09:10 AM EDT 10/30/2009

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Gordon Ramsay's Newest Recipe: Cosmetic Procedure

Bodywatch

Gordon Ramsay's Newest Recipe: Cosmetic Procedure

Originally posted 10/28/2009 11:30AM

Gordon Ramsay might be able to take the heat in the kitchen but when Simon Cowell remarked on his deep facial lines, the celebrity chef decided enough was enough.

"My mother said they were smile lines," the Michelin-starred chef told Britain's Radio Times magazine, referring to the deep grooves on his chin. "I could deal with that at 21, but not at 42."

Furthermore, he said, "Simon Cowell suggested that now I'm a success in America, I should do something, so I had a filler put under the deep crevices."


Not that Ramsey's embarrassed to say the $650 treatment left him feeling more than a little sore, admitting: "It hurt."

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Paula Abdul Channels Ellen DeGeneres

Paula Abdul Channels Ellen DeGeneres

Originally posted 09/18/2009 08:00AM

Paula Abdul beat the haters to the punch on live TV Thursday night when she dressed up as – and even did a dance like – her would-be nemesis: Ellen DeGeneres.

"Why are you all staring at me? Can't a girl try out for a new job?," the recently unseated American Idol judge (wearing a blonde wig and black pant suit) asked as she sashayed Ellen-style onto the stage of VH1's Divas Live and plopped into the chair of a set that mimicked that of the daytime talk-show host – who is set to replace her on Idol.


"All kidding aside," good-naturedly added Abdul, 47, who hosted this year's Divas from the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City, "[I have] nothing but love for Ellen, and I wish you the best of luck and congratulations on your new gig. And call me! You gotta call me if you have any Simon problems, 'cause you know, I know him best."

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Music News

Meet the Singer Who Wowed Simon Cowell

Originally posted 08/27/2009 08:30AM



Susan Boyle, move over. Four months after the Scottish singing sensation caused TV judge Simon Cowell to drop his jaw, a 27-year-old schoolteacher from Reading, England, made viewers think they were seeing a replay.

Last Saturday, amateur singer Danyl Johnson stopped the show – in this case, The X Factor, the British version of American Idol – with his Joe Cocker-ish rendition of the Beatles' "A Little Help From My Friends." Johnson's performance prompted Cowell to say: "I have been doing this for eight or nine years. Danyl, that was single-handedly the best first audition I have ever heard."

"It's been pretty mental," Johnson, speaking on Thursday's Today show, said of the reaction to his powerful stage presence and voice. So far, his YouTube clip has attracted a million viewers, noted an impressed Today host Matt Lauer.

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Victoria Beckham Hopes Simon Gives Her a Hard Time

American Idol

Victoria Beckham Hopes Simon Gives Her a Hard Time

Originally posted 08/07/2009 01:10PM

The newest Idol judge says she's "looking forward to a bit of banter" with Cowell

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Kate Moss to Make Like Ryan Seacrest in New TV Role | Kate Moss

TV News

Kate Moss to Make Like Ryan Seacrest in New TV Role

Originally posted 08/04/2009 09:30AM

Up till now, the closest link Kate Moss had with the world of pop music was her romantic entanglements. That may soon change, as the veteran British supermodel is apparently set to step into the rock ring.

According to reports, Moss, 35, would showcase her talents as either a Kara DioGuardi-like judge or Ryan Seacrest-esque host on Simon Cowell's next U.K. talent-search venture: a So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star? battle-of-the-bands-type program.

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Susan Boyle Records First Song for New Album | Simon Cowell, Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle Records First Song for New Album

Originally posted 07/04/2009 11:50AM

Susan Boyle took time out from the Britain's Got Talent tour to record the first track on her planned album with Simon Cowell's team, who are clearly excited by what they heard.

"She sounds fantastic on record," says Cowell. "She's so good, the album is not just going to be show tunes. We're going to take our time with this."

Boyle, 48, also visited the Sony Music offices in London last week to meet with executives, who are treating her gently. Mindful of the pressures and subsequent hospitalization after she finished second in the Britain's Got Talent final, the label says she could walk away from the project any time she wants.

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Simon Cowell 'Made Mistakes' with Susan Boyle | Simon Cowell, Susan Boyle

Simon Cowell 'Made Mistakes' with Susan Boyle

Originally posted 06/21/2009 04:15PM

In light of Susan Boyle's second canceled concert, Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell admits that, in the case of managing Boyle's fast-rising fame, "I've made mistakes."

"Looking back on it all, it has become clear to me that we didn't handle the situation with Susan as well as we could have," Cowell wrote in a telling editorial that appeared in Britain's Daily Mail this weekend. "She seemed fine with all the attention. … I thought perhaps naively that she was in control."

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Simon Cowell Calls Adam Cook an 'Incredible Guy' | Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell Calls Adam Cook an 'Incredible Guy'

Originally posted 05/03/2009 10:45PM

In the American Idol world, the death of current champ David Cook's brother Adam was felt immediately.

Paula Abdul expressed her sympathy in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE: "Adam Cook was a part of our extended American Idol family who supported his brother wholeheartedly, even through his own fight. My heart goes out not only to David, but his family as well."

Adam Cook, 37, had battled cancer for more than a decade, including throughout Cook's bid for the American Idol crown last year. The Terre Haute, Ind., lawyer had even flown out to L.A. amid chemotherapy treatment to see his brother, 26, take the Idol stage.

It was a commitment that didn't go unnoticed by the judges. Simon Cowell, too, offered his condolences. "I was incredibly saddened to hear the news," he said in a statement to PEOPLE. "I met Adam Cook a few times at American Idol. He was an incredible guy, and right now my thoughts are with David and his family."

– Shawna Malcom and Monica Rizzo

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Simon Cowell: Susan Boyle Could Lose Britain's Got Talent | Simon Cowell

TV News

Simon Cowell: Susan Boyle Could Lose Britain's Got Talent

Originally posted 04/25/2009 03:00PM

Susan Boyle has become an overnight singing sensation – but that doesn't mean the golden-voiced star will win Britain's Got Talent, according to show judge Simon Cowell.

"I keep saying to everybody, she's got to win the next stage. It's [up to] her," he said Friday in Los Angeles while promoting America's Got Talent. "She has four weeks to prepare for the biggest time of her life. She's got to sing better than she's ever sung before. But it could all go horribly wrong now because there are so many distractions."

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Simon Cowell Lives Large as Musicians Lose Millions in Downturn | Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell Lives Large as Musicians Lose Millions in Downturn

Originally posted 04/24/2009 08:30AM

Ubiquitous talent spotter Simon Cowell has seen his fortune rise as traditional rock stars lose out in the recession.

Cowell, who judges American Idol and the U.K's X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, is seven percent richer than last year, with a net worth of at $175.2 million, according to Ian Coxon, editor of The Sunday Times Rich List.

And he's nearly alone on this one. His rise comes as others fare poorly in the struggling economy.

Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, 66, holds onto his third-place position in the list of British music millionaires, but his wealth has fallen from $730 million to $642.4 million – a drop of 12 percent. The decrease is attributed to "falling property and share values [that] have wiped $87.6 million off Sir Paul McCartney's fortune," The Sunday Times says.

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