Good news! The increasingly elusive Diana Vickers second album campaign has received a huge boost in the form of an Olly Murs tour support slot.
The obvious downside is that you’d have to actually go to an Olly Murs gig to catch her (joke… kinda), but this is very positive news for the amazing DiVi, whose recent covers and freebie originals have all been amazing.
There ain’t a lot of Life On Murs, according to official ratings figures.
Sadly Olly Murs’ TV series has not taken off in the ratings and is only being watched by his most dedicated fans.
In fact, the numbers achieved by the fly-on-the-wall series are only a third of the figures for Peter Andre’s show.
This week’s episode, which was the second in the series, appealed to 365,000 viewers on Thursday – a mild increase on the previous week, but still a long way off the 1.6 million managed by Celebrity Juice immediately afterwards.
The ITV2 show follows the similar appeal of The Saturdays 24/7 and E4′s Girls Aloud: Off The Record.
Noticed how there are a billion One Direction news stories floating around on a daily basis lately? Isn’t it annoying trying to keep up with them all?! WELL DON’T WORRY.
Catch up with the latest news on Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson in The Weekly Directioner riiiight here…
Liam Payne ‘is the Gary Barlow of One Direction’ Y’know how Gazza Barlow is “the organised one” out of Take That? Well apparently Liam is taking on a similar role in One Direction. Whether or not this means he will eventually end up writing all the songs before persuing a poorly-received solo career, getting fat and ending up judging the X Factor remains to be seen; but for now Niall is happy to quip that “Liam has that Barlow aura. He says things like, ‘Come on boys, let’s roll. Let’s get going’. He knows it and can’t deny it.”
Harry and Louis are not a gay couple
Apparently there are a number of rumours flying around that Harry and Louis are in a homosexual relationship. Just for the benefit of anyone who believed for a split second that that’s actually true, Louis has said: “Some people genuinely think that we’re in a relationship. I was looking at this thing the other day. They genuinely, seriously think that we’re in a relationship. It’s so funny!”
Harry and Zayn are also not a gay couple
Just in case anyone was speculating about the possibility of romance between Harry and Zayn, you needn’t bother. Zayn poked fun at the rumours, saying: “I’ve seen a video which was actually quite strange. It was me and Harry, but the music in the background was so romantic and slow. And they had cutaways of interviews where we just looked at each other.” Where on Earth do people get these rumours?!
Niall is ‘most popular’ in US
Whereas Harry is undoubtedly the biggest draw in the UK – with the press, with the Twitter followers etc etc – it would seem that Niall is the surprise fave in the USA. “They love the fact he’s Irish and looks like the perfect all-American boy,” a source tells Closer. “He gets swamped with girls wherever he goes.”
Olly Murs is joining One Direction… on tour
Fellow X Factor graduate Olly Murs is joining the band… as support act on their UK tour. Remember that time last month when Olly blasted the reports saying he was going to open for them in the US? HE LIED. It has now been confirmed that the cheeky Essex chap will open for the quintet when they tour the States later this year.
Liam blushes at accidental confession
Liam appeared to make the accidental confession that he’s been meeting girls off the internet, after he suffered a bit of word vomit on Canadian TV. Of course he didn’t mean it – he’s been sticking up for his GF Danielle on Twitter, lest we forget – but he did fail to word his sentiments quiiiite rightly during a recent interview. “We’re just embracing [the attention]“, he said. “We’re having a good idea. We’re just teenage lads having fun. We get all these girls talking to us on the internet and meeting us and screaming at us and stuff. You know… That started to sound a bit wrong, didn’t it?” Louis teased: “Have you been meeting girls on chat rooms?” Woops!
Caroline Flack learned “an important lession” from Harry affair
TV host Caroline Flack, who dated Harry earlier this year, has admitted that she learned an important lesson from the relationship. Caroline has been unfairly picked on by fans and the media ever since she was first linked to the floppy-haired one, and says: ”Everyone had an opinion on me and Harry, which was the hardest thing. I suppose they’re entitled to their opinions but it was really tough. I learned the hard way. I learned a very difficult lesson but I suppose looking forward it isn’t a bad lesson to learn, is it? In future the easiest thing is that I keep it to myself. I can’t believe how much attention there was on me.”
Cruel haters send abuse to Harry’s mum
The more popular you become, the more insistent the haters will be. Harry’s mum Anne Cox has been on the receiving end of abuse from anti-fans of the group, including: “I hope you’ll die because you are a bitch. Harry’s mum has big boobs and a big bottom she looks like a b*tch.” She replied: ”I hope you find inner peace someday.” YOU TELL ‘EM, ANNE!
Harry hits Louis around the head with his penis. Apparently.
Louis has claimed that Harry wakes him up in the night by hitting him with his penis. After Niall said “we do a little bit of running around naked from time to time,” Tomlinson confessed: “[Harry]‘s always getting his bum out. I’ve been asleep before and Harry has hit me round the head with his penis. It actually wrapped around my whole face – who wouldn’t be envious of that?”
There are a record number of X Factor finalists’ albums in the UK charts this week, with eight.
The Top 75 plays host to two records from Olly Murs, the new release from Marcus Collins, and pre-existing efforts from Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction, Matt Cardle, JLS and the one THE ONLY Mary Byrne.
8. Marcus Collins – Marcus Collins (24,343 sales, new entry)
14. Olly Murs – In Case You Didn’t Know (13,507 sales, up from 20)
18. Rebecca Ferguson – Heaven (10,399 sales, up from 31)
28. Mary Byrne - …With Love (6,766 sales, up from 40)
34. One Direction – Up All Night (5,561 sales, down from 30)
46. Olly Murs – Olly Murs (3,842 sales, up from 67)
55. JLS – Jukebox (3,066 sales, down from 53)
57. Matt Cardle – Letters (2,961 sales, up from 75)
As Marcus Collins’ album looks set to become the lowest-charting debut LP by an X Factor runner-up so far, the time has come to look at how other silver medallists have done by comparison.
From G4 back in 2004 to Rebecca Ferguson in 2010, the runner-up has tended to be more successful than the winner in most cases. Some only last a while, and some go on to tirelessly churn out one every year (that’s you, JLS).
Let’s take a look at how the show’s back catalogue of almost-winners got their post-talent show careers off the ground.
Interesting how all but two of them named their first album after themselves…
2004: G4 – G4 First week chart position: #1 First week sales: 245,000 (rank: 1st) Compared to winner: Steve Brookstein’s Heart and Soul also got to No. 1, but sold only 50,989. And now: The pop-opera quartet G4 were eventually broken apart by in-fighting, but enjoyed an extremely lucrative mainstream career that lasted a hell of a lot longer than Steve Brookstein’s.
2005: Andy Abraham – The Impossible Dream First week chart position: #2 First week sales: 176,000 (rank: 3rd) Compared to winner: Shayne Ward’s self-titled effort sold 201,266 to debut at No. 1. And now: Andy represented the UK at Eurovision in 2008, around the same time he released a Best Of (!!!) and a third studio album within one month of each-other. He hasn’t released anything since.
2006: Ray Quinn – Ray Quinn First week chart position: #1 First week sales: 127,000 (rank: 5th) Compared to winner: Leona Lewis doesn’t need any introduction, does she? Her album Spirit shifted 375,872 in seven days, before selling gajillions around the globe. And now: Ray won Dancing On Ice in 2009 and appeared in the West End in Dirty Dancing last year.
2007: Rhydian – Rhydian First week chart position: #3 First week sales: 90,000 (rank: 7th) Compared to winner: Leon Jacson’s Right Now sold 37,197 in its first week – the lowest opening sale for a winner’s album. And now: Rhydian is still recording. He left Sony after his second album stalled at No. 25, but signed a new deal with Conehead and released a Top 40 album in 2011.
2008: JLS – JLS First week chart position: #1 First week sales: 200,000 (rank: 2nd) Compared to winner: She didn’t match JLS, but Alexandra Burke’s Overcome still shifted a strong 132,065 to land at No. 1 in its first week. And now: JLS are still on top of their game and are currently recording their fourth (yes FOURTH) studio album whilst preparing for their latest arena tour.
2009: Olly Murs – Olly Murs First week chart position: #2 First week sales: 108,000 (rank: 6th) Compared to winner: Joe McElderry’s Wide Awake charted at No. 3 with 39,405 sales in its first seven days. And now: Olly has started 2012 with his first arena tour, and returned to The X Factor last year to present The Xtra Factor with Caroline Flack. He’s released three No. 1 singles.
2010: Rebecca Ferguson – Heaven First week chart position: #3 First week sales: 128,000 (rank: 4th) Compared to winner: Matt Cardle’s Letters was released two months prior, shifting 70,896 to chart at No. 2. And now: Rebecca is almost at the end of her first headline tour (check out our live review from last night). Heaven went platinum within a fortnight and has sold around half a million copies. It’s due for release in the US in May.
2011: Marcus Collins – Marcus Collins First week chart position: #7 First week sales: 24,343 (rank: 8th) Compared to winner: Little Mix are still recording their debut opus. And now: Marcus’ album will receive its finalised chart placement this Sunday.
After waiting patiently at No. 2 for a fortnight, Olly Murs has leapfrogged the X Factor finalists’ charity single ‘Wishing On A Star’, and is on course to hit No. 1 with ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ on Sunday.
If the 2009 X Factor runner-up holds on until the final chart is announced, he will be declared the nation’s best-seller on the same day that the latest crop of finalists battle it out in this year’s final. Another chart-topper for Murs will surely be encouraging to the acts who don’t win.
The star posted on Twitter: “YESSSSSSSS on Final Midweeks!! I’m at #1 with #dancewithmetonight 2 DAYS TO HOLD IT!!! Would be the icing on the cake!! After a hard year!! (sic)”
On the album chart, Music Week reports that Amy Winehouse’s posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures is already the year’s sixth fastest-seller, with two days of business still to be accounted for.
Michael Buble’s Christmas and Rebecca Ferguson’s Heaven are selling strongly at Nos. 2 and 3 respectively, with both expected to score six-figure sales totals in time for the final rankings at the weekend.
Ferguson, whose album was revealed by Amazon to be the most pre-ordered of any X Factor 2010 contestant, has already obliterated the first-week sales totals of Cher Lloyd and Matt Cardle, and is expected to finish just a few thousand copies shy of the opening tally for One Direction’s Up All Night, which sold over 130,000 units two weeks ago.
The final rundown will be revealed by Reggie Yates on Radio 1 on Sunday.
‘Superbass’ internet sensations Sophia Grace and Rosie made an appearance on The Xtra Factor at the weekend, and after waiting what felt like a YEAR for it to pop up on YouTube, it finally has.
Don’t they break your heart every time they meet someone?!
The X Factor team’s onslaught of new albums have changed somewhat since yesterday, but they started at such polarising ends of the list yesterday that they make little difference.
Gary Barlow’s tour album with Take That, Progress Live, opened in sixth place yesterday but in the last 24 hours has dropped down to No. 10.
Tulisa’s N-Dubz Greatest Hits effort meanwhile has glided into the Top 40, from No. 43 yesterday to No. 35 today.
But, as you can see, there are still miles separating the two.
Kelly Rowland meanwhile is still registering outside the Top 40 with Here I Am. That’ll be embarrassing on Saturday.
In terms of the show’s graduates, Olly is still at No. 1 with In Case You Didn’t Know, and Joe has lost a place on his No. 12 start yesterday, now at No. 13 with Classic Christmas.
No big news over on the singles chart – the X Factor Finalists are continuing their comfy lead with ‘Wishing On A Star’.
When I spoke to Olly Murs about his second LP In Case You Didn’t Know earlier this month, he teased: “I just feel like I’ve taken my writing to another level. When I first started writing songs, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. But now I’ve had a year or two of experience, coming back and doing this second album was easier for me.”
Unfortunately though, what weighs down ICYDK is the same thing that plagued Pixie Lott’s Young Foolish Happy. Maturing your sound is all well and good, but not when you suck out the fun in the process. On the brilliant singles ‘Heart Skips A Beat’ and ‘Dance With Me Tonight’, Olly puts his cheeky persona to good use on quirky, old school retro-pop, but sadly most of what follows here is just half-hearted copy-and-paste with little of the same flair.
Come the half-way point in the disc, all the songs just start to roll into one; and though it only ventures into godawful territory once or twice, it would have been nice to have had a bit more of a spark to keep the momentum going. I often highlight the problem with many mediocre albums as a lack of cohesiveness, but ICYDK is actually, if it’s even possible, too cohesive. Each track plods by nicely enough, but it’s only at the very beginning and the very end (check out the wicked Calvin Harris ‘Feel So Close’-a-like ‘Anywhere Else’) when it really hits its stride. This time last year, Olly’s self-titled debut left me pleasantly surprised. His sophomore effort, however, is just a tiny bit disappointing.
This week’s first midweek sales flashes are in, and whilst it does look like Rihanna will finally have to surrender the No. 1 singles position with ‘We Found Love’, her new albumTalk That Talk is set to beat One Direction and Westlife to the top.
The new LP is a fairly safe 6,000 units ahead of 1D’s Up All Night, with the Irish manband’s Greatest Hits showing up in third place.
Currently five of the Top 6 albums are new, with Kate Bush‘s 50 Words For Snow and Nickelback‘s Here And Now also on course for high placements. Michael Buble‘s current No. 1 Christmas is sandwiched in the middle at No. 4.
The news isn’t so good for The Saturdays, whose new record On Your Radar is set to become their lowest-charting album so far. It’s a weak No. 16 today, and given that their releases are usually extremely front-loaded, I expect it to drop further by Sunday.
Over on the singles chart, Olly Murs is racing ahead of Rihanna and Calvin Harris. ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ has sold in the region of 34,000 units in two days, taking it more than 6,000 ahead of RiRi.
Kelly Rowland is on course for a Top 3 entry with ‘Down For Whatever’. It’ll be her highest-charting single since her No. 1 hook-up with David Guetta, ‘When Love Takes Over’, two and a half years ago.
With Flo Rida at No. 4 and Avicii set to land at No. 5, Rebecca Ferguson is looking at No. 7 with ‘Nothing’s Real But Love’. It may be lower than the No. 1 achievements from Cher Lloyd and One Direction (and even the No. 6 from Matt Cardle), but considering its only major promotion has been Sunday’s X Factor performance she’s doing pretty well. She just needs to keep plugging it to ensure it doesn’t drop off as the week goes on.
Finally, Little Mix have had a positive effect on En Vogue‘s ‘Don’t Let Go (Love)’, which is set to soar back into the charts at No. 16 this weekend.
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