X Factor

The battle even had an extension onto the popular UK show, X Factor. Take That sang with Leona, with "A Million Love Songs". She ultimately won the X Factor, and is set for the UK Christmas #1 with a remake of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" (dear god, can they do remakes any sooner in time...how crappy is that selection). Westlife were paired with Ray Quinn, singing "That's Life".

And how does that translate, with all the attention lavished on both Take That and Westlife in recent weeks? This week so far, Take That have moved another 100,000 albums, nearly double that of Westlife.

12.12.06

Westlife perform at private party

On Sunday, the boys were among many stars performing at a private party that cost around £1.5million (that's US $3 million, no thanks to the depreciated, much maligned and worthless US dollar these days). The event kicked off when when the Sugababes rolled up in the afternoon to perform at a Christmas party that local millionaire property developer Ray Smith was throwing in his garden.

The arrival of Westlife in a grey limousine offered a hint that this was no ordinary social event - and then the glitterrati began flowing thick and fast along the tree-lined street. Will Young turned up, before Charlotte Church, Ricky Tomlinson - who is understood to have compered the event in his trademark Royle Family white vest - and, fresh from the outback, I'm a Celebrity contestant Jason Donovan.

There was also the X-Factor singer, Chico, and finally the guest who had residents twitching their net curtains in disbelief: Lionel Richie. The Smiths have been unwilling to disclose their total outlay for the event but since it is clear that the celebrities were there to perform, the bill stands at around £1.5m. If they had that kind of money to play with - and property prices in nearby Liverpool have been buoyant since the city was named European Capital of Culture - then the sky was always the limit.

Elton John's current asking price is a reported £60,000 (US $120,000) while Robbie Williams is reportedly less than £20,000 (US $40,000). Of course, the Smiths also had the fixtures and fittings for the event accounted for. Female stilt walkers and genuine reindeer were both spotted in a road better known for red squirrels which reside at the nearby National Trust reserve. Proceedings began at 2pm with a children's party which ran until 7pm, followed by an adult's event for a total of 100 guests, which concluded at 3.30am.

Other details remain unclear but if last year's (modest) £500,000 event, featuring former S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens and the 1980s band Go West, was anything to go by, then the children were not short of entertainment. Then they were transported to the entrance by a train, where they were greeted by a reindeer, Noddy and a chocolate fountain.

The Smiths' garden was converted into a winter wonderland with snow, ice sculptures and an ice-skating rink while the Liverpool Cathedral Choir sang carols. The Smiths also have an indoor pool, with a mosaic featuring the faces of their children. Mr Smith's wife, Lisa, was particularly enamoured by Chico last year. "He was the big attraction for all the ladies, while for the dads there was Rachel Stevens," she said.

However, she has been unwilling to discuss this year's Christmas party. Rooney's successor as resident celebrity in Victoria Road, the England and Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard, was not spotted on Sunday and neither was the snooker star and BBC commentator John Parrott, who also lives there. It is also safe to assume the former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson was not invited. His attempts to make £2m from luxury flats on the site of a mansion he demolished has gone down like a lead balloon.

If only I had that amount of money to spend...which begs the question, how much does it cost for Westlife to perform for a private function?

12.10.06

Westlife up 1 spot to number 3

Westlife move from #4 to #3 on the UK albums chart with "The Love Album". It is the album's 3rd week on the UK charts. More interestingly, Take That continue with a double chart top for the 2nd straight week with "Patience" being the #1 single and "Beautiful World" as the #1 album. In it's 5th week, "The Rose" plummets from #11 to #21.

Over in New Zealand, "The Love Album" rose from #5 to #2. U2 retained the #1 album spot. Westlife are at the top of the charts in Ireland, holding the #1 album spot for the 3rd week in a row.

McFly slags Westlife

Last week, McFly were in Glasgow, Scotland to performt their hits at the Cash for Kids charity lunch. Although they've recorded and performed over 20 well-known songs including "Help", by The Beatles, "Mr Brightside", by The Killers, and The Who's "My Generation", the band said they'll never follow in the footsteps of the Irish crooners by releasing a CD of other people's songs.

McFly would rather that their fans think of them more like Oasis. Danny Jones, McFly's lead singer said, "We've done lots of cover versions but it's not something we'd do on an album. We only really sing them for TV and stuff like that when we get specially asked, but we wouldn't do what Westlife have done and bring out an album. We just like to be a band who writes our own stuff. We want to be seen as a proper band like Oasis."

Kian on X Factor

In a straw poll of red carpet celebrities, Leona Lewis picked up more votes than fellow semi-finalists Ben Mills and Raymond Quinn. Westlife singer Kian Egan, former Fame Academy contestant Lemar Obika, Jamie Oliver and ex-Sugababes singer Mutya Beuna all tipped Leona to win the competition. Unfortunately Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem showed they haven't been watching very closely by tipping the MacDonald Brothers, even though the Scottish duo were voted off last weekend. Kian said: "It's tough competition there, there is a lot of good people still left."

Shane on his airplane incident

Shane revealed last night that he felt lucky to be alive after a 320kph plane nightmare. His flight from Sydney was abandoned seconds before take-off when the aircraft suffered a sudden mechanical failure.

He and other passengers had to spend the night at an airport hotel while the incident was investigated. Shane noted, "We were flying down the runway and then suddenly the plane was shaking like mad. I gripped on to the seat and then there was a huge crunching and screeching noise. The pilot slammed the breaks on so hard that it actually veered off the runway on to the grass. I closed my eyes and waited for the worst to happen. I was thinking, 'Oh my God, I don't want to die like this'."

Shane, who with wife Gillian has a one-year-old daughter Nicole, was returning home from a two-week promotional stint in Australia where the band had played a string of sell-out shows. He added: "We have to fly all the time with Westlife but I'm dreading getting on a plane now. The experience really scared me and I had to take some sleeping tablets to get through the flight the next day. I'm chilling out with my family for a few days now and hopefully I won't be too nervous next time I get on a plane."

Before this incident Shane was famed for his love of flying. A year ago he bought a private helicopter for his Sligo mansion. He has taken flying lessons and is on the verge of qualifying for a full licence.

Ronan Keating once hired hypnotist Paul McKenna to get him over a fear of flying after an air scare while in Boyzone. He said: "I have tried everything from hypnosis to self-help books but I still dread getting into a plane."

11.30.06

Westlife trailing in mid-week sales

Take That have sold a total of 43,000 albums thus far, while Westlife have moved 32,000 albums, an amount that will leave them most likely to come in 4th on the charts this week. Since I also like Take That (and their new album is definitely not a disappointment), I've included the rest of the article below:

Take That's high-flying chart success marks an amazing comeback for Gary, Mark, Jason and Howard. They received a rapturous reception from fans at two packed album signings in London and Manchester on Monday.

Mark Owen tells us: "It's like a dream. I can't believe people are still supporting us, we are just so grateful. It's amazing what can happen in a year. Twelve months ago I did a record signing and only 30 people showed up. Now it's thousands. This is going to be one of the best Christmases in years."

What makes their comeback even sweeter is that Beautiful World - their first new album in 10 years - is proving to be more successful than a certain ex-band member's. Take That are set to sell nearly twice as many albums in their first week than Robbie Williams did with his Rudebox CD.

Maybe Robbie will end up reuniting Take That to take advantage of the group's resurgence...

Westlife adds new tour dates in Belfast

Westlife have announced they are to play a fourth gig at the Odyssey Arena on April 16 next year as part of their Love Tour. They have already sold out 3 nights from the 13th to the 15th of April. Tickets will go on sale on 12/2 at 9am. They are available from the Odyssey Box Office on 9073 9074, the usual Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.ie and credit card bookings can be made on 0870 2434455.

Westlife adds Glasgow date

Westlife has added a 3rd concert on April 8 in Glasgow. They were already scheduled to perform at the SECC on the 6th and 7th.

New Zealand Charts

Westlife's "The Love Album" opened at #5 in New Zealand this week, demonstrating the global (sans the US) popularity of the group. U2 won the chart battle in New Zealand. Oasis was #18. "The Rose" did a bit more pitifully, opening at #24 a few weeks ago.

Sorry Brian....

The Mirror posted this article about Westlife and Brian...read on:

Westlife have ruled out any chance of any future reconciliation with former bandmate Brian McFadden, despite the fact they have recorded and performed a track with his girlfriend. The Irish lads are on course to bag their sixth No.1 long player on Sunday, with The Love Album outselling competition from Oasis and U2.

In stark contrast, dad-of-two McFadden's solo career has faltered since he quit the million-selling group in 2004. At the time, he claimed he wanted to spend more time with his family, but his marriage to Kerry Katona crumbled, and McFadden fell into the arms of Aussie singer Delta Goodrem, who sang with the lads on Saturday night's X Factor.

Nicky Byrne says McFadden has no chance of ever being allowed back into Britain's most successful boy band, regardless of how badly his solo career is going. He said: "I still keep in touch with Brian, and he is keeping well, under the circumstances. At the time when Brian left, deep down in my heart, even though I didn't say it publicly, I couldn't understand it. When Brian told us he wanted to leave and be a family man and look after his children, I agreed with the sentiment but, knowing Brian, I couldn't really believe he wanted to give music up and not sing again. In fairness, he did go home for a while but, all of a sudden, his new album was out. And that's when I started to worry if it was pre-planned."

"So, no, I can't see Brian getting back in the band. We are a different band now and we've moved on. It's a difficult situation. He has never said he wanted to come back but, if we were asked, we would say, 'absolutely not'. "Maybe at the time of the split, we might have considered having the five of us back but, the longer we go on, the more of a band we are without Brian. It's not like the Take That situation. They split after Robbie Williams left. We've already done three tours and three albums without Brian. If we go on like this, in time, people won't remember Brian was in the band. Even a reunion in years to come is most unlikely."

Nicky also revealed he used to fight constantly with his former bandmate, accusing him of being unprofessional and failing to turn up on time for engagements. He said: "I've had a few conversations with Brian about him leaving, and I'm probably better mates with him now because, at the time, it was all about being on time and being professional and getting the job done. I felt he was coming up short, and me and Brian would have a go at each other at times. Now I realize Brian was having problems in his marriage, which was something we didn't have the slightest clue about. And he just needed to be at home to try to sort that out. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for him, for whatever reason. The Press were on his side when he left, and they wrote Westlife off. The general feeling was that Brian had done a Robbie, and was going to be the next big thing. It was important to us, as a band, not to get the doubters get to us."

Nicky, 26, has advised McFadden he should "disappear" until he can get himself some decent songs. He believes it's his old bandmate's only chance of making a comeback. "Unfortunately for Brian, it was too much too soon. He left us, his marriage broke up and it was too much. He suffered because of that. He's a decent bloke, a quiet bloke. And I've said to him he needs to be quiet, not make any comments, bury his head in the sand and make a really great album. If he can't write a great one himself, he should record some and make a comeback."

Nicky beamed: "We have had eight albums in eight years, and we are still at the top of our game." To promote the record, the group turned up on X Factor at the weekend, performing an unlikely duet with McFadden's girlfriend Goodrem. But the band say the show, run by their long-time mentors Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, is unlikely to provide them with any competition. Nicky said: "I've seen the odd show. Leona has a great voice but, all in all, X Factor doesn't have the talent like last year when, from day one, Shayne Ward stood out as the star. He was good looking. He was a great singer and a good dancer. He had everything. In terms of the X Factor, he had that. I don't think this year has anyone like that."

Nicky believes their label boss Cowell and manager Walsh have the golden touch when it comes to masterminding Westlife's career. "I don't think we'd be here and as successful as we are without Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell," Nicky confessed. "Individually, they are both an encyclopedia of music and that includes all different genres. What has happened with Westlife is that we can't compare ourselves to any other band. There's been no rock band, vocal band or pop band that has lasted in the charts as long as we have, who have had albums back to back. If you look at other bands in the UK, some might be happy to sell 400,000 albums. But, if we were selling that amount of records, we'd probably knock it on the head. We're just delighted to be having this level of success because, if the sales dropped, we wouldn't do it. I'm not being arrogant. I'm just telling you the harsh reality of our situation, and we couldn't have done it without them. We are just looking at facts. What our secret is that we have that other people don't, well, I can't put my finger on it."

11.28.06

Eton Road to support Westlife in 2007

X Factor boy band, Eton Road, got booted off the show Saturday night, and it looks like they've secure a spot on the 2007 Westlife tour in support of "The Love Album". Although they lost out on a place in the final four to Ben, it looks like Louis Walsh is set to sign them anyway - after a shock revelation on the show. In an exclusive interview the foursome told us of their exictement and their reluctance to dwell on “what could’ve been”. They said: “It’s all about looking forward now. We’re not going to dwell on the past.”

Daniel, David, James and Anthony were quick to defend their old rivals though, saying: “We want the MacDonald brothers to win. We reckon they could go all the way. They've never once been in the bottom two. We think they deserve it just as much as anyone else. Each week they hold their heads high from the criticism. But it’s not just Simon who gives them flack. They get lots of stick from the press too. But surely if the public didn’t like them, would they really still be in the top four?” The boys are unanimous in their support for Ben too. “He is so true and honest, with an excellent voice. Leona has a great voice too - but Ben’s different, edgier qualities make him stand out.”

Yesterday's guest appearance on ITV1’s This Morning, Louis surprised the quartet by announcing that Eton Road are going to support Westlife on their next tour. Anthony said: “It’s incredible. Louis has totally lived up to the word mentor.”

And the boys are grateful for that support so far and admit they love the attention, especially from girls! “It’s brilliant,” said James. “Not just the female attention, but everyone’s attention full-stop. We couldn’t have asked for more. It’s crazy … We’re just four guys from Liverpool.”

Now focusing on the tour David and James - who are both trained dancers - say they are looking forward to introducing some moves to their stage shows. James said: “We just can’t wait to get started on the choreography. We definitely want to bring dancing into our performances.” As for Anthony, he admits he is happy to be the butt of Simon’s continual comments that he is “odd”. “Looking and sounding like everyone else doesn’t separate you from the crowds. It’s called The X Factor for a reason, so being told I’m odd or different can actually be taken as a compliment as it suggests I have the X factor. We are more memorable as a group for having an individual style and our own look.”

Take That v. Westlife

The pestilence known as the "The Sun" columnist Victoria Newton, continued on her anti-Westlife barrage today, doing all she can to make sure Take That will dethrone Westlife from the top of the charts this week. (although seeing both Take That and Westlife on top of the charts at the same time reminds of how I miss the music from the 1990s). Here's the latest Victoria rant:

Take That are planning a slap-up curry feast in their home town of Manchester to mark their first No1 in ten years. The lads — Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Howard Donald and Mark Owen — took top spot on Sunday with comeback single "Patience". But like typical blokes, they were more preoccupied with the thought of poppadoms and spicy food than their chart triumph. Jason joked: “It’s curry night tonight. Howard is the only real man of the band. You just have to look at him. He has a beard so he is a jalfrezi kind of a guy. Mark is more of a korma man.”

I joined the manband on their UK charm offensive yesterday. They were doing a signing in HMV on London’s Oxford Street before flying on to Manchester for another appearance. And the hysteria in both cities was just as wild as during their heyday — with some fans queueing for more than 48 hours. The serious business of a huge album chart battle is also hotting up. Take That are in competition with housewives’ favourites Westlife and Il Divo for the No1 spot this weekend. But the lads’ new album is going to be enormous. More than 500,000 copies have already been shipped and the stores are asking for more.

I showed the lads yesterday’s edition of Bizarre in which I called on them to exterminate "pestlife" from the top of this week’s chart. Gary told me: “We will do our best to knock Westlife off No1 but it’s a tough job. They have sold so many albums it’s quite unbelievable. I don’t know who is buying it but we will do what we can to make ours No1.”

Howard really cracked up on seeing the page and said: “Pestlife — I love it. Take That to the rescue? We’ll do what we can.” * Mark added: “We are dead chuffed to have a No1 again.” He added: “It will be tough to beat Il Divo. Gary has told his mum not to buy their album for a week to give us a chance of the No1.”

Mark added: “I feel like I’m in the England football team going to the World Cup getting on the plane. You will have to be our WAG for the day.” Mark was handing out newspapers and serving coffee in his best efforts as an air steward. And Gary made an announcement on the Tannoy to tell his select group of passengers that we should expect heavy winds. That’ll be the curry, then.

Oasis on Westlife (again)

Oasis singer, Noel Gallagher, was stunned to be beaten by Irish pop stars Westlife to the number one spot in the UK album charts. Last month, Gallagher's brother and bandmate Liam voiced his confidence their greatest hits album 'Stop The Clocks' would rule the charts. However, the boy band's latest release 'The Love Album' went straight in at #1, leaving Oasis at #2.. During his performance last night at London's Union Chapel, angry Noel ranted, "Did someone say Westlife? That goes to prove there is no God." After realising he had voiced a blasphemic opinion in a Christian church, Gallagher added, "You may strike me down if you wish, but it's true."

11.26.06

"The Love Album" - UK #1

Congrats to Westlife for their Westlife beat out Oasis with their album "Stop the Clocks". This was the 6th #1 album for Westlife. Oasis was followed by The Beatles with "Love" and U2 with "U218 Singles". The win was impressive given the super competitive week. It shows that after 7 years and 8 albums, the boys still have it....even with a covers album.

Also, in the 3rd week, "The Rose" fell from #3 to #5. It is still holding up relatively well after 3 weeks.

So Westlife thinks this year's X Factor sucks....

Westlife have criticized The X Factor, claiming that last year's contestants had more talent. Although the singers, who appeared as guest mentors on the show last weekend, are backing Leona Lewis to win, they do not believe that any of the participants can be compared to 2005's winner Shayne Ward.

Nicky told the Daily Record, "I've seen the odd show, Leona has a great voice but, all in all, X Factor doesn't have the talent like last year when, from day one, Shayne Ward stood out as the star. He was good looking. He was a great singer and a good dancer. He had everything. In terms of the X Factor, he had that. I don't think this year has anyone like that."

11.25.06

Before you set out reading all the new stuff below...it looks like Westlife will have the #1 album in the UK. You can tune in to Radio One of the BBC tomorrow afternoon to listent to the chart countdown to find out the official announcement. They sold 129,000 albums.

Westlife set for #1

Many tipped Oasis to win the battle with their greatest hits album 'Stop The Clocks', but Westlife were 15,000 copies ahead with 'The Love Album' at close of play on Thursday. Westlife have sold 129,000 albums compared to Oasis' total of 114,000. The Beatles are in third place after their new remix album 'LOVE' sold 92,000 copies and U2 are way behind in fourth with just 48,000 sales.

So what's a good comparison? The UK has a population of 60 million. Compare that to the United States (the world's biggest and toughest music market) with a population of 300 million. Westlife would have sold an equivalent 645,000 albums....which is an astounding number. Only a handful (literally) artists sell that many albums in their first release week! Westlife is definitely among the most popular groups out there in the world.

Louis Walsh speaks up

Louis Walsh went to The Sun explaining why he thought Westlife was the world's greatest band.

"Westlife truly are the people’s band — they appeal to ordinary people, people like you and me. The sort of people who pick up this paper every day. That is the key to their success. It’s people on the street up and down the country who buy their records — not the trendy London types who are too snobby to think they are any good. Look at the numbers and they speak for themselves. People go out and buy Westlife records in the shops in their thousands. They’re not the type of fans who will download them.

And the lads themselves are solid gold. Mark, Nicky, Shane and Kian keep their feet firmly on the ground — they don’t try to be anything they are not. They know they are just four guys from Ireland who got lucky and, at the end of the day, they are nice people who don’t forget their roots. Four normal lads in an extraordinary situation who are close, tight, good friends. I think that comes across with people. As a band, they are not in competition with anyone — there’s no one else out there who compares. Take That are similar in terms of being a successful boy band but it’s a different kind of music. In terms of other boybands, they have seen them all come and go.

Westlife have sold 32 million records and they’re going to go on for ever. It’s all down to hard work. They put records out back to back and they just don’t stop. It means their fans keep coming back for more. They’ve had 14 No1 singles — and will try to get 20. They never get good airplay, they cannot get played on Radio 1 for love nor money . . . but it doesn’t matter. They’ve proved you don’t need Radio 1.

Westlife aren’t hip but I think that’s why many people like them. Like the band, their fans don’t pretend to be something they are not either. Westlife have a huge fanbase. They’ve sold 150,000 tickets for their tour. I love Oasis — I’ve bought the new album — and I love The Beatles. Westlife are No1 in Ireland this week — they’ve beaten U2 there, which has never happened. This is going to be their biggest-selling album in Ireland. They are set to do eight nights at The Point in Dublin next year — no one else can do that. As for the tunes, I pick them all — including the “cheesy” ones. I pick them because I love them and it seems a whole load of people out there love them too.

Sir Elton John all for Westlife

The Sun certainly kicked off a good controversy with their first column. Elton John stepped into the fray in support of Westlife. He said, “I’m so glad Westlife are ahead of Oasis. After what f****** Noel Gallagher said about me I couldn’t give a s*** about Oasis. I go into f****** shops all the time myself, he’s just such a tosser. He’s an absolute tosser and he looks like Parker from Thunderbirds. They don’t deserve to be No1. It’s not a greatest hits album because they’ve left three of their biggest hits off it.”

In addition, X Factor and American Idol judge Simon Cowell (who originally signed Westlife) noted, “Westlife are smart — they know and respect their audience. It doesn’t matter that some of their songs are covers. I’d rather have a cover version of a good song than a crap song. This week is good for the industry because both bands are selling a ton of albums — it doesn’t matter who is No1.”

Gary Barlow on Westlife

As much as I like Take That, Gary Barlow went over the edge with his rather rude comments regarding Westlife. In talking with The Sun, he said: "I just don't get the whole Westlife thing. I don't understand who would go out and buy their records. I haven't got it and I won't be buying it, but I have got the Oasis album. I'm definitely backing Oasis over them - I thought Oasis would storm it to number 1 with their best of."

Now supposing that this is a true quote, you have to wonder...isn't the fan base of both groups the same?!! Take That is set for their 9th chart topper with "Patience" tomorrow.

Even Noel Gallagher of Oasis loves Westlife

It just keeps getting stranger overseas. Noel Gallagher of Westlife shocked fans last night, when he claimed that Westlife were better than The Beatles. Speaking after the showing of a Oasis documentary, "Lord Don't Slow Me Down", at Glasgow Science Centre, Noel described the Irish boy band's new single as "genius".

He also spoke of his love of Paul Weller and meeting Neil Young and Burt Bacharach. Noel, who is staying in Edinburgh for the next week, also said he was looking forward to taking a break from touring next year. Promising he'll be back in the future, he added: "I'd go insane. I can't work with our kid more than once every three years. He gets on my t**s."

More on the album race from earlier in the week

Westlife and Oasis are neck and neck in this week's race for the top of the album charts, according to music retailer HMV. In the mid-week charts, Stop The Clocks by Oasis emerged as the biggest seller, but only just ahead of Westlife's new studio release The Love Album, which ran it very close.

Earlier in the week the Beatles looked set to steal the number one spot with their Love album as it enjoyed the best morning sales of all the albums released on Monday. But the Oasis album sold consistently throughout the day, while the Westlife album enjoyed a late afternoon surge, with the children coming home from school. Also making a bid for the top five are Irish superstars U2 with 18 Singles and George Michael's Twenty Five.

HMV's Gennaro Castaldo said Westlife were still fighting for the number one spot, but that he thought indie rockers Oasis had the edge over the record-breaking Irish boy band. "People might have thought that the race for the number one album this week would be between Oasis and The Beatles and perhaps even U2, but Westlife are proving their enduring appeal and they can certainly hold their own when it comes to chart success. HMV still believes that Oasis will have the fan base and broad appeal to sell more copies of their album over the course of the week to land the number one, but it's clearly going to be a lot tighter than everyone imagined. It's not impossible that Westlife could upset the odds, while The Beatles aren't out of the reckoning either, but we think Oasis will emerge on top."

Meanwhile, Take That's comeback single Patience was the best selling single at the start of the week, ahead of Emma Bunton's Children In Need release Downtown. The track is well on the way to giving Take That their ninth UK number one and also make them early contenders to top the singles chart this Christmas.

Westlife at Butlins

Westlife proved they will do anything to not let their fans down last weekend as they played show after show in Butlin’s Minehead resort. Following extreme weather, an erected structure built to house gigs for 5,000 Westlife fans was damaged so badly that it was unfit for the planned gigs. However, such a setback failed to daunt Westlife, who rather then playing one huge concert instead played two in one day at a smaller venue in the Somerset resort. It was the first time the band of Irish crooners had ever played back to back shows and Butlins staff are now full of praise for the band. Now that’s what you call dedication!

11.21.06

Westlife on X Factor

Westlife made an appearance on the X Factor earlier this week, after they made number one with "The Rose" The contestants on the ITV show were singing number one hits from a range of artists.

"The Rose" - Down to #3

Looks like Westlife could not hold the top of the UK singles chart with "The Rose". They dropped from #1 to #3.

Westlife in Brisbane

Westlife were in Brisbane, Australia yesterday (11/21/06). They are currently on a promotional tour of Australia this week, including stops in Sydney. Here's a pic from their performance on B105 of Brisbane.

These are pics from B105 in Brisbane, Australia

No. 1 album?

Who do you think will garner the No. 1 album of the week? A quick scan online shows that no one knows. I posted a few articles with different predictions! It makes me wonder why Westlife ended up choosing this week of all weeks to release their album.

From The Sun (UK) - Westlife wins

(you can see the writer of this article from "The Sun" was not a Westlife fan) The Sun believes that Westlife will win the epic chart battle between Oasis, The Beatles, U2 and themselves. While early official midweek chart figures show Oasis just leading the pack, the news is grim for people who like their music with guitars, bass, drums and genuine talent. The numbers show Oasis at No1 on 52,000, Westlife at No2 on 51,000, The Beatles at No3 on 31,000 and U2 at No4 with 18,000. But these do NOT take into account the massive amount of Tesco sales, which will weigh heavily in Westlife’s favour. Experts predict that with housewife supermarket purchasing, Oasis will be pushed aside and de ’Loife will breeze into the No1 spot by an easy 5,000 sales.

Totally impartial but closet Westlife fan Gennaro Castaldo, from HMV, said it was the most exciting chart battle in ages and that Oasis fans should not give up yet. He told me yesterday: “People might have thought the race for the No1 album this week would be between Oasis and The Beatles, and perhaps U2, but Westlife are proving their enduring appeal. “But Gallagher fans shouldn’t lose heart. While Westlife may be edging overall figures, it’s no contest at HMV, where Stop The Clocks is currently outselling The Love Album by nearly three to one. “If it came down to just HMV customers, Oasis would swagger in to the top spot.”

2nd version - Oasis wins

The UK chart is set for a battle of the bands spectacular as Oasis, U2, Westlife and The Beatles all release compilation albums. Stop the Clocks by Oasis, 18 Singles by U2, Love by The Beatles and Westlife's The Love Album are now all in the shops. On Sunday, George Michael's compilation Twenty Five reached number one, two days after he kicked off his first UK tour in 15 years. Michael beat compilation albums from Sugababes, Girls Aloud and Jamiroquai to take the top spot. HMV's Gennaro Castaldo said: "Christmas starts here as far as music retailers are concerned as it's not every day that some of the world's biggest ever supergroups have albums out. "It's going to be close to see who comes out on top, but we reckon Oasis's Stop The Clocks will go to number one by the end of the week, though U2 may look to sell more copies of the 18 Singles over the next month, or so."

Version 3 - Oasis wins

Oasis are heading the race to claim the UK #1 album this Sunday, according to early sales reports. The Gallagher brothers look set to compete with Westlife for the chart-topping LP, despite going head-to-head with U2 and The Beatles. Apparently "Stop The Clocks" and "The Love Album" are outselling their rivals, having shifted over 50,000 each on the first day of release.

The Fab Four's "Love", which is a sound collage of their biggest hits produced by George Martin, is currently in third, one spot ahead of the new U2 best of "U218". Meanwhile, Noel and Liam Gallagher have dismissed "Love" as "rubbish" and "a pointless exercise", the day after all four albums were released. Liam insisted: "If you haven't got The Beatles by now you're not going to get it. I'm all Beatled-up!"

Version 4 - Westlife wins

Westlife look likely to romp to the top of the album chart come Sunday with their The Love Album collection, according to industry insider predictions. DiS has heard on the proverbial grapevine that the Irish boyband's latest is looking certain to outsell newly released best-ofs from U2 and Oasis - 18 and Stop The Clocks respectively - as well as the new Beatles album, Love.

It was previously assumed that this week's #1 position would be contested between the Manchester outfit and the Bono-led rock four-piece. Sales data from one leading supermarket is yet to be collected, meaning that things could change, but considering Westlife's popularity with daytime-shopping mothers (a shocking generalisation? Nah...), it's unlikely that either Oasis or U2, or The Beatles, will beat them to the number one position before Sunday's chart confirmation. Of course, everything can change. But it probably won't.

Version 5 - Oasis wins

U2's singles collection '18 Songs' is currently trailing in third place narrowly ahead of Irish boy band Westlife's 'Love Album'. The four groups are expected to sell in excess of a million copies between them during the next few weeks in the battle to have the biggest selling LP of the Christmas period.

Despite The Beatles' early advantage, HMV's head of press Gennaro Castaldo believes Liam and Noel Gallagher will beat their idols to the top spot at the end of the week. He said: "Based on initial sales, it looks like first day honors may just go to The Beatles, which comes as no surprise given the nature of their fan base. But it may be that Oasis will sell more over the week to go to number one while U2 and Westlife will aim to shift more copies over the Christmas period as a whole." 'Love' is a collection of classic Beatles tracks reworked by legendary producer Sir George Martin - who was famously dubbed the 'fifth Beatle' - to accompany the critically acclaimed Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas stage show of the same name.

11.12.06

Westlife with their 14th UK #1

The group held off the U2/Green Day hit "The Saints Are Coming", to extend their streak of #1's. "The Rose" is the 21st official UK release for the group. That's 7 long years and still counting.

Westlife with 14th "bullseyes"

New research from the book of British Hit Singles & Albums has revealed that Westlife have had more "bullseyes", records entering at No.1, than any other act in chart history.

Their latest single, a cover version of Bette Midler's "The Rose", gave the band their 14th #1 this week. Incredibly, all 14 of their No.1 hit singles have debuted at the top of the chart. When their debut single Swear it Again hit the No.1 spot in May 1999, the group also managed an unbroken run of seven consecutive No.1s - a record which still stands today, six years later..

Five of their seven albums were also "bullseyes", with their lowest album chart entry reaching no less than #3. British Hit Singles & Albums Editor David Roberts commented, "I must admit that at the end of 2003 I thought their chart-topping days were over. How wrong was I? Their amazing achievement is in having a fanbase that has grown-up with them over seven years. It's a trick few pop groups have emulated."

Top 10 Acts with most chart "bullseyes": 1. Westlife (14) 2. Oasis (10) 3. Take That (8) 4. Spice Girls (8) 5. Eminem (7) 6. Elvis Presley (6) 7. U2 (6) 8. Boyzone (6) 9. Robbie Williams (6) 10. McFly (6)

11.05.06

Nicky and Georgina expecting!

It was announced today that Nicky and Georgina are expecting their first child, due next summer. The one line statement noted, "Nicky and Georgina Byrne are delighted to announce that they are expecting their first child next summer."

The couple wed at Wicklow Registry Office, Co Wicklow in August 2003 and their union was blessed four days later at the Roman Catholic Church of St Pierre et St Paul in Gallardon, Eure-et-Loir, France.

The couple attended the annual conference of Mr Ahern's ruling Fianna Fail party in Dublin on Saturday night. Georgina, 27 and Nicky, 28, appeared briefly on RTE television as they hugged Mr Ahern at the back of the Citywest Hotel hall before he made his televised address.

Album release date moved back

Is it competition? Whatever the reason (and this was almost under the radar....), the album release of "The Love Album" has been moved back to November 20. If memory serves me right, this has been the latest that Westlife has ever released a new album.

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