Jason Gardiner has issued a grovelling apology about some of his comments on last night's Dancing On Ice. The Australian choreographer caused controversy at the weekend by likening Sharron Davies's outfit to 'faecal matter.' Last week, he had compared Tana Ramsay to 'a frigid schoolmistress.' 
Ramsay, who was voted off the show on Sunday, has voiced her concerns about Gardiner's 'personal' criticisms of the celebrity skaters. Around fifteen hundred viewers are reported to have complained to ITV about the judge's remarks. In a statement, Gardiner said: 'On last night's Dancing On Ice I was critiquing the performance of Sharron Davies and made some comments which may have caused offence to her and the viewers. For this I'm sorry and would like to apologise.' Earlier in the day, host Phillip Schofield apologised for Gardiner's behaviour, but insisted that he should not be sacked from the panel.
Suranne Jones has admitted that she picked up some bad acting habits during her time on Coronation Street. In an interview with the Independent, Jones explained that she was forced to re-evaluate the way she performed after leaving her role as Karen McDonald on the soap in 2004. She commented:
'I was very aware of it, so I went to an acting coach, who I still use, and I said, "I'm worried that I've got all these things in me that I've been switching on because soaps are so fast." You get directed but sometimes you self-direct as well, so I was just worried that I had all these afflictions. And he said I did.' Jones has since found post-Weatherfield success in the ITV dramas Vincent and Unforgiven. Her latest project Five Days will be broadcast on BBC1 later this month. Reflecting on Unforgiven, in which she played a woman released from prison after serving fifteen years for killing two policemen to great critical acclaim, Jones revealed: 'I loved that role. They don't come along that often. It was seen by the broadsheets as well as the tabloids. It gave me a little bit of credibility, I suppose.'
EastEnders producers have denied that Barbara Windsor has entered into discussions for a return to the soap in 2012. The seventy two-year-old actress and British icon, who has played Queen Vic landlady Peggy Mitchell for over fifteen years, announced her decision to quit the soap in October to spend more time with her husband, Scott Mitchell. Windsor is due to bow out of the show at some point this year but despite the fact that she has yet to finish filming, a Sunday tabloid claimed that Windsor has already begun negotiating a return in two years' time.
Bill Nighy is alleged to be guest starring in a forthcoming episode of the new series of Doctor Who.
The veteran actor will play the curator of a Vincent van Gogh exhibition in the episode, which is written by Richard Curtis according to the Digital Spy website. Someone who is described as 'a set insider' reportedly told the website: 'It was a real coup to get Bill Nighy in Doctor Who, especially in Richard Curtis's amazing episode. Bill plays a van Gogh expert with some similar fashion choices to The Doctor himself.' The story is set both in the present day and Nineteenth Century France. This Life actor Tony Curran was previously confirmed in the role of van Gogh. The episode - the tenth to be filmed in the latest block of episodes - was filmed on location in Croatia and Cardiff over Christmas.
Simon Cowell has reportedly decided not to sign any of last year's losing X Factor finalists. Cowell's record label, Syco, has allegedly chosen to focus on the show's winner Joe McElderry instead of working with Stacey Solomon, Danyl Johnson or runner-up Olly Murs.
Tough break, eh? 'Simon has decided he won't have anything to do with them in a professional sense going forward,' a source told the News of the World. 'He doesn't have anything against the guys but wants to concentrate on turning Joe McElderry into a star. They've got a contract with Butlins to perform at summer school holiday gigs. And they're still making one hundred thousand pounds from the X Factor tour - but this is a huge blow.' A spokesperson for Syco confirmed the decision, adding: 'We never guarantee contracts for anyone other than the X Factor winner and this year we've decided to focus on Joe. However, we understand there is interest in other finalists from many parts of the musical industry and we hope they all do very well.' As, indeed, they should. There's plenty of vaccancies going for shelf-stackers down at Morrisons.
The atmosphere at the televised Manchester derby last week was fabulous. Apart, obviously, from those mindless thugs who threw things at Craig Bellamy when he went to take a corner. Apparently, the police say that they've narrowed down a list of suspects – to everyone who's ever met him.
Three time Emmy-winner Allison Janney has reportedly joined Matthew Perry's new comedy Mr Sunshine.
The comedy, which is filmed with a single camera, follows a stadium manager who has an identity crisis on his fortieth birthday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Janney will play Perry's boss, Crystal, in the show. Janney and Perry starred alongside each other in several episodes of The West Wing. Janney also worked with Mr Sunshine's director, Tommy Schlamme, on the acclaimed political drama in which Janney played CJ Cregg for seven years.
Julie Walters has been praised for her starring role in the biopic drama Mo, which focused upon the life of late MP Mo Mowlam. Shown as a two-hour film last night on Channel 4, the politician's successor Vera Baird lauded Walters' performance to the Northern Echo. 'Julie Walters becomes Mo. She walks like her, talks like her and, in the end, cries as if she had suffered all the bitterness of Mo's situation. It was very touching, especially the portrait of Jon and her together. Mo had a superb political mind as well as the wacky personality with which she broke the ice in Northern Ireland and won everybody's hearts.
I think that aspect of her doesn't emerge strongly enough and the bitterness towards the end of her life is overdone,' said Baird. 'The film is superb but it throws little new light on a complex personality who played a huge role on the world political stage. The only extra clue is in the scene where she tells her stepdaughter at Hillsborough that her father's alcoholism taught her that the worst thing is not being in control.' Tom Sutcliffe of the Independent added: 'Julie Walters – no novice when it comes to playing the terminally ill – was predictably excellent in the role.' Mowlam, whose no-nonsense approach to politics helped to achieve The Good Friday Agreement, died in August 2005 at the age of fifty five. The film, despite being televised against other strong programming, achieved the largest audience for an original drama on Channel 4 since 2001.
Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn has revealed that he would 'love' to make a film based on Neil Gaiman's award-winning and hugely influential Sandman comic.
Vaughn was discussing his approach to making Kick-Ass - a film based on Mark Millar and John Romita Jr's popular comic - when he was asked about who would be his dream project. He told CBR: 'You know what, I would love to do The Sandman, but I think it's stuck in development hell. But that could be, like a Lord of the Rings - just a huge movie.' Yer Keith Telly Topping is tempted to say 'leave it where it is, it was a masterpiece.' But Watchmen proved that something done on that sort of epic scale can be, if not as good as the original then, at least, quietly effective in its own roundabout way.
Cheryl Cole is reportedly planning to avoid the 'WAG circuit' at this year's World Cup in South Africa. The Girls Aloud singer will fly in for her husband Ashley's matches but will arrange her visits around her work schedule, the People reports. Or, you could just leave the nasty little cheat, Cher. Either/or, you know.
Katie Price has reportedly lost her contract with Hello! magazine.
The model, who used to earn four thousand pounds per week with an OK! column, signed a one-year deal with Hello! worth seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds in December. However, according to the People, the publication has decided to drop Price after disappointing sales. 'Putting her on the front page was nothing short of a disaster for Hello!,' a source reportedly claimed. 'Katie just didn't fit in with the sort of women that readers of the mag wanted to learn more about. It was a bit upsetting for her but she has had to accept that she can't expect to be a hit with everyone.' Price has reportedly now returned to OK!, which will feature an interview with her in next week's edition.
Ramsay, who was voted off the show on Sunday, has voiced her concerns about Gardiner's 'personal' criticisms of the celebrity skaters. Around fifteen hundred viewers are reported to have complained to ITV about the judge's remarks. In a statement, Gardiner said: 'On last night's Dancing On Ice I was critiquing the performance of Sharron Davies and made some comments which may have caused offence to her and the viewers. For this I'm sorry and would like to apologise.' Earlier in the day, host Phillip Schofield apologised for Gardiner's behaviour, but insisted that he should not be sacked from the panel.Suranne Jones has admitted that she picked up some bad acting habits during her time on Coronation Street. In an interview with the Independent, Jones explained that she was forced to re-evaluate the way she performed after leaving her role as Karen McDonald on the soap in 2004. She commented:
'I was very aware of it, so I went to an acting coach, who I still use, and I said, "I'm worried that I've got all these things in me that I've been switching on because soaps are so fast." You get directed but sometimes you self-direct as well, so I was just worried that I had all these afflictions. And he said I did.' Jones has since found post-Weatherfield success in the ITV dramas Vincent and Unforgiven. Her latest project Five Days will be broadcast on BBC1 later this month. Reflecting on Unforgiven, in which she played a woman released from prison after serving fifteen years for killing two policemen to great critical acclaim, Jones revealed: 'I loved that role. They don't come along that often. It was seen by the broadsheets as well as the tabloids. It gave me a little bit of credibility, I suppose.'EastEnders producers have denied that Barbara Windsor has entered into discussions for a return to the soap in 2012. The seventy two-year-old actress and British icon, who has played Queen Vic landlady Peggy Mitchell for over fifteen years, announced her decision to quit the soap in October to spend more time with her husband, Scott Mitchell. Windsor is due to bow out of the show at some point this year but despite the fact that she has yet to finish filming, a Sunday tabloid claimed that Windsor has already begun negotiating a return in two years' time.
Bill Nighy is alleged to be guest starring in a forthcoming episode of the new series of Doctor Who.
The veteran actor will play the curator of a Vincent van Gogh exhibition in the episode, which is written by Richard Curtis according to the Digital Spy website. Someone who is described as 'a set insider' reportedly told the website: 'It was a real coup to get Bill Nighy in Doctor Who, especially in Richard Curtis's amazing episode. Bill plays a van Gogh expert with some similar fashion choices to The Doctor himself.' The story is set both in the present day and Nineteenth Century France. This Life actor Tony Curran was previously confirmed in the role of van Gogh. The episode - the tenth to be filmed in the latest block of episodes - was filmed on location in Croatia and Cardiff over Christmas.Simon Cowell has reportedly decided not to sign any of last year's losing X Factor finalists. Cowell's record label, Syco, has allegedly chosen to focus on the show's winner Joe McElderry instead of working with Stacey Solomon, Danyl Johnson or runner-up Olly Murs.
Tough break, eh? 'Simon has decided he won't have anything to do with them in a professional sense going forward,' a source told the News of the World. 'He doesn't have anything against the guys but wants to concentrate on turning Joe McElderry into a star. They've got a contract with Butlins to perform at summer school holiday gigs. And they're still making one hundred thousand pounds from the X Factor tour - but this is a huge blow.' A spokesperson for Syco confirmed the decision, adding: 'We never guarantee contracts for anyone other than the X Factor winner and this year we've decided to focus on Joe. However, we understand there is interest in other finalists from many parts of the musical industry and we hope they all do very well.' As, indeed, they should. There's plenty of vaccancies going for shelf-stackers down at Morrisons.The atmosphere at the televised Manchester derby last week was fabulous. Apart, obviously, from those mindless thugs who threw things at Craig Bellamy when he went to take a corner. Apparently, the police say that they've narrowed down a list of suspects – to everyone who's ever met him.
Three time Emmy-winner Allison Janney has reportedly joined Matthew Perry's new comedy Mr Sunshine.
The comedy, which is filmed with a single camera, follows a stadium manager who has an identity crisis on his fortieth birthday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Janney will play Perry's boss, Crystal, in the show. Janney and Perry starred alongside each other in several episodes of The West Wing. Janney also worked with Mr Sunshine's director, Tommy Schlamme, on the acclaimed political drama in which Janney played CJ Cregg for seven years.Julie Walters has been praised for her starring role in the biopic drama Mo, which focused upon the life of late MP Mo Mowlam. Shown as a two-hour film last night on Channel 4, the politician's successor Vera Baird lauded Walters' performance to the Northern Echo. 'Julie Walters becomes Mo. She walks like her, talks like her and, in the end, cries as if she had suffered all the bitterness of Mo's situation. It was very touching, especially the portrait of Jon and her together. Mo had a superb political mind as well as the wacky personality with which she broke the ice in Northern Ireland and won everybody's hearts.
I think that aspect of her doesn't emerge strongly enough and the bitterness towards the end of her life is overdone,' said Baird. 'The film is superb but it throws little new light on a complex personality who played a huge role on the world political stage. The only extra clue is in the scene where she tells her stepdaughter at Hillsborough that her father's alcoholism taught her that the worst thing is not being in control.' Tom Sutcliffe of the Independent added: 'Julie Walters – no novice when it comes to playing the terminally ill – was predictably excellent in the role.' Mowlam, whose no-nonsense approach to politics helped to achieve The Good Friday Agreement, died in August 2005 at the age of fifty five. The film, despite being televised against other strong programming, achieved the largest audience for an original drama on Channel 4 since 2001.Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn has revealed that he would 'love' to make a film based on Neil Gaiman's award-winning and hugely influential Sandman comic.
Vaughn was discussing his approach to making Kick-Ass - a film based on Mark Millar and John Romita Jr's popular comic - when he was asked about who would be his dream project. He told CBR: 'You know what, I would love to do The Sandman, but I think it's stuck in development hell. But that could be, like a Lord of the Rings - just a huge movie.' Yer Keith Telly Topping is tempted to say 'leave it where it is, it was a masterpiece.' But Watchmen proved that something done on that sort of epic scale can be, if not as good as the original then, at least, quietly effective in its own roundabout way.Cheryl Cole is reportedly planning to avoid the 'WAG circuit' at this year's World Cup in South Africa. The Girls Aloud singer will fly in for her husband Ashley's matches but will arrange her visits around her work schedule, the People reports. Or, you could just leave the nasty little cheat, Cher. Either/or, you know.
Katie Price has reportedly lost her contract with Hello! magazine.
The model, who used to earn four thousand pounds per week with an OK! column, signed a one-year deal with Hello! worth seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds in December. However, according to the People, the publication has decided to drop Price after disappointing sales. 'Putting her on the front page was nothing short of a disaster for Hello!,' a source reportedly claimed. 'Katie just didn't fit in with the sort of women that readers of the mag wanted to learn more about. It was a bit upsetting for her but she has had to accept that she can't expect to be a hit with everyone.' Price has reportedly now returned to OK!, which will feature an interview with her in next week's edition. 
