It’s my sad duty to report the Spice Girls are snubbing the Brit Awards ceremony on Tuesday.
The awesome fivesome have been on stand-by for the past couple of weeks following their nomination for Most Memorable BRITs Performance of 30 Years.
But organisers of the ceremony have somewhat cocked up – deciding to keep votes a secret and refusing to tell the girls whether or not they had a strong chance of winning. Therefore the logistical nightmare of getting all five girls into Earls Court for the show has been axed.
A source reveals: “All the girls were going to try and be there. Nowadays it’s a mare with them and trying to get them in the same place at the same time. But they were going to make it happen. The girls individual reps were put on standby.
“Victoria Beckham would have flown in from New York Fashion Week and Melanie C was going to get the night off work at Blood Brothers on the West End. But they obviously were only willing to make it happen if all the trouble had been worth all the effort and they won. Emma Bunton’s not going to go either and will be at home watching it on telly. “Brits organisers refused to tell them either way so they decided they’d be represented by a couple of them in case but won’t make the big effort to get them all together. It’s a real blow to the show.”
On the night the only Spicies that will grace the ceremony will be Geri Halliwell and Melanie Brown. I guess at least Geri will be there – after all it’s her iconic Union Jack dress that we all remember so vividly in the 1997 performance of Wannabe/Who Do You Think You Are (the performance that’s nominated).
This year’s Brits Awards seem to have had a tough old time persuading big acts to turn up. Coldplay, Dire Straits, Travis, Oasis, The Verve, Keane, Duffy, Sade and Dido have all failed to confirm as yet on whether they will attend. One of these acts will pick up the Best Album of 30 Years gong – but as things stand will record a video acceptance speech!
Fortunately the artists performing at the event will keep us all from remembering the past! Lady Gaga is bound to steal the show – with a performance dedicated to designer Alexander McQueen. And JLS, Dizzee Rascal, Kasabian and Robbie Williams will ensure it’s another award ceremony to remember.
I cannot wait to be there bringing you all the gossip as it happens on Tuesday evening!

*I was blown away this week by handsome new singer Alex Gardner’s showcase at Cherry Jam in Bayswater in London this week. Alex’s brilliant sound is like Michael Buble, George Michael and The Killers rolled into one. He’s Scottish, just 18-years-old and is going to be huge. Finally we have a male solo star worth talking about. His debut single I’m Not Mad is out March 22 and he’s supporting Scouting For Girls on tour in April.

*Hurrah, Lemar is back with a brand new single. The Way Love Goes is typical soulful joy from the former Fame Academy star. He told me he’s feeling more positive than ever about the music he’s producing. “I’m on my fifth album and I feel blessed for all the success,” she said. “I’m still enjoying it just as much too which is good.” The star also told me he thinks the X Factor could produce another Leona Lewis in the future. He added: “Leona’s not the only person who can sing like that – there’s plenty out there. It’s just a matter of finding them.” Hmmm! We’ll see eh!

*Jodie Kidd doesn’t sound like she’s become even a slight bit broody despite sister Jemma giving birth to twins recently. She told me at the Vue Westfield launch: “It’s so exciting to be an auntie. I was a very hands-on until they moved away to the countryside recently. I’m not changing nappies though, I’ll stick with lifting up feet. I don’t know how they deal with all of that poo. It does get me a little broody.”

*The Sugababes are back in a big way with their new single Wear My Kiss. I had a sneaky listen to their new album Sweet 7 (out March this week and it’s another corker from the ladies. babes are performing an exclusive one off gig at The Supper Club in Notting Hill for their fans on March 3 to celebrate the release of the new album.

*Simon Cowell’s bezzie girlfriend Sinitta has her heart set on being on the West End in a musical. The eighties star said: “I wouldn’t mind having a crack at a musical. There’s Sister Act which is right up my street, Sweet Charity, Chess and even Chicago. I would love to audition for one of those.” Good luck.

*Meg Mathews is a raving success with her latest scarf designs at up market store Liberty off Regent Street. The brilliant designed silk scarfs have been spotted on celebs including Fearne Cotton and Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts. Get them while they’re hot!

Ashton Kutcher has a twisted idea of what a Valentine’s gift should be. Speaking at this week’s Valentine’s Day premiere the star told me: “I was 12 I had an air rifle, and there was this girl I really liked and I thought it would be romantic to give this girl this BB gun for Valentine’s Day….so I gave it to her…and she shot me in the knee and I had to squeeze the pellet out and I still have the scar.” Try roses next time, Mr Moore.
Meanwhile Jennifer Garner sounds like she may have been a bit of a dorky teenager. Speaking about her past valentine experiences she giggled: “I was 15 and I really liked this guy….and I used to play the Saxophone – so I thought it would be a really good idea to go round to his house on Valentine’s Day at 5 in the morning with my sax and stand underneath his window and play Groovy Kind of Love. The Phil Collins hit. But then his Mum leaned out the window and told me to go away because I was disturbing the neighbours!!!!” Ha – what a geek!

Sienna Miller and Jude Law sound like they are, ahem, having fun rekindling their romance of yester year. The pair seemed to really let their hair down at a ‘rave’ at Le Grande Bouche in Kensal Rise last Friday. My source at said venue reveals: “They were all over each other and Jude looked a little bit out of his depth being as little older. He was dancing like a bit of an old man, bless him.”
But it wasn’t just the dancefloor that the pair became the centre of attention – they inhabited a toilet cubicle too for a considerable amount of time. “There was a huge queue waiting to lose the toilet and they’d been in their for ages,” added the source. “After a while of people banging on the door it swung open and Sienna told them she wouldn’t be rushing out!” How romantic.

*Alesha Dixon says she’s planning on partying a wee bit at this years Brit Awards after parties – but it all depends on her heels and how painful they are! She told me: “You know what I don’t know how much I will party at the Brits…it all depends on the shoes. If the shoes hurt I will be at home in bed by midnight….if not I could go on all night. I might try those Partyfeet things – those gel soles – I’ll have some of them in my handbag to give me a couple of extra hours!” Good idea!

*I really hope Florence and the Machine clean up at this week’s Brit Awards. Flo’s had an amazing year and her album Lungs was, in my opinion the record of 2009, and it sounds like her we can expect something special from her performance with Dizzee Rascal. She reveals: “I think me and Dizzee might co ordinate our outfits…like Posh and Becks…I think we might wear all in one black leather suits…and get pushed on stage on thrones!!” I dare you!

*Pixie Lott has a trio of nominations at the Brits this week and this week she reflected on her rise to instant fame with the single Mama Do. Pixie said: “Two years ago I went to the Brits with my school and we were the renta crowd to scream at the front and I remember looking behind me at all the famous people on the tables and thinking I wish I could be up there – and now two years later I’m on a table and I’m nominated for awards!  I wouldn’t mind people like Jay Z and Beyonce on my table that would be cool! I still get star struck though – I met Mariah Carey recently and I got really overwhelmed, could look at her and started to well up it was really embarrassing!”

After her long stint on the West End playing the lead role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s I’m glad to hear Anna Friel’s finally had some rest and recovery with her family. The star’s just returned from a wonderful holiday in Malaysia with daughter Gracie and partner David Thewlis. Speaking at the launch of the new Vue cinemas at London’s Westfield Centre Anna told me: “I was there for two weeks and it was amazing. It was nice to lay back in the sea swimming and I was totally safe from any paps. The only thing I got chased by were monkeys! I had no make-up and my hair scrapped back. Gracie learnt to swim and I did yoga at breakfast and swam a kilometre a day. I did it every single day without fail and it was an Olympic-size pool. It was great perfecting my breaststroke.”
And it sounds like after a few years of being in LA for Pushing Daisies and back-to-back work ventures, Anna’s finally ready to put family life first. She added: “I’m not going to allow it to be another three years until I get away again. It was hard because there were days where I didn’t get to see Gracie even though I did the best I could. She would be at school and then by the time I had got back she would have been in bed. David was on Harry Potter so I promised, promised her that as soon as we were finished we were going to have a big family holiday. So we did!”

Today is the live final of Sky 1 HD’s brilliant new show Got To Dance and I was thrilled to have a surprise phone call from the show’s host Davina McCall.
The show’s the best thing Davina’s done for years and marks her first major venture that will hopefully continue after Big Brother’s death at the end of this summer. “I think our show’s great – the judges are the key too,” she said. “They are all individually amazing. They make the show feel fresh. I have every finger crossed that it’s recommissioned for a second series. I’m trying to set up my life for the future so that I have programmes that I love doing for when everything changes. It’s going to be life changing when Big Brother goes.”
The star tells me she’s planning a big family adventure to Canada next summer.
I asked her whether she’d return to Big Brother if it were to come back. She revealed: “I just don’t know. I’d feel very weird if they did it again and I wasn’t doing it! It would depend on whether they were going to radically change it. I wouldn’t go back unless it was the original format. I’m a true Big Brother fan and wouldn’t want them to try and do it differently.
“I think everybody saw from the Celeb show that it could have more left to do. But I just don’t know where – or what channel. I’m not in those talks and don’t know where it would go.”
She also joked her Sport Relief training for her huge bike ride in aid of the charity is a little painful. Davina, and celebs including Patrick Kielty, Fearne Cotton and David Walliams, are embarking on a 1,000 mile chairty ride for the cause. Davina winced: “I’m doing three hour training sessions. My noony is not great. I’ve got a shammy and chave ease that I put on my nether regions before we start training. That helps a bit. But I tried a double shammy and it feels weird like you’re wearing an adult nappie. That’s not pleasant at all.
“I’ll tell you one thing – my husband Matthew is not going anywhere near that noony for a few weeks after that bike ride. I think that if you heard that I was pregnant on the grapevine then you’d know that it was a heavenly mistake. Let me put it that way. There’s no way I want any other sprogs.” Watch Got To Dance on Sky 1 HD tonight at 6pm.

I popped down to see the JLS boys today as they performed exclusively for Nokia Comes with Music and T-Mobile at the Hammersmith Apollo. And they told me they couldn’t wait for this week’s Brit Awards. Aston said: “This week could potentially be a good one for us. We’re up for three awards and we’ll have to see how we get on.” Marvin added: “Our fans never let us down and we hope they’ve been out voting – to win a Brit would be awesome.”
JB from the band told me he’s more than a bit thrilled to be on tour now with the boys. He said: “Getting out there on stage for the whole of the UK is something we always dreamt of so to be doing it is like a dream come true.”
JLS live literally reminds you of early nineties boyband hysteria. The screams are deafening, the lads themselves bump and grind and the tunes are huge. Good luck to them at the Brit Awards!