The Host

This is the film of a book by Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series. There are no vampires this time - Earth has been infiltrated by parasitic aliens called "souls", which possess humans. there's a love story, of couse, between a boy and a "soul". Twilight fans will be happy!

Music

MUSE

After touring the USA and Canada, the English rock group, Muse, will arive in Europe in May. They will play in big stadiums in England, France, Spain and Italy and then go to japan and Brazil. After all that, Muse will need a holiday!

LADY GAGA

The rumour is that Lady Gaga has called her new album ARTPOP, which must be written in capitals. ARTPOP is "pop art" in reverse. Gaga is a big fan of pop art, a 1950s art movement which transformed ordinary objects, like a can of soup, into art. She is fascinated by pop artist Andy Warhol, who died in 1987. She says that he speaks to her in her dreams!

London Marathon

Many big cities have a marathon. But London's marathon is special... most people run it for charity. It's the largest annual fundraising event in the world: since 1981 it has raised mor than 525 million euros. but it's not easy to run 42 km dressed like a dragon... even if it's for a good cause.

Taylor Swift

America's favourite sweetheart

Taylor Swift's personal pop songs are loved by millions of fans... but it's her positive attitude and generosity that make her a real star.

From the moment the 14-year-old singer arrived in the city of Nashville, USA, it was clear she destined for success. Taylor Swift moved to the American country music capital from her home in Pennsylvania for just one reason... she wanted to be famous country singer. her songs soon made an impression on music bosses... and her dream became a reality.

Early Success

In 2006, at age 16, Taylor released her first single "Tim McGraw" about one of her ex-boyfriends. Love has been a theme of her music ever since. Taylor's public appreciated her intimate, autobiographical songs and in 2008 she was nominated for her first Grammy award. Then at the 2010 Grammy awards, she became the youngest singer to win Album of the Year... at the age of 20.

 

International Star

The talented singer now has an international reputation. Taylor's third album, Speak Now, was Number ONe in the USA, and Taylor has also toured North America, Europe and Australia.  Taylor loves playing live shows and speaking with her fans.

"Fans are my favourite thing in the world", she says. "I'll hang out with them after the show. I'll hang out with them before the show.

Love life

Recently, Taylor has been subject of speculation about her relationship with One Direction's Harry Styles. She says she is embarrassed that people talk about her love life. In the past, Taylor has had lots of famous boyfriends such as Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner and Jake Gyllenhaal. So does she alway go out with famous boys? "I really don't have any rules when it comes to height, age, career choice", she says.

Positive influence

Like other pop artists such as Shakira, Taylor Swift likes to help others. She gives money to schools and recorded the Hope for Haiti Now album for the victims of the disaster there. She also has a good influence on young people: Taylor avoids alcohol and cigarettes. "I don't drink to get drunk because that's just not cute... and I don't want to smoke anything because I sing", she says.

Taylor the actress

Taylor isn't just a country singer... she is an actress too! Taylor has had roles in Valentine's Day, the Lorax and the TV series CSI. She also played herself in the film Hannah Montana: The Movie. What a successful music career and all her Grammy awards, perhaps the next step for Taylor Swift is to win an Oscar?

Beautiful Creatures

A new teenage heroine is coming... and she's a witch!

Everyone is saying that Beautiful Creatures will be the next Twilight. The ingredients are there: a successful series of novels, a teenage romance between a mortal and a supernatural being, and a modernist house in the forest. What could go wrong?

High-school student Ethan is desesperate to escape the small town in South Carolina where he has lived all his life. When a new girl, lena, 15, arrives in the town and joins his school, he is instantly attracted to her and the fact that she is different to all the other girls he knows. What he doesn't realise is that Lena is a Caster, one of a race of magical beings who, when they turn 16, become powerful withches for either good or evil. If she turns evil, the world will be in danger.

Given her future career path and general immortality, it's not clear why lena has to go to school. but she does. And Ethan falls in love with her, even though she keeps warning him that she may soon became a demonic agent of global destruction. Some guys just can't resist a challenge when they see one.

Beautiful Creatures lacks ofiginality, but it is saved by a good sense of humour and an enjoyable performance by Emma Thompson as an evil witch in the body of a conservative Christian housewife. It probably won't be the new Tilight, however.

Music

ALICIA KEYS

Alicia Keys is famous for her pop songs, but did you know she is also an excellent classical pianist? Her first album was a big success and made her the best-selling R&B artist of 2001. Her new album is doing well too. Alicia says she wants it to inspire her female fans. You might know the songs "Girl on Fire" and "Brand New Me". Do they inspire you?

BRUNO MARS

2012 was a busy year for Bruno mars. The singer from Hawaii became an international star and played concerts around the world. Bruno released his first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, in 2010. Bruno is a talented musicia: he grew up in a musical family and plays drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, piano and harmonica. His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, is sure to be a hit!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

American high-school drama

Leaving the studious Hermione Granger from Harry Potter behind her, Emma Watson plays Sam, a "wild child" at an American high school. SHe's the type who never does her work, takes drugs and parties all night. Unfortunately, there is jut something too clean and sensible about Emma WAtson to be convincing in this role. Either Americans have a very difernet idea of what constitutes "wildness" in a teenager, or she is not a very strong actress. The film also stars Ezra Miller (excellent in We Need Talk About Keving) as her gay best friend, and Logan Lerman as the shy, sensitive new boy who falls in love with her. It is one of those well-meaning stories in which each character learns something about himself and matures by the end of the film. It is a quite entertaing but a little predictable.

District 12 for sale

Hildebran, Nord Carolina

An abandoned mill town in North Carolina that was used to film key scenes in the Hunger Games is going up for aution at $1.4 million. Wade Shepherd, aged 83, decided to sell the ghost town after being inundated by visitors who wanted to see where Hunger Games heroine Katnis Everdeen lived. "Day and night, they're driving throught, taking pictures, getting out and walking. I'm just bombarded with people", he complained.

Once upon a time

Welcome to Storybrooke, where the residents are all characters from fairytales. But all is not well here- the Evil Queen has condemned everyone to a grim life by making all the "happy endings" disappear. To break the curse, HEnry, the Queen's adopted son, must find his real mother- the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming- and make her believe in fairy tales... This complicated story works thanks to the brilliant actors, the reconstitution of a magical universe and an eternal story of true love battling evil.