Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is calling on Jewish rappers and entertainers including the Beastie Boys to join with him to help promote a campaign for racial equality.

The Def Jam founder is appearing today at a World Jewish Congress meeting in New York as a guest speaker in his latest effort to encourage people from all backgrounds and cultures to respect each other and outlaw racial hatred.

British jazz songstress Amy Winehouse loves getting new tattoos because they stop her from getting bored.

The Back To Black singer, 25, hates looking at herself in the mirror every day and seeing exactly the same reflection.

“I like looking at pretty pictures. I get bored looking in the mirror and seeing the same thing,” she says. “So I just keep getting more and more.”

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons has laughed off the racism row engulfing British reality TV, insisting there will always be prejudiced people in the world.

Celebrity Big Brother has created controversy in both Britain and India over allegations Bollywood beauty Shilpa Shetty has been subjected to a torrent of racial abuse since entering the programme’s sealed compound earlier this month.

Songstress Amy Winehouse has topped the album charts for the second week with her recent release Back To Black.

Winehouse, who was nominated for a number of Brit Awards last week, also has two singles from the album currently in the top 30 – Rehab, which was a top 10 hit, and current single You Know I’m No Good.

The North London jazz singer has also been in America recently performing gigs and trying to break into the US market.

Judith Sheindlin, better known as the formidable Judge Judy, has emerged as the richest Jewish female entertainer in the US, according to business magazine Forbes.

In a league of 20, Sheindlin came 13th, with a net worth of $95m, beating other celebrities including Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and Christina Aguilera.

However, she still has a long way to go to topple number one Oprah Winfrey, who is currently worth $1.5bn.