Why Is She Famous?

Comedic actress Michaela Watkins recently became one of two new members of the cast of Saturday Night Live (along with Abby Elliott).

Sexiness

74Michaela Watkins’ sex appeal sneaks up on you, perhaps because, as guys, we don’t often see female comediennes in ”that way,” at least not initially. However, take a look at her and you’ll see a woman of almost statuesque beauty, whose glowing, gorgeous skin is complemented by brown eyes and chocolate brown hair.

Success

40Make no mistake about it: Michaela Watkins has been steadily paying her dues, performing on a variety of stages and TV shows as an actress and a stand-up comedienne for almost a dozen years. She now joins a Saturday Night Live franchise that has enjoyed good ratings for much of the fall — although former members Tina Fey and Amy Poehler deserve lots of credit for those ratings.

While it remains to be seen if the show can keep its momentum, one thing is for sure: this is Michaela Watkins’ big break, and she’s worked too hard for too long to blow it.

Quotes

“It’s a dream come true.”
- Michaela Watkins, on joining SNL.

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Michaela Watkins
• Wikipedia.org: Michaela Watkins

Biography

The youngest of three girls born to teachers, Michaela Watkins grew up in central New York State, and attended college at Boston University’s School for the Arts. In 1996, after having earned her BFA, she moved to Portland Oregon and began performing in regional theater.

After four years in Portland, Michaela Watkins made the difficult decision to relocate to Los Angeles in pursuit of bigger and better opportunities. There she began building her Hollywood resume by landing single episode appearances in shows such as Charmed, Without a Trace and Grey’s Anatomy, while doing stand-up at various clubs.

She soon became a main company member of the famed Los Angeles comedy troupe the Groundlings before landing the recurring character of Lucy in season four of The New Adventures of Old Christine.

michaela watkins joins the cast of saturday night live

The departures of Tina Fey and, more recently, Amy Poehler, from SNL left producers looking for replacements. Following extensive auditions, in mid-November 2008 they chose Michaela Watkins and Abby Elliot; their addition doubles the number of regular female cast members, which includes with Kristen Wiig and Casey Wilson.

Look for her in 2009 in the flick The Prankster.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

As it stands right now, Abby Elliott is best known for being the daughter of Saturday Night Live-alum and sometime movie star Chris Elliott. However, if she continues to make us laugh like she has as a part-time player on the current season of SNL, she’ll easily eclipse her dad as the funniest, and most successful, member of the Elliott clan.

Sexiness

Anyone that knows who Chris Elliott is shouldn’t be surprised that his daughter is hilarious, but they might be surprised to see how hot she is. Abby Elliott not only gets huge points for her gorgeous blue eyes and flaming red hair, but she also boasts the ultimate aphrodisiac — her million-dollar sense of humor.

Success

Even if it has lost a lot of its luster, a gig on Saturday Night Live is still one of the most coveted jobs in comedy. Sure, Abby Elliott’s famous father likely helped her land the job, but Lorne Michaels is not one to allow unfunny people to be on his show. So, at the ripe old age of 21, Abby Elliott has already achieved considerable success.

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Abby Elliott
• Wikipedia.org: Abby Elliott

Biography

Growing up with a famous parent can be both a good thing and bad thing for kids trying to break into entertainment. On one hand, you’ve got connections that regular folk just don’t have. Then, on the other hand, you’ve got to work that much harder to make a name for yourself beyond “that guy’s daughter.”

This was the quandary faced by Abby Elliott. She was born in New York City to mom Paula and dad Chris just in time to see her old man’s career take off. First came his quasi-successful sitcom Get a Life, which was followed by his cult classic feature film Cabin Boy — not exactly Cheers or The Godfather, but they provided a comfortable enough upbringing for Abby.

abby elliott joins the family business

If your father was a cop, and his father a cop, chances are you’ll end up walking the beat. So, Abby followed in the footsteps of her grandfather (Bob Elliott was a famous comic way back in the day) and her dad (the aforementioned Chris Elliott), and ended up in comedy. Her first gig was with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, a comedy troupe founded in New York City by SNL veteran Amy Poehler. Comedy was clearly in her blood, and she excelled.

Anxious to capitalize on her famous lineage and rising stock, Abby Elliott shuffled off to L.A. There, she did voice work on Mike Judge’s long-running King of the Hill and joined the L.A. chapter of the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. People began to take notice, including David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien, whom all invited Abby onto their shows. She still wasn’t old enough to drink, but Abby Elliott’s career was taking off.

abby elliott on saturday night live

Chances are Saturday Night Live producers saw the YouTube clips of Abby impersonating Kirsten Dunst and Angelina Jolie. Those performances (and, perhaps her relationship to Chris Elliott) prompted Lorne Michaels to hire Abby as a mid-season replacement for new-mother Amy Poehler.

She’s got some big shoes to fill, but if her few early skits are any indication, Abby Elliott’s future looks bright. And that’s before you consider her upcoming gig voicing characters for Mike Judge’s new prime-time cartoon The Goode Family. I guess you could say life is ”goode” for Abby Elliott.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

Rebecca Hall is an award-winning British stage actress who recently graduated to the silver screen with a pair of winning performances in The Prestige and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Sexiness

Rebecca Hall may not have Scarlett Johansson’s delectable curves or Penelope Cruz’s raw sensuality, but her slightly bookish quality and statuesque frame is every bit as sexy as the mouthwatering attributes of her fellow Vicky Cristina Barcelona costars. Luckily, we should get to see even more of this English rose in the year ahead as she shows off her figure in four different big-screen films. For the record, Rebecca Hall’s dream date is a young Marlon Brando — finally, a gal with taste!

Success

One of Britain’s most talented stage actresses, Rebecca Hall has starred in more than a dozen plays, including lavish productions of As You Like It, Don Juan, Galileo’s Daughter, and Mrs Warren’s Profession, for which she won the prestigious Ian Charleson Award in 2003. Her cinematic output, although still in its nascent stages, has also been remarkably promising thanks to a series of head-turning performances in The Prestige, Frost/Nixon and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, where she more than held her own opposite Oscar-nominated actors Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson.

Quotes

“Coming from parents who are in the public eye, I learned early on not to take it all too seriously. I am not going to get completely self-obsessed and wrapped up in it all.”
- Rebecca Hall

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Rebecca Hall
• Wikipedia.org: Rebecca Hall

Biography

Rebecca Hall was born May 19, 1982, in England. The daughter of acclaimed opera singer Maria Ewing and legendary theater director Sir Peter Hall, she followed in her parent’s footsteps at the age of 10 when she made her professional acting debut in her father’s televised adaptation of The Camomile Lawn.

rebecca hall makes her west end debut

Although the experience appealed her, Rebecca Hall didn’t appear in another notable production until her 18th birthday, when she starred in a Cambridge stage presentation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Her father was particularly impressed with her performance in the play, and he promptly offered her the role of Vivie in his upcoming stage production of Mrs Warren’s Profession. “I thought he was off his nut,” she recalls. “How could I walk straight into a lead role in the West End, with everybody saying, ‘Here comes the director’s daughter’?” Fortunately, her dazzling performance silenced her critics, and Rebecca Hall capped off her inaugural West End run by winning the prestigious Ian Charleson Award, an honor given annually for the best performance by a young actor in a classical role.

Rebecca Hall continued her professional relationship with her father the following year by starring in his productions of The Fight for Barbara and As You Like It, for which she received her second Ian Charleson Award nomination. The pair teamed up again in 2004 at the Theatre Royal in Bath, where they collaborated on the well-received plays Man and Superman and Galileo’s Daughter.

rebecca hall stars in starter for ten

Rebecca Hall decided to switch gears the following year when she was handed the script for Starter for Ten, a big-screen comedy about a working-class college student from Essex. “I loved it [but] didn’t think in a million years they’d cast me,” she admits. “I think it was kind of very sort of different in my head, at the time actually as to what they were looking for. And so I went on a lot of auditions. I think about four, maybe five. Or maybe eight. And then waited a long time, and then got told I got the part. I was very excited.” Rebecca Hall’s excitement only grew as she discovered more about the medium of film. “In theater, you have a context for the story that you establish and you create an entire world on stage from beginning to end, whereas in film, you’re really at those places — at that school, on that campus with extras with flock-of-seagull haircuts and shoulder pads and too much blue eye shadow,” she explains. “It’s an imaginative adjustment that you make, and I loved it.”

rebecca hall stars in the prestige

Rebecca Hall landed another major role later that year when she was cast as Christian Bale’s wife in The Prestige, a stunning Oscar-nominated film about a pair of rival magicians. The movie went on to generate more than $107 million worldwide, and Rebecca Hall was recognized for her dazzling performance with a pair of Best Newcomer nominations from the Empire Awards and the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

rebecca hall appears in vicky cristina barcelona and frost/nixon

Rebecca Hall’s string of strong performances eventually caught the attention of Woody Allen, and he called her in to audition for one of the lead roles in his romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona. “I came in and met Woody and he said, ‘Can you do an American accent?’ and I said, ‘Yes’, and he said, ‘OK, bye’. That was pretty much it,” she recalls. “Two weeks later I got a call saying, ‘Woody Allen wants you to be in his next film.’ That was obviously quite an exciting time.” The film premiered to critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, and has since grossed more than $40 million worldwide. Rebecca Hall also enjoyed a substantial role several months later as David Frost’s glamorous and fun-loving girlfriend in the political drama Frost/Nixon.

Look for Rebecca Hall next in Nineteen Eighty-Three, an adrenalin-fueled thriller about the infamous “Yorkshire Ripper,” and in Dorian Gray, a dark drama about a corrupt man who manages to hold onto his youthful beauty.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

Anya Monzikova is a gorgeous Russian-born model and actress best known as a model on NBC’s Deal or No Deal, as well as cohost for the HDNet travel program Get Out!

Sexiness

If you haven’t had the good fortune to see this woman in print or on screen, don’t deny yourself any longer — Anya Monzikova’s sparkling beauty is a staggering sight to behold. Apparently the other models on Deal or No Deal call her the “Crazy Russian,” and if they mean crazy as in crazy gorgeous, they are spot-on.

This is to say nothing of Anya Monzikova’s spectacularly tall and curvaceous body, which, if we’re to be honest with ourselves, probably approaches perfection.

Success

Anya Monzikova’s appearance in magazines including Maxim, FHM, Cosmopolitan, People, and Vogue, and her high-profile role as a model on NBC and as a cohost on HDNet, prove that she has the chops to do well in Hollywood. She appeared uncredited in Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder, and will appear onscreen in the Bruce Willis flick Surrogates.

Quotes

“I just stayed home watching TV and learning English by watching Sesame Street.”
- Anya Monzikova, on how she learned English.

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Anya Monzikova
• Wikipedia.org: Anya Monzikova

Biography

Anya Monzikova was born into Communist Moscow of the USSR, but she and her mother relocated to Florida when she was almost 8 years old. There she enrolled in an ESL program, but struggled to learn English; frustration eventually led her to opt out of the class, but she returned to it six months later.

She graduated from Plantation High School in 2002, where she was involved in theater and cheerleading, and shortly thereafter left for Hollywood, packing her car with both her belongings and her dreams of becoming a model and actress.

anya monzikova pursues her dreams in los angeles

On relocating to Los Angeles, Anya Monzikova’s striking good looks and amazing body landed her a job on a Trading Spaces-inspired pilot for kids, but after six months’ hard work, the show fell through. She attended college courses and did some theater work, all the while managing to pay the bills by landing lingerie modeling work with Trashy Lingerie, Dreamgirl and Faris, among others.

In 2006, she became a model on the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, and the following year, she was featured in a photo shoot for Stuff. Most recently she appeared in the November issue of Maxim in the UK.

anya monzikova on csi: miami

Since arriving in Hollywood, Anya Monzikova has appeared in single episode guest spots on such shows such as Cane, Medium, CSI, CSI: Miami, and Knight Rider, to name a few.

She has a recurring spot as cohost on the HDNet television original show Get Out! as well, which, along with Lindsay Clubine (also a model on Deal or No Deal), has allowed her to travel to the likes of Belize and Mexico to see what those countries have to offer.

In addition to more episodes of Deal or No Deal and Get Out!, Anya Monzikova can be seen in 2009 in the thriller Playing with Fire (released in late December 2008) as well as the Bruce Willis/Ving Rhames thriller Surrogates, scheduled for release in the fall of 2009.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

Halle Berry has starred in such movies as Boomerang (1992), Bulworth (1998), the three installments of X-Men, Swordfish (2001), Monster’s Ball (2001), the Bond vehicle Die Another Day (2002), Gothika (2003), Catwoman (2004), Perfect Stranger (2007), and Things We Lost In The Fire (2007). She has the ability to take on incredibly diverse roles that don’t always focus on her beauty, and that is what makes her even hotter than your usual actress.

If her movie list appearances aren’t testimony enough to Halle Berry’s acting chops, then her Oscar award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in Monster’s Ball surely is.

Sexiness

Halle Berry was put on this Earth to make men’s jaws drop. She has done a great job so far: Her sex appeal is undeniable. She has never disappointed us at awards shows, and if you remember the dress she wore when she won her 2002 Oscar, you’ll agree there’s little doubt that designers get off on dressing up one of Hollywood’s most beautiful dolls.

Halle Berry spent most of her youth in beauty pageants, and for good reason. Playboy named Halle Berry among the 100 Sexiest Women of the Century in 1998, and she’s been on People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the World list endless times. Halle Berry also made AskMen.com’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women in 2005, 2006, 2007, and placed No. 21 on the 2008 poll.

Success

Though she often receives acclaim for her acting roles, she has made some career mistakes, such as turning down roles in Speed (1994) and Waiting to Exhale (1995). Still, her Golden Globe, Oscar and SAG trophies, as well as the slew of great films she has appeared in, have cemented her reputation as a serious actress.

Her modeling career hasn’t been bad either. Before Halle Berry started acting, she won the Miss Teen All-American Pageant and was the runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant. She has been the face of Revlon for many years and was also made the face of Versace.

Halle Berry is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, earning $14 million each for Gothika and Catwoman. In April 2007, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in July 2007, she topped In Touch magazine’s list of the world’s Most Fabulous 40-Something Celebrities.

Quotes

“The worst thing a man can ever do is kiss me on the first date.”
- Halle Berry

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Halle Berry
• HalleWood.com
• Wikipedia.org: Halle Berry

Biography

Born on August 14, 1966, in Cleveland, Ohio, Halle Maria Berry and her older sister, Heidi, were raised by their mother, Judith, a psychiatric ward nurse. Halle Berry’s father walked out on the family when she was only 4 years old.

Although living in a single-parent household was somewhat tough, Halle’s mom managed to move the family out of the inner-city neighborhood and into the suburbs of Cleveland. On the other hand, the neighborhood was predominantly white, and Halle and her sister were treated cruelly because of their dark skin.

halle berry in the miss usa pageant
Determined not to let the color of her skin get the best of her, Halle Berry made it a point to make friends, and her dream of becoming an actress already began to surface.

By the time Halle Berry reached high school, she was a cheerleader, an honor society member, the editor of the school paper, and class president. Not surprisingly, she was crowned her high school’s prom queen. In 1983, when she was only 17 years old, Halle’s then-boyfriend entered her name in the Miss Teen Ohio beauty pageant. Once again, it was no surprise that Halle Berry got to wear the crown in that competition.

Halle Berry went on to win many other high-profile competitions, including Miss Teen All-American, Miss USA (first runner-up) and Miss World. Once she was done raking in points by winning pageant after pageant, Halle continued her education at Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Community College in 1986, studying broadcast journalism.

halle berry stars in jungle fever
Unfortunately, Halle Berry didn’t complete her degree — she left the program to pursue a more glamorous career in modeling and started to study acting in Chicago. Although Halle Berry auditioned for Aaron Spelling for a part in Charlie’s Angels and didn’t get the role, Spelling encouraged Halle to pursue her dreams of being an actress.

Halle Berry then moved to Manhattan, where she immediately landed her first TV gig in Living Dolls. Although the show was short-lived, Halle was more determined than ever to become a great actress.

Halle Berry got her first big break in 1991, when Spike Lee cast her as a crack addict in Jungle Fever, costarring Samuel L. Jackson. Halle was so determined to execute the role perfectly that she actually interviewed real addicts and stopped bathing 10 days before filming the racially charged film.

halle berry stars in boomerang
Soon after, Halle Berry reverted to television with a recurring role on the popular prime-time soap opera Knots Landing in 1991. The big screen was where Halle Berry wanted to be, though, and she soon landed another part, this time playing Damon Wayans’ exotic girlfriend in the film The Last Boy Scout (1991), which also starred Bruce Willis.

In 1992, Halle landed a starring role opposite none other than the man of comedy himself, Eddie Murphy, in Boomerang. In 1993, she married Atlanta Braves right fielder David Justice. Unfortunately, the marriage was short-lived and they divorced in 1996.

halle berry stars as dorothy dandridge
Next, Halle Berry decided to take a lighter acting job and starred in the 1994 movie The Flintstones, but her riveting big-screen role as an illiterate addict who abandons her child in a garbage can in 1995’s Losing Isaiah shot her star up high.

Unfortunately for Halle Berry, she missed a great opportunity when she passed up the lead role in the film Speed, which ultimately worked wonders for Sandra Bullock’s career.

Other movies that Halle Berry starred in include Executive Decision (1996), Race the Sun (1996), B*A*P*S (1997), Bulworth, and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which she won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV movie.

halle berry stars as storm in x-men
In 2000, Halle Berry starred as Storm/Ororo Munroe in the live-action adaptation of the comic X-Men — along with fellow mutants Rebecca Romijn and Famke Janssen.

Halle Berry also returned to modeling as a spokeperson for Revlon. And because Halle Berry was diagnosed with diabetes, she became an avid volunteer for the Juvenile Diabetes Association.

halle berry’s hit and run
Unfortunately, Berry made headlines when she was charged with a hit and run in 2000. She pleaded no contest and the judge ordered her to perform 200 hours of community service. She also made news when she was allegedly paid a $500,000 bonus to reveal her breasts in a scene in 2001’s hacker film, Swordfish.

In 2001, Halle Berry married soul singer Eric Benet, but the couple divorced in 2003.

halle wins an oscar for monster’s ball, plays bond girl jinx
2001 wasn’t all bad for Halle Berry: She received the 2002 SAG award for Best Actress in Monster’s Ball and made history at the Oscars as the first black actress to receive a Best Actress Academy Award. Her Oscar triumph cemented her as an A-list actress. Her Oscar didn’t mean Halle Berry was giving up action blockbusters, though, as she appeared as Bond Girl Jinx in the film Die Another Day (2002), as well as in X2 (2003), the second installment of the X-Men franchise.

halle berry is catwoman
Next, Halle appeared in the psychological thriller Gothika (2003) and in Catwoman (2004), which was panned by critics. Instead of taking the poor reviews to heart, Halle Berry showed the critics she had a sense of humor when she actually went to the Razzie Awards to receive her award for Worst Actress for her role as Catwoman.

Later that year, Halle Berry made headlines again when her allegedly abusive ex-lover was revealed as Wesley Snipes, although Halle herself never confirmed this.

halle berry in x-men: the last stand
In 2005, Halle Berry appeared in the TV movie Their Eyes Were Watching God and lent her voice to the animated film Robots. Her projects for 2006 included the third X-Men installment, X-Men: The Final Stand, and the thriller Perfect Stranger.

Halle Berry was also named the new face of Versace. During a photoshoot for the designer, Halle Berry met her boyfriend, top model Gabriel Aubry.

halle berry is named no. 21 in 2008 top 99

In 2007, after starring in Things We Lost in the Fire, Halle Berry confirmed reports that she was pregnant with boyfriend Gabriel Aubry’s baby. Her even-more-voluptuous breasts quickly became the topic of conversation as her body beautifully blossomed with pregnancy. On March 16, 2008, Halle Berry gave birth to a little girl.

This yummy mummy also ranked No. 21 on AskMen.com’s list of Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008.

halle berry in a class act and tulia

Halle Berry’s 2008 projects included A Class Act and the crime drama Tulia. Look for her in ‘09 in Frankie and Alice, and in 2010 in Nappily Ever After.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

After roles in a list of Italian and French films like Malena (2000) and Irreversible (2002), Monica Bellucci struck gold as Persephone in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. She’s sustained her presence stateside with roles in The Passion of the Christ (2004) and Shoot ‘Em Up (2007).

Sexiness

It’s hard to envision Monica Bellucci without instantly conjuring naughty thoughts, and there’s little doubt that she deserves all the salacious sentiments that have been hurled her way over the years. It’s also worth noting that unlike a lot of her contemporaries, Monica Bellucci has only become more attractive and alluring over the years.

A textbook example of the whole MILF phenomenon, Monica Bellucci has managed to retain her hourglass figure and appreciative curves without the assistance of plastic surgery (as far as we can tell). It’s no surprise to note, then, that Monica Bellucci has become a staple of AskMen.com’s Top 99 list over the years, having peaked in 2002 with a ranking of No. 1. She also ranked No. 18 in 2007, and No. 22 in 2008.

Success

Undoubtedly the hottest Italian import since Sophia Loren, Monica Bellucci has attained the sort of respect that most models can only dream about. Having appeared in almost 50 movies and television shows, Monica Bellucci’s status within the industry — both in North America and abroad — is nothing short of remarkable (though far from surprising, given her innate talent).

Monica’s penchant for blending her English-language work with roles in her native Italian continued in 2008, as she was scheduled to appear in French, Italian and American movies. 1:30 Train, teamed the actress up with director Joel Schumacher and casted her as a vulnerable woman who is forced to fend for herself on the mean streets of New York City after her purse is stolen.

Quotes

“It doesn’t mean anything, beauty. I mean, if I see a beautiful man, maybe I am surprised for three seconds, but then if I speak with him and he’s completely stupid, I don’t see his beauty anymore.”
- Monica Bellucci

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Monica Bellucci
• Wikipedia.org: Monica Bellucci

Biography

Monica Anna Maria Bellucci was born on September 30, 1964, in Perugia, Italy. The daughter of a painter and a businessman, Monica grew up with dreams of becoming a lawyer — though it eventually became clear that her calling lay in the arts. After kicking off her modeling career at the age of 16, Monica Bellucci remained determined to pursue a career within the legal community, and she even used her modeling money to pay for her post-secondary education. Yet there came a point at which Monica Bellucci was powerless to resist the allure of the fashion industry, and she subsequently devoted herself full-time to modeling.

In 1988, Monica Bellucci signed with the prestigious Elite Model Management agency and moved to Milan where she began establishing herself as one of the most naturally talented and flat-out gorgeous up-and-coming models on the scene. Though her burgeoning fame ensured that she had little downtime, Monica Bellucci nevertheless decided to give acting a try and she made her debut in a 1990 made-for-Italian-TV movie. She spent the next several years taking on small roles in obscure films, and Monica Bellucci found herself developing a real affinity for the world of performance.

monica bellucci in bram stoker’s dracula

Monica Bellucci’s hard work and perseverance paid off in 1992 when she successfully auditioned for a part in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in which she starred opposite such luminaries as Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins as one of Dracula’s three brides. Monica Bellucci worked steadily throughout much of the 1990s, appearing in a whole host of critically acclaimed foreign movies (including ‘96’s L’Appartement, which was eventually remade as the Josh Hartnett/Diane Kruger flick Wicker Park).

monica bellucci in malena

Though Monica Bellucci had already established herself as a bona fide star in Europe, she remained virtually unknown in North America — something that changed dramatically with the emergence of the new century. She kicked off 2000 with a star-making performance in the drama Malena, which went on to receive Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. It was also around that time that Monica Bellucci married fellow actor and frequent costar Vincent Cassel, and in 2004, she gave birth to her daughter Deva.

monica bellucci in the matrix reloaded

After well-regarded turns in 2001’s Brotherhood of the Wolf and 2002’s Irreversible, Monica Bellucci reteamed with her Dracula costar Keanu Reeves with a stint as Persephone in 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. The following year proved to be even more fruitful for Monica Bellucci, as she appeared opposite Jim Caviezel in Mel Gibson’s extremely controversial The Passion of the Christ.  Monica Bellucci took on a role alongside Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti in the ultra-violent and purposefully ridiculous action flick Shoot ‘Em Up.

monica bellucci is named no. 22 in 2008 top 99

Though Monica Bellucci is practically in her mid-40s, there’s little doubt that she remains one of the sexiest and alluring actresses working today. Her raw sensuality is unparalleled, and it’s certainly not difficult to see why she continues to outshine her younger and far more famous contemporaries.

In 2008, Monica Bellucci proved that she was still brimming with sex appeal as she ranked at No. 22 on AskMen.com’s Top 99 list of Most Desirable Women. Also that year, she was cast in the film 1:30 Train, which will be released in 2010.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

Mila Kunis has played the obnoxious, high-maintenance Jackie Burkhardt on the hit series That ’70s Show and has worked on big-screen blockbusters like Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008).

Sexiness

Mila Kunis joins Milla Jovovich and Eva Herzigova in the string of Eastern European beauties who have surfaced since the collapse of the Berlin Wall (perhaps it stayed up so long in the first place to keep ladies like these inside).

Even if it sat atop a grotesquely deformed body, Mila Kunis’ face alone, with its exquisitely plump lips and green-blue eyes (each eye is a different color), would qualify her as sexy. Luckily for us, her physique is also stunning. The people at GUESS knew Mila Kunis was hot enough to sustain an ad campaign before she even hit her 16th birthday. And she’s only gotten sexier ever since.

Success

It didn’t take Mila Kunis long to assimilate into American culture. Within two years of her arrival from the Ukraine, Mila Kunis made her first national appearance in a Payless ShoeSource commercial. By her 16th birthday, she performed in a host of television and film productions, and boasted regular roles on both That ’70s Show and Family Guy. Not too shabby for a girl who was still speaking with a strong accent just six years prior.

Since her prime-time TV career, Mila Kunis has worked on several big-screen hits, including Get Over It (2001) with Kristen Dunst, the horror sequel American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002) and Tony and Tina’s Wedding (2004).

Quotes

“I don’t think it’s true that blondes have more fun… trust me, it is not true!”
- Mila Kunis

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Mila Kunis
• Wikipedia.org: Mila Kunis

Biography

Mila Kunis was born Milena Markovna Kunis on August 14, 1983, in Kiev, Ukraine, the birthplace of another familiar actress, Milla Jovovich. Her father, Mark, was a mechanical engineer, and her mother, Elvira, a physics teacher.

mila kunis moves to america

At the time of Mila Kunis’ birth, Ukraine still formed part of the Soviet Union, and political turmoil surrounded Mila throughout her childhood years. In 1990, Ukraine gained its sovereignty, and the Kunis parents moved to Los Angeles, seeking a more stable environment in which to raise their children.

Relocation to the West brought with it abrupt changes, and the Kunis family was forced to shed their former professions (to this day Mark continues to work as the president of a cab company and Elvira as a drugstore manager). Mila Kunis and her brother were immediately enrolled in a local public school, where they began to learn English through immersion. Mila Kunis honed her conversational skills further through watching television; the game show The Price is Right proved particularly helpful to Mila Kunis, as host Bob Barker spoke slowly enough for her to consistently pick up on what he was saying.

mila kunis on that ’70s show

It didn’t take Mila Kunis long to become proficient at her new tongue, and at the age of 9, her father registered her in after-school acting classes at the Beverly Hills Studio. Mila Kunis took to acting quickly, and acting took to her. At one of the Studio’s public showcases, she was approached by entertainment manager Susan Curtis, who offered to take her on. Soon thereafter, Mila made her debut national television appearances: first, on a Payless ShoeSource commercial, and then on an episode of the daytime soap Days of Our Lives.

Over the next several years leading up to 1998, Mila Kunis made appearances in a diverse collection of productions. Guest spots on the television programs Baywatch, Walker, Texas Ranger and 7th Heaven were accompanied by a bit role in the 1998 Richard Dreyfuss comedy Krippendorf’s Tribe. She also appeared in the 1995 made-for-TV movie Piranha, 1997’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves and the 1996 Hulk Hogan vehicle, Santa with Muscles. The young Mila Kunis was also the focus of a GUESS clothing ad campaign.

Mila Kunis’ break as an actress came in 1998, when she was cast as the young Gia in the HBO film of the same name (Angelina Jolie played the adult version of the character). The broadcast was well received, and Mila Kunis made the jump from bit actor to a familiar face in the entertainment industry. That same year, she auditioned for a part on a new Fox series Teenage Wasteland. Although she was only 14 at the time (she told the producers she was 18), Mila Kunis won the part of the character Jackie on the show that would be renamed That ’70s Show.

mila kunis in family guy and american psycho ii

That ’70s Show went on to great success. In spite of the recognition her work brought her, Mila Kunis continued to attend part-time classes at her local school, Fairfax Senior High School, sitting alongside students from the nearby Inglewood and South Central L.A. neighborhoods. She graduated from Fairfax in 2001, the same year that she appeared alongside Kirsten Dunst and Sisqo in the teenie hit movie Get Over It and in the video for Aerosmith’s single “Jaded.”

However, in the meantime, Mila Kunis got another full-time gig doing voice work for the hit comedy Family Guy. She was the voice for Meg Griffin, older sister of the Griffin family. She’s worked on over 100 episodes to date.

Mila Kunis starred opposite William Shatner in American Psycho II: All American Girl, playing the lead role of Rachelle Newman, a purported Patrick Bateman survivor. Then, in 2004, she guest-starred in two episodes of Grounded for Life. She was also included in the movie Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005).
Mila Kunis continued her role as Jackie in That ’70s Show until the show ended in 2006.

She also did voice work for the Xbox 360 game Saints Row.

mila kunis in forgetting sarah marshall

Enjoying her voice-over work, Mila Kunis lent her voice to six episodes of the quirky cartoon Robot Chicken in from 2005-07 as well.

Then, in 2007, she had a role in the movie Boot Camp. She also had two 2008 film projects: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, costarring Kristen Bell, and Max Payne, with Mark Wahlberg, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Chris O’Donnell, and Kate Burton.

Look for her in ‘09 in Tom Cool and Extract, and in 2010 in The Book of Eli.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

As Queen Amidala’s aide in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, Keira Knightley drew attention because of her eerie resemblance to the equally hot Natalie Portman. But her witty performance in Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and damsel-with-an-attitude role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) made people take notice.

Sexiness

We’re no math whizzes, but add up a British accent, a bodacious body and an angelic face, and you get one fine woman. This is certainly the case with Keira Knightley, whose corset-wearing character in Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the highlights of summer 2003. In fact, she’s so fine, we want to make her swab our deck.

She has also ranked several times on AskMen.com’s annual Top 99 Most Desirable Women — she was No. 99 in 2003, No. 35 in 2006, No. 52 in 2007, and No. 39 in 2008.

Success

Keira Knightley’s career is replete with blockbuster successes, underground hits and everything in between. After some TV exposure in Britain, her appearance as Sab, Queen Amidala’s handmaiden in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, led to comparisons between her and Natalie Portman.

A role in the made-for-TV version of Oliver Twist followed, as did a top performance in The Hole (2001), a suspenseful tale of four British teenagers who discover a secret bomb shelter and get locked inside.

In 2001, both those hits helped pave the way for success across the Atlantic. One year later, the release of Bend It Like Beckham in the UK was hailed as a rousing success. The film was subsequently released in the U.S. and dubbed “the sleeper hit of 2003,” sending lots of praise Keira Knightley’s way. She shared the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema’s Golden Wave award with her costar, Parminder Nagra, was named British Newcomer of the Year by the London Critics Circle Film Awards, and was nominated by the Empire Awards and the Online Film Critics Society Awards.

New fans caught her in the summer blockbuster of 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, alongside Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. Her portrayal of Elizabeth Swann garnered her nominations from the Visual Effects Society Awards, the Empire Awards and the Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

After her 2006 Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards for Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightley appeared in the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006).

2007 was also a busy year for the actress with roles in the third Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Atonement and Silk. And in 2008, she was cast in The Edge of Love and The Duchess.

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Keira Knightley
• Wikipedia.org: Keira Knightley

Biography

Keira Knightley was born on March 26, 1985, to actor/playwright parents in Teddington, Middlesex, England. At 3 years of age, she asked her mother for an agent, feeling jealous that she never received the same amount of calls her parents did. At age 6, the Knightleys agreed to let their daughter have an agent provided that she studies every day during the summer holidays.

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

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

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

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

keira knightley stars in bend it like beckham
It was her other project in 2002, however, that served as her breakthrough role. Keira Knightley starred in Bend It Like Beckham, a hugely popular British comedy whose unexpected success has been likened to that of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). No longer an underground hit, the film made it big at the North American box office. Thanks to Keira Knightley’s portrayal of a determined soccer player, she can add the British Newcomer of the Year trophy courtesy of the London Critics Circle Film Awards, and a Best Actress award by the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema to her mantle.

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

keira knightley is named no. 39 in 2008 top 99
In 2005, Keira Knightley added The Jacket, costarring Adrien Brody, to her resume, as well as Pride and Prejudice, for which she garnered a Best Actress nomination from the Academy Awards in 2006.

2006 also saw her in the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, and in 2007 Keira Knightley appeared in the third installment of Pirates with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the critically acclaimed Atonement and the historical drama Silk.

The following year, Keira Knightley expanded her resume even further as she was ranked No. 39 on AskMen.com’s Top 99 list of Most Desirable Women.

keira knightley in the edge of love

In 2008, Keira Knightley appeared in two flicks — The Edge of Love and The Dutchess. Look for her in 2009’s Last Night, and 2010’s King Lear and The Beautiful and the Damned.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

Olga Kurylenko’s a relative newcomer to the world of film acting, but she already has a number of movie credits to her name, including appearances in Paris, je t’aime (2006), Le Serpent (2006), Hitman (2007), Tyranny (2008), and Quantum of Solace (2008).

Sexiness

Any chick who gets cast as a Bond girl deserves a great sex appeal rating. We know that Bond, James Bond only goes for the exotic, uber-sexy, off-the-chart hotties, and Olga Kurylenko is definitely one of them. Daniel Craig is a lucky man.

Success

Olga Kurylenko may be new on the American movie scene, but she’s made a stunning first impression. Jumping into Hollywood on the arms of bigwigs like Timothy Olyphant and Daniel Craig is nothing to sneeze at, and it seems like Olga Kurylenko isn’t about to stop there. She’s rumored to be taking on another ass-kicking role in the upcoming 2009 film Kirot.

Although she’s yet to receive formal recognition for her work here in Hollywood, we have a feeling Olga Kurylenko is set to make it big on the American big screen; and with looks like hers we definitely won’t mind watching her ascent to stardom.

Quotes

“I think James Bond still carries Vesper in his heart. Camille might be there to distract him… But maybe not!”
- Olga Kurylenko, on her character Camille in Quantum of Solace.

Biography

Olga Kurylenko was born and raised in the small town of Berdyansk, in southern Ukraine, and dreamed of getting away from there to live a more exciting and glamorous life. When she was 15, she went to Moscow for a week’s vacation at the suggestion of her mother, and it was there that she was “discovered” by a scout from a modeling agency. Olga was soon living in Paris where she began working immediately. Her first gig was a photo shoot in sunny Cuba.

olga kurylenko in paris, je t’aime

Olga Kurylenko eventually became interested in acting, as she began studying at a theater school during her spare time. She landed her first big screen role playing Iris in the French drama L’Annulaire. The film became a favorite at the 2005 Toronto Film Fest, and earned her the Certificate of Excellence as Best Actress at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. In 2006, Olga Kurylenko portrayed The Vampire, opposite Elijah Wood’s Tourist, in the ”Quartier de la Madeleine” segment of Paris, je t’aime, and also appeared in the French-Swiss telefilm Le Porte-bonheur.

olga kurylenko in quantum of solace

Next Olga Kurylenko appeared in Suspectes, a mini-series which aired on French television during the spring of 2007. Her other credits for that year included the role of sexy seductress Sofia in the thriller Le Serpent (aka The Snake) as Nika, and opposite Timothy Olyphant’s Agent 47 in Hitman, based on the video game of the same name.  She also played Mina Harud in the sci-fi drama Tyranny, which was introduced as a web-series before hitting the big screen sometime in 2008.

Olga Kurylenko became the next Bond girl, Camille, for the ‘08 flick Quantum of Solace, a role that finally solidified her place in Hollywood.

Look for her in ‘09 in the film Kirot.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/

Why Is She Famous?

Hayden Panettiere is mainly known for playing Claire Bennet on Heroes. She’s also known for her roles in Remember the Titans, Joe Somebody and Raising Helen. She has also acted on TV in shows including Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Sexiness

With her all-American-girl face, rockin’ body and luscious lips, Hayden Panettiere is the cover girl for Neutrogena and was one of the milky-lipped models for the “Got Milk?” ad campaigns. In 2007, the Heroes star officially signed to William Morris Agency; apparently, we aren’t the only fans of Hayden Panettiere’s sex appeal. In 2008 she made quite a few chick lists, including No. 51 in AskMen.com’s 2008 Top 99, No. 5 in 2008 on FHM’s 100 Sexiest. She was also ranked No. 13 on Maxim’s Hot 100 in ’08 and came out on top for the Sexiest Women of TV in March ’08 in Wizard magazine.

Success

We’ve been impressed with Hayden Panettiere’s acting skills since she was a toddler, and her adorable on-screen persona continues to charm. Now that she’s all grown up, we’re starting to see a sexy glimmer in the eyes of this once-Playskool commercial kid.

With her successful stint on the hit show Heroes as Claire Bennet, we’ve watched the sexy Hayden Panettiere on a weekly basis. In addition to her work on Heroes, she has also had roles in Remember the Titans (2000), Joe Somebody (2001) and Raising Helen (2004). She even acted on other TV shows, including Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

She’s also made quite a few “sexy” lists recently. Hayden Panettiere is just one of those blondes you keep on your radar.

Quotes

“You go on these internet blogs and people say the meanest things. I’m a normal person. Just because I’m in the spotlight doesn’t mean I’m God’s gift to the world.”
- Hayden Panettiere

Elite Partners

• IMDB.com: Hayden Panettiere
• MySpace.com: Hayden Panettiere
• Wikipedia.org: Hayden Panettiere

Biography

Born in Palisades, New York, on August 21, 1989, Hayden Panettiere did not wait long to begin her career. When she was just 11 months old, her mother got her a part in a commercial for Playskool toys. By the time she was 4 Hayden had almost 50 commercial appearances under her belt and was chosen for a role on the soap opera One Life to Live, which she kept until 1997.

During that stint, Hayden Panettiere became a more seasoned actress with roles on Guiding Light, the miniseries A Will of Their Own and the film The Object of My Affection (1998). After lending her voice to the Disney animated films A Bug’s Life (1998) and Dinosaur (2000), Hayden won the role of a football coach’s daughter in Disney’s Remember the Titans — arguably one of her most eminent roles.

hayden panettiere on ally mcbeal

Though still very young, the mature actress adapted well to her already successful career. In 2001, she appeared in The Affair of the Necklace, starring Hilary Swank, and the comedy Joe Somebody, starring Tim Allen.

Hayden Panettiere went back to television for Ally McBeal in 2002 and the made-for-TV movie Tiger Cruise in 2004, but established herself as a film actress with roles in 2004’s Raising Helen (starring Kate Hudson) and The Dust Factory, and 2005’s Ice Princess.

hayden panettiere is cast on heroes

In 2006, Hayden Panettiere starred in Mr. Gibb and, that same year, she earned the role of a lifetime: Claire Bennet on the hit drama Heroes. Since then, her popularity has skyrocketed. She has received tons of publicity, partly because of the hit drama, but also because of her increasing number of endorsements — Hayden Panettiere’s face now appears everywhere.

hayden panettiere is named no. 51 in 2008 top 99

In 2008, Hayden Panettiere continued kicking ass in another great season of Heroes. With all her big- and small-screen success, Forbes estimated her 2007 income at around $2 million.

That same year, she landed on various men mags’ lists for hotties, and ranked well in Maxim, FHM and Wizard magazines. She also came in at No. 51 on AM’s Top 99 Women of 2008. However, she also found herself in newspapers and on gossip sites after her father was arrested in a domestic dispute with her mother. When Hayden Panettiere finally commented on the issue, she simply said, “It was blown way out of proportion by a sheriff who wanted his 15 minutes of fame. My family is wonderful, so very happy. We’re all great.”

Hayden Panettiere’s most recent film projects include roles in 2008’s Fireflies in the Garden costarring Julia Roberts, 2009’s I Love You, Beth Cooper, and 2010’s Alpha and Omega with Christina Ricci and Hoodwinked 2: Hood vs. Evil with Amy Poehler.

Source: http://www.askmen.com/