After letting go of host Steve Jones and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell is offering Beyoncé an annual salary of US$100m (Dh367m) to judge The X Factor USA, reported US Weekly.
Cowell's original choice was Mariah Carey, but he changed his mind and opted for the more popular Beyoncé, who is married to the rapper Jay-Z and last month gave birth to their daughter Blue Ivy.
"Cowell wants Beyoncé because that would immediately give him the bounce needed to beat American Idol," a source told MediaTakeOut.com.
If Beyoncé takes the gig, she will be the highest paid television star in history.
Taj Mahal disappoints Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger's dream of visiting the Taj Mahal has been dashed, after travelling to the Indian city of Agra on Friday, the one day each week the monument is closed to tourists because of Muslim prayers at a nearby mosque.
His tour guide Nitin Singh said the movie star was disappointed and had to view the Taj Mahal from a nearby road. Schwarzenegger took pictures with his cellphone and posed for photos with the Taj as the backdrop. He is in India for an environmental conference.
He told a TV channel he would consider acting in Bollywood if offered an interesting script with a good director. "I'll be back," he told the cheering studio audience.
* Associated Press
Online art fair storms the web
Browse works presented by more than 130 exhibitors, from 30 different countries, without getting out of your pyjamas. VIP Art Fair 2.0 is now in full swing and continues until Wednesday. This online-only art fair has ramped up proceedings for its second-time-around, and not only features the world's big hitters (the likes of Gagosian Gallery, Xavier Hufkens and The Pace Gallery), but also more emergent spaces neatly grouped for easy perusal.
Three Dubai galleries are taking part: Carbon 12, Lawrie Shabibi and The Third Line all have virtual vaults to show off their talent, without any of the usual hassle of shipping works and tireless vigilance at the booth.
But does clicking through an art fair really have any of the appeal of seeing and standing before a great work? Decide for yourself, it's free to enter. Visit www.vipartfair.com.
Kim Kardashian dating again?
The reality TV star Kim Kardashian has been going out on dates with the New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, reported Contactmusic.com.
The 31-year-old, who months ago divorced basketball star Kris Humphries after 72 days of marriage, has allegedly been seeing the 25-year-old Sanchez whenever she's in New York.
"They are very careful with not being seen together - Mark is seeing someone. She has her hopes set on a bigger star than Sanchez. But for now, he will do," a source told the website.
On Friday night, Kardashian shot down the reports by tweeting: "Dating rumours are always fun when you don't even know the people you're supposedly linked to! Who makes this stuff up?"
Bee Gees main man in cancer recovery
The Bee Gees lead singer Robin Gibb said on Friday he was making a "spectacular" recovery from colon cancer and felt better than ever.
"The prognosis is that it's almost gone and I feel fantastic," the 62-year-old told BBC radio.
"I was diagnosed with a growth in my colon. It was removed. And I've been treated for that by a brilliant doctor, and in their own words, 'the results have been spectacular'."
Gibb is set to release a classical concept album about the sinking of the Titanic to mark the centenary of the disaster. He is aiming to perform at the symphonic work's premiere in London on April 10.
* Agence France-Presse
Arab Idol dedicates performance to Egypt
On Friday night, during the second live performance by contestants on the popular Arab Idol competition, Egypt's recent troubles seemed to be on everyone's mind. Judge Hassan El Shafei - music producer and vocalist - started off the evening with words of support for the Egyptian people. Later that evening, 17-year-old Carmen Suleiman from Egypt said that as she was singing a song for Mohammed Abdo, her heart was bleeding for her country.
Each of the remaining nine contestants - four men and five women - was asked to choose a singer they admire and revere, and pick a song dedicated to that singer.
Last night, Egyptian pop star Shireen Abdelwahab, who was catapulted to fame with her single Ah Ya Leil, was the guest of honour during the weekly episode dedicated to revealing the voting results.
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