The chap's been nominated for umpteen prizes, got more than a few Golden Globes on his mantelpiece and, of course, is the proud owner of not only one, but two of those little gold bald-headed fellas. But we imagine Oscar-winning Denzel Washington's never before found himself top of a list which includes the Osborne clan and Simon Cowell of all people. In what is perhaps one of the oddest and arguably useless polls Empire Online has heard of, American showbiz magazine Entertainment Weekly has drawn up a chart of the most 'entertaining' individuals of 2002. Praised for reaching "new heights, artistically, commercially and in a business sense," Washington was placed at the top of this bizarrely judged pile followed by Spidey himself, Tobey Maguire and the whole crazy-as-coots Osborne family at No. 3. But then comes the real fly in this particular poll ointment. Namely Mr Simon "Belt as High as his Neck" Cowell at the appalling position of No. 5. Single-handedly giving us Brits a nasty name in the U.S. by doing his Pop Idol shtick all over again state-side, Cowell has proved there's obviously nothing like an English baddie to pull in the ratings. And what does Denzel think of his most recent, if slightly dubious honour? Well, the humble fellow's not letting it go to his head, as his recent move behind the camera and first directorial effort Antwone Fisher shows. "In the back of my mind, I was going 'You know, sooner of later, the calls are going to stop coming. From 2002 to 2022, what do you go for now?'" he told the magazine, before adding "I think film-making is the next part of that'." Simon Cowell, don't even think about it.
Dignified Denzel
Washington named Entertainer of the Year
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