The Diary: Aussie flies to the rescue of X Factor - and TV3

Natalie Bassingthwaighte of X-Factor Australia. Photo / Getty Images Entertainment

Fremantle co-producer moves in after string of disasters.

You know things are bad at TV3 when FremantleMedia Australia has to step in as the showbiz rescuer. Natalie Bassingthwaighte (seriously, who?) has been installed as a judge and mentor on The X Factor NZ instead of Natalia Kills.

Bassingthwaighte, 39, is ideal from Fremantle's point of view. She's a singer, actress and TV face across the Ditch, having sat on the judging panel of The X Factor Australia for the past four years and hosting So You Think You Can Dance - both Fremantle shows. She's blonde, bubbly and knows the reality show drill.

She's also Australian. Is our talent pool so limited we need to hire a little-heard-of Aussie talent to judge our TV talent quests? Er, no.

Granted, she is a Sony artist - like her new co-star Shelton Woolwright, who replaces Willy Moon. The X Factor has a contract deal with Sony Music Entertainment, which will sign the winner of the competition.

But we have lots of successful female artists with Sony. Ginny Blackmore, Zowie, Bic and Boh Runga, Iva Lamkim, Brooke Fraser, Annah Mac, Sharon O'Neill, Shona Laing and even Patsy Riggir, to name a few.

Bassingthwaighte is there to keep FremantleMedia Australia happy - and it has not been happy lately. Her installment is effectively a reprimand to TV3. A public slap in the face.

Simon Cowell's company Syco Entertainment owns the The X Factor format, FremantleMedia distributes it. The Australian arm of Fremantle is responsible for co-producing The X Factor NZ with TV3 but in my opinion, it's shown little responsibility until now.

The X Factor NZ has been plagued by problems: from convicted killer Shae Brider's selection and TV treatment, to Moon's X-rated brush with a mother in an Auckland bakery, the bullying debacle with Joe Irvine, and finally the public sacking.

Each setback knocked the show for six. Advertisers and sponsors were getting jittery. And add to that, the pressure from format owner Syco.

How did it go so wrong for TV3? And could it have been prevented?

Kills took to Instagram on Thursday saying she was "encouraged to be outspoken and things got out of hand". The judges were roused to be forthright, as per the nature of the format. But her barbs to Irvine on live TV last Sunday were unforgivable.

In an interview with Remix magazine (out next week and done before the notorious incident) Kills said, seemingly with no sense of irony, that the show reflected real life. "There are a lot of tripwires in the industry and I find the show is a very close parallel to what the music industry is like."

With two new judges and a watchful eye from across the Ditch, TV3 will be hoping it's turned the corner and only good gigs remain.

Seeing red over judge's facepaint

Shelton Woolwright says he's often used black paint onstage.

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X Factor

judge Shelton Woolwright came under criticism yesterday after images surfaced of the drummer with black face paint during performances with his band, I Am Giant.

The musician defended himself, saying it "is a form of expression and point of difference".

Blackening out faces is associated with minstrel shows and Woolwright took to Facebook to say his version is artistic.

"The black face paint has been part of my stage performance for various shows and videos and has been a developing concept."

So has civil rights!

Woolwright should talk to Dame Trelise Cooper.

She was lambasted on social media last year for sending models down the runway in Native American headdress.

It's 1995 all over again for Warriors

Michael Hancock (left) and Sean Hoppe at the Warriors' debut.

Supergroove was at the top of the charts, Jim Bolger was in power and the Auckland Warriors launched with a splash in the NRL with their first game against the Brisbane Broncos at Ericsson Stadium on March 10, 1995.

Twenty years later the team are playing the Broncos again - on March 29 at the same venue, now plain-old Mt Smart Stadium. And Warriors reps tell The Diary the anniversary home game "will have the flavour of 1995 on the day".

It will be a huge celebration for our boys. We hear Eric Watson is jetting in to celebrate the 20th birthday celebration. So too, old boys Dean Bell, Duane Mann, Tony Tuimavave, Tony Tatupu and Gavin Hill, who played in that first game.

Wayne Bennett is nothing if not consistent. He is back coaching the Broncos 20 years later.