Yes, Simon Cowell's 50th birthday party was excessive and in riotously poor taste. There were half-naked dancing girls, magnums of Louis Roederer champagne, shark tanks in the loos and retro-canapés of margherita pizza and prawn cocktail.

THE GIFTS
Cowell encouraged donations to the Chase Children's Hospice and to Battersea Dogs Home, but many of the guests brought presents for him anyway. Max Clifford gave him a £60,000 Willard Wigan miniature sculpture of Frank Sinatra contained within the eye of a needle, all set in a glass dome with a microscope to view it.

Jonathan Shalit, the celebrity agent, gave him a reproduction of Nirvana's Nevermind album cover - with Cowell's face superimposed on the naked swimming baby.

Jackie St Claire arrived with a gift-wrapped mirror. Simon's brother Nick gave him a rather subtle £25,000 white gold watch made by Dent.

GOODNIGHT
The official end of the party was 3.30am, but many of the guests left around 2am. Katie Price was seen clambering into her car around this time. Kate Moss left around 4am. Simon Cowell, though, stayed until the bitter end - about 4.45am. 'Simon hates parties, you know,' said Sinitta. 'He'll probably never go to a party again after this.'   source