Watching New Celebs

Watching New Celebrities will be taking a break to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. Hope you’ll also have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Here’s a video preview of ABC’s Christmas Special which will air this week. It features today’s hottest new stars like Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and David Cook of American Idol —

Teen sensation and one of today’s hottest young stars, Zac Efron, spent a very meaningful Christmas with some of the patients at Los Angeles hospital and played Santa for a day to these sick kids.

The actor, who rose to fame via the movie High School Musical, was at the Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA  last Friday where he gave away an estimated $10,000 in gifts which included board games and art sets. The kids knew who he was of course. More than the gifts, there were very delighted to see him and even asked for his autograph and posed pictures. The staff were also wowed by his presence.

One of those who was at the event told USmagazine —

“He really spent time bonding with each of the children and their families. The kids were smitten and beaming from ear to ear. Some of the kids couldn’t even speak, but they had the widest grins and would sit as close to him as possible. Zac was super gracious and could not have been more kind and truly happy to be there.”

I’m gonna get the chance to watch if Connor Cruise has picked up acting points from his father, Tom Cruise, when I go out and watch Connor’s very first film debut this week. He is one of the cast members in the latest Will Smith movie, Seven Pounds, which has opened in theaters last week, a good six days away from his dad’s Valkyrie.

While the role for Connor in this movie may be small, his going into acting is really inevitable. Both his parents are big movie stars and as such, he is used to moving about the movie set. Connor is one of two adopted children Tom and Nicole Kidman took in as family when the two were previously married.

The thirteen year old looker actually auditioned for his role in Seven Pounds, and it was dad Tom who went with him while family friend, Will Smith was also there. Tom Cruise relates in an earlier interview that accompanying his son to the auditions was a “great father-son moment”… except that he didn’t get to see how Connor did. Tom Cruise and Will Smith were asked by the film director, Gabriele Muccino, to leave the premises while Connor did his bit. These two box office actors, who are good friends in real life, were left wondering what was happening inside Connor’s audition.

Apparently, it turned out pretty well. Connor won the part of the younger Ben Thomas, the character Will Smith was playing in the movie.

I’m sure his dad and mum are very proud of him. I’m not actually a big fan of his parents but I do wish Connor well should he decide to pursue this one.

With the release of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons this summer, I trust that the name, Ayalet Zurer, will be one you will hear for months before the film is shown in theaters. The actress has landed the coveted spot opposite Tom Hanks in this controversial summer movie, which is expected to be a bigger hit than the Da Vinci Code.

Ayalet Zurer is an Israeli actress who has adjudged one of its best in the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Israel Academy for her role in the Israeli movie, For Sasha. She is a big name in her mother country, but in Hollywood, Ayalet is just slowly making a mark. Her most recent Hollywood projects include playing Eric Bana’s wife in the movie Munich, and a vampy role in the film, Vantage Point.

When shooting for Angels and Demons is over, Ayalet will also be very visible, working on her other upcoming film, Adam Resurrected.

Her is a video of her in one of her Israeli films —

She has the experience and depth (maybe even more) similar to that of another young actress, Dakota Fanning, but unlike Dakota, Saoirse Ronan, had as astonishing breakout role in the film Atonement. It actually earned her an Oscar Nomination and a Golden Globe Nomination. Saoirse Ronan is one of the youngest actress to have ever been nominated for a Best Supporting award (Atonement).

The actress will end this year with the screening of Lovely Bones (already in theaters since December 11th). As one of the lead characters, Susie Salmon, she might possibly get another Academy nod for it.

And then, at the beginning of 2009, she’s off to work on True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, with her in the starring role and will have her starring opposite Morgan Freeman and Pierce Brosnan. Danny De Vito is the director of this movie.

Saoirse Ronan, only 14 years old, got her first acting gig in an Irish television series. In 2007, she began her small trek to Hollywood via the Amy Heckerling romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman. This was followed by her participation in the highly acclaimed movie, Atonement.

Her name has a funny ring to it. It’s pronounced as Seer-shu and it actually means “freedom” in Irish. She is the daughter of actor Paul Ronan and was actually born in New York City but raised in Ireland where she is currently attending school. While only beginning her career now, she’s basically very familiar with how the business goes, growing up on the set  and being carried around by Brad Pitt when she was a baby.

The young actress has a remarkable ability to switch accents for her roles. She looks up to Keira Knightly as her role model.

This is the third Breakout Star List we’ve come across. The other two are from Forbes Magazine and Entertainment Weekly. There are several names that appear in all of the lists, which proves how much one particularly celebrity has indeed made 2008 his or her year.

This latest list is from Newsday and they picked 14 new personalities as this year’s Breakout Stars beginning with:

1 - Kate Perry
2 - Demi Lovato
3 - Russell Brand

• He was already a star in Britain, but comedian Russell Brand rocked America in 2008. After a scene-stealing role in Judd Apatow’s “ Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” Brand went on to host the Video Music Awards. Even though he incensed some audience members by mocking the Jonas Brothers’ purity rings, critics applauded Brand’s hosting skills, and rumor has it he will host the show again next year.

4 - David Archuleta and David Cook

5 - Leona Lewis

6 - M.I.A.

• The globe-trotting political activism of electronic artist M.I.A. has been a cult fave for years. Both her albums — 2005’s “Arular” and 2007’s “Kala” — reached the Top 200 on the U.S. pop charts. But the operative word is “cult.” It wasn’t until comedy “Pineapple Express” used her tune of revolution “Paper Planes” in its commercial that M.I.A. became a mainstream entity – one who scored a Grammy nom for record of the year. And her momentum isn’t slowing. Her new label, N.E.E.T, recently released the soundtrack to “Slumdog Millionaire,” in which she has a song.

7 - Duffy

8 - Ashley Alexandra Dupre

• Ashley Alexandra Dupre was at the center of one of the most salacious politcal sex scandals since Bill and Monica. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s career was cut short when it was discovered that he had procured a professional escort. Dupre said she didn’t know who he was when she met him, in a widely publicized interview with Diane Sawyer, but their meeting(s) caused a political firestorm. Dupre has been offered roles in porn films, reality TV shows and more, but she’s turned them down in hopes of starting a music career.

9 - Vampire Weekend

10 - Robert Pattinson

11 - Elizabeth Banks

12 - Christian Siriano

13 - Danny McBride

14 - Sarah Palin

These three actors have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Critic’s Choice Awards.

• Viola Davis for her work in Doubt
• Vera Farmiga for her work in Nothing But the Truth
• Taraji P. Henson for her work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

And word is, they are getting some well-deserved Oscar Buzz as well…so better start taking note of their names. Of the three, I am most familiar with Taraji’s work and is awed by the way she delivers as an actress. She’s one of the reasons I look forward to Eli Stone on ABC, even if she’s just a guest performer there.

They are up against Marissa Tomei and Penelope Cruz.

For the complete list of nominees at the 14th Annual Critic’s Choice, you can check this site.

More changes are underway at the set of the Twilight sequel, New Moon. Not only did the studio replace the movie’s director from Catherine Hardwicke to Chris Weitz, they are also replacing Taylor Lautner as Jacob.

So who is going to play this character now?

At least two likely actors are being looked into, according to reports from MTV News. Scorpion King 2’s Michael Copon and Prince Caspian himself, Ben Barnes, are being considered.

• A representative for Copon told us that they’re making a full effort to land the high-profile gig. And in a bit of 21st-century self-publicity, the actor has even recently updated his Facebook status with messages like: “Michael Copon [is] in a Twilight Zone!” and “Michael Copon is the older Jacob Black!”
• “Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” heartthrob Ben Barnes is throwing his hat into the ring. The actor is already quite popular with the “Twilight” fanbase and shares the same manager as both Copon and “Twilight” star Cam Gigandet. Barnes is believed to be campaigning for the role of Aro, a mind-reading vampire whose “New Moon” encounter with Edward and Bella helps shape their destiny together.

Are you a fan of Twilight The Movie? Which of these actors would you prefer play Jacob? Are you surprised about these casting changes?

Young singer David Archuleta’s newest video for the song “A Little Too Not Over You” has just been released. You can watch the complete version on this link.

Hold onto your faux Oscar statuette’s…Miley Cyrus may just get one of that, and get the real thing!

The 16 year old media personality and teen idol may be up for an Oscar nomination in the Soundtrack category, is why. And the idea isn’t farfetched. She was nominated at the recent Golden Globes wasn’t she?

The song, “I Thought I Lost You” from the animated movie Bolt, starring John Travolta, is seem to be heavily favored by panel of judges.

If she does win it? At 17 years old, she would be known as the Oscar Winning Miley Cyrus.

What do you say to that?

Listen and watch Miley and John Travolta sing “I Thought I Lost You” in this video below. The song is quite catchy, actually —

Here’s an early Christmas cheer for fans of the Jonas Brothers who appears on this video taken during People Magazine’s Christmas photo shoot.

We received updated information for rising actor, James Holzier, whom we have featured the other day. The actor was apparently born in 1984, not 1981, as previously written.

He has also just recently signed a three movie deal contract, which will make him quite busy for the next year.

Here’s a most recent photo of him —

And the accompanying recent news release is after the cut …

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James Holzier has emerged the #1 most searched celebrity on the site, Mencelebs.com which boasts of a status as one of the most visited male celebrity sites on the internet. Is he going to be the star of 2009?

The rising young actor has apparently been given a shot at stardom early on. But choosing to turn down these roles instead, the actor is trying to focus more on his craft of acting, rather than box office hits. According to a Hollywood insider — “He knows who he is. I respect that a lot.”

People refer to him as the new James Dean.

He has been described as “authentic” by CBS’s Insider and despite being the most sought after male celeb on the web, to this day he remains firmly rooted to the ground, according to friends.

The actor will soon be launched in his first starrer, the project details of which are still unknown.

Watch him in this video from a 2000 TV movie called Dreams In The Attic:

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Emma Watson, one of the the stars of the Harry Potter franchise, has recently turned 18 years old. With her new status as an adult, the actress, best known for her role as Hermione Granger, has expressed she will be willing to do nude scenes should the project and the right director demand it.

Talking to the Daily Mail UK, the actress said she will do it for Bernardo Bertolucci, the Italian director. But she quickly adds, “I’m not getting my kit off any time soon, but it is part of my job. I’m at a strange age. I’m not a woman yet, but I’m not a girl any more. “

Emma was recently at an LA premiere of “The Tale of Despereaux” looking very much like the grown up star she now is.

Forbes Magazine has listed the Top 10 Breakout Stars for this year and the highest ranking went to the Christian pop/rock brother group, last name: Jonas.

Here is the complete list:

No. 1 Jonas Brothers
No. 2 David Cook & David Archuleta
No. 3 Jon Hamm
No. 4 Rachel Maddow
No. 5 Robert Pattinson
No. 6 Demi Lovato
No. 7 Selena Gomez
No. 8 Shenae Grimes
No. 9 Katy Perry
No. 10 Whitney Port

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