Over the rainbow in search for dorothy and toto

[JustJodi]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rd98s



I am so looking forward to this ....

[tammyy2j]

We're still a week away from the start of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new BBC1 talent show Over The Rainbow but brace yourselves for a bust-up.

Two big beasts from the programme, which aims to find a Dorothy for a stage version of The Wizard Of Oz, are on a collision course - Mr Lloyd Webber himself and veteran judge Sheila Hancock.

Sheila's urging those unsuccessful on Over The Rainbow to throw in the showbiz towel and return to Civvy Street: "to avoid any suffering in the future."

Problem is, Andrew has used losers from his previous TV talent series, such as Any Dream Will Do, to fill parts in his stage shows like Love Never Dies and Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

And that could be mighty hard for his lordship to do if Over The Rainbow rejects follow Sheila's advice and quit showbiz.

[JustJodi]

We're still a week away from the start of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new BBC1 talent show Over The Rainbow but brace yourselves for a bust-up.

Two big beasts from the programme, which aims to find a Dorothy for a stage version of The Wizard Of Oz, are on a collision course - Mr Lloyd Webber himself and veteran judge Sheila Hancock.

Sheila's urging those unsuccessful on Over The Rainbow to throw in the showbiz towel and return to Civvy Street: "to avoid any suffering in the future."

Problem is, Andrew has used losers from his previous TV talent series, such as Any Dream Will Do, to fill parts in his stage shows like Love Never Dies and Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

And that could be mighty hard for his lordship to do if Over The Rainbow rejects follow Sheila's advice and quit showbiz.

geeze that was not very nice of Sheila ,,lets wait and see how this unfolds. Does any one know WHO was in LOVE NEVER DIES that was a former loose and in Joeseph ?????

[alan45]

Graham Norton searching for Dorothy. How very apt

[Katy]

im looking forward to it, Charlotte Church is one of the judges, she was on jonathn ross a few weeks back.

[Perdita]

Page 3 model Amy Diamond will be among the contestants competing for the role of Dorothy on new BBC One reality show Over The Rainbow.

The glamour girl has reached the top 20 stage of the West End talent competition and is vying for a spot in the final 11, according to The Sun.

On the show head judge Andrew Lloyd Webber apparently expresses doubts about Diamond's suitability for the part, which was made famous by Judy Garland. However, she is still put through to the next stage of the competition after impressing panelists John Partridge and Charlotte Church.

Diamond, 22, previously appeared on BBC Three series Glamour Girls and has dated ex-Hollyoaks actor Chris Fountain for two years.

Over The Rainbow stars on Friday at 9pm on BBC One.

DS

[alan45]

OVER The Rainbow has been hit by new controversy after it emerged six of its leading contenders have been on telly before.
The serial wannabes are among 20 girls desperate to win Andrew Lloyd Webber over in his new BBC show, which kicked off last night.

Claire Hillier, Sophie Evans and Stephanie Davis tried out for X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and Popstars before making it to the last 20 girls in the show.

Stephanie and fellow competitors Stephanie Fearon and Amy Diamond also have a wealth of telly acting experience, appearing on Casualty, Holby City and Doctors.

Jessica Robinson, 18, was in the kids' version of Stars In Their Eyes.

They will try to convince judges Charlotte Church, Sheila Hancock, John Partridge and Lord Lloyd Webber they are the perfect Dorothy for his new production of The Wizard of Oz in tonight's programme.

Their previous experience will no doubt spark a debate as to whether they have an unfair advantage in the show, hosted by Graham Norton.

Over The Rainbow has already made headlines after Denise Van Outen - a judge on Webber's previous talent shows - was replaced by Charlotte, 12 years her junior.

Pregnant Denise, 35, accused the BBC of dropping her because she's expecting a tot.

Tonight's 6.30pm episode will see the contenders get advice from five West End leading ladies.

Ten of the 20 hopefuls will get sent through by the judges to the next round, while the girl who gets the most public votes out of the ten not picked by the panel will also go forward.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz0jKyfT7eO

[Perdita]

The final ten women hoping to become the new Dorothy on Over The Rainbow have been revealed.

The final 20 all had to sing in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the panel - Charlotte Church, John Partridge and Sheila Hancock - on tonight's show to convince them to put them through to the next stage of the competition.

The hopefuls were divided into groups of four and had to sing one pop song and one West End track to persuade the judges to save them.

Among the final ten are 18-year-old Bronte Barbe, 17-year-old Stephanie Davis and former Page 3 girl Amy Diamond, although Webber said that he is "not quite sure she could be a Dorothy".

18-year-old Jenny Douglas, former X Factor contestant Sophie Evans and Steph Fearon, who has previously starred in Casualty and My Parents Are Aliens, also made the cut.

The youngest contestant, 16-year-old Dani Rayner, joined the lineup after Partridge described her performance as "sensational", Church branded it "absolutely fabulous", and Webber claimed that there was something "very special" about her.

Meanwhile, student Danielle Hope, Miss Dance 2008 finalist Jessica Robinson and 22-year-old Lauren Samuels completed the final ten.

After making the decision, Webber confessed that it had been "really, really hard" to choose the finalists, adding: "Five girls we all agreed on absolutely immediately, and I'm afraid we argued quite a lot about the others. I hope we've made the right choice and I'm really glad the public have the chance to pick another one, because I'm terrified we haven't."

The public will now be able to vote for a "Wild Card" finalist from the ten women who did not make it through.

Either Tasheka Coe, Tegan Edwards, Emma Warren, Emilie Fleming, Claire Harbourne, Claire Hillier, Katie Honan, Camille Mesnard, Sarah Middleton or Philippa O'Hara will be announced as the "Wild Card" choice on next week's show.

Over The Rainbow continues next Saturday at 7.25pm on BBC One.

[Chloe O'brien]

Oh if I was 20 years younger and could sing. I would audition. Judy Garland is my favourite actress of all time and Wizard of oz is my fav film.

[Perdita]

FURIOUS viewers have branded new BBC1 series Over The Rainbow "blatant advertising" for Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals.
The corporation was accused of breaking its own rules - which ban it from carrying advertising or sponsorship - by launching yet another joint venture with the West End guru.

The BBC has already received 17 complaints on the back of promotions for the programme which seeks to find a singer to play Dorothy in a new production of Wizard of Oz.

That figure is set to rise following Saturday's episode.

The show's timing was also called into question, coming so close to the West End opening of Lord Lloyd-Webber's Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies.

The peer, who has signed a three-year deal with the BBC lasting until 2011, took a year's break from the reality casting shows to produce Love Never Dies, which opened this month.

The Beeb was also criticised for allowing the winner of 2008's I'd Do Anything, Jodie Prenger, to sing on Saturday's show.

Critics said having the 30-year-old appear in costume singing As Long As He Needs Me - a ditty from Oliver! - was simply sly promotion for the West End revival.

The Blackpool-born singer bowed out of Oliver! on the same night as her pre-recorded performance was shown on TV.

She used her performance as an opportunity to wish her successor, Kerry Ellis, luck as her stint begins today - drawing further attention to the musical.

The BBC and Lloyd-Webber have drawn similar criticism in the past from Kevin Spacey, the artistic director of London's Old Vic theatre.

He accused them of promoting musicals at the expense of other West End shows.

Lloyd-Webber, 62, has already credited himself with boosting theatre attendances, but has been careful to argue he helps ticket sales across the board, rather than just lining his own pockets.

Over The Rainbow, which saw thousands of hopefuls for the part of Dorothy whittled down to 10, drew a peak audience of just under seven million viewers on Saturday.

A panel of judges - led by Lloyd-Webber, and made up of Welsh singer Charlotte Church, actress Sheila Hancock and EastEnders star John Partridge - watched as the last 20 hopefuls competed in a sing-off before cutting their number in half.

The public will also the chance to vote in an additional 11th "wildcard" finalist from the 10 who were rejected on Saturday.

The winner of that vote will be unveiled next week



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz0jXb7Weag