Ant and Dec "appalled" by vote rig:
Ant and Dec have apologised for the mix up that saw them wrongfully scoop a top prize at the 2005 British Comedy Awards. The Geordie duo's spokesperson issued the following statement – after the gong was angrily handed back by the boys. "They are so upset and appalled. They have been lucky to win many awards and would never want to win an award in this way." A probe into the fix revealed that the reason telly bosses rigged the award was to lure Robbie Williams to the show – the report showing that the promise to Robbie "was an assurance that could not legitimately have been guaranteed." It added there was no suggestion Robbie, or Ant and Dec, were aware of "any of these issues". The award should have gone to Catherine Tate.
 
Heather set for US Apprentice
Thought you’d seen and heard the last of her? Pah! This is Heather Mills we’re talking about – the person most in love with the sound of her own voice that we’ve ever encountered. Well, now the ballsy blonde has decided to boost her popularity in the States by appearing in the US version of The Apprentice. The complainer campaigner is in talks with TV network ABC to appear in the new series, in which a group of celebrity candidates are judged by business mogul Donald Trump. “Heather thinks this will be the perfect way to show America she is more than just Paul McCartney’s ex-wife,” said a source close to Ms Mills. Crikey. And we thought Katie Hopkins was a scary Apprentice contestant. Do you think she’ll invent a task to sell rats milk to milkman? With Heather in the picture, literally anything could happen...

Britney and Whitney go head to head
Britney Spears and Whitney Houston are gearing up for the mother of all battles when their albums go head to head in a bid to become the Christmas Number One later this year. Britney’s record label had been worried that the star's private life would effect her ability to make cracking music, but they’ve been so impressed by her new material that they’ve decided to go up against Whitney, which is one of the most hotly anticipated albums of the year. A label source said, "During recording sessions for the last album she [Britney] was consumed by her chaotic private life. But she is determined to make a triumphant comeback. Top brass have been amazed by the quality of tracks they've heard. Whitney is set for another relaunch at the same time later this year. They are determined Brit will come out on top." Who do you want to win the race?!

Ashton admits he used to be a bit of a tart
Hollywood hottie Ashton Kutcher has spoken out about his life before Demi Moore – and admits that he was a serial bed-hopper. “I had no desire to be in a relationship,” says the actor. “I was saying to myself, ‘I’m going to party, I’m going to sleep with this girl and that girl’”. All that, though, was before he clapped eyes on his wife-to-be Demi Moore, who turned out to be the lady to tame him. The couple, who got marred two years after they met, have struggled through cynicism from the showbiz circuit, with people claiming the 15-year age gap would spell trouble. But after five years together, their relationship is still going strong and Ashton says he enjoys being a stepdad to Demi and Bruce’s three children. He also says that “Bruce is one of my most favourite people to hang out with” – wow! The actor says he wants the kids to have a normal upbringing and have to work for a living like he did as a young man. Sounds to us like Demi’s bagged herself a keeper here, we only wish we were hanging around in New York during the bed-hopping days. Sigh...