WestlifeDomain

THAT LOVIN' FILAN Dec 29 2003

Westlife Shane ties knot with long-time love Gill By Paul Martin

WESTLIFE'S Shane Filan said he was ''the luckiest guy in the world'' as he wed his childhood sweetheart yesterday.

Guests, including Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, watched as Shane and Gillian Walsh exchanged vows at Ballintubber Abbey, County Mayo.Dressed in white, Shane joked with bandmates Kian Egan and Mark Fehilly as his bride turned up late.
When Gillian, wearing an embroideredwhite dress arrived at the altar, he whispered to her: ''You look amazing.''
Afterwards, Shane said: ''Looking at Gillian at the altar was the best moment of my life. I was welling up during the service.
''I feel like the luckiest guy in the world and everything went according to plan.
''It was great to go out there and wave to the fans and also see all our friends and family enjoying our big day.
''Gillian felt like a princess and looked like one too.''Last night, guests enjoyed a wedding banquet at nearby Ashford Castle.

source - Irish Star
31st Dec.

My Westwife

White wedding ... blonde Gillian and hubby Shane pose

By RICHIE TAYLOR
WESTLIFE€S Shane Filan wed his childhood sweetheart yesterday and both were sights in white.Thousands of fans braved heavy rain to see the singer and beautiful bride Gillian Walsh, both 24.

Guests ... Bryan and Kerry

Bandmates Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Bryan McFadden and his wife Kerry were among the 500 guests at Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo, Ireland.And Ronan Keating, 26, and wife Yvonne, 29, arrived to screams from fans.

Pals ... Ronan and Yvonne

Even Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern was there. His daughter Georgina is married to Westlifes Nicky Byrne.

source - www.thesun.co.uk 31st Dec.

Westlife star's lavish wedding

The pair were engaged in Dubai last year Westlife singer Shane Filan has been celebrating his marriage to his childhood sweetheart at one of Ireland's most exclusive hotels. Shane wed Gillian Walsh at historic Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo on Sunday. They later celebrated along with more than 350 guests in the lakeside splendour of the nearby Ashford Castle hotel. It was reported that Shane had popped the question while he and Gillian were on holiday together in Dubai last year. His elder brother Finbar acted as best man at the ceremony in Ballintubber, which dates back to the 13th century, and was once left a wreck by the army of Oliver Cromwell. Horse-drawn coach

The event marked the first Westlife wedding since last summer's occasion in a French village, when Nicky Byrne married Georgina, one of Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's two daughters. It was reported that the couple had struck a $1m (€ ¦£622,000) deal with celebrity magazine Hello! to cover the ceremony.
About 200 of Westlife's noisy, but devoted following stood in the cold weather outside the Abbey on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the band and cheer them into and out of the church. Like his bride, Shane was dressed in white and the happy couple arrived for the ceremony in a white, horse-drawn coach.

source -news.bbc.co.uk
31st Dec.

Shane marries sweetheart

Westlife singer Shane Filan and childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh have married in County Mayo, Ireland

The pair wed at historic Ballintubber Abbey, but celebrated later in the luxurious lakeside splendour of the nearby Ashford Castle hotel. Shane popped the question while he and Gillian were on holiday together in Dubai last year. His elder brother Finbar was best man at the ceremony.

source - www.ananova.com
31 Dec.

Number 3 - Westlife Turnaround

Kings of the boyband crop; Westlife's 5th album is easily their best mix of balladry & Upbeats.
Mandy,Obvious,Turnaround and Heal Me all have the winning hit factor & move on Slightly from their familiar sound.
If you see 1 band live in 2004, We highly recommend it's these guys.

source - ace pg on c4
30th Dec.

Westlife singer Shane Filan has been celebrating his marriage to his childhood sweetheart at one of Ireland's most exclusive hotels.

Shane wed Gillian Walsh at historic Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo on Sunday. They later celebrated along with more than 350 guests in the lakeside splendour of the nearby Ashford Castle hotel. It was reported that Shane had popped the question while he and Gillian were on holiday together in Dubai last year. His elder brother Finbar acted as best man at the ceremony in Ballintubber, which dates back to the 13th century, and was once left a wreck by the army of Oliver Cromwell.

Horse-drawn coach
The event marked the first Westlife wedding since last summer's occasion in a French village, when Nicky Byrne married Georgina, one of Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's two daughters. It was reported that the couple had struck a $1m (£622,000) deal with celebrity magazine Hello! to cover the ceremony. About 200 of Westlife's noisy, but devoted following stood in the cold weather outside the Abbey on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the band and cheer them into and out of the church. Like his bride, Shane was dressed in white and the happy couple arrived for the ceremony in a white, horse-drawn coach.

More than 350 guests were at one of Ireland’s most exclusive hotels tonight for the latest wedding party to feature one of the Westlife boy band. Tying the knot in Co Mayo were singer Shane Filan and childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh. The pair wed at historic Ballintubber Abbey, but celebrated later in the luxurious lakeside splendour of the nearby Ashford Castle hotel. Shane popped the question while he and Gillian were on holiday together in Dubai last year.

The Westlifer’s elder brother Finbar acted as best man at the ceremony in Ballintubber, which dates back to the 13th century – and was once left a wreck by the army of Oliver Cromwell. Music at the strictly-behind-closed-doors wedding party - scheduled to go on until dawn and then into tomorrow – was not provided by chart-topping Westlife, according to insiders. Instead, Shane was understood to have laid on another band, complete with its own DJ. The event marked the first Westlife wedding since last summer’s occasion in a French, rather than an Irish village, when Nicky Byrne married Georgina, one of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s two daughters.

Today, though, there was no tie-up with a celebrity magazine that made the French wedding so controversial back home for Ahern, a guest this time. Nicky was the second band member to get married and fans of the group were tonight waiting on news from the two remaining singers. Around 200 of Westlife’s noisy, but devoted following stood in the icy-cold-but-mainly-bright weather outside the Abbey to catch a glimpse of their favourites and cheer them into and out of the church. Like his bride, Shane was dressed in white and the happy couple arrived for the ceremony in a white, horse-drawn coach.

Westlife star marries childhood sweetheart - Westlife star Shane Filan has married his childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh at a romantic abbey in western Ireland.

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern -- whose daughter Georgina recently married another singer from the Irish boy band, Nicky Byrne -- was among more than 350 guests for the ceremony at the 800-year-old Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo.

The picture postcard abbey, founded in 1216 by Cathal O'Connor, King of Connaght, is reputedly the oldest church in Ireland to have been in continuous use.Afterwards the couple and their guests were celebrating the marriage at Ashford Castle, a grand Victorian pile 20 miles away in Cong on the shores of Lough Corrib. Actor John Wayne stayed at the hotel during the filming of "The Quiet Man" in the village more than 50 years ago, and other guests over the years have included King George V, Princess Grace of Monaco and U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Ballintubber Abbey and Ashford Castle were also the venues chosen by Irish "James Bond" actor Pierce Brosnan when he married former model and TV reporter Keely Shaye Smith in 2001.

WESTLIFE'S Shane Filan will marry his childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh in a glitzy ceremony today.
They will tie the knot at Ballintubber Abbey, Co Mayo, Ireland - where James Bond star Pierce Brosnan wed two years ago.
Shane's band mates will be among the few stars there. The 26-year-old wanted the event to be personal and rejected offers from celeb mags. Shop owner Gillian, 23, will wear a frock by Victoria Beckham's wedding dress designer Vera Wang.

source - www.people.co.uk
29th Dec.

Westlife star Shane Filan has vowed his wedding will be a 'magical ceremony' - with mist.
The Irish singer is marrying sweetheart Gillian Walsh at Ireland's Ballintubber Abbey tomorrow with a lavish reception later at Ashford Castle.
He said: It's a gorgeous setting and I want it to be a real Christmas theme with mist everywhere a really magical Irish wedding."

After their honeymoon the pair, both 23, will return home to Sligo to start life in their eight-bedroom home - and Shane is in no doubt about how he wants to fill it.
"I want to have loads of kids - that's why we have got such a big house. And I can't wait to get started."
"Gillian feels the same - we are very family-minded."

He'll be the third member of the chart-topping group to tie the knot when they exchange their vows in front of 450 guests including bandmates Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne, Bryan McFadden and Mark Feehily.
Bryan is married to former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry with whom he has two children, and Nicky married Georgina Aherne this year.

Kian joked: "This band has grown into a huge family and it won't belong before the grandkids are roaming aroud."
"Shane's wedding will be great. The band are all going to be thereto make sure it's a fantastic day.
Kian denied he will be the next Westlife star to walk down the aisle. The singer, who has previously dated Atomic Kitten's Liz McClarnon and glamour model Jodie Marsh, is in love with Hollyoaks babe Jodi Albert.
He said: "I've only been going out with her for only seven months. I'd want to be with someone five years before getting married."

WESTWIFE! SHANE MARRIES

Westlife star Shane Filan has broken the hearts of legions of female fans by finally marrying his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh.

After shunning an exclusive magazine deal for photos of the big day, the couple braved the cold and rain to greet around 200 fans outside historic Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo. Later, more than 350 guests - including Ronan Keating and Shane's fellow band members - travelled to the nearby Ashford Castle hotel to celebrate the marriage. The happy couple both wore white outfits.

Shane popped the question while he and Gillian were on holiday together in Dubai last year. The Westlifer's elder brother Finbar acted as best man at the ceremony in the abbey, which dates back to the 13th century. Music at the wedding party was reportedly not provided by the Irish group. Instead, Shane was understood to have laid on another band, complete with its own DJ.

It was the first Westlife wedding since last summer when Nicky Byrne married Georgina, one of Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's two daughters, in a French village. This time, there was no tie-up with a celebrity magazine that made the French wedding so controversial back home for the premier.

source - sky news website
29th Dec.

Westlife's Shane Filan is planning to spend some of his honeymoon in New York where he will be joined by his band mate Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina for some shopping Shane marries Gillian Walsh this Sunday and the couple plan to spend part of their honeymoon in a posh Manhattan hotel so they can meet up with Nicky and his wife to do some ice skating in Central Park and to get some bargains in the New Year sales.

Although Shane has tried to keep the destination of his honeymoon top secret, the couple hope to stop in New York for at least a couple of days to catch up with Nicky and Georgina before Westlife's busy schedule starts again in the New Year

On Sunday next, in what will be the Irish showbiz wedding of the year, Westlife superstar, Shane Filan will marry his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh at Ballintubber Abbey.

As this 1996 picture shows, the couple have been happy in each other's company since their early teens. This picture was taken as they rehearsed for a Sligo Fun Company production of Grease, the show that was to launch the local boyband, I.O.U. , which eventually went on to become the phenomenon that is Westlife. Shane is standing second from the left, while his future wife is standing on the extreme right, next to her first cousin, Kian Egan.

Shane played the male lead role of Danny, while Gillian, a talented dancer, performed as "Frenchie", one of the Pink Ladies. "Summer Lovin" was definitely in the air! The production also featured Westlifers, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily.

The wedding will be a glamorous star-studded affair, but the down-to-earth couple have never forgotten their roots, and the majority of the 400 guests will be family members and long-time friends.

Shane's proud parents, Peter and Mae will be joined by their other sons, Finbarr, Peter, and Liam and daughters, Mairead, Yvonne and Denise.

Gillian, from Lyndale Estate, is the youngest daughter of Mick and Rosaleen Walsh. Her older sister, Joanne, and brothers, Emmett and Michael, will all be present to share the big day celebrations.' Shane (second from left) and Gillian (extreme right) pictured when they were members of the cast of Sligo Fun Company's production of 'Grease', in 1996

source - Sligo Champion
28th Dec.

BLUE
Runners up - in order-
2ND:BUSTED
3RD:GOOD CHARLOTTE
4TH:GIRLS ALOUD
5TH:WESTLIFE

28th dec.

Despite the fact that wee Daniel O'Donnell also walked down the aisle earlier this year ( hardly an event to spark bidding wars for picture rights ), no one could argue that 2003 solely belonged to the Taoiseach's daughter and her boy band sweetheart. the French wedding of Nicky Byrne and Georgina Ahern managed to create just as much of a media circus as the news that the reverend Ian Paisley had taken umbrage with Brian Cowens lips.

Preparing to spend their first Christmas together as husband and wife, Nicky and Georgina are looking forward to some quality time with their families in Dublin, before driving over to the west for Shane Filan's Wedding on December 28th.A luxury New Year's holiday is also on the cards!
"We're hoping to go to New York for some outdoors skating in Central Park and then shop 'til we drop," confided Georgina And it doesn't end there! the newlyweds have even considered doing some shopping of a different nature in Hollywood.
"Then we'll go onto LA for some sun and choose a potential area to live in the Hollywood Hills. We can all dream" commented the Taoiseach's little girl The couple's main hopes for the New Year are unlike anyone else's at this time of the year.
"Health and happiness for all our family and friends and a year full of love and laughter. It's simple but true", said Nicky.

Their three main ambitions for 2204 also seem to be well thought out.
"Our main ambitions are to have a number one album, to get a place in the country and to get Keano, our Labrador, properly trained", offered Nicky. As for any plans to start a family....
"Wouldn't you all like to know," Georgina responds." We are just enjoying life as it is at the moment." Indeed, it seems like they have quite enough on their plates already, what with Keano and a Hollywood home and all!

source - social and personal
28th Dec.

Bryan and Shane have written two songs for European reality TV singers.

Bryan co-wrote a song called Still Need You with Nick Jarl (who also co-wrote 4 songs for Westlife - Heal, Written In The Stars, I Promise You That and You Make Me Feel) and David Stenmarck (who also co-wrote Written In The Stars for Westlife) for the German "Star Search" singer Thomas Wohlfahrt. The song could be found on Thomas's new album "Amazing" (track no.3) that was released November 17th in Germany. To listen to a clip of the song click here.

Bryan and Shane co-wrote a song called Listen Girl with Nick Jarl and Patric Jonsson. The song is performed by Johan Östberg from Swedish reality TV show "Fame Factory" and is on the Fame Factory vol.6 album.

Source -- Nick Jarl's official site, Amazon.de,
28th Dec.

TOTP Review 2003 (January - May)

Jan: Kian Westlife and Liz Kitten are spotted snogging in a nightclub...
Feb: Kian Westlife announces that he and Liz Kitten are now an item, (she gets back together with Lee Blue later after his ex punches her in the gob)
March: Jordan did her worst to snuffle up to Kian Westlife too.
According to the Mirror: "Kian was getting so many texts from Jordan, but he was too afraid to text or call her back. He knows what a maneater she is."

source - www.bbc.co.uk/totp
26th Dec.

Diana Ross Plans Spectacular Show With Westlife

TOP US star DIANA ROSS is planning a spectacular show with WESTLIFE as part of her master plan to be No.1 in the UK for her 60th birthday next March

26th Dec.

Westlife have managed to end up on a list of the all-time greats today. The list, compiled by British hit singles experts, is based on the number of weeks spent on the chart from data since the chart began in 1952.Westlife are at number 100€ ’¥ which is last€ ’¥

:: Top 100 (with first 10 accompanied by number of weeks spent on chart):

Westlife wish you a Merry Christmas

Listen and look at Westlife's Christmas greetings. Bryan | Kian | Mark | Nicky | Shane

source - www.click2music.co.uk
24th Dec.

Hulk fan's hunky friend

Cancer patient Aaron Bennett, seven, meets an incredible hunk yesterday — Westlife’s Bryan McFadden.
The heart-throb, 23, and the rest of the boy band sang for youngsters at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey.

Source - www.thesun.co.uk
24th Dec.

I'll be ringing my belle this Christmas!

This is going to be the Christmas I'll remember for the rest of my life-for all the right reasons, Its my last Christmas as a single guy and its also the Christmas ill be marrying my ideal Girl, Gillian. As you can imagine, I'm very,VERY excited, But strangely enough im not nervous, That might all change next Sunday however! To be honest, Ive been so busy with Westlife I haven't got time to worry about the big day.

The media keep asking me what I'm looking forward to most and I have to be honest by admitting That Im dying to see Gillian's Dress. Husbands to be are not allowed to see the dress before hand and Gillian isnt giving me any Hints about it and so my curiosity is killing me! One thing is for certain, Now matter what It looks like I know She's going to look absolutely amazing in it, She is the most beautiful girl in the world to me. We've known each other since we were around 10 and she's Kians cousin so its going to be a big family affair. Our wedding is going to be a fairytale hopefully, That's the way we've planned it.My eldest brother is going to be groomsman and Mark and Kian are going to be two groomsmen along with my two best friends Keith and Brian. There are five in the bridal party with

Gillian's sister Joanne being the maid of honour. The reception is in Ashford castle, which is an amazing place at Christmas time, hopefully the weather will be good too! And dont worry you will get to see pictures in all the papers the following day as myself and Gillian will come out and pose for the media after the ceremony.
I have to say this to all the fans, You have all been brilliant to help myself and Gillian along, Gillian has always enjoyed the support she has got from fans everywhere. Lots of fans knew about us before we went public and said nothing and It was never a problem, So thank you all, Hope your year was as good for you as it was for me,and all the lads here in Westlife wish you all a happy Christmas.

23rd. Dec.

Westlife on greats list

Westlife have managed to end up on a list of the all-time greats today. The list, compiled by British hit singles experts, is based on the number of weeks spent on the chart from data since the chart began in 1952. Click here (not on this site) for the list. Westlife are at number 100… which is last…

23nd Dec.

That lovin' Filan!

This time next week the Westlife Crew will once again be trying to hide fromt he world media at Shane Filans wedding to Georgous Gillian Walsh.
Learing from thie mistakes of Nicky Byrne's nuptials to Georgina Ahern in France earlier this year,the Mayo Marriage will be of course much more low key.

With Beverley Lyons And Lee-Ann Fullerton

BAY City Roller Les McKeown said that Westlife just can't compete with the original Scottish boyband.

Les, who will appear in Edinburgh's Arena at Fountainbridge on Hogmanay, believes the Irish heartthrobs don't have what it takes to wow theworld. He asked: ''Do Westlife have a life outside of the British Isles? Does anyone in the US know who they are? They've just not cracked it.

''I think our success was down to sincerity and the fact that we had a good looking singer with a great voice. That's why The Bay City Rollers are the secondbiggest boyband in the world after The Beatles.''

Les, who has just come back from a six-week tour of Australia and written his autobiography, said he was looking forward to playing Hogmanay in his hometown. He added: ''I like to party at Hogmanay of course and I might put on an old Rollers suit.''

source - the razz
23nd Dec.

Turnaround ringtones all available

If you click here you'll see that you can now preview and order ringtones from every track on Westlife's new album Turnaround.

Each track is available as standard monophonic tone, and also as a polyphonic tone - please, please check your phone's compatibility via the link provided before you order!

All the ringtones from the band's Greatest Hits album are also available, from the same page.

Source - www.westlife.com
Posted: 23nd Dec,

Westlife Won An Award At Smash Hits Poll Winners Party

Busted have cleaned up at this year's Smash Hits Poll Winners awards. They bagged five top awards, including best band in the world ever, best album and best UK band. Westlife were voted as the best international act and Girls Aloud picked up the Hot new talent title. Justin Timberlake won most fanciable male and Beyonce Knowles most fanciable female. And Gareth Gates proved he has not lost his appeal by winning best male solo artist and best single for Sunshine. Christina Aguilera was voted best female solo artist. Rachel Stevens and Duncan James from Blue won the best dressed titles, while Mark Owen was awarded the Comeback King accolade. Big Brovaz have been given the best urban act award and the magazine's readers decided DJ Sammy was the best dance act this ear. The best music video title went to Beyonce for her Crazy In Love single. Smash Hits usually announce the award winners at a star-studded Poll Winners' Party. But the bash was scrapped because none of the US winners would agree to turn up.

Kerry - Tipsy At The Trap

"I don't know if I was sucking the window or just poking my tongue out the night I was photographed at Record of the Year because I was just so drunk.
I was leaving Trap night club and was pictured with Mark Feehily, who's my drinking buddy. We always get drunk together. Westlife were delighted to win and it was like a real life drama backstage - better than Eastenders. And Bryan even cried! Everyone was saying it was the end for the boys when Hey Whatever didn't get to number one, so this award just goes to show that they're here to stay."

WESTLIFE VOTED 3rd BEST BAND BY HOT STARS MAG!
In HOTSTARS readers poll 2003 Westlife have been voted 3rd best band. The top ten are below!

1 Blue
2 Coldplay
3 WESTLIFE
4 Busted
5 Red Hot Chilli Peppers
6 Girls Aloud
7 Atomic Kitten
8 Sugababes
9 Liberty X
10 The Darkness

Source - OK magazine
20th Dec.

W – World of Our Own, the last album, sold more than 5 Million copies !

E – Eighteen Million Albums Sold Worldwide. Oh, and Seven Million singles !!

S – 7 consecutive No.1 singles, breaking the Spice Girls previous world record !

T – Ten UK No 1 Singles !!

L – LIVE: 15 countries. 64 dates. Broke all box office records across Europe!

I – Ireland: One Third of the Irish population saw Westlife in concert in 2002 !

F – Fans The Biggest Online artist fan base in the World !!

E – Earls Court, London. 5 back to back nights. SOLD OUT !

Odyssey Arena, Belfast 3 April 2004

Due to excess demand Westlife have added one final date, 3 April, bringing their run of shows at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast to seven. Westlife will now play the Odyssey, Belfast on 29, 30, 31 March, 2, 3 (matinee and evening show) and 4 April 2004. The extra date,3rd + 4th April, will go on sale Friday, 19 December at 9.00am.

Please Note:

Tickets limited to 4 per person.
Parents with small children are advised to buy tiered seating.

Westlife & Boyzone Join Forces to Serve...
Members from two of Ireland's super boybands Westlife and Boyzone joined forces this week at a charity dinner to serve food and drinks to VIP's in Citywest Hotel...

Two of Louis Walsh's biggest acts Boyzone and Westlife got together in the name of charity this week posing as Celebrity Waiters at a dinner in Citywest Hotel in aid of the Grace Nolan Foundation.
As well as the familiar faces of Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, and Bryan McFadden doing their best Manuel impressions other Celebrity Waiters included Kerry McFadden, Ray Shah, Brian Ormond, and a number of other Irish Pop stars.
With the members of Westlife looking so pally-pally with the Boyzone boys it got ShowBiz Ireland thinking...

What if Boyzone and Westlife joined forces for a one off charity single to be released next Christmas? It would no doubt be the biggest thing to ever happen to the British and Irish Pop charts and a guaranteed Christmas Number One...And on paper it seems possible with Ronan Keating indicating he wouldn't mind hooking up with his Boyzone band mates once more plus there seems to be a close bond between the lads in both bands.

The only thing that could possibly stop the hybrid fusion would be the one-and-only Louis Walsh... After he put the boot-in on Ronan Keating's poor album sales it is hard to see them ever working together again!

source - Showbiz Ireland
19th Dec

The people of Ashvem received a unique souvenir of Westlife's two-day visit to their isolated beach-side village. There were gifted a whole new bamboo bridge that offers them safe access from the main road to the picturesque sandbar where the pop group's video was filmed.

"We used the bridge while shooting the film and we are leaving it behind so that the local people can continue to use it. A small gift in return for their hospitality, said the video's director, Max.

source - www.goacom.com
18th Dec.

Jodi's The One For Me [International - 17 December 2003]

Westlife star Kian Egan hopes to marry his girlfriend Jodi Albert after finding true happiness with the actress.
The singer says he is fed up with girls throwing themselves at him and he can be himself around Jodi, who stars in British TV soap Hollyoaks.
Kian and Jodi first dated five years ago and rekindled their love after meeting at a Westlife gig.
He says, "As soon as I saw her again I knew she was the one. I'm hoping we still have that excitement in five years. When the band started out, having our choice of girls was a novelty but I don't want that anymore. Why would I want to be with a girl who doesn't like me for me?" (WENN)

source - www.soundbuzz.com
18th Dec.

Westlife hunk Shane Filan's wedding won't have the fairy tale wedding he hoped. Poor Shane won't get to carry his new bride Gillian over the threshold after they wed - their new home just won't be ready in time. Shane, 24, will tie the knot with childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh, 23, at Ballintubber Abbey on December 28th.

After the special Yuletide wedding service, he and his Westlife pals will party at a glitzy bash in plush Ashford Castle.
The pair had planned to move in to their Sligo mansion straight after their honeymoon in Hawaii. But the 2 million euro house, which has 3 floors and 20 bedrooms, is way behind schedule. It was supposed to be finished last month but a friend has revealed that it will be February at the earliest before the lovebirds can move in. His pal said: "Shane and Gillian are a bit disappointed that their lovely new home won't be completed to move in to after the wedding. They are very romantic and traditional about things and had planned everything out to the last detail. They got engaged last Christmas and want this wedding to have all the magic of Christmas about it too. They had it all mapped out and it should be perfect.""But the fact that their new home won't be ready for them is a shame because that would have been the icing on the cake."

Unlike the other Westlife members, Shane is not selling his wedding snaps to a glossy magazine. When Bryan wed ex Atomic Kitten - Kerry Katona and Nicky Byrne wed the Taoisearch Bertie Ahern's daughter Georgina, they both did deals with Hello! Magazine. Shane will instead allow the press to take some pictures and get a few words at the church from him before heading off for the shindig at Ashford Castle with almost 500 guests. The pair first met when they went to the same school in Sligo, but coincidentally Gillian is a cousin of Kian Egan from the band.

Close pals Kian and Mark Feehily will be 'best men' on the big day as Shane's groomsmen.
Mark can't wait for the big day. He revealed: "I'm not the best man. I'm one of the best men if you know what I mean. That is a great honour because I have known Shane for a long time. The wedding itself should be a good laugh." But he says he's happy that he doesn't have to give any speeches. He added that he is planning to give the couple a 'special gift' to mark the occasion - but naturally he is keeping it a surprise. He said: "I'm getting him something special. We always try and think of something special when one of us is getting married."

"Don't be fooled by the sugary ballads and family-friendly haircuts-those hell-raising Westlife boys make Colin Farrell look like Eammon Holmes. At last years Brits, young Bryan McFadden, 23 narrowly escaped a beating after shouting "your crap" at so solid crews 30-plus members, and even that nice Nicky Byrne,24 gets a bit lairy after a few shandies: "I was so drunk last night, I grabbed this guy who was trying to take our photo and told him `if you keep waving that camera at me I'm gonna ram it up your hole`". But while Bryan has cut down on the juice, Kian Egan,23,shows no signs of slowing down. At the groups fifth anniversary celebrations last month, he stayed up until 5am drinking, long after girlfriend Jodi Albert had gone home.

source - New magazine
17th Dec.

Busted voted 'best band in the world ever'

Busted have cleaned up at this year's Smash Hits Poll Winners awards. They bagged five top awards, including best band in the world ever, best album and best UK band.
Westlife were voted as the best international act and Girls Aloud picked up the Hot new talent title. Justin Timberlake won most fanciable male and Beyonce Knowles most faceable female. And Gareth Gates proved he has not lost his appeal by winning best male solo artist and best single for Sunshine.
Christina Aguilera was voted best female solo artist. Rachel Stevens and Duncan James from Blue won the best dressed titles, while Mark Owen was awarded the Comeback King accolade. Big Brovaz have been given the best urban act award and the magazine's readers decided DJ Sammy was the best dance act this year. The best music video title went to Beyonce for her Crazy In Love single.
Smash Hits usually announce the award winners at a star-studded Poll Winners' Party. But the bash was scrapped because none of the US winners would agree to turn up

Westlife Concert Cancelled

A Westlife concert, which was scheduled at Olympic Park Fencing Stadium Dec. 14, was cancelled on Friday due to discord between the band and the organizer, according to RGB Entertainment, the organizer of the Seoul concert.
``A setback in flight schedule delayed the entire the promotion schedule, and the concert had to be cancelled. We are refunding those who
have purchased tickets,'' said Lee Hwa-jin, promotion manager of RGB Entertainment. For more information, call (02) 2266-6618.

15th Dec.

Mae Filan: "Shane and Gillian's day is for fans too."

Mae Filan spoke to us exclusively about her son's wedding: Shane and Gillian's wedding is a day for the fans as well, if they want to see Shane on his wedding day, they are welcome. He will happily pose for photographs with Gillian after the service for all the press." She carried on: "He's very grateful to everyone for their support with Westlife and he wants to reply his debt by posing for photographs for all who want them. All he asks is that after photos are taken that he be left alone to enjoy his day privately with close family and friends."

vote on capital fm

It's that time of year when we want to know your all-time favourite three songs. Taking part in the biggest chart of the year couldn't be easier and it's your chance to have your say in who has the honour of being this year's No. 1.

Last year Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' topped the 500 as your all time favourite track, hotly followed by Robbie Williams' 'Angels' and George Michael's with 'Careless Whisper'. But who will make it this year?

Some of this year's big hits like 'White Flag' by Dido and 'Guilty' from Blue are strong contenders for London's ultimate chart. Or maybe you prefer classic hits by The Beatles, Elvis or Wham! Whatever your favourite songs of all-time are, old or new. Fill in the form below now and cast your vote.

Once we have all your votes we'll compile a list of the most popular songs and play out the Top 500 in full between Christmas and New Year, and the Number 1 song of all time will be revealed on December 31st.
Voting closes on Wednesday 24th December.

For details, pls visit http://www.capitalfm.com/Article.asp?id=15514
15th Dec.

Hip-hot Panjabi MC leads star influx into city

IRISH boy band member Kian Egan from Westlife pointed to his posterior with reference to the vindaloo that the band gulped down in Goa. ``It's hot,'' he added.
In Goa, to shoot a music video with FX (everything they touch explodes into flames) for their track Obvious from their latest album Turnaround, the band can't stop tripping on hot Indian food and women. ``But it's not a Baywatch kinda video,'' said fellow band member Nicky Byrne.

But the hottest name on the music plate is Panjabi MC of Mundian To Bach Ke fame, who will also perform on December 12 at the MTV Immies. The music producer, who's bagged a World Music Award, Best Dance Act at MTV Europe Awards and UK Act of the Year, started touring as a 16-year-old. Panjabi MC also made no bones about musicians who've jumped the bhangra bandwagon after him. ``Rishi Rich is a fake cut,'' said 27-year-old Panjabi MC aka Rajinder Singh, who also hates boy bands. Of course, other bands like Outlandish worked on the politically correct angle and said, ``Everyone has their own preferences.''

While expressing their eagerness to work with the likes of Jagjit Singh, Outlandish also agreed that hip-hop is the latest rage in music. ``That's also because most Asians can connect with this sound and have also successfully managed to bring in their own flavour,'' said Islam Bachiri of Outlandish. The line-up of other performances include Bombay Vikings and Falguni Pathak, Salman Khan, Ishaa Koppikar, Yana Gupta and Euphoria. The channel has not confirmed whether or not Pakistani band Junoon will perform at the IMMIES.

But for now, the first ever MTV Immies is where all the lights, camera and action is.

Taken From: Mumbai Newsline
14th Dec.

Stars announce extra SECC gigs

BOYBAND Westlife and American singer Pink have both announced extra shows in Glasgow for their fans. The Irish band will now be playing five nights at the SECC next spring - just one short of their record-breaking run last year. They have just had a record breaking 12th UK number one with their hit Mandy.
The Turnaround tour comes to the SECC next April and the latest date to be added is Wednesday April 21. Last year the band played a record six nights at the SECC. Meanwhile, Pink has announced extra dates to her UK tour, including an additional night in Glasgow.

The platinum selling artist had been due to play the SECC on Wednesday March 31 next year, but will now also appear the following night after tickets sold out within three days. Tickets for the extra shows go on sale on today. BOYBAND Westlife and American singer Pink have both announced extra shows in Glasgow for their fans.

The Irish band will now be playing five nights at the SECC next spring - just one short of their record-breaking run last year. They have just had a record breaking 12th UK number one with their hit Mandy. The Turnaround tour comes to the SECC next April and the latest date to be added is Wednesday April 21. Last year the band played a record six nights at the SECC. Meanwhile, Pink has announced extra dates to her UK tour, including an additional night in Glasgow. The platinum selling artist had been due to play the SECC on Wednesday March 31 next year, but will now also appear the following night after tickets sold out within three days. Tickets for the extra shows go on sale on today.

BOYBAND Westlife and American singer Pink have both announced extra shows in Glasgow for their fans. The Irish band will now be playing five nights at the SECC next spring - just one short of their record-breaking run last year. They have just had a record breaking 12th UK number one with their hit Mandy. The Turnaround tour comes to the SECC next April and the latest date to be added is Wednesday April 21. Last year the band played a record six nights at the SECC.

Meanwhile, Pink has announced extra dates to her UK tour, including an additional night in Glasgow. The platinum selling artist had been due to play the SECC on Wednesday March 31 next year, but will now also appear the following night after tickets sold out within three days. Tickets for the extra shows go on sale on today.

source - Glasgow Evening Times
14th Dec.

Ratethemusic.com reports Westlife's Shane Filan have issued a devastating warning to the group's fans - they'll never marry them. "We're not here to marry fans," he said. "Whatever they think, we're never going to marry them. They can dream all they want. We're here to make music and perform. Westlife is our job and we love to
sing."

Westlife in Mumbai for MTV Immies

The members of boy band Westlife must be tired of answering questions on how they’ve lasted five years together, when most other boy bands break up after two or three years. They’re in a relaxed mood, as they’ve just finished shooting their latest video in Goa. Here to perform at the MTV Immies Awards at the Goregaon Sports Complex this evening, the Irish group chose Goa as it was looking for a new destination for the video of its song Obvious.

As band-member Mark Feehily explains: “We always feel the need to have interesting videos, where we can change the background. For this single, we were looking for a sunny and bright video, and since we were coming to India, Goa seemed perfect. We spent three days working on the video there.” Mark, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Bryan McFadden and Kian Egan have now released their latest album Turnaround. Released in India by Crescendo Music, it has a version of Barry Manilow’s Mandy.

Interestingly, some of Westlife’s biggest hits have been covers — like the Terry Jacks-popularised Seasons In The Sun, Abba’s I Have A Dream and Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl. But the members insist that there’s much more to them than covers. Explains Shane: “We do covers because our fans like them. But there are a lot of originals that we work on, and they’re also pretty big.” Westlife grew out of a band formed by Kian, Shane and Mark. They were spotted by pop promoter Louis Walsh, who felt they’d be the ideal successors to Boyzone. On the self-titled debut, Boyzone’s Ronan Keating joined their management team. Besides Michael Jackson, Westlife has been influenced by the Backstreet Boys, Take That and Boyz II Men. Among the new bands, they like Blue.

“People may feel Westlife and Blue should be rivals, but we know those guys pretty well. They’re very good at what they do,” says Mark. Many of Westlife’s songs feature the producer-songwriter team of Steve Mac and Wayne Hector. Bryan elaborates: “When we work together, it becomes a great team. There’s a certain magic that comes across in our songs together.”

Besides Mandy and Obvious, the latest album features the songs Hey Whatever, Heal, I Did It For You and Turnaround. How do they approach each new album? Says Mark: “We judge the audience response on each tour, and see what we should do next.”
How do they react when so many female fans approach them? Says Shane: “It’s flattering to have so many fans. In the beginning, we didn’t know how to react. But we’ve got used to it now.” The group members attribute their individual chemistry to their close friendship. “None of us have thought of solo projects because we’re happy as a team. We’re all satisfied with our success.” Thanks a ton. We didn’t need to ask them how they’ve lasted five years together.

Source - web.mid-day.com
13 Dec

Irish boy band Westlife shoot on Ashvem Beach

Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne was in Goa with Westlife to shoot their latest single "Obvious", slated for release in February next Year.
Nicky said, "I love Goa. The beaches are beautiful. I will come here on my second honeymoon." He is married to Irish Premier Berti Ahern's daughter, Georgina.
The Irish boy band and Gen X heartthrobs, Westlife, were in Goa on a two-day visit to shoot the video. Westlife is the latest in a series of international artistes, who have chosen to shoot their music videos in the state. American R&B singer Aashanti was recently here to shoot scenes for her song "Goa Groove".

Source - Goa Today
13th Dec.

Westlife concert cancelled

A Westlife concert, which was scheduled at Olympic Park Fencing Stadium Dec. 14, was cancelled on Friday due to discord between the band and the organizer, according to RGB Entertainment, the organizer of the Seoul concert.

"A setback in flight schedule delayed the entire the promotion schedule, and the concert had to be cancelled. We are refunding those who have purchased tickets," said Lee Hwa-jin, promotion manager of RGB Entertainment. For more information, call (02) 2266-6618.

Source - The Korea Times
13th Dec.

Who Nicola like to party with in Ireland

"Whenever we're in Ireland we only have to set foot in a certain club and we know we'll see them." So says Girls' Aloud member Nicola about the Westlife boys.
When asked in a recent interview who they liked to party with, the band's red-haired singer said Bryan McFadden and wife Kerry were a great laugh, who never go home until they've had "the best night ever". No doubt they're talking about Precious, Bryan's favourite club in Belfast.

Source - www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
13th Dec.

The People reports Westlife star Bryan McFadden feels ever so slightly snubbed by design duo Dolce & Gabbana. "I used to get loads of free stuff from them," he was saying in the green room at BBC radio this week. "But they don't send it any more because we're too fat."

Source - www.popdirt.com
12th December 2003

Christmas in Popworld to be screened on C4

The Christmas in Popworld concert, staged last night at Wembley Arena, is to be broadcast on Channel 4 on December 14.
Girls Aloud, Westlife, Liberty X, Emma Bunton and Gareth Gates were among those performing on stage.
The final four Pop Idols also made a surprise appearance at the concert. Sam, Michelle, Chirs and Mark performed Christmas songs during their Wembley debut.
Wembley Arena was transformed into a winter wonderland for the show which featured the artists performing their biggest hits plus their favourite Christmas songs.

Source- www.ananova.com
12th Dec.

Nara Jing refuses to collaborate with Westlife

Westlife will kick off a concert in Seoul (Korea) in the coming Sunday (14 Dec) and they invited Nara Jing to be their special guest. A couple of days ago, Nara refused to present in their concert. Nara originally planned to sing two new songs from her album with an orchestra. However, the organization of Westlife's concert claimed that there was some problem of the arrangement, so Nara was required to sing with recording music instead of an orchestra. Nara's record label stated that the organization didn't repect Korea singers, so Nara refused to sing in Westlife's concert.

Source - news from Korea Credit - Bonnie
11th Dec.

Irish boy band WESTLIFE have enlisted the help of LOVE ACTUALLY star MARTINE McCUTCHEON for their latest attempt to break the American market.
The FLYING WITHOUT WINGS group failed in their bid to crack the US two years ago, but are poised to compile an album of tracks chosen specifically to appeal to Americans. And one artist they've asked to collaborate with them on the LP is Martine - who previously scored solo singing success in her native Britain.

source - www.ratethemusic.com
11th Dec.

Gruelling schedule almost caused Westlife split

Westlife have revealed how their gruelling schedule almost caused them to split up. The Irish pop band have had a record breaking 12 number one singles in the UK, and won the UK record of the year for Mandy. But Mark Feehily told MTV Europe: "We knew that we had to change how we worked or give up our careers.
"Now our tour manager makes sure that we have at least one day off every two or three weeks, it may not sound a lot, but it's more than we used to get.
"But none of us like to take time off because we love what we do so much."
And he added: "We want to be like the Bee Gees - around forever. In music terms we want to become more than just an act that people like for a few years and then tire of."

Source - www.ananova.com
11th Dec.

Boy Band Westlife Comes East


One of the legends of boy-band history, Westlife, is having their second Seoul concert at the Olympic Park Fencing Stadium in southern Seoul on Dec. 14. The five young Irish men followed in the footsteps of internationally successful Irish musicians such as U2, Cranberries and Sinead O'Connor, when seven consecutive singles jumped to No. 1 on the U.K. pop charts, including their debut single ``Swear It Again'' in 1999. It was the biggest-selling debut single ever in Ireland, and the quintet were recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, beating the Beatles who had five successive singles at the top.

The group started with Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Mark Feehily, who performed together in the musical ``Grease'' in Sligo, Ireland in 1998. They later added two more members, Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden, changing their name from Westside, which a number of existing bands shared, to Westlife.

Unlike other boy bands that focus on dance music, the quintet were more inclined towards pop ballad, making a perfect harmony of sweet male voices. Since their pop melodies are accessible to middle-aged fans as well, the group is known to draw a wide range of fans to their concert _ teenagers, hand-in-hand, with their parents. Westlife sold over 17 million albums worldwide and about a million copies here, where ballad is a popular genre. Among their hits are ``Uptown Girl,'' ``Flying without Wings,'' ``Queen of My Heart'' and ``My Love,'' which was on air over 500 times on local radio and selected as the favourite pop song in a survey by a local radio program last year.

The group became even more familiar to local fans when they sang ``My Love'' at the Nobel Peace Prize Celebration for former President Kim Dae-jung in Oslo, Norway in 2000. Tickets for their last concert here two years ago sold out in two weeks, and the band chose Korea as the first destination of their world tour to promote their latest album ``Turnaround.''

On the Seoul stage, local singer and actress Jjang Nara will join the five young men in singing Christmas carols. For tickets, priced from 44,000 won to 88,000 won, go to www.ticketlink.co.kr or www.ticketpark.com, or call 1588-7890 or 1544-1555. For more information, contact the organizer at (02) 2266-6618.
By Yoon Ja-young - Staff Reporter

source - Koreatimes.co.Kr
10th Dec.

KIAN Egan has blasted pop stars who claim to have stalkers, saying most of them are lying to get themselves publicity.
The Westlife star said: ''I'm sure it is just hype in most cases and people are only saying they have a stalker so they can get as much publicity as they can. It always seems to happen when someone has a single out.''
But when it was pointed out that his good pal Ronan Keating has had to call in police over threats to his family, Kian added: ''I know Ronan isn't the type of person to take advantage of something like that. In his case it must be true.''

celebrity pet of the week
Carlton diamond Filan
owner Shane Filan from Westlife
breed horse
age 10
hobbies show jumping it's my life
little known fact I'm named after my beloved family's cafe the Carlton they do a mean bacon and sausage sarnie there you know!

lurve-o-metre
Bryan and Kerry McFadden
Bryan's not too sure bout Kezza's plans to go on 'I'm Celeb' - he's worried she'll spill the beans about their marriage. but now he's doing the Atkins diet, there won't be any beans to spill

spotted
Bryan McFadden watching his wife Kerry demonstrate various types of orgasm while performing in the vagina monologues at Manchester's palace theatre
Kian Egan and Jodi Albert annoying fellow cinemagoers as they snogged their way through' In America' at the Odeon on Leicester square London

Westlife hunk Shane Filan has a holiday job - in his fiancée's clothing shop.
Gillian Walsh told me: "when he has a break I like him to come and help me. he actually really enjoys it."

Westlife Hunk Shane Filan has admitted that he's expecting fireworks on his wedding night. But .Its the traditional, if spectacular, fireworks display that the excited singer is talking about. Final preparations are being made for the wedding in the plush surrounding of Mayo's Ashford castle on December 28.Filan says: "At the minute we're deciding whether to have fireworks-at this stage, it looks like we will"

Chart idol Shane will break a million hearts when he walks up theaisle with his childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh. He confessed: "Gillian has been there for me since I can remember, I don't think I could have survived without her."

"Our wives and girlfriends know what it's like and trust us."

Four of Westlife are spoken for. Nicky married long term girlfriend Georgina in the summer. Shane is engaged to childhood sweetheart Gillian, who is also Kian's cousin. Bryan has been married to ex Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona for 2 years and they have two daughters - Molly and Lilly Sue. Kian has behaved more like a pop star and has been dating Hollyoaks actress, Jodi Albert for six months. Mark on the other hand is buying a car to make up for his absent love life.

Being the only single one makes Mark the natural focus of tabloid attention. "There's been a lot of press about me having one night stands and I've had a few kiss and tells done on me. It sickens me to see that because I'd never use anybody, especially groupies." Mark frowns. "It pisses me off - I don't like the thought of my granny sitting at home reading something like that!"

Shane's more pragmatic about the whole thing. "You have to ignore it.
You can get caught up in fame and money, it'd be easy to loose your head and get involved with the groupies. But it's shite because they don't care about you they just want to be seen with you and then tell their friends." The worry of kiss and tells hasn't put Mark off looking for love. "It would be nice to meet someone and fall in love. Every time I talk about it in an interview it's like rubbing it in that I don't have a girlfriend."

As for the others, being scrutinised by the press and followed around by adoring fans, it must be hard to maintain a relationship. For example, the press had a field day reporting a lap dancer's claim to have slept with Bryan on his stag do before his marriage to Kerry.

"All our girlfriends and wives wouldn't be there if they didn't totally know what it was like. They understand we know how to deal with it and trust us." States Kian firmly.

Kian may be happily settled with Jodi Albert now, but not before tabloid friendly flings with Jodie Marsh and Liz Mclarnon from Atomic Kitten. Not that he wants to talk about either.
"I don't like seeing my name beside that girl's [Jodie Marsh]. I went through a phase where I didn't care about the consequences of anything I did And to be honest I'm sick of talking about the Liz story. I went out with her, we broke up, that's it - end of story."

So that's it no scandal there. Although when asked if he and Liz are still friends, Kian's quick to say no so maybe there's more to it than he's letting on...

Westlife's soon to be newlyweds Shane Filan and Gillian Walsh have relieved their wedding guests of trying to find them the perfect wedding present.

The couple have asked the hundreds of guests attending their December 28 wedding in Ashford Castle not to buy them presents, but to give a donation to the North West Hospice instead. While his band mate, Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina Ahern, were criticised for receiving a six-figure sum for their wedding photographs, Shane will allow friends and family to take pictures of the happy couple.

Invitations to Shane's glitzy wedding were sent out last week and they include the request that guests donate money to the hospice in lieu of presents for the happy couple. Following their wedding reception in Ashford Castle on December 28 the couple will fly out to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Shane celebrated his stag night with close pals at the weekend, attending the Chelsea Vs Manchester United match. Watching the game from a specially hired VIP box, the revellers were provided with a four-course lunch and champagne to get the party started.

And the Westlife star had more than one reason to celebrate following the news that their third album "Turnaround" has shot into the Irish and British charts at No. 1. The band had been haunted by recent news reports that their career was in free-fall following the failure of their single "Hey Whatever" to reach No 1 on either side of the Irish Sea. However the band's new single, "Mandy", made famous by Barry Mannilow, debuted at No. 1 in the singles charts.

For this achievement the band entered the Guinness Book of Records for the greatest number of singles to debut at No. 1.The band have also sold out five nights in the Point Theatre in May2004. Although the three Sligo members did say they would like to include a Sligo show on their forthcoming tour, no details of a possible return to their home town have been announced yet.

Nicky missed Shane's stag night!

Some mothers do have'em. Nicky Byrne from Westlife gave band mate Shane Filan's stag night a miss so that he could keep a date with his mother-in-law!
Nicky had promised Miriam Ahern, he would attend her annual charity ball in aid of Children At Risk in Ireland (CARI) and kept his word even though his pals were out on the tiles celebrating the end of Shane's single days. Shane celebrated with the rest of the band, his brother Finbarr and a couple of close pals in a private box at the Chelsea-Man. Utd match.

'Nicky was great to come along as promised,' Miriam told The Diary. Ireland's favourite bachelor, Bertie Ahern, turned up to wish Miriam the best and greet fellow guests. Have you ever met a separated couple that get on better than those two? Georgina and Nicky donated their old pool table, which sold for E4,000, while Paul Sheeran donated a fabulous diamond cross. The night raised a total of E70,000.

Westlife scoop Record of the Year

Westlife have won the Record of the Year 2003 title, beating competition from Busted and Daniel Bedingfield.

Mandy was voted to be the top song of the year in a live phone poll on Saturday night in the sixth annual event hosted by Cat Deeley. Busted's Year 3000 came in second place, and Daniel Bedingfield was close behind in third place with his track If You're Not the One.
The Westlife lads said they were "shocked and amazed" to get the gong. They went on to say: "We didn't know what was going to happen - we haven't been nominated for the past two years. It's unbelievable." They were happy that, despite being what they called "old fellas," their fans had not deserted them.

source - news.bb.co.uk/cbbcnews
9th Dec.

Hitting the right note for kids

JUST weeks after sharing the bill at the Children in Need concert in Belfast, Westlife and Girls Aloud are to headline the Childline event in Dublin next month. The chart-toppers will play the Point Depot on Sunday, January 25 along with Big Buzz award-winner Luke Thomas, D-Vine and No Way Out, with many more acts still to be confirmed.

Westlife's Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden, will host the bash, fresh after their Christmas break and Shane Filan's nuptial celebrations. Tickets cost 35 Euro's on sale from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

HERE’S shy and retiring KERRY McFADDEN getting touchy with WESTLIFE’s MARK FEEHILY on a boozy night. Photo
The mum-of-two was leaving London’s Trap club with Westlife hubby BRYAN and the lads on Saturday after celebrating their track Mandy being voted Record Of The Year. Yes, that’s right. Mandy – a ropey old cover of a BARRY MANILOW song – was voted Record Of The Year.

Apparently, Westlife’s version won after a “nail-biting” phone vote by the public. OK, so the song netted the Irish boys their 12th No1, but was it really the best 2003 had to offer? I think not. If you had to vote for any of the finalists – including DIDO, BEYONCE and BUSTED and the BLACK EYED PEAS — surely the Peas should have won.
Where Is The Love – an original song I might add – stayed at No1 for six weeks. Mandy was at the top for just a week. If the US Grammys are considered the Oscars of music, then the Record Of The Year must be the Raspberries.

source - the Sun 8th Dec.

The truth about Kian's 3am taxi row! (7th Dec. Issue)

The Hackney driver who this week branded Westlife's Kian Egan a yob banned two of the singer's friends from travelling in his cab because he claimed he wasn't licensed to carry seven passengers-but collected his younger daughter and a friend minutes later, Ireland on Sunday can reveal. The new facts cast a very different light on the story, portrayed the star behaving boorishly after a rare evening off in Sligo town with his girlfriend, Jodi Albert and five friends.

Driver Edmond O'Mahony claimed the singer launched a drunken, foul mouthed tirade against him and his 13 year old daughter, a Westlife fan.
O'Mahony,43 made a formal complaint to gardaì alleging Kian was abusive and had refused to pay a E12 fare in the early hours of Sunday.

However, the Westlife star, who has denied the claims, is now also set to make a formal complaint to gardaì. And a close friend of the 23 year old Sligo celebrity has revealed that O'Mahony collected his daughter and her friend in the middle of the far and that Kian was unhappy because he did not want his young fans to see him the worse for wear. The friend said: " When they originally hailed the taxi, there were seven in Kian's group. But two stayed behind because the driver told them he was only licensed for six.

"They didn't have an issue with that. Then, suddenly, he picked up his daughter and her friend who both just happened to be Westlife fans. That is when Kian got fed up. He was shocked to see the children because it was after 3am. He sensed it was a set-up.
"He's happy to meet his fans at any other time but he was having a break and enjoying himself with himself with his girlfriend.
"He doesn't like young fans seeing him with drink on him. He wasn't roaring drunk but he'd had a few. He's entitled to his privacy. He's annoyed."

Within less than 24 hours of contacting the police, O'Mahony had sold his story to a daily tabloid newspaper.
The driver claimed his teenage daughter and her friend were already in the public hire car when he picked up the celebrities. In a statement to police he aid Egan had grabbed his private parts and shouted that Sligo was 'full of scumbags' just like the taxi driver O'Mahony said he dropped the party off at 3.50am. He told the Westlife millionaire that he would charge them E12 rather than E18 because his daughter was in the car but the star refused to pay.

In a brief statement, Kian Egan said he had not been involved in paying the cab fare but said the fare had been offered to the driver. He added that so far gardaì had not contacted him about the incident.

source - Ireland on Sunday
8th Dec.

Westlife win best record accolade

Boyband Westlife have scooped the Record of the Year 2003 title, making it a hat-trick for the lads.

They proved they still had a loyal following in Britain by beating off competition from 10 other finalists in a telephone and text vote across the ITV regions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland last night. Westlife, who topped this year’s contest with their version of Mandy, have previously won with Flying Without Wings and My Love but had not been nominated for two years. Busted came second with Year 3000, followed by Daniel Bedingfield with If You’re Not The One. The sixth annual live event was hosted by Cat Deeley from the ITV London studios, said a Granada spokeswoman. The lads said they were “shocked and amazed” at winning the accolade which proved that despite being “old fellas” their fans had not deserted them.

They said last night: “This year, honestly we didn’t know what was going to happen – we haven’t been nominated for the past two years. It’s unbelievable.
“We thought honestly we’d get 2nd or 3rd behind Busted and Daniel Bedingfield. We were surprised by the votes. People said you’re not going to win in London as you’re not as popular there so we couldn’t believe it when we won the vote in London.
“To get first place was amazing. We were really shocked. We’re old fellas now, and we’ve come back and won The Record of the Year 2003. We know we’ve still got fans. People are still voting for us and it means a hell of a lot, it’s so emotional.
“People are wondering when it’s going to end for us. Never! The five of us don’t want it to end, it’s like a marriage.
“It’s was unbelievably nerve-wrecking. Fair play to everyone that was here tonight, it was great fun backstage, we were having a laugh and a couple of bottles of champagne.
“We’re flying off to India tomorrow morning to shoot our new video, but that’s not going to stop us celebrating. It’s a great day for Ireland – we won Miss World tonight too!”

Source - breakingnews.iol.ie
8th Dec.

BOYBAND Westlife have scooped the Record of the Year 2003 title, making it a hat-trick for the Irish crooners.

They proved they still had a loyal following by beating off competition from 10 other finalists in a telephone and text vote across the ITV regions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Westlife, who topped this year's contest with their version of Mandy, have previously won with Flying Without Wings and My Love but had not been nominated for two years.

Busted came second with Year 3000, followed by Daniel Bedingfield with If You're Not The One. The sixth annual live event was hosted by Cat Deeley from the ITV London studios.
The lads said they were "shocked and amazed'' at winning the accolade, which proved that despite being "old fellas'' their fans had not deserted them.
"This year we didn't know what was going to happen - we haven't been nominated for the past two years. It's unbelievable.
"We thought we'd get second or third behind Busted and Daniel Bedingfield. We were surprised by the votes.
"To get first place was amazing. We were really shocked. We're old fellas now, and we've come back and won The Record of the Year 2003. We know we've still got fans.

"People are wondering when it's going to end for us. Never! The five of us don't want it to end, it's like a marriage."

Next Westlife single is.... OBVIOUS released on FEB 23rd

The other artists releasing on the same day (at the moment anyway) are:-

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Six Barrel Shotgun

Dynamite MC - Ride

Hiding Place - Hiding Place EP

Sarah McLachlan - Fallen

My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday

Stellastar - My Coco

Yesterday Westlife were in Sweden. After a short performance for invited fans in an H&M store in Stockholm they went to a party at nightclub Kharma. But after dinner and some talking the band went back to the hotel.
"We've been up since 4 this morning and we just wanna go home and sleep," said Mark. Early this morning they flew to London - with a gold record.
The new album Turnaround has already sold 30 000 in Sweden although it's officially released today. Westlife will be back in Sweden in May with two concerts.
"We play 28 May, my birthday, in Gothenburg and 29 May in Stockholm," says Mark. The tickets go on sale Wednesday 3 December at 9am.
One date for Denmark and one for Norway have also been announced. They will play Forum in Copenhagen 1 June and Oslo's Spektrum 30 May. Westlife also recorded for Sen Kväll Med Luuk. Watch them perform Hey Whatever, this Friday Swedish TV4 22.20.

WESTLIFE band member Nicky says that being in a band is like playing for Celtic.

The group who had a glint in their Irish eyes as they performed to an intimate audience at Clyde 1's Cash for Kids yesterday reckon that they have a lot in common with football.

Nicky told the Razz: ''As a band everyone performs as a whole unit and we have to give things our full attention. If you were playing for Celtic it would be the same.''

source - Daily Record
5th Dec.

Mac turns up for takeover

Coventry boss Gary McAllister could be 'Flying Without Wings' if Westlife star Bryan McFadden has his way. The Irish pop star says he is on the verge of putting together a consortium to buy his beloved Sky Blues, who are more than £15million in debt.

McFadden, who has shares in Leeds United, is a regular at Highfield Road and is talking about injecting cash into the club for McAllister to buy new players.
But the Scot is still unsure who McFadden actually is, and confused him with fellow band member Nicky Byrne, who had a spell with Leeds as a youngster. He said: "I'll have to get my Westlife names sorted out before it could happen! But it would be very nice indeed if something came of it.

"We don't have any money to spend on players at the moment. We have to work with what we have got." Sky Blues chairman Mike McGinnity said no contact had been made with the pop star, who has had a series of number one hits including 'Flying Without Wings' and the recent cover of Barry Manilow's 'Mandy'. He said: "I would welcome him with open arms to come round for a coffee to talk about it."

Coventry, at home to Sunderland on Monday, started the season with high hopes but are now mid-table, 15 points behind leaders West Bromwich.

Source - www.mirror.co.uk
5 December 2003

Westcliffe's soon to be newlyweds Shane Filan and Gillian Walsh have relieved their wedding guests of trying to find them the perfect wedding present. The couple have asked the hundreds of guests attending their December 28 wedding in Ashford Castle not to buy them presents, but to give a donation to the North West Hospice instead. While his band mate, Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina Ahern, were criticised for receiving a six-figure sum for their wedding photographs, Shane will allow friends and family to take pictures of the happy couple.
Invitations to Shane's glitzy wedding were sent out last week and they include the request that guests donate money to the hospice in lieu of presents for the happy couple.

Following their wedding reception in Ashford Castle on December 28 the couple will fly out to Hawaii for their honeymoon.
Shane celebrated his stag night with close pals at the weekend, attending the Chelsea Vs Manchester United match.
Watching the game from a specially hired VIP box, the revellers were provided with a four-course lunch and champagne to get the party started.
And the Westlife star had more than one reason to celebrate following the news that their third album Turnaround has shot into the Irish and British charts at No.1.

The band had been haunted by recent news reports that their career was in free-fall following the failure of their single Hey Whatever to reach No 1 on either side of the Irish Sea. However the band's new single, Mandy;, made famous by Barry Manilow, debuted at No. 1 in the singles charts.
For this achievement the band entered the Guinness Book of Records for the greatest number of singles to debut at No. 1.
The band have also sold out five nights in the Point Theatre in May 2004.
Although the three Sligo members did say they would like to include a Sligo show on their forthcoming tour, no details of a possible return to their home town have been announced yet.

The seventh Childline concert sponsored by Cheerio's is set to be the one of the biggest ever after the announcement that International chart-toppers Westlife and Girls Aloud are to headline the event which takes place on Sunday 25th January 2004 at Dublin’s Point Theatre.

Other artists confirmed for the big night include Luke Thomas, D-Vine and No Way Out with many more other acts still to be announced.

Childline, which is Ireland’s No. 1 children’s charity, will receive over €200,000 from the concert and, to date, has benefited to the tune of over €1.2m from the previous Childline concerts which have been held annually since 1997 and have featured such acts as Robbie Williams, S Club7, Blue, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Five, All Saints, Busted, Sugar Babes, Atomic Kitten, Big Brovaz, Samantha Mumba and Boyzone.

Westlife’s Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden will again host this years concert which will be televised by RTÉ, bringing good news to those unable to get their hands on one of the hottest tickets of the year.

All parties involved with the Cheerios Childline Concert are providing their services free of charge on the night including the artists, organisers and the Point Theatre. Doors will open at 7.00pm and fans should note that no queuing will be permitted prior to 6.00pm for security reasons. Persons with small children are recommended to purchase balcony tickets. Persons under 18 must be accompanied by a person over 23 years of age.

Tickets priced €35.00 are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Tonight a hip drinking club, NYT, which stays open till 5am, launches in London's West End. So stars who like a bevvy - such as BLUE's LEE RYAN and WESTLIFE's KIAN EGAN - can carry on boozing when other clubs close. . .

source - www.thesun.co.uk
4th Dec.

thanxs very much to every1 who voted in this year's IMA's westlife.com has yet again come out on top in the people's choice category, which was voted for online by you.

In the last four years that the awards have been running. westlife have won in this category 3 times, which is an amazing record and a testament both to the band's longevity and your devotion,

so pats on the back all round

from westlife.com
4th Dec.

Westlife up for Record of The Year

Westlife is up against Beyoncé Knowles and Evanescence for the title of Record of the Year. A total of ten singles have been short listed from those released last 12 months; a public ITV-1 vote on Saturday 6 December will decide who gets number one.

Westlife's song, a cover version of the Barry Manilow classic 'Mandy', is currently at the top of the Irish charts.

Last year, Gareth Gates took the prize for his cover of 'Unchained Melody'.

Full list of nominees
Beyoncé - Crazy In Love
Busted - Year 3000
Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not The One
Dido - White Flag
Evanescence - Bring Me To Life
Fat Man Scoop - Be Faithful
Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My LA Ex
Room 5 featuring Oliver Cheatham - Make Luv
The Black Eyed Peas - Where is the Love?
Westlife - Mandy

taken from www.rte.ie
4th Dec

WHEN A WOMAN LOVES A MAN is number 1 on the official download chart for the third week in a row !! Remember that this chart is only in it's first 3 weeks of operation.

No gifts but a good cause for the wedding

Westlife’s soon to be newlyweds Shane Filan and Gillian Walsh have relieved their wedding guests of trying to find them the perfect wedding present.
The couple have asked the hundreds of guests attending their December 28 wedding in Ashford Castle not to buy them presents, but to give a donation to the North West Hospice instead.
While his bandmate, Nicky Byrne and his wife Georgina Ahern, were criticised for receiving a six-figure sum for their wedding photographs, Shane will allow ...The full column is available in our print edition.

source - www. sligoweekender.ie
3rd Dec.

Christmas in Popworld to be screened on C4

The Christmas in Popworld concert, staged last night at Wembley Arena, is to be broadcast on Channel 4 on December 14.Girls Aloud, Westlife, Liberty X, Emma Bunton and Gareth Gates were among those performing on stage. The final four Pop Idols also made a surprise appearance at the concert.

Sam, Michelle, Chris and Mark performed Christmas songs during their Wembley debut Wembley Arena was transformed into a winter wonderland for the show which featured the artists performing their biggest hits plus their favourite Christmas songs.

source - ananova .com
3rd Nov.

Westlife’s Kian in ‘dispute over €12 taxi charge’

Gardai in Sligo are investigating a complaint made against Westlife heart-throb Kian Egan by a Sligo hackney driver.The driver claimed the Sligo singer was abusive and refused to pay a €12 fare in the early hours of Sunday morning last.However, the Westlife star has refuted these claims, saying whatever he told the driver was in retaliation for what the driver himself had said.

And Kian, who is not in Sligo this week, said he will be making a formal complaint against the driver when he returns to his home town. The news of Kian’s row with the driver was made public in the Irish Mirror on Monday.

The driver claimed he picked up Kian, his girlfriend, Hollyoaks actress Jodi Albert, and some friends outside Sligo Garda Station after 3am on Sunday morning last, November 30.The driver had his 13 year-old daughter in the car with him at the time and claimed that Egan was abusive to both himself and his daughter, using foul language.The driver eventually dropped Egan and his pals off at 3.50am. He told the Westlife millionaire that he would only charge them E12 rather than E18 for the trip, but said the singer refused to pay.

Following this incident the driver went to Sligo Garda Station at 5am to make a complaint. He was advised to come back later that morning to lodge the complaint. In a brief statement given yesterday, Monday, Kian Egan said he had not been involved in paying the cab fare, but said the fare had been offered to the driver. He added that Gardai had so far not contacted him about the incident.

source - www.sligoweekender.ie
3rd Dec

WESTLIFE'S Mark Feehily has revealed how he hates getting groped by deranged fans during hysterical scenes on tour. The band were left shaken after a trip to Asia when screaming fans stole jewellery and clothes literally off their back.

The Sligo star said fans can sometimes step over the line and grab at the band when they make public appearances. He said: Sometimes they'll grope you and it is disgusting. I've made sure our security finds out who did it and remember their face and never lets them near us again. If one of us had done it we'd have a lawsuit on our hands. I just want people to understand that I'm not a big lump of meat.

During one trip to Asia, Bryan had one of his trainers stolen off his foot, Kian's ring was taken off his finger and Nicky's chain was ripped of his neck.
But the pin-up singer said he loves getting mail from fans in the post.

My mum leaves it out on the bed. When I go home I flake out on my bedroom and read all the post. I separate them into 2 piles and throw all the bills into the cupboard and I read the fan mail. Its a nice thought that someone bothered to write. We've made friends with loads of fans.

Beyonce - Crazy In Love

Busted - Year 3000

Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not The One

Dido - White Flag

Evanescence - Bring Me To Life

Fat Man Scoop - Be Faithful

Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My LA Ex

Room 5 featuring Oliver Cheatham - Make Luv

The Black Eyed Peas - Where is the Love?

Westlife - Mandy

It was definitely a family affair at the Cari Ball in Jurys Hotel last Friday night with Westlife's Nicky Byrne's just-as-famous in-laws showing up for the party Nicky Byrne may be one fifth of the biggest boyband in the world but when you're married to the daughter of the Irish Taoiseach and sister to one of Ireland most aspiring authors you can't always take centre stage.

Nicky and his new wife Georgina looked as much in love last Friday night at the Cari Ball as they ever did .And Georgina's famous family including the Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and author Cecilia Ahern were there, as was her mother Miriam, who is separated from Bertie.

Turnaround goes to No.1

Congrats to Westlife. Turnaround sold over 150 000 copies in it's first week of release in the UK, and knocked Michael Jackson's Hits album off the top. The band's current single Mandy also did well in its second week, staying at number 3 behind two big new entries from Will Young and Shane Richie's Children In Need single.

Source - www.westlife.com
1 December 2003

Just when we thought it was safe to leave Louis Walsh and Ronan Keating alone together for five minutes the whole row has kicked off again with Louis slagging off Ronan! They say you should never kick a man when he's down and with floundering sales of Ronan Keating's new album Turn it On Louis Walsh has laid the boot in...

Ronan's much hyped album, which is receiving rave reviews on ShowBiz Ireland's message boards, hasn't made the big impact on the British and Irish charts. It only went to number 18 in the UK and 56 in Ireland.

Louis commented on Ronan's turn of fortune to The Hit Sheet Magazine, "I'm f***ing delighted with the charts on his album and I'm not interested in managing him again." He went on, "I fell out with him because I didn't like his last album and he wanted to write all of his own songs. Elvis didn't write his own songs, neither did Sinatra. I told him he was the new Cliff Richard which is absolutely true - I think it's a compliment."

Meeeeeow! Saucer of milk, please!

Louis also went on to say that the bubble has burst on pop star reality shows. He said, "It's definitely peaked. We're dragging through the same pool of talent so we're now left with the rejects of rejects of rejects."
Hmmmm, interesting...

source - showbiz Ireland. 1st Dec.

DECEMBER 2003