Big Blogger - celebrity gossip and reality TV

E4 to make Celebrity Big Brother Spin-Off

Just when you thought it was safe to switch the TV back on, E4 have announced that although they've canceled next year's Celebrity Big Brother, in its place will be... well, something that sounds more or less like Celebrity Big Brother.

In this show, though, known as 'Big Brother Celebrity Hijack',the crucial twist is that the celebrities actually get to BE Big Brother, directing the activities of a group of 18 -21 year olds. So, a sort of hybrid BB/Celeb BB then. GOD. Producers have yet to confirm who will be taking part, but are apparently auditioning "the country's most exceptional people" in the hope of assembling a cast of "prodigies". The mind boggles...

Channel 4 axe next year's Celebrity Big Brother

So the Paris Hilton rumours weren't true. Who'd have thunk it? Paris definitely won't be appearing in next year's Celebrity Big Brother, and neither will anyone else for that matter, because Channel 4 have decided to axe the show. Although it seems likely to me that the move could have something to do with last year's Shilpagate controversy - perhaps a desire on Channel 4's part to let the strong feelings raised by the series to die off a little - they say it's all part of a programme of "creative renewal".

Don't worry, though, it's only for one year - Celebrity BB is expected to return as usual in 2009.

Paris Hilton to appear on Celebrity Big Brother?

Well, she does have some experience of being incarcerated, but I still say this is one for the "I'll believe it when I see it files" - especially given that the rumour comes from The Sun, which claims that Paris Hilton is considering appearing on Celebrity Big Brother.

This report is a little conflicting, as on the one hand we have Paris allegedly being told to "name her price" and on the other we have her being offered "£300,000". Now, clearly I have no particular insight into Paris Hilton's mind, but don't you think she'd want a little more than that?

The rumour has it, of course, that the REAL reason Paris wants to do the show is to prove that she's not just a rich, blonde airhead. Good luck with that, Paris!

Ofcom releases 'Shilpagate' diary room transcripts

For those still playing along at home, Ofcom have now realeased transcripts of the unseen footage from Celebrity Big Brother  in which Jade, Jo, Danielle, Jack (and actually, Cleo too, although she didn't figure in the resulting furore), make reference to the word "Paki" as part of a limerick game.

The full transcript, including the "Limerick-gate" (sorry) itself, plus Big Brother's diary room conversations with Jo and Jack afterwards, is after the jump. But be warned, it's very, very, long. A pretty inane, too. Small sample:

Jo

There once was a house that was happy, ‘mi ni mi ni mi ni mi ni’ and then there entered…

6

Cleo

You’re all going to go to Big Brother prison.

Danielle

How do you know what –

Cleo

And you’re going to need me –

Jo

But it ends with a nappy. What’s wrong with you people?

Jack

But if you say, ‘Along came some people who were tacky’.

Jade

There once was a house that was happy, until…

Jack

They made it really tacky.

Jade

Until there entered a… Until there entered a…

Jo

Strappy… Strap-on.

Jack

Strap-on

Jade

No, no, no, there once was a house that was happy…

7

Jo

Until someone got yappy.

Jade

Yes. There once was a house that was happy, until someone got yappy.

Jack

She nearly killed everyone with a chicken.

Cleo

But everything ended up finger-lickin’.

Channel 4 forced to apologise on air over Celebrity Big Brother racism row

Well, the Ofcom votes have been counted and verified, and it looks like it's Channel 4 that's being evicted. Yup, they've been found guilty of "serious editorial misjudgments compounded by a serious failure of its compliance process" which, translated, means, "they handled the 'Shilpagate' race row really freaking badly."

Ofcom point to Jade's use of "Shilpa Popadom", Danielle's "she should f*** off home" and Jo's comments about Indian eating habits as the worst examples of Channel Four's negligence, also confirming that, in footage which was not shown on the show, Jade, Jo, Danielle and Jack made up a limerick about Shilpa, using a work rhyming with "tacky". Oops.

Danielle Lloyd and Shilpa Shetty kiss and make up - awww!

Shilpa Shetty was in London last night for the premiere of her latest film ... and lookit who was there too! Yes, Danielle Lloyd and Shilpa appear to be back on speaking terms after their now-notorious falling out in the house, and were all smiles and hugs as they met on the red carpet. And if Shilpa looks like she's pulling away in horror in that second picture, she's probably just remembering what happened the last time someone tried to land a smacker on her in public...

The Celebrity Big Brother Wrap Party - Who Went?

After every series of Big Brother comes the warp party - an opportunity for all of the housemates to get together, get falling-down-drunk and have a go at each other, all while being snapped by the paps. When a series ends up ruining more careers than it creates, though, I guess it's not surprising that not everyone would want to show up - other than the presenters, obviously.

Look after the jump to find out who made it and who was, er, washing their hair that night...

Jo O'Meara on GMTV This Morning

Carole Malone on Dirk Benedict & Ian Watkins

One person who can't possibly claim that The Mirror misrepresented her, of course, is Carole Malone. She writes her column herself, and is responsible for every word - which makes it all the more surprising that she's used it this week to rip into Dirk Benedict, and - surprisingly - Ian Watkins.

Dirk is " repressed, jumped up, moody old chauvinist," according to Carole. Ian is just a hypocrite with ugly hair. Or, to quote Carole: "It's it's Steps man I'm worried about. He needs help on two counts - first for his nervous tic that gets worse with every day and second for his mind-bending hypocrisy, which is far uglier than anything he does with his hair." Nice.

Jo O'Meara in the Sunday Mirror

It seems I was wrong yesterday when I said that Jo O'Meara hadn't taken her "My Celebrity Big Brother Hell!" story to the Sunday tabloids. She did, in fact, do an interview with Carole Malone's paper, the Sunday Mirror, but if Jo thought Carole's influence might get her an easy ride, she was in for a nasty shock...

Referring to her throughout, in typically hysterical tabloid style, as "vile Jo" and "Big Brother bully Jo O'Meara", the Mirror done stitched Jo up big time, paying her for an exclusive interview (" know Jade gave her interview money to charity but I don't feel the need to do that. I have done nothing wrong," says "Unrepentant Jo") and then using it to make her seem like Hitler's slightly nastier cousin.