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Craig - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "the best you've sung" "completely connected 100%"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "you sing beautifully" "you should try to challenge yourself vocally more and get out of your safety zone"

Richard - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - "good solid start to this evenings show" "better than you've done"

Craig - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Absolutely fantastic" "at your best when your not singing"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "It's what your best at but don't give up on your lyrical singing"

Richard - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I'm impressed" "You've turned it around" It suits you"

Richard - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I was hoping for a good performance" "you didn't bring off the rock chick vibe"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I was thinking about you in bed last night, after last night you remind me of Olivia Newton John as Sandy in Grease the way she changes through the movie"

Craig - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -"I don't agree, you were trying too hard" "wasn't honest performance"

David - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -"to the guys on the end you are conmen, every night you tell them to try something new and every time they do you both slap them down"

Craig - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Everything you've done up to date has been the same" "you have gotten over your nerves but that's all" "top register was out of tune"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I can't say you haven't improved, your so much better than last Saturday"

Carrie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "It's improved massively and I'm sorry you guys can't hear that"

Richard - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "He speak sings" "This critique is all for Comic Relief"

Richard - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I think tonight she sung the best ballad" "contained" "inside yourself" "lovely person"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "absorbed the song" "controlled way" "strange choice" "beautiful"

Craig - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- "more comfortable moving about" "voice improves with movement"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "So much better than last two performances, this went back to Hey ya"

Richard - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - "singing didn't rise to the occasion" "pub singer"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "growing in confidence" "such a joy" "a way to go, pronunciation needs work"

Craig - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "didn't do you any favors" "you did look far more confident in the space"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I think all the shouting was damaging your voice" "this was much better"

Richard: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "didn't enjoy last night but that was damn good"

Richard - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "voice croaked but that did not diminish the most accomplished performance of the ladies tonight"

Lesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I would urge you all to not part tonight, look after your voices"

As a result of the public vote through are: Chris, Kim, Nick, Dawn, Adrian, Debra and Edith.

The student vote: Chris – Reggie, Kim – Reggie, Nick – Reggie, Dawn – Reggie, Adrian – Reggie, Debra – Jon, Edith – Reggie and Gina – Jon. With six votes to two, keeping his place in the academy was Top of the Pops co host Reggie Yates.

Blowing your kazoo

He might be famous for being a madcap comedian, but Adrian is demonstrating his love of music more and more.

Having delivered strong renditions of Turning Japanese and A Little Less Conversation in the sing offs, Adrian has being showing his prowess as a musician as well as a singer.

He was quick to take advantage of the guitars hanging on the walls of the Academy and was quietly strumming away as he waited for his singing lesson with Carrie yesterday.

This morning, Reggie was blowing away on a harmonica he'd found in the bedroom until he discovered it was Edith's.

'How embarrassing,' the youngster exclaimed, 'I thought they'd left it here for us!'

Unperturbed, Adrian picked it up and whizzed through a tune for his bedroom audience.

'What was that?' asked Chris.

'Born to be Wild,' joked Adrian, before admitting it was Oh Susannah.

The others were clearly impressed and Nick wanted to talk more, asking: 'What is it with comedians and banjos?'

'It's the insistently hard sound, it's exciting,' enthused Adrian. 'It's like running down a hill and you've got to keep up.'

Obviously a keen music fan, Adrian perhaps let himself down when he asked the guys: 'Would you recognise anyone from McFly?'

What do you know!

04 March 2005

After just over one full day in the Academy the students have begun to bond and are relishing the banter.

This morning's sessions clearly helped as all 10 students prepared a song to perform together tonight as well as practice their own performances for the sing off.

After their pre-breakfast workout when they tested Kevin's patience as he put them through a tough dance routine, they were put in Carrie and David's care for some breathing and relaxation exercises, but the students weren't ready for some peace and quiet.

Lying on their backs, the gang couldn't help but carry on the fun from Kevin's class and giggled and whispered to each other.

"Will you just shut up!" screamed Carrie, "You never stop, zip it!"

"She's right, we never stop," came a voice from the floor while the infectious chuckles from the others finally spread to Carrie and David.

After they'd perfected the group song, it was off to the dance studio again for another date with Kevin.

"I'd hate to be one of his children," muttered Adrian raising more laughter as they were corralled into their positions.

Their singing and dancing practice paid off though and Kevin was clearly impressed as he watched them run through their routine a few times.

"I love it, you lot aren't singers and it's hard to sing together, it's great," he enthused.

The group's chief comic Adrian piped up in his best cheesey voice: "Cliff baby, do you think we should throw in some moves?" as the whole room fell about laughing.

After the final run through of the track when they just managed to stifle the giggles, Kevin reassured the students they'd done a great job.

"What do you know!" screamed the group in unison as they left the room, still laughing.

Back to the 80s

04 March 2005

It was comedy nostalgia time for some of the students as they chatted after lunch and who was top of the list?

Yes it was Adrian again, or rather his alter ego, Vyvyan from The Young Ones, who was fondly remembered by Nick and Jon although Reggie jokingly mocked the show.

"You have ruined my childhood, I was freaked out," the 21-year-old said, remembering how he had gone to an aunt's house when he was small and sneaked a peek at an episode of the cult show when Vyvyan got his head chopped of. Clearly scarred for life, Reggie!

"We weren't allowed to talk about it at school," said Gina.

"See, it was people like you who saved the show," answered Adrian. "They just talked it up in the playgrounds. Everyone thinks it was really popular, but it wasn't."

"Where did you get Vyvyan from?" pondered Nick.

"You saw a bit of him the other day, didn't you?" joked Adrian, recalling the late night antics of their first evening in the Academy and his subsequent hangover.

Dawn remembered Adrian had featured in Blackadder as well.

"I did a bit, yes. I was Baron von Richtofen. He admired the English sense of humour," Adrian recalled before putting a mock German accent: "Look, I've got a funny limp."

Not that dance injury again, Adrian?

All together now

04 March 2005

It was the morning dance workout again and Kevin was determined to get the students working together in unison. Some of the gang aren't quite as enthusiastic though.

Their fitness coach showed the 10 remaining students some tricky dance moves which left some of them looking slightly bemused – mostly the older guys in the room!

Walking forward in unison and a few arm movements may not seem too tricky a task, but Kim thought she'd turned into a duck and Jon waved his arms like some manic kung fu expert while Adrian just creased up.

At the back of the class were the two naughty schoolboys, Chris and Reggie, who were more interested in the snow falling outside.

'Wow,' said Chris as though he'd never seen the white stuff before.

Kevin wasn't going to let his pupils get the better of him though, making them repeat the move over and over again.

'Kim, I hope you can sing tonight because your mouth can't stop moving!' he shouted over the music.

Perhaps Kevin had worked them too hard because when he asked for the group to separate into the five guys at the back and girls at the front, Adrian was clearly confused.

'Five guys?' he asked

'If you're confused,' quipped the teacher, 'that's you!'

'I didn't used to be,' replied Adrian, perhaps dreaming of lunch again already.

Once they were in line, Kevin's plea to þdo this right and make me look good' was met with laughter from everyone.

'You might want to pin your hopes somewhere else,' countered Nick.

The hard work paid off though as the students all moved and stopped together apart from Jon, who was waving his arms around like a chicken.

Fond memories of his Spitting Image days, perhaps?

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