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“I guess I’m just not in it for the celebrity of it. I’m in it because I love it.” -Hilary Swank, on the craft of acting.

biography

Hilary Ann Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 30, 1974. She grew up in Bellingham, Washington and as a child, devoted much of her time to athletic pursuits. Swank swam in the Junior Olympics and state championships, and ranked fifth in her state for gymnastics. At the age of 16, Swank moved to Los Angeles to realize her dream of becoming an actress.

hilary plays a boy

Her first notable screen credit was as the sidekick in the feature film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992. Two years later, she earned a modicum of fame when she was chosen to star in The Next Karate Kid, a critical and box-office failure.

Swank subsequently appeared in a number of minor films and gained recognition on Beverly Hills, 90210 for one season, as Steve’s (Ian Ziering) girlfriend Carly. In 1999, Swank found a role that would change her life forever in the independent drama, Boys Don’t Cry. Based on the story of Teena Brandon, a woman whose decision to lead her life as a man met with dire consequences, Boys Don’t Cry was a runaway success.

hilary in million dollar baby

Particular praise went to Swank for her stunning performance, for which she won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actress. Subsequent projects included The Gift (2000), The Affair of the Necklace (2001), the thriller Insomnia (2002) with Al Pacino and Robin Williams, The Core (2003), the made-for-TV movie Iron Jawed Angels (for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe), and Red Dust (2004).

In 2004, Hilary blew filmgoers away once again with her portrayal of a champion boxer in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, for which she won the Oscar, SAG and Golden Globe for Best Actress. In 2005, she will be seen in Brain De Palma’s adaptation of the James Ellroy novel, The Black Dahlia.

Swank has been married to actor Chad Lowe since 1997.
 

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“There is not truth to the rumors that we hate each other. I have no ill feeling for Britney and vice versa. I am proud of all the achievements she has made in her career; she is a very hard-working person. I have nothing but love for her.”
-Christina Aguilera, on her supposed rivalry with Britney Spears.

biography

Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980, to parents Jim, a military father of Ecuadorian descent, and Shelly, an Irish professional violinist/pianist. Growing up with her brothers and sisters in Wexford, Pennsylvania, Christina always knew that she wanted to be a performer. In her early 20s, this blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty got more than she bargained for.

Her career as a singer started when she began performing at her school’s talent shows. She took her soulful voice to the Star Search stage, (like her singing counterpart, Britney Spears), and performed on national television. The next time she performed in front of a live audience was when she sang the national anthem for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Penguins.

christina aguilera is a mouseketeer

At the age of 12, Christina landed a coveted spot on the popular variety show The Mickey Mouse Club as a Mousketeer, with fellow castmates Britney Spears, Keri Russell, J.C. Chasez, and Justin Timberlake.

After her two-year stint on the show, Christina traveled to Japan in 1998, where she recorded a duet with Japanese star Keizo Nakanishi, and later toured in Japan. Her next public performance was at the Golden Stag Festival in Transylvania, Romania, joining Sheryl Crow and Diana Ross, who were also on the playlist.

As if overnight, Christina became a star. It all started when she sent a demo tape to the producers of the Disney animated feature Mulan after she was invited to audition for the part. All the studio needed to hear was her home-recorded demo tape, in which Christina sang karaoke to Whitney Houston’s hit “I Wanna Run to You,” and the studio executives knew that they had found the wide-range voice they were looking for.

christina aguilera’s reflection

Two days later, Christina recorded “Reflection” for Mulan and was signed for a record deal with RCA Records that same week. The song “Reflection” became a hit adult contemporary single, and garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for a Motion Picture.

For those of you who didn’t see Mulan, there’s no need to fret — we would soon hear Christina’s hit single “Genie in a Bottle.” Her self-titled debut album was released on August 24, 1999, and sold more than 250,000 copies within one week of being released.

With only one hit single under her belt at the time of the Grammys, Christina won the Grammy Award for Best New Female Artist. We had yet to hear the other two hit singles that were coming our way — the dance-pop tune “What a Girl Wants” and the ballad “I Turn to You.”

christina aguilera sings lady marmalade

Christina also proved that she can work with other divas, as she did in the remake of “Lady Marmalade,” from the Moulin Rouge! (2001) soundtrack. Teamed with Lil’ Kim, Pink and Mya, Christina stole the show. The video took home the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video of the Year. She also appeared on the All-Star Tribute remake of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” with a star-studded cast including Bono and Nelly Furtado.

In 2003, she released Stripped, featuring such hit songs as “Dirrty,” “Beautiful” and “Can’t Hold Us Down.” The album made Christina the No.1 Billboard Female Artist of the year.

She followed the release of that album with a co-headlining tour with her fellow former Mouseketeer, Justin Timberlake. In June, Aguilera joined Justin for the Justified & Stripped Tour.

christina aguilera’s back to basics

In the past, Christina has been allegedly linked to Enrique Iglesias, Fred Durst and MTV’s Carson Daly. She was less than thrilled about Eminem’s mention of her “relationship” with Carson Daly and Fred Durst in his song “The Real Slim Shady,” and publicly expressed her feelings of disgust toward the shady rapper.

In 2005, however, the “Dirrty” girl settled down with music executive Jordan Bratman. The two were married in a November 19 ceremony.

The newlywed followed up her wedding with a new album and a new image. The more jazzy and soul-inspired Back to Basics was released in 2006, and Christina’s first single, “Ain’t No Other Man,” went on to win a 2007 Grammy Award in the Best Female Pop Vocal category.
 

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“Just being comfortable in my own skin, and with the body that I have, was nice.” -Kate Bosworth, on her role in Blue Crush.

biography

Born January 2, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, Catherine Ann Bosworth spent most of her childhood traveling throughout the United States, including San Francisco, Connecticut and Massachusetts. An award-winning equestrian, her big break came about in 1998 during a casting call for Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer.

Kate figured that attending an audition would be a great experience, and the fact that the film focused on horses gave her that extra push to go ahead and attend the casting call. With little more than a role in a community theater production of Annie to her credit, Kate was a natural and charmed her way into the supporting role of Judith, the female lead’s best friend, but not before leaving the producers with her impromptu headshot — a picture of Kate from a Christmas family portrait.

back to school for bosworth

With the doors of Hollywood open to her at such an early age, Kate was met with the age-old dilemma of school versus career. A member of the National Honor Society, she decided to continue her high-school education, as well as her involvement with community sports. After an 18-month hiatus, she was drawn to Hollywood again in 2000, with back-to-back roles in The Newcomers and Remember The Titans, with Denzel Washington.

After landing the role of Bella on the short-lived WB series Young Americans, Bosworth was also a rarity on television, as an actual teen actress portraying a teen.

surf’s up

Two years later, it was director John Stockwell’s turn to reintroduce us to America’s latest sweetheart with the surfing film, Blue Crush. Easily defined as a blend of Charlie’s Angels and Beach Blanket Bingo, 2002’s Blue Crush featured Bosworth as a chambermaid/aspiring professional surfer. With the female cast sharing a beach house in Oahu for two months, they were forced to undergo a rigorous training regimen, which included seven hours of running, swimming, weight training, and surfing. According to Bosworth, it wasn’t easy; “Standing on a surfboard is like trying to stand on soap. You’re going to fall.”

But Kate met the challenge head-on, and had the cuts and scars to prove it. She even ended up going to the hospital for a CAT scan after a nasty spill left her unconscious. The film’s surprise strong opening meant that Kate Bosworth would have a whole new fan base, especially among the MTV crowd. As the poster girl for this “new wave” of girl power, Bosworth was happy to portray a character she could relate to — a young woman who was strong-willed, determined, independent, and sexy.

shady roles in seedy films

In 2002, she also appeared in Roger Avary’s The Rules of Attraction. The film explored the darker side of college life, with Kate portraying a strung-out party girl. Leaving her wholesome prep-school image behind, she attracted the attention of director James Cox, who was in the midst of casting his latest film, Wonderland.

Due for a July 2003 release, the film follows the life of legendary adult film star John Holmes and stars Val Kilmer in the lead role. Dyeing her hair brown for the part, Bosworth portrays Dawn Schiller, the real-life teenage lover of the X-rated king.

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“I’m an illegal alien and have been for many years. If you rub my skin, I go green.” -Claire Forlani

biography

Claire Forlani was born July 1st, 1972, in Middlesex, England. The daughter of an Italian father and British mother, an 11-year-old Claire attended the Arts Educational School in London where she began her pursuit of being a performer.

The Arts Educational School gave her 6 years of dance and drama training, which she executed in her stage performances of The Nutcracker Ballet and Orpheus in the Underworld. With a couple of theatre credits under her belt, the actress/dancer got her showbiz start on British television.

Claire was cast in a recurring role on the British television series Press Gang and Shrinks in the early ’90s, and appeared as Katarina in the film Gypsy Eyes (a.k.a. CIA Trackdown), which required an 11-week shoot in Croatia.

In order to make it easier for their daughter to land more roles, Mr. and Mrs. Forlani relocated with Claire to San Francisco in 1993. It didn’t take long for the green-eyed beauty to penetrate the US market, with her first role in an American production. She was cast as Ann Cannon in the television mini-series, J.F.K.: Reckless Youth in 1993, and appeared on the big-screen in the 7th outing of the Police Academy franchise, 1994’s Police Academy: Mission to Moscow.

After a minor role in the 30-minute Showtime feature The Gift, Claire was finally given her opportunity to shine in a supporting role in the cult-favorite Mallrats. Director Kevin Smith immediately cast Claire in the role of American suburbanite Brandi Svenning, and only discovered that she was actually British after she was offered the role.

Finally in 1996, Claire was offered the role of Sean Connery’s estranged daughter Jade in the blockbuster hit, The Rock, sharing the screen with heavy hitters Connery and Nicolas Cage. She also appeared in Basquiat that same year, and followed up with a starring role in the independent film, Garage Sale.

Claire was given the chance to prove herself in the 1997 film The Last Time I Committed Suicide, the critically-acclaimed role that could compensate for her previous good performances in what were simply disappointing films. She also had the smarts and confidence to walk off the set of Deep Rising, which could have made her career sink.

In 1998, Claire co-starred with the grim reaper (portrayed by Brad Pitt) in Meet Joe Black. The grim film made everyone wonder who the stunning beauty that had won Brad Pitt’s heart onscreen was (in reality, she has stolen the heart of actor John Cusack), and Claire was hailed by Vanity Fair as one of 1998’s up and comers.

That year she also starred in Basil with Christian Slater, and the romantic comedy Into My Heart (a.k.a. Elements). The following year Claire joined an A-list cast for the summer film Mystery Men, and co-starred with Freddie Prinze Jr. in the chick flick Boys and Girls.

Claire can next be seen in the upcoming thriller Anti-Trust, co-starring Ryan Phillippe and Rachael Leigh Cooke, and the comedy Going Greek, which is still in the works.

Surprising movie audiences by the fact that she is not really American (she has the American colloquial accent down pat), Claire is a talented actress that has yet to be given the perfect venue to show off her skills — she has still managed, nonetheless, to win us over.

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Okay, what do we need to know about you first?

That I’m half-Thai and half-New Zealander. My dad used to work with the Asian Development Bank and when my mom was pregnant with me, they were living in Geneva and then when they moved here, my mom gave birth to me. I was born and raised here.

Ah, so you’ve lived here since forever!

Well, I moved for a while. I went to New Zealand for six months then came back. My family’s not here anymore. It’s just my sister and I, the rest of them are in New Zealand.

How long ago did you start modeling?

I was really young. I had two commercials when I was in grade school. I did pictorials for my mom’s friend who owned a clothing line. I did some other stuff but I don’t really remember. Anyway, it started when a friend of mine who had an agency brought his camera to the house and he just took my VTR and that’s how it started.

How would you like people to know you, besides being Borgy’s girlfriend, the lucky chap…

I don’t really care what other people think. I’m used to people seeing me as just Borgy’s girlfriend. If they don’t know any better, I can’t change that, right?

You intend to pursue art?

Yeah. It’s so stupid, I used to join contests that are usually art-related, I don’t want to join anything else. I won a poster-making contest in school. Actually I’m working on [pursuing art].

What’s the most important thing in a relationship?

I’m not going to say trust, ha ha! As long as you guys can remain happy, you know, when you’re in a relationship for so long, that feeling isn’t there anymore. But then with us, it’s still there. We’re always wondering, “When is this going to stop?” And then one year later, we’re like, “I don’t think it’s going to go away.” Ha ha!

Tell us, what should men do to keep a girl happy?

Well, um, for starters, be honest—oh my God that’s so typical!

You don’t want to be typical?

Yeah. Ha ha! Trying hard not to be…but like, it’s just a matter of being real, I guess. I mean, not trying too hard.

So throw us off the chair. What is it about Ornusa that will surprise the bejesus out of us?

People don’t know that I paint. Actually, it’s funny because in school we were asked to do a project where we had to paint and everybody had groups and I volunteered to do it by myself because you see, if I’m in a group, I always want to take control of it, so I decided I was gonna work alone. So I came to school with the painting and my teacher didn’t believe that I was the one who did it. So I was kind of insulted. I was like, “Okay, I guess I’m not allowed to have any skills or something.” Ha ha!

Is this the biggest misconception about you?

Well, people think I’m a spoiled brat. I don’t know why. Like when I go to the mall and I bump into someone and they’d be like, “What are you doing?” and I’m like “I’m doing groceries” and they’d be like “Really, you?” When I tell people I don’t have maids, they’re shocked.

What ticks you off?

I hate anything messy. Mess bothers me. If I go home and my room’s messy, I can’t sleep in it. I literally clean it up and then I sleep. No matter how tired I am. Or at least I have to gather all the junk and put it in one corner so at least it’s in one area.
FHM - Lou Albano

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“I think the main thing for me is [to] really just enjoy what I do on the court and have fun and be relaxed because I guess that’s where I play my best tennis.” -Daniela Hantuchova

biography

The tennis sensation Daniela Hantuchova was born on April 23, 1983, in Poprad, Slovakia. Her father Igor was a Computer Science professor at the University of Technology at Bratislava while her mother Marianna was a toxicologist (she would eventually leave this profession to manage her daughter’s career).

Tennis was a sport that everyone in the Hantuchova family played. However, it really was her grandmother Helena, a former Czech national player, who was responsible for introducing Daniela to a racket at the age of 3.

Sensing that Daniela loved the sport and had potential, Helena signed her up at Slavia STU, one of the largest tennis clubs in Bratislava. On indoor hard and clay courts, Daniela studied under Joseph Bulko.

daniela hantuchova turns pro 

At age 13, Daniela began getting serious about her game. She started spending her winters training at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a tennis school responsible for such success stories as that of Maria Sharapova.In 1998, Daniela began competing seriously. She joined the ITF Circuit, qualifying in her hometown of Bratislava. In 1999, she won two ITF challenger titles, Jackson and Fano. Daniela then turned pro and joined the ranks of the WTA, playing her first tournament again at Bratislava.

Even though she finished the 1999 season ranked at number 201, in 2000, people began to take notice of Daniela. She reached the quarterfinals in Strasbourg and Luxembourg, beating top 10 player, Nathalie Tauziat, in the latter tournament.

kournikova beats hantuchova 

Daniela showed equal promise playing doubles. With partner and countrywoman Karina Habsudova, she won her first Tour doubles title at Bratislava. By the end of the season 1999, these accomplishments combined to propel Daniela to the number 108 ranking in the WTA standings.She fared even better in 2001. At the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam event, Daniela made it out of the round robin to be defeated in the first round by fellow sexpot Anna Kournikova.

She went on to another first round elimination at the U.S. Open, then made it to the second round at Roland Garros. At Wimbledon that year, Daniela won her first Grand Slam title, taking the top spot in mixed doubles with her partner Leos Friedl.

Before the end of the year, Daniela had also reached the semifinals in Birmingham and Oklahoma. Going into the 2002 season, she shot up to number 38 in the world. She solidified this ranking further by winning the Australian Open mixed doubles title with new partner Kevin Ullyett.

hantuchova wins at indian wells 

In March of 2002, Daniela reached the finals at Indian Wells and beat Martina Hingis to win her first professional title, earning over $2 million US in prize money.She took yet another doubles title at Amelia Island, then a fourth at New Haven, each with ladies partner Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. These would prove to be Daniela’s last wins of the season.

In addition to these accomplishments, Daniela had reached the quarter or semifinals at the other tournaments, such as the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the finals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Once again, she moved up in the rankings, finishing the year at number 8.

Daniela also returned to the ITF in 2002, playing for her country in the Fed Cup. With her contributions, particularly against Spain, Slovakia won the Cup.

daniela on a losing streak 

2003 started on a good note as Daniela reached the last few rounds of every event she entered — Sydney, the Australian Open and Indian Wells. Top tier players like Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Amanda Coetzer were the ones keeping her from victory.Three months into the year, Daniela was the number 5 player on the Tour. Then, things abruptly turned around. She couldn’t buy a win anymore. For the rest of the year, she went from failure to failure, plummeting to number 19 by the end of the season.

Desperate for a solution, Daniela terminated her relationship with longtime coach Nigel Sears. A trial period with replacement Harold Solomon didn’t work out, and she soon rehired Sears.

In 2004, Daniela gradually began to regain her form. She reached the finals at Eastbourne, beating the powerful Amelie Mauresmo on the way. She then reached the 3rd round at Wimbledon, before being eliminated by eventual champion Maria Sharapova.

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“It’s an ego thing to hit the ball long.” -Natalie Gulbis, on why it might bother men to be outdriven by her.

biography

Natalie Anne Gulbis was born on January 7, 1983, in Sacramento, California. Natalie’s father John worked for the Sacramento County Probation Department, while her mother Barbara continues to act as purchasing director for a Sacramento medical laboratory. Natalie first hit the links at age 4, when her father began to teach her to play golf. She soon fell in love with the sport. At 7, she won her first tournament, and by 10, young Natalie was already breaking par.

In 1996, 13-year-old Natalie finished in second place in the California State Women’s Amateur tournament. The top spot went to another future LPGA player, Dorothy Delasin. The following year, however, Natalie came back to win the tournament. That same year, she became the youngest player to ever qualify for an LPGA event, playing in the Long Drugs Challenge. Natalie would hold this record until 2002, when 12-year-old Michelle Wie made fresh claim to it.

natalie gulbis the all-american

Natalie continued developing her golf game at Granite Bay High School, where she played on the boys’ team. Despite the fact that she was also committed to gymnastics and diving, Natalie still excelled academically, and graduated early, at age 16.

On the strength of her high school scores, Natalie was given a scholarship to Arizona State University in 1999. At that time, Arizona’s golf team was the defending NCAA champs. In her freshman year, Natalie won three tournaments and was recognized with All-American honors. The next summer, she qualified for the US Women’s Open, was ranked 34th among amateurs, and then was named MVP at the USA-Japan Collegiate Golf Championship. On the strength of these achievements, Natalie made the decision to turn pro.

natalie gulbis joins the lpga

Natalie went to the LPGA Qualifying Tournament (aka “Q-School”) in the fall of 2000, and earned a spot on the tour on her first attempt. In 2001, Natalie moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Her reason for doing so was initially strictly for tax purposes, but she soon grew to love her new home on Lake Las Vegas, about 30 minutes from the strip. Another advantage to her new location was its proximity to the Butch Harmon School of Golf, where she could take daily instruction from the same man who tutors golf heavyweights like Tiger Woods and Adam Scott.

In 2002, Natalie tied for fifth at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and for fourth at the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. These two performances propelled her into second place in the Rookie of the Year points standings. The following year, Natalie tied for 12th at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship and scored a career-low 63 in the third round of the Welch’s/Fry’s Championship. In 2004, Natalie finished in the Top 15 in five tournaments and carded her first LPGA career hole in one in the final round of the Safeway Classic.

natalie gulbis’ calendar

In 2005, Natalie released her second calendar. The first annual 2004 edition was deemed “too provocative” by the USGA, who cancelled Natalie’s signings, but it still proved to be a very successful enterprise. Natalie has also played on many charity and Pro-Am events, where she has teed off against such celebrity athletes as Roy Jones Jr., Michael Jordan and Barry Bonds.
 

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“I try my hardest to push the point that I am a feminist. I really think it’s important that people know that the women in this industry are empowered. They run it, man. It’s awesome.” -Jenna Jameson

biography

Jenna Jameson was born Jenna Marie Massoli on April 9, 1974. Her father was a Las Vegas cop and her mother was a Vegas showgirl, who died of cancer when Jenna was 3. As a young girl, Jenna took ballet, developing a skill which would later come in handy at her first job. She was always attractive, and was a frequent entrant in local beauty pageants. At an early age, Jenna’s sexuality started developing, and she began taking frequent peeks at her father’s adult magazines.

jenna jameson at crazy horse tooJenna got her start in adult entertainment at age 17, when she landed a job as a dancer at Las Vegas’ Crazy Horse Too strip club. Although the club rejected her at first because she was still wearing braces, they relented after she removed them herself with a pair of pliers.

Jenna got her start in adult entertainment at age 17, when she landed a job as a dancer at Las Vegas’ Crazy Horse Too strip club. Although the club rejected her at first because she was still wearing braces, they relented after she removed them herself with a pair of pliers.It was Jenna’s first boyfriend, a Las Vegas tattoo artist, who introduced her to the world of porn. While one imagines that stripping couldn’t have come easy to the underage Jenna (who landed her first dancing gigs with the help of a fake I.D.), within a few months she had become an expert, often pulling in as much as $2,000 a night.

jenna jameson gets hooked on drugsSadly, most of the time Jenna spent working in Las Vegas was a blur for her. What began as recreational drug use became a full-blown addiction, and soon Jenna was into everything from acid to speed to methamphetamine.

Sadly, most of the time Jenna spent working in Las Vegas was a blur for her. What began as recreational drug use became a full-blown addiction, and soon Jenna was into everything from acid to speed to methamphetamine.At 18, Jenna moved to California to reunite with her father, who helped her get clean and sober. She began taking steps towards her career and by age 20, with her father’s blessing, she had appeared in men’s magazines such as Hustler,Penthouse and Cheri.

jenna jameson in blue movieJenna Jameson began her career as an adult film star in 1993, again with her father’s consent. Her first appearances were in girl-girl scenes. Her first onscreen sex scene with a woman occurred in 1994’s Up and Cummers 11.

Jenna Jameson began her career as an adult film star in 1993, again with her father’s consent. Her first appearances were in girl-girl scenes. Her first onscreen sex scene with a woman occurred in 1994’s .Jenna was involved in her first coed project, Cherry Pie, later that same year. By 1995, Jenna was becoming a force to be reckoned with in the porn industry. That year, she made her first big budget film, Blue Movie, in which she played a reporter sent to uncover the realities of a porn set.

By 1996, the woman who had taken her stage name from a phone book had become a star, earning the triple crown of the porn industry: the XRCO Best New Starlet, The AVN Best New Starlet and the F.O.X.E Video Vixen. She was the first entertainer to have won all three awards.

jenna jameson in private partsIn 1996, Jenna Jameson married porn star Brad Armstrong (n Rodney Hopkins). They separated after ten weeks. By this time, the clean and sober Jenna Jameson had drawn the attention of Howard Stern, who cast her in Private Parts (1997). At the premiere of the movie, Jenna met singer Marilyn Manson, who she would later date. In 2000, she moved in with female porn star Nikki Tyler. Despite a willingness to work with females and even a few alleged lesbian relationships, Jenna Jameson has always maintained that she is heterosexual.

In 1996, Jenna Jameson married porn star Brad Armstrong (n Rodney Hopkins). They separated after ten weeks. By this time, the clean and sober Jenna Jameson had drawn the attention of Howard Stern, who cast her in (1997). At the premiere of the movie, Jenna met singer Marilyn Manson, who she would later date. In 2000, she moved in with female porn star Nikki Tyler. Despite a willingness to work with females and even a few alleged lesbian relationships, Jenna Jameson has always maintained that she is heterosexual.In 2002, five years after her mainstream debut in Private Parts, Jenna Jameson appeared on MTV in the video for Eminem’s “Without Me.” With the world wanting more and more of Jenna Jameson, she signed a reported six-figure book deal for her autobiography, How To Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale, which was released in 2004.

jenna jameson marries jay grdinaJenna was at the top of her game in 2003, by this time both a household name and a mainstream commodity. She signed an exclusive 7-year deal with Vivid Entertainment Group (a company known for classy adult features with sexy women and storylines) to star in at least 15 films.

Jenna was at the top of her game in 2003, by this time both a household name and a mainstream commodity. She signed an exclusive 7-year deal with Vivid Entertainment Group (a company known for classy adult features with sexy women and storylines) to star in at least 15 films.Seven years after separating from Brad Armstrong, Jenna finally obtained a divorce and married her boyfriend, studio owner Jay Grdina, in 2003.

In the world of porn, Jenna Jameson has come to define success. With over 80 movies on her resume, she’s pitched in her fair share towards building this billion-dollar industry. While her exact net worth is unknown, her film career and own entertainment management company, ClubJenna, have certainly garnered her millions. But that’s to be expected; after all, sex sells.
 

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“I have fun doing the shows. People see you in a different style and that’s the best way to show people how you can change.” -Ines Rivero, on working the catwalk

biography

Ines Rivero (nee Maria Ines) was born in 1976, in Cordoba, Argentina. Although it wasn’t hard to see her natural beauty, Ines’ mother thought that she lacked the grace of a lady, and therefore enrolled her into “ladies school.”

She made her modeling debut at the age of 14, when she worked in a local fashion show. An agent discovered the now mature and more ladylike stunner at age 16 in her hometown, and one year later, she got another break when she won the preliminary of the Elite Look of the Year contest in Argentina.

look of the century

Ines had more than the “Look of the Year;” she had the figure and face to make it in the modeling world, and started out appearing in a Giorgio Armani campaign.

Now calling New York home, (Ines is a Ford model in New York and Paris), she has appeared in many advertisements since the start of her career. The ads she has appeared in include H-I-S Jeans, Mossimo, Romeo Gigli, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sky, and Vitamina.

Ines has become an international face, with her cover appearances on magazines like Marie Claire France, Elle Argentina, and Mirabella US. She has also graced the pages of fashion magazines such as Vogue and Glamour.

Already a print model veteran, Ines has also strutted down catwalks for designers such as Herve Leger, Michel Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and John Galliano (whose dresses she swears by).

angelic beauty

Joining the bevy of Victoria’s Secret babes such as Laetitia Casta, Gisele Bundchen and Carmen Kass, Ines is also an “Angel” for the lingerie company. She signed a contract with Cover Girl, sharing the spotlight with Angela Lindvall and Jessica White.

sing a tune

Apart from modeling, Ines proves that she also has vocal chords, after having recorded an album entitled Hasta Siempre and released a popular single about Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. She also appeared in an Enrique Iglesias video, “Esperanza”.

Besides intense exercising, Ines takes boxing classes, practices yoga, and enjoys riding motorcycles.

As for her personal life, Ines was previously married to French artist, Alixandre de Basseville until 1998, and is presently married to financier Jorge Mora, the father of her child.
 

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“I’m still figuring out why people would want to look at me. Maybe it’s generic beauty, but it’s weird to be valued for something I was born with.” - Josie Maran

biography

This chestnut haired exquisite beauty is best known for her work in the Summer ‘98 and Fall ‘98 Guess? advertising campaigns. Josie Maran was born and raised just outside San Francisco in Menlo Park, and graduated from an all-girls private school. Although she now resides in Manhattan, California will always be considered home. Following the path of many other models, Maran did not initially aspire to be a model.

She was hanging out with her friends at a BBQ in her hometown three years ago when a woman asked her to be in a fashion show. This request was the beginning of her modeling career, since a modeling agent at the show spotted Maran and encouraged her to start modeling.

Presently managed by the Elite Model Management, Maran has graced such magazine covers as Fitness, Glamour and Teen, as well as Shape, Seventeen, Stuff, and Sport. Apart from her work in the Guess? advertising campaign, she also appeared in ads for Maybelline and American Eagle Outfitters. People may recognize her as the main female character in the Backstreet Boys video, “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”.

Although Maran has already had an impressive modeling career at the tender age of 20, she is still down to earth. Not only does she “look at life as an adventure”, but she also enjoys learning about different people, cultures and countries. When not working, Maran makes time for her favorite pastimes: reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

With such a large number of young girls being approached by modeling scouts, she advises young aspiring models to finish high school, since there is always time for modeling after graduation. She also suggests to keep an open mind, not to take life so seriously and be deceived — modeling is not as glamorous as it seems! It may not be glamorous, but with Maran’s natural beauty, she makes modeling seem like second nature, despite the fact that she is only 5′7″ tall(below the standard for female models).

Maran hopes to continue modeling for a few more years and eventually try her hand at acting.
 

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She comes from a long line of actors, actresses, models and beauty queens. With good looks and acting talent running in her family, it is no surprise that 22-year-old Bianca Araneta ended up joining show business.

A VJ and part-time ramp and commercial model when she isn’t busy with school (she has one more year to go before tucking-up a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at La Salle), Bianca is a nature- lover and has been an environmentalist since she was young. She also has an extremely soft spot for animals. Once, she took care of 15 dogs (now she’s down to three), more than 20 stray cats, various birds, fish, hamsters, rabbits and a salamander, all that at the same time! Her mother Maritess Revilla-Araneta took one look at the animals and said, “Please Bianca - no snakes!” No problem, because like her mother, Bianca isn’t a fan of snakes either. But snakes aside, the pretty VJ and model loves everything about nature. So much that when tapped to be the spokesperson for “Nestea’s Love the Beach” program, she didn’t even have to think twice.

The program is a beach-development project that brings together environmental groups, sea divers, celebrities, athletes and tourism sector. Through “Love the Beach,” Nestea aims to draw attention to the need to preserve our local beaches by promoting a healthy and wholesome lifestyle. The “Nestea Loves the Beach” program seeks to address specific areas of concern in beach development such as tourism, sports and health, environmental consciousness, fun and fashion. Coincidentally, these are the things that Bianca enjoys. “Love the Beach” fits right in with her image. Like most young people, she ranks traveling, sports and fashion among her top interest.

In fact Bianca plays beach volleyball among other sports, “but none of them competitively.” She does it more for the fun of the thing, like other people her age. She is also a very fitness and health-conscious person (how else do you think she maintains that figure of hers?)

Another thing that drives Bianca is her passion for causes. Her two pet causes are streetchildren (last year, she and some friends put up the Little Miracles Foundation that organizes and funds educational programs for streetchildren) and the environment. “I like fighting for causes and people who can’t fight for themselves. In other words, helpless causes. The environment can’t fight to defend itself, and that makes it very close to my heart. That was why I was willing and very happy to get involved with this program.” Bianca says, she intends to be an active spokesperson by “encouraging people to get involved especially when issues that concern any of the “Love the Beach” program components arise.

She especially wishes to do that when she is able to travel. Although she has been to key destinations around the country such as Boracay, Cebu, Bacolod, Palawan and Batangas, she hopes to do more traveling this year and “see other places that aren’t as well known.” Well, wherever Bianca goes, it’s certain that people are going to listen. After all, with all the titles that might as well precede that lovely name - model, traveler, athlete and environmentalist - she definitely is the best spokesperson for “Nestea’s Love the Beach.”

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“Since I learned English, I’ve become a motormouth!” -Ana Beatriz Barros

biography

Ana Beatriz Barros was born in Itabira, a tiny town in Brazil, on May 29, 1982. Ana was raised in the cosmopolitan Rio de Janeiro after her family moved there.

The hazel-eyed statuesque beauty was discovered by the Director of Elite Model Management, while vacationing in Brazil. It didn’t take much for him to see that she was absolute model material, and he encouraged her to enter the Elite Look of the Year contest.

In 1996, Ana placed first in the Brazilian Elite Look of the Year, and second in the International level of the same contest, that same year. With a national Elite Look of the Year championship and a modeling contract with the agency, Ana was ready for the big leagues: in this case, Guess?.

Once Paul Marciano (Co-chairman and Co-CEO of Guess?, responsible for the careers of Eva Herzigova, Kim Smith and Josie Maran) received Ana’s impressive portfolio on behalf of Elite, he knew he had a new Guess? girl on his hands.

Ana’s beauty cannot only be seen in the Guess? Hawaii campaign (along with fellow Brazilian Alessandra Ambrosio), but also in international advertisements for Onyx (in Italy), Head & Shoulders and Chanel make-up.

Ana has graced the covers of Capricho (Brazil), Nova and 20 Ans (France), and has appeared in magazines such as Elle (Brazil), Claudia (Brazil), Allure (US), Woman (Spain), and Audi (Brazil).

Ana’s love for diverse cultures and languages contributes to her desire to be a model, and that’s a good thing since she is constantly living the jetsetter life of a runway and print model. The fashion shows in which Ana has appeared include Balmain, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier, Paco Rabbane, Valentino, and Lolita Lempicka.

Currently with Elite Model Management in Paris and Brazil, and IMG in New York, Ana will definitely get her chance to travel the world. When she’s not busy modeling, she enjoys spending her time going to the movies, hanging out with her friends, listening to music (especially Lenny Kravitz), swimming, playing volleyball, and reading.

At last count, Ana was residing in Paris, the hub of fashion, and once she’s tired of the glamorous modeling life, she plans to go to university and raise a family. Hopefully, that won’t be for a long time.

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“The rush you feel when you know you have them beat… it’s enough to make you want to quit your job and play poker for a living!” -Shana Hiatt

biography

Shana Hiatt was born in 1975 on the East Coast, and she moved around a lot as a child, as her father was in the Army. Eventually, the family settled in Tabernacle, New Jersey, near Philadelphia.

When she was as young as 8, Shana became interested in television. She would sit in front of the TV for hours, watching and analyzing the news and the anchors. It was obvious to her that she wanted to be a television news reporter.

shana hiatt plays lacrosse & hockeyIn high school, she became more interested in sports. Not only was she a cheerleader, but she also became a champion in both lacrosse and field hockey. After graduation, she enrolled in New Jersey’s Burlington County College in order to study broadcast journalism, still holding on to her childhood dream.

In high school, she became more interested in sports. Not only was she a cheerleader, but she also became a champion in both lacrosse and field hockey. After graduation, she enrolled in New Jersey’s Burlington County College in order to study broadcast journalism, still holding on to her childhood dream.But then, only 18 years old, she came to the realization that she had the kind of body most men fantasize about. So she began modeling in her free time. However, her studies soon took a backseat to her newfound interest.

shana hiatt is miss hawaiian tropicIt didn’t take long for Shana to show up on the radar of Ray Manzella, the talent agent who built careers for babes such as Vanna White, Jenny McCarthy and Pamela Anderson. He helped her along and in a short time she was off, modeling in Milan.

It didn’t take long for Shana to show up on the radar of Ray Manzella, the talent agent who built careers for babes such as Vanna White, Jenny McCarthy and Pamela Anderson. He helped her along and in a short time she was off, modeling in Milan.Before long, Hiatt got more modeling gigs in Europe, walking the catwalks of Spain and France. This was a blessing for Shana, as she had always loved to travel.

Upon her return to the U.S., she signed up to participate in the Hawaiian Tropic pageant. The experience she had gathered in the past months paid off and she was crowned Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA.

This was followed by an appearance in the April 1995 issue of Play..boy magazine. Not only was she part of the “Girls of Hawaiian Tropic” spread, she made the bunny mag’s cover. This was a great companion piece for the Play..boy video The Girls of Hawaiian Tropic: Naked in Paradise, which was released in 1994 and featured the likes of Sung Hi Lee and Angel Boris.

shana hiatt gets wild onThen, after posing for the cover of Muscle Media magazine, Shana continued making appearances for Hawaiian Tropic. She was in Hawaii to attend a fundraiser for battered women shelters when she met actor James Van Patten, the son of funnyman Dick Van Patten, who’s best remembered for the TV series Eight Is Enough.

Then, after posing for the cover of magazine, Shana continued making appearances for Hawaiian Tropic. She was in Hawaii to attend a fundraiser for battered women shelters when she met actor James Van Patten, the son of funnyman Dick Van Patten, who’s best remembered for the TV series .There was an instant connection between James and Shana, and they soon married. He also encouraged her to follow up on her desire to appear in front of the camera. She didn’t waste any time and soon had a bit part in The Flunky (2000), a little-seen comedy starring James Van Patten, Gena Lee Nolin, and Farrah Fawcett.

She was next cast as a stripper in a 2000 episode of Aaron Spelling’s short-lived drama Titans. She also got small roles in The Fourth Tenor (2002) with Rodney Dangerfield, Cupids (2003), and Bill the Intern (2003).

But these jobs weren’t fulfilling for Shana. What she really wanted to do was work in entertainment news. She got her chance when she was on Dish on Demand and landed a guest hosting spot on E!’s Wild On; she got to work in South Africa with Brooke Burke.

shana hiatt is on world poker tourAfter being a Keystone Light girl in 2002, she got her big break when she answered a casting call for a new series on the Travel Channel called World Poker Tour, which debuted in 2003. Even though the show’s host was her brother-in-law Vincent Van Patten, word has it she got the job on her own merits.

After being a Keystone Light girl in 2002, she got her big break when she answered a casting call for a new series on the Travel Channel called , which debuted in 2003. Even though the show’s host was her brother-in-law Vincent Van Patten, word has it she got the job on her own merits.Her job on the show involved traveling around the world, giving viewers a tour of casinos, and interviewing world-famous poker players. This again suited her love for travel. Her involvement has led to her becoming the official spokesperson for PartyPoker.com, the world’s largest online multiplayer poker room.

In addition, Shana hosts a weekly high-stakes celebrity poker match at the prestigious Beverly Hills club, The Grand Havana Room.

Currently enjoying life to the fullest, Shana shares a home with her husband and her dogs in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.
 

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“At 18, I played a journalist in a movie. A year later, I saw it on TV and found out it was a soft-core porn film!”
- Autumn Reeser

biography

Autumn Alicia Reeser was born on September 21, 1980, in La Jolla, California. She fell in love with musical theater when she was 6 years old and kept with it until she was 17. She left for Los Angeles after graduating high school to study at UCLA.

autumn reeser on mtv’s undressed

In 2001, she earned her first bit part in Startrek: Voyager and she later appeared on MTV’s Undressed, but she was still an unknown face in the acting world. The following years, however, saw Autumn appearing on more high-profile television shows like George Lopez in 2002, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2003 and Cold Case in 2004.

autumn reeser in the girl next door

In an attempt to get her face out there and her talent recognized, Autumn wasn’t turning down commercial offers; she became a Clean & Clear spokeswomen in 2003.

As she became increasingly recognized as a guest-starring actress on television, Autumn got her break in her first full-length film, The Girl Next Door (2004), in which she starred alongside Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch.

The following year, Autumn landed the role of Melora Kendall in the film Our Very Own, in which she assumed the additional position of co-choreographer. The film also starred Cheryl Hines and Allison Janney. 2006 saw her in the film Americanese with Kelly Hu.

autumn reeser on the o.c.

Autumn’s career only began to escalate from there, as she finally landed the role of a lifetime. She was cast as Taylor Townsend on the ever-popular The O.C. in 2005, where she joined the ranks of already famous teen queens Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson. The teen drama was already a big hit for two years before Autumn joined, and thanks to its huge fan base, her face and name became instantly recognizable.

Her O.C. fame even earned her a sexy lingerie-clad spread in the March 2006 issue of Maxim magazine, in which she was also named the 57th most beautiful woman in the world. And she was given a coveted spot on the December 2006 cover of Stuff magazine, along with a sexy photo spread inside the glossy pages.

Remarking on how things changed for her since The O.C., she said, “[The people who approach me] are so nice. I thought people might throw sodas at me because I was mean to Summer. There is always a risk in playing the villain, but they usually say they are glad I am on the show.”

Autumn was a series regular until the show was canceled in 2007.

autumn reeser in palo alto

The first big role of Autumn’s career may have ended in 2007, but her popularity sure didn’t waver. Aside from gaining legions of fans, this bubbly brunette was cast in the comedy Palo Alto, also starring Ben Savage and Tom Arnold.
 

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As I arose this morning, freshly updated on the version of me that was to be a part of the world this day, I noted that a friend had called overnight, and left me a message on my voice-mail. He was distraught over recent developments in his life; marital dysfunction and work being among those. I made myself a cup of coffee and then called him.

As we talked it became apparent that he was all about rushing to meet life, but had not seen fit to see himself as life would see him. He was impatient to ‘get on with life’ but did not know of that which he would ‘get on’ with!

I listened, as I am wont to do, making mental notes as he went forward with his designs without a pattern. After listening to the ‘I don’t know why’[s] of my friend’s world, I was finally asked to share a thought. I asked him what he was going to do next on this day. He was taken aback by the question, regrouped and said, “I was going to file my taxes.”

I let the noise from his words settle in his brain and then asked him if he had had breakfast, a cup of coffee or taken a shower. He said no to each one. Then I asked him again, “what are you going to do next today.”

He seemed perplexed, then aggravated and finally said, “I told you, I was filing my taxes.”

He just could not grasp the full importance of my question to him, which he might have asked of himself.

I invited over to have a cup of coffee, some breakfast, and conversation, not necessarily in that order. About an hour later, he arrived at my door, smiling, but never the wiser as to our earlier points of conversation. He was, after all, a ‘good time Charlie’ personality. Life for him was reaction, much more than action or interaction, which probably accounts for the recent developments in his so-called ‘life.’

Now I am the last person to find fault with someone’s life, for it is still their life, however involved or uninvolved they are in shaping it! But it seemed incongruent that he had no plans for the next thing in his life, yet wanted to ‘get on with life.’

After a cup of coffee, some small conversation and a word or two from him about my appearance, in a most chauvinistic
way, I posed, “Are ready to file your taxes?’

He said, “Of course not! I have to wait for my wife to get the information together.”

The upshot of this whole experience in conversation with my friend is to illustrate how limited we become when we look only to the next big thing in our life, whether a chore or an event. How we do those necessary things that pop up between our fixation on the chore or event and the actual experience of doing or enjoying the chore or event, has an impact on our lives, and of course, on the chore or event. I was trying to get my friend to take a closer look at life, even of the aspects were too small for him to note consciously.

My friend is not one of those people in life that makes a whole lot of difference in the lives of others. He is quite, too busy trying to sort out his own life structures. Therefore, I figured since no one depended on him for much in earth-shaking terms, that he would be a good specimen for a ‘transformation of life’ experience, keeping in mind that he would be the transforming force and I, only a passer-by in his life.

Well, I am not sure how the transformation is going, since it is too early to see results. However, it is worthy to note that with this simple approach of bringing focus on the here and now and inviting his mind to enjoy those features of life, he called his estranged wife to arrange tax return preparations and she invited him over for dinner to discuss it. Now that is more than has happened in his life in many a month. The smile on his face as he left, was an instance to behold in the here and now.

Letting life wash over you is just another way of saying that you are prepared to be an active participant in life without seeking the dramatic that punctuate life on a daily, indeed, on an hourly basis. Try not to be consumed by the valleys and mountains of life, to the exclusion of walking on the plains with a happy disposition and the wherewithal to appreciate mountain and valley.

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“It was pretty intimidating, especially in the beginning. It was kind of scary.” -Mary Elizabeth Winstead, on working with Anthony Hopkins in Bobby.

biography

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was born on November 28, 1984, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The youngest of five children, Mary has three sisters and a brother. She describes her mother as her hero while growing up — perhaps that has something to do with the fact that Mary’s mother had a resemblance to Lynda Carter, TV’s Wonder Woman, and that she and Mary’s father were big fans of that show.

As a girl, Mary showed a knack for singing and dancing, and trained for a while at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. Mary became interested in acting at an early age. After playing Juliet in a fourth-grade production of Romeo and Juliet, Mary convinced her mother to find her an agent, and by the time Mary hit her teens, she was appearing on TV shows like Touched by an Angel and Promised Land.

She didn’t know it at the time, but Mary’s early success may well have been hereditary. Screen legend Ava Gardner is her distant relative: “I really didn’t find out until I was older,” Mary explained, “and then my family were like, ‘Oh, by the way, she’s your cousin.’”

mary elizabeth winstead on broadway

By the late 1990s, Mary was getting regular work, which meant taking a different life path than the typical teenager. She relocated to Los Angeles and was home schooled through most of high school, all the while racking up credits in indie films like The Long Road Home (1999) and onstage in the Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, starring Donny Osmond.

But it was on television that Mary would spend the next few years honing her skills. Mary played Jessica Bennett on the soap opera Passions from 1999 to 2000; the following year, she became a regular on Wolf Lake. She appeared in the TV movies Then Came Jones (2003) and Monster Island (2004), and guest-starred on Tru Calling in 2004.

In 2005, Mary played the young Evelyn in The Ring Two, then took on her most notable role to date as Gwen in the teen superhero comedy Sky High.

mary elizabeth winstead in bobby

Even as Mary’s career was taking off, she kept an eye on her education. Since finishing high school, she has taken two years’ worth of college courses online. Majoring in psychology and art history, she studies whenever she can during her hectic schedule, turning in papers even after working 16-hour days. Meanwhile, Mary’s profile only grew as she appeared alongside Peter Falk in Checking Out (2006) and starred in the teen horror movie Final Destination 3 (2006).

Mary has been cast in Bobby (2006), a film based on the assassination of Robert Kennedy, starring Anthony Hopkins, and written and directed by Emilio Estevez. She also reunites with Final Destination director James Wong in the teen horror genre in Black Christmas (2006), a remake of the 1974 Canadian cult classic.
 

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“There is no manual for us. All women are very different.”
- Eva Padberg

biography

Eva Padberg was born January 27, 1980, in Bad Frankenhausen, Germany. Blessed with beautiful blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes, it wasn’t long before she caught the eye of talent scouts upon entering her first modeling contest in 1995. Despite a complete lack of experience, Eva managed to place in the top 10 and soon won a coveted modeling contract with Louisa Models, a prominent agency in Munich.

Following three years of occasional gigs, Eva committed herself to modeling full time in 1998 after graduating from high school. Her new focus clearly paid off; within months, she was getting high-profile jobs in Tokyo, Paris and Milan.

eva padberg models for calvin klein

1999 brought with it even more travel as Eva invaded New York. In addition to attending her first New York Fashion Week — arguably the biggest event of the fashion year — Eva also modeled for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Carolina Herrera.

Eva’s growing reputation led to her first major spokesmodel position in 2000, when Palmers Lingerie wisely chose her to be the face (and body) of their autumn/winter campaign. Eva also increased her international exposure over the next two years with succulent pictorials in Elle, Face, Gloss, Harper’s Bazaar, Madame, Vogue, and Marie Claire, among others.

eva padberg releases dirty white

Reluctant to become known as just another model, Eva broke out of the traditional mold in 2003 when she released her first album with Niklas Worgt, her long-time boyfriend. Entitled Dirty White, the self-produced disc has been described as “a colorful music mixture” that combines Worgt’s minimalist techno sounds with Eva’s fragile, breathy vocals.

eva padberg poses for playboy

Eva’s versatility naturally made her a popular guest on German talk shows, and she spent much of 2004 appearing on programs like TV Total while also helping to anchor Germany’s Star Search jury. Luckily for us, she didn’t abandon modeling altogether and she made a particularly memorable appearance in the May 2004 issue of Playboy. Eva was also selected as the spokesmodel for Astor, a popular cosmetics company previously represented by supermodels Heidi Klum and Gisele Bundchen.

Eva kicked off the following year with a bevy of magazine appearances, including sexy spreads in publications like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Elle, and perhaps most memorably, the German edition of FHM. In addition to putting Eva on its cover, the racy men’s mag also chose her to headline its list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World.

eva padberg in a dungeon siege tale

Already one of the world’s top models, Eva set her sights on becoming one of the planet’s most recognizable movie stars when she was cast in In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007). Based upon the best-selling game series Dungeon Siege, the movie also stars Jason Statham, John Rhys-Davies, Ray Liotta, and Burt Reynolds.

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“There are still men who come up to me today and say, “You were really hot in that film!” I was 14, for God’s sake!” -Katherine Heigl, on her role in My Father, the Hero

biography

You may remember this green-eyed blonde from her breakthrough movie, the 1994 romantic comedy, My Father the Hero. Katherine was the rebellious daughter who had to deal with her overprotective father while on vacation. We can’t blame Gerard Depardieu’s character for being that way after having seen Katherine prance about in a bikini in the film.

Katherine Heigl was born November 24, 1978, in Washington D.C., to parents Paul and Nancy. Raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, along with her 2 older brothers and older sister, Katherine’s time in the spotlight began when she started modeling.

katherine heigl models

Once Wilhelmina, a modeling agency, got hold of photos of a then 9-year old Katherine, it didn’t take long for her to get modeling jobs. She appeared in magazine ads and a Sears catalogue, and made her television debut with a role in a Cheerios commercial.

Modeling paved the way to acting for Katherine, as it did for young actresses such as Rachael Leigh Cook and Mena Suvari. By the age of 12, she could be seen on the silver screen in the 1992 film, That Night, making her feature film debut.

katherine heigl in my father the hero

After a role in Steven Soderbergh’s King of the Hill, Katherine appeared as Gerard Depardieu’s daughter in the 1994 remake of the French film, My Father, the Hero. Her role as the beautiful teen having to bear with her father’s strict rules was not a stretch for the actress; apparently, she was not allowed to date until she was 16.

Venturing into the action genre, next up for Katherine was the film, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, as Steven Seagal’s niece.

She only pursued a full-time acting career after graduating from New Canaan High School, where she balanced acting and modeling with the hectic life of a student. With appearances in Seventeen magazine and film and television roles under her belt, Katherine moved to the hub of acting to further her career.

katherine heigl does independent films

Once in LA, she starred in independent films such as Prince Valiant, Stand-Ins (as Rita Hayworth’s stand-in) and the Disney feature, Wish Upon a Star. After a role in the 1998 Bride of Chucky, the latest installment of the Chucky slasher series, and the film Bug Buster, Katherine starred opposite Peter Fonda in the made-for-TV film, The Tempest.

katherine heigl is an alien

Katherine started making herself comfortable on television, becoming a regular on the 1999 short-lived drama Roswell — a former hit alien series on the WB network. She actually auditioned for the three female lead roles before winning the role of Isabel, the “alien on earth” character she portrays on the show.

While working on Roswell, Katherine made time to take on two film projects, with roles in 100 Girls and Valentine.

katherine heigl in the ringer

In the spring of 2001, Katherine appeared in NBC’s TV movie, Ground Zero, but it was shelved by the network for two years, and eventually broadcast in 2003. Also in 2005, Heigl was cast opposite Johnny Knoxville in The Ringer, a Farrelly brothers comedy. Soon after, she was cast as Isabella Linton in the MTV modern adaptation of Emily Bront’s classic novel Wuthering Heights.

katherine heigl knows anatomy

Katherine biggest break has come in the form of the hit series Grey’s Anatomy where she can be seen every week as Dr. Isobel Stevens. With all the good press and accolades the show hass received, we can only assume that Katherine’s star is surely on the rise.

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“Apparently on the Internet I’m a sexy beanpole, tomboy beanpole.” -Keira Knightley

biography

Born to actor/playwright parents in Teddington, Middlesex, England, Keira (who is also sometimes credited as Kiera) Knightley was born on March 22, 1985. At 3 years old, she asked her mother for an agent, feeling jealous that she never received the same amount of calls that her parents did. At age 6, the Knightleys agreed to let their daughter have an agent, provided that she’d study every day during summer holidays.

keira starts out in the uk

This was no small feat for young Keira, who is dyslexic, but she persevered. Although her parents had envisioned a more secure career for their daughter, Keira started to get various acting jobs. Schooling at a nearby comprehensive establishment remained her focal point, but acting as a career choice gradually became a reality.

Pursuing artistic integrity and the satisfaction derived from playing different characters, Knightley’s hard work paid off at an early age. European made-for-TV movies and shows started to dot her resume by the age of 11, but it was a stroke of luck that helped her along the way.

keira knightley in star wars

Thanks to hard work, and a close resemblance to star Natalie Portman, Knightley was cast as Portman’s handmaiden in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. Her small but memorable performance garnered her attention in Britain and the U.S. After the release of the film in 1999, Knightley landed a role in an Oliver Twist TV miniseries, portraying Rose Fleming.

knightley takes on doctor zhivago

After Star Wars and Oliver Twist, things got even better. In 2001, Knightley starred in the successful British film The Hole, and spent three months in Slovakia and Prague filming a 2002 TV version of Doctor Zhivago, in which she played Lara, the same character Julie Christie played in the famous 1965 version. And this was all before her 18th birthday.

keira stars in bend it like beckham

But is was her other project in 2002 that served as her breakthrough role. Keira Knightley starred in Bend It Like Beckham, a hugely popular British comedy whose unexpected success has been likened to that of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

No longer an underground hit, the film made it big at the North American box office. Thanks to Knightley’s portrayal of a determined soccer player, she can add the British Newcomer of the Year trophy courtesy of the London Critics Circle Film Awards, and a Best Actress award by the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema, to her mantle.

keira in pirates of the caribbean

The summer of 2003 ushered in the release of the Hollywood blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, with Knightley as the romantic lead. The British comedy Love Actually, with a star-studded cast including Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson, was released in November 2003, while King Arthur has a summer 2004 release.

keira knightley, new hollywood star

In 2005, she can add The Jacket, co-starring Adrien Brody, and the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean to her resume — which means Knightley will be stealing the spotlight for some time to come.

Barely into adulthood, this hot UK export has already won over fans across the Atlantic. The many diverse projects she has lined up prove that she is ready to take the world by storm, and we’re waiting with open arms. For now, she keeps a level head and lives with her parents in Richmond, England.
 

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“My boyfriend [now her husband] thinks I lost my true calling to be a librarian.” -Paulina Porizkova

biography

Paulina Porizkova was born April 9, 1965, in Prostejov, Czechoslovakia. Paulina and her younger brother were left in the care of their grandmother, after their parents fled from their country.

The Porizkova family was reunited after 7 years, albeit not for long, as Paulina’s parents got divorced. Since Paulina’s mother was busy supporting her children and funding her own medical school education, a 10-year-old Paulina was forced to tend to herself and her brother.

Paulina’s life was on the brink of change thanks to a chance encounter with an Elite modeling scout, who spotted her on the street while she was living in Sweden with her family for several years. The offer was extremely tempting for a teenage Paulina who was eager to get out of Sweden and support herself.

Her modeling career flew into high gear after she appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 1984, and followed up this appearance with a second cover in the 1985 issue of the coveted magazine. During her career, she has appeared in numerous magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, US, Self, and she did a topless shot in GQ.

Besides her 6-million/year contract for Estée Lauder (as Elizabeth Hurley’s predecessor), Paulina has appeared in advertisements for Alma, Anne Klein Footwear, Capezio Bags, Episode, Escada, Giorgio Beverly Hills Red fragrance, Macy’s, Maybelline, and Mikimoto.

In 1987, Paulina appeared in Play.boy, and gave men a yearly dose of eye candy with Paulina Porizkova calendars in 1988 and 1989.

Although she had an illustrious career, Paulina was never one to fall into the glamour associated with being a model. Despite the perks that modeling provided, she wasn’t proud or happy about her job, mostly because of the connotations that are associated with modeling, so she sought other outlets in which she could express herself more creatively.

With that, after appearing in a documentary about modeling called Portfolio, Paulina attempted to pursue an acting career. She was cast in Covergirl in 1984 and Anna in 1987, but it was in 1989 that she would land her biggest, and most known role to date, co-starring with Tom Selleck (hot off the trails of his Three Men and a Baby success), in the film Her Alibi.

Presently semi-retired as a model, Paulina does have a full-time career as wife of The Cars’ lead singer and guitarist, Ric Ocasek; mother of their two sons, Jonathan Raven and Oliver Orion; as well as stepmother to Ocasek’s children from a previous marriage.

She has appeared in films since the 80’s, with roles in Arizona Dream, Wedding Bell Blues, Long Time Since, Thursday, The Intern, and Partners in Crime. Incidentally, she turned down the role of the Bond girl in 1995’s GoldenEye.

Still searching for other film roles that will allow her to develop more as an actress, Paulina delved into the publishing industry by writing a children’s book, and hopes to someday publish a book about her take on the fashion industry.
 

askmen.com

quote

“I was always told I was special. And I was also assured that I had a gift and a purpose.”
-Ashley Judd

biography

Ashley Tyler Ciminella was born on April 19, 1968, in Granada Hills, California.  Although both her mother, Naomi Judd, and her half-sister, Wynonna Judd, would go on to become famous country singers, things weren’t always easy for Ashley as a child. After her parents divorced in 1972, she moved to Kentucky with her mother and lived in poverty, frequently lacking bare necessities such as running water, electricity and a telephone.

Ashley attended 12 schools in 13 years before enrolling at the University of Kentucky to study French, anthropology, theater, art history, and women’s studies. In 1990, when she was only a few credits shy of graduating, she decided to drop everything and drive across the country to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.

ashley judd on star trek

Ashley found television work in no time. She appeared on two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991, and she played Reed Halsey on the NBC series Sisters from 1991 to 1994.

In 1992, Ashley landed her first movie role in Kuffs, alongside Christian Slater and Milla Jovovich, and appeared in the made-for-TV movie Till Death Do Us Part. She returned to the big screen in 1993 with a starring role in Ruby in Paradise, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. Judd also earned an Independent Spirit Award for her role as Ruby.

ashley judd in heat

In 1994, Ashley was given a role in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, but her scenes were left on the cutting room floor. The following year was a big one for Ashley, as she appeared in The Passion of Darkly Noon opposite Viggo Mortensen, in Smoke with Harvey Keitel, and in Heat with big-screen legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

In 1996, Ashley played Matthew McConaughey’s wife in the Southern courtroom drama A Time to Kill. That same year, Ashley took on the role of the legendary Marilyn Monroe in the HBO biography Norma Jean & Marilyn, for which she was nominated for an Emmy, and she appeared in the big-screen flops Dick Richards and Normal Life.

ashley judd in kiss the girls

Next, Ashley costarred with Morgan Freeman in the thriller Kiss the Girls (1997), which raised her profile exponentially. However, her subsequent projects, The Locusts (1997), Simon Birch (1998) and Eye of the Beholder (1999), weren’t quite as successful.

It wasn’t until 1999 that Ashley starred in another huge box-office success, Double Jeopardy, in which she played a housewife framed for the murder of her husband. The following year, she appeared in Where the Heart Is with Natalie Por