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2009-04-11T01:17:00.000-07:00

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Wallpapers of Hilary Duff

2008-04-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Biography of Hilary Duff

Birthname: Hilary Erhard Duff
Date of birth: 1987-09-28
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
Height: 5' 4
Nationality: American
Profession: actress, musician

Hilary Erhard DuffMiddle name reference can be found in Hilary Duff: All Access (2005) by Rettenmund, Matthew. U.S.: Berkley Trade. p. 2. ISBN 0-425-20519-3 (U.S.). (born September 28 1987) is an American actress and singer. After gaining fame for her starring role on the television show Lizzie McGuire, she went on to have a film career, and her most commercially successful pictures include Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), and A Cinderella Story (2004). The 19 year old has expanded her repertoire into pop music, with four successful studio albums and launched a clothing line and exclusive perfume with Elizabeth Arden, With Love... Hilary Duff.
Duff is currently shooting the 2007 action film with John Cusack and recording her fifth album, scheduled for release in April 2007.

Early life and career

Hilary Duff was born in Houston, Texas, the second child of Bob Erhard Duff, owner of a chain of convenience stores, and Susan Colleen Cobb, a homemaker. After Duff's mother encouraged her to take an acting class alongside her older sister, Haylie Katherine Duff, both girls won parts in various local theatre productions. At the age of six, the Duff sisters participated in the ballet The Nutcracker Suite with Columbus Ballet Met in San Antonio. The siblings became more enthusiastic about the idea of acting professionally, and eventually relocated to California with their mother. Bob Erhard Duff stayed at the family home in Houston to maintain their business. After several years of auditions and meetings, the Duff sisters were cast in several television commercials.Huff, Richard.. New York Daily News. December 1, 2002. Retrieved May 22, 2005.

Television and film career

Most of Duff's first few acting roles were small, starting off with an uncredited appearance in Hallmark Entertainment's western miniseries True Women (1997). She also served as an extra, again uncredited, in writer-director Willard Carroll's ensemble dramedy Playing by Heart (1998). Her first major part was as the star of the 1998 film Casper Meets Wendy, playing the young witch, Wendy, who encounters the animated character Casper. Like (1997), the second sequel to the successful Casper (1995), the film was released direct-to-video with generally unenthusiastic reviews.
Duff later appeared in a supporting role in the television film The Soul Collector (1999), which was based on a Kathleen Kane novel and starred Bruce Greenwood as an angel who helps out a female farmer (Melissa Gilbert) whose husband has recently died. Duff ended up winning a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress)".
Duff's first serious shot at fame came when she was cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom Daddio (2000). Actor Michael Chiklis, co-star of Daddio stated, "After working with her the first day, I remember saying to my wife, 'This young girl is going to be a movie star'. She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin". Later that year she starred in the film Raise Your Voice. Some critics praised Duff for appearing in a more dramatic role than previously, but the film was heavily panned, with the Las Vegas Weekly writing: "Effortlessly combining Duff's bad acting and bad singing with bad writing and bad direction, Raise Your Voice is an insulting waste of time that begs to be silenced". Reviews were, by and large, negative to Duff's vocals (several critics pointed out what appears to be her digitally enhanced voice
) and indifferent towards her acting performance. Duff received a Razzie Award nomination for "Worst Actress" (in addition to her work in A Cinderella Story). The film received a muted reception at the box office, where it became Duff's least commercially successful film at the time.
In The Perfect Man (2005) she played the oldest daughter of a divorced woman that was played by Heather Locklear, who later moves to New York City as she desperately searches for a man to settle down with. Reviews mostly negative, and the film disappointed at the box office, grossing a mere $16,535,005. That year, Duff was again nominated for a Razzie Award, for both The Perfect Man and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. The 2006 satirical comedy Material Girls was her least commercially successful film to date, earning $11,449,638; the Martha Coolidge-directed film, co-produced by Madonna's independent film production company Maverick Entertainment, starred Duff and her real-life sister Haylie Duff as wealthy siblings who must fight to reclaim their fortune following a scandal.
The Duff sisters are due to lend their voices to the computer animated comedy Foodfight!, which Lions Gate Films is to distribute in 2007. The film's director, Larry Kasanoff, said that he is "absolutely thrilled to have the Duff sisters as part of the cast." Duff is currently slated to star opposite John Cusack in Brand Hauser, due for release in late 2007. The film is set in a futuristic country and Duff and Cusack are currently filiming it in Bulgaria. Duff proved her commitment by pushing back her much anticipated fifth studio album so that she had ample time to work on the movie.

Music career

Duff recorded a cover of Brooke McClymont's "I Can't Wait" for the original television soundtrack for Lizzie McGuire in 2002 (see Lizzie McGuire (soundtrack)), and "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" for the first Disneymania compilation album. Her first album was Santa Claus Lane (2002), a collection of Christmas songs which included duets with Lil' Romeo, Christina Milian, and her sister Haylie. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single "Tell Me a Story", it peaked well outside of the top 100 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, but eventually received a gold certification. The album's title track was included on the soundtrack to The Santa Clause 2 and another song (What Christmas Should Be) was used in Cheaper by the Dozen.
Duff sang several tracks for the soundtrack to The Lizzie McGuire Movie (see The Lizzie McGuire Movie (soundtrack)), including "Why Not", which became a modest top twenty hit in Australia. Duff's second studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), included contributions by songwriter-producers such as The Matrix and reached number one on the U.S. and Canadian charts. It became one of the biggest selling albums of the year in the U.S. and has since gone to sell over 3.7 million copies.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1502662/20050520/duff_hilary.jhtml?headlines=true The lead single, "So Yesterday", was a top ten hit in several countries and its music video received heavy airplay on MTV, while "Come Clean" became Duff's first top forty U.S. hit and reached the top twenty elsewhere. The third single, "Little Voice", was not released in the U.S. and was a minor hit in Canada and Australia. In late 2003 Duff embarked on her first concert tour, the Metamorphosis Club Tour and later the Most Wanted tour.
The second Disneymania disc was released in January 2004 and contained a duet with her sister, "The Siamese Cat Song". Another song, "Circle of Life", featured Duff and other Disney Channel Stars. Duff and her sister recorded a cover of The Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the soundtrack to A Cinderella Story, which included two other songs by Duff. The video for "Our Lips Are Sealed" was popular on MTV's TRL but the song itself failed to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Duff co-wrote several of the tracks on her third album, the self-titled Hilary Duff, which she had an edgier, rock feel than Metamorphosis. It was released on her seventeenth birthday (in September 2004) and debuted at number two in the U.S. and number one in Canada. The album has sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. to date,http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33921 An Italy-only compilation, 4Ever, was released in 2006.
Duff recorded new songs for her film Material Girls, including a Timbaland-produced cover version of Madonna's "Material Girl" with her sister. According to Total Request Live, Duff's fourth studio album was to be released in the United States in February 2007 because of her commitment to the film Brand Hauser; it was later pushed back to April.http://hollywoodrecords.go.com/girlnext/index.html It is preceded by the single "Play with Fire", which was released to U.S. radio stations in August 2006. Duff has co-written material for the album with Kara DioGuardi, and she also worked with producer-songwriter Rhett Lawrence in Toronto, Canada. She said that compared to her previous music it would be "more dancey" and make use of more real instruments. "I don't know exactly how to explain what we're doing, but it's fun and funky and different, something new for me. It's really cool", she said. She has also described the album's sound as "a little less pop-rock and more electronic-sounding". A commercial for Duff's fragrance, With Love... Hilary Duff, features the song "With Love".

Personal life

Duff began dating singer Aaron Carter in 2002. They met on the set of Lizzie McGuire, when Carter had a cameo role on a Christmas episode. The relationship lasted a year and a half. It was reported that Carter left actress Lindsay Lohan for Duff. Carter said he also cheated on Duff with her best friend, that Duff "got her heart broken" and that he is "sorry" for his actions.

Duff dated Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden for 2 years but the couple split mid November 2006 due to the difference in age between the couple (8 years). Madden claimed that Duff dumped him. However, the breakup has yet to be confirmed by Duff's publicists. Duff's mother Susan announced their relationship in the June 2005 interview for Seventeen magazine, after a long period of tabloid speculation. In a June 2006 interview with ELLE magazine, Duff was quoted as saying "(virginity) is definitely something I like about myself. It doesn't mean I haven't thought about sex, because everyone I know has had it and you want to fit in." Duff later told MuchMusic that she didn't say the quotes attributed to her in the article and that the subject was "definitely not something that I would talk about..."
In late 2006 Duff took legal action against an alleged stalker and the stalker's roommate. The police are currently investigating. On November 3, 2006, Duff's stalker, Maksim Miakovsky, was arrested for threatening to kill her that weekend. He was booked on charges of making criminal threats and stalking. He came to the U.S. "for the sole purpose of meeting and becoming romantically involved with Ms. Duff." Miakovsky is currently being held on $200,000 bail at the Manhattan Beach jail. He was arraigned on November 7, 2006.
Duff is involved with several charities, is an animal rights enthusiast, a member of "Kids with a Cause,"
In August 2005 Duff said she received veneers because she chipped off one of her front teeth on a microphone during a concert. In late 2005 Duff took a month off from work as a belated eighteenth birthday present. She said that she wanted to take a short break after releasing Most Wanted and writing three new songs for it, shooting three films, and embarking on her U.S. "Still Most Wanted Tour". By 2005 Duff appeared to have lost weight, leading the media to speculate that she had developed an eating disorder, although Duff has denied this claim. Duff was interviewed on the Australian current affair show Today Tonight and stated that she lost weight by living a more active lifestyle.
In late August 2006 Duff traveled to a New Orleans elementary school and worked with USA Harvest to distribute meals. In 2005, she donated more than 2.5 million meals to Hurricane Katrina victims in the south. In September 2006 Duff released her perfume, With Love... Hilary Duff, which she premiered on The View.
Duff and her pet dog Lola made an appearance in the Electronic Arts game , which was released on October 2006. In console versions of the game Duff's character will visit public areas and players will be able to let their sims socialise with her and Lola, the dog. However, in the PC expansion pack, players must download the Duff sim from the Maxis website before December 31 she and her dog will be fully playable characters, rather than a non-player character.The Sims Online . The Sims 2 Online. Thursday, October 5th, 2006.

Wallpapers of Eva Longoria

2008-04-23T01:49:00.000-07:00

Biography of Eva Longoria

Birthname: Eva Jacqueline Longoria
Date of birth: 1975-03-15
Birthplace: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Height: 5' 1"
Nationality: American
Profession: actress

Eva Jacqueline Longoria (born March 15, 1975) is a Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and television actress. She is known for her role as Gabrielle Solis in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. She has also become an internationally recognised model, appearing in several high profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines. Eva announced her engagement to NBA star Tony Parker on November 30th 2006.

Biography

Early life

Longoria was born in Corpus Christi, Texas to Mexican-American Catholic parents Enrique Longoria Jr. and Ella Eva Mireles. The youngest of four daughters, she has three older sisters Elizabeth, Emily and Esmeralda. She attended Roy Miller High School. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. During this time she won the title of "Miss Corpus Christi, USA" in 1998. After completing college, she entered a talent contest which would lead her to Los Angeles, shortly after she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent.

Career

Longoria landed her first television role in 2000, guest starring in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. It was a humble beginning, but there would soon be more work. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year preceded her big break in popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003 and was listed in People en Español's "Most Beautiful People" for 2003. After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-canceled Dragnet. Although it lasted only two seasons, the show gave Longoria another leading star credit to her name. Following Dragnet, she starred in two ill-fated productions - Señorita Justice - a poorly received direct-to-video film and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell.
Longoria was about to land a role that would elevate her to the A-List. In 2004, she starred as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the worldwide break-out ABC hit Desperate Housewives. As the show became an overnight sensation, Longoria's career was well and truly launched. She caused a stir at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami when she appeared in a one-piece bathing suit to introduce Mariah Carey's performance, and joked that she "wasn’t going to let a little hurricane keep me from wearing a bathing suit." She also became the face of L'Oreal internationally and signed a rumoured 6-figure deal to appear in the company's print and television ads. Despite her success, she was snubbed at the 2005 Emmy Awards when she was the only female member of the Desperate Housewives main cast not be nominated. She satirized Housewives internal drama when she appeared on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, being interviewed from her supposedly-relegated-to worst-seats-in-the-house spot. She has joked about the unlikeliness of her character having been a top runway model, given her short stature.
Shortly after her debut on Desperate Housewives, Longoria starred in a poorly received direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer. In 2005, she was rewarded for her performance as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy along with her co-stars. She also stars opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which is her first major role in a theatrical movie (both Douglas and Sutherland noted that much to their surprise, Eva whipped both of them in gun practice). Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful, and was listed as #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. In her most recently released film, Harsh Times, she plays Sylvia. She co-stars with actors Freddy Rodriguez and Christian Bale
On her interview with Ryan Seacrest on The Interview with Ryan Seacrest on E! she has stated: "I don't want to be on 7th Heaven -- on for 20 years and no one's really watching and it's hanging on by a thread." She has stated multiple times that she will not renew her Desperate Housewives contract once it is up. She has set her sights on the film industry. However, the duration of her current contract is not currently known.
In May 2006 Maxim magazine named Longoria number 1 on the Hot 100 list for 2006.
In 2006, Longoria appeared on Jessica Simpson's music video "A Public Affair" along with Christina Milian, Christina Applegate, Ryan Seacrest, Maria Menounos and Andy Dick.

Personal life

Longoria was married to Tyler Christopher, General Hospital star, from 2002 to 2004, and as such, was also credited as Eva Longoria Christopher. Longoria has been romantically linked to SAG president Edward W V Stephens, successful writer Milan Gracanin, ex-*NSYNC member JC Chasez, actor Mousir Syed and Life As We Know It star, Sean Faris (although both Faris and Longoria deny any romantic link). Although some have reported her height as 5'2", she is in fact 5'1".
Longoria spoke candidly about her affection for vibrators in an interview that Rolling Stone magazine published December 15, 2004. As a result, readers started sending sex toys to Longoria (she gave them to friends as gifts). Her employer ABC asked Longoria to stop mentioning the word vibrator in interviews.
As of November 30, 2006, she is engaged to NBA basketball star Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. Eva and Tony called in to the Ryan Seacrest radio show to announce it. She said the way he proposed was "perfect, personal, and sweet." After playing againist the Utah Jazz, Parker flew out to Los Angeles, which was random because she never thought he would come there after the game. She got off work at about midnight and he was there waiting for her. The two reportedly plan to wed in the summer of 2007. . Reports said Longoria claimed she’s had to teach Tony Parker lots of tricks in the bedroom because he was so inexperienced when he met her. "I’m the experienced one. I’m the teacher, especially about love. He’s always telling me he’s never met anyone who loves the way I do, wholly, freely and unconditionally".
On December 24, 2005, a car driven by Parker was cited for impeding traffic. Longoria, who was a passenger, allegedly began verbally abusing the officer by yelling: "He's just a Mexican bike cop. He only wants your autograph." She later denied the allegation, saying through her publicist: "I never made any sort of racial slurs, let alone made any comments about the officer being Mexican, as a Mexican myself."
She is a Catholic and jokingly mentioned about how uneasy it made her feel in an episode of Desperate Housewives when her character attacked a nun. She also has mentioned in the past that her grandmother at first disapproved of the fact that her character was having an adulterous affair with a 16 year old.

Wallpapers of Estella Warren

2008-04-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

Biography of Estella Warren

Date of birth: 1978-12-23
Birthplace: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Height: 5' 9"
Nationality: Canadian
Profession: actress, model

Estella Warren (born December 23, 1978 in Peterborough, Ontario) is a Canadian actress, former fashion model, and a former synchronized swimmer.

Biography

Early life

Warren's father was a used car salesman, and her mother an elementary school principal. As a synchronized swimmer, she represented Canada at the World Aquatic Championships. She moved to Toronto at the age of twelve to train with the national synchronized swimming team, and after becoming the senior national champion at seventeen, Warren had the chance to move on to the 1996 Summer Olympics. She is a three-time Canadian national champion, and the solo bronze medallist at the 1995 Junior World Championships.
In her free time, she enjoys horse riding, playing the piano, singing, and swimming.

Modelling

During a high school fashion show, a talent agent was present who spotted her, took a Polaroid picture of her and sent it to a New York City agency, which triggered the start of her modelling career.
Warren stands 5'9" tall (1.75 metres), with measurements of 34-24-34 (bust-waist-hips). She has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Vogue, Vanity Fair, two television commercials for Chanel No. 5 perfume and was named Maxim Magazine's Hottest Woman in 2000.
In 2000 Warren was the host of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2000. Damon Wayans was the co-host

Acting

Warren has been in numerous movies, including 2001's Driven (with Sylvester Stallone) and Planet of the Apes, 2003's lambasted Kangaroo Jack and the critically acclaimed The Cooler in the same year.
Her acting abilities have been showcased on the small screen, too. She appeared in That '70s Show in 2003; in Law & Order, and in its spin-off , both in 2005. She also appeared in Ghost Whisperer, in an episode entitled, "On the Wings of a Dove", where she portrayed Alexis ("Lexi") Fogerty, which aired on November 11, 2005.
In 2006, Warren was featured in the video for INXS' song Afterglow.

Quotes

"Coming from a barely clothed childhood as a swimmer makes me really comfortable with my body."

"I really wanted to go to the Olympics, but everyone wanted me to model for them, so I said what the hell, why not!"

"If I can't use my beauty now, I'm never going to be able to. This is the way I'm going to get myself to a position where it isn't a factor."

Wallpapers of Emma Watson

2008-04-23T01:45:00.000-07:00

Biography of Emma Watson

Birthname: Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson
Date of birth: 1990-04-15
Birthplace: Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Height: 5' 6"
Nationality: British
Profession: actress

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series.

Biography

Early life

Emma Watson is the elder of two children born to Chris and Jacqueline Watson, lawyers who are now divorced; she has a younger brother named Alex. She spent her formative years living in Paris, France, and Oxford, England. During her primary school years, Watson attended The Dragon School, a private preparatory school, until June 2003.
Prior to her role in the Harry Potter films, Watson's acting experience was limited, consisting only of minor roles in school plays, including Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince. Other school activities included the Daisy Pratt Poetry Competition, in which, at the age of seven, she won first place for her year.

Career

Watson was cast to play Hermione Granger at age ten and was eleven years old when Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone—titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States—was released. She has since appeared in all subsequent Potter films: Chamber of Secrets (2002), Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and Goblet of Fire (2005), and has finished filming Order of the Phoenix.
Potter fans have expressed mixed opinions about Watson's portrayal of Granger: Some feel she is perfect for the role; others believe Watson fails to capture Hermione's insecurities and flaws, and complain that she is too pretty for the role—since Granger, as presented by screenwriters, was considered "plain" (neither "pretty" nor "ugly") as chronicled by Rita Skeeter in her Daily Prophet gossip column. The films, however—with Rowling's approval—establish Hermione as a pretty girl past her bushy hair and bookish demeanor, as Harry and Ron discover at the Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire. The screenplays also present a somewhat different chemistry between the three central characters than do the books.
At age fifteen, Watson became the youngest person to appear on the cover of Teen Vogue magazine. She also served on a jury, along with Pierce Brosnan, Kenneth Branagh, and Samantha Morton, to select the 2004 teenaged filmmakers' "First Light" for the Film Award ceremony in Leicester Square in London. She also played Hermione in The Queen's Handbag, a special mini-episode of Harry Potter in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.
By October 2006, Watson had not committed to appearing in the Harry Potter film series beyond the fifth installment; though the Potter films constitute her only professional acting experience, she has expressed interest in expanding her film career into other works. She has said this is unlikely to happen before the Harry Potter films are complete, though American shark-attack survivor Bethany Hamilton has mentioned Watson as the possible lead in a film version of Hamilton's life story.

Personal life

An avid sports player, Watson enjoys field hockey, tennis, rounders and netball. While on set, she passes the time by playing video games and table tennis. Her musical interests (as of Spring 2005) include singing, hip hop, blues, and classic rock, including Eminem, Eric Clapton, U2 and Nelly Furtado.
Watson attends Headington School, a private all-girls school in Oxford.

Awards

Nominated:

Saturn Award: for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Empire Award: for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Outstanding Supporting Actress: American Moviegoer Awards, 2002
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress: Young Artists Awards, 2002
Best Ensemble in Feature Film: Young Artist Awards, for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Best Young Actress: Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, 2004
Best Young Actress: Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, 2005

Won:

Best Female Film Star (Silver): Otto Awards, 2003
Best Female Child Artist: Phoenix Film Critics Society, for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Total Film Magazine "Child Performance of the Year", 2004
Best Female Film Star (Gold): Otto Awards, 2006

Wallpapers of Elizabeth Hurley

2008-04-23T01:41:00.000-07:00

Biography of Elizabeth Hurley

Birthname: Elizabeth Jane Hurley
Date of birth: 1965-06-10
Birthplace: Hampshire, England, UK
Height: 5' 9"
Nationality: British
Profession: actress, model, producer

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Elizabeth Jane Hurley (b. 10 June 1965, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England) is an English actress, fashion model, producer and designer.

Biography

Hurley's father, a lapsed Catholic of Irish descent was a British Army major, while her mother (an Anglican) was a schoolteacher at Kempshott Infant School. She has an older sister, Katie, and a younger brother, Michael.
Hurley took ballet classes as a child and at the age of twelve, received a scholarship at a boarding school, although she was subsequently expelled for poor grades. She then moved to the Harriet Costello School. Hurley later attended the London Studio Centre and Basingstoke College of Technology.

Career

In the late 1980s, Hurley won a "Face of the Year" competition at a local newspaper in Winchester, England, and gained a year's modelling contract with a prestigious London firm as the first prize. Hurley also launched an acting career, appearing in several low budget English and Hollywood films, including the 1992 thriller Passenger 57 in which Hurley played a terrorist. She also appeared on television on both sides of the Atlantic, appearing in the British series Rumpole of the Bailey and the George Lucas-produced The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
In 1994 Hurley attended the London première of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral starring her then-companion Hugh Grant. Hurley's appearance in a black Versace dress held together with gold safety pins gained her considerable media attention. It has often been referred to simply as "that dress" and, following Versace's murder in 1997, the London Times' obituary cited it as the thing for which the subject was best known.
In 1995 Hurley began working with top cosmetics company Estée Lauder as their main spokesmodel. Within her first month with the company Hurley launched the best-selling perfume Pleasures. In 2006 Hurley's contract with Estée Lauder was renewed for the 12th year with a subsequent contract extension.
Hurley and Grant joined forces to create Simian Films, a production company. Through this joint venture Hurley produced two films starring Grant, Extreme Measures (1996) and Mickey Blue Eyes (1999). She also produced the 2004 film Method in which she starred. In 2006 the company was dissolved as both Hurley and Grant focused on other projects.
In 1997 Hurley was cast as the female lead in the hit Mike Myers spy comedy . After the success of that film Hurley appeared in several more high-profile films, including EdTV, Bedazzled, Double Whammy and 2002's Serving Sara, which was her
last American film to date. Hurley also hosted the first season of the British reality series Project Catwalk featuring novice fashion designers.
In 2005 Hurley's beachwear line Elizabeth Hurley Beach debuted in select Saks Fifth Avenue stores in the United States, Harrod's in the UK, various other locations worldwide and through her website. In 2006, the line expanded its distribution among Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia.

Personal life

Hurley had a long relationship with Hugh Grant, spanning from 1987-2001. After their relationship ended, Hurley began a relationship with multi-millionaire American film producer Stephen Bing. In 2001 Hurley revealed that she was pregnant with Bing's child, a claim Bing rejected.
On April 4 2002, Hurley gave birth to a son, Damian. A DNA test conducted four months after the child's birth vindicated Hurley and Bing was proven to be the father; it is not clear if he will take his biological father's surname. Damian Charles Hurley was baptised a Roman Catholic.

Since 2003 Hurley's companion has been Indian textile heir Arun Nayar. It has been confirmed that she will marry Nayar, an Indo-German ethnic on March 3 next year.
Ironically, she is good friends with Imran Khan., whose ex-wife is currently dating Hugh Grant
She maintains three homes: in London; in Ampney Crucis, a village in Gloucestershire, England; and in Beverly Hills, California.

Charity work

Since she was initially signed with Estée Lauder, Hurley has taken an active role within the company's breast cancer charity. Hurley revealed that her grandmother died from breast cancer because she refused to reveal the lump that she discovered for a number of years. By the time that it was revealed, it was too late to save her life. Hurley was the Mistress of Ceremonies at "The Hot Pink Party" at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City to mark the tenth anniversary of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Additionally, Estée Lauder created a lipstick named "Elizabeth Pink" after Hurley, the proceeds of the sale of every tube of "Elizabeth Pink" benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Hurley has also acted as mistress of ceremonies for The Prince's Trust, a charity founded by Prince Charles which aids youth in Great Britain.

Wallpapers of Christina Aguilera

2008-04-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

Biography of Christina Aguilera

Birthname: Christina Maria Aguilera
Date of birth: 1980-12-18
Birthplace: Staten Island, New York, USA
Height: 5' 2 5"
Nationality: American
Profession: actress, musician

Christina Maria Aguilera (born December 18 1980) is a four-time Grammy Award-winning American pop singer and songwriter. She was signed to RCA Records after recording "Reflection" for the film Mulan, and her bubblegum pop-oriented debut album Christina Aguilera (1999) was a critical and commercial success: it produced four hit singles, including "Genie in a Bottle", and helped Aguilera win a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2000. A Latin Pop album Mi Reflejo which won a 2001 Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album and a Christmas album My Kind of Christmas released during this period also sold strongly. In 2001, she participated in collaboration projects for Ricky Martin's Sound Loaded album and the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, which she won another Grammy Award for Lady Marmalade in the category Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2002.
Aguilera took creative control over her second studio album Stripped (2002), which produced the hip-hop-influenced "Dirrty" and the award-winning (including the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) "Beautiful". It received mixed reviews, and Aguilera's increasingly sexual image during its promotion became the subject of criticism, controversy and ridicule. She contributed to several other artists' songs in 2004 and 2005 and married record executive Jordan Bratman. Her third studio album Back to Basics (2006), which was preceded by the hit single "Ain't No Other Man", included elements of soul, jazz and blues music and was released to good sales and positive critical reception.

Biography

Early life and career

Aguilera, a military brat, was born in Staten Island, New York to Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera, a U.S. Army sergeant, and Shelly Loraine Fidler, a Spanish teacher. Aguilera's father was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, while her mother, a Newfoundlander, has German, English, Irish and Dutch ancestry. Aguilera's parents met while Fausto was serving at Earnest Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland. They were both Catholics. Her parents married when her mother was 20 years old and her father 31. Aguilera lived with her father and mother until she was 6 or 7 years old. When her parents divorced her mother took her and her younger sister Rachel to her grandmother's home in Rochester, Pennsylvania, a blue-collar suburb of Pittsburgh. According to Aguilera and Fidler, her father was very controlling, as well as physically and emotionally abusive, which was reflected in her songs, "I'm OK" in Stripped, and "Oh Mother" in Back to Basics. Christina Aguilera relives her violent past", Dotmusic/Yahoo! News (June 20, 2000) Since then, Fidler has married a paramedic named Jim Kearns, and has changed her name to Shelly Kearns. Helligar, Jeremy; Majewski, Lori. "Christina's World", Us Weekly, (February 3, 2003).
Aguilera's grandmother was the first person to recognize her vocal skills. Since Aguilera was a small child, she aspired to be a singer. She grew up admiring artists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Barbra Streisand, Otis Redding, Madonna, Minnie Riperton, Bessie Smith, Anita Baker, Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Sade, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin. As a child she performed at block parties and in talent competitions, where she defeated her opponents. Aguilera soon gained media attention, and was known as "the little girl with the big voice".Dominguez, Pier (2002). Christina Aguilera: A Star is Made: The Unauthorized Biography. Amber Books. ISBN 0-9702224-5-9.
According to VH1's Driven, this label eventually backfired on her. When competitors learned they would be up against her in any given week, they immediately backed out, prompting insiders to claim it was "like sending a lamb to the slaughter." Her peers soon became jealous of her and would frequently subject her to ridicule, ostracism, and, in one gym class, attempted assault. Acts of vandalism around her house included the slashing of the tires on the family car. Eventually the family relocated and, by her own order, swore to secrecy about her talent lest another backlash occur.
On March 15 1990, she appeared on Star Search singing Etta James's "A Sunday Kind of Love", but failed to win. Soon after losing on Star Search, she returned home and appeared on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV's Wake Up with Larry Richert to perform the same song again. People remarked that the then 10-year-old "sounded 20".
Throughout her youth in Pittsburgh, Aguilera sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey games, Pittsburgh Steelers football and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball] games. Her first major role in entertainment came in 1993 when she joined the Disney Channel's variety show The New Mickey Mouse Club. Her co-stars included Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Rhona Bennett (who later became a member of En Vogue), Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. According to the documentary Driven, Aguilera's Mickey Mouse Club co-stars called her "the Diva". One of her most notable performances was of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing"..

1998-2001: Pop music beginnings

In 1998 she sang the High "E" (second "E" above middle "C") in full voice on a cover of Whitney Houston's "Run to You" which she recorded with an old tape recorder in her bathroom. She was then selected to record the song "Reflection" for the Disney animated production of Mulan (1998). Recording "Reflection" led to Aguilera earning a contract with RCA Records during the same week. "Reflection" peaked within the top twenty on the Adult Contemporary Singles Chart, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Song" in 1998.
Under the exclusive representation of Steve Kurtz, Aguilera's self-titled debut album Christina Aguilera was released in the United States on August 24, 1999. It reached the top of the Billboard 200 and Canadian album charts, shipping over 8 million copies in the United States alone.
Her singles "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" topped the Billboard Hot 100 during 1999 and 2000, and "I Turn to You" reached #3. Aguilera won the "Best New Artist" award at the 2000 Grammy Awards, and she was nominated for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for "Genie in a Bottle". According to the album's songwriters who appeared on the documentary Driven, Aguilera wanted to display the range and audacity in her voice during the promotion of the album, and performed acoustic sets and appeared on television shows accompanied only by a piano.Reid, Shaheem "Christina Aguilera Sues to stop release of early recordings". MTV News (May 21, 2001) Instead, the two parties came to a settlement to release the album. Aguilera lent out her name, likeness and image for an unspecified amount of damages. Many of the details of the lawsuit remain confidential. When the album was released in August 2001, it had a photograph of Aguilera when she was fifteen years old.
Although Aguilera's debut album was very well-received, she was dissatisfied with the music and image her management had created for her. At the time, Aguilera was marketed as a bubblegum pop artist, because of the genre's upward financial trend. However, she publicly mentioned plans of her next album to have much more depth, both musically and lyrically.Strauss, Neil "The Hit Girl", Rolling Stone (July 6, 2001) Steve Kurtz's influence in matters of the singer's creative direction, the role of being her exclusive personal manager and overscheduling had in part caused her to seek legal means of terminating their management contract.
In October 2000 Aguilera filed a Breach of Fiduciary Duty lawsuit against Kurtz for improper, undue and inappropriate influence over her professional activities, as well as fraud. According to legal documents, Kurtz did not protect her rights and interests. Instead, he took action that was for his own interest, at the cost of hers. The lawsuit came about when Aguilera discovered Kurtz used more of her commissionable income than he was allotted, and had paid other managers to assist him. She also petitioned the California State Labor Commission to nullify the contract. After terminating Kurtz's services, Irving Azoff was hired as her new manager.Zahlaway, Jon: "Christina Aguilera sues former manager", liveDaily, (October 17, 2000) The change in management marked a new change in how Aguilera was marketed, as well as what music she would do in the future.
Kurtz countersued later that month for breach of contract, claiming that the singer violated the same agreement she had sued to void. In the lawsuit, he included others close to Aguilera, alleging their intent to sabotage his business relationship with Aguilera. He also singled out Azoff for being in violation of the terms of Kurtz's contract.Zahlaway, Jon: "Christina Aguilera slapped with counter-suit", liveDaily, (November 2, 2000)

2002-2003: Stripped Era

On October.29, 2002, after much delay, Aguilera's second full-length English album, Stripped, was released selling more than 330,000 copies in the first week and peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200. The majority of Stripped was co-written by Aguilera (who had recently signed a global music publishing deal with BMG Music Publishing), and was influenced by many different subjects and music styles, including rhythm and blues, gospel, soul, balladry, pop rock, hip-hop and jazz. The album was not received as well as her debut by most critics, and Aguilera's vocals were overlooked as she began to cultivate a more sexually provocative image. After the release of the album, she took part in photoshoots for magazines such as Maxim, Rolling Stone and CosmoGirl!. Many of these photographs featured her nude or semi-nude. She denied that this change was a matter of publicity, claiming that the image better reflected her true personality than did the image she cultivated back in 1999. It was during this time Aguilera referred to herself as "Xtina", stating that it was a "reflection of her darker self".
Initially, the raunchy image had a negative effect on Aguilera in the U.S. While the video for "Dirrty" became a huge hit on MTV, it disappointed on the U.S. singles chart. However, the single was a huge hit worldwide, reaching number one in several countries. The album reached the top five on the UK, U.S. and Canadian album charts, though it was initially considered a "sophomore slump". The second single, "Beautiful", became a huge radio hit and three more singles from the album ("Fighter", "Can't Hold Us Down" featuring Lil' Kim, "The Voice Within" were released in the following two years and were huge hits helping the album stay on the charts for the next two years. Stripped stayed on the U.S. and UK album charts until well into 2004, and went on to be certified 4x Platinum in the U.S., ending up at number ten on Billboard's year-end album chart. Kelly Clarkson's second single "Miss Independent" was co-written by Aguilera, having been half-finished for Stripped. ""
In June, Aguilera joined Justin Timberlake on the final leg of his international Justified tour, held in the U.S. This portion of the tour became a co-headliner called the Justified & Stripped tour. In August an overhead lighting grid collapsed from the ceiling of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, causing major damage to the sound and video equipment below. Because the collapse occurred hours before the performance, only a few stagehands were injured, but a few shows were cancelled or postponed. In the fourth quarter of that year Aguilera continued to tour internationally without Timberlake, and changed the name of the tour to the Stripped tour. She also dyed her hair black. It was one of the top-grossing tours of that year, and sold out most of its venues. Rolling Stone readers named it the best tour of the year. ""
In light of the tour's success, another U.S. tour was scheduled to begin in mid-2004 with a new theme and featuring Chingy as an opening act. The tour was scrapped because of Aguilera's vocal cord injuries suffered shortly before its opening date. It was later reported by the British tabloid newspaper The Sun that low ticket sales and lack of new material were actually the major contributing factors in the tour's cancellation. Aguilera has since denied the report. In a tribute to Madonna's performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards' ceremony, Aguilera performed a kiss with the singer-actress at the 2003 edition of the ceremony in August. The incident occurred during the opening performance of Madonna's songs "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" with fellow popstar Britney Spears.Duerden, Nick: "The Good, the Bad and the Dirrty", Blender Magazine, (December 2003) Later that year she hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time and addressed the critcism she received that year.
During 2003, Christina also became the face of the fashion house Versace.

2004-2005: Stripped activities

A January 2004 ZOO magazine (a British men's tabloid magazine) article reported that Aguilera is possibly bisexual. The article quotes her stating in an interview: "I find it hornier looking at women than men. Sorry, I love experimenting with my sexuality. If that means girls, then so be it." The article also reports that Christina enjoys casual sex: "I have casual sex, I love casual sex. But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of keeping my legs together".Christina Aguilera: "I love experimenting with my sexuality", Gay.com UK, (January 22 2004)
Aguilera later decided to embrace a more mature image; this move was met with more praise than criticism, with articles using punch lines such as "From Crass to Class". She eventually dyed her hair cherry blonde and recorded a jingle, "Hello", for a Mercedes-Benz ad, becoming the new face of Mercedes-Benz. Shortly after, she dyed her hair blonde and cut it short, and took on a Marilyn Monroe look; many of her fans believe she is one of the main proponents (along with Dita Von Teese, Gwen Stefani and Ashley Judd) in bringing back the 1920s-1940s Hollywood glamour look.

In the run-up to the 2004 United States presidential election, Aguilera was featured on billboards for the "Only You Can Silence Yourself" online voter registration drive run by the nonpartisan, non-profit campaign "Declare Yourself". In these political advertisements Aguilera was shown with her mouth sewn shut, to symbolize the effects of not voting. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the importance of voting.
In late summer 2004 Aguilera released two singles. The first, "Car Wash", was a remake of the Rose Royce disco song recorded as a collaboration with rapper Missy Elliott for the soundtrack to the film Shark Tale. The second song is also a collaboration, but this time as a second single from one of Nelly's double-release albums, Sweat, titled "Tilt Ya Head Back". Both singles failed commercially in the U.S., but did considerably better in other parts of the world. After much delay, Aguilera's first DVD live-recording from a concert tour, Stripped Live in the UK, was released in November 2004. In late December she officially released a fragrance, Xpose, which has only been available in a few European countries.
Aguilera collaborated with jazz artist Herbie Hancock on a cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" recorded for Hancock's album Possibilities, released in August 2005. Aguilera and Hancock were later nominated for the Grammy Award for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals". Aguilera went back to her Mickey Mouse Club roots when she helped open the 50th Anniversary for Disneyland by performing "When You Wish upon a Star", and she also collaborated with Andrea Bocelli on the song "Somos Novios" for his album Amore, released in early 2006. She performed at "Unite of the Stars" charity banquet in Johannesburg, South Africa in late 2005 with stars such as Diana Ross and Westlife in aid of Unite Against Hunger, and she also performed at the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund at the Coca-Cola Dome in November.

2006-present: Back to Basics

In March 2006 Aguilera signed a contract with European cellphone operator Orange to represent the company and promote the new Sony Ericsson Walkman phones across Europe. She was featured in a Pepsi commercial alongside Arab singer Elissa as well as Korean pop singer Rain in May; the spot aired during the 2006 World Cup.

Aguilera also posed nude for a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photoshoot in the May 2006 issue of GQ magazine, in which she was also interviewed. She expressed disappointment in fellow singer Mariah Carey, saying, "She was never cool to me... to the point that one time we were at a party and I think she got really drunk, and she had just really derogatory things to say to me." Carey responded in a press release, "It is sad yet predictable that she would use my name at this time to reinvent past incidents for her promotional gain." Aguilera then released her own statement claiming, "My intentions were not to upset Mariah with any statements that were published or taken out of context. I have all the respect in the world for her."Lehner, Maria; '' People Magazine, (May 16, 2006)
Aguilera's third English studio album Back to Basics, which was released on August 15, 2006, went to #1 in 15 countries. Lead single "Ain't No Other Man" was a substantial success, reaching #6 in the U.S. and the top three in the UK. Aguilera described the double-CD as "a throwback to the 20s, 30s, and 40s-style jazz, blues, and feel-good soul music, but with a modern twist."Moss, Corey; Cornell, Jeff "Christina Makes Her Comeback Twice As Nice By Expanding Basics Into Double LP" MTV News, (June 6, 2006) Producers on the album include DJ Premier, Kwamé, Linda Perry, and Mark Ronson. One track, "F.U.S.S.", was written as a response to the animosity between Aguilera and Scott Storch during the recording of Stripped. She received writing credit for every track and was the executive producer for the album, which debuted at number one in the U.S."Aguilera Takes No. 1 Amid All-New Top Five". Retrieved August 23, 2006 and the UK. The album introduced the public to Aguilera's era-inspired alter-ego, Baby Jane. It was reported that one of her dancers gave her the name; in an interview with MTV she stated rapper Nelly gave her the name, but she never stated the reason for it.
"Back To Basics" has sold more than 930,000 copies to date in the United States.
Aside from promoting her own album, Aguilera teamed up with Diddy on a track, titled "Tell Me", from his album, "Press Play". The single was released in Autumn 2006 and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Pop 100 at numbers 55 and 50 respectively.
In September 2006 she announced her "Back To Basics Tour" with eighteen European dates scheduled to begin on November 17 and end on December 17. This tour will also see her return to Ireland including Belfast's Odyssey Arena, the first since her Stripped tour came to the city in 2003."Aguilera announces Euro tour" Retrieved September 11, 2006 Following this contrary to her previous plans to tour blues and jazz clubs for a more intimate setting, she will tour North America in a 41- date concert kicking off February 20 in Houston and wrapping up on May 5 in Florida. But she insist that the Jazz Tour will push through sometime after. "We're definitely going to mix it up, change it up, do some things that are not on the record, do some favorite classics of mine," Aguilera said in an interview with MTV. "We're really going to have fun and experiment with new ideas and interesting places to go to that have a throwback appeal and vibe." Also British band Nizlopi have been confirmed as Christina's support act at Wembley arena on 29th and 30th of November. Christina won the 2006 Best Female Artist in MTV Europe Music Awards.
Meanwhile, "Hurt" is released as the 2nd single of Back To Basics. It is currently #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, it has been on the charts for 2 months now.

Personal life

During 2000, Aguilera was rumored to have been with MTV VJ Carson Daly, although both parties denied it, the relationship was of much discussion after the release of Eminem's The Real Slim Shady. The line, "Christina Aguilera better switch me chairs
so I can sit next to Carson Daly and Fred Durst and hear 'em argue over who she gave head to first," suggested a romance between the two. Aguilera called the comments "disgusting" and "untrue", and further fueled the other rumored relationship with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. Both Christina and Eminem later made peace at an award show backstage.
She dated Brooklynite dancer Jorge Santos for two years until the relationship ended in September 2001. She would later reveal in 2006's issue of The Advocate that she dated someone with a gay past, undoubtedly referring to Jorge.
She began dating music executive Jordan Bratman in late 2002. After dating him for almost three years, their engagement was announced in February 2005.Singer Christina Aguilera to wed", BBC News, (February 13, 2005) They were married on November 19 2005, in the Napa Valley. Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman Marriage Profile. The couple celebrated their one year anniversary in Dublin Ireland.

Charity work

Throughout her career, Aguilera has been involved with certain charities. She was the first celebrity to sign a letter from PETA to the South Korean government asking that the country stop its alleged "abuse of dogs killed for food". Her involvement in supporting the Defenders of Wildlife have also added to her donations with charities. Aguilera is still a major contributor in her hometown of Pittsburgh contributing regularly to the Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. According to her official website, she toured the center and donated $200,000 to the shelter. She also has auctioned off front row seats and back stage passes for the Pittsburgh based charity . She also supports the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Refuge UK.
Aguilera contributes in the fight against AIDS, by participating in AIDS Project Los Angeles' Artists Against AIDS "What's Going On?" cover project. In 2004 Aguilera became the new face for cosmetic company M·A·C and spokesperson for M·A·C AIDS Fund. Aguilera appeared in advertisements of the M·A·C's Viva Glam V lipstick and lipgloss. According to published reports, in November 2005, all of her wedding gifts were submitted to various charities around the nation in support of Hurricane Katrina victims. In addition, Aguilera contributed to YouthAIDS by posing for a joint YouthAIDS and Aldo Shoes campaign for "Empowerment Tags" in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. She was featured with one of three ubiquitous slogans, "Speak No Evil?" and was quoted saying, "HIV is something that people don't want to talk about, hear about, or face."
According to Billboard, singer Elton John hand-picked Aguilera, among others, for his Fashion Rocks concert benefiting his AIDS foundation. The show, which accompanies music and fashion to benefit the fight against AIDS/HIV, is televised annually and aired in September.

Vocal ability

In the MTV special All Eyes on Christina, John Norris said that Aguilera "has a four octave range". Aguilera possesses the ability to hit notes in the whistle register, as stated in a review of her song "Soar" from the album Stripped (at the 3:20 mark) in an Entertainment Weekly article, which mentions her "tackling that dog-whistle high note".

Christina gets Waxy

The soulful voice of Xtina not only weasled in the hearts of millions, but it served also as a ticket for immortalization at the Madame Tussaud's, England, where a new wax statue was unveiled in late November 06, prior to her tour on her album, Back to Basics. Christina is featured wearing a jeweled dress, hand on her hip, boosting her 20's style to her glamarious figure. She is looking over her shoulder, in a classic 20's mirror, smiling. Visitors can sing along with a brush, which turns out to be actually a microphone.

Commercials & Endorsements

Sears (2000)
Levis (2000)
Fetish Make-up/Perfume by Christina Aguilera (2000)
Coca Cola (2001)
Motorola Phones (2002)
NBA Love It Live (2003)
Versace (2003)
Skechers (2003)
Skechers (2004)
MAC Viva Glam Lipstick (2004)
Virgin Mobile Phones (2004)
Mercedes Benz A-Class (2004)
Xpose Perfume by Christina Aguilera (2004)
Verizon V-Cast (2005)
ALDO Accessories (2005)
Pepsi (2006)
Sony Erickson & Orange Walkman (2006)
Verizon Wireless' Chocolate by LG (2006)

Concerts & Tours

US/World Tours

1997 The Spinning Tour
2000 TLC Tour (Opening Act)
2000 Sears & Levis US Tour
2001 Latin America Tour
2003 The Justified & Stripped North American Tour
2003 The Stripped World Tour
2006 Back To Basics World Tour
2007 Back To Basics American Tour
2008 Back To Basics Asian Tour

Concerts

2003 Atlantis Birthday Concert (Bahamas)
2004 Mercedes Benz: Follow Your Own Star Concert Tour (Italy/Germany)
2005 Nelson Mandela Children's Fund Benefit Concert (South Africa)
2005 Unite Of The Stars Gala Banquet (South Africa)
2006 Back To Basics Showcase (France/UK)
2006 8th Motorola Anniverssary (USA)
2006 Yahoo!/Nissan Live Sets (USA)

Wallpapers of Cameron Diaz

2008-04-23T01:33:00.000-07:00

Biography of Cameron Diaz

Birthname: Cameron Michelle Diaz
Date of birth: 1972-08-30
Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA
Height: 5' 1
Nationality: American
Profession: actress, model

Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress and former fashion model.

Biography

Early life

Diaz was born in San Diego, California. Her second-generation Cuban-American father, Emilio Diaz, worked as a foreman for an oil company, and her mother, Billie Early (who has English, German and Cherokee Native American ancestry), worked as an exporting agent. Diaz attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School. During her school days, she was called Skeletor by her classmates.

Career

At age 16, she began her career as a fashion model. Diaz signed with top modeling agency, Elite Model Management. After graduating high school, she went to work in Japan and met video director Carlo de la Torre. On her return to America, she moved in with him. For the next few years, her modeling took her around the world, working for contracts with major companies. She even graced the cover of the July 1990 issue of Seventeen (Magazine).
At the age of 22, Diaz auditioned for Jim Carrey's The Mask. To her own surprise, and with no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead. Immediately after getting the part, she signed up for acting lessons. Over the next three years, she won roles in low-budget, independent films, such as The Last Supper, Feeling Minnesota, and She's The One.
She then regained mainstream success with My Best Friend's Wedding and There's Something About Mary, and won critical acclaim for Being John Malkovich, which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Awards and the SAG Awards.
Diaz has also starred in the hit adaptation of Charlie's Angels and , and she voiced a lead character in Shrek and its sequel, for which she earned $10 million. In 2001, she won nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the AFI Awards for Vanilla Sky. For , she became the second actress (after Julia Roberts) to earn $20 million for a role; the film underperformed at the box office.
Diaz was the host of the 2005 MTV television series Trippin'.
Maxim Magazine ranked her #22 in their annual hot 100 in 2004, then she ranked #11 in 2005. In 2006 she made the top 10 by ranking in at #7.
Future work for Diaz include roles in Nancy Meyers' The Holiday in 2006 and Shrek The Third in 2007 where she co-stars with her real life boyfriend Justin Timberlake. She was set to team up again with The Mask co-star Jim Carrey in two films Fun with Dick and Jane where she dropped out to star in In Her Shoes. She was recently set to star opposite Carey again in A Little Game Without Consequence that was planned to start filming in October for a summer release date. The film was shelved and filming is still yet to commence.

Personal life

Diaz had a four-year relationship with actor/singer Jared Leto from 1998-2002. More recently, Diaz has been dating singer and former *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake since they met in 2003 at the Kids' Choice Awards. In October 2004, they were in an altercation with a tabloid photographer outside a hotel. When the photographer and another man tried to photograph the couple, the celebrities snatched the camera. Pictures of the incident appeared in Us Weekly. Representatives for the couple claimed that they were "ambushed" and acting out of self-defense.

Diaz and Timberlake were involved in another paparazzi incident when she was walking out of a friends house with her boyfriend when the paparazzi jumped out of the bushes and attacked them with taking photo's of them. He then went into his car. Diaz was in the way and she was so shocked that she pressed charges against the paparazzi.
Diaz suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and has publicly admitted she habitually rubs doorknobs so hard before opening doors to clean them that the original paint on the doorknobs fades afterwards.
Diaz is appearing in an ad campaign on Japanese television for SoftBank: October/November 2006. Diaz also supports a small west London football club Brentford FC after visiting a Hollywood cafe owned by a Brentford supporter.
In 2004, a commercial S&M video of Diaz and another girl torturing a man leaked to the Internet. She made the video when she was 19. Diaz filed a suit against the Russian Internet site that distributed the video, but the video file is now distributed by many porn sites and Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks.
Diaz has been vocal in her opposition to U.S. President George W. Bush. Before 2000's election (on October 26 to be exact), Diaz wore a shirt that said "I WON'T VOTE FOR A SON OF A BUSH!" while promoting Charlie's Angels on MTV's Total Request Live. During an Oprah appearance before 2004's election, Diaz said "Women have so much to lose . . . We could lose the right to our bodies. If you think that rape should be legal, then don't vote. But if you think that you have a right to your body, then you should vote ..."

Wallpapers of Britney Spears

2008-04-23T01:29:00.000-07:00

Biography of Britney Spears

Birthname: Britney Jean Spears
Date of birth: 1981-12-02
Birthplace: Kentwood, Louisiana, USA
Height: 5' 4"
Nationality: American
Profession: actress, musician

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American pop singer, dancer, actress, author and songwriter. She is best known for her studio albums, music videos, and songs such as "...Baby One More Time", "Oops!...I Did It Again", "Toxic" and "Everytime."
Spears has sold over seventy-six million records worldwide according to TIME magazine. Having sold over 31 million albums in the U.S., Spears ranks as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history.
Spears first came to fame as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club in the early 1990s, after which she took a five-year break from entertainment. She subsequently emerged at the forefront of the pop music scene in late 1998, thanks to her chart-topping debut album, ...Baby One More Time, which was crafted by producer-songwriter Max Martin. Her second album, Oops!...I Did It Again, which was released the following year, was a similarly huge hit.
In the early 2000s, Spears' success as a singer led her way to high-profile advertising deals, most notably for Pepsi, as well as forays into other forms of media, including film and reality television. Her third and fourth albums were released during this era and included more artistic input from Spears.
In 2004, she married dancer and aspiring rap artist Kevin Federline and the following year she gave birth to their son, Sean Preston. Their second son, Jayden James, was born in 2006. Eight weeks after the birth of her second child, Spears filed for divorce from Federline, citing irreconcilable differences. Spears' fifth studio album is due to be released in early 2007.

Biography

Childhood and discovery

Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi and raised Southern Baptist in Kentwood, Louisiana. Her parents are James Parnell Spears, a building contractor, and Lynne Irene Bridges (born 1956), a former grade school teacher. Spears' brother, Bryan (born 1977), is one of her managers, and her sister, Jamie-Lynn (born 1991), is an actress and singer. Her maternal grandmother, Lillian Woolmoore (1924–1993), was an English war-bride, who met Spears's maternal grandfather, Barnett O'Field Bridges (1919–1978), in England during WWII, and subsequently moved with him to the US. Her paternal grandparents were June Austin Spears (born 1930) and Emma Jean Forbes (1934–1966).
Spears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age ytrynine and competing in state-level competitions. She performed in local dance revues and her local Baptist church choirs, and was auditioning for the Disney Channel's The New Mickey Mouse Club by the time she was eight. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York agent. Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, including 1991's Ruthless!. In 1992, she landed a spot on Star Search, and though she won the first round, she lost in the second (her opponent would later appear on a 2001 episode of the game show I've Got a Secret with his "secret" being Aguilera]], and actor Ryan Gosling. After the show ended, Spears and her five friends (Jenny Morris, Veronica Finn, Mandy Ashford, Danay Ferrer, and her Mouseketeer co-star Nikki DeLoachhgh) co-formed Americhwas not fgof the group, she could go as a Image: [[solo (music)|solo agrtist in h1997. A few years later, Spears recorded a demo tape, which landed in the hands of Jive Records. She was signed to their label and began touring American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by American teen magazines, before joining *NSYNC and becoming their opening act.

1998–2000: Early commercial success

school girl's uniform in the video for "...Baby One More Time" (1998/1999).]]+solo (music)+|solo agrtist in h1997. A few years later, Spears recorded a demo tape, which landed in the hands of Jive Records. She was signed to their label and began touring American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by American teen magazines, before joining *NSYNC and becoming their opening act.

1998–2000: Early commercial success

school girl's uniform in the video for "...Baby One More Time" (1998/1999).+solo agrtist in h1997. A few years later, Spears recorded a demo tape, which landed in the hands of Jive Records. She was signed to their label and began touring American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by American teen magazines, before joining *NSYNC and becoming their opening act.

1998–2000: Early commercial success

school girl's uniform in the video for "...Baby One More Time" (1998/1999).
Towards the end of 1998, Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time" began to appegarg, the song became an international success, earning fgplatinum sales and going to number two in hKingdom|UK]], as well as going numbher one in a large number of gcountries throughout the world. Released in eaggrly 1999, her debut album ..g.Baby One More Time topped the charts in several countries, including USA (where it is certified 14x Platinum ).
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Spears was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in April 1999. The photo shoot triggered widespread speculation (denied by her representatives) that the still-seventeen-year-old had opted to have breast implants. That summer, she kicked off her first headlining tour, the ...Baby One More Time Tour. By late 1999, Spears had become gfor Best New Artist, losing out to Christina Aguilera. The other was for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for ...Baby One More Time but she lost that to Sarah McLachlan.
gFollowing the short-lived Crazy 2K Tour, the lead single from Spears' second album, "Oops!... I Did It Again", was released. The song broke a record for most radio station adds in a single day and quickly became a U.S. top ten hit and number one gsingle in other countries. Released in May 2000, the album Oops!... I Did It Again debuted at number one in the U.S., where it gsold over 1.3 million units g(breaking the record for biggest first-week sales of an album by a female artist). Concerning both musical content and sales, the album was very similar to Spears' debut, although it fared better with critics. "Oops..." also had input from country queen Shania Twain, who penned the track Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know with husband Mutt Lange. Twain, arguably the most successful female in terms of album sales and exposure in the late 90s, contributed her adult-40 brand of country-crossover infusion to the record. The lyrics of the song also pay homage to fellow blonde superstar Madonna, as in "come on baby, come on darling," an obvious ode to Madonna's "Borderline."
Spears kicked off her first world tour (titled the Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour) in the summer of 2000, and co-wrote the book Britney Spears' Heart-to-Heart with her mother, Lynne which was a bestseller. During a performance at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit that generated controversy due to her young age. In late 2000, she won two Billboard Music Awards, and in early 2001, she was nominated for two American Music Awards. At the Grammys, her two nominations were for Oops!... I Did It Again in the categorys of Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance but again she did not win.

2001–2003: Career development

In early 2001, Spears struck a USD$7–8 million promotional deal with the soft drink giant Pepsi. In September of the same year, she performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, and in addition to criticism for being scantily clad, she angered animal rights organization PETA for the use of animals, including an albino python, in her performance.
In November, she released her third album Britney. It debuted at number one on both the U.S. and Canadian charts, selling over 741,000 units during its first week in the U.S. The success of this album made Spears the only female artist in SoundScan history to have her first three albums debut at number one. Although four million copies of the record have been sold in the U.S. , it was a decline from the sales of her first two albums, and the lead single "I'm a Slave 4 U" was the album's only hit in the U.S. Britney was the first album on which Spears assumed some creative control; she co-wrote five of the album's tracks. To help promote the album, Spears embarked on the Dream Within a Dream Tour during the same year. Spears was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Overprotected and Best Pop Vocal Album for Britney which she lost both to Norah Jones.
Britney recorded a Christmas song for Now That's What I Call Christmas! called My Only Wish (This Year).
In 2001, Fort Worth, Texas KEGL-FM DJs Kramer and Twitch on created a panic for her fans when they falsely reported that she and her then-boyfriend, 'NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, were in a car accident involving a pretzel truck and that she had died in the crash. In reality, they were both alive and well and had not been in any car wreck.
In February 2002, Spears had her first starring role in the film, Crossroads. The next month, Spears' four-year relationship with Justin Timberlake ended. The break-up was publicized, with rumors circulating that Spears had been unfaithful. Timberlake himself left the impression that she had cheated on him through his song "Cry Me a River", and its subsequent music video. In response to this, Spears later said, "I'm not technically saying he's wrong, but I'm not technically saying he's right, either."
Afterward, despite Spears' claims that she had remained a virgin ― and wished to remain one until marriage ― Timberlake insisted they had sex during their relationship. Spears later acknowledged this to be true, saying, "It was two years into my relationship with Justin, and I thought he was the one. But I was wrong!"
In June 2002, Spears branched out as a restaurateur with the opening of a New York City eatery, NYLA, which was named for its mix of New York and Louisiana cuisine. It was not a success and closed the following year but Spears apparently had very little to do with management. In 2002 Spears received at least some good news when Forbes named her the most powerful celebrity in the world.
Spears returned to the spotlight in August 2003 when she performed at the MTV Video Music Awards with her idol Madonna, pop singer Christina Aguilera and rapper Missy Elliott. Spears and Aguilera performed Madonna's song "Like a Virgin", danced suggestively and each locked lips with Madonna. Spears' kiss with Madonna attracted publicity that lasted several months, while Aguilera's kiss with Madonna attracted less publicity.
In 2003, Britney Spears began studying Jewish mysticism, also called Kabbalah, and became a member of the Kabbalah Centre after having been introduced to Jewish mysticism by friend and mentor Madonna. Soon after joining, Britney's mother Lynne became a member, and Britney had a Hebrew tattoo inked onto her neck (מהש) representing one of the seventy-two names of God in Kabbalah. Britney previously had a Kabbalah-inspired Hebrew tattoo inked onto her neck that was proved to be meaningless in an incident that was her second tattoo-related mishap; in the first, she had Japanese characters inked onto her leg that she thought to mean "mysterious" - it actually said "strange."

November 2003 saw the release of Spears' fourth studio album, In the Zone. Jettisoning the Max Martin-produced synthpop of her earlier releases, the album took in lesser-known producers such as RedZone and big names including Moby and R. Kelly. Spears co-wrote nine of the album's thirteen songs and co-produced some of her material for the first time. In the Zone went to the top of the U.S. charts in its debut week, selling over 609,000 copies. This made Spears the only female in music history to have her first four albums debut at number one. The album spawned the international number one and U.S. number nine hit single, "Toxic", which won Spears her first Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording.

2004–2006: Career hiatus, children and divorce

On January 3, 2004, Spears married her childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander at The Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spears wore jeans and a baseball cap and the bellhop walked her down the aisle. An annulment was promptly arranged (at the behest of manager Larry Rudolph and her family) and was granted on January 5, ending their fifty-five hour marriage. The annulment request stated that Spears "lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to marriage because before entering into the marriage the Plaintiff and Defendant did not know each other's likes and dislikes, each others' desires to have or not have children, and each other's desires as to State of residency". Spears later said, "Honestly, I really wanted to see what it was like to be married".
In 2004, Spears embarked on her fourth world tour, The Onyx Hotel Tour. The tour grossed over US$38 million and was seen by over 650,000 fans in North America and Europe, but the remaining dates were cancelled in June, after Spears injured her knee during the filming of the video for the single "Outrageous". She was taken to an undisclosed hospital, where she received an MRI that showed floating cartilage in her knee. The following thirty-seven stops on the tour were canceled, costing Spears US$750,000 to US$1,000,000 a night in guaranteed fees from concert promoters.
In July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to dancer Kevin Federline, three months after they met at a club in Hollywood. Their whirlwind romance sparked criticism due to the fact that Federline had very recently been in a relationship with actress Shar Jackson, who was still pregnant with their second child. On the night of September 18, 2004, Spears married Federline before twenty-seven guests in a surprise, non-denominational ceremony at a residence in Studio City, California. The legitimacy of the marriage was initially questioned, but on November 18, 2004, a representative of the Los Angeles County registrar's office confirmed Spears and Federline had successfully filed their marriage license with the county within ten days of their ceremony, and were therefore legally married.
The exact sequence of events surrounding the marriage took a further turn for the unusual when it was later revealed by the website The Smoking Gun that the wedding ceremony that occurred on September 18 was a "faux" ceremony, and that the real date of the start of their wedding was October 6, 2004.
According to some reports, Spears initially refused to sign a prenuptial agreement with Federline but her family and manager Larry Rudolph forced her to sign the prenup. A short time after the wedding, Spears fired Rudolph for allegedly interfering with her marital affairs. After initially spending their honeymoon in Spears' hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears wrote on her official site that, "Unfortunately, we couldn't take our honeymoon right after the wedding because of the closing on our new house." In October 2004, they flew to Fiji.
During the later half of 2004, Spears announced she would be taking another career break in order to start a family. Immediately after her marriage to Federline, she had told People, "I want to be a young mom. Next year, at 23, I'm so there." Although she made few public appearances, the 'Britney Spears industry' continued to run itself.
Spears endorsed a fragrance, "Curious", for which she earned a reported US$12 million. After one year of sales, the product netted more than US$100 million. Curious was named the best selling perfume of 2004.
Following the success of "Curious", Spears released her next Elizabeth Arden fragrance, "Fantasy", in September 2005 which was another big hit at department stores. In April 2006, Spears released a third fragrance Curious: In Control. The perfume was limited edition and has sold well since its release. Spears will launch another perfume, Midnight Fantasy, in the near future.
Spears' first hits collection, , was released in late 2004. The album debuted at number four on the U.S. charts with over 240,000 copies sold. In addition to her biggest hits, it featured three new songs, including "My Prerogative" and "Do Somethin'". During the spring of 2005, Spears' reality show with husband Kevin Federline, , premiered on MTV in the U.S. The five-episode series credited Spears and Federline as executive producers. Chaotic was panned by most critics and between 2-3 million people watched the shows 5 episodes. The series was later released on DVD in September 2005. The DVD included a bonus music disc which featured her newest song and music video at that point in her career, "Someday (I Will Understand)".
Spears announced her pregnancy via her official website in April 2005. That month she was rushed to a hospital in Destin, Florida, where she spent forty-eight hours under a doctor's surveillance. Spears later told People, "There was just a little bit of bleeding, but we went there, and everything was fine." Despite her eagerness to have a baby, she admitted to ELLE magazine that, "I have a feeling I'm going to have an operation. I don't know why. But I hope so. I don't want to go through the pain". On September 14, 2005, 6 lb. 11oz. baby boy Sean Preston Federline was born in the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, by a scheduled caesarean section. Two days later, Spears and her son were released from the hospital and back at home in their 9,000-sq.-ft. Malibu, California mansion.
The birth of Spears' son was the inspiration behind a statue by Daniel Edwards, Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston, which was unveiled in March 2006. The statue features an idealised Spears giving birth in a provocative pose while hunched on all fours and clutching a bearskin rug. Controversy was further stoked by it being partly supported by the Manhattan Right to Life Committee. The statue has in no way been recognized by Spears and is therefore unofficial. It has also sparked controversy as Spears gave birth by caesarean section, unlike the natural birth depicted in the statue.
Since the birth of her first child, Spears' career had remained relatively low-profile. In November 2005, Jive released a remix album entitled . It lacked promotion of any kind in the U.S. and debuted outside the top one hundred, with about 16,000 copies sold in its first week of release. The remix album spawned the international and U.S. Hot Dance Airplay hit single, "And Then We Kiss", and a remix of Spears' most recent song "Someday (I Will Understand)". The remix album was more successful overseas and has since sold over a million copies.
Spears made a guest appearance on Will & Grace in April 2006. In May 2006, she announced her second pregnancy with a surprise appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Spears appeared on Dateline NBC in June 2006 to discuss tabloid rumors about an impending divorce from her husband, future career plans, her emotional state and motherhood. In response to the controversy over her driving with her infant son unrestrained in her lap, Spears told The Today Show's Matt Lauer that, "I did it with my dad. I'd sit on his lap and I drive. We're country." She also addressed the concerns over her parenting skills, saying, "I know I'm a good mom." It was confirmed in the interview that she will not release a studio album for at least another year, saying that she would like to wait until her children get older. She also confirmed a new baby clothes line, entitled "Baby's All Rock 'n' Roll".
Following Dateline NBC, Spears posed nude for the August 2006 cover of Harper's Bazaar. In the interview with the magazine, Spears stated that she is not ready to retire from performing, saying, "I can't wait to do that again." Spears also plans to get back in shape after the birth of her second child, saying, "After this baby, I'm going to get really intense with it." In the August 28 2006 issue of People, Spears confirmed that her next studio album is due in 2007 and described it as "cooler than ever—fun, upbeat, and sexy." In the article Spears had also commented that her impending childbirth, a second scheduled caesarean section, "would be a piece of cake."
On August 20 2006, Spears introduced her husband, Kevin Federline, at the Teen Choice Awards. This was her first appearance at an awards show in almost two years. Spears and Federline also appeared via satellite at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards to present the award for Best R&B Video. They performed a quick skit, though, in subsesquent replays of the VMA's on MTV, the skit is completely edited out and goes right from Jack Black introducing Spears and Federline to them announcing the nominees.
On September 12, 2006, Spears gave birth to their second son, Jayden James Federline. He was born at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, again by a scheduled caesarean section.
Spears was featured on Federline's debut album, Playing with Fire, on a song entitled "Crazy" but the album failed miserably in stores. Spears filed for divorce from her husband Kevin Federline in early November, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for both physical and legal custody of their two children, with visitation rights for Federline. According to various celebrity tabloid magazines, Spears has been said to have reunited with manager Larry Rudolph soon after filing for divorce. The following day Federline filed a response to Spears' divorce petition, seeking both physical and legal custody of their two children. According to a rep for Federline's lawyer, the divorce filing "caught Kevin totally by surprise."

Acting career

In February 2002, Spears starred in a film, Crossroads, which reached number two on the box-office charts in its first weekend, but had a relatively short life in the coming weeks at movie theaters. The film ended up making a bit over $60 million worldwide more than four times its budget. Songs from the album Britney appeared in the film. The movie, along with Spears' performance in it, was poorly received by critics and she netted herself a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. The film won the Razzie for the Worst Original Song "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman".
Spears has made cameo appearances on the films Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) as herself, and Longshot (2000) as a Flight Attendant. She also appeared on a Documentary titled Guest List Only which focused on the Los Angeles Club Scene.
For the film Chicago, producer Harvey Weinstein wanted Spears for the role that eventually went to Lucy Liu. She was considered for the part of Allie Hamilton in The Notebook, but was beat out by Rachel McAdams.
She auditioned for the role in I ♥ Huckabees that went to Naomi Watts.
Spears initially expressed interest in the role of Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard but lost interest in playing the character following her marriage and plans for a family. The role went to fellow pop singer and reality television star Jessica Simpson.
As for theatre, in her youth Spears had a role in the off-Broadway play, Ruthless!, in which Natalie Portman was an understudy. In 2005 she was offered the title role in the Broadway musical Sweet Charity. Producers of the musical began eyeing Spears for the role of the unlucky-in-love dancer Charity after Christina Applegate announced she would no longer be returning as the character. Spears seriously considered taking that part, but decided that she did not want to move her family to New York City to appear in the musical.
She was asked to appear in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "I Was Made to Love You," but turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts. This is similar to what happened in her scheduled guesting for the show Dawson's Creek.
In March 30 2006, Spears was a guest-star on an episode of NBC's television show Will & Grace titled "Buy, Buy Baby". Britney played "Amber-Louis", a closeted Democrat lesbian posing as a conservative Christian and right-wing Republican who is to cohost with Jack McFarland on his talk show "JackTalk" after a large corporation takes over "OutTv", the show's network. This marked her debut on a scripted primetime television show playing someone other than herself. NBC received criticism from conservative Christian groups for the episode.
In addition, she has appeared on Saturday Night Live twice as host and musical guest: once on May 13, 2000, then again on February 2, 2002. On October 18, 2003, she appeared as musical guest with Halle Berry as host. At 18, she was the youngest person in SNL History to host and be the musical guest at the same time. Spears is also the only female to host and perform in the same episode more than once. She was set to host a third time in December 18, 2004 but cancelled due to her knee injury.

Public image

Britney Spears' personal life has attracted considerable media attention. Some people believe that she has courted it by cultivating, in her early years at least, a chaste, God-fearing and "wholesome" image. This was somewhat at odds, not only with the traditional pressures, temptations and opportunities of "pop 'n' roll," but with the increasingly sexualized content of her own image and songs. Spears' kiss with Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards received much media attention, as have her marriages and romantic relationships.
It began in April 1999 when a then 17-year-old Spears was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in a sexually suggestive Lolita-themed photoshoot which triggered widespread speculation (denied by her representatives) that the singer had gotten breast implants.
In August 2003, Spears caused more controversy with a photoshoot by photographer Michael Thompson which appeared in W. The photos displayed Spears in a dominatrix-inspired shoot, complete with sexually suggestive poses. In the interview by Rob Haskell which accompanied the photos, Spears admitted to having lost her virginity to ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake two years into their relationship. She also revealed that she enjoys tobacco smoking, and that she kissed Colin Farrell but had no serious relationship with him.
The sexualized public image of Spears once again became a topic of debate as a result of her November 2003 semi-nude photospread for men's magazine Esquire. Prompted by this, Playboy reportedly offered the star over one million USD to pose nude for their magazine, but Spears publicly declined. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, she was asked if she had ever gone further than she wished she had with the sexualized photoshoots. Spears responded, "No, I don't think so, no." After the Esquire photos were held up in front of her, she said, "Okay. Now those are a little much. Yeah, those are a little much. That's one picture, I must say, that I felt kind of weird about, yeah."
The 2004 Onyx Hotel Tour brought new criticism. While Spears and her on-stage dancers performed her songs "Touch of My Hand" and "Breathe on Me", they were seemingly nude and performing routines simulating gay sex, orgies and masturbation. As there were underage fans in the audience, there was some outrage at the alleged lack of decency of the performances, as well as reports of adult chaperones angrily storming out with the children they brought to the concert. Spears responded to parents' concerns by stating she is "not their babysitter. It's the parents' responsibility. If you don't like it, then just change the channel. The only person I want to be a role model to is my sister, Jamie Lynn." (From ABC's Primetime interview with Diane Sawyer)
In December 2005, Spears sued US Weekly for a story the magazine published in the column "HOTstuff" of their October 2005 publication. The column, with the headline "Brit & Kev: Secret Sex Tape? New parents have a new worry: racy footage from 2004.", claimed that Spears and her husband had made a sex video and feared it would be distributed. Spears denies the existence of a sex tape, while the magazine states that they have a credible source, which they did not mention in the article. In November of 2006 it was reported that the case was dismissed.
On June 28, 2006, after her televised Dateline interview a pregnant Spears posed nude for the August 2006 cover of Harper's Bazaar, in a photo similar to Demi Moore's September 1991 cover of Vanity Fair. In one photo, Spears is shown wearing only a g-string and open fur coat, and in another she is completely nude with her hands covering her breasts. Her son, Sean, is also featured in the photospread.
In August 2006, a video of Spears began circulating the Internet. In the three-minute video, which had already been released as a bonus on the DVD, Spears is seen having a conversation with her husband Kevin Federline, who is filming her as she is sitting at a table eating. In the video, Spears seems very disoriented and confused. The video includes her asking to go to the movie theatre to see a film which, according to Federline, has already been out on DVD for four months and has already been played "on the bus". Spears then begins to claim that she is "missing out on life" and that she is generally behind everyone else. Federline tells her it is because of all the partying, to which she strongly disagrees with and begins to bang the table. Spears then begins to try and legitimately convince him that the concept of time travel that is portrayed in the Back to the Future series is real.
In November, shortly after her breakup with Federline, Spears appeared on the dance-club circuit with Paris Hilton, where she was photographed without panties by several paparazzi. Divorce lawyer Dylan Mitchell later told FOX News that the appearances could hurt her child custody case if Federline chose to argue that Spears is "never home and other people are parenting the children."

In pop culture

Spears is one of the highest selling female artist of the 2000s, with 76 million albums sold worldwide. In 2002, she was ranked as the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes. Spears was ranked number 20 out of the 200 top pop culture icons of all time by VH1 and People. She topped FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women 2004" and "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2004" polls. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Spears was a notable trendsetter within the United States and the world, inspiring several fashion crazes and fads, such as the use of low-rise jeans and the whale tail among young women. She has also topped Yahoo!'s annual list of the most-searched names three times in the past four years.

Wallpapers of Beyonce Knowles

2008-04-23T01:27:00.000-07:00

Biography of Beyonce Knowles

Birthname: Beyonce Giselle Knowles
Date of birth: 1981-09-04
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
Height: 5' 6"
Nationality: American
Profession: actress, musician

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981 is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, and fashion designer for House of Deréon.
Beyoncé rose to stardom as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, the world's best-selling female group. After a series of commercially-successful singles with the group, she released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003, which topped both the Billboard 200 and the R&B charts in the U.S. and the main albums chart in Canada and the United Kingdom. Beyoncé has won nine Grammy Awards throughout her career - six as a solo artist, and three as a member of Destiny's Child.
Beyoncé's sophomore album, B'Day, was released to enormous worldwide success on September 4, 2006 to coincide with the celebration of her twenty-fifth birthday. In its first week the album sold over 541,000 copies in North America, making it her highest-selling first week as a solo artist. The album includes hit songs "Deja Vu", "Ring the Alarm", and "Irreplaceable".

Early life

Beyoncé is the one of two daughters born to Matthew Knowles, an African-American, and Tina Knowles, an African-American of Creole descent (née Celestine Ann "Tina" Beyince or Beyonce) in Houston, Texas. Her maternal grandparents - Lumis Beyince, a seamstress, and Agnes Deréon - were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles., Platinum Celebs, February 18, 2004 Her parents decided on her first name as a tribute to her mother's surname. Her sister is Solange Knowles, a singer and actress.
By age seven, Beyoncé was attending dance school and was a soloist in her church choir. Her dance instructor took an interest in Knowles and took her star student to various competitions. Knowles went on to win over 30 local singing and dancing competitions.

Solo career

During the autumn of 2002, Beyoncé was the featured vocalist on rapper Jay-Z's hit single, "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". In the spring of 2003, Beyoncé remade a duet with the late Luther Vandross, "The Closer I Get to You", originally made famous by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. In this version, the vocal parts are switched, with Vandross taking Flack's part and Knowles taking Hathaway's. The song was included on both her solo debut album and on Vandross's Dance with My Father album, and the two shared the Grammy for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" that same year. She recently collaborated with her beau, Jay-Z on his new album, Kingdom Come, providing the vocals and the hook for the track entitled: "Hollywood". She is also rumored to be working with Remy Ma, for her upcoming album, and the track is set to be titled 'Queen'.

Dangerously in Love

In 2003, Beyoncé released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number one selling 317,000 copies in its first week. It was certified Platinum just three weeks later on June 22 2003. Its first single, the funky "Crazy in Love", featured a propulsive riff and a guest rap from Jay-Z, rapidly becoming one of the biggest hits of that summer, staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. Dangerously in Love went to the top of the album charts in the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, and the Philippines, and peaked on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and R&B charts. The album has sold over five million copies in the US and over eleven million copies worldwide. When her single and album simultaneously topped the main singles charts in both the U.S. and the UK, she became the first act to achieve this feat since Men at Work in 1983, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart in the 1960s and 1970s - thus becoming the first and so far, the only female artist to do so. Beyoncé was consequently one of the biggest-selling artists of 2003.
Towards the end of the summer, "Baby Boy", Dangerously in Love's second single, which featured Sean Paul, began to climb the charts. It went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2003, dominating radio airplay in the autumn of 2003, and spending nine weeks at number one - one week longer than "Crazy in Love". Afterwards Beyoncé released her third solo single, "Me, Myself and I"; Dangerously in Love's fourth single, "Naughty Girl", came out in mid-2004. Both songs peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
At the 2004 Grammy Awards ceremony, Beyoncé won a record-tying five Grammy Awards for her solo effort. These awards included "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Dangerously in Love", and "Best Contemporary R&B Album". Three other female artists hold this record: Lauryn Hill (1999), Alicia Keys (2002), and Norah Jones (2003). She also won a Brit Award in 2004 for "International Female Solo Artist" in the United Kingdom.
In December 2005, Beyoncé released "Check on It", featuring rappers Slim Thug and (in the official remix) Bun B. The song was from the Destiny's Child's compilation, #1's and the The Pink Panther soundtrack and it was Knowles' sixth top five hit and third number one in the U.S.
At the 2006 Grammy Awards, Beyoncé won a Grammy in the category of "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for the song "So Amazing", a duet with Stevie Wonder from the Luther Vandross tribute album .

B'Day

Knowles' sophomore album B'Day was released worldwide on September 4, 2006 and on September 5, 2006 in the U.S. to coincide with the celebration of Beyoncé's twenty-fifth birthday. In its first week the album sold more than 541,000 copies domestically, immediately coming in at number one, making it her highest-selling first week as a solo artist. This is also the highest first-week sales of any solo female artist in 2006. This record used to be held by pop singer Christina Aguilera who sold 346,000 copies of Back to Basics in its first week. In the UK, it debuted at number three with sales of 35,000 copies, and has sold in excess of 150,000 copies. "Deja Vu", the album's first single, features Jay-Z. Also with the co-production by Rodney Jerkins. Other co-producers on B'Day included Rich Harrison, The Neptunes, and Swizz Beatz. Beyoncé finished work on her second studio album in two weeks. Within four weeks, the album was certified Platinum in the U.S. and has sold 1.4 million copies on the US and 2.3 million worldwide.
The album's lead single "Deja Vu" became a top five hit in the United States and a number-one hit on the U.S. R&B chart and the UK chart, making it Beyoncé's second UK number-one single, when it climbed twenty spots to take the top spot over Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie" in the week of August 27, 2006.
The second single, "Ring the Alarm", was leaked on the Internet August 8, 2006. The video for "Ring the Alarm" was released on August 16, 2006 on Yahoo.com and peaked at number one on the site's video chart. "Ring the Alarm" became Beyoncé's highest single charting debut, when it debuted at number twelve on the singles chart. Outside North America, "Irreplaceable" was released as the album's second international single in October 2006. It debuted at number fourteen on the official chart and is a number-one on the Irish chart. The single debuted at number eighty-seven on the Hot 100 and number forty-two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song is currently peaking at number four on the UK Top 75 Singles. The single has also been taking over on the Irish charts, as it's already in its second week at number one. "Irreplaceable" is currently at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in just six weeks. It is Beyoncé's eighth top ten hit in the U.S. as a solo artist and 4th #1 hit on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
Beyoncé won her seventh MTV VMA for "Best R&B Video" at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards in August 31. In September 2006, Beyoncé won three awards at the UK's MOBO Awards ceremony. In November 2006, she took home an award for World's Best-Selling R&B Artist at the 2006 World Music Awards.
Beyonce has been quoted in several recent interviews for wanting to work with Shakira and is rumored to have Shakira possibly be featured on a track on the re-release of B'day.

Film career

In 2001, Beyoncé turned to acting, starring alongside actor Mekhi Phifer in the MTV television movie .
In the summer of 2002, Beyoncé co-starred in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember, playing Foxxy Cleopatra opposite Mike Myers and Michael Caine. Beyoncé also recorded the song "Work It Out" for the film's soundtrack. "Work It Out" was a top 10 hit in the UK and a top 40 hit in the Netherlands, Australia, and Ireland, despite being Beyoncé's biggest commercial disappointment to date in the U.S., where radio stations barely played the song and the video received very minor exposure, playing only on digital video channels, MTV Jams, and VH1 Soul.
In 2003, Beyoncé starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the film The Fighting Temptations, and recorded a song for it called "Fighting Temptation", alongside rappers Missy Elliott, MC Lyte, and Free. Unlike Knowles' own singles, the song did not become a hit, although the film was a moderate success at the box office.
Beyoncé co-starred in the film The Pink Panther, playing the role of Xania, an international pop singer, opposite Steve Martin, who plays Inspector Clouseau. The film was released on February 10, 2006, and was number one at the box office on its opening weekend.Yahoo Movies With Austin Powers in Goldmember and The Pink Panther, Knowles appeared in two films that opened at number one at the box office; the two films have grossed over $481,364,728 worldwide.
Beyoncé has completed filming the movie Dreamgirls, the film adaptation of the hit 1981 Broadway musical about a 1960s singing group loosely based on Motown all-female group The Supremes, as the Diana Ross-based character Deena Jones. The film is scheduled for release on December 15, 2006.imdb.com, 2006-02-10

Philanthropy

Beyoncé, music producer David Foster, and his daughter, Amy Foster Gillies, wrote Destiny's Child's single "Stand Up for Love" for World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 World Children's Day program.
Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland, along with Mathew Knowles, Tina Knowles, and sister Solange Knowles recently announced the formation of the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up for the purpose of providing transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extends the philanthropic mission of the "Knowles-Rowland Center For Youth", a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.Finanznachrichten.de

PETA Controversy

Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have voiced concern over Beyoncé wearing and using fur in her clothing line, House of Deréon.PETA Ambushes Beyoncé, smh.com.au After winning an online eBay auction, offered by VH1 for the Save the Music Foundation, to dine with Knowles in June 2006, two PETA members confronted the singer at a restaurant in New York City about her use of fur.BBC.co.uk Knowles did not respond, and the PETA members were escorted out.AOL video
On August 25, 2006, PETA wrote a letter of concern to Beyoncé about the treatment of baby alligators in a photoshoot. Knowles spoke to Arena magazine about the photoshoot for "Ring the Alarm," where a baby alligator had its mouth taped shut. She told Arena, "There was a shot where I held an alligator. (It) had (its) mouth taped - that was my bright idea." Knowles added, "He was really cute, but since his mouth was taped, he didn't have any way to defend himself. He was upset, so he peed on me. That was an experience." The organization contacted a biologist, who wrote a letter to Beyoncé. "As a specialist in reptile biology and welfare, I'm concerned about your posing with a terrified baby alligator for your new album cover." He added, "Humans and alligators are not natural bedfellows, and the two should not mix at events such as photo shoots. In my view, doing so is arguably abusive to an animal."PETA Wants Gator Aid From Beyoncé

Wallpapers of Brooke Burke

2008-04-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

Biography of Brooke Burke

Date of birth: 1971-09-08
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Height: 5' 7''
Nationality: American
Profession: Actress, Model

Brooke Burke (born September 8, 1971) is an American television personality and model, best known for hosting Wild On! (1999-2002) and Rock Star since its debut on CBS in July 2005.

Biography

Early life

Burke was born as the fourth of seven children in Hartford, Connecticut to Donna and George Burke, and was raised in Tucson, Arizona. She is of Jewish heritage on her mother's side and was raised in the Jewish religion, and also has Irish, French and Portuguese ancestry. Her parents divorced and her mother re-married Armen Hatounian. She studied broadcast journalism at UCLA, but was signed to top modeling agencies, including the renowned Ford Models Agency, and subsequently appeared in prominent television commercials for Bally Fitness clubs, Coca-Cola, and Discover Card.

Career

From 1999-2002, Burke became well-known while hosting Wild On!, a popular travel series on the E! Entertainment Television channel, replacing previous host Jules Asner. As part of the series, she travelled the world extensively, profiling many popular travel destinations.
Burke first appeared nude during her early modeling career for the website BlueNudes.com, and most notably after gaining fame in the May 2001 and November 2004 issues of Playboy and has also appeared in lad mags such as Maxim and FHM. Maxim magazine named her #94 in their 2006 Hot 100 List and featured her on their gallery. During the rise of her career Burke had D-cup breast implants, as seen in her aforementioned first Playboy shoot. Those implants were later replaced or reduced to C-cup size, as seen in her second layout for the magazine. She has voiced "Rachel" in Electronic Arts' video game , and asks the "People and Places" questions in the new video game, Trivial Pursuit Unhinged.
Burke has fronted infomercials promoting a swiss ball video home fitness workout named "Gunnar Peterson's Core Secrets," and appears in the first video of the series entitled "20 Minute Full Body Workout." The infomercials have screened in New Zealand.
Burke currently hosts the CBS reality show Rock Star.
Brooke Burke is on the cover of the 2006 Burger King advergaming title PocketBike Racer. She also appears in Big Bumpin'. She stars as a playable character in both games.

Personal life

In July 2005, Burke and her husband, Dr. Garth Fisher, announced their separation. The couple, who have been married since 2001, have two daughters, Neriah (born March 2000, and named after her friend and former Playmate Neriah Davis), and Sierra Sky (born April 2002).
Burke is now dating French-born actor David Charvet. According to Us Weekly, they are currently expecting a child.. On the September 6th episode of , she revealed that she is expecting another girl. On August 21, 2006 People Magazine reported the couple are engaged with Charvet proposing to Burke at a summer party.

Wallpapers of Aishwarya Rai

2008-04-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

wallpapers of Aishwarya Rai

Biography of Aishwarya Rai

Date of birth: 1973-11-01
Birthplace: Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Height: 5' 7
Nationality: Indian
Profession: actress

Aishwarya Rai (born on November 1, 1973), is an Indian actress. She was awarded the Miss World title in 1994. Aishwarya Rai has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and English films. She is currently regarded as one of the biggest names in Bollywood.

Career

Aishwarya Rai debuted in Mani Ratnam's Tamil language film, Iruvar with Mohanlal and Tabu. She played a dual role in the film. She was introduced to Bollywood by Rahul Rawail in the film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya; the film was a poor performer at the box office. However, her third project, a Tamil-language film, Jeans by S. Shankar was a commercial success and she also played the female lead in Rajeev Menon's Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain which was also a success.
She then appeared in popular Bollywood films Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Mohabbatein (2000). In 2002, Rai appeared with Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the lavishly produced Devdas, which was a major box-office success. The film attracted overseas attention as well, receiving a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival and garnering international attention.
In 2003, Rai was a member of the jury at Cannes. In 2004, she was chosen by TIME Magazine's Asian Edition as one of Asia's "100 Most Influential People." She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on January 2, 2005 - "The Most Beautiful Face in the World." A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and on April 25, 2005, she was featured on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. A wax figure of Rai is on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.
In the past, Indian actors and actresses were celebrities in Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, but mostly unknown to the rest of the world. Aishwarya is one of the few Indian actresses to have attempted to step into Western territory. Although frequently the subject of gossip column speculation about an imminent Hollywood career, it was only in 2004 that Rai finally acted in a foreign film, when British director Gurinder Chadha hired her to play the heroine in Bride and Prejudice, a Hollywood-funded but Bollywood-influenced version of Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice.
Her next overseas venture, Mistress of Spices, from the novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and directed by Paul Mayeda Berges, was released in the U.K. in April 2006. She played the title role in Umrao Jaan which released on November 3, 2006. The film was a commercial failure but gained her positive reviews for her performance. She played a somewhat negative role in Dhoom 2, a sequel to the 2004 hit Dhoom, was released on November 24, 2006. Dhoom 2 has been a huge hit all over the globe.
On January 11, 2007, her film Guru, premiered in Toronto. It is rare for a Bollywood film to premiere in North America

Personal life

Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore in the state of Karnataka , India to Krishnaraj and Vrinda Rai. A practicing Hindu, Rai has described herself as having "immense faith in God and my friends". When at home she attends the Siddhivinayak Mandir, devoted to Ganesha. In the words of Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya is very "domesticated". She lives in Mumbai with her parents.
Aishwarya began dating Salman Khan, her co-star from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, after the filming of that movie. Their breakup a few years later generated a substantial amount of press attention. Aishwarya said that Salman physically abused her, which she claimed precipitated their parting of ways.
Aishwarya then started dating the then heartthrob of Bollywood cinema, Vivek Oberoi. Vivek openly admitted their relationship when on Koffee with Karan. He also later claimed that Salman had been calling him repeatedly, telling him to stay away from Aishwarya. The relationship eventually started to fall apart as Vivek's career slowed down with no huge success.
Then gossip columnists started to link her with Bollywood celebrity Abhishek Bachchan, son of the unrivalled, immensely popular Bollywood A-lister Amitabh Bachchan. Abhishek has now become quite successful in his own right and who co-starred with her in several films. She was frequently seen in public with him and his family, fueling rumors of an engagement. Finally, on January 14, 2007, Abhishek and Aishwarya officially announced their engagement. .
Controversy erupted over the subsequent 'marriage' of Aishwarya with a tree to ward off evil forces and to ensure a safe married life with eventual husband Abhishek.

Trivia

Stands 5 foot 7 inches tall.

The song "Kajra Re", which Aishwarya performed in the film Bunty Aur Babli, was voted best song of 2005 and best choreographed song of 2005 in a poll by the Hindustan Times.

Appeared at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi. For her three-minute dance performance, Rai was reportedly paid three crore rupees, the equivalent of about 600,000 U.S. dollars.

When the IIFA awards took place in Amsterdam, Aishwarya had a breed of tulip named after her.

In 2000, Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994 from India, was named the Most Beautiful Miss World of All Time

She is the target of an obscenity case filed by a lawyer offended by her on screen kiss in the recently released hit, Dhoom 2.

A Public Interest Litigation alleging the promotion of untouchability was filed against Aishwarya for marrying trees in order to correct astrological differences with her fiancée, Abhishek Bachchan.

Awards and Honours

1998, Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female, Aur Pyar Ho Gaya
1998, Screen Discovery of the Year
1998, Filmfare Best Actress Award South, Jeans
2000, Star Screen Award Best Actress, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000, Filmfare Best Actress Award, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000, Stardust Millennium Best Actress Award, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000, Zee Lux Face of the Year
2000, Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000, IIFA Best Actress Award , Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000, Zee Gold Best Actress Award in Sensational Role, Taal
2000, Zee Gold Best Critics Actress Award, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000, Zee Gold Best Actress Award, Taal
2003, Zee Cine Award True Indian Beauty
2003, Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female, Devdas
2003, Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 shared with Shahrukh Khan for Devdas
2003, Star Screen Award Best Actress, Devdas
2003, Filmfare Best Actress Award, Devdas
2003, Sansui Best Actress Award, Devdas
2003, IIFA Best Actress Award, Devdas
2003, Bollywood Awards Best Actress, Devdas
2005, Zee Cine Critic’s Best Actress Award, Raincoat
2005, IIFA’s Global Indian Media Personality
2006, Indiatimes Number *5 In Sexiest Bollywood Stars Poll
2007, Stardust Star of the Year Award - Female, Dhoom 2

Other

2000, Rupa Filmgoers Millennium Best Actress Award, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000, Priyadarshini International Best Actress Award, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2001, BWSK Fantasy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Mohabbatein
2002, RACE Best Actress Award, Devdas
2002, RACE (V Shantaram) Best Female Artist Award, Devdas
2004, GR8! Women Award for Contribution to Cinema
2004, Global Foreign Artiste Debutantes to Mainstream Media Award
2004, F Awards-For Excellence in Indian Fashion-Female Celebrity Model of the Year
2005, MTV Immies Best Performance in a Song-Kajra Re
2006, Zee Astitva Awards-Outstanding Contribution to Cinema

National Honours

2002, Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in Field of Entertainment matter on mobile

International Honours and Achievements

1994, Miss Catwalk
1994, Miss Miraculous
1994, Miss Photogenic
1994, Miss Perfect Ten
1994, Miss Popular
1994, Femina Miss India World-1st Runner-up
1994, Most photogenic Face
1994, Miss World 1994
2000, Most Beautiful International Titleholder of All Times Gold Medal Winner
2000, Most Beautiful Miss World of All Times-Received the highest score of 9.911
2003, Cover of Time Magazine
2003, Official Cannes Jury Member
2004, Ran to Olympic Torch
2004, Hello Magazine's Yearly Most Beautiful Poll, Winner
2004, Wax London's prestigious Madame Tussauds Wax museum
2005, Appeared on CBS 60 mins, Oprah Winfrey, Good Morning America and The David Letterman Show

Biography of Anna Kournikova

2008-04-23T01:12:00.000-07:00

Biography of Anna Kournikova

Birthname: Anya Kournikova
Date of birth: 1981-06-07
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Height: 5' 8"
Nationality: Russian
Profession: tennis player

Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova (Russian: Анна Сергеевна Курникова , Ánna Sergéyevna Kúrnikova; born June 7, 1981) is a retired Russian professional tennis player and model. Gaining renown for her beauty and waist-length blonde hair as well as her tennis game, she became one of the best known tennis players worldwide, even among those who do not follow the game. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name (or misspellings of it) one of the most common search strings on Google.

An only child, she was born in Moscow, Soviet Union to Alla and Sergei Kournikov; her family later emigrated to the United States. Presently, she resides in Miami, Florida.
Kournikova's major-league tennis career has been curtailed for the past several years, and possibly ended, by serious back and spinal problems. She has had some success at the singles game, but her specialty has been doubles, where she has at times been the world's #1 doubles player. With Martina Hingis as her partner, she won Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002.
Kournikova's playing style fits the profile for a doubles player, and is complemented by her height. She has been compared to such players as Pam Shriver and Peter Fleming. Based on their supermodel looks, Hingis and Kournikova facetiously referred to themselves as the "Spice Girls of Tennis".

Tennis career

Trained from an early age at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.
At ages 13 and 14, Kournikova made headlines in international junior tennis, winning several tournaments including the 1995 Italian Open. She was 14 years old when she ended 1995 as Junior European Champion Under 18 and ITF Junior World Champion Under 18.
Kournikova debuted in professional tennis at age 14 in the Fed Cup for Russia, the youngest player ever to participate and win. At age 15, she reached the fourth round of the 1996 U.S. Open, only to be stopped by then-top ranked player, Steffi Graf.
Kournikova was a member of the Russian delegation to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1997, as a 16-year-old, she reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon, where she lost to the eventual champion, Martina Hingis by a score of 6-3, 6-2. 1998 was her breakthrough year, when she broke into the WTA's top 20 rankings for the first time and scored impressive victories over Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, and Steffi Graf. Kournikova's two Grand Slam doubles titles came in 1999 and 2002, both at the Australian Open in the Women's Doubles event with partner Martina Hingis, with whom she played frequently starting in 1999.
Kournikova proved a successful doubles player on the professional circuit, winning 16 tournament doubles titles, including two Australian Opens and being a finalist in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open and at Wimbledon, and reaching #1 ranking in doubles in the Women's Tennis Association tour rankings. Her pro career doubles record was 200-71. However, her singles career plateaued after 1999. For the most part, she managed to retain her ranking between #10 and #15 (her career high singles ranking was #8), but her expected finals breakthrough failed to occur; she only reached four finals out of 130 singles tournaments, never in a Grand Slam event, and never won one. As a player, Kournikova was noted for her footspeed and aggressive baseline play and excellent angles and dropshots; however, her flat, high-risk groundstrokes tended to produce high numbers of errors and her serve was sometimes unreliable in singles. Her singles record is 209-129.
Her final playing years were marred by a string of injuries, especially back injuries, which caused her ranking to erode gradually. Kournikova has not played on the WTA tour since 2003, but still plays exhibition matches for charitable causes.
In late 2004, she participated in three events organized by Elton John and by fellow tennis players Serena Williams and Andy Roddick. In January 2005, she played in a doubles charity event for the Indian Ocean tsunami with John McEnroe, Roddick, and Chris Evert.
In November 2005, she teamed up with Martina Hingis, playing against Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the WTT finals for charity. Kournikova is also a member of the Sacramento Capitals in the World Team Tennis (WTT), playing doubles only.
In a feature for ELLE magazine's July 2005 issue, Kournikova stated that if she were 100% fit, she would like to come back and compete again.

Media publicity

Most of Kournikova's fame has come from the publicity surrounding her personal life as well as numerous modeling shoots. During her debut at the 1996 U.S. Open at the age of 15, Kournikova's physical beauty was noticed by the world and soon pictures of her appeared in numerous magazines all over the planet.
Kournikova's marital status has been an issue on several occasions. There were conflicting rumors about whether or not she was engaged to hockey player Pavel Bure. There were reports that she married NHL hockey star Sergei Fedorov in 2001. Kournikova's representatives have denied this, but Fedorov stated in 2003 that the couple had married and since divorced. Kournikova currently has a relationship with pop star Enrique Iglesias (in whose video, "Escape", she appeared), and rumors that the couple had secretly married appeared in 2003 and again in 2005. Kournikova herself has consistently refused to directly confirm or deny rumors about the status of her personal relationships.
In 2000, Kournikova became the new face for Berlei's shock absorber sports bras range, and appeared in the highly successful "only the ball should bounce" bill board campaign. Photographs of her scantily-clad form have appeared in various men's magazines, including more than one much-publicized Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues (2004 – 2005), where she posed in bikinis and swimsuits, and in other popular men's publications such as FHM and Maxim. She has not posed topless or nude for any publications, but nude photos taken by paparazzi during a Caribbean vacation do exist.
Kournikova was named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003 and was voted "hottest female athlete" and "hottest couple" (with Iglesias) on ESPN.com. In 2002 she also placed first in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World in U.S. and UK editions.
By contrast, ESPN — citing the degree of hype as compared to actual accomplishments as a singles player — ranked Kournikova 18^th in its "25 Biggest Sports Flops of the Past 25 Years".
Kournikova had a small role (as a motel manager) in the 2000 film Me, Myself and Irene, starring Jim Carrey.
A man named William Lepeska once swam naked across Biscayne Bay in search of her Miami Beach home after attempting to contact Kournikova via a number of letters and e-mails. When apprehended by the police, Lepeska violently resisted arrest.
Kourinikova is a supporter of the Geelong Cats in the Australian Football League, a team she chose simply because she liked Cats, according to how she answered a question at an Australian Open press conference.
In the card game of poker, a hand with an Ace and King has become known as an "Anna Kournikova" (Looks good but never wins...).

Biography of Ana Beatriz Barros

2008-04-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

Biography of Ana Beatriz Barros

Birthname: Ana Beatriz Barros
Date of birth: 1982-05-29
Birthplace: Itabira, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Height: 5'112''
Nationality: Brazilian
Profession: Model

Ana Beatriz Barros (born May 29, 1982 in Itabira, Minas Gerais, Brazil) is a Brazilian supermodel. She moved to Rio de Janeiro and grew up there.

She was discovered by the Director of Elite Model Management who was vacationing in Brazil. In 1998 she won the Brazilian Elite Look of the year and was placed second at the International Elite Look of the Year. Then she was given an offer by Guess? for which she is well known.
She has done advertisements not only for Guess? but also for Victoria's Secret, Chanel cosmetics, and Jennifer Lopez's JLo fashion line. Barros has been in shows for the likes of Valentino, Missoni, Gucci, Christian Dior, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors and many more prestigious fashion houses.
She has been on the cover of magazines such as Vogue, Marie Claire, Allure, Brazilian magazines such as Capricho and Audi, W, ELLE along with many other covers.
She currently lives in New York.

Facts and stats

Height: 5'11" (181 cm)
Measurements: 33-24-35 (US); 83-60-89 (EU)
Dress Size: 6 (US); 36 (EU)
Shoe Size: 10 (US); 42 (EU)
Eyes: Green
Ethnicity: Portuguese/Spanish
Hair: Naturally Dark Brown
Nationality: Brazilian
Siblings: Patricia and Malu (Maria Luisa)

Bookings

Lumiere Sao Paulo (mother agency)
Next New York
ford paris
Next London
Fashion Milan

Biography of Avril Lavigne

2008-04-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

Biography of Avril Lavigne

Birthname: Avril Ramona Lavigne
Date of birth: 1984-09-27
Birthplace: Napanee, Ontario, Canada
Height: 5' 2"
Nationality: Canadian
Profession: musician

Avril Ramona Lavigne (born September 27, 1984) is a Juno Award-winning Canadian singer, songwriter, model, and occasional actress. She was originally known for her "skater punk" persona, but has since shed that image in favour of a more sophisticated and feminine style. Her two albums, Let Go (2002) and Under My Skin (2004), have topped charts in several countries.
Although her surname is of French origin, she does not speak French and her name is pronounced in an anglicized way, somewhat as []. Lavigne, or rather la vigne, in French means the vine or the vineyard. Her first name, Avril, is French for April, but is also pronounced in an anglicized way as [] ("A-vreel").
Lavigne is featured in Maxim magazine's Girls of Maxim gallery. In 20 06, she was included in Canadian Business Magazine's ranking of the most powerful Canadians in Hollywood, grabbing the seventh position.

Biography

Early life (1984-2001)

Avril was born in Belleville, OntarioThorley, Joe. Avril Lavigne The Unofficial Book, Virgin Books, 2003 to Franco-Ontarian Roman Catholic parents John and Judy Lavigne. Avril's musical talent was first spotted at the age of two when her mother says Avril began singing along with her on church songs. At age five she moved with her family to Napanee, Ontario, where she sang in a church choir and taught herself to play the guitar.
In 1998, Lavigne won a competition to sing with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain on her first major concert tour. She appeared alongside Twain at her concert in Ottawa, appea

ring on stage to sing.
She was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario. During a performance with the Lennox Community Theatre, Avril was spotted by local folk singer Steve Medd, who invited her to sing on his song "Touch The Sky" for his 1999 album Quinte Spirit. She also sang on "Temple Of Life" and "Two Rivers" for his follow up album, My Window To You, in 2000.
At the age of sixteen she was signed by Ken Krongard, the artists-and-repertoire A&R representative of Arista Records, who invited the head of Arista, Antonio "L.A." Reid, to hear her sing in a New York City studio. She then completed work on her first album. Avril is extremely close to her younger sister Michelle Lavigne and her older brother Matthew Lavigne. Michelle is two years younger than Avril while Matt (Matthew) is three years older than Avril.

Let Go (2001-2003)

After attempts to capture Lavigne's sound, Arista A&R head Josh Saurbin reached out to producer-songwriters Curt Frasca and Sabelle Breer (Madonna, Ryan Cabrera, Stacie Orrico) to help with the album. Lavigne eventually moved to Los Angeles, California and co-wrote with Cliff Magness and the songwriting team The Matrix. They have also worked with singers such as Sheena Easton and Christina Aguilera.
Lavigne described her first release Let Go as an album with "a couple of rock songs on it" and has voiced a desire to write more rock-oriented songs in the future. Let Go was released on June 4, 2002 in the United States, reaching number two there and number one in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This made Lavigne the youngest female soloist to have a number-one album in the UK up until that time (17 yr old Joss Stone broke Avril's record in 2003).
Just over one month after its release, "Let Go" was certified both Gold and Platinum by the RIAA and reached multi-Platinum status in late-August, and was certified 3x Platinium two weeks after. Before the end of 2002, just six months after its debut, it was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA. It sold a total of 13,197,000 copies worldwide. It was the best selling album of the year for a female artist and for a debut album in 2002.
Four singles from the album were released. "Complicated" went to number one in Australia, while reaching number two on the U.S. Hot 100, and it was also one of the best-selling Canadian singles of 2002. Avril Lavigne tied a record set by Natalie Imbruglia when "Complicated" held the number one spot on the Contemporary Hit Radio chart (which tracks air play on the radio) for 11 weeks in a row. Natalie Imbruglia previously held the record with her song "Torn", which also held onto number one for 11 weeks. "Sk8er Boi" reached the top ten in the U.S. and Australia, "I'm With You" reached the top ten in the U.S and the UK, and "Losing Grip" reached the top ten in Taiwan, and the top twenty in Chile.
Lavigne was named "Best New Artist" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, won four Juno Awards in 2003 (out of six nominations), a World Music Award for World's Best-Selling Canadian Singer, and was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "Complicated" and Best New Artist.

Under My Skin (2003-2005)

Lavigne's second album Under My Skin was released on May 25, 2004 in the U.S. It debuted at number one in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Ireland, Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong and sold more than 380,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week. Lavigne wrote most of the album with Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, though some tracks were co-written by Ben Moody (formerly of Evanescence), Butch Walker of Marvelous 3, and her former lead guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. Kreviazuk's husband, Our Lady Peace front man Raine Maida, co-produced the album with Butch Walker and Don Gilmore.
Lead single "Don't Tell Me" went to number one in Argentina and Mexico, the top five in the UK and Canada, and the top ten in Australia and Brazil. "My Happy Ending" reached the top ten in the U.S., and was her third-biggest hit there, but third single "Nobody's Home" did not make the top forty. The fourth single from the album, "He Wasn't", reached a fair twenty-three in the UK and twenty-five in Australia, and was not released in the U.S. Fall To Pieces was released as the final single from the album, but did not do as well as previous singles.
Lavigne won two World Music Awards in 2004 for World's Best Pop/Rock Artist and World's Best-Selling Canadian Artist. She received five Juno Award nominations in 2005, picking up three, including Fan Choice Award, Artist of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year. She also won the award for Favorite Female Singer at the eighteenth Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Lavigne co-wrote "Breakaway" with Matthew Gerard, which was recorded by Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack to the film (2004). "Breakaway" was later included on Clarkson's second album Breakaway, being released as the album's first single. "Breakaway" peaked in the U.S. top ten and provided Clarkson with a substantial hit.

Recent activities (2005-Present)

Lavigne represented Canada at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. She performed her song, "Who Knows", during the eight minutes of the Vancouver 2010 portion.
Lavigne made her film debut in the animated film Over the Hedge, which is based on the comic strip of same name, alongside William Shatner, Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, and Steve Carell. She is also acting in the Richard Gere film The Flock, and her third project is Fast Food Nation, based on her favourite book.
Her third album currently does not have a release date or a title, and it is being produced by Butch Walker, Deryck Whibley (Sum 41, Treble Charger), Rob Cavallo (Green Day, The Goo Goo Dolls,My Chemical Romance, Jewel), Dr. Luke and herself.More third album news On July 10, 2006, Avril Lavigne answered a Q&A on her official website stating that her next CD will be released in the first half of next year, 2007. Avril says that her new album will contain love songs since 'that's what I'm feeling at the moment' and that she is enjoying being able to write songs with Butch Walker. It is said on her message board on her official website that her new album will contain 15 songs. "Of course, I still have my boy-bashing songs, but they're very playful. So the record is really fun and cool and different and honestly, I think it's my best record yet. I can say that with confidence." Avril has also recorded a new song titled "Keep Holding On" with Dr. Luke, to be part of the Eragon movie soundtrack, and third album, due in April 2007. The song was released for digital download on November 28th, and made its worldwide debut on radio on November 17th.

Media Image

Until 2003, Lavigne traveled with a bag full of about 30 neckties. Some of them she bought, and the rest she took from her father; some were sent to her by fans. Lavigne stopped wearing neckties in 2003, as she was horrified at the media references to her style overshadowing her music, and that she was starting a fashion trend.
The classification of Lavigne's style of music has been debated. All Music Guide and other reviewers consider her to be "teen pop" or "adult/alternative pop-rock". It is questioned whether or not her music style is punk. The reason for the confusion appears to be for her punk-like appearance early in her career, probably started by her record company in the beginning of her career as the punky alternative to Britney Spears. However, there have been several occasions where she has stated "I'm not punk." Avril told Vainquer Magazine in April 2005, that she considered her music to be pop rock.
Lavigne spoke about her glamorous new look in a September 2006 interview. She explains, "When I was in high school I was a little shit, hanging out with the guys, getting drunk, smoking, getting in fights, playing hockey. My band were all guys, so I was only around guys, but when I got older I started being more of a chick. I broke out on the scene looking like the 17-year-old that I was. And from then to now I look really different - but that's called growing up."
On September 26, 2006, Lavigne was caught spitting on paparazzi photographer's face after being caught kissing her husband Deryck Whibley in her car. On September 27, 2006, which happened to be Lavigne's 22nd birthday, Lavigne exited a club with her husband and a few friends only to find herself surrounded by paparazzi and autograph-seekers. She gave her autograph along with some profanity to the seekers. After she got into her car, she leaned out the window and spat on the camera lens of the nearest photographer. Lavigne later issued a public apology for spitting on the photographers, claiming "It's trying at best dealing with their insistent intrusions. I meant no offense to my fans, whose relationship I truly value." No detailed explanation was offered for the incident.

Personal life

It has been speculated that Lavigne is a vegetarian, but she has said many times that she is not. In the January 2003 issue of Seventeen magazine, she admitted to "snagging a bite of Matt's cheeseburgers every now and again." Also in a recent interview, she said she prefers not to eat meat, but will not say she's a vegetarian "in case anyone caught her eating meat". As a teenager she would hang out at the La Pizzeria restaurant in Napanee, Ontario. In her Under My Skin Bonez Documentary, she has stated that pizza with olive toppings is her favourite food, although she doesn't eat it too much because pizza is not good for her voice. Since her rise to fame, the restaurant has named a pizza after Avril that contains her favourite toppings and there is a guest book for fans to sign which is picked up by Avril when she visits friends and family in her home town.

Lavigne has a star tattooed on the inside of her left wrist that matches the style of the one used for her first album artwork. It was created at the same time as friend and musical associate Ben Moody's identical tattoo. In late 2004, she had a small pink heart-shaped tattoo featuring the letter 'D' applied to her right wrist — thought to be a reference to husband Deryck Whibley. She has also bought a house with him in Beverly Hills.
Lavigne was romantically linked to her former guitarist Jesse Colburn but despite rumours, she did not have a relationship with another former guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. In a J-14 magazine from 2004, she talks about her first kiss being when she was 14 years old. In M magazine in 2003, an article was published about an ex-boyfriend selling her love letters on eBay.
In February 2004, she began dating fellow Canadian singer, Deryck Whibley, the lead singer/guitarist of punk rock band Sum 41. In June 2005 they became engaged. Whibley proposed to Lavigne by surprising her with a trip to Venice, a gondola ride, and then a romantic picnic. The couple finally married in a traditional ceremony on Saturday, July 15th, 2006 at a private estate in the California coastal city of Montecito. Lavigne wore a Vera Wang gown, carried pearl white Australian roses and was walked down the aisle by her father. Whibley wore a Hugo Boss suit and was accompanied by four best men. They were Steve Jocz and Cone McCaslin from Sum 41, Matthew Lavigne (Avril's older brother), and Sum 41's close friend Robb Dipple. Avril's younger sister Michelle Lavigne was one of Avril's bridesmaids. There were about 110 guests in attendance. The hit song Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls was played as their wedding song. When asked if they were ready for kids they said "not right now but somewhere down the road."

Backing band

Devin Bronson - lead guitar (2004 - present)
Craig Wood - rhythm guitar (2003 - present)
Charlie Moniz - bass guitar (2002 - present)
Matt Brann - drums and percussion (2002- present)

Former members

Evan Taubenfeld - lead guitar (2002 - 2004)
Mark Spicoluk - bass guitar (2002)
Jesse Colburn - rhythm guitar (2002 - 2003).

Biography of Eva Mendes

2008-04-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

Biography of Eva Mendes

Date of birth: 1978-03-05
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
Height: 5' 7"
Nationality: American
Profession: actress

Eva Mendes (born March 5, 1974) is an American actress.

Biography

Early life

Mendes was born in Miami, Florida (although many sources incorrectly state her birthplace is Houston, Texas) to Cuban parents and was raised in Los Angeles. She went to Hoover High School in Glendale, California. She later attended California State University, Northridge but dropped out to seek an acting career. Studied with Ivana Chubbuck.

Career

Mendes worked her way up through commercials to music videos (including an appearance in Hitch co-star Will Smith's video "Miami") to guest roles in television soap operas and supporting film roles. She has appeared in such films as Training Day, Stuck on You, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and as the female lead in the comedy Hitch opposite Will Smith. Her role in Once Upon a Time in Mexico also gave her a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards. She has two major movie projects pending, including Ghost Rider, in which she costars along with Nicholas Cage.
Mendes is a spokesmodel for Revlon. She has also worked in interior design and has written children's books. Maxim ranked her #27 in their 2006 Hot 100 issue.

Personal life

Mendes has been in a long-term relationship with Peruvian filmmaker George Gargurevich.

Biography of Carmen Electra

2008-04-22T03:31:00.000-07:00

Biography of Carmen Electra

Birthname: Tara Leigh Patrick
Date of birth: 1972-04-20
Birthplace: Sharonville, Ohio, USA
Height: 5' 4"
Nationality: American
Profession: actress, model

Carmen Electra (born Tara Leigh Patrick, April 20, 1972 in Sharonville, Ohio) is an American glamour model, television personality, actress and singer.

Biography

Early life

Electra was born Tara Leigh Patrick in Sharonville, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, to an Irish father and a German and Native American (Cherokee) mother. She attended Princeton High School in Sharonville for four years and also attended, very briefly, Walnut Hills High School.

Career

After moving to California, she met singer Prince (a Minneapolis native), who persuaded her to change her name to Carmen Electra. Soon after, she signed a recording contract with Paisley Park Records, Prince's company, marking the start of a short-lived singing career with a girl rap group.
In 1995, Electra started appearing in various television programs. Then, in May of 1996 she appeared in Playboy magazine. This led to an increasing role as a television personality on various shows, including regular roles on Baywatch and MTV's Singled Out.
Electra has appeared in several films, such as Good Burger (1997), The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999), the horror spoof Scary Movie (2000) and one of its sequels, Scary Movie 4 (2006), and the remake of the 1970s TV show Starsky & Hutch (2004). She has also made cameo appearances as herself in The Simpsons episode The Frying Game and the 2006 comedy American Dreamz. She regularly performed with the exotic dance troupe The Pussycat Dolls. Electra also created the highly successful Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease series of DVDs which combines classic stripping moves with a low impact workout. Her most recent movie appearance is as Eugene Levy's trophy wife in Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Her acting work is regularly derided by critics; in the Roger Ebert review of the film Dirty Love, he states:

"The Carmen Electra character, meanwhile, struts around like a "ho" in a bad music video, speaking black street talk as if she learned it phonetically, and pulling out a gun and holding it to a man's head because she thinks, obviously, that pulling guns on guys is expected of any authentic black woman. A scene like that would be insulting in any other movie; here it possibly distracts her from doing something even more debasing."

In 2005, she joined the voice cast of the animated series Tripping the Rift, replacing Gina Gershon as the voice of the sex android "Six".
Surprisingly, given her early work in Playboy and her reputation as a sex symbol, Electra has been very reluctant to appear nude on screen. She has only done one genuine nude scene in a movie, early in her career in The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human.

Personal life

Electra achieved considerable notoriety during her on-again, off-again marriage to basketball star Dennis Rodman from 1998 to 1999. The wedding to Rodman took place at Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Later, she had a brief affair with Tommy Lee, the ex-husband of Pamela Anderson. Borrowing another page from fellow Baywatch companion Anderson's publicity playbook, Electra was quoted in August 2004 that she was thinking of having her breast implants removed. She told World Entertainment News Network,

On November 22, 2003, Electra married Dave Navarro, former lead guitarist for the rock band Jane's Addiction. The couple documented their courtship and marriage on an MTV reality show in 2004 called .
In 2006, Electra revealed she had a lesbian little girl crush on Joan Jett starting when she was eight years old. She remembers especially lusting after Jett watching the music video of "Do You Wanna Touch Me" where Jett opens a trenchcoat to reveal her bikini clad body..
The same year she also admitted she lusts after supermodel Kate Moss: "I fancy Kate Moss. She has the best style. People need to give her a break. Yeah, I'd love to meet Kate. You can't deny her beauty and her sexuality."
On July 17, 2006, she and Navarro announced their separation. Their rep confirmed their separation to Star Magazine. Electra filed for divorce on August 10, 2006..

Philanthropy

Carmen Electra's mother, Patricia Patrick, died from brain cancer at the age of 61. As a result, Electra cofounded Head to Hollywood with Ken Baker. It is "an organization that brings brain-tumor patients and their families to Tinseltown for a VIP experience."

2008-04-22T03:05:00.000-07:00

Biography of Adriana Lima

Birthname: Adriana Francesca Lima
Birthplace: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Height: 5' 1
Nationality: Brazilian
Profession: actress, model

Adriana Francesca Lima (born June 12, 1981 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) is a Brazilian supermodel, best known for her work with Victoria's Secret.

Biography

Adriana Lima, commonly known as "the best face in the industry" and "the most in demand runway model in the world", rose to stardom out of less than glamorous conditions. Lima was discovered while shopping at a local mall at the age of 13. At the age of 15, she finished in first place in a Ford Supermodel of Brazil model search. Lima later followed with a second place finish in the 1996 Ford Supermodel of the World contest. Adriana Lima, biography by Maybelline, accessed August 28th, 2005
Shortly after, Lima moved to New York City, and eventually moved on from Ford, signing with Elite Model Management. Her early career consisted mostly of fashion editorial work (with early appearances in international editions of Vogue and Marie Claire in 1997/1998), as well as runway work (Christian Lacroix, Valentino, and others). Lima's first big break came when she was featured in a Vassarette billboard in Times Square. Her print career followed, and like many other famous names (Claudia Schiffer, Laetitia Casta, Eva Herzigova), Lima became a GUESS? Girl in their 2000 Costanoa and has face campaign.
Lima continued to build upon her entry, doing more print work (Maybelline, bebe, Mossimo, BCBG) and gracing the cover and editorials of more high fashion magazines (Harper's Bazaar, ELLE). Probably best known for her Victoria's Secret work and Angel status (along with Heidi Klum and Gisele Bündchen), Lima first graced the VS runway in 2000, and was the show opener for the 2003 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
In 2001 Adriana Lima starred in BMW Films short, The Follow alongside actors Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and Forest Whitaker. In the film, Owen's character is hired to follow Lima's, who is suspected of cheating on her famous husband, played by Rourke. The film had a runtime of 8:47 including credits, was written by Andrew Kevin Walker, and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Even though her performance received rave reveiws and she was offered other big parts for movies such as Kill Bill, Terminator III, and The Matrix Revolutions Lima made it clear that acting is not her priority and that she only did The Follow because it was a short film.
Adriana Lima is currently one of the most respected and in demand models in the business and is the third highest paid model in the world (behind Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss). She is currently represented by New York's DNA Models, Brazil's Elite Models and the European Ford Models.

Personal life

Lima has has been romantically linked to celebrities in this past, including a rumored engagement with rocker Lenny Kravitz and Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter. She is currently known to be dating Prince André Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein. This relationship has been a relatively "hot" topic for the society spy columns and celebrity watchers, specifically Page 6, New York Post and Hola! online magazine.
Lima gained a massive amount of fame in Italy after her mega contract with the Italian cellphone carrier TIM grew very popular. In total it earned her 6 million dollars and she has said she is not able to walk down the street in Italy:

Lima does charitable work helping with an orphanage, "Caminhos da Luz" (Ways of Light), located in her hometown. She helps with construction to expand the orphanage, and buys clothes for poor children in Salvador, Bahia. Adriana Lima, biography by Ask Men, accessed August 28th, 2005 (sometimes described as green)

Hair: Dark Brown

Ethnicity: Swiss, African, Amerindian.

Lima has a cult like fan following called the "LimaHolic Mafia" Many compare these fans to Clay Aiken's Claymates

Nationality: Brazilian

Languages Spoken: Portuguese, English, Spanish

Religion: Roman Catholic.

Ranked #97 in Forbes.com's Highest Paid Celebrities list (2006)

Ranked #99 in Forbes.com's 100 Most Powerful People list (2006)

Ranked #57 in Maxim's Hot 100 (2003)

Ranked #1 in AskMen.com's Top 99 Women (2005) Top 99 Women, by Ask Men, accessed August 28th, 2005

Ranked #4 in AskMen.com's Top 99 Women of 2006

She likes "simple people".

Spokesmodel of XOXO, Armani Jeans, GUESS? Adriana Lima, biography by Guess Advertising, accessed August 28th, 2005 and Victoria's Secret

Close friends and family call her "Leah" which is beleived to be a reference to her grandmother's name.

Her eyes tend to change colour from blue to grey to green.

She has a pierced navel.

She owns a female maltese poodle named Ivy.

She is said to be "the easiest person in the world to make laugh."

She owns a bar in Mexico.

Many of her dedicated fans desperatly want to see a picture of Lima's mother and father.

She is bookish : her favourite author is Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

She would like to pursue acting or photography.

Her best friend is Oluchi Onweagba.

She is afraid of tapeworms and flying.

She meditates every morning.

She does not like to travel.

She was romantically linked with Lenny Kravitz.

She claimed Lenny was just a friend on The Late Show with Jay Leno.

She wears a scapular around her neck.

She is trained in Capoeira and Mixed Martial Arts.

She is always listed as one of the top five models in the world.

She never leaves the house without sunglasses.

She is the favourite model of famed photographer Ellen von Unwerth who specializes in erotic feminity editorial photography.

When she is asked what colour her eyes are she says she doesn't know, though her mother says they are blue.