Good news for our Westlife lads as 'Back Home' is up to No.2 from last week's No.3 in the UK albums chart!

1. (1) Leona Lewis - Spirit - 4 weeks in the chart
2. (3) Westlife - Back Home - 5
3. (2) Shayne Ward - Breathless - 2
4. (5) Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eaden - 6
5. (4) Kylie Minogue - X - 2

'Home' is down from No.10 to No.15 this week.

Credit/Source: Haven

Westlife were on Magic today counting down their 20 favourite Christmas videos, lovely and funny videos hihi! Thanx so much Jo for recording.

Westlife In Love Xmas Special - Part 1
Westlife In Love Xmas Special - Part 2

Credit / Source: Magic TV, Joanne

Ok we knew from Nicky and Louis Walsh that the new Westlife single will be 'Us Against The World' and now the Official Site sent a Newsletter confirming it as well

"There’s a new Westlife single on its way! This week the boys recorded the video for their next release ‘Us Against The World’, the second single to be taken from their huge album Back Home. More details on that coming soon."

*Edit* - Confirmation added on the Official Site as well:

The second single to be taken from Westlife's massive-selling album Back Home is...Us Against The World!

We'll be bringing you more details on it soon - stay tuned.

Credit/Source: Westlife.com Newsletter / Thanx Jinny / www.westlife.com

Westlife have stayed in the same chart position as last week on the Irish singles and albums charts. So 'Back Home' is at No.4 and 5 weeks in the chart and 'Home' is at No.4 too.

On Friday's UK midweek albums sales 'Back Home' remains at No.2 woohoo!

1. Leona Lewis - 112.500
2. Westlife - 63.500
3. Shayne Ward - 44.500

Credit/Source: www.irma.ie / Haven

It may have been eight years since their first number one, but Westlife have still most definitely got it going on.

Admitting you like Westlife is as embarrassing as being caught with the entire Celine Dion back catalogue (God knows they've had as many cheesy number ones as she has), but when we hear Flying Without Wings we can't resist belting out the chorus - no matter how badly. And we can't be the only ones.

Since they released Swear It Again in 1999, Westlife have sold 36 million records, scored 14 UK number ones, and racked up eight multi-platinum albums. So will the ninth album be any exception? We meant to ask when we caught up with the lads in plush London hotel Claridge's, but were so stunned by how fit they are (frankly, we'd shag them all, including Mark, the gay one! ) we clean forgot.

Wow, you've been at this pop lark for such a long time now. Is it all just as exciting as ever?
Nicky: 'We were starting to feel a bit too old for it but when we heard TT were making a comeback, it made us feel like spring chinkens.'
Mark: 'And there's always a different chart battle going on. Last year it was against Oasis and this year it's the Spice Girls.'
Shane: 'We're probably more excited about our new album than any of our others because other than the Michael Buble song we covered, it's all our own material.'

You've had 14 number ones. Do you kick yourselves when a record doesn't make the top spot?
Shane: 'We've become victims of our own success because we put pressure on ourselves to get to the top. If a song in at number three, we're not happy, which is ridiculous. We'd like at least 20 number ones before we call it quits.'
Kian: 'If anything, getting a number one is more satisfying now because rather than releasing seven singles a year we're only releasing one. And we're proud to be here after so long. The market's tougher now, because when we started pop music was more popular. These days, many radio stations don't want to play our stuff.'

Are your knees starting to creak during your performances now you're older?
Mark: 'We're probably all healthier and fitter than ever, which makes it easier.'
Nicky: 'Unlike when we did our first tour. We were in our early 20s and after every show it was like being let out of a cage. We'd have wrestling matches with security because we were tanked and thought we could take them on. They'd have to control us without doing too much damage.'
Shane: 'We definitly used to burn the candle at both ends. But now we're better behaved and focused on making the band last as long as possible.
Nicky:[Laughs] So we only go out three nights a week now!'
Kian: 'And we've worked out how to cure hangovers.'

This we need to hear!
Kian: 'It's easy. When you wake up dying, you knock back a couple of Nurofen with a pint of water, then go back to sleep. When you wake up again, your hangover's gone.'
Shane: 'My hangovers aren't so bad since I gave up vodka. I haven't touched it since a run-in with it a few years ago.'

Really? What happened?
Shane: 'We went out on the beers but I hadn't eaten much so I got drunk quickly. Halfway through the night I switched to vodka and don't remember anything else until the following morning, when I woke up feeling worse than I ever have in my life.'
Kian: 'He was so bad we practically had him on suicide watch in case the pain got too much and he decided to end it.'
Shane: 'Now I can't even look at a bottle of vodka without feeling sick. I definitely think I had alcohol poisoning.'

You've been off the radar for most of this year. Does that mean you can go out without being spotted now?
Shane: 'We get recognised more than ever now - and it's worse if you disguise yourself. It's best to go about your business like everyone else..'
Kian: 'If you're looking to get recognised you will. I was on the Tube the other day with my girlfriend Jodi [Albert, of Hollyoaks fame] and no one batted an eyelid because we kept our selves to ourselves.'
Shane: 'You must've been lucky - if I go shopping in London at least 20 or 30 people will try and take a photo on their phone. I'd much rather they just asked.'
Kian: 'Camera phones are the worst invention ever. You can't away with anything any more because there's always a camera in your face.'

So, do hordes of screaming fans still mob you?
Mark: 'We get followed more than mobbed, which is a bit awkward. I'll be out shopping when I'll notice someone who I've seen in every shop.'
Shane: 'And we still get women on hen night who are all pissed and pulling their tops up while we're performing - one of the perks of the job!'
Nicky: 'I was in HMV last week when a girl came up and said "you're my daybreak." I didn't know what she was on about, but apparently it's when you and your partner agree to have one person yoo're allowed to sleep with if you had a day off from the relationship.'

That must be hard for your wife to hear. How do your partners handle all the attention you get?
Mark: 'We respect them for coping with it because it's not something most people have to deal with in relationships.'
Shane: 'But they're used to it.'
Mark: 'Everyone has baggage. If they dated a fishmonger he'd come home smelling of fish.'
Shane: 'We just come home smelling of success.'

Now Nicky and Shane are both married and Kian and Mark, you're both settled with your partners, do you miss being single?
Nicky: 'Not at all. At the start Mark, Bryan and Kian were all single and they had plenty of fun. Me and Shane have always been in relationships, so we left them to it and got our kicks listening to their stories!'
Kian: 'It was fun, but it's only a period of waiting to find the one you'll spend your life with.'

That's so sweet. Is there any relationship advice you'd give your 20-year-old self?
Kian: 'Idon't know any more about women than I did then. They're so different. Jodi was in a foul mood yesterday and there was no reason for it.'
Shane: 'That's not just women, that's everyone.'
Kian: 'But women are so much worse for it than us.'

Is there anything that still confuses you about women?
Kian: 'The way they think they can have close male friends and believe the friend doesn't want to sleep with them. When I first met Jodi, she had a male friend who was always popping round and I was like, "Are you having a laugh?"'
Shane: 'Yeah, he probably planned to pop round with a weepy film when you were on tour and say, "Don't worry Jodi, I'll look after you."'
Kian: 'I'm in trouble when she reads this. [Doing impression of Jodi's cockney accent] "I can't believe you said that!"'

Your reputation has always been clean cut. Do you ever feel like becoming bad boys?
Shane: 'Nah, we're just normal blokes and none of us wants to get in trouble and disrespect our mums.'
Nicky: 'We're all afraid of that feeling when you wake up the next day and think "****. What have I done?"'
Shane: 'We were careful in the early days and luckily we liked spending time together, so we didn't fall into bad company.'

You've been at it almost a decade. Do you intend to still be banging out the hits when you're in your 60s?
Kian: 'Yes, if people are still buying our records.'
Shane: 'And we're so proud of our latest album - but we still like singing our old stuff. I'll never get tired of singing Flying Without Wings.'
Mark: 'Every time the intro plays you feel yourself gearing up, as it's not an easy song. We'll never forget our roots.'

Credit/Source: westlife.gr / Thanx Jane for typing it up / New Woman Magazine

YAY! Well done Westlife! It looks like the tickets for their 10th Anniversary concert in Dublin's Croke Park are now sold out!

I'm sure 1st June 2008 will be a day to remember for everyone that goes and of course Westlife themselves

xxx

Real Radio today announced that it will be the first radio station in the UK to have Kylie Minogue as a DJ for Christmas 2007! Making millions of Kylie fans dream come true by giving them Kylie for Christmas, Real Radio will see the undisputed Queen of Pop presenting her very own show on Christmas Day from 10am-12pm The Kylie Christmas Show.

In the show Kylie plays a broad selection of her favourite songs spanning decades some just for fun and some more poignant including INXS, I Need You Tonight.

In a separate interview with Real Radio News, Kylie said that after her illness she was excited to come back and start singing and recording again. When asked if recording her new album was a good opportunity to pour her heart out, she said; “I wanted it [the new album X] to be uplifting; to have ‘Kylie’ songs.”

She elaborated that “it didn’t cross my mind to have a gloom and doom album. I kind of did the first week in the studio with some other songs that didn’t make it onto the album.” Inferring that these songs were a kind of emotional release for the experiences she had been through battling breast cancer Kylie concluded, “It was good to write them and just get them out.”

Asked if she thought those songs might see the light of day, Kylie said; “Those ones from the first week in the studio? I haven’t heard them for a while so I’d be interested in hearing them myself.” She said that “they might” be released, but in a tone that suggested that may be a long way in the future.

Jay Crawford, programming director for Real Radio, said of the coup: “When we first had the idea for Kylie to present her own show on Christmas Day, we knew it would be hard to pull off but Kylie immediately agreed and was thrilled to be part of our line up - in fact she said she was ‘honoured to be given the opportunity’ - it's going to be a fantastic show and will be the jewel in our Christmas crown!”

The Kylie Christmas Show will broadcast on Real Radio Christmas Day at 10am to 12pm.

Wrapping up a fantastic Real Radio Christmas are specials from Girls Aloud on 24th, Westlife on 25th, Gordon Ramsay on 26th, Wet Wet Wet on 27th and Jack and Victor on 28th all from 6pm to 7pm.

Programme Details:

Monday 24th 18:00 – 19:00 Girls Aloud Special
Tuesday 25th 10:00 – 12:00 Kylie’s Christmas Show
Wednesday 26th 18:00 – 19:00 Gordon Ramsay Special
Thursday 27th 18:00 – 19:00 Wet Wet Wet Special
Friday 28th 18:00 – 19:00 Jack and Victor Special

Credit/Source: www.easier.com

By Maureen Coleman

Boy bands are the top of the pops with Ulster's music fans, according to new research carried out by the Odyssey Arena.

Irish chart-toppers Westlife, who have played a record number of shows at the Belfast venue, are ranked as the favourite ever act to take to the Odyssey's stage.

The four-piece are closely followed by another boy band, the recently reformed Take That, who played the Odyssey in September.

And it seems male artists are popular with Northern Irish fans, with SexyBack star Justin Timberlake coming in third place, followed by the legendary soul singer Lionel Richie.

Ice Hockey and Disney On Ice also pull in large crowds, ranking fifth and sixth in the survey, which was carried out to celebrate the Odyssey Arena's seventh birthday.

Female artist Pink, Rod Stewart and the WWE all make it into the Top 10, while Northern Ireland's Snow Patrol also prove a big attraction with local fans, earning themselves joint 10th place in the poll, alongside Coldplay and Bryan Adams.

An impressive 75% of those polled visited the Odyssey Arena more than 10 times since it opened, with concerts proving to be the most popular reason for visiting, closely followed by family events and ice hockey.

Canadian crooner Celine Dion is named as the artist that most people would like to see raise the roof of the Odyssey.

Even after playing 45 gigs to crowds here in Belfast, Westlife remain as popular as ever and the second favourite choice to see play live. Also on the wish list are Robbie Williams, Bon Jovi and Boyzone, who have just announced two dates in May.

Nicky Dunn, Odyssey Arena's Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted with the feedback the survey has provided us.

"It's given us an insight into the events that people in Northern Ireland have enjoyed the most in the last seven years.

"The outstanding success of the Arena since it opened in 2000 has been truly overwhelming - we have welcomed almost 4m people through our doors in that time. Not only has it proved to be a huge success with the people of Northern Ireland, but it is a firm favourite with major international and European tours."

She added: "It's not just the quality and volume of events that make our seventh birthday memorable, but also the versatility the Arena has shown in catering for a wide range of events."

The success of the Arena looks set to continue, with 2008 dates already in high demand. Pop divas Girls Aloud and Kylie have already announced Belfast Arena dates for next year. Other highlights include 11 performances of High School Musical - the Ice Tour, the return of Tennis Legends in February and the world's number one musical Mamma Mia, which is set to visit Belfast again in March.

Credit/Source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Thanks Jo for scanning the card





Celebrity touch

Our cards are available to buy in our shops from the 18th November and all profits go towards our life-saving research. They're a great way to wish festive fun to all your family and friends – while helping the planet at the same time.

Some of the UK's biggest celebrities and pop stars have lent their support this year by contributing festive designs for a special celebrity card pack. The cards have been given a personal touch by the likes of Tom Fletcher from McFly, who drew a guitar-wielding snowman, while Linda Barker went for a more traditional Christmas snow globe design.

Other celebrities showing their creative side include Westlife, Lemar and Portsmouth and England goalkeeper David James.

Credit/Source: Joanne

Exciting news - Westlife are shooting the video for their next single tomorrow!

It's all very hush-hush at the moment, but rest assured we'll be bringing you more details, including the name of the new single, very soon. Watch this space.

Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

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