One of the favourites to win the popular X Factor singing competition faces deportation from Britain, the home office said on Wednesday. Zimbabwe-born Gamu Nhengu, 18, was surprisingly booted off the show at the weekend, prompting criticism of Cheryl Cole, the judge who made the decision, and triggering a Facebook campaign that drew more than 200,000 supporters.
Nhengu’s failure also made it on to the front pages of Britain’s popular tabloid newspapers. Immigration officials confirmed that Nhengu’s mother had been refused permission to stay in Britain. The family is living in Scotland. “The applications made by Ms Ngazana and her family were considered in line with the published immigration rules,” the home office said in a statement.
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Oscars ’12 to be in Jan-Feb?
Los Angeles: Academy Award organisers are looking up to shift the 2012 Oscars ceremony from its current slot in late February up a month in a bid to boost TV ratings and reclaim some of its lustre. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is “ironing out the logistics” of moving the ceremony up to late January or early February as an earlier date could allow them to steal back some of the thunder from other award shows and boost TV ratings.
The date switch is yet to be approved by the Academy. A task force headed by Academy president Tom Sherak is figuring out if a date move is feasible, the Los Angeles Times reported. “It is not a done deal yet. I think we would like to do it. Progress is being made,” Sherak said. —PTI