Celebrity News

Having marked his half century on Friday with the release of The King Of Pop, a new collection of his chart toppers, [Michael Jackson] is taking a radically new tack with his next venture. The singer has teamed up with close pal David Gest to record tracks based on the work of 18th-century Scottish poet Robbie Burns.

Clad in a sexy orange cheerleader's uniform, [Lindsay Lohan] returned to the Ugly Betty set this week to continue filming her cameo episodes in the satirical fashion industry show. The starlet, who plays lead actress America Ferrera's former high school nemesis Kimmie, later swapped the ensemble for another racy school-girl style outfit of a pvc skirt and over-the-knee socks.

Although he retired from haute couture fashion last October, Italian maestro [Valentino] is continuing to take curtain calls. The latest came in Venice amid the usual high-octane glamour that surrounds a designer, who has dressed and befriended some of the world's most bewitching women, among them [Elizabeth Taylor], Jackie Kennedy and [Julia Roberts].

For the past 15 years Fiona Phillips has been getting out of bed in the early hours of the morning to work on popular breakfast TV show GMTV. But now the 47-year-old can look forward to some well deserved lie-ins after announcing she is to leave the show.

Former US President [Bill Clinton] joined his wife [Hillary Clinton] in a show of support for Barack Obama at a Democratic convention in Denver, where the presidential hopeful received his party's nomination on Wednesday. "Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States," proclaimed the charismatic former leader as he addressed thousands of convention delegates. Earlier in the day his wife, who has given up her own bid for the White House this time around, dramatically halted a roll call vote - in which each US state reveals how many votes were cast for each candidate - to call on delegates to make a unanimous acclamation for Mr Obama "in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory." "Let's declare together in one voice, right here, right now, that Barack Obama is our candidate," she said.

Royalty mingled with stars of the music scene at a Swedish awards ceremony honouring legendary Pink Floyd in Stockholm on Wednesday. The British group "captured and shaped the reflections and attitudes of a whole generation," said the awards the committee.

Although he was joined on stage by Aussie Show Me Heaven chanteuse Tina Arena, there was a different, yet equally glamorous lady supporting Italian tenor [Andrea Bocelli] backstage as his sell-out tour stopped off in Melbourne this week - his beautiful fiancée Veronica Berti.

[George Clooney] often jokes that when he wants to give the paparazzi the slip he points them in his friend [Brad Pitt]'s direction. But even with the world's most famous movie star dad in attendance at this week's Venice film festival all eyes were firmly on the Michael Clayton actor as he indulged in a series of jokey antics.

The sound of bagpipes and hearty cheers filled the air in Edinburgh on Wednesday as Scotland's medal-winning Olympians returned home to a heroes' welcome. Lead by triple gold medallist Chris Hoy, the other Beijing champs - Ross Edgar, rower Katherine Grainger and canoeist David Florence - were feted during a homecoming parade along the city's Royal Mile.

At the peak of his career he was a mackintosh-clad political pundit revered by millions for his reports from Westminster. Now John Sergeant, former political editor at ITN, has been announced as the surprise entry in the next series of Strictly Come Dancing.