JULY 08
Westlife's Comments Stolen From Eatery's Visitors Book
A PLYMOUTH restaurateur was chuffed when Westlife signed his visitor book after
their meal – but four hours later he was stunned to find the page had gone.
Steve Bowen, owner of The Waterfront on West Hoe, said band members Nicky Byrne
and Kian Egan had lunch at his restaurant with Mr Egan's partner before their
concert at Home Park. Mr Bowen said: “They had a couple of ten ounce fillet
steaks with onions and fries. The lady had our trio of fish with saffron turned
potatoes.” The Irish heart-throbs were even good enough to pose for
pictures with the bride at a wedding taking place in the eatery.
“When they were leaving they noticed the comments book and were kind enough to
make an entry,” Mr Bowen said. “It was very nice of them.” He said they
wrote: “Thank you for the wonderful service” and “Well done and thanks.” Both
men signed the entries. The stars left at about 4pm, and Mr Bowen thought
nothing more of it, but when he checked the book at about 8pm he found the page
had been torn out and was missing. “You have to admire their initiative,”
he said of the unknown thief. “It lasted in my book all of four hours.”
Mr Bowen is no stranger to celebrity, having run one of Marco-Pierre White's
restaurants in London and done the catering for the Brit Awards in the past. He
said: “I've done my fair share of celebrity serving and I'm not star struck.
“That's not entirely true,” he added. “I was entirely struck by Stevie Wonder –
it was a rehearsal for the Brits and he was jamming with Annie Lennox. They were
wonderful.” As for the missing Westlife comments, he sees the funny side. “I
think it's quite a funny story. I'm not condoning dishonesty but it's no big
cheese,” he said.
Source - Plymouth Evening Herald
Posted - 11th July
Nicky pops out for a new motor
Crooner Nicky Byrne is flying without wings -
after splashing €97.000 on a top-of-the-range car. The Westlife pin-up was
beaming yesterday as he showed off his new Audi Q7 - packed with all the extras
- at Frank Hogan's Motors in Limerick. Designed for motorway as well as the
mountains, the 3-litre diesel TDI Quattro will leave Nicky, 29, feeling
unbreakable on the road. And with the beast able to reach 100kph in 5.5 seconds
flat, he'll be in a world of his own.
Source - Irish Sun
Posted - 4th July
Tot's sex will be a surprise
Westlife hunk Shane Filan and wife Gillian are saying 'Hey, Whatever' when it
comes to the sex of their second baby. The couple, who lives in a plush Sligo
pad, are expecting the tot to be born in September. And Shane, who turns 29
tomorrow, said: "We don't know what we are having - we want a surprise. We just
don't mind either way." The devoted pair, who got hitched in 2003, already have
a daughter, Nicole, two.
"She's so full of life - she's an eight-year-old in an two-year olds body,"
Shane told Bella magazine. "She's started to call me Shane. She'll say 'Shane,
listen to me', and I'm like 'My name is daddy!' I don't know how I'll stop
that."
Source - Irish Sun
Posted - 4th July
Get the chips in Tony!
WESTLIFE celebrated the end of their successful UK tour with a big night out in Liverpool, but the lads proved they’re not all about the caviar lifestyle. When the munchies struck, Insider hears the Irish lads had a special request for one of the bar staff at Kingdom – for a Chinese takeaway! Tony Mahoney duly obliged, nipping out to Victoria Street and returning laden down with cartons and carrier bags full of Chinese food for the hungry band, who rewarded him with a hefty tip. The banquet rounded off a great night for Westlife who, together with their other halves, headed to the VIP area of Kingdom after their Summer Pops gig. The boy band, who recently performed at the Rooney wedding, attracted large crowds as word got out the lads were out on the lash. But it wasn’t just the fans who were pleased to see the boys in Liverpool – the four-piece and their partners couldn’t have been happier to be back. Former Hollyoaks’ actress and ex-girl band singer Jodi Albert, who is engaged to Westlife star Kian Egan, told Insider: “We love coming back to Liverpool. The fans here are fantastic and the band always gets the biggest reception.
“All the boys were really excited to be back. Kian and I spend a lot of time in the city and whenever we come back it makes me miss it. This was the last show of the current tour before they take a year out, so we all planned to celebrate with a big night out.” Mat Cunningham from Kingdom says security was increased for the group’s visit. “We got a call from the band’s manager to say Kingdom had been recommended and Westlife wanted to come here to celebrate 10 years together and announce they are having a break. While most of the group sipped on our most expensive champagne, the ladies specifically asked for Cosmopolitans. At around 1am the ladies asked us to bring out the cake that they had made for Mark, Shane, Kian and Nicky, which was a chocolate sponge with a number 10 on the top. We put some sparklers on it and they presented to them as a surprise. It was a fantastic moment.”
Source - Liverpool Echo
Posted - 3rd July
Kian To Be The Boss
Popstar Egan to manage Jodi in 'Irish Pussycat Dolls'
Westlife hunk Kian Egan taking the leap from pop star to pop manager as he takes
over fiancee Jodi Albert's brand new girlband.
Kian has agreed to manage the girl group - which will also include stunning
Dublin model Michel McGrath.
He will team up with pop guru Louis Walsh to guide what the pair hope will be an
Irish rival to Girls Aloud and the Pussycat Dolls.
And one of lucky Kian's first tasks as manager will be to find three more
beauties to add to the line-up.
He plans to host auditions in Ireland later this month to complete the dream
team.
"Auditions, dates and venues are all still to be confirmed," Michelle revealed. But they're definitely going to be held in Ireland."
The new job comes at an ideal time for Kian who is currently on an extended
break from Westlife.
"Kian will be doing most of the day-to-day work and management of the band,
because a lot of Louis' time is taken up with X Factor," said a source.
Ex-Hollyoaks babe Jodi is already a seasoned pop singer as she started her
career as part of Simon Cowell's girlband, Girl Thing, before becoming a model
and actress.
Top model Michelle has worked as a solo singer and has performed at top events
like the Miss Ireland pageant.
Source - Irish Daily Star
Posted - 3rd July
JUNE 08
We thought Bri was joking
Best-selling Irish pop band Westlife have revealed they didn't take Brian McFadden seriously when he said he was leaving the group. Speaking about the departure of the fifth member, band member Nicky Byrne said: "My initial thought when he told us was that he was punking us. That was Brian's personality. He was sitting beside me so I looked at him, smiled, laughed, and started checking him for wires because that would be a typical Brian thing to do."But the band also hinted that Brian leaving made them stronger. "It was a very big turning point. I wonder whether we would still be together if Brian hadn't left, I don't know. At the time it made us realise how lucky we were and how fickle the thing could be," said Shane Filan. The band have told all in a joint autobiography called Westlife: Our Story. In the book, they also describe how pleased they were when not one complaint was made by fans or the public when band member Mark Feehily came out as gay. "Things really have changed so much for the better in society," said Mark. Westlife: Our Story, published by HarperCollins, is being released on June 16.
Source - ThisIsPlymouth
Posted - 13th June
Chris: 'I dream about Westlife'
CHRIS MARTIN has come out – as a fan of Oirish balladeers WESTLIFE. I am
stunned. I always had COLDPLAY down as a band who soaked up inspiration
from stadium-slaying rock legends like U2 and OASIS. It’s hard to believe
that mid-Nineties boyband dross such as 5IVE, 911 and Da Loife even figure on
their radar. In a startling turn of events frontman Chris admitted: “I
dreamt about RADIOHEAD last night and Westlife the night before. Which is the
perfect blend of what we’re trying to do musically.” Expect standing up from his
stool when the key changes on the next tour.
Source - Sun Newspaper
Posted - 5th June