Colleen Hewett from Mornings with Kerri-Anne show on July 17, 2006.
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00:00the queen of pop two years in a row massive hits including day by day wind
00:06beneath my wings she is one of the biggest voices in this country and is
00:11now taking on a role as Peter Allen's mother in the upcoming production of the
00:15boy from Oz of course starring Hugh Jackman we welcome to the program
00:19Colleen Hewitt good morning good morning Carrie Anne how beautiful to be looking
00:23at you all grown up and everything when I first met Carrie Anne if people in
00:28the studio or sitting in their lounge rooms that you used to come down to me I
00:32was working in a band on the Gold Coast and I must I was only all of 19 or
00:38something like that myself and used to come down and visit me for singing
00:41lessons in your school year at home. I used to beg you for singing lessons yes and you said just get a pair of earphones and
00:49listen to Aretha Franklin that's it good girl you remember absolutely yes and
00:54and boy did you help me thank you for that going back and you still just 12
00:58years oh yeah I was 10 years oh gotcha yeah hell of a lot of water has gone under the
01:03bridge since then though more importantly boy from Oz what a show and I know
01:08you've been in retirement what seduced you it had to be something special it
01:14really I mean I quite like being retired doing nothing but you know flitting
01:18around I've still got one child in in school during year 12 there he is isn't
01:22he gorgeous look at that talent and you don't get sick of looking at him rehearse
01:28the whole cast is a cast of so such talented people everyone and he's he's
01:36gorgeous he's a whole time he is but he's also lovely as he's Chrissy
01:41Amflit as he's Angela Tui Peter Hardy Murray I mean everyone in the show I'm
01:47just so lucky that I did say yes I wouldn't mind auditioning something hit
01:52me in my gut because I'd already done a tribute album to Peter Allen back in
01:5797 you you knew Peter in fact a lot of people from my era did yes we all came
02:03in contact with the Allen brothers and I was right here in these studios and
02:08here doing bandstand actually and the sound people upstairs I was rehearsing
02:13for my very first bandstand the big tough bandstand clicky family I was told
02:19you know girl from Melbourne you know you'll never really melt into that lot
02:23anyway I was rehearsing my song the sound people upstairs said oh that'll do
02:28and I was only halfway through it and I felt like such a country bumpkin you
02:32know like no I've still got the rest of that song and this person come out of
02:37the darkness of the studio and it was Peter saying hey come on she's on at the
02:42top of the show she's got plenty of time to rehearse and you know do it and I
02:46thought what a generous person I mean nobody in this business does the lovely
02:50things like that so really what that was get rehearsed and feel comfy yeah and I
02:55was nobody to him you know he was one of the Allen brothers but thought what a
03:01lovely thing to do good in fact one of your appearances there teaching look at
03:05this and enjoy oh my gosh
03:16knowing that amazing incredible isn't it what a huge voice you as I said the
03:32intro have got one of the biggest voices always did yeah it's a bit of a
03:36foghorn isn't it really I mean I can't sing soft I just I don't know how to
03:41come back you know you can do your light and shade and all that sort of technical
03:45stuff but yeah it's just out there isn't it but I get to do such a
03:49beautiful song in this show don't cry out loud
03:52have you ever sung that no too hard for me no it's you know it's beautiful you
03:57just let your soul do you're singing for you so beautifully written it is not
04:02Carol Bauer Sager who wrote oh Peter of course yeah there was a story behind why
04:11he wrote that I haven't learned really yeah oh well I mean the life if you're
04:19listening to to the play and everything I mean it's just all a lot of it makes
04:24you sense and he always said that he'd never have to write a book about his
04:26life because it's all there in his songs and when I saw him perform when I was
04:31living in Los Angeles back in the 70s he was just supporting Manhattan transfer
04:37and that they could not follow him yeah they couldn't follow him here we were
04:42just sitting there in awe of this Peter Allen for it used to be in the Ellen
04:46Brothers didn't think that we were gonna see the spectacular show that they'd be
04:50put on that night the talent and transfer came out and they had to tell
04:53everybody we're not coming we're not gonna stay out here if you're gonna keep
04:56on calling out for him lovely you know that the delivery that he had it was
05:02passionate and great job and such you know it is such a tough gig it's
05:09emotionally physically demanding yeah so you play his mum yeah I'm playing I'm
05:14playing Marion and and it is an honor to play such a wonderful person that
05:19obviously encouraged little Peter and did what all mothers do we all want the
05:26very best but when you spot a natural thing in your child you want to
05:31encourage it and she could see that this kid was born for dancing and
05:36singing and in that little area of Armidale Tenderfield all of that area
05:40where would this have come from you born with it obviously because this is just a
05:46little hit town back then you know but he had this you know this thing of the
05:51movies and Judy Garland and you know all that stuff and that visualization which
05:56I know you are very strong in visualization very I remember when
06:01television started in Australia 1956 Olympic Games going on in Melbourne I'm
06:06looking at a television set and I knew that I was I was going to be a part of
06:10it I knew that I was going to be on there I could have been the weather girl
06:13I could have been you know someone like panda or whoever was at the time spinning
06:17wheels for prizes I don't know what it was going to be I knew I was going to be
06:20there. Well listen it is such a treat to catch up with you. John Paul Younger, first up with Birthday Bash.
06:26Yes, saw him before, isn't that lovely. Now this is the boy from Oz again we just implore you you've got to get out and enjoy the show
06:32going from Sydney into into Melbourne Adelaide of course Brisbane and over to
06:38Perth if you're missing any of those states please just get on our website and make sure you get your
06:42bookings. Colleen Hewitt thank you. Thank you so much Kerri-Ann you look
06:46absolutely gorgeous you're better in the flesh actually. Well yeah younger and thinner. You're a stunner on the
06:51television too. Let me know your secret please. Eat, drink and be merry. Colleen great to see you. Thank you so much Kerri-Ann. Okay we've got more coming up about 9.30
07:04we're going to announce the winner yes the winner somebody actually has won at
07:09the Alaska to Canada competition but after this break Effie Zahos answering
07:13your emails on how to control your finances in the new financial year.