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  • Carrie Fisher: Daughter Billie Lourd to Appear in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

    Carrie Fisher can truly say, “Like mother, like daughter,” with regard to her daughter Billie Lourd. The 23-year-old will appear in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens when it hits theaters later this week. She even mirrors the iconic Princess Leia hairstyle of the previous films.

    Lourd doesn’t play Carrie Fisher’s daughter in the film, but since she has long been a diehard Star Wars fan, she was thrilled to simply get a role.

    “I made [my mom] watch it at least once a week–and on special occasions I would make her get in a lightsaber fight with me,” the 23-year-old Scream Queens star says. “Let’s just say the more trained Jedi usually won.”

    Billie Lourd is proud of the example Carrie Fisher set in the films.

    “When I saw the [original] movie for the first time, I noticed my mom was not only equally as confident and strong as the men, she was one of the most confident characters in the entire film,” she said said. “It made me realize women are just as powerful as men and that we can truly do anything they can–if not more!”

    Lourd’s character’s name in the film has yet to be revealed, but she admits her mother’s character–Princess Leia–is an inspiration for her own.

    Will you be checking out Carrie Fisher and her daughter in Star Wars: The Force Awakens when it opens in theaters on December 18?

  • Debbie Reynolds Awarded Honorary Oscar, Granddaughter Billie Lourd Accepts On Her Behalf

    American actress and businesswoman Debbie Reynolds was given an honorary award at the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards, which was held at Los Angeles, California on Sunday night.

    Reynolds’ granddaughter, Scream Queens actress Billie Lourd, accepted the award on her behalf. Her mother and the original Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher, joined her during the event.

    Reynolds, 83, was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which is given to individuals who have had significant contributions to humanitarian causes. Days before the award, Debbie Reynolds already stated that she would not be able to attend the 7th Governors Awards, due to a recent surgery that she is still recovering from.

    “I’m heartbroken that I’m unable to be there in person to receive this extraordinary honor you have given me, so you could see how unbelievably happy you have made me,” she said in the statement.

    In response, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said that while they are saddened by the news, they are still “looking forward in honoring the actress’ achievements and commitment to philanthropy.”

    Lourd, 23, received the award on Sunday night on behalf of her grandmother, who began her career in 1950 in Three Little Words, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.

    Other notable films include Bundle of Joy (1956), The Catered Affair (1956), Mother (1996), and the popular Singin’ in the Rain (1952), which pushed her to stardom.

    Watch A Young Debbie Reynolds in Singin’ In The Rain

    Aside from starring in films and TV shows, Debbie Reynolds is also the former president of The Thalians, which is an organization dedicated to mental causes.

    Earlier this year, Debbie Reynolds also received another award, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

    Other recent recipients of the prestigious award include Harry Belafonte, Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Lewis and Sherry Lansing.

  • Debbie Reynolds Misses Governor’s Awards, Granddaughter Accepts On Behalf of The Hollywood Legend’s Behalf

    Debbie Reynolds, the recipient of this year’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, was unable to attend the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards Saturday night.

    According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Academy issued a statement Friday saying, “The Academy and the family of Debbie Reynolds announce that due to an unexpectedly long recovery from a recent surgery, Reynolds will regretfully be unable to attend.”

    In Debbie Reynolds stead, granddaughter Billie Lourd accepted the award on the 83-year-old Hollywood legend’s behalf. The 23-year-old Scream Queens actress attended the ceremony alongside her mom, Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher.

    “I’m heartbroken that I’m unable to be there in person to receive this extraordinary honor you have given me — so you could see how unbelievably happy you have made me. If joy could be weighed, this would be the most sizable rejoicing one could feel, especially if that one is me,” Debbie Reynolds said in a statement.

    “We’re saddened to hear that Debbie won’t be able to personally accept her well-deserved Oscar,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We look forward to honoring her lifetime achievements and commitment to philanthropy in a fitting tribute with her family and friends.”

    Reynolds was recognized for her decades-long commitment to various charities, including the mental health organization she founded, the Thalians.

    Honorary Oscars were also presented Saturday to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands, both for career achievement.

  • Billie Lourd Not Leia’s Daughter in Star Wars, But On Her Way

    Billie Lourd is the daughter of actress Carrie Fisher and agent Bryan Lourd. Somewhere in all that, she made the connection needed to get cast in J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Rumors flew that Lourd would be seen on screen as Princess Leia’s daughter.

    But in a recent interview with Interview Magazine, Lourd put that rumor to rest.

    “I’m not Princess Leia’s daughter,” she said. Which pretty much buttons that up.

    Her parents had steered her away from acting, like some parents in the business do. Mom Carrie Fisher was already second-generation acting. She and her Lourd tried to push their daughter elsewhere. But Lourd was sneaky.

    “It’s been a secret dream of mine,” Lourd says of acting. “My whole life, they said, ‘Do not act. You need to get a college degree.’ I went to performing arts camp, secretly taking classes—I got the lead in the musical, and my dad was like, ‘Wait, I thought you were going here for music and knitting.’ ”

    Billie Lourd did graduate from NYU last year with a degree in religion and psychology, which may come in handy if she does any more Star Wars films. Getting cast in that right out of the gate is pretty sweet, no matter who you mom is.

    “This is the first job I’ve ever had—right into the fire,” Lourd says of the experience making the film.

    But for now, she is in Scream Queens on Fox, which is a dark comedy.

    “It’s scary, but there’s a lot of comedic breaks,” says Lourd of her character. “She’s brought up my sass level for sure.”

    “This is what I’ve always wanted,” Lourd says. “I’m living the dream right now.”