Very good. You spotted the two segments of the Steels waiting for Hollie to audition. In the first, I could see Hollie’s father and brother but could only spot Hollie’s foot and leg. In the second, you can actually see Hollie behind the Brett Domino Trio. She speaks something here but is unintelligble. You are the only one who responded so I guess I was getting too esoteric.

Mick

Do you mean the bit where Hollies brother Josh is sitting with dad Jason . You are very observant Mick you can see nina and Hollie sitting behind the one in the green shirt

thanks for bringing that to our attention ,for spotting that in such a short clip you qualify as a true fan

thanks David N.

I like the early Beatles for the same reason that you do – they were very exciting. In fact, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ has been my favorite song since I first heard it in Jan. 1964 over 45 years ago.

I have just placed Hollie’s version of ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’ in my top 10 favorite songs. It has such a beautiful melody. Its sad tone reminds me of Dvorak’s ‘Song To The Moon’, another favorite of mine. Hollie’s rendition of the song was my first introduction to it. I really love the feeling she puts into her delivery. Since then, I’ve listened to Sarah Brightman’s rendition and, even though the song is probably better suited to a lower soprano register like hers, I prefer Hollie’s more emotional interpretation.

Have you heard of the possible collaboration of Hollie and Rolf Harris on a new CD? I hope it won’t simply be an imitation of 2 Grand. How well can a 79 year old sing any more? If the record does come about, he should let her do most, if not all, of the singing. In the US, Rolf is primarily known for his 47 year old comedic song, ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport”. That’s not much of a recommendation. I’ve just read his wikipedia biography, though, and he appears to be famous in the UK with many honors and awards. I guess it will all depend on how sincere he is to accomplish something really good.

Mick

My parents were both 16 when they caught Beatlemania, too. I still keep my mother’s favourite album, ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. Personally, I like the early Beatles songs (Love Me Do, Please Please me and so on) because of the energy they put into those songs.

Perhaps I was wrong in saying that BGT was a show about popularity and not about talent. Actually, the skill to entertain people is also a talent. But the entertaining value of the performers soon diminishes and they return into obscurity in (less than) a year’s time – the next show provides another portion of stars. You are absolutely right that only 1 or 2 of them will be remembered in the long run and will succeed in a long-standing career.

I agree with you for the most part about what you said about the future of the BGT finalists.

The bit I do not agree with you is that Mr. Stavros actually does not aspire for a career in music/dancing because he is a restaurant owner. I am certain that his restaurant will have (or has already had) an increase in visitors because of Stavros Flatley popularity. Perhaps he’ll make a chain of restaurants or something and his family will hugely benefit from their appearance in BGT 2009.

Julian Smith had already been a professional sax player who had released a few albums prior to his appearance in BGT. His stage name is Gools Gianny or something like that. You can check out his Wikipedia page. In my opinion this guy, as a sax player and performer, will return into obscurity soon – otherwise, he must prove he is better than Kenny G. Does Julian writes his own music? He might get more students and be better recognized by other musicians, though.

So, my 2 picks from BGT 2009 are Ashley Banjo, Stavros and Hollie. Ops, I’ve picked 3. Yeah, like I said, Stavros has a chance to succeed as a restaurant enterpreneur.

Georgi

Wouter