Suzanne & Ben to Judge Miss World New Zealand

Dancing with the Stars 2007 winner Suzanne Paul and NZ Idol winner and Pop's Ultimate Star contender, Ben Lummis are to be judges in this year’s Miss World New Zealand contest.

Miss Prozac is still hanging out for her invite to judge the Bachelor of the Year contest…

Maori Christmas with Ben Lummis

Christmas Day is chockablock full of reality television and humour on Maori Television.

If you get to the box early in the evening check out Homai Te Pakipaki host Te Hamua Nikora in Bromasters at 6:30pm. With hilariously ‘Hori Improv Games’ that include a ‘Have Yourself a Hangi’ charade, the one-hour special is one to watch for a good laugh with all the whanau. (For those that aren’t familiar with improv you may have seen it in the TV programs Thank God You’re Here and Whose Line Is It Anyway?).

Then at 8pm tune in to the final of Waka Reo at 8.00pm. This unique reality show turns a New Zealander into a Maori language speaker – and rewards them with a win of $10,000. The top two contestants take on the last tasks to decide who will become the ultimate winner of the third series.

This is followed by the Homai Te Pakipaki Christmas special at 8.30pm: The hugely successful karaoke show returns for a Christmas Day special. The celebrity singers include presenters Te Hamua Nikora and Miss Black as well as Taisha, Ben Lummis, Eroni Clarke, Helen Crown, Tigi Ness, Whakaangi Rongonui, Jamoa Jam, Dale Husband and ‘Auntie’ Mabel Wharekawa-Burt. This is sure to be a lot of fun!

Meri Kirihimete everyone!

Photos: Maori TV

Pop's Ultimate Embarrassments, Minties Moments and scandals

Okay, so we know Pop's Ultimate Wannabe Star is over, but some memories live on. After the awards ceremony we looked back over the series and discovered that some of the Minties Moments deserve extra recognition, so today we present Pop's Ultimate Embarrassments - the tragic outfits, the ones they forgot to do up and all the thrills and spills of reality television.


Lip-synching scandal
TVNZ categorically deny any lip-synching or vote rigging. Okay, we accept there was no lip-synching on Pop's Ultimate Star, but we do have a query about Joe's comment in her interview:

I love the fact you do something and you do your very best and still people criticise you and find fault. I have never lip synched in my life. It is always live.

A couple of hundred people who watched TrueBliss perform 'live' at Lynn Mall say otherwise...so did the Western Leader. As for the vote rigging? They jury's still out on that one, so we'll keep you posted on the official investigation.


Word Blunders
Of course, Big Matt Saunoa probably wishes he could have lip-synched his way through the final after blowing it by forgetting the lines of his song. And it’s not the first time... Big Matt made a wowser of a boo-boo in the final when he missed two whole lines of the second verse. But he wasn't the only one.

Ben Lummis also forgot the words to his song in an earlier show and who can forget Ben's use of the word "Jew", instead of "You" during his performance of 'Every Breathe You Take' by The Police?

David Wikaira-Paul and Camillia Temple also struggled with the word "ask," using "aks" instead. Tut tut.


Voting Scandal
As for the voting I have one query...
How did TJ win Virtual Pop Star when he wasn't in the top 10?


The Trippers
Maybe the glass stage and stairs were a bad idea. The contestants seemed to struggle with their balance, and a few of them tripped. Ben's stumble wasn't obvious to everyone but others were more obvious.

Some of the ladies dresses made them a bit unstable and others had hiccups during their performances:

• Keri Harper managed to trip on her jacket
• David Wikaira-Paul's stumble down the stairs
• Ben Lummis tripped twice.
• Emily Williams tripped over gawd knows what (must have been her high-high-high heeled boots) and...
• Matt had a bit of a stumble on the glass stage, but managed to make it look like part of his dance moves.

The Tragic Outfits.
We were really spoilt for choice when looking back over the series fashion shockers. From Camillia's awful 80's get-up, to Steve's Drag Queen ensemble, to Emily's Street Walker look, there were more lows than highs. Although nothing got lower than the neckline on Joe's dresses!

On a bright note, if Mother Goose ever needs another Humpty Dumpty, there's always Matt.


The abuse
Joe Cotton's win wasn't popular with everyone. Matt Saunoa's partner, Lisa-Jane MacKenzie abused the judges on the final night and stormed out of TVNZ's Avalon studio, after Matt received very average feedback from the judges. Heck Lisa-Jane, those guys are big influencers in the music industry. Jordan Luck is looking for new talent to perform songs, somehow we don't expect Matt will be getting a call.

Messageboards were active with allegations of vote fixing and dodgy judging. Some went as far as threatening Joe Cotton after her win, believing she was unworthy of the title. In the end, the abuse was so extreme that TVNZ made the decision to close their messageboard.


The Scandals - Drugs, Sex and Alcohol
Matt gave us some goodies with his infamous night at the Casino, and the Play Station incident. Not to mention the drama that played out on stage between him and Harry over Matt's lack of professionalism.

Speaking of Matt and the Sky City Casino, during the NZ Idol series, the contestants went for a jump off the Sky Tower. Matt was unable to participate because of his size and weight. Ouch!

As for Kim Willoughby, she does have a son with Temuera Morrison, although she is not listed on any celebrity profiles as being the boy's mother. Tem also has full custody of their son. That's pretty unusual. We wonder why...

And how about David Wikaira-Paul's Singing Coach? She coached him straight out of the competition. All credit to David - He did better than anyone predicted, but does anyone know what happened to his promised TV appearance? In Dave's elimination interview, he mentioned that we would see him on another television show a couple of weeks after the end of Pop's Ultimate Star. Did we blink and miss it?

Nik Carlson's ultimate embarrassment is being a mummy's boy, after letting his mother fight his battles for him. His everlovin' mum accused TVNZ of vote rigging. We're still waiting on the results of that enquiry, but given that TVNZ take three months to cough up the money that celebs earned for charity on Dancing with the Stars, we're not holding our breath.

One final question Nik, please answer the question...Are you Gay? We put our questions to him, but he chose to ignore us. Big mistake Nikster. Making up gossip is MUCH more fun! He's never denied it, and various messageboards have talked about his ex-boyfriend, so until we hear otherwise...


Emily's on again off again album news
Emily Williams did her bit with rumours circulating about drug use and alcohol problems. One eye witness claims that Emily frequently drinks alcohol during performances. She certainly seemed vague during her interviews.

Emily signed to Sony in January 2006 and the press release at the time stated that her album would be released during 2006, but her album is yet to be released. Some have speculated that Em's drinking is the holdup. During her interview with NZ Reality TV, Em told us she would be recording her album on her return to Australia. Em's man has been saying there may be an album from Emily and sister Lavina during 2008. There will also be a second album from Emily's band Young Divas in November 2007, with a single from the group in September 2007. We'll keep you posted.

Rachel Says:
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:41 am
The reason why sony is not releasing anything yet, on emily is because she arrived to a showcase for sony looking disorientated and drugged out, maybe emily is taking this opportunity for granted, me and my partner watched her perform in sydney a few months back at a gay bar and we were shocked to see her sculling cups of wine or beer backstage.

We hope she wasn't drinking during P.U.S, since she claimed, on Studio 2, that she only drinks cups of tea before going on stage.

That reminds me. Perhaps Em should have gotten a few more hours sleep after her elimination night. She was looking terribly under the weather when she appeared on Studio 2. In fact, I think she was still drunk from the previous nights efforts. In her elimination interview she admitted to being horribly hung over. Fair enough, but is this a habit with Young Diva Emily?

After she ran the 'Celebrity Gauntlet' on TV's Studio 2, Emily had to drink a shot of Wheat grass, suck an orange wedge, and sing the first line of the New Zealand National Anthem. It took a mighty effort on her part not to vomit. How embarrassing. But according to TVNZ she was a "trooper" and a good sport about the whole adventure.


Immunity Rout
The public spoke out and the public were heard. Full credit to the person responsible for axing that madcap idea. Camillia, Nik, and Ben were given immunity from elimination before it was thrown in the bin. And not before time - what a ripoff, scamming voters out of money, and then awarding immunity. Tsk tsk Touchdown. It's bad enough that you force us to watch mediocre singers being praised by namby pamby judges, but then you force us to watch those singers get caked in your sponsor's products (if only it had been the toothpaste, instead of the mascara - that would be entertaining), and take money from teens under the guise of letting them choose who gets eliminated from the show.


Hide Under A Rock - Zipper Slip!
Resident goddess Rosita Vai, might not have noticed, but Cerise did. Performing on National telly with your zipper down ranks up there with going to school in your pyjamas. Cringe factor 10.
Thanks for the chuckle, Rosita. We especially loved Rosita's elimination interview when you told us WE were the weird ones!


Most Desperate Fan
Thanks to MaryCherry for this little gem...

I reckon Boyband's Rob Arnold deserves an award for Saddest Attempt To Get on TV. He was in the audience a few times holding big sings for Joe, wearing a TrueBliss T-shirt and having insanely bad hair. Surely that deserves something?

We agree.


The Thank You Queen
We know someone brought you up real good Camillia, but the incessant toadying and thank yous were a bit much. We like the real Camillia. The one who tells it like it is in her elimination interview and shows she's got sass. Of course, your manners were a lot better than NZ Idol judge Megan 'Girlfriend' Alatini, who argued with the DWTS judges, but perhaps something in the middle would be a bit more realistic, huh?

Compiled by Cerise, Miss Prozac, a bottomless glass of Chardonnay and a few bottles of beer

P.U.S Awards Ceremony

Joe Cotton may have won the title of Pop's Ultimate Star, a Kia Rio, and $50,000, but everyone was a star, and they all deserve some recognition.

That's why we have come up with our very own Awards Ceremony.

The Piffler Award goes to Jordan Luck, for the most unintelligible dribble ever spurted forth on the show.

The Agreement Award goes to Harry Lyons, for the amount of times he agreed with Kim.

Kim Willoughby gets The Time Warp Award, for being firmly stuck in the 80's.

The Pacifier Award goes to Peter Urlich, for his timely interception in the argument between Harry and Matt.

The Personality Award goes to Dominic Bowden, because he doesn't have one.

Nik Carlson is the proud recipient of the Suave Ribbon, for excellent taste in shirts.

Camillia Temple did the best Banshee Interpretation, and gets a merit for that.

The people Most Likely To Appear On Another Reality Show are Joe Cotton and David Wikaira-Paul.

The person Most Likely To Deliver A Pizza is Ben Lummis. I wonder how long the pizza jokes will go on for?

Matt Saunoa is the person Most Likely To Have A Play Station In His Car.

Least Likely To Have A Singing Career was clearly Keri Harper.

Best Drag Queen Performance goes to Steve Broad, because he was seriously in the groove when he performed 'I Need You Tonight' by INXS.

Rosita Vai and Emily Williams deserve the Diva Award, because they were the best female vocalists of the series.

And finally Charlie, the female backing vocalist, gets the Hot Chick Award. No wonder the cameras shied away from her. She is quite stunning, and a great singer to boot.


If you'd like to suggest your own awards, let us know in the comments and we'll add them to the list. How about a Merit Award for Joe Cotton for Services to the Wonder Bra? Or an award to producers Touchdown for plumbing new lows in the reality television genre? All suggestions welcome!

Ben Lummis Scores a Record Deal

When we interviewed Ben Lummis, he said he was ready to record his next album, and keen to score a like minded producer to work with. It seems his wishes have come true.

According to Sunday News, Ben has hooked up with Soul'd Out Records. An Australian company that describes itself as a community based music company that produces "positive, controversial, honest, relevant music that challenges the operations of every level of society: politically, socially and culturally." Wow, that's a mouthful.

According to Soul'd Out Records' website:

For so long, the church institution has locked generations of world class musicians and performing artists in its religion and tradition, restricting them from demonstrating God and his glory on a world stage. Now, a new mandate from heaven has been placed upon the church to bring about the destruction of this currently worldly system (Babylon) by the strategic injection of the kingdom of God into every dimension of the Babylonian system, including music. Those who will impact the worldly system through this avenue will be better qualified and ten times better than those in the world. Their message will be positive and life-changing and their life will mirror the exact message they portray.

Ahem, Ben I hope you know what you're getting into. This crowd sound crazier than the Moonies. Ben hopes to release a single next month with the album available towards the end of this year, and promises that this record will be different to his debut album, and more true to his gospel/R&B roots. There will be less singing about sex and instead he hopes to offer inspirational messages. I can't see that going down too well with mainstream New Zealand, but who knows? Maybe kiwis will enjoy the change in style from Ben.

Sunday News also reports that his relationship with NZ Idol hopeful Sela Mahe is on the rocks after dating for three years.

"We're not officially together but we're still very close," he said. "We're just planning and thinking about whether this is what we want to do."

Related Stories:
Episode 7: Episode Recap and David's Elimination
P.U.S: Taking It To The Streets our Pop Poll
The REAL Inside Goss on Pop’s Ultimate Star
Episode 6: Pops Ultimate Shocker
Episode 5: PUS Episode Review
Episode 4: Pop's Ultimate Scam
Episode 3: Pop's Ultimate Star Ultimately Confusing
Episode 2: Pop's Ultimate Star not Shining Yet
Episode 1: Pop’s Ultimate Yawn

Images: TVNZ

Ben Lummis You Gotta Move with the Flow

Ben Lummis, NZ Idol 2004, seemed so calm when he was named in the bottom two of this week's episode of Pop's Ultimate Star, that I asked him if he was expecting to be in the bottom two
I had a weird feeling I might be. On Saturday night I had this weird sense I'd be in the bottom two. I sometimes have those senses and they're right so I was practising hard on Saturday night to sing my elimination song.

That's why I said I was ready to perform. I was amped and ready to take it in my stride. You can't be shocked by reality television. It's full of shocks. You'd be a fool not to expect the unexpected.

Any regrets about being on the show?
No, none at all. It achieved what I wanted it to achieve. It raised my profile and got me back in the homes of New Zealand. Now I want to release my own music asap. I want to put out my own single.

What happened with your last single Gotta Move?
I released that myself through my website. I sold my CDs and DVDs through there, but this time I want to release my next single through the music industry and for it to be in the stores and in the music charts. I've been writing the album myself and it's ready to take to the studio.

Note: Ben Lummis' first album One Road can be purchased second hand from Real Groovy or Trade Me.

Will you be producing the album yourself?
I'm looking for someone to work with and bounce ideas around, but like most artists I want to have the final say and hold the creative rights.

What's next for Ben?
I've had lots of approaches since being on Pop's Ultimate Star. I've got gigs lined up so the show is helping in that way.

Do you have a band?
I used to perform solo. It's easier that way to travel and do the gigs. I recently put together a band with talented friends. If you've ever performed with a live band it is so much better than performing with backing tracks. We don't have a name yet!

What was it like singing the songs the judges chose?
I didn't get any songs that I was comfortable singing. The closest was the song from last night. Good to sing a Kiwi Song. All the other songs were oldies.

When they pick a song for you it's manufactured. You have to conjure up a performance and make the best of it even if your heart's not in it.

So what is your preferred genre?
My roots are soul, gospel and R&B. When I write music it comes from those roots.

I think rock is easier to perform, because it has a bigger sound and because you can go crazy on stage. You can jump around and the audience gets into it, whereas with R&B you have to hit the notes and you have to dance right for the style.

Do you think performing last disadvantaged you on last night's show?
Being last can count against you as there is less time to vote, but others have sung last and not been in the bottom two so you just can't know how it will turn out.

Graham Brazier as performance coach - what is a performance coach and is that new?
It is for me! I've had vocal lessons but never performance lessons. It was a new thing for me to have choreography and be shown how to move and improve my stage presence. It was cool.

Is it one big happy family at Pop's Ultimate Star?
I think like every family they have their ups and downs and disagreements but nothing major.

Who will win?
I think the likely final two are Joe (Cotton) and Emily, and out of those two I think the judges would pick Emily Williams to win.

Related Stories:
Episode 6 recap and Ben's elimination
The Real Inside Goss on Pop’s Ultimate Star
Episode 5: PUS Episode Review
Episode 4: Pop's Ultimate Scam
Episode 3: Pop's Ultimate Star Ultimately Confusing
Episode 2: Pop's Ultimate Star not Shining Yet
Episode 1: Pop’s Ultimate Yawn

Ben's Websites:
Ben Lummis' website for news and purchases of his single Gotta Move and to email Ben
Ben's Bebo page where you can check his details and leave a message of support
Ben's Bebo page for his music - listen to his music and check out the making of the Gotta Move video

Images: TVNZ

Pops Ultimate Shocker

Tonight was TVNZ and Touchdown's Attempt at Shock factor in the sixth episode of Pop's Ultimate Star. Unfortunately, it came off as being ill-prepared, and amateurishly produced.


Dominic Bowden: Wardrobe's pitiful attempts at dressing him up fell far short of the mark. It's obvious that Black and Red are Dom's colours. How about a red suit, with a black shirt, and a pin-stripped red and black tie?

Dom also expects us(the voting public) to believe that the bottom two will have no prep time? Puh-lease. I don't buy it. And I doubt anyone else would.

Questions...

• Graham Brazier is the performance coach?
• Kim Willoughby has been replaced as the fashion stylist?
• What next? Camillia Temple will be back through a Judges' Wild Card decision?

This show is so higglety-pigglety, and all over the place, I honestly believe that the "Brains" behind this get-up doesn't have a clue. They're making changes to arrest the poor ratings, but the changes have failed to hit the mark.

Tonights WTF comment was courtesy of Jordan Luck. Of Emily, he said, "I liked the way you sat down at the beginning and got up."
Excuse me?

From the Gossip Mill...
On June 15th, Ben Lummis released his debut album, "One Road".
Paul Ellis described it as "the worst-sounding album of my entire career".
Music Industry Observers commented that it is interesting how a performer can hold the top spot on the Albums and Singles chart simultaneously for more than a week, and then be dumped by the record label 3 months later.
I agree with the Music Industry Observers. After all, they had some contribution to the single and album...didn't they?

• 2004: "One Road" was #1 for 2 weeks, and sold over 30,000 copies.
• "They Can't Take That Away" single, sold over 40,000 and was #1 for 7 weeks.

This weeks Covergirl victim was David Wikaira-Paul.
So much make-up, and he walked out looking almost the same as when he walked in? Weird. And contouring? Puhlease! He had a pinky line from ear to ear.
If a product had the potential to make me look like that, there's no way I'd go near it.

My Whinge.
NZ produces sensation such as Split Enz, Annie Crummer, and DD Smash. But our singing comps are cheap budget Karaoke?

The group performance.
Ben went back to the Jiggly Puff hair-do. Joe was a resurrection of Princess Leia. Emily's tattoos are trying to excite job enhancement. Nik was the Wall Paper. Matt was dumpy, frumpy, and lumpy. David was the only one out there.



1st up was Nik Carlson.
He sang Beautiful Day by U2.
I could barely hear him over the band. What I could hear was 'okay-ish'. Nothing stood out.

Thanks for not wearing another foppy hat. But might I suggest that you don't replace them with glasses?

Tip: If you happen to walk past the bands power source and kick the cord out, we won't tell.

6/10(only because you didn't completely bollix it)

Jordan said: A very controlled performance, and something about it sounding like Bobby Darin
(I agree with Nik. Who is Bobby Darin?)

Pete said: You opened up after a shaky performance.
(I say: You can't blame Nik for the band's problems.)

Nik said: It's crazy to think you(the voting public) are wasting your money.

(I say: Nik, you don't have to tell us. We know.)



Matt Saunoa followed Nik with Don Healey's Heart of The Matter.
Regarding last week's fiasco, Matt said, "I felt like the judges didn't give a crap what I did on stage."
(I say: You're right, Matt. And you're not the only one.)
Coincidentally, Matt went to De La Salle College. Imagine that.

I think Matt has a lot of raw talent, but his heart isn't in this competition. That's sad, because the public deserve the best that people have to offer.

Fashion Tips: Matt needs to wear Jackets that have rounded trims, and cut mid-hip. He also needs to wear straight-cut dress pants. If none of these options are available, throw him in the Humpty Dumpty suit from What Now.

5/10

Kim said: You were in the moment.
(I say: I don't think so Kim.)

Harry made some comment about Olympic High Diving.
(I was confused. I mean...this is the guy who couldn't bungee jump from the Sky Tower. What has Diving to do with anything?)

Pete said: Wonderful performance. Thankyou.
(Of course, Pete cut into Harry's comments. Probably trying to stave off another silly show-down like last week.)

Matt added: No-one's immune from the stakes. I'm sorry for what happened last week.
(I say: We're all sorry about last week. Buuut, are you hinting that Immunity has been ditched?)



Emily Williams sang Smile, by Lily Allen.
Wow. Hard song. Fortunately, Emily was able to sing this song passably, but it still sounded like Emily trying to sing Lily. Overall, she did quite well. Em can sing.

That dress was disgusting. "Cocoa Pop stuffed in a Meringue". Yuck! And the CFM boots? So not working.

Tip: Dare I say it? Yes I do. Steer clear of being the new Camillia. i.e. Don't let them dress you like an eclair!

7/10

Kim said: You stepped up to the challenge.
(I say: The girl can sing. Don't take credit where credit ain't due!)

Jordan said: I liked the way you sat down at the beginning and got up.
(I say: Pish-posh. Anyone can sit down and get back up.)

Harry said: A crowd pleaser.
(I say: Gawsh Harry. How much are you getting paid to be Miss Nicey Smurf?)



David Wikaira-Paul sang John Mayer's Waiting On The World.

The outfit was spoilt by the jacket's cut. David needs round cuts (rolls eyes cause it's sooo obvious).

The judges are idiots. David is the comp's best performer, and the least professional singer.
Vocally it was listenable, but what can you do with a boring song? Still, at least it was mainly in tune.

Tip: Put the earplugs in when the judges open their mouths.

7(and a scratchy half)/10

Jordan said: Very consistent, and a scratchy rasp.
(I say: Bull Huckey! If he was so consistent, then why did you say he'd be leaving if he was ever voted into the bottom two?)

Kim said: Most improved singer.
(I say: Have you not been listening to the other contestants, Kim?)

Peter said: Go David! Your dad would be proud.
(I think his dad was proud before this comp.)

Harry said: David Matenga would say you were "Tino Pai".
(I say: For the non-Maori speakers...Tino Pai means Great, or Very Good.)

David said: I'm shooting 3's with my eyes closed.
(I say:Well keep them peepers closed, because you are scoring big time.)



Joe Cotton sang Beautiful, by Christina Aguilera.

The outfit was gorgeous, but slightly let down by the Princess La-de-da hair.

You ARE beautiful, and girl...you can sing!
I felt your turmoil, and your pain, and I even got a little teary-eyed.

Tip: Separate The Edge from P.U.S.

8/10

Jordan said: Royal performance. Very classy.
(I say: It was, but your comment was scripted.)

Kim said: Elegant and Princess-like.
(I say: Yeah. But scripted again.)

Peter said: I love the way you are in touch with your emotions.
(I say: Pass the bucket. Touchy feely? Oh no. We don't go there!)


Ben Lummis sang Maybe, by Opshop.

This spelt tragedy right from the start.
This is a current running hit song. If Ben was going to pull it off, he needed to bring out the Bazookas and flare it up with some amazing WOW factor.
Unfortunately, it was karaoke. Ben sounded like Ben trying to sound like Opshop. Boring! And sooo un-original.

btw, Ben, nobody likes that cruddy anaphylactic barber symptom thing you've got going with the side of your head. It's boring, dude.

Tip: Who are you? NZ Idol? Or Karaoke King?

Jordan said: About time we saw some attack.
(I say: Yeah, but it came too late.)

Kim said: You showed us light and shade.
(I say: Huh? What?)

Harry said: Most energised performance from you.
(I say: Again, too little, too late. And walking isn't "energy".)

At the beginning of the show, Dom asked the judges, "Who would you send home NOW".

• Jordan said: Matt doing performance, blah, blah(errr. What?)
• Peter said: Emily needs to work on her stage persona.
• Kim said: Nik, I'm sick of seeing you in the bottom 2.
• Harry said: David...If it was a toss up between you and anyone else, blah, blah, blah (what was your point?)

None of the judges actually answered the question. Wusses!

The Bottom Two were Ben, and Emily.
Woah! That was a shocker.

Ben sang Sexy Love, by Ne-Yo.
This was Ben's first visit to the bottom 2.

The shirt was ugly, the hat was tacky, and the foot tapping was out of time with the music.

Again, it was an un-original performance. Just karaoke. Very dull. And the smiles came too late.



Emily sang How Come You Don't Call Me, by Alicia Keyes.

Em looked really comfortable, and she mingled with the band and back-up singers.

Vocally, Em was great. She sang her heart out, and didn't sound like an Alicia wanna-be.

Kim called it a monster performance in every way.

The Judges Tried to soften the moment with their nice comments, but at the end of the day... Ben Lummis has been eliminated. It was a split decision, with the judges adding that Ben was beaten by what was probably the stand out performance of the series to date.

Check out Ben's elimination interview



Final Word: Only 5 weeks to go before this torture will end. I'm struggling to watch it. It's abysmal and lifeless. The producers have obviously thought that they could throw a Karaoke comp on prime telly (Virtual Popstar), and watch the dollars roll in, but I don't think the public are being suckered any longer.

Added by Talia: You could be right Cerise. I just checked and there are 18 video entries uploaded as at 10:25am Monday morning

The new angles are No Immunity, and, while we like it, they have stuffed it up by combining the 2 shows. Combining the shows is the other stupid move. And e-mailing yourself singing? Is anyone who wants a music career actually doing this?

Please end the torture for me now!

Ugh! The Meanie is outie!

Related Stories:
The Real Inside Goss on Pop’s Ultimate Star
Episode 5: PUS Episode Review
Episode 4: Pop's Ultimate Scam
Episode 3: Pop's Ultimate Star Ultimately Confusing
Episode 2: Pop's Ultimate Star not Shining Yet
Episode 1: Pop’s Ultimate Yawn

P.U.S becomes S.U.P.

Socially Unacceptable Piffle. What is "Piffle"? Basically, it is incoherent babble, OR windy comments inconsistent with the topic at hand. Tonights 2 pifflers were Jordan Luck, and Harry Lyons.

Someone needs to throw Jordan in a room with a speech therapist, and lock the door...for a year. I could barely understand any of his alcohol induced blabber.
And as for Harry, what a disgraceful conduct. I was gob-smacked. And let me tell you, that's not an easy feat.

OK, we get that Matt hasn't been here 100% in this competition, but waffling on for nearly a minute about rehearsals? OTT, Harry. Matt deserves an apology, and so does the rest of the country. You, personally, made the show hard to watch.

Matt Saunoa sang Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz.


Personally, I was excited to see shades of the old Matt coming back.
The outfit was hideous though. It looked like Po(the Telly Tubby) was wearing Tinky Winky's suit.

Jordan asked: How committed are you?
Matt replied: I'm here to the end.

Some of the dialogue between Harry and Matt:
Harry: I've got a problem with your lack of professionalism. (blah, blah, not turning up to rehearsal).
Matt: I was 20 minutes late...
Harry: Not turning up to rehearsals two days in a row.
Matt: (tries to reply)
Harry: (cuts off Matt with some comment about family emergencies)
Matt: Professional or not, we're all human.
Harry: (gets cut off by Peter)
Peter: Thankyou Matt.

Here's my problem. Harry talks about professionalism, yet he brings up back-stage problems when he is supposed to be judging the performance. If it was such a big deal, bring it up before the show, or after the show. While you are sitting on the judges couch JUDGE!
Second of all...

Dig at Dom.
Thanks for dressing in that snazzy suit, Dom, but start controlling the show. The judges need to be put firmly in their place. Yet time after time, it's the music that cuts in on them. YOU should be delicately putting a stopper on some of their long-winded, open ended questions that seem to invite a conversation. And stop them from interrupting each other. Tonight, it was up to you to stop Harry from attacking Matt the way he did, but Peter had to step up to the plate. Very disappointing, and it really left a sour taste in my mouth.

Tonights (yawn) Immunity Challenge.
I guess the "judges" thought they were being awfully clever with a "Battle Of The Sexes". Alas, they are not clever. The "surprise" *gasp* twist was that the losing group chose who got immunity. Why don't they just give up this "immunity" rubbish. No-one likes it.
Anyhooo...



David Wikaiara-Paul chose 'I'll Make Love To You', by Boys II Men.
Mmmm. They were fantastic. From the Roses(even if they weren't choccy), to the harmony, and Bens solo in the middle, it was near perfect. The guys really nailed the art of blending.



Joe Cotton chose 'Queen Of The Night' by Whitney Houston.
A great song choice. Joe and Emily looked HAWT. And the girls showed off their powerful vocals. Unfortunately, they just didn't combine the way the boys did.
So the girls lucked out, but were able to gift one of the boys with Immunity.



Emily Williams sang Umbrella, by Rhianna.
I don't know why, but something about her outfit just didn't sit right. Theoretically, it should have looked funky, but it didn't quite cut the mustard.

Vocally, it was quite good, until nearly the end, when it seemed like she was having a cat-fight with herself.

Tip: Just sing the song.

7/10

Kim said: You so turned it on tonight.
(I say: Ditch the hip talk, Kim. You can't speak it.)