Anticipation for the upcoming film adaptation of The Hunger Games has been steadily building all year, from the casting announcements through the early production photos, from the preview of the preview to the full-length trailer. Now, just in time for Christmas, there’s one more delectable Hunger Games accessory to chew on: In the wee small hours of the morning, teen sensation Taylor Swift announced via Twitter the release of her contribution to the Hunger Games. The song — currently available exclusively through iTunes — is called “Safe and Sound,” and it’s actually a collaboration between Swift, alt-folk duo the Civil Wars, and Games music producer T Bone Burnett.

The song (which you can listen to HERE) is an eerie little ditty, miles away from Swift’s usual romance-balladry. The chorus is composed of lines like “Just close your eyes/the sun is going down/You’ll be all right/no one can hurt you now.” Appropriate for the somber tone of Hunger Games, there’s no sense of triumph in the lyrics or in Swift’s delivery. It sounds more like a funeral dirge than a victory chant, especially as the song continues with light percussion that sounds like soldiers marching to their doom.

As EW’s Dave Karger noted last year, there’s been a severe shortage of popular songs specifically written for film soundtracks. (Just compare the chart performance/cultural halo/actual quality of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” to the song from James Cameron’s other biggest movie ever: Leona Lewis’ aggressively forgettable “I See You.”) I’m intrigued by the tone that Swift and the Civil Wars are striking with this song — it gives me hope that the movie itself will be as tough and heartfelt as the books.

SOURCE

Taylor Swift and Adele might be joining the likes of Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Britney Spears as the latest pop superstars to grace the cover of famed fashion magazine Vogue.

Fashionista.com reports that after some initial speculation about who had made the final cut, sources confirm that Swift will appear on the February issue and that Adele has been tapped for March, which also happens to be the spring fashion issue.

A rep for the magazine wouldn’t confirm or deny the reports, simply telling MTV News in an email, “We don’t comment on future cover speculation.”

New York magazine’s the Cut blog reports that speculation about Adele’s cover began to spread when the magazine was reportedly asking designers to provide clothes in her size.

“Designers have been asked by the title to make special cover outfits for the full-figured chart-topper for the all-important March issue,” according to the report, which first surfaced on Women’s Wear Daily. Adele previously appeared on the cover of the October issue of Vogue U.K.

Meanwhile, Swift has appeared on the cover of the tween version of the magazine, Teen Vogue, and was spotted with editor-in-chief Anna Wintour at the Rodarte Spring 2012 show at Fashion Week, where she also sat alongside November’s cover girl, “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” star Rooney Mara.

In other magazine news, V Magazine has confirmed that Justin Bieber will appear on its cover, which hits newsstands on January 12. The cover was shot by photographers Inez and Vinoodh, who worked with Lady Gaga on her “Yoü and I” short films. The Bieber cover was styled by the Mother Monster’s right-hand man, Nicola Formichetti.

SOURCE

CoverGirl has discontinued (translation: yanked) a print advertisement of celebrity spokes-singer Taylor Swift following an investigation into alleged retouching.

Said ad shows a dewy-faced, long-lashed Swift striking a pose for the company’s NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara; the large print boasts consumers’ eyelashes will get “2X more volume” while the small print offers a disclaimer of sorts. “Lashes enhanced in post production,” it reads.

Thus began an inquiry led by the National Advertising Division, which requested CoverGirl prove its mascara could double the volume, as it claims. Rather than cave to the watchdog group’s demand, however, parent company Procter and Gamble went forward and struck down the ad, saying in a statement (via Yahoo! Shine): “Upon receiving the inquiry from the NAD, P&G discontinued the advertisement in question. The NAD has deemed our intervention as accurate and proper. We have always been committed, and we continue to be committed, to featuring visuals and claims that accurately represent our products’ benefits.”

Swift, 22, has appeared in a string of spots for the makeup giant, but this is her first run-in with the photoshop police.

“You can’t use a photograph to demonstrate how a cosmetic will look after it is applied to a woman’s face and then — in the mice type — have a disclosure that says ‘okay, not really,’” NAD director Andrea Levine told The Business Insider.

U.S. and international advertising watchdogs are advancing in their goal of enforcing honesty in beauty ads — namely, through banning Photoshop-altered images that represent an unrealistic, airbrushed version of reality. In July, the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority banned cosmetics ads featuring Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington because they were digitally enhanced.

SOURCE

I have added high quality screencaps of Taylor’s music video “Ours” – Enjoy!

X176HQ//”Ours” Music Video Screencaps

You can watch the full show of the CMT awards HERE. You’ll see Taylor from approx 41 minutes into the show.

Taylor made an appearance on the T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle show last night. Be sure to check out the video below!

Taylor’s single “Ours” is on the voting ballots at GAC and CMT Top 20 Countdown. Be sure to visit their websites and vote for Taylor! Tune in on Friday mornings to see the results.

It’s the 14th of December here where I live, but where Taylor is, it’s the 13th and it’s her 22nd birthday! IHeartTaylor.net wishes her a happy birthday and a merry christmas

I have added 7HQ’s of Taylor receiving the Harmony Award on December 10th at the Annual Nashville Symphony Ball! She looks stunning in her dress.

X07HQ//December 10th – Annual Nashville Symphony Ball in Nashville

She’s only 21 yet Taylor Swift has already accomplished a lifetime of work.

Not to mention, bagged an incredible amount of awards.

Tonight she received another one, and it was a special honour for the country star as it recognised her relationship with Nashville. Looking absolutely stunning in angelic blue-tinged oyster, Swift cut a heavenly figure at Nashville Symphony Ball at the Schermerhorn Symphony Centre in the Tennessee city.

Swift, who has four Grammy awards to her name, was honored with the Nashville Symphony’s prestigious Harmony Award.

This recognising her for ‘exemplifying the unique harmony between the many worlds of music that exist in Nashville, and her significant contributions to the development and appreciation of musical culture.’

Earlier this month Swift was feted by Billboard magazine as their 2011 Woman of the Year, the youngest artist ever to receive this top honour.

Last month she won Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards and was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association.

But Swift remains refreshingly down-to-earth, which is half her appeal, and even one simple word when she arrived at the ball: ‘fancy.’

She’s also getting in on the directing lark after director Declan Whitebloom got her behind the camera on her Ours video.

Whitebloom realized that in order to make the video’s home movie clips, scenes of Swift’s character and her love interest that are sprinkled throughout the narrative, more realistic, he’d have to put Swift behind the camera, too.

‘About to go make some videos, home movies and cute things that I’m gonna be reminiscing back on while I’m in my awful work day,’ the singer says in the behind-the-scenes clip.

SOURCE