Trippin’ on Taylor

He’s part human, part wolf - either way we love Twilight’s Jacob Black and couldn’t wait to hear more about TAYLOR LAUTNER, the cute actor behind the character.

KUNG FU FIGHTER!
Before the acting bug bit Taylor Lautner’s passion was martial arts. From the age of six he practised karate, joining the World Karate Association at eight. He got into acting when his martial arts instructor pushed him to audition for a Burger King TV advert in Los Angeles. He didn’t make the cut but enjoyed the experience so much he persuaded his parents to move to LA, which they did when he was 10.

BEFORE TWILIGHT
As a young teen Taylor landed roles in several TV ads and series such as My Wife and Kids. His big break came at 13 when he was snapped up for the role of Sharkboy in 2005’s The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D. He did all his own martial arts stunts in the film. His next role was as Elliot in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and three years later he landed the part in Twilight.

GOING BUFF FOR NEW MOON
He was a little beefy in Twilight but expect a whole lot more when New Moon is released early next year. Taylor was asked to gain 15 kg for the sequel. “I eat as much as possible and drink protein shakes,” he says.

He seems to know the effect he has on fans. “Most of the time I was shirtless, all I was wearing was shorts in 35 degree weather,” he says.

“The Jacob quote I love most is ‘Does my being half-naked bother you?’ That just cracks me up. Because that’s when he’s shirtless. I’m eager to deliver that line.” We are too!

He’s also had hair extensions since our pics were taken. “It’s so weird looking in the mirror. It’s like, ‘Is that me? Wow!’ I’ve never had my hair longer than it is now so it’s like, ‘Do I look like a girl? I do look like a girl!’ ”

TAYLOR TITBITS
- His full name is Taylor Daniel Lautner and he’s of French, Dutch, German and Native American ancestry.

- He was born on 11 February 1992 in Michigan and is 17.

- While both have denied it rumour has it he’s dating Disney star Selena Gomez.

Five minutes with Tom Kroon of Heroes Wear Red

What would your last meal be if you could choose?
I’m a committed fan of Asian cuisine. Peking duck (with pancakes), a sushi platter with generous amounts of sashimi and salmon skin maki and perhaps a chilli seaweed salad as a starter. Yeah, that’s it.

What’s your favourite quote?
Jim Morrison is about the only guy I ever quote. Here’s a good one: “Some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts.”

What would you save if your house was on fire?
My hard drive. I have half the songs for the next HWR album on it - and it’s career-making stuff. Can’t wait for everyone to hear this material.

Favourite TV shows
South Park and Family Guy. You can’t beat them.

Favourite band or singer
My favourite voices are Chris Cornell and Seal. The bands that have influenced and inspired me most would probably be Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Filter and U2.

What’s your idea of happiness?
There are three important ingredients for happiness. Someone to love, something to desire and something to have faith in.

What’s your cellphone ringtone?
*Vibrate*. Given enough time any ringtone becomes annoying.

Last SMS you received and who was it from?
“Watching Linkin Park and thinking a second singer works so well for them. Magic DVD. Great band” - My dad.

I wish I never . . .
Let my hairdresser cut my hair into a bob before we shot the video for Still Life.

What pets do you have and what are their names?
A Jack Russell named Tigger (because she jumps so high she can climb trees) and Mush who is a mix of a few things, very dopey and loving though.

What’s your favourite snack?
Zoo biscuits. I ate an entire box while watching a video last week - I fear my Zoo biscuit days are numbered.

What’s perfect happiness to you?
Playing back three or four hours of work on a song, getting goosebumps for the fifth time, then getting in the car to meet a beautiful girl for dinner and hearing your song in the No 1 spot on national radio. That, and playing to 5 000 people, hearing them sing louder than the PA!

Three words that sum you up
Amor. Esurio. Fides (Love. Hunger. Faith)

A whole lot of soul

PLUS CD REVIEWS

These days hotshot rappers with egos the size of Mount Everest are everywhere but it seems 19-year-old American rapper-producer SOULJA BOY has a winning formula: catchy lyrics and killer dancing tailor-made for the YouTube generation.

Although he has been criticised for writing songs for the so-called ringtone market the Chicago resident is having the last laugh because he’s making money and dominating charts.

“When they [critics] hear something like a Soulja Boy they’re scared and they’re like, ‘What is this? This is so different!’ They’re automatically on the defence, they attack.”

Soulja Boy - born DeAndre Ramone Way - released his first independent album, aptly titled Unsigned & Still Major: Da Album before da Album, in 2007. It was an internet sensation and landed him a record deal two months later. The single Crank That (Soulja Boy) reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song.

His first big label album, Souljaboytellem.com, was released in October 2007 and he struck gold again with his second album, iSouljaBoyTellem, which features his hit single Kiss Me Thru the Phone. And he obviously knows how popular he is: “I’m the next generation of hip-hop.”

IN A PERFECT WORLD by Keri Hilson
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Edna Isaacs
Even though this is her debut album Keri Hilson is an established artist - before taking to the mike she wrote tracks for artists such as Ciara and Britney Spears. Her album has produced radio hits Energy and Knock You Down with Kanye West and Ne-Yo. A highlight is the catchy Turnin’ Me On with Lil Wayne. This woman can sing and dance and writes her own material - talk about being a triple threat. Definitely one to watch.

NOW 51 by Various artists
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Jared Orlin
If you’re looking for a comprehensive collection of the best pop, rock, R&B and hip-hop hits from the past few months, look no further. All 20 tracks are mega-hits you’ll want to listen to over and over again. Lady GaGa’s Poker Face, Killer’s Human, Kings of Leon’s Sex on Fire and Hilary Duff’s Reach Out stand out.

AGAINST ALL ODDS by aKing
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Yvonne Beyers
The boys from Bellville are suburban poets. Lead singer Laudo Liebenberg and guitarist Hunter Kennedy’s stirring lyrics are powerful, like a punch in the gut, and will take your breath away but the band’s soulful soft rock melodies will ease the ache. Best tracks are The Heart of a Fool, You and I, Against All Odds and Know Your Bones.

DVD of the week: Changeling

Real-life drama. 2009. 136 min. With ANGELINA JOLIE, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan and GATTLIN GRIFFITH. Director: Clint Eastwood. 16LV.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Claire Reddie

Be transported to an era of trundling trams, glamorous clothes and corrupt cops in 1920s Los Angeles - and into any mother’s nightmare.

Angelina Jolie plays a single working-class mom, Christine Collins, whose nine-year-old son, Walter, disappears without trace. After five months of heartache the police tell her they’ve found her son. But her elation soon becomes sorrow when the boy turns out to be an imposter. And so begins one woman’s struggle against sinister forces in the police, with only an outspoken Presbyterian minister (Malkovich) as an ally. She’s harassed, accused of mental illness and thrown into an asylum where she finds other women who’ve been sidelined by incompetent cops whose investigations are farces. But she never gives up hope of finding her son.

What’s most disturbing is this is based on true events. Director Clint Eastwood tells the story with superb intuition and Jolie is outstanding as the unhinged but determined Christine and deserved her Oscar nomination. The award-winning film is a must-see. Special features: featurettes.

MARLEY & ME
Comedy drama. 2009. 110 min. With Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.
Director: David Frankel. PG.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Kim Van Reizig

Soon after getting married John and Jenny Grogan (Wilson and Aniston) consider starting a family. A friend suggests they first try raising a dog to see how they cope with responsibility.

The dog they choose, Marley, turns out to be the most disobedient Labrador ever. A professional dog trainer even gives up on him and for the next few years the Grogans’ pup brings them as much chaos as joy. John and Jenny love him to bits though and the dog remains a constant throughout the ups and downs of their relationship. As Marley ages they have to deal with the possibility of losing him and what he means in their lives. Wilson and Aniston surprise with solid chemistry, making their relationship dramas easy to relate to. There are plenty of good laughs to be had but keep the tissues handy. Special features: deleted scenes, gag reel.

Movie of the week: The Proposal

Comedy. With SANDRA BULLOCK, RYAN REYNOLDs and Betty White. Director: Anne Fletcher. PGL. Opens 10 July.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Leon van Nierop

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
When a quick-tempered, bossy manager does not renew her visa she’s told to leave America. She forces her sexy assistant to marry her so she can get US citizenship but first they have to survive a weekend with his family in Alaska.

WHO WILL ENJOY IT?
Anyone who can’t get enough of TV series and soaps should feel right at home with this silly, predictable romantic comedy. It follows a safe, time-honoured plot formula: a mismatched couple start a relationship hating each other then go through deep waters where they’re forced to rely on each other and finally find each other - but by then it’s too late for love. Meanwhile the groom’s family give them hell, they frequently lose their tempers and clothes (audiences love to stare at beautiful bodies!) and run after each other in lovely locations. And Sandra Bullock at 43 is as sexy as ever.

WAIT FOR DVD?
Yes, you can - watch it right after your favourite soapie and late-night TV series. The jokes seem to belong in a sitcom (there are at least 10 laughs every five minutes), the situations are improbable yet hysterical and the characters likeable and sexy. Critics usually tear this kind of predictable melodrama apart - probably because they have to see too many - but if you don’t watch movies for a living it might just go down like milk tart and hot chocolate on a cold winter evening in front of the fire. And Ryan Reynolds proves he can carry a movie on his well-developed shoulders.

SIMILAR FILMS
What Happens in Vegas, Bride Wars, Marley & Me.

10 facts about Tori Amos’ new album

PLUS WIN JUKEBOX TRIVIA

Fans rejoice: TORI AMOS’ new album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, is here.

1 Tori chose the title from a line in the 1955 musical Guys & Dolls.

2 It’s the first with her new record label, Universal Republic Records.

3 She composed and wrote all 17 tracks and produced the album.

4 Many songs were inspired by director Christopher Lamb, who filmed her touring for her 2007 album, American Doll Posse.

5 The resulting short films are available on the DVD that comes with the limited edition of Abnormally Attracted to Sin.

6 Fashion photographer Karen Collins shot the cover and inside sleeve pictures of Tori in various sexy poses in a hotel room.

7 Tori worked with Matt Chamberlain on drums and percussion. Matt’s drumming appears on more than 200 albums.

8 The album opened at No 9 on the Billboard 200, her seventh to open in the top 10.

9 It explores one of Tori’s favourite topics: power. “We used to think power was having a job and money. If that’s our definition of success then very few people have it - the money part anyway.”

10 Another theme is sin. “I’m drawn to questioning what authorities have defined sin to be,” Tori says. “As a minister’s daughter I’ve been exposed to the traditional belief system. If you’re controlled by a religious structure then you’re going to have a different outlook.”

MUST-HAVE: JUKEBOX TRIVIA
Step aside Trivial Pursuit, move over 30 Seconds - there’s a new game in town. Jukebox Trivia, created by Paul Rotherham of 94.7 Highveld Stereo’s Rude Awakening, is a music trivia card game that’s fun for the whole family.

The game comes in three versions, Novice, Intermediate and Expert, and puts your music knowledge to the test. For three or more players - or teams - it’s perfect to play at parties and on holiday. There are 110 cards, each with five questions, so there will be many hours spent on this game.

WIN
Ten readers will each win a copy of Jukebox Trivia. To enter SMS the word JUKEBOX, followed by your name, surname and address to 34923 by 5 pm on 9 July 2009. Each SMS costs R2.

CDs of the week

PLUS WIN CDs AND A POSTER

EUPHONIK PRESENTS FOR THE LOVE OF HOUSE 2 by various artists
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Jared Orlin
If DJ Fresh is the king of local house then his 5FM colleague must surely be the prince. This masterfully remixed collection contains three discs of 47 grooves that include some of the industry’s big names such as DJ Clock and Bricks. We also love Guy Robin’s take on Kanye West’s Love Lockdown.

RELAPSE by Eminem
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Kim Van Reizig
You get exactly what you’d expect from this controversial rapper. He’s out to shock and does just that on his latest album which features the hits Crack a Bottle, 50 Cent and 3 a.m. The lyrics are crass but truthful and rap-lovers will adore the strong beats that accompany them. It comes with a parental advisory warning so we recommend for adults only.

PUTUMAYO PRESENTS AFRICAN REGGAE by various artists
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Mduduzi Ndzingi
Yet another fantastic album from the Putumayo world music experts. Reggae fans will love the mix of songs from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa. Our favourite tracks are Magno Mako from Ismael Isaac and local act Zoro singing Jabulani. You don’t need to be a reggae fan to bounce along to these great tunes.

WIN A CD AND POSTER
Ten readers will each win a copy of For the Love of House 2 plus a Euphonik poster. To enter SMS the word HOUSE followed by your name, surname and address to 34923 by 5 pm on 9 July 2009. Each SMS costs R2.

THE VERONICAS
Twins Jessica and Lisa Origliasso (24) formed The Veronicas in 2005. They chose the name after watching the 1989 movie Heathers. “We wanted it to be a girl’s name,” Jessica says. “But we didn’t want to be called The Lisas or the Jessicas. In the movie Winona Rider’s character is Veronica so we went with that because she was this cool, unique chick with an attitude.”

WIN A CD HAMPER
Who’s your favourite band? Tell us and you could win one of 20 hampers including albums from 30H!3, Alesha Dixon, Ashley Tisdale and The Veronicas! SMS the word GALLO followed by the band, your name and address to 34923 by 5 pm on 9 July 2009. Each SMS costs R2.