Sir Philip Green, no stranger to a front row seat, found himself right next to the stage after arriving fashionably late at last night's Brit awards, with daughter Chloe. The two sat next to will.i.am and Nicole Scherzinger on Universal supremo Lucian Grainge's table, and everybody seemed to get along famously. At one point Chloe introduced herself to the Black Eyed Peas frontman by grabbing his rear (both hands), which seemed to come as no great surprise to the man; any time Scherzinger looked at a loose end Chloe was on hand to chat. The Topshop mogul, meanwhile, seemed eager to talk business with anybody coming on or off the stage, using his position to catch Coldplay's Chris Martin, for a few important words immediately after his band had won the best British group award. For a moment it looked as if Martin wasn't quite sure who he was talking to, but no doubt that was a trick of the stage lights.
Button swerved
No sign of Lewis Hamilton to keep Nicole company, although the two are dating again according the popular press. But those looking for even the smallest clues couldn't help noticing what happened when McLaren teammate Jenson Button came off stage after doling out an award. Well, as Button strode past, Scherzinger decided that was the moment to turn away and bury her head in coversation with will.i.am. Celebrity specialists will know this must be significant. Drop Monkey an email when you work it out.
Snapping point
Fan of the night award went to Len Blavatnik, the Russian-American billionaire who has just bought Warner Music. Blavatnik was safely placed next to Warner A&R chief Lyor Cohen, who was clearly enjoying a good night as the company's Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars picked up awards. But was it really necessary for Blavatnik to spend half the evening taking snaps with his own digital camera? Fans who buy record companies generally have a bad track record (ask Mr Guy Hands), so on this crucial evidence, Monkey advises caution. Sign to Sony instead.
Dancing with the stars
ITV bosses know how to have fun. Christine Bleakley and Holly Willoughby sat on the ITV tables alongside the likes of chairman Archie Norman and chief executive Adam Crozier. Not that either presenter kept still: the pair barely managed to remain seated throughout the night breaking into synchronised singing and dancing at almost every act that emerged. Meanwhile director of television Peter Fincham, with Daybreak far from his mind, had Bleakley on one side and Xtra Factor presenter Caroline Flack (in a very short pair of hotpants) on the other. Crozier and Norman for their part kept out of the way of the dancing, a task that proved increasingly difficult as singer Emma Bunton and choreographer Louie Spence had turned up at the end to participate in what might best be described as a group jump-around to Blur's Parklife.
Tender reunion
EMI's party on a boat wasn't going swimmingly when Noel Gallagher was asked to stand in front of a hastily erected white screen to get the expected PR shots. Chief executive Roger Faxon struggled to extricate Gallagher from his entourage to make the picture possible, when 1990s rival Damon Albarn turned the corner. At first, the two frontmen made like Clint Eastwood and sized each other up. Out came a dozen iPhones to capture a matey hug and a beeline for the closest bar space to continue an amicable reunion of sorts.
