Starting on 12 June the RTÉ Radio 1 Music Collection launches a brand new eight part weekly series, Shay Byrne’s Friday Lounge. With all the finest music for lounge music lovers, over the coming weeks Shay will feature artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Darin, Jackie Gleason, Wayne Newton, Louis Prima, Sonny King, and Sam Butera singing a selection standards and classics like My Way, Beyond The Sea and of course Dusty Springfield’s Spooky. The Friday Lounge will also have a place for the current crop of singers such as Michael Bublé, Jamie Cullum and Melanie Gardot. There will also be specials on the ‘Ladies of Lounge’, ‘Great Duets’ , ‘The Modern Crooners’ and ‘Lounge in the Movies’ and the final programme’s playlist will be selected from listeners texts, emails and requests received throughout the series. A one time cabaret singer, Shay commented ‘Lounge is a great catchall term for playing anything you want! My father was a great music fan and I inherited his love for the easy listening style of the ’50s and ’60s so I’m really looking forward to playing lots of that, but also jazz, swing and anything else that suits the mood. Being a live show, I’m really looking forward to seeing suggestions and comments coming in on text and email.’ Shay will be there on Friday nights at 9.00pm from 12 June on RTÉ Radio 1, wearing his sharp suit, white shirt and skinny tie. Please fell free to drop in. You can get in contact with Shay Byrne’s Friday Lounge by texting 51551 or by emailing shayslounge@rte.ie Shay Byrne’s Friday Lounge is produced by Aidan Butler and is presented by Shay Byrne.

Tune into Shay Byrne’s Friday Lounge on RTÉ Radio 1 on FM, DAB, online and on Sky Channel 0160.

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is confident that “love happens when you’re not looking for it,” so don’t expect the 19-year-old star to seek out a certain kind of guy. Swift tells the Associated Press, “When I’m thinking about going on a date with some guy or considering liking him, it really doesn’t matter what they do or how that affects my career. … When you strategize a relationship too much, like, ‘We’re not gonna be public about it, and we’re gonna say this in interviews,’ when you think it all out, I think that complicates the relationship and I think that’s unfair for the relationship. I don’t look for boyfriends, I don’t really scour the awards shows for who I’m going to date.” I’m not going to be the one to overthink it,” she adds. Swift’s sophomore album, “Fearless,” has sold more than 3 million copies; her self-titled debut went double-platinum; and she’s on a best-selling tour. This Sunday, ‘Dateline NBC’ devotes a special to her, taking fans backstage to show Swift’s life behind the performances. Is the success overwhelming for the star? “I wanted this, since the time I was a little girl,” she says. “I’ve always just wished that maybe someday people would care about the words that I wrote. I’m so lucky that my songs are basically my diary put to music. I’m so lucky that I get to write my own music and write my own stories, so every single time I look down in the audience and I see somebody singing the words back to me, it makes it all worth it.” Putting her diary to music has revealed much about Swift’s life, as relationships like the one she shared with Jonas Brothers’ member Joe Jonas have appeared in her songs. “I don’t need to edit names out of songs,” she explains, “and I don’t need to edit details out of my songs because I’ve always been able to be honest with my music. That’s the one place where I’m never ever going to change how I do things.” Regarding friendships with other young women in the industry, like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, Swift says, “I’ve always approached this from the place where I don’t compete with other girls. I don’t compete with other people in the industry, I compete with myself. If I looked at every other girl in the entertainment industry as competition, my life would be really lonely. I wouldn’t have some of the coolest friends that I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know over the last couple of years. … It’s really awesome to get to hang out with those girls and to call them friends.”

Against The Season is an emerging melodic/rock band originating from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now currently residing in Salt Lake City, Utah. With the release of their first and very own EP entitled “A New Beginning”, their blend of musical energy, from passionate lyrics to driving melodies, create a unique sound that captivates audiences from all different walks of life. What most people find fascinating about A.T.S., is that they are bound together by something stronger than their positive music. Just like their older brothers and sister, better known as The Jets, an international 80’s Pop band, Against The Season are four siblings brought together by their talents and musical abilities that started from childhood. In the age of D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) mentality and monotonous bands forming rapidly across the country, Against The Season sticks out as something out of the ordinary. With their Polynesian background and family values, they earn instant attention from anyone hoping for something new in the rock world. As being heard from many as “A breath of fresh air”, Against The Season seeks to grow and improve to bring their music to the next level. With all things being said, Against The Season offers a powerful message that is ready to be heard against the raging scenes of today’s music industry.

Lion OBrien Formed in 2008, from London, England, United Kingdom Genres:Pop, Rock, Indie Lion O’Brien write songs about love, work, robots, vampires and other aspects of common everyday life. Blending sharp lyrics with infectious melodies and anthemic choruses, Lion O’Brien are striving to forge their own original brand of feel-good music. Originally started by James O’Brien (ex-Costar - Only Ever Records) as a side project in the summer 2008, Bermondsey based Lion O’Brien soon took on a life of its own. After writing an album’s worth of majestically melodic pop songs, James recruited pianist/ backing vocalist Teresa Kelly, and bassist Mike Jones through the small ads. After a host of successful acoustic shows they recruited the Isle of Wight’s best drummer, Eve Barnes, and went electric. Lion O’Brien are currently gigging around the UK, and have been championed by the likes of the BBC’s Steve Lamacq, Tom Robinson, and DJ Alex Zane (MTV and XFM). http://www.myspace.com/lionobrien

British heart-throb Robert is in the medieval town of Montepulciano in Tuscany filming scenes for New Moon Kristen, who stars as Bella Swan in the vampire flick, has been exploring the area with her hunky co-star during breaks from filming Italian fans of Twilight were given a glimpse of the action in the sequel to the saga as Robert Pattinson and his co-stars began lensing more scenes for New Moon this week. Twenty-three-year-old Robert and Kristen Stewart who plays the British heart-throb’s love interest Bella in the vampire fantasy, are currently filming in the medieval town of Montepulciano in Tuscany. The move to the Italian location follows a stint on the movie’s Vancouver set. News of the arrival of the cult hit’s cast didn’t take long to reach the locals. Dozens of excited fans camped outside Robert’s hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol. In breaks from filming Robert and Kristen, who play an on-screen couple, have been taking in the local sights. Picturesque Montepulciano stands in for Volterra, the home of the vampire coven known as the Volturi, whose leader Aro is played by newcomer Michael Sheen. Another newcomer is Dakota Fanning, who plays a vampire who can create the illusion of pain. The movie focuses on the relationship between Robert’s supernatural character Edward Cullen and teen Bella who is devastated when he abruptly disappears. And she finds herself drawn into the world of werewolves – ancestral enemies of the vampires – by her growing friendship with Jacob Black, played by 17-year-old Taylor Lautner, and finds her loyalties tested. For those who can’t wait to see the new film, due to be released in the UK on November 27, there’s a chance to see a clip from it on Sunday when Robert, Kristen and Taylor present it at the MTV Movie Awards.

The court hearing evidence in a case involving French designer Nicole Farhi has learned how the 62-year-old fashionista was threatened with a knife and strangled until she passed out when she was attacked on her doorstep in London by thieves in April last year. During the robbery, two men stole an £8,000 diamond ring, cash and a Rolex watch - which she had pleaded with them not to take as it had sentimental value - the court was told. Nicole, who runs her own fashion label created in 1983, lost consciousness during the attack which occurred on the drive of her home in Hampstead in North-West London. Upon hearing the commotion her playwright husband Sir David Hare chased the thieves down the road, but they escaped in car. Nicole was one of dozens of professional women who were attacked in a robbery spree from March to June last year. Two brothers are accused of terrorising some of London’s wealthiest areas, including Notting Hill and Chelsea, by looking for glamorous women to target