No Rock And Roll Fun

IDOL THREATS: You'd imagine that, since Granada managed to make it work, the Pop Idol format would be pretty idiot-proof, wouldn't you? Except not in Australia, where a last minute pull-out before the Australian Idol finals has thrown the whole thing into turmoil. Cosima DeVito - who we suspect might just be one of those subversives - walked thirty minutes before the show was due to air, leaving Channel Ten trying to work out how to soothe viewers demanding voting money back; others wanting to know how the Cosima's votes were looking before she quit, and the prospect of having to abandon the programme with two weeks left to run. The network is refusing to reveal just what the final votes were in the show and are offering to refund to people who send their phone bills in - which sounds like an administrative nightmare (and what will they do about people with Pay and Go mobiles?), but the whole thing must be a total nightmare for them.

Cosima DeVito, you have won our undying respect. [As does Claire Flynn Boyle, who brought this to our attention...]