Lunchtime challenge bursts Rita's bubble

THERE was MTV's bubbly Rita Tsang nibbling idly on a salad and minding her own business at one of those hip eateries much beloved of young blades, when a fellow who was obviously not backward in being forward walked up to her and demanded: ''Are you Rita Tsang from MTV?''.

Somewhat bashfully, the shy and retiring former Miss Saigon star said it was so.

''Oh, I hate you,'' he snarled, and stormed off to his table, putting Rita right off her lettuce.

It turned out that the chappie had a bet, as he later claimed for ''a helluva lot of money'', that the lady sitting across from him and his mates was not MTV girl Rita.

Such are the burdens of life for the hapless things who toil on fast-track MTV.