Seven-year-old me is literally sobbing right now. ‘Cause ICYMI, the Jonas Brothers reunited with Demi Lovato on stage to sing classics from one of the best movies of the 21st century — Camp Rock! We seriously need to bring back this era of musical Disney Channel Original Movies with all the dis-knees. Hot take: Camp Star so deserved their win in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Sue me, but their final performance ATE and left no crumbs. And yes, I’m still traumatised by this…

Speaking of iconic stage moments, y’all should have already seen the video of Jennifer Lopez vs. cricket from this past weekend. The fact that she thought the audience screams were for her at first? I am deceased. Honestly, major props for her professionalism, ‘cause I would’ve stopped, dropped, and rolled on stage. That level of chill makes me picture her as a 16-year-old in the Bronx, running up and down the block like a crazy little girl.

Maybe when you were a teenager yourself, you were jamming to “Poison” by Bardot. Before Katseye and those K-pop survival show groups, there was Popstars in 1999, where Bardot was born! “Poison” shot to number one on the Aussie charts, becoming one of the fastest-selling Australian singles. Sadly, the band split after just two years in 2002 — but where are the members now? And is a reunion possible? We spoke to one of the members, Sally Polihronas, to find out. Have a scroll!

See y’all next week,

Livia (@livia_lun)

Q: How many Oscar nominations has Margot Robbie received for acting?

This love note goes out to the guy I saw sitting on the other side of the café on Sunday morning. You were wearing a Beabadoobee (my favourite singer ever) world tour T-shirt, baggy jeans, and carrying a tote bag that said “Fuck The Patriarchy,” with a cute blue Labubu hanging off the side. As if you couldn’t get any more perfect, I noticed you were reading The Catcher in the Rye. You walked up to the counter, took out one earbud, and ordered a strawberry matcha latte with no whipped cream. If you’re reading this, I’ll be at the same café next Sunday, same time.

Ava from Campbell

Remember When…One Girl Group Dominated Australian Airwaves

By Tahlia Pritchard

Australia may have just celebrated Triple J’s Hottest 100 Aussie Songs of all time, but for pop fans, there was one glaring admission. It’s a song that captured the hearts of the nation 25 years ago, years before “Untouched” by The Veronicas became our national anthem.

The song is “Poison” by Bardot — the very first group formed from reality talent show Popstars in 1999. The girl group consisted of Sophie Monk, Belinda Chapple, Sally Polihronas, Katie Underwood and Tiffani Wood. 

“Poison” shot to number one on the Australian charts, becoming one of the fastest-selling Australian singles. Their debut self-titled album also went to number one. 

Sadly, the band abruptly split after only two years of releasing music, calling it quits in 2002 — but still, they left an impressive legacy. 25 years on, could there ever be hopes for a reunion?

“It really was an amazing moment in time,” Bardot member Sally Polihronas told BuzzFeed Australia. “Regarding a Bardot reunion, never say never. If all the stars align, maybe one day we can all get together and celebrate such an epic time in Australian pop culture.”

Bardot: Where are they now?

Sally Polihronas

Sally has used her experience in the spotlight to become a mentor for creative women. Knowing how crazy the entertainment industry is inspired Sally to take on a mentoring role to help artists work on their self-development and pivot to a “healthy, successful life”. She has two daughters, and balances her business with motherhood. 

She also authors a newsletter called Mentor Notes.

Sophie Monk

Sophie Monk may have kickstarted her career at Bardot, but she’s gone from strength-to-strength in the entertainment industry since. She had a short-lived music career post-Bardot, releasing her own debut album, before heading to Hollywood where she starred in movies like Date Movie, Click, Sex and Death 101 and various US television pilots. 

Sophie returned to Australia, going on to have a successful stint in TV hosting and appearing in shows. She was, of course, one of our most-loved Bachelorettes on The Bachelorette in 2017, and while she didn’t find long-lasting love, she went on to use her expertise to host shows like Love Island Australia and Beauty and The Geek.

Belinda Chapple

Belinda’s made headlines in recent years, after authoring her memoir The Girl in the Band, exposing the entertainment industry exploitation and speaking candidly about the emotional toll and untold stories of being in the public eye with Bardot. Belinda went on to create drama series Paper Dolls, an eight-part Paramount+ show about a fictional girl band, inspired by her music career. 

She and former Bardot member Katie Underwood formed a musical duo called Ka’Bel in 2021, and have sporadically released singles together.

Katie Underwood

Katie was the first member of Bardot to leave, opting to quit the group in 2001 before the release of their second album. She went on to pursue musical theatre, before appearing on dance-pop collaborations like Disco Montego’s hit song “Beautiful”. 

In recent years, Katie has kept a quieter life, working as a meditation and sound-healing teacher in Melbourne and running her own practice.

Tiffani Wood

Tiffani went on to explore a solo career post-Bardot, releasing song “What R U Waiting 4” in 2004. She released her debut album Bite Your Tongue in 2006 after parting ways with Warner Music. 

In 2008, she released a children’s lullaby album after the birth of her first daughter. Tiffani is now a busy mum to six children, and runs a performing arts school for kids. She returned to the TV spotlight in 2024, appearing on reality series The Summit.

Do the Bardot girls still keep in touch?

In 2020, Tiffani, Belinda and Katie reunited on Zoom for the 20 year anniversary of “Poison”, performing an acoustic version, but Sally and Sophie both opted out. 

But apparently there’s no bad blood between the former pop stars. “I’ve always stayed in touch with Sophie and Tiffani and caught up with Belinda and Katie for dinner a while back,” Sally told us. “All is good on my end.”

Two teenage boys sat a row in front of me on the morning bus, apparently studying for a science test. While reading their anatomy textbook, one of them turned to the other and said, “Wait…I thought everyone had either a large or a small intestine? What do you mean everyone has both?” I wished them good luck on their test as I got off at my stop.

Connor from Marion

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A:  Two.

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