Cowell's Got Charitable

Posted by Jamie on March 20, 2008 9:22 AM

It seems Simon Cowell has discovered the benefits of helping others after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show in the States.

The music career maker/breaker was so moved by the story of an American couple struggling to make ends meet as they took their sick daughter on a vital (and lengthy) journey each day for treatment, he dipped into his £50m-plus fortune to pay off their mortgage.

Very charitable.

But without sounding churlish, do you know what would have made it more so?

If he'd kept quiet about his noble act and not gone on Oprah's show to crow about how good it made him feel.

Makes you wonder who he was really trying to help.

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A Marriage With Legs

Posted by Jamie on March 18, 2008 2:22 PM

Just as second albums from music acts with impressive debuts can be disappointing, the same can also be said of hastily recommissioned sitcoms.

But I'm glad to say that BBC Three's Gavin and Stacey - the surprise scooper of many a comedy gong this year - is having no such difficulty at the mo.

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I'm Ashamed to Say

Posted by Jamie on March 12, 2008 2:58 PM

I have discovered the superbness (is that a word?) of Channel Four's Shameless a lot later than most.

It never appealed to me when it first hit our screens about four years ago - and I once interviewed a (nameless) Shameless cast member whose self-importance was so overwhelming it put me off the show even further.

But that's all in the past. I've finally succumbed to its salt-of-the-earth charms, however, and I'm glad.

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A Hard Afternoon's Imbibe

Posted by Jamie on March 5, 2008 10:32 AM

Mother's Day in Liverpool city centre came to a close with an impromptu visit to the non-residents' bar of the plush new Hard Day's Night hotel.

The ideal speck to buy me mum a Bailey's, this was my first time inside the swankiest hotel Liverpool has seen for years.

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Dandy Andy

Posted by Jamie on March 5, 2008 10:11 AM

It wasn't to be for Southport's Aimee Kearsley in this Saturday's Eurovision-Your Decision preliminary.

Aimee and her LoveShy bandmate Emma Beard won't be flying the Union flag in Belgrade on May 24, but perhaps that's a good thing.

I'm sure they're great girls, but their live performance was a tad nervy and shaky in a studio of about 200 people. Putting them in front of 20,000 at the cavernous Belgrade Arena would have just been cruel - and a potential nil-pointer for the UK.

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