Monday, April 9, 2007

Britney Spears

Born on 2 December 1981 in the small town of Kentwood, Louisiana, to parents Jamie and Lynne Spears, Britney is their second child of three. Her older brother Brian was born in April 1977 and her younger sister, Jamie-Lynn was born in April 1991. From a young age, Britney was always fixing to be a star with idols such as Madonna, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, the young Britney could always be heard singing, no matter what else was going on around her. After taking extensive dance and vocal lessons and performing in numerous talent shows and fairs, Britney auditioned for "The Mickey Mouse Club" (1955) when she 8, however she was too young to get the part. Instead, Britney, her mother and baby sister moved to New York where she starred in several TV adverts and an off broad-way play "Ruthless", where she was under-study with Natalie Portman. Her love of music and dance took over and 2 years later she auditioned for a part in Mickey Mouse again and this time won the part along with Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. As a Mouseketeer, Britney received extensive training in dance, drama and singing and had to grow up a lot during that time. However, after the show was canceled two years later, Britney returned home and did "the normal teenager thing", attending pool parties and she was also the homecoming Queen. As a young teenager, Britney soon grew restless again and this time was desperate to become a star yet again. Again, she traveled to New York and sent out demo tapes to various labels including Sony and Mercury, but was turned down. It was Jive Records that finally took the young Britney on and set out on making her the star she is today.

She hit the studio with writers/producers such as Max Martin and Eric Foster White and the result was her debut album. In late 1998, Jive released her debut single "(Hit me) Baby one more time" which was a pop hit around the Globe, accompanied by the sixteen year old first of many controversial acts - the video, which featured Britney dressed in a Catholic Schoolgirl Uniform, baring her midriff, which was soon to become her trademark. Nonetheless, the single was a smash worldwide and Britney was instantly a Household name. She toured with popular boy band N*Sync and the single shot to the top of the charts for 3 weeks. Her debut album was released a few months later in early 1999 and like the single took to the top of the album charts, where it remained number one for six weeks. The album has now sold millions worldwide and is officially 14 x platinum in the US. Her next controversial act, after the video, was to take the cover of Rolling Stones magazine in a suggestive pose, but as Britney mania took off, the 17 year-old became more and more popular. Appealing to young girls, teenage boys and older men, Britney was on her way, yet nobody could have predicted at that time the impact she would have on Pop Culture. The second single, "Sometimes" was released in June 1999 followed on by the top 10 hit "Crazy" in September and "from the bottom of my broken heart" soon after. Britney ended 1999 selling over 10 million copies of her debut and as the Billboard Top Female Pop Artist (singles and albums), Top New Pop Artist, Top Billboard 200 album Artist and Top 100 singles Artist - female. The American Awards, MTV and Teen Choice awards soon began rolling in and in early 2000 Britney was nominated for two Grammy awards.

At just 18, Britney released her second album in 2000, the #1 smash "Oops! I did it again" and single of the same title, which topped the singles chart for 5 weeks. Smash singles "Stronger" and "Lucky" followed, but it was around this time that Britney was beginning to raise more than a few eyebrows. It seemed some people weren't too happy with the message she was sending their impressionable young children. On one hand, Britney was the perfect picture of innocence, declaring herself a Virgin until marriage yet on the other hand, she was sexually charged and provocative, with performance such as the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000, when her costume made her appear scantily-clad. As the young woman was growing up, it seemed there was an internal conflict between her, her management and her mother, all pulling her in different directions. Yet the image the public saw was a gorgeous young woman, beautifully dressed and damn close to perfection, often labeled the "Pop Princess" around the world. Still, the awards kept rolling in and in early 2001 Britney struck a lucrative deal with Pepsi-Cola for Sponsorship and advertising. The 19 year-old was growing up fast, with the media constantly fixed on what she was and wasn't doing, her "rivalry" with former fellow Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera and also her blossoming relationship with N*Sync heartthrob Justin Timberlake. Britney was keen that people saw her as a growing woman as she began to ready the public for her next LP release in late 2001.

In November, she hit the top 10 with the sexually charged "I'm a slave 4 u" which took a completely different turn in musical direction from her previous singles and in the same month released her third LP, self-titled "Britney" which shot to the top of the albums charts, breaking records for a female artist. Her performance of "Slave" at the MTV VMA's caused outrage among animal rights campaigners, as she performed with a live giant Snake and wearing little herself. It was a far cry from the Britney of just three years ago, and perhaps the critical moment when what some people would say "she started going downhill". Sales of her third album, while impressive, where not nearly as high as her former releases, perhaps due to the increase of new pop female singers flooding the market, yet Britney, still incredibly popular, carried on. In early 2002, the 20 year-old Britney released "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman", taken from the soundtrack of her debut movie Crossroads (2002/I) which was released in February that year. She soon after hit the charts with "Overprotected" and also toured Worldwide on the "Dream within a dream tour". Yet it seemed it was all getting too much for Britney, her four year relationship with Timberlake ended suddenly and very publicly and she soon announced she was to take 6 months off, after all, she had achieved so much by such a young age and in such a short space of time. Her star was by no means fading, with "Forbes" declaring her "The Worlds most powerful celebrity" in mid-2002.

While she may have been on a break from her career, she was by no means breaking from the media, who followed her relentlessly, even more keen to track her down and find out what she was up to. Britney was increasingly letting her pop princess crown slip, admitting she had lost her sacred virginity to Timberlake, outside of marriage. Britney could also be seen smoking and drinking to excess on wild nights out and famously breaking down in tears while being interviewed by Diane Sawyer about her parents (who were recently divorced) and her bitter split from Timberlake. Britney was linked to men such as Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and openly kissed Colin Farrell at a movie premiere. However, she seemed to get herself back together for her new album released in late 2003. In a blitz of publicity which included the infamous "Like a Virgin" performance and Madonna kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards in August that year. The new album "In The Zone" was a bid to be seen as a woman and caused controversy with songs on it such as "Breathe on me" and "Touch of my hand" - which was about masturbation - however, the appeal of Britney was still there and the album topped the Billboard 200 albums charts. The first single to be lifted was "Me against the music" a club hit that featured pop icon Madonna and singing with her was a dream come true for Britney. Now 22, it seemed Britney was in a lot more control over her career, yet her personal life still seemed to be slipping. In January 2004, Britney got "married" to childhood friend Jason Alexander in a Las Vegas ceremony. The incident shocked the world, especially when the marriage was annulled 55 hours later and was described as "a joke taken too far" by her management.

Britney soon released one of her biggest singles, "Toxic" which topped various charts around the world including the UK and Canadian singles charts. The single was a smash-hit and silenced any critics that said Britney no longer had what it took to make a comeback. She soon began her highly publicized and overtly sexual "Onyx Hotel Tour" which was canceled a few months later after Britney damaged her knee during a video shoot and had to receive medical treatment. Other singles off the album included the Gold Selling "Everytime", which topped the UK singles charts and like usual, also carried a fair amount of controversy for its video, which allegedly depicted the star committing suicide after a fight with her boyfriend, played by Stephen Dorff ; however, this was "changed" to an accident in which she drowns yet reincarnates. It was around this time that Britney began dating Kevin Federline, a former back up dancer who she had taken on tour with her a few months previously. The snag here was that Kevin came with baggage - in the form of an "ex" girlfriend, heavily pregnant "Moesha" (1996) actress Shar Jackson and their young child. Britney and Kevin soon became engaged and in September 2004 were married in a secret ceremony, soon after the birth of Kevin's second child. That same month, Britney released a single off her upcoming "Greatest Hits" album (released in November 2004) a cover of Bobby Browns 1988 hit "My Prerogative".

Britney was a changed woman, no longer concerned with what the public thought of her or her appearance, she parted ways with her manager who she had had since she was 13, and was increasingly stepping out looking more "trailer trash" than Multi-Millionaire. In February 2005, Britney won her first Grammy for the single "Toxic" as Best Dance Recording. Just two months later, it was announced Britney was pregnant her first child. A reality TV Series "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic" (2005), which featured the pair getting to know each other the previous year, leading up to their wedding aired on UPN and eventually got a world wide audience, despite harsh criticism. In September 2005, Britney evolved yet again, this time as a devoted wife and mother, with the birth of her first child, a Son, which she named Sean Preston. In November that year, she released a remix album "B in the mix, the Remixes".

Looking back over the last seven years of this remarkable ladies career and life, it really is hard to imagine what the face of Pop would look like without her. Here is a 24 year-old woman who has grown in the face of the glaring media from innocent School-girl to Sexual Pop Vixen to Young wife and Mother. Who knows what is next for Britney? Rumours of a comeback album for 2006 have been circulating for a while and also a few more movie productions, yet one thing is for certain: Britney Spears has worked hard to get to where she is today and by no means will she be disappearing any time soon. Her name and face is legend in the media and celebrity circuit and it's surely only a matter of time before Spears shocks us all again, with her next album or tour or movie or personal move. One thing is for certain though: the public will be watching.










Shakira

After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop's biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez broke down the doors to English-language success. Noted for her aggressive, rock-influenced approach, Shakira maintained an extraordinary degree of creative control over her music, especially for a female artist; she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of her own material, and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music's most ambitiously poetic lyricists. When she released her first English material in late 2001, she became an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly dance moves.

Shakira Mebarak (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, and so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures; she also listened heavily to English-language rock & roll, listing her favorite bands in later interviews as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Police, the Cure, and Nirvana. Shakira wrote her first song at age eight, began entering (and winning) talent competitions at age ten, and started learning the guitar at age 11; one story runs that around this age, she was kicked out of her school choir for singing too forcefully. In 1990, at age 13, Shakira moved to Bogotá in hopes of pursuing a modeling career, but wound up signing a record deal with Sony's Colombian division instead. Her 1991 debut album, Magia (Magic), was comprised of songs she'd written over the past five or six years, including some of her earliest efforts. Although it didn't break internationally, the record started to make a name for her in her home country. Dissatisfied with the pop inclinations of the follow-up, 1993's Peligro (Danger), Shakira changed direction for a time, joining the cast of the Colombian soap opera El Oasis in 1994.

When Shakira returned to recording in 1995, she asserted more control over the direction of her music, and worked more rock & roll rhythms -- as well as occasional Arabic tinges -- into her Latin pop material. The first results were Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), which was initially released in 1995; a slow seller at first, the album gradually caught on thanks to "Estoy Aqui," which became a hit all over Latin America, as well as Spain. After that breakthrough, Pies Descalzos just kept spinning off singles: "Dónde Estás Corazón?," "Antología," "Pienso en Ti," "Un Poco de Amor," "Se Quiere, Se Mata." The album hit number one in eight different countries and eventually went platinum in the U.S. as well; Shakira toured for nearly two years promoting it (she finally left El Oasis in 1997).

Seeking to build on her success, Shakira signed Emilio Estefan -- Gloria's husband and a highly successful music-biz insider -- as her manager and producer. The move paid off when her follow-up album, 1998's Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), became an even bigger worldwide hit than its predecessor. What was more, it cracked the lucrative U.S. market wide open, spending 11 weeks at number one on Billboard's Latin album chart and producing two U.S. number ones (on the Latin chart) with "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Tu." The album's signature track, however, was the worldwide hit "Ojos Así," her most explicit nod yet to the Arabic music she'd picked up from her father (not to mention its latent belly dancing connotations). Dónde Están los Ladrones? was also the most effective presentation yet of Shakira's strong-willed persona; her self-analysis made her even more popular among female fans, while her anger over love gone wrong drew comparisons to Alanis Morissette.

When Gloria Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English, the prospect of a crossover suddenly seemed tangible, and Shakira decided that the most effective way to maintain control over her material was to learn English well enough to write in it herself. In the meantime, she set the stage for her crossover bid with a performance on MTV Unplugged, the channel's first Spanish-language broadcast. MTV Unplugged was released as an album in early 2000, and topped the Latin charts for two weeks on its way to becoming her third straight platinum album; it also won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album. At the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000, Shakira delivered a much-discussed, show-stopping performance of "Ojos Así" and took home Unplugged-related trophies for Best Female Pop Vocal ("Ojos Así") and Best Female Rock Vocal ("Octavo Dia").

Mainstream pop stardom beckoned. Shakira dyed her long brown hair blonde, romanced Antonio de la Rua (son of the former president of Argentina), and went to work on her first (mostly) English-language album, Laundry Service. The single/video "Whenever, Wherever" was released in advance of the album in late 2001, and made her a star in the English-speaking world almost overnight. Laundry Service entered the American pop charts at number three, and "Whenever, Wherever" climbed into the Top Ten of the singles chart, peaking at number six. The follow-up, "Underneath Your Clothes," also hit the Top Ten, halting at number nine; less than a year after its release, Laundry Service had gone triple platinum. Reviews of Laundry Service were divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery.

Extensive touring to support Laundry Service led to a long break for the singer, so a remix collection (2002's Laundry Service: Washed and Dried) and a live album (2004's Live & Off the Record) appeared in lieu of a new album. Revitalized, Shakira began the writing process for her next release and soon had 60 songs ready to go, some in English, some in Spanish. Twenty of the songs were selected and divided up by language to make two different albums. Both appeared in 2005 and both hit the Top Ten, with the Spanish-language album Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 leading the way in June with a number four placing and the English-language album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, following in November at number five. As sales of Oral Fixation began to slow in early 2006, Epic reissued the album in March with a bonus track, "Hip Don't Lie." The newly recorded song went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June, becoming one of the summer's biggest hits and reviving sales of Oral Fixation as well as Shakira's entire back catalog. Steve Huey, All Music Guide.









Jessica Simpson

Born July 10, 1980, in Dallas, Texas, this sexy 5' 3" recording star and singer displays a hard core attitude in her performances. Jessica has a younger sister named Ashlee. Her father, who is a psychologist, manages her career, and her mother designs her wardrobe and assists in the business affairs. Jessica first developed and nurtured her talent in the local Baptist church, where her father also works as the congregation's youth minister.

While at church camp, at the age of 13, Jessica sang Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and an arrangement of "Amazing Grace". One of the camp's visitors, a gentleman who was launching a gospel record label saw great promise and profits in her voice. Jessica began to tour with Christian youth conferences with tunes like "True Love Waits", sometimes entertaining audiences of 20,000 people.

Jessica is boldly traveling down several fresh new musical avenues. In addition to offering more of the lush, passionate ballads that have become her signature, she has effectively expanded her creative styles. This includes ebullient rhythm pop and sultry R&B and is a collection of funk-fortified songs and sophisticated contemporary ballads. Jessica has the finesse and confidence of a well seasoned performer.

Jessica says she is part of a positive new breed of teenager and youths who welcome responsibility and propriety. In school, Jessica hung with a crowd that was popular and respected, and she was elected Homecoming Queen two years in a row at J.J. Pierce High School.

Jessica's relationship with her fans is of tremendous importance to her. "They keep me going. They inspire me. I do all I can to keep in close touch with the fans who support my music, whether it be via my shows or on the Internet. The energy I get from them is extraordinary."

Jessica states, "That's what I really wanted to come across on these songs, confidence". Jessica notes, "I wanted to show that with that inner strength and inner light, nothing is impossible." That said, Jessica admits that she does occasionally enjoy flexing a little external heat... even if it's completely innocent. "There's a cut on the album, 'Hot Like Fire', that I think will take people by surprise", she says of the self-assured hip-hop-flavored cut produced by Cory Rooney. "It's a hard-core 'attitude' song. You might not even recognize my voice at first. It's totally raw and intense. It's a shake-your-hips kind of song. I love it."









Paris Hilton

Paris HiltonSocialite Paris Hilton was born on February 17, 1981 in New York City into the Hilton family and, along with her three younger siblings, is heir-apparent to the vast Hilton hotel and real estate dynasty. Her childhood was spent in palatial dwellings in the priciest neighborhoods on both coasts and featured a brief flirtation with the educational system, including high schooling at the ultra-exclusive Dwight School, from which she dropped out and ultimately earned her high school GED.

Living the glitzy socialite life from a relatively early age, attending exclusive parties and being covered by the gossip press, Hilton apparently became hooked on obtaining celebrity status, which was perhaps furthered by the example of her mother, Kathy Richards, who had a brief acting career herself, mostly on TV. Hilton began a remarkable and well-financed campaign to put herself in the public eye, on screen, on television and in music. This effort has included a substantial amount of physical alteration. A naturally pleasant-looking girl, Hilton underwent extensive plastic surgery, hair coloring and tinted contact lenses in her attempt to reinvent herself as "hot". Sadly, money could not buy alteration of the physical attribute she most dislikes about herself: her exceptionally-large feet.

Some skeptics have guessed that the endless parade of inane inter-celebrity feuds centering around Hilton are, in fact, publicity stunts, another front in the campaign to keep her exposure level high. It has even been argued that the infamous home video of Hilton with then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, in which Hilton performs explicit romantic activities with Rick Salomon, was part of this campaign as well. If it was, it worked. For better or for worse, it made Hilton a household name overnight, and was even widely marketed as a video, 1 Night in Paris (2004) (V).

Eventually Hilton's efforts paid off and she got some modeling work, the designers presumably relying on her notoriety. She has been an increasing presence on-screen too, in TV commercials, on TV series and in the movies, at first bit parts in movies such as Zoolander (2001), Wonderland (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003) and guest-star roles on TV shows such as "The O.C." (2003) and "George Lopez" (2002), but later more substantial roles in horror flick House of Wax (2005), the direct-to-DVD _Bottom's Up (2006)_ and her own TV show, the fish-out-of-water reality series "The Simple Life" (2003).

Hilton also has plans to become a player in the music business, has recorded an album and even started her own music label, Heiress Records, in order to release it.

Hilton is widely scorned for what some see as her narcissism, shallow intellect and materialism and for other things besides, but she seems to be aware of the old adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity and it should be evident even to her detractors that she is ambitious and driven to achieve, rather than simply basking in her family's vast fortune, as do so many other socialites. In fact, performing is only part of her many activities and she has dabbled in designing, writing (one hastens to add, with a professional writer on the team), nightclub management and even marketing video games - all of which feature Paris Hilton, front and center.







Beyoncé Knowles

Born in Houston in the fall of 1981, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles started performing at age seven. From dance classes to singing in the church choir, Beyoncé was a natural. She and cousin Kelly Rowland met Latavia Roberson during this time, and the trio formed a group with Letoya Luckett. Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, signed on to be the girls' manager. This situation would ultimately lead to the formation of one of the most popular female R&B groups of all time -- Destiny's Child.

Destiny's Child made its debut 1990 and within ten years, the vocal act had experienced personal and political highs and lows that fueled the group's desire to make it big. Destiny's Child sold 33 million albums worldwide by 2002 and earned a slew of Grammys and additional music awards. "Jumpin' Jumpin'," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Survivor" were smash hits, and the group appeared unstoppable.

In 2001, Beyoncé, Rowland, and Michelle Williams allowed themselves a break from the singing group and tried their hands at individual solo careers. Before landing several movie roles, Beyoncé became the first African-American female artist and second woman ever to win the annual ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year Award. An appearance in the MTV drama Carmen: A Hip Hopera quickly followed, but it was her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002 that eventually moved Beyoncé from the stage to the screen.

Her first single, "Work It Out," coincided with the release of the Mike Myers comedy and cemented her celebrity status. A guest spot on Jay-Z's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" was equally popular when it appeared in October. In 2003, she rejoined Jay-Z for her proper debut single, the funkadelic "Crazy in Love," as the press and fans christened her a bona fide star. Beyoncé's debut album, Dangerously in Love, which appeared in June 2003, featured collaborations with Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, and OutKast's Big Boi. The multi-platinum album spawned a total of four Top Ten singles. Nearly two years after another Destiny's Child album (Destiny Fulfilled), Beyoncé released her second album, B'day.








Pamela Anderson

Born July 1st, 1967, Pamela Denise Anderson has become perhaps one of the most recognized faces (and bodies) in the world. Her role in the popular syndicated series 'Baywatch', redefined how a body conscious society watched television. While Pamela's figure on the show was enhanced by breast implants (which were later said to be removed, though we think they were just resized), her other dimensions where also eye popping. The guru of fashion; Mr. Blackwell, calls Pamela the Marilyn Monroe of our generation, though he also says 'not a talent'. Whatever the case, at least on television, her appearance usually equals success as VIP and Baywatch have proven, though these same fans don't appear to be willing to pay to watch her on the big screen.

Pamela was discovered while watching a CFL game in Vancouver, where the cameras panned on her and stopped on the Labatt's Beer T-shirt wearing babe. The crowd went wild and soon after, Labatt's hired Anderson to appear in commercials. After that success, a move to Hollywood and a role in Baywatch propelled her to instant superstar. What followed were roles in 'Married With Children', 'Home Improvement' and several nude appearances in Playboy (the most covers of any woman in the history of the magazine with nine).

As far as Pamela's sex life, its been torrid and well captured on video tape. In fact, the two biggest selling porno tapes in history are of her and Tommy Lee and Brett Michaels respectively. Her reputation has also caused one of her Baywatch co-stars, Donna D'Errico, to say of her in a recent metal-sludge.com interview: "If she had as many d***s sticking out of her as she's had sticking in her, she'd look like a porcupine". Before Pamela saw Tommy's 'unit', she was initially repulsed by him, but changed her attitude real quick. Even with Tommy's controlling behavior and sexual addiction and spousal abuse, Pamela had stood by her man, but has finally had enough. The marriage has already had three divorces, two reconciliations and jail time by the once big time rocker. She apparently took revenge on the rocker by turning him in for a probation violation that she herself lured him into, a champagne New Years which she decided to report five months later, causing Tommy to serve five days in jail.

On April 15 1999, she announced to the world that she had her breast implants removed. In 2000 she met, Marcus Schenkenberg in Monaco. She had been seeing Kelly Slater and rumors had it that they were to be married until Pamela met Marcus, but that relationship didn't last long, Pamela met Kid Rock. They announced their engagement in spring of 2002, but they broke up soon after. Later in 2002, she found out that she was infected with hepatitis C and decided to get bigger implants. Today, Pamela is on a FOX comedy show called 'Stacked'.










Saturday, April 7, 2007

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Morgan Lohan was born in New York City, on 2nd July 1986, to Dina and Michael Lohan. Her mum is a former Radio City Rockette & her father was in the pasta business after making enough, he went to Hollywood financing independent films. She is the eldest of four siblings. Lohan has been studying dancing and singing since age 4 & a model since age 3, Lohan has the distinction of being the first red-headed child to be signed by the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency. Her freckled face is familiar from more than sixty television commercials including spots for The Gap, Jello, Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s.

At seventeen, Lindsay Lohan (Anna in "Freaky Friday") has already appeared on the cover of “Vanity Fair,” having been featured as part of the prestigious magazine’s “It’s Totally Raining Teens” July spread. She won the dual role of the two sisters in "The Parent Trap" after a six-month casting search in the United States, Canada, and Britain. She's also stars in Disney’s “Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen.” Lohan was featured in the long-running role of Alli Fowler on the daytime drama “Another World,” as well as on “Guiding Light.” On television, she starred in two movies for Disney—the Wonderful World of Disney’s “Life-Size,” with Tyra Banks, and Disney Channel’s original “Get a Clue” — and in the sitcom “Bette.”

Lohan’s first pop single, “Ultimate,” appears on the soundtrack of “Freaky Friday.” She will also perform on the soundtrack of “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.” A straight 'A' student at her local school, Lindsay excels at math and science. She also enjoys gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, roller blading, singing, biking, reading, writing, and playing with her siblings.







Carmen Electra

Carmen was born Tara Leigh Patrick but later changed her name when the artist formerly known as Prince told her she looked like a Carmen after she signed with his record company. Her last name also changed and means a greek goddess. She was born on April 20, 1972 in White Oak, Ohio near Cincinatti. At age five she entered in and won her first dance contest. She went on to be in over 100 tap and ballet contests. She attended the School for Creativity and Performing Arts at age 9. She also went to Princeton High School in Sharonville. Click here to go to my Betcha' Didn't Know This page about Carmen Electra.Later on in her life she signed with Prince's music company Paisley Park Label and became one of his Protege's. Her first album was self-titled and she released a single Go-Go Dancer after many delays. The album never took off because of problems with executives. It was remixed and new tracks were added and finally released in July of 1992. Her video had came out in March 1992.

After that she occasionally appeared as a dancer in Prince's Glam Slam Clubs and also performed in front of the October 28 1996 MTV Rock N' Jock B-Ball Jam audience.Then she appeared in the May 1996 Playboy issue. She made a video called Cheerleaders for Playboy also. Then she got her big break when just three weeks after auditioning for Singled Out she was offered the job. On February 10 1997 she became Co-Host of Singled Out. Since then she has been in many TV and Movie appearances including Good Burger, Loveline, Baywatch, All That, Baywatch Nights and of course Singled Out. Click here to go her Accomplishments Page!She also had a relationship with one of the members of Cypress Hill, B-Real. He was producing her second album appropriately titled, Carmen Electra II.But after the break up who knows what happened to the album. Click here to check out more news on Carmen Electra.

Now she's shooting a calender by Landmark due out at the end of 1997. Can't wait for that one. She's also in the running to star in her own network primetime show. What the theme will be is still unknown but MTV Productions is testing her out in many different show genre's like Sitcom, Sketch Comedy, Drama, Etc.








Jessica Alba

Jessica Marie Alba was born in Pomona, California, on April 28, 1981. Jessica’s family moved to Biloxi, Mississippi while Jessica was very young. Her father, who was in the Air Force, moved the family to Del Rio, Texas, later. Eventually, the family settled in southern California when Jessica was nine. Jessica had always wanted to be an actress from the age of five. She took her first acting class at the age of 12. Shortly later, Jessica was signed by an agency.

In 1993, Jessica made her movie debut in Camp Nowhere. She was originally hired for a short time but got lucky when one of the main actresses dropped out. Jessica, who had the same color hair as the actress, eagerly took over the spot. After her first movie, Jessica appeared in two commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penny and a few independent films. In 1994, she landed a reoccurring role in "The Secret World of Alex Mac." She played a snob who made life hard for the main character with magical powers.
Also in 1994, she landed the role of Maya for a pilot of "Flipper." Jessica spent 1995 filming the first season of "Flipper" in Australia. Jessica is a PADI-certified diver and the "Flipper" show allowed her to have fun and play with the dolphins. The success of the first season of "Flipper" lead to the filming of the second season, which Jessica also starred in. Jessica involvement in "Flipper" lasted from 1995-1997. Since "Flipper" Jessica has appeared in a number of television shows and movies.

In 1996, Jessica appeared in Venus Rising as Young Eve. Also in 1996, she appeared in an episode of "Chicago Hope", as Maria. In 1997, Jessica appeared on the "Dini Petty Show", a Canadian talk show, and talked about her role in Flipper and her general acting career. She began working on P.U.N.K.S., featuring Randy Quaid, in 1998. P.U.N.K.S. was just recently released on video in early January, 1999.

In 1998, Jessica appeared in several TV shows for an episode or two. In early 1998, she appeared in "Brooklyn South", as Melissa. A few months later, she appeared in two episodes of "Beverly Hills 90210", as Leanne. And finally, she appeared in an episode of "Love Boat: The Next Wave." In 1999 she appeared a huge number of magazines. She had a small role in Never Been Kissed which was released in the Spring. A month later she could be found with a larger role in Idle Hands. Her two performances in those movies started a buzz in the entertainment industry. Many more magazines would come knocking on her door. Shortly after the release of those two movies, she landed the starring role in Paranoia. She finished filming Paranoia in June. The movie is in post-production now.
Shortly later she started working on what will potentially be her biggest work ever. She auditioned for the leading role in Dark Angel. She caught the eye of James Cameron and will now star in the post anticipated TV show of 2000, Dark Angel. With the huge success of Dark Angel and its legion of fans, Jessica will no longer be a rising star, she will be among the hollywood elite, a star.

Jessica made a comeback in 2003 with the title role in Honey. In 2005 she appeared opposite Bruce Willis in the movie "Sin City", the down-and-dirty feature-film version of Frank Miller's popular graphic novels. Alba played Nancy, a stripper with a tortured past who's about as close to innocence as it gets in a grisly black-and-white world.








Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne was born on September 27, 1984 in a 5,000 population town called Napanee, which is located in Ontario, Canada. As the middle child, she always tried to grab the attention when it wasn't on her.

Anything but ordinary. That's putting it mildly when describing Avril Lavigne. A skater-punk, a dynamic spirit, a true wild child. One of those rare creatures who started wowing people with her voice and character at around age 2. She was in many talent shows as a child. She got her first guitar at a young age.

"I always knew this was what I had to do," she says. "I remember when I was really young, standing on my bed like it was a stage, singing at the top of my lungs and visualizing thousands of people surrounding me". She segued from her bedroom to singing, well, whenever and wherever she could-starting in church singing gospel music, and on to festivals, then singing country music at fairs and talent contests-until she was discovered by Arista Records.

She broke out of Napanee, Ontario when she was 16. She had been writing her own songs ever since she got her first guitar and has been skateboarding ever since she was 14. A startlingly up-front and outrageous 17-year-old with everything it takes to reach stardom-completely on her own terms. "I'm just coming out and I'm going to clearly be myself-I write what I feel, I never worry what others think, " Avril avows. "I'm gonna dress what's me, I'm gonna act what's me and I'm gonna sing what's me".

Avril does exactly that on her debut CD, Let Go, flaunting sassy vocals, a crystal clear voice with real-girl lyrical style. "Anything But Ordinary" is a rockin' ode to individuality, while guitar-driven first single, "Complicated," is a simple song that kicks pretenders to the curb. The string-inflected "I'm With You" reaches out for connection to reflect Avril's more mellower side, but tracks like "Losing Grip" and "Unwanted" courageously confront rejection and betrayal with all the heaviness such subjects demand. Then there's "My World" and the metaphoric "Mobile," which perfectly articulate the Avril experience. "I have this awesome opportunity to fulfill my dream. I am all over the place, flying here and there, going through different stuff every day," she explains. "This is my lifestyle, but I wouldn't want a normal life or I'd get bored".

While she was in New York, she got signed to Arista Records by L.A Reid. "I don't like it when people say that Antonio "L.A" Reid discovered me. I discovered myself." Avril says. It pisses her off if anyone says something about L.A discovering her. This seventeen year old is very unique. She wrote every single one of her songs. "Everytime I got home, I went to my guitar and wrote a song about what happened to me that day. I don't care if nobody cares because it's the way I'm feeling and that's what I'm going to write about." Avril says, about the inspiration for her songs. That's what makes Avril so unique. She writes her own songs and she refuses to do something that she doesn't want to do. For instance, take a photo shoot. "At one photo shoot, they tried to glam me all up and I didn't like it. They just wouldn't listen to me." she says.

Although Avril virtually lived in the studio during that New York stint, her efforts didn't pay off at first. "I started working with these really talented people, but I just wasn't feeling it; the songs weren't representative of me," she admits. "Then they started talking about having people write for me, but I had to write myself. I had to do my music. It was a really stressful time, but I never considered giving up." Instead, she flipped coasts. Los Angeles gave Avril the fresh start she needed.

It was there that she hooked up with producer/songwriter Clif Magness, and "I was like, "Yeah! I've found my guy!'" she enthuses. "We totally clicked, because he just let me guide; he really understood me and let me do my thing." The songs for Let Go began pouring out, with Magness at the helm as well as up-and-coming production team the Matrix. Soon after Avril hooked up with Nettwerk Management who've steered the careers of Sarah McLachlan, Dido, Coldplay, Barenaked Ladies and Sum 41.

Avril couldn't be happier with the way the album turned out. "In this past year I've really grown as a writer. 'Complicated' wasn't written about anyone in particular. It is basically about life, people being fake and relationships." As to one of her favorite tracks, "Losing Grip," she says, "That is definitely one of my ex-boys-he didn't give me what I needed emotionally." Avril laughs, "It doesn't matter now, and plus I got a good song out of it."

Her album "Under My Skin" opens with the dramatic tracks "Take Me Away" and "Together," which set the scene for the kick-ass guitars and radio-ready chorus of "Don't Tell Me," a song of willful female empowerment that picks up where "Complicated" left off. From there it's a one-two punch of three-chord guitar licks ("He Wasn't") and head-bopping optimism ("Who Knows") alongside swirling, brooding melodies ("Freak Out") and moody tracks ("Forgotten," "Nobody's Home") that reveal a darker side of Avril Lavigne.

"I grew up so much in the past two years," admits the Napanee, Ontario, native. "I've been through a lot, I've learned a lot, and experienced a lot both good and bad. These songs are about all of that, and each is very personal to me." Working with producers, Butch Walker (of the Marvelous 3), Raine Maida (of Our Lady Peace), Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Pearl Jam), Avril co-wrote the dozen introspective songs on Under My Skin in near secrecy. "I'd just come off my world tour and got back to Toronto and was writing right away," the 19-year-old says. "I had no idea what I was going to do. No one did. People wondered if I'd run out of things to write about, but it was the opposite."

After a lunch date with fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk turned into a major chick-bonding session, Avril and Chantal sat down to write. The chemistry was ineffable. "We got together one night and all of a sudden we had a song," she says. "No one knew what I was up to, not my management, not my label." The duo got together the next night and wrote another song. "We did that for two weeks and wrote 12 songs." Momentum took over and by summer Avril was moving into Chantal and her husband Raine Maida's Malibu house to record. "I was only off my tour for a couple of weeks, and I was ready to record," Avril recalls.

The California air provided a needed escape from Avril's frantic life. "It was a great time for me, living out there, being out of the public eye, and having my independence. And my friendship with Chantal evolved into one of the best I've ever had." Chantal and Avril would spend all night in the studio perfecting the songs. During the day, Avril learned the city by driving to and from the studio and wherever she needed to be. No photos, no interviews, no pressure. Eventually they recorded most of the songs in Raine's studio, and those songs appear unaltered on Under My Skin. The rest of the tracks, co-written with her guitarist Evan Taubenfeld (and one track with former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody), were cut just up the road. "I was involved in every aspect of making this record. I'm very hands-on," she says. "I knew how I wanted the drums, the guitar tones, and the structures to be. I understand the whole process so much better this time because I've been through it. I'm really picky with my sound."

Picking favorites out of her 12 hand-made babies is another matter. "They all mean so much to me, but I love 'Together,' which is all about being in a relationship and knowing it's not right. It's a song that basically says, it's not working out honey." A couple of other tracks mine dysfunctional relationships and have hooks as catchy as those on "Complicated" and real-life narratives (like "Sk8er Boi"), but what truly underscores Avril's growth are the more positive tracks, such as "Who Knows" and "Take Me Away." "I guess that's just the way that I am now," admits the former supposed attitude junkie. Deep, piano-driven tracks like "Together" and "Forgotten" reflect Avril's growth, maturity, and change since the release of Let Go. "I'm happy with what I'm doing and have faith that everything is going to work out for the best." She's also found a feminine side to offset her well-publicized tomboyishness. "I'm such a chick. I'm a hopeless romantic, and surprisingly old-fashioned," Avril laughs. "That's why I wrote a song about not giving it up to just any guy ["Don't Tell Me"]." Girly quirks aside, Avril's anxious to get the show on the road. "It feels so good to be singing new songs," she says. "I feel refreshed and I'm looking forward to the next thing."

Optimistic or melancholic, Avril's two-year wild-ride on the rock-star express has shaped her world view and taught her a whole lot about balance. "The songs on Under My Skin are definitely deeper than those on Let Go," she says, "But I still love a good pop song. I'm basically just a girl who likes to write, who likes to rock out, and who wants music to be a part of my life forever."

But Avril's music is capable of reaching the girls and the guys, and more than a few adventurous adults too-and she's chomping at the bit to bring it to 'em. "I can't wait to be out there; I want to rock the world! I want people to know that my music is real and honest - it came from my heart. I was just being true to myself."