Watching New Celebs

It’s hard to step out of the shadows of your famous parents, especially when they are Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. But Rumer Willis, who started acting in her parents movies as a child, is now carving her own niche in Hollywood and is carrying on quite successfully with the family business.

TV Guide has just reported Rumer is guest starring on Army Wives, a series running on the Lifetime channel. She will play…an army wife, (what else?) and the episode is expected to air on October 12th.

Rumer began acting in 1995 in one of her mother’s movies and has since played bit parts on Striptease, The Whole Nine Yards and Hostage (also all of her parents’ movies). Recently turning 20 years old, it seems her acting career is on full throttle. Rumer has a cameo in the Anna Faris movie (now running in theaters) The House Bunny. She also starred in the thriller, From Within.

Personally, I’ve only watched Rumer in her step-dad’s (?) TV series, Miss Guided. She played a character that reminded me so much of Ally Sheedy, one of her mom’s contemporaries.

Rumer is fast becoming a woman of style. Elle has listed her as one of their style crush while People Magazine has chosen Rumer as one of the Most Beautiful People of 2008. Her mother was in the same list back in 1996. A few people think she’s not that pretty  and  I prefer her mother’s beauty myself. Though I admire Rumer’s spunk. She’s very much living and enjoying her young life as it should be!

She looks just like her sister and has a similar unique name as her. But is Solange Knowles following in her famous big sister’s footstep or is she out to carve her own path in the music world?

For so long, Solange has been trying to break the music seen. This dream had to take a back seat though when she got pregnant at 17. Solange instead watched her sister, Beyonce, rise to superstardom.

But in 2000, she joined Destiny’s Child as they were working on their album and did a few vocals for their Christmas release. Here’s a video of her with the group.

The following year, together with the guidance of her father who also stood as her manager, Solange worked with the likes of Luther Vandross, rapper Lil’ Romeo and Kelly Rowland.

In between this, she also began working on her first album, Solo Star, which eventually didn’t take off the charts at the Billboard 100. The album performed better domestically, selling about 112,000 copies.But this didn’t stop her for working on her music. In 2007, she signed a record deal with Geffen Records and started work on her second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams which she is now promoting this year.

For this album, Solange worked with top producers like Mark Ronson, Pharrell Williams, Cee-Lo and Raphael Saadiq.

Because of her background, comparisons to her sister can’t be helped. But Solange is least bit worried this is the case. She does have a different sound and vibe than that of her older sister.

Check out Solange’s music video, I Decide:

The people behind American Idol called a press conference yesterday to introduce its newest addition. American Idol has added a new judge to their panel. She will join Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

Who is she? And what will happen if their votes are split 2 to 2?

Kara DioGuardi is not new to the music business. She is a Grammy nominated songwriter who has written hits for Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera and former Idol winners Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. She also has worked together with Paula Abdul by writing a song for Kylie Minogue before. Her addition to the judging panel should been seen as something that would favor Paula, since they now have equally two men and two ladies. But it sounds like DioGuardia has more in common with Simon Cowell when it comes to judging. She says to the press, “I’m going to be a straight shooter and say it like I see it. I’m just going to speak to Simon the way I speak to everybody. “I think Simon’s pretty spot-on most of the time.”

Meantime, how is Paula taking all of this? According to USMagazine, she has “mixed feelings”.

“I am concerned about the audience and acceptance. Time will tell. We’ll see. They always tried for a fourth judge because it followed the format of the original show, Pop Idol. We haven’t had much luck with that working, but we’re gonna give it another try.”

American Idol has already started shooting. The judges are going to see people auditioning in New York this week.

With the search fpr a new best friend (via her latest reality series, Paris Hilton’s My New BFF) over. heiress Paris Hilton is now considering going to England to find her next new best friend.

As written on her MySpace, Paris said she had too much fun working on her latest series, that she wants to do another one in London.

• “Imagine all the trouble and fun I could cause all at once just with a text on my Blackberry, from me to them. And because I had so much fun doing this one, I decided I need to find my new British BFF … Everyone knows I love LA. But London, watch out.”

Her considerations for her new best friend? That she would have to be “hot” and she must not be a “backstabber”. She has to be between the ages of 18 to 28; someone who can keep up with the heiress’ posh lifestyle and harrowing social schedule. The potential best friend may also not be necessarily a woman, as men are also encouraged to apply.

Britain’s ITV2 is said to be taking care of the logistics for the next best friend search and will be setting up “auditions” and a series of test to determine if they qualify.

In the meantime, Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, which first started with a casting call and has now been narrowed to about 20 hopefuls and is set to air on September 30th on MTV. Among the new best friend’s role in Paris’ life? Carrying her handbag and walking the dog, according to this news feature:

Which of these girls do you think will become the newest media magnet, if that? And if she has found her new BFF when this show ended, why is she shopping for a new one? Does best friend actually mean personal assistant?

A star is definitely born! Not only does this guy have plenty of gold medals to dangle down his neck, he now has a DVD to boot. What’s next I wonder? A TV series? A remake of The Man From Atlantis?

• NBC Olympics is offering fans the chance to relive the greatest moments from the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, including all eight of Michael Phelps’ gold medal races, through a trio of DVDs available for sale on NBCOlympics.com. Also available is a two-volume set with the complete Opening Ceremony and a highlight DVD recapping all the great moments and stories from the Beijing Games. Michael Phelps: Greatest Olympic Champion…The Inside Story (19.99):
  Having stood on the gold medal podium a record eight times during one Olympic Games, Michael Phelps now stands alone as the greatest Olympic champion in history. With exclusive interviews and commentary, Michael takes us on his personal journey to Olympic stardom. This compelling DVD includes all of his races and special behind-the-scenes footage… a DVD to be cherished for years to come.

  2008 Beijing Opening Ceremony 2-Volume DVD ($29.99):
  This two-volume set is your opportunity to once again witness the most memorable Opening Ceremony in Olympic history, the complete four-hour extravaganza. A special index allows you to easily navigate throughout the entire ceremony. Own the celebration that people will be talking about forever.

  2008 Beijing General Highlight DVD ($19.99):
  Relive the drama and excitement…all the incredible performances and athletic achievements that captivated the world are captured on the official Olympic DVD from NBC Sports. The DVD includes special bonus chapters featuring gold medal performances of Olympic champions.

  The DVDs will ship Sept. 15.

Source: NBC Press Release

Who are these three guys you see?

These are the stars who will hopefully penetrate and do well this Fall TV Season with the launching of their new TV shows.

Simon Baker is not a new face. He’s been in the industry since the late 80’s. He’s quite a familiar face in Australia though starting off on television, too. When he moved to the US in the 90’s, he landed a role in the movie LA Confidential and has been in films like Land of the Dead, Red Planet and The Devil Wears Prada. His career in the states is pretty much accomplished. In fall, Simon Baker will star on prime time in yet another CBS crime drama, The Mentalist. It’s a TV series that’s dubbed as the serious version of Monk.

Craig Horner is another Australian actor trying to make it to the US. He’s relatively young and has in fact started out in a kids sci-fi program in the land down under. He will be playing the role of Richard Cypher, the leading character in the TV adaptation of Terry Goodkind’s novel, the Sword of Truth series. Legend of the Seeker will be syndicated and won’t be carrying a prime time slot.

Philip Winchester is a theater trained American actor who will be starring in the epic series Crusoe. It will be airing on NBC this October. Although with a little credit of films and TV appearances to his name, this young actor is pretty much seasoned, thanks to his theater experience. Philip’s first movie was with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in The Patriot.

And here are the teasers to their TV series:

The mom of Kate Perry, rising pop star with quite a unique package, is becoming more and more worried her daughter’s celebrity status and fame is leading her daughter astray.

It should be noted that Kate Perry’s family is strictly Christian. And the 23 year old pop singer grew up listening to Gospel songs, which makes her hit single, “I Kissed A Girl” a problem. The song may be interpreted as alluding to lesbianism.

Mary Hudson says of her daughter, “Katy is not a homosexual, but I fear she has been led astray by the Hollywood crowd. I pray all the time that God will work through her and help her find salvation.”

She also isn’t keen on her daughter’s outfits, saying it is provocative and it shocks people.

Kate Perry first released a Christian album in 2001 before all these. In 2005, she began to track the mainstream circuit and was considered by Blender Magazine as “The Next Big Thing”.

Her latest album, One of The Boys (released in June 2008) sparked a lot of controversy mostly coming from Christian radio stations and critics, as the songs in the album were mostly against her beliefs and upbringing.

However, none of these faltered Kate Perry’s star. In fact, many of her songs are featured in TV shows and the movies, most notable of which is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Baby Mama.

The star has also embarked on an acting career by appearing in cameos, but mostly portraying her very own character.

Source

The ALMA Awards, now running on its 3rd year, has just concluded its ceremonies last weekend. Ugly Betty emerged as its strongest winner. Below is the complete list of winners in the recently concluded 2008 ALMA Awards:

• Entertainer Of The Year: America Ferrera
• Humanitarian Award: Shakira
• Trailblazer Award: Linda Ronstadt
• Performance by a Latino Ensemble in a Television Series: “Ugly Betty,” ABC.
• Actor in a television series, Drama: Edward James Olmos, “Battlestar Galactica,” SciFi Channel.
• Actress in a television series, Drama: Roselyn Sanchez, “Without A Trace,” CBS.
• Actor in a television series, Comedy: Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.
• Actress in a television series, Comedy: Judy Reyes, “Scrubs,” NBC.
• Supporting actor in a television series, Drama: Jorge Garcia, “Lost,” ABC.
• Supporting actress in a television series, Drama: Julie Gonzalo, “Eli Stone,” ABC.
• Director of a television series: Linda Mendoza, “Ugly Betty,” ABC.
• Writing for a television series: Gloria Calderon Kellett, “How I Met Your Mother,” CBS.
• Comedy special: “George Lopez: America’s Mexican,” HBO.
• Made-for TV documentary: “American Experience: Roberto Clemente,” PBS.
• Career achievement award: David Wader, Stage Manager.
• Special Achievement in Fashion: Narciso Rodriguez.
• Special Achievement Award: Spanish-language motion picture: “La Misma Luna.”
• Special achievement award: Director of a made-for-TV movie: Kenny Ortega, “High School Musical 2,” Disney Channel.

About the ALMA:

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S. NCLR created the ALMA Awards in 1995 as part of its strategy to promote fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry. The show was named “ALMA” (Spanish for “spirit” or “soul”) which represents the determined spirit of the Latino people in an effort to reflect the spirit as well as the scope of the awards program.

For 40 years, NCLR has been promoting the advancement of Latino families in this country, creating opportunities and opening doors. The NCLR ALMA Awards are an integral part of that mission: a television entertainment special with a cause - to show how diversity strengthens our country and how inclusion strengthens the entertainment industry.

Don’t count out Alex O’ Loughlin from leaving a mark on television just yet. While his vampire series, Moonlight, has left many fans terribly upset at CBS, the actor is going back to the network with a brand new television series.

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American’s Next Top Model’s new season has yet to air on September 3rd but people are already talking about one of the contestants. And it’s because s/he happens to be a transgender.

Twenty two year old receptionist, Isis, a native of Maryland sees herself as “a woman born physically male.” But this didn’t stop her from pursuing her dream.

It’s a first for the show. And it doesn’t take a genius to note that Isis will be getting a lot of airtime explaining how she has become who she is.

While other groups, like GLAAD, praises this move from Top Model and its producer Tyra Banks, there are those who may be thinking this is a really crazy stunt pulled by the producers to keep the show abreast especially since the show is now in its 11th season. As with many reality shows lasting this long, the format has become tired, predictable and weary. They have to cook up something new and knowingly, the show could never pull an All-Stars edition, right?

What are Isis’ chances of winning and fulfilling her dreams?

Will the show keep her longer as expected…for the buzz, drama and ratings?

I haven’t had the chance to follow a lot of what has been going on at the Olympics but I do know there’s a big cheering crowd, composed of mostly ladies, for swimmer Michael Phelps. The 6′4″ athlete just won his 10th and 11th gold medals to date (and for his career so far). His latest win has earned him the honors of being the most medaled Olympic champ. In all its history? I think so.

The National Aquatic Center names him the Greatest Olympian of all time.

And the man is only 23 years old.

Outstanding, isn’t it?

A native of Baltimore Maryland, Phelps had quite a childhood with his parents divorcing and being diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But he did take a love for swimming at a young age, mostly influenced by his two older sisters who are also swimmers. Swimming helped him channel his energy into something really very productive for him. He trained under the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and then later with the University of Michigan swim team (Club Wolverine). As he has rapidly improved the skill, by the age of 15, Phelps went on to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, where he was one of the youngest competitors. He didn’t win any medals for this though, but continued with his training and broke world records in swimming.

Michael Phelps intends to return to Baltimore after the Olympics and will join his former coaches there, saying this during an interview, “I’m not going to swim for anybody else. I think we can both help the North Baltimore Athletic Club go further. I’m definitely going to be in Baltimore.”

And guess who’s at number 1?

Actually, their ranking is isn’t based on actual net worth (for which we may never really know) but on estimated earnings. A lot of of them are quite familiar faces on Food TV.  If you notice, there’s a huge difference between the top two placers and the rest of these people on the list. Also, notably missing? Emeril.

The top 10 list after the jump…

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Indie Singer and Songwriter Jason Reeves, who has earned the distinction of being one of the top most downloadable hitmakers on iTunes under Top Folk Album of 2007, is coming out with his new album called The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (and Other Frightening Tales). This  It will be distributed by Warner Brothers Records.

The album is a collections that reflect love, heartbreaks and hopes.

Jason Reeves, who grew up in a very spiritual environment in Iowa,  looks up to legendary folk singers like Bob Dylan and James Taylor when he first taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager. According to him, “All songs exist in the atmosphere, and artists are on a romantic search to pull them down and give them life. Whether you are writing for a girl or a guy, you have to capture the voice of the artist singing.”

While in college, he decided to move to Western California and pursue his dreams of becoming a musician. He has successfully collaborated with Colbie Caillat, one of the first people he met in California and along with producer Mikal Blue, the trio soon began creating beautiful music which resulted in Calliat’s smash hits like Bubbly and Realize.

Jason Reeves, only 23 years old, writes songs that are simple, expressive and poetic. It really reflects his influences from the 70’s and may sound a tad bit sentimental. The simple boy from Iowa is fast becoming a favorite in MySpace, as his music is consistently chosen as one of the Top 20 in the social networking community.

These days, despite a hectic schedule, Jason Reeves continue to perform at Hollywood’s Hotel Café

You can check is MySpace page over here.

London born Robert Pattinson will soon be a very recognizable face (if he isn’t already) once the movie version of Stephanie Meyer’s best selling novel, Twilight, hits the theaters in the winter. Fans of Meyer’s work are already looking forward to this movie adaptation, most especially with Pattinson in the lead. He is, apparently, touted as the next Judd Law. Movie goers will remember him as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire film.

Only 21 years old, Pattinson is already an accomplished actor, starting off amateur theater and even working behind the scenes.

In Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, where the actor plays the role of Edward Cullen the hundred years old teenage looking vampire, Pattinson is said to be very much involved in writing the music score for the movie, specifically the song Bella’s Lullaby. Catherine Hardwicke, the film’s director, had asked Pattinson to come up with the original song.

Says Pattinson in an interview with MTV: “I was doing music before I started acting, so I still have bits and pieces, and I’ve been playing in Portland [during the shoot]. I’ve been trying to write an album for years and years.”

Entertainment Weekly has a short feature on Twilight, which will run in theaters December 12. The magazine describes the story as “more Buffy than Nosferatu”.

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Forbes Magazine has named who the richest young stars are this week in their annual “Rich Tween List” and Harry Potter’s three leads are in it. Daniel Radcliffe is this year’s top earner, with an estimated $25M. His spot at number one is tied with Disney sensation Miley Cyrus.

Although the Potter kids and many others are no longer teenagers, the list is actually based on their appeal among the eight to fourteen year old demographic.

The Jonas Brothers are also newcomers to the list with an estimated worth of $12 Million, at number four.

The Olsen twins, who were previously named multi-millionaires are still on the list at number three.

The list also has three of the stars from High School Musical — Zac Effron, Ashely Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens.

Here is the complete Top 10 Highest Earning ‘Tweens’ List:

1. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) - $25 million
Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) -$25 million

3. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (Full House, Dualstar Company) - $15 million

4. Jonas Brothers (Disney, Camp Rock) - $12 million

5. Zac Efron (High School Musical) - $5.8 million

6. Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical) - $5.5 million

7. Emma Watson (Harry Potter) - $5.5 million

8. Hillary Duff (Disney, Lizzie Maguire) - $5 million

9. Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) - $5 million

10. Vanessa Anne Hudgens (High School Musical) - $3.2 million