And Finally

“Pop stars” lined up to do opera

By | Published on Thursday 14 January 2010

So ITV’s latest celebrity talent contest kicks off this weekend and sees a bunch of former and current pop stars, and Darius, all have a go at doing opera. The popsters will be taught to sing classical by pop-opera star Katherine Jenkins and renowned tenor Rolando Villazon, and will have their efforts judged by both their tutors plus, presumably because of his rock-opera credentials, Meat Loaf, and, seemingly because he has a show on Classic FM, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

The pop stars having a go at opera are Blur’s Alex James, Shakespears Sister’s Marcella Detroit, The Saturdays’ Vanessa White, McFly’s Danny Jones, one time Hear’Say member and now Coronation Street star Kym Marsh, Bernie Nolan, Jimmy Osmond and the aforementioned Darius.

Commenting on his involvement, McFly boy Jones told reporters this week: “I’m not bothered about the critics. I’m doing this for the experience and because I think it’ll be fun. I don’t want to be too serious on this show. I won’t start crying if I don’t get through. I’m just thrilled to be involved. I think it could introduce opera to a whole new audience. I’m hoping to make opera cool!”

Meat Loaf, meanwhile, denied he would be chief judge on the show, dubbing himself “chief troublemaker” instead. To prove this was so, he subsequently went on to diss all of ITV’s other celebrity reality franchises.

Referencing current c’leb contest ‘Dancing On Ice’ and last month’s ‘I’m A Celeb’, The Mirror quote Meat as saying: “I was watching – and I dunno how – this Skating With The Stars thing. I mean, what the fuck is that? Seriously, what are these people doing? They all take it sooo seriously. And I was over here in a taxi and I said to the driver: ‘What happened to that awful ‘I’m A Celebrity’?’ He said it was still a big show, and I said: ‘That is horrifying. It is just a thing for Ant and Dec to make money’. True story – 30 minutes later an email came and asked me to do ‘I’m A Celebrity’, but I said no. I am picky”.



READ MORE ABOUT: