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A double O'Donnell
Irish crooner Daniel O'Donnell is set to fill Blackpool Opera House for two nights next weekend.
He may be as controversial as a salad sandwich with a glass of water on the side but he has a following which is still prepared to queue outside theatre box offices in all weathers.
Donnell is back in Blackpool next weekend for two concerts and his fans will be out in force.
Sales of tea will soar – along with posters, "I Love Daniel" scarves, cds, videos, dvds and every other merchandising link which makes Dan the man who is worth a fortune but still comes across as the chap you wished lived next door.
So what's the secret? Maybe it's the lilting accent? Maybe it's the choice of material (even when he sings rock and roll it sounds as dangerous as Cliff Richard singing punk)? Maybe it's just the fact that he's not challenging and about a full of surprises as a Holiday Inn bedroom?
While some superstars barricade their homes with security guards and rottweiler dogs, Daniel pops out with tea and biscuits for fans who make the pilgrimage to see where their hero lives. While other chart toppers hit the headlines for binge drinking and drug overdoses, Daniel carries out charity work for Romanian orphanages and polishes his MBE. While they get divorced he gets married (to Majella in 2002) and his fans give their blessings rather than a blasting.
So the clean living Catholic is not so much a performer as a living legend. The sort of singer who is few and far between and who can still tempt women (mostly – though he does have male fans too ) of a certain age away from their front rooms and the latest episode of Coronation Street.
O'Donnell's popularity is worldwide, TV specials watched by more than 60 million viewers, and his albums, videos, CDs and DVDs sell by the cartload. No bad for a humble lad from Donegal
* Daniel O'Donnell – Blackpool Opera House, Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13.
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Weather for Blackpool
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 32 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North west
