Charlotte star of US Harry premiere

Charlotte Church stole the show at the New York premiere of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone.

The 15-year-old opera singer from Wales joined a celebrity audience last night at the Zieglfield theatre in Manhattan. The premiere was attended by two stars of the film - Robbie Coltrane and Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the part of Harry.

Charlotte - who is worth a reported £6 million and has sold eight million records across the globe - is already a huge hit in the US.

Her fourth album, Enchanted, is high in the American charts and now she is set to turn her attentions to a Hollywood film soundtrack which has already been tipped for an Oscar nomination.

It accompanies Russell Crowe's film, A Beautiful Mind, and was written for her by James Horner who also penned the music for Titanic.

The film adaptation of JK Rowling's epic children's book has already proved a huge hit in Britain. On the other side of the Atlantic its slightly different title is taken from the American version of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.

An all-star cast - which also includes Richard Harris and Zoe Wanamaker - has ensured that the movie has been given rapturous reviews by adults and children alike in Britain. However, some critics have expressed concerns that the absence of a big Hollywood name - such as Mel Gibson or Julia Roberts - could hamper the movie's box office success in America.

Harry Potter will be released on a record 4, 000 screens in the US. In addition, 120 million books have already been sold.

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