Nick Jonas and Pharrell Williams in talks to join American Idol

Nick Jonas and Pharrell Williams are said to be in talks to join the panel of American Idol. With Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler quitting and Randy Jackson expected to move to a mentoring role, the pair are the frontrunners for the two vacant seats alongside Mariah Carey. A source told usmagazine.com: “Nick is pretty close to signing to be the Idol judge. They flew him in to Los Angeles last week for final meetings. “American Idol producers think he can help bring that younger demo to the show.”

Meanwhile, Pharrell is currently negotiating the terms of his contract with the source, adding: “Everything is looking good, but they're still working out details.”

Carey confirmed last week that she had agreed on a deal with the television talent show.

She said: “As a singer, songwriter and producer, it's going to be fun and rewarding to help find new talent and give back to American Idol. I'm currently in the studio working on my new album and its first single, Triumphant, which will be out early next month. “I can't wait to channel my creative energy as a part of this show, which is a massive global phenomenon.”

She is thought to have agreed to an $18-million deal.

— Daily Mail

Usher emerges for the first time since stepson Kile Glover's death

Grieving singer Usher has emerged for the first time since his stepson Kile Glover's tragic death. The R&B star cut a sombre figure during an outing in Los Angeles over the weekend. The 33-yearold stopped in at the Intermix boutique on Robertson Boulevard before riding off on his motorbike with a female companion.

The funeral for 11-yearold Kile was held in Atlanta, Georgia, last Friday; however it is not clear if Usher was in attendance.

His ex-wife, Tameka Foster, led mourners at the ceremony for the young boy, whose life was tragically cut short following a jet ski accident. Her two younger sons from her marriage to the star, Usher Raymond V, four, and Naviyd Ely Raymond, three, are understood to have been at the church. Kile died on July 21 in hospital after his family made the heartbreaking decision to switch off his life support machine when doctors said there was nothing that could be done to save him.

— Daily Mail

Supermodel Jourdan Dunn talks about son's sickle cell anaemia

She has been dubbed the next Naomi Campbell, and after being scouted in her local Pr imark store at the tender age of fifteen, she sashayed down the Prada catwalk just a year later. She then went on to be shot by the one-and-only Steven Meisel for Vogue and has shot campaigns for the most prestigious labels from Burberry to Yves Saint Laurent. But, away from the catwalk, Jourdan Dunn's life hasn't always been so glamorous. With the rise of her career came more and more difficulties. She fell pregnant at the age of 18, and after giving birth to her son Riley, his father was arrested for possession of cocaine.

Jourdan was left in a predicament, left alone to balance her increasingly successful working life with her failing personal life. And things didn't get any easier for the mother from Ealing after Riley was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia — an inherited, noncontagious blood disorder most common in people of Afro-Carribean or African descent. The disorder leaves sufferers with a shorter life expectancy and periods of sickle cell crisis that last a few days and require serious medication and hospitalisation.

Although Jourdan doesn't have the disease herself, she and the father of her son are among the 250,000 people in England estimated to carry the genetic mutation that causes it. Speaking to Sunday Times Style magazine, the model said: “I found out I carried it when I was pregnant, which was a huge shock. The first time Riley had a crisis I was working in New York and due to travel to Puerto Rico. Mum was amazing and reassured me he was in the best hands and that I should keep working.”

Riley has to take penicillin and folic acid daily and Jourdan worries that more awareness should be raised about the disease. She said: “It's something people don't really know about, due to the fact it's genetic, so it doesn't have the high profile of HIV or malaria.

“Riley looks just like a normal boy, but I can't get away from the fact he has a serious disease,” Jourdan added. The supermodel intends to use her status as a famous model to help garner more support for the Sickle Cell Society, which she strongly supports.

— Daily Mail