Clooney and Friends Co-sign London Singer, Corporate Feeding Frenzy Ensues

May 31, 2007

Her name is Victoria Hart. You might not know who she is right now, but you may get to know her very well, very soon. She is the lucky young lady at the center of the Cinderella story who was handed her crystal glass slipper from Hollywood's Prince Charming and is now enjoying the last laugh in the face of the wicked stepmother that is the modern music industry.

The part-time waitress is in the middle of a multi-million dollar major label bidding war after singing for George "Perpetual World's Sexiest Man" Clooney, Brad "Runner-Up" Pitt and Angelina "Perpetual World's Sexiest Woman" Jolie at the Cannes Film Festival.

Hart wowed the audience at a Darfur charity event, hosted by the cast of Ocean's 13, where Clooney described her as "simply lovely."

A "friend of a friend" volunteered Hart's services for the charity event, and next thing the 18-year-old knew, she was on a plane form her hometown of London to Cannes. EMI and Universal are the two front-runners in the bidding war to turn her into the next Fiona Apple, reports Reuters.

"We're getting very close – a deal is not far away at all," says Lynne Pearson, Hart's agent, adding, "It's always very difficult to talk about specific figures, but it will be a very big deal when it is announced."

British newspapers estimate the deal is worth a stunning $3 million.

The manager of The Naked Turtle, the restaurant where Hart was a waitress, tells Reuters they will keep her job open for her if she ever wanted to return. They are also throwing a party for her to celebrate her surprising success and the subsequent attention the store has received since Clooney's discovery of Hart.

"We're going to miss her," the manager says. "Although Victoria's a great singer, she's also a fantastic waitress."

Hart is now faced with a tough "What Would Jesus Do?" moment as she ponders: should she serve customers in this quaint little restaurant or sing her heart out for the Hollywood A-list before she signs this seven-figure record deal on the table?

Think long and hard before you make your choice, young lady.