Shine & TEN welcome Tina Arena Home

Kicking off the exciting new Thursday night shows from Thursday, March 20, Australian pop royalty Tina Arena returns home to perform her new single, Reset, on the So You Think You Can Dance Australia stage.

Tina Arena is synonymous with Australian music and pop culture. Her voice has resonated throughout generations, from her early days on Young Talent Time, to her coming-of-age debut album Strong as Steel, through to the incredible international success of her sophomore album, 10 times platinum Don’t Ask, and the smash-hit follow-ups In Deep and Just Me.

Following the overwhelming success of her latest album Reset – which was her first original English language release in 12 years – Tina returns to our shores ahead of her national tour later in the year. Joining her on the stage are season one and two So You Think You Can Dance Australia winners Jack Chambers and Talia Fowler.

Ahead of next week’s performance, Tina said: “Dance is an art form I have the utmost respect for, and to share the stage with those who perfect this craft is each and every time an honour for me. Whether it’s dancing on stage at Mardi Gras, or with some of Australia’s finest on So You Think You Can Dance Australia, it feels electric. Music and dance, dance and music… for many, one doesn’t live without the other.”

INXS: Never Tear Us Apart to Rock Sundays on Seven

The most anticipated TV event of 2014 and Shine's first Drama will screen across two big weeks on Seven - starting 8.30pm this Sunday, February 9 and concluding 8.30pm Sunday, February 16. 

NXS: Never Tear Us Apart is the extraordinary and uncensored story of INXS, told for the very first time in exclusive collaboration with the band and those who knew them best.

This two-part television event from Seven and Shine Australia is the ultimate story of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll; of mateship, success and excess, marred by the tragic death of singer Michael Hutchence in November 1997.

See how these six suburban boys from Sydney’s Northern Beaches conquered the world with their unique sound and a work ethic that was legendary. Beyond the music; beyond the roar of a sellout crowd, there were the parties, planes, drugs and girls. INXS played hard and partied even harder, but the rock’n’roll lifestyle took its toll on these lifelong friends.

Never Tear Us Apart stars Luke Arnold as Michael Hutchence, Ido Drent as Jon Farriss, Damon Herriman as CM Murphy, Nick Masters as Tim Farriss, Andy Ryan as Andrew Farriss, Hugh Sheridan as Garry Gary Beers and Alex Williams as Kirk Pengilly, with Georgina Haig as Paula Yates, Jane Harber as Michele, Samantha Jade as Kylie Minogue and Mallory Jansen as Helena Christensen.

The series is Executive Produced by Mark Fennessy, Rory Callaghan and Seven’s Julie McGauran, with the band’s manager CM Murphy and Tim Farriss as Co-Executive Producers and Kerrie Mainwaring and Andrew Prowse as Producers. The series is Co-Produced and Directed by Daina Reid and Written by Dave Warner and Justin Monjo.

Never Tear Us Apart was filmed in Melbourne mid-2013, with full access to the INXS archive of music, photography and stories.

INXS are one of Australia’s most successful rock bands ever with over 30 million records sold worldwide, including number ones in four different continents and a performance history of some 4,000 live shows to over 25 million people in almost 50 countries. 

Will.i.am & Kylie Minogue join the Voice family in 2014

Joel Madden and Delta Goodrem also announced as first Coaches for The Voice Kids.

Grammy Award-winning superstars and current Coaches of The Voice UK, will.i.am and Kylie Minogue, are set to join The Voice Australia family in 2014.

They will take up their red chairs next to returning Coaches Ricky Martin and Joel Madden in the new season of the hit show on Channel Nine next year.

will.i.am is a seven-time Grammy Award winner. Known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas, he has sold more than 33 million albums and 58 million singles worldwide. Earlier this year will.i.am released #willpower, his solo effort featuring a bold fusion of hip-hop, R&B, and electronic/dance music. The album includes the multi-platinum single Scream & Shout, plus thatPOWER featuring Justin Bieber and Fall Down featuring Miley Cyrus.

will.i.am is the first recording artist to send a song to Mars, Reach For The Stars (Mars Edition) which was played back in collaboration with NASA’s Curiosity Mars Space Lab team in 2012.

“It is an honour to join The Voice Australia as a Coach working alongside Kylie Minogue, Ricky Martin and Joel Madden. Australia is a highly creative country and a place with many good memories that have shaped my music career,” will.i.am said.

“Australia is one of the first countries where The Black Eyed Peas enjoyed international success selling out many performances, and the place where I discovered electronic dance music. Having worked with both Kylie Minogue and Ricky Martin on past music projects, it will be fun to collaborate with them on the show.”

Kylie Minogue exploded onto the music scene in 1987 and has since become a chart- topping, multi-award winning global artist over the past two decades. She broke records and made history with her 1988 debut album Kylie, which entered the charts at number one and became the first album by a female solo artist to exceed sales of two million in the UK, ultimately going platinum seven times.

Minogue has dominated the awards circuit, having been nominated for and winning countless awards in the US and internationally, including Grammys, BRIT Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Asia Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, MTV Movie Awards and many more. In 2011 she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame as recognised by the Australian Recording Industry Association for her accomplishments in music. She has always been true to her fans, bringing them spectacular live shows time and again on 10 world tours spanning Europe, Asia, South America, North America and Oceania.

Minogue won the Helpmann Award in 2012 for Best Australian Contemporary Concert for her Kylie Aphrodite Les Folies Tour 2011. She also awed millions of fans with her performance at the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

'I am so excited to be coming home and being a coach on The Voice. I look forward to spending time in Australia, getting up close and personal with new talent and working alongside the three amazing artists: Ricky, Joel and will.i.am.' said Kylie

After his hugely successful season on The Voice and a six-city, high-energy tour which saw him reconnect on stage with his Australian fans, Ricky Martin said: “I am very happy to be returning to Australia once again. Being a Coach on The Voice has been a very fulfilling experience and I look forward to working with my fellow Coaches will.i.am, Kylie Minogue and Joel Madden, and all the amazing talent that Australia has.”

Season one and two’s winning coach, Seal, will take a break from the third season of The Voice to focus on music and material for a new album. “I wish all the Coaches and contestants well. To my Australian fans, sorry to not be back for this upcoming season but I wanted this window of time to focus on a number of exciting career priorities – a new album, a TV and internet project and, most importantly, precious time with my children,” Seal said.

Coach Delta Goodrem will also be taking a season off from the 2014 adult version of The Voice to focus on her own music.

Adrian Swift, Nine Network’s Director of Development, said: “Our coaches are artists with busy careers and the time commitment to do back-to-back seasons is extensive, so we are thrilled we are able to work with Delta in having her be a part of The Voice Kids, while simultaneously supporting her with her music goals.”

In the first Coach announcement for The Voice Kids, Delta Goodrem will join long-time friend and fellow Voice coach Joel Madden in the big red chairs, with more Coach announcements to come for the highly anticipated debut of The Voice Kids Australia.

Goodrem said: “I am so excited to be a part of the debut of The Voice Kids and discovering the next generation of Australian talent. I have so much respect for my fellow coaches joining The Voice Australia family. Being a part of The Voice Kids allows me the time to continue working on the show and to focus on new music. 2014 is shaping up to be such an exciting year #TeamDelta #TheVoiceKids.”

The Voice Kids will showcase the extraordinary vocal talent of kids aged 8 to 14 from around Australia, featuring the same spectacular set with electrifying blind auditions and thrilling battle rounds. It too will culminate in a grand finale where only the best of the best young singers will get their chance to perform for the title of The Kids Voice of Australia. 

Adrian Swift said: “2014 will be an exciting time for The Voice, welcoming will.i.am and Kylie to the family as Delta and Seal step out for their respective career commitments. We really value their contribution over the past two years and look forward to working together in the future.

“The production of the first ever The Voice Kids with fan favourites Joel and Delta, to be joined by other big name coaches. The talent we have unearthed for both shows is exceptional and the Australian audience is sure to be blown away by how much musical talent this country has to offer.”

Darren McMullen will return in 2014 to host both The Voice and The Voice Kids.
The Voice Coaches in 2014: will.i.am, Joel Madden, Kylie Minogue and Ricky Martin

The Voice Kids Coaches in 2014: Joel Madden and Delta Goodrem with more Coach announcements to come. 

Shine Australia & AFTRS Announce the 2014 Intern Program

As part of a commitment to foster creativity and nurture talent within Australia's television industry, Shine Australia and the Australian Film, Television & Radio School (AFTRS) have today announced the launch of the inaugural Shine Australia Intern Program.  

Through this industry partnership one 2013 Foundation Diploma Graduate will be awarded a full time, paid internship with Shine Australia for 2014.

Mark Fennessy, CEO Shine Australia said: "In a rapidly changing landscape it's often hard to get a start or find a window of opportunity. Together with AFTRS we’re pleased and proud to be able to provide such a window – and hopefully give something back. Shine's currency has always been great people and we believe this internship will provide the right platform to kick start a new career in this industry".

Sandra Levy, CEO AFTRS said: “We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity to our Graduating Foundation Diploma students who are at the very commencement of their professional careers. In a highly competitive industry, this will provide a serious break for one of our young Graduates.” 

The 2014 programme will commence in February and the aim is for the internship to roll out with a new foundation diploma graduate each year.

"The Face" announced

Supermodel Naomi Campbell is bringing her worldwide smash hit series THE FACE to Australia, with Shine Australia and Foxtel announcing a local version of the new reality format, headed by the fashion icon herself, will begin production later this year.

THE FACE is an innovative modelling competition series following three supermodels as they use their unparalleled knowledge of the industry to mentor their teams of up and coming models.  These next generation models go head-to-head for the ultimate prize – becoming The Face of a major brand.

As co-executive producer of THE FACE AUSTRALIA and one of the model mentors, Naomi will lead the local hunt for the face of a major Australian brand.

“I’m looking forward to working with Foxtel and Shine Australia in bringing The Face to Australia.  Having found amazing girls in America and the UK, I can't wait to see what talent Australia has to offer,” Naomi said from the set of THE FACE US in New York.

“The show is a real insight into the modelling world – it's authentic, fast paced, and gives our aspiring models a taste of what it is really like.  We're trying to find contestants who have the whole package – a beautiful face, great body, unique look, confidence, drive and passion, the ability to change and transform, a willingness to follow direction, and, above all, a strong work ethic."

Foxtel Executive Director of Television Brian Walsh said, “Naomi Campbell is an industry icon.  She is one of the world’s original supermodels who continues to set the benchmark for the industry, and we are delighted to have secured her to join Foxtel and headline The Face Australia.”

“Having such a dynamic personality at the helm of this exciting new format will generate huge buzz for Foxtel, and further illustrates our commitment to developing unique and compelling content for our customers,” he said.

A Shine America format, THE FACE will be produced by Shine Australia exclusively for Foxtel.

Shine Australia CEO Mark Fennessy said,"Naomi Campbell is a catwalk superstar – a doyenne of the runway.  Together with Foxtel we're thrilled to welcome her to Australia for The Face – a brilliant new series that creates the next generation of supermodels. With fashionista mentors, real brands and real campaigns, viewers will get double the drama, tension and excitement. It takes one great face to know another".

THE FACE first launched on the Oxygen Network in the US in February.  Hosted by photographer Nigel Barker, the series featured Naomi Campbell, Karolina Kurkova and Coco Rocha competing to find The Face of ULTA Beauty, one of the fastest growing beauty retailers in the United States.

Following on from the hype of the US version, the series soon spread to the United Kingdom with Naomi working alongside British model Erin O’Connor and Swedish beauty Caroline Winberg. 

The host of THE FACE AUSTRALIA and the remaining two model coaches will be announced soon.  The series will go to air on FOX8 in 2014.

Applications are currently open to all females aged between 18-30 years old and at least 172cm tall.  For further details, head to the FOX8 website – www.fox8.tv