8 More Makes 14!

1.31.09

You’ve probably heard about the woman who gave birth to octuplets (that’s EIGHT babies), but did you know that she already had 6 kids at home?!? It’s like this woman is creating an entire generation all by herself!!! Though the hospital tried to keep the press at arms length to protect the family from added stress, ‘friends’ just couldn’t resist the pull of the media, and finally the family was found at their home in Whittier, California. Of course, mom and the babies are still in the hospital: It’s physically impossible for a woman to carry that many babies all the way to the natural end of a pregnancy, so they were removed surgically (by Caesarian section) nine weeks before their due date. Because the babies had to be born prematurely (before they are fully developed), they will need special care that only hospitals can provide until their lungs are functionally properly. When their hospital stay is over, the family plans to move away without revealing the location of their new home, so that they can concentrate on raising their family. Sounds great, but our guess is, 14 children is bound to get noticed by someone no matter where they go!

Super Bowl Madness

1.31.09

Well, even if you are a die-hard NON-sports fan, you still probably know that tomorrow is the NFL Super Bowl game! Here’s a little cheat sheet of important information, so you can show off to your dad and brothers during the game!

-The game is being played between the Pittsburgh Steelers (Black Jerseys) and the Arizona Cardinals (Red Jerseys).

- Both teams got there by winning the most games over the entire football season – so they should be the best

- The Cardinals starting Quarterback (the guy who usually throws the ball and can call plays while on the field – also usually pretty cute! Examples include Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Eli and Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and this guy!), Matt Leinart, will be on the bench for the game. He was a star in college at USC, and expensive for the team, but hasn’t been strong. Upside for us girls is, he’ll be nicely dressed for the camera!

- We did your research for you, and it looks like Pittsburgh is favored to win – but don’t make any bets on that! Bets are an easy way to lose money, for starters, and in the excitement of a game, you never know what people can pull off! Also, be sure to find out which team the guys in your house are rooting for – it could be bad for your health to root for a different team, if you know what we mean!!!

- The yellow line you’ll see on the field is not really there. It’s digitally added to let you see how far the team with the ball must carry it to make a ‘1^st down’.

Quick game rules:

-          Usually, the team with the ball, (‘in possession’) will hike the ball to the Quarterback who throws it to a ‘receiver’ who has run to a position closer to the goal, or maybe even in the goal area. Players can also hand the ball off to a player who runs it forward, or even run it forward themselves.

-          Each team has 4 ‘downs’, or tries, to move the ball 10 yards up the field. It doesn’t seem like much, but it is! If you don’t make it, the ball goes to the other team, and everything starts moving in the other direction. If you make the 10 yards, it goes back to 1^st down, and you get four more tries.

-          Touchdowns are when a player brings the ball into or catches the ball in the End Zone. They are worth 6 points. An extra kick through the goal posts after each touchdown can bring an extra point. If there is no touchdown, kicking (or punting) the ball through the goal posts (field goal) brings 3 points.

There are a lot more rules, and strategies teams use to trick each other, and we’re pretty sure that the fans in your house will be more than happy to explain…as long as it’s not in the middle of the next play! So pull up a bag of chips and settle in for some yelling, screaming, laughing, hooting and hollering, and enjoy the Super Bowl tomorrow!

Bad News at Deathly Hallows

1.30.09

It seems that yesterday, the young stunt man who has done all the stunts for Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in the movie series so far, has had an accident on the set of the new movie. The film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is still in pre-production, which means that none of the cast was there, and the crew was practicing and running through the action sequences planned for shooting later. According to reports, the young stunt man was in a harness high above the sound stage when an explosion went wrong, and the young man came crashing to the ground. He’s still in the hospital, and we’re sure could use all of our thoughts and well wishes for a speedy recovery.

Narnia Treads On!

1.30.09

In much better news, the next film in the Narnia series has found a new production company to call home! Fox Studios has decided to take over making The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from Disney, who wasn’t pleased with the box office performance of the last Narnia. Disney produced the first two films in the series, and when they made the decision not to make a third, it looked like the Dawn Treader might be left abandoned in the water. Now Fox has taken hold of the movie AND kept all the original stars and the director, so for the audience, it should seem like nothing has changed! Filming will take place in the Fox studio complex in Australia, and the finished film is set to hit theaters for Christmas 2010! These fantasy films sure do take a lot of time to complete!

Kelly Sucks to the Top

1.29.09

In a record breaking move, Kelly Clarkson’s newest single “My Life Would Suck Without You” has rocketed from it’s debut at #97 to #1. This is the largest one week jump in the history of the music charts EVER! Yeah, Kelly! This kind of move can only be made by fans like you, who have pushed the sales of her single through the roof…or is it because the song is so darn catchy?!? It’s not the first time that Kelly has broken this exact record, though: back in 2002 her Idol debut tune “A Moment Like This” broke the then record by shooting from #52 to #1! Kelly’s newest album, “All I Ever Wanted”, will be available on March 17^th, so start saving for it now!

Demi Sonny Latte

1.29.09

Okay – that was nonsense, but there’s no nonsense about Demi Lovato’s new Disney show “Sonny with a Chance”…Okay – there is actually a LOT of nonsense about it, but what we mean is…Oh, nevermind!!! The show is about a girl from Wisconsin who gets chosen to join the cast of the most popular teen sketch comedy show in the nation called “So Random”, and her adventures in Hollywood with her cast-mates and the kids at rival shows filming on the lot. The show looks awesome, and the theme-song, “So Far So Great”, is being supplied by the rock-songstress herself, so you know you’ll be humming for at least the rest of the year! How long did it take you to stop singing “The Best of Both Worlds”? See! So get ready by learning the words now! The show premieres on Sunday, February 8^th @ 8pm on the Disney Channel, but you can check out the song now at Disneychannel.com or MySpace! (With your parent’s permission, of course!)

Broadway Gets Thrilled!

1.28.09

…or is it “Thrillered”?!? Hopefully by now you’re familiar with the ground-breaking video from the 80’s featuring Michael Jackson and a large cast of dancers strutting their stuff to his historic hit “Thriller”. If not, don’t worry about it! Soon, you’ll be able to see it on Broadway! One of the largest theatre production companies in the world, The Nederlander Organization, has bought the rights to turn the 20 minute video into a full-fledged musical for the stage. The original did have a bit of a story, but only enough to get to the creepy dancing part, so the writer’s will have some work on their hands creating a story to span two hours or so. Also, they’ll need to create more songs to go with “Thriller”, after all, who wants to see two hours of the same song over and over again?!?  The final product is a long way off, but we’re sure there are young black men across America dusting off their spangly half-gloves and their moon-walk! If you’re interested in finding out more about the Thriller Phenomenon, check out www.thrilltheworld.com to learn the steps and sign up to go to an event near where you live! With all the people learning the dance, wouldn’t it be great to do a ‘dance-a-long’ of the musical?!? But we’re getting ahead of ourselves! Let’s let them start work on the musical first, shall we?

Tintin to the Big Screen

1.28.09

Can you believe it? The precocious Belgian kid-reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy have been following fishy leads for 80 years, and are finally getting the big screen treatment! The Tintin books, featuring a young super-sleuth with what has to be the original ‘faux-hawk’ hairstyle, have cult status throughout the world, even though they were not quite as popular in the US as everywhere else. Jamie Bell (Tintin), Andy Serkis (Captain Haddock) and Daniel Craig (Colonel Rackham) are set to star in the film that will be directed by no less than Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson!!!  The movie will be called “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”, and if all goes well, rumor has it there could be a series in the works! And why not? Three are 23 other classic Tintin tales out there that have all the excitement any good adventure movie could want! If you want to get ahead on your storylines, check one out at the library! They’re a super easy afternoon read, and since they are in cartoon form, you’ll have plenty of great art to look at, too!

Ugly Free Zone

1.27.09

We can’t believe it, but it looks like we’ll be facing an Ugly Betty drought in the spring!  ABC TV has decided not to do any re-runs of the hit show, and instead replace it with episodes of Samantha Who? and In The Motherhood until the show returns with new episodes in June.  TV shows always take a break in film at least once or twice a year to give their casts and crews a little break and a chance to work on other projects like movies and stage plays. The schedule for filming a TV show is pretty tight, and the hours are NEVER like a regular job where you get in at 9am and out at 5pm – the hours are much longer, the weeks are longer too, and when work is over, you still have to learn your lines for the next day, so the work never seems to end. It’s just that us, the viewing audience at home, usually gets a chance to catch up on missed episodes when they rerun! Not this time, people! Is this the future of hit TV shows? Who knows, but you’ll have to mark your calendars for the last episode on March 26^th and then pay attention for its return in June! Since love knows no bounds, we’ll do the work for Betty!

Alyson for Safety!

1.27.09

One of our fave teen celebs, Alyson Stoner, has a new Disney video out…and a warning!  On her official website, www.AlysonStoner.com, she warns that there are an increasing number of people out there who are claiming to be her, and offering contact numbers and emails to reach her at. It’s not that she’s afraid she’ll be replaced in your hearts, it’s that you never know what these people are really up to, and it can be dangerous for your safety. So just be sure never to give out information about where you live or go to school or anything personal online unless your parents have looked at the site and given it the go ahead…like on kewlmag.com!!!  In a happier vein, Alyson’s new video of the song “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” is available on YouTube, and her latest movie “Space Buddies” is available on DVD started next Tuesday, February 3^rd!  Mark you calendars, and make sure to get your dose of Alyson!  She’s good medicine!

Sasha and Malia Dolls?!?

1.26.09

Of course, we all love the daughters of our new president, Sasha and Malia Obama, but does that mean it’s okay to make dolls of them and sell them?!? Their mother Michelle Obama says “No!” We all own, or have at least seen dolls made to look like our favorite stars, but is it the same thing?

When you buy a High School Musical doll, it’s not a doll of “Zac Efron”, it’s a doll of “Troy Bolton”, the character he plays in HSM. So there’s already one difference between the other kinds of dolls and action figures and ones depicting real people!

Here’s another, the agreement to let themselves be used for dolls and have their pictures put on all kinds of products is a part of the contract that they and their parents signed with the producers. In other words, they knew it was going to happen, and are probably being paid for the use, which can make a great college fund later on!

But in the case of the new Sasha and Malia dolls out in stores, neither the girls nor their parents were asked! Their mother is upset, because the company is using her daughters, and it's an invasion of their rights as private citizens. And now the company is claiming that the dolls have nothing to do with the ‘first daughters’ – they just like the names! Pretty fishy timing, don’t you think?

What’s your take: Do you think the girls’ rights have been violated? Or do you want to be the first to own one? Both are important questions, so think about them carefully!

SAG Awards!

1.26.09

Last night, the Screen Actor’s Guild (or SAG) held their yearly awards ceremony to celebrate the best in their craft. Now what’s different about this awards ceremony, is that the voting is done by actors for actors. Only members of the Guild can vote, and only actors can be members of the guild. So in a way, these awards are the ones that mean the most to the actors. After all, who else could be tougher critics than the people who actually do what you do for a living?!? If you are an ice-skater, you see different things when you watch another ice-skater than a regular person would, and it’s the same for actors! The SAG Awards last night had some ups (great comics refusing to follow the lines they were given!), and some downs (who dressed some of these people?!?), but in the end, there weren’t too many surprises, and most of the actors were just happy to be celebrating the best in their profession with their equals in talent. Below is a list of the nominees and winners from last night – Do you agree with the actors in their choices?!?

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
'Doubt'
'Frost/Nixon'
'Milk'
'Slumdog Millionaire'
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins, 'The Visitor'
Frank Langella, 'Frost/Nixon'
Sean Penn, 'Milk'
Brad Pitt, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Mickey Rourke, 'The Wrestler'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway, 'Rachel Getting Married'
Angelina Jolie, 'Changeling'
Melissa Leo, 'Frozen River'
Meryl Streep, 'Doubt'
Kate Winslet, 'Revolutionary Road'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin, 'Milk'
Robert Downey Jr., 'Tropic Thunder'
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 'Doubt'
Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Knight'
Dev Patel, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, 'Doubt'
Penelope Cruz, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
Viola Davis, 'Doubt'
Taraji P. Henson, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Kate Winslet, 'The Reader'

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
'The Dark Knight'
'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'
'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'
'Iron Man'
'Wanted'

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
'Mad Men'
'Dexter'
'House'
'The Closer'
'Boston Legal'

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"Weeds'
'30 Rock'
'Desperate Housewives'
'The Office'
'Entourage'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner, 'Boston Legal'
Michael C. Hall, 'Dexter"
Jon Hamm, 'Mad Men'
Hugh Laurie 'House'
James Spader 'Boston Legal'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Holly Hunter, 'Saving Grace'
Sally Field, 'Brothers & Sisters'
Mariska Hargitay, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
Elisabeth Moss, 'Mad Men'
Kyra Sedgwick, 'The Closer'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Carell, 'The Office'
Jeremy Piven, 'Entourage'
Tony Shalhoub, 'Monk'
David Duchovny, 'Californication'
Alec Baldwin, '30 Rock'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, 'Samantha Who?'
America Ferrera, 'Ugly Betty'
Tina Fey, '30 Rock'
Mary-Louise Parker, 'Weeds'
Tracey Ullman, 'Tracey Ullman's State of the Union'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Paul Giamatti, 'John Adams'

Ralph Fiennes, 'Bernard and Doris'
Kevin Spacey, 'Recount'
Kiefer Sutherland, '24: Redemption'
Tom Wilkinson, 'John Adams'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Shirley MacLaine, 'Coco Chanel'
Laura Dern, 'Recount'
Laura Linney, 'John Adams'
Phylicia Rashad, 'A Raisin in the Sun'
Susan Sarandon, 'Bernard and Doris'

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
'The Closer'
'Friday Night Lights'
'Heroes'
'Prison Break'
'The Unit'

Jennette’s New Single!

1.21.09

Did you know that this super talented teen can sing too! We did, and we hope you’re all waiting for the release of her first single from her very own upcoming album! The not so typical blonde announced the big news on her own website this past weekend, and gave away the title…are you ready for it?!? Okay, it’s “So Close”!!! She didn’t give an exact date for the release, but says it should be coming out soon, so keep your eyes peeled to her site for even more details! http://www.jennettemccurdy.com/

Twilight in Sundance

1.21.09

Twilight star Kristen Stewart is out at the world famous independent film festival Sundance in Park City, Utah this week to promote her newest film called “Adventureland”.  It is a coming of age film about teens, but we don’t yet know what it’s rated! Also starring in the film are other seasoned comic actors like Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig and Ryan Reynolds., and it’s directed by the same guy who directed “Superbad”. Kristen said she’s enjoying the spirit of the festival, because the audience is very open and honest about how they like the films, which is different from the reaction you get at screenings in Hollywood. In fact, KEWL staffers have found that the whole attitude in Sundance is like sleep-away camp for filmmakers! It’s a small place, so things can’t get too crazy, and everyone is friendly, supportive and having a good time! Waaay less competitive than when they’re all back home in Los Angeles! So kids aren’t the only people that never want camp to end anymore!

Inauguration Day!

1.20.09

Everyone knows that today is the day we celebrate a fully functioning Democracy by inaugurating our newly elected president in a joyous and peaceful manner…but do we know why we do it on this very date?

When our very first president, George Washington, was sworn into office, it was done on April 30^th, 1789. Yeah, it took a while to win the war after we declared independence, and then another while for people to agree on who should run the place after that! 13 years of ‘while’, just in case you’re counting! And at that time, the capitol wasn’t even in Washington…mainly because they hadn’t built the city yet! He was inaugurated in New York City at Federal Hall, our first capitol.

It was during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time in office that an amendment to the constitution was passed to hold the event on January 20^th, and the first time it took place on that date was in 1937 for Roosevelt’s second term in office. But why this date?

The answer might surprise you, but this is it: Technology! That’s right! The progress of technology had enabled us as a country to convey information so much more quickly than in the times our fore-fathers imagined this country, that there was no need for a four month delay to make sure all the electors in the Electoral College had enough information to cast their ballots for president. It could happen far more quickly, and our elected officials could get to work for us more quickly as well! And all this about 50 years before the internet!

Now technology is so advanced, you can watch the inauguration right from your computer screen while you blog about it on your website! Enjoy the Inauguration and celebrate your freedom!

Demi en Espanol

1.20.09

We’re pretty sure “Lovato” is Italian, so maybe it’s the inspiration of her bestie Selena Gomez that has brought Disney rocker Demi to sing her hit song “This Is Me” from Camp Rock in Spanish! The new version is called “Lo Que Soy”, which is a pretty accurate translation, and she’s already hard at work on a new music video to go with it!  We’re all pretty proud of her performance last night on “Kids Inaugural: We Are the Future” on the Disney Channel – never were truer words spoken! We are the future, and the best time to start working on it is now and with whatever ‘me’ you’ve got!

Cook-ing for One!

1.15.09

Not that we would wish anyone any unhappiness, but this might just be the answer to a few girls dreams! It is official that Kimberly Caldwell and David Cook have called it quits! They ended things quietly before the holidays, and are still good friends, which is probably the thing we will idolize them most for! …Except maybe his cute-itude and amazing singing voice!!! We’re waaay too happy about this! So let’s control ourselves and wish them both all the best for their future happiness!

Bring on the Funk!

1.15.09

Nolan Gerard Funk, that is! This hottie is really beginning to make our wintry hearts warm up! As he prepares for Nickelodeon’s premiere of “Spectacular!” he’s been doing live performances to show off his chops - and they are pretty impressive! Check out a his live performance from The Hard Rock Café in New York City. (There are lots of videos, so look for the one you like best!) He says it was his first live performance ever, but it’s honestly a little hard to believe! Also on stage was Idol-finalist David Archuleta…why weren’t we there!!!  Well, at least there’s YouTube to keep us connected! Pretty soon, we’ll all be getting a little Funk-y!

One in a Milian

1.14.09

We are loving it!!! Ex MTV host, and actress Christina Milian is adding another notch to her talent belt: singer/songwriter! She’s just premiered her new self-penned single, “Us Against the World”, and we know it won’t be long til it’s the power ballad of every prom from now until summer! If you want to check it out, get your parents permission and click here. This video will be our blog topic of the day, so after you check it, go on over to kewlblogs and let us know what you liked, or didn’t like, about the video!

Momsen on the Run!

1.14.09

The youngest star of Gossip Girl, Taylor Momsen, has a lot on her plate lately! Outside of her regular job playing the young up and coming fashion designer Jenny Humphrey, she’s also been modeling for fashion shows, singing and writing songs for her very own band, and if her latest YouTube  video can be trusted, she’s been getting an EXCELLENT workout! Get permission, then go to this link from Just Jared Jr., and watch Taylor take on the new extreme sport from France and the Bond movies – Parcourse!!! It’s really fun! (We think she might have had a stunt double, but they do a really good job anyway!) Go, Taylor, Go!!!

Idol Begins Tonight!!!

1.13.09

Are you ready? Do you have what it takes, dog? Will you love their spirit? Maybe there will even be a few people who impress Simon, and as for the fourth jury member – what will she bring to the mix?!? It’s Season 8, and time to start watching the embarrassment…we mean the incredible talent…okay, BOTH! The special joy and hell that are the ‘audition episodes’ begin tonight in Phoenix, Arizona, and tomorrow night in Season 7 winner David Cook’s hometown of Kansas City. So don’t miss any of this year’s contestants, and watch your faves go ALL THE WAY to HOLLYWOOD! American Idol premieres in two 2-hour specials tonight and tomorrow night on FOX at 8pm! Be there!

Pop’n’Lock Tied the Knot!

1.13.09

HSM’s Kaycee Stroh, who plays Martha Cox in the films, has REALLY graduated from the kid’s stuff, and married her fiancée Ben Higginson this past weekend! Though she plays a high-schooler in the movies, and probably a little too young to be getting married, the real Kaycee is actually 24 years old! She and her hubby were hitched in a private ceremony last Friday, January 9^th, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and followed up with a party with friends and family, including some of the cast and crew of the HSM movies! We wish Kaycee and Ben all the best for the rest of their lives! Congratulations!

Golden Globes Gold

1.12.09

So, did you watch it last night? For those of you who missed it, we’ve compiled a list of all the winners from last night’s exciting - and strange – awards dinner. The Golden Globes has always been a different kind of awards ceremony, as it is hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and not some group of actors or directors or even the regular public. The awards are voted on and given out by the members of the press who come to Hollywood to cover Hollywood news for the rest of the world! The voters are film writers and critics, and often their choices don’t reflect a very down home American sensibility, so the winners can be surprises for the home crowd. Also, it just happens to be the only awards ceremony where alcohol is served, which usually leads to some pretty crazy shenanigans both on stage and off! The mood is certainly not as reserved as at the Oscars, that’s for sure! Now that awards season has officially begun, who do you think will be carrying home an Oscar come February? Guess we’ll just wait and see!

The Winners!

Film:

Drama: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Musical or Comedy: "Vicky Christina Barcelona"

Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"

Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, "In Bruges"

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Foreign Language Film: "Waltz With Bashir"

Animated Film: "Wall-E"

Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Original Score: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Original Song: "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), "The Wrestler"

TV:

Series, Drama: "Mad Men"

Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"

Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, "True Blood"

Series, Musical or Comedy: "30 Rock"

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams"

Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, "John Adams"

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giammatti, "John Adams"

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, "Recount"

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams"

Cecil B. DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg

Barely Hilary

1.12.09

The always talented Miss Hilary Duff will be coming back to our TV screens! She will be starring in a new show called Barely Legal, based on the real life story of Kathleen Holtz, who passed the California bar exam at only 18 years old to become a full fledged lawyer! The real Kathleen is still only 20 years old, so the tale of her adventures as a very young woman in the legal profession should be fun to watch, and maybe even pretty darn inspiring! Hilary will, of course, be playing Kathleen, and we’re sure she’ll bring all of her talents to the role…but what we’re wondering is, when does she get to sing? The show should be up this fall on NBC!

Tony Oller Rising

1.11.09

Star of “As the Bell Rings” and singer in his own right was just awarded the Shine-On Media’s Rising Star Award! The neat part is, he didn’t even know about it until his fans started posting congratulations up on his site! The super nice and talented guy has promised to do his best to live up to the award, and is starting off on the right foot by releasing some new videos for his fans to check out on his YouTube channel! As permission from your parents, then check it all out! Congrats, Tony!

Spectacular is Coming!

1.11.09

Of course, we’ve been warning you for EVER about this up and coming contender for the title of best Kids TV Musical since HSM, but are you listening?!? The soundtrack is available on pre-order, plus videos to help get you in the mood for the premiere on February 16^th! It stars the hot new singing sensations Nolan Gerard Funk, Tammin Sursok, Simon Curtis, Avan Jogia and long time fave Victoria Justice! Ask you parents, and then check it out here!

Taylor Holds Tight!

1.10.09

It looks like all his hard work paid off! “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner has been confirmed in a post by the film’s new director Chris Weitz (About a Boy) to be hanging tight and continuing to play the role of Jacob Black in the film’s sequel, “New Moon”! We’re so happy for Taylor, we could just burst! And we’re happy for ourselves, too! With all the working out he did to secure the role, we’ll be having an even cuter, buffer Taylor to drool over soon! The only sad news is that the guy who might have taken over the role was another KEWL fave, Michael Copon! …Um…can Stephenie rewrite it so that there are twins?!? Since Taylor clearly hasn’t managed to grow a foot over this past fall, he’ll be bringing something more emotionally fitting than just looking like the description in the book. Series author Stephenie Meyer is totally behind the decision to keep him on, so it must be a good fit to her vision, and isn’t that what we love about movies? The little something extra and different that they can bring to a story? Congratulations to all involved on making a very nice decision!

Saturday Night Taylor

1.10.09

In other ‘Taylor’-related news, Taylor Swift will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live tonight! All musical acts ‘usually’ perform live on the show, with the one exception of that awful mess up that Ashley Simpson had with her playback a couple of years back! Also, hosting the show will be Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), so the comedy quotient should be pretty darn high for the night as well! If you’re not allowed to stay up that late, beg your parents to record it for you, as seeing Taylor perform live should be really kewl! How often do we get a chance to see something like that?!? SNL airs at 11:30pm on NBC.

No More Kissing for Katy?

1.9.09

It looks like our favorite pop princess of the year ended 2008 on a sour note. Based on reports of a tearful and dramatic goodbye scene (on Christmas day, no less!) and follow up emo blogging by the guy in question, it may be safe to say that Katy Perry and Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes) are both back to being singles again. They started off alright with Travis giving Katy a promise ring this past summer, but with all the work and touring both of them have been doing, they haven’t really had much of a chance to spend time together, and when they did, they fought. Sounds like the typical downside of a long-distance romance to us: Fall in love with the ‘idea’ of the person, but in reality they don’t match up to the ideal! So sad! We’re wishing both of them a lot of love and support from those around them, and a speedy recovery of their broken hearts!

Fergie and Josh Tie the Knot!

1.9.09

This Saturday in a secret location, Stacey Ferguson and Josh Duhamel will be getting married! The guest list is all glitz and high powered celebrity glam, but their phones will have to stay on Saturday morning, or they won’t get the last minute info about exactly WHERE the wedding will take place!!! And to really keep the paparazzi running, it’s going to be a little like a scavenger hunt: each invitee will have to go to multiple locations, before being secretly shuttled to the wedding itself! That way, they can switch cars with a double, and let the paps follow a dummy while they go off to the party! Talk about top secret!!! The guest list includes stars from music and acting like Shia LaBeouf, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz and more. With a list like that, we just hope all the preparation pays off, and that they can have a nicely relaxed ceremony in the company of friends – just like we’d wish for ourselves! Enjoy your day tomorrow, guys!

Twilight for Taylor?

1.8.09

Teen hottie (and KEWL blogger) Taylor Lautner, who played Jacob in the movie “Twilight”, is working hard to keep his role! It seems that his character has a huge growth spurt between the first and second books, and suddenly looks a lot more like a man. But Taylor still looks like a teenager! Yeah, a really cute one, but it just doesn’t fit. So Taylor has been out doing extra workouts to try to build himself up like the muscle man Jacob will turn into. The writer and the producer’s really want to continue to work with Taylor, because he’s such a great guy, they’re just not sure it will work for the story. Now we’re all on pins and needles as we await the decision, reported to come sometime this week, as to whether Taylor will keep the role, or be replaced by someone new! We can’t stand the suspense! But we do wish Taylor every bit of luck he’ll need to get the role!

Ugly Nikki

1.8.09

Hey! That’s not what we meant! We mean that tonight, Nikki Blonsky will make her debut on the hit TV show “Ugly Betty”!!! She plays a new assistant at the magazine, and she and Betty become friends, until she shows her true colors! Let the cat-fighting begin! Nikki was super excited about being on the show and meeting all the stars, so you’ll have to check it out and see if all the fun turned into fun TV too! Tonight @ 8pm on ABC! Check it! Also on tonight will be The People’s Choice Awards( 9pm on CBS) with tons of your fave teen stars presenting (Zac, JoBro, Blake Lively, and Hayden Panettiere), so make sure to get your homework done early!

iTunes Adjusts

1.7.09

At this year’s convention for Mac computer users in San Francisco, the company announced that it will be changing the prices for downloading tunes. Instead of all songs being available for 99 cents each, they will now be available at three different price levels: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29. The prices will be set by the record companies themselves, and should allow for emerging indie music to be more affordable in order to reach more people, while all of our tried and true favorites will probably get a little more expensive! The upside is, all the songs will now be available without copy protection, which means you can download to your computer, and share it with your different MP3 devices! And if you’re lucky enough to own an iPhone, you’ll also be able to download tunage over the digital phone lines instead of needing to go to a WiFi hotspot to download. Pretty kewl, right? The future is now…and Mac is all over it!

Did Chris Ask?

1.7.09

The rumor mill is abuzz with the news that Chris Brown popped the question to his girlfriend Rihanna on New Years Eve – even though there is no official announcement to be found anywhere! The talk started when Rihanna was seen wearing a ginormous diamond ring on ‘that’ finger right after performing with Chris at the 02 Arena in London. It’s hard to tell if that’s hard enough evidence, given the pop world’s affection for super-sized bling! But the photos of Rihanna at home with Chris Brown’s family over the holidays are much stronger proof in our eyes! What do you think? Have they set a date, or haven’t they?

Mean Parents?!?

1.6.09

Celebrities Rebecca Romijn and her hubby Jerry O’Connell are now the proud parents of two new twin girls! But did they have to name them that?!? On the face of it, it looks like the girls got some cute, if somewhat quirky, names: Dolly and Charlie. But hold on for the middle names! Their full names are Dolly Rebecca Rose (not so bad) and Charlie Tamara Tulip! What were they thinking?!? She sounds like one of those plant/person thingies on FaceBook’s Green Patch!!! We all know these two are a fun loving pair, but shouldn’t the jokes stop BEFORE they saddle their children with such names?!? Hopefully, everyone will have the grace to give Charlie a pass on her name…after all, she didn’t choose it for herself! Ah, well!

Hannah Madonna?

1.6.09

As the news hits that Lourdes, pop icon Madonna’s daughter, has enrolled in drama school, we can only imagine what might be next on the bill for this well connected teen! Does she have the singing and dancing chops of her mom? Or has some of the directorial finesse of her step dad worn off on her? She’ll be attending the Manhattan Professional Children’s School in New York City now that she’s moved back to the US with her mom, and we’re sure she’d like to follow in the footsteps of any of the schools acclaimed past pupils such as Scarlett Johansson and Sarah Jessica Parker! Just remember, Lourdes: Break a leg!

Happy Birthday, Adam Gregory!

1.5.09

Okay, so we’re a about a week late, but the star himself didn’t celebrate until Friday, January 2^nd, so we feel we can be excused! The cuties actual B-day is Decemeber 28^th (mark your calendars!), and if you don’t know who he is yet, we want to know: Where have you been?!? He’s one of the hot stars of the CW’s 90210 already! He also has co-starring roles in both of the upcoming movies starring Zac Efron (17 Again) and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana: The Movie)!!!  Wish this blue-eyed charmer a happy day by watching the return of 90210 on Tuesday, January 9^th at 9pm…Nines really are everywhere, aren’t they?!?

Nines!

1.5.09

For this new year, Nine is an appropriate theme, right? Well, it seems like a few people have got the same idea! Not only is there a new animated movie coming out called “9”, but on the day it comes out, there will be another special event of a very different kind! On 9.9.09, or September 9^th, 2009, the movie “9” with it’s all star cast (Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, and more)  and a very dark theme will premiere. It’s about a future in which humans have utterly ruined the world and no longer live on it, but before he went, a scientist created a few rag dolls with the minds of his smartest friends and allies to carry on our legacy. It’s produced by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd), and directed by the same guy who did last years action thriller “Wanted”, so it looks kind of scary, creepy and a lot of things do seem to blow up in the CG animated world of the movie. On another hand entirely (or is it?), Disneyland will be celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion on the very same day! They picked the day, 9.9.09, in honor of the 999 ghosts that have always haunted the mansion since it’s opening in 1958! Which always leaves one spot open for one of us! Moo ha ha! Tickets for the Disneyland celebration are available soon on their website and to season ticket holders. You may have to wait a bit to buy the movie tickets, but the trailer is already available online! Check it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7r_cG1qAs&eurl=http://justjared.buzznet.com/page/2/&feature=player_embedded . Just remember, don’t go anywhere off this site without your parents permission!