ALISON BOSHOFF: Nicole Scherzinger cuts ties with elite agency before the Broadway run of Sunset Boulevard

Nicole Scherzinger is getting ready for her close-up again as she is to reprise her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, following a triumphant run in the West End.

But there has been drama behind the scenes with Scherzinger dumping her elite agency, YMU, after less than six months as their star client.

As of this week she is off the list on the YMU website — and it's not clear whether the agency will be entitled to their cut of her huge fee for the Broadway transfer, said to stand at almost $2 million.

It is possible that the fallout could end up with legal action, as it did when Holly Willoughby left YMU and refused to pay demands for 'sunset fees' on deals she'd signed while on their books.

A spokesman for YMU declined to comment on Scherzinger leaving the agency, which looks after everyone from Ant and Dec to Simon Cowell.

Nicole Scherzinger is getting ready for her close-up again as she is to reprise her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway

Following her West End success, the singer and actress has ditched her elite agency, YMU, after less than six months as their star client

A YMU source was not able to deny that she had left but said that Scherzinger, 45, 'continues to work with' the company, across a number of departments. Clearly, it's a complicated picture.

From the YMU end, it appears there is a hope that the upset will be patched up and that she might come back into the fold.

Not everyone is convinced that will happen. Asked what had gone wrong on the Scherzinger front, a source said: 'There was a huge falling out. It seems that YMU promised the world but did not deliver.'

The source added: 'YMU isn't known for theatre but they were supposedly going to get her music and TV deals. I hear that Nicole wanted a record deal and was told that one was possible, but they've not pulled it off, yet.'

The singer and actress has enjoyed the crowning moment of her career, playing Norma Desmond in the bold reworking of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical by director Jamie Lloyd.

She said the show had changed her life — and it's certainly filled up her mantelpiece. 

She swept the board at the Evening Standard Theatre awards and What's On Stage Awards; and she's also nominated for Best Actress at the Oliviers next month. 

She said the show had changed her life — and it's certainly filled up her mantelpiece

Her fee in London was rumoured to be £60,000 a week. But sources say she could expect to double her money by going to Broadway with the transfer. A casting call went out for the show last month in New York theatre magazine Playbill.

Big-name performers such as Hugh Jackman, Matthew Broderick and Bette Midler can get more than $150,000 a week for Broadway shows, with Midler famously taking up to $250,000 a week for Hello, Dolly! in 2017-18 thanks to a reported deal which included a slice of the profits.

Scherzinger only signed with YMU in October, by which time she had started performing in the West End show, which ran until January.

She had success in The Pussycat Dolls and as a solo artist, but released her last album, with RCA, way back in 2014. It spent only one week in the Top 40.

Scherzinger is not the only one to leave the agency. I hear that long-term client Gabby Logan has also left. Again a spokesman did not respond. Last year I revealed that both Amanda Holden and Emily Atack had departed.

There is even speculation that two of its biggest earners — Claudia Winkleman and Rylan Clark — will head for the door, as YMU's leading agent Holly Bott has left to set up her own company.

This week, YMU was sold to private lending firm Permira Credit in a £60 million deal, cancelling £16 million of debt and converting another £32.9 million of debt into shares.

Tom Cruise was 'totally justified' in his famous rant over Covid protocols on the set of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, according to special effects supervisor Neil Corbould. Audio of a livid Cruise dropping F-bombs while filming in the UK shocked fans. But, speaking before the Oscars, Corbould said: 'They were talking about shutting the movie down. He was doing his best to protect everybody.' 

Is romcom star styling himself on 1D's Harry? 

Romcom film The Idea Of You — based on the blockbuster book — was greeted with cheers and tears at its premiere last weekend and its trailer has had more than 125million views across social media, making it the most watched of any original streaming movie.

Starring Anne Hathaway and British star Nicholas Galitzine, it tells the story of a 40-year-old single mum who begins an unexpected romance with Hayes Campbell, 24, lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.

Everyone is seeing echoes of Harry Styles — even though the actors are doing their best to tiptoe away from that one.

British star Nicholas Galitzine, 29, may look familiar as he was in the film Red White & Royal Blue, and also in TV mini-series Mary & George, opposite Julianne Moore

His newest film, starring Anne Hathaway and Galitzine, tells the story of a 40-year-old single mum who begins an unexpected romance with the lead singer of the hottest boy band on the planet

The connection is furthered by the fact that 1D's hit writer Savan Kotecha — who penned What Makes You Beautiful — has provided music for the make-believe band. Five Kotecha songs are being released as part of the movie soundtrack.

Galitzine and four dancers were cast as the boy band and then put in a boot camp, to enable them to pass muster with music supervisor Frankie Pine and choreographer Dani Vitale. 

Pine said: 'I was ultra-impressed with Nick's work ethic. You could throw anything at him, and he'd bounce into it. 'Hey, play guitar! Hey, play piano... I need you to sing.' 

He was down with anything and everything that would make his character more believable. And he has such a swoony voice!'

Galitzine, 29, may look familiar as he was in the film Red White & Royal Blue, and also in TV mini-series Mary & George, opposite Julianne Moore.

He was raised in Hammersmith, West London, and went to Dulwich College.

The film will stream on Prime Video from May 2.

I'm off to Jamaica for a trim

Some angst among James Bond fans about Aaron Taylor-Johnson's naturally wavy hair — it would be a first for 007 to have curls. A friend lets slip that Taylor-Johnson is extremely particular about his grooming and has a favourite hairdresser, who cuts his hair just so. Unfortunately, the man lives in Jamaica.

Meanwhile, Taylor-Johnson's film production company, Wyldabeest UK Limited, remains rather small potatoes, with the most recent accounts showing net assets of just £60,000.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is so particular about his luscious locks he could be a first for 007 to have curls

Actress Sally Lindsay is particularly proud of one of the murders she devised for the cosy crime drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which she co-created for Channel 5. 

The former Coronation Street star, who plays an antiques dealer turned sleuth in the show, says: 'I know how to murder people in every way — you should see my browsing history.

One of my proudest episodes was when we killed a rock star by sound. I had every single boss saying: 'You can't do that!'

'My husband is a musician and he worked out what kind of speaker we'd need for the size of the room.'

Actress Sally Lindsay is particularly proud of one of the murders she devised for the cosy crime drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which she co-created for Channel 5

Karlie's pledge on fashion magazine 

It's unfortunate that its website home page asks: 'Want to know what's going on at i-D?', because since the magazine was taken over by American supermodel Karlie Kloss in November, that's been a hot question.

Editor-in-chief Alastair McKimm announced in February that he was leaving, a day after Kloss said she was suspending publication in print and online. He was followed out the door by global fashion director Carlos Nazario. Now, magazine-world sources say they hear there won't actually be an editor any more — and there is debate as to whether i-D will ever be a physical product again. Kloss, 31, said the magazine is 'restructuring' and will come back 'bigger and better than ever, online, in print and everywhere else you can imagine'.

The mother of two bought the iconic British fashion mag after its former owner, Vice, declared bankruptcy.

Cannes braces for the return of Emmanuelle 

The remake of erotic blockbuster Emmanuelle, starring French actress Noemie Merlant looks certain to be the talk of the Cannes Film Festival this spring.

Director Audrey Diwan has 'reimagined' the story — and the result isn't all that close to the 1974 film or the 1967 novel. It's now set in a luxury hotel in Hong Kong, and the protagonist is on a 'quest for pleasure'. 

Diwan said she acted as the intimacy co-ordinator on set as the sex was so central to the plot. 

'I spent time with a number of different intimacy co-ordinators so I felt comfortable doing the role myself.

' I couldn't accept the idea of giving that role to someone else, because sensuality informs the very core of this movie and they would have become too central.

The remake of erotic blockbuster Emmanuelle, starring French actress Noemie Merlant looks certain to be the talk of the Cannes Film Festival this spring

Director Audrey Diwan has 'reimagined' the story — and the result isn't all that close to the 1974 film or the 1967 novel. It's now set in a luxury hotel in Hong Kong, and the protagonist is on a 'quest for pleasure'

'That said, there were times I called on an intimacy co-ordinator during the shoot. We spent a long time talking about it with the actors, both the female and male actors.'

The male star is Will Sharpe, who played jealous tech husband Ethan in The White Lotus series two.

Meanwhile, Cannes has just announced that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will have its world premiere at the festival.

Davina McCall admits she used to be 'annoying' — but reckons she's mellowing with age.

Davina, 56, says: 'I often get people messaging me going: 'I found you profoundly annoying, but you've grown on me a bit'.

'It's because I've got older. I just don't have the energy any more to be annoying.'

Davina McCall admits she used to be 'annoying' — but reckons she's mellowing with age

Davina, 56, says as she's got older she doesn't have the energy to be annoying anymore

She adds that her daughter, Holly, is currently on placement in an NHS hospital and one day saw that a colleague had a copy of her mother's book, Menopausing.

'Holly said, 'Oh I see you've got the book', and the woman went: 'Yes, Davina used to annoy me so much but you know, since she's done this stuff she has gone up in my estimation.'

'And Holly just quietly went: 'Yes, me too.' '

Channel 4 risks sailing into storm with asylum-seeker reality show

Members of the public who object to asylum-seekers may find themselves in a small boat making a perilous crossing, in a bold new Channel 4 show. Minnow films, the makers of SAS: Who Dares Wins, is looking for people with 'strong views on refugees seeking asylum in the UK'.

Successful applicants are told to expect an 'immersive experience'. Sources indicate the plans are for participants to witness small boat crossings — and learn about the lives of those who risk everything to get on board.

Filming is likely to be around the Mediterranean. The participants could take part in a crossing themselves.

The advertisement for the show runs: 'Do you have strong views on refugees seeking asylum in the UK? Are you naturally inquisitive and enjoy a good debate? Would you be up for a challenge and fancy an adventure?

'A major television broadcaster is looking for outspoken UK citizens to take part in an unforgettable immersive experience.'

A Channel 4 spokesman said they are 'exploring a development' about asylum-seekers but it was 'wrong' to say a boat crossing would be made.

Watch out for Sarah Lancashire, who has been promoted from Happy Valley Police Sergeant to Spymaster. 

She is the eminence grise in the forthcoming big budget Netflix Original series Black Doves, with Hollywood star Keira Knightley as one of the spies under her command. 

Lancashire seems to have taken a leaf — or should that be a curl — out of Helen Mirren's book as her character, Reed, is a dead ringer for Mirren's MI6 assassin in the 2010 film Red. 

The series, which also stars Ben Whishaw, will be out later this year.

Sarah Lancashireis the eminence grise in the forthcoming big budget Netflix Original series Black Doves, with Hollywood star Keira Knightley as one of the spies under her command