Dare To Win

Hosting TV2’s new show Dare To Win has been a challenge in itself for Dominic Bowden. He is used to fronting reality shows such as NZ Idol and The Next Great American Band where he knows the outcome before the contestants. But on Dare To Win, he is as surprised as everyone else.

sees families, flatmates, colleagues, or club members set challenges to learn new skills with the chance of winning major prizes for themselves and their group. Each group is visited by Dom who presents them with a list of prizes to choose from, and tells them the nature of the challenge.

Dom says the challenges can be physical or mental, but not bug eating or anything of the Fear Factor kind. A member of the family or group is chosen to learn the task, sometimes even the whole group have to learn it.

Seven days later, the big moment occurs. The group is brought to the studio and in front of a live audience they have their chance to complete the challenge and win the fabulous prizes they picked.

"You just can't tell if they will pull it off - some give 100 per cent effort and can do it all week, but fail on the night, and then there are those who haven't succeeded once, but nail it in front of the audience. They manage to pull it together when it counts."

The Next Great American Band has been cancelled after one season but Dom says he's not short of opportunities in the US or here in NZ.

Episode one sees three challenges including attempting to build and dismantle a pyramid of 36 glasses with strips of silk cloth between each layer; walk a ladder around a specially designed course, without putting a foot on the ground; and memorising and identifying a selection of 50 Star Wars characters.

Dare To Win starts Sunday 22 June at 7.30pm on TV2.

Photos: TVNZ

Dominic Bowden Hosting Dare To Win

Dominic Bowden is set to host a new New Zealand game show, Dare to Win.

The game show contest asks teams of four people - friends or family - to compete in challenges, which they have a week to complete. The producers say you won't have to eat slugs or do anything gross, simply prepare for a challenge by learning new skills, over the period of a week, and record it on a video diary. Then you return to perform the challenge in front of a studio audience.

If you're successful you could win prizes worth $10,000. For more information and application details click here. Applications close Wednesday 7th May, 2008.

Dominic recently married his long-term partner Claire Robbie after an on-off romance.


Photos: The A-List

Dominic Bowden Claire Robbie Wedding

Dominic Bowden married hottie Claire Robbie yesterday at St Francis de Sales Church in Devonport. NZ Herald reports photographs were hard to come by with the newly wed couple signing an exclusive deal with a woman’s gossip mag.

That’s hardly surprising. When Dom got engaged there were several pages of the couple frolicking in the sea with soft porn shots of Claire’s cleavage.

Photographers scuffled with guards, who threatened photographers their cameras would be broken if pictures were taken.

Claire Robbie is a TV3 reporter, however word is the pair are relocating to LA where Dom has a contract to host The Next Great American Band (American Idol for groups) for a further two years. The show was a ratings flop, but Dom was highly regarded (except by those who couldn't understand his accent).

Dom has also been doing some filming for the E! channel and says he’s loving being in LA. Miss Prozac's loving it too. Great to see one or two fresh faces hosting TVNZ's shows. That and the very old familiar face of everyone's favourite hobbit, Wheel of Fortune


Photos: The A-List

Best & Worst of NZ Reality TV 2007

We look back on Reality Television in 2007. Find out who are the best and worst in NZ Reality TV. Who is the biggest media whore? Who is the least smart celebrity? Which gossip was hot in 2007 and which shows and presenters are the best and the worst?

Favourite New Zealand Reality TV Show
Dancing With The Stars. Gorgeous frocks, C-List celebs horizontal tango dancing by night and dropping each other on the dance floor by day. Need we say more?

A special mention also to My House My Castle Builders' Wives which followed the story of builder Cocksy (John Cocks) and his wife as they renovated their home.


Worst New Zealand Reality TV Show
Neighbours at War


Favourite International Reality Television Show
How to Look Good Naked – restores esteem to a bunch of lovely lasses with big asses


Best Blonde Moment
From psychic detective Kelvin Cruickshank “Sometimes I have to touch people to make sure they’re real or not”

A special mention also to Nicky Watson for these gems

• “You’re hoarse. No, a dog.”
• "I don't seek media attention"

The Keeping It Kiwi Award
Goes to Maori Television for supporting new Kiwi talent, our Tall Blacks and of course the “Aunties”. Unfortunately, Maori TV made the decision to can the popular Aunties and their Manglish show (Maori-English) because it didn’t meet their Te Reo requirements. Ask Your Aunty and other Manglish shows were attracting non Te Reo speakers who were getting exposure to Maori and giving them the opportunity to learn a few key phrases in a fun environment.


The Keeping It Indian Award
Goes to Marc Ellis, Nick Dalton and Ben Hickey for announcing that new venture Mintshot is supported by a team of 20 in India.


Hottest Romance
Dancer Hayley Holt and Brendon Pongia All Black Richie McCaw


Yummy Mummy award
Dancer Nerida Lister aka Nerida Jantti now partnered with Shane Cortese


Best Daddy’s Girl Award
Goes to Millie Holmes for following in her father’s footsteps and selling her story to the media, again. And again. And again.


Biggest waste of taxpayers’ money
Whatever Happened To… $1.2 million? Typical Paul Holmes’ enthusiasm dressed up as entertainment


Favourite Kiwi Reality TV presenter
Money Man Brendon Johnson
Honourable mention: Jason Gunn


Worst Kiwi Reality TV presenter
Your Money Sorted presenter Yvonne Hilsz

Dishonourable mention: Dancing with the Stars presenter Candy Lane. Her wardrobe has improved but she still can’t deliver her scripted spontaneous lines.


Best Import
Dancing With The Stars judge and Good Morning panellist Craig Revel-Horwood


Best Export
Dominic Bowden – depending on how you look at it, well done to a popular presenter, or thank gawd plastic boy is no longer polluting our screens


Cringe moment
Nigel Latta’s psychological insights into the lives of the Sensing Murder psychics


Best cat fight
Lots of nominees in this category but the best winner was Lion Man Craig Busch and ex partner Karen Greybrook for the aftermath when Craig copped to assaulting his ex partner after finding her in bed with another couple.

He said he pulled her away and she simply fell on the floor.

However, Karen received a serious head wound, damaged ribs and a fractured back bone. Her doctor told us he examined her after the assaults and he considered Craig’s explanation very “unlikely”.

A dishonourable mention to:

• Deb and Jeremy’s spat at the Qantas Television Awards
• Brendan Cole and Craig Revel-Horwood sniping during Dancing With The Stars
• Aja Rock and Botox Bridget Saunders at the Air New Zealand Fashion Awards

Media Whore award
A toss up between Millie Holmes, Joe Cotton, Suzanne Paul, Nicky Watson and Paul The Gnome Holmes.


Most embarrassing moment
Brendon Pongia and Hayley Holt’s early morning drunken radio interview


Least Smart Celebrity
John Cocksy Cocks for insisting he knew the right answer on Celebrity Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? despite the audience and the precocious 10 year olds telling him he had it wrong. His decision cost his charity Starship $10,000. If only he'd been smart enough to listen ...


Most Controversial Reality Show
Without a doubt goes to Sensing Murder. The skeptics and the believers are still debating the merits of this show and the skill of the psychic detectives.


Best Onscreen Revenge
Jeremy Wells and the team at Eating Media Lunch for mercilessly mocking Deb Webber and the Sensing Murder psychics in their annual awards show. Could this be revenge for Deb’s performance at the Qantas Television Awards?


Best Dressed
Dominic Bowden’s beautiful fiancée Claire Robbie


Worst Dressed Award
Goes to Mark Sainsbury for wearing grandma’s curtains to the Qantas Television Awards.

Runners up:

• Jackie O’Fee and Luke Bettesworth from Does My Bum Look Big?
• Hayley Holt – for a gorgeous looking gal she wears crappy clothes
  

The Heidi Fleiss new business award
Two reality television regulars, Patrina Logan and Marjke King, launched a service matching beautiful models with men, for a price.


Best television freebie
Freeview for allowing those of us who live in areas with dodgy reception to get “crystal clear television” without forking out for a lifetime of monthly payments to Sky Television. You have to pay for a set top box and a dish but after that it's all free.


Related Stories:
The Best & Worst of DWTS 2007
Pop's Ultimate Star: Minties Moments, Scandals and Embarrassments


Photos: Norrie Montgomery The A List

Dominic Bowden's American Band Success

Dominic Bowden is doing well in L.A.!

When The Next Great American Band concept was mooted many thought it would be the poor cousin to American Idol and failed to see how the concept would translate to television. The Friday night slot was also perceived as a problem. However, reviews of the show to date are favourable. People like the judges, the bands and even our Dom gets a mention for his presenting role.

Kaycee, our gal on the spot reckons Dominic Bowden is a cutie and is grateful he is not Ryan Seacrest. One reviewer described him as smarmy, and another said the accent was difficult to understand but by and large the reviews are positive. According to Reuters:

Even host Dominic Bowden, who has similar duties on New Zealand's "Idol," is fresher and more at ease than his "American Idol" counterpart, Ryan Seacrest.

OK! Magazine says

Today we're loving... New Zealand's finest, Dominic Bowden who is currently the host of American Band on Fox. With an accent like that, need we say more!

NZ Herald's Rachel Glucina chatted to Dom about his role on American Band

Bowden said he was really pleased with his performance and wasn't nervous, but he wished his fiancee Claire Robbie had been there with him for moral support.

Way to go Dom! It's great to see Kiwis doing well on the world stage.

Related Stories:
More Dominic Bowden news and gossip

Photos: Fox

Dominic Bowden is NOT Ryan Seacrest...

...and for that we are very grateful. The Next Great American Band debuted here in the US last night with New Zealand host Dominic Bowden. His resemblance to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest ends at "host." Personally, for me, Ryan has about as much sex appeal as my nerdy second cousin. Sure, he's personable, but not terribly interesting to look at. Tall, with slightly spiky dark hair, Dominic on the other hand is, well, a cutie. Maybe more cutie than hottie, but he definitely registers high on the sex appeal scale!

Dressed in a long-sleeved blue Oxford (which seemed a bit of an odd choice as they were filming in the Nevada desert) and jeans, Dominic seemed very at ease, doing an especially nice job consoling the axed contestants. His screen time was fairly minimal and he was not shown interacting with the judges. As the season progresses, let's hope he puts a new spin on that aspect of the show; Seacrest trading barbs with Simon Cowell on AI is getting old.

OK, about that accent - Cool! Love it! We are becoming so used to the "Americanized" accents of Aussies like Nicole Kidman, Dom's Kiwi accent sounds fresh and intriguing. Admittedly, my ear isn't tuned to it, so I missed a few words here and there. But who cares, it's yummy.

Although I hadn't committed to watching this show (Idol-type shows are starting to grate!), I might stick around for this one. Watching the new boy in town could be fun!


Related Stories:
Meet Dominic Bowden Next Great American Band Host

Meet Dominic Bowden Next Great American Band Host

Who is Dominic Bowden? Did you know that he drank his own urine on national television, and loves to make big romantic gestures? Some of you may have heard that his desire for a tan left him red-faced at his interview, but did you know his earlier efforts at tanning left him orange-faced? Read on for more on the new host of The Next Great American Band.

Dominic Bowden, or Dom as we know him here in kiwiland, is a regular fixture on New Zealand television. He is currently one of New Zealand's highest profile presenters. So high profile that we’re looking forward to have a wee break from the omnipresent Dom who is currently on our screens fronting the first (and hopefully last) season of the kiwi version of Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? (known in the U.S. as Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?). Dominic is also the face (and voice and body for TVNZ's TVNZ OnDemand and conducts the virtual tour of the site.

The facts:

• His full name is Dominic Joseph Bowden, but most people call him Dom.
• Uberskinny Dominic towers over American Idol shortie Ryan Seacrest and is thought to be 6’4”, although some reports say he is 6’2”
• Dom is a 30 year old Sagittarian born 15 December 1976

Dominic’s career
Dominic is highly ambitious and career focused. Dom has a reputation for being charming, polite and very hard working. His career started in New Zealand however he moved to Sydney, Australia for a period to further his career before returning to New Zealand. He followed girlfriend Claire Robbie (now his wife) to Shanghai and worked there for a few months.

Dom has worked in both radio and television for many years as well as emceeing corporate events and awards ceremonies. His career took off in 2004 when he started hosting New Zealand Idol.

His first television role was as the host of children’s television show Squirt in 1999 which he co-hosted with an animated penguin. He later hosted television music show, Space with the zany Jaquie Brown. Dominic has also hosted his own national radio show on More FM, and has interviewed many of the biggest stars in music and entertainment including Robbie Williams, Bon Jovi, Will Smith and Keanu Reeves.

Reality Television

• Dominic is best known for hosting three seasons of NZ Idol from 2004-2006. He gained instant popularity, not only for his smooth television delivery, but also for keeping the live audience entertained.

• More recently Dominic hosted Pop’s Ultimate Star where the so-called best of the best competed against each other for $50,000, a car and the chance to wear tacky costumes and sing songs for which they were woefully unsuited. Although Dom continued to be a smooth and polished presenter, he appeared to lose his personality and seemed to be going through the motions – perhaps because he already knew he had bigger opportunities awaiting him in L.A.?
• Dominic Bowden was a contestant on the first season of Celebrity Treasure Island, a Survivor type contest, but was quickly eliminated from the show.
• Dom appeared in cringe-worthy Shock Treatment, a travel show where celebrities think they will be fronting a luxury travel show and instead find themselves sent to a boot camp where they have to rough it for a few days and humiliate themselves in the name pf personal growth. The highlight was one celebrity getting an enema on television. In the episode featuring Dominic he travelled to India and drank his own urine. Euwwww!
• Dominic has also hosted reality game show Finding J. Smith and other very forgettable shows.

Dominic’s Love Life
Charming Dominic is said to have an eye for the ladies, and is currently engaged to beautiful television reporter Claire Robbie.

Ironically, in a 2006 interview Dominic said that long-distance relationships didn’t work for him and Claire and that he had decided to stop putting his career first and instead make Claire his top priority.

I realised that I could go 10 years forging out an amazing career for myself but I would be by myself. I needed to put Claire first.

Claire was able to join Dominic in LA for two weeks to help him settle in as they had both planned to holiday at that time, but will return to New Zealand while Dominic is working in LA for the filming of The Next Great American Band.

Claire Robbie has been working hard to establish herself in television. She had a small part in New Zealand’s longest running soap opera Shortland Street playing the part of Courtney Williams and has pursued acting work alongside her political studies degree. She has worked a variety of jobs and travelled to Asia for a working holiday. More recently Claire joined TV3 as a reporter for their Nightline program.

The pair got engaged in early 2006 after an on-again off-again romance and planned to marry in early 2007, however this has not yet happened. Dominic proposed in their Bangkok hotel room amid hundreds of red rose petals to the music of Queen’s CD You’re My Best Friend and a bottle of Dom Perignon.

The result was an interview in NZ Woman's Weekly which included several soft porn shots of Dominic and Claire frolicking on the beach.

Trivia & Gossip
Like many aspiring models and television stars, Dominic Bowden entered the Cleo Bachelor of the Year contest, and was a finalist in the year 2000 competition. Other memorable finalists include Shortland St actors David Wikaira-Paul and Ben Mitchell.

Fair skinned Dominic Bowden appears to like the idea of getting a tan. During one season of NZ Idol, Dominic was nicknamed "Fanta Face" for the orange colour of his fake tan. When he travelled to L.A. for his audition for Next Great American Band, he hoped to get a bit of time in the sun and underestimated the potency of the sun's rays. He turned up to the audition red-faced after getting sunburn. Fortunately for Dominic, the same thing happened to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, and everyone laughed about it.

While at school Dominic played a "trusty blue" clarinet in his school band.

Dominic is a very conservative dresser, and sometimes wears spectacles. He is said to be looking for a stylist in L.A. It wouldn't do him any harm to pick up some tips from fiancee Claire - she always looks very stylish!

Dominic used to idolise singer Robbie Williams, until he hit on his then girlfriend. Dom said the worst part is that the girlfriend seemed interested!

Although, it was eventually smoothed over, Dominic created a sensation when he pulled out of reality television show Intrepid Journeys hours before the plane was due to leave, after winning the coveted presenting role on Next Great American Band.

Dom is a non-smoker.

Dominic Bowden Latest Gossip

Dominic Bowden is still hanging around here in New Zealand with the fashionable in the hopes of picking up a few style tips.

A very nerdy looking Dominic was spied with TV3 reporter fiancee Claire Robbie at NZ Fashion Week wearing some truly awful Joe 90-type geek glasses, jeans, a shirt with a tie and a buttoned up jacket. Hello? Has no one told Dominic that jeans go with an open necked or nehru collar shirt? And sweetie, if you must wear a tie, could you at least spice it up? Boring, boring, boring. But, on the plus side it will end all those gay rumours, as we all know gay boys have much better taste in clothes.

Fortunately, help is on the way. NZ Herald report that Dominic is on the search for a stylist in LA as well as a pad for him to hang out in while he's working there.

Miss Prozac isn't entirely certain when Dominic leaves as reports conflict. Bridget Saunders said she spied him 3 weeks ago having his farewell dinner at Ponsonby eatery SPQR having with his family. NZ Herald's gossip maven reported last Sunday that Dominic leaves in about a fortnight.

Yet, in an interview with NZ Woman's Weekly Dominic Bowden said that he couldn't backpack around Sri Lanka for reality TV show Intrepid Journeys because the date clashed with his first day on the job as host of reality show The Next Great American Band. But that was more than a month ago... did Dominic not want to rough it in Sri Lanka?

Ahhh well we know he's leaving soon for fame, fortune and a suntan and hopefully some decent clobber.

Photo: NZ Herald

Dominic Bowden Are you smarter than a 10 year old

So, you thought now that Dominic Bowden is leaving our shores for fame, fortune and a suntan that you'd seen the last of him? Think again.

Dominic's back next week hosting quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? which has proved a hit overseas.


The bell has rung and it's time for class! Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?, gives New Zealanders the chance to win big money – or face the shame of being beaten by a bunch of 10-year-old school kids.

Host Dominic Bowden, plays the role of headmaster, with contestants on Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? having the opportunity to win up to $100,000. All they have to do is answer primary school level questions - and prove they really are smarter than the resident cast of 10-year-olds.

The contestants are even allowed to cheat! They can sneak a peek at one of the 10-year-old's answers and decide whether or not to use it. They can copy a 10-year-old's answer. And if they get an answer wrong, one of the kids could even save them with a correct answer.

What could be easier? Beating primary-schoolers at their own game should be like taking candy from kids, right? Wrong! This game show reveals that even the smartest adults find it tough to outsmart a smarty-pants 10-year-old.

If they beat the odds - and those brainy kids - and they could win $100,000! But, if they fail to remember those primary school facts and figures, they'll have to face the national television audience and admit, "I am not smarter than a 10-year-old". Ooooh shame. Yikes. Wonder if there will be any schoolteachers who will have to admit to being outsmarted by a 10 year old?

"It's a show that tests the contestants not on what they know, but what they have forgotten," says Dominic Bowden. "This is a new and challenging show for me - it's quite different to my usual formats. The kids are fantastic; they are the real stars of this show and I know that New Zealand is going to fall in love with them."

Tune in and test your own knowledge to see if you are smarter than a 10-year-old, TV2 Sunday 9 September, 7.30pm.

Photos: TVNZ

Judges confirmed for Next Great American Band

Sheila E. ("The Glamorous Life" and former drummer for Prince), John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, and Australian Idol's Ian “Dicko” Dickson will make up the judging panel for The Next Great American Band, which will be hosted by Dominic Bowden from NZ Idol and Pop's Ultimate Star.

The show premieres in the United States on October 19th, with the same format as Idol. Each band will compete for the public vote to win the title, The Next Great American Band. There's no word yet on whether TVNZ will be screening the show here.

Dominic Bowden's interview

This week's NZ Woman's Weekly has been promoting an 'exclusive' interview with Dominic Bowden. We're not entirely certain how this interview can be exclusive when Sunday News ran the story yesterday with some very similar quotes, but it does make for interesting reading.

We here at NZ Reality TV are delighted that Dominic landed the role of a lifetime fronting The Next Great American Band, as we're sick of seeing him and Jason Gunn host every reality TV show, every awards ceremony or retrospective. Interestingly, Dominic and Jason both started out hosting kids shows, including Squirt TV. Jason still retains some of the same frenetic energy whereas Dominic has become a more polished but boring presenter.

In Pop's Ultimate Star, we got the feeling that Dominic Plastic Bowden was simply going through the motions. Dom has done a darn good job in some of his earlier shows, but his personality got left behind, and while Pop's Ultimate Star had a lot wrong with it, a more entertaining host could have lifted it, and should have been on hand to intervene when the judges started waffling or got into arguments with contestants.

We found this old TVNZ video clip from NZ Idol 2006, where Dominic is talking about the auditions for the contest which shows a lot more personality. One of the things that makes Ryan Seacrest so good is his interplay with the judges. The banter between Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest has kept viewers glued to the screen. We wonder if Dominic will be able to match that sort of impromptu banter. His background as a radio DJ should make it easy for him to roll with the punches, so we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that he does a good job, and leaves the way open for more NZ talent to step up here at home. As Cerise has pointed out Robert Rakete would be an ideal host for the next season of Pop's Ultimate Star/NZ Idol.

According to Sunday News and NZWW, Dominic Bowden was red-faced at his audition, after spending some time taking in the rays. However as luck would have it, the same thing happened to Ryan Seacrest and the producers joked that it was a "sign". Only in LA, huh! He even gets to keep his kiwi accent - apparently accents are hot right now.

Dominic talked to the NZ Woman's Weekly about losing other opportunities due to nerves, but after laughing off the sunburn he relaxed and felt the interview went well. He was on his way to Hong Kong to meet the crew for Intrepid Journeys when he spoke to his agent and discovered he'd landed the job of a lifetime.

The last day of filming for Intrepid Journeys clashed with the first day on the job at American Band, so Dom had to beg off at the last minute. His mate Shane Cortese stepped in to save his bacon, and Dom anted up a business class airfare, and other production costs to ensure producers Jam TV weren't out of pocket. Good one Dom! Wonder if he also chipped in the cost of replacing Shane's mobile phone after it was stolen during the trip? Still, you can't help wondering whether all that was necessary. Surely the producers of American Band would have understood that he had a prior commitment, and been happy to wait an extra day or two. Seems more like Dominic Bowden would rather stand in his nice shiny suit in front of the bright lights, than trek through Sri Lanka in his old duds, and eat fried cockroaches, or whatever the heck the production team had planned.

Fiance Claire Robbie will be joining him in LA for two weeks while he settles in, and then returns to her job at TV3. When will the big day be announced? Last we heard Claire and Dom were wedding in March 2007 (another NZWW tell all story), but it looks like that's on hold.

Dominic is overexposed here in NZ and it will be nice to get a break. Unfortunately it will be a short break. You haven't seen the last of Dom on our screens. He recently finished filming Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? and at this stage plans to return to New Zealand when American Band finishes.

Related posts:
Dominic Bowden in need of a stylist
Dominic Bowden confirmed as American Band host & other gossip
Dominic Bowden No Show for Reality Travel Show


Photos: TVNZ

Dominic Bowden confirmed as Next Great American Band host

The rumours have been confirmed! You heard it here first - Dominic Bowden will be fronting American Idol spin-off The Next Great American Band, which airs in the United States in October.

According to today's Sunday News, Dom won the role, despite turning up to the audition with a bright red sunburnt face. Some of the story doesn't make sense. In the story, Dom says that the LA interview for The Next Great American Band clashed with the planned filming of an Intrepid Journey. However, in an earlier Sunday News story, Dom's agent Karen Kay, confirmed that Dom had just returned to NZ from an LA audition. The NZ Herald story, that ran on the same day, quoted his agent as saying

I can't be specific about it at the moment, but he got offered a job in America.

It wouldn't be the first time the Sunday News has got hold of the wrong end of the story. They speculated that Dominic would be fronting reality television series Star Struck, (which is a movie, not a TV show). Our insider at the time told us that Dom would be fronting American Band.


Photos: TVNZ

Dominic Bowden's new US Reality Show

Yes, that's right! Our Dominic Bowden is negotiating to front a prime-time US reality television show.

Speculation has been rife since Dominic Plastic Bowden, who looks great, sounds polished, but lacks personality, pulled out of reality travel show Intrepid Journeys at the last moment.

Sunday News speculates that Dom will be hosting Star Struck. Our sources tell us different! We don't know where Sunday News is digging up its story details, but our sources tell us Star Struck is a film and NOT a reality television show. We think Sunday News have got it wrong!

Our insider suggests that Dom will be hosting The Next Great American Band

The producers behind AMERICAN IDOL take the musical reality genre to a whole new level with a mission to find undiscovered American bands that are ready to rock the nation, starting with the special two-hour series premiere of THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (working title) Friday, Oct. 19 8/7c on FOX. The show will air in its regular time period on Fridays at 8/7c.

From hair bands to hip-hop, classic rockers to country crooners, THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (working title) scoured the country seeking musical groups of all ages and styles, with hundreds of bands auditioning for a backstage pass to stardom.

From the auditions, judges will narrow down the hopefuls to 10 semifinalist bands who will perform weekly in front of a live studio audience. Viewers will vote for their favorite bands to determine who stays in the competition.

Each week, the bands will perform either original music or covers of varied styles. The range of genres will test their musical limits, and could also strike the wrong chord in their personal and professional relationships.

The season finale brings the ultimate battle of the bands, with the last three groups competing to secure a contract with 19 Recordings and the title of “Next Great American Band.”

The series’ host and judges will be announced soon.

We'll keep you posted

Where in the world is Dominic?

Dominic Plastic Bowden was meant to be exploring the charms of Sri Lanka, but instead pulled a no show at the last minute.

There has been considerable confusion over his location with reports that he is in entertainment capital Los Angeles, Hong Kong or Taipei.

The crew of Intrepid Journeys, a Jam TV production which features Kiwi celebrities travelling overseas, were "disappointed" to discover NZ Idol host Bowden was cancelling his trip to Sri Lanka - just hours before the crew's flight was scheduled to leave Auckland Airport.

In a case of wishful thinking executive producer Melanie Rakena said:

I'm sure Dom will do the decent thing and compensate us for the losses. They will probably be about $20,000.

Hmmm. He's offered to stump up the cost of the airfare for last minute replacement Shane Cortese but it's pretty bad form, no matter how good the opportunity is. Of course if he ends up making the US$40 million per year that American Idol host makes, then $20,000 is small change.

Kay, of talent agency Karen Kay Management, confirmed the former kids' television show presenter had pulled out at the last minute because he got offered the chance of a lifetime. I can't be specific about it at the moment, but he got offered a job in America."

Kay let slip that Bowden had been attending meetings over the past week with the William Morris Agency, one of the largest talent and literary agencies in the world, and had been "put up for a lot of big jobs" by them.

Wonder if he included his personality in his carry on luggage? It's hasn't been sighted in Avalon studios, home of Pop's Ultimate Star...


Images: TVNZ