Highlights of this event -
"I would like to see those pups in the Final" Simon Cowell
Out of some 120,000 acts chosen to be one of the 40 semi finalists.
The hundreds of e mails and messages of support we had
Video clip of final - high quality (Right click and save to your computer - view off line at leisure but very large file) For Youtube (lower quality but instant playback and you can add your comments please click Urban Gypsies youtube semi final
All
started one rainy October day - went down quite genuinely for a fun day
out - just to see what it was all about. Could not believe the 1000's of
people that were lining up there. Thought no more about it and then a
letter and phone call saying that we had got through to the live
audition in front of the
3 judges and a live audience. We had to do
exactly the same as at the 1st audition, music, routine, costume,
everything. But only a week before we were due to go on they let us know
that we could not use the song again because they could not get
permission to use that track. So we only had a week to come up with
something on "Rock the Casbah." The audience were booing the
previous acts off. Buzzers were going off like an air raid and a routine
that was put together and rehearsed in just a week. Piers buzzed very
soon with the audience in uproar, Simon buzzed near the very end. But
at the comments he did say that he doesn't know why but he liked us. Amanda
thought we were marvellous! So 2 yes votes got us through to the next stage.
Unfortunately Simon made a comment about Anna needing a support bra which get
picked upon by the media and dominated things too much.
So imagine our delight at having been chosen out of over 200 acts who had got to this stage to be one of the 40 semi finalists!
Our act here was introduced by Simon who said "I hope they take themselves more seriously this time, we've given them the chance, so now it's up to them." The comments by the judges started off with Piers who still quite obviously disliked everything about us. Amanda said "I completely disagree with Piers, I thought it was very energetic and fun.... " Simon finished off by saying "Well girls we knew what you were all about, we asked you to put on a better performance which (speaking slowly and emphatically) I think you did, and you know, I think Piers it was incredibly condescending for you to say what you just said, you sort of insulted every woman in the country!" Then he said "I would like to see those pups in the Final!"
We did not get into the finals but given the fantastic standard of acts that had universal appeal we thought we did ourselves proud to get this far and for Simon who does not meter out praise lightly to say what he did. But after having said that there is one very nice bit of news to hang onto. At a gig afterwards here in Manchester, I was talking to a large act who said they were in the canteen at a major TV centre and at the next table were people talking who were to do with the vote counting at the semi finals. He said he distinctly overheard them saying that the Urban Gypsies came 11th in the overall number of votes cast. There is no way easily we can verify this officially but it's nice to at least think that this happened!
More pictures below of the Semi Final.
