Kareena-Priyanka were at loggerheads in the film Aitraaz. But on Sony Entertainment’s Indian Idol they bonded like buddies from way back. When one of the contestants, the popular Amey Date, requested the two hotter-than-the-hottest star guests to sing, Priyanka turned to Kareena to remind her she sang professionally for a movie (in Govind Nihalani’s Dev). But Kareena reasoned that it’s Priyanka who has a better voice. So Priyanka got up on stage to sing the sensuous Tinka tinka zaraa zaraa from Karam. Priyanka was nearly moved to tears when Amey Date sang the perennially popular Manna Dey classical Laaga chunri mein daag. “It’s my father’s favourite song and he sings it all the time,” Priyanka tells Amey emotionally. Kareena goes even further. “I may not be around to see you in the next two-three weeks. But as far as I’m concerned you’re the Indian Idol,” she tells the visibly tickled Date.

Hyderabadi hero Hemachandra has been ousted from Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. The race is now between Debojit and Vinit. On Thursday’s episode, when Tabu was seen as the star guest, the audience poll on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa hit an all-time high. The programme’s producer and director Gajendra Singh says the show received a recording-breaking 1.25 crore SMSes in the audiences’ poll section. Once again Debojit has topped the audience poll this week, with nearly 40 lakh SMSes from the Eastern region (Assam, Bengal, Bihar) alone.

On Friday we saw Subhash Ghai back on the show for the third time in a row, this time with his Shaadi Se Pehle leading man Akshaye Khanna who not only participated with the participants, but also sang Nahin saamne tu from Ghai’s Taal. Even though Sa Re Ga Ma Pa finalist Hemachandra stunned the nation with his rendition this week, he has been eliminated from the grand finale. But if you think he’s depressed, then think again. “I feel I’ve come a long long way. And my performance on Friday night was not a defeat, but a new beginning,” he says from his home town Hyderabad. Subhash Ghai promised to give Hemachandra a chance to sing for Mukta Arts. “That announcement right before Mr Ghai read the slip announcing my ouster, came as a really pleasant surprise. It showed I made an impression, and he cared.”