Wes Carr forced to reshoot

AUSTRALIAN Idol winner Wes Carr has been forced to remake his first music video because the original one was deemed unusable.

A replacement video for his No. 2 hit, You, was hastily filmed last weekend after the first one was scrapped at the 11th hour.

Music industry insiders said the original clip, filmed days after the Idol finale, was axed for being too dark and moody.

The new clip was shot outdoors in sunny Bondi, Sydney, last Friday and was directed by Melbourne film-maker Gemma Lee.

Most music videos in Australia cost around $20,000, making it a costly reshoot.

The new video was made in a hurry, Carr said.

“I woke up at 3am on Friday morning in Brisbane, got on the plane at 5am, got to Sydney at 7am, by 8am I was doing the clip, by 9pm it was a wrap,” Carr said.

The delay in releasing a video for You may have contributed towards the song only reaching No. 2 on the music charts this week, kept out of No. 1 by just 11 sales.

The $9 price tag for the single, because it is being seen as an EP as it contains four songs, would not have helped either. Most singles can be bought for under $5.

The new video is being frantically finished and is expected to debut on weekend music TV.

Jess boned or NOT

JESSICA Rowe has not been sacked and will remain at the Seven Network under a freelance agreement, the TV station has said.

Seven said Rowe was employed under a freelance deal for most of this year, and that arrangement would continue into the future.

The Daily Telegraph today reported Rowe had not had her contract renewed by Seven and was upset at the snub.

Seven boss David Leckie had confirmed Rowe’s contract had not been renewed but said she may be offered some casual shifts, The Daily Telegraph reported.

“We find today’s reports a little perplexing given Jessica is anchoring on Seven News next week,” a Seven spokesman said.

“Nothing has changed with Jessica.

“She has been on a freelance agreement for most of this year and that agreement continues.”

Rowe was humiliated in 2006 when her then Channel 9 boss Eddie McGuire was indiscreet about plans to “bone” her.

Rowe, a popular evening newsreader at Channel 10 before being courted by Nine for the plum role as Today’s co-anchor, was picked up by Seven after the “boning” incident.

Network sources have long maintained that Seven hired Rowe as a publicity stunt.

She was put on a one-year contract and recruited for the 2007 Dancing With The Stars before being moved into a newsreading role.

“After all she had been through, she was eager to return to the familiarity of newsreading and for a while there was popping up everywhere – the afternoon news, morning show panels, even as a newsreader on Sunrise,” a Seven news source said.

“But what she really wanted was a permanent newsreading gig and unfortunately for Jess, Seven has a glut of newsreaders all desperate for a key slot and the executive bosses just don’t have anything for her.”

The good news for her and husband Peter Overton has been a second pregnancy, announced two months ago.

Breaky on 92.9 in 2009

It used to be Em and Wippa, from 2009 it will be Em and Sam Mac on the Perth 92.9 breakfast show. Added to the line-up will be Channel Seven sports guru, Basil Zempilas.

WE ARE BACK!!

After a few problems we are back and on the net.
Hear it first hear with more updates coming your way.

DONT FORGET TO VOTE!!!!!! (see below)

LILY ALLEN VS KATY PERRY

Ooh, catfight! Lily Allen has struck out at Katy Perry over her declaration she’s “a fatter version of Amy Winehouse and a skinner version of Lily Allen.” Allen has accused the I Kissed A Girl singer of not writing her own songs and being nothing more than an American (albeit bustier) version of herself.

“I happen to know for a fact that she was an American version of me,” Allen told Capital FM. “She was signed by my label in America as, ‘We need to find something controversial and kooky like Lily Allen.’ And then they found her… I think the lyrics and stuff are a bit crass.”

“I was just kind of joking and trying to be funny,” Perry said. “It’s like, you’re not English and you don’t write your own songs, shut up!” Allen sniped back. Everyone loves it when the claws are out!

Seven get Uguly at Betty

Seven is removing Ugly Betty from Tuesdays now to play only on Thursdays as of next week, December 18.

The show only got 733,000 on Tuesday, beaten by Sudden Impact on 1.04m.

Instead Seven has decided to go head to head with factual series, Wild Vets and Coastwatch from Tuesday December 16.

That makes viewing tough for anyone wanting diversity of choice. Still Seven has knocked the show around this year, they shouldn’t be surprised by the low turn out.

Betty also won’t screen on Christmas Day, but returns January 1st.

Mariah Carey and her Pregancy Rumours

MARIAH Carey has sparked pregnancy rumours after she was seen “clutching what looked like a sonogram”. The 38-year-old singer – who married rapper Nick Cannon, 27, in a secret ceremony in the Bahamas in April – reportedly looked ecstatic as she left a gynaecologist’s office in Los Angeles recently.

A source told the New York Post: “Mariah came out of the office clutching what looked like a sonogram and being greeted by her entourage with cheers. She was ebullient.”

TEN NEWS RESHUFFLE

CHANNEL Ten’s news team has been thrown into chaos, with hosts Ron Wilson and Sandra Sully shunted into new timeslots.

The reshuffle has led to speculation Ten may cut some of its news progams to save costs after a bad year for the business.

Wilson, Ten News at Five anchor and veteran of almost 30 years, was moved from the 5pm bulletin to 6am, clashing with his second job as 2GB breakfast newsreader on the Alan Jones show.

Wilson will be replaced by popular 6am anchor Bill Woods, while Sandra Sully was wrenched from the late news to 5pm to take over from a holidaying Deborah Knight.

That immediately led to rumours the late night and 6am news bulletins would be dumped in a cost-cutting exercise – leaving one or more of the newsreaders on the outer.

Ten’s head of news Jim Carroll denied plans to dump the early and late news, but confirmed Sully would continue to head the 5pm bulletin when Knight goes on maternity leave in February.
While Carroll tried to smooth waters, his newsroom was spreading oil and fire.

“They say it’s just a reshuffle but you only have to look at the share price to realise what’s going on,” a source said.

“People are running around like headless chooks.”

Ten’s share price has more than halved this year, going from $2.98 a year ago to $1.15 yesterday following a drop among its key ratings demographics.

Meanwhile, Ten’s executive chairman Nick Falloon was recently awarded a $2.4 million annual pay rise to $5.8 million.

Last night Wilson confirmed he had been told he would move to 6am, but said he was “delighted” because that’s where he first started at Ten on Good Morning Australia in the 1980s.

PROGRAMING AT ARN IN 09

The positive news on the programming front continues for ARN who yesterday announced a new Drive show that reunites Jono and Dano. Today they’re trumpeting the fact that Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones have signed a new three-year contract to host the WSFM breakfast show.

COLDPLAY PLAY COPYCATS

Coldplay are facing a new lawsuit over global smash hit, Viva La Vida. Guitar legend Joe Satriani of Santana has filed a suit in Los Angeles claiming the band stole “substantial, original portions” of his song, I Could Fly.

Did Coldplay copy Joe Satriani?

Coldplay’s song has been nominated for a Grammy Award, has featured in iPod commercials and helped make Coldplay the World’s Best Selling Band (at the recent World Music Awards) so if Joe Satriani is successful in his legal claim, the British rockers could be liable for some serious coin.