Skip to main content

FM
Former Member

Simon Cowell and Joanna Lumley set to receive honours in Queen's birthday list

By Tim Shipman
Last updated at 11:40 AM on 19th May 2010

 

  • Joanna Lumley and Simon Cowell are both set to receive major gongs in the Queen's birthday honours list, senior sources in Whitehall have confirmed.

The actress and Gurkha rights campaigner has been put forward for a damehood by the civil service panel which draws up the lists of non-political honours.

The pop impresario is set to become Sir Simon Cowell as a reward for his services to music and charity work.

Simon Cowell
Joanna Lumley

Tipped for honours: Pop mogul Simon Cowell could receive a knighthood and actress Joanna Lumley could be made a dame

He assembled a team of musicians and artists to record a charity single to fund the relief effort in Haiti after the disastrous earthquake which struck in January, killing an estimated 230,000 and making a million homeless.

There had been speculation that the creator of Britain's Got Talent and star of the X Factor was due to be rewarded by David Cameron after making a late endorsement of the Tories during the election campaign.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...t.html#ixzz18Vjj1sNZ

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Well love him or loathe him, he has made a mint and people have indulged in his projects.
Have to say I think the thing about his charity work is particularly deserved. Being a high profile figure (no matter how he got there), he has used that in a positive way when it comes to mass campaigns for charity which he didn't have to do. I like the fella and I say good luck to him!
Karma_
So people are knighted for just making lots of money?  Hmm, rhetorical question - doesn't need an answer! 

Simon Cowell can hardly claim to have entertained our nation with his dire conveyor belt of wannabe Mariahs, Whitneys, Sinatras, Timberlakes, Ronans and Robbies. 

The knighthoods are a pathetic institution that are summed up by the annual indignation on behalf of Bruce Forsythe, as if the Queen has personally gone to his house and shoved dog dirt through his letter box.

Let's face it, the entertainment and sports industries are hardly industries adverse to handing out trophies, awards and plaudits at the drop of a hat.  Neither industry is renowned for poverty pay and slave driving.
Carnelian
I don't think anyone should be getting honours for simply charity work... every celebrity/athlete seems to do that, I think it should be awarded to those who have gone out and actually done something, not just shown up in a location because their agent told them to.  Even Craig Bellamy spends most of his time off the field running the Craig Bellamy Foundation, yet recieves no credit from the media. When ever Beckham donates a pound to someone The Sun are kissing his backside, next he will be up for the noble peace prize.

I agree Joanna Lumley deserves it, she pretty much won the right for Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 to settle in Britain. Had she done nothing, the whole thing would of gone unnoticed and swept under the carpet.
MrMincePie
Whether or not these high profile people actually give a toss about their plight I don't know. But what they do achieve is money in the bank for the charities. They attract the media attention because of who they are and the platforms at their disposal (like the X factor Help for Heroes), and if this influences people to donate then it's a good thing in my book. Celebrity and all that goes with it is a double edged sword.
Karma_
I've read that the likes of Cowell, George Michael (the really rich lot ) do donate a hell of a lot of money on the quiet to charity.

I know it sounds like I won't hear a bad word about Cowell but that's not the case (although I so would IYKWIM). With the Help for Heroes campaign, he used the X factor to generate revenue for the cause from the public, I would imagine he (and the other judges) made a contribution too but they never talked about it.

I don't see anything wrong using a platform like the X factor to fund raise if it creates awareness and raises revenue that wouldn't normally be donated. As long as the money gets to those who need it most then it can only be a good thing.

As much as I think Bono's a plank, I rate him for using his celeb status to raise awareness. Just like Bob Geldof, Joanna Lumley, Lady Diana...etc.

Who would have been aware of the famine in Africa, the landmine issue, the fight for the Gurkhas or the Help for Heroes had it not been for the celebs being able to use media platforms to highlight them? Ok, maybe we would have been aware, but I know I wouldn't have given it that much thought had it not been for the coverage they got. Charities are always hoping for someone high profile to be an ambassador to their cause. Not because they're selfish or greedy, but because they believe in the charity they work for and the genuine need to raise funds to help others in need.
Karma_

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×