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StarJam Rocks 2005

In a jam-packed ballroom at the Langham Hotel in early December, a rapt audience was entertained by celebrity interviews, musical performances and the first ever­ StarJam debate at StarJam ’s show, StarJam Rocks 2005 . With more Jammers and celebrities involved than ever before, this ambitious show featured young people with disabilities sharing the stage with the likes of Olympic gold medallist Hamish Carter, TVNZ newsreader Simon Dallow, and New Zealand’s own R&B superstars Adeaze. The real stars of the night, however, were undoubtedly the 29 Jammers who enthralled the 250-strong audience with their humour, talent and ability to shine.

The night began with a rousing performance from the StarJam dancers to Saturday Night Fever . The dance was dedicated to Kevan Newman, the step-father of Jammer Katrina Williams who was tragically killed just days before StarJam Rocks 2005. Kevan was immensely proud of Katrina’s involvement in StaJam , and the dancers were honoured to be able to celebrate his life through their performance. Taking turns to strut their stuff in the centre of the stage, the Jammers encouraged the audience to get into the spirit of the night by clapping and singing along.

Hosts Kate Hawkesby and Daniel Gourlay then took to the stage, displaying the camaraderie they forged after first meeting at StarJam ’s Stars Thru Their Eyes 2004 . Daniel and Kate’s banter continued throughout the night as they introduced each act and, at one point, entered the audience to coax a brilliant impersonation of Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt from John Hawkesby that left everyone in stitches.

Talented singer/songwriter Renee Maurice travelled all the way from Picton to perform Tonight We’re Gonna Shine , which she penned specifically for StarJam. Tonight captures the dreams and aspirations of all of our Jammers and eloquently conveys the StarJam message of unconditional love.

The first of the Jammer interviewers to shine was Lily Harper, who realised her dream of meeting Sticky TV host Sam Wallace. Lily’s probing questions included what Sam’s favourite tv show was when he was a child (which Sam grudgingly confessed was on a rival channel to TV 3!) and whether he had a girlfriend. Lily was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek from her hero at the end of the interview

For his first StarJam performance, computer-enthusiast Samuel Hull requested he interview the Director of Hewlett Packard’s (NZ) Imaging and Printing Group, Andrew Seerden. Andrew was very impressed by the depth of Samuel’s questions about the future of digital technology and presented him with an HP laptop and printer at the end of the interview. Samuel didn’t stop smiling for days afterwards!

 

Not many people can say they have been offered the chance to compete against an Olympic gold medallist, but that’s exactly the claim that Jammer Cam Calkoen can make after interviewing triathlete Hamish Carter in one of the highlights of the evening. Cam and Hamish hit it off immediately and spoke at length about Hamish’s inspiring performance at Athens, his motivation and goals, and whether Big Macs and Hamish’s favourite Eggs Benedict recipe are the real secrets behind his world-class performances.

   

Violinist Chris Brown and a quartet from the Auckland Philharmonia serenaded the audience as dinner was served. This inspiring performance was followed by Jammers Moana Mani and Ese Aumelasulu joining Adeaze for their top-selling single, Getting Stronger . Moana and Ese were over the moon at having the opportunity to jam with Adeaze and quickly progressed from being in awe of the brothers at their first meeting, to collaborating on harmonies and even instructing the double platinum selling artists about what key to sing in!

Earlier this year, brothers Blake & Ryan Leitch travelled to England to meet world-renowned scientist Professor Stephen Hawking. Following the musical interlude, their interview with Professor Hawking (which is believed to be a New Zealand first) was screened exclusively for the StarJam Rocks 2005 audience. Professor Hawking also graciously donated an autographed copy of his latest best-seller for the Celebrity Auction, which also featured an original poster of King Kong signed by director Peter Jackson, a training singlet worn by Hamish Carter in his preparation for the 2004 Olympics, and an autographed Steve Vai Ibanez guitar. Guests had great fun bidding for the auction items, the proceeds of which go towards enabling even more young people to become StarJam stars at future events.

In the last interview of the night, Jammer Joshua Dainty had celebrity builder John ‘Cocksy’ Cocks displaying the dance moves he learnt through his performance on TV 2’s So You Wanna Be A Popstar . Cocksy kindly offered to lend his labouring skills to the Dainty family in recognition of the fantastic interview that Joshua conducted.

     

Next, the moot point of ‘Women should stay in the kitchen’ was fiercely debated by two teams of celebrities and Jammers in the First Great StarJam Debate. With the all-female team of Georgina Beyer, Keke Brown, Natalie Brunzel and Kerre Woodham arguing for the affirmative, the men’s team of Michael Barrymore, Jason Gunn, Red Nicholson and Isaac Toafa defended women’s rights. Using his ‘unofficial applause-o-meter’, adjudicator Simon Dallow left the audience to declare the women’s team overall winners.

   

   

The night was drawn to a close by StarJam founders Julie and Roy Bartlett and Jammer Anthony Jellyman making special presentations to celebrities Simon Dallow, Ray Woolf and Michael Barrymore for their ongoing support of and generosity towards StarJam . Ray was then joined on stage by all of the Jammers to farewell guests with a medley of songs that encouraged everyone present to love unconditionally and without restraint. Jammer Karl Owens kicked off the medley in style with an energetic rap to the Black Eyed Peas hit Where Is The Love , followed by the entire cast (and some of the audience!) joining in for Can You Feel the Love Tonight and the Beatles classic, Can’t Buy Me Love. Jammers left the stage to rapturous applause from the audience, who were jammed to the depths of their heart and soul!

Photos by Patrick Bellett

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And the winner of the StarJam Rocks 2005 door prize (a dinner for two at the Auckland Restaurant of their choice) is . . . Peter Ross! Congratulations from everyone at StarJam .