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5 Things to Know About Joy Williams of Grammy-Winning Duo The Civil Wars

Tara Sharp — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:48:00 PST

If you didn't know who Joy Williams was before tonight, we guarantee you will be hearing a lot more about her in the months to come. Joy's one half of folk duo The Civil Wars with Johnny Depp lookalike John Paul White, and the first-time nominees won two Grammys tonight: best folk album and best country duo/group performance for their 2011 album Barton Hollow. They are also one of the performing groups to hit the Grammy stage tonight! Here are five things you should know about this woman who rocks (including her Taylor Swift and Adele connection!):

Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, Joy was 17 when she signed a recording contract with Reunion Records, balancing a singing career with finishing up high school. She began her career as a contemporary Christian music artist before leaving Reunion and founding Sensibility Music with her husband. Then one of her first songs on her own label, "Charmed Life," appeared on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy in 2009.
Joy's been married since 2004, and it's not to her Civil Wars partner. Joy's happily paired up with her manager and Sensibility Music cofounder Nate Yetton.
In 2009, Joy formed The Civil Wars with John Paul White, whom she met at a songwriting session in 2008. Their first studio album, Barton Hollow, was released in 2011 and debuted at No. 1 on iTunes's album sales chart and at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. The band even opened for Adele's 2011 North American and UK concert tour.
Joy, 29, and her husband are expecting their first child in June. Joy announced the pregnancy on Twitter Friday, saying, "My baby bump & I will see you on the red carpet."
Fellow singing starlet Taylor Swift gave Joy and The Civil Wars a helping hand when she included the band's song "Poison and Wine" on her official iTunes playlist, saying, "I think this is my favorite duet. It's exquisite." And now Joy and Taylor have a song together for The Hunger Games soundtrack called "Safe and Sound." The music video debuts tomorrow!

Check out photos of Joy and The Civil Wars at the Grammys now!

Celebrating Star Wars in Artful Style

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:31:33 PST

The Star Wars saga returns to big screens today with the release of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D. Undoubtedly lightsaber battles and space travels will look breathtaking in 3D, but we're also excited about the nostalgia of seeing the movies again in theaters. To celebrate Star Wars' big day, we're looking to take a piece of the films home with us. Check out our favorite Empire-inspired prints and posters in the gallery.

Box Office: The Vow Courts First Place

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:05:52 PST

Audiences fell for Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams this weekend, as The Vow won first place at the box office with $41.7 million. The romance just narrowly beat Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington's thriller Safe House, which earned $39.3 million. They were followed by another new release, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, with $27.6 million. The 3D rerelease of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace came in fourth place with $23 million, and last week's box office winner Chronicle rounded out the top five with $12.3 million.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Reese Witherspoon Wears Red Ahead of the Valentine's Release of Her Romantic Comedy

Lauren Turner — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:15:05 PST

Reese Witherspoon was just one of the lovely ladies to appear on the Late Show in NYC yesterday. She stopped by in a bright red dress to promote This Means War and shared a funny story about having to explain the term "d-bag" to her mother. David Letterman also welcomed Sports Illustrated's newest swimsuit cover girl, Kate Upton, and her fellow models. The 2012 Swimsuit Issue was unveiled last night while Reese's romantic comedy hits select theaters today - both just in time for Valentine's Day!

Lil Links: Tips For Speeding Up the Breakfast Routine

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:33:49 PST

Superfast breakfasts kids can eat en route to school - Parenting
Mom induces labor so her dying husband can meet their baby - The Stir
Ashley Simpson thinks her sister will make a great mom - Celebrity Baby Scoop
The latest advice on five different breastfeeding issues - FitPregnancy
Joy Williams of The Civil Wars is pregnant - Celebrity Baby Blog
Would you try for a baby after 40? - Momformation
Six mistakes room mothers make - Yahoo! Shine
New uses for old things, the family edition - Real Simple
The best kids activities for your buck - LearnVest

Angelina Jolie Focuses on Philanthropy and Hits a Berlin Red Carpet With Brad

Lindsay Miller — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:30:20 PST

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt continued their visit to Berlin today after he made a quick pit stop in London over the weekend to attend the BAFTAs. He was nominated for best actor at the British film celebration, which aired yesterday evening, though The Artist star Jean Dujardin ended up taking home the honor. Brad and Angelina first flew to Germany last week for the Berlin Film Festival, where Angelina hosted a premiere of her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey. Angelina's film and her philanthropic ties are closely related, and today, she joined the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for a workshop on sexual violence and child soldiers at a Berlin hotel. After the meeting, she reunited with Brad at the Cinema for Peace gala, where she was given an award for her film's message against genocide and war.

Before accepting the honor this evening, Angelina told reporters she hopes the movie is actually difficult for audiences to see. She said, “It’s a strange thing to say as a director and a filmmaker, but I want people to be very uncomfortable when they watch it, and they should be upset and they should want some intervention, and they should want it to stop and they should be angry."

Watch the Music Video For Taylor Swift's Hunger Games Song "Safe & Sound"

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:35:21 PST

Today is full of treats from The Hunger Games! First, we got to see the full tracklist for the soundtrack, and now we have the music video for one of the singles from the movie, "Safe & Sound" by Taylor Swift. Though there is no footage from the film, the video seems like it nails the tone of the books. Swift is dressed simply amid a woodsy, very District 12-like backdrop, and in the most direct reference to the movie, she grasps a mockingjay pin. The song, which also features recent Grammy winners The Civil Wars (who you can learn more about here), has won me over with how haunting and pretty it is, and Swift's vocals of "just close your eyes; you'll be all right," feel appropriate to the subject matter of The Hunger Games. Watch now.

Taylor Swift - Safe & Sound - Music - More Music Videos

Video: Chelsea Handler Talks Friendship With Reese - "She'd Never Ask Me to Babysit!"

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:14:26 PST

Reese Witherspoon had some handsome company at the LA premiere for This Means War. Reese stepped out in a pretty, strapless Miu Miu dress along with her male costars Tom Hardy and Chris Pine and friend Chelsea Handler. Chelsea plays Reese's best friend in the movie and a mom, which she told us was a bit of a stretch, given that Reese would never ask her to babysit her kids! See our chat with Chelsea on the red carpet and find out about Reese's sexy lingerie scene in PopSugar Rush.

Announcing the 2012 Grammy Award Winners

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:20:23 PST

The mood of the Grammy Awards was a bit somber this year in the wake of Whitney Houston's shocking death, but the show went on, and the statues were all handed out to the winners. Adele owned the night, picking up multiple awards, including those for record of the year, album of the year, and song of the year.

Plenty of other folks received Grammys too, including Kanye West, The Foo Fighters, and Taylor Swift, so to see the full list of winners, just keep reading.

See the Full Soundtrack Song List For The Hunger Games

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:43:52 PST

We don't just have the epic battle of Katniss Everdeen fighting for her life in The Hunger Games movie to look forward to - it sounds like we're also going to be treated to a pretty epic soundtrack.

The full tracklist has just been released, and though there's a big presence of country/pop star Taylor Swift, there's plenty of indie cred too, in the form of artists like Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and Neko Case. You can pre-order the soundtrack on iTunes now, in anticipation of the Mar. 20 release of the album, and to get the full listing, just keep reading.