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People in the news

By United Press International
"The X Factor" judge Simon Cowell attends "The X Factor" news conference at CBS Television City in Los Angeles on December 19, 2011. UPI/Jim Ruymen
"The X Factor" judge Simon Cowell attends "The X Factor" news conference at CBS Television City in Los Angeles on December 19, 2011. UPI/Jim Ruymen | License Photo

The latest news on today's hottest celebrities ...

SIMON COWELL: British television personality Simon Cowell says he hasn't seen his fiancee Mezhgan Hussainy since before Christmas and likely won't wed her as planned.

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Cowell met Hussainy in 2003 when she worked as a makeup artist for "American Idol." They began dating in 2009 and got engaged in February 2010.

"It's quite a complicated relationship. We have had a break from each other and we are still incredibly close. I'm vulnerable. It's not on, it's not off, it's somewhere in the middle. I don't know if I will ever get married, but I am happy," Cowell told the Sunday Mirror in London.

He also said he got carried away when he described Hussainy as "the one" during an interview on "Piers Morgan's Life Stories."

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"I have been pretty good about not talking about my private stuff but I got caught up in the moment," Cowell said.


JANE CARREY: Actor Jim Carrey's 24-year-old daughter Jane has auditioned for "American Idol" in San Diego.

She will be seen performing Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" in Sunday's edition of the vocal competition show.

UsMagazine.com quoted her as saying she didn't want special treatment because of who her dad is.

"The last name definitely helps and hurts. There's this pressure to be better because if I make it somewhere, I run the risk of people saying, 'You only got there because of your name,'" Jane Carrey said before her performance. "I'm here to make my place in the world."

"Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez reminded Carrey she met her when she and her father both worked on the sketch comedy series "In Living Color" in the 1990s, UsMagazine.com said.

"You remember me? I was one of the Fly Girls!" Lopez said.


BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD: Hollywood filmmaker Ron Howard announced on Twitter his daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard, gave birth to a little girl of her own.

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Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel was born Thursday. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces, TVGuide.com reported.

The actress married "Fringe" actor Seth Gabel in 2006. They are also the parents of a 4-year-old son named Theo.

"Bryce and baby B are spectacular," Ron Howard posted on Twitter late Saturday. "daddy Seth & brother Theo are beaming ear to ear."

Bryce Dallas Howard's film credits include "The Village," "Lady in the Water," "50/50" and "The Help."


TOM RILEY: British actor Tom Riley is to play Renaissance-era artist Leonardo da Vinci in the new drama series, Starz Entertainment and BBC Worldwide Productions said.

Riley's casting is the first announced for the historical fantasy series, which was penned by David S. Goyer, co-writer of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," and writer of the upcoming "Man of Steel."

Starz will premiere the eight-episode da Vinci series in the United States in 2013. BBC Worldwide will distribute the series in international territories.

"Given that da Vinci was the model for the 'Renaissance Man,' these were incredibly large shoes to fill," show-runner Goyer said in a statement Monday. "Leonardo had to be smart, witty, and incredibly confident -- without coming across as arrogant. He also had to be tormented, because, as a true visionary and polymath, he was ostracized for his ideas as much as he was celebrated. Tom came in and was able to effortlessly combine all of those elements. As soon as he finished his audition, we knew we'd found our man."

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"Da Vinci is a near mythic figure in history that fascinates people to this day," said Starz's managing director, Carmi Zlotnik. "It is quite an undertaking to bring to life a role that comes with so many preconceived notions. Tom showed us that there are many dimensions to this man yet to be explored, and, at the same time, make him believable, surprising and unique to a worldwide audience."

"Tom is a fabulously charismatic, intelligent and versatile actor," said Jane Tranter, head of BBC Worldwide Productions. "His audition displayed an unabashed energy that we are excited to see unleashed in his performance as a re-imagined artistic genius in 15th century Florence."

Riley is best known for starring in the London stage productions of "My City," "The Vertical Hour" and "The Woman Before," and Broadway's "Arcadia,"

He also appeared in TV's "Monroe," "Bouquet of Barbed Wire" and "Lost in Austen," and his films include "A Few Days In September," "I Want Candy" and "Happy Ever Afters."

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