X Factor boss Simon Cowell has thanked judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul and host Steve Jones after they were axed from the show.

The show boss paid tribute to the trio after they were dropped from the series and wished them success in their careers - but he also announced plans to work with Paula on another project in the ''near future'.'

''I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of The X Factor last year. We had a lot of fun making the show together and importantly, we found some real talent and stars. 'You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend and I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future. 'I'm sure all three are going to have massive success in what they do next, but now is the time to thank them all for everything they did last year," Cowell said in a statement.

Following Simon's statement, Nicole took to her Twitter account to confirm she will not be returning to the US version of the show and she now plans to create ''great music'' in 2012: ''I wanted to let you know directly from me that it's true I won't be returning to The X Factor. Looking forward to an exciting year ahead and making great music and more! I'm grateful for the love you always give me.''

Ricky Gervais will not host the Golden Globe Awards again. The comedian - who aimed a number of crude jokes at celebrities in the audience when he fronted the event in Los Angeles on Sunday - has instructed his agent not to let him present the ceremony for a fourth time because he doesn't enjoy the prestigious hosting role until the evening is over.

Writing on his official blog, Ricky - who came under fire after insulting several celebrities in the audience while hosting the spectacle in 2011 - said, "Thank f**k that's over. I had a blast actually. It was by far my favorite of the three hosting stints. I've told my agent to never let me be persuaded to do it again though. It's like a parachute jump. You can only really enjoy it in retrospect when you realize you didn't die and it was quite an amazing thing to do."

The 50-year-old star's latest jibes saw him joke about Jodie Foster's sexuality and poke fun at Justin Bieber's recent paternity scandal - but he thinks the audience understood his crude comedy a lot more this time around: "The crowd were great this year too. I think they finally worked out that my gags only seemed rude and nasty but were actually not too scary at all. Or they were just drunker. Either way, it was fun but I'm glad to say I'm off to New York to chill out a bit."

No excuses!!  How many times did that need to be said last night? 

The first episode of the 'season of no excuses' started with the usual introductions, including all of the participant names, ages, and relationship between the teammates.  Alison stood in front of the gates of the ranch and let everyone know they were just about to enter the place where dreams come true (isn’t that Disney’s line?), that the tools they need to get healthy are behind these gates, and - most importantly - it is where they can get their lives back.

A few of the contestants gave what their excuses are for being so overweight, and as you might imagine, they were all fairly typical - thing like having no time to work out, being an emotional eater, putting things off until a tomorrow that never comes, laziness, and coming from a heavy family.  One woman has 13 children and 54 grandkids. There is usually a pretty emotional story for at least one contestant that keeps them in my mind throughout the season.  In previous years these included Bonnie (although not my favorite,) who lost her home in Hurricane Katrina, and then lost her husband shortly thereafter.  The one that sticks in my head the most is Abby. She lost her husband, daughter, and infant son in a car accident just miles from their home. 

This season Buddy, 41, has 3 small children and his wife is his best friend (ok, cute.) He lost a daughter 5 years ago, and thus far he has the biggest tragedy that's been revealed. Ok Buddy, you are definitely going to be on my radar.  Ahh, I’m already feeling emotionally drained.  Let’s get those gates opened and get started with the process.

Dame Helen Mirren is to provide the "inner voice" of a character on Glee. The Oscar-winning actress has recorded lines for an episode of the musical TV show - starring Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and Heather Morris - where she will be heard but not seen, although the part whose inner thoughts she will be voicing is not known, according to The Wrap.

The episode, titled "Yes/No," will feature Matthew's character Mr. Schuester and Jayma May's Emma prominently. "Helen recorded several long, hilarious monologues recently. She visited the kids on set - they had no idea she was coming and were stunned," a source said.

Glee is renowned for attracting big name stars onto the show, including Gwyneth Paltrow - who played substitute teacher Holly Holliday - and Britney Spears, who appeared as herself. However, Britney's appearance was not easy for the regular cast members of the show as they had to have special security on the day. "What was Britney like? I don't know - I didn't get to meet her. Not many people did. She had pretty big security around her. We actually had security bands to get onto our set that day," Matthew said.

Kim Kardashian thinks her family reality shows could go on "for years." The 31-year-old socialite thinks her teenage siblings Kylie and Kendall Jenner will play more prominent roles in programmes such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and other spin-offs but believes there will always be a place for her and her other siblings.

"These shows could really go on for years. There are so many of us, but I think we'll see more of my younger siblings [Kendall and Kylie]," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Meanwhile, Kim's mother Kris Jenner says she is "proud" of her family for their achievements this year, which included son Rob coming second on Dancing with the Stars, Kim marrying Kris Humphries - though they split up just 72 days later - and daughter Kourtney getting pregnant with her second child.

Russell Brand has signed up to front a new topical late night TV series.

The stand-up comic-and-actor has agreed a deal with cable network FX to present the series on which Russell will give his "unvarnished, unfiltered take on current events, politics and pop culture."

"We're very excited to add Russell Brand's bracingly funny, original, and honest voice to the FX comedy line-up. We look forward to supporting Russell and his partner Troy Miller's ambition to strip down the hosted comedy format to its most fundamental elements and to create something daring and unfiltered for the FX audience," said Nick Grad -- FX executive vice-president of original programming -- in a statement.

The 36-year-old star claims he is "excited" to the "point of climax" about the project, which will hit screens next spring. Making a joke about Fox News political commentator Bill O'Reilly, Russell exclaimed, "I am so excited I'm on the point of climax. In fact, I will put the 'O' into FX, which spells Fox, which is actually the channel's real name. That's the only thing that worries me about all this, to be honest. At least I'll be able to have a Christmas drink with Bill O'Reilly."

The Harmon twins haven't even been born yet, and they're already quite the popular pair!

In this sneak peek of this week's American Horror Story, titled "Birth," dead couples Tate/Violet (Evan Peters/Taissa Farmiga) and Chad/Patrick (Zachary Quinto/Teddy Sears) verbally go at each other over who is going to take care of the babies.

Is making Zachary Quinto a regular cast member too much to ask for?

American Horror Story airs on FX at 10 p.m. EST/P.

Read More | E! Online

Shock jock Howard Stern is in talks to be a judge on America's Got Talent.

The radio host is said to be in "serious negotiations" with network NBC to replace Piers Morgan - who announced his departure earlier this week - and join the panel alongside Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel. According to the Wall Street Journal, if successful, Howard could earn around $15 million a year for the show, which is one of the most successful on US television in the summer months.

He has previously hinted he would enjoy being a panellist on a talent show like American Idol, but was unsure if it would ever happen. Discussing then-judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres, he said last year, he said, "They've got a bunch of people on there who don't have an opinion. Judging is an interesting thing. What I do for a living is a lot more complicated than judging. I have to wake up people. I compete in radio markets and to sit there and judge a karaoke contest, the one criteria would be to have an opinion. It seems that two or three of the judges barely have an opinion."

It must be pretty good to be Zooey Deschanel right now.

After just two episodes of her new comedy, New Girl, Fox has picked the series up for a full season of 24 episodes. Judging from its high ratings (it even beat its lead-in, Glee!), it's not quite a surprise.

"We love the charming Zooey Deschanel and the entire cast, we're knocked out with the work that [creator] Liz Meriwether and the whole staff is doing and we are really psyched about the coming episodes in the pipeline. It's great that audiences have responded so positively so far and we're confident that even more people will embrace the show—and more comedy on Fox—this season," said Kevin Reilly, president of Entertainment at Fox.

New Girl -- which also stars Max Greenfield and Hannah Simone -- airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on Fox.

Read More | E! Online

The Two and a Half Men crew are missing Charlie Sheen.

The production team behind the sitcom – on which Ashton Kutcher replaced Charlie after his hard partying lifestyle led to him being fired from the show – miss the way the actor used to joke around with them on set.  "Ashton is nice and he tries to do things to get us to like him more and more, but he kind of feels like a step dad. He might be the best thing for the family, but everyone misses their 'original dad,' Charlie. With Charlie, we knew we could push his buttons and joke around about his personal life all the time. Ashton is all business and doesn't like to joke around with the guys about his life. It's off limits," an insider said.

"I don't know what I'm going to talk about in therapy now."

-- Modern Family actress Julie Bowen, on winning the Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy.

(Make sure to check out our other notable quotes.)

Read More | People

Just when you thought that True Blood couldn't get any better... they hire Taylor Swift! Well, her vocal talents, anyway.

The country pop singer's track "Haunted," has been confirmed by the show's music supervisor Gary Calamar that it will appear on tomorrow's episode of the hit vampire show, "Run."

Calamar wouldn't divulge the juicy details as to which scene the Speak Now track will play to, but he did reveal that it's "a racy, sexy scene." Given the star's squeaky clean image, Swift's team initially prohibited the song from the episode's soundtrack; however, Taylor stepped in herself and said otherwise.

As for the last episode -- titled "And When I Die" -- Calamar offered some insight as to whom the title may or may not refer to: "Vampires don't really die, so I'll say it's not a vampire. They won't face the true death. But some of our main characters do run into a little bad luck in the final episode."

Read More | Rolling Stone

Things are starting to get a bit controversial over at ABC Family.

Ever since Pretty Little Liars character Emily Fields came out as a lesbian on the show, it ruffled some conservative feathers over at the Florida Family Association (FFA), prompting the group to launch a campaign that aims to have advertisers pull out of the show over "irresponsible imagery" -- i.e., Emily's romantic scenes.

Read More | E! Online

With the huge success of Mad Men, it's no surprise that networks would jump on any opportunity to create a period piece set in the 1960s to compete with the critically-acclaimed series. Enter Pan Am, an ABC series centered on glamorous stewardesses set in the sixties.

While the plot is sure to have eyes rolling, it's hard to resist a show starring Christina Ricci. These photos of her filming in New York are proof (be sure to check out more after the jump)!

The show, which also stars Margot Robbie and Michael Mosley, will air September 25.

Read More | Daily Mail

Jon Cryer believes Charlie Sheen's sacking from Two and a Half Men was an "awful thing to be part of."

The 46-year-old actor - who starred alongside Charlie before he was removed from the show after a public spat with its creator Chuck Lorre and calling Jon a "troll" - did not enjoy watching the troubled star leave the show and was "surprised" by how it happened.

"I never want to go through that again. It was an awful thing to be part of. I'm glad that some peace has come out of it. I was surprised with everything that went down."

Jon has now been joined by Ashton Kutcher on the show, and he reveals he has "worked hard" on the set of the comedy. He added to the KLTA morning show in Los Angeles: "Ashton was amazing. He took the roof off the place. The man works hard for the money. It's a lovely vibe."

He refused to divulge how Charlie's character Charlie Harper dies in the show but added it was "funny." The forthcoming season of Two and a Half Men featuring Ashton Kutcher comes to TV on September 19.

Mad Men fans, you'll be able to relive the first four seasons of the series beginning tomorrow on Netflix Watch Instantly. If you've never seen the show, now's a good time to check it out, as it's one of the most popular shows on cable television. Of course, you'll need a streaming account, which has just recently been made its own product, offered at $7.99 per month.

Sharon Osbourne is taking a break from The Talk to spend more time with her husband. The 58-year-old star insists she is not leaving the discussion program for good, but she will not be on the panel when the show returns after its summer break in September because she wants to be with her spouse, rocker Ozzy Osbourne when he comes off tour.

"I've kept it no secret that I really miss my husband. He'll have been on tour for 18 months by the time it's over. I've spent a lot of time away from him. He gets a break at the end of September and so I've asked for a little break so I can be with him. I don't want to give it up. It's a great, great show. We've all worked really hard over the last year. I'm not going to walk away from that. I just need some real good quality time to be with my hubby."

One reason Sharon wants to return is the close bond she has with co-hosts Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini: "I'm very close to the women on the show. I didn't think that I would be [because] none of us knew each other going into it. We just didn't know each other socially."

Sharon's close friend, however, America's Got Talent host Nick Cannon thinks The Talk will struggle without her. "She's marvelous. She's the caregiver to us all. She just calms us all down."

Office creator Ricky Gervais is to play God. The comic star is working with Dexter producer Clyde Phillips on new TV show Afterlife, in which he will play the Almighty, however, his interpretation of the all-powerful being will not be the usual benevolent creator of the human race.

"Anyway, I play God. (My version will be) an arrogant, wisecracking son of a bitch, who thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread. Actually he thinks he's the best thing ever because, well, he is. He also loves welcoming atheists to heaven with a smug grin on his face," Gervais said of his character.

Gervais also insists the show is not an "atheist comedy," and has warned potential viewers not to expect a "twisted bloodlusty anti-religious fest" just because of Phillips' work on Dexter, which follows the double-life of serial killer Dexter Morgan.

"We've come up with this show because we think it will be fun, different and entertaining. Not to undermine the moral fabric of America," he explained.

Without a new beauty or fashion line coming out and little buzz regarding her wedding (at the moment, any way), Kim Kardashian has managed to find a way to win back the spotlight. This time, it takes suing clothing retailer Old Navy for allegedly utilizing her likeness in an advertisement (seen above).

Aside from a few references from her reality show (i.e. dentist visit, paparazzi), the fact that the actress -- Melissa Molinaro, who is dating Kim's ex Reggie Bush might I add -- sings and dances in the ad ought to negate any notions of imitating the talentless celebrity socialite. Maybe Old Navy just wanted someone who would actually walk her own dog and could do more than warm-up in a pair of shoes.

In all honesty, I feel like The Black-Eyed Peas have a better chance at suing for their likeness!

Read More | USA Today

Chris Colfer found out he was leaving Glee through Twitter!

The actor - who plays Kurt Hummel in the TV musical comedy - claims he only learned he and co-stars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith wouldn't be returning after the third series on the social networking site.

"I found out yesterday on Twitter. Yeah, I found out that they made that announcement. I didn't necessarily know that it was going to be our last season next year, I knew something like that was coming up eventually. I mean, we can't be there forever. I don't necessarily want to leave so soon, but I mean, it's fine."

Although he will be sad to go, Chris will look back on the show with great pride: "It's what it is. And all things come to an end. As a performer, I feel so fulfilled. I have two Emmy nominations and just from hearing from people out in the world about how much the character has helped people. If it's time for a conclusion, I'm fulfilled with it, and I'm fine with it."