Heidi Klum to join America's Got Talent

In a last-minute deal signed this weekend, the model and mother of four Heidi Klum will be the fourth judge on America's Got Talent. Although NBC is yet to officially confirm the appointment, the news was leaked by TMZ on Sunday and filming began in New Orleans yesterday. Klum will be replacing Sharon Osbourne who quit at the end of last season and joining the comedians Howie Mandel, Howard Stern and the new British host Mel B on the talent-spotting show that will be broadcast this summer. - The National staff

Death of a Miracle

Bobby Rogers, who sang alongside Smokey Robinson in the Motown group The Miracles, has died at his home in Detroit. Rogers enjoyed a string of top 40 hits in the 1960s and 1970s and one of their tracks You've Really Got a Hold on Me, was later covered by Yhe Beatles. Smokey Robinson, who was born in the same hospital on the same day as his childhood friend and bandmate, released a statement saying: "Another soldier in my life has fallen." Rogers was 73 and had been suffering from a long-term illness. - Reuters

Muslum Gurses passes

The popular Turkish folk singer who was dubbed the "father of Arabesque music" has died. Muslum Gurses was known for his melancholic voice that featured in 38 movies and he had recorded more than a dozen albums where he blended Turkish instruments with Arab melodies. He was extremely popular with both the young and the older generations and had a cult following. He had been in intensive care for four months at Istanbul's Memorial Hospital and died of heart failure on Sunday. He was 59 years old. - AP

Sy becomes X-Man

The French actor Omar Sy will join the star-studded cast of the next X-Men movie, entitled Days of Future Past. The director Bryan Singer tweeted the news that the award-winning actor will be part of the film but revealed nothing about the details of his role. Halle Berry, who played the explosive Storm in X-Men First Class, also said she was "in" for the film, due out in July next year. Singer has not confirmed if she will be returning to the role but Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Ian MacKellen and Patrick Stewart will all join Sy in the sci-fi action flick. - AFP

Tyra gets all the hits

Tyra Banks, the creator of the popular TV show America's Next Top Model, has been voted the most popular supermodel on the internet, reports the dailystar.co.uk. In a poll conducted by Modelinia.com, Banks was given the accolade due to the fact that she has 8.2 million followers on Twitter and three million fans on Facebook. Banks has always had an eye on her image. "Models now need to promote themselves, think like businesswomen and diversify their careers by doing other things. Chances are very slim that a mere model will become a household name today," she said. - IANS