The budget savvy supermarket clothing label GEORGE, has today been voted Britain’s favourite George in a poll of 36,259 readers of MSN Entertainment, beating rivals from Hollywood and even Royalty.

In the poll, launched to celebrate England’s patron saint St. George’s Day on the 23rd April 2009, the supermarket label romped home to victory with more than 7,000 respondents (20%) voting for it to hit the top spot.

The clothing brand came ahead of Hollywood hunk George Clooney (19%) and guitar hero George Harrison (17%) to win its place as the nation’s favourite namesake. Historic importance had little bearing on the poll, with George VI receiving a mere 5% of the nation’s votes, saved from total humiliation by TV personality George Lamb, who received a menial 3% of votes.

Britain’s favourite George

1. George at ASDA: 20%
2. George Clooney: 19%
3. George Best: 17%
4. George Harrison: 17%
5. George Sampson: 10%
6. George Michael: 9%
7. George VI: 5%
8. George Lamb: 3%

“The results of the poll were certainly a little surprising; celebrities such as George Clooney and George Michael are never far from the headlines, but the fact that a budget clothing brand has topped the polls is undoubtedly a sign of the times.” Colleen Last, MSN Entertainment.

St George's Day: your say

By now everyone would have heard that Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are kaput, after about a year of dating.

Lindsay’s been quite vocal about the breakup and how she feels hard done by. “I’m not a bad person and this is what happens,” she told Us Weekly magazine. “I was raised to treat people well, and I’m so tired of this drama... I’m a 22-year-old girl who’s in love. I felt like I was in Mean Girls, but worse: Mean Girls was a movie.”

But she didn’t stop there, just a couple of days later, Lindsay made a spoof dating advert for Funny Or Die, poking fun at her and Sam’s tempestuous relationship.

“I just think it's better to take something negative and turn it into something good,” Lindsay later explained on her MySpace blog. “Laughter is the BEST medicine.”

Now, finally, Samantha has popped her head over the parapet and had her say. “I don’t talk about my personal life,” Sam told a US magazine, “but I will say that any rumours that I hate Lindsay are false. She’s an amazing girl, and I wish her all the best. It’s not that dramatic.”

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Jack Tweed has been sentenced to 12 weeks in jail for assaulting a cabdriver.

The court in Harlow heard how the 21-year-old grabbed cabdriver Stephen Wilkins around the throat and threatened to stab him as he drove Jack and three friends home from a nightclub last May.

Jack’s lawyer attempted to get her client’s sentence reduced by detailing how much he has grown up since wife Jade Goody’s illness and death. "Mr Tweed is 21. He was 20 at the time of this offence that took place 11 months ago. There has been no re-offending since that date... He has had to mature, and mature very quickly, in the last few months.

“To say that he is a changed man since May 2008 is perhaps an understatement. He has endured with dignity and maturity very difficult personal circumstances that have been well documented. He is a widower at the age of 21. His previous routine of going out with his friends and getting drunk, like he did in May – all that has been replaced.”

When the sentence was handed down, the magistrate said Jack’s recent good behaviour had been taken into account, and that the normal sentence for such a crime is 18 weeks.

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Madonna isn’t giving up on her failed adoption bid – last week she launched an appeal against the judge’s ruling, and now she’s released a black and white photo of her cradling four-year-old Mercy James to media outlets across the world. It shows the girl asleep in the star’s lap when she visited the orphanage in Malawi in March.

Madonna has spoken publicly for the first time since her attempt to adopt the four-year-old girl was rejected. “I want to provide Mercy with a home, a loving family environment and the best education and health care possible,” the star told Nation newspaper in Malawi this week. “Though I have been advised that I cannot publicly discuss the pending appeal regarding my desire to adopt Mercy, I do want to say how much I appreciate the level of support that I have received from the people of Malawi and my friends around the world.”

What do you think of this new photo? Is it proof that the young girl and her would-be mother shouldn’t be parted, or is it an attempt by the star to sway public opinion and pressure the Malawi court to allow Mercy to leave the country?

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Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of assaulting Rihanna.

The 19-year-old singer is charged with assault and making criminal threats following his alleged beating of then-girlfriend Rihanna at a pre-Grammys party on February 8.

Chris arrived at the Los Angeles superior court with his mother nearly an hour late, and quietly said “not guilty, your honour” when the two charges were read out.

He is next due in court on April 29; Rihanna was not present. If convicted on both counts, Chris faces a maximum of four years in prison.

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Madonna is appealing against the ruling which denied her the right to adopt four-year-old Mercy James from Malawi.

The star flew into Luton airport on Sunday to meet with her legal team. “I just filed the notice of appeal this afternoon on instructions from my client,” Madonna's lawyer Alan Chinula confirmed. "We are just waiting for the court registrar to give us a day when we will appear in court."

Malawian judge Esmie Chondo has explained why she vetoed the adoption, saying she feared relaxing the rules may encourage child trafficking. “By removing the very safeguard that is supposed to protect our children, the courts by their pronouncements could actually facilitate trafficking of children by some unscrupulous individuals who would take advantage of the weakness of the law of the land,” Judge Chondo said.

Meanwhile Madonna’s ex Guy Ritchie has released a statement praising the star’s parenting skills. "Madonna is a fantastic and loving mother who cares deeply about her own children and children who may need additional help and support,” the statement reads. “I fully supported Madonna in her decision to apply for this adoption, and I am saddened that her application has been rejected. She is motivated only by being a caring parent who seeks to share some of the advantages and opportunities that her life has given her. This time it did not work out, but there will be other opportunities and I wish her well in them. She is a great mum.”

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Madonna’s bid to adopt four-year-old Mercy James from Malawi has been rejected.

"I must have to decline to grant the application to Madonna," Judge Esmie Chondo said at a hearing in Malawi’s High Court. It's thought the judge rejected the claim due to the country's residency rules, which state that prospective parents should be resident in Malawi for 18 to 24 months.

Madonna has been in the south African state all week, along with three-year-old son David Banda, who she adopted from Malawi in 2006. She had faced widespread criticism for allegedly attempting to use her star power and money to bypass official adoption procedures, a claim that was fiercely denied by her publicist.

Earlier this week, a number of human rights groups said they opposed the adoption, stating it was preferable for Mercy to be looked after by her extended family in Malawi. Her 18-year-old mother died shortly after giving birth in 2005.

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Thankfully, Cheryl Cole has rubbished reports in today’s tabloids that she and Ashley are planning to renew their wedding vows.

“It’s absolute rubbish,” a spokesperson for Cheryl said. “It’s not true that they’re planning to renew their vows.”

The Sun reported that the couple planned to renew their vows in Dubai later this year after the football season ended.

Apparently, ‘romantic’ Ashley planned to take Cheryl back to Al Mahra resort, where he proposed in 2005, for a four-day break.

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