The Sunday Independent (Ireland) - February 29th 2004
Ronan Keating flew out with his wife Yvonne and kids on Thursday to Dubai for
10 days. (The pair had dinner in Thornton's restaurant in the Fitzwilliam
Hotel with your humble diarist on Tuesday night.) Ronan has a Dubai golf date
planned with the invincible Tiger Woods, and will be celebrating his 27th
birthday in the Mira Salem Hotel on Wednesday. Mystifyingly, his former best
friend Louis Walsh isn't on the guest list.
BE - ©
Copyright
Unison.ie
February 29th - Turn It On has climbed from No. 40 to No. 26 in the album charts!
Hello Magazine - February 26th 2004 - Click here
Camilla
Parker Bowles' son has just published the first edition of Quintessentially, a
lifestyle magazine for well-heeled Brits. And the Oxford graduate hosted a
celebrity auction to mark the event, which featured a signed lithograph by the
Prince of Wales.
The young entrepreneur intends to reciprocate Charles' support, by donating all proceeds from the auction to the Prince's Trust charitable foundation. And there should be a substantial cheque in the post, because the sale also included an autographed book by Madonna and a magnum of champagne signed by Cold Mountain stars Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.
The star-studded party in London's Bloomsbury Square attracted some appropriately aristocratic revellers, with the likes of Prince Michael of Kent, Lord Freddy Windsor, and Jeffrey Archer joining in the fun. It-girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and model Lisa Butcher brought a touch of svelte glamour to the bash, while singer Ronan Keating was there to represent the world of pop.
Hello Magazine - © 2001-2004, HELLO! All rights reserved.
NEWS, INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS AND LISTINGS
Ronan: On a roll...ercoaster
Keating crew out of the closet
by Katy Palmer and Hector Wells - February 26th 2004 - Click
here
Ex-Boyzone singer and all round nice guy Ronan Keating celebrates his 27th
birthday next week.
The Irish crooner has been in the music industry for a decade and since leaving
the boyband his career has gone from strength to strength.
With a breakthrough film role in a new British thriller lined up and his single
She Believes In Me firmly placed in the top five, we ask two fans who run
websites dedicated to the singer if life could get any better for him.
Carolyn Langton, who runs Ronan fan site justronanfansunited.com, says: "He's
about to start filming his first film, Guns, Money And Homecooking with Vinnie
Jones and Anna Friel. Time will tell if he will make it as an actor.
"Singing is his first love, but his songwriting is also gaining more respect and
recognition."
Although he has a squeaky clean image, Ronan's actions have caused controversy —
the Boyzone split led to a rift with other band members.
Carolyn reckons he did nothing wrong.
She says: "He had the foresight to know that Boyzone had run its course and
could only fade away if it continued. As it was, the band finished on an amazing
high. The other lads appear to accept that now."
In fact Ronan has racked up an astonishing nine top ten solo hits in the nearly
five years since he left Boyzone. At the moment the only other band member to
still be in the public eye is Keith Duffy with his role in Coronation Street .
The fact that Ronan's succeeded where other ex-members have failed is not
surprising, says Carolyn.
"He always had the most drive and determination, and became the natural 'leader'
in the band, always being the one to organise and motivate."
She believes Ronan's combination of musical ability and ambition has helped
prolong his career.
"He always had a thirst for learning and was involved with song writing and the
technical side of music right from the start. He's always been in it for his
love of music," she says.
What is the real Ronan like? He comes across as a likeable Dublin boy-next-door,
but is he hiding a darker side? Carolyn says what you see is what you get.
She says: "Every performer puts on a face when on TV to show more confidence
than they may be feeling inside. But Ronan has always been honest, and not tried
to be anything he isn't."
And Eleonor McCann of fansite ronankeating.ca says his clean image is his charm.
Eleonor says: I don't find Ronan bland at all. He's just another person and
doesn't try to pretend he's someone else.
"He's not obnoxious like Robbie Williams or as annoying as Justin Timberlake. I
hope he doesn't change as I respect Ronan as he is."
Ronan's youth — he is only 27 on March 3 — means the world is his oyster, says
Eleonor.
She says: "He can go anywhere he wants to go, whether it is movies, songwriting
or TV. There are many possibilities out there."
Some music fans may be tired of Ronan's reworking of old classics, but not
Eleonor. "I'd like more of those cover versions as he makes them special."
February 23rd - Ronan performing 'She Believes In Me' on the German show 'Comeback'
Gorgeous photos of Ronan from Music Pictures
register for free at Music Pictures to view larger versions
Ronan Keating is still hoping that he will be able to make it big in the US.
RONAN IS TORN DOWN
BY STEVIE RODEN
This is Nottingham February 21st 2004
Ronan Keating may be popular with the women - but one man went to great lengths
to get his hands on the pop star.
He escaped with a 6ft tall banner of the singer, put up near the Barker Gate
entrance of Notingham Arena.
The culprit even pulled up his vehicle on to the pavement and backed it up to
the wall to ensure a quick getaway.
The former Boyzone pin-up is expected to sell-out his gig at Nottingham Arena in
September.
Officials at the centre there believe the thief is either a massive Ronan fan or
wanted the banner for a gift for his wife or children. But now staff are asking
for it be returned and believe somebody must know where it is.
"That banner should have been up there for at least another six months before
the concert," said Helen Cundy of Nottingham Ice Centre. "Where somebody would
put such a big banner I don't know. We are just amazed it was taken in broad
daylight.
"Maybe the person who received it does not know it was stolen and will be
horrified to hear somebody went to those lengths to get their hands on Ronan.
"But wherever it is we just ask for it to be returned so it can go back up in
its rightful place, alongside the others, promoting the top events taking place
here over the coming year."
It was taken from outside the Barker Gate entrance of the National Ice Centre at
about 10.30am on Friday, February 6.
Anyone with information can call the Ice Centre on 0115 853 3000.
© Northcliffe Electronic Publishing Ltd.
Ronan at Metro Radio in Newcastle
Photos are © Copyright 2001 Emap Digital - all rights reserved.
Ronan at the Brit Awards 2004
Ronan Keating has arrived to take his place as a guest presenter. He knocked
back a glass of champagne and then quipped, "I can’t drink this stuff. It’s no
good for me." Nevertheless, the singer, who’s well chuffed with his no.2 chart
position, is well up for a party tonight. "I’m gonna see what Bryan and Kerry (
McFadden) are up to. We might be up for a few beers!"
See more photos of Ronan at the Brit Awards 2004 at Rex Features, Wire Image and IML Images
Copyright © 2004 BRIT Awards Limited
© 2003, IML IMAGE GROUP Ltd. All rights reserved
Under the grill - Keating's TV Kicks interview added
Ronan performing She Believes In Me on Top of The Pops on February 13th 2004
Daily Mail - 17th February 2004
Former Boyzone singer Ronan keating has shown what a
devoted dad he is by postponing the shooting of his film debut for a day- so
that he can attend his son's birthday party.
Jack Keating will celebrate his 5th birthday on Marh 15th when Daddy should have
begun shooting the gangstar movie Guns, Money and Home cooking alongside Vinnie
Jones and Anna friel in Bray, ireland.
© 2004 Associated Newspapers Ltd
Turn It On has re-entered the UK top 40 albums chart at number 33 - She Believes In Me has entered the UK top 40 singles chart at number 2!!!! - CONGRATULATIONS RONAN!
Keating saves it with flowers
Jan Battles
The Sunday Times - Ireland -
February 15, 2004
LOVE may have been in the air, but there was also a hint of a hard sell. Ronan
Keating released a love song to coincide with Valentine’s Day and then gave away
free roses to promote it.
The former Boyzone lead singer has teamed up with Interflora, the flower
sellers, to promote She Believes in Me. But even selling his love song on
the most romantic day of the year was not going to be a certainty given his
recent chart performances
So he decided to sell it with flowers, and yesterday everyone who hailed a
Keating-branded taxi in Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester or London was presented
with a rose courtesy of the singer. Passengers were then played his new
song on the cab stereo.
Meanwhile customers who ordered flowers from Interflora’s website were sent
promotional material about Keating’s single and a link to his website. Buyers
holding on the company’s sales line were played the track while they waited. In
return, Keating’s website carried a link to Interflora.
The marketing tie-in may have paid off. She Believes in Me is due to enter the
British singles chart at number two later today. Although it missed out on
the top spot, the high chart position is a boost for the Dublin pop star, whose
career was being written off after the poor performance of his last single and
new album.
“I’m not expecting to be number one, but two is unbelievable. I’m chuffed,”
Keating insisted yesterday. “Two is a great chart position and I’m over
the moon.”
He is likely to be kept off the top spot by Sam and Mark, a duo formed by the
second and third-placed finalists in Pop Idol 2. The pair, being hailed as
the new Robson and Jerome, have just released a cover version of the Beatles’
hit With A Little Help From My Friends.
Keating’s last track, Lost for Words, only reached number nine and his album,
Turn It On, has been selling poorly.
“A lot of people were writing me off,” he said. “There is a great saying in the
pop industry that you’re only as big as your last single. I think that’s
all people think about. They don’t think about the millions of records I
sold before that.
“I never went away, if people think that I did, that’s their problem.”
The single may have boosted sales of the album which is climbing back up the
charts.
The idea of selling it with flowers came from the video for the single, a cover
version of a Kenny Rogers song. Shot in London mainly in black and white, it
features Keating in a black taxi holding a red rose with a carpet of red petals
on the floor. Red petals fall from the sky and cover the streets.
“It was something that happened on set when we used all the roses and petals,”
he said. “We knew that the single was coming out around Valentine’s Day so we
thought we would do a tie-in. It has worked out fantastically.”
Interflora paid for all the flowers that were given away, including 10 bouquets
signed by the singer. Polydor covered the cost of the taxis. “It’s a
reciprocal deal, no money has changed hands,” said Orla Lee at the record
company.
Phil Carey, Interflora’s public relations manager, said it was hard to tell
whether sales of flowers had been boosted by the link-up “but it has probably
helped to access a slightly different market with Ronan’s fan base”.
He added: “We are always trying to attract the young market. Valentine’s
Day is obviously a peak period for us so we saw a natural tie-in for product.
It has worked very well. If you went looking for a fit of two brands to work
together, it doesn’t get much better than Interflora and Ronan Keating.”
Keating spent yesterday promoting the single in Britain before flying home to
Dublin for dinner with his wife.
She Believes in Me was originally recorded by Rogers in 1979 and Keating updated
some of the lyrics. “When I was a kid my mother used to play it in the house and
that’s why I recorded it and I guess it has done its job, which is great,” he
said.
“It’s a hit single and proves the critics wrong,” claimed Lee of Polydor. “He’s
back and he’s got a massive single.”
Copyright 2004 Times Newspapers Ltd.
The Daily Mirror - 3am - 14th February 2004
If you get in one, which will be playing his single, you will receive a rose. And for a chance to win lunch with the ex-Boyzone star, just tell us: What is the French word for love? Call 0901 564 3064 (1550 923 837 ROI) with your answer or text 3AMRONAN a space and then your answer to 86600 (57802 RoI). Calls cost 60p/min. Texts cost £1.50/msg. The winner will be selected at random from correct entries by midnight tonight. Standard MGN rules apply.
© Trinity Mirror Plc
£100,000 for a Ronan chariot - The Sun
February 12th 2004
RONAN KEATING has splashed out £100,000 on an American pick-up truck. The
vehicle is so big he has had to widen the gates to his house just
to get it in the drive.
The Irish singer, who lives in Malahide, north of Dublin, treated himself to
celebrate the release of his single She Believes — on course to make No2 in
Sunday’s charts.
The Ford F-150 truck is a limited edition model heavily customised by
Harley-Davidson. A pal revealed: “Ronan already has a growing collection of
their motorbikes. He has always loved American cars and bikes.
“This is the icing on the cake — a real Yankie truck with the Harley-Davidson
look.”
Ronan has steadily built up a collection of vehicles to rival a Premiership
football star. And he was at Man United’s match with Middlesbrough last night
after being invited by United shareholder
JOHN MAGNIER.
© 2004 News Group Newspapers Ltd.
The Sun - February 12th 2004
© 2003 News Group Newspapers Ltd.
Ronan get's lost in translation - Now Magazine February 11th 2004
Loveable leprechaun Ronan Keating is a happily married father-of-two, but that
hasn't stopped a dodgy club in Tokyo from using his image on posters to promote
it's activities.
Last year, the former Boyzone singer appeared in drag in an advertising campaign
for Heineken beer - and very fetching he looked too. He happily took the cheque
and probably thought that was that, so imagine the look of surprise on the face
of an executive from his record company when he visited Tokyo and saw posters of
Ronan plugging a club for transexuals, swingers and other 'experimental' folk.
In recent years Ronan has tried to drop his goody two-shoes image and seek a
harder, cooler look, but this certainly isn't what he had in mind. He'll soon be
embarking on a tour to plug his latest album Turn It On and after a
disappointing 2003, needs all the publicity he can get. His record company
decided to draw the line at promoting swingers clubs though.
Those responsible were politely asked to remove all offending posters.
© IPC Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ronan Keating: You Ask The Questions interview added
Six Years after Mam died, she still tells me off... interview added
My showbiz life interview added
Listen to a four part interview with Ronan on 2 Ten FM - Click here to see the photos
It's
amazing who you run into in the long halls of Empire Towers. While we at Empire
Online have become accustomed to sharing our lift with celebrity guests and
exchanging puzzled glances when familiar faces cut in front of us in the queue
for the vending machine, we were still forced to do a dramatic double take when
Ronan Keating popped by the office one morning.
IT'S
official. Ronan Keating brought Yvonne to Paris last weekend to see her in her
birthday suit. Which was - you guessed it - a stunning red Dolce e Gabbana.
CD 1
CD 2