Hasn't looked back ... Dean Geyer



WHEN Dean Geyer romped in to third place at the Australian Idol finals in 2006 it was a red carpet ride to success.
With the show at its peak, there was the red carpet arrival and performing at the premier concert spot in the country, inside the Sydney Opera House.

But tomorrow night the 2008 finalists Wes Carr and Luke Dickens will find that the red carpet has been put away and this year they will have to be content with playing the Opera House forecourt rather than inside.

Special section: Australian Idol 2008

Channel Ten said the changes had been made to provide a better show for the public - with an expected 7000 to watch the live final at the forecourt.

With ratings falling, there are questions over whether Idol is being scaled down.

Geyer, who has announced yesterday his plans to leave Neighbours after playing resident muso Ty, said he believed Idol could still be a springboard to success.

For Geyer that included a stint acting: "I'm in love with acting."

But it is music that is calling him back and he is busy working on his second CD: "It's going to be quite vibey and different to my first album which was generic pop.

"This will be more electro."

Sydney finalist Carr said the show had already led him in the right direction.

And it is a long way from where he was when the 2007 Australian Idol was dominating the screen.

"I was working at the bar at Bronte's Robin Hood Hotel," Carr said.

He'll be singing his own tune at the finale. In a change for the show the formula of one song for both finalists to sing in their own style has been abandoned.

Instead an individual song has been picked for each contestant.

For Carr, that is You - a bluesy tune with a pop sensibility.

"I liked it the moment I heard it," he said.