Tarantino turns to Pop Fiction

For A moment it looked as though Mr Nasty had met his match.

Until now Simon Cowell has revelled in his position as the meanest man in showbusiness, the Pop Idol judge whose barbs and put-downs of hapless contestants have become part of television folklore.

Then last night he was joined on the American version of the show by the one man twisted enough to be even harsher on the young hopefuls than he is... Quentin Tarantino.

This, after all, is the man who fills his movies with such choice pieces of dialogue as "Any of you f***in' p***** move, and I'll execute every motherf***in' last one of ya." And, when words fail, he has his characters shot, stabbed, decapitated and disembowelled in the most violent and bloody manner imaginable. Or they might get an ear cut off to the tune of Stuck In The Middle With You.

So, when Tarantino - a longtime-fan of American Idol - joined the judging panel, fans of the talent show were entitled to expect a startling display of verbal fireworks.

As he said before the programme: "I've been waiting for this for a while and I'm going to give my two cents' worth.

"The guest judges are the worst thing on the show and I'm going to try to 'out-mean' Simon and say what I think." The first nasty comment of the night came within minutes of the start.

"You pulled off the song, but so what," he said to 16-year-old singer Diana DeGarmo, who sang Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. "There couldn't be a song we are more sick of hearing. You pulled off the notes and stuff but I don't care.

I felt like there was glass between me and you."

Not one of the quotes of the week, perhaps, but maybe he was simply warming up.

Then, amid boos, he called Jon Peter Lewis - who is renowned for his shocking dance skills - a geek.

"You are the geekiest rock singer since Freddie and the Dreamers," said Tarantino as he pointed his finger. Freddie and the Dreamers? It's not exactly Marsellus getting "medieval on your ass", is it, Quentin?

Even when he was trying to be nasty he could not resist being nice.

He told Lewis: "But when you get into the geek mode there is no one quite like you."

Another 16-year-old contestant got this stinging rebuke: "You ain't my cup of tea."

Withering? Hardly. Memorable? Not at all. And it is not going to give Simon Cowell any sleepless nights.

But at least no one had his ear cut off.