Jessica
Simpson Debuting as an adorable,
all-American-looking pop singer with a powerful vocal range and
squeaky clean image, Jessica
Simpson initially stood in the shadows
of her equally young, equally blonde pop predecessors Britney
Spears and Christina
Aguilera in
her early career. Routinely compared to the two divas sometimes
unfairly Simpson has struggled to be nothing more than herself.
Yearning to make her mark, Simpson found her true voice not in
music, but on television.
Born on July 10, 1980 in Dallas, Texas, Jessica
Simpson was raised in a strict Christian home. Her father,
Joe Simpson, was a minister at
her local parish, as well as being a professional psychologist (and
later Simpson's manager). When she turned 12, Simpson received
a purity ring as a gift from her dad and a silver band with a cross
to be worn until her wedding day. According to Simpson, she indeed
retained her virtue until she married Lachey.
Simpson's third album, In This Skin, released
amid heavy cross-promotion with the show, did not fare particularly
well on the charts at first,
but eventually became something of a sleeper hit upon re-release
as her star continued to rise (Lachey's simultaneously launched solo
album did not fare as well). As the couple's popularity skyrocketed,
ABC inked them to host their own variety special, The Nick
and Jessica Variety Hour (2004), which aired on Easter Sunday
and drew sky-high ratings with 11.5 million viewers--high enough
to prompt the network to sign the couple for a Christmas follow-up,
Nick and Jessica's
Family Christmas (2004), and Nick and Jessica's Tour
of Duty (2005), a special in which they entertained U.S. troops
in Iraq. The couple's high profile proved to be a marketing bonanza
(Simpson launched cosmetic and clothing lines, and garnered commercial
endorsements for the likes of Pizza Hut's Buffalo wings) and also
fueled the career of Jessica's younger sister, singer/actress Ashlee
Simpson, who also earned her own MTV reality show and album deal.
The
downside of the young couple's newfound fame was that they were
suddenly fodder for a seemingly endless
array of cover stories among
the weekly celebrity gossip magazines, usually weighing in on the
state of their marriage. Almost as soon as Jessica
Simpson was cast
as cutoff-clad Southern Belle Daisy Duke in the big screen remake
of the fondly
recalled '70s series The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) her
star was shining even brighter than ever.
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Anna Paquin
Actress
It was in New Zealand in 1991 that
Anna Paquin became an actress by chance. Director Jane
Campion was looking for a little girl to play a key role
in The Piano, set to film in New Zealand, and a newspaper
advertisement was run announcing an open audition.
Anna Paquin Bio and Photos |
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Claire
Danes Movie Actress
When she is not working, Claire Danes likes
spending time on her school studies, especially the humanities and science.
She tries to keep up her interest in dance, and wants to continue with
her new enthusiasm for surfing while she's living in Los Angeles.
Claire
Danes Biography and Pictures |
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Cobie
Smulders Television Actress
As a child Cobie Smulders wanted to be either a doctor or a marine biologist
but started to gain an interest in acting in high school, appearing in
several school productions. Discovered by a modelling agency in her teens,
she started to model internationally, including in locations such as Paris,
Japan, Milan, Greece, and Germany.
Cobie
Smulders Bio and Photos |
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Courtney
Thorne Smith TV Actress
Courtney Thorne Smith first appeared as Stacy Hamilton on Fast Times, the
television series spin-off of the successful teen movie Fast Times at Ridgemont
High.
Courtney
Thorne Smith Bio and Photos |
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Jennifer
Aniston Movie and Television Actress
In 2000, after a widely publicized
battle with NBC, Aniston and her fellow cast members negotiated
a salary of $750,000 per episode. The show won its first
Emmy for its 8th season in 2002. That same year, Aniston
received a Best Actress Emmy for her role as Rachel. Jennifer
Aniston Bio and Photos |
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Eva Mendes
Model and Actress
Eve Mendes attended California State
University, Northridge and majored in marketing. Her debut
in acting came because she needed a little extra spending
money and appeared as an extra on various films. One day
she caught the eye of an agent who convinced her to pursue
acting more steadily. Eva
Mendes Bio and Pics |
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Movie
Actress Keira Knightley
She was born in Teddington, south-west
London. Her name would become Keira as her Hollywood career
took off, the change shamelessly breaking the golden rule
of "I before E except after C" but making the
name more easily pronounceable on a worldwide basis. Keira
Knightley Bio and Pictures |
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