The Wanted to perform on The Voice

British boy band The Wanted are pictured at Marquee Nightclub at The Star today. Source: News Limited

UNLIKE most of their pop peers these days, Brit It boy band The Wanted were not discovered on a television talent quest show.

Instead, they were created the old fashioned way - assembled by a record label wanting to match the success of boy bands unearthed on the small screen franchises.

So they get the irony that when in Australia, you perform on The Voice if you want to push your new single to a big audience.

The cheeky lads, who already have millions of hormonally-charged teenage girls professing their devotion until the next boy band comes around, joke their rehearsals for tonight's performance of new single Walks Like Rihanna have already tested the patience of producers. 

''We don't have the skills to dance in unison for more than 10 seconds at a time,'' Tom Parker said today.

''We couldn't even walk in sync when we were practicing for The Voice right now. It could be a car crash.''

But they can do taking the mickey quite successfully. Take the new single and its video.

Walk Like Rihanna isn't an answer to Moves Like Jagger, last year's hit single by The Voice US coaches Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera.

The Wanted's Jay McGuiness says it is the most ''bubblegum'' song the five-piece have recorded yet the video features them parodying the moves and styling of their boy band predecessors.

''The song really is just an iconic figure's name and a verb; we weren't trying to revisit (Moves Like Jagger),'' he said.

''And the video became a spoof within a spoof.''

Complete with truly appalling dancing.

But the reality within their boy band reality will be tested when their own behind-the-scenes series The Wanted Life begins airing in June.

''You get to see pretty much everything. If there's a sex tape, it will be on that show,'' Parker said. And he isn't joking.

Other songs which name-check famous singers:
Moves like Jagger - Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera
Barbra Streisand - Duck Sauce
Jackie Wilson Said - Van Morrison
Grace Kelly - Mika
Buddy Holly - Weezer
Ray Charles - Chiddy Bang
You're Lionel Richie - Mogwai
Don Henley Must Die - Mojo Nixon
I Feel Better Than James Brown - Was (Not Was)
Do It With Madonna - The Androids
Tim McGraw - Taylor Swift
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Meg White - Ray Lamontagne
Paul McCartney - Scissor Sisters
Eddie Vedder - Local H
Brian Eno - MGMT
Sweet Gene Vincent - Ian Dury
When Smokey Sings - ABC
Pray Like Aretha Franklin - Scritti Politti
Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies

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Wanted: Hackers for Telstra

Cyber attack identity theft hackers Source: Supplied

TELSTRA, the Federal Government and Microsoft have invited a bunch of university students to participate in a hacking competition to raise awareness of cyber security issues.

Their goal was to break into a company, and then figure out how to fix security flaws.

Hardware and software has been built for the imaginary company which were be used for the competition, which has been dubbed "Synergise cyber security".

Forty-three teams of students spent 24 hours trying to access the systems, in order to see whether they can penetrate areas where sensitive data is stored and find malicious code. They will be assessed on their ability to highlight and communicate vulnerabilities in the fictional company's security software.

A team from the University of NSW was named the winner.

But what's the point in creating fictional software when there are already hackers out there trying to damage real businesses with real security concerns?

Mike Burgess, Telstra's chief information security officer told news.com.au that inviting "real world hackers" to test the systems of real businesses would be too risky.

"Would it be better if all the world's systems were more secure? Absolutely," he said. "But the reason I wouldn't recommend opening yourself up to the world to come test out their systems is that you'd get lots of other people out there who choose to do malicious things in cyber space and you become a target. They could take your product offline."

"By having a fictitious company with real hardware and software is that if anything goes wrong it's not going to impact anyone."

Mr Burgess said that targeting students with hacking capabilities while they are young is an important way to incentivise them against falling in with cyber criminals.

The winners of the competition will travel to San Francisco to attend one of the world's largest hacking conferences, Black Hat.

Mr Burgess said it's also more than likely that many of the participants will walk away with a job, either with Telstra, Microsoft or the Federal Government.

"Hopefully we're instilling that this is an exciting area to work in and that the students participating will want to have careers as a security professional," he said. "If they end up working for someone else that's ok as well. We need more people in this space."

"People need to make sure their systems are secure. Telstra for example holds a lot of information for its customers. The more people in this career stream, the better it is for everyone."

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Hathaway 'wanted to be a nun'

Anne Hathaway was caught flashing photographers at the Les Mis premiere in New York in December. Source: Herald Sun

JUST when Anne Hathaway thought her commando photographs were all but forgotten.

Cheeky Russell Crowe left his Les Miserables co-star Anne Hathaway red-faced last night after referencing Hathaway's Britney Spears moment of December.

Presenting the Dark Knight Rises actress with an award at the 15th annual Costume Designer Guild, Crowe told the crowd Hathaway originally wanted to be a nun.

"Isn't that lovely?" the Gladiator actor asked the crowd.

"Then she found out they actually require you to wear underpants when they go out at night."

The audience, Hathaway included, roared with laughter.

Crowe was of course referencing an unfortunate mishap at the Les Mis premiere in New York when Hathaway flashed herself getting out of a car, sans underwear.

He quickly turned serious however.

"She ditched that idea because she decided she couldn't fully accept the church that wouldn't fully accept her gay brother," Crowe said.

"She measures everything with her heart first and that's why I love Anne Hathaway. So back to the speech."

Hathaway was presented with her award after Crowe declared 2013 "Anne Hathaway's year."

Hathaway smiled while acknowledging Crowe's remarks.

"I was wondering when you were going to make a joke about that," the actress said to Crowe, referring to his earlier statements.

The Oscar nominee became more serious, of course, and thanked her cast and crew and "last, but not least" her mother.

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