Simon Cowell allegedly has been sneaking out with troubled socialite Jasmine Lennard for six months, the Daily Mirror reported. Cowell and girlfriend Terri Seymour share a home in Los Angeles. The London tabloid reports Cowell sent a flirty note at a restaurant in January to Lennard, 21, an upfront bisexual who has battled drug addictions. A pal of Lennard’s told the Mirror, “They spend most of their time together in Simon’s (London) house” when Seymour is in Los Angeles. The Mirror printed a photo of Lennard leaving at nearly 3 a.m. last week, while Cowell, 46, peered around the front door. A spokesman said, “Simon has known Jasmine for some time. They had a meeting to discuss TV projects.”
Katharine McPhee is returning to the “American Idol” tour. The “Idol” runner-up took 3 1/2 weeks off to battle bronchitis and laryngitis. McPhee told “Access Hollywood.” “I’m not completely 100 percent. The doctor still wants me to take it easy, so I’m not going to do the whole section of six songs belting my face off.”
Russell Crowe is back in New York state, filming his new movie, “Tenderness.” But the Australian actor has rented a palatial country home in upstate Nyack for the summer for $100,000, the New York Post reports. So hotel clerks will be safe from any thrown phones.
Scarlett Johansson won an audition to appear in the West End revival of “The Sound of Music,” but her team’s “ridiculous” demands doomed her chance to play Maria von Trapp. Andrew Lloyd Webber told the Times of London he was wowed by Johansson’s singing ability. “We were at the top of the Peninsula Hotel and she sang in front of everyone, which was fantastic. She can really sing,” Webber said. “The demands were so ridiculous. They wanted two minders backstage at all times and that sort of thing.” Instead, a new BBC reality show “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” will decide who gets a six-month contract in the London musical.
Katie Holmes is going back to work more than three months after giving birth to a baby girl, Us Weekly reports. Holmes, 27, fiancé Tom Cruise and their daughter, Suri, have been living quietly in Telluride much of the time since the baby’s birth in April. Us Weekly reported Holmes met with her agents in Beverly Hills last week to discuss the script options.
Hilary Duff and Joel Madden want to marry, but the fact that Duff makes more money than her rocker boyfriend is driving a wedge in the relationship, janetcharltonshollywood.com reports. “She earns more in a week than Joel has in his entire career” with the band Good Charlotte, a source told Charlton. Trust is another issue. When Duff is out of town, Madden has her bodyguards tattle on her.
Paris Hilton claims Barry Manilow is one of her favorite singers. “I don’t know what he sings, but he’s sexy,” Hilton was quoted by the Scottish Daily Record. The newspaper also reported Rod Stewart gave Hilton the OK to sing his hit, “Do You Think I’m Sexy,” for her debut album.
Alec Baldwin and girlfriend Nicole Seidel have split. Sources told the New York Post the actor’s custody battle with ex-wife Kim Basinger strained the relationship. Baldwin and Basinger, divorced in February 2002, continue a long-running custody battle over their 10-year-old daughter Ireland.
