SAN DIEGO, Dec 5, (AP): Katy Perry loves a man in a uniform. The pop superstar met dozens of service members while working on the special “VH1 Divas Salute the Troops” this weekend near San Diego. “There was a kid who I met backstage who was rather chatty, but adorable,” Perry recalled. “He was really sweet. He was 19. He had such a good heart. He said, ‘Yes, ma’am’ to me. ‘Yes ma’am!’ I was like, ‘O.K.! Yes, sir!”’ A VH1 publicist estimated an audience of 27,000 attended the nearly three-hour taping of the concert Friday night at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar. The show, which aired Sunday night, featured a bounty of what the network has dubbed “divas” — female or female-lead musical acts, including established stars such as Heart, Paramore and Sugarland, as well as hot newcomers Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Keri Hilson and Nicki Minaj.

But if one diva emerged supreme, it was Perry, who both opened and closed the show, and performed solo or with others on a half-dozen songs —— twice that of anyone else in the lineup. “I really had to live up to the definition of a ‘diva’ in all senses of the word,” Perry joked. “So, I had to be very difficult today, and late,” she continued, adding that she was really neither. Perry went on to reference Beyonce’s song “Diva,” then proceeded to lose the lyric. “Blaaah! Obviously I’m not Beyonce,” Perry laughed. “She is the true diva.” Onstage, Perry pulled out the stops — and the costumes — with the opening number featuring Perry, Hilson and Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles in WAC uniforms for a cover of The Andrews Sisters’ ‘40s classic “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”

Perry closed the show with her current smash “Firework,” which concluded, appropriately, with a fireworks display. For that finale, Perry wore a cherry-red beaded gown with thigh-high slit that looked as if it was borrowed from Jessica Rabbit’s closet. “You know me, I love vintage,” Perry explained. “I love pinup girls. So, I tried to recreate that. I think any Army guy has a soft spot for a girl that can be painted on their plane.” Perry, 26, and her new husband, British actor-comedian Russell Brand, will be spending their first holiday season together as husband and wife. “What do I want for Christmas? Well, I think what is appropriate now is, I hope the troops come home very safely,” she replied, then delivered a message to service members. “Be careful out there during the holidays,” Perry told them. “Keep your Skype and your iChat on because I know some of them are away from all their family and wives. I can understand that feeling every once in awhile because I am on the battlefield myself, but I am just singing pop songs,” she laughed.

“But, I am away from my hubby every once in awhile, and we use Skype and iChat and that really helps. So I just hope everybody can find a great Christmas and be blessed.” Meanwhile, Perry’s outfits also evoked both patriotism and sexiness. In one part of the show, she wore a U.S. flag tank top, tight blue mini-shorts and knee-high white boots. And during the closing number, “Firework,” the singer wore a sultry red dress seemingly inspired by the garb worn by Jessica Rabbit, the character from the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” “You know me, I love vintage,” Perry told the AP. “I love pinup girls. So, I tried to recreate that. I think any Army guy has a soft spot for a girl that can be painted on their plane.”
In 1998, VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel’s Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The concerts VH1 Divas aired annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five year hiatus, the concert returned on September 17, 2009. The latest concert announced will air on December 5, 2010 and will be entitled VH1 Divas Salute The Troops.

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BERLIN: Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber missed an appearance on one of Germany’s top rated television shows as it was cut short by a stunt that went badly wrong.
Broadcaster ZDF said the live broadcast of “Wetten Dass” (Bet it...?) game show had to be canceled Saturday evening after contestant Samuel Koch was severely injured while trying to jump over a moving car driven by his father with the help of special shoes featuring a suspension system.
The 16-year-old Bieber later said on his Twitter account: “Please pray for Samuel Koch & his family as we wait and hope for his health and safety.”
The singer added on Twitter he felt sorry for not performing in Germany, but “some things are more important than putting on a show. We will be back I promise.”

“Wetten dass,” which has been on TV for almost 30 years, is one of the country’s most successful shows, and German media reported Saturday’s show had an audience of about 10 million.
The show also was to include a gig by singer Robbie Williams, and Phil Collins, Cher or actress Cameron Diaz were among the guests, according to the broadcaster’s website.
The 23-year-old Koch suffered multiple back injuries and fractures, underwent surgery Sunday, and his condition was no longer life threatening, the German news agency DPAD quoted Duesseldorf hospital Dr. Wolfgang Raab as saying.
But it remained unclear if or when Koch would fully recover since “he is in an extremely critical stage,” Raab told journalists.