Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films such as Panic Room (2002), Zathura (2005), In the Land of Women (2007), The Messengers (2007), Adventureland (2009) and The Runaways (2010).
Kristen Stewart was born and raised in Los Angeles. Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox. Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor originally from Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. She has an older brother, Cameron Stewart. Stewart attended school until the seventh grade, and then continued her education by correspondence. She has since completed high school.
Stewart currently lives in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Stewart has expressed a desire to live and work in Australia, saying, "I want to go to Sydney University in Australia. My mom's from there." Apart from acting, she is also interested in attending college in the near future, saying, "I want to go to college for literature. I want to be a writer. I mean, I love what I do, but it's not all I want to do—be a professional liar for the rest of my life." In Vanity Fair, Stewart admitted that she dated Michael Angarano, her co-star from Speak.
Robert Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. He has been cited as one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. Pattinson is best-known for playing Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer, and for the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In 2010, Pattinson was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World, and also in the same year Forbes ranked Pattinson as one of the most powerful celebrities in the world. His upcoming films include Bel Ami, Water For Elephants, Unbound Captives and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I.
Pattinson was born in London. His mother, Clare, worked for a modelling agency, and his father, Richard, imported vintage cars from the U.S. He attended Tower House School and Harrodian School, and became involved in amateur theatre through the Barnes Theatre Company. After some backstage experience there, he took on acting roles. He caught the attention of an acting agent in a production of Tess of the D'Urbervilles and began looking for professional roles. Pattinson has two elder sisters, singer Lizzy Pattinson, and Victoria Pattinson.
Pattinson began modelling when he was twelve years old, but the number of jobs began to decrease only four years later. In December 2008 he blamed the lack of work as a model on his masculine appearance: "When I first started I was quite tall and looked like a girl, so I got lots of jobs, because it was during that period where the androgynous look was cool. Then, I guess, I became too much of a guy, so I never got any more jobs. I had the most unsuccessful modelling career." Pattinson appeared in the advertising campaign for Hackett's autumn 2007 collection.
Pattinson had supporting roles in the made for television film Ring of the Nibelungs in 2004 and in director Mira Nair’s Vanity Fair, although his scenes in the latter were deleted and only appear on the DVD version. In May 2005, he was slated to appear in the UK premiere of The Woman Before at the Royal Court Theatre, but was fired shortly before the opening night and was replaced by Tom Riley. Later that year he played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. For this role he was named that year's British Star of Tomorrow by The Times. He has more than once been touted as the next Jude Law.
Pattinson played Edward Cullen in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novel of the same name, which was released on 21 November 2008 in North America. According to TV Guide, Pattinson was initially apprehensive about auditioning for the role of Edward Cullen, fearful that he would not be able to live up to the "perfection" expected from the character. He reprised his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight sequels The Twilight Saga: New Moon and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which was released 30 June 2010.
Pattinson had lead roles in the feature films Little Ashes (in which he plays Salvador Dalí), How To Be (a British comedy) and the short film The Summer House.
In 2009, Pattinson presented at the 81st Academy Awards. On 10 November, Revolver Entertainment released the DVD Robsessed, a documentary which details Pattinson's life and popularity.
In 2010, Pattinson executively produced and starred in the film Remember Me, which was released on 12 March 2010. He will play Georges Duroy in a film adaption of the 1885 novel, Bel Ami, with Uma Therman, which will be released in 2011. He will also appear in a theatre production for producer David Pugh, and star in a film adaption of the Sara Gruen novel, Water for Elephants, with Christoph Waltz and Reese Witherspoon. On 13 May 2010, Pattinson appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and also made an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show on 18 May, which aired the following day. Pattinson attended the official worldwide red carpet premiere for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on 24 June, 2010 at the Los Angeles Nokia Theatre.
Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American actress and pop singer. She gained fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana, which began in 2006 and is currently in its final season. Cyrus recorded music for the soundtracks Hannah Montana (2006) and Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus (2007), released by Walt Disney Records, which helped establish her as a teen idol. In 2007, Cyrus signed to Hollywood Records for a solo career. She went on the Best of Both Worlds Tour the same year; the tour was eventually turned into a high-grossing concert film entitled Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (2008).
In April 2008, Cyrus released her first solo album, Breakout (2008), which experienced international success and she was included in Time magazine's 2008 Top 100. She began her foray into films by providing the voice of "Penny" in the animated film Bolt (2008) and by reprising the role of Miley in Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009). Bolt's theme song, "I Thought I Lost You", earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Hannah Montana: The Movie' soundtrack introduced her to new audiences within country and adult contemporary markets.
She began to cultivate an adult image in 2009 with the release of The Time of Our Lives (2009), an extended play which presented a more mainstream pop sound, and by filming The Last Song (2010), a coming-of-age drama film. The former included Cyrus's best-selling single, "Party in the U.S.A." (2009). A studio album titled Can't Be Tamed was released in 2010 and presents a new dance-pop sound. The music video and lyrics of the album's lead single, "Can't Be Tamed", portrays a more sexualized image for the entertainer. Cyrus ranked number thirteen on Forbes' 2010 Celebrity 100.
Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), better known by her first name Kesha ( /ˈkɛʃə/ KESH-ə, stylized Ke$ha), is an American pop singer, rapper and songwriter. Her debut single, "Tik Tok", released in late 2009, reached number one in eleven countries and set the weekly records for digital downloads of a female artist and total Top 40 Mainstream airplay in the US. By reaching the top in 2010, the song also became the first Billboard Hot 100 number one of the decade and the longest running number one debut single by a female artist since 1977.
At the age of eighteen, Kesha was signed to Dr. Luke's record label and publishing company. Although an active musician since 2005, singing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, her breakthrough only came in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single "Right Round". Before being brought to RCA Records, she had amassed an extensive social media following that was factored in for the promotion of her debut single and album. Her debut album, Animal, was released in January 2010 and debuted at number one in the US. By March, Kesha had sold a million albums and eight million singles worldwide.
Kesha was born in Los Angeles, California to Pebe Sebert, a singer and songwriter. Pebe, a single parent, struggled financially while supporting Kesha and her older brother, Lagan, at the time and they had to rely on welfare payments and food stamps to get by. Pebe would often look after then infant Kesha onstage while performing. Pebe moved the family to Nashville, Tennessee in 1991 after securing a publishing deal. She frequently brought Kesha and her brothers, Lagan and Louis, along to recording studios and encouraged Kesha to sing.
Kesha was already working on her music in 2005 when the Seberts were featured in an episode of The Simple Life. Pebe had taught Kesha how to write songs and they would often write together when she returned home from high school. She described herself in an interview as being "very studious" in high school; she would drive to Belmont University to listen in on Cold War history classes after school and achieved "near perfect" SAT scores. However, she dropped out at the age of seventeen, and earned her GED afterwards, after being convinced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin to return to Los Angeles and pursue a music career. They had received Kesha's demo after Pebe passed it to a friend at BMI and were impressed.
Luke allowed Kesha to sing background vocals for Paris Hilton's single, "Nothing in This World," which led to an incident where Kesha vomited in Hilton's closet. At the age of eighteen, Kesha was signed to Luke's label, Kemosabe Entertainment, and music publishing company, Prescription Songs. Luke and Kesha later became estranged, with her eventually signing with David Sonenberg's management company, DAS Communications Inc. in 2006. They were tasked with obtaining a major label record deal for her in a year’s time with her having the option of ending the relationship if they failed. She worked with several top writers and producers while at the company and credits the creation of her beat-driven sound to a co-writing session with Greg Wells. She also co-wrote The Veronicas' single, "This Love" with Toby Gad.
While her songs were used on Degrassi: The Next Generation,The Hills, Teen Cribs and My Super Sweet 16, Kesha moonlighted as a waitress and a telemarketer to make ends meet. She had wanted Prince to produce her music, so she located and trespassed into his home. Once discovered, she was thrown out, but not before she left her demo with Prince. She would remark later that, "I felt it was harmless at the time, but looking back it was pretty psychotic." She had appeared in the video for Katy Perry's single, "I Kissed a Girl." Her appearance arose due to her friendship with Perry; they met frequently as aspiring pop singers in Los Angeles and shared many musical collaborators.
Kesha was said to have extended the deadline for getting her signed to a major record label for DAS and in 2008, they attracted the attention of Kara Dioguardi, who wanted to sign her to Warner. The deal fell through due to conflicts with Kesha's existing contract with Dr. Luke's label. She terminated her contract with DAS in September and reunited with Luke, who let her sing background vocals for Britney Spears' song "Lace and Leather".
Kesha gained exposure in the mainstream media in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round." The collaboration was called "an accident" by Kesha; she had walked into a recording session with Flo Rida and Luke. Flo Rida wanted a female voice for the song; Kesha was then suggested for the part by Luke. Flo Rida liked the end result so much that they did two more songs. Kesha is not credited for her feature on the US release of "Right Round" and did not collect any money for the part. She also refused to appear in the video; she explained in an interview that, "if you want to be a legitimate artist, it’s more important what you say no to. I knew he would want me to be some sexpot, shake my booty, and whatever." Kesha continued to live on a meager income, which inspired the dollar sign in her stage name. She states that it was meant to be ironic, in that she "actually [stood] for the opposite of putting a lot of emphasis on money."
Soon after, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA through Luke's imprint, after being sought after by Lava Records and Flo Rida's record label, Atlantic Records as well. RCA had noticed her strong following on social media when negotiating her contract and thus relied on viral marketing to build a following for her debut single, "Tik Tok", offering the song as a free stream on MySpace in July. The song was released digitally in the US in early August and sent to radio two months later. She made her official stage debut at Lollapalooza and graced the cover of Women's Wear Daily in August. By then, Kesha had also co-written the title song for Miley Cyrus' The Time of Our Lives EP and made an appearance on Pitbull's album.
"Tik Tok" topped the charts in eleven countries and was the first number one of the decade on the Billboard Hot 100. For its second week at number one on the chart, the song set the weekly record for the most digital downloads of a female artist and became the second best-selling single in a week, after "Right Round", by shifting 610,000 copies. At its fifth week at the top, it broke the record for the highest weekly total Top 40 Mainstream airplay record. Spending nine weeks at number one, "Tik Tok" became the longest running number one debut single by a female artist since Debby Boone's 1977 single "You Light Up My Life".
Kesha's debut album, Animal, was released in January to mixed reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone summed the album up as "repulsive, obnoxious and ridiculously catchy." It debuted at number one in the US, selling 152,000 copies with 76% of sales coming from digital outlets, the largest weekly digital percentage share for an album at number one. By March, Animal had sold a million copies worldwide with half of the sales coming from digital downloads. Its singles had racked up eight million downloads as well. As of June, the album has reached close to 800,000 copies in sales in the US alone. Second single, "Blah Blah Blah" debuted in the top ten in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand before being announced as the next single due to strong digital sales following the release of the album.
In May, "Tik Tok" was featured in the opening sequence for The Simpsons episode "To Surveil With Love" where the entire cast lip-synced to the song, making it the first time that the series had forgone its traditional opening theme for another song since its creation. Kesha was also featured on two top ten singles by Taio Cruz and 3OH!3 in the same month. Later that month, Kesha's former managers from DAS filed a lawsuit, seeking $14 million in damages from Kesha and $12 million from Luke for commissions on her subsequent RCA Records deal, alleging that she squeezed them out of her career under pressure from Luke. She was a supporting act along with Travie McCoy on the summer North American leg of Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour. Spin called her "fantastically obnoxious" in her opening set in Vancouver, Canada.
Justin Drew Bieber (pronounced /ˈbiːbər/, BEE-bər; born March 1, 1994)is a Canadian pop-R&B singer. His performances on YouTube were seen by Scooter Braun, who later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher, and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid.
His debut single, "One Time", was released worldwide during 2009, and charted within the top 30 in over ten countries. It was followed by his debut release, My World on November 17, 2009, which was certified platinum in the United States, which at the time gave Bieber the highest debut by a new artist in the year, and made Bieber the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100. His first full studio release, My World 2.0 was released on March 23, 2010 and has since received similar success; debuting at number one and within the top ten of several countries and was certified platinum in less than two months of release in the United States. It was preceded by the international hit song, "Baby".
Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in Stratford, Ontario. Bieber's mother, Pattie Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant with her son. Mallette, who worked a series of low paying office jobs, raised Bieber as a single mother. However, Bieber maintains contact with his father. As he grew, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet. In late 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and placed second. Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.
While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's videos by accident. Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label!" However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13, to Atlanta, Georgia to record demo tapes. A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B singer/songwriter Usher, who arranged an audition with Antonio L.A. Reid at Island Def Jam Music Group, who in turn signed him to Island Records in October 2008. Justin Timberlake was reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but he eventually signed with Usher. Bieber and his mother then moved to Atlanta, also the home of Usher and Braun, to base his career.
According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views." Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let’s not use expensive cameras.' We’ll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it’s theirs," recalled Braun. Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly. The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.
Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image. After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."
Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat, and has been labeled a "teen hearthrob".
