Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol when his contract expires at the end of the show’s ninth season to launch a US version of the X Factor.

“What we have agreed is that The X Factor will launch in America in 2011 with me judging the show and executive producing,” Cowell said. “Because of htat, this will be my last season on American Idol this year. I am confident it will continue to be the number one show.”

The US version of The X Factor will be screened on Fox, like Idol. The network is hoping The X Factor will repeat the phenomenal success it has had in other countries. It has an audience of 500 million in 17 countries. In the UK last year, the show reached an audience share of 60%.

Simon Cowell has had extraordinary success. Besides Idol and The X Factor, Cowell’s company owns the Got Talent format which launched stars like Susan Boyle.

His record label claims Cowell has worked with artists selling more than 180 million albums and delivering more than 150 number one records.

The Hollywood Reporter put Cowell at the top of their 50 most power people in reality TV in 2009 and he was one of Entertainment Weekly’s top entertainers of the year.

It will be a challenge for Fox to find a replacement for Cowell, whose acerbic style on Idol is one of the show’s biggest attractions.

Although the audience has slipped in the last three years, the network expressed confidence in American Idol’s future potential to attract huge ratings.

The show has created some stars – Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood – and is shown in more than 100 nations.

President of Fox Entertainment, Kevin Reilly, said: “We are very buoyant about where the show is going to be this season. Every year Idol has increased its lead over the number two show.”

Stewart’s Adventureland co-star Jesse Eisenberg, ex-Skins actor Nicholas Hoult and A Prophet’s Tahar Rahim complete the nominees for the prize.

Some of the previous winners of the award include Eva Green, James McAvoy, Shia LaBeouf and Noel Clarke, who announced the list at BAFTA headquarters today.

“Winning the Orange Rising Star Award in 2009 was the highlight of my year,” Clarke said. “The fact that the award is the only one voted for by the public made it even more special. Since winning I have gone on to direct a brand new feature which is due to be released in the summer and I hope this year’s winner finds the accolade as beneficial to their career as I have.”

The jury, which includes Clarke, BAFTA producer and chair David Parfitt and actor Jason Isaacs, selected the nominees from a list of recommendations from BAFTA members.

The public can vote for their favourite actor via text message and online, with the winner announced at the BAFTA ceremony on February 21.

The Academy was formed on 16 April 1947, when a group of the most important names in British film production got together in a room at the Hyde Park Hotel. Their main purpose was “to recognise those who had contributed outstanding creative work toward the advancement of British film.”

The Academy has been through many changes since 1947, but their fundamental purpose has remained the same.

Rohmer’s films, widely distributed abroad, explored relationships and love affairs with understated performances and delicate attention to visual detail.

He emerged in the 1960s as a key member of the French New Wave of realist film making, working with other masters of the genre such as Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut.

But Rohmer distinguished himself in his own work by a gentler style, with understated, articulate performances and soft colours.

One typical work from 1983, “Pauline at the Beach”, told the story of a 15-year-old girl’s summer by the seaside, reflecting his fondness for observing adult romances through the eyes of a young female protagonist.

Another series of films, “Six Moral Tales” in the 1960s and 1970s, were a modern retelling of 18th century fables.

They included “My Night at Maud’s”, a characteristically subtle tale about sex, romance and religion which won an Oscar nomination for best foreign film and brought Rohmer international fame.

Rohmer set up his own production company, Les Films du Losange, and made 24 feature films over a 50-year career.

He described his style of cinema as one of “thoughts rather than actions”, dealing “less with what people do than what is going on in their minds while they are doing it.”

The actress plays Miley Steward, a high school student leading a secret double life as pop star Montana. The upcoming year will be the fourth and last season for Hannah Montana. This series has also spawned hit movies.

In 2007, the series was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. Season three of the series premiered on November 2, 2008 and will finish up in March 2010. Hannah Montana: The Movie was released in theaters on April 10, 2009. The show has been renewed for the fourth and final season which starts production on January18, 2010.

According to the Daily Dispatch, the TV series held a global audience of 200 million viewers in 2008. “If Miley’s viewers were a country, they would be the fifth largest population in the world – just ahead of Brazil.” By February 2008, the Hannah Montana franchise had become so important that Disney convened an “80-person, all-platform international meeting to discuss Hannah Montana’s future.”[ All Disney business segments were represented at the meeting.

The Disney Channel Worldwide senior programming vice-president Adam Bonnett says, “Right now we’re scheduled to wrap after shooting this new batch of episodes… The (new) episodes will continue to roll out at least over a full year.”

Depp was named the Favourite Movie Actor and his Sweeney Todd co-star Sacha Baron Cohen honoured him with the Favourite Movie Actor of the Decade prize.

Baron Cohen revealed the event organisers decided to give Depp the special award after realising more people had voted for him in the past 10 years than any other celebrity.

Sandra Bullock was named Favourite Movie Actress and her film The Proposal won the Favourite Comedy Movie prize.

Laurie claimed the Favourite TV Drama Actor honour for House, and House won Favourite TV Drama award.

Hugh Jackman, who landed the night’s Favourite Action Star and Twilight’s Taylor Lautner, who was named Favourite Breakout Movie Actor.

Music awards went to Mariah Carey (Favourite R&B Artist), Carrie Underwood (Favourite Country Artist), Keith Urban (Favourite Male Artist) and Taylor Swift (Favourite Female Artist).

Over 60 million film fans, music lovers and TV watchers voted for the awards.

The winners were:

Favourite Talk Show – The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Favourite Comedy Movie – The Proposal

Favourite R&B Artist – Mariah Carey

Favourite TV Comedy Actor – Steve Carrel (The Office)

Favourite TV Comedy Actress – Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother)

Favourite TV Comedy Show – The Big Bang Theory

Favourite TV Drama – House

Favourite TV Drama Actor – Hugh Laurie (House)

Favourite Movie Actress – Sandra Bullock

Favourite Movie Actor – Johnny Depp

Favourite Action Star – Hugh Jackman

Favourite Independent Film – Inglourious Basterds

Favourite Breakout Movie Actor – Taylor Lautner (The Twilight Saga: New Moon)

Favourite Male Artist – Keith Urban

Favourite Female Artist – Taylor Swift

Favourite Country Artist – Carrie Underwood

Favourite Web Celeb – Ashton Kutcher

Favourite New TV Drama – Vampire Diaries

Favourite New TV Comedy – Glee

Favourite Movie Actor of the Decade – Johnny Depp.

Ross, 49, issued a statement that said he had decided not to renegotiate his contract when it ends at the end of July.

Recent reports over his salary, a reported £18 million over three years, and the scandal over actor Andrew Sachs have caused controversy.

He said: “Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end.

“While there I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience.

“I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated.

“I signed my current contract with the BBC having turned down more lucrative offers from other channels because it was where I wanted to be and – as I have said before – would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations.

“I love making my Friday night talk show, my Saturday morning radio show and the Film Programme, and will miss them all.

“I look forward to continuing work on these shows until the Summer, and I will continue hosting the Bafta Film Awards, Comic Relief and other BBC specials.

Working at the BBC has been a tremendous privilege, and I would like to thank everyone who has watched and listened so loyally over the last 13 years.”

He also thanked friends for their support on the social networking site Twitter.