'N Sync creator jailed for 25 years
Lou Pearlman, who created and managed 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud.
The pop mogul conned around $300m (£153m) from more than 250 individuals, including family and friends, and from financial institutions and banks.
In a plea agreement, Pearlman admitted encouraging them to put funds into two companies that did not exist.
Judge G. Kendall Sharp, sentencing in Florida, said the prison term would be reduced by a month for each $1m (£0.5m) that Pearlman returned to victims.
Fair cop I suppose.
Zoe Salmon quits Blue Peter
Salmon became the 30th Blue Peter presenter when she joined in 2004
Blue Peter presenter Zoe Salmon is to leave the BBC One children's show after three-and-a-half years.
The 28-year-old will quit at the end of the current series in June when co-presenter Gethin Jones also says goodbye to the long-running programme.
Law graduate Salmon, a former Miss Northern Ireland, has signed up to present a new gameshow on CBBC.
"I've loved my time on Blue Peter and I've had experiences that I never dreamed I could have," she said.
During her time on the show, Salmon has run the London Marathon, raced in a Formula One car, walked on fire, and trekked to the top of the UK's highest peaks.
'Highlight'
Salmon said she will always "treasure" her Blue Peter Badge.
She said: "[Blue Peter] has taken me to places I never thought I would see, from Japan to Iceland, introduced me to people I never dreamt I would meet, from the Queen to David Beckham, and quite literally gave me the opportunity to do things I never thought I would or could do.
"Life on Blue Peter has been one continuous highlight.
"I grew up watching the iconic show, it's been an incredible privilege and honour to have been part of the fantastic team and I will always treasure my Blue Peter Badge and memories."
Blue Peter editor Tim Levell said Salmon had been a "fantastic presenter".
"Whether she's been strapped to the outside of an aeroplane or had to learn a routine for High School Musical, she has thrown herself into the challenges we have given her with 110% dedication. And children absolutely love her."
Blue Peter will celebrate its 50th anniversary in October 2008.
TV's Monty Don has stroke
CELEBRITY gardener Monty Don has suffered a stroke and will stand down from his presenting duties, the BBC said today.
The 52-year-old frontman of the BBC’s Gardener’s World has been off the programme for the past six weeks after being struck by a minor stroke, it was announced.
In a statement the BBC said the star was making “a good recovery”, while Don himself said he was taking time off over the summer to make a full recovery.
German-born Montagu “Monty” Don followed in the footsteps of Percy Thrower, Geoff Hamilton and Alan Titchmarsh when he took over as the main presenter of the long-running Gardeners’ World in 2003.
It followed stints as the resident horticulturist on This Morning. Other programmes include the Channel 4 series Don Roaming and Real Gardens.
Revealing his health issues today, the BBC said: “Monty Don has decided to stand down as the main presenter of Gardener’s World.
“Monty has presented the series for the past five years but has been off our screens for the past six weeks as a result of a minor stroke.
“Although he is making a good recovery he feels unable to commit to regular filming for a while.”
It added that Don would be “sorely missed by viewers and the production team”.
In a statement, Don said: “I am proud to have led Gardener’s World for the past five years and have enjoyed every minute of sharing my passion with the programmes viewers.
“I intend to take some gardening leave for the rest of the summer to make a full recovery and so that I am ready to tackle new projects.”
Don lives with his wife and three children in a house with a two-acre garden in Herefordshire
I wish him a speedy recovery
McDonald admits departure is "very possible"
Sir Trevor McDonald has confirmed that he is considering leaving News At Ten.
The newscaster told the Daily Mail that it is "very possible" he will depart before the year is out. He made the statement after news of his intentions was leaked to the press yesterday.
"All good things must come to an end," McDonald explained. "I just really haven't got there yet. It might be destabilising if you announce long, long in advance when you are going."
However, he added: "I am 69 in August and you have got to collect your freedom pass sometime."
Reports claim that McDonald's departure will be officially announced in September. It is believed that executives are lining up ITV news presenter Mark Austin as his successor.
I think Sir Trev is great, my friends call him a legend :rotfl:
Status Quo star becomes father of twins
Status Quo rocker Rick Parfitt has become a father for the third time.
His wife Lyndsay, 47, gave birth to twins Lily Rose and Tommy Oswald in Spain on Monday. The children were conceived with the help of IVF.
Parfitt, 59, has two children from previous marriages, Richard, 29 and Harry, 18.
The veteran musician wed fitness instructor Lyndsay in 2006. He described the pregnancy as "the icing on the cake" for the relationship.
'Star Trek' composer Alexander Courage dies
Alexander Courage, renowned for composing the original Star Trek theme, has died aged 88.
Variety reports that Courage, who had been in poor health for several years, passed away on May 15 in a caring facility in California.
He first composed the now familiar theme for Star Trek's pilot episode in 1965 and also worked on the music for several episodes and on the related feature films First Contact and Insurrection. His work in the genre was not confined to just Star Trek, as he scored many episodes of Lost In Space and Land Of The Giants.
Philadelphia-born Courage also received Oscar nominations, alongside Lionel Newman, for scoring the soundtracks of The Pleasure Seekers in 1963 and Doctor Dolittle in 1967.
Jolie, Pitt want to open foster home
Angelina Jolie has revealed that she and Brad Pitt are considering opening a foster home.
The actress, who is pregnant with twins, said the pair want to do as much as they can to help underprivileged children.
She told the Sydney Morning Herald: "We keep thinking, 'Is there ever going to be a time when we don't have kids in the house?'
"Maybe we'll eventually start a foster home or something. We have a clinic that handles children so there are ways of looking after kids without actually physically having them in your home and we're doing more and more of that. But I think we will adopt again. I'd like to do it again."
The couple, who currently have three adopted children and a biological daughter, recently bought a 35-bedroom French mansion to accommodate their growing family.
Talking about the possibility of marrying Pitt, Jolie said: "We don't need to do it but one day we will. Maybe if the kids start asking - they'll probably be the ones to make the decision."
35 bedrooms?!
Clarkson blasted for speed limit boast
Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has come under fire for claiming he has driven at 186mph on a public road.
While appearing at the Hay Festival in Wales, Clarkson told journalist Rosie Boycott: "I got a great speeding ticket. I think it was 186 in the Limehouse Link. Well, somebody did. Obviously it might not have been me."
Clarkson claimed that his lawyer Nick Freeman was able to help him maintain a clean driving licence: "Nick is wonderful. He gets you off everything. Well, doesn't get you off; show’s you're not guilty. The speed limit's annoying for people who have a job to do."
Responding to the comments, Steve Mohabir, who survived a two-car collision that claimed eight lives, branded Clarkson a "disgrace".
He said: "It is a real disgrace that somebody with such a public appearance cannot do something to make the roads safer for other people. It is a case of bragging and boasting and it is just like something a boy racer would do."
Mary Williams, chief executive of road safety charity Brake, called for the BBC to sack Clarkson.
"Jeremy Clarkson is extremely offensive and irresponsible. His comments are very upsetting to loved ones who have suffered a bereavement through a road crash because of a speeding driver," she said.
"He is the most appalling role model for our next generation of drivers. The BBC should sack him; he is totally out of control."
Leona, Becks to close Beijing Olympics
Leona Lewis and David Beckham will take part in the closing ceremony at this year's Beijing Olympics, reports The Sunday Mirror.
Leona will perform at the end of the sporting event to an estimated audience of more than 150 million. Beckham is expected to jet in from Los Angeles for the ceremony, designed as an official handover from China to the UK for the 2012 games in London.
A source said: "Leona and Beckham have accepted the invitation to sprinkle some stardust on the show. They epitomise what London 2012 is about.
"Leona is a young global star from London who has risen from nothing. Becks has glamour and a profile around the world. He was also a key figure in the bid to win the Games for London."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, London Mayor Boris Johnson and a host of young athletes will also make an appearance at the closing ceremony, taking place on August 24.
Campbell charged over T5 incident
Naomi Campbell will face five charges following her arrest at Heathrow's Terminal 5 last month.
The supermodel has been charged with three counts of assaulting police constables, one of disorderly conduct and one of using threatening behaviour to cabin crew.
She was escorted off a stationary British Airways plane in handcuffs on April 3 after losing her temper when she was told that her luggage was missing. It is alleged that she later assaulted a police officer who tried to calm her down in the aftermath of the incident.
The 37-year-old will appear before Uxbridge magistrates on June 20.
Her lawyer Simon Nicholls said: "She is bitterly disappointed that prosecutors have advised her that she is to be prosecuted for various offences."
Campbell, who was expected to escape with a caution, could be jailed if convicted.
Fern Britton defends gastric band operation
Fern Britton has hit back at criticism following her revelation that she had a gastric band fitted.
The 50-year-old, who has shed five stone in the past two years, admitted at the weekend that she underwent the operation in 2006. She had previously put her dramatic weight loss down to exercise and healthy eating.
Speaking while hosting ITV1's This Morning with Phillip Schofield, she said: "I did not need to run around telling people. Only five people knew including my husband (Phil Vickery).
"Back then I did not know there would be so much interest. But then all these magazines started publishing all this stuff and a lot was not from me. All these things about diet I had not said, except for exercising more and eating less."
She released a statement about the surgery after her agent informed her that the News Of The World planned to expose it.
The presenter, who is paid £200,000 to star in ads for health food crackers Ryvita, said: "They expected me to say it was preposterous. But I just had it done. It's great and I'm very happy, but don't get it done yourself."
She added: "Next time if I have a facelift or haemorrhoids, I'll ring the Sunday papers and tell them all about it."
Here's the [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYcXrgoka8"]speech[/ame] on This Morning.
What is with the media these day? So she had a gastric band, what business is it of ours? NONE. I don't get the big hullabaloo over it, what Fern does in her private life is her business and nobody else's and it's certainly not for the media to spread her medical history around the world :angry:
Obviously the News Of The World didn't have anything better to put on the front page. With all what's going on in the world, they must have Fern on the front page.
R&R Legend Bo Diddley dies at 79
BO DIDDLEY, hailed as a founding father of rock, has died of heart failure after months of ill-health.
The 79-year-old legend, who suffered his second stroke in a year last month, was famed for his homemade square guitar.
The Bo Diddley sound of early rock ’n’ roll influenced many stars.
His first hit, the 1955 song called Bo Diddley, featured a rhythm that became his trademark.
Diddley — real name Ellas McDaniel — toured until well into his 70s.
Rolling Stone MICK JAGGER said last night: “He was a wonderful, original musician, an enormous force in music. We learned a lot from him.”
But Bo sold his songs for a flat fee and claimed he was never paid what he deserved.
Artists who recorded his songs included ERIC CLAPTON and U2. He won a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1999 and was in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Four-times married Bo, a dad of four, died at home in Archer, Florida.
Jolie baby pics 'worth £7.5 million'
A magazine bidding war has broken out over the first pictures of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's twins.
The snaps are said to be worth an estimated £7.5 million, with OK! and People reportedly willing to "print blank pages" for the rest of the year in the hope of securing them.
The previous record for baby pictures was £3 million for Jennifer Lopez's newborn twins in February.
A People spokesperson confirmed that the magazine is interested in the snaps, while OK! admitted that it would be "foolish" not to attempt to buy them.
The first photographs of the couple's biological daughter Shiloh went to People for £2 million in 2006, with an additional £1.75 million to Hello! for the British rights. The cash was reportedly given to charity.
Jolie is due to give birth on August 19.
Hammond to front BBC1 kids' science show
Richard Hammond is launching his own production company, through which he will front a new children's science gameshow for BBC One.
Richard Hammond's Lab Rats will see the Top Gear host rule over a "surreal and fictional... top secret underground laboratory".
Two teams of children will compete in carrying out experiments and other tasks in each week's half-hour episode.
The show will start early next year in the Friday night BBC One CBBC block and on the CBBC channel.
Hammond's new indie, Hamster’s Wheel Productions, is a production partner with September Films.
Peter Wyles, executive producer for September, said: "Richard is the perfect person to host this series – he lives and breathes the world of popular science. As parents ourselves, we are both incredibly keen to make science entertaining and engaging for a new generation."
Very original name
Wood hires dwarfs for daughter's wedding
Ronnie Wood will hire dwarfs to perform at his daughter's wedding, The Sun reports.
The Rolling Stones guitarist wants five actors, as short as 4ft, to dress up as elves and play pranks on guests at the reception for his daughter Leah's wedding to TV producer Jack Macdonald.
A source revealed: "They're working on a theme based on the character of Puck - the cheeky sprite from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.
"The idea is to have little people in costume popping up. It's going to be a fabulous do with no expense spared and the elves will make it even more fun."
The Rolling Stones are also expected to play at the party, which will take place on June 21 at Ronnie Wood's home in Surrey.
:rotfl: Sounds good, I want dwarfs at my wedding.
Nicole axed from dance show
Not sure where to post this, hope this is ok.
STRICTLY Come Dancing salsa specialist Nicole Cutler has been axed from the show.
But BBC chiefs are keeping the dancer’s fancy-footed ex-hubby Matt, 34, who won the last series with Alesha Dixon.
A spokesman for Nicole, 35, said she was “disappointed”.
Ramsay took his knife to crimper
FIERY chef Gordon Ramsay left Dannii Minogue’s hairdresser in tears by chopping off his locks with a kitchen knife.
Gordon, 41, mocked Christian Vermaak’s quiff while filming Channel 4’s The F Word — then surprised him by cutting off a chunk.
The chef — who chatted to pal David Beckham at the launch of his new LA restaurant on Wednesday — was riled after Dannii stuck up for Christian, 29.
The X Factor judge, 37, told Gordon that HE needed a trim.
A pal of the hairdresser — who also cuts Spice Girl Emma Bunton’s hair — said: “Gordon took an instant dislike to his perfectly formed quiff.
“He was taking the p*** all day. He just kept on and on about it.
“But Dannii hit back, saying his hair was a mess.
“Later on, Gordon called Christian into the kitchen and just grabbed a knife and cut a huge chunk off.
“Christian ran out of the kitchen really upset. He had a little cry. He’s a stylist and a real perfectionist.
“It was unexpected and he isn’t over the shock.
“It was a horrible experience. But Gordon seemed to think it was very funny.”
After filming on Sunday, the chef jetted to open the Gordon Ramsay eatery at The London West Hollywood Hotel. Becks, 33, is an old friend after Gordon cooked for the footballer’s 30th birthday party.
The ex-England captain is said to be planning his own restaurant.
Who the hell does Ramsay think he is to just chop off somebody's hair?
Andy Scott-Lee, Heaton end marriage
Andy Scott-Lee and Michelle Heaton have ended their 18-month marriage.
A spokesperson for the couple said: "I can confirm the two have split up. But they need time to sort out their personal problems."
Scott-Lee married the former Liberty X singer at a lavish ceremony in October 2006.
Heaton was spotted embracing ex-footballer Lee Sharpe in Ireland earlier this week, fuelling rumours about a relationship split.
Ex-Busted duo lose royalties battle
Former Busted members Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle have lost their royalties court battle against the boyband.
The duo, who left the band in 2001 when manager Richard Rashman took over the group, claimed they were owed payment for their work on the singles 'Year 3000', 'Sleeping With The Light On', 'Psycho Girl', and 'What I Go To School For'.
McPhail and Doyle said they were forced by threats to give up their rights without payment.
High Court judge Mr. Justice Morgan dismissed the allegations earlier today, claiming neither was a reliable witness.
"[McPhail] quite plainly exaggerated and distorted the real events," said Morgan. "Owen was not a reliable witness either.
"He manifested a high degree of confusion and a failure to grasp the detail in relation to many of the significant events."
After the pair left the group, James Bourne and Matt Willis recruited Charlie Simpson and signed with Universal Records.
In a statement, Willis and Bourne said: "[This was] an opportunistic attempt by Doyle and McPhail to cash in on our success.
"Their claims were a complete fabrication and we are delighted that the judge has seen through this and totally dismissed them."
Doyle and McPhail face a legal costs bill reported to be around £1.7 million.
Matt Willis returns to rehab
Former Busted star Matt Willis has returned to rehab for the third time, say reports.
The popstar admitted himself to The Priory after being given an ultimatum by his fiancée Emma Griffiths, according to The Mirror.
Griffiths apparently demanded that her partner got help after he spent a night partying with Amy Winehouse last month.
"He went too far after the night out with Amy," said a source. "He was so out of it he started swinging at photographers.
"He and Emma are supposed to get married next month and have a massive magazine deal but she told him he needs to sort himself out before she becomes his wife.
"She made him promise that he would give up drugs and heavy drinking - and she's devastated he broke that promise."
Willis has visited rehab in 2005 and 2006 for alcohol and drug addictions.
Hilton denies pregnancy rumours
Paris Hilton has dismissed speculation that she is expecting a baby with boyfriend Benji Madden.
The socialite, who recently said she wants to start a family next year, was photographed with an apparently swollen stomach as she left an LA bar on Wednesday.
An onlooker was quoted as saying: "Paris definitely looked a lot bigger than she usually looks. She is either pregnant or had eaten a massive meal!"
However, Hilton's spokesperson was quick to quash the rumours, telling Us Weekly that they are “completely false".
Lord help us if she is pregnant :rotfl:
Amy Winehouse faces gangrene worry
Amy Winehouse has been warned that she could become infected with gangrene at Glastonbury.
The troubled singer has been receiving medical advice about the sores on her face in recent months. According to the Daily Star, medics have told her that she must avoid all contact with mud if she does not want her condition to worsen. She may now be accompanied to the festival by a nurse, who would bandage her face overnight.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has stated that she has "total faith" in Winehouse. However, the star's comeback got off to a poor start last week when she turned up late for a vital gig in Lisbon.
Nick Godwyn, who discovered Winehouse, recently claimed that she should beat her addictions before continuing with her music career.
