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Lea Michele

2011-08-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Lea Michele

Katy Perry

2011-08-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Katy Perry

Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; October 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which was unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–05, neither of which were released.
After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album One of the Boys followed later that year and subsequently became the thirty-third-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.
Her second studio album Teenage Dream was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making Teenage Dream only the second album—after Michael Jackson's Bad—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend a whole year, 52 consecutive weeks, in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Perry was credited as a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show The X Factor, has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film The Smurfs. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

The Vaccines Katy Perry Last Friday Night BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge 2011

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Katy Perry - E.T. ft. Kanye West

Katy Perry Medley

Katy Perry - California Gurls ft. Snoop Dogg

Katy Perry - Hot N Cold (Official Music Video)

Katy Perry Lends Voice to Smurfette in 2011 Live Action Movie of Famous Cartoon, the 'Smurf's'

[HD] Katy Perry with a surprise guest...LOL

Early life and career

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings
Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California[5][6] to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s,[7] and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe".[7] Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry.[8][9] She is the second child of two pastors.[10] She has an older sister and younger brother.[7] Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.[7]
Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry[10] and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen.[6][11] She grew up listening to gospel music,[12] was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music",[11][13] and attended Christian schools and camps.[10] As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug.[14] She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music.[15] Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]."[15] Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.[15]

Perry performing on her guitar, an instrument she learned to play when she was just starting her record career
At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills.[16] In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar.[11][13] Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15.[17] Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001.[7][16] The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001.[17] She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.[16][18] At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island.[19] The album was due for release in 2005,[6][16][17] but Billboard reported it also went nowhere.[17] Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group.[7] Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.[20]
Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat".[17] Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved,[21] she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by Blender magazine.[6][17] With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label.[17] While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now".[22] She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly".
2007–09: One of the Boys and MTV Unplugged
While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom.[23] At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act.[23] Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, One of the Boys.[23]
The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke.[23] The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management.[17] A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story.[10][17][24] This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna,[17] who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's JohnJay & Rich morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, Wildfire, on the episode "Life's Too Short".[25]

Perry performs live in Berlin, September 2008.
She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'"[24] Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls.[24] With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder."[17] The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.[17] It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries,[21] including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.[26] On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless,[25] posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine Restless Style.[27] Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album Wanderlust.[28]
One of the Boys was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews.[29] The album has reached number nine on the Billboard 200,[30] and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[31] Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100,[17] as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009.[17] "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards.[32] Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears.[33] She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted,[34] and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards.[35] On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million.[36] The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.[37]
The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of One of the Boys had been dispatched. Despite their communication, The Matrix was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store.[38]

Perry performing in June 2009
In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke.[39] Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.[40]
On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria.[41] In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear.[42] Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog.[43] Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark.[44] During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Get Him to the Greek; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience.[45] In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album Shock Value II in December.[46] In October 2009, MTV Unplugged revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack".[47] The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.[48]
2010–present: Teenage Dream

Perry performing in November 2010
Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show The X Factor on June 28, 2010[49] (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework".[50] Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled Teenage Dream[51] and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967.[52] The cover art for Teenage Dream is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls".[53] The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent.[54] The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010.[55] "Firework" is the album's third single.
Katy Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[56] She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students.[57][58] Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from Sesame Street, which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube."[59] The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for Firework in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants.[60] She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry has announced her own fragrance to be released in autumn of this year, named "Purr". It will come in a cat-shaped bottle, and will be available through Nordstrom stores.[61][62] 'Teenage Dream led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, ventually winning three of those, incluing Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".
Artistry

Musical style and themes

Perry performing in 2009
Perry has a contralto vocal range.[63] Because of her low vocal range, she lowers the key of many of her songs while singing live in order to perfect her sound. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette,[12][21] pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson,[64] and Freddie Mercury,[11] the late frontman of the British band Queen. Growing up listening to gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs.[11] Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Morissette;[11] Ballard produced Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, the album that had a "huge influence" on Perry.[16] She told her initial collaborator that she had decided to work with Ballard. The producer arranged a meeting for her and Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented him a song, and a day later she was called. Ballard developed Perry for a few years.[11]
Perry described her music by saying, "Someone kind of penned it for me the other day, and I've been using it ever since."[11] According to her, she has "changed a lot between the ages of 15 to 23."[10] Her first album dwells on Gospel music.[10][17] She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related.[10] Her second album, One of the Boys, is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots.[65] Perry expects to record more pop songs for her next album.[14][66]
Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak.[11] Most of the themes in One of the Boys deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets".[16] Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid Daily Mail that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting".[10][67] Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information.[67] Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors.[67] The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational".[10] MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records.[67] Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."[68]
Public image

Perry performing in July 2009
Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress.[14] It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits.[64] Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe.[citation needed] Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel Lolita.[16] She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things".[14] Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage".[69] Her fashion has caught the attention of designers.[10][64] In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized.[70] The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge".[70] The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead.[71] She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.[72]
She was ranked 7th in Rolling Stone's global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.[73]
Personal life

Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York,[18] on and off for several years. Perry and McCoy broke up in December 2008.[74]
Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film Get Him to the Greek.[75] Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards,[76] where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India.[77][78][79] In a July 2010 YouTube interview, Perry said Brand would be a "perfect" father.[80] Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home".[81] Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, the same location where Brand had proposed.[82][83]
In an interview with Rolling Stone she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."[84][85][86]
Discography

Main article: Katy Perry discography
Katy Hudson (2001)
One of the Boys (2008)
Teenage Dream (2010)
Tours

Hello Katy Tour (2009)
California Dreams Tour (2011)
Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2008 The Young and the Restless Herself Episode 8914
Wildfire Herself "Life's Too Short" (Season 4, episode 8)
2010 American Idol Guest judge "Season 9, episode 5"
The X Factor Guest judge "Series 7, episode 2"
Sesame Street Herself Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy)
The Simpsons Herself 1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas"
2011 How I Met Your Mother Honey 1 episode, "Oh Honey"
2011 America's Got Talent Guest Judge July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results)
Films
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Get Him to the Greek Herself Deleted scene
Uncredited
Out in the Desert Herself Post-production[dead link]
2011 The Smurfs Smurfette Voice
Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Katy Perry

References from Wikipedia.com

Zoe Saldana

2011-08-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana (pronounced /sælˈdænə/ sal-dan-ə; born June 19, 1978), sometimes stylized Zoë Saldaña is an American actress, she had her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Center Stage, and later gained prominence for her roles as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek, and a starring role as Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar—the highest-grossing film of all time.

Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana in After Se-x (Unseen Director's Cut)

Zoe Saldana on Late Late Show

Sesame Street: Zoe Saldana - Transportation

After Se-x - Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana

Colombiana trailer 2011 HD official Zoe Saldana

AVATAR Zoe Zaldana VS Neytiri

NYLON TV + ZOE SALDANA

Zoe Saldana on Jimmy Kimmel Live PART 1

Early life

Zoe Saldana was born Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario[4][5] or Zoe Yadira Saldana Nazario[1] in Passaic, New Jersey,[2][6] United States. Her father, Aridio Saldaña, is Dominican, and her mother, Asalia Nazario, is Puerto Rican.[7][8][9][10] Her first languages are English and Spanish. She spent the majority of her early childhood growing up in Queens, New York. At 10, she moved with her family to the Dominican Republic, where they lived for the next seven years. Saldana took ballet at one of the most prestigious dancing schools in the Dominican Republic.[2] After returning to Queens at age 17, she began performing with the Faces theater troupe, which put on plays geared towards providing positive messages for teens, via themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and sex. These performances not only gave her valuable experience but were a source of great pride, as she knew that she was making a difference in the lives of young people like herself. While performing with the Faces troupe and also the New York Youth Theater Zoe was recruited for a talent agency. Her dance training years before, coupled with her acting experience, greatly helped her land her first big screen role as Eva, the talented and headstrong ballet dancer in the 2000 film Center Stage.[2]
[edit]Career

Zoe Saldana in 2009.
Zoe Saldana was still a member of Faces when she gained exposure in an episode of Law & Order (titled "Merger") which first aired in 1999.[11] She left school after Center Stage, subsequently appearing in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads (2002) and the comedy-drama Drumline (2002). She played the pirate Anamaria in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and has appeared in a number of television shows and movies, including The Terminal (2004) and Guess Who (2005).
Saldana was also the lead in the video for Juan Luis Guerra's song "La llave de mi corazón", and played Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek.[12] In 2009, she played Neytiri, the Na'vi princess, in James Cameron's Avatar, a role that gave her much publicity and recognition, and therefore presenting her more opportunities to work in big commercial films[citation needed].
She is the only actress to have three movies in the box office top twenty for three consecutive weeks. These movies are Avatar, The Losers, and Death at a Funeral.[citation needed]
In August 2010, Saldana's television ad for Calvin Klein's "Envy" line debuted.[13] In 2011, she starred in the crime drama movie Colombiana.
[edit]Personal life

On June 30, 2010, it was announced in Us Weekly that Saldana was engaged to her boyfriend of 10 years, actor and CEO of My Fashion Database Keith Britton.[14] She is also a celebrity supporter of FINCA International, an internationally respected microfinance organization.[15]
[edit]Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Center Stage Eva Rodriguez
2001 Get Over It Maggie
Snipes Cheryl
2002 Crossroads Kit
Drumline Laila Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (Shared with Nick Cannon)
2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Anamaria
2004 The Terminal Dolores Torres
Haven Andrea
Temptation Annie
2005 Constellation Rosa Boxer
Guess Who Theresa Jones Nominated—Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Performance – Female
Dirty Deeds Rachel Buff
La maldición del padre Cardona Flor
2006 Premium Charli
2007 After Sex Kat
Blackout Claudine
2008 Vantage Point Angie Jones
2009 Star Trek Nyota Uhura Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast
Nominated—ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actress
Nominated—Scream Award for Best Science Fiction Actress
Nominated—Scream Award for Breakout Performance – Female
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Action Adventure
Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
The Skeptic Cassie
Avatar Neytiri BET Award for Best Actress
Empire Award for Best Actress
Saturn Award for Best Actress
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Sci-Fi
Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (Shared with Sam Worthington)
Nominated—Scream Award for Best Science Fiction Actress
2010 The Losers Aisha Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Action Adventure
Takers Lily Jansen
Death at a Funeral Elaine Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Comedy
Burning Palms Sara Cotton
2011 The Heart Specialist Donna
Colombiana Cataleya Restrepo
2013 The Words Dora Filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Law & Order Uncredited 1 episode: "Refuge, Part 1"
2004 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Gabrielle Vega 1 episode: "Criminal"
2006–2007 Six Degrees Regina 5 episodes

References from Wikipedia.com

Zooey Deschanel

2011-08-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Claire Deschanel[1] (born January 17, 1980) is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous. Deschanel soon became known for her deadpan or "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" supporting roles in films such as Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) Failure to Launch (2006), and Bridge to Terabithia (2007). She then began playing lead roles in films, including Yes Man (2008) and (500) Days of Summer (2009).[2][3] She will next headline the new Fox series New Girl in fall 2011.
For a few years starting in 2001, Deschanel performed in the jazz cabaret act If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies with fellow actress Samantha Shelton.[4] She plays keyboards, percussion, banjo and ukulele, and has sung in several of her films. Deschanel teamed up with M. Ward to release their debut album Volume One (recorded with M. Ward under the moniker She & Him) which was released in March 2008. The follow-up album Volume Two was released in the U.S. in March 2010. She is married to Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard.

Zooey Deschanel , Melanie Lynskey and Melanie Bello does the Hollywood Film Festival Closing Gala

Craig Ferguson 7/14/11D Late Late Show Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Zooey Deschanel - "So Long" (Winnie the Pooh OST) FULL SONG

Zooey Deschanel "Wins" Craig Ferguson Golden Mouth Organ

ZOOEY DESCHANEL: A 'NEW GIRL' WITH AN 'IDIOT BROTHER

Zooey Deschanel & Ben Schwartz- Tonight You Belong to Me

Craig Ferguson -_- Zooey Deschanel - 2011.07.14

"So Long" Preview - Zooey Deschanel sings for Winnie the Pooh

Early life

Born in Los Angeles in 1980, Zooey Deschanel is the daughter of cinematographer/director Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir). She is of French (from her paternal grandfather) and Irish descent.[5] She was named after Zooey Glass, the male protagonist of J. D. Salinger's 1961 novella Franny and Zooey.[6] Her older sister, Emily Deschanel, is also an actress and stars in the TV series Bones.
Deschanel lived in Los Angeles, but spent much of her childhood traveling because her father shot films on location; she later said that she "hated all the traveling ... I'm really happy now that I had the experience, but at the time I was just so miserable to have to leave my friends in Los Angeles and go to places where they didn't have any food I liked or things I was used to."[7] She attended Crossroads, a private preparatory school in Santa Monica, California, where she befriended future co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Kate Hudson.[6][8] She sang throughout high school, planning to pursue a career in musical theatre.[5] She attended Northwestern University for seven months before dropping out to work as an actress.[7]
[edit]Career

[edit]Acting
Deschanel appeared in a guest role on the television series Veronica's Closet before making her film debut in Lawrence Kasdan's 1999 comedy Mumford, and later in the year she appeared (non-singing) in the music video for The Offspring's single "She's Got Issues". In her second film, director Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical Almost Famous (2000), Deschanel played Anita Miller, the protagonist's rebellious older sister. The film received critical praise,[9] but was not a box office success. She also appeared in Jimmy Fallon's "Idiot Boyfriend" music video as his lead girl.
Deschanel played supporting roles in a series of films that include Manic (2001), with Don Cheadle and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Big Trouble (2002), with Tim Allen and Rene Russo, Abandon (2002) alongside Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt and Melanie Lynskey, and The Good Girl (2002) alongside Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal. In late 2002, The New York Times reported that Deschanel was "one of Hollywood's most sought-after young stars,"[6] and the Los Angeles Times wrote in early 2003 that Deschanel had become a recognizable type, due to "her deadpan, sardonic and scene-stealing [film] performances" as the protagonist's best friend.[5] Deschanel objected to her typecasting, arguing, "A lot of these roles are just a formula idea of somebody's best friend, and it's like, I don't even have that many friends. In high school, I stayed home all the time, so I don't know how I'm everybody's best friend now."[5]
Deschanel appeared in Frasier, starring as Roz's out-of-control cousin, Jen, in the season 10 episode 'Kissing Cousin' in 2002. That year, she also appeared in the film The New Guy as Nora, the guitar player in the lead character's band, Suburban Funk.
After turning down several supporting roles, Deschanel played her first lead role in All the Real Girls (2003). Her performance as Noel, a sexually curious 18-year-old virgin who has a life-changing romance with an aimless 22-year-old, received critical praise,[5] and she received an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Actress.[10] Later in 2003, Deschanel played a deadpan department store worker opposite Will Ferrell in the comedy Elf, which became a box office hit.[11]

Zooey Deschanel with co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt at a premiere for (500) Days of Summer in March 2009
In 2004, Deschanel starred in Eulogy, and in 2005 as Trillian in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' science fiction novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Also in 2005, she played the main character, Reese Holden in the film Winter Passing with supporting role from Will Ferrell. Deschanel then played Sarah Jessica Parker's neurotic roommate in Failure to Launch (2006), and appeared on four episodes of the Showtime television series Weeds from 2006 to 2007, playing Andy Botwin's quirky ex-girlfriend, Kat. In September 2006, Variety announced that Deschanel would play 1960s singer Janis Joplin in the film The Gospel According to Janis, to be co-written and directed by Penelope Spheeris.[12] Deschanel planned to sing all of Joplin's songs, and took four months of singing lessons "to approximate Joplin's gritty vocals."[12] The film, scheduled to begin shooting on November 13, 2006,[12] was postponed indefinitely.[13] However, the project is now back on track and will be released in 2012.[14]
In 2007, Deschanel appeared in two children's films: Bridge to Terabithia, in which she played Jesse's quirky music teacher, and the animated film Surf's Up, in which she voiced a penguin named Lani Aliikai. She played DG, the lead in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Tin Man, a re-imagined science fiction version of L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Tin Man aired on Sci Fi in December 2007. Deschanel also narrated the children's book Players in Pigtails.[15]
On April 27, 2008, she performed on The Simpsons, playing the role of Mary, Cletus's daughter,[16] and in June that year, she starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in M. Night Shyamalan's poorly received environmental thriller The Happening.
In 2008, Deschanel starred in Gigantic, and later that year in the comedy film Yes Man, opposite Jim Carrey.[17]
Deschanel was next seen as the title character in the 2009 award winning romantic-drama-comedy (500) Days of Summer, opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt (for a second time after Manic). The film, about the development and demise of a relationship, received widespread praise and was directed by long-time commercial and music video director Marc Webb.[18] The film received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), but was ultimately defeated by The Hangover.[19]
Deschanel guest starred in a Christmas 2009 episode of Bones as Brennan's never-before-seen cousin.[20] In the first-ever on-screen pairing of the Deschanel sisters, Zooey portrayed Margaret Whitesell, a distant relative of Emily's Dr. Temperance Brennan. Brennan's father, Max Keenan (guest star Ryan O'Neal), invites Margaret to spend Christmas with him and his daughter.[21]
In 2010, Deschanel secured the role of Belladonna in the fantasy comedy film Your Highness[22] alongside Natalie Portman and James Franco. Deschanel will star in the pilot for the HBO series I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie, in which she plays the role of Pamela Des Barres, who wrote a memoir based on her own experience as a former groupie.[23] She is also set to appear in the new Fox series New Girl, created by Elizabeth Meriwether.[24]
[edit]Film-related music
The New Guy (2002) was the first of Deschanel's films in which she sang onscreen. In Elf, she sings with Will Ferrell in the bathroom shower scene on "Baby, It's Cold Outside", and was also heard singing it on the soundtrack with Leon Redbone. Her piano composition "Bittersuite" was used thematically in the dark, off-beat 2004 dramedy Winter Passing, in which she starred alongside Will Ferrell and Ed Harris. Subsequently, Deschanel also sings in Winter Passing ("My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean").
Others include: the television musical Once Upon a Mattress ("An Opening For a Princess", "In a Little While", "Normandy", and "Yesterday I Loved You"); an old cabaret song in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; and the 2007 short film Raving ("Hello, Dolly!").
Deschanel and the cast of school children sing the Steve Earle song "Someday" and War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?" in the 2007 film Bridge to Terabithia.
In the film Yes Man, Deschanel sings several songs featured in the film and on the film soundtrack, and is shown singing "Uh-Huh" and "Sweet Ballad" alongside San Franciscan all-girl electro soul-punk group Von Iva in a fictional band called "Munchausen by Proxy."
In (500) Days of Summer Deschanel sings a cover of Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths—it also appears on the soundtrack of the film, as performed by She and Him. She also sing a cover of Sugar Town by Nancy Sinatra. (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb also directed Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt in a music video, Bank Dance, with the She & Him song Why Do You Let Me Stay Here.
Deschanel sings "The Greatest Most Beautiful Love Song in All the Land" with James Franco in the film Your Highness. She also appears in a number of songs (with M. Ward) on the soundtrack album for the 2011 release of Disney's Winnie the Pooh. Deschanel will also write and sing the theme song to her upcoming TV series New Girl.[25]
[edit]Non-film music
See also: She & Him

Deschanel and M. Ward performing as She & Him on a Wurlitzer Electric Piano at the Newport Folk Festival (August 2, 2008)
In 2001 Deschanel formed If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies, a jazz cabaret act with fellow actress Samantha Shelton.[6] The pair performed around Los Angeles.[26]
In March 2007, Deschanel contributed vocals to two songs "Slowly" and "Ask Her to Dance" on the album Nighttiming by Jason Schwartzman's band Coconut Records. In May 2007, singer/songwriter M. Ward, who had previously performed with Deschanel onstage, said that he was "just finishing work" on her debut album,[27] which will feature songs written by Deschanel and produced by Ward.[28] Fox reported that Deschanel and Ward were recording under the moniker She & Him, and that the album, titled Volume One, would be released by Merge Records on March 18, 2008.[29][30]
An article on Pitchfork Media in December 2009 confirmed a March 23, 2010, release date for the second She & Him album, Volume Two.[31] In spring of 2010, She & Him went on tour in the USA and Europe in support of Volume Two, .[32]
Deschanel and M. Ward both featured on The Place We Ran From, the 2010 album by Snow Patrol member Gary Lightbody's side project, Tired Pony. Deschanel contributed vocals to the tracks "Get On the Road" and "Point Me at Lost Islands", while M. Ward contributed vocals and guitar to the track "Held in the Arms of Your Words" and guitar to the track "That Silver Necklace".[33]
Deschanel also recorded "The Fabric of My Life" for a 2009 advertising campaign for Cotton Incorporated.[34]
Deschanel also performed "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch during game three of the National League Championship Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants on October 19, 2010 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California.[35]
Deschanel contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" for the upcoming tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly to be released on September 6, 2011.
[edit]Other work
Deschanel was a judge for the ninth Independent Music Awards.[36]
She has signed on to represent Rimmel.[37]
In May 2011, she launched HelloGiggles an entertainment website geared towards women with producer Sophia Rossi and writer Molly McAleer.
[edit]Personal life

Deschanel—who is allergic to eggs, dairy, and wheat gluten[38]—formerly adhered to a vegan diet[39] and was featured on episode eight of the first season of Bravo's Top Chef Masters in which the chefs participating in the competition were challenged to cater a vegan lunch party for her family and friends using no eggs, dairy, soy, or gluten.[40] However, according to a recent interview with Health magazine, she had to come off the diet because her food sensitivities made it too difficult for her to stay healthy as a vegan.[41] She also stated that she has attention deficit disorder.[42] In September 2009, Deschanel married fellow musician Ben Gibbard, lead vocalist for The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie.[43]
[edit]Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Veronica's Closet Elena Episode: "Veronica's Fun and Pirates Are Crazy"
1999 Mumford Nessa Watkins
2000 Almost Famous Anita Miller
2001 Manic Tracy
2002 The Good Girl Cheryl
2002 Abandon Samantha Harper
2002 Big Trouble Jenny Herk
2002 The New Guy Nora
2002 Sweet Friggin' Daisies Zelda Short film
2002 Frasier Jen Episode: "Kissing Cousin"
2003 Whatever We Do Nikki Short film
2003 All the Real Girls Noel Won the Mar del Plata Film Festival Award
Nominated for Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress
Nominated for Independent Spirit Award
2003 It's Better to Be Wanted for Murder Than Not to Be Wanted at All Gas Station Girl
2003 House Hunting Christy Short film
2003 Elf Jovie
2004 Cracking Up Heidi Episode: "Birds Do It"
2004 Eulogy Kate Collins
2005 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trillian
2005 American Dad! Candy Striper Stripper / French Maid (voice) Episode: "Stan Knows Best"
2005 Winter Passing Reese Holden
2005 Once Upon a Mattress Lady Larken TV movie
2006 Failure to Launch Kit
2006 Live Free or Die Cheryl
2006–2007 Weeds Kat 4 episodes
2007 The Good Life Frances
2007 The Go-Getter Kate
2007 Bridge to Terabithia Ms. Edmunds
2007 Flakes Miss Pussy Katz
2007 Raving Katie Short film
2007 Surf's Up Lani Aliikai (voice)
2007 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Dorothy Evans
2007 Tin Man DG TV miniseries
2008 Gigantic Happy Lolly
2008 The Simpsons Mary (voice) Episode: "Apocalypse Cow"
2008 The Happening Alma Moore
2008 Yes Man Allison
2009 (500) Days of Summer Summer Finn Nominated – Satellite Award
2009 Bones Margaret Whitesell Episode: "The Goop on the Girl"
2010 Funny or Die Presents Mary Todd Lincoln Drunk History sketch; "Drunk History Vol. 5 w/ Will Ferrell, Don Cheadle & Zooey Deschanel"
2010 Havin' a Summah Video short
2011 Our Idiot Brother Natalie Completed
2011 Your Highness Belladonna
2011 New Girl Jessica Day Fall TV series
[edit]Discography

[edit]Solo & duets
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Leon Redbone – Elf soundtrack
"Sugar Town" – (500) Days of Summer soundtrack
five tracks on the soundtrack album to the 2011 release of Disney's Winnie the Pooh
"The Greatest Most Beautiful Love Song in All the Land" with James Franco – Your Highness soundtrack
[edit]Munchausen By Proxy
Munchausen By Proxy is a fictional band that appears in the film Yes Man.[44][45]
"Sweet Ballad" featuring Zooey Deschanel & Von Iva – Yes Man soundtrack
"Uh-Huh" featuring Zooey Deschanel & Von Iva – Yes Man soundtrack
"Keystar" featuring Zooey Deschanel & Von Iva – Yes Man soundtrack
"Yes Man" featuring Zooey Deschanel & Von Iva – Yes Man soundtrack
[edit]She & Him
Main article: She & Him
Studio albums
Volume One (March 18, 2008)[46] No.71 US[47]
Volume Two (March 23, 2010) No.6 US
Singles
"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" (January, 2008)
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (December, 2009)
"In the Sun" (February, 2010)
"Thieves" (June, 2010)
Soundtrack
"I Put A Spell On You" (January 30, 2009) Starbucks' Sweetheart CD
"When I Get To The Border" (2007) on The Go-Getter soundtrack
"Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" (2009) on (500) Days of Summer soundtrack
[edit]Tired Pony
"Get on the Road" The Place We Ran From
"Point Me at Lost Islands" The Place We Ran From

References from Wikipedia.com

Minka Kelly

2011-08-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Minka Kelly

Minka Dumont Kelly (born June 24, 1980) is an American actress. She starred in the NBC series Friday Night Lights as Lyla Garrity from 2006 to 2009.

Minka Kelly Big Cleavage

Minka Kelly ~ Live with Regis and Kelly (2011-02-02).ts

THE ROOMMATE Interviews with Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly and Cam Gigandet

Rob Dyrdek & Minka Kelly in Las Vegas | Windows Phone 7 Really Rally Road Trip

100 Most Beautiful 2008: Minka Kelly

Acrtress Minka Kelly in "Friday Night Lights"

Minka Kelly's Moment

Charlie's Angels - Minka Kelly Comic-Con Interview

Minka Kelly Visits Matsuhisa for Dinner

Early life

Kelly was born Minka Dumont Dufay[1] in Los Angeles.[2] She is the only child of former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay[3] and Maureen Dumont Kelly, an exotic dancer and single mother who often moved with her daughter to different communities, before settling in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by the time Minka was in junior high school.[4] She is of Irish and French descent.[5]
[edit]Career

When she was 19, after graduating from Valley High School in Albuquerque, NM, Kelly returned to Los Angeles.[4] While on a test shoot for a modeling agency, she was approached by a former Playboy Playmate interested in managing her, and who placed Kelly as a receptionist at a surgeon's office who would provide Kelly breast augmentation in exchange for hours worked. She ultimately decided against the procedure, leading to her being fired.[4] However, the exposure to the medical field prompted her to attend school for a year to become a surgeon's assistant; afterward, she worked as a scrub tech.[4] She spent four years in that vocation while also auditioning as an actress before landing the new NBC television drama Friday Night Lights, based on the high school football movie of that name.[4] In the interim, she had small roles in movies and shows, including the film State's Evidence, and a recurring guest role on the TV sitcom What I Like About You.[3]
In preparation for her role as cheerleader Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights, she trained with the Pflugerville High School cheerleading squad.[2] Kelly received praise for her acting on the series, with The New York Times calling her performance "heartbreaking."[6]
She shot a cameo for The Kingdom, alongside Jamie Foxx. Peter Berg, the creator and pilot director of Friday Night Lights, directed the film.[7] Kelly was the lead actor on The CW's 2009 pilot Body Politic, which did not go to series. Kelly was a member of the ensemble quartet that starred in the CBS comedy pilot Mad Love, playing Kate, a Midwestern girl who falls in love with Henry at the top of the Empire State Building, but was replaced by Sarah Chalke.[8]
Kelly appeared with Alyson Hannigan, Jaime King, Emily Deschanel, and Katharine McPhee in a video slumber party featured on FunnyorDie.com to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer.[9]
In 2010, ABC announced that Kelly would join the cast of the upcoming remake of the television series Charlie's Angels.[10] That same year, Kelly also was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" in the annual Esquire magazine feature.[4] She accepted a role in the Off Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore for an April 27 through May 29, 2011 run with Conchata Ferrell, AnnaLynne McCord, Anne Meara, and B. Smith.[11]
[edit]Personal life

Kelly dated Dylan Brazil in 2005,[12] and had relationships with actors Chris Evans and Donald Faison. She dated musician John Mayer from September 2007 to January 2008. She dated baseball player Derek Jeter[13][14] from 2008 until August 26, 2011.
[edit]Filmography

List of film credits
Year Film Role Notes
2004 Turbo-Charged Prelude uncredited
2005 Devil's Highway River
2006 The Pumpkin Karver Tammy Boyles
State's Evidence –
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift uncredited
2007 The Kingdom Ms. Ross
2009 (500) Days of Summer Autumn
2011 The Roommate Sara Matthews Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress in a Drama
Just Go With It Joanna Damon
Searching for Sonny Eden Mercer post-production
List of television credits
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Cracking Up Monica One episode
Drake & Josh Stacey One episode
2005 American Dreams Bonnie one episode
What I Like About You Ricki three episodes
2006–2009 Friday Night Lights Lyla Garrity Major role
2009 Body Politic Frankie Unaired CW pilot
2010–2011 Parenthood Gaby Recurring role
2010 Entourage Herself Season finale
Mad Love Kate Unaired episode
2011 Charlie's Angels Eve French ABC

Emma Stone

2011-08-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Emma Stone

Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress. Stone was a cast member of the TV series Drive, and made her feature film debut in the comedy Superbad (2007). She appeared in The House Bunny (2008) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). She then starred in the horror-comedy Zombieland and the indie comedy Paper Man in 2009. In 2010, Stone voiced the character Mazie in Marmaduke, and starred in the high school comedy Easy A, which earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

[HD] Emma Stone Interview On Live With Regis & Kelly 08-11-2011 (Part 1)

[HD] Emma Stone Interview On Live With Regis & Kelly 08-11-2011 (Part 2)

[HD] Emma Stone Interview 08-04-2011 (Part 1)

Stars Gush About Emma Stone at The Help Premiere

Emma Stone - The Help *Interview (Aug.3/11)

EMMA STONE DELIVERS SOUTHERN CHARM TO "THE HELP"

Emma Stone 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' Interview

Emma Stone - The Help *Interview (Aug.11/11)

Early life

Stone was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, the daughter of Krista (née Yeager), a homemaker, and Jeff Stone, a contractor.[2] She has a brother who is younger by two years.[3] Stone's paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, and his family's surname was anglicized to "Stone" when immigrating to the U.S. through Ellis Island; her ancestors also lived in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.[4]
She was a member of the Valley Youth Theatre while growing up, a regional theater in Phoenix, Arizona, where she appeared in her first stage production, The Wind in the Willows, at the age of 11.[5] Stone attended Sequoya Elementary School and then Cocopah Middle School for sixth grade. She was home schooled for two years, at which time she appeared in 16 productions at Valley Youth Theatre, including: A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail, The Princess and the Pea, Cinderella, The Wiz, Titanic, Honk!, The Little Mermaid, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Alice in Wonderland, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,[5][6] and performed with the theater's improv comedy troupe.[7]
Stone attended Xavier College Preparatory,[5] an all-girl Catholic high school, as a freshman for one semester.[8] She gave a PowerPoint presentation to her parents, set to the Madonna song "Hollywood," to convince them to let her move to California for an acting career.[8][9] She dropped out of high school, and in January 2004, moved with her mother to a Los Angeles apartment, at the age of 15.[10] She was then home schooled, so that she could audition during the day.[11]
Career

2004–present

Stone at the Zombieland world premiere, 2009
Stone launched a career in television after winning the role of Laurie Partridge on In Search of the New Partridge Family (2004), a VH1 talent competition reality show.[12] The resulting show, The New Partridge Family (2005), only produced a pilot episode. Stone next had appearances in the television series Medium, Malcolm in the Middle and Lucky Louie. In 2007, she had a regular role on the Fox drama Drive, playing Violet Trimble, until the series was cancelled.[8] She also auditioned for Heroes, and overheard in the casting room "On a scale of 1 to 10, you are an 11" — the casting directors were referring to Hayden Panettiere, who was cast as Claire Bennet instead. Stone called this experience "rock bottom."[13]
Stone made her feature film debut in the 2007 teen comedy Superbad, playing Jules, the love interest of lead character Seth (Jonah Hill). In 2008, she appeared in the comedy The Rocker, with Rainn Wilson.[14] Stone played Amelia, the bass guitarist in a band featuring singer Teddy Geiger. Stone learned to play bass for the role.[15] Also that year, Stone appeared in The House Bunny, starring Anna Faris, alongside Katharine McPhee, Kat Dennings, Rumer Willis, and Colin Hanks.[16] Stone played the president of a sorority and sang on a single from the film, "I Know What Boys Like," a cover version of the 1982 song by The Waitresses.[17]
In 2009, Stone appeared in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a romantic comedy directed by Mark Waters, the director of Mean Girls, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.[18] Stone played "The Ghost of Girlfriends Past," a takeoff of the Ghost of Christmas Past from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. She starred in the horror/comedy Zombieland, along with Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. The project began shooting in Atlanta in February 2009.[19] Stone played Wichita, a survivor/con artist from Wichita, Kansas, traveling across the U.S. with her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).[20]
Stone starred in Paper Man, alongside Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds and Lisa Kudrow, directed by Kieran and Michele Mulroney.[21] Stone plays Abby, a babysitter that Daniels' character hires after moving to Long Island.[22] Stone began filming the independent comedy on November 11, 2008, in Montauk, New York, using well-known local locations.[23]

Stone at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
Stone had a voice role in Marmaduke in 2010, a film adaptation of the long-running comic strip about a Great Dane.[24] She voiced Marmaduke's friend, Mazie, a tomboyish Australian Shepherd.[25] Stone landed her first leading role starring as a high school student in Easy A with Amanda Bynes, a comedy directed by Will Gluck.[26] Her character scandalizes her teachers and more conservative religious classmates after a false rumor circulates that she is sexually promiscuous.[27] The script contrasts the novel The Scarlet Letter and its heroine, Hester Prynne, to the life of the protagonist in the film.[28] Stone read the script before the project was optioned for production, and kept an eye on it along with her manager until preparations were made.[29] She was attracted to the script because it was "funny and sweet" and her character was "fantastic from the first read" who was "fleshed [..] out so much in the script".[29] When she found out that the film went into production, she met with Gluck to express her enthusiasm about the project.[29] A few months later, the audition process started and Stone met again with Gluck to be one of the first actresses to audition.[29] Stone was nominated for the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role.[30] Stone appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010, and introduced Linkin Park.[31] She stated in 2008 that she would eventually like to venture into film production, producing her own films, and that her dream was to appear on Saturday Night Live.[16] Stone hosted the late-night sketch comedy show on October 23, 2010.[32] She also appeared in Friends With Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and directed by Gluck. The sex comedy began filming in July 2010, in New York and was released in July 2011.[33]
Stone starred in Crazy, Stupid, Love., alongside Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Marisa Tomei. The Warner Bros. film, about a husband (Carell) with marital problems and difficulties with his children, began shooting on April 16, 2010, in Los Angeles and was released on July 29, 2011.[34] Stone starred in The Help, an adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel of the same name, a period piece set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, which was released in August, 2011. She plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, an aspiring writer, and employed a Southern dialect for the role.[22]
Upcoming roles
Stone joined the voice cast of The Croods, a 3D computer animated caveman comedy by DreamWorks Animation. She will voice the role of Eep, the oldest daughter of Grug (Nicolas Cage) and Ugga (Catherine Keener). Ryan Reynolds voices Gy, the love interest to Stone's character. The film is scheduled for release on March 30, 2012.[35]
She stars in the comedic short film, "Veronica," alongside Kieran Culkin, directed by Griffin Dunne.[36] The short is a comedy segment that is part of an anthology film called Movie 43, featuring Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, and others.[37] The feature-film was produced by the Farrelly brothers[2] and directed by Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill and Steve Carr.[37]
Stone will star as the female lead in The Amazing Spider-Man, a reboot by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment of the Spider-Man film series. She plays Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker's love interest, in the Marc Webb-directed film; a release date of July 3, 2012, has been set.[38] The film went into production in December 2010, and is scheduled to last through April 2011.[39] Stone was considered for the lead in a reboot of 21 Jump Street, alongside Superbad co-star Jonah Hill.[40] She did not take the role however, after signing on to Spider-Man.[41] Stone will again work with writer/director Will Gluck, starring in and executive producing an untitled comedy for Screen Gems.[42]
Stone joined the cast of The Gangster Squad, a film by Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer. She will again play opposite Ryan Gosling in the ensemble crime drama, which also stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Peña. Stone plays Jean, a femme fatale caught in a love triangle with Gosling and Penn's character, mobster Mickey Cohen.[43]
Personal life

Stone was living on her own in Los Angeles in 2007, and moved to Greenwich Village, New York City in 2009.[9] Stone has stated that she "was really into HTML and web design" when she was younger.[8]
Although known as a redhead, Stone is naturally a blonde. She landed her first role as a teenager after dyeing her hair dark brown.[2] Film producer Judd Apatow had her change from a brunette to a redhead for her role in Superbad.[7]
In April 2011, Stone ranked 10th on People magazine's annual 100 Most Beautiful list.[44]
Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Superbad Jules Young Hollywood Award for Exciting New Face
2008 The Rocker Amelia
2008 The House Bunny Natalie
2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Allison Vandermeersh
2009 Paper Man Abby
2009 Zombieland Wichita (Krista) Scream Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated - Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated-Scream Award for Best Horror Actress
Nominated-Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
2010 Marmaduke Mazie Voice
2010 Easy A Olive Penderghast MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy[45]
Nominated - MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance[46]
Nominated - MTV Movie Awards Best Line from a Movie[47]
Nominated - The Comedy Awards Breakthrough Performer
Nominated - The Comedy Awards Best Comedy Actress – Film
Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2011 Friends with Benefits Kayla
2011 Crazy, Stupid, Love. Hannah Weaver
2011 The Help Eugenia Phelan (Skeeter) Lead role
2012 Movie 43 Ellen Malloy Post-production
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man Gwen Stacy Post-production
2013 The Croods Eep Voice
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005 The New Partridge Family Laurie Partridge TV movie
2005 Medium Cynthia McCallister 1 episode
2006 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Ivana 1 episode (voice) (season 1, episode 24)
2006 Malcolm in the Middle Diane 1 episode (season 7, episode 16)
2006 Lucky Louie Shannon 1 episode (season 1, episode 8)
2007 Drive Violet Trimble 7 episodes (1 unaired)
Awards

Year Ceremony Category Nominated work Result
2008 Young Hollywood Awards Exciting New Face[48] Superbad Won
2009 Detroit Film Critics Society Best Ensemble[49] Zombieland Nominated
2010 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Comedy[50] Zombieland Nominated
2010 Scream Awards Best Horror Actress[51][dead link] Zombieland Nominated
2010 Scream Awards Best Ensemble[51] Zombieland Won
2011 Golden Globes Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy[30] Easy A Nominated
2011 BAFTA Awards Orange Rising Star Award[52] Nominated
2011 The Comedy Awards Best Comedy Actress – Film Easy A Nominated
2011 The Comedy Awards Breakthrough Performer Nominated
2011 NewNowNext Awards Brick of Fame Nominated
2011 MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance[53] Easy A Nominated
2011 MTV Movie Awards Best Comedic Performance[54] Easy A Won
2011 MTV Movie Awards Best Line from a Movie[55] Easy A Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy [45] Easy A Won
Rankings

Year Title Rank
2008 Moviefone's 25 hottest actors under 25[56] No.14
2008 Saturday Night Magazine's Top 20 Rising Stars Under 30[57] No.1
2009 AskMen.com's Top 99 Women[58] No.93
2009 FHM's 100 sexiest women in the world (US)[59] No.93
2009 Maxim's Hot List[60] No.66
2010 AskMen.com's Top 99 Women[61] No.39
2010 Maxim's Hot List[62] No.49
2010 LoveFilm.com's Top 20 Actresses Under 30[63] No.18
2011 AskMen.com's Top 99 Women[64] No.32
2011 NextMovie.com's 20 Funniest Women in Movies[65] No.6
2011 People's 100 Most Beautiful[44] No.10
2011 Maxim's Hot List[66] No.42
2011 FHM's 100 sexiest women in the world (UK)[67] No.68
2011 FHM's 100 sexiest women in the world (AUS)[68] No.38
Discography

Katharine McPhee – "I Know What Boys Like" (2008), RCA – iTunes Store single with Emma Stone and Rumer Willis, a cover version of the 1982 single by The Waitresses

Milla Jovovich

2011-08-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich ( /ˈjoʊvəvɪtʃ/ yoh-və-vich; born Milica Jovović;[1] December 17, 1975)[2] is a model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".
Jovovich began modeling at age 10, when she was discovered by photographer Carlos Reynosa[3] . Later Gene Lemuel convinced Herb Ritts to shoot her for the cover of Lei magazine.[4] Richard Avedon featured her in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements, and she continued her career with other campaigns for L'Oréal cosmetics, Banana Republic, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, and Versace. In 1988, she had her first professional acting role in the television film The Night Train to Kathmandu, and later that year, she appeared in her first feature film, Two Moon Junction. Following more small television appearances such as the "Fair Exchange" (1989) and a 1989 role as a French girl (she was 14 at the time) on a Married... with Children[5] episode and film roles, she gained notoriety with the romance film Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). She appeared in 1993's Dazed and Confused alongside Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey. Jovovich then acted alongside Bruce Willis in the science fiction film The Fifth Element (1997), and later played the title role in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). In 2002, she starred in the video game adaptation Resident Evil, which spawned three sequels: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) and Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010).[6]
In addition to her modeling and acting career, Jovovich released a music album, The Divine Comedy in 1994. She continues to release demos for other songs on her official website and contributes to film soundtracks; Jovovich has yet to release another album. In 2003, she and model Carmen Hawk created the clothing line Jovovich-Hawk, which ceased operations in early 2008.[7] In its third season prior to its demise, the pieces could be found at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols, and over 50 stores around the world. Jovovich also has her own production company, Creature Entertainment.

Milla Jovovich

Gentleman Who Fell - Milla Jovovich [MUSIC VIDEO]

MILLA JOVOVICH-"The Alien Song (For Those Who Listen)" LIVE!

Milla jovovich Hot star

Milla Jovovich - interview (1994)

Milla Jovovich Cavalli Card

Milla Jovovich - CK "Escape" (1995) - full version

Milla Jovovich Ali Larter - 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' Trailer HD

Milla Jovovich reveal how great it was to work alongside Robert De Niro for their new psychological thriller 'Stone.

Early life and family

Milla was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, the daughter of Bogdan Bogdanović Jovović (Богдан Богдановић Јововић), a Serbian[9][10] pediatrician, and Galina Mikhaylovna Loginova (Галина Михайловна Логинова), a Russian[11][12] stage actress.
Milla's paternal family's estate was in Zlopek near Peć in the northwestern part of Metohija Valley, Serbia. Her paternal great-grandfather, Bogić Camić Jovović, was a flag-bearer of the Vasojevići clan and an officer in the guard of King Nicholas I of Montenegro; his wife's name was Milica, after whom Milla was named. Her paternal grandfather, Bogdan Jovović, was a commander in the Pristina military area, and later investigated finances in the military areas of Skopje and Sarajevo, where he uncovered massive gold embezzlement. He was punished for refusing to convict a friend of the crime. Later, the government briefly imprisoned him in Goli otok for refusing to testify. When he feared that he could be arrested again, he escaped to Albania and later moved to Kiev. A different version of the story claims that he was the one who took the gold. Milla's father, Bogich, later joined Bogdan in Kiev, where he and his sister graduated in medicine.[9] In 2000, her grandfather, Bogdan Jovović, died in Kiev.[13] Her mother was born in Tuapse (now in Russia) but moved in her childhood to Dnipropetrovsk (now in Ukraine).[14]
In 1980, when Milla was five years old, her family left the Soviet Union for political reasons[15] and moved to London. They subsequently lived in Sacramento, California before settling in Los Angeles seven months later; Milla's parents divorced soon after.
In 1988, as a result of her father's relationship with a woman from Argentina,[16] Milla's half-brother[17] Marco Jovovich, was born.[18] Milla's mother attempted to support the family with acting jobs, but found little success, and eventually resorted to cleaning houses to earn money. Both her father and mother provided house cleaning services for director Brian De Palma.[19] Milla's father was incarcerated for participating in an illegal operation concerning medical insurance; he was given a 20-year sentence in 1994,[20] but was released in 1999 after serving five years in an American prison.[13][21] According to Milla, "Prison was good for him. He's become a much better person. It gave him a chance to stop and think."[22]
Milla attended public schools shortly after arriving in the United States, and became fluent in English in three months.[23] During school, many of the students had teased her because she had immigrated from the Soviet Union during the Cold War: "I was called a commie and a Russian spy. I was never, ever, ever accepted into the crowd."[24] At age 12 in seventh grade, Milla left school to focus on modeling.[25] She has stated that she was rebellious during her early teens, engaging in drug use, shopping mall vandalism, and credit-card fraud.[22]
[edit]Modeling career

At the age of nine, she began going to modeling audition.[19] At ten years old she signed with Model and Photographer Carlos Reynosa as part of Prima Modeling agency[3]. She was later shot by photographer and poet Gene Lemuel. He shot some test photos and later showed them to Herb Ritts in LA. The next day Ritts booked her for the cover of Lei, an Italian magazine.[4] After Jovovich booked Lei she was signed by Prima Modeling Agency[26] then Richard Avedon hired her for Mademoiselle.[4] Avedon was head of marketing at Revlon at the time, and chose Jovovich to appear with models Alexa Singer and Sandra Zatezalo in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements.[27] In 1988, she made her first professional model contract.[15] Jovovich was among other models who gained controversy for becoming involved in the industry at a young age.[28]
Later, Jovovich made it to the cover of The Face, which led to new contracts and covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan.[15] Since then, she has graced over one hundred magazine covers, including Seventeen, Mademoiselle, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, and InStyle.[29] Her modeling career has included various campaigns for Banana Republic, Christian Dior, Damiani, Donna Karan, Gap, Versace, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Coach, Giorgio Armani, H&M, and Revlon. Since 1998, Jovovich has been an "international spokesmodel" for L'Oréal cosmetics. She also had a minor cameo in Bret Easton Ellis' novel Glamorama, a satire of society's obsession with celebrities and beauty.[30]
In an article published in 2002, she was said to be Miuccia Prada's muse[28] and in an article published in 2003, Harpers & Queen magazine claimed Jovovich was Gianni Versace's "favourite supermodel".[8] In 2004, Jovovich topped Forbes magazine's "Richest Supermodels of the World" list, earning a reported $10.5 million.[11] In 2006, Jovovich was picked up by Spanish clothing line Mango as their new spokesmodel and is currently featured in their ad campaigns;[31] she can also be seen in advertisements for Etro. She has noted that "Modeling was never a priority"[32] and it instead enables her "to be selective about the creative decisions [she] make[s]".[8]
[edit]Acting career

[edit]Early work (1985–1993)
Jovovich's mother had "raised [her] to be a movie star"[22] and in 1985, enrolled Jovovich in the Professional Actors school in California.[15][33][34]
In 1988, she appeared in her first professional role in the made-for-television film The Night Train to Kathmandu as Lily McLeod. Later that year, she made her debut in a theatrically released picture with a small role, as Samantha Delongpre, in the romantic thriller Two Moon Junction. Following roles on the television series Paradise (1988) and Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990), Jovovich was cast as the lead as Lilli Hargrave in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). This sequel to The Blue Lagoon (1980) placed her opposite Brian Krause. Return to the Blue Lagoon led to comparisons between her and child model-turned-actress, Brooke Shields (who had starred in the original)—Jovovich was often called by press the "Slavic Brooke Shields".[35] The role also gained her controversy, much like Shields gained in The Blue Lagoon, for appearing nude at a young age.[24] For her portrayal of Lilli Hargrave, Jovovich was nominated for both "Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture" at the 1991 Young Artist Awards, and "Worst New Star" at the 1991 Golden Raspberry Awards.[36]
In 1992, Jovovich co-starred with Christian Slater in the comedy Kuffs. Later that year, she portrayed Mildred Harris in the Charlie Chaplin biographical film Chaplin. 1993 saw Jovovich in the Richard Linklater cult film Dazed and Confused, in which she played Michelle Burroughs, on screen girlfriend to Pickford (played by her then real life boyfriend Shawn Andrews). Jovovich was heavily featured in the promotional material for the film, however, upon the film's release, she was upset to find her role was considerably trimmed from the original script.[35] The bulk of Jovovich's role was to be shot on the last day of filming, however, she was misinformed of the date, and ultimately had one line in the film, "No", in addition to singing a line from "The Alien Song" from her album, The Divine Comedy.[37] Discouraged, she took a hiatus from acting roles,[38] during which time she moved to Europe and began focusing on a music career.
[edit]Breakthrough (1997–2001)

Jovovich at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.
Jovovich returned to acting in 1997 with a lead in the Luc Besson directed science fiction action film The Fifth Element, alongside Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman. She portrayed Leeloo, an alien who was the "supreme being". Jovovich said she "worked like hell: no band practice, no clubs, no pot, nothing"[39] to acquire the role and impress Besson, whom she later married on December 14, 1997, but later divorced. Jovovich also co-created and mastered an over 400-word alien language for her role.[35] She wore a costume that came to be known as the "ACE-bandage" costume, a revealing body suit made of medical bandages designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier.[35][40] The Fifth Element was selected as the opening film for the 1997 Cannes Film Festival and its worldwide box office gross was over $263 million, more than three times its budget of $80 million.[41] The Fifth Element was often praised for its visual style and unique costumes, and film reviewer James Berardinelli, explained "Jovovich makes an impression, although her effectiveness has little to do with acting and less to do with dialogue".[42] Jovovich was nominated for "Favorite Female Newcomer" at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and "Best Fight" at the MTV Movie Awards.[36] Jovovich's portrayal of Leeloo garnered a video game and a planned action figure, but the figure was never released due to licensing problems.[43] In a 2003 interview, Jovovich said Leeloo was her favorite role to portray.[44]
In 1998, Jovovich had a role in the Spike Lee drama He Got Game as abused prostitute Dakota Burns, appearing with Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. In 1999, she appeared in the music video for the song "If You Can't Say No" by Lenny Kravitz. In 1999, Jovovich returned to the action genre playing the title role in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, reuniting her with director Luc Besson. She was featured in armor throughout several extensive battle scenes, and cut her hair to a short length for the role. Jovovich received generally good reviews for her performance, although she also received a Razzie Award nomination for "Worst Actress".[35][36] The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc did moderately well at the box office, gaining $66 million worldwide.[45] In 2000, Jovovich appeared as the troubled Eloise in The Million Dollar Hotel, a film based on a concept story by Bono of the band U2 and Nicholas Klein. Directed by Wim Wenders, Jovovich starred alongside Jeremy Davies and Mel Gibson, in addition to providing vocals on the film's soundtrack. Afterwards, she portrayed bar owner, Lucia, in the British western film The Claim (2000), and the evil Katinka in the cameo-laced comedy Zoolander (2001).
[edit]International success (2002–2006)

Jovovich at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
In 2002, Jovovich starred in the horror/action film Resident Evil, released in the United States on March 15, 2002. Based on the CAPCOM video game series of the same name, she portrayed Alice, the film's heroine who fights a legion of zombies created by the evil Umbrella Corporation. Jovovich had accepted the role of Alice because she and her brother had been fans of the video game franchise, saying, "It was exciting for me just watching him play, I could sit for 5 hours and we would sit all day and play this game."[46] Jovovich had performed all the stunts required in the film, except for a scene that would involve her jumping to a cement platform, which her management deemed too dangerous,[47] and had trained in karate, kickboxing, and combat-training.[48] The film was commercially successful, grossing $17 million on its opening weekend, and gaining $40 million domestically and $102 million worldwide.[49] Later, she portrayed the manipulative gang wife Erin in No Good Deed (2002), Nadine in the romantic comedy You Stupid Man (2002), punk rocker Fangora ("Fanny") in Dummy (2003), and provided a guest voice on the television series King of the Hill. The role of Fangora in Dummy, allowed Jovovich to act in film with Oscar-winning Adrien Brody, who was a friend prior to filming. Jovovich found it easy to identify with this role because she felt Fangora, as opposed to previous characters, possessed similar qualities to the actress' own life.[44]
In 2004, Jovovich reprised the role of Alice in the sequel to Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. The role required her to do fight training for three hours a day,[44] in addition to the three months prior to filming in which she had "gun training, martial arts, everything".[50] Apocalypse received even more negative reactions from the critics than the first film, but it was an even more commercial success, ranking number one at the box office unlike the first film. Following the release of the film, Jovovich was unhappy with the critical results and director Alexander Witt's effort.[51] She noted during an interview that year that her large action films take care of the commercial part of her career, while she acts in "independent little films that never come out" to appease her artistic side, and "It's a good balance".[44] The following year, she was featured in Gore Vidal's faux trailer remake of Caligula, as Drusilla. In 2006, Jovovich's film, the science fiction/action thriller Ultraviolet, was released on March 3. She played the title role of Violet Song jat Shariff, a role that also involved heavily choreographed fight sequences and Gun Kata, a fictional martial art combining statistical analysis and gunplay. It was not screened for critics, but when reviewed, it was critically panned,[52] grossing $31 million worldwide.[53] That year, Jovovich also starred in .45, as Kat, the revenge driven girlfriend of an illegal gun and drug dealer with English actor and DJ Angus Macfadyen.
[edit]Recent and future roles (2007–present)

Jovovich speaking at WonderCon 2010 about Resident Evil: Afterlife.
In 2007, Jovovich reprised her role as Alice in Resident Evil: Extinction, the third of the Resident Evil series. The film grossed an estimated $24 million in 2,828 theaters on its opening weekend, topping the box office gross for that week.[54] It opened stronger than its predecessor, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, which opened with $23 million in 3,284 theaters (over 450 more theaters than Extinction).[55] In a March 2006 interview, Jovovich said that she would not appear in another action film "for a long time", expressing a desire to portray more diverse roles,[citation needed] but she added that talks of another sequel in the Resident Evil franchise were a "real possibility".[56][57]
In 2009, Jovovich starred in David Twohy's A Perfect Getaway with Kiele Sanchez, Timothy Olyphant, and Steve Zahn. The film is a thriller about a newlywed couple (Milla and Zahn) on their honeymoon in Hawaii. Filming began Spring 2008.[51]
Jovovich played Lucetta, the wife of a jailed arsonist (played by Edward Norton) in Stone, a psychological thriller starring Robert De Niro. Filming began in May 2009 at the recently closed Southern Michigan Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan.[58]
Jovovich played the part of Dr. Abigail Tyler in the science-fiction thriller The Fourth Kind[59] and will star in the psychological thriller Faces in the Crowd,[60] which is written and directed by Julien Magnat;[61] in the latter film, she plays the survivor of a serial killer’s attack that leaves her suffering from a condition called prosopagnosia, which renders her unable to recognize faces.[62][dead link]
Jovovich returned as Alice[63] in the fourth movie of the Resident Evil series, Afterlife, which was directed by her husband, Paul W. S. Anderson.[64] She is set to star in David R. Ellis' horror film Bad Luck, based on a screenplay by David Schouw.[65] Jovovich is also set to star in Paul W. S. Anderson's The Three Musketeers as Milady de Winter in 2011, as well as Famke Janssen's debut directional film Bringing Up Bobby, which also stars Marcia Cross, in 2011. Vikrutasi, a Russian film which translates into Tricksters, will also star Jovovich.
Dirty Girl, which premiered on September 12, 2010 at the Toronto Film Festival, stars Jovovich along with Juno Temple, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen and Tim McGraw.
Jovovich was set to portray Amalia Bezhetskaya in The Winter Queen in 2007; however, with the announcement of her pregnancy early that year, the film was postponed. In the spring of 2011, Seven Arts and GFM Films announced they would be merging their distribution operations. The joint venture is expected to release The Winter Queen under the direction of Fyodor Bondarchuk.[66]
[edit]Awards and nominations

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)
Jovovich has been nominated for numerous awards. In 1992, she was nominated for Young Artist Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture Award for her role in Return to the Blue Lagoon.[67]
In 1997, she was nominated for the Saturn Best Supporting Actress award, the Blockbuster Entertainment Favorite Newcomer Award, the MTV Movie Best Fight Scene Award (between her and aliens), for her role as Leeloo in The Fifth Element.
In 2002, she received a nomination for the Saturn Best Actress Award for her role as Alice in Resident Evil and won Best Actress in a sci-fi/action film for Resident Evil: Extinction from the Scream Awards in 2008.
She has also been nominated for Best Horror Actress for playing Dr. Abigal Tyler in The Fourth Kind for Scream Awards 2010 and won the Hollywood Spotlight Award at the 14th Annual Hollywood Awards Gala for her role as Lucetta in Stone.[68]
[edit]Music career

Jovovich had begun working on a music album as early as 1988, when she was signed by SBK Records after the company heard a demo she recorded.[69] In August 1990, she asserted in an interview that the then-forthcoming album would be "a mix between Kate Bush, Sinéad O'Connor, This Mortal Coil, and the Cocteau Twins".[70] After it was initially presented by SBK strictly as a pop album, Jovovich protested, insisting on using her personal poetry for lyrics and recording her own instrumental material.[69] Jovovich had written the songs when she was fifteen, with the exception of a Ukrainian folk song, "In a Glade", that she covered. In April 1994, billed under her first name, she released The Divine Comedy, a title that was a reference to the epic poem by Dante Alighieri of the same name. Jovovich had chosen the title after seeing Russian artist Alexis Steele's proposed cover artwork sketch for the then untitled album. Jovovich found that the sketch had "all the struggle that I'm singing about. It IS the divine comedy".[69] The Divine Comedy was well received by critics, and featured pop-infused traditional Ukrainian folk songs that led to comparisons with musicians Tori Amos and Kate Bush.[19] John McAlley of Rolling Stone called the album "remarkable", "strikingly mature and rich in invention", and as featuring "angst-laced poetry with vivid melodies and arrangements that find a common spirit in synth pop, European folk and psychedelic dream rock".[71] Jovovich released the track "Gentleman Who Fell", with an accompanying music video, as the sole single from the album. The music video was originally directed by Lisa Bonet and featured Harry Dean Stanton, but Jovovich was unsatisfied with the results and decided to film another version. The second version of "Gentleman Who Fell", a homage to Maya Deren's short film Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), was subsequently played on MTV. Jovovich toured the United States during most of 1994 to promote the album, opening for Toad the Wet Sprocket and Crash Test Dummies, as well as playing smaller acoustic sets. Jovovich had opted to perform in smaller and more intimate settings, turning down a musical appearance on Saturday Night Live. Milla has also been collaborating musically with longtime friend and musician Chris Brenner, who co-wrote with her on the Divine Comedy Album and who was the musical coordinator for the supporting tour. She and Brenner met in 1993 and have been working creatively on different ventures ever since.[37] Following The Divine Comedy, she expressed interest in releasing a second album, having had ten songs ready for a future recording that was intended for a Summer 1996 release.[24][25] However, Jovovich has yet to release a second album.
In May 1999, Jovovich along with Chris Brenner formed an experimental band called Plastic Has Memory, in which she wrote the songs, sang, and played electric guitar.[72] The band was "[m]uch heavier and darker than the vaguely Ukrainian folk-sounding elements of her first album" and had a similar sound to a grunge and trip hop Portishead.[73] Plastic Has Memory played about a dozen shows in Los Angeles and New York City for a potential Virgin Records album release,[74] one of which Mick Jagger had attended.[75] Though Plastic Has Memory was featured on Hollywood Goes Wild, a benefit celebrity compilation album, the group never formally released a record and is no longer together.[76]
Jovovich has contributed tracks to several of her film soundtracks, including The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) and Dummy (2002), and has also provided songs for the soundtracks of films in which she has not acted such as Underworld (2003) produced by musician Danny Lohner who was the bass player in Nine Inch Nails for many years. In 2001, Jovovich was one of many celebrities whose vocals were featured in a cover of "We are Family" to raise money for the American Red Cross. She has appeared as guest vocalist on the song "Former Lover" on Deepak Chopra's album, A Gift of Love II: Oceans of Ecstasy (2002) and Legion of Boom (2004) by The Crystal Method.
Since 2003, Jovovich has worked with musician Maynard James Keenan, of Tool and A Perfect Circle, on his Industrial side project Puscifer,[77] contributing vocals to the track "REV 22:20", which was featured on various film soundtracks in its original or a remixed form.[78] As of January, 2009, she can be heard collaborating with Maynard and Danny Lohner on the Puscifer track called, "The Mission."[79] She also performed the song at the first live Puscifer performance on February 13, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Danny Lohner, and longtime music collaborator Chris Brenner currently continue to record and perform with Jovovich who has made several highly praised appearances in recent years.
Jovovich continues to write songs which she refers to as "demos", and which are provided for free in MP3 format on her official website. She provides license to freely download and remix the tracks, but reserves the right to sell and issue them.[80]
[edit]Fashion design

Jovovich and fellow model Carmen Hawk launched a line of clothing called Jovovich-Hawk in 2003. The pair opened a showroom in New York City's Greenwich Village on September 13, 2005, and the line lasted for four years. All of the dresses for Jovovich-Hawk line were designed by herself and her partner Carmen Hawk, in The atelier is based in Los Angeles, but pieces could be found at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols, and over 50 stores around the world. Vogue has praised the line for its "girl-about-town cult status most designers spend years trying to achieve."[81]
In November 2006, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and US Vogue nominated Jovovich-Hawk for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. Jovovich-Hawk was nominated as a finalist, although Doo-Ri Chung took the top prize.[82]
In 2007, Jovovich and Hawk designed the costume for Jovovich's character in Resident Evil: Extinction. The shorts Alice, her character, wears are a variation on the 'Alice Star' Shorts from the Spring 2007 collection.[83] In late 2007, Jovovich-Hawk signed a deal to design a diffusion collection for Target's Go International campaign, following in the footsteps of Luella, Paul & Joe and Proenza Schouler.[84]
In late 2008, Jovovich and Hawk mutually agreed to end the business due to increased demands on their time. Jovovich explained, "I'm an artist. I'm not someone who can deal with shipping rates and taxes."[85]
[edit]Media personality

Jovovich has been noted for her careers as a model, singer and actress. Music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt" for her roles in various sci-fi and action films[86] and Rebecca Flint Marx of Allmovie said that despite the negative critical response for the Resident Evil films, the franchise has turned Jovovich into an "A-list action star."[87] Her action roles have given her a geek[88][89] following for which MTV said she was "Every Geek's Dream Girl."[88][90]
In 2004, Jovovich was ranked #69 on Maxim magazine's "Top 100 Hot List",[91] ranked #82 in 2005 and ranked #21 in 2010.[92] Maxim also named her #11 on their list of "Hottest Nerd Crushes."[93] In 2008, she was ranked #90 on Ask Men's Top 99 Women of 2008 List.[94] In 2011, Jovovich attended and sang at the birthday celebration of Mikhail Gorbachov. The actress also gave a speech in which she thanked Gorbachov, saying that when she and her family left the Soviet Union in 1980 they were sadly sure that they would never see their relatives again and that thanks to him they have been reunited again.[95]
[edit]Personal life

Jovovich currently resides in homes in Los Angeles and New York[96] with her husband, film writer and director Paul W. S. Anderson, whom she married on 22 August 2009.[97] The two met while working on Resident Evil, which Anderson wrote and directed, and in which Jovovich starred. Anderson proposed to Jovovich in 2003, but the two separated for a period of time before becoming a couple again.[98] The couple had stated that they "would love to get married, but maybe after the baby."[99] On November 3, 2007, Jovovich gave birth to her and Anderson's first child, a daughter, Ever Gabo Anderson.[100][101] The child was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, one day before Jovovich's due date of November 4.[102] Ever, a male Scottish name, was given to reflect Anderson's Scottish heritage, while the middle name of Gabo (pronounced "Ga-BO") was a combination of Jovovich's parents' names—the first two letters of mother Galina and the first two letters of father Bogdan's.[100] Wim Wenders, who directed Jovovich's film The Million Dollar Hotel, is the baby's godfather.[51] Jovovich has stated that she would like to have three children, saying through means of adoption as well.[103] She has two miniature Maltese dogs, Bubble and Madness, and a Giant Schnauzer named Oliver Cromwell.[104]
Prior to her relationship with Anderson, Jovovich married on-screen boyfriend Shawn Andrews in 1992 while filming Dazed and Confused together. Andrews was 21, while Jovovich was 16; the marriage was annulled by her mother two months later.[105] Shortly after the annulment, Jovovich moved to Europe with her friend and musician Chris Brenner where she met and then lived with her new boyfriend, Jamiroquai ex-bassist Stuart Zender, in London from May 1994 to October 1995.[20][37][106] From 1995 to 1997, she dated photographer Mario Sorrenti. In Las Vegas, she married The Fifth Element director Luc Besson in 1998 where they went skydiving directly after the ceremony; they divorced in 1999.[8] Between 1998 and 2001, she befriended the young poet and musician, Anno Birkin, and each was the other's inspiration behind many of their compositions. Jovovich became involved with Birkin romantically just before his death in a car accident in late 2001. Jovovich also dated[13] former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, for seven months in 2000.[35]
In 2006, Jovovich mentioned her interest in publishing her private diaries as an autobiography. She had kept a diary since childhood, writing about the locations she has traveled and "all the mad things that [she's] done". Jovovich has stated that she views publication as a way to "get it all into a book—like an autobiography", and it would have a "diary feel to it". However, she also commented that she was "...not sure how interested anyone would be in publishing it, or reading it, for that matter."[107] However, in 2010, Jovovich claimed the autobiography to be pure rumor stating, "I have no idea where that came from. I guess somebody said something about me publishing my diaries online and when I heard that I was like, 'No way.'"[108]
In addition to being a smoker,[109] Jovovich has advocated the legalisation of cannabis, and appeared in a spread and on the cover for High Times.[28] In an article published in 1994, she admitted that her only vices were cigarettes and cannabis.[37] She practices yoga and meditates often in attempts to live a healthy lifestyle; although not affiliating with any specific religion, she prays and considers herself a "spiritual person".[51] She avoids junk foods and prefers to cook for herself. She practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in addition to other varieties of martial arts.[110] Jovovich also enjoys playing the guitar, writing in a diary, and writing poems and lyrics for songs.[111]
Jovovich has establish a charitable foundation to help Ukrainian children in 2005.[112] At the time she referred to herself: ”I am a strong Ukrainian girl, that is why I work a lot”.[112]
Jovovich can speak Russian and English fluently, and a little French.[37][113][114][115]
[edit]Discography

Official studio album
Year Album Peak chart positions Sales
UK
1994 The Divine Comedy
1st Studio Album
Released: 5 April 1994[116]
Recorded: 1993
Label: SBK
Producers: Rupert Hine, Richard Feldman
Genre: Folk rock, Alternative rock, Soft rock
–
UK: 2,000+
Unauthorized album by Jovovich
Year Album Peak chart positions Sales
UK
1998 The People Tree Sessions
Second Studio Album
Released: Unauthorized by Jovovich after released to the market,
(however it remains available online)
Recorded: 1997/1998
Label: SBK
Producers: David Turin, D. Elder
Genre: Folk rock, Electronic, Experimental folk
–
UK:
Compilations, soundtracks and albums featuring Jovovich
The Million Dollar Hotel: Music from the Motion Picture (2000) – "Satellite of Love" (with the MDH Band)
Hollywood Goes Wild Benefit compilation (2001) – "On the Hill" (with her band, Plastic Has Memory)
The Rules of Attraction Soundtrack (2002) – "The Gentleman Who Fell"
Dummy Soundtrack (2002) – "Shein VI Di l'Vone" and "Mezinka" (with Botanica Bulgar Ensemble)
A Gift of Love II: Oceans of Ecstasy (by Deepak Chopra) (2002) – "Former Lover" (with Deepak Chopra)
Underworld Soundtrack (2003) – "Rocket Collecting" (with Danny Lohner)
Legion of Boom (by The Crystal Method) (2004) – "I Know It's You" (with The Crystal Method)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Soundtrack (2009) – Underneath the Stars (Renholder Mix) (by The Cure, also featuring with Maynard James Keenan)
"The Mission" (2008 single by Puscifer, a side project of Maynard James Keenan, vocalist of Tool) (also featuring Renholder)
[edit]Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Two Moon Junction Samantha Delongpre
1991 Return to the Blue Lagoon Lilli Hargrave
1992 Kuffs Maya Carlton
1992 Chaplin Mildred Harris
1993 Dazed and Confused Michelle Burroughs
1997 The Fifth Element Leeloo
1998 He Got Game Dakota Burns
1999 The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc Joan of Arc
2000 The Claim Lucia
2001 The Million Dollar Hotel Eloise
2001 Zoolander Katinka Ingabogovinanana
2002 Resident Evil Alice
2002 You Stupid Man Nadine
2003 Dummy Fangora "Fanny" Gurkel
2003 No Good Deed Erin
2004 Resident Evil: Apocalypse Alice
2005 Gore Vidal's Caligula Drusilla Trailer/Short film
2006 Ultraviolet Violet Song jat Shariff
2007 .45 Kat
2007 Resident Evil: Extinction Alice
2008 Palermo Shooting Herself
2009 A Perfect Getaway Cydney Anderson
2009 The Fourth Kind Dr. Abigail "Abbey" Tyler
2010 Stone Lucetta
2010 Resident Evil: Afterlife Alice
2010 Dirty Girl Sue-Ann
2011 Vykrutasy (Frills) Nadya Russian Movie
2011 Bringing Up Bobby Olive
2011 The Three Musketeers Milady de Winter Post-production
2011 Faces in the Crowd Anna Marchant Post-production
2012 Resident Evil: Retribution Alice Pre-production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1988 The Night Train to Kathmandu Lily McLeod (TV movie)
1988 Paradise Katie Episode "Childhood's End"
1989 Married... with Children Yvette Episode "Fair Exchange"
1990 Parker Lewis Can't Lose Robin Fecknowitz Episode "Pilot"
2002 King of the Hill Serena Episode "Get Your Freak Off"

References from Wikipedia.com

LeAnn Rimes

2011-08-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

LeAnn Rimes

LeAnn Rimes (born August 28, 1982) is an American country musician. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame at the age of 13—becoming the youngest country music star since Tanya Tucker in 1972.
Rimes made her breakthrough into country music in 1996. Her debut album, Blue, reached Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and was certified "multi-platinum" in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album's lead single of the same name (originally intended to be recorded by Patsy Cline in the early 1960s) became a Top 10 hit. With immediate success, Rimes attained widespread national acclaim for her similarities to Cline's vocal style. When Rimes released her sophomore studio effort in 1997, You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs, Rimes went more towards country pop material, which would set the trend for a string of albums that would be released into the next decade.
Since her debut, Rimes has won many major industry awards, which include two Grammys, three ACMs, one CMA, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and one American Music award.[3] In addition, Rimes has also released ten studio albums and four compilation albums through her record label of 13 years, Asylum-Curb, and placed over 40 singles on American and international charts since 1996. She has sold over 37 million records worldwide, with 20.3 million album sales in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.

LeAnn Rimes - Can't Fight The Moonlight

LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live [Official Music Video] [HQ]

Leann Rimes - Amazing Grace

Backstory:LeAnn Rimes part 1

LeAnn Rimes Reba McEntire - Love Someone Like That - CMA Awards 2007

LeAnn Rimes - Give [Official New Single 2011 HQ]

Leann Rimes - Please Remember

"Blue" - LeAnn Rimes (HQ Music Video)

LeAnn Rimes - Give - with lyrics

Joss Stone with LeAnn RImes live Summertime duet

Early life

Born Margaret LeAnn Rimes (in Pearl, Mississippi), she is the only child of Belinda Butler Rimes and Wilbur Rimes. The family relocated to Garland, Texas when she was six years old. She was singing by the age of two, was enrolled into vocal and dance training, and by the age of five was performing at local talent shows.[5][6] One of her best friends, Jordan Villarreal, supported her when she sang. Rimes initially began her career in musical theatre, performing in a Dallas, Texas production of A Christmas Carol, and almost landed the lead part in the Broadway production of Annie. However, after appearing on the network television competition show, Star Search, Rimes decided to pursue a career in country music. Following her national television appearance, Rimes made a number of appearances on Johnnie High's Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas, which garnered the attention of national talent scouts.[6]
By the age of nine, LeAnn was already an experienced singer. She toured nationally with her father and also regularly performed a cappella renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the opening ceremonies of the Dallas Cowboys football games. In order to bring his daughter more national attention, he began recording her under the independent label Nor Va Jak when she turned eleven. She released three albums under the label between 1992 and 1996.[6]
Rimes was discovered by Dallas disc jockey and record promoter, Bill Mack. Mack was impressed by Rimes' vocal ability, and over the following three years, he also made various attempts to bring Rimes to a mainstream level. The center of Mack's plan to bring her success was his self-penned composition, "Blue," which he had written in the early 1960s. Mack claimed that the song was intended to be recorded and made a hit record by Patsy Cline, but she had been killed in a plane crash before ever recording the composition. By 1995, Mack was able to gain Rimes a contract with Curb Records, after record executives heard Rimes sing "Blue."
[edit]Music career

[edit]1996: Blue
After signing with Curb, Rimes re-recorded a new version of "Blue" that was to be released on her debut studio album on the label. In 1996, the new version of "Blue" was released as a single, peaking at Number 10 on the Billboard Country Chart.[7] While Curb was releasing "Blue," a claim was also sent out that Mack had been waiting over 30 years to find the perfect artist to record "Blue." However, the story was later found to be an exaggeration, as it was discovered that "Blue" had already been recorded by three different artists. Mack himself and Kenny Roberts both released versions of the song on Starday Records in the 1960s. In 1993, Australian artist Catherine Britt released her own version as a single in her native country. The story, though, was continually spread throughout the national press, adding to the idea that Rimes was the successor to Patsy Cline's legacy.[5] Rimes's album Blue was also released in 1996, and sold 123,000 copies in its first week, which was the highest figure in SoundScan history up to that point. The album peaked at Number 1 on the Top Country Albums and debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, eventually selling a total of four million copies in the United States and 8 million copies worldwide.[2][5][8] Allmusic considered the album to be "delightful" and that it could "help inspire other young teens."[9] Rimes followed up the single with several charting country singles from her 1996 album, starting with "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)", which reached Number 1 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1996. She also released a duet single with Eddy Arnold from the album, a remake of his 1955 hit "The Cattle Call".[1][7] The album's other hits included the Top 5 "The Light in Your Eyes" and the minor hit "Hurt Me."
With the album's success, Rimes received many major industry awards. In 1997, she won the Country Music Association's "Horizon Award," becoming the youngest person to ever be nominated and win a Country Music Association award. The following year she was awarded Grammy awards, one for Best New Artist and another for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Blue."[5]
[edit]1997–2001: Pop crossover and Worldwide Success

LeAnn Rimes performing a free concert for the airmen at Ramstein Air Base, Germany on September 23, 2004.
In 1997, Rimes released a compilation of previously recorded material under the Nor Va Jak label, Unchained Melody: The Early Years. The album mainly consisted of cover versions, ranging from Country to pop covers, including songs originally recorded by The Beatles, Whitney Houston, Bill Monroe, and Dolly Parton.[10] Rimes' version of the title track became a major country hit in early 1997 and helped increase sales for the album.[7] In September 1997, Rimes released her follow-up studio album to Blue titled You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs. The album covered classic inspirational songs, such as "Clinging to Saving a Hand" and "Amazing Grace". It also featured pop music remakes of songs such as Debby Boone's "You Light up My Life" and Bette Midler's "The Rose". The album was a departure from Rimes' previous releases as it contained more Adult Contemporary-styled music than Country.[11] The album sold over four million copies in the United States, certifying 4× Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[12] The album contained the single "How Do I Live", which became a major pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching Number 2.[7] "How Do I Live" set a new record for becoming the longest-running single in Billboard Hot 100 history, spending 69 weeks on the chart.[8] The song was originally recorded for the film Con Air, along with a version also recorded by Trisha Yearwood. Yearwood's manager at the time had told the press that Rimes's version sounded "too pop". Therefore Rimes's version received little country airplay (only reaching Number 43) and was rejected for the film. Yearwood's rendition was released to country radio shortly afterwards, peaking at Number 2 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1997, becoming the country hit instead of Rimes's version.[7][13]
Rimes released her third album for Curb in May 1998, Sittin' on Top of the World. The album leaned more progressively towards Adult Contemporary and mid-tempo pop music. It included pop material written by Carol Bayer Sager and David Foster.[2] It also included a remake of Prince's "Purple Rain" and was produced by her father. The album was given mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album two out of five stars.[14] Rolling Stone said Rimes vocal style "holds her own in the more popular style of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, wherein a spectacular voice upstages a song, grins and goes on about her business."[15] Upon its release, Sittin' on Top of the World debuted at Number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart, and Number 3 on the Billboard 200,[16] and sold over a million copies in the United States, certifying "Platinum" in sales by the RIAA.[12] The album spawned the Number 4 Country hit "Commitment", the Top 20 Pop hit "Looking Through Your Eyes", and the Number 10 country hit "Nothin' New Under the Moon".[7]
Rimes released her fourth studio album for Curb, LeAnn Rimes, in October 1999, a collection of country standards.[17] The album covered songs mainly by Patsy Cline – which included "Crazy", "I Fall to Pieces", and "She's Got You" – that were primarily taken from her 12 Greatest Hits album. The album also covered Marty Robbins's "Don't Worry" and Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee". The album included one new song, "Big Deal". The song gained many positive reviews. Allmusic called the song, "a return to her roots" and "a salute to one of her idols, Patsy Cline." The album in general received much praise. Allmusic called the album one of her "better" efforts, since they had disliked her previous releases.[18] Entertainment Weekly gave the album a positive review and said that Rimes's voice, "dares listeners to take note of what is missing in her interpretations -- the gutsiness and gut-wrenching urgency of performers who felt what they sang."[19] The album was a major success like her previous releases, debuting at Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, topping the country albums chart for two weeks. In addition, it also peaked at Number 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[20][21] The album also sold over one million copies in the United States, and was certified "Platinum" in sales by the RIAA.[12] The album's new song, "Big Deal", was the lead single off the album, and became a Top 10 country hit that year, peaking at Number 6.[7] Also in 1999, Rimes recorded a duet with Elton John for the stage musical Aida, titled "Written in the Stars".[6] The song became a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The album would spawn a second single, a cover of Cline's "Crazy" that was released outside of the United States.
In January 2001, Rimes released her sixth studio album, I Need You, an album aimed at the pop market. The album topped the Top Country Albums chart for one week, and also peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard 200.[21] I Need You did not garner praise from many critics and was mainly given negative reviews. Rolling Stone gave the album two and a half out of five stars and called the album, "synthetic-feeling."[22] Despite very little praise from critics, the album was sold well, certifying "Gold" in sales by the RIAA.[12] Rimes would later go on to publicly disown the album, which she stated was compiled together from studio outtakes her father had produced. The album's lead single, "I Need You" – which was characterized by Allmusic as having similarities to that of Adult Contemporary and Pop music —[23] was originally recorded for the TV movie Jesus.[7] The song became a Top 10 country hit and also a major pop hit, reaching Number 11 on the Hot 100. Also included on the album was the song "Can't Fight the Moonlight", released from the soundtrack of the film Coyote Ugly. The song was released as the album's second single in 2001, and by February 2002 the song became a crossover Pop hit, reaching Number 11 in United States and becoming the highest selling single of 2001 in Australia. "Can't Fight the Moonlight" won Rimes a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Favorite Song from a Movie."[21] In mid-October 2001, Curb released a compilation of patriotic and inspirational songs, titled God Bless America, in order to benefit the disaster recovery for the September 11 attacks. It included the title track, as well as inspirational songs such as "The Lord's Prayer" and "The Sands of Time".[24]
[edit]2002–2004: I Need You, Twisted Angel, Greatest Hits

LeAnn Rimes performing a free concert for the airmen at Ramstein Air Base, Germany on September 23, 2004.
In February 2002 Rimes re-released the I Need You album with 9 of the songs originally released on the album, an extended version of the song You Are, the song Light the Fire Within which she sang at the Olympics the previous year and 4 bonus remixes. Rimes would later that year release her seventh album (sixth studio album) titled Twisted Angel, which contained more adult material.[7] After battling managerial control over her career the previous year, Twisted Angel became the first album released by Rimes that was not produced by her father.[25] Instead, Rimes executive produced the album. A month following the album's release, Twisted Angel was certified "Gold" by the RIAA, her second Gold-certified album.[12] The album received mainly negative reviews by most music critics and magazines. Allmusic stated that the album could possibly "alieniate her from her original fans" and "the songwriting is a little uneven."[25] Rolling Stone gave the album two out of five stars, stating that the album sounded too "country-pop crossover."[26] The album peaked at Number 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and Number 12 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.[27] Three singles were spawned from the album between 2002 and 2003, however none of the singles were Top 40 hits on the country or pop charts. The lead single, "Life Goes on", reached the Top 40 only on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, peaking at Number 19. The second single, "Tic Toc" was a Top 40 Dance club hit in 2003.[21] The third single, "Suddenly" only peaked at 43 on the US Country charts, 47 on the UK charts and 53 on the Australian charts.
The following year when Rimes turned 21, she released a Greatest Hits compilation in November.[21] The album recapped Rimes' major hits under Curb records from "Blue" in 1996, to "Life Goes on" in 2002. The album peaked at Number 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and Number 24 on the Billboard 200 in November.[28] [29] Featured on the album was the single, We Can, which was originally released on the soundtrack of Legally Blonde 2 in July 2003. The album would eventually be certified "Platinum" in 2007 The following year in October 2004, Rimes issued her first holiday-themed album titled, What a Wonderful World.[21]
[edit]2005–2006: Return to country; This Woman
In January 2005, Rimes released her seventh studio album, This Woman, her first album of contemporary country music in many years.[5] Although the album received mixed reviews from magazines and critics, it was Rimes's best-selling album in over five years,[30] reaching Number 3 on the Billboard 200 and Number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart in 2005,[31] selling more than 100,000 copies within its first week. Rimes explained to the Chicago Sun-Times that the album helped mature her as a person, "I have 10 years of experience, so it's tough to get anything past me in this business. I've become a very strong woman because of all I've gone through, good and bad."[8] This Woman would eventually be certified "Gold" later in 2005, after selling more than 500,000 units nationwide.[21] The album's singles were Rimes's first Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart in five years. The three singles released from the album — "Nothin' 'Bout Love Makes Sense", "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way", and "Something's Gotta Give" — all peaked within the Top 5 on the country charts between 2005 and 2006.[7] From the album, Rimes was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Something's Gotta Give". In addition, she was also nominated for an American Music Award for "Favorite Female Country Artist." In 2006, Rimes recorded a cover version of Barbara Mandrell's "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)", for a tribute album to Mandrell's career titled, She Was a Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute to Barbara Mandrell.[21] Rimes also would record a track for Disneyland's fiftieth anniversary celebration album titled, "Remember When."[6]
In summer 2006, Rimes released the studio album Whatever We Wanna, which was released exclusively outside of the United States and Canada. It was originally planned on being released in North America, however due to the success of This Woman, it was never released. The album spawned minor hits in the United Kingdom, including "And it Feels Like" and a duet with Brian McFadden titled, "Everybody's Someone". The album leaned more towards Pop Rock and R&B music instead of country.[32]
Rimes would release one final single in the US from her album This Woman in August 2006 called "Some People" which would peak at 34 on the US country charts.
[edit]2007–2009: Family
Rimes took a two year break, and then released her next studio album in October 2007, Family. The album was a mix of country, pop, and rock music, and included a duet with Bon Jovi, "Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore".[8] Family was the first album released by Rimes in which every track was co-written by Rimes herself.[30] Rolling Stone said the songs on the album are "uneven" and rated it three and half out of five stars.[33] Allmusic gave Family four out of five stars and said that the album, "illustrates her range as a singer along with some true strength as a writer."[34] The album helped nominate Rimes for the Academy of Country Music's "Top Female Vocalist" award in 2008.[8] The album's lead single, "Nothin' Better to Do" was released in mid 2007, and peaked at Number 14 on the Billboard Country Chart before the end of the year. The album has released two singles to date; "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine" and "What I Cannot Change." [5]
In 2008, Rimes toured with Kenny Chesney where she opened every show on his 2008 Poets and Pirates Tour, along with other artists on select dates such as Brooks & Dunn, Keith Urban, Sammy Hagar, Gary Allan, Big & Rich, and Luke Bryan.[35] In late 2008, Rimes was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "What I Cannot Change", the third single from the album.[citation needed] In 2008, she recorded For Good with Delta Goodrem for the Wicked 5th Anniversary album.[36] LeAnn teamed up with Joss Stone for a CMT Crossroads special aired in fall 2007.[37]
[edit]2010–present: Lady And Gentlemen
Despite singing new material at several live shows earlier in the year, it was announced, on May 24, 2010 by Rimes via her Twitter account, that her new studio album would be a cover album of country songs, titled Lady and Gentlemen.[38][39] The first single from the album is a cover of John Anderson's 1983 single, "Swingin'. LeAnn first debuted the song at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. The single was released on June 8, 2010. According to LeAnn Rimes' official website, she is planning on re-recording her hit, "Blue" for the new album. She stated that she wants "the album to be perfect." Since she is doing this, the album would take a longer waiting time to come out. On November 8, 2010, LeAnn released her second single titled "Crazy Women" to radio. "Crazy Women," "Blue" and "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down" were announced, in the same post, as the three extra tracks that LeAnn went back in the studio to add to the album. A third single, "Give", (penned by Rimes) debuted at #60 in July 2011, released as the third single. Rimes announced via her Twitter account on July 17, 2011 that the new release date for her Lady and Gentlemen album would be September 27, 2011. [40]
[edit]Musicianship

[edit]Vocal ability and musical stylings
Since her debut in 1996, Rimes' voice and vocal style have often been compared to and identified with Patsy Cline. Cline showed distinctive emotional expression in most of her material. Rimes has also used distinctive emotional expression in many of her songs, most notably her first single, "Blue", which was sung in the style of Cline. Rimes' vocal similarities to Cline had brought wide interest to the idea that Rimes was the successor to Cline's legacy, and brought her novelty appeal. Many music critics have argued that Rimes' vocals were only a reproduction of Cline's original sound, while others have disagreed.[6] Allmusic has called Rimes' vocals "rich and powerful."[5] Her vocal ability has also brought Rimes to comparisons to past teenage country stars, including 50s country star Brenda Lee and 70s country star Tanya Tucker. Rimes was also known for choosing mature material that was beyond her age range. In her first album, Rimes recorded such material as Deborah Allen's "My Baby", whose lyrics provocatively say, "my baby is a full-time lover, my baby is a full-grown man."[2] Other material such as Diane Warren's "How Do I Live" had also been considered too mature for Rimes' age and was the main reason why her version of the song was not chosen to be used in the soundtrack for the film Con Air.[13]
[edit]Influences
Rimes has given credit to artists from various music genres, mainly from the genres of country and pop. She has stated that Barbra Streisand, Wynonna Judd, and Reba McEntire have been primary influences on her career.[41] Rimes has stated the main influence on her career is Patsy Cline. She has covered many of Cline's hit songs since the beginning of her career. Her 1999 self-titled album is primarily a tribute to Cline, as Rimes recorded five out of ten songs for the album that had been hits for Cline years before.[18]
[edit]Film and television

After beginning to date actor Andrew Keegan in 1998, Rimes said to the press that she had some ideas about possibly getting involved in an acting career. Rimes later moved to Los Angeles, California later in the year with her mother to pursue an acting career.[8] That year Rimes played a role in the Made for television movie, Holiday in Your Heart, which is based on a book she had helped write. For participating in the film, Rimes was awarded the "Rising Star" award from the Lone Star Film & Television Awards.[17] She made her official film debut in 2001 for Coyote Ugly, providing the singing voice for Piper Perabo's character Violet Sanford[42] and making a cameo appearance towards the end of the film. In addition, she also recorded four songs for the film's soundtrack, including the Top 20 Pop hit, "Can't Fight the Moonlight."[6] In 2005 Rimes hosted the country music television competition, Nashville Star on the USA television network. However she only held the position for one season after deciding to depart from the show's cast.[30]
In early June 2007, she was chosen at the last minute to record the leading song for the soundtrack of Evan Almighty called "Ready For A Miracle" (previously recorded by Patti LaBelle). The song can be heard in the movie, during the end credits, and in the trailers of Evan Almighty.[43] Rimes played in the movie Good Intentions with her friend Elaine Hendricks which is filming near Atlanta, Georgia.[44] Rimes plays Meg Galligan in the made for TV movie, Northern Lights, based on the Nora Roberts novel of the same name. The film aired on the Lifetime network on March 12, 2009.[45]
In 2007 Rimes began hosting The Colgate Country Showdown, a nation wide televised country music talent competition, similar to that of American Idol or Nashville Star. In 2011 Rimes hosted the show for her 5th consecutive year, when the show switched sponsorship, to Texaco.[46][unreliable source?][unreliable source?]
[edit]Personal life

President George W. Bush and Laura Bush listen to LeAnn Rimes perform in the East Room of the White House in a performance honoring the Dance Theatre of Harlem on February 6, 2006
[edit]Lawsuits
On May 21, 2000, Rimes filed a lawsuit against her father, Wilbur Rimes, and her former manager, Lyle Walker in Dallas, Texas. Rimes claimed that her father and former manager took over seven million dollars from her in the preceding five years. Rimes also alleged that both men made unreasonable fees and took advantage of Rimes's label, Asylum-Curb, in order to acquire financial gain. Rimes sought unspecified damages because her attorney was not sure of how much money had been lost in the preceding five years. According to Rimes's lawyer, her mother hired two accountants to investigate how much was taken from Rimes's fortune, and it was estimated that the men acquired around eight million dollars in royalties.[6] In 2002, Rimes's lawsuit with her father was "settled on undisclosed terms."[8] Rimes reconciled with her father for her wedding.[47]
In November 2000, Rimes filed a second lawsuit against her label, Asylum-Curb. Rimes wanted permission to be released from the contract that was signed by her parents on Rimes's behalf when she originally signed with the label in 1995. She also wanted her label to turn over the rights of her music, video work, and publishing interests, and omit all of her recordings that were currently being distributed at the time of the lawsuit. Part of Rimes's legal battles ended in December 2001, when Asylum-Curb started a new contract with Rimes.[6]
[edit]Marriage, divorce, and re-marriage
Amid the legal battles, Rimes fell in love with backup dancer Dean Sheremet. The two had met when he was chosen to dance during Rimes's hosting of the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. After her first date with Sheremet, Rimes told InStyle Magazine: "This is the guy I want to marry."[8] The couple married the next year, in 2002. In July 2009, the couple separated and in September 2009, Rimes announced their plans to divorce.[48][49] The divorce was finalized on June 19, 2010, exactly six months after Sheremet filed divorce documents for dissolution of marriage.[50]
Rimes is currently married to Northern Lights co-star Eddie Cibrian, with whom she had a well-publicized extramarital affair prior to the split from Sheremet.[51][52] Cibrian, the father of two children, left his wife for Rimes and filed for divorce in August 2009, after eight years of marriage.[53] In June 2010, Rimes spoke for the first time about the end of her first marriage, stating that, while she was sorry that people were hurt, she had no regrets about the outcome of the affair.[54] On December 27, 2010, it was announced via Billboard that Rimes and Cibrian were engaged.[55] The couple wed on April 22, 2011 at a private home in California.[56]
[edit]Philanthropy
In 2008, she opened up about her lifelong struggle with the autoimmune disease psoriasis. She participated in a PSA to raise awareness about the disease.[57]
Rimes lent her voice to the 2008 song "Just Stand Up." The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer. As a result of SU2C fundraising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research, was able to award $73.6 million towards cancer research.[58]
On December 19, 2010, she performed "The Rose," joined by The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles[59] in remembrance of the many gay teenagers who committed suicide in 2010. On her weblog she wrote on June 18, 2011: "I believe in equality for everyone. I believe everyone should have the right to love and commit to whomever they want. [...] All I know is that in God's eyes we are all the same. I just wish we could see through the eyes of God more often."[60]
[edit]Wealth
According to "Celebrity Net Worth", Rimes has a current estimated net worth of just under $38 million as of 2011,[61] and is one of the richest female country singers in America.
[edit]Discography

Main article: LeAnn Rimes discography
Studio albums
1994: All That
1996: Blue
1997: Unchained Melody: The Early Years
1997: You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs
1998: Sittin' on Top of the World
1999: LeAnn Rimes
2001: I Need You
2002: Twisted Angel
2004: What a Wonderful World
2005: This Woman
2006: Whatever We Wanna
2007: Family
2011: Lady and Gentlemen
Compilation albums
2001: God Bless America
2003: Greatest Hits
2004: The Best of LeAnn Rimes
[edit]Filmography

Year Name Role Other notes
1997 Holiday in Your Heart Herself Main Role
"Moesha" Herself
1998 Days of Our Lives Madison Episode 1
2000 Coyote Ugly Herself cameo appearance/singing voice:Piper Perabo
2003 American Dreams Connie Francis Season 3 episode; "Where the Boys Are"
2004 Extreme Makeover Home Edition Herself Cox Family; guest star
2006 Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes Kelly Deegan TV film
2008 Good Intentions Pam Released on DVD March 9, 2010
2009 Northern Lights Meg Galligan TV film
Released on DVD October 6, 2009
I Get That a Lot Waitress Television special (1 episode)
2010 Extreme Makeover Home Edition Nashville Herself
2011 Reel Love Holly Whitman TV film
[edit]Awards

[edit]Country Music Association awards
Year Award Notes
1997 Horizon Award
[edit]Academy of Country Music awards
Year Award Notes
1996 Top New Female Vocalist
Single of the Year for "Blue"
Song of the Year for "Blue" Award given to "Blue"'s songwriter, Bill Mack.
2009 Humanitarian Award
[edit]Grammy awards
Year Award For
1997 Best New Artist Herself
Best Female Country Vocal Performance "Blue"
[edit]American music awards
Year Award Notes
1997 Favorite New Artist Only American music award
[edit]CMT music awards
Year Award Video
2008 Collaborative Video of the Year "'Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore" (w/ Bon Jovi)

References from Wikipedia.com

Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA

2011-08-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Music video by Shakira featuring Freshlyground performing Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup (TM) Song). (C) 2010 Sony Music Entertainment
Category:
Music
Tags:
Shakira featuring Freshlyground Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup (TM) Song) Epic Pop
License:
Standard YouTube License

Britney Spears - Circus

2011-08-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Music video by Britney Spears performing Circus. (C) 2008 Zomba Recording LLC
Category:
Music
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Britney Spears Jive Pop
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Jessica Alba

2011-08-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

Jessica Alba

Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981)[1] is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994). Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002).[2][3] Alba later appeared in various films including Honey (2003), Sin City (2005), Fantastic Four (2005), Into the Blue (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck both in 2007.[4][5]
Alba is considered a sex symbol[citation needed] and often generates media attention for her looks. She appears on the "Hot 100" section of Maxim and was voted number one on AskMen.com's list of "99 Most Desirable Women" in 2006, as well as "Sexiest Woman in the World" by FHM in 2007.[6][7][8] The use of her image on the cover of the March 2006 Playboy sparked a lawsuit by her, which was later dropped.[9] She has also won various awards for her acting, including the Choice Actress Teen Choice Award and Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and a Golden Globe nomination for her lead role in the television series Dark Angel.

Jessica Alba The Stare Response on ibeatyou

JESSICA ALBA

The Sleeping Dictionary [ Trailer ] Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba - sexy & hot

Jessica Alba - Best of "Into the blue" - uncensored

Jessica Alba & Hayden Christensen Use the Force

Jessica Alba in Sin City

Jessica Alba & Hayden Christensen in Awake

David Letterman 2010.08.30 Jessica Alba Part1-2

Early life

Alba was born in Pomona, California[1] to Catherine (née Jensen) and Mark Alba. Her mother is of Danish and French Canadian descent and her father is Mexican American.[10] She has a younger brother, Joshua. Her father's Air Force career took the family to Biloxi, Mississippi and Del Rio, Texas, before settling back in California when she was nine years old.[3][10] Alba described her family as being a "very conservative family – a traditional, Catholic, Latin American family" and herself as very liberal; she says she had identified herself as a "feminist" as early as age five.[11]
Alba's early life was marked by a multitude of physical maladies. During childhood, she suffered from collapsed lungs twice, had pneumonia 4–5 times a year, as well as a ruptured appendix and a tonsillar cyst.[3] Alba became isolated from other children at school, because she was in the hospital so often due to her illnesses that no one knew her well enough to befriend her.[12] Alba has also had asthma since she was a child.[3] Alba has said that her family's frequent moving also contributed to her isolation from her peers.[11] She has acknowledged that she has suffered from obsessive–compulsive disorder during her childhood.[13][14] Alba graduated from high school at age 16,[15] and she subsequently attended the Atlantic Theater Company.[16]
Career

Alba at the 2008 Paris premiere for The Eye.
Alba expressed interest in acting since the age of five. In 1992, the 11-year-old Alba persuaded her mother to take her to an acting competition in Beverly Hills, California, whose grand prize was free acting classes. Alba won the grand prize, and took her first acting lessons. An agent signed Alba nine months later.[3][16][17] Her first appearance on film was a small role in the 1994 feature Camp Nowhere as Gail. She was originally hired for two weeks but her role turned into a two-month job in a leading role when one of the prominent actresses dropped out.[2]
Alba appeared in two national television commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penney as a child. She was later featured in several independent films. She branched out into television in 1994 with a recurring role as the vain Jessica in three episodes of the Nickelodeon comedy series The Secret World of Alex Mack.[3] She then performed the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the television series Flipper.[2][3] Under the tutelage of her lifeguard mother, Alba learned to swim before she could walk, and she was a PADI-certified scuba diver, skills which were put to use on the show, which was filmed in Australia.[3][18]
In 1998, she appeared as Melissa Hauer in a first-season episode of the Steven Bochco crime-drama Brooklyn South, as Leanne in two episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, and as Layla in an episode of The Love Boat: The Next Wave.[citation needed] In 1999, she appeared in the Randy Quaid comedy feature P.U.N.K.S..[2] After Alba graduated from high school, she studied acting with William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was developed by Macy and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and film director, David Mamet.[16][19]
Alba rose to greater prominence in Hollywood in 1999 after appearing as a member of a snobby high school clique in the Drew Barrymore romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, and as the female lead in the 1999 comedy-horror film Idle Hands, opposite Devon Sawa.[5]
Her big break came when writer/director James Cameron picked Alba from a pool of 1,200 candidates for the role of the genetically-engineered super-soldier, Max Guevara, on the Fox sci-fi television series Dark Angel. Co-created by Cameron, the series starred Alba, and ran for two seasons until 2002, earning her critical acclaim as well as a Golden Globe nomination.[5][20] Alba later revealed that she had suffered from anorexia while in preparation for Dark Angel.[21]

Alba on the set of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Alba has been well-received in popular culture. She received the Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress and Saturn Award for Best Actress (TV) for her role in Dark Angel. She has appeared on Maxim's Hot 100 list.[citation needed] In 2006, Alba received an MTV Movie Award for "Sexiest Performance" for Sin City.[4][8][22] Her acting has also drawn criticism, however, as she was nominated for a 2007 Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performances in Awake, Good Luck Chuck, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.[23] She was also nominated for the same award in 2005 for her performances in Fantastic Four and Into the Blue.[24]
Alba's most notable film roles have included an aspiring dancer-choreographer in Honey, exotic dancer Nancy Callahan in Sin City, and as the Marvel Comics character Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four. She then appeared in its sequel, in Into the Blue later that year, and Good Luck Chuck a few years later.[4][25][26] Alba hosted the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and performed sketches spoofing the movies King Kong, Mission: Impossible 3, and The Da Vinci Code.[27] In February 2008, she hosted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Science and Technical Awards.[28] Alba has been represented by talent agents Patrick Whitesell[29] and Brad Cafarelli.[9]
In 2008, Alba made her acting transition to the horror-film genre in The Eye, a remake of the Hong Kong original.[10][30] The film was released on February 1, 2008. Though the film was not well received by critics,[31] Alba's performance was both positively and negatively received. Alba won a Teen Choice for Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress-nomination.[32] Also in 2008, Alba starred alongside Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake in "box office bomb" The Love Guru. Alba was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress.[4]
In late 2008, Alba signed on to star as the lead role in An Invisible Sign of My Own.[33] The movie finished filming in November 2008.[34] The film is in post-production and set to be released in 2011.[35]
Alba starred alongside Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck in the film adaption of the book of the same name, The Killer Inside Me.[36] In the movie, Alba played Joyce Lakeland, a prostitute.[37][38] The film was released in 2010.[37][39] Also in 2010, Alba starred in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day,[40][41][42] alongside Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Emma Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, and Jennifer Garner.[41][43][44] The film was released on February 12, 2010.[44]
In August 2010 it was announced that Alba will appear in Spy Kids 4.[45]
Public image

Cover of the March 2006 issue of Playboy magazine. Alba objected to being on the cover of the magazine and filed suit, but later dropped the action.
In 2001, Alba was ranked No. 1 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list. She said that "I have to go to certain lengths to use sexuality to my advantage, while guiding people to thinking the way I want them to."[46] In 2005, Alba was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and also appeared in the magazine's 100 Most Beautiful list in 2007. In 2002, Alba was voted as the fifth Sexiest Female Star for 2002 in a Hollywood.com poll, No.4 in the Top 10 Sci-Fi Babes, No.6 in FHM's Sexiest Girls for their poll, and ranked at No.12 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" 2002 edition.[47] In 2005, Alba was ranked at No.5 on the Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list.[48]
On the cover of the March 2006 issue, Playboy magazine named Alba among its 25 Sexiest Celebrities, and the Sex Star of the Year. Alba was involved in litigation against Playboy for its use of her image (from a promotional shot for Into the Blue) without her consent, which she contends gave the appearance that she was featured in the issue in a "nude pictorial". However, she later dropped the lawsuit after receiving a personal apology from Playboy owner Hugh Hefner, who agreed to make donations to two charities that Alba has supported.[9]
When reports surfaced that a 21-year-old Chinese girl was seeking plastic surgery to resemble Alba in order to win back an ex-boyfriend, the star spoke out against the perceived need to change one's appearance for love.[49]

Alba in 2007 at the London premiere of Fantastic Four
In 2006, Alba ranked No.3 on E! Television's 101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies. In 2006 readers of AskMen.com voted Alba No. 1 on 99 Most Desirable Women,[7] while in 2007, Maxim Magazine placed Alba on the number 2 spot of their "Top 100".[8] Both GQ and In Style had Alba on their June 2008 covers,[50][51] and in May, after eight million votes, FHM (UK and USA editions) named Alba the winner as "2007's Sexiest Woman in the World".[52] Alba has been regarded as one of the world's most attractive women, being named to Maxim's Hot 100 in 2008.[53] In 2007, Alba was ranked in at No.1 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2007 poll, in the magazine's Latvian edition. Alba was ranked No.4 on Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in 2007. In 2006 and 2007, Alba was voted No.1 as the most sexy woman in the world by the Norwegian FHM.[48] Alba appeared in the 2009 Campari calendar. Campari printed 9,999 copies of the calendar featuring photos of Alba posing sexually in swimsuits, and high heels.[54] In 2008, Alba was ranked No.34 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list, was ranked No.2 on Wizard magazine's "Sexiest Women of TV" list, and was named in GQ Magazine one of the 25 Sexiest Women in film of all time.[48] Alba is the only woman who has made the Maxim Magazine Hot 100 list in all the years it was published; from 2000 to 2011.[55]
"I think there are ambitious girls who will do anything to be famous, and they think men in this business are used to women doing that. Contrary to how people may feel, I've never used my sexuality. That's not part of it for me. When I'm in a meeting, I want to tell you why I'm an asset, how I'm a commodity, how I can put asses in the seats, not, 'There's a chance you're going to be able to fuck me.' That's never been my deal."
Alba on not using her sex appeal in order to get her goals in her acting career, 2008[56]
Alba fears being typecast as a sex kitten based on the bulk of parts offered to her, commenting, "Somehow, I don't think this is happening to Natalie Portman."[57] In the interview, Alba said she wants to be taken seriously as an actress but believes she needs to do movies that she would otherwise not be interested in to build her career, stating that eventually she hopes to be more selective in her film projects.[57] Alba also maintains a strict no-nudity clause in her contract. She was given the option to appear nude in Sin City by the film's directors, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, but declined the offer, saying, "I don't do nudity. I just don't. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. Maybe I won't get hired in some things. But I have too much anxiety".[58] She remarked of a GQ shoot in which she was scantily clad, "They didn't want me to wear the granny panties, but I said, 'If I'm gonna be topless I need to wear granny panties."[59]
Personal life

Religion
Alba was raised as a Catholic[60] throughout her teenage years,[61] but left the church after four years because she felt she was being judged for her appearance, explaining: "Older men would hit on me, and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn't. It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman".[62]
Alba also had objections to the church's condemnations of premarital sex and homosexuality, and what she saw as a lack of strong female role models in the Bible, explaining "I thought it was a nice guide, but it certainly wasn't how I was going to live my life."[58] Her "religious devotion [began] to wane" at the age of 15 when she guest-starred as a teenager with gonorrhea in the throat in a 1996 episode of the television series Chicago Hope. Her friends at church reacted negatively to her role, making her lose faith in the church.[3] However, she has stated that she still holds her belief in God despite leaving the church.[63]
Relationships and family

Jessica Alba with her husband Cash Warren (2010)
While filming Dark Angel in January 2000, Alba began a three year relationship with her co-star Michael Weatherly, which caused controversy due to their twelve year age gap.[64] Weatherly proposed to Alba on her twentieth birthday, which she accepted.[10] In August 2003, Alba and Weatherly announced that they'd ended their relationship.[3] In July 2007, Alba spoke out about the breakup, saying "I don't know [why I got engaged]. I was a virgin. He was 12 years older than me. I thought he knew better. My parents weren't happy. They're really religious. They believe God wouldn't allow the Bible to be written if it wasn't what they are supposed to believe. I'm completely different."[65] Alba had at one time said she envisioned a much older man as her ideal partner, making references to Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Robert Redford, and Michael Caine. She said, "I have this thing for older men. They've been around and know so much."[66]
Alba met Cash Warren, son of actor Michael Warren, while filming Fantastic Four in 2004.[67][68] Alba married Warren in Los Angeles on Monday, May 19, 2008.[69][70] They have two daughters: Honor Marie Warren (born 2008)[71][72] and Haven Garner Warren (born 2011).[73] The first pictures of Honor Marie appeared in the July 2008 issue of OK! magazine, which paid a reported $1.5 million for them.[74] Alba has said that she would like to have more children.[75][76]
Charity and politics
In 2005, Alba offered her acting talents for free, to raise money for AIDS charity Amfar at the Cannes Film Festival. The Industry had held a benefit for the US research foundation. Alba had caused "the greatest stir" by promising to star as an unpaid actress in one of The Lord of the Rings producer Bob Weinstein's movies, if Weinstein agreed to bid $100,000 for tennis lessons with sports stars Monica Seles and Boris Becker.[77]
Alba's charity work includes participation with Clothes Off Our Back, Habitat for Humanity, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Project HOME, RADD, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SOS Children Villages, Soles4Souls, and Step up.[78] Alba openly endorsed and supported Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the 2008 primary season.[79] Alba is an ambassador for the 1Goal movement to provide education to children in Africa.[citation needed]
Alba posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election. The ads photographed by Mark Liddell,[80][81] which feature Alba wrapped in and gagged with black tape, drew national media attention. The ads were described by some as being "Shocking".[81] Alba said of doing the advertisements that "it didn't freak me out at all." Alba also said "I think it is important for young people to be aware of the need we have in this country to get them more active politically," and "People respond to things that are shocking."[82]
In June 2009, while filming The Killer Inside Me in Oklahoma City, Alba was involved in a controversy with residents when she pasted posters of sharks around town.[83] Alba said that she was trying to bring attention to the diminishing population of great white sharks. Media outlets speculated that Alba would be pursued and charged with vandalism.[84][85] On June 16, 2009, Oklahoma City police said that they would not pursue criminal charges against Alba, because none of the property owners wanted to pursue it.[86][87][88][89] Alba apologized in a statement to People magazine and said that she regretted her actions.[86] She later donated an undisclosed amount of money (over $500)[90] to the United Way, whose billboard she had obscured with one of the shark posters.[91][92][93][94]
In 2011, Alba participated in a two day lobbying effort in Washington D.C. in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, a revision of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.[95][96]
Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1994 Camp Nowhere Gail Film debut
1995 Venus Rising Young Eve
1999 P.U.N.K.S. Samantha Swoboda
Never Been Kissed Kirsten Liosis
Idle Hands Molly
2000 Paranoid Chloe
2003 The Sleeping Dictionary Selima DVD Exclusive Award for Best Actress in a DVD Premiere Movie
Honey Honey Daniels Teen Choice Award for Breakout Movie Star, Actress – Drama/Action Adventure, Chemistry and Liplock
Nominated
2005 Sin City Nancy Callahan MTV Movie Award for Sexiest Performance
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Alma Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards for Best Ensemble
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Fantastic Four Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Nominated – Imagen Foundation Award for Best Actress
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Hero
Into the Blue Sam
2007 Knocked Up Herself Uncredited Cameo
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Blimp Award for Favorite Female Movie Star
The Ten Liz Anne Blazer
Good Luck Chuck Cam Wexler
Awake Sam Lockwood
2008 The Eye Sydney Wells Teen Choice Award for Actress: Horror/Thriller
Meet Bill Lucy
The Love Guru Jane Bullard
2010 Valentine's Day Morely Clarkson
The Killer Inside Me Joyce Lakeland[97]
Machete Special Agent Sartana Rivera
An Invisible Sign Mona Gray
Little Fockers Andi Garcia[98][99]
2011 Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World Marissa Wilson
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1994 The Secret World of Alex Mack Jessica "School Dance" (Season 1, Episode 5)
"Hoop War" (Season 1, Episode 2)
"The Accident" (Season 1, Episode 1)
1995–
1997 Flipper Maya Graham Recurring character
Nominated – Young Star Award-Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Daytime TV Program (1998)
1996 ABC Afterschool Special Christy "Too Soon for Jeff" (Season 25, Episode 1)
1996 Chicago Hope Florie Hernandez "Sexual Perversity in Chicago Hope" (Season 2, Episode 18)
1998 Brooklyn South Melissa Hauer "Exposing Johnson" (Season 1, Episode 12)
1998 Beverly Hills, 90210 Leanne "Making Amends" (Season 8, Episode 23)
"The Nature of Nurture" (Season 8, Episode 25)
1998 The Love Boat: The Next Wave Layla "Remember?" (Season 1, Episode 2)
2000–
2002 Dark Angel Max Guevara / X5-452 Lead Role
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (2000)
Won – Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television (2001)
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Leading Young Actress (2001)
Won – Teen Choice Award for TV – Choice Actress (2001)
Won – TV Guide Award TV Guide Award for Breakout Star of the Year (2001)
Nominated TV Guide Award TV Guide Award for Actress of the Year in a New Series (2001)
Nominated – ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Series (2002)
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Television Series (2002)
Nominated – Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Female Action Hero (2002)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for TV – Choice Actress-Drama (2002)
2003 MADtv Jessica Simpson "Episode #9.5" (Season 9, Episode 5)
2004 Entourage Herself "The Review" (Season 1, Episode 2)
2005 Trippin' Herself "Costa Rica" (Season 1, Episode 6)
"Honduras" (Season 1, Episode 5)
2009 The Office Sophie "Stress Relief" (Season 5, Episode 15)
Awards

Alba receiving an award at the Spike TV Awards
Year Awards Category Nominated Work Result
2001 ALMA Award Breakthrough Actress of the Year None Won
2005 Young Hollywood Awards Superstar of Tomorrow None Won
2007 TV Land Awards Little Screen / Big Screen Star (Women) None Nominated
Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards Hottest Jessica None Won
2008 People's Choice Awards Favorite Female Action Star None Nominated
People's Choice Awards Favorite Leading Lady None Nominated
(Source: IMDb.com)
References from Wikipedia.com

Sandra Bullock

2011-08-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Sandra Bullock

Sandra Annette Bullock ( /ˈbʊlək/; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s, after roles in successful films such as Speed and While You Were Sleeping. She has since established her career with films such as Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice, and Crash, the third of which received critical acclaim. In 2007, she was ranked as the 14th richest female celebrity with an estimated fortune of $85 million.[1] In 2009, Bullock starred in the most financially successful films of her career, The Proposal[2] and The Blind Side.[3] Bullock was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, and the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side.

Sandra Bullock Supports Ryan Reynolds "The Change-Up" Premiere

Sandra Bullock & Jimmy Fallon: The Game[Live]

sandra bullock on ellen

Sandra Bullock interview in Barbara Walters Special 2010

The Proposal - Sexy Scene

Sandra Bullock - Suddenly I See

Sandra Bullock - Extra Interview on Oscars

Sandra Bullock on shooting the movie "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Sandra Bullock On Today Show talking about education (31 Aug, 2010)

Ryan Reynolds Vacations With Sandra Bullock — Are They Dating?

Early life

Sandra Annette Bullock was born in Arlington, Virginia, daughter of John W. Bullock (born 1925), an Army employee and part time-voice coach from Birmingham, Alabama, and his wife Helga D. Meyer (1942–2000), a German opera singer and voice teacher.[4][5][6] Bullock's maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist from Nuremberg, Germany. John Bullock, then in charge of the Army's Military Postal Service in Europe, was stationed in Nuremberg when he met his wife. They married in Germany, soon moving to Arlington, where John Bullock worked with the Army Materiel Command, before becoming a contractor for The Pentagon.[7][8]
Bullock frequently accompanied her mother on her opera tours throughout Europe. She spent time in Salzburg and Nuremberg, where she stayed with her aunt and grandmother and became fluent in German. Bullock studied ballet and vocal arts as a child, taking small parts in her mother's opera productions.[4] She sang in the operas children's choir at the Staatstheater Nürnberg.[9]
Bullock attended Washington-Lee High School, where she was a cheerleader and performed in high school theater productions. After she graduated in 1982, she entered East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. However, she dropped out in her fourth year in spring of 1986, just three credits short of graduating, to become an actress. She moved to Manhattan and supported herself as a bartender, cocktail waitress, and coat checker. She later completed her coursework and graduated from East Carolina University.[10]
[edit]Acting

This section includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (December 2010)

Bullock at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011. The previous year she won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leadig Role for her work in The Blind Side.
While in New York, Bullock took acting classes with Sanford Meisner.[citation needed] She appeared in several student films, and later landed a role in an Off-Broadway play No Time Flat. Director Alan J. Levi was impressed by Bullock's performance and offered her a part in the TV movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989). Afterward, she was cast in a series of small roles in several independent films as well as in the lead role of the short-lived NBC television version of the film Working Girl (1990). She later appeared in several films, such as Love Potion No. 9 (1992), The Thing Called Love (1993) and Fire on the Amazon.[citation needed] A prominent supporting role in the science-fiction/action movie Demolition Man (1993) led to her breakthrough performance in Speed the following year.[citation needed] She became a movie star in the late 1990s, carrying a string of successes, including While You Were Sleeping, and Miss Congeniality in 2000.[citation needed] Bullock received $11 million for Speed 2: Cruise Control, which she agreed to star in for financial backing for her own project, Hope Floats,[11] and has revealed she regrets making the sequel.[12] She later received $17.5 million for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous.[citation needed]
Bullock was selected as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996 and 1999, and was also ranked #58 in Empire magazine's Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list. She was presented with the 2002 Raúl Juliá Award for Excellence[13] for her efforts, as the executive producer of the sitcom George Lopez, in helping expand career openings for Hispanic talent in the media and entertainment industry. She also made several appearances on the show as Accident Amy, an accident-prone employee at the factory Lopez's character manages. In 2002, she starred opposite Hugh Grant in Two Weeks Notice and in the film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
In 2004, Bullock had a supporting role in the film Crash. She received positive reviews for her performance, with some critics suggesting that it was the best performance of her career.[14] In 2005, she was a co-recipient of the Women in Film Crystal Award.
Bullock later appeared in The Lake House, a romantic drama also starring her Speed co-star, Keanu Reeves; it was released on June 16, 2006. Because their film characters are separated throughout the film (due to the plot revolving around time travel), Bullock and Reeves were only on set together for two weeks during filming.[15] The same year, Bullock appeared in Infamous, playing author Harper Lee. Bullock also starred in Premonition with Julian McMahon, which was released in March 2007.[16] 2009 proved to be especially good for Bullock, giving the actress two record highs in her career, as earlier in the year she released The Proposal, with co-star Ryan Reynolds, a huge hit that took in more than $314 million at the box office worldwide, making it her most successful picture to date.[17]
In November 2009, Bullock starred in The Blind Side, which opened at #2 behind New Moon with $34.2 million, making it her highest opening weekend ever. The Blind Side is unique in that it had a 17.6% increase at the box office its second weekend, and it took the top spot of the box office in its third weekend. The movie cost $29 million to make according to the Box Office Mojo. It has grossed over $250 million to date, making it her domestic highest grossing film and the first movie in history to pass the $200 million mark with only one top-billed female star.[18][19] She won the award for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in The Blind Side.[20] Bullock had initially turned down the role three times due to a discomfort with portraying a devout Christian.[21] Winning the "Oscar" also gave her another unique distinction — since she won two "Razzies" the day before, for her performance in All About Steve, she is the only performer ever to have been named both "Best" and "Worst" for the same year.[22] Sandra was asked to return her 2009 "Worst Actress of the Year" Razzie award; however, this wasn't because of a change of heart for Bullock's performance but because Bullock personally accepted her Razzie and accidentally took the original one-of-a-kind prototype Razzie, as opposed to the cheap trinket normally handed out to celebrities.[23]
[edit]Recognition

Sandra Bullock's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
As of 2009, Bullock's films have grossed over $3.1 billion worldwide.[24] According to The Numbers, her total domestic gross stands at $1.7 billion, placing her among the Top 100 Stars at the Box Office.[25]
Critics, while praising her screen persona,[26] have been less receptive to her films. As of the 2009 release of The Proposal, Mark Kermode said she's made only three "good" films in her career—Speed, While You Were Sleeping, and Crash, and says "she's funny, she's gorgeous, it's impossible not to love her and yet she makes rotten film after rotten film after rotten film."[27] As of 18 December 2009, Bullock has appeared on three Entertainment Weekly covers. She was selected by People Magazine as its "Woman of the Year" for 2010.[28] She was ranked #12 on People's Most Beautiful 2011 list.[29]
[edit]Entrepreneurship

Bullock runs her own production company, Fortis Films. Bullock was an executive producer of The George Lopez Show, which garnered a lucrative syndication deal that banked her some $10 million (co-produced with Robert Borden). Bullock tried to produce a film based on F.X. Toole's short story, Million-Dollar Baby, but could not interest the studios in a female boxing drama. The story was eventually adapted and directed by Clint Eastwood as the Oscar-winning film, Million Dollar Baby (2004). Bullock's production company, Fortis Films, also produced All About Steve, which was released in September 2009. Her father, John Bullock, is the company's CEO,[30] and her sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, is the former president.
Since November 2006, Bullock has owned an Austin, Texas, restaurant, Bess Bistro.[31] She later opened another business in downtown Austin called Walton's Fancy and Staple, a bakery and floral shop that also offers services such as event planning.[32]
[edit]Personal life

[edit]Relationships and children
Bullock was once engaged to actor Tate Donovan, whom she met while filming Love Potion No. 9; their relationship lasted four years. She previously dated football player Troy Aikman, Austin musician Bob Schneider (for two years), and actors Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Gosling.[33][34]
Bullock married motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse James on July 16, 2005. They first met when Bullock arranged for her ten-year-old godson to meet James as a Christmas present.
In November 2009, Bullock and James entered into a custody battle with James' second ex-wife, former pornographic actress Janine Lindemulder, with whom James had a child. Bullock and James subsequently won full legal custody of James' five-year-old daughter.[35]

Bullock at the 2010 Golden Raspberry Awards accepting her Razzie for "Worst Actress" for All About Steve
In March 2010, a scandal arose when several women claimed to have had affairs with James during his marriage to Bullock.[36][37][38] Bullock cancelled European promotional appearances for The Blind Side citing "unforeseen personal reasons".[39][40] On March 18, 2010, James responded to the rumors of infidelity by issuing a public apology to Bullock. He stated, "The vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded" and "Beyond that, I will not dignify these private matters with any further public comment."[41] James declared that "There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me", and asked that his wife and children one day "find it in their hearts to forgive me" for their current "pain and embarrassment".[41] James’ publicist subsequently announced on March 30, 2010, that James had checked into a rehab facility "to deal with personal issues" and "save his marriage" to Bullock.[42] However on April 28, 2010, it was reported that Bullock had filed for divorce[43] on April 23 in Austin.[44] Their divorce was finalized on June 28, 2010, with "conflict of personalities" cited as the reason.[45]
Bullock announced on April 28, 2010, that she had proceeded with plans to adopt a baby boy born in January 2010 in New Orleans.[46] Bullock and James had begun an initial adoption process four years earlier. The child began living with them in January 2010, but they chose to keep the news private until after the Oscars in March 2010. However, given the couple's separation and then divorce, Bullock continued the adoption of the baby, named Louis Bardo Bullock, as a single parent.[46]
[edit]Vehicular accidents
On December 20, 2000, Bullock and another passenger survived the crash of a chartered business jet during an attempted night landing at Jackson Hole Airport. The pilots were unable to activate the runway lights due to having out-of-date approach plates, but continued the landing. The aircraft landed in the airport's graded safety area between the runway and parallel taxiway and hit a snowbank. The accident caused a separation of the nose cone and landing gear, partial separation of the right wing, and a bend in the left wing.[47]
On April 18, 2008, while Bullock was in Massachusetts shooting the film The Proposal, she and her then-husband were in an SUV that was hit head-on (driver's side offset) at moderate speed by a drunken driver. Vehicle damage was not major and there were no injuries.[48]
[edit]Legal matters
In October 2004, Bullock won a multimillion-dollar judgment against Benny Daneshjou, the builder of her Lake Austin, Texas home; the jury ruled the house was uninhabitable. It has since been torn down and rebuilt.[49]
[edit]Stalking
On April 22, 2007, Marcia Diana Valentine was found lying outside James and Bullock's Southern California home in Orange County. When James confronted the woman, she ran to her 2004 silver Mercedes, got behind the wheel, and tried to run over James. The woman is said to be an obsessed fan of Sandra Bullock.[50] The woman was charged with one felony count each of aggravated assault and stalking, while Bullock obtained a restraining order to bar Valentine from "contacting or coming near her home, family or work for three years."[51] Valentine pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and stalking.[52] Valentine was subsequently convicted of stalking and was sentenced to three years of probation.[53]
[edit]Charity work
Bullock has been a public supporter of the American Red Cross, having donated $1 million to the organization at least four times. Her first public donation of that amount was to the Red Cross's Liberty Disaster Relief Fund. Four years later, she sent money in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.[54] In 2010, she donated $1 million to relief efforts in Haiti following the Haiti earthquake, and again donated the same amount following the 2011 Japan Earthquake.[55]
Along with other stars, Bullock did a PSA urging people to sign a petition for clean-up efforts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.[56]
[edit]Filmography

Feature films
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Hangmen Lisa Edwards
1989 Religion, Inc. (aka "A Fool and His Money") Debby
1989 Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman Kate Mason
1989 Who Shot Patakango? Devlin Moran
1989 The Preppie Murder Stacy
1990 Lucky/Chances Maria Santangelo
1992 Who Do I Gotta Kill? (aka "Me and the Mob") Lori
1992 When the Party's Over Amanda
1992 Love Potion No. 9 Diane Farrow
1993 The Vanishing Diane Shaver
1993 The Thing Called Love Linda Lue Linden
1993 Demolition Man Lt. Lenina Huxley Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress
1993 Fire on the Amazon Alyssa Rothman
1993 Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Elaine
1994 Speed Annie Porter Saturn Award for Best Actress
MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (with Keanu Reeves)
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (with Keanu Reeves)
1995 While You Were Sleeping Lucy Moderatz Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
1995 The Net Angela Bennett/
Ruth Marx
1996 Two If by Sea Roz
1996 A Time to Kill Ellen Roark
1996 In Love and War Agnes Von Kurowsky
1997 Speed 2: Cruise Control Annie Porter Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Actress
Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Jason Patric)
1997 Making Sandwiches Melba Club Debut—Sundance Film Festival; also writer, director, and producer
1998 Hope Floats Roberta "Birdee" Pruitt
1998 Practical Magic Sally Owens
1998 The Prince of Egypt (animated film) Miriam (Voice)
1999 Forces of Nature Sarah Lewis
2000 Gun Shy Judy Tipp
2000 28 Days Gwen Cummings
2000 Miss Congeniality Gracie Hart/
Gracie Lou Freebush Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2002 Murder by Numbers Cassie Mayweather
/Jessica Marie Hudson
2002 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Siddalee Walker
2002 Two Weeks Notice Lucy Kelson
2004 Crash Jean Cabot Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Gotham Awards for Best Ensemble
2005 Loverboy Mrs. Harker
2005 Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous Gracie Hart
2006 The Lake House Kate Forster
2006 Infamous Nelle Harper Lee
2007 Premonition Linda Hanson
2009 The Proposal Margaret Tate Teen Choice Award for Best Dance (with Betty White)
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2009 All About Steve Mary Horowitz Razzie Award for Worst Actress
Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Bradley Cooper)
2009 The Blind Side Leigh Anne Tuohy Academy Award for Best Actress
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (tied with Meryl Streep)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Teen Choice Award for Best Actress Drama
Nominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Denver Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Films Critics Association for Best Actress
2011 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Post-production
2012 Gravity Filming

reference from Wikipedia.com

Pressure Makes Us: Alex Morgan

2011-08-07T08:07:00.000-07:00