AUSTRALIAN Idol heart-throb Mark Spano, 26, has already had an up-close-and-personal encounter with local showbiz royalty.

Until earlier this year, the Italian stallion was dating Matilda Brown, the 21-year-old actress daughter of Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown.

Ward directed her daughter in Martha's New Coat, a short film for SBS a few years ago.

Spano has made his mark on Idol by being this year's rock guru, looking like Diesel and sounding like Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas. Some of Spano's relatives in Melbourne wish the couple were still an item, since they found her absolutely lovely.

Spano, who is well-heeled despite working as a labourer, has started dating Lynne O'Brien, a Sydney make-up artist. That relationship, however, is only a few weeks old.

Monte revival

NEARLY six years after he was found guilty of defaming the Versace family in his autobiography The Spying Game and had to pay hefty costs which almost crippled him financially, the flamboyant gumshoe Frank Monte is cleared to go about his business again.

The Australian Securities And Investments Commission (ASIC) has dropped an action against him for trading while being an undischarged bankrupt.

The matter had been up for a mention last week but the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions hasnow dropped all charges, following representation by Monte's lawyers, Beazley Singleton.

Expect to see and hear more of Frank Monte in town as he goes about his business in aluxury car, making him the most conspicuous sleuth on the local scene.

Epic gaffe

THE accident-prone presenter for Nine's Today show, Cameron Williams, ripped off another blooper of epic proportions last week.

Movie epic, that is.

He mixed up legendary directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, saying of Scorsese, "Don't you just love the Godfather movies.'' Oops. Wrong director, sweetie.

Luckily, Williams' complexion is still looking picture perfect after he escaped the nuclear-like glow that was being sported by his fellow presenters Lisa Wilkinson and Georgie Gardner.

The two were spray-tanned midweek by Amy Erbacher but they ended up looking like they'd been basted with a tandoori brush