The 9 0'Clock News – Thu 23 Jul

Posted by heatworld on Thursday 23 Jul 2009

Filed under: Alan Sugar, Amelle Berrabah, Heidi Range, Keisha Buchanan, Lily Allen, Michael Jackson, Sugababes, The Apprentice

Sugababes having a really bad week:
Sugababe Keisha Buchanan was yesterday slapped with a driving ban, after she was caught doing 85mph in a 50mph zone. The naughty singer put her foot down and sped past roadworks on the M6, despite the fact there was a temporary speed limit in place. She was caught on camera, and yesterday admitted what she'd done in court. She was fined £1,250, and is disqualified from driving for three weeks. Meanwhile, the Sugababes have been forced to cancel upcoming appearances and Reading and Leeds festival after Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah were diagnosed with symptoms of swine flu. Both girls have now been quarantined, and are said to be recovering. We hope they feel better soon.

Police raid Jacko's doctor's office
The doctor accused of giving Michael Jackson the powerful sedative thought to have killed him has had his offices raided by police in Texas. Doctor Conrad Murray's lawyer confirmed last night that they were looking for evidence of manslaughter. A further claim made by the family is that Dr Conrad left Michael on his own after administering the strong dose of Propfol, so when the cardiac arrest happened there was nobody on hand to help. A convoy of 15 cop cars arrived to raid the doctor's offices, including two homicide detectives from Los Angeles. Sources say the raid was based on "preliminary results of Michael Jackson's autopsy". No arrests have yet been made, but it's thought police will be talking to Dr Conrad for the third time this week.

The Apprentice is under threat
Next year's series of The Apprentice could be pushed back by several months, because the BBC do not want the new Lord Sugar to be on TV during the General Election. The Apprentice usually kicks off in March, but now it's not expected until late May at the earliest. The BBC are worried that they will be accused of bias to the Labour Party. One insider explained, "Executives must give due consideration to the implications of showing the programmes in the months immediately before an election." A show source was quick to express his frustration, saying last night, "This has thrown a real spanner on the works. If the election is in June, we may have to wait until the summer – and no one watches telly in the summer." We would, if The Apprentice was on!

Lily finds a man her own age
Lily Allen has bagged herself a new man – and he's the same age as her! The Fear singer is reportedly "smitten" with painter and decorator Sam Cooper, who's only a few years older than 24-year-old Lily. The couple met some time ago, but have only recently begun dating, with Sam joining Lily and Damien Hurst on a recent night out in London. One pal said, "Lily is completely smitten with him. She is tired of only ever being involved with well-known blokes. She wanted to go out with someone her own age who isn't involved in music or media." Good for her, we say! We hope they're very happy.