As nobody else has been following this story, here is an update.
On Dec 3rd, it was reported here* (with considerable response, including, possibly, one of the business insiders) that strange manouevrings were happening on the Tv show "Pop Idols", a kind of viewer participation extension of the earlier "Pop Stars", and, as Oscar Wilde would have said, "we know what unfortunate incident that led to".
The viewers choice, Rick Waller, had left the programmes producers in dismay. Although he was no more talented than the other contestants, he was rather 'large' for the conventional image of the standard, anorexia-inducing, all- singing and dancing plastic product liable to show up on the screen. It was hypothesised here that he would be 'removed' in the style of the film "Game Show"... in the end, it turned out to be more like Stalin's trial of Bukharin.
It was announced that Rick had gone down with a mysterious throat infection, and the cameras were even on hand to film him accepting the bad news. At the same time, the one judge on the panel of four who had seemed sympathetic to him also vanished, and as if by magic, another contestant who, we are told has charisma but had already been disqualified, came back from the pop-grave.
Two weeks on from this, the 'removed' name of Rick Waller has reappeared in joke form, clearly now fit to be the subject of attacks about his weight. Obviously the viewers choice, his absence is troubling some people, so he must now be villified and demonised as a Trotsky figure in the Stalin Pop Factory.
Meanwhile, Mr Charisma is riding high, and looks set to win the contest soon, whatever that entails.

* see Article "Large Man upsets producers of Horrible TV pop show"