Danyl Johnson's 100% gay

SUPER crooner Danyl Johnson isn't bisexual - he's totally GAY, according to his former boss.

Paige Bond, who managed his old band, said he was NEVER interested in women but was terrified that admitting he was gay would wreck his shot at stardom.

She said: "He was so nervous the day he came out the closet to me. I thought he was going to quit the band. Then he said, 'I'm gay.'

"He was very specific. He didn't say anything about being bisexual. I didn't care if he was gay, but I got the sense Danyl was well aware of how being open about it could damage his career."

The singer previously admitted to the News of the World that he's dated men and women.

Pal Stephen Blackie recalled how he pulled a straight bloke at his 21st birthday party. "He strolled off the dancefloor with this guy and they started snogging."

But Paige - who managed Danyl during his stint in now defunct boyband NV - said: "I never got the impression he fancied women. But then I never saw him date anyone because he was so focused on his career."

She added: "I would never have guessed he was gay. But if the band had gone on to have success, let's just say Danyl wouldn't have been broadcasting his sexuality."

Paige, 39, first got to know Danyl when he auditioned for NV in 2003. The year before he had appeared in a regional production of Oliver in his quest for fame. Like X Factor mentor Simon Cowell, who reckons he is one of the show's most talented singers ever, Paige knew he was a star the moment she saw him.

Stunning

She recalled: "He looked stunning. He was wearing a weird jumper, a cap and had bright blue contact lenses which really stood out from his dark skin.

"I think he performed the song he did for his first X Factor audition, With A Little Help From My Friends by the Beatles.

"We wanted him from the first moment. He had that special something, just like Simon saw."

Within weeks Danyl and bandmates Sean Pugh and Steve Giles were recording their first single - with NV set to rival boyband Blue.

Paige said: "Danyl was over the moon and the single sounded incredible."

But jealousy set in among the boys over vocals, accoPublish Postrding to Paige, and the band fell apart. In 2004 Paige tried to get Danyl back to relaunch it with another singer but she said: "Danyl fell apart. He could barely speak to us after the band split up, other than to say he'd had a nervous breakdown and been to the doctor.

"He wasn't sure he could carry on being a singer because he was so fed up with being let down by people. He was broken.

"Success as a singer means everything to Danyl. Coming in the bottom two in the X Factor last week will have been shattering. He isn't the cocky, over-confident person he has been portrayed as.

"The truth is he is extremely loving, caring and sensitive, and all he wants is to be a star."

News of the World 2009

Cool Halloween Picture, Scary or Not?

Looking for pumpkin carving stencils or patterns?

With only a few days left until the big night of Halloween this Saturday, many are anxious to get their decorations up. These include, perhaps most importantly, the jack-o'-lantern. Pumpkin carving is fun and at its best produces works of art. The standard grinning pumpkin face pattern, perhaps with a couple crooked teeth and evil eyes, is always a good fallback. But what about those of us who want to outdo last year's efforts? (Not to mention our neighbors'.) If you're looking for pumpkin carving stencils, patterns, or templates, check out this list:

• If you want to go high-end and classy, who else to turn to but Martha?
• Taste of Home has some great stencils
• ExtremePumpkins has some incredible, complex patterns for the advanced carver
• Surprisingly, History.com has a nice collection of both simple, beginner patterns and more advanced designs
• The above photo is from YankeeHalloween.com, another great resource
• Finally, Free Birthday Treats has a great collection of links to the above and much, much more

Be a bit adventurous and carve something amazing for Halloween this year!

Robbie William's pulls out of MTV awards ceremony

Robbie Williams has pulled out of a scheduled appearance at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards.

According to a statement issued Friday by the U.K. singer's spokesperson, the cancellation was "due to a scheduling conflict." The statement went onto say that "all other promotional commitments carry on as planned."

Wiliams was expected to perform alongside Jay-Z, Green Day, Tokio Hotel, Leona Lewis, Foo Fighters and Shakira at the awards ceremony, which takes at Berlin's O2 World Arena on Thursday (November 5).

The singer -- who recently ended a three-year hiatus with the single "Bodies" (Virgin/EMI) -- is up for the award for best male at the ceremony. "Bodies" entered the Official U.K. Charts Co. singles rundown at No. 2 on October 25.

Williams' new studio set, "Reality Killed the Video Star," will be released internationally on November 9.

Williams also is set to receive the outstanding contribution to music prize at next year's Brit Awards, which take place February 16 at London's Earls Court.

Williams to appear on Jonathan Ross

Robbie Williams has been booked to appear on next week's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.

The ex-Take That star will be interviewed by the host of the BBC show and will also record a live performance for the programme when it is filmed on November 3.

Prior to the release of his comeback single 'Bodies', Williams appeared on ITV1 reality talent show The X Factor, with his performance of the track prompting a mixed response.

The singer's Trevor Horn-produced eighth studio album Reality Killed The Video Star is released on November 9.

Williams will appear on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on November 6 at 10.35pm on BBC One.

George Michael to release Christmas single

George Michael is set to make his chart comeback by going head to head with the X Factor for the Christmas No1.

The Last Christmas crooner, 46, is even rumoured to be performing his new single, December Song, on the ITV show in a bid to give it a nudge up the charts.George's single - due out on December 14 - is a remix of a track which he gave away for free on his website last Christmas.It also ties in with the release of a behindthe-scenes DVD of his 25 tour. A source says: "This may be the first year X Factor does not get the Christmas No1.

"Both George and Robbie Williams are releasing festive singles - and both have big fan bases."

Our spy added: "If X Factor twins John and Edward win, the single could be a right turkey."

Robbie William's to sell UK Mansion at a loss

The 35-year-old wants to return to Los

Angeles with his American actress

girlfriend Ayda Field, 30, in time for

Christmas.

Williams paid nearly £8.5 million for

18th century Compton Bassett House

in February. The home comes

complete with a helicopter hangar,

temples and fountains. The estate

uses so much electricity that it has its

own substation.

He intended to use the home while promoting his new single and album, Reality Killed the Video Star. But he has now

reportedly asked his estate agent to slash the price in order to make a quick sale.

A source told The Sun: "Robbie is desperate to get things moving quickly rather than hang around just to get a bit

more money. Being settled back in the States quickly with Ayda is more important to him.

"He's already got a few people interested in the mansion."

Williams has previously admitted that the seven-bedroom house near Calne, Wilts, was an "impulse buy" when he

returned to Britain after five years in America.

He said that he and Ayda dreamed of bringing up kids there but then they decided to move back to LA after becoming

fed up with the wet weather.

Williams originally planned to keep the mansion for a few more years while continuing to promote his new album. But

he has admitted that he struggling to afford it.

The singer, who has sold 55 million albums worldwide, said: "I can't really afford to keep it. Maintenance is a lot. I've

done a few impulse buys and it leaves you no money."

Earlier this month Williams played a comeback gig at the Electric Proms. He revealed that he and Gary Barlow had

settled their differences, and even hinted at a Take That reunion.

Westlife feel the nerves ahead of X Factor

Irish pop stars Westlife will be the star guests on tomorrow night’s X Factor, but have admitted they are feeling nervous about the performance.

It will be the first gig for the boys, who are managed by judge Louis Walsh, after a year off and, promising a new sound, the group will sing a track from their new album.

Westlife are no strangers to the X Factor stage, having performed on it more times than any other artist, as well as mentoring some of the talent competing. Last year they collaborated with fellow boyband JLS in the final, singing their track Flying Without Wings.

But despite scoring 14 UK Number one singles, lead singer Shane Filan said Sunday night “could determine the next 18 months of our lives”.

“Going on The X Factor is like having an album launch in front of 14 million people,” he told the Daily Mail.

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/westlife-feel-the-nerves-ahead-of-x-factor-return-14542017.html#ixzz0UsjkBOcI

Robbie Williams' comeback gone awry

Robbie Williams stared out into space and his eyes rolled in their sockets. "Good evening, everybody, you nearly made me cry," he told his audience. "... but I realised it's not The X Factor."

The typically self-deprecating gag at a London concert this week was an admission of how close he had come to a career-wrecking performance only nine days earlier, when he had performed live on ITV1's all-conquering talent show,The X Factor, with disastrous effect.

His eyeballs rolled then too, but not in awe at his own talents. "His eyes looked like they were going to burst out of his head," said the Daily Mirrorafter the television show. "Manic panic was written all over his profusely sweaty face."

So bad was Williams on The X Factor that he felt the need to deny he had been on drugs when performing, saying he had taken nothing stronger than coffee but had felt like "the deer in headlights" and "had a bit of a wobble".

Suddenly, the pop star with sufficient tattooed swagger to draw 375,000 to a concert was describing himself as Bambi.

"They got it so badly wrong," says one music industry figure. "Robbie is a bit of a rock star and if you're a rock fan, you want him to carry on being a rock star, not suddenly become Bruce Forsyth."

How could this have happened? How could the most-awaited comeback album launch in the recent history of the British music industry have been so spectacularly miscalculated?

The comeback strategy aimed to make a success of Robbie's new album,Reality Killed the Video Star. The attraction of an appearance on Britain's most high-profile entertainment show is easy to understand.

The charismatic Simon Cowell, whose ability to spot a performer with public appeal is unquestioned, regards Williams as one of Britain's greatest showmen - so much so that Williams has been put forward as a possible future judge on the show.

Robbie may have blown that opportunity. He blamed his X Factor nerves on the fact that he found himself briefly trapped behind a jammed stage door.

There was something symbolic about that door. The whole concept behindReality Killed the Video Star seemed to be a reaction against the power of the television talent contest and its domination of music sales; artists that Lily Allen recently derided as "nothing but puppets paid for by Simon Cowell".

The producer of the album is Trevor Horn, who produced the 1979 hit Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles.

It was Williams' idea to pick an album title that echoed the name of the song that launched MTV, a defining moment in music industry history, a generation ago.

In an interview with The Times, before Williams had faced the headlights ofThe X Factor, Horn tried to explain the difference between Williams and the talent-show acts.

"People from reality shows can be like a tree planted in a garden where the roots aren't deep - if they don't take quickly, they're going to die," he said.

"Someone like Robbie is born for fame, and it's not just talent but charisma: he charges through the door and the whole mood lifts."

Except this time, Robbie was behind the reality-show door, and it wouldn't open.

In spite of Williams' immense presence as a stage performer, he has become uncomfortable with playing live. His three shows at Knebworth Park in 2003 amounted to the biggest event in British music history.

A mere one-night stand in a hotel with New Zealander Robyn Reynolds was enough to headline the News of the World and launch her into a short-lived celebrity career.

But in a recent cover interview with GQ magazine, he described the terror he experienced when doing his world tour in 2006.

"I buckled under the weight of it," he said. "I got stage fright. And stage fright in front of 80,000 people is horrendous."

Robbie's management team are drawing considerable comfort from the fact thatBodies, helped or hindered by the performance on The X Factor, is his best-selling single in a decade and has made it to the top of the iTunes chart in five European countries.

Sam Delaney, editor of Heat magazine, says the failings of Williams just help to distinguish him from the "bland and boring".

"As far as we are concerned he's the perfect celebrity. There's just so much happening in Robbie's life; he has the narrative that we at Heat require."

But that charisma was not enough to make a success of Williams's 2006 album, Rudebox, which sold so badly that a million unwanted copies were recycled for road surfacing in China.

This time Robbie really needs to be on the right track.

Robbie Williams thanks 'lovely audience'

Robbie Williams has again thanked his fans for their support at his BBC Electric Proms concert on Tuesday night.

Writing on his official blog, the ex-Take That star also revealed that he did not know about the mixed reception to his performance on Sunday's X Factor show until after theRoundhouse gig.

Williams said: "What a lovely audience the other night. I know listening to new stuff can be a bit of a bore. But everyone was lovely and received it with kind hearts and consideration so thank you very much.

"I wasn't aware until last night (after the gig) that the X Factor performance was given such an horrendous kicking. Oh well, you win some..."

He added: "Neither was I aware that the Roundhouse thing was being beamed into cinemas.

"I kind of heard it being mentioned but I think selective hearing must have been in action at the time. Hope it was enjoyable there too."

Robbie Williams to get special Brit Award

British pop star Robbie Williams will receive the award for outstanding contribution to music at the 2010 Brit Awards, awards organizers announced Friday.

Williams began as a teen dancer and singer with boy band Take That and parlayed his smooth vocals into a successful solo career.

Among his big hits are Angels, Rock DJ, Feel andMisunderstood, which was on the soundtrack to the film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

Williams has won 11 Brit Awards, beginning with a best single prize for Could It Be Magic when he was with Take That.

After he went solo, he won as best British male artist in 1999, an award he has won four times.

He has sold more albums in the U.K. than any other British solo artist in history and has had a significant European following, although his North American popularity was never as strong.

Ged Doherty of the Brits committee called Williams "one of the outstanding artists and performers of his generation."

The outstanding contribution award has previously been won by The Pet Shop Boys, Paul McCartney, Oasis and The Who.

Williams, 35, recently made a comeback with an appearance on British reality show X Factorand a performance at the BBC Electric Proms, his first U.K. concert in three years.

The star is also set to perform live at the Brit Awards ceremony at London's Earls Court on Feb. 16, 2010.

Rob in tour talks with Take That Circus team

ROBBIE WILLIAMS is in talks to mount a 2010 tour, after the success of his BBC Electric Proms show on Tuesday.

I spotted players from two of the biggest live promoters, SJM Concerts (who put on TAKE THAT's Circus show this summer) and Metropolis Music, hanging around backstage.

They weren't there just for fun.

Robbie's 2006 Close Encounters Tour sent him into rehab with depression.

But he laid those ghosts to rest with a masterful performance at Camden's Roundhouse.

The aftershow party was brief - partly because Robbie didn't hang around. He still doesn't like to be near booze.

But his pals ANTand DEC made up for it, knocking back pints withJAMES CORDEN and his sister.

GERI HALLIWELL, Robbie's ex, was there with her boyfriendHENRY BECKWITH. She told me: "I loved it."

The funniest moment of the night was when Dragons' Den millionairePETER JONESordered a load of drinks from the bar - then realised he'd run out of cash and had to borrow £20 fromFEARNE COTTON.

Bon Jovi to perform on X Factor

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22/10/2009

Bon Jovi will give X Factor viewers a taste of their new track when they appear on the show next month.

The multi-Grammy winning rock group will perform We Weren't Born To Follow, the first single from their new album The Circle, on the TV talent show on November 1.

The album will be released the next day.

Robbie Williams armed with girlfriend Ayda at MTV

Robbie Williams is making sure he has trusted moral support when he takes centre stage at MTV EMAs in Berlin next month.

The Bodies singer, 35, has made special arrangements for girlfriend Ayda Field to be by his side at the blockbuster music show when he makes his return in Europe after he was unveiled as a top performer along with Jay-Z this week.

Meanwhile, the comeback star will turn his new hits all classical for fans when he meshes his 'Reality Killed the Video Star' tunes with strings and horns as he opens the BBC Electric Proms at Camden's Roundhouse tomorrow.

Robbie Williams makes public wedding vow to Ayda in front of ex Geri

Robbie Williams made his biggest public display of affection yet to the woman hailed for turning around his reclusive world as his ex Geri Halliwell was forced to watch on in front of thousands.

Pointing up at girlfriend Ayda Field, Williams dedicated his own specially crafted love song to the US actress despite his ex turning up to give her one-time love a dose of moral support at London's Camden Roundhouse.

But it was the Spice Girl who was for once forced to slip into the shadows, as Williams set about honouring Field for turning around his fortunes after his pop career slipped into long days of UFO spotting.

azing up at his lover, Williams hinted he is ready to wed her, telling the BBC Electric Proms crowd: 'This song is about my missus'.

Sensing the crowd's unease at the rare foray into his private world, Williams, 35, joked:

Suddenly I'm not the jealous guy, Another sign that we're doing it right…Cause you fill me up, each and every day

'You're not sure what to do. I've never had one of them.'

And if the lyrics to Won't Do That from next month's album Reality Killed The Video Star are anything to go by, it won't be long before the 35-year-old will be leaving his hedonistic bachelor days behind for good.

Making his intentions loud and clear he sang: 'You would never be the trouble and strife, If I made you my Swiss army wife.'

Revealing the extent of his infatuation after meeting Ayda, 30, during his years away in LA, he swooned: 'I don't mind when the boys look at you. If I was them I'd be doin' it to.'

Crediting the actress for changing his ways, Williams sang: 'Suddenly I'm not the jealous guy, Another sign that we're doing it right…Cause you fill me up, each and every day.'

Rob's public love-in comes after he recently declared he's ready to have kids with his lover as well.

He said: 'I was always thinking, 'How am I going to keep the old chap in the pants?' But Ayda and me are very loved up - sprogs on the way and all that business.'

Robbie Williams denies he was high during X Factor performance

Robbie Williams didn't exactly wow with his wobbly comeback on the X Factor the other week.

But the pop hero has hit back at suggestions he was as high as Dannii's hairdo during his live rendition of new single Bodies - blaming nerves and too much caffeine in the ITV canteen.

Robbie, who plays the BBC Electric Proms tonight says: "People are alluding to the fact that I may have been high on something but I can only say I wasn't - because I wasn't. Unless someone spiked my drink and I would have noticed. I know what various drugs feel like.

"It's the same as the deer in headlights, the deer's not on anything other than fear. I'd had a few coffees before I went on, that's all."

Even so, his X Factor performance has knocked gobby Robbie's confidence. He says: "The veil is finally falling. I'm always nervous, but in the past I've been able to look cocksure through the nerves. I'm not sure if I'm able to mask it any more.

"I got on there and had a bit of a wobble. It was overwhelming, the love in the room was palpable, but I didn't know what to do with my arms.

"I didn't feel like the seasoned pro I am. It felt a bit alien. I maybe should've done a few other shows before the big one."

Robbie Rocks the Roundhouse

Robbie Williams made a triumphant live comeback in London last night (Oct. 21), as part of the BBC's Electric Proms series of concerts.

Appearing at the London Roundhouse with a 38-piece band, including string and brass sections -- led by Trevor Horn, who produced Williams' new album "Reality Killed the Video Star" -- Williams was in confident, relaxed form from the start. He made his entrance down a white staircase to current single "Bodies," which entered the U.K. charts at No. 2 on Oct. 18.

Despite it being his first full gig since 2006, Williams' displayed few signs of the nerves that affected his now notorious performance on ITV1's "The X Factor." Williams made reference to that wide-eyed appearance when, after a rapturous reception for the first song, he told the audience: "You nearly made me cry then. But then I realized this wasn't 'The X Factor.'"

In total, Williams premiered seven songs from the new album, due Nov. 9 in the United Kingdom on Virgin Records. As well as "Bodies," he aired what he said would be the album's second single, "You Know Me," alongside "Morning Sun," "Blasphemy," "Starstruck," "Deceptacon" and "Won't Do That." Most of the new material harks back to Williams' trademark adult pop sound, with little of the experimentation that marked his last album "Rudebox," which proved a critical and commercial flop.

Songs from "Rudebox" were notable by their absence from the setlist, but he did perform tracks from most parts of his career, including "Come Undone," "Feel," "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen," "Supreme" and "No Regrets." Having finished the main set with his classic single "Angels," he returned for an encore of "Millennium" and a frantic cover version of "Video Killed the Radio Star," originally by Horn's former act Buggles.

Williams' traditional showmanship was also much in evidence, as he regaled the audience with anecdotes, jokes and even a George Michael impression. At one point, he announced "Feel" as "My auntie's favorite song. I'm sure she's looking down on me now... she's not dead, she's just really condescending!"

The concert was broadcast live on U.K. top 40 network BBC Radio 1, while highlights aired on BBC2 television later in the evening and are also available via the BBC's "red button" service. The concert was also beamed to more than 250 cinemas across 23 countries by BBC Worldwide, setting a Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous cinematic screenings of a live concert.