Gibson premieres new Russian lover

Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva. (Getty)
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Mel Gibson has appeared in public with his new Russian girlfriend for the first time at the premiere of Hugh Jackman's X-Men Origins: Wolverine in Los Angeles.

Paparazzi snapped pictures of Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva as they strolled down the red carpet holding hands.

Last month, Gibson's wife of 28 years Robyn filed for divorce, reportedly after she found out Grigorieva was pregnant.

The couple had been separated for three years.

Gibson, 53, was spotted with Grigorieva — a pianist signed to his record label Icon Records — earlier this year as they frolicked on the beach in Costa Rica.

But her identity remained a mystery while three other women called Oskana, including a pop star and a blonde artist, were variously named in tabloids as Gibson's new love.

Grigorieva, who is signed to Gibson's record label, icon, has a son with former James Bond star Timothy Dalton.

"Mel has been single for almost three years and it's nice to see him getting out and enjoying himself," a spokesman for Gibson told the People.com website.

Kylie's wealth takes hit as recession bites

Kylie Minogue is said to be worth $70 million. (AAP)
Kylie Minogue is one of a number of celebrities whose wealth has dwindled thanks to the worldwide recession.

The pop princess, 40, is estimated to have lost about 10 percent of her wealth in the last 12 months, with her net worth shrinking from $83.5 million to $70 million.

Despite the loss, Minogue still placed 46th on a list of the richest musicians in Britain compiled by The Sunday Times.

It was the first time she had made the top 50, showing the recession was clearly taking a toll on a number of her fellow stars.

Minogue's wealth may have dwindled further had she not accepted recent multi-million dollars fees to perform in a Bollywood music clip and a hotel opening in Dubai.

She also sold a property in Melbourne for around $1 million.

The newspaper survey showed Britain's richest people lost 155 billion pounds in the past year, with the nation's number of billionaires sinking from 75 to 43 people.

"I am beyond being surprised, except by the scale of the devastation," said Philip Beresford, who has compiled the annual list since 1989.

"It is extraordinary how people have seen their fortunes being whittled away. It is devastation all round."

The global financial crisis pushed Britain into an official recession in the second half of 2008, with the economy experiencing two successive quarters of economic contraction.

Some of the best-known British-born business figures also took a knock from the sharp economic downturn.

Virgin boss Richard Branson is now worth $2.4 billion after losing $3 billion in the last year.

The list also said Formula One racing chief Bernie Ecclestone lost $1.89 billion this year, leaving him worth $3 billion.

ninemsn and AFP

'Stay true to who you are'

Grazia
Sarah Reid
Paul Potts became a worldwide sensation when he auditioned for a UK talent show. Now it’s Susan Boyle’s turn. Paul tells Grazia what she can expect with her newfound fame

I flipped a coin to decide whether to audition for Britain’s Got Talent, and never in my wildest dreams did I expect that it would change my life as much as it has.

Walking on stage in 2007, I was a bundle of nerves, but I just sang. To my disbelief I won, and in a heartbeat I went from selling mobile phones to flying around the world and performing for the Queen.

Like millions of others, I watched Susan Boyle sing I Dreamed A Dream, from the musical Les Miserables, on YouTube while I was in New Zealand last week. Seeing the judges smirk before she began reminded me of my own experience on the show. As a child I was taught that first impressions last, but my performance, and now Susan’s, have proven that first impressions aren’t always right. I think that’s a great lesson for people to take away; that many people have good qualities that you don’t immediately see.

I may not look like your typical singer, but I haven’t been pressured to change my image. I had my teeth fixed because I have always been terribly self-conscious about them – in my wedding album there isn’t a single photo of me smiling with an open mouth. But that’s it.

If Susan is pressured to change I would advise her to resist it. The most important thing is to stay true to who you are, because you have to live with yourself when it’s all over.

Good luck to her.

Paul Pott’s second album, Passione, is out now

Miss USA contest in gay marriage controversy

By ninemsn staff
The prestigious Miss USA contest turned ugly after a gay marriage question by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton sparked outrage from the audience and "ugly" fights outside.
Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton took out the crown, beating 50 other beauties in the pageant which was televised live from Las Vegas earlier today.
But runner-up Miss California Carrie Prejean garnered most of the attention after her answer to a question about legalising same sex marriage.
Gossip guru Hilton asked Ms Prejean: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalise same-sex marriage … do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?" She replied: "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage."
"And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.
"No offence to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
Some of the audience cheered while others booed.
Others argued in the lobby, the Daily Telegraph reports.
"It's ugly," gay man Scott Ihrig was quoted as saying.
"I think it's ridiculous that she got first runner-up.
"That is not the value of 95 percent of the people in this audience.
"Look around this audience and tell me how many gay men there are."
Charmaine Koonce, the mother of Miss New Mexico USA Bianca Carla, disagreed, saying: "In the Bible it says marriage is between Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve."
It is the second time this month that the pageant has been hit with controversy after Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza posted a blog entry about a trip to Guantanamo Bay.
Ms Mendoza described the trip to the infamous prison as "aloooot of fun".
The blog entry was later pulled from the Miss USA website.

Trusted voice waits in the wings

Paul Sheehan
Popular ... Susan Boyle. Photo: AP

Writing a column is a constant battle between writing about what is important and what is diverting. The tension between the two is obvious, no more so than this week, when I want to write about tax (important), but have been distracted by a frumpy, unemployed, middle-aged virgin (diverting). What reconciles the chasm between the two, between tax policy and Susan Boyle (the frumpy, unemployed, middle-aged virgin) is the phenomenon known as the wisdom of crowds.

The wisdom of crowds has been supremely evident during the past week since 4000 people in a concert hall in London began shifting in their seats as a frumpy, jowly, middle-aged woman stalked onto the stage and told the judges her dream was to be a professional singer and her role model was Elaine Paige. A ripple of discomfort and incredulity ran through the auditorium, and the judging panel, as the woman, Susan Boyle, nominated her song, I Dream A Dream from Les Miserables.

Earlier, Ms Boyle had been shown on the big screen eating a sandwich backstage, and telling judges she was unemployed, lived alone with her cat, Pebbles, had never been married, in fact, had never been kissed.

She sang in a church choir in a village of West Lothian, near Edinburgh, where she has lived alone in her childhood home since the death of her 91-year-old mother two years ago.

As she was about to sing there was collective hush as if 4000 people were about to watch a slow-motion social train wreck. By the time Ms Boyle had finished her song, the judges had been rendered irrelevant .

The audience was on its feet for a cheering, standing ovation. The rest is internet history. On YouTube, various videos featuring the performance have been viewed more than 34 million times around the world. It's gone global.

I recommend any reader with access to the internet, who has not seen these videos, to visit YouTube, search "Susan Boyle", and click on the video with the largest number of viewers (the wisdom of crowds) because that is the one which shows the whole saga, from backstage sandwich to stunned judges. It will make your day. Continued...

The Sydney Morning Herald

Madonna's new advertising campaign

Yahoo7

The 50-year-old singer - who starred in the French fashion label's spring adverts earlier this year - is said to be teaming up with photographer Steven Meisel later this month.

Fashion website Karen Kooper wrote on social networking website Twitter: "Madonna does Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 2009 campaign. By Steven Meisel again."

Steven shot the last se of pictures featuring Madonna after taking over from Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, who had worked on Louis Vuitton campaigns for six years.

The pictures showed a scantily-clad Madonna in a series of raunchy poses, including one where she was reclining on a sofa with a bag dangling from her stiletto heel and several where she wore fishnet tights.

Creative director of the brand Marc Jacobs said at the time: "I just blurted out, 'I think we should do Madonna.' I had just seen her in concert and I was totally just blown away by it, and moved by her performance, by what she had to say, and her energy. It was her idea to do the fishnets."

Madonna has previously spoken of her love of working with Steven, telling America's Vogue magazine: "I know that I love him. You get sucked into his aura. He knows things.

"Before I worked with him, I just showed up in the clothes I was wearing, stood in front of the lights, and got my picture taken. With Steven, a team of people descended on me, started to undress me. Someone grabbed my hair, another grabbed my face, another started helping me try on various bits of clothes. He was the first person to introduce me to the idea of reinvention."

Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker Wed

ET on line
Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images
Tennis ace Andy Roddick and Sports Illustrated model Brooklyn Decker have made it official! The pair wed on Friday night in Austin, TX, People magazine reports. Read on for all of the "I do" details!

Roddick, 26 and Decker, 21, married in in front of their friends and family in a small, candlelit ceremony at the tennis player's home, where none other than Sir Elton John performed.

Other guests included tennis stars Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.

The decorations included tropical flowers, while the bridesmaids wore chocolate-colored gowns.

The twosome reportedly met in 2007 and became engaged in March of 2008.

ET's 'Twilight' 'New Moon' Exclusive!

ET

The countdown is on to another ET exclusive! In only seven days -- we're taking you to the closed Vancouver set of 'Twilight' sequel 'New Moon'!

Only one show can take you behind the scenes at 'New Moon' -- with exclusive, on-set interviews with the film's stars, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner!

'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' is rising on ET starting next Thursday, April 23! Until then, you can get your first taste by watching our exclusive new video!

'New Moon' is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2009.

Is this Mel Gibson's 24-year-old Russian mistress?

ninemsn

After rumours emerged that a Russian woman named "Oksana" was the reason Mel Gibson's wife filed for divorce, the paparazzi hunt was on to track down the mystery lady. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy to find her considering Russia is one hell of a big place and "Oksana" is the Russian equivalent of "Sarah".

But now Russian pop singer Oksana Pochepa has come forward claiming she is Mel's new squeeze.

The pair were photographed frolicking in the sea together a few weeks back, but until now the identity of Mel's swimming partner had remained a mystery.

"This is serious and I hope that our union will be real and strong and long-lasting," says 24-year-old Oksana.

"We are different people, but Mel is a grown man and knows precisely what he wants and me too — I know what I want."

But what Mel wants may be different to what Oksana thinks he wants. Just days after his divorce went public, Mel's been spotted frolicking on yet another beach with yet another mystery woman.

This time he's in Costa Rica with a blonde!

Is Simon Cowell quitting American Idol?

ninemsn

Simon Cowell is TV's busiest man: in addition to his American Idol duties, he also sits on the judging panel of British reality shows The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent. But can he handle his heavy workload for much longer?

"There is a point where I am not sure we can keep this schedule up," he confessed to English rag the Mirror. "It takes longer and longer to make these shows because you have to put more into them, and I am not sure we can sustain me doing three shows a year."

Cowell threatened that he may walk away from one of his TV series... and that he's most likely to quit American Idol.

"I don't know which one. That is the problem, I like all of them," he said. "I can't imagine not doing Britain's Got Talent and I can't imagine not doing X Factor. But I guess America is more likely to go because I have got one [more] year under contract. Maybe that will be the end."

But he stressed that he's yet to make any final decisions about quitting any of his shows.

Cowell also hinted that he's hoping to launch another "big new show" in 2010.

"But can I tell you what it is?" he said. "Absolutely not."

Fergie to Perform At The White House

ETonline.com
Ray Mickshaw/ FOX / Getty Images
Fergie is headed to the nation's capital on Monday for a special performance!
The singer has just been announced as one of the guest performers at the 2009 White House Easter Egg Roll.
More than 30,000 guests have been invited to the annual family event which includes music performances, celebrity chefs, and story time.
The theme for this year's event is 'Let's Go Play,' and activities will be focused on teaching children the importance of exercise, and fun and exciting ways to stay active.
Click here to see the full schedule of events and special webcasts from the White House.

It's official: Miley is the new Britney

ninemsn

Images: Getty

Miley Cyrus has been crowned the new "Teen Queen", inheriting the title from Pop Princess Britney Spears, according to an online poll.

32% of teens surveyed by PopEater.com voted for 16-year-old Miley as their idol, booting 27-year-old Britney out of the top spot and into third place.

Teens may think Miley's cool, but they also know she's a bit dodgy — only 10% believe she's the best role model.

The Jonas Brothers came in a close second in the teen idol stakes, with 27% of the vote.

Identity crisis: Paris's Lady Gaga moment

ninemsn
Images: Snapper Media
Imitation is flattery - but in Paris Hilton's case, her Lady Gaga style is just plain plagiarism!
Lounging on a balcony during a photshoot in Malibu, Paris' dominatrix gear and visor sunglasses made her a dead ringer for the 'Just Dance' singer.
Gaga will probably take it as a compliment - when Christina Aguilera ripped her steez not long ago she was loving it.
"Iit was very flattering when it happened," Gaga said of the time Christina unveiled her Gaga-esque look.
"She's such a huge star and if anything I should send her flowers, because a lot of people in America didn't know who I was until that whole thing happened.
"There are no hard feelings with Christina at all. What it showed me was, even though I've only been on the commercial market for seven or eight months, I've really burned graphic images of my visuals onto the irises of my fans.
"They saw a huge, Grammy-winning star who's been around for years and they recognised Lady GaGa. That to me is quite an accomplishment."
More separated-at-birth stars in our gallery!

Miley thinks Robert Pattinson is pretty average

ninemsn
Images: Snapper Media
What? A teen girl not totally wild for Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson? Well slap us over the head with a salami, guess Miley Cyrus isn't the predictable type.
In fact, the Hannah Montana star reckons most girls smitten by Robert's scruffy charm aren't actually into him at all, they're just infatuated with his Twilight charatcer, Edward Cullen.
“I’m not a huge Rob Pattinson fan," she told Teen Vogue.
"Girls aren’t really in love with Rob; they’re in love with Edward.”
When it comes to celebs however, Miley does have appreciation for the beautiful people - especially Scarlett Johannson.
“She is, honestly, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” she swooned.
“I went to He’s Just Not That into You with [boyfriend] Justin, and I was covering his eyes.”

Lindsay and Samantha: Officially over

ninemsn
Images: Snapper Media
Holy crap, it's over at last. Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson have finally had enough of scratching each others eyes out, having late-night shriek-fests and slagging each other off online - and have officially split.
Lilo issued the following statement yesterday: "We are taking a brief break so I can focus on myself."
Imagine how much better life will be for both of them without the catfights!
And it was all worth it - the mountains of publicity they attracted for their girly love affair catapulted Sam to fame, and made Lilo more famous than ever - even though her film career isn't exactly on the rise.
Check out some other ladies whose careers soared when they got cosy with the ladies in our gallery!