The 2009 PNR Rising Stars Honors List

Matt has been around for a number of years, but he’s just starting to break through. He played one of Dylan’s friends in the Michael Angarano movie One Last Thing…, and also recently had a co-starring role in the Sundance comedy hit Adventureland. Matt is perhaps best known as the teenager who hates rollover minutes in a hilarious series of commericals for AT&T cell phones. With his visiblilty rising, the sky is the limit for him…

Tom is one of those young actors who seems to be in demand everywhere. He began acting when he was in his early teens, and has branched out in recent years into music as well. After two seasons as the star of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, he’s making the leap to films as the lead in the remake of Nightmare On Elm Street, and is currently onscreen in the hit My Sisters Keeper.

Ari got her start in a recurring role on the hit HBO series The Sopranos, and there’s been no looking back for her since. She stole the show as Caroline in Nick And Norah’s Infinate Playlist, and recently has been seen on the hit tv series Fringe. She’ll next be seen in the movies Whip It and Holy Rollers and then later this year she will reteam with Michael Cera in the comedy Youth In Revolt.

This young actor has concentrated primarily on the stage for the last several years, receiving a Tony nomination for his role in the hit musical Spring Awakening. But he’s moving into films in August with a featured role in the new Ang Lee comedy Taking Woodstock. Jonathan has star written all over him, and we think his career is going to explode, both in films and on the stage, in the coming months and years…

Julianne is a dynamo who is going for more than just a Mirror Ball trophy. A two-time winner as the professional dancer on ABC’s huge hit Dancing With The Stars, with Apolo Anton Ohno and Helio Castroneves, and a singer whose debut album released last year was a huge hit on the country charts, now she’s moving into acting in the musical remake of Footloose. Julianne is conquering every medium she’s trying, and it’s proof that she’s destined to be a huge star…

Zach came to our attention as the scene-stealing Eric Applebaum in the family comedy Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, and he just missed my list last year. Now with featured roles in the films Kit Kittredge and the forthcoming Raspberry Magic, this 13 year old looks to become the next big teen on the scene. His natural abilities are proof that there’s nowhere to go but up for him…

Already known for his role in the cult hit Smokin’ Aces in 2008, Pine had the unenviable task of stepping into some big shoes in 2009 – those of Captain James T. Kirk in JJ Abrams’ reworking of Star Trek. And he filled those shoes admirably. With four movies on the horizon, including Carriers and Unstoppable, Pine has the talent, the looks, and the charisma to become the next big leading man in Hollywood.

Victor is the sole member of the original Lords Of Dogtown quartet we haven’t honored as yet, and its my shame that we haven’t. He’s become well known and well thought of for a series of smaller roles in movies like I’m Reed Fish and Stop-Loss, but now is poised to breakout as one of the stars of the ensemble piece Life Is Hot In Cracktown. And he’s already following that up with four more roles. Victor, like his Dogtown co-stars Emile Hirsch, John Robinson, and Michael Angarano, has only grown since his time on that film, and now is poised for the really big time.

Stepping into a well-known role like that of Nyota Uhura, as she did in the JJ Abrams’ reworking of Star Trek, and doing it so well, proves that Zoe is ready to rock in the acting world. A veteran of 10 years in the business, she’s soon to really explode as one of the stars of the James Cameron epic Avatar hitting theaters this Christmas, and then will move on to the American remake of Death At A Funeral. And she’ll no doubt be keeping hailing frequencies open for a return in the next Star Trek film as well…

RYAN SHECKLER

What the hell is Sheckler doing on this list? He’s an untested commodity, you say? Well, no, he’s not. The 19 year old skateboarding superstar made his acting debut in the film Grind a few years back in a bit role, and now, with growing legions of fans turning out at every Dew Tour and X Games competition, Hollywood has taken notice. He’s got a featured role in his buddy Paul Rodriguez’ critically acclaimed indie film Street Dreams, which is grounded in his natural skateboarding environment. But he’s really positioned himself to explode in his first non-skate starring role opposite Dwayne Johnson in the family comedy Tooth Fairy, which hits theaters in Febuuary 2010 If the movie is the hit I think it will be, Sheckler could find himself torn between two worlds that can both offer him the moon….

It was only a matter of time, and we knew it. My #1 female rising star this year has been on our radar for about five years now, with great performances in the TV movie Speak and the PNR favorite Fierce People. But when she signed on to play Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga, she had to know that her life was about to change forever. Now, her star is going supernova, with roles in the hit comedy Adventureland, the upcoming biopic The Runaways, where she plays rocker Joan Jett, and of course the next two films in the Twilight series, New Moon and Eclipse. Now that’s she’s really on EVERYBODY’S radar, there’s no holding her back…

MICHAEL WELCH

Given his extensive resume and his track record, I think Welch is about to explode. He’s been around since the age of 10, when he co-starred in Star Trek: Insurrection, a role I’m completely embarrassed to say I didn’t even realize was him until last week (duh!). But this year’s #1 male rising star has everything going for him and should break wide open in the next year or so. Best known for his role as funny and friendly high school jock Mike Newton in The Twilight Saga, Michael is also around in a number of indie films, including the much troubled and yet to be seen film All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, the LA Film Festival hit Remember The Daze, Sundance favorite An American Crime, SXSW monster hit My Suicide, and in two ohter forthcoming films, Lost Dream and Unrequited.   He’s not only one of the best young actors around, he’s also one of the busiest…

A fast rising and genuinely funny actress and comedienne, Yi first gained notice in Judd Apatow’s hit Knocked Up, and then moved on to this year’s Sundance darling Paper Heart, which she co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed, as well as starring in it with her real-life beau, actor Michael Cera. The psuedo-documentary hits in August and has already had some of the best buzz of any film this year. Given her short but remarkable track record, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Charlyne is about to hit the big time…

It’s no surprise that Ackles is on this list; he’s one of Kim’s favorites thanks to her love for his cult hit TV series Supernatural. But this year, he broke big in films as the star of the box office smash My Bloody Valentine, and his little seen cult movie Ten Inch Hero is now available on DVD. Jensen has what it takes to be one of Tinseltown’s biggest leading men, and if he continues to hit big box office with his films, look out…

Malin has been around for a few years, with excellent supporting parts in films like The Heartbreak Kid and 27 Dresses. But Kim’s #1 female rising star made a HUGE splash as the Silk Spectre in this spring’s Watchmen, and is on screen again right now in The Proposal. With featured roles upcoming in Couples Retreat and Electra Luxx, the future is looking very bright indeed for Ms. Akerman…

Ms. Bloodgood has been on the radar for a couple of years, and we kept hearing her name mentioned, but never really saw her until she kicked an enormous amount of ass in Terminator: Salvation. Now, she’s become one of our favorite rising stars. With several films coming up, including Bedrooms, and her occasional work on the small screen, it looks like she’s reaching for the Moon…and making it…

This young Brit is a scene-stealer extraordinare, which he proved with his hilarious turn as Dev, the lead singer of the queercore band The Jerkoffs in the off the wall comedy Nick And Norah’s Infinate Playlist. Then we got to see his serious side, so to speak, in the film Inkheart. So it’s clear to us that Rafi can handle any kind of role, and we know that real stardom is just around the corner for him…he’s definately one to keep a close eye on in the coming years…

As Alice Cullen, the beautiful vampire with the clairvoyant visions in The Twilight Saga, Ashley launched herself into the hearts and minds of fans of the book series around the world. Now she’s poised to show off what she can really do in diverse roles in the upcoming films Skateland, Summer, and Warrior, and then will return to Forks as Alice in The Twilight Saga‘s second installment New Moon. We think it’s only a matter of time before she is really a household name…

Tyler first got our attention as bully with a heart of gold Murphy Bivens in the hilarious and criminally underrated Charlie Bartlett. Before that, he got a chance to do something few get the chance to do – play Elvis Presley in a small role in Walk The Line. But in addition to being a rising actor, Tyler is also an accomplished musician, with several albums to his credit, and has been featured on Subject:CINEMA as an artist of the week in November 2008. In both music and acting, Hilton (no relation, incidentally, to that family) has the chops to go all the way…

This native Canadian hunk has been making girls swoon for several seasons on NBC’s critically acclaimed series Friday Night Lights, and is now getting noticed for his film work as well. After roles in Snakes On A Plane and The Covenant, Taylor hit the big-time in films this year as Remy Lebeau AKA Gambit, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and will next be seen in The Bang Bang Club opposite fellow 2009 Rising Star Malin Akerman, and in the title role in the film adaptation of the legendary Edgar Rice Burroughs character John Carter Of Mars.

Taylor got his first big break as Shark Boy in the film The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl a few years ago. But like everyone else associated with The Twilight Saga, Taylor’s star is brighter than ever. As Jacob Black, the werewolf with the crush on Bella Swan, Taylor is really turning heads, and his role is much bigger in the next installment, New Moon. He also had a featured role as Christian Slater’s son in the short lived TV series My Own Worst Enemy, which is now out on DVD.

Already known for his turn as Sam Winchester on the cult TV hit Supernatural, Kim’s #1 male rising star this year took his popularity to the big screen this spring, starring in the hit remake of the original slasher flick, Friday The 13th. With at least one more season of Supernatural, and a possible Supernatural film still to come, and more film roles no doubt destined to come his way in the future, the tall and lanky 26 year old is looking to a future that is going to hold film stardom for him as well…

As the tortured bad guy you love to hate, Sylar on TV’s Heroes, Zachary was already making a name for himself. But since taking to the big screen as Commander Spock in JJ Abrams’ retelling of Star Trek, Zachary’s future has really been in warp drive. Stepping into Leonard Nimoy’s shoes as if they were born to fit him, Quinto quickly made the iconic part his own, and his future adventures in the role will no doubt prove to be as huge as the first one. He’ll next be seen on the big screen in the indie film Boutinerre, and then it’s back to Heroes for another season. Here’s a suggestion to JJ Abrams…how about having Quinto play Nimoy’s old series part of Paris in the next Mission:Impossible film? Heh heh heh….

Wow, what a young beauty Juno is, and what a talented actress she is too. As Ema in the comedy Year One, she’s hilarious, and there’s more on the horizon for this lovely UK native, With four more films – Glorious 39, Mr. Nobody, Cracks, and Greenberg – already in the can, she’s going to be seen a LOT in the future. And with that kind of talent, and with that winning smile of hers, we’ll say that Juno is building her own Temple of followers with each passing day….

Another true scene-stealer from Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Aaron is a genuinely talented guy with the brains and charisma to go a long way. He’s picking his roles as diverse as they can be from the gay bandmate Thom in Nick And Norah to Chewie in Friday The 13th, and his role as a nerdy gambler in 21 alongside Class of ’08 rising star Jim Sturgess, Aaron is already proving he can play any character he puts his mind to. And straight to the top is where we think he’s headed…