Critics may be sharpening their pens in anticipation of Madonna’s directorial movie debut W.E but I have good news for all you Material Girl fans!
The movie – a biopic about the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson – will feature the work of Madonna’s ray Of Light collaborator William Orbit. And William tells me the film’s a HIT!
“I’ve done two pieces of score music for the film,” he revealed. “It’s hard to describe but they’re quite moody as they come at pivotal moment during the romance. I’ve watched the film several times and it’s really good. It’s definitely Oscar worthy and I’m not just saying that. I wouldn’t comment on her past acting abilities so you know by me saying what I have that it’s really a great film. I definitely think Madonna could be up for an Oscar for Best Director. She has a very good eye and a great way with people. I’m not saying anything new by revealing she’s autocratic but as long as people share the same vision then it works and this film really does.”
And despite the Queen of Pop having her hands full creating a brand new album for this year too, William won’t confirm if he’s twiddling the knobs for her next opus. “I get an avalanche of Tweets everyday asking me when I’ll next be getting back into the studio with Madonna but you’ll have to ask her that. She’s always trying new things so who knows what she will come out with next,” he said. I can’t wait!

What are you currently working on?
I’m currently in the studio with Mika and we’ve been working on two tracks together. I’ve also been working with Chris Brown. I didn’t have any qualms about working with him. I don’t know how he got himself into that situation as he’s a really lovely guy and not who you think he would be. He’s also really funny and should be given his own TV show. Plus he’s the most incredible dancer.

And any other project in the pipeline?
I’ve created a little music powerhouse and we have teamed up to work with artists together so we’re the full package and need only to come to us. It consists of Priscilla Hamilton who has written a lot with Cheryl Cole (including Promise This), Jean Baptiste Kouame who has written a lot with the Black Eyed Peas and Michael Jackson’s young keyboard player.

What artists do you like to work with?
I like to work with artists who know their own mind. Like Madonna. Is Cheryl like that? With artists like that the people around them have a lot of influence over their sound.

Ellie Goulding made everyone Starry Eyed when she scooped the BRITs Critics Choice Award last year and saw her debut album Lights sail to No 1. Since then she’s written for Diana Vickers and collaborated with Tinie Tempah on Wonderman and a No 2 single with a cover of Elton John’s Your Song. Natalie Edwards sat down with her at Vodafone’s LFW event to talk Burberry modelling campaigns, moving into acting and her highly-anticipated second album.

How was it heading back to the BRITs again where this year you were up for Best Female and British Breakthrough Act?
It was amazing – the BRITs were insane! I got to wear Vivienne Westwood and kept wondering if she saw it. I was really cool to be back and be nominated. Plus it was nicer having the awards somewhere different but I didn’t go to the aftershow though as I was a bit tired and not really up for it.

Who did you hang out with there?
The table I was sat on was positioned next to Justin Bieber. I was also next to Pixie Lott who is lovely and Jessie J too. It was a good little crew! My team are my favourite people so it was just nice to be around them. I didn’t get to talk to the Bieber but I’m sure he’s lovely – he seems like a really nice little kid. He’s way too young for me to fancy him but I’ve heard he’s a lovely kid.

Are you happy that Jessie J’s taken over from you as the latest BRITs Critics Choice winner?
We are on the same management so we have been aware of each other. She has always said that she is a really big fan of mine and I went to see her life and was like ‘wow’. She is really cheeky and fun. We’ve got a lot in common and have fun whenever we see each other. I actually interviewed her the other day for iTunes Ping and had so much fun. Apparently I’m really good and a natural at it. I could be your undercover reporter – I’ve always wanted to go round with a Dictaphone.

We spied you heading out to Burberry’s London Fashion Week show one of their gorgeous coats worth £2,595. Are we going to see you modeling for them in the future?
I didn’t get to keep the coat! But I feel like I won’t ever wear it again as it’s reserved for a really special occasion. Burberry have always been really good to me and they are fans of mine. But no, I don’t think I could be a model as I’m not pretty enough. I don’t think I’m the right person to be a model.

Would you ever like to branch out from singing?
I think being in a play would take up too much time as you would have to keep rehearsing and learning your lines but I would like to be in a film. I’d like to be in a small film with a small part to get a bit of experience.

What about teaming up with someone like Plan B who is a director as well a musician?
He’s really lovely and if I ever got the chance it would be great because it would be a whole new world. It would fun to be someone else rather than yourself for a bit. I did have some scripts sent to me but I wasn’t ready at that point. I’ve studied acting and it was my thing for a bit. I’ve acted all my life and definitely thought about it but I need to get back to remembering everything I was taught. Being a singer you have to be yourself so brutally but then with acting you’re being someone else so you have to get back into that frame of mind again.

Would you ever like to combine singing and acting and be in a musical?
No, I love musicals but I’m not sure about that. I think I would like to do a bit of acting at some point though.

How are you getting on with your second album?
It’s started to sound very dark and very weird. This album is going to be even more emotional – I’m all about emo. Captain emo over here! I wanted to make it so there is hope. I want to make an effect whether it’s happy or sad.

Have you been splashing the cash to toast the year you’ve had?
I bought a vintage Chanel necklace which was £800 from Matches. I saw it and I never impulse buy but I bought it like that. I’ve worn it a few times – including the Brits.

Vodafone UK is title sponsor at London Fashion Weekend as part of Vodafone VIP, a reward scheme for all its customers which gives unrivalled access to the biggest events in the world of fashion, festival, Formula 1(tm).
To join in visit vodafone.co.uk/vip

One Direction are dealing with the perils of fame right now – including girls throwing underwear at them on stage. Niall from the band tells me: “We have had quite a few knickers and bras thrown up on stage but you kind of just have to leave them. Harry is definitely the most popular. Harry’s all over it when that sort of thing happens.” I bet it is!

The boys launched the new Nintendo Pokémon Black and White game with an exclusive performance in London’s Leicester Square. The game will be released on March 4 and is available in Black and White versions. For more information got to http://www.pokemonblackwhite.com/en-gb/

The stars were out in full force at the Prince’s Trust Spring Ball supported by St. Tropez in Chelsea this week. VV Brown looked hot to trot in some barmy slippers, Kristina Rihanoff (above) stole the show not only with her outfit but a huge ring she was sporting with boxing partner Joe Calzaghe, Zoe Salmon was as cute as can be, my favourite drag queen Jodie Harsh shone (as per usual) and Kate Moss’ bezzie James Brown looked his usual cool self.

I literally cannot wait for the night I get to watch Kylie Minogue’s new tour. So I thought I’d show you a few snaps to get you all going too…..
Look how cool she looks perched on the back of Pegasus kicking off her Aphrodite Les Foiles world tour in Denmark recently.
Looking fierce and feeling mighty – like her song Aphrodite – the star ensured the start of the tour  went off with a bang for the capacity crowd at the Herning Arena.
The Pop Princess has gone all out to defeat previous tours spending £5 million alone on the stage which features super powered water jets for the crowd to participate throughout.
Kylie, 42, starts in Europe before covering Asia and north America and ending phase one of the tour in Las Vegas on May 22. It’s expected she’ll then extend across Australia before a final swoop of the UK.
Gowns for the tour were designed exclusively by duo Dolce and Gabbana and last night the star said: “My friends, Dolce and Gabbana have designed an amazing wardrobe for me. I’m overwhelmed with the love and talent that is going into this tour and I can’t wait for fans to be a part of it.”
One thing’s for sure – nobody left disappointed. With the majority of the set list featuring songs off the new album she delivered classics including number one hits Spinning Around and Can’t Get You Out of My Head. As well as golden oldies like a dance version of Confide In Me, Better The Devil You Know and What Do I Have To Do for good measure.
Once again – it’s a case of Vive La Kylie!

*Piers Morgan is desperate to bag the first chat with Lindsay Lohan since her jail term last year. I hear Piers has been desperately trying to woo the star into talking and will be having her over for lunch any day now to try and seal the deal.
My source says: “Piers has been desperate to get Lindsay on his new CNN talk show and is going to pretty special lengths to get the deal secured. He’s determined to get her onboard.”
I also hear Lindsay has lined up her first movie role since her jail term in an action thriller called Escaping The Game. The flick is being produced by Lindsay’s close friend Lady Victoria Hervey among others and has a budget of £50 million. It will be so good to see her back on the big screen again.

*There was only one venue to be during the build up to the Oscars – Soho House. The amazing venue looks over the whole of LA and they serve the most divine Grey Goose vodka cocktails EVER. I slurped on one surrounded by movie stars one evening. I had Colin Farrell behind me, Andrew Garfield to my right and Pierce Brosnan to my left. Unreal.

*Meg Mathews continues to carve herself a niche as a top designer – her scarves are all the rage in the fashion world right now.
I met Meg for lunch at the Fred Segal café this week and she told me it’s not just her that’s working hard. Her daughter with Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher, Anais, is also carving a career for herself – as a model. Meg told me: “Anais is 11 now and she’s modeling a bit. She recently shot a campaign for Paul Smith which is great. She’s such a cool girl and we’re incredibly close. But she’s in school now and works so hard. I couldn’t ask for a better little girl.” Sweet.

*Rumours that Carey Mulligan is dating Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal are wide of the mark. I can reveal Never Let Me Go star Carey is happily dating Brit actor Eddie Redmayne. A pal of the pair tells me: “They’ve been dating for a few months and it’s going well. It’s nothing too serious yet as they’re both busy. But it could be the start of something more long term.” I bumped into Eddie during my stay and he’s a thoroughly charming lad.

*Lawrence Fishbourne has a unique way of making sure we don’t forget that he starred in the Matrix movies – he wears a padded “Matrix Reloaded” jacket when he wonders around LA. I spied the star at on Sunset Boulevard in his jacket. Just let it go mate, let it go!

*Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz seem to be taking this gym and fitness business very seriously indeed. The pair have been spotted frequenting the –Gold’s Gym on Venice Beach in the past week. The gym prides itself in being ‘The Mecca Of BodyBuilding’ – and judging from Cam’s arms of late it is certainly doing the trick.

*E! News host Guiliana Rancic thinks Cheryl Cole will make a big impact when she starts work on X factor US. The red carpet host tells me: “Cheryl is perfect for the American audience. She’s beautiful, charming and clearly has a lot of charisma.
“We’re actually getting very excited for her to arrive and to realise why she’s such a big star in the UK. She’s pretty unknown here though – so I’m looking forward to finding out who else is on the panel.”
Guiliana also told me she can’t wait to come to London for an entire week in April to report from the Royal Wedding. She added: “You know what E! is like – we’re treating it very much like a red carpet event. Ideally we’d have Kate Middleton in the 360 degree fashion capsule that we use at all the awards. But I somehow doubt that will happen.”

*Colin Firth has promised if he does win his Best Actor Oscar then he’s going to keep the speech nice and concise. Colin told me: “I’m going to try and keep it as short as possible – if I’m lucky enough to get up there I guess I’ll just talk to the room. I don’t believe in the laundry list. There are certain people I do need to thank who are the reason I’m up there – but you know you would be there all night if you unburdoned all your gratitude.” He’s bound to cruise it….

*Last year I held Jeff Bridges Oscar at the Vanity Fair party in LA. But it would appear the golden statuette didn’t mean quite so much to him as it did to me – he’s lost his gong from last year. “I have no idea where it is,” he laughed. “It was moved when we had thanks giving and I’m not sure where it ended up. It might be in my sock drawer – I asked my wife to take it and hide it so I could find it in surprising spots – but that didn’t work out.”

*Helena Bonham Carter tells me she still hasn’t decided what to wear for the Oscars ceremony later today. The actress, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, revealed: “I’ve no idea what I’m going to wear. It’s a worry! Being a Gemini indecision is a problem – at the Globes it made my choice of shoe colour suffer. I genuinely couldn’t decide which pair to wear to chose to wear one of each! So who knows what I will decide on for the Oscars.” No doubt she’ll wear Vivienne Westwood. That’s a cert.

*I’m told the union between Rhys Ifans and Anna Friel is going exceedingly well. The unlikely pair were spotted together last week but I can reveal the pair have been enjoying a love in for quite a lot longer than we all think. A pal of Anna’s tells me: “They are a good match – we’ve all known about it for quite some time. They were hanging out last summer in Deia in Majorca where Anna’s got a house. But nothing started until more recently. He makes Anna laugh and she’s blissfully happy.” Good for them.

*Former boxer Joe Calzaghe was two beds down from me on my fabulously chilled Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flight to LA. It sounds as if the star is making a serious effort to break into the acting world in LA like fellow hardman Vinnie Jones. My source tells me: “He’s got a load of meetings about acting work. And things are looking good for him bagging a Hollywood role.”

*One star turning down her chance to be on the red carpet at the Oscars is Tron star Olivia Wilde. I hear the stunning beauty is hugely down in the dumps after the recent announcement that she’s divorcing her hubby of eight years, Italia Prince Tao Ruspoli. A pal of her s told me: “She was due to go to the Oscars but she’s decided to stay away. She’s struggling to cope with the divorce. It’s hit her hard.” Keep your chin up, Olivia.

*I hear Kelly Brook has been beavering away modeling her latest designs for her next swimwear range for high street store New Look. Kel’s been busy modeling the range in a series of photo shoots in LA in the past few weeks. There’s nobody better to model a bikini range – real women rock….

*Heather Graham hosted a swanky lunch at Soho House for Swiss jewellery and watch brand Piaget on Wednesday. The actress worked the room and nattered to other guests including Rosario Dawson, Minnie Driver, Alice Eve and Brit TV gal Louise Roe. Guests were treated to Ray Ban sunglasses as they left. Nice.

Sharon Osbourne is extending the hand of friendship to X Factor judge Dannii Minogue, hoping to end their four-year feud.
And in a dramatic U-turn America’s Got Talent star Sharon says she’d like to make a return to the UK as an X Factor judge.
I caught up with the fabulous Sharon ahead of the Oscars in LA, where she told me: “It’s fair enough to say we didn’t get on for a long time. But that’s all in the past. Dannii used to just be an old Eighties disco queen to me but now she’s blossomed into a true woman and I have respect for her.
“I would love to return to The X Factor and sit alongside Louis and Dannii. It’s time for me to come home.”
But the 58-year-old fears this may be out of the question because boss Simon Cowell has no intention of putting her back on the panel. She said: “Simon doesn’t want me back. He’s definitely keeping Dannii and Louis on the show when he and Cheryl Cole go to the US but he’s not even asked me about returning. I think he’s scared about not being able to control me if he’s away in America! But they’re good judges. I’d keep Dannii any day – I really would.”
I’m really pleased that Mrs O wants to wave a white flag in Ms Minogue’s direction. After working together on the fourth series of The X Factor in 2007 the pair hurled insults as sharp as a botox needle at each other.
Then Sharon enraged Dannii when she said on the Graham Norton Show: “Dannii knows she’s there because of her looks, not because of her contribution to the music industry.”
Dannii, 38, remained silent until her book last year when she wrote about an X Factor dressing room incident: “Sharon was looming over me screaming and swearing… five minutes later she was holding my hand on stage.”
Could a truce be on the cards? Over to you, Dannii…

Good news for fans of the gorgeous Rosie Huntington-Whitley, who has replaced Megan Fox as Sam’s new love interest in the upcoming “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, she will be stripping off for the May cover of famed photographer Steve Shaw’s saucy new magazine ‘treats!’. The magazine is described as Playboy crossed with Vogue and features high end nude shots throughout.
I caught up with Rosie and her man Jason Statham at the magazine launch in the Hollywood Hills and she told me she couldn’t wait for everyone to see the shots. “They’re incredibly tasteful and I love the magazine,” she told me.
Rosie also tells me the nerves are building for her appearance in her film debut. “I’ve seen the movie and it’s amazing,” she revealed. “I’m obviously nervous about it all. It’s a huge project and I had a lot of fun doing it. I just can’t wait for the movie to be out.” Good luck to her.