Tom Jones International

Don’t want to insult any of her fans, but Amanda Holden, a judge on Britain’s Got Talent seems to be a minor actress who was looking for a minute in the spotlight and decided to get it by saying the Tom Jones may, in a week The Voice be “spinning in his grave.” Sir Tom finally answered and did so the right way. He brushed her off as if she were an annoying gnat. The article below is incorrect in that Tom did not “reignite” the war of words between the two shows. Also, while it’s a fact that in the 20 minutes the two shows competed head-to-head, The Voice had more viewers but, overall, BGT had more.

THE VOICE: SIR TOM JONES BLASTS BACK

Daily Star | 29th March 2012 | By Daily Star Reporter

THE Voice star Sir Tom Jones has reignited the war with TV rival Britain’s Got Talent by claiming he has never heard of judge Amanda Holden.

As the two Saturday night shows went head to head last weekend, BGT judge Amanda Holden, 41, joked that the 71-year-old legend might not last the series and could end up “spinning in his grave”.

But Sir Tom, who is a coach on BBC1’s talent show The Voice, hit back at the ITV star yesterday.

He said he had brushed off Amanda’s “joke’’, and added: “I had no idea who she was or what she did.

In the 20-minute scheduling overlap between the two shows last weekend, The Voice had 8.9m viewers against BGT’s 6.71m.

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A very silly poll: Entertainment Wise has a 14-question poll asking readers to name the best judge on The Voice. Sir Tom is way ahead of the others in the voting.

Each of the 14 questions is the same — you see the results after you vote each time — but, because it’s so stupid, it does not prove Sir Tom is the favorite (even though we all believe he is).

It only proves that Tom Jones fans will tick off his name over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over (That is 14, isn’t it?) even though it’s a senseless exercise, essentially meaningless except for on that one website…no prize, no plaque or little gold statue for the winner.

Tom has gotten 100 percent of the votes after questions 1 and 3 (where this gret photo of Sir Tom on the BAFTA red carpet was posted) and high numbers after all the others, probably because enough of his fans posted the link on facebook.

On the first page of the 14, here’s what it says:

Well it’s here, The Voice has landed in the UK. The first of the blind rounds may be a little early to judge all the acts so instead we’re asking you to judge the coaches, to find out who your favourite is.

Is it Sir Tom Jones, the elder statesmen, who likes to reminisce about his younger days when he used to make girls faint with some bloke called Elvis Presley?

Or will.i.am who tried to top Sir Tom by name dropping Michael Jackson? Given that Uri Geller could also make the name drop the Thriller star you might choose him for being so dedicated that he’s turned his dressing room into a studio.

How about Danny O’Donoghue, The Script’s Irish charmer?

Or chirpy songstress Jessie J, whose hits were a popular choice amongst the contestants?

Whichever one it is, you can voice your opinion here in our poll.

Vote here.

Don’t forget to watch Tom on The One Show. The link is in the post below.

Tom will be at the Jazz Festival at Juan Le Pins in the Côte d’Azur on the French Riviera on Monday, July 16. Tickets online here. The page says there are 548 available. (That doesn’t sound right but, in case it is, you should hurry.)

Here, as you can see, is the complete first episode of The Voice. And, of course, there’s been lots of press. Here’s one interesting article:

‘The Voice U.K.’ Just May Boast the Most Awesome Judging Panel Yet

By Lyndsey Parker | Reality Rocks | Sun, Mar 25, 2012 10:33 PM EDT

We may all enjoy watching The X Factor USA’s Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid bicker, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler dote and gush and overpraise on American Idol, or Adam Levine and Blake Shelton carry on their bromance on The Voice USA. But the judging lineup for the British version of The Voice, which premiered this weekend, just may be the most awesomely chemistry-filled yet. The Voice UK cast consists of the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, Jessie J, Danny O’Donoghue of the Script, and–here’s the real kicker — SIR TOM JONES.

Yes, the Tom Jones. And there he is, upstaging all his castmates during their group performance of BEP’s I Got A Feeling.

Bloody brilliant.

For the rest of this article, an amusing video about Tom and name-dropping and for instructions about how and where to download the episode of The Voice UK, please
click here to (more…)

As noted here yesterday (as Tom told Chris Evans on the radio he’d be doing) Tom flew back to Los Angeles from London on Friday, March 24. He was on the same flight as Usher. He said he’s staying for a month; until the live Voice shows begin.

Tom and fellow coach Danny O’Donoghue were guests on BBC 1′s The One Show on Thursday, March 23.

Hosts Alex Jones and Matt Baker helped them promote The Voice UK. They were on for most of the half-hour show — a total of a bit over 15 minutes.

You can see the video of The One Show in the TJI.com Video Library.

There are five new photos — two of them shown below in the March 24 post — in the TJI flicker set Pap Shots: The Paparazzi Capture Tom.

Thanks to J and to KT for your contributions to today’s post.The TJI fan community is the very best!

Articles about Elvis are in many ways appropriate on a Tom Jones fansite because so many of Tom’s fans — the site moderator included — are — as is Tom — fans of Elvis. So, for a very nice, really long (1,106 words) article about Tom and Elvis, please click here to (more…)

Please don’t forget all the stuff in the post below!

In the video at left, all four coaches open the show singing the Black Eyed Peas hit I Gotta Feeling.

Ratings War: According to BBC News,The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent both proved to be ratings winners for the BBC and ITV when they were shown in opposition on Saturday night.

ITV had the most viewers, with a peak audience of 11.5 million watching Simon Cowell return to Britain’s Got Talent.

On the BBC, new reality series The Voice, which features Tom Jones and Jessie J amongst its judges, had a peak audience of 9.8 million.

But BBC One came out on top during the two shows’ 20-minute overlap.

Moderator’s Note: Of course, the next few weeks will tell the story.

You can read a one-off live blog about the first episode of The Voice in The Guardian.

It’s a minute-by-minute account of what happened and it’s fun to follow.

When you comment on what you see, please be honest — pros and cons.

For example, the guy writing the blog just above clearly wishes Will Young had been retained as a coach. How do we know? The clue is in the fact that he calls Danny O’Donoghue “not Will Young” or, simply, “NWY.”

For a video of a few of the show’s highlights and to read about a friend of Sir tom’s who turned down the show, please click here to (more…)

OOPS! Forgot to post Mr. Jones’ response to all those articles that have him trashing other shows. Sorry! On March 5 (!) he said on Facebook: “A comment of mine has been completely taken out of context so I just wanted to clear it up…I respect everyone who works on both the XFactor & Britain’s Got Talent, but The Voice is a completely different show. All four Coaches have been chosen because of the Artist and vocal experience we can bring to the contestants and it’s this format that sets The Voice apart from the XFactor.”

Never mind all the typos, the question is: aside from the fact that this statement was only on Facebook — which does serve him as an “official” site but one on which things that are posted tend to get lost — and not formally issued as an “official” statement, does not address what he said specifically about Simon Cowell, is this enough? Should it have been in a statement issued on his website or in a press release or by the BBC for him? That is, of course, if he needed to address this stuff at all. Did he?

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In case you haven’t read this, The Voice UK will be broadcast on BBC 1 starting next Saturday, March 24, at 7 pm.

In the video here Mr. Jones answers viewers’ questions. What would you ask him? (Please, don’t ask when he’s coming back to North America.)

With the same basic format for The Voice in every country (Netherlands — where it originated — the US, France, Ukraine, Israel, Mexico, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Denmark, and several others), you can get a sense of how it works and what to expect. In one video they ask The Voice UK coaches who has the greatest voice of all time. Mr. Jones responds that, in opera, it’s Luciano Pavarotti and in rock and roll, as we’d expect, it’s Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis.

You can find lots of videos from The Voice (mostly from the US) here.

For a new article on the coaches’ hair and other stuff (Danny O’Donoghue’s pompadour kind of kind of makes him look like a bad Elvis impersonator, doesn’t it?) click here to (more…)

Question: Some devoted, obviously well-meaning fans are posting interesting videos of Tom that are of extremely poor quality. Often a bad video can be fixed, but these are so bad — they look like cellphone video taken of VCR tapes — they are beyond repair. Do you enjoy seeing those? Or do you only want high-quality or, at worst, barely decent, videos? Any opinions? Please comment. Thanks! (I’ll be posting a lot more here when I have a chance.)

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New Gig Announced: It’s not on OFFICIAL Tom Jones yet, but the event organizers have announced that Tom will play Osborne House Concerts on the Isle of Wight, Sunday, July 29.
From Ventnor Blog.com: He’s heading for the green, green grass of Osborne House this summer, Tom Jones is back on the Wight. This in from Solo Promotions, in their own words. Ed

We are very proud to announce that the Welsh legend Tom Jones will be headlining Sunday 29th July at Osborne House Summer Concerts.

He will be returning to the Island after going down a storm at the Isle of Wight Festival last year.

Set in the grounds of the breathtaking Osborne House, the three-storey royal seaside villa overlooking the Solent will open to the public and will play host to a two night concert that sees British pop sensation Steps and living legend Tom Jones take to the stage for an unforgettable weekend.

He’ll captivate the audience
With a career spanning decades, this is a chance to witness an unbelievable performance from one of the biggest names in music. Tom Jones will bring his powerful vocals to the grounds of Osborne House and will keep the audience captivated from start to finish.

John Giddings, organiser of Osborne House Summer Concerts and the Isle Of Wight Festival, is thrilled to have teamed up again with Green Eye Events, Riverside Productions and English Heritage to put on this unique weekend. “I can’t think of a more perfect summer evening than Tom in the grounds of Osborne House, Queen Victoria would be proud of us….” he said.

From a couple of websites: We read several days ago that Sir Tom said of The X Factor: “Some of their judges aren’t even singers and wouldn’t be able to sing a note, so what do they know? Some of the judges don’t have the experience to be on talent shows – if you’ve only been in the industry two minutes, how can you offer advice? I have the experience and I listen to all sorts of music, so the advice I give will be valuable”

Now, an X Factor rep responded: “You are basically talking about worldwide success for nearly all of the stars who’ve come through the ranks on Simon’s shows. It’s a bit rich for someone appearing as a judge on a BBC show that hasn’t even started yet to criticise him. Simon’s always held Tom Jones in high regard but he’s being drawn into a PR stunt by the BBC when he should know better.”

Must say, I agree with the above. I am sure other Voice judges were asked to get involved, but they wisely declined. That is why one must always work with professional public relations people who will be able to see the danger of this type of thing. There is a real difference between good and bad press. This is bad and, like all bad press, can harm the person involved. It won’t hurt Simon Cowell, but will probably — and rightfully — come back to bite Tom. And, really, such negativity isn’t necessary. If the show is good, people will watch. If not, no matter how anyone picks a fight, viewers won’t stay with a show over the long haul.

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Evil and Jezebel are now on iTunes in the USA. The songs will be on iTunes elsewhere on March 19.

The drama King of the Teds — not strictly Sir Tom’s acting debut (just ask Tim Burton and Angelica Huston) — will premiere on Sky Arts Thursday, April 12, 9 pm, as the first in the network’s drama-comedy series Playhouse Presents.

It tells the story of Tina (Alison Steadman), who works part time as a cleaner. Her husband Ron (Tom Jones) has been made redundant (fired or downsized in the USA) by the bottle factory. The lives of this long-­term married couple are turned upside-­down with the surprise visit of their best friend from the 1950s (Brenda Blethyn) and deep feelings are rekindled.

The play was written and directed by Jim Cartwright. best known as the writer of the terrific 1998 film Little Voice that starred Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent and, in the title role, Jane Horrocks. It’s a wonderful film available on Netflix.

In addition to Little Voice, Brenda Blethyn won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar® for Secrets and Lies and was in A River Runs Through It, in addition to extensive work in film and on TV.

Alison Steadman has a long, stellar list of TV credits, including Gavin and Stacey and The Worst Week of My Life

Tom, clearly, is in good hands on this adventure into TV drama.

The title, by the way, refers to the character’s past as a so-called Teddy Boy, those guys in the 1950s who affected modified Edwardian — hence, the name “Teddy,” from the nickname for “Edward” — clothing. They were tough and wild. In the USA they might have been called “hoods” or “rocks.” Fonzie was an example of the US vintage.

[Moderator's Note: It's great that Sky Arts is doing a series like this. I remember such anthology drama/comedy series from when I was a child. I miss them, although Antenna TV shows a few. But many great dramas were on then. Hope a major US network follows suit, as today it seems to be only cable networks that do this kind of thing.]

For these two and seven more photos posted by OFFICIAL Tom Jones, and photoshopped a bit by TJI.com, please go to the TJI.com Flickr set Tom Jones On Stage. That set contains now 152 photos and there is a total of 1,036 photos in the 11 TJI.com Flickr sets.

Please don’t forget the posts below (especially the TJI Question of the Month). I’m hoping to get as many songs you requested posted as is possible. As new stuff comes in today and tomorrow I’ll post it here. New post on Saturday.

Tom’s new 45 arrived in the mail today. I really like it. Jezebel is a great tribute to Frankie Laine and Evil is, as noted before terrific. The musicians on the record really shine. And, I gotta say, there was something that was just lovely about putting a 45 on the turntable, lifting the arm and putting the needle down on the record. It’s been a long, long time. (I have the vinyl of Praise and Blame but haven’t played it yet.) Tonight, Randy Travis in concert at the spectacular new Smith Center for The Arts here in Las Vegas. Question of the Month coming Sunday.

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Thursday was March 1 — St. David’s Day in Wales. It was also the 47th anniversary of the day It’s Not Unusual his #1 on the UK charts. So, a happy belated St. David’s Day to Shirl and all TJI’s other Welsh friends and congratulations, also, to Sir Tom! (The daffodil and the leek are the symbols of the used on St. David’s Day.)

Kat and Rosina went to the art exhibit opening discussed in the post below. Kat wrote:

“We had a great time. They made us very welcome. It’s such a shame that not any of the major celebs turned up. Bryn Terfel (and the dignitaries) were lovely to us and were very pleased and surprised that we made the long journey. lots of people came to talk to us about TOM and TJI.

“I think that we have done some good for Tom & TJI as there was no other big celeb represented there by their fans.

“We had a long drive it took about 3-and-a-half hours but had a lovely drive through the Rhondda Valleys just past Pontypridd. The castle is about 15 miles from where Tom was born. It’s very pretty. The Castle is a very impressive building and is set in a wonderful park.

“We arrived and went into the main entrance to be greeted by to be meet by the event organizer Christopher Parry the artist, Steven Samuel. The first minister made a speech and he cut a ribbon and declared the exhibition open and we were all allowed into the gallery. There were approximately 45 people waiting to go in.

“Steven had said to me that he was very nervous about people’s reaction because its the first time he has done anything like this, as he’s is a cartoonist for the press.

“Well, he didn’t have to worry the crowd loved the paintings. He is a very talented man. The first painting that Rose and i saw of Tom is the one looking straight at you. It was done from a photo that Tom sent Steven and it took my breath away. Photographs do not do it justice .Both paintings are so vivid and alive, it’s as if Steven has captured Tom’s power and soul They are wonderful, The second one with Tom looking to the side ( i think is from a stage shot ) has captured Tom’s stage presence and shows him full of confidence. Any Tom Jones Fan would love to own one of these wonderful paintings.

“I do hope they do well as it is for a very good cause. Steven said they the art may be exhibited in Cardiff as well. They may be bid for or they may put a price tag on them i don’t think they know yet,

“So, Ellen, thank you very very much for a great experience.”

Moderator’s Note: You are most welcome, Kat. It’s been fun getting to know you. I met Rosina in Las Vegas a few years ago when she gave Tom a Welsh flag at a show. Turns out, he and I were always competing bidders on eBay but, since then, we’ve all become friends.

And Steven Samuel, the artist, seems a terrific guy. I hope to be able to use some of his work for another project I’m doing. He’s another person I’ve met through TJI that it’s been a pleasure to get to know.

If anyone does want a painting, email me and I’ll pass it on. Use the link below right.

(left) Artist Steven Samuel with Kat and (right) Rosina stands in front of a portrait of Sir Tom.

(Lots of art of lots of famous Welshmen and women. I see one over Rosina’s left shoulder of Sir Anthony Hopkins. I had the fortune to meet him at the Muhammad Ali event on February 18. He was so nice and took time to speak to anyone who asked a question.)

In August, TJI reported that artist Steven Samuel had done portraits of Sir Tom to be auctioned in support of a cancer charity.

Well, that charity is McMillan Cancer Spport and that event is tonight, February 29.

It will be held at Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The 1824 Regency home sits on 160 acres and looks beautiful.

The portraits are approximately 2 feet x 3 feet and the colors are much more vivid than they appear in these low resolution photos.

Steve has these two portraits, among others, in the auction.

He was told that the minimum bid will be around £200.

Sir Tom gave his approval to being included and has been invited to the event. In attendance will be the First Minister, Bonnie Tyler and Max Boyce.

If you wish to place a bid — and I know I should have posted this sooner, so I apologize — you can email event organizer Christopher Parry.

Two friends of TJI.com are planning on attending and will be giving us a report.

The exhibit will be open free to visitors for the month of March.

If you haven’t seen them, check out the posts below. Lots about The Voice UK.