Mariah Carey is embraced by the Hollywood elite as she picks up yet another award for her role in Precious

She may only have had a limited amount of acting experience but Mariah Carey managed to steal the limelight at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
The singer was the centre of attention as she made her way into the event, gliding along the red carpet to a rapturous welcome.
Mariah, 34, wore a shimmering, tight black dress that showed off her womanly curves, coupled with a pair of black platform heels.

Acting up: Diva Mariah Carey steals the show at the Palm Springs International Film Festival wearing a glimmering black dress on the red carpet

Elite: The singer speaks to acting legends Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood at the film event which honoured an A-list cast of stars

And it wasn't just her entrance that made the diva the centre of attention.
Carey's acting skills were acknowledged at the event's opening gala night where she picked up the award for Breakthrough Performance for her role in the big screen drama Precious.

 

She collected the award from Lee Daniels, who directed the new movie, which is set for release in the UK this month.

Winner: Mariah poses with her award for Breakthrough Performance at the gala night in Palm Springs

Strike a pose: The star is the centre of attention on the red carpet as she makes her way into the event

 

Dowdy: Mariah as Ms Weiss in Precious

Festival chairman Harold Matzner said: 'We're delighted to be able to present the Breakthrough Performance Award to the extraordinary, very beautiful and versatile Mariah Carey, who, in a critically acclaimed role, completely transformed herself from a glamorous music icon to a forthright social worker for the role of Ms Weiss in Precious.

She has already picked up several awards for best supporting actress for the role in Daniels' highly acclaimed film, which is based on the novel, Push, by Sapphire.
The singer recently poked fun at her role in the new movie, in which she appears as a dowdy social worker named Ms Weiss, saying fans always ask her about the moustache she sports.

Black and white: Anna Kendrick bucked the trend for black dresses at the event, while Michelle Pfeiffer played it safe with her unremarkable outfit

She said: 'I lost all the vanity stuff, but when people really started analysing, they have to ask about the moustache. Why is it important? Oh, my goodness, it's hideous.'
The usually glamorous Grammy winner added: 'That's not my no-make-up look just for your information. Could you let [Newsweek] readers know?... I don't think Nick [Cannon, her husband] would be here if that was my look.'
Mariah joined a star-studded line-up at the film festival, including Clint Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Michelle Pfeiffer, Morgan Freeman and Marion Cotillard.

Winners: Morgan Freeman won the Career Achievement award while Jeff Bridges was honoured with a Desert Palm Achievement award

Career highlight? Actor Morgan Freeman presents the Career Achievement Award to Helen Mirren at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival gala

With the male stars all dressed up in obligatory tuxedos, it was down to the ladies to really show some flair.
And it was Marion Cotillard who stood out from the crowd in a short, ruffled off-the-shoulder number.
Helen Mirren kept it sensible in an uninspiring black, floor-length dress with sheer sleeves.

Honoured: Clint Eastwood presents the Career Achievement award to fellow Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman

Michelle Pfeiffer also went for the black option in another unremarkable dress, coupled with a smart pair of black heels.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival runs over the course of 13 days, from January 5-18, and covers the entire spectrum of world cinema with over 200 films featured.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor: Jeremy Renner

Breakthrough Performance Award, Actress: Mariah Carey

Career Achievement Award, Actor: Morgan Freeman

Career Achievement Award, Actress: Helen Mirren

Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor: Jeff Bridges

Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress: Marion Cotillard

Director of the Year Award: Jason Reitman

Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing: T Bone Burnett

Rising Star Award: Anna Kendrick

                                                  Sonny Bono Visionary Award: Quentin Tarantino

'I lost TWO STONE to compete in X Factor,' admits Joe McElderry as picture reveals he was a tubby teen

He's a slimline hunk who has amassed an army of admirers since claiming victory in the X Factor finals.
But teen hunk Joe McElderry was once a slightly chubbier teenager who spent his days sitting in front of a computer and eating.
Pictured below in 2008 at a wedding, the 18-year-old singer looks barely recognisable from the flawless pin-up who graced our screens in last year's competition.

Weight loss: Joe McElderry says he was a chubby teen who lost two stone just a year before he sang his way to victory in the X Factor final

The X Factor winner revealed that he lost a staggering two stone just a year before winning the ITV1 talent show.

 

Joe spoke to Heat magazine about his dramatic weight loss, explaining that he managed to shed the pounds by going on a self-imposed diet and exercise regime.
He said: 'Instead of having chips, I would have a sandwich or a salad. I was a really active child, skinny as a rake.

Hunk: The singer now has a large following and says the only thing he would change about himself would be his teeth

'And then, when I became a teenager, I just kind of would sit in front of the computer and eat... Then I realised I needed to do something about it. I started running. I love it! I'd run by the beach at home.'
Now set for a succesful singing career, with a £1million record contract and a move to LA to record his debut album, Joe says he would like to improve his looks with a brace, but wouldn't go as far as cosmetic surgery.
He admitted: 'I don't think I'd have a full facelift..but, er...it'd depend what it was! I think on my own terms I'd like to get a brace and get me teeth sorted out.'
And he says doting mentor Cheryl Cole has offered him a listening ear if he should ever have a 'wobble'.
He told the magazine: 'Cheryl texts me all the time. She's been texting us to say, "Just enjoy it all," and she said, "If you ever have a moment where you have a bit of a wobble and think 'Oh God, what's going on?' just give me a ring."
'I feel like if I was having a crisis or something, I could phone Cheryl.'
The teenager's debut single The Climb was knocked off the number one spot in the singles charts by Lady GaGa's new release Bad Romance this weekend.

Jane Hill outs herself as gay in BBC's in-house magazine

BBC newsreader Jane Hill has outed herself as gay in the Corporation's in-house magazine.
The 40-year-old presenter revealed she was living with her partner Sara and their dog Mavis in an interview with Ariel.
The couple have been together for about a year.
'Everyone has known for years that Jane is gay,' a colleague said.
'She hasn't made a secret of it at the BBC and although she has had other girlfriends over the years, this one seems to be the one.'
Described by one male TV critic as 'severe but sexy,' Miss Hill is much admired for her presentational and reporting skills.
At one point, she even had her own unofficial internet fan club.
According to Richard Kay, Miss Hill dated Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris Hollins in the past. The pair split up some years ago but remain good friends.
Miss Hill started working in BBC local radio at 16 before taking a politics degree at London University.
After graduating from the corporation's regional news trainee scheme, she worked as a producer at Five Live before moving to television.
Miss Hill is now an anchor on the BBC's News Channel and presented Christmas Day lunchtime bulletins.
She has worked on many high profile stories including Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and the  inauguration of Barack Obama.
However, she describes her hardest job as dealing with the Madeleine McCann case.
'I was there the day after she disappeared and ended up being there for the whole of May,' she told Ariel.

'It was emotionally draining, that lack of resolution.I'm not a parent but I don't need to be one to know how absolutely horrific it must be.'
Miss Hill's lists her interests as the theatre, food and wine and going to the gym.
She admits to being an Archers addict on her BBC profile.

Respected: Miss Hill on the BBC News set with co-presenter Matthew Amroliwala

Katie Price throws a fancy dress New Year's Eve party... and plans to go as a pumpkin

Katie Price is dressing up for New Year's Eve as a pumpkin at a lavish party she is throwing for on-off boyfriend Alex Reid.
The cagefighter is entering the Celebrity Big Brother house at the weekend and Katie is determined to send him off in style.
She has chosen a fancy dress party with the theme of 'magical, enchanted, Disney or wow factor'.

Pumpkin party: Katie Price is throwing a fancy dress party which will double as a send off for boyfriend Alex Reid, who is going into the Celebrity Big Brother house

The glamour model, 31, will change into a Minnie Mouse costume at midnight and her children - Harvey, Junior and Princess - will all be dressed as Disney characters too.
The party is being held at her Surrey home for family and friends including her best friend Michelle Heaton, Phil Turner and I'm A Celebrity friends Stuart Manning, Gino D'Acampo and Sabrina Washington.
Katie and her cross-dressing boyfriend spent three hours choosing and buying outfit's for the party at London costume shop, Angels.

Costume party: Katie Price's last attempt at fancy dress with Alex Reid (L) brother Danny Price, horse trainer Alex Gould and friend Phil Turner

A source told The Mirror: 'Katie's pumpkin costume will be the talk of the night. It is absolutely enormous, and she can barely squeeze through the door unaided.'
Alex has landed a £150,000 deal for Celebrity Big Brother, which starts on Sunday, and is rumoured to be entering as his alter-ego Roxanne.

Housemate: Katie's ex Dane Bowers will come face to face with her current boyfriend Alex Reid

Katie has warned him not to spill the beans on their relationship but there could still be fireworks as her ex Dane Bowers will also be in the house.
She famously made a sex tape with the singer.
Producers of the show have hinted one of the celebrities will be wearing outlandish costumes and that they have had to build an area to accommodate them.
Executive producer Shirley Jones hinted that changes to the show would mean than Alex could bring both a male and female wardrobe as the celebs are able to bring in as much luggage as they like.
She told The Daily Star: 'Trust me, some of them are bringing in some amazing outfits.
'And others have gone over the top with how much stuff they are bringing in. We have had crate loads arrive already.'
It will be the final ever CBB, and the house has been designed with a Dante's Inferno theme with red carpets, fur rugs and diamante cushions.
Among the others reportedly taking part are Baywatch-turned-panto star Pamela Anderson, actor Stephen Baldwin, Ivana Trump, MC Hammer, page 3 girl Nicola T, and ex-Hollywood vice madam Heidi Fleiss.

Not-so-happy New Year for Tiger Woods as he's dumped by AT&T

Another major sponsor has dumped Tiger Woods in the rough.
Phone giant AT&T became the second advertiser to cancel its multi-million pound deal with the shamed golfer.
The company signed a multi-year agreement last February for Woods to carry its logo emblazoned on his golf bag.
And the world’s top golfer has hosted the annual AT&T PGA tournament since it started two years ago.
But yesterday the phone firm severed its ties with Woods, joining a growing list of sponsors distancing themselves from him in the aftermath of the cheating scandal.
Lurid revelations about the golfer’s string of alleged infidelities was a public relations nightmare for companies that paid him more than £63million a year for endorsements.
According to a new study by researchers in California, total losses for shareholders at companies who sponsored the fallen sports hero could add up to as much as £8billion.
Global consulting firm Accenture was the first to jettison Woods and some advertisers, including Gillette and luxury Swiss watchmakers Tag Heuer, have dialled back their campaigns featuring him.

However, Nike, by far Woods’ biggest backer, has said it will stand by the beleaguered sports star.
AT&T, which is based in Dallas, Texas, did not comment on its reasons for dropping Woods or say how much the relationship was worth.

Woods hits from a bunker on the 11th hole during the first round of the AT&T National golf tournament in Bethesda, Maryland, in July 2009. AT&T has cancelled its multi-million pound deal with the beleaguered golfer

Accenture sponsored Woods for six years before ending its deal

PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said that since Woods is on an indefinite break from golf to try to sort out his personal problems, he will not host the 2010 AT&T event.
Woods won the 2009 tournament, held at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

AT&T is also ending its sponsorship of Tiger Jam, an annual charity event held in Las Vegas to raise money for the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Woods’ financial empire started crumbling soon after his now infamous car crash outside his Florida mansion that triggered a series of increasingly tawdry claims about his extra-marital affairs with as many as eleven alleged mistresses.

Woods has faced problems in both his professional and personal lives after news of his infidelity broke

A parade of women, from cocktail waitresses to porn stars, came forward to say they had flings with the married father-of-two.
Woods confessed his infidelity to his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren a fortnight ago and announced he was quitting golf in a bid to save his marriage.
There have since been reports that he was seen at a party with one of his alleged lovers, 34-year-old New York club promoter Rachel Uchitel.

World's worst-dressed WAG Yulia Voronin is back to her bad habits in garish pink beachwear

She's a serial fashion offender, but had managed to redeem herself with a stylish red bikini.
However, it didn't take WAG Yulia Voronin long to get back to her bad habits.
Yulia, who is married to Liverpool player Andriy Voronin, 30, took to the beach in Miami yesterday in an awful pair of pink shorts and matching T-shirt with clashing red heart.

Fashion disaster: After a brief reprieve, WAG Yulia Voronin was back to her bad dress sense in a garish pink outfit while husband Andriy wore 'loud' shorts

The blonde has made a name for herself as one of the worst dressed footballers' wives, with the likes of her infamous velour leopard-print tracksuit and gaudy shellsuits.
Today Yulia poured her curves into another skimpy outfit - but this time it was a rather less garish baby pink bikini.
She also put on a very affectionate display with her husband by passionately kissing him in front of photographers.

It's clear whatever she's wearing, Yulia has no shame in her determination to get as much press attention as she possibly can.

Today she slipped into a less offensive baby pink bikini, but put on a sickly display of affection with her footballer husband

Showing off her curves in a red bikini on Tuesday she strutted through the Miami surf while flicking back her long blonde hair.

And she couldn't resist a golden photo opportunity as she lay on top of her husband, who was dressed in some rather loud shorts, and flaunted her pert bottom to the cameras.
She even managed to drag the striker, who spent most of the time on his mobile phone, off his sun lounger to strike a pose for yet another shot.
The Ukrainian couple have been the subject of ridicule over their outrageous fashion sense ever since they moved to the UK in 2007.

Never one to miss a picture opportunity, Yulia showed off her figure as she sauntered along the beach

Yulia lapped up the attention after she stepped out last year on a shopping trip in a leopard-print velour tracksuit with PVC stiletto heels, while her husband wore a shiny shellsuit.
And while they both looked as though they'd bought their outfits from a market, both were actually wearing Dolce & Gabbana, with her tracksuit costing £1,000.
But she slammed her critics and said: 'The British press criticised me for a bad taste in clothes. It's just laughable.

'The Brits are horrendously conservative. Of all the colours, they like only black and grey.

On Tuesday she looked rather more stylish in a red bikini as she attracted glances from fellow holidaymakers

'And I was wearing bright and tight clothes, walking in high heels - and evidently looked more colourful than them.'
The couple are currently holidaying in Miami, Florida and are staying at the exclusive Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach, a popular celebrity hang-out.
And no doubt questions were raised over why Voronin was on the other side of the Atlantic while his Premiership side took on Aston Villa last night, the game ending in a one-nil victory for The Reds.
He returned to Anfield in June after a season-long loan to Germany, and the striker had hoped to rejoin the Merseyside team for this season.
But maybe he decided to jet off after hearing reports that manager Rafa Benitez wants to sell him to free up some funds for the club - something that should please Yulia, who said that England is the last country she would choose to live in.

Dressed in the dark? Yulia and Andriy were ridiculed as they shopped in Liverpool last year

Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie looks every bit the evil queen on stage in Las Vegas

Her namesake is a Duchess, but this is probably the closest Fergie will get to becoming royalty.
The Black Eyed Peas singer resembled an evil pantomime queen as she performed with the group at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Wearing a one of her customary raunchy outfits consisting of a black corset dress and metallic black boots, the 34-year-old could have easily passed for a character from one of the many pantos currently showing across the UK.

Black Eyed queen: Fergie stands proud on stage as her group perform at the Mandalay Bay events centre in Las Vegas

She appeared to have shed the 17 pounds she gained for new movie Nine, in which she plays a prostitute, looking fantastic as the group brought the house down at the Vegas venue.
The group, who hit the number one spot both here and in the U.S. earlier in the year with their single Boom Boom Pow, managed to pack 20 songs into a scintillating 2-hour set.
Fergie, will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo, are reportedly set to be paid $700,00 (£440,000) to show up and perform at Las Vegas club LAX tonight.

Principal girl: The singer sported thigh high boots and a revealing black corset dress for the high energy 2-hour performance

Their performance will be broadcast as part of TV host Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve special on U.S. television.
Robin Thicke and Keri Hilson are also on the line-up for the show, as well as Jennifer Lopez who will perform songs from her new album live in Times Square in the lead up to tonight's countdown.
Fergie will be joined by her husband, actor Josh Duhamel, as 2010 arrives - the couple celebrate their first wedding anniversary on January 10.
Their marriage was rocked a few weeks ago when it was alleged Duhamel, 37, had cheated on Fergie with a stripper.

Pay packet: The Black Eyed Peas are reported to be earning $700,000 for their New Year's Eve performance at the LAX nightclub in Las Vegas

Nicole Forrester claimed she met the actor when he visited her Atlanta strip club.
The mother-of-two, who says she has text messages from the actor to back up her claims, said: 'We did hook up, we had lots of sex, and we had a really, really good time.
'And he's a gentleman! The mom of two also said, "The next morning, when I left, you know, he kissed me on the cheek, really sweet guy.'
However, the singer has stood by her man, and even sparked pregnancy rumours over the festive period when she was spotted shopping around maternity and baby shops with him.

Something to tell us? Fergie and her husband Josh Duhamel are pictured looking at children's clothes and books sparking rumours the singer could be pregnant