Strictly’s Alesha Dixon seems to be expecting bigger and better things from Russell Grant than what the talk on the street is. She told me launching Macmillan Cancer Support’s coffee morning this week: “Everyone is writing him off early but I’ve heard he’s a groover. You can’t just assume anything with Strictly until it begins.”
The star tells me she’s busy working on lots of projects that will take her right through until next summer. “I’m just beginning work on my next album and I’m writing,” she beamed. “Then I’ve got some acting projects in the pipeline. But until Strictly’s over I can’t even think about the next project.” I bet!
Catch Alesha this Wednesday, BBC3 at 10pm hosting the MOBO Awards with Jason Derulo from Glasgow.

Lee Evans (above) is a proper nice guy. Surprisingly shy in real life. I popped to the Groucho Club this week for the comedians launch of autobiography The Life of Lee and he couldn’t have been nicer. He told me he’s nervous about the release. “Everything in my life makes me nervous I guess,” he said. “And that’s why I’ve never done this before. I’ve not wanted to let people in but now is the right time and it seems to be going down well. I’m just not good in social situation. I can stand in front of thousands at the O2. But a party scares me.”
Lee had amazing support from Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee, Alan Carr and Jonathan Ross – who all pitched up for a glass of champers!

Jonathan Ross seemed to want to grope me at Lee’s book launch! Serious cupping going on… Anyway sounds like Wossy’s preparing to get Queen of Pop Madonna back on the sofa for a natter soon – but doesn’t want her to promote her directorial debut W.E. “I don’t think I’d want her to come on and talk about the film,” Wossy told me at Lee Evan’s book launch this week. “For the music fine, but not the film.” he said raising a cheeky eyebrow. You can’t be picky when it comes to Madge!

You won’t catch Kelly Clarkson flashing her undercarriage on stage like some of today’s pop pickers do. I caught up with American Idol winner Kelly recently in London and she told me if she had it she WOULD flaunt it. But she doesn’t….
“I wasn’t blessed with tits,” Kelly laughed. “So flashing is not possible my friend. I do have a good sturdy bra though. I’ve thought many times that I’d look good with boobs the size of my padded bras. “There’s nothing to flop out like Rihanna. I’m not overtly sexual with my music. I think there’s a way you can be sexual without being overt. Hell, if I looked like Rihanna and Britney then I’d be all about the whips and chains. I let the music speak for itself.”
Kelly, who releases new single Mr Know It All on October 16, then confessed to a crush – on Annie Lennox. “I remember the first thing I saw Annie Lennox perform,” she gushed. “She was standing there just with a fricking microphone and I was like: “Oh my God, she’s just so captivating.” She was just incredible.”

Such a thrill to meet Kelly – I’ve been a fan since hearing her blistering live version of Beautiful Disaster all those years ago…..

Dust off those air guitars, people! Because I hear rock and roll could be coming to the BBC in the shape and form of legendary performer Lenny Kravitz.
The US rock legend is being lined up to be a judge on new BBC talent show The Voice.
Lenny, who’s hits include Are You Gonna Go My Way, It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over and Mama Said, has been approached about the job and is said to be seriously considering it.
My top BBC source tells me: “They want Lenny for The Voice and he’s close to saying yes. They want the show to be credible – not full of pop people that don’t sing live and don’t know the industry out. And they don’t want to make mistakes with the casting. So they must have thought long and hard before approaching Lenny.”
It would be a major coup for the Beeb, who promised they would sign credible artists for the show which they plan to make their flagship Saturday night entertainment programme.
The US version of The Voice – which has a four person judging panel including stars Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Cee Lo Green – has proved a huge hit.
The BBC hope the show – which sees contestants perform behind the panel’s backs so they can be judged on their voice and not their appearance – will rival ITV’s X Factor in the Saturday night entertainment stakes when it launches next year.
A number of other top names, including frontrunner Charlotte Church, have been linked to a role on the panel, but renowned ladies’ man Kravitz, 47 – who once dated Nicole Kidman – is the biggest star to be approached so far.
The BBC source adds: “When we got the rights to The Voice we assured people we would assemble a panel of great singers and credible recording artists. Lenny is both of those things.
“He’s had Number One hits in the US and the UK and is considered as one of the best rock artists of his generation.
“On top of that he’s not bad looking either, so he will definitely go down extremely well with all our female viewers.”
Come on Lenny! Do. It.

Florence and the Machine are back in a big way this week. New single Shake It Out from the highly anticipated second album Ceremonials is pure class. It’s out today.
Miss Welch went down a storm in east London this week at the label launch party of Luv Luv Luv Records at MC Motors. She performed six new tracks plus Rabbit Heart and Dog Days.
So far off the new album I’ve heard these tracks…..Only If For A Night, Shake It Out, Never Let Me Go, Breaking Down, No Light, No Light, Spectrum and Leave My Body. All are equally immense.

The second album for a debut artist is so important. In many cases it’s make or break.
The band’s first album, Lungs, was the album of a generation and after hearing the majority of the next record it’s reminded me exactly why I fell in love with them in the first place.

Ceremonials drops October 31.

If you were Matt Cardle right now you would have reason to be pretty angry.
You won the X Factor, you’ve been flat out working on your debut album and then just weeks before you release your debut album teenyboppers One Direction – who lost against you – release their debut single, cause nationwide hysteria and go straight to the top of the charts.
“They’re competition and it is s*** that they got to release before the winner of the actual show,” Matt, 28, says. “It’s also worrying me that if One Direction decide to get slicker and go for more of an older market  – which I think they might do – then I’m stuffed too.
“I just hope I’ll be able to cement myself into the charts before that happens. Otherwise I’ll be fuming. At the end of the day James Morrison, Coldplay, Adele and everybody else are all competition – so I can’t win unless I have an album that does the talking – and I think it does.”
He actually blames the fact he’s taken his time on his first album since winning the show as the reason everything has been screwed up release wise. The singer adds: “If I had my album finished by the time Cher Lloyd and One Direction released their tracks in the charts then I would have been really bothered. But the truth is I wasn’t finished. It’s my own bloody fault taking my time on this record.
“Simon let me go away and co-write the album and work on this as a long term prospect. And I wasn’t ready and it wasn’t right to release the music earlier.
“I’m surprised I’ve been allowed to go away and get on with it. If they were to have taken the control away from me then I would have been devastated. Thankfully they didn’t. I honestly thought I was going to be turned into some X Factor puppet the minute I won. But I’m not.”

Instead of going down the usual route of rushing the winner into the studio, performing a load of covers and mediocre pop tracks and launching a full blown publicity attack, Matt’s gone away and worked with real stars of the music industry.

Despite having written four solo albums before finding fame on the show, his debut single Run For Your Life is penned by Gary Barlow and his main collaborator on the album Letters is producer and song writer Eg White.
Eg’s responsible for some of the classic songs of our generation having worked with James Blunt, Adele, Florence and the Machine and James Morrison. The singer says his previous work before he found household fame on X Factor persuaded Simon Cowell and his record label Columbia to let him start his album from scratch. The only cover is his No.1 version of Biffy Clyro’s When We Collide which made Christmas Number One last year.
“If they had been a pile of w*** then they would have said I was doing what they wanted and I would have had no choice – but they weren’t and they let me go and do it,” says Matt. “Simon has been really sweet with me the whole time. It’s almost been good that he’s had X Factor US on his plate so I could just get on with it. I doubt I was that high on his list. I hear he’s heard the album and I’ve heard he loves it so that’s the thumbs up from him.”
Matt, who worked as a painter and decorator, bricklayer and postman before finding fame on the ITV1 show, has a refreshingly honest outlook on his chances of success. He says he won’t be miffed if he doesn’t score an immediate chart topper. He explains: “I’ve got the hard bit of work now – I’ve got to keep what I’ve achieved. If a new artist comes out with a new record and gets a top ten single or album it’s an incredible achievement in this current day.
“But if I were to come out and not get a number one then I’m going to be a failure. Even if I get a number three I’d be happy but I’ll be deemed a flop. That’s not fair. I want to make my name through this album now – not the TV show.
“I’m desperate to shake off the X Factor tag. It’s all about shaking the X when it comes to the music I’m about the release. But I can’t knock the show for what it’s done for me. I’ve got my break from it and I’ve got my foot in the door by doing it. Now it’s time to move on and just be me.”
And behind closed doors the star is definitely settling down and being himself – with his dancer girlfriend of nine months Sarah Robinson by his side.
The pair live in a private Chelsea block and he proudly stops his car on the way out of our interview to purchase her a fancy £1,000 Burberry handbag. It’s clear the ladies man of yester-year – remember his fling with X Factor fashion director Grace Woodward? – has simmered, for now.
“The girls have stopped chasing,” he says. “I’ve not been out much. I guess I haven’t thrown it about at all – and I could have. I’ve got a girlfriend now and I’m pretty much settled down.
“If I had been single I would have been out there smashing it up and getting naughty with women. I’m in a good place and it’s been easier working hard on the album with just the one girl on my arm.”
But there is one girl Matt has his eye on – and it’s not your average sexy lady. “I fancy the Williams sisters – the big manly one, Serena,” he laughs with a naughty glint in his eye. “She’s nice.”

Matt’s single Run For Your Life is out October 9 and his debut album Letters is out October 17.

There’s so much secrecy surrounding the Spice Girls Musical Viva Forever that will premiere after the Olympics are out the way on the West End in 2012. And I’m thrilled to be able to give you the look at what’s happening with the script direct from the mouth of the show’s producer Judy Craymer. She tells me: “The storyline focus is on wanting to be famous, adoption and the perils of reality show TV like X Factor. If you listen to all of the lyrics of the Spice Girls songs – and I’ve had to study them intimately – it’s all about wanting to be famous and making it. It will feature two generations of women and a set of reality show judges. The Spice Girls managed to make it before the world was obsessed with reality show TV so it’s set in the modern day which is dominated by people wanting to be famous and centres on whether they would have made it in the generation of reality TV as they were all individuals and each had their own strong personality.
“The answer is that you should just be yourself. Jennifer Saunders has penned it and is on top form with the script – she’s injecting so much humour and personality!”
And despite not being a biopic show, Judy also reveals the show will pay note to Geri Halliwell leaving the band. Judy continues: “It won’t be a tribute or bio show as the storyline is fiction but will be all about the themes that made them famous like being true to yourself and having a sense of self and friendship. It will pay note to Geri leaving the Spice Girls by it being about friendship and will show one of them leaving the group and what happens to that dynamic.
“There are 18 Spice Girls songs in the show and will include all of the favourites. There will be cynics – like there was with Abba and Mamma Mia – but it’s exciting to be targeting a whole new generation and everyone has got a bit Spice in them and can identify with one or more of the girls.”
Judy also says the original band are being kept fully in the loop about what’s happening with the show as it develops. And Judy’s expecting far more input from the ladies themselves as things progress.
“I’ve been keeping the girls fully informed as we are going along and relaying all the information,” she adds. “They are all very excited about it and I’m sure they’ll have more input when it actually goes to the stage. I can imagine Victoria will be sitting there in the front row making me notes on the costumes. I’m not sure if we’ll get her to design the costumes though!”

You have to feel for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. She may be famous, talented and sexier than your average supermodel – but she can’t always enjoy her spare time. I hear the Transformers star was with pals and wanting to par-tay big style but stopped in her tracks when she heard the plan was to hit the swish Mulberry party. Being a Burberry model she’s contractually forbidden from going near any other competing brand and she was forced to go home to her hotel solo while her buddies hopped over the Mulberry. Bummer.

N-Dubz star Fazer was spotted talking to Kasabian’s Jay Mehler at the James Small after party of his Vauxhall Motors Fashion Scout show. The pair looked in deep conversation, and insiders say that with Tulisa on X Factor and Dappy going it solo, Fazer was getting advice from the Kasabian lads on the future! Get him.

Congratulations to my buddy Saloni Lodha on her beautiful new collection which received it’s unveiling at LFW. Her label, Saloni, is already a hit with the fashion world and stars including Princess Beatrice, model Poppy Delevingne and Sting’s daughter Kate Sumner all turned out for her. I also swung by Martha Freud’s beautiful lighting design Mixed Messages exhibition within the Camley Street Natural Park behind Kings Cross. Harry Enfield and Flee Brudenell-Bruce swung by!

Hot couple alert! Annie Lennox’s beautiful daughter Tali has found herself a hot bit of stuff to cuddle up to on these increasingly cold nights. Step forward Matt Whitehouse, lead singer of UK indie outfit The Heartbreaks. Apparently the pair hooked up this week after this weeks Mario Testino party, celebrating the esteemed photographer’s Etoile Award win. The pair have been totes smitten all week. Ah, young love.

I hear that Stella McCartney has become the new ‘Lacroix, sweedie’ of a generation thanks to the return of BBC hit comedy Ab Fab. I’m told the designer has filmed a cameo for the new Absolutely Fabulous as her label is now the modern focus of Eddy’s fashion obsessions. That explains why Eddy was pictured kissing the window of the Stella store in London recently.

You won’t catch Fearne Cotton (above) spending a load of money on designer clobber that she’s only going to wear once! At the launch of her Very.co.uk s/s 2012 preview she revealed: “I don’t like spending too much on my clothes. I’ve got one pair of J Brand black jeans that I’m always in and couldn’t live without. My most extravagant purchase would definitely be a Chanel bag but it will hopefully become an heirloom that one day I can hand down to my kids!” Wow, kids. Her relationship with Ronnie Wood’s son Jesse must be going well!

The City’s Whitney Port is preparing to launch her own range of clothing with Very.co.uk. “The range will be out in October,” the clothes horse told me at Fearne Cotton’s collection launch. “I love UK style and fashion and my favorite style icons are Alexa Chung and Keira Knightley. They’re so effortless.” Indeed.

Myleene Klass is considering becoming the next celebrity to step into the world of fashion with a new clothing range. And why not – she already designs baby clothes through her Baby K range. Leenie told me at Fearne Cotton’s Very launch: “I’d definitely love to bring out my own clothing line and it may be a possibility soon. At the moment I’m concentrating on Baby K. It’s so exciting as we are expanding into Australia and loads of other places at the moment. I don’t want Ava to take over the business though as we need her to become a chef. Someone in the household needs to become a chef as neither of us can cook! She’s the best chef out of all of us at four years of age so that’s saying something!” Take away for one….

Peaches Geldof was pleased to be back in London for LFW. She told me: “It’s great to be back as I love LFW, especially PPQ as it feels that we have grown up together and I’d love to collaborate with them again. I’m going to be doing some presenting with Nylon TV while I’m here and hopefully will be having a guest slot on XFM too.”