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I was inÌýa Belfast shopping centre this morning, getting my hair done, if you want toÌýknow, Ìýwhen I was told that Katie Price was making a public appearance there. Now I didn't hang around to see her,Ìýbut the taxi driver told me that he had left his daughter off.Ìý What does she like about Katie Price? I asked. Her books? Her perfume? The celebrity, he said. She's on the telly.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for celebrity. I devour gossipy celeb mags, I can tell you all about Katie Price's love life, whyÌýNadine and the rest of Girls Aloud are supposedly not speakingÌýand the alleged ongoing spat betweenÌýCheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue.ÌýYou couldn't make it up - or maybe you could.

WhileÌý"I'm a Celebrity....get me out of here" allowedÌýKatie Price to escape her Jordan image and certainly relaunched Peter Andre's singing career,ÌýI'm more drawn to the choreographed escapismÌýof "Strictly Come Dancing" andÌý"The X Factor". TheÌýgloss & sheen of it, the glamour and the cattiness.Ìý

The taxi driver said that on a saturday night their fares are down until after the shows. In the new ecomonic climate, people are staying in, watching the tv, Ìýhaving a few drinks and then maybe coming out after, out for the night in a culture where everyone can be a star.

"Britain's Got Talent"'s Susan Boyle has her autobiography out in time for Christmas, along with a rake of other celebs from Chris Evans to RussellÌýBrand.

But there's somethingÌýpoignant about Boyle's "The Woman I was Born to Be." She saysÌý “When I strutted on to the stage for that audition, I was a scared wee lassie, still grieving for my mother, not caring how I looked. I think I’ve grown up a lot in the last year, become more of a lady, and I’m not so frightened anymore."

I posted a photo of the queue waiting to see Katie on the Arts Extra page earlier today. It started quite a few comments. One stood outÌý "An article in The Times on Saturday estimated the intelligence of UK cities. One of the measures was the ratio of book sales of Katie Price vs Hilary Mantel. We came about 19th out of 26. KP outsold HM by about 2 to 1".

Will Susan Boyle give both Price and MantelÌýa run for theirÌýmoney this Christmas?ÌýÌý

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