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BLOG ARCHIVE - Jan to June 2007 Tuesday 12th June The news just keeps coming thick and fast down at af.net these days! There is so much going on in Neighbours and with Waiting Room that I want to share with you. Waiting Room Tour Dates Bookings for the next Waiting Room tour in November/December are open for Manchester and Belfast. Belfast – Mandela Hall , Queen’University. November 27th For ticket sales click here Manchester - Wed, 12 December. University Of Manchester Students Union Box Office 0161 275 2930 www.ticketline.co.uk www.manchesteracademy.net Confirmed GIGS not on sale yet – details to come Winchester Dec 1 Liverpool Uni Dec 3 London, The QUAD – LSE Dec 4 Reading Uni Dec 7 Staffordshire Uni Dec 8 Waiting Room Music Available on 3 Waiting Room’debut album “In the Waiting Room” is available to download as single tracks on 3 mobile. Why not download your fave track today? Tommy Rando On Tour Waiting Room guitarist, Tommy Rando’solo tour of the UK is on right now! Don’miss Tommy showcasing his brilliant singing/songwriting. All details @ http://www.myspace.com/tommyrando Blast From My Past Joins Neighbours There have been a lot of cast changes at Neighbours lately all for the good with some of Australia’most experienced actors coming on board. One new cast member that I was particularly happy to welcome was Nikki Coghill. Nikki played my wife in a mini-series called “Sword of Honour” in the 1980&#146s. Here’our wedding pic! Official Neighbours Night Rocks On The Official Neighbours night every Monday at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow has become my regular opportunity to catch up with fans. I was particularly pleased to meet a very excited young fan from the UK – Lachlanina McGilchrist. She was celebrating her 18th birthday and she and her family joined my wife Jen at the Waiting Room gig. Monday night at the Elephant has become the must see event for all Neighbour’fans with Kym Valentine performing her acoustic set before the Neighbour’stars come out to meet the fans. And, of course, WAITING ROOM rocks the night out until 1 am. Its my favourite night of the week.

Thursday 15th March NEIGHBOURS NEWS Neighbours in London Last year Karl, Susan and Izzy filmed episodes of Neighbours in London. These episodes go to air in Australia from Monday March 19, 2007 and are not to be missed. Weddings and Births combined with celebrity appearances by Michael Parkinson, Emma Bunton, Julian Clary and Neil Morrissey. An article on the filming of those episodes appeared in TV Week here in Australia. To read the article click here Neighbours is going through a major transformation at the moment. The show is gearing up to be filmed in High Definition video in coming months. This means a total revamp of sets and backdrops. Cast changes are on the way too. We have the sad departure of Stephanie McIntosh, Nell Feeney, Kyle Marsh, Adelaide Kane and Sianoa Smit-McPhee coming up over the next few weeks. As compensation an entirely new family is arriving in Ramsay Street to bring some good old fashioned Neighbours feeling to the street. One new cast addition that has caused a bit of a cute problem for me is the arrival of 8 year old Fletcher O&#146Leary. Fletch plays young Mickey who is foisted on Ned by his mother. The problem for me is everyone calls young Fletcher Fletch and that has always been my nickname. It causes much confusion so some directors have resorted to calling Fletcher young Fletch and me OLD FLETCH!!!! Its just wrong! Fletch with Dan and Fletcher O'Leary WAITING ROOM NEWS Waiting Room has been enjoying playing to the biggest crowds that the Elephant and Wheelbarrow has seen for years. The audience seems to growing as word gets around about how much fun we have at gigs. I have just signed a deal that will see Waiting Room tracks and personal messages from Dr K become available as ringtones. If you have any suggestions of messages I could record for mobile phones send them in by clicking HERE. The best suggestions will be rewarded with a Waiting Room T-Shirt or CD. We are also negotiating to release all Waiting Room music through digital providers such as I Tunes. More news on that very soon. The band are currently working on new songs. The first is "It’Your Fault" which will be played live at next weeks gig and released mid-year. Like a lot of Waiting Room songs "It’Your Fault" takes a light, comical tilt at relationships. Waiting Room perform at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow in St Kilda

Saturday 27th January 2007 Well, I am back in OZ very happy to be back with the family after possibly the most arduous two months I have ever experienced. After touring for three weeks with Waiting Room, working for 22 days straight, returning to a week of Neighbours followed by a week of concerts for the Australian Pops Orchestra I was ready for a long sleep. But of course it was straight back to Manchester for Soapstar Superstar. That show in itself was like six weeks work packed into one. Still I am blessed to have had so many opportunities and I have loved this period in my career for the growth it has brought to my work. As soon as I got back from the UK it was back into Neighbours with a vengeance. Its terrific to be back on familiar ground and see all the changes that the holidays have brung. Young Matthew Werkmeister, who plays Zeke, has grown what seems like 5 inches and he’had his braces off. If he keeps going at this rate he’be taller than me by years end. Finally saw some Neighbours episodes the other night and got a shock to see degenerate Karl with the beginnings of his beard and ratty clothes. Also enjoyed seeing some of our new characters Rosie, Pepper and Fraser strutting their stuff. They have slotted into the show perfectly and bring great talent to the programme- along with their obvious eye candy appeal! Eliza Taylor-Cotter, Pippa Black, Dan O'Connor and Nell Feeney Monday night, Jan 22nd, it was back to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow with Waiting Room. The room was packed and the response was fantastic. So good to be back on stage screaming out some Foo Fighters after all those ballads on Soapstar. Waiting Room will be playing every Monday this year at the Elephant as well as the occasional gig on other nights with Kym Valentine, Libby Kennedy, in support.If you are going to be in Melbourne this year check out http://www.backpackerking.com.au for details of gigs and bookings. Huge congratulations to Dave Cornthwaighte from board Free who has completed his 6000km skate from Perth to Brisbane. We first met in Cardiff in 2005 when the journey was first conceived and I caught up with him in Melbourne late last year at the Elephant. It has been an awesome fundraising effort by Dave and the team that will be acknowledged by the British Government at a reception in Sydney at the end of the month. One aspect of my role on Neighbours, that I really enjoy, is meeting passengers who take the Official Ramsay Street tour. I love doing it because meeting the fans of the show who are so enthusiastic about the programme helps to remind me what a fantastic job I have. If you are coming to Melbourne the Ramsay Street tour is another must do Neighbours experience. Again, all details at http://www.backpackerking.com.au

Tuesday 16th January Last Soapstar Blog Its all over! Eleven Soapstars became one as Antony Cotton from Coronation Street was crowned Soapstar Superstar on Saturday night. Hayley Tamaddon was runner-up but was virtually a winner when judge and West End legend Michael Ball offered her a job on the spot! The highlight of the last night was a performance of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” by last years winner Richard Fleeshman. This 17 year old performer is a star beyond comparison having the audience transfixed by his brilliant keyboard skills combined with a powerful and smooth vocal virtuosity. Richard Fleeshman, Roxanne Pallett, Jen and Fletch and Andy Whyment When I look back at the Soapstar experience I am struck by how much I learned about myself as a performer. As a result of my work schedule over the last six months I have been unable to prepare myself physically or mentally for such a gruelling show. Performing songs with little preparation on television is such a different experience from performing rock and roll on stage. The judges’ constructive comments and my analysis of my performances have shown me what I need to work on more to improve my skills. My only regret about the competition is that I didn’t have the opportunity to sing a rock song. I had some beautiful ballads to deliver but I was desperate to have a good belt at material I am more familiar singing. Despite the fact that I didn’t perform to my highest expectations on the show the support and praise I received from the public was overwhelming. In particular my close fans who are regulars on the Fletch Forum worked tirelessly to push my cause and I enjoyed having many of them in the audience. On the last night Maria, Denny and Miriam were there to wave the Fletch flag. Lesley Worrall and Margaret Shields, who are connected with the Linda McCartney centre, worked overtime to push the Fletch cause in this competiton. Lesley’s son Connor came to show suitably attired! The best part of the whole Soapstar experience was the last night party. In an incredible coincidence one of Australia’s most prominent and famous Australian Rules footballers James Hird was staying at my hotel. It was freaky to see him there. James was in Manchester with a tour of Essendon Football Club fans to see a Manchester United game as part of a marketing link-up between the two clubs. Shared a few pints with the legend with the added bonus of having fellow Aussie and Liverpool FC star Harry Kewell there as well to compare football codes. James Hird with Fletch Harry Kewell Two people made Soapstar a happy experience for me. The first was Alistair Green from Granada who had the onerous task of being my right hand man and chaperone through the series. He was brilliant, nothing was too much trouble. Thanks Al you kept me sane. You are a legend. The other person to keep me sane and support my every move was my UK representative for the show, Richard Price. Richard was there every night supporting Mark Furze and I with advice and guidance. Thanks mate. Soapstar has given me the chance to meet some wonderful UK actors, have my musical skills exposed to a wide audience, be judged by the best vocalists in the business and earn a few quid for the Linda McCartney Centre in Liverpool. But now I can’t wait to get home to see my darling children and get stuck into Neighbours and band gigs at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow. Thanks again to all my fans. I am definitely not a Soapstar Superstar but I am still a winner to have such fabulous support. Cheers, Fletch. Friday 12th January Day Seven of Soapstar Today was still a bit of a blur after being voted off the show because an evictee has to front the media circus. I was delighted to talk to Stuart, Lorna and Emma at the Delta FM breakfast show. These guys have been massive Fletch supporters along with many other radio stations like BBC 1, BBC Three Counties, Lianna Lawrence at Touch FM, Rugby FM, David Gordon at Citybeat Radio and Brighton FM. I loved watching the show from the audience last night. I thought all the performers were superb. Hayley Tamaddon’s rendition of “On My Own” was spellbinding and Mark Furze showed his versatility by brilliantly handling the most difficult show tune – “Luck Be A Lady” Any one of the four remaining contestants are worthy winners. I am backing Mark Furze to go all the way because I believe he is the whole package, and he’s a top bloke. Vote Furzey ! !!!!!!!! Even though I am off the show my involvement hasn’t finished yet. The producer’s have a nice surprise for the final show so stay tuned! The biggest benefit of performing on this show is meeting all the performers from the other soaps. They are a great bunch of people and the backstage vibe has been incredibly supportive and friendly. I will come away from the show with ten new mates! Tupele Dorgu, Matthew Wolfenden, Jane Danson, Hayley Tamaddon and Leon Lopez Thursday 11th January Well the Soapstar Superstar journey is over for me! Right from the start I want to shower my thanks upon all the fans who so diligently and tirelessly supported me in the show. I got further in the competition than I expected to be honest and it is all down to the fans without a doubt. The journey has been exhausting mentally and physically but very rewarding. I have been given fantastic advice by Michael Ball and Martine McCutcheon that I can use to improve my vocal work. My only disappointment is that I didn’t get to do any rock songs on the show. Ballads are not really my strong point and I didn’t get to do any showstopper tunes. And of course it was a major disappointment to miss the opportunity to work with Michael Ball on a Broadway song and be judged by David Guest. Last nights show was fantastic to watch and I was pleased to have the opportunity to save Mark Furze. I didn’t save him because he’s an Aussie. I believe he is the best vocalist in the show and he has everything it takes to make a Superstar. By saving him I could guarantee him at least one more night to shine on the show and he could select a rock song to sing – which is his forte. If you have any energy, and money!, left after supporting me I would love you to throw your weight behind “The Furze”. After the show last night I caught up with Sheree Murphy’s husband Harry Kewell. Big thrill for a Liverpool supporter like myself. Also at the show were Katy Andrews, Lucy Randles and Phil Right from the Perfect Blend and NeighboursFans.com websites. Such a shame they were at the show on the night I was kicked off the show though. Also saw Anne Osbourne in the ITV2 Bonus Tracks audience the night before. Anne is a Waiting Room fave fan after she made a sensational pair of tribute knickers and hurled them on the stage in Swansea on the last tour. I will keep up the blogs to the end of the show. Thanks again for all the support.Love Fletch Monday 8th January Day Four of Soapstar Superstar and still in the race! Woke up this morning feeling very positive and upbeat about tonight’s show. My last two songs have been very introspective and I was kind of living their sentiment. However, tonight I have a wonderful celebratory love song to sing and I intend to take it by the horns and run with it. Head vocal coach Jo Price has been desperately trying to eradicate a very bad vocal habit of mine. Sometimes I sing a word in a sliding fashion, which makes me sound drunk! I have worked hard to stop doing it but, apparently, with limited success. See if you can pick it. The hardest part about this show, besides the 16 hour days(!), is watching other performers leave the show. Elaine Lordan who left on the first night said she was happy to go out. Jane Danson almost no chance to show what she was capable of. Matthew Wolfenden, who was tipped as a finalist by the judges, was voted out on the third night to everyone’s amazement. It brought home the reality that the voting public call all the shots and nothing beats fans ringing in to vote straight after the show. This is where I have been so fortunate to now. The real legend is my beautiful wife Jennifer who has had to sit through four shows in the audience! She’s had to listen to the same warm-up jokes every day. Jen has been my inspiration and chief motivator on this gig and I wouldn’t get through it without her here. We had some fun on the ITV 2 set last night. Jen and Fletch with some wishful thinking. Close fans Miriam and Clare came to see the show last night. They all put so much into supporting me and the website. Fab to see their beaming faces in the audience. Fans Miriam and Clare with Fletch Later…. I am still safe. God the moment when the judgement comes through is very wearing! Once again blessed to have so many people prepared to vote for me. Not sure how my song went but audience reaction was fabulous. Struggling to impress the judges at the moment but as long as I have a popular vote I can keep going. Getting excited now at the prospect of winning some serious money for the Linda McCartney Centre. Sunday 7th January Soapstar Superstar show three. Tonight I will be singing Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton. This beautiful song is possibly my favourite track of all those that could have been chosen for me. The song rips my heart out every time I sing it. I am finding that the rigours of preparing for each show and the lack of sleep have left me feeling very emotional. As a result I am struggling to sing the song without having a little weep. Have to be on top of that on the night. The judges would have my guts for garters for being indulgent! I have received hundreds of emails and texts of support over the last few days. It is at times like this that I get to experience how wonderful my life has become because of my association with Neighbours. Thanks guys. I had to laugh at a newspaper story today that suggested none of the contestants are talking to each other because we are all consumed with fear. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone continues to be totally supportive toward each other and, whatever tension is being felt is being diffused by laughter and fun. Later ... Had an OK show. Didn’t really nail my song but, as usual had wonderful audience support and the judges were very kind again. Huge buzz to have Dan O’Connor in the audience. Almost broke into a Oodles of Noodles song to celebrate! Dan O'Connor and Emma Gordon from Neighbours Lyn McGrainger from Home and Away was also in supporting Mark Furze and Lucy Pargeter from Emmerdale who was in the top three of Soapstar last year was great with advice after the show. Fletch with Lyn McGrainger Lucy Pargeter and fellow Emmerdale cast members, Adele Sliva and Julia Mallam Once again my fans have got me through safely to sing again. Goodnight. Saturday 6th January After 6 hours uninterrupted sleep I woke up feeling positive and ready to make a good showing on Day 2 of Soapstar. The euphoria of the first day of competition has worn off now and everyone has settled into a “getting on with business mode”. I think all the remaining competitors realise what a huge creative hill this show is and how much discipline and application is going to be required. I can honestly say that four days on this gig has been more testing physically and emotionally than any job I have ever done. However, I know that, even if I went out of the comp tonight, I have already learnt heaps that I can apply to my work in the future. Later… I had a great show and had some wonderful constructive feedback from the judges. The huge shock was to have Leon and Matthew both unsafe at the end of the night. I would have thought they would both have been finalists and now one of them will be gone tomorrow. It shows how much all the competitors rely on their fans to keep them safe. A huge thank you to all the friends and supporters who have sent their best wishes to me by text, email and phone. I have received fantastic support from a lot of radio stations all around the UK. Lianna Lawrence from Touch FM has been one of those over a number of years and she was in the audience last night. Friday 5th January Well now it’s the business end of the last few months of preparation and planning. Incredible to think that one of the Soapstars competing tonight will be knocked out after one performance. The day started at 8am as usual with last minute sessions with movement and voice coaches. Then the entire cast appeared on the ITV Morning programme before getting stuck into on set rehearsals culminating in a full Dress Rehearsal in late afternoon. Then comes the long wait for my one minute 40 sec performance somewhere around 9pm tonight. As I have said on my album In the Waiting Room, when I am asked about what I remember most about performances, I always say “I only remember the waiting!” Finally we were on! No amount of live performance can prepare you for singing with 4 judges staring at you waiting to pull your performance apart. I copped my fair share of criticism most of which I thought was totally fair. The cast of this show have become like family in a matter of a few days so it was a huge shock to have Elaine Lordan evicted on the night and to have Tupele and Jane, both wonderful singers left unsafe. The final part of the show was like a rollercoaster ride just before it rushes down the first big hill. After the show I caught up with Margaret Shields and Lesley Worrall who had come over from Liverpool representing the Linda McCartney Centre which will be the beneficiary of any money I raise through phone voting. Together they have mounted a huge campaign of support for me in Liverpool. Fletch and Jen with Margaret Shields No matter how long I last on the competition I hope to come away from this experience a better performer. If you are watching tonight your opinion will be as important to me as the judge’s opinion….. I’ll keep an eye on the message board to see what you thought. Fletch with Hayley Tamaddon and Verity Rushworth. Thursday 4th January Fantastic night at the Manchester Apollo watching original Doors members Ray Manzerak and Robbie Krieger lead their band Rider’s on the Storm through all the Door’s classics. Ian Astbury was sensational on lead vocals with incredible power and presence in his voice. Oh god how I wish I could have seen Jim Morrison sing live, but Ian evoked the songs brilliantly. Today was my first time on the Soapstar set when I sound-checked my first song ahead of Friday nights opening. I will be singing Faith by George Michael, which is quite a challenge as the backing is fairly low key. Loved being up there on the set though and feeling the first onset of nerves! A lot of people are pumping up my chances in this competition because of my work with Waiting Room. Thing is this show is vastly different from playing live. On stage with the band I just go with the flow and enjoy playing to the crowd. However, on Soapstar its all about performing to camera in a co-ordinated way to match the director’s shots. I have always treated my involvement in Soapstar as a new learning experience and I am learning plenty every minute! Tomorrow’s the day! Hope you will be watching. Wednesday January 3rd Arrived at Granada at 8:15am and was installed in my dressing room that will be my home for next 11 days. Loved the star on the door if only because it matched my shirt! Ever wondered how those moody promo shots are created that you see just before the performers come on stage. You stand in one spot and stare down the lens of a camera and try and look natural! Try it yourself-without laughing! Today was press launch day also so we had the big photo call and lots of interviews that will arrive in the interview section of the Fanzone over the next few days. Stay tuned. Nice to finally meet everyone connected to the programme, particularly Mark Furze from Home and Away who, incredibly, I have never met! Mark came third in the Australian version of It Takes Two last year and I expect him to do very well on Soapstar. I finished the day getting down to the real business – singing – with the show’s vocal coach Jerome. After all the promotional business of the day its great to have a sing out and get my head around the idea that I will be performing live to over 9 million people on Friday night. Tonight I am off to see the Doors band Riders on the Storm at the Manchester Apollo. The Doors were my number one band while growing up. Can’t wait. Oh yeah, must get some sleep too. Tuesday January 2nd Jen and I flew into Manchester at lunchtime feeling in remarkably good shape thanks to our friends at Emirates. We were booked to travel Business Class from Australia but my great mates at Emirates Melbourne bumped us up to First Class for the Melbourne to Dubai leg that meant we got a decent rest in a proper bed. The worst thing about travel from Oz to UK is you feel ready to sleep by dinner-time. However, if you go to sleep too early then you never get the sleep patterns in order so we forced ourselves to stay up to 11pm. Woke up at 4am, of course, and checked in on the cricket then dozed till 7 am for a 8 am start at Granada! Got an email from a mate telling me that all her friends reckoned I looked dodgy or bored in the promos for Superstar! Thought back to when we filmed those during my last tour when I worked 22 days straight. No doubt I did look rubbish after 5 hours sleep a night for three weeks. Hopefully I can get on top of the jet lag quickly this time. << BACK TO LATEST NEWS