GlossLip, Celebrity Gossip From Our Lips To Yours

03/19/2008 (7:52 am)

Who Knew Simon Cowell Was A Guardian Angel?

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I’m no Oprah fan by any stretch, but I am a Simon Cowell fan, mainly because he tells it like it is, he isn’t pretending to be something he is not, and he’s nice to his mother.  And apparently the acid-tongued judge has a heart under all that gruff and bravado (which I’ve known all along):madelaine.jpg

Simon Cowell has paid off a family’s £80,000 [$160,000] mortgage after being touched by the plight of their three-year-old daughter, who has a rare form of cancer. […]

Cowell, who was on the programme to promote his X-Factor starlet Leona Lewis, was close to tears after watching a video interview with Madelaine’s parents, Randy and Amy, in which they told of the financial burden of her treatment.

When Miss Winfrey brought on the couple and introduced them to Cowell, he told them: “I know you are having problems with your mortgage. As of this afternoon, your mortgage has been paid off.”

Since Madelaine was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer last month after developing a cyst in her nose, the Stoens have had to travel more than 100 miles from their Minnesota home each day for treatments.

Madelaine, who is starting to lose her hair, faces a year of being in and out of hospital as she undergoes radiation treatment.

Later Cowell told Miss Winfrey: “The money for me is not the important part. It’s when you see that film and that little girl.

“I said to the parents, ‘It doesn’t stop there. If there are any problems, I’m her guardian angel now.’”

Now that’s what I’m talkin’bout.  Stars who give back, who put their money where their mouth is, who don’t act like their footsteps are gold and their money is best kept to themselves.  While Simon certainly has enough money to buy himself racy sports cars and expensive toys, he doesn’t keep all his money to himself.  This amount is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket to Simon, but it’s a huge amount to this family, and he realizes that.  Despite what people might think, I’ve not got a problem with stars buying outlandish, expensive stuff for themselves…as long as they realize it’s all temporal, and become involved, not just throw money at something and forget about it two seconds later.

If more stars would act like Simon, I’d be out of a job.  To whom much is given, much is required.

Our prayers are with this little girl and her family.

Posted by k
Filed under: Breath Of Fresh Air, Philanthropy, Simon Cowell

01/30/2008 (5:01 pm)

Belt It Like Beckham

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Soccer (oh wait, football…no, check that, it’s soccer) star David Beckham has opened his third academy for aspiring young people:

The state-of-the-art World of Sport complex has been set up to benefit the children of Brazil and provide them with on-site coaching and access to top-class facilities, much in the same way as his academies in London and Los Angeles.

Beckham said: “This is by far the best training camp I have ever seen.

“It will be the best football facility in the world and I am very proud to have an academy in Brazil where kids can come and enjoy themselves and play football in a safe environment.”

Davey Boy also hopes that his new facility will draw soccer clubs from all over the world to train, and hopefully to help future athletes in the form of Brazil’s young people.

But here’s what I really want to say about the whole thing:

PULL YOUR PANTS UP!!!

Great balls of fire…he’s a zillionaire, but he can’t afford pants that fit right?  Yank that belt tighter!  Srsly!

Posted by k
Filed under: Philanthropy, Posh and Becks, Sports, Sports Heroes