Moment of Truth Outs Killer

Reality show Moment of Truth hit headlines around the world when a contestant on the Colombian version was arrested for admitting to hiring a hitman to kill her husband! Just how far will the American show go to find the truth in the ultimate version of live train wreck television?

Filmed in front of a live studio audience, this high-stakes, high-drama game show tests one contestant's resolve as they attempt to truthfully answer 21 questions in a row for a $500,000 cash prize. As easy as this may sound, the questions intensify as the money escalates, and telling the agonising truth of a deep dark secret in front of loved ones, only makes this game show more tense.



The host of the American version of The Moment of Truth is Mark L. Walberg. He explains that the questions vary, increasing in difficulty and degree of personal nature as the contestant progress.

"To date, not one contestant has reached the 6th tier!" says Walberg. "Sometimes, if the contestant is getting too comfortable we bring out a "surprise guest" - such as an ex-partner or a good friend. We bring them on stage and ask a particularly difficult question."

Walberg goes on to explain, "It's easy to answer questions truthfully when the people you care about aren't around but when you come face-to-face with a loved one you suddenly have a lot to lose."

Prior to the show, a contestant is hooked up to a polygraph and asked more than 50 questions; there is no polygraph testing conducted during the actual show. Without knowing the results of the polygraph, he or she is asked 21 of those same questions again on the program, each becoming more personal in nature.

If the contestant answers honestly as confirmed by the polygraph, he or she moves on to the next question; however, should a contestant lie in his or her answer (as determined by the polygraph) or simply refuse to answer a question after it has been asked, the game ends and the contestant loses all of the prize money accumulated. For each tier of questions answered correctly, the contestant wins the corresponding amount of money.

A contestant may stop at any time before any question is asked and collect the money he or she has won. Although a person may stop after any question, once they hear the question, they must answer it. Honestly answering all 21 questions wins the jackpot of $500,000.

The Moment of Truth screens Fridays at 9.30pm on TV2. Frightening stuff.


Photos: TVNZ

Rachel Glucina Gossip Monger Exposed

Aspiring Mayor, Herald on Sunday columnist Rachel Glucina aka The Gluc aka Pork Chop, was the focus of a 20/20 report on the New Zealand gossip industry. The report profiled Rachel as the newest professional gossip monger - people who get paid to quaff cocktails and champagne by night and deliver poisoned barbs by day. And no one’s better qualified for that job than Rachel. The job also apparently requires one to accessorise at all times with a Louis Vuitton scarf.

In support were two of Auckland’s most celebrity shy D-lebrities, Gilda I don’t Remember Names Kirkpatrick, and Aja I’m Keeping a Low Profile Rock. Absent was buddy Ricardo Simich who is rumoured to be the source of much of the gossip in the Spy pages. Also absent was rival Bridget Saunders, other than some stock footage of an impossibly young looking Bridget laughing at a party. Bridget declined to be interviewed, not wanting to be associated in any way with Rachel.

The voice over talked grandly about mixing with A-list celebrities and included montages of celebrities. However, it was noticeable that few A-listers were interviewed for the piece. Instead we heard from the man Rachel labels Banksy’s lapdog, the woman who doesn’t sleep with her very rich, very much older husband and cha cha charmer Brendan Cole.


We also heard from HoS editor Shayne Currie who demonstrated his maths skills, telling us that Rachel’s column has added 15% or 3,000-4,000 copies to the weekly sales. According to New Zealand Audit Bureau of Circulation Inc the weekly circulation is a little over 90,000. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence that sales have increased during Rachel’s reign. Nor does 3,000-4,000 agree with the 15% figure. This from the man that says they carefully check facts and get them right 99.9% of the time.

But back to the “star” of the show. Rachel holding a glass of champagne. Rachel tossing her hair and flirting with the camera. Rachel munching lovely cocktail food. Rachel tossing her hair and flirting with the camera. Rachel on the phone sarcastically saying someone is not that young. And the LV scarf which deserves its own column.

Cut to more celebrities and then Rachel at home in her trackies. Presumably not designed by Karen Walker, who was pilloried by Rachel as a fashion frump for daring to wear a smock after giving birth. Rachel has also criticised musos Scribe and Andy Summers (The Police) for putting on weight. Does Pork Chop not own a mirror?

Not that Rachel regrets it. She is the mighty crusader of the truth - except for when it comes to her undercovers err undercover assignment with Mick Jagger.

Herald colleague Ana Samways says

Rachel Glucina, the Herald On Sunday’s gossip columnist, appeared on 20/20 on Thursday night and revealed how she was hurt other media suggested she may have slept with Mick Jagger to get a story, yet she took no responsibility for the hurt she caused by wrongly suggesting Trevor Mallard was having an affair with a high profile netballer. With her chubby chipmunk face and cute lisp, you’d think butter wouldn’t melt. Even with the hypocrisy revealed, I’m not sure if it’s covering for ruthlessness or general dumbness.

Whaleoil adds his bit saying

No doubt (P)Ricardo and Porkchop will start a whispering campaign against Ana.

Rachel makes it clear in her interview that the path to good press is being nice to her. Sounds like Ana is about to be sent to the naughty chair.

Accusations of meanness are met with lots of hair tossing, and claims that she’s “honest” and simply reporting the gossip. Not true. Rachel loves to stir the pot, and does her best to not only report gossip but to manufacture it. An interview with Dancing with the Stars judge Brendan Cole is case in point. Why he asks are they writing an article about him not fancying Miriama Smith when it’s never been an issue? Fair question. According to Brendan this sort of fanciful invention smacks of

I’m a useless reporter and I’m prepared to write anything I want just to make sure someone reads my story.

This antipathy to reporters (except the lovely people at Hello! Magazine who paid him for his story and lots of glossy photos of him riding a horse, sprawling on a bed with gorgeous girlfriend Zoe Hobbs, walking with her, sipping champagne with her, and more) might explain why Rachel wrote a rather peevish piece on him, complaining that he refused to give up his girlfriend’s name.

RG’s defence is that you can’t have it both ways selling your story on the one hand and complaining when other media write about you. Fair call. Celebs seem to think they should only get good press. Score one for Pork Chop.


The reporter then moved on to what was described as a massive blunder, describing the story Rachel ran stating that Trevor Mallard was having an affair and then led to a punch up with Tau Henare, but the reporter missed a lot of other gems:

Plagiarism

9th September - Herald on Sunday
"Which Auckland trio is on the path of trouble with one on P, one on E and one who cheats around so much on his wife that he's single-handedly supporting several prostitutes?"

4th September - New York Post
"Which Hollywood trio of friends is in trouble? One is on crack, one's on smack, and the other cheats so much on his wife that he single-handedly is supporting several hookers"

Factual errors

Lord knows I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to celebrities. I wouldn't know Aja Rock from Kid Rock, Karl Urban from Keith Urban, Rachel Hunter from Sharon Hunter - the list goes on. But for someone who specialises in this area, the Herald on Sunday's Rachel Glucina makes regular, elementary blunders. In her breathless report on Playboy Enterprises CEO Christy/Christie Hefner's visit to Auckland last month. "Spy is the only media...invited..." (shouldn't that be medium?) She went on to tell us that Hefner would be accompanied by "husband Billy Marovitz, a former US Senator". (Actually he was a former Illinois State Senator). She continued, "(Hefner) is a regular contributing blogger at The Huffington Post " (she isn't, but Marovitz has occasional entries)...and is regularly featured in the Forbe's (sic) Most Successful Women List. Also, (possibly because she's a medium) Rachel claims The Constant Gardner's John Huston was spotted at Ponsonby's Prego restaurant. I very much doubt it, since he's been dead for some years now. Perhaps it was son Danny. And in a missed opportunity to legitimately use the weasel word "partner" she decided Susan Sarandon was visiting NZ with "hubby" Tim Robbins. (He isn't). And Spy spied local boy made good Martin (sic) Csokas on her rounds

Conflict of interest with Pink PR
Rachel refuses to provide a client list. Depending who you believe this is because she has no clients, or it’s because there’s a significant overlap between those that pay for her PR services and those that appear regularly in her column.



Updated:
Found! One MA in Art History
Rachel Vesna Glucina graduated Master of Arts with Second Class Honours First Division in Art History, 06 May 1998.


You can watch the video online at TVNZ.

Lisa Lewis $7000 a Night Escort

Alt TV’s Naked Newsreader Lisa Lewis has been revealed as a $7,000 a night private escort who describes herself as a natural thrill-seeker, hot, sexy, and intimate.

Lisa has been open about her work as an erotic dancer and stripper. She does private dancing shows and private escort work, and she can be all yours for a mere $2,000 an hour, $7,000 for the night or $10,000 for a weekend plus travel expenses.



She says she’s very good at what she does.

No wonder she takes so many vitamins - Lisa downs spirulina, royal jelly tablets and multivitamins to keep her energy levels high.

Poor Little Rich Girls

In Poor Little Rich Girls doted-on darlings swap with typical teens to find out how the other half lives. Has anyone told Millie Holmes-Elder about this show?

Six spoilt rich girls try their best to cope with living like average cash-strapped teenagers, while their opposite numbers head off to their swanky boarding schools during the week and spend the weekends sampling their glitzy homes and luxury lifestyles. Sparks fly as the girls exchange friends, parents, homes - and even boyfriends! This week, model and DJ Saskia Porter swaps with broke cleaner Leanne Rodriguez.

Saskia can't vacuum, dances with a pensioner instead of cleaning his house and treads dog poo all over a clinic. She is also baffled by the phone and fax machine, and is caught in her underwear by one of Leanne's regular clients.

Sheltered girl Leanne is overwhelmed by Saskia's London life. She gets nervous in a photo shoot - but looks so good in the end that Saskia's agent wants to sign her up. Will she take to her new cosmopolitan lifestyle?

Poor Little Rich Girls starts Friday 16 May, 9.30pm.

Photos: TVNZ

Survivor Black Widows Catch Another in their Web

In what was promised as a most "shocking" tribal council this week on Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs Favorites watchers were not disappointed, as what has been quite possibly the dumbest move by a contestant in the history of Survivor played out.

As unbelievable as it sounds, there is someone dumber than Ozzy in the game - the new crown of Survivor Idiot goes to Erik.

The scheming began as soon as last week's tribal council was over. The women knew they had to work together, but were very wary of Amanda after her idol play at tribal council. The women also know that Erik is getting good at winning the challenges, and are concerned about who he would send to Exile Island if he wins reward. They know that if Erik wins reward and Amanda gets to him first, he will do whatever Amanda tells him to. So Amanda sets her sights on Erik, convincing him they would make a good team, and that he needs to send Parvati to Exile Island. If their plan works, it means that neither Erik or Natalie can find the hidden immunity, leaving them both open for the vote.

In a Survivor based quiz show reward challenge, Erik walks away with the prize, showing just how much of a Fan he is of the show. Following Amanda's directive, he sends Parvati to Exile Island, taking Amanda on reward with him, shocking Natalie, as she knows she has been left out of the loop. Parvati doesn't even bother searching for the idol, knowing she is only there to stop Erik or Natalie from finding it, so she laps up the chance to relax.

Erik meets with Cirie, coming up with the plan to out Amanda or Natalie. In doing this he puts himself out there as a double-crosser, and the girls decide it is time for him to go. He sees the girls chatting on the beach and quickly realises he has ruined his chances by trying to dupe each of the girls. He knows how important it is that he win the next immunity in order to have any chance of making it through to the next round.

In the immunity challenge, Erik easily fights off the girls and takes away immunity, saving himself from the vote, and guaranteeing himself a spot in the final four.

After all his trickery, the girls are disappointed, and hatch a plan - they will convince Erik to give up the necklace in order to save Natalie. Natalie is skeptical of the plan, calling it stupid, and unable to believe someone would be dumb enough to fall for it, but she agrees to give it a go.

They put the plan in place, telling Erik this is his way to prove himself after he lied to them. They tell him that if he gives up his necklace to Natalie, they will vote with him to vote out Amanda. Parvati and Amanda berate Erik at tribal council, claiming he is a liar and cannot be trusted. Erik realises the Jury is watching him and that they are believing the girls. He decides the only thing he can do to make himself look better is to hand over immunity to Natalie.

The vote is unanimous, all four girls vote out Erik - a given in the circumstances. Another given is that Erik is by far the most stupid player in the game, giving up a guaranteed spot in the final four after winning so many challenges.



In his final words, Erik says:

"Damn, Damn! They got me. I should have known better. Those damn girls. I mean, there's one thing to be said about surviving the elements and there's another thing to be said about surviving four crazy, sexy women. I never thought I would be shoulder to shoulder with all these people that I've seen on TV. These are my heroes, and they're talking to me, they acknowledge me as a person. This whole experience is indescribable."

Photos: CBS

Good Morning SingStar Contest

Have you ever wanted to star in your own music video? Here's your chance - Good Morning is giving viewers the opportunity to make a music video and win thousands of dollars worth of Sony and PlayStation equipment.

In the Good Morning SingStar Competition, viewers can let their inner stars come out from behind the shower curtains and reveal their true talents on national television.

To be in to win, send the Good Morning team a three-minute clip of yourself on DVD, performing your favourite hit song. You can either lip-synch or sing it for real.

The overall winner will receive a Sony High Definition Handycam, Sony video-editing software, a PlayStation 3, SingStar for PlayStation 3 and $100 of PlayStation SingStore vouchers.

There are also four runner-up categories: Funniest Video, Best Children's Video, Best Pets and Best Performer. So the whole family, pets included, has the chance to get involved. All four runners-up will take home a PlayStation 2 and SingStar for PlayStation 2.

The best entry will be judged by a star panel of celebrity judges including former Exponents front man and Pop's Ultimate Star judge Jordan Luck and actor Robbie Magasiva.

The Good Morning 'SingStar' Competition kicks off on Monday 19 May and closes on Wednesday 28 May.

For competition terms and conditions, see the TVNZ Good Morning website.

Aja Rock, Tommy Lee MySpace Buddies

Aja Rock is in Tommy Lee’s MySpace Top 27 along with several scantily clad females. We’re sure it’s just a coincidence that most of the women are posing sexily. Tommy and his team probably chose the top 27 for their brains and personality.



Aja met Tommy Lee in March 2007 when he came to Auckland with reality TV spawned band Rock Star Supernova. She connected with him again the following month at the Coachella music festival in Palm Springs – where she was famously wandering around with her boob hanging out of her top.

The former prostitute/tantric massage therapist also caught up with Tommy Lee last month when she jetted to Sydney to see him play at the Climate Festival. Fiancé David Southcombe was nowhere to be seen.

Last we heard Tommy Lee is in Aja’s MySpace Top 8.

Here are some of Tommy Lee's MySpace Top 27:

Tom Cruise, Oprah & Scientology

He's spent two years battling bad PR, courtesy of his couch-jumping antics. But, Tom Cruise's image rehab is officially underway with a two-hour special on Oprah Winfrey, to celebrate his 25 years of making movies. Wonder if she'll ask him about wife Katie allegedly being sent to Scientology base camp for reprogramming?

Tom invited Oprah into his palatial Colorado ranch for a tour. He's emphasising his wife and new baby, and his latest movie, but is noticeably quieter on his controversial Scientology links.

Now in a new unauthorised biography, Andrew Morton claims Cruise is actually now second in command in Scientology, and spills the beans to 20/20 on what's really driving Tom Cruise.

Find out more tonight, TV2, Thursday 15 May 9.30pm

Get Your Problem Solved... on TV

Have you got an unsolvable problem?

Eyeworks is looking for people with a problem that can’t be fixed simply with money, but needs ingenuity, perhaps brilliant engineering - or even a miracle - for a new television show. Their team of experts is looking for problems to solve, problems that have no conventional solution, but if they can find a way, it will change people’s lives.

Tell your story to Joanne at Eyeworks


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Other opportunities to be on TV

Amazing Race's Kynt & Vyxsin Video

Kynt and Vyxsin are the highly recognisable goths on The Amazing Race.

Check out their photo shoot set to the music Tell The Truth from Hello Control.



We're going to be interviewing this fun pair so post your questions for Kynt and Vyxsin in the comments and we'll make sure they answer them.