Bill plays hardball with TV3

It is now drawing nearly half a million viewers to TV3 on Monday nights and there is talk it could even overtake The Late Late Show in the ratings.

But after a slew of excited media reports trumpeting the ratings smash that is The Apprentice, could Ballymount bosses be about to pay through the nose for their success?

It seems that with TV3 giving a green light for a third series of the hit show, and with four major sponsors already on board, Bill and his team could be looking for their share of the spoils.

The Diary can reveal that neither Bill's glamorous partner Jackie Lavin nor his right-hand man Brian Purcell have yet signed on the dotted line for a third series of The Apprentice.

A show source said: "If you think about it, they'd be crazy to sign anything yet with the way The Apprentice's viewing figures are going. During June and July each summer when the programme is shot, both Jackie and Brian are getting up at 6am to collect the contestants and don't get home again till late that evening. It takes a huge toll on them, so you can see why they would want to be adequately rewarded for it. They absolutely deserve it."

Any 2010 deals would be a long way from what The Apprentice stars signed on for three years ago.

Despite its panoramic helicopter shots over Dublin, people carriers and the luxurious contestants' house, by international standards the Irish version of The Apprentice was made for a modest sum and that includes what its stars got paid.

This miniscule outlay is in stark contrast to the huge returns TV3 is now making from the show in advertising revenue.

Don't forget that huge ratings and advertising revenue are what some of RTé's biggest stars use to justify their gigantic salaries. So if RTé rewards its big hitters, why not TV3?

Apprentice insiders say we'll find out if that's the case very soon but talk of Bill, Jackie and Brian as "very much a team".

We won't read too much then into the ever-youthful Jackie Lavin launching her own Cloisters make-up range in recent weeks.

Irish director makes leap of faith in casting for 'Eagle' biopic

BAFTA-award-winning Irish director Declan Lowney looks set to hit the big time after securing Harry Potter star Rupert Grint to play the lead role in a $15m comedy biopic about British ski jumper Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, the unlikely hero of the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Grint, who plays cheeky Ron Weasley in the Potter films, will take on the role of Edwards in the story of the Eagle's disastrous Olympic adventure, in which he came last in both the 70m and 90m ski-jump categories.

"The film is really about triumph over adversity. Every single obstacle was put in this guy's way and yet he still managed to make it to the Winter Olympics," said Wexford-born Lowney.

Originally Steve Coogan was down to play the part but has now been replaced by Grint.

"I met Rupert for the first time last week and the deal is done. He's got to film two new Harry Potter movies back to back before we start shooting with him next year."

You can be sure Grint won't look anything like the real Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards in the film.

That's because the skier went under the knife last year for a TV show to have his trademark protruding jaw reduced in size and no longer wears his trademark goggle glasses.

Boulevard of broken dreams

X Factor judge Louis Walsh turned out to be one of the most popular draws when he showed up at the Childline Cheerios Concert in the O2 last Wednesday night.

Arriving into the main arena via a side door, the Mayo man became the centre of attention as he was mobbed by hundreds of well wishers. Bad news for up-and-coming Irish band the Boulevard, who had just gone on stage.

An 02 source said: "I think Louis went out to see the group perform but forgot how famous he is.

"It just ended up with everybody trying to see Louis and nobody watching the band."

Are yisser experienced, yusuf?

Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam as he's now known, was in the news last week over a controversial show he did in The 02.

What didn't get reported was Yusuf's onstage revelation that an Irishman was responsible for one of his craziest drug trips.

"I was on tour with Jimmy Hendrix and an Irish guy in his band gave me something I never should have taken," Yusuf told the crowd in between songs.

Now we know who should take credit for some of the classics Cat later penned, including song 'Father & Son', covered by Ronan Keating.

Interestingly, despite Yusuf Islam's strict Muslim views, the bars in the O2 remained open for the gig.

Scene and heard

DJ Tom Dunne got himself into a spot of bother with female listeners last Thursday when he marked International Men's Day with a strictly male version of his Newstalk radio show. Talk was of manly drinks Guinness and whiskey, masculine pastimes soccer and pot-holing, and of men's men like Great Escape actor Steve McQueen and Miley Byrne from Glenroe. Tom's female followers besieged the show with angry texts. An unapologetic Tom told listeners: "Girls think of today's show as a man's shed. You can't come in girls but you're very welcome the other 364 days of the year."

Blame Westlife or the rumour of an appearance by X Factor's Jedward. Either way, Santa's arrival at Brown Thomas in Dublin last Tuesday evening was held up by a scrum of excitable youngsters. Due to arrive in BT's for 6pm, the sleigh carrying Santa hit gridlock around HMV and needed assistance to get the rest of the way. Father Christmas in situ, it was time for Westlife to turn on Grafton Street's Christmas lights. The occasion marked Nicky Byrne's first public appearance since the sad passing of his dad two weeks ago. Despite Westlife's presence, young pop fans held out hopes of seeing another Louis act, the Grimes twins, who returned home to Dublin last week to film inserts for last night's X Factor. Sadly, the closest they got to an X was smelling Westlife, who launched a perfume of the same name earlier in the day.

For over 20 years fans from all over the world have come to leave their mark on the U2 Graffiti Wall outside Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. However, now the famous studios are upping sticks and moving to new premises in Herbert Place, it looks like the local tourist attraction could be in for a new coat of paint. Fairwell then to witty messages left by fans over the years which have included "Waiting For Bonot", "Edge-ucate My Mind" and "Thank You-2".