babies tend to do, cried throughout the ceremony.

1/08/02

Bryan and Kerry's Big Day - January 5, 2002.

(pic courtesy of Showbiz Ireland)

The pre-planning (security)

The wedding of two big stars (Bryan and Kerry) means a ton of media attention...and the need for lots of security. The tiny Irish village of Rathfeigh in Co Meath was be beseiged by 250 guests, some 200 fans and all the media that hoped to get a glance of the star couple of the new year. The church was chosen after Bryan and Kerry found the remote parish church on a family outing and fell in love with its romantic location.

As part of the security operation, the single road leading to the 150 year old church (Church of the Immaculate Conception) where the marriage took place was sealed off and police cars and vans prowled the wet country lanes. The weather wasn't all that pleasant as it was cool with a thick fog/mist.

...and the money

As with the photos of Molly, Bryan and Kerry have sold off exclusive rights to photos of the wedding to Hello! magazine. The couple are reported to have received 300,000 euros or just under £250,000. That money will help to defray the costs of the wedding which is 100,000 euros. Guests and photographers were not allowed to take any photos to protect the deal with Hello! Guests were searched as they entered into the church.

How did they protect the couple from the media? An elaborate black screen system was erected around the Mercedes cars of the couple. Essentially all you could see were their shoes. And after the wedding, the same screen was used again as they left in a Rolls Royce.

The Guests

All of Westlife were in attendance at the wedding, as was their manager Louis Walsh. Also present were Ronan Keating and his wife, the UK pop group Blue, Atomic Kitten, singers Samantha Mumba, Dane Bowers and Brian Kennedy, UTV presenter Gerry Kelly, Slane Castle owner Lord Henry Mountcharles, and the CEO of BMG records Freddie Middelton.

The Wedding

Kerry arrived more than an hour late for the wedding ceremony. Both arrived in separate cars which had blackened out windows. A 20 foot high black curtain was draped over the cars to ensure no photographers got a shot of the couple. Both were escorted by motorcycle Gardai.

Kerry wore a £20,000 dress. During the wedding, Dane Bowers sang his hit "From the Heart" and the service was conducted by Father JJ Mullen, Bryan's former school chaplain. Molly was at the wedding being cared for by Kerry's parents. Natasha Hamilton was one of Kerry's bridesmaids. Shane was the only member of Westlife to serve as Bryan's groomsmen. Bryan said, "Kerry will have five bridesmaids and Natasha Hamilton will be one of them. Shane Filan is the only member of the band to be one of my five groomsmen as we are the closest in the group."

He added that the wedding will have a "Christmassy feel."

Once inside, guests were surrounded by white lilies and enjoyed a gospel choir who sang hymns chosen by the couple. Bryan's childhood friend Eddie O'Loughlin was his best man while the chief bridesmaid was Natasha.

The wedding went almost without hitch. However, the local priest had asked three local alter girls to serve at the wedding but when they arrived they were turned away. Security for the couple told the girls that their had been a mix up and Bryan and Kerry had brought their own local priest. But, the girls went away happy after they were offered concert tickets and a chance to meet the band during their upcoming Dublin shows for making the effort.

Over an hour later, Bryan and Kerry left the church amid cheers from Westlife fans. The couple are now enjoying their week long honeymoon at an undisclosed location. Bryan will return to work with the rest of Westlife after the honeymoon.

Comments from the guests

Ulster Television chat show host Gerry Kelly said: "Kerry looked very charming. When she was on my show recently she promised to wear something traditional, and she did."

Roger Kasper, associate manager of Hello! magazine: " Bryan joked just before she arrived that he was going to give her five more minutes and then that was it. There were slight worries."

Father JJ Mullen said: "They make a lovely couple, everything went very well."

Wedding co-ordinator Joanne Byrne said: "She looked gorgeous and he looked handsome. They both said `I do' straight away."

The reception after the wedding

The 100,000 euro reception was held at the popular rock venue Slane Castle, a few miles from the church. Guests indulged in a sumptuous buffet that was followed by dancing until the early hours of the morning.

1/01/02

Happy New Year!

2 Concerts in Sligo?

Westlife are hoping to hold 2 concerts in their hometown of Sligo. Concert promoters MCD applied to the local planning council for permission to stage 2 outdoor shows. A spokesperson for Westlife said, "We understand that negotiations have also opened with the owners of a sports venue in the area where it is proposed to stage the shows". Kian added, "We definitely plan to perform in Sligo next year. It's something we've always dreamed of doing."

Odds of a Westlife breakup

Now that the Steps have broken up, everyone is guessing which UK band will be the next to go in 2002. Bookmakers William Hill have their odds on Hear'Say at 6/4 odds (especially after their flop of a second album). Next are Westlife at 5/2, S Club 7 at 6/1, and The Tweenies at 33/1. Hills also offered odds of 20/1 on Robbie Williams retiring from the music industry by the end of next year.

William Hill spokeswoman Serena Momberg said: "Many punters had a gut feeling that this was Steps' last year and placed a flurry of bets towards the end of this year. Hills offered Steps as the most likely band to announce splitting up before December 31, 2001, at 2/1. A lot of our punters felt the Steps split had been on the cards for some time, especially with them releasing their Greatest Hits album, Lee hinting at a new career in acting and the others getting married."

As for the odds for next year's Christmas #1: Robbie Williams and Westlife are the favorites at 5/1 followed by S Club 7 at 7/1, Robbie And Nicole and Blue at 8/1, Bob the Builder at 9/1, Kylie Minogue (solo) at 10/1, and Tweenies at 16/1. Steps' odds have been lengthened from 10/1 to 33/1.

Westlife monthly news archives

December 2001 (2)
December 2001 (1)
November 2001 (2)
November 2001 (1)
October 2001 (2)
October 2001 (1)
September 2001 (2)
September 2001 (1)
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
August 2000