London Fashion Week is in full swing and a gaggle of celebs made their way to the Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground this week for the Burberry Spring 2010 fashion show. While there were many a pretty celeb in the hiz, it was Burberry spokesmodel Emma Watson who stole the show from the front row in the audience:

When they signed her up for their ad campaigns, Burberry might have wondered if it was a risk too far. But as Harry Potter star Emma Watson arrived at London Fashion Week, she proved she is worth her weight in gold. Wearing a stunning metallic Burberry minidress and towering black heels, the 19-year-old actress turned heads as she arrived at the Burberry show. She even managed to upstage the perennially glamorous Victoria Beckham, who arrived in an understated black knee-length dress. Emma wore dark eye make-up and styled her hair in a loose up-do, proving she was perfectly at ease among the fashion know-how. ‘Emma got the look just right,’ one eyewitness said. ‘It would have been a big mistake to try an over the top outfit. Her dress wowed the crowds but looked sophisticated at the same time.’ Other attendees included Slumdog Millionaire stars and off-screen lovers Freida Pinto and Dev Patel, who are now happily flaunting their relationship after a spell of camera-dodging. Agyness Deyn turned up in a ruffled mint green dress and black stockings while actress Liv Tyler opted for black leggings. Earlier in the evening, fashion giant Burberry announced it was ‘thrilled to be back’ in London as top industry names gathered tonight for one of the most eagerly-awaited catwalk shows of the year.

I guess now we know why Emma flew back home to the UK after beginning classes at Brown University here in the States earlier this month. As spokesmodel for the brand, it makes sense that Burberry would want her in the front row of their Spring ‘10 fashion show. She looks fab in this gold dress … looooove her!! Burberry must be doing very well these days, they managed to cull together a pretty impressive list of attendees. I guess that brown plaid is back in vogue.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

A couple of weeks ago, we saw photos of a very happy looking Emma Watson on the Rhode Island campus of Brown University (where she will be spending the next four years engrossed in scholastic learning) and today we get to see a couple new photos of Emma already making her return to her homeland of England. BUT, altho Emma has made her way back to the UK this week, she brought a little bit of the USA with her:

I’m pretty sure Emma is back in the UK to take care of some biz (most likely movie biz or mebbe clothes designing biz) and she’ll be back at Brown in no time. I bet she is anxious to get all her affairs in the UK sorted out so that she can finally settle down into quiet college life here in the States. I know we’ll be very happy to have her … but I can understand why the UK would want to get her back home every now and again ;)

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

Another day, another clothing line designed by a celebrity … in today’s instance, we get word that Harry Potter starlet and frosh student at Brown University this Fall Emma Watson has signed on to design her own line of clothing which will be called Love From Emma for a company called People Tree. Here are a few deets from Teen Vogue magazine about Ms. Watson’s new line of clothes:

We could barely contain our excitement when we heard through the rumor mill that our lovely August cover girl Emma Watson was to be launching a clothing line designed exclusively for teens, so imagine our delight when the official announcement dropped in our inbox this morning! The capsule collection for People Tree — the British purveyor of Fair Trade fashion that works to create livelihoods for individuals in some of the world’s most marginalized communities by using hand weaving, knitting and embroidery — is appropriately called Love from Emma. The spring/summer 2010 lineup will be comprised of 26 women’s looks (plus 15 men’s styles for all the Ron Weasleys in your life), and you can expect lots of casual-chic basics like 100% organic and Fairtrade certified cotton t-shirts and jersey dresses, as well as quirky lifestyle accessories ranging from bohemian hand embroidered bead throws to banana fibre slouchy beanies and head scarves befitting of the Brown frosh Emma. While we got concerned when we realized that the collection, which hits stores in late February, will only be available in countries where People Tree currently has outposts (read: the EU and Japan), we were relieved to learn that People Tree will be opening up a special e-commerce site to ship orders to the States. You can even sign up now at peopletreeyouth.co.uk to get up to the minute information on the collection!

I suppose if Lauren LC Conrad can design a line of clothes for Kohl’s here in the States then why shouldn’t Emma Watson be allowed to design a line of clothes for People Tree in the EU. Both of these lines have to be better (ie. of greater quality) than the line of clothes “designed” by Miley Cyrus for Wal-Mart. Something tells me that this fad of celebrity clothing designs won’t be dying down anytime soon … at least a collection associated with Emma Watson doesn’t seem as cheap as most of the celebrity collections out there … I think her Britishness helps ;)

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Emma Watson, who will be a Freshman in college Fall, made her quiet arrival in Providence, RI this weekend to acquaint herself with her new university, Brown. Here are photos of Emma on campus (chillin’ with new friends and with her boyfriend Jay Barrymore) on the Brown University campus this weekend:

‘Harry Potter’ star Emma Watson dressed down for her first day at university in America at the weekend. But any attempt at blending in with her fellow freshmen at Brown University failed when the 19-year-old actress reportedly turned up in a helicopter. Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the blockbuster series, will study literature at the prestigious Ivy League college in Providence, Rhode Island. Miss Watson, who looked anything but the global movie star in simple denim shorts and a white T-shirt, is likely to have to get used to having her own fan club on campus. Classes start on Wednesday after Saturday’s check-in and several days of orientation and activities. Before hitting the books, new students can attend yoga and games night, a midnight organ concert and kickball game. But it isn’t all fun: The students will also get the chance to ‘take part in discussions on diversity, sexual assault and Brown’s role in the transatlantic slave trade’. She said recently: ‘But I do hope that it will be only a short time before I am known as “Emma Watson, the student from the UK” rather than “Emma Watson who starred in those Harry Potter films”.’ Without confirming that Watson is actually attending Brown this autumn, Mark Nickel, the school’s director of communications, said: ‘We do whatever we need to do to ensure safety and privacy, and that applies pretty much to all students.’ Asked if the school might take extra precautions to protect a young wizard, he added: ‘Sure.’ It is one of the top colleges in the United States, boasting alumni including former presidents, diplomats, royalty and a heavy sprinkling of celebrities’ offspring. Most recently, George Harrison’s son, Dhani, attended Brown. Brown was recently been ranked number 1 for America’s ‘Happiest College Students’, according to the Princeton Review 2010 rankings. It was also named ‘the most fashionable school in the Ivy League’ by the fashion trade journal Women’s Wear Daily. Miss Watson achieved straight As in her A-levels. However, she’s not completely leaving the world of showbiz behind. She will have to return to the studio during her holidays to film the last two instalments in the Harry Potter series.

I understand there was a ridiculous rumor that Emma arrived at Brown U via helicopter (which this article from the Daily Mail repeats) which turned out to be wildly untrue. I don’t expect that there will be much more ridiculous rumors flying around during her first term at Brown but, well, one can never be sure. I’m quite confident that once the novelty having Emma Watson on campus dies down (very soon, I expect) she will be able to blend in with the rest of her classmates and enjoy quiet college life. Welcome to the US, Emma! You’re an honorary Yankee now!!

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source]

You ever wonder why Hermione Granger does so well at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Mebbe it’s because the actress who plays her in the movies, Emma Watson, is descended from a “real” witch. According to People magazine, it has been determined that Emma’s family has an ancestor who was tried as a “real” witch back in the days of yore … which is terribly interesting only because, as we all know, Emma gained fame and fortune from playing a witch in the Harry Potter films:

You think Emma Watson won the coveted role of Harry Potter’s pal Hermione Granger just because of her talent and beauty? Actually, it turns out magic was always in her blood – the British actress can trace her roots back to a real-life woman accused of witchcraft in the 16th century. According to genealogist Anastasia Tyler of Ancestry.com, the 19-year-old actress is a distant relative of Joan Playle of Essex County, England, who was convicted of witchcraft in 1592 and excommunicated from the Church of England. So that’s why the public finds Watson so enchanting … “It’s not every day we’re able to trace the branches of a family tree back to 16th-century witch trials,” Tyler says. “Combine that with a celebrity connection to Emma Watson and the fact that she plays a witch in Harry Potter: You couldn’t script it any better.” Most of Watson’s cast mates don’t have as storied a lineage – Daniel Radcliffe is descended from bakers, grocers and plumbers, and Rupert Grint includes a gunsmith among his forebears. Helena Bonham Carter, who plays villainous Bellatrix Lestrange, however, is of noble birth, and her great-grandfather, Herbert Henry Asquith, Earl of Oxford and Asquith, served as prime minister of the U.K. from 1908 to 1916.

This is a cute story only because of the coincidental nature of these two long-lost relatives. BUT, to clarify … “real” witches who were tried, convicted and oftentimes executed for witchcraft (during a dark period in human history referred to as the Burning Times) were usually no more than wise women who threatened the male patriarchy and were exterminated to get them out of the way. For example, midwives who took business away from male doctors were often accused of heresy and witchcraft so that they could be executed and done away with. While witchcraft or Wicca is a genuine and very old pagan religion (that predates Christianity and is still practiced today) that focuses on the worship of nature and the concept of a male/female deity duality, it is not really the same thing as using magic wands and flying brooms like we see in the movies. I think many people would be very surprised to learn that they prolly have witches in their family ancestry as well … which isn’t a bad thing at all. Pagan nature religions are the oldest forms of worship in human existence and will surely exist for all time. As they say, Life’s a Witch … and then you Fly! ;)

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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and others were joined by author J.K. Rowling at the London premiere of the newest Harry Potter film The Half-Blood Prince at Leicester Square last night. Despite the buckets of rain that fell all night long, hundreds of fans came out to catch a glimpse or score an autograph of their fave Harry Potter stars as they walked the red carpet last night. Here are a few pics from the arrivals last night along with some info from the event:

If Potions Professor Horace Slughorn had mixed a brew to conjure up torrential rain, the weather could not have been worse for the premiere of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Dedicated fans braved thunder, lightning and Biblical downpours in London’s Leicester Square to catch a glimpse of the film’s stars arriving at the opening of the sixth film in the wildly popular “Harry Potter” franchise. While dreadful weather has become an unfortunate tradition at Potter premieres (it rained during the 2007 premiere of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”), the latest installment holds something new for fans. “The Half-Blood Prince” offers up an uncommonly large helping of humor as Harry, Hermione and Ron enter their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. “I think this film’s funnier,” said star Daniel Radcliffe who plays the titular young hero. “There are a couple of moments which I laughed out loud at.” Hormones are also running high inside the castle walls, with romances blossoming between some of the formerly chaste characters. But, says director David Yates, for all the romance and humor, the film still has a very dark side. “It is a bit bipolar,” Yates told CNN. “On the one hand, there’s all this snogging and romance and on the other hand people are getting killed and bridges are being blown up.” “The humor is there to kind of leaven the intensity of what happens later on in the movie,” he added. If the latest Harry Potter installment treads more adult terrain, it’s not just because the three lead actors — who started as unknown children — have grown up. The three have amassed huge fortunes and international recognition off the back of the films. Daniel Radcliffe wowed Broadway by going nude in “Equus,” Emma Watson has become the face of Burberry and Rupert Grint recently hit the headlines with a dose of swine flu. A dark storyline runs through the core of “The Half-Blood Prince”: The ascendancy of the malevolent Lord Voldemort threatens the wizarding world, while tragic events provide some genuinely scary moments and spell the end of childhood for Harry and the others. “I think it’s aimed at a slightly older audience,” says Emma Watson, 19, who plays bookish heroine Hermione Granger in the franchise. “I think the films have grown up with the audience” … Fans have had to wait an extra eight months for the latest installment after Warner Bros (which, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner) delayed the release of the movie after the success of “The Dark Knight” to spread out its blockbusters. It is estimated the film cost $250 million to make. The last film, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” came out in 2007 and took $938 million at the box office worldwide. The five films have so far made $4.5 billion in worldwide box office, making it the most successful movie franchise in history. The Harry Potter franchise is based on the best-selling series of books by British writer J.K Rowling. The first film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” directed by Chris Columbus, was released in 2001.

OMG RELEASE THIS MOVIE ALREADY!!! We still have about a week left to wait for the film to hit theaters and I’m already freakin’ out about it. The Harry Potter story gets seriously serious in Half-Blood Prince and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen. Even tho those Londoners had to get soaked to the bone at last night’s premiere, I envy that they’ve been able to see the film already. I can’t even wait any more … Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens in theaters on July 15. Are y’all as excited as I am?

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Emma Watson, star of the upcoming Summer movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of British Elle magazine. In addition to another fashion forward photospread, Emma talks a bit about the anonymity that she hopes to achieve once she enters college here in the US (it’s rumored she’ll attend classes at Columbia University) after she completes filming the final Harry Potter movie The Deathly Hallows. Here is Emma’s British Elle coverphoto and a portion of her coverstory interview:

It’s hard to imagine Emma Watson ever fading into the background – but according to the Harry Potter actress that’s exactly what she wants to do. The 19-year-old is busy preparing for the end of the Harry Potter franchise and her start at U.S. university Columbia in September. And, despite her worldwide fame, she has revealed she hopes to be just another ‘anonymous’ student. “I’m so excited. Living in London, it’s hard to be anonymous,” she told Elle magazine. “But hopefully, on some campus somewhere, I’ll fade into the background a bit.” But if the photos accompanying the article are anything to go by, fashion fan Emma will stand out wherever she goes. The rock chick-style shoot shows her with backcombed hair and dramatic eye makeup, showing off her figure in leggings, heels and space-age suits. Emma, who lives with a flatmate in Hampstead, had considered taking up a place at Cambridge University, after receiving straight As in her A’levels. But she reveals: ‘I’m very aware that with Cambridge, people would find that interesting. “Cambridge is so high profile in itself and then, on top of that, people don’t really go out in Cambridge because it’s so small, so I’ll be going out in London and then that’s just the same thing. I definitely am attracted to the States for that reason.” With the end of filming on the Harry Potter series of eight films, Emma will be saying goodbye to her ’second family’ on the Watford set. “It’s going to sound dramatic, but I feel like it’s going to be my life over as I know it,” she said. “My whole life has been about Harry Potter and then all of that will shut down and I don’t know what it will be like. I go to university in September – I’ll be doing bits and bobs at Christmas, but September feels like my cut-off point, the moment when I’ll really stop.” And, having already banked more than £10 million, Emma isn’t certain she will return to acting. “At the moment I feel like I need to go away and figure out what I want to do and be myself for a bit,” she said. “Does that sound strange? I just want to take a step back from it and not rush into stuff. I need university to give me that break. People think because I’m going to university I’m never going to act again, but it’s actually me. I want to figure out how I feel about everything first. Maybe I’ll keep acting, maybe I won’t. I just want to find something where I feel I have to do this. Maybe that’ll happen when I read a script. It felt like that with Hermione. I want to feel like that again.” But if that doesn’t happen Emma already has another career in mind – she says she would enjoy being a make-up artist.

Um … or a fashion model! OK, mebbe not a model for real but she does rock these hot outfits right. After the jump, check out a few of Emma’s photos from this issue of British Elle magazine …

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