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Carly Smithson was the latest American Idol contestant to get the boot but before the elimination even happened, Idol message boards were abuzz that the castoff was going to be Jason Castro. Who would leak such a thing? Allegedly, it was Ryan Seacrest. An email exchange posted on a fan site points at Ryan saying that he blabbed that it was going to be Jason who’s leaving the show. While Ryan once said that he finds out who gets to go home the morning of the show, the truth is that only the two executive producers know who’s voted off.

The stars on Dancing will be short one member. Derek Hough, partner of Shannon Elizabeth, was taken from the set in an ambulance with an apparent neck injury. The injury was sustained during rehearsals.

An ABC spokesperson said that he was taken to an L.A. hospital to be examined. He went on, “The injury does not appear to be serious.”

Karina Smirnoff was dating her former partner from Dancing with the Stars, Mario Lopez. Now, rumors are flying that she’s hooked up with her current partner, rapper Mario.

It has been said that she was seen kissing Mario at a party back in February, but she says it didn’t happen. She said, “I told you to keep it on the DL, dude!…By the end of the show, I will be pregnant with Mario’s baby!”

Mario’s rep says, “They’re not dating.” Plus, a source close to Karina and Mario Lopez’s rep says they are very much still a thing. “They’re totally boyfriend and girlfriend. They went out to Eva Longoria’s restaurant opening together.”

If you were one of the many who voted for American Idol wannabe Michael Johns after his Tuesday performance, you could have been influenced by a performance that wasn’t even part of the show. At the end of the show, Ryan Seacrest threw to a tape which showed highlights of the performances. The one they showed for Michael was actually better than when he sang earlier. That’s because producers used his performance from his rehearsal. And if you can recall, Paula called Michael on tat saying she heard him during rehearsal and that he sounded a lot better. Apparently, the same thing happened with David Archuleta last week when he forgot his lyrics.

It seems everywhere Amy Winehouse goes, trouble follows. Guests at the opening of posh fashion house Fendi’s new flagship Paris store were probably expecting handbags, but not handbags at dawn.

The Rehab singer, sporting a nasty bump to the side of her face, was paid a whopping $1000k to perform at the bash. She had attempted to cover the lump with loads of make-up but told the well-heeled guests it was “so big I can see it out of my eye.

Do you get mumps in France?”

The event ended in an almighty scrap among some of the guests as they jockeyed for position to hear her sing. A source at Paris Fashion Week said: “It was a complete fiasco. It got nasty and people were breaking bottles. Organisers had to lock the crowd in without any drinks while she performed.”

The Back To Black singer, winner of NME’s Worst Dressed gong last week, added: “Forgive my ignorance, I don’t know a thing about fashion.”

Amy also revealed during the 40-minute set that she would like to be booked for more gigs, even Bar Mitzvahs and weddings. But she added: “Well maybe not a wedding. My music’s a little too heartbreak.”

Then she got her beehive tangled in her guitar strap. I hate it when that happens.

Amy Winehouse is in the middle of an international clash of the titans! Big media players in both the US and the UK are reportedly desperate to get an exclusive, no-holds-barred interview with the troubled singer. This means that Wino stands to get a lot of money off of her many woes in life.

In the US, CNN’s Larry King and talk show queen Oprah both have pressed Wino’s people for the sit down. In the UK, top anchorman Sir Trevor McDonald is pining for Wino. Sir Trevor has admitted that the US has a money advantage but he is still confident that he can win Wino over.

Scarlett Johansson is going full steam ahead with her album of little known, but critically beloved, songs by Tom Watts plus one original song. The record is set to drop in stores in May and none other than music legend David Bowie provides background vocals on two tracks. And if it’s anything to go by, Bowies swears that Scarlett is really good. He says on his official website that “The songs are great, really good Tom Waits stuff, and Scarlett’s performances are mystical and twice cool.” Is he talking about Scarlett’s singing or her boobs? I’m a little confused. There’s a double standard there if you read it carefully.

Amy Winehouse’s jailbird husband Blake Fielder-Civil will be spitting porridge when he hears about this.

The Rehab singer was all over Blake Wood at fashion designer Andrew Buckler’s party at trendy East London club Shoreditch House. On a night of lavish bashes on both sides of the capital, stars flocked to the West for the Elle Style Awards bash in Notting Hill or East for the London Fashion Week party on Tuesday.

Amy headed to the East End for her first big night out since leaving rehab last week and new Blake didn’t leave her side. One witness said they looked like a loved-up young couple and Blake couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

The source said: “Blake held her bag all night and was snuggled up behind her when she was in the DJ booth, putting his arms around her waist. When a romantic song came on she came out of the booth and slow danced with him. They were gazing into each other’s eyes. They were very openly tactile. If I didn’t know she was a married woman, I would have said they looked like a loved-up young couple. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her.”

Amy has calmed her worried hubby by telling him new Blake is gay; despite his Facebook page saying he is into both men and women. She has a habit of dropping Blake’s name into her live shows and will probably still do so at next week’s Brits.

That’s the advantage of the two main men in your life having the same name — that and not having to get rid of the tattoo on your breast.

In case you’re behind on your Britney gossip, her business manager Howard Grossman is big buddies from way back with one Sam Lufti. Hmm, conflict of interests, perhaps?

A court order has given Britney’s father (as her temporary conservator) the right to fire Grossman. Grossman was given orders to give up “all documents, records, and assets relating to Britney Spears.” Grossman says he has no idea why they’ve decided to do this.

Additionally, Britney’s custody lawyers Trope and Trope have filed papers asking to be released from her case. They no longer want to represent her in her dispute with Kevin Federline. Sorrell Trope says, “We filed paper asking to be relieved, and hopefully they will find someone to replace us. I’m not at liberty to say more at this time.”

Hurray some more happy news! Not a wedding; even better. We can expect the arrival of another celebrity rugrat – this time courtesy of Lily Allen and boyfriend Ed Simons.

This will be the couple’s first child and they are all smiles. A source close to the singer said: “Lily is thrilled to be pregnant and can’t wait to become a mum. She’s a real family person. Ed’s very happy. He is really looking after her.”

Though the couple haven’t been together very long. 22-year-old Lily and Chemical Brother’s singer Ed, who is 15 years her senior, have only been dating since September. But they plan to set up home together and seem to be very pleased.

Good luck to them and congratulations.

All five original members of the Spice Girls took to a London stage on Saturday night for the first time since 1998. That marked their official homecoming. There were some concerns regarding Saturday night’s concert due to Emma Bunton’s foot injury. But as they say, the show must go on.

Baby Spice managed to get through the show despite her injured ankle which shows just how much of a pro she is. People reports that a few of the dance routines were altered and Baby got her way through it. A rep said that she wasn’t about to miss performing in her hometown. Big props mama!

Along with touring the world for their reunion tour, the Spice Girls are also filming a documentary about their reforming called ‘Giving You Everything’. A sneak peek of the documentary has made its way on the internet and it features some very raw moments.You can see a very emotional Ginger breaking down in tears. There’s also a blunt Sporty talking about Geri’s departure from the band saying “she could have really fucked things up for us”. Just from that sneak peek, you can tell that the documentary is pretty much a very raw and candid look at all the girls. It goes away from seeing the high-profile celebrities that they are and is quite a tell all.

After the news that Ike Turner had passed away I doubt the first thing his former wife did was collapse in floods of tears. Despite being married for 16 years, the abuse that Tina Turner suffered at his hands is sure to have taken all the love away.

So it is no shock to hear that the attendance list of Ike’s funeral will not include Tina.

One friend said: “Tina hasn’t seen Ike for 35 years and last time she did see him he treated her appallingly, so there’s no way she will be going to the service to pay tribute to him.”

Anyone who thinks this is wrong obviously hasn’t seen the Tina and Ike movie. I applaud the woman. Why should she attend? Ike is in her past and Tina has become a legend in her own right; not only in the music industry but in women’s hearts everywhere.

When you look at Amy Winehouse the last thing you think of is fashion. With a string of troubles including drugs, bulimia and a jailed hubby you are more likely to think of a walking disaster area.

Unless of course your name is Karl Lagerfield. The top designer thinks that the singer is his new muse; even going as far as to compare her with sixties French actress Bridget Bardot.

To prove it the new line (ahem) by the designer is totally dedicated to the beehive queen.

Karl said of the singer: “She is a beautiful, gifted artist. And I very much like her hairdo. I took it as an inspiration. Because, in fact, it was also Brigitte Bardot’s hairdo in the late Fifties and Sixties. And now Amy has made it her own style.

“So, when I saw her, I knew it was the right moment. Amy . . . she is the new Brigitte.”

Well, not literally because that would just be silly. Especially being as Michael Jackson is the most recent famous bod to join the environmentally friendly crowd and purchase the Toyota Prius car. The eccentric star, who has often been accused of having a carbon footprint and frequently charters private planes, spent around $20,000; joining the masses including Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Ferrell, Cameron Diaz and Harrison Ford.

I doubt this will make Mike the environment guru all of a sudden but at least it’s a step in the right direction. Maybe it will make up for the fact that after all the plastic surgery the man has had we’re not entirely sure if he is even bio degradable anymore.

But anyway, this car is supposed to be Hollywood’s hybrid car of choice; running on electricity and petrol. Ferell has gushed about how much he loves his car; even going as far as to say it is “sexy”.

Hmm; good to the environment and sexy…oh, and the car’s good too.

She may be the cause for the early demise of the Pussycat Dolls but Nicole Scherzinger is still a performer. The lead Pussycat Doll turned solo artist was carried on to the stage for her performance at ‘Movies Rock: A Celebration of Music in Film’ which was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday.The 29-year old singer gave a surprise performance of ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’ which was famously performed by Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’. Nicole even wore a pink dress similar to that of the blonde bombshell’s.

Catch the performance when the show airs on Friday, December 7 at 9PM ET/PT on CBS

After Marie Osmond’s dollface was given the boot, the competition on Dancing with the Stars came down to race car driver Helio Castroneves and his partner Julianne Hough and Spice Girl Melanie Brown and her partnerMaksim Chmerkovskiy.

At the start of the final showdown, Castroneves was in second place, a mere one point behind Scary Spice. However, his quickstep on Tuesday night earned him a perfect score of 30.

After combining the scores from the judges with votes from viewers, it was determined that Castroneves had earned the mirroball trophy as the winner of this fifth season of DWTS.

His response? “It will look so good between my two Indy 500 trophies.”

It was a first place finish for him once again.

It seems she just can’t learn her lesson. In past months Britney Spears has been involved in countless driving incidents including running a red light, driving over a policeman’s foot; and recently she was banned from having her kids in the car with her when she was driving. But all this obviously isn’t enough to turn the pop star into the model driver.

In a move sure to prevent the ruling about her kids being overturned, Miss Spears was caught on camera by Hollywood TV sending a text on her mobile phone whilst driving. Now you would think that as a big celeb; used to being followed by the press, Britney would think twice about misbehaving and getting away with it. Doesn’t she know by now the paparazzi have a way of seeing everything?

Britney, honey, hire a chauffeur or something. You really oughtn’t to be on the roads.

Oh dear. Kylie Minogue has been publicly disgraced, according to a report today. Famous waxwork modellers, Madame Tussauds recently unveiled a sculpture of the singer in a racy position; causing our mini Aussie to feel “mortified and humiliated”.

The waxwork depicted Kylie on all fours, with her famous booty in the air. Claiming that she was not consulted about the model; the pop artist insists she did not approve of it.

But Kylie; you aren’t humiliated when you wear next to nothing on stage, nor when you strike these poses that give the idea that a position such as this would depict you correctly. So why are you surprised?

The admission comes after the unveiling of a brand new statue in her native Australia. This depicts her in nothing but a burlesque body stocking and red high heels. But she hasn’t complained about this one! Hmmm…

In retaliation to the response from the artist, the waxwork was replaced by a more modest model earlier this year; making Kylie to be the only person other than the QUEEN to have four waxwork models sculpted. She is cuter than the queen so we’ll let her have that one huh?

It’s normally something you expect to hear about middle age spinsters desperate for a man to fulfill their lives…or something like that. But recently, hip-hop star Kanye West has admitted he is desperate to be married.

Woah girls! Slow down! Before you all rush to volunteer, the hunky singer has already found his perfect woman.

I know, I know; I can here the groans of disappointment from here. But Kayne insists, “I wouldn’t get married to prove anything to anyone - it’s for me, for stability in my life, and I’m so happy that I found someone that I really love, that challenges me that keeps my life interesting, that’s just as crazy as I am.”

Following the recent death of his mother, Donda, he reveals he has realized how precious life can be, and is fully ready to marry his loving supportive fiancé, Alexis Phifer.

Isn’t it romantic? All together now… awwwww!

Former model and Dancing With the Stars contestant Heather Mills McCartney is seeking millions of dollars in her divorce from former Beatle Paul McCartney. As she does so, she berates the rich in the world, calling them “misers and snobs.”

She married McCartney in 2002 and had their only child Beatrice in 2003. They separated last year with McCartney filing for divorce on the grounds of “unreasonable behavior” from his wife.

Mills McCartney made the berating comments during a 90-minute speech she gave to the debating society of Trinity College in Dublin.

She says she only befriended the rich people of the world because she felt she needed to do that if she wanted the chance to change the world.

She is quoted as saying, “Sadly, you have to mix at a certain level of people to raise the level of funds you need to bring about the greater good. Because people are very snobby. These people who have lots of money, they’re either snobby or they’re stingy. If you have lots of money, you have to be stingy - because why would you want that amount of money?”

Hmmm….but yet she WANTS that amount of money in her divorce settlement? She must be snobby….or stingy.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed that the Spice Girls lipsynched their songs at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Thursday and the BBC One special on Friday. But sources close to the ladies are guaranteeing that they will be singing live when they go out on tour which will kick off on December 2.

An insider explains the reason for the girls making a shortcut at the fashion show saying “Last night with all the production issues and different set ups, it would have been a nightmare. Better safe than sorry. Rarely do we trust TV sound (apart from the big awards shows).”

I guess we just have to wait for the tour.

Unlucky at love singer/actress Jessica Simpson has expressed interest in finding a man from Boston. “I think Boston has cute boys,” she tells Extra. “I need a Boston man. A Boston man is closest to a Southern man, I believe.” I’m not a big fan, but at least she has enough sense to stay out of trouble and take advantage of the opportunities she gets. Her singing/movie career ain’t happening, but she makes her money selling the shoes, swimwear, extensions and Proctiv. Unlike some of colleagues, she seems to understand this is not gonna last forever and she needs to strike while the iron is hot. So while everybody else is going to court/jail/or rehab, she is going to the bank. Look at the others that are singers just like her from Amy to Britney all are either druggies or jail bound or in courts fighting for custody. At least the same cannot be said for Jessica, she is out there doing her stuff and that’s the best way to live a life.

Pianist Anthony Spiri has well distinguished himself with his sensitive and probing interpretations of the keyboard music of the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach, having recorded C.P.E. Bach for Camerata and Orfeo and a particularly outstanding outing with W.F. Bach on the Oehms Classics label, previously noted here. This Arte Nova recording of Johann Christian Bach’s Op. 17 sonatas was actually made before all of the others in 2000; however, it has not been previously seen in the United States as it appeared shortly after Arte Nova lost its American distribution owing to the shuttering of BMG’s classical division in North America. In this case, later is certainly better than never, as this is as excellent an extrapolation of the virtues of Johann Christian’s keyboard music, highly valued in its day but neglected in ours, as has ever appeared.

Spiri does this music no harm by projecting it in the idiom commonly associated with Mozart’s piano sonatas as played on the modern piano; the point of reference is well-taken for modern ears. It is very helpful in getting the gist of why Johann Sebastian Bach’s last-born son attracted such fame and fortune during his brief, but brilliant career as the standard bearer of Italian style galant in Greater Europe.

Nicole Kidman accompanied her husband Keith Urban and shared a tender moment with him on the red carpet at the 2007 ARIA Awards which was held on Sunday. It’s Australia’s version of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony was held at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex.

While the whole show was about music, Nicole unintentionally stole the spotlight on the red carpet as she signed autographs and greeted fans. The spotlight returned to Keith later on in the night though when he was awarded the best country album trophy. It was his third time to win the award.

The girls have definitely grown up. They are now way past wearing spandex and cheesy outfits because they are trading up. For their upcoming world tour, the Spice Girls are going from track suits to couture creations.

The girl group have commissioned fashion big wig Roberto Cavalli to develop a new look for them and to create the outfits for the tour. Can you say diva-fied?

Cavalli is best known for his outlandish and extravagant outfits. Incidentally enough, he also happens to be a personal favourite of Posh Spice Victoria Beckham. But his name and talent comes at a price. The budget for the new looks: $4 million.

Everyone but his ex-wife that is. He may come across as Mr. Nice Guy but his ex-wife is telling a different story for the world to know.

Tony Bennett’s former wife, Sandra Grant Bennett who is also the mother of two of his kids, is currently at work on a tell-all book about the legendary singer. Sandra was quoted in saying “The Tony I knew is not the same smiley Mr. Nice Guy the world knows.”

Among her revelations on the darker side of Tony are drug use, a nearly fatal cocaine overdose and his financial troubles. Let’s just hope that he’s stopped with all the white stuff because of the age he’s at.

There we have it, the man’s just died a few days ago and the females will not let him rest in peace. The women in the life of Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti could be in for a battle over his 250 million fortune. While the opera superstar’s three adult daughters, who have sided with their mother – Pavarotti’s first wife Adua Veroni following their divorce in 2000, but recently had a rapprochement with their father, have lined up on one side, his second wife Nicoletta Mantovani’s on the other. The man’s dead and has left some goodies behind and now there’s going to a fight for that fortune with the ladies slugging it out to claim the money, that’s the story with all these people. If Britney has a fortune then Kevin wants it all for himself and when Pavarotti has left something behind the ladies are trying to lay their hands on it. Everyone’s so greedy that not an inch of barren land would be left if it could be theirs.

The King of Crunk Lil’ Jon is extending his reign filled with hip-hop beats and grinding lyrics over to the world of 80s glam rock?! Wait, come again?!

The Atlanta native was spotted at Body English last week and thought that it would be a load of fun to go up on stage and join Metal Skool and their mangy Sammy Hagar look-alike. The duo got nasty with some vintage tunes.

The pimp rapper’s contribution to the ‘Jump’ cover were a couple of misplaced ‘yay-uh’s’. But the real kicked was when Metal Skool’s lead singer throws out a ‘yah-uh’ of his own. Yikes.

Opera legend Luciano Pavarotti has died, his manager has announced. He was 71. The Italian tenor was said to be in a “very serious” condition on Wednesday night, after falling unconscious. A local TV news station in Modena, northern Italy, reported Pavarotti was on his death bed after suffering kidney failure. Man this person is eternal and whether his body and soul is not with us any more his legacy will continue to live with us for ever. I know this is a hard time for his family and followers but the memories that he has left behind for all of us is something to be cherished for a long time after all of us are dead too.