George Cooney’s Waitress, Now Fielding Record Deals

Victoria Hart, an 18-year-old waitress and part-time jazz singer, is in line for a multi-million dollar record deal after performing for George Clooney at the Cannes film festival.

Victoria, whose day job involves working for tips at the little-known Naked Turtle restaurant in London, was flown to Cannes earlier this month after a friend-of-a-friend put her name forward to sing at a charity event.

Her performance in front of Hollywood stars including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Clooney, who described her as “simply lovely”, won her international acclaim and now major record labels EMI and Universal are battling to sign her. “We’re getting very close — a deal is not far away at all,” Hart’s agent Lynne Pearson told Reuters from her home in Switzerland. “It’s always very difficult to talk about specific figures, but it will be a very big deal when it is announced.”

British newspapers put the figure at $3 million. Hart, a blonde bombshell whose singing style is a mixture of jazz and swing, has been performing since an early age but her set at Cannes, in front of the cast of “Ocean’s 13″ to raise money for Darfur, was a major breakthrough.

The Naked Turtle, which is keeping a job open for her in case she ever wants to return, is holding a party for her on Wednesday night to celebrate her good fortune and the fact that the restaurant’s trade is suddenly booming. “We’re going to miss her,” the manager said. “Although Victoria’s a great singer she’s also a fantastic waitress.”