American Idol judge Simon Cowell, who once told a contestant that he would make a better drag queen than an Idol, and called another contestant’s singing “diabolical,” (he was actually correct about that one, mean though he was) may have a heart after all, underneath those boring black sweaters and man-boobs. The Brit participated in “Oprah’s Big Give,” a reality/game show that is giving that other ABC tearjerker reality show, “Extreme Home Makeovers,” a run for its money. Cowell donated $162,000 to a family who fell into a financial crisis after their daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

Simon Cowell may not be so mean after all.

The American Idol judge, 48, gave the family of a cancer-stricken 3-year-old $162,000 to pay off their mortgage, he announced on Oprah Winfrey’s Big Give show on Monday.

The family drives more than 100 miles from their Minnesota home every day so their daughter, Madelaine, can receive treatments.

“It’s a very basic story of a normal family whose daughter got very ill, and they had some financial problems which was relatively easy for me to sort out,” Cowell explained to Extra.

On the show, he told Winfrey that he “credits her” for teaching him to be a do-gooder.

Said Cowell, “I never knew that doing good could feel so good.”

[From Us Weekly]

I think Oprah should recruit some more notorious meanies for this show. It would be like “The Grinch,” week after week. Too bad Leona Helmsley is dead. Anyway, good for Simon for finally understanding that there are other people less fortunate on the planet than himself. But that doesn’t mean I want to see “Nice Simon” on American Idol. Somebody has to tell these people that they suck!

Note by Celebitchy: Here’s the clip from Oprah. It made me cry so hard to see what this family and little girl are going through.

Valerie Bertinelli was on Oprah Winfrey’s show yesterday to promote her upcoming biography, Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time. She told Oprah that she thought she may as well let people know her secrets after she publicly lost 40 pounds as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig. She said in a matter-of-fact way that “I just figured, if they’re going to watch me lose 40 lbs. and I’m going to be embarrassed that way, and there’s going to be fat-ass pictures of me with my butt hanging out in Hawaii, I thought, ‘Why not let the inner me out, too?’” [Details from People.com]

Among the revelations in Bertinelli’s upcoming book is the fact that she had a brief relationship with famed producer Steven Spielberg after she read for a part on Raiders of the Lost Ark. She said he sent her flowers afterwards and that “We went out a few times … And did more.”

Bertinelli also told Oprah about how both she and her ex husband Eddie Van Halen cheated on each other during their 20 year marriage. They were together from 1981 and separated in 2001, with their divorce finalized at the end of last year. (Bertinelli did not file for divorce until 2005.)

She said “I cheated. He claims to this day that I cheated first, but I don’t know. I don’t know about the timing.”

In Bertinelli’s book she talks about a passionate kiss she shared with another woman, something Oprah brought up during the interview. Bertinelli asked Oprah if she’d ever kissed a woman, and she said “no” multiple times.

Oprah has been plagued by rumors that she’s secret lovers with her best friend for decades, Gayle King. Both King and Oprah finally addressed the rumors in July, 2006, with Oprah saying “There isn’t a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it — how can you be this close without it being sexual?” King said that “if we were gay, we would tell you, because there’s nothing wrong with being gay.”

Oprah went on to praise their friendship, invoking God to say how wonderful their relationship is “”Something about this relationship feels otherworldly to me, like it was designed by a power and a hand greater than my own. Whatever this friendship is, it’s been a very fun ride.”

The two women went on a 3,600 mile cross country car trip together in 2006. Rosie O’Donnel was still co-hosting The View at that time, and said of their trip that “You might be a little bit gay, you’re just not doin’ it.”

Bertinelli came across as friendly and open in her interview with Oprah. Her book Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time is currently available on Amazon.com.

Dr. Phil and the powerful mogul who made his career, Oprah, haven’t been the best of friends recently. Oprah was reportedly mighty pissed when Dr. Phil was successfully sued for his sham diet products and is said to have snubbed him by failing to attend his son Jay’s wedding in 2006. The Britney Scandal is the last straw for Oprah, the National Enquirer declares, and she’s set to give him the boot any day now. Oprah runs the production company that puts out Dr. Phil’s show and she calls all the shots. She thinks Dr. Phil exploited Britney and she’s steamed that instead of apologizing for his obvious blunder that violated ethics he continued to milk the ineffective intervention to get publicity for his tabloid-esque show:

“Phil has been warned by Oprah about many past mistakes. This was coming for a long time,” revealed a show source.

“They’ve waged a bitter feud for several years, but as head of Harpo, which produces his show, she can tell him to jump - and how high…

But the Britney scandal is much, much worse,” said the source.

Oprah will formally deliver Dr. Phil’s pink slip in a face-to-face meeting, sources say.

Some colleagues even question whether Dr. Phil violated professional patient confidentiality standards when he announced to the world: “My meeting with Britney leaves me convinced more than ever that she is in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention.”

The TV therapist decided to go public for a second time - but not to apologize for violating confidentiality. He simply announced he was scrapping plans for a Britney-themed show.

“Oprah was livid,” said the close source. “He should have thrown himself on his sword and said he should have never spoken to the media in the first place. But instead he used the spotlight to tout his struggling show.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 28, 2007]

Dr. Phil signed a $75 million five-year contract in 2005 worth $15 million a year so he stands to lose a lot if Oprah cans his ass. There’s news today that he finally made a half-assed statement on his show about how he didn’t help Britney, but he never said that he did anything unethical by talking about her to the press. He just said that he regrets talking about it, and he could regret because it may cost him his show:

“Was it helpful to the situation? Regrettably, no,” McGraw, 57, said Thursday during a taping of the Dr. Phil Show, reports USA Today. (The show is slated to air Monday.) “I definitely think if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn’t make any statement at all. Period.”

[From People.com]

People notes that Dr. Phil says he would do it again and that he visited Britney as a “friend… of the family” because he’s not even licensed to practice psychology in California. A psychologist in California has lodged a complaint with the California Board of Psychology saying that Dr. Phil was practicing without a license by visiting Britney in the hospital. Dr. Phil’s Texas license expired in 2006 and has not been renewed. He’s also said to be having trouble booking celebrity guests because no one wants to be associated with him now. If Oprah doesn’t get rid of him for mishandling the Britney case maybe his ratings will tank enough to make it necessary anyway.

If Santa Claus goes by the Reuters good celebrity list, then it seems Angelina Jolie probably got something good in her stocking this year. Brad Pitt maybe? Reuters have listed the top celebrity humanitarians of 2007.

The actress was voted the person who has given the best name to “celebrity humanitarianism” for her work as goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency.

The 32-year-old, who has three adopted children from poverty-stricken areas, was also recognised for her attempts to draw attention to suffering in Africa and arrange aid for displaced Iraqis.

Madonna was voted the least respected celebrity altruist in the survey of 606 people by Reuters AlertNet. Although she raised millions for orphans in Malawi, she was accused of using her influence to adopt a baby from the country without the normal legal procedures.

Digital Spy

The poll wasn’t based on who did the most good, but rather who is the most respected do-gooder.

Other celebrity humanitarians include Bono, Bill Gates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Bill Clinton. Following Madonna on the dubious humanitarian list is Paris Hilton following her aborted Rwanda trip, Oprah, Bono again, and Bob Geldof. So how can you earn respect to go along with your celebrity status?

The difference between Jolie and the other famous philanthropists is that the star doesn’t travel with camera crews and does her best to dodge the paparazzi.

“Someone like Angelina Jolie comes across as having more integrity than some celebrities and a greater sense that she doesn’t just do this for the publicity,” the director of the Feinstein International Famine Centre at Tufts University told Reuters news service.

POP

Angelina is an obvious choice as a respected celebrity humanitarian - although how the hell she gets anything done with four kids around is beyond me. I mean anything. Having time to brush her teeth, watch the news to know which countries are in crisis, anything! Some say that she’s got a team of nannies, but four kids must be demanding even if you have four nannies.

It also seems a little unfair to brand Madonna for adopting David Banda without following protocol, mostly because Malawi doesn’t seem to have a protocol for adoption. It is hard to bring a foreign child into your home and raise it, Madonna didn’t just adopt the kid for fashion, he’ll be around for the rest of her life.

It’s interesting that even after years of working for the AIDS cause and other issues in Africa, Bob Geldof and Bono still haven’t got the public’s respect.

Picture Note by Celebitchy: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are shown shopping at a baby store in New Orleans on 12/27/07, thanks to Splash News. Shiloh and Zahara are still young enough to need something from a baby shop so it might not mean they’re preparing for a new arrival by plane or hospital, although the tabloids are sure to make something of it. Thanks to Splash News.

Denzel Washington is known for his generous charity, some of which has become the stuff of legend. The Oscar winning actor stars in the upcoming film The Great Debaters, which is out this Christmas and focuses on the success of the debate team in the 1930s at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Denzel visited Wiley last week to screen the film, and gave the small predominantly African-American college $1 million to re-establish its debate team.

The gift was announced Tuesday by school officials.

Washington was in Marshall last week to screen The Great Debaters, the story of Wiley’s 1930s debate team. He stars as educator and poet Melvin Tolson, who led the all-black college’s elite debate squad.

During his appearance, the 52-year-old actor-director said he would like to see the team get going again.

Marshall is a city of about 24,000, located 140 miles east of Dallas. Wiley has about 900 students.

The Great Debaters opens Christmas Day. It has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best picture drama.

[AP Story found at AZCentral.com]

Urban Legend site Snopes.com notes that Washington has also given $1 million to the Children’s Fund of South Africa and $2.5 million to the Church of God. Washington is a devout Christian, according to Wikipedia. Washington, who turns 53 next week, has been married to his wife Pauletta since 1983. They have four children, John David, 23, a professional football player, Katia, 20, a student at Yale University, and twins Olivia and Malcolm, 15.

This week’s National Enquirer had another story of Washington’s kindness on a smaller scale. He made a young struggling actor’s day when he personally called an agent to ask him to represent him:

Denzel suddenly strode into swanky Saks Fifth Avenue [in Beverly Hills] for last-minute Christmas shopping. The superstar soon had a bright-eyed young salesman hopping to fill his orders, and the guy kept making great gift suggestions. Impressed, Denzel learned he’d just arrived in Hollywood from Virgina to follow his dream of becoming… an actor. He was struggling to make ends meet, of course, but told Denzel about a long shot Big Break: A powerful showbiz agent had hinted that he might sign him as a client - but it was a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” situation.

Speaking with quiet authority… Denzel said “Get that agent on the phone now!” When the awed kid made the connection, Our Hero took the phone and said “Hi, this is Denzel washington. I’m with this nice young man who says he’s waiting to hear whether you plan to represent him or not. I want to know if you’re planning to sign him… yes or no. Otherwise, I’ll call my agent - right now - and we’ll find him someone else.”

The stunned agent replied: “Er, yes… of course! I’ll represent him.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker’s column, December 24, 2007]

The article goes on to report that Denzel wrote down his assistant’s number for the young man and told him to call him if he needed any more help.

I love that story! Denzel Washington seems like such a great guy and it’s nice to know he’s still having a lot of success with his career.

Here’s the trailer for the film, thanks to the Evil Beet for linking it. It is directed by Denzel, produced by Oprah and also stars Oscar winner Forest Wittaker. It looks incredible, but it also might get weighed down with too much emotion and predictable tugging at heartstrings, it could go either way judging by this trailer.

Here’s Denzel and his wife Pauletta along with Oprah, Samuel L Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson at The Great Debaters premiere on 12/11/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

Well after all the waiting and wonder, an arrest has been made as a result of the abuse allegations at Oprah Winfrey’s South African girl’s school. The dormitory matron was arrested on charges of sexual and physical abuse, Crimen injuria (which is the crime of injuring another person’s dignity, and encompasses racial abuse and sexual offenses against children), and soliciting the girls to perform sexual acts. How in the world someone this terrible got through the screening process and was allowed to be around these girls is beyond me.

South African police have arrested a former dormitory employee at Oprah Winfrey’s leadership academy for girls on charges of abuse, including indecent acts. At least seven alleged victims have submitted statements about the woman, police said. “A former dormitory employee (27 years old) has been arrested yesterday by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on several charges of abuse,” a statement from police spokesman Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini read. “Several charges including alleged assault, indecent assault, crimen injuria and soliciting girls under age to perform indecent acts are being investigated against her. At least seven victims have already submitted statements.”

The suspect is being held by police and is expected to appear before a magistrate on Monday. “She has been charged by the police,” Dlamini told Reuters. The U.S. billionaire television magnate praised the police’s swift action after local media reports of abuse allegations at her school surfaced late last month. “I am grateful for their compassion and sensitivity to the girls during this difficult time. It means the world to me,” Winfrey said in a statement. It is my deepest hope that the accused is brought to justice and that this serves as a reminder that any time a child has the courage to step forward, it is our duty as adults to listen and take immediate action.”

[From the Associated Press]

Oprah also gave each of the girls a cell phone and her private number, with instructions that they are to call her with any worries or concerns. Something tells me it’s probably a number she had set up exclusively for the girls and not her home number, as I can imagine that would get on the internet in short order. Either way, she really handled this well. Several articles have said that – everything considered – the parents are very pleased with the way Oprah has stepped up, flown to South Africa several times, and gone out of her way to communicate with the girls’ parents directly. Celebitchy is going to be piiiiiiiiised, but I love Oprah even more now. Don’t tell.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Oprah at the 2007 CFDA Fashion Awards on June 4th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Oprah took a hint from Ellen DeGeneres on Sunday and tearfully apologized to the parents at her South African girls school, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Accusations came to light a few weeks ago that one of the dorm matrons had abused several of the girls – at least one by fondling her. The matron is also accused of screaming at the girls and grabbing one by the throat. One of the girls reported the matron to the CEO of the school, John Samuel, who chose to ignore the allegations. It all came to light when one of the girls (it’s not clear if it was the same girl or a different one) ran away from the school because the abuse had gotten so bad. She reported the incidents to her family, which brought it to authorities – and Oprah’s – attention.

She wanted only to give underprivileged African girls a chance at a better life. But a tearful Oprah Winfrey begged for forgiveness Sunday from students’ parents at her all-girls academy, currently reeling from allegations of abuse.

“I’ve disappointed you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” the talk-show queen told families in an emergency meeting at the South African school in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, the South African news site News24.com reported.

Oprah had canceled all appointments and flew to South Africa twice in the past few weeks after allegations of abuse.

Winfrey, who has spoken openly about being abused as a child, gave the girls her personal telephone number, her e-mail address and her mailing address so that they could contact her around the clock, according to local media.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy opened in January to provide quality education to underprivileged girls.

Surrounded by high-profile guests including Nelson Mandela, Oprah described the day the $46 million school opened as “the proudest, greatest day of my life and a dream come true.”

[From People]

I would guess that Oprah feels especially terrible since she’s an abuse survivor. From a previous article, it seems this past trip to South Africa is actually Oprah’s third – not her second – in recent weeks. It seems like she’s taking the whole thing very seriously, and has suspended the CEO (and the matron of course). It’s hard to be completely hands-on when the school is on the other side of the world, but hopefully Oprah will figure out a way to make sure employees are monitored much closer. I would assume any boarding school would need to be extra careful about that, since children don’t see their families as often and employees have much greater access to innocent kids.

On Friday I reported that Oprah had left for South Africa at the last minute, due to some accusations of misconduct at her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. I made a point not to speculate about what the accusations were, but obviously one’s mind goes to the worst place. We knew it involved one of the dorm matrons. It turns out she’s been accused of fondling one of the girls inappropriately, and physically and verbally abusing many of the girls. It came to light when a girl ran away as a result of the abuse. Oprah has since gone back to the school, and has hired a team of investigators to figure out what happened.

“A matron at Oprah Winfrey’s posh school for girls near Vereeniging apparently “fondled” one of the pupils, and assaulted another. Rapport newspaper has also revealed that the matron, who is alleged to have grabbed a girl by the throat and thrown her against a wall, is not the only one to have been charged with unacceptable behavior by girls at Oprah’s school. They claim John Samuel, Chief Executive Officer at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, failed to take action after their first reports of alleged abuse.”

[From South Africa’s News 24]

It sounds like the issue is not only the matron, but the CEO who didn’t do anything when he learned about the abuse. He’s taken a leave of absence. The matron has been suspended, and there’s an investigation that’s ongoing by the child protection unit. One of the girls who was being abused ran away and made it back to her parents home, where she told them the abuse had become intolerable. Parents were flown in from all over the country to a meeting Oprah held that lasted over two hours.

Apparently the matron also swore and yelled at the girls in addition to physically assaulting and sexually fondling at least one of them. Oprah has hired an investigative team which includes a former Chicago police officer, who have already been flown to the school and are meeting with the girls. There’s also a extra security at the school now.

This story is very creepy, and somehow not surprising. I can see how a person in a position of authority could get away with some serious crimes in a boarding school setting. Children don’t have the same access to their parents, and parents are less likely to notice a change in behavior. I’m not sure what measures they can come up with to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future – I would assume that Oprah already had them do background checks on employees. I hope the CEO who ignored the girls’ reports is fired.

Last Friday the American Cinematheque held a tribute for Julia Roberts. Oprah Winfrey was scheduled to attend, but backed out at the last minute, leaving everyone speculating. It turns out the reason for her absence was a problem at her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Apparently a dorm mother was accused of some sort of serious misconduct which severe enough to require Oprah to go to Henley on Klip where the school is located, south of Johannesburg.

A staff member responsible for children’s welfare at Oprah Winfrey’s girls’ school near Johannesburg has been suspended for misconduct. The unnamed worker, or “dormitory parent” as they are known, was removed from the premises and child protection officers notified. John Samuel, chief executive at the school at Henley-on-Klip in Meyerton, said: “The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls has initiated an internal inquiry based on one serious claim of misconduct involving a dorm parent at the Academy. We have engaged professional investigators of the highest standing from South Africa and the United States to conduct a fair and impartial inquiry into these claims.”

He said studies would continue as normal and children would be offered counseling, but declined to give details of the complaint or the worker’s identity. Ms Winfrey said: “Nothing is more serious or devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the academy. I will do everything within my power to ensure their safety and wellbeing.” Mr. Samuel said the head of academy and the school’s administrative body had mutually decided that the head should take a paid leave of absence in order to ensure an impartial investigation. The head of academy is not the person involved in the complaint.

On a visit to the school last August, she told parents: “I want you to know that these are our daughters. I want you to trust me with them.” Police confirmed they were investigating a case of misconduct at the school.

[From the Independent]

I know Oprah takes her school very seriously – and it seems to be about more than just good PR since it’s more important to her than honoring Julia Roberts. It seems like she’s got her priorities in the right place. Oprah is an incredible philanthropist, and In 2005 Business Week listed her one of America’s top 50 most generous philanthropists, having given an estimated $303 million. A lot of people criticized her for how fancy the girls school was – it has a yoga studio and serves organic food and the like. People said she could have done a lot more for more people by spreading the money around instead of going all-out on the school. She responded by saying that she wanted the girls to have the best and feel good about themselves. Frankly it’s her money and her business, and it sounds like she’s really committed to doing the right thing.

Jessica Seinfeld was on Oprah last week to promote her new cook book Deceptively Delicious, which has recipes that teach you how to trick your kids to eat vegetables by pureeing them up and putting them in baked goods and other kid favorites like chicken nuggets. The book became a best seller this week, and to thank Oprah, Mrs. Seinfeld sent her 21 pairs of some of the most expensive shoes available, mostly red-soled Christian Louboutins, with a note that “there are no words.”

This story sickened me a little, because Oprah is worth $1.4 billion as of last year and she just doesn’t need material things. Still, she fawned over the shoes like she does all the other pricey shit on her “Oprah’s favorite things” episodes, which just makes average people feel like we need expensive brand name luxuries in order to be happy and fulfilled like Queen Oprah.

Here is a clip from the show yesterday. Jerry Seinfeld was on to promote Bee Movie, in which Oprah has a voice cameo. Oprah of course thanked Jessica for the extravagant thank you.

After hearing this story I was interested in Seinfeld’s book, as I have a three year old and it’s very hard to get him to eat vegetables. A lot of commentors on Amazon noted that this topic was covered better in an earlier cookbook called The Sneaky Chef, in which the recipes are a lot more palatable for children by some accounts. Many people expressed dismay that Jessica Seinfeld would publish a book so similar to The Sneaky Chef without providing an acknowledgment of their efforts or inspiration.

I’m inclined to believe she did get a lot of ideas from the earlier cookbook, considering that she decided to spend $20k instead of taking the time to come up with a thoughtful thank you note to Oprah. Then again, Oprah wouldn’t have acknowledged a simple card on the air, no matter how rich and meaningful the prose.

Thanks to The Huffington Post for the video and to US Magazine for the link to the story.

Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld are shown at the opening of The Odd Couple on Broadway on 10/27/05. Thanks to PRPhotos.