BANGOR STAR 2006 – JUDGES UNVEILED

Young Star search fever hits Bangor again for the 3rd annual year this summer when 100’s of wannabes from across Northern Ireland embark on the Flagship Cente in an attempt to sway judges for a place in the finals which will be broadcast live on local radio station Bangor FM.

The contest is backed by North Down Borough Council and The Flagship Centre and the winner will be announced live on stage during on Monday 28th August 2006 as a part of North Down Tourisms August Bank Holiday Weekend festivities in the town.

For the hundreds of contestants and their families preparing for the auditions there are 5 faces that potentially stand in their way of becoming the 3rd annual Bangor Star – The Judges!

STUART ROBINSON Often referred to as Bangor’s answer to Simon Cowell, Stuart Robinson is no stranger to controversy. His straight talking attitude on his radio shows has made him a house hold name across Northern Ireland on Citybeat 96.7FM aswell as on Carrick’s popular Castle FM radio and Bangor FM radio too.

The twenty-seven year old created the ‘Young Star Search’ concept for Castle FM in 2002 which has since been spread out to other councils across the province most notably Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey.

During his many years as host and judge of the event, Stuart has become somewhat of a ‘hate’ figure amongst Ulster’s kids and claims to have been shouted at in the street, spat at during auditions and even threatened by angry parents.

Stuart recalls “I was once beaten over the head with an umbrella by one angry mother on Bangor Main Street who recognized me as putting her ‘precious wee dear’ out of the competition – I tried to explain to her that I have a job to do and was only doing what I thought was right but she wasn’t having it and continued to scream in my face – in the end I had to just turn and walk away from the situation as it was clear the woman was crazy”.

Despite the flack Stuart insists that it’s worth it particularly when you get a good winner with lots of talent “Past winners like Hayley McCann & Devon Crossly will go far, these girls are natural young performers and to have seen them develop as singers over the years makes doing ‘Bangor Star’ all the more worth it. I get some stick for being too hard at times but I disagree, I’d never be rude or unreasonable to anyone but I do feel it’s wrong to place a child who clearly isn’t good enough into the next round where they will be performing against tougher competition and perhaps on a stage to hundreds of people – it’s a case of being cruel to be kind sometimes and staying hopeful that they come back the following year stronger and better – which many I’m glad to say most do!”.

With over a decade of radio experience behind him, Stuart Robinson originally from Carrickfergus has an ear for what sounds good and what doesn’t – in his role at Citybeat, Stuart is Head of Music meaning he must appease the stations staggering 135’000 listeners with the best hits around!

KEITH SEMPLE Keith was winner of the ITV show “PopStars: The Rivals” with over 600,000 votes from the public. He went on to have two UK top ten hits with the boy band One True Voice and is currently the lead singer of the successful touring rock band “Alibi”. Keith was managed by music mogul Peter Waterman and was piped to the Christmas Number 1 in 2002 by Girls Aloud.

The talented Larne lad is by far the most musical of the judges being an established singer aswell as playing the rhythm guitar and keyboard. He has recently finished a season of gigs at the Empire in Belfast and is always thrilled to be a part of the Bangor Star search…

“It’s great to be able to contribute to such an exciting event. I like to give the kids tips and pointers and make them feel more relaxed before they perform as a lot of them get very nervous, Bangor Star is a great opportunity for some of the provinces local talent to blossom.

We always find lots of talent in Bangor and every now and then we spy someone with great potential and I always try to be as helpful as possible and offer pointers on performing and focusing.”

You can listen to Keith’s album and find out more about his new band at www.alibisounds.com.

ROBIN ELLIOT Robin Elliot is one of the most experienced and busiest compare hosts in Northern Ireland. If it's remotely showbizzy Robin will be there! The 25 year old from Lisburn is not only a familiar voice on local radio station Citybeat but also hosts his own TV show on Belfast station NVTV.

During the week Robin is the showbiz editor for the Big Buzz Magazine which ensures he keeps his finger on the showbiz pulse. He is responsible for getting to grips with all the celebrities who visit Northern Ireland.

Robin also co-ordinates the annual Big Buzz Irish Entertainment Awards which acknowledges some of Irelands finest for their contributions to the local entertainment scene. Former winners from the Carrick, Newtownabbey & Bangor star searches have performed at the Irish Entertainment Awards on the back of winning the contest!

Robin has become renowned as being the bluntest of the judges, never holding back from an opinion and often getting booed by the crowd during live shows!

TINA CALDER Tina Calder has been a freelance journalist in Ireland for the last seven year, during this time Tina has picked up top industry accolades including ‘reporter of the year’ at the IPR awards. Specializing in showbiz entertainment, she has worked for leading titles such as the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, Daily Star and the Belfast Telegraph.

Tina currently writes the showbiz column for the Sunday People and is a regular showbiz commentator on radio stations such as Belfast’s CityBeat and Dublin’s Q102.

In May this year, at just 26 years old she launched her own media syndication company – INK WELL – supplying over 20 newspapers and magazines throughout the UK and Ireland.

Tina is the ‘friendly face’ on the panel and is thought of highly by the young people in the contest because of her friendly, pleasant and warm manner. Tina is always on hand to dish out fashion advice to contestants usually followed by some singing advice...

FAT TAM Fat Tam is one of the best known local DJ’s in the Ulster having being involved in the music industry since 1972. Originally from bonnie Scotland, Fat Tam now resides in sunny Whitehead and is renowned locally for his ‘world famous’ Karaoke show at various venues across the province.

Fat Tam is also a presenter for local station Castle FM & Bangor FM but loves nothing more than judging Bangor Star “I look forward to hearing the young talent every year and I can honestly say it just keeps getting better and better, I enjoy sitting on the panel if for nothing else to keep Stuart Robinson in line who very often makes ridiculous decisions… I sometimes think he needs his ears cleaned out!”