Further evidence Dannii Minogue is the bestest celebrity EVER
Dannii Minogue is so awesome. Aside from being a tops Aussie gal, with ace songs and being a YTTer, every few weeks she sends her fans an e-mail featuring hilarious goss and photos of her with people she's met. The last one, written after her trip back to Oz, is the best ever. I love the way she doesn't shy away from having been on Young Talent Time and Home and Away. In fact she seems to love it. Unlike other former soapie stars.
Anyway, at the Logies Dan caught up with former H&A co-star Norman Coburn, saying "I had another Home and Away moment (the first being performing before Bec Cartwright) when I caught up with me old TV teacher - Donald Fisher!"

Then, she got all YTT crazy. "I appeared on the show Rove Live and it is filmed in the same studio that I worked in for six years filming Young Talent Time (way back in the day!). I even saw some familiar faces in the crew! I used this opportunity to pop into the costume department of Channel 10. The wardrobe lady told me that all the old Young Talent Time costumes where still in there. It was such a blast from the past going through them all. The pink and orange one I remember really well from performing Madonna's "Where's The Party?" - so I took it with me!!"
Dannii - YOU RULE!

Feel the New Edition love

Five million years ago in the early '80s, Boston produced one of the bestest damned R&B groups ever, who were also one of the bestest boybands ever. No, it wasn't Aerosmith, it was New Edition (Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie De Voe, Ralph Tresvant and Bobby Brown). They were produced by Maurice Starr, who later invented New Kids On The Block when MCA stole New Edition away from him (possibly because he was having trouble writing a love song without a food reference; although some would say following "Candy Girl" with "Popcorn Love" was a stroke of genius. As if to prove the point NKOTB's first album featured a song called "Popsicle" - which was ace-but-crappy). Um, what were we talking about? Anyway, then NE ran off to Jam & Lewis who kept the awesome hits a-flowin'.
When Bobby left to become a super star (and before Whitney, he was), they replaced him with Johnny Gill. Brilliant! Then, when the took a "break", Ralph and Johnny had huge solo hits and Bell Biv DeVoe became a trio of that exact same name (and produced Boys II Men and Another Bad Creation). Except their break wasn't the normal boyband break - they actually got back together and Bobby came too and they released the album "Home Again" and the ace single "Hit Me Off".
They are so awesome and a week isn't a week without a spin of the Greatest Hits.
Between them, the boys have had an amazing 18 US #1s. Now, in the year of their 20th anniversary, the boys are getting back together for a tour, except Bobby is drugged out of his mind and joining a cult with Whit and so, much as Biv begs, doesn't seem likely to be turning up. Stoopid Bobby. In even more exciting news, they boys are recording a new album for Bad Boy Records, which is the best thing P.Diddy has ever done. Ever.

New Edition Top 5 for today
1. "If It Isn't Love"
2. "Count Me Out"
3. "Cool It Now"
4. "Candy Girl"
5. "Hit Me Off"

NE Solo Top 5
1. "Every Little Step" - Bobby Brown
2. "The Floor" - Johnny Gill
3. "Poison" - Bell Biv Devoe
4. "Do What I Gotta Do" - Ralph Tresvant
5. "Roni" - Bobby Brown

NKOTB update
The other day, when discussing Jordan Knight's new single "Tender Love", I mentioned Danny Wood was playing solo shows for $10 a pop. Well, now Danny D is releasing a new solo single called "When The Lights Go Out". No, it's not the Five song. Yes, it is about " interracial relationships". Sorry?

Cheese Bag
I never seem to check my Cheese e-mail. I'm bad. But today I did (maybe because I was drunk). Anyway, there, under the heading "Rove Sucks" was the following, charming contribution from one of my lovely readers.

Dear Captain,
For ages you have been saying that Rove isn't funny on his show and now you think he is. But He (sic) ISNT (sic) funny at all and he never has been. He is just trying to be David Letterman. And evereybody (sic) knows the logies (sic) are a joke.
Dave

Dear Dave,
Despite having the great sense to read my page, you seem to be a confused little man. As I say to anyone who ever says Rove is like Dave (Letterman, that is - presuming you and he are not the same person), Dave didn't invent most of the jokes he does - they are just classic Tonight Show format pieces that have run since the beginning of TV. Steve Allen (the original host of The Tonight Show) was doing OBs and practical jokes on viewers in the mid-'50s. Johnny Carson continued the tradition. That's not to say Dave isn't funny, or doesn't bring his own spin to his stuff, but he didn't invent them.
I have said it time and again, Rove is a funny man, who for some reason has mellowed himself for prime time TV. This may be his choice, it may be the network's, but I maintain that in recent weeks he has loosened up and gotten funnier as a result (more Corinne and Pete sketches and less What The...? would help a lot).
I will also say this: his bizarre obsession with and knowledge of birds (as revealed on Enough Rope with Andrew Denton this week) is just darn creepy.
Anybody who thinks the Logies are a joke is a putz. I'm sorry, you may be one of my only readers, but you are.
Love Scott

Cheesey bits
* The once rather ace (but also a bit naff) East 17 have reunited for a 20-date tour in the UK. They will be playing dodgy Butlins holiday camps. These are like school camps that entire families go to for holidays. To any ordinary person this sounds like Hell, but that's what English people are like. Anyway, Tony Mortimer, who wrote their hits, isn't coming back because, according to The Sun, he thinks "it's beneath him". Which, of course, it is. Besides, he has the publishing royalties. Brian, John and Terry don't.
* Helena Christensen has revealed that she was almost attacked by the Backpacker Killer when travelling around Australia over 10 years ago. “Late at night this guy was just slowly driving behind us, then he stopped his car, jumped out and started following us," she says. "We started running and, lucky for us, one of these big trucks drove up beside us and scared him off." Spooky.
* Brilliant Garfield movie news. You may recall a month or two ago I declared that Bill Murray should be Garfy's voice in the new filum - and brilliant news, he IS doing it! YAY! Also good news, it seems Odie will be CGI after all, after reports only Garfield would be and Odie and Nermal would be played by real animals.