X Factor winner-turned-global sensation Leona Lewis has been named PETA’s Person of the Year.
The huge-voiced singer has been vegetarian since the age of 12 and is reported to have turned down £1 million to open the Harrod’s sale on account of the store’s fur policy.
PETA Europe Director Robbie LeBlanc says, “Leona Lewis is admired for her beautiful voice, but it’s her kindness to animals that makes her a superstar in our book.”
Everyone loves Leona!
You just know he’ll be loving this: Simon Cowell has come up trumps in a poll of 1,600 under-10s asked to name the most famous person in the world.
Cowell beat off stiff competition from God - who could only manage second place - and the Queen, who languishes in third. Fictional boy wizard Harry Potter came in fourth.
See more of the survey results here.
16-year-old US megastar Miley Cyrus must have really enjoyed herself while performing on Britain’s X Factor last Saturday - she’s decided she wants to move over to pursue a photography course!
Cyrus reportedly caught the photography bug following her controversial Vanity Fair cover-shoot with Annie Leibovitz. The pictures, which depicted an allegedly nude, 15-year-old Miley covering herself with a bedsheet, sent shockwaves around the world.
Despite the drama, Cyrus says:
“I do want to come to London to study photography. I hear there are some really great art schools, so I would love to do that. I got to work with an amazing photographer. Annine Leibovitz was amazing and so talented. And that’s what I want to do with my life. I would love to be a photographer. I would love to work with her again.”
This should please the X Factor producers no end, a video which includes Diana Vickers screaming about toffee apples just days before she pulled out of Saturday’s live show with a serious throat infection.
Careful Diana, remember what happened to Martine McCutchinson?
Dannii Minogue has been forced to release a statement denying that she has fallen out with X Factor contestant Rachel Hylton.
Reports in the UK press suggested that Rachel had ‘dumped’ Dannii as her X Factor mentor (how exactly would that work?), but the X Factor publicity brigade has closed in to scotch such talk.
Here’s Rachel’s version of events:
‘Dannii and I talked yesterday and I don’t have anything against Dannii at all and she is still very much my mentor and I respect her opinions, all I want is a little more control over my performance and styling, which she is allowing me to have. But I am a fully fledged member of Team Minogue.’
…followed by Dannii’s:
‘Rachel and I have not fallen out and there has never been any discussions that she wishes to leave Team Minogue. I have, as always, spent lots of one on one time with Rachel this week and have even organised a personal shopping trip so she feels more confident about her look. Rachel is a raw talent. She may be the Robbie Williams of The X Factor, but I back her 100 per cent and want her to be happy. As with all three of my amazing contestants, they are my main priority.’
Our advice?
Rachel, wait until you’ve actually won X Factor before you start throwing the diva strops - thanks.
Simon Cowell has admitted that there IS backstabbing and jealously between the X Factor judges. In an interview with Live magazine, the 49 year-old pop Svengali said:
‘Absolutely there is infighting, and absolutely there is jealousy on this show.
‘But I actually think there has to be to make it a good show and to keep people on their toes. Jealousy, competition - they’re all good things, right?
‘I certainly know that I don’t like it if I think someone else is doing better than me.’
Cowell also revealed his love of botox - and that all bar one of his friends uses it:
‘I’ve had my teeth fixed, I’m obsessed with my weight, I like to look good.
‘I have Botox. But then again, pretty much everyone I know has Botox, except Cheryl Cole.
‘I got a shock when she was sitting next to me on the panel and she frowned and her forehead actually moved and wrinkled. I was like, “Whoa! I haven’t seen that in a while! A real frown. That’s different!”
‘And I don’t dye my hair. I honestly don’t.’
X Factor judge Simon Cowell and his girlfriend Terri Seymour have split after a six-year relationship. It is said that the pair’s relationship has been rocky for the past two months, with Terri’s absence from last week’s National TV Awards confirming the separation.
Seymour has also confirmed reports that the split was partly due to the couple’s differing attitudes towards marriage and children.
Speaking to The Daily Mirror, 34 year-old Seymour said:
‘He doesn’t want kids, full stop. But I would love to have a baby in the future, definitely.
‘It’s very sad but we’ve decided to go our separate ways. There’s no one else involved and we want to remain friends.’
Cowell, 48, has reportedly bought Seymour a house in LA as a parting gift.
Best. Beak-up. Ever!
X Factor presenter Holly Willoughby was left flustered after Louis Walsh revealed her pregnancy - live on X Factor.
Simon Cowell congratulated Willoughby mysteriously, with Walsh adding, ‘On your pregnancy’.
Willoughby, 27, replied: ‘I’m feeling emotional already tonight, let’s move on’, but later joked: ‘I can’t have a beer tonight, I’m pregnant!’
New of the World reports that an X Factor source later said:
‘She wanted to decide when to go public and was probably going to do it with a magazine who would have paid good money for such a big story.’
Surprise, surprise: Simon Cowell’s a bit of a sore loser (but we still love him, of course).
At last night’s National Television Awards the straight-talking X Factor judge was seen mouthing ‘I can’t believe it’ after his show was beaten to the title of Most Popular Talent Show (by Strictly Come Dancing). Two questions arise in our minds at this point:
Simon did eventually win a ‘Special Recognition’ award, but took to the stage saying ‘Well done Strictly‘ through gritted teeth.
After being papped drinking and smoking his sorrows away outside the glitzy bash, Cowell headed to Mr Chow’s in Knightsbridge for a meal, dragging fellow X Factor judges Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh along with him. Dannii Minogue, however, chose to stay at the official after party, which sounds like much more of a laugh to us.
Of course this means they all hate Dannii etc etc ad infinitum.
The X Factor contestants’ cover of ‘Hero’ is zooming off the shelves faster than you can say, ‘It’s for charidee, mate’. Amazon.co.uk reports that it has completely sold out after two days, while the download flew straight to number one on both the iTunes and play.com charts.
All proceeds from the single will go towards Help the Heroes, a charity which provides aid to wounded servicemen and women.
Last Saturday’s emotional X Factor finale saw injured troops being invited to the show, amid farcical scenes in which some contestants failed to reach the stage after getting trapped behind the set’s sliding doors, while those who made it were forced to mime. D’oh!
Minutes after an emotional VT package about a soldier who lost his limbs at war, judge Louis Walsh was in tears…over which person to send home.
You could not make it up.
