W:W! Old News

Bryan McFadden says Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell phoned
him on his honeymoon to tell him he needed to lose
weight.

The Westlife singer was staying in Mauritius with new
bride Kerry Katona.

He says Simon told him he looked fat in his wedding
photos.

"I told him that's the way I am," he said in an
interview with GMTV.

"I'm not going to have any liposuction. He couldn't
ruin my honeymoon."

And band mate Kian says they think Will Young's
version of the band's track Evergreen will be a hit.

The Pop Idol winner is releasing the single on
February 25.

"We always knew it was going to be a great song," Kian
said.

"It was never a contender for us to release as a
single but with Will I'm sure it will do really well."

The boyband�s next stop is musician�s promised land, America, and it is confident of making it big despite a previous failed attempt. Westlife fans, prepare to scream � again.

Your Irish idols heard you shrieking your support for them loud and clear at the Singapore Indoor Stadium during the first MTV Asia Awards last Saturday. So they will be back later this year for their third full � blown concert here. Their last one was in May last year.

In a one � on � five interview at the Four Seasons Hotel last week, the band�s co-founder and lead singer Shane Filan, 22, said: �We�re talking to our agents about a Singapore gig in August or, failing that, a definite one in October.�

The band�s co-founder and leader Kian Egan, 21, said: �Asia in general is a very special place for us because our biggest sales are down here.�

Small wonder, then, that Westlife was named the region�s Favourite International Pop Act at last Saturday�s extravaganza. But before the group gets all hot and sweaty in Singapore again, it will try in July to break into the market that every Irish outfit since U2 has been dreaming of cracking.

Indeed, despite holding the Guinness Book of World Records for the most consecutive No.1 singles in the history � seven (these were in the British charts) � mentioning Westlife to Americans will earn you a blank stares in the market that matters most, at least where record sales are concerned.

Cheeky Nicky Bryne, 23, said: �We�ve never performed properly over there, luv. The first time we tried to make it over there was the summer after promoting our first album in Britain, Europe and Asia in 2000, but we did not have as many good songs as we do now on our new album.�

The album in question is World Of Our Own, Westlife�s third, which had sold more than 45,000 in Singapore in two months since it was released worldwide last November. That equals to triple platinum. It has also gone six times platinum in Indonesia and twice platinum in Malaysia. Sales in Asia alone now total one million copies.

Overall, the two-year-old group has sold 13 million records globally thus far, seven in Asia. Egan said,: �Our main problem in America the last time was that there was no one to guide us on how to crack the market.� Luscious-lipped Mark Feehily, 21, said: �This time, we have the experience of having been there, what to do, what not to do and what will get us better results.�

Said Egan: �Being ourselves. We tried to change our image to pander to American audiences and so we failed. We�ve since learnt that Westlife should just be Westlife.�

Feehily added: �But if we fail to make it in America again, that will be the end of the road for us there, but not the end of Westlife.�

Indeed, throughout the 20-minute interview, the men took great pains to hammer home the message that they are still very much a united bunch. Said Feehily: �I don�t think any of us feels we�re anywhere near the end of the band. We�re only between 21 and 23 years old, so the hunger for success is still there, if you know what I mean.�

For much of last year, the band was dogged by rumors of an impending split. This fuelled in part by their tough-talking manager, Mr Louis Walsh, who proclaimed Filan and McFadden as the only ones among them who had any hope of credible solo careers.

Still, all five band members chalked up new personal milestones by writing half of the songs on World, although Egan ruled out any possibility of a fourth album composed entirely of their own songs. As he put it: �An awful lot of songwriters have helped us get to where we are today. They created Westlife. It would be silly of us to forget that.�

Feehily agreed. He said: �Many young bands switch to singing only their songs at the first sign of success. We�re not going to fall into that trap.� He did not say why he considered that as a �trap�, seeing as how the most successful groups from the Beatles to the Bee Gees have all made it big by writing their own material.

Filan mused: �You know, with the new sound and good songs on our lastest album, these past few weeks have been the best the band has ever had. So, while we�re not getting younger, we feel younger. So, we�re fresh, new and ready to crack America.�

Hear Idol Will's new hit!
He was the surprise winner of Pop Idol 2002 on Saturday night and now he's set to become a millionaire and star.

Politics graduate Will Young staged a dramatic comeback to snatch victory from bookie's favourite Gareth Gates in the show that had the whole nation talking.

The 23-year-old won a record deal with BMG and his first single is due for release on February 25.

The double A-side is a cover of Westlife's Evergreen and new track Anything Is Possible, written by 90s chart star Cathy Dennis.

The single looks certain to go straight to number one so to see what all the fuss is about, click below.

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Westlife's Kian Egan is an ambitious lad -- he wants to either a concert pianist
or a big-wig Disney boss if his pop career fails.
The star pondered his options when Westlife launched their career in 1999 --
just in case they weren't successful - and still fancies his high-brow
alternative career options.

He reveals, "I'd definitely still be in the entertainment industry if Westlife
hadn't been successful.

"I was actually hoping to go to college to try and become the head of
entertainment at Disney World.

"Either that or be a piano player!"

WESTLIFE have rowed in to help a charity group that supports Sligo kidney patients.
The famous boy band have signed a giant poster of the group for a raffle by the Sligo branch of the Kidney Association.
Shane Filan presented the poster to Liz Gilligan who is in charge of fund-raising for the association. "Westlife want the money to go straight towards helping our patients in Sligo", said Liz.
"There will be lots of other prizes included in the raffle which will take place in April or May," she added.
The Sligo branch of the Kidney Association has been in existence for 23 years. Its chairperson and founder member is Angela McKinney.
Angela's brother was the founding member of the National Kidney Association in 1978 and she became involved when her nephew had a transplant.
Money raised by the Sligo branch is distributed through 'patient aid' in cases where assistance is necessary. It also goes towards the running of the kidney unit in Sligo General Hospital. And the association hopes to develop the facilities in the Kidney unit through its recent fund-raising efforts.
A-five-mile fun run in October 7 raised a total of �6,229. The fun run which started in Market Yard was supported by many local sponsors whom the association thank for their generosity: Gilroy Tiling, Harry's Bar, North West Radio, and local newspapers including Sligo Weekender.

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Britney Spears, Westlife and Destiny's Child are to star in a Walt Disney television special.

The show will be broadcast to tie-in with the opening of a new theme park at Disneyland Resort in Paris on March 16.

It will be shown around Europe, and several versions will be made to feature only home-grown stars and presenters.

It will be shown in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain and the UK, and an international version will be developed for worldwide distribution.

Disney TV executive John Hardie said: "This is one of the most ambitious television productions that Disney has undertaken in Europe. The programme will first and foremost be an excellent family entertainment show.

"But rather than producing just one programme for all countries, we are making this relevant to families across Europe by producing entirely bespoke versions."

The TV special will be shown on terrestrial TV in the UK, but the channel is unconfirmed.

Westlife only originally planned to play one night at the Odyssey, but have kept adding extra shows due to massive public demand.

Promoter Peter Aiken told the Belfast News Letter: "Almost one in 15 people in Northern Ireland will see the band play live at the Odyssey Arena between the April and June shows."

Westlife will now play Belfast on April 19, 20 (two shows), 21, 22, 23, June 3 and 4 (sold out) and June 20 And 21.

They will be supported by Irish Popstars winners Six, who release their debut single, There's A Whole Lot of Lovin� Going On, on February 8.

The UK leg of the Westlife tour kicks off at Newcastle Arena on April 26 - tickets for some of the shows are still available from Ananova's ecommerce partner Way Ahead.

Westlife release their new single, World Of Our Own on 18 February. The superstar Irish group will be aiming for their 10th No 1 single with the track, which is taken from their recent album, World Of Our Own. The song is a singalong, up-tempo track with a B-side, Crying Girl, co-written by the band's Bryan McFadden.

Westlife added to their haul of awards this weekend when they picked up the Favourite Pop Act gong at the MTV Asia Music Awards. Meanwhile the band are preparing for their second arena tour. The In The Round 2002 tour kicks off in Europe on 3 April and concludes in their hometown of Dublin on 16 June. The band's six shows in Dublin sold out within 30 minutes.

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Westlife, S Club 7 and Cat Deeley are to host a series of preview shows for the Brit Awards.

They will present The Brits Are Coming on ITV2 each Saturday in the run-up to the event on February 20.

The first show, hosted by Westlife, will feature a live performance from Nelly Furtado on February 2 at 11pm.

Cat Deeley will present the show the following Saturday, featuring a recent performance by Anastacia at London's Shepherds Bush Empire.

The final show will be broadcast live from Earls Court with S Club 7.

Apparently, Bryan and Kerry did not go on their honeymoon alone. They each
brought a friend along with them to Mauritius. The foursome were spotted
playing
games on the beach and enjoying boat rides together. Kerry and Bryan did get
the
chance to sneak away from their buddies and were later seen smooching in the
sea.

Former 911 star Lee Brennan talked positively about boybands recently,
including
Westlife. Lee was one of the writes of Blue's recent smash it "If You Come
Back". He said, "It's not important that I write my own songs. I mean, if a
good
song comes in, I'll do that. I'm not one of these precious people who says
they're cool and 'I'm a songwriter' and all this crap. Whatever sounds like
the
right song to do I'm gonna do it. I enjoy songwriting and I like it when you
get
a cheque out of nowhere."

Lee also hit back at the many bands who spend the majority of their time
bashing
the likes of Westlife, a1 and his old band, 911. "If it's the likes of an
indie
band who aren't as big, then it's just jealousy 'cos there's not enough fans
to
buy their records. There's loads of pop fans - you can't hold it against
teenagers for liking them!"

Westlife have revealed the secret behind their sweet taste of
success...honey!
They demanded a jar of honey before helping to launch a new North venue, say
ing
that it would help them sing their hits at the official opening of Durham's
�14m
Gala Theater.

They also asked for white towels in their dressing rooms to be swapped for
blue
ones. A source said: "The boys asked for honey, presumably to help them
sing.
But getting hold of honey on a Sunday night is no easy task so in the end
they
had to do without. They also asked for the white towels in their dressing
room
to be changed for blue ones. Big stars do tend to ask for these special
requirements before they perform."

They sang six of their hits, including Uptown Girl, to a sell-out crowd
packed
with screaming girls. They were only four strong as Bryan was still off with
Kerry on their honeymoon.

A spokesman for Westlife said: "A lot of artists like to drink honey and
lemon
before performing. It is very good for the throat and helps them sing
better. We
can't comment on the blue towels because we have seen the lads use white
towels
before. The only other thing they like to do is give each other a hug before
going on stage as a little good-luck superstition."

The first ever MTV Asia Awards, Asia's first ever pan regional Awards
show celebrating both local, regional and international talent from
around the world, were held before 7,000 screaming fans at the
Singapore Indoor Stadium last night, February 2. Hosted by Ronan
Keating and Mandy Moore, the show featured live acts, and honoured
Asian youth's choice of movie, fashion designer, and music in a
ceremony that married cultures. The show will air across Asia on MTV
channels, premiering last night at 10.00 p.m. Singapore time.
Pan regional winners included Bon Jovi (Favourite Rock Act), Ricky
Martin (Favourite Male), Britney Spears (Favourite Female), Westlife
(Favourite Pop Act), "The Call" by the Backstreet Boys (Favourite
Video), Linkin Park (Favourite Breakthrough Artist), Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon (Favourite Film), Donatella Versace (Favourite Fashion
Designer). Local MTV territory Favourite Artists include Siti
Nurhaliza (Malaysia), Pru (Thailand), Stefanie Sun (Singapore), PADI
(Indonesia), Regine Velasquez (Philippines), Sammi Cheng (Hong Kong)
Chang Hui Mei (Taiwan), "Tanha Dil" by Shaan (India), Kang Ta
(Korea), Na Ying (China). "Jaane Kyon" from the movie "Dil Chahta
Hai" won the award for Favourite Indian Film Artist.

Malaysian rap group Too Phat kicked off the festivities with a
rousing pre-show performance to entertain the crowd of fans gathered
outside to wait for their favourite celebrities at the red carpet.

The night featured a stunning opening featuring percussionists Bond
in a duet with Danish super group Safri Duo. Pink then took over,
to "Get The Party Started" - and it only got better. Other incredible
collaborations include M2M with Indonesian group PADI, a joining of
the divas with Stefanie and Na Ying wowing the stadium, hunky host
Ronan Keating swooning with Asha, while Mandy and Regine proved that
East and West can make beautiful music together! Other highlights
included Ronan Keating singing solo, a special treat by Blue, the
unique sounds of god from Korea, P.O.D. rocking the house, with
Enrique Iglesias adding a hot Latin touch. Japanese superstar Ayumi
Hamazaki added her own brand of magic to the show and was presented
with a special honour for being the "Most Influential Japanese Artist
In Asia". The show ended with a rousing finale by Westlife bringing
the first ever pan Asian music extravaganza to a fitting end!

Additional presenters at the event included Zhang Ziyi, Anggun,
Stefanie Sun, WWF superstar Lita, Ziana Zain, Natural, Thongchye
Macintyre, Tanya Chua, Tata Young, Kit Chan, Natural, Karen Mok, Siti
Nurhaliza, Dewa, Celeste Chong, PRU, Shaan, Dreamz FM and Cirque Du
Soleil.

Another category, the Inspiration Award, which honours an individual
or group admired by Asian youth or an organisation that has
contributed to the betterment of Asian youth was awarded to Jackie
Chan for being an inspiration to the young people of Asia and around
the world.

The show is airing on all of MTV Asia's channels, reaching more than
150 million households, with portions airing on MTV's channels around
the world.

This 100% Official trivia quiz is a fun and exciting interactive game, in which fans can learn previously unreleased facts and unlock exclusive Westlife interviews and photos by answering questions on their songs, videos, star-signs, previous jobs and much, much more!

It is available in 2 versions; PC and Playstation. The PC version launches in the UK on 1 March 2002, followed by the Playstation version on 15 March 2002.

We are currently negotiating listing these products with the UK retailers and have confirmed orders from W H Smith, Toys-r-Us, Electronic Boutique and various independent retailers. We are hoping also to expand this to include Woolworths, HMV, Dixons and Virgin.

With 500 questions in each game and print and multiplay functions on the PC version, you are sure to find this both fun and revealing! Look out for the special edition PC version with free Westlife T-shirt, and we hope you will enjoy finding out how much you know about the lads!

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The guys have just jetted off to Singapore for ten days of promotion in South East Asia. They'll be spending several days in Singapore where they'll be recording a documentary that will run on GMTV (see below for when it runs) and then they'll be off to Japan. In Japan they'll be doing a load of local TV, press and radio interviews. The guys love going to Singapore and Japan coz its so different from home and because the fans are crazy out there. They'll be back in the UK early Feb.

All Westlife fans can breathe a sigh of relief - Bryan has told Westlife.com exclusively that the group are not going their separate ways.

After the recent break-ups of bands like Five and Steps, the boys have been quick to dismiss rumours that they are the next to go. Bryan explains how Westlife grew up together and are just like a family. He says that he and the rest of the group have similar ideas, the same background and upbringing and would never split unless they weren't enjoying it any more - let's just hope that's a long way off!

Platinum members can hear all this, plus his views on why other pop bands break up.

As I disclosed yesterday, contenders WILL YOUNG, GARETH GATES and DARIUS DANESH each recorded versions of the then-secret song at West London�s Olympic studios this week.

Evergreen appeared on Westlife�s most recent album World Of Our Own, which came out in November.

It is a slushy ballad which features the lyrics: �Eyes, like a sunrise, like a rainfall down my soul. And I wonder, why you look at me like that,

�What you�re thinking, what�s behind. Don�t tell me, but it feels like love.�

When the original track was released, Westlife�s KIAN EGAN said of it: �Typical Westlife arms-in-the-air ballad and similar to My Love.

When the ITV1 contest�s winner is decided on February 9, their version will be packaged for release on judge SIMON COWELL�s BMG Records. A release date of February 25 has been pencilled in and a video will be swiftly shot just after the final show.

Record label bosses reckon the combination of Pop Idol and Westlife will make the single a surefire No1.

Insiders predict it will sell more than a million copies and will be the fastest-selling debut single ever.

Evergreen will be accompanied on the double A-sided single by a song specially written by Eighties star CATHY DENNIS, who penned KYLIE MINOGUE�s recent mega-hit Can�t Get You Out Of My Head.

GARETH GATES should watch out � maneater PATSY KENSIT is back on the prowl and I am told she has taken quite a shine to him.

The Pop Idol�s mum Wendy said: �I bumped into her in the hairdresser�s opposite the hotel we stay at in London. She said Gareth was wonderful, really lovely, and she warned me to watch out for her.�

Victoria Beckham has told worldpop that Westlife will never be on a par with the Spice Girls. Speaking to worldpop at her record company HQ, Virgin, Victoria told us: I know Westlife are a massively successful band but I don't think they could ever compare themselves with the Spice Girls. Obviously they're massive at the moment but they haven't had the same kind of success as the Spice Girls. We were a worldwide success. We had a No 1 record in America and all over the world. I don't think Westlife have reached that level yet.'

Speaking on the current state of British pop Victoria said: 'There's not many pop bands that I really like. I think Craig David is amazing and Blue are really good but it's not about music anymore. It's about media perception. I suppose the Spice Girls contributed to that in some way but although we were big personalities our songs were good. We made great records.'

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Ireland became the pop capital of the world last night when ten of the
world's top pop acts got together for an Irish children's charity.

A1, Westlife, S Club 7, Blue, Fifth Avenue, Reel, Sophie Ellis Bexter,
Hear'say, Six, Bellfire and Omero Mumba all took to the stage for the ISPCC
raising over 150,000 euro during the night.

Over 6,500 people enjoyed the concert, which was aired on Irish Television
live.

ShowBizIreland.com spent the night with the stars of the show and even got
some of them to model some new trendy ShowBizIreland.com baseball hats.

Boyband Blue were out to celebrate being nominated for two Brit awards while
Sophie Ellis Bexter made a brief appearance to talk about her recent hit
single.

The show was hosted by Kerry Katona and Westlife's Nicky Byrne which was
covered live by ShowBizIreland.com's team of photographers.

Westlife's Nicky Byrne famous for dating the Irish Taoiseach's oldest daughter
Georgina Ahern said he is planning to marry her in the not so distant future.
Speaking to ShowBizIreland.com ahead of Sunday's Childline concert in the Point,
which he was hosting, Nicky said, "I will marry Georgina. Since Bryan and Kerry
got married we have spoken about it and both of us definitely want to get around
to it soon. The problem is that I'm in the band and always touring. For us
anyway the commitment is already there the rest is just formality."

He continued, "With her being the Taoiseach's daughter we know there will be a
lot of publicity and we want to have a real Irish wedding. I don't know if we
will do the whole OK or Hello! thing. A lot of people have said to us you would
be mad not to as it is a lot of money. But, I just look at all the hassle Bryan
had. We have nearly finished decorating our new house. I think we may do the
house for the magazine but I don't know about our wedding. Like you may have a
few houses in your lifetime but a wedding is a once in a lifetime thing. Still,
if the money was right, maybe?"

Ireland's number one Entertainment Website left the rest out in the cold on
Sunday night and caught the stars of Childline at play around Dublin.
Our exclusive pictures show Blue, Westlife and Bellefire on the town after the
show. We even got the first pictures of the remaining four members of Hear'say
after the split with Kym from the band.
ShowBizIreland.com also got to talk to those who have become compulsive viewing
and household names over the past few weeks, the Irish Popstars Six.
So we found it our duty to catch up with the Popstars to find out the secrets
behind their love lives and why joining the band has caused havoc with their
relationships.

In an exclusive interview this week with all six Popstars we found out that one
is practically married and has been dating a girl for over five years.
Another one is also smitten and has been dating someone for three years. One had
to leave her musician boyfriend to join the band and the other three just can't
find anyone.
Kyle, the blond guy from Derry admitted in an exclusive interview after their
first live performance at Childline that he has been dating a girl from his
hometown for the past five years and had to leave her to be in the band.

Exclusive
(Entertainment)
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Time - 19:00 to 19:30 (30 minutes long).
When - Monday 4th February on Channel 5
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Entertainment news and gossip with Tess Daly. Including interviews with Westlife, Alanis Morissette and S Club 7. (Stereo)

The Brits Are Coming
(Entertainment)
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Time - 23:00 to 23:30 (30 minutes long).
When - Saturday 2nd February on ITV2
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Westlife host a preview of the Brit Awards, the first of three shows featuring nominated artists saying who they think should win, profiles on the nominees and specially recorded live performances. With profiles on Gorillaz, Mis-Teeq and Kylie Minogue, a recorded live performance from Nelly Furtado and the chance to pick the best Robbie Williams performance in tonight's phone-in competition. (Widescreen)

Westlife will be performing in "The Caracas Pop Festival
2002". The festival is between March 13 and 17, and Westlife will be performing
on the 15th (Friday). There will also be performances from Korn, Alanis
Morissette, Papa Roach, No Doubt, Pink Floyd, Roger Waters and other famous
Latin artists like Puerto Rican Juan Luis Guerra, the Mexican Paulina Rubio and
Colombian Carlos Vives. It's the first time Westlife in Venezuela!! The price of
the tickets is US$32 (25.000 Bol�vares - entrada general) and US$72 (55.000
Bol�vares - VIP).

Last year, the festival was a success. There were performances from Christina
Aguilera, Oasis, Five, Collective Soul, Sting and Sheryl Crow. The press
predicts the same for this year.

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Kian has dyed his blonde hair into his natural hair colour, brown again. See the pics below. Left is his pic when he was kid.

There's a rumour that Nicky would be attending the Childline football match next Saturday, possibly to play on Keith Duffy's team.

Hello! magazine may have had the exclusive photo rights to Bryan & Kerry's but we can exclusively tell you where the couple are now and how much it is costing them.

Let us start by saying that it is lucky the couple got �250,000 from Hello! for the photo rights of the wedding (organized by Joanne Byrne - Mari O'Leary's right hand woman). Their two-week honeymoon Hotel is a favourite of Prince William and not cheap.

The couple flew out of Dublin to London on Monday last, they then flew on to Sun City in South Africa.

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!

After a few days in The Palace of the Lost City resort in Sun City they jetted first class down to the tiny island of Mauritius where they are staying until the end of this week in one of the island's top hotels.

We won't tell you the name as even we feel they need some peace.

The price for seven days full board is nearly �5,000 Irish for the Mauritius hideaway with the first class flights and the top suite in the hotel.

Oh, by the way that is �5,000 a week... each!!

On top of the �10,000 cost of the hotel in Mauritius they paid �2,000 each for their stay in the South African resort .

The final cost of the honeymoon was close to �20,000 we are told and with over �100,000 going on the wedding the couple must be one of the only Hello! couples to have spent over half their payment by the time the magazine hit the shelves.

The Wedding was organized by Ireland's top wedding planner Tara Fay.

This years sold-out Childline Concert at the Point will feature Westlife and
S Club 7 and is already sold out.

Next Sunday, the 27th of January, Westlife will be joined by a host of
International stars and will be covered live by ShowBizIreland.com.

These will include Blue, who scored the number one spot with their debut
album "All Rise".

Sexy and sophisticated disco diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor will also appear on
the night. She has enjoyed numerous hits including "Take Me Home","Murder On
The Dancefloor" and "Lover" since her debut solo single "If This Ain't Love"
with DJ Spiller.

Sophie has been nominated for Best British Female Solo Artist for the Brit
awards and is up against the talents of Dido and PJ Harvey.

Fans will also be treated to hitmakers A1 who took the pop world by storm
when their first three singles crashed into the top 10. Their cover of the
A-Ha classic "Take On Me" gave them their first no 1 hit and was followed by
"Same Old Brand New You" and "No More".

Fans can also see Hearsay live, the band who shot to fame on Popstars and
reached the UK top spot with their debut album "Popstars" and Hit single
"Pure and Simple" .

The host of international stars will be joined by Ireland's latest pop
sensations - Bellefire who reached number 2 with the debut single "Perfect
Bliss", Reel, Fifth Avenue and Samantha Mumba's little brother Omero Mumba.

Westlife, Pink and P.O.D. have been added to the
line-up of the first ever MTV Asia Awards.

Blue and Cirque Du Soleil are also among the artists
taking part.

The awards ceremony takes place in the Singapore
Indoor Stadium on February 2.

It will be hosted by Ronan Keating and Mandy Moore.

Also among the line-up for the night are Favourite
Artist - Philippines nominee Regine Velasquez, Shaan
from India, Korean group God, Padi from Indonesia, M
Nasir from Malaysia, Chinese singer Na Ying and Hong
Kong star Sammi Cheng.

More artists will be announced in the days leading up
to the show, MTV Asia reports.

The show will be aired later the same day on all of
MTV Asia's channels, and is also scheduled to air on
various MTV global channels.

MTV Networks Asia's vice-president Mishal Varma said:
"This will be the first time Asian fans get a chance
to see artists from so many different countries
performing on stage at one single event.

"Expect a fusion of different cultures and music, and
an all-in-all mind-blowing experience."

Fans can vote in 19 categories of the awards at
www.mtvasiaawards.com. Voting remains open until
January 18.
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Westlife's brand new single 'World of Our Own' is released 18th February. You can watch the video or as a special treat hear exclusive never previously released tracks right here on Westlife Platinum today. World Of Our Own CD1 features, 'Crying Girl', a new track written by Westlife and produced by Bryan McFadden and Steve Robson. A remix of the heart rendering song, 'Angel' , is accompanied by a CD Rom of the video. CD2 includes another new track, 'I Promise You That', and the CD Rom of the 'World of Our Own' video plus interview footage. You can listen to the tracks in the Fun Stuff section. Enjoy!

Westlife's new single 'World of Our Own' is released 18th February.

This afternoon you can see a clip of the brand new video featuring the guys dress to the hilt and looking extremely suave. The single features unreleased tracks 'Crying Girl', which was written by the band, and 'I Promise You That' which was previously only on the Japanese version of the album. The guys love this video and hope you do too.

Platinum members can get to see the whole video online now plus hear the new tracks, we'll be putting the whole video online on this part of the site (http://www.westlife.com) later this week. Enjoy!

Dogs' life ... left to right, Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan, Bryan McFadden and Mark Feehily.
Pictures: DAVE HOGAN

      WESTLIFE dress like gangsters ready for another raid on the charts -
hoping to notch up a TENTH No1.
      My exclusive snaps show the lads looking like characters from the
movie Reservoir Dogs in the video for new single World Of Our Own.

      In the promo they race around in a macho Hummer Jeep chased by cops.
They even hired some Dobermans to complete the image - though that might
have been risky, since they were all dressed like a dog's dinner.

Jeep thrills ... Westlife pose with muscular Hummer car

BRYAN McFADDEN, who married KERRY KATONA a couple of days after the
shoot, told me: "It was good fun. We looked great in the suits and loved our
bad-boy look."

But the boys had better be ready for a fight when they release the
track on February 18.

They will be up against KYLIE MINOGUE and her single In Your Eyes. And
she really dresses to kill.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

This week's edition of HELLO! covers the fairytale wedding of Bryan and
Kerry.

Our good friends at HELLO! have given us this amazing picture of the bride
and groom at the altar both looking stunning.

The magazine is out now and contains even more exclusive pics in an article
that is no less than 20 pages long!

Here is a snippet of the feature from the magazine.

As Bryan says: "looking back on the day, I can sum it up in just one word:
"wow".

Both Kerry and Bryan have fought hard to achieve success, which makes their
lavish wedding even more magical.

"I used to come to pop concerts in the grounds of Slane," reveals Bryan, 21,
"and look up at the castle. But I never, ever imagined in a million years
that I'd be getting married there."

Kerry, who grew up living both in a council house with her mother Susan, and
from time to time in foster care, recalls a time when they even had to sell
a pet parrot to buy essentials.

"I've been pretending that I live here, in this castle which my millionaire
father died and left me!" reveals Kerry, also 21.

Kerry asked the organizers to 'think fairytale' when planning the event and
she wasn't disappointed. The theme was a sumptuous white, gold and burgundy
(reflecting her love of all things Christmassy). From the wedding
organizers to the Irish society florist (James Bailie) and the platinum
diamond encrusted rings the pair exchanged no expense was spared.

Kerry wore a �10,000 Neil Cunningham designed duchesse satin wedding basque
and skirt encrusted in Swarovski crystals and a stunning bracelet and
earrings from Dublin jewelers Appleby's. The groom at the last moment chose
a rich gold frock coat, over a burgundy waistcoat shot with gold, designed
by Louis Copeland, in place of traditional morning dress "which made me look
like a hotel porter" laughs Bryan. His bride was very pleased with the
finished look.

"He looks amazing, but then he always does. To me, Bryan looks just like
James Dean."

The bride (in keeping with tradition) arrived at the church almost an hour
late, but the couple's baby daughter, Molly Marie McFadden, managed to
distract attention. "She looked so cute, smiling away, but that's how she
is: a dream baby, good as gold," says Bryan.

The couple's old friend Dane Bowers sang From the Heart to them from the
gallery of the church. "Dane's is a song that's very special to Kerry and
me," explains Bryan, "So to have that song for our wedding, sung live by
Dane, was really special."

A special performance by newly-weds Bryan and Kerry put the icing on their wedding cake at the weekend. The couple performed a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-style song and dance routine before their guests at the reception.

After a day of fraught nerves, the couple impressed guests with their performance and they looked as if they had both forgotten any stresses from that morning.

It's a rarity for a wedding to go off without any hitches and it seems the McFadden's was no exception. On waking up for the big day, Bryan realized he didn't have a clean pair of boxers to wear under his white cream suit! Fortunately for him, one of his friends raced off to purchase him a new pair.

And in true female style, Kerry turned up an hour late to the church!

THIS is the first picture of Mr and Mrs BRYAN McFADDEN, taken just two days after they tied the knot at the weekend.

The happy couple � more commonly known as Bryan from Westlife and former Atomic Kitten singer KERRY KATONA � were spotted at Dublin airport yesterday jetting off to Mauritius for their honeymoon.

And their daughter Molly wasn�t the only thing they were showing off � Bryan was sporting his diamond wedding ring for the first time.

The singer and his TV-presenter bride married in County Meath in Ireland on Saturday.

A fellow traveller at the airport said: �They looked like the perfect couple and were clearly excited to be going on their honeymoon.�

Here is the cover of Westlife's new single World Of Our Own that will be released 18th of February.

Westlife star Bryan McFadden and former Atomic Kitten
singer Kerry Katona have got married at a private
ceremony near Dublin.
The celebrity couple tied the knot at the Church of
the Immaculate Conception in the village of Rathreigh,
County Meath.

Katona, who wore a �20,000 dress, was more than an
hour late for the ceremony.

Roger Kasper, associate manager of Hello! magazine,
said: "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."

McFadden's school chaplain, Father JJ Mullen,
performed the Catholic ceremony

He said: "They make a lovely couple, everything went
very well."

The couple are believed to have signed an exclusive
�300,000 photo deal with Hello! magazine.

But scores of photographers and a handful of young
female fans still shivered on the sidelines as guests
arrived in cars with darkened windows.

McFadden and Katona entered the grounds in a convoy of
three black Mercedes and a four-wheel drive vehicle
escorted by two police motorcyclists.

Specially-designed security screens shielded the
couple as they walked into the church.

The 250 guests had been warned not to bring cameras
and many were searched as they entered the
150-year-old stone church.

The couple's four-month-old daughter, Molly, joined
the congregation.

Atomic Kitten's Natasha Hamilton was a bridesmaid.

And the guest list included Irish singer Ronan
Keating, his wife, Yvonne, and pop group S Club 7.

Dane Bowers sang his hit From the Heart during the
ceremony.

But contrary to rumours McFadden's Westlife bandmates
- Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Kian Egan
did not perform.

Wedding co-ordinator Joanne Byrne said: The guys are
out to enjoy themselves.

"It is a big Irish family wedding. They have got a
wedding band and DJ. They are out to have a good time
and it is going to be a very late night."

Nicky Byrne was accompanied by his girlfriend
Georgina, the daughter of Irish Prime Minister Bertie
Ahern.

The couple hired a team of security guards to patrol
the grounds of Slane Castle to keep onlookers and the
paparazzi, away from their reception.

It is the first major function to be held at the
castle - overlooking the River Boyne, nine miles from
the church - since its east side was destroyed by fire
in 1991.

The wedding comes almost 18 months since the couple,
both aged 21, first began dating.
They live in McFadden's native Dublin.

Katona was a founder member of the hit female trio
Atomic Kitten.
She left the group earlier this year soon after
becoming pregnant just days before Atomic Kitten went
to number one with Whole Again.

But McFadden remains very much a member of the hugely
successful all-boy group Westlife.

His wedding caps a year crammed with success for the
group with hit singles, albums and sell-out
performances across three continents.

Westlife's recent double A-sided single Queen Of My
Heart/When You're Looking Like That gave the group
their ninth UK number one - a record beaten only by
The Beatles.

Globally, Westlife have sold more than 12 million
albums, Westlife and Coast to Coast.

Their third hit album World of Our Own, recorded in
Dublin, London and Sweden, is currently at number six
in the UK album charts.

Westlife star Bryan McFadden has married girlfriend Kerry Katona - with the bride arriving more than an hour late for the ceremony.

McFadden tied the knot with the mother of his child and former Atomic Kitten star in a tiny Irish village amid tight security.

The bride, in a �20,000 dress, met Bryan at the altar after being whisked past screaming fans outside the Catholic church in Rathfeigh, Co Meath.

An array of celebrities, including Ronan Keating, Dane Bowers and the Westlife boys, were also driven past the crowd of around 200 mainly young girls outside the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Security was strict in the village as McFadden and Katona protected their exclusive deal with Hello! magazine.

The single lane to the church was sealed off by police and security guards and the 250 guests had been warned that cameras would be confiscated.

An elaborate screen system was erected around the Mercedes cars of the couple, both 21, as they arrived, to protect them against unwelcome lenses.

As they left, amid thick mist, this time together in a Rolls-Royce, they were again hidden from onlookers.

During the wedding, in the 150-year-old stone church, Dane Bowers sang his hit From the Heart and the service was conducted by Father JJ Mullen, McFadden's former school chaplain.

Following the ceremony 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."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The hitmaker has erected security gates, cameras and alarms at his luxury home in Delgany, County Wicklow.

Pals say that heart-throb Bryan is desperate to protect his privacy in the run up to his wedding to fiancee Kerry Katona.

Security experts have installed a sophisticated system so that fans cannot get near his luxury home.

A pal says, "Bryan is happy to have a high pop profile, but when he is with his family he wants his space. He s going to be away a lot on tour this year and he wants to make sure that Kerry and baby Molly are well taken care of."

KERRY KATONA won�t wed Westlife�s BRYAN McFADDEN at Slane Castle after all � she is marrying plain Brian McFadden instead.

Guests to the bash in Dublin on Saturday were surprised to receive invitations for the nuptials of Atomic Kitten Kerry and Brian, assuming printers had got it wrong. But it actually is his real name.

A Westlife insider said: �He added the Y when he joined the band because he thought it looked cooler.�

Teen pop hunks Westlife have shot the video for their new single World Of Our Own in the Docklands area of London, England. The five heart-throbs play gangsters in the action-packed video.

Nicky Byrne has revealed his first love -- and it isn't Georginia. The Queen Of My Heart chart-topper said his first love is soccer, and he's dying to return to the game.Byrne once trained as a goalie with Britain's "Leeds United" football club, but now he insists he would only play as a striker.

He says, "I'd definitely jump at the chance to play again, but only as the likes of David Beckham. Being a goalkeeper is very different from outfield players, who are in the thick of the action. But that's my thing, to score a goal and do something different every time. I'd love to be able to do it."

Nicky currently keeps fit by working out and playing five-a-side soccer in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland whenever he can.

Hello and a Happy New Year to you all!

We've had a really cool X'mas and New Year and hope you have too. Bryan is
very over excited about his wedding and the rest of us are thinking of all
the jokes we're gonna play on him!

On the platinum site Kian's been talking about what a great year 2001 was
for us and Mark has been talking about his New Year's resolutions. You can
also watch the winners of the competition meet us at the World of Our Own
videoshoot. The video is being edited as we speak and you will be seeing it
later this month. Let's just say that it involves police cars, jeeps,
gangster clothes and dogs! We're sure you'll love it. We'll have backstage
footage on the Platinum site so you can see what fun we had making it.

On the free site we'll be closing the competition to win a platinum card and
replacing it with the chance to win a copy of our Where Dreams Come True
live video. This was recorded in Dublin in Spring 2001 and it'll get you in
the mood for our forthcoming Spring 2002 tour.

Wishing you all the best of luck for a wicked 2002.

Love

Westlife

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Look out Bryan, it's the mother-in-law

HERE�S a chance for WESTLIFE�s BRYAN McFADDEN to watch his fortune dwindle � as bride-to-be KERRY KATONA goes shopping with her mum Sue.

The former ATOMIC KITTEN star has landed a job as a reporter for Channel 5 entertainment show Exclusive and her first assignment was a film on her own pre-wedding spending spree with her mum in London�s Covent Garden.

A pal said: �She�s always wanted to be a telly presenter.�

Kerry gets married to Bryan at Slane Castle near Dublin on Saturday.

The event is set to reunite Steps for the first time since their shock split on Boxing Day, as all five members have invites.

We can reveal the picturesque hideaway where Bryan McFadden and Kerry Katona will tie the knot on Saturday.

The Irish Mirror got the news that the ShowBiz wedding of the year will converge on the tiny Co Meath village of Rathfeigh.

Situated in the middle of the countryside, Kerry and Bryan fell in love with the Catholic Church of Immaculate Conception after they discovered it on a family outing.

It looks like any other quiet village church but on Saturday it will open its doors to an array of top celebrities. Stars including Ronan Keating, S Club 7 and Bryan's Westlife band mates will flock to the 150 year old stone church.

It is ideal for a high profile wedding with only one small country road leading to the church which is surrounded by trees and situated next to a graveyard.

Villagers were unaware that the huge ShowBiz event was about to unfold on their own doorsteps. Bryan and Kerry tried to protect the identity of the church so that a 300,000 Euro deal with Hello! Magazine would not be scuppered.

Last night a source close to the couple said: "This is the dream location for Bryan and Kerry. Nobody other than the invited guests will be able to get anywhere near the church. This is the place where they will get the privacy to enjoy their big day without too many people being around. On the day of the wedding the church will be decked out in white flowers and candles - it will be very romantic and idyllic. It only holds around 250 people so it will be packed to capacity with some of the biggest names in ShowBiz. They have already visited the church twice and preparations will get underway on Friday to bring in the flowers. There will be security at the end of the road to make sure that nobody can come near the church without an invitation. Bryan and Kerry will bring a priest from Dublin who is a good friend of the family to conduct the ceremony and they have picked all the hymns themselves. Bryan will arrive first in a limousine and then Kerry will arrive with her mum and dad. At this stage it's likely she will have to arrive shielded by minders and she will be whisked straight in without any hanging around. If any photographers get near the church it is going to cause a major headache because she can't go through the back door - every bride dreams of their walk down the aisle. They will have blankets and umbrellas to drape around her if the worst comes to the worst but even that is a risk. The service will last for around an hour and then photographs will be taken on the steps of the church - but only if no other photographers are near the site. Guests are being brought to the church at 1pm and they will then be taken to Slane Castle for the reception. There is an elaborate buffet style dinner being planned and they will be greeted with champagne and canopies. A magician will roam around the tables and perform for the guests. Then at around 7pm Westlife will perform a medley of their hits."

The wedding has cost �100,000 to stage and taken six months to plan. Westlife's Sligo stars Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Mark Feehily have booked into top Dublin hotels so they can enjoy the wedding night celebrations.

Kian said: "This is going to be one of the biggest days for the group since we got together three years ago. We're all really proud of Bryan and there are going to be a few bad hangovers on Sunday morning but that's what it's all about. We have all been measured up for our wedding suits so we're going to be looking pretty sharp."

Kerry's Atomic Kitten pal Natasha Hamilton will be one of her five bridesmaids. Bryan and Kerry will run through a rehearsal for the wedding tomorrow but are expected to do it in Dublin so they don't attract attention to the church. A special security team have already visited the Rathfeigh church to plan their wedding day security checks. Guests will be checked on the way in for hidden cameras and security men will guard the church doors to prevent anyone gate-crashing the ceremony. "I don't think Rathfeigh knows what is going to hit it on Saturday but they couldn't risk the secret getting out or every Westlife fan on the planet would have turned up on Saturday," the insider added.

"Special cars with blacked out windows have been hired to take Kerry and Bryan from the church to Slane Castle after the wedding."

The reception will be followed by a fireworks display and guests will be taken back to their hotels at 3am.

This weekend sees a poptastic wedding ceremony at Slane Castle in Ireland as Westlife's Bryan weds his sweetheart and former Atomic Kitten, Kerry Katona. And not only will the lucky guests at the wedding be able to share in the couple's special day, but they'll also be treated to a private performance by the groom's Westlife pals.

Apparently, Bryan has arranged for Kian, Shane, Mark and Nicky to sing as he walks down the aisle with his new wife - providing guests with a performance that money couldn't buy!

Shane has revealed that Kerry wants the boys to sing 'Moments', but don't expect to see any snaps of the occasion. That is, unless you buy a copy of 'Hello!' magazine - the couple have sold exclusive rights to the mag and there will extra security to make sure no one smuggles in a camera!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The hitmakers believe the chart scene is full of bland music being churned out by "stage school types."

Keyboard player Chris Lowe says, "When we started out as a pop group in the '80s, we were proud to be a pop group. But that doesn't really exist anymore -- look at Westlife and S Club 7.

"Everyone wants to be taken seriously rather than as a pop group. Yet most of them don't even write their own songs.

"When In our time we always did, and so did Soft Cell, Heaven 17, Culture Club and the rest. Pop music had some sort of integrity then. We didn't even have stylists or anything. These days you fo to stage school to get into television presenting or some crap band."

WESTLIFE also won two gongs, for Best Band In The World and Sexiest Male for SHANE FILAN.

Shane said: �We are absolutely thrilled to have been voted Best Band In The World for the second year running. A big thank-you to all the Bizarre readers for voting for us and voting for me as Sexiest Male.� KYLIE MINOGUE was another double winner, being voted Best Female Singer and Sexiest Female.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The pop stars will perform at a school in Ireland after pupils there won a charity contest.

St Killian's School in Cork was chosen out of 1,500 schools by the band on Ireland's Den TV.

The school was entered into the contest for its efforts in the Pennies from Heaven campaign - a charity drive to collect IR�5 million in spare coins before the euro changeover on January 1.

Headteacher Mary Minihan says excitement is running high among the pupils, who are now enjoying their seasonal holidays.

Ms Minihan said: "A lot of the children were Westlife fans before this - they all are now."

The school caters for youngsters aged between seven and 14 with special educational needs.

The youngsters watched in amazement as Westlife stars Bryan McFadden and Nicky Byrne drew the school's name out of a hat on the television show.

Some 11 charities will benefit from the Pennies from Heaven windfall including Barnardo's, Concern, Focus Ireland, Irish Cancer Society, the Irish Heart Foundation, the ISPCC and the Simon Community.

We thought we'd let you know about a new Westlife game that's coming out in the New Year. It's called Fan-O-Mania.

Westlife Fan-O-Mania will feature hundreds of revealing questions about the boys, music, videos, lives and loves along with plenty of exclusive, and never-before-seen video footage of the boys themselves. Hosted by Tara, your animated hostess, you will be guided through five different sections of Westlife's virtual lives including The Tour Bus, The Recording Studio, On Location, Live and back at The Hotel. The PC version will also include a fantastic printable image gallery, including signed photos of the band.

We'll have more information in the new year and prizes to give-away too!

As we reported earlier, Mark was quite unhappy that Nicky ended up with a Smash Hits award for his hair, when he got nary a comment from his same hair style earlier this year. As the following article comes from a tabloid, it makes for a fun read.

Mark said, "He only shaved his hair off and won the prize. I did the same last year and I didn't get awarded anything." The rift now looks set to permanently damage and hurt the band who in the past have avoided any problems. A key insider said, "It doesn't look good. I'm not sure if I can emphasise enough the problem here. This hair prize literally amounts to a coup d'etat. It would not have been clearer had Nicky gone to Mark and punched him full in the face with the might of his fist. When Mark had his hair cut so short last year, Nicky was the first to snigger. And he made all the others snigger and told Mark he looked like a big baldy. And then when Nicky had his cut, he told all the others to snigger at Mark because he had long hair and no girls liked him anymore because he was ugly and he had man-breasts. It literally really hurt Mark - but not as much as the prize. That should have been Mark's, it really should. He'll be good about it, but I don't think he'll be pulling on a specially crafted titanium suit and stepping into a cage with a 90 tonne grizzly bear, ready to fight and win. The wind's out of his sails and I think it'll take something really special to allow the genie out of the bottle ready to call time on his mixed up insides."

Nicky commented on the next ablum...a greatest hits album...with this quote, "(It's due) next year, but there are no plans to split. We want to do a fourth studio album and more tours. We love being in front of our fans. We're happy, our attitude is let's enjoy it for what it is, it won't last forever. Westlife maybe only have three or five years left together. It'll carry on as long as we enjoy it and (the fans) enjoy us."

A message from Smash Hits magazine editor, Emma Jones: "You may have seen a newspaper article claiming that the Most Fanciable Male Award in the Smash Hits Poll was rigged. If the paper in question had bothered to call us we could have explained that there's no truth whatsoever in the allegation. All the votes in the poll, from the website and the magazine, were counted fairly and the award went to the winner, Ben from A1. Thanks to the millions of you who voted. All of us here at Smash Hits hope you really enjoyed the two TV shows on Channel 4."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Pop idols Westlife are to star in their own cartoon series in a bid
to finally crack America.
The "Queen Of My Heart" hitmakers have teamed up with the makers of
the controversial "South Park" TV series for the programme, which
will hit screens next summer.

Group member Nicky Byrne says, "The idea came from our manager Louis
Walsh. He thought it would be a great way of making it in America.
The country is so big to tour, and he reckoned that if we had our own
show on American TV, it would promote the band."

Shane Filan adds, "Louis approached our parent company RCA in London
with the idea and they loved it. The first step now is to produce a
pilot programme. If that goes well it will be shown on Fox TV in the
U.S. and then at home."

The quintet will join a host of musicians including The Beatles, New
Kids On The Block, Kid And Play and MC Hammer who have immortalised
in animation.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

First of all, this is a bit of news from me. Westlife second single's gonna be World Of Our Own. It will be released on February 18, 2002.

Bryan McFadden is preparing for his showbiz wedding to
Kerry Katona with an explosive bash. The famous couple, who
have a 3 month old daughter together, are set to get
hitched in a secret ceremony on January 5th of next year.
Bryan's pals are preparing the hitmaker for married life
with a huge bender for three days. Bryan says of the party,
which kicked off yesterday, "About 72 guys are coming
along. It's going to last at least a couple of days and
will involve lots of boozing. It has got to be a secret but
it's going to be a real crack. We'll make a mark in
Ireland!"

Nicky Byrne was so exhausted while touring throughout
Europe that when he woke up one day, he was without a clue
of where he was in the world. The blonde boyband singer had
to call long-time girlfriend Georgina Aherne to jog his
memory. He said, "One night I woke up at about three
o'clock in the morning without any clue where I was in the
world. I felt like I had been asleep for days. I went into
a panic. I hit redial on my cellphone, knowing Georgina
would have been the last person I spoke to. She was back
home in Dublin and when she answered the phone, I
said, 'Georgina, I'm in a country, where am I?' "She was
great. She said, 'Relax, Nicky, it's okay, you're in
Poland.' Then I remembered flying to Warsaw. We had been
traveling for weeks."

Irish boyband Westlife had to enlist the help of fellow Irish star Delores
O�Riordian during their performance for the Pope. The Cranberries singer had
to step in for the boys to sing the verses of �Little Drummer Boy� as it was
in a key the boys couldn�t reach and it was too late to change the
Orchestral arrangement. Mark Feehily said: "Dolores came to our rescue and
we�ll be forever grateful."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

LAST week's Smash Hits Poll Winners Party was a FIX, I can exclusively reveal.

But, just 24 hours before the big bash, organisers rang his record company to say they were taking it back!

They told RCA bosses they were withdrawing the gong and giving it to A1's Ben Adams�because the band hadn't won anything.

The awards were meant to be voted for by the magazine's readers, who could either fill in a form and post it to the publication or vote on the mag's website.

He said: "One minute we're told that Shane had won the award, the next they change their minds.

"It's outrageous. The awards have played an important part in the pop industry for years.

"I've had a very good relationship with the magazine's editors in the past who helped launch my bands, Boyzone and, of course, Westlife.

"The current editor of the magazine rang me two weeks ago to tell me what the boys had won. She even rang RCA's general manager just days before the show to repeat the awards that Westlife had won.

"They were supposed to get four gongs�Best Album, Best Male Haircut, Best Band and Most Fanciable Male.

"The producer of the awards even showed the band a clipboard on Saturday, during rehearsals, which had Shane as the winner of Most Fanciable Male.

"Then, a few hours later, I was told they'd given it to Ben from A1 instead. I rang the editor � who refused to change it back.

"What kind of awards are they? I thought the magazine's readers were supposed to vote for the winners."

The ceremony � which was televised live from Wembley Arena in London on Channel 4 last Sunday afternoon � saw fans jerring when it was announced Ben had won.

"I feel extremely sorry for A1 because they didn't win any awards. But this is a tough business.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Pop sensations Westlife stand to earn a massive $52,000 (�40,000) each from every concert on British tour next year.
The hitmakers will be rolling in cash after the 50-date tour.

A close friend of the group's says, "By the end of the tour they will have added $2.8 million (�2 million) to their bank accounts. They will be on an exhausting schedule, but the rewards are massive."

And the boy band have already begun rehearsals for the record-breaking tour.

Singer Kian Egan says, "We don't make money from singles. It mainly comes from album sales and tour dates. They're what really count in terms of income for us.

"We don't discuss how much we've made so far, but we're well off for our age."

The Irish boyband, who collaborated with Carey earlier this year to record a version of the Phil Collins track, 'Against All Odds', are keen to get back in the studio next year.

Speaking to a UK tabloid, Westlife's manager, Louis Walsh, explained There was real chemistry when they worked on 'Against All Odds'.

We want to record with her again because it would be a great way to bolster her profile in the UK and introduce Westlife to the Americans.

The transatlantic team is also planning to perform at the inaugural Top Of The Pops Awards this Friday.

The Westlife boys will join the recently hospitalised diva for a performance of her song, 'Never Too Far'.

TOTP's all-star line-up will also feature Kylie Minogue, Atomic Kitten, Jennifer Lopez, Wheatus, Travis and Hear'Say. Wyclef Jean will also perform a number of hits with Welsh crooner Tom Jones.

The hunky Irish lads have been dogged by rumours of homosexuality, but insists they accept all their fans.

Kian says, "It really doesn't make a difference. Fans are fans and people are people. I've met some gay guys who I wouldn't want to hang around with and I've met loads who are sound."

Group member Nicky Bryne adds, "I think gay guys get off on the fun of it and that's how they get into it. We've done Gay at the Astoria in London and it's great to see a crowd of blokes getting into it because obviously for us it's usually young girls. To be honest, if the audience is loving what you do, that's the best bit."

Mild man of rock Cliff Richard has launched a blistering attack on pop groups Steps and Westlife.

The hitmaker thinks young chart stars will never achieve career longevity -- because they can't write their own songs. And he claims today's true pop fans should buy his music, rather than albums by the young pretenders.

Cliff said, "Steps, Westlife and all these other bands never do any originals as far as I can see.

"All they do is covers. At least I have had a whole career of performing original material and will have more original songs in the future.

The ageing singer, 61, certainly can't be accused of not knowing what he is talking about -- Cliff is second only to Elvis Presley and The Beatles in having the most number of British number one hit singles.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Westlife have added six extra dates to their forthcoming UK tour, dotmusic can confirm.

The chart-topping boy band will play additional dates in Newcastle, Sheffield, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham.

Full UK tour dates are now as follows:
Newcastle Telewest Arena (April 25-28)
Sheffield Arena (May 1-3)
Glasgow SECC (May 8-10, 12)
Manchester Evening News Arena (May 14-16)
Birmingham NEC (May 21-23)
London Earls Court (May 28-30)

Westlife's third album, 'World Of Our Own' is currently at No. 1 in the UK album charts.

SCREAM! Westlife's brand new DVD and video 'Where Dreams Come True' is out now just in time for Christmas and we've got a sneak preview of what you can expect from this cracker right here.

'Where Dreams Come True' is a must for fans of Kian, Shane, Nicky, Bryan and Mark. Filmed during their recent sold-out tour in Dublin, the show includes a whooping 21 tracks performed live by the chart-topping Irish boyband. The DVD also includes a bonus 5 track live CD and exclusive 30 minute tour documentary.
We've got two copies of the DVD and two copies of the VHS to give away and all you have to do is answer a very simple question.

ENTER THE COMPETITION HERE : http://www.dotmusic.com/competitions/westlife

Check out their official site (www.westlife.co.uk) for the latest news.

Westlife singer Nicky Byrne is secretly planning to
marry his long-term girlfriend Georgina Ahern next
Christmas.

Top of the list of venues is Luttrellstown Castle in
Dublin -- the scene of Victoria and David Beckham's
lavish wedding ceremony in 1999. The wedding is sure
to be star-studded with not only showbiz celebrities
in attendance, but politicians too -- brunette
Georgina is the daughter of Irish Prime Minister
Bertie Ahern.

A friend of the couple reveals, "The plans are very
hush-hush. But they've been seeing each other for
seven years and it's a natural thing for them to do.

"They've already bought a house together and are
practically a married couple anyway."

Westlife have made a video for album track "Angel," even though the track will never be released as a single. The song, a cover of Sarah McLachlan's worldwide smash, features on their latest LP "World Of Our Own."

"We've been constantly releasing singles so now we decided to be more laidback and just to make this video for MTV and other music channels. A non-commercial video is probably the best way to call it since you need to buy the album to get the song," Kian explained. "But it is not going to be a single. We don't want to overload the market."

The video sees Kian showing off a little-known talent: tinkling the ivories. "It is shot in black and white with close ups on our faces and I play the piano," he told MTV. "We haven't seen it yet but I think it will be very good."

Upcoming British indie rockers Starsailor have laid into chart-toppers Westlife -- claiming they should write new songs.

The "Alcoholic" band, who won Q magazine's Best New Act award this year (October 29), claim the Irish hunks should go off and learn to pen their own tunes.

Singer James Walsh fumes, "It gets awkward when you get a band like them saying, 'I think our music is as important as the Beach Boys.'

"No it's not. If you're going to come out with a statement like that, go away for five years and come back with songs that are good enough.

"Just because everyone's waiting on you hand and foot, don't start thinking, 'I must be good. I must be really really good.'"

Walsh has no problem with other pop bands, though -- he adds, "I prefer bands like S Club 7 and Steps who have more understanding of what they do and who they are.

"You see them in interviews and they're fun, because that's what kids wants to see. S Club have the TV show, and when it's all done they're still nice people."

They've previously swept to victory with Flying Without Wings and My Love, but Westlife have stepped out of this year's Record Of The Year contest. They could have entered (and won!) with Queen Of My Heart, but their record company didn't bother to enter it.

This bizarre decision begins to make sense when you release the person that master-minded it, was none other than scary Simon Cowell doing his day-job at BMG Records. He's become famous for his acid comments as a Pop Idol judge, but we reckon plenty of non-Westlife fans will be fuming when they check out his excuse,

"They (Westlife) have won it twice now and we decided to give them a rest and somebody else a chance!"

Cheek!!! We don't suppose that too many Westlife fans will be thrilled either now that they won't be able to vote for their faves this year. So, who have you got to choose from. Here's the list of the 20 songs that will be presented in the preview programmes;

Afroman - Becuase I Got High

Atomic Kitten - Whole Again

Blue - All Rise

Bob The Builder - Mambo No.5 (??!!???)

City High - What Would You Do

Destiny's Child - Survivor

DJ Pied Piper - Do You Really Like It

DJ Otzi - Hey Baby (????!!!!!????!!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!????!!???)

Geri Halliwell - It's Raining Men

Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

Hear'Say - Pure And Simple

Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head

Moulin Rouge - Lady Marmalade

Robbie Wiliams - Eternity

S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'

Samatha Mumba - Always Come Back To Your Love

Shaggy - It Wasn't Me

So Solid Crew - 21 Seconds

Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

Wyclef Jean - Perfect Gentleman

Not exactly our fave twenty songs of the year and they're probably not yours either. If you vote for your fave single of the year for Poll Winners' 2001 you can choose which ever song you like - it's not too late to vote online right here.

With their new album, World Of Our Own entering the chart at No 1 on Sunday, Westlife have told worldpop the band have no plans to go solo in the near future.

The band's new 19 track album beat off competition from Madonna and Gabrielle to top the charts yesterday and the band told us that while making the album they were aware they would receive flak for making the album ballad heavy but said they weren't about to change their style.

'We're known for our ballads and that's what has made us so successful so why should we change our style just because critics tell us to?' said singer Shane Filan. 'People keep asking us if we're going to split but why would we? There's so much life left in this band yet. We don't want to be a typical pop band who splits up after three or four albums. We plan to release a Greatest Hits set soon and then release two or three albums after that.'

'I think if any of us did decide to go solo that would be the end of the band,' said singer Kian Egan. 'None of us has time to record a solo album anyway. We're too busy with Westlife.'

'We can always record solo albums when the band split up anyway,' added Shane. 'We don't want to be like the Spice Girls where everyone goes off and does a solo album and then comes back to the band because then it seems like just four separate people rather than a band thing. We've got loads of time yet. Being in this band is a dream come true for us and we're not about to split up.'

The band recently scored their ninth No 1 single with their double A-sided single Queen Of My Heart/When You're Looking Like That and are set to embark on a tour of the UK in 2002.

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Westlife's Brian McFadden has been having a busy and expensive week.
Last weekend the pop star took his bride to be Kerry Katona to Appleby Jewelers just off Grafton Street where the couple splashed out �5,000 on two platinum wedding bands for their Slane Castle wedding on January 5th.

Brian has been away from Kerry all week but flew in from a recording in the BBC on Wednesday night to host a party with his fianc�e in Lillies Bordello.
The couple were the guests of honor for the first WHO magazine Christmas party.

Blue have claimed their second singles Number One this evening with 'If You Come Back' displacing Westlife's 'Queen Of My Heart' at the top of the UK charts, dotmusic can report.

The boyband have confirmed their emergence as challengers in the British pop stakes, also holding-off sassy US R&B trio Destiny's Child, who go in at three with 'Emotion'.
Elsewhere, the Lighthouse Family return to the chats with new single '(I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be) Free' at six, while 'Ugly' by Bubba Sparxxx completes this week's new entries in the Top Ten at seven.
The only other new entry in the Top Twenty is Blu Cantrell's 'Hit 'Em Up Style', which is in at 12.

There are no surprises in the album charts, where Westlife have demolished all before them to take Number One with their new long-player 'World Of Our Own'.

Madonna's 'GHV2' is the next new entry at two, ahead of 'Dreams Can Come True' the Greatest Hits of Gabrielle.
Another best of compilation, this time by the Bee Gees, goes in at five, ahead of 'The Story So Far', by Rod Stewart, which is in at seven.
Yet more compilations - Beautiful South's 'Solid Bronze' and Green Day's 'International Superhits' - complete the new entries in the Top Twenty, at ten and 15.

Blue have made it to number one in this week's UK single charts, with the new entry, " If You Come Back."
Last week's number one, Westlife's "Queen Of My Heart," is at number two.
Destiny's Child are at number three with another new entry, "Emotion."
Lighthouse Family have also entered the top ten at number six, with their comeback single, "(I Wish I Knew How it Would feel to be) Free."

Westlife have set off for a Belfast gig after launching the Children In Need extravaganza in London.
The group performed a cover version of Gloria Gaynor's Never Can Say Goodbye at the BBC TV Centre.
They then raced off in a private jet to Belfast, where they are due to sing in the city centre.
Organisers are hoping the seven-hour marathon fundraiser will smash last year's total of �20 million.
A performance by S Club 7 was followed by a song from the musical Chicago performed by Claire Sweeney.
Crowds in Cardiff were then serenaded by Charlotte Church.
There are three massive regional concerts in Leicester, Portsmouth and Doncaster which are expected to attract more than 40,000 people. Geri Halliwell, Atomic Kitten and Cliff Richard are among the performers.
Other highlights include a song and dance routine by "Nasty Nigel" of TV's Popstars and a celebrity version of TV quiz show Fifteen to One.
Members of the Holby City team are going head to head with stars of Casualty in a medical quiz.
S Club 7 launched this year's telephone donation line on Wednesday but pledges can also be made online, and for the first time through television sets for digital cable and digital satellite viewers.

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Westlife are setting a phenomenal pace in their bid for another UK Number One album, after selling around 50,000 copies of 'World Of Our Own' in just one day, dotmusic can reveal.

The Irish boyband are believed to be around 30,000 sales ahead of Madonna, whose 'GHV2' is expected to go in at Number Two this weekend.

Elsewhere in the midweek album chart, Gabrielle's 'Dreams Come True' is set for a Top Five hit, while Britney Spears and Michael Jackson's new long-players drop out of the Top Ten.

The Radiohead live album 'I Might Be Wrong' is unlikely to make the Top Ten, while there will be considerably greater disappointments for a number of other acts: Paul McCartney's 'Driving Rain' is languishing at the bottom end of the Top 40, alongside The Cure's 'Greatest Hits'.

However, 'rock and roll saviour' Andrew WK looks to have categorically failed to inspire ignite the UK, with his debut album currently stiffing in the sixties.

In the singles chart, Blue are expected to displace Westlife at the top of the charts, with 'If You Come Back' becoming their second Number One.

Other new entries in the Top Ten are set to include Destiny's Child, Lighthouse Family and Bubba Sparxxx.

Westlife will open this year's Children In Need TV event with a performance of Never Can Say Goodbye.

Geri Halliwell, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, S Club 7 and Sir Cliff Richard will also be appearing on the night.

Medleys from musicals such as Mamma Mia, My Fair Lady, Kiss Me Kate and Cabaret will feature alongside performances from Russell Watson, Claire Sweeney and Des O'Connor.

Other star turns will include an ode to Eurovision by Blue Peter presenters past and present, and a special version of Fifteen to One.

It will see popular presenters battling to become the ultimate celebrity games master.

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Westlife released their new album 'World Of Our Own' this Monday, 12th November. Its released the week the debut single from the album 'Queen of My Heart' tops the UK single charts for the ninth (yes 9th) time . Westlife are one of world's biggest pop bands and have sold in excess of 10 million albums worldwide. Shane, Nicky, Kian, Mark and Bryan will be here chatting live exclusively on Yahoo! to answer your questions about their new album, the tour and their future plans. Join them on Wednesday, November 14, 18:00 (GMT).

To participate in this Chat you'll need a Yahoo! ID. Click here if you don't already have one.

Westlife are heading for the top of the charts with their new single, Queen Of My Heart according to midweek sales figures. The Irish band are outselling current No 1 Afroman by 3:1.

'Westlife are on course to sell almost 150,000 copies by the end of the week,' says HMV chart expert Gennaro Castaldo. 'It will be one of the most successful first week sales of the year.' Westlife plan to launch their new album, World Of Our Own at HMV's Dublin, Grafton Street store this Thursday at 8.00pm. It will be the first time anywhere in the world that the public has a chance to hear the new album. Police are taking extra security measures as over 1,000 competition winners are expected to turn up for the exclusive listening party.

Meanwhile elsewhere on the UK singles chart UK garage act So Solid Crew are set for a Top 5 entry with their new single They Don't Know. Cher's new single The Music's No Good Without You is set for a Top 10 entry while charity single What's Going On, featuring Bono, Destiny's Child and the Backstreet Boys is also set for a Top 10 entry. Meanwhile The Strokes, Depeche Mode, D-12 and Beverley Knight are all set for new Top 20 entries.

On the album chart this week there's a three way battle for the No 1 spot with Steps' Gold, Michael Jackson's Invincible and Britney Spears' new album all battling it out.

Westlife will make a live appearance, in the centre of London, to promote their new album. The band will be at Virgin Megastore, in Oxford Street, on November 12. Their third album, World Of Our Own, is released the same day. The performance is at 5.45pm.

No, we all scream.
Well yes actually, because midweek sales have indicated that the chirpy Irish boys single Queen Of My Heart is currently outselling Afroman's Because I Got High.
Virgin Megastore in London revealed to NME.com that Westlife look set to hit the top spot this Sunday.
"All the singles are doing really well this week but Westlife are by far the biggest seller. Looks like their heavy promotional work has paid off," said the Virgin chart expert.
Other new entries set to make the top ten are So Solid Crew's They Don't Know, the all-star cover of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and Cher's Music's No Good Without you.
Is there no music god?

Good news for you Westlife fans. The fab fivesome are set to top the charts this week following weeks of tireless promotion.
The double-header of 'Queen of my Heart' / 'When You're Looking Like That' has been flying out of the shops all week and looks like knocking Afroman off the pole position.
Also heading for the Top 20 is 'They Don't Know' by So Solid Crew, Cher's 'Music's No Good Without You' and the All Star Lineup's cover of 'What's Going On'.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Westlife's Mark Feehily has confirmed to worldpop that that the band have given up plans to conquer America for the forseeable future.

Speaking to worldpop exclusively backstage at this mornng's cd:uk show, the singer said that a combination of the recent terrorist attacks on America and their record company's reluctance to give the band a real push in the States had influenced the band's decision.

'With the world the way it is right now and America especially, this doesn't seem the right time to be trying to break America,' said Mark. 'The record company haven't really given us the right promotion over there. We did have a hit with our first release over there but then we didn't follow it up. There doesn't seem much point in going over there if it's going to be half-hearted.'

Last week at a press conference to launch their new album, World Of Our Own, the band's Bryan McFadden said the best promotion the record company had given them in the US was an appearance on the QVC channel.

The band's new album is released on 12 November. Westlife's new single, Queen Of My Heart is out on Monday.

It's official: Blue are the hottest boy band in Britain. After pitching their debut album against Westlife's third offering, worldpop has judged the upbeat newcomers to have snatched the pop crown from the ballad bores. If you want cool tunes, funky beats, good looks and, most importantly, lots to dance to, Blue are the band for you.

World Of Our Own is exactly what you'd expect from a Westlife album. Among the 20 tracks - two of which are covers - are 12 ballads, six mid-tempos and two upbeats (one of which is a Tom Jones-esque rock/R&B belter, the other, their fastest song yet, is relegated to secret track. Both sound like a lesser O-Town).

The ballads are classic Westlife: great if you're drawing your pension, mind-numbingly dull if you're below the age of 60. And unfortunately for Bryan, Shane, Kian, Nicky and Mark, there are only so many slow, piano-based tunes with at least one key change you can croon before you have to start recycling melodies. Consequently, you can sing Flying Without Wings over the top of new album track To Be Loved and Don't Let Me Go has the same tune as If I Let You Go - hey, even the title's almost identical!

Blue's All Rise album, on the other hand, is all smooth R&B pop, equally good down the disco or in your bedroom. At 12 tracks, it doesn't take most of the day to listen to and there's enough variety to get you dancing and give you a breather between upbeats. As So Solid's recent No 1 proves, it's urban music that's making waves at the moment and Blue have been sensible enough to use their R&B influence without alienating their pop fans.

Standout tracks include all the singles, plus the infectious This Temptation, which sounds like a younger, cooler George Michael and was penned by the Blue boys. Slowies Long Time and Back Some Day employ gospel choirs to keep up the pace while the faster songs stay smooth with their US-style backing tracks. With Five off the scene and a1 pledging to go rock, Blue are the only choice of boy band to listen to and All Rise is a good investment. They may not know much about elephants but they're spot on when it comes to making records.

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Only Westlife's Shane and Bryan have a future in music outside the band according to their manager Louis Walsh.

In a frank interview with a pop magazine Smash Hits, the Irish band's manager claims only Bryan McFadden and Shane Filan will continue to pursue a career in pop and he also said that he was unimpressed with the band's last album 'Coast To Coast'.

"('World Of Our Own') is much better than the last one," he said, "it's going to sell 10 million. I didn't like the last one, but this is brilliant."

"Bryan and Shane are turning out some amazing stuff. They are the two with the long-term futures ahead of them - they have really gelled. It's going to be the
album of the year."

Walsh also took the opportunity to dismiss rumours of an imminent Westlife split.

"It's all rubbish," confirmed Walsh. "The boys are very happy and if they weren't, I don't think they could have produced an album of this quality."

Bryan says Westlife tour will be tough without his baby daughter

Westlife's Bryan McFadden says he is not sure how he will cope with being away from his baby daughter Molly during the band's European tour.

The band used the official launch of their third album, World Of Our Own, to announce the dates of the tour.

It will begin in Copenhagen on April 5 and finish with three dates in Dublin on June 6 to 8.

New dad Bryan said: "I think it is something I am going to have to deal with when it comes along. It has already been difficult being away from her since she was born and obviously the tour will be tough in that respect, but I am looking forward to it all the same."

Nicky Byrne said: "We all really enjoy touring because we get to go on stage and play in front of 20,000 screaming fans. The buzz doesn't get any better than that."

The Irish quintet have a greatest hits album planned for next year and a fourth album already in the offing.

NME.COM reports the UK dates to be: Belfast Odyssey, April 19-20
Newcastle Telewest Arena, 25-26
Sheffield Arena, May 1-2
Glasgow SECC, 8-9
Manchester Evening News Arena, 14-15
Birmingham NEC, 21-22
London Earls Court, 28-29
Dublin Point, June 6-8.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday, November 3. (I have heard Nov 2nd - Eveline)

The album is released on November 12.

Westlife hunks Bryan McFadden and Mark Feehily are feeling the pressure of life in the spotlight.

The "Flying Without Wings" singers are horribly embarrassed when people stare at them in public and are starting to feel like social outcasts.

Bryan says, "I don't like going into a shop and having people looking at me. It's not a big-headed thing but I really don't like it. Sometimes I feel I am part of a freak show. I feel I have two heads."

His bandmate Mark agrees, "Sometimes you feel like a weirdo. Think what it's like when everybody is looking at you. It's like having a big birthmark on your face and having people staring all the time. It's almost the same thing."

We can confirm that WESTLIFE will play three concerts at The Point in Dublin in June 2002.

These will be their first Irish concerts-proper in fourteen months, with all shows in the round so Westlife fans are sure to have a fantastic view of their heroes.

The shows take place on: Thursday, June 6th, 2002 / Friday, June 7th, 2002 / Saturday, June 8th, 2002

The band are set to release their new double A-side single, Queen Of My Heart / When You�re Looking Like That', next week and a new album, 'World Of Our Own', a week later.

Tickets for the concerts will go on sale this Saturday, November 3rd. Tickets cost �27.50/�35.00 and will be available from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

Under 16�s must be accompanied by a person of 18 or over. Parents with young children are advised to purchase tickets in Blocks B, D and E.

You can buy your tickets online this Saturday by clicking the link below.

For telephone bookings from Saturday onwards, call the 24 hour Ticketmaster credit card line on 1890 925 100.

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Bryan and Kerry are on ITVs This Morning, all week and Bryan has said that presenting is much harder than singing.
He said 'I was so scared I was shaking. I found myself asking all those questions I hate when I get asked them;
Kerry has said that she is considering becoming a full time presenter but Molly is much more important to her and she's already missing her for the few hours that she's been presenting on This Morning.

Spreading out a rumour said Kian is gay and he has a relationship with Graham Keighron is NOT TRUE. Kian said to me himself yesterday that this rumour isn't true at all and he was wondering where did the rumour come from. Also, a friend of mine, Fia, sent an official statement from Westlife to me yesterday too. Here it is :

E-mails and letters have flooded our office as well as our inbox due to the confirmation about Kian's questionable gender which the article, a certain article came out this week, and we also were alarmed about this. We have gathered information about people close to the band as well as anybody related to them, be it friends, relatives etc. and as an addition to the write up we have just published yesterday, we are gonna come out another reliable indication on this! We are not asking everyone who would be reading this to believe, but we are holding the right to clear issue, regardless of how the readers would accept or not!
Source : We are not in doubt when it came out, because it came out already but intended for a different Westlifer, Kian's friend, Mark! When this came out at once, we even thought Shane would be next so the right timing of coming out of the shell about Gillian was just the right time.! And among those 5 lads, Bryan, Shane and Nicky are now the 3 who have their own relationships, and just because the other 2
left are the remaining bachelors in the group, they are involving Kian in that very gruesome issue. First, they did it with Mark, and the issue just died down because they cannot prove anything, now people didn't bite on that issue so they went farther, they now tortured Kian with a delicate matter. You're asking about the reaction? Nothing! No reactions! particularly on the side of the lads, they know each other, they believed on themselves! They are friends! it does circulate like a speeding bullet on the net bec. the detractors target are the innocent people, fans surfing the net. They just spend electricity and internet and phone bills, just few centavos for them, then that's about it...it spread like termites trying to destroy the good foundation that the group has built for a long time....Rather if they will try to come up with a complete detail about this on a magazine, published to all walks of life, detractors have to spend the printing cost, the paper, ink, etc..and it takes a week before having it circulated all over, it's more expensive than putting on a site where people all over the world could instantly retrieve in just one minute. Detractors will always find a way to destroy people who are on top! If you were not at the top of every fingernails, would they mind ruining you or would they waste their time and effort talking about you when they know not all people will pay attention to this? No! If I may add also, when they came out an article about Mark being gay and all the lifers even reacted that they left Mark hanging and Bryan even said Mark betrayed their trust on him and that they cannot accept a gay on the group.What happened to that? It died down because none of them ever questioned who on the group. Now, this is another delicate and sensitive and added by one of them, very funny thing! I know I shouldn't be talking or clearing this issue because there is nothing to clear about, there is nothing to talk about, this is non-sense and worse, useless!

Enjoy the show !

Doing It For The Kids

www.dotmusic.com

Westlife, S Club 7 and Sophie Ellis Bextor are all confirmed to appear at a charity concert next year, dotmusic can report.

The hat-trick of pop acts will appear at the Childline show in Ireland on January 27, at the Dublin Point Theatre, promoters MCD have announced.

A host of other acts are expected to be added to the bill in the coming weeks, with tickets available now, priced at �27.50.

News On Popworld Party
www.popworld.com

Food was high on everyone's list of priorities at the London Cadbury POPWORLD Party on Sunday. Mis-Teeq were particularly impressed by the yummy grub in the canteen, and tucked into a mountain of food including steak, roast potatoes, and choccy pudding too!! At least the garage girls know you're supposed to EAT food - unlike Lee Blue! When the lad spied the massive 5kg bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk in his dressing room, he decided to break it in two by headbutting it - and he succeeded!

Meanwhile, after seeing the special Westlife choccy bars, S Club 7 decided they wanted bars featuring THEMSELVES on the wrapper! All except Bradley, that is, who didn't seem too worried that Westlife were pictured on the bars and took hom the mountain of choclate left behind by his fellow S Clubbers!

Food wasn't the first thing on Ashley AllSTARS mind, though - Rachel S Club was! He told POPWORLD that Rach is "the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen"! And, talking about lovely lasses, Nicky and Shane Westlife brought their girlfriends along to the Party...and spent most of the afternoon being devoted boyfriends to the lucky ladies!

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WESTLIFE�s Bryan McFadden and fianc�e Kerry Katona are to be the new Richard and Judy - hosting ITV�s This Morning.

A production insider said: "We were thinking of ways to attract younger viewers and they are perfect. They are a great couple, both are really bubbly, warm and popular."

This Morning�s ratings have suffered since Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan left in July.

Bryan and Kerry will join regulars John Leslie and Coleen Nolan on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday interviewing pop pals S Club 7, Steps and Mis-Teeq.

MARK FEEHILY says Westlife are nervous about the their new track Queen Of My Heart.

He told me at a Top Of The Pops party: "It is quite different from our earlier stuff.

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Our mates Westlife have revealed exclusively to Popworld that they are already planning their next tour! It'll kick off in April next year and the lads' stage will be in the middle of the arena, which means that everyone - no matter where they're sitting - will have a brilliant view of the fit fellas! No official dates or venues have been confirmed yet, but as soon as we get any info, Popworld viewers will be the first to know! And for those of you who can't wait til 2002, next month the Lifers will be releasing a video of their last tour! The vid is called Where Dreams Come True, and it features Westlife live in concert plus amazing backstage footage!

OK, girls, it's time to get the tissues out - Shane Westlife has a... GIRLFRIEND! Oh, Shane... tell us it ain't true! 'It's true, yes,' says the fit fella. 'I've had a girlfriend for nearly a year now, and I didn't really want to say anything about it before. She's from Sligo and the reas I haven't said anything is that I didn't want her to have any different kind of a life. She wanted to be just Gillian from Sligo when she was at college - not Shane from Westlife's girlfriend. It's brilliant, and she's just the best girl in the world. I've never met a girl like her - she's just amazing! She's everything you'd want in a girl - she's not a model or anything, she's just gorgeous, she's just lovely and she's just a beautiful person and very special to me.' Aaaw! Oh well, Shane, none of us may be the 'Queen Of Your Heart', but we hope you and Gillian will be very happy together!

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There have been alot of fans angered by news of the new Westlife site - www.westlife.com . It seems like there has been some confusion so we thought we'd set the record straight.
You will not have to pay to go to www.westlife.com , however we have created a new part of that site called the Platinum area which you will have to pay to enter. The Platinum site will be an extra to the site which will attempt to bring you closer to Westlife than ever before. More details on this next week.

Over the coming weekend you'll be able to catch Westlife on the following TV shows:
Friday 19th Oct
Live Guests on CBBC on BBC1. CBBC starts at 3.30pm
TOTP performance of Queen of My Heart. BBC1 7.00pm
Saturday 20th Oct
The Saturday Show on BBC1 starts at 9.00am
Star for a Night finals on BBC1 starting at 5.40pm
Sunday 21st Oct
Performing Queen of My Heart on T4. Channel 4 in the morning
Don't forget they'll also be performing at the Popworld Party on Sunday night in London alongside SClub and Misteeq.

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As you have known the official site of Westlife which will be lanuched on October 29 will also charge 14,99 UK pounds or 15 UK pounds, here what I've got from some list.

07812027913

Also for more information, you can click http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/progs/01/newsround/latest.ram

It's a video from Newsround which talked about the new official site.

Kian Keeps It Wrapped

feemad911@aol.com

EXCLUSIVE: Damn! There'll be no more topless shots, claims the Westlife star.

Kian Westlife has turned down a request to appear topless in a gay magazine, following scores of requests. "A magazine asked me to do it but I immediately said no," Kian said.
"I wasn't asked to appear completely naked, just topless, but I didn't want to do it - full stop."
Kian appeared without his shirt on the cover of Smash Hits last year but, to the disappointment of countless fans, he decided not to repeat the experience because he felt he wouldn't have any control over the shots. "Smash Hits is a magazine I've had a long relationship with," he said. "And when I posed topless, I felt I could trust the magazine in what it did with the pictures - and I helped choose the pictures that were used.
"But with other magazines you just don't know what they're going to do with the shots. They could offer me loads of money but I wouldn't do it."

Westlife is to have its first wedding in January of next year ShowBizIreland.com can reveal.

Band member Bryan McFadden and his fiancee Kerry Katona, who are currently on the cover of Hello magazine celebrating the birth of the their first child Molly, are set to marry.

The Westlife wedding will take place on January 5th on the grounds of Slane castle in Meath and preparations are already underway for the big day.

Caterers, entertainment, magicians and heavy security have already been booked and confidentiality agreements have been signed.

The couple who sold the first pictures of baby Molly to Hello are expected to get close to �500,000 for the exclusive wedding photo's of the big day.

The couple are also in the process of selling their county Wicklow home and have reportedly bought two city center penthouse apartments.

In the meantime Nicky Byrne from the band and his girlfriend Georgina Ahern are settling in their new house in Ashbourne.

While Shane, Kian and Mark from the band are staying young free and single.

12 release of the band's new album, World of Our Own.

*Westlife story sent by Ananova.

Westlife Take On Geri!

www.mtvasia.com

Geri Halliwell is preparing to take on Irish boyband Westlife as the two release singles on the same day. Westlife's latest offering "Queen Of My Heart" on November 5 2001, the same day as the super skinny yoga lover's new song "Calling."

Boyband singer Bryan McFadden remains cocky, saying, "Geri's good but she's had her 15 minutes. There's no way she's gonna be No. 1."

Meanwhile the "Look At Me" stunner is just as confident.

She says, "I think it's my best work to date, the best song I've ever written."

W:W! OLD NEWS