The 9 0'Clock News – Wed 10 Dec

Posted by heatworld on Wednesday 10 Dec 2008

Filed under: Britain's Got Talent, Cheryl Cole, Mark Ruffalo, Simon Cowell, Sinitta, The X Factor

Britain's Got Talent reject lands HUGE recording contract:
Remember Faryl Smith? The 13-year-old classical singer who had us all enthralled during the last series of Britain's Got Talent? Well, she's only gone and signed a whopping £2.3million multi-album record deal – the biggest EVER awarded to a school girl! Best known on the show for her spine-tingling rendition of Amazing Grace, the teenager really impressed Simon Cowell, and he was said to be desperate for her to sign up to his label at Sony. Unfortunately for him, Faryl went with Universal Classics in the end, and the multi-million pound deal was signed at the Royal Albert Hall yesterday, alongside her idol Katherine Jenkins. It eclipses the £1.4million deal Charlotte Church signed when she first started. Faryl's dad Tony said, "Four record labels wanted to sign her up. It was quite scary, to be honest, especially when you’ve got Simon Cowell banging down your door. Going with Universal was not taken lightly. Simon Cowell’s a fantastic man who gave Faryl a great opportunity. We have to live with the fact that he’s not very happy we turned him down, but we made the best decision for Faryl. She is very mature and level-headed but we don’t want her to grow up too quick. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her idol Katherine Jenkins.” Faryl herself said, "It’s all so overwhelming. I’m honoured to be with such a fantastic company, especially since it’s where Katherine started. It’s a dream come true.”

The truth about the "£1miilion" X Factor prize...
Reports today are suggesting that the £1million record deal that X Factor presenter Dermot O'Leary bangs on about every week isn't quite as it seems. One newspaper reckons it's seen the contracts that every contestant has to sign before the show, and it is a far cry from them receiving the promised million quid. In fact, the winner will receive just a £150,000 advance for a first album, out of which their expenses must be paid. The 80-page contract is said to have hundreds of clauses, including one that says it's enforceable anywhere "in the world and solar system". Clause 38.4 reads: "Artists booted off the show have to fork out five per cent of all future live earnings to Cowell for a year, while clause 36.4 says: "You can only sing in pubs for three months after last show – unless gig is being recorded." Perhaps most funny are the clauses gagging contestants from bad-mouthing the show, with clause 32.4 stating that artists must not make any statement which "may be considered unduly negative, critical or derogatory of the Company – including its personnel and, in particular Simon Cowell." Well, we suppose that's one way of making sure nobody is mean about you...

Sinitta: "I want Cheryl's X Factor job!"
It cannot be denied that Cheryl Cole’s arrival as a judge of this year’s X Factor has certainly taken the show to a new level – the whole nation has fallen for her! But another lady is now claiming that she should’ve been given the job. Sinitta, who we can’t think of without remembering that swimsuit thing she wore when she assisted Simon Cowell during boot camp, has spoken out about the Geordie judge in a new documentary, and admitted she was surprised when Cheryl was given the job. “I thought, ‘She’s just a kid, how can she be a judge?’” admitted for former singer. Sinitta then went on to confess that she’d assumed the job might be hers, saying, “I thought I would be fourth judge and Mel B was my competition.” Hmmm. Imagine just how different the show would have been with Sinitta in Cheryl’s place. We can’t imagine The X Factor without Mrs Cole now. To Sinitta’s credit, she did go on to admit that Cheryl was very good for the show, so she can’t be that bitter about it all, can she...?

Hollywood star's brother murdered
We've only just got over the shock of what happened to Jennifer Hudson's family, and now another celebrity has tragically lost a loved one. Actor Mark Ruffalo – who you may have seen in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, 13 Going On 30 or Rumor Has It – has yet to release an official statement about the death of his younger brother Scott, who died a week after being shot in the head in his Beverly Hills' home. A suspect named Shaha Mishaal Adham turned herself in to police authorities after a murder warrant was issued for her arrest. It is not known at this time if any formal charges have been made, but the lady is being held without bail. A police spokesman said, "We are releasing very little information at this time, because it is an intense ongoing investigation." Scott Ruffalo, 39, leaves a wife and stepdaughter. Our thoughts are with Mark and his family.