Martina McBride (born Martina Mariea Schiff, July 29, 1966 in Sharon, Kansas) is an American Grammy nominated country music singer-songwriter.
Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American country music singer, who enjoyed pop music cross-over success during the era of the Nashville Sound in the early 1960s. Since her death at the age of 30 in a 1963 plane crash at the height of her career, she has been considered one of the most influential, successful and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century. Her life and career has been the subject of numerous books, movies, documentaries, articles and stage plays.
Cline was best known for her emotionally expressive voice, which has been cited and praised as an inspiration by many female vocalists since her death. She has sold millions of albums over the past 50 years and won countless awards, which has given her an iconic fan status, similar to that of country music legends Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. In 2001 she was voted by artists and members of the Country Music industry as #1 of The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music (CMT) and in 1999 she was voted #11 of The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll (VH1)
Patty Loveless (born Patty Lee Ramey on January 4, 1957 in Elkhorn City, Kentucky, raised in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American country music singer. Loveless rose to stardom thanks to her mix of honky tonk and emotive country ballads. She is a distant cousin of Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle. Her five number hits and 18 top Ten hits the second most of any female country soloists ever.
Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American television personality, jewelry designer, multi-platinum Grammy-winning singer, and Emmy Award-winning choreographer. In the 1980s, her career rose rapidly, from being a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to being a highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era, then to being a Pop-R&B singer with a string of top hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. According to Abdul, she has sold over 53 million records to date.[1] After that she suffered a series of reverses in her professional and personal life, until she found renewed fame and success in the 2000s as a judge on the highly rated television series American Idol.
Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was a country singer and songwriter. She was known as the "First Lady of Country Music" and one of her best-known songs, "Stand by Your Man,", was one of the biggest selling hit singles by a woman in the history of the country music genre
Deborah Ann Harry (born July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida) is a Grammy Award-winning, and Golden Globe-nominated American rock and roll musician, pop icon, and sex symbol from New Jersey. She originally gained fame as the frontwoman for the new wave band Blondie. Following this success, she went on to develop prolific careers as a solo musician and an actress.
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (born June 22, 1953), better known as Cyndi Lauper, is an iconic Grammy Award-winning singer and Emmy Award-winning film, television and theatre actress. Her melodic voice and wild costumes have come to epitomize the 1980s and New Wave — the decade and genre in which she first came to fame.
Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb January 9, 1951) is an American Country Music Singer. In the late 70s and 80s, she enjoyed much Pop Music crossover success with hits, like "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", "Talking In Your Sleep" and "Half the Way". She was one of Country and Pop music's most remembered female stars from that time period. She is famous for her nearly floor length long hair and was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1983. She is also the sister of singer Loretta Lynn and cousin of singer Patty Loveless.
Although Gayle is the younger sister of Loretta Lynn, her musical sound is very different from Lynn's, whose twangy, earthy and edgy voice gave a good beat to her best known songs like "Rated X", "Don't Come Home a-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)" and "The Pill". Gayle, meanwhile is best known for her country/pop crossover ballads she introduced to the world in the late 1970s and 1980s. In the 1960s, a deep-rooted twang still was important to country music. Gayle, on the other hand, came into country music when it was going towards a more pop-oriented sound, showing up such glam-oriented stars as Lynn Anderson and Barbara Mandrell. These differing production themes gave Crystal a less "twangy" sound, closer to other popular music styles of the time, than that of her sister in the 1960s.
Alanis Nadine Morissette (born in Ottawa, 1 June 1974) is a Canadian and naturalized American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She ranks among the top selling recording artists in history,[citation needed] largely thanks to her multi-million selling third album, and she has won seven Grammy Awards.
Morissette began her career in Canada, and as a child recorded two dance-pop albums, Alanis and Now Is the Time, under MCA Records. Her international debut album was the rock-influenced Jagged Little Pill. Jagged Little Pill sold thirty million copies, making it the best-selling debut album of all time by a female artist.
Morissette took up producing duties for her subsequent albums, including Under Rug Swept and So-Called Chaos. These garnered weaker reviews and lower sales.
Alfre Woodard (born November 8, 1952, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an acclaimed Academy Award-nominated, Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe-winning American actress.
Sandra Annette Bullock (born July 26, 1964) is an American film actress. She came to fame in the 1990s, after roles in successful films like Speed and While You Were Sleeping, and has since established a career as a well-known Hollywood leading actress, with the box office comedy hit Miss Congeniality and one of her most recent film roles, in 2005's Crash, receiving critical acclaim. She is the 14th richest female celebrity with an estimated fortune of $85 million
Jewel Kilcher (born March 22, 1972) is an American Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actress, poet and philanthropist, generally known just by her first name, Jewel.
Billie Jean Moffitt King (born November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California) is a retired tennis player from the United States. During her career, she won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She is generally considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players and female athletes in history. King has been an outspoken advocate against sexism in sports and society. The tennis match for which the public best remembers her is the "Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men's champion who had been ranked the "World's Number 1" tennis player for the years 1941, 1946, and 1947.
Janis Lyn Joplin (19th January, 1943 – 4 October 1970) was an American blues-influenced rock singer and occasional songwriter with a distinctive voice. Joplin performed on four albums recorded between 1966 and 1970 -- two as the lead singer of San Francisco's Big Brother and The Holding Company, and two released as a solo artist. Joplin was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
She was ranked #41 on VH1's The 100 Greatest Artists of Rock 'n Roll in 1998, the third highest ranking for a female (only behind Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell) on the list. In 1999, she was ranked #3 on VH1's The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll (behind Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner). In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Joplin #46 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
Christina Ricci (born February 12, 1980) is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated American actress. Ricci made her movie debut at age 10, starring with Cher and Winona Ryder in the 1990 film Mermaids, followed by a small role in 1992's The Hard Way. Her breakout role was as the dark 12-year-old Wednesday Addams in the successful The Addams Family film (1991) and its sequel, Addams Family Values (1993), where she received commercial attention and critical praise.
As an adult, Ricci began appearing in more mature roles after 1997's The Ice Storm, going on to successfully emerge out of her status as a child star, starring in low-budget — but critically acclaimed independent films, such as The Opposite of Sex (1998), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Comedy) and Pumpkin (2002). She also starred in major blockbusters such as Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Monster (2004).
Ricci has endured a status as a child star, teenage idol and today has emerged as a mature leading lady, dividing roles between independent films and mainstream blockbusters, and currently holds her own production company, Blaspheme Films, responsible for Pumpkin and Prozac Nation. Ricci has recently appeared in Black Snake Moan (2007) and Penelope (2007), and will star in the upcoming The Wachowski Brothers' feature film adaptation of Speed Racer, in 2008.
Elisabeth Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated American film actress.
Courtney Love (born July 9, 1964) is an American rock musician and Golden Globe-nominated actress, best-known as lead singer for the now-defunct alternative rock band Hole and for her two-year marriage to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Rolling Stone has called Love "the most controversial woman in the history of rock."
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella on April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her leading roles in a series of late 1990s and early 2000s thrillers, including Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy and High Crimes.
Lisa Anne Loeb (born 11 March 1968) is an American singer-songwriter and reality television star. In 1994, she had her first hit with the song "Stay (I Missed You)". The song today still remains as her biggest hit and most well-known song. Recently, she has moved into other endeavors, such as television. In 2006, she had her own reality TV show on the E! channel.
Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an Emmy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning American actress, perhaps most widely known for her role in the television sitcom Mad About You.
Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later called Lady Day was an American singer widely considered one of the greatest jazz voices of all time.
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado plans to put together an "alternative" rock band with music producer Timbaland.
The 28-year-old singer - who collaborated with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake for hit single Give It To Me, as well as a series of tracks on her last album Loose - has revealed plans for a new project.
She says, "I don't think it'd be, like, a real rock band. It's be more like our version of alternative, so it wouldn't necessarily be like heavy and guitar-driven. It would be left of field, but not necessarily pop."
Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is set to judge a fashion competition.
The style icon, 33, will judge creations by hopeful designers at Graduate Fashion Week in London next month.
Beckham will interview fashion students and judge their designs alongside style experts Harper's Bazaar's U.S. editor Glenda Bailey, Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz and fashion chain River Island's managing director Richard Bradbury.
Graduate Fashion Week chairman Terry Mansfield says, "I had the idea of asking Victoria to be on of the judges earlier this year and when we met she was very interested in it.
"She has been involved in designing already and she is seen as a global fashion icon. There's no questions that her presence will also help the students get more attention globally and if I have helped to get a couple of students a few more jobs then I haven't done such a bad thing."
U.S. actress Cameron Diaz arrives at the Australian Premiere of the film "Shrek the Third" at the State Theatre in Sydney May 22, 2007. [Reuters]
U.S. director Quentin Tarantino (C) poses with cast members, from L-R, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell, Rose McGowan and Sydney Tamiia Poitier during a photocall for his film "Death Proof" at the 60th Cannes Film Festival May 22, 2007. [Reuters]
Actress Mischa Barton arrives for the Elle-Christian Dior dinner at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes, near Cannes, during the 60th Cannes Film Festival May 21, 2007. [Reuters]
Pamela Anderson has revived her trademark skimpy red swimsuit for a new television commercial - but this time there is cellulite.
The former Baywatch star, who turns 40 in July, dusted off the outfit more than fifteen years after she debuted the look for her role as CJ Parker.
However, shots of Anderson back on the beach reveal a few telltale signs that she's no longer in her former glory.
Glimpses of cellulite and wrinkles proved that the former bombshell is human after all, and despite her famous breast implants, gravity has clearly still taken its toll on.
She divorced Kid Rock in November after less than four months of marriage.
However she is still on good terms with her other ex husband Tommy Lee, whom she divorced in 1998.
The pair have two children together, Brandon, 10, and Dylan Jagger, 9. (Daily Mail)
Actress-cum-singer Yuan Quan has shot a photo album for a domestic magazine.
The pictures, with black and white as the abiding theme, show the other side of the actress, usually known as a pure and sweet girl.
Yuan Quan has just released her first music album, called "Lonely Flower".
Dita von Teese performs at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS 2007 event in Mougins during the 60th Cannes Film Festival May 23, 2007.[Reuters]
British beauty Elizabeth Hurley has been dropped as the face of American clothing company Jordache.
And, to add insult to injury, Jordache has signed on German supermodel Heidi Klum as their new face instead.
Hurley had signed on for the company just last year.
Klum shot a new advertising campaign for the jeans line last week with Rush Hour director Brett Ratner behind the camera.
This is the second contract that the Brit beauty has lost.
She was dropped as the face of fashion label Monsoon in late March for someone younger.
Hurley had signed a six-month deal worth a million pounds with Monsoon, but with half of the period over, the company decided not to renew her contract in June thanks to poor sales that dominated the firm's accounts, despite their "Create A Storm" ad campaign.
Nicole Richie makes media headlines again. The reality TV star and socialite was reported to have checked into rehab for treatment of an eating disorder and substance abuse.
Per media reports, it is claimed that Nicole checked into the Beau Monde Treatment Center in Corona Del Mar, California on May 11th to deal with anorexia and an addiction to pills. She reportedly weighing in at 83 pounds.
If The National Enquirer and Star magazine are to be believed, Nicole was seen in tears that she had once again lost control of her life. "Nicole's been a mess for months," the publications quoted a source as saying. "Her weight has plummeted."
This was an unfortunate for the beauty as she has once experienced the same thing before. And now that she's in rehab, we wish her nothing except her being well and all the best.
News on her entering rehab comes amid reports that she's been dumped by boyfriend Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden for being "too clingy." Is it possible that her entering rehab has something to do with the break up reports?
German top model Heidi Klum (2R) and models Hana (L), Barbara and Anni (R), finalists of "Germany's Next Top Model" television show pose during a media presentation in Cologne May 22, 2007. [Reuters]
Pleasure is one of the perfumes Elizabeth Hurley speak for Estee Lauder
Jennifer Lopez creates and shoots ads for her own perfume Glow
Armani is jumping on Beyonce's sweet success, making her the face of its new fragrance, Emporio Armani Diamonds.
Women's Wear Daily reported last week that the company has tapped the native Houstonian to appear in both print and TV ads to promote the scent, due in stores next fall. In TV ads for the fragrance, the star is also slated to sing her own take of a classic American song.
Last year, Giorgio Armani introduced Armani Code for Women, a counterpart to its popular men's fragrance.
Lindsay Lohan rules. According to Maxim magazine, at least this month, she's the hottest woman in the world.
The "Georgia Rule" actress-troublemaker tops the magazine's eighth annual "Hot 100" list, a ranking by editors weighing buzz and beauty for women in film, TV, music, sports and fashion.
"There is no other star in the world (who) causes more of a stir in the public eye than Lindsay," said Maxim Editor in Chief Jimmy Jellinek in a statement. "Her every move is watched and reported on."
Not surprisingly, Jellinek described his young, male readership as being "obsessed" with the 20-year-old Lohan, a ubiquitous party girl who spent the weekend soaking up the sun (with a new boyfriend) in the Bahamas.
Jessica Alba had to settle with the No. 2 on the list, which is in the magazine hitting stands Saturday. She's followed, in order, by Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Biel, Ali Larter, Eva Mendes, Rihanna, Eva Longoria, Fergie, Sienna Miller, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce Knowles and Katherine Heigl.
Celebrity sisters Ashlee and Jessica Simpson are on the list at No. 16 and No. 41, respectively. Ashley Olsen, half of the mogul acting twins, placed 37th, while sister Mary-Kate didn't make the cut.
The cover of the Hot-100 June issue features a picture of No. 29: Sarah Silverman.
Heidi Klum, a model and mother of three, still has the guitar body shape. The German beauty has thus been signed as the new face of clothing company Jordache.
Klum recently posed for Jordache's new jeans line, which campaign was shot by "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner at Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood in a large suite.
"She was topless the entire shoot and she looked amazing, you can't believe this woman has had two children. Her humps were in perfect shape. And she was not shy, everyone got a peek at them," an onlooker told Star.
Jordache Enterprises, Inc. is a clothing company that manufactures apparel including shirts, jeans, and outerwear. The brand is known for its designer jeans that were popular in the late 1970s. (Aceshowbiz)
South Korean actress Song Hye Kyo became the first Korean star on cover of the Vogue magazine. [Sina]
Jessica Alba hopes that her current rash of films will help people - especially Hollywood producers - see beyond her looks and recognise her acting talents.
As well as the new Fantastic Four film, she's recently filmed comedies Bill and Good Luck Chuck, drama Awake and horror remake The Eye.
She told GQ recently: "I hope all my new work will help producers in getting past my hotness."
"Right now, I'm just exploring what my contribution to this business is - other than wearing a bikini and getting caught by the paparazzi."
"I try not to make the headlines [using my looks]. I'm self-conscious about this. I try to not make my presence known. I have my own fashion style and do not try to fit in. I don't have my breasts under my chin, I'm not showing butt cheeks, nor much legs. I don't go for the trendiest look."
Beyonce Knowles pictured doing a spot of shopping in Milan, Italy on May 11 with her younger sister Solange.
U.S. actress Sharon Stone arrives for a gala screening of the film "Chacun son Cinema" at the 60th Cannes Film Festival May 20, 2007.[Reuters]
Lindsay Lohan attends the Maxim Hot 100 Party held at the Gansevoort Hotel in New York City on Wednesday, May 16, 2007. [AP]
Chinese mainland actress, Vicky Zhao, shoots a new photo album in South Korea. The actress is currently taking courses in Beijing Film Academy for a master's degree in directing. [Photo: CRIonline]
Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, who had breast cancer surgery early last year after a breakup with champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, said on Friday she had adopted a 2-week-old baby boy. The Grammy-winning recording star, known for such hits as "All I Wanna Do," "Soak Up the Sun," and "If It Makes You Happy," announced the adoption with a short message to fans posted on her official Web site.
"His name is Wyatt (after my dad) Steven (after my little brother and Scooter) and we are enjoying some very private family time," she wrote. Scooter is the nickname of her longtime manager and friend, Steven Weintraub.
No other details about her newly adopted son were revealed, but Crow's publicist said the child was born in the United States.
Crow, 45, postponed a North American concert tour in February of last year to undergo "minimally invasive" surgery for breast cancer. She announced during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in October that she was cancer-free.
The singer's surgery came about a month after she and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, himself a cancer survivor, broke off their engagement, ending a high-profile two-year relationship.
Actress Ziyi Zhang arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala "Poiret: King Of Fashion" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York May 7, 2007. Another Chinese actress, Maggie Cheung, was also in attendance.[Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson]
Sandra Bullock won a restraining order against a fan she says repeatedly visited her home and tried to run down her husband, Jesse James.
The actress testified in court Friday that on five occasions, Marcia Valentine left in her yard palm fronds adorned with "weird signs" and "pieces of animal fur."
Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Borris found "clear and convincing evidence" of stalking and issued a three-year order barring Valentine from contacting or coming within 500 yards of Bullock, James or his three children.
The judge also gave the couple permission to record phone calls or videotape Valentine if she violates the order.
Valentine did not attend the hearing. Attempts to call her were unsuccessful.
Valentine, 45, of Huntington Beach, was arrested in April for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon. She remained free on $25,000 bail pending a May 22 court hearing.
Prosecutors said they were still reviewing the case and have not decided whether to file charges.
Bullock testified that after Valentine was spotted April 22 outside the couple's home in Sunset Beach, her husband went outside and tried to write down the woman's license plate when she aimed her Mercedes-Benz at him.
James, host of TV's "Monster Garage," was not hurt.
Lindsay Lohan made David Letterman's heart beat faster when she told him she plays a stripper in her next film, "I Know Who Killed Me." "You're just gonna kill me, you know I have a heart condition. You're just gonna kill me," the CBS' "Late Show" host said Wednesday night.
The 20-year-old actress said the audience will be seeing "a lot" of her in the "really dark, scary film."
Lohan also said she took lessons for the role.
Lohan was at a loss for words when Letterman talked about her "Georgia Rule" co-star Jane Fonda. Last year, Fonda praised a studio executive's scolding of Lohan for her absences on the set of the movie.
Lohan was silent for a moment, then replied: "She does, no, she's amazing."
"Georgia Rule," also starring Felicity Huffman, was to open in theaters Friday.
Thanyarat Jirapatpakorn (C) poses with runners-up Parawee Chapakorn (L) and Pimchanok Hongsopa after winning the Miss Tiffany's Universe transsexual beauty pageant in the Thai resort city of Pattaya, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Bangkok May 11, 2007. [Reuters]
Hollywood's Drew Barrymore has been named an Ambassador against Hunger for the United Nation's World Food Program, the organization announced Wednesday.
Barrymore, recently on the cover of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People, was in Washington Wednesday, where she stumped for legislation that would expand the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, which regulates funding for school meals, E! News said.
The 32-year-old actress will focus on school meal programs, saying, "I can't think of any issue that is more important than working to see that no schoolchild in this world goes hungry.
Barrymore, currently seen in "Lucky You" with Eric Bana, joins a growing list of actors spotlighting different global issues. Angelina Jolie is an an ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, while Michael Douglas acts as a U.N. envoy for non-proliferation. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Madonna, Don Cheadle and Leonardo DiCaprio also have attached their names worldwide to social causes.
Taiwan actress Annie Liu poses during shooting ads for a beauty product.
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are on the cover of Harper's Bazaar
Those who long for Jessica Biel to get back into action as she once did in "Blade: Trinity" probably can have the chance of seeing the beauty return to the genre soon.
LatinoReview.com has come up with an interesting tidbit informing that the actress is in the line to play the role of Chun Li in "Street Fighter", the forthcoming 20th Century Fox adaptation of the classic fighting videogame. A source for the site said that Biel is the next choice of the filmmakers after Keira Knightley and Jessica Alba both decided to pass on the project.
Pretty much unrelated to the 1994 movie of the same name except for the common source material, the picture is targeted for a 2008 release and has already tapped scribe Justin Marks to pen the screenplay. Plot details are being kept secret for now, but it is learned that the flick will focus on Li, the game's prolific female fighter known for her "Lightning Legs" attack.
The esteemed Barrymore lineage can now count an ambassador among its ranks.
Drew Barrymore has been tapped to be an Ambassador against Hunger for the United Nation's World Food Program, the organization announced Wednesday.
"I am honored and humbled to accept this challenging and rewarding assignment," said the 32-year-old actress, who will focus on improving school feeding programs. "I can't think of any issue that is more important than working to see that no schoolchild in this world goes hungry."
Fresh from gracing the cover of People magazine's recent 100 Most Beautiful People issue, Barrymore spoke from Washington, D.C., where she was on Capitol Hill to help lobby Congress about passing draft legislation that would expand the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, which regulates funding for school meals.
"Feeding a child at school is such a simple thing¡ªbut it works miracles," the Charlie's Angels star said. "School feeding not only fills stomachs, but has a proven track record of boosting enrollment, attendance and academic performance. For just pennies a day per child, this program changes lives¡ªand ultimately can impact the futures of poor countries around the world in a profound way."
The actress, who's currently on the big screen with Eric Bana in Lucky You and just hit DVD yesterday with Hugh Grant in Music and Lyrics, recently returned from her second trip to Kenya, where she joined her fellow Ambassador against Hunger, marathon world record-holder Paul Tergat, to visit sites where U.N.'s World Food Project is in effect.
¡±We are delighted to have Drew Barrymore join our team," WFP executive director Josette Sheeran said. "Her passion and commitment to changing the world for the better¡ªand of course the respect and admiration she commands¡ªwill make her a wonderful champion for school feeding."
Barrymore joins a growing list of A-listers that includes Angelina Jolie (an ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees), Michael Douglas (a U.N. messenger of peace for non-proliferation), Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Madonna, Don Cheadle, Leonardo DiCaprio and many others who have in recent years added "improve global living conditions" to their to-do lists.
Over her long and storied career, which included 12 Academy Award nominations and a record four wins for best actress, Katharine Hepburn personified a peculiarly American, dignified grit.
And with her 100th birthday approaching Saturday, Turner Classic Movies is remembering Hepburn, who died in June 2003 at 96, by showing several of her films this week ¡ª from her 1932 debut, "A Bill of Divorcement," to 1967's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," which earned her the second of her Oscars.
Robert Osborne, the channel's host, believes her appeal came from "her class and her oddity and her uniqueness. She was a wonderful role model for women, being independent, being her own person. She was one of those like Bette Davis, like Barbara Stanwyck ¡ª she gave license to women to be independent. I think that's one of the great things she did.
"That was a different era then," he added. "Even common farm women wanted to be classy. Today everyone wants to be unclassy ¡ª people show up in restaurants in major cities looking like hell. In those days, people came to New York and they brought their best clothes and they dressed up and went out. It's so alien to the way they feel today. People loved Hepburn because she was so classy, she was somebody to aspire to."
Despite the laurels and admiration Hepburn received as her career progressed, she wasn't always known for the quality of her acting. She was, after all, the inspiration for the phrase "box-office poison," which a theater chain owner dubbed her after a series of flops in the mid-1930s.
"She was a great personality ¡ª I think she was a really good actress but a great personality," Osborne said. "She became a star because of her personality and also because of her daring to be different, doing it by her own rules. I think she made up her mind she was going to be a success and forced it on all of us."
Osborne mentioned the June 2004 auction of Hepburn's personal items in New York ¡ª things she kept from long ago because she knew she would be important someday and that they'd be worth something.
"It is (arrogance) but not misplaced arrogance," he said.[AP]
Christina Aguilera is to join contemporaries such as Britney Spears by launching her very own perfume.
U.S. consumer giant Procter & Gamble will stump up the major investment for its first fragrance for the singer, with whom it signed a licensing agreement in January of this year.
The perfume, called Simply Christina Aguilera, will be launched globally this autumn.
Presented in a curvy glass bottle, intended to mirror the singer's silhouette, the fragrance will be supported by a print ad campaign featuring Aguilera's bare back painted with a black lace design.
It features the tagline: "Sometimes it's all you need to wear." Cheeky.
Kirsten Dunst at the "Spiderman 3" Italian premiere in Rome
Posing naked isn't something new for our actress Bai Ling. And the Chinese beauty has agreed to again bare all, this time for German artist Udo Spreitzenbarth.
The sexy actress will bare all in a new exhibition of life-size prints at the Berlinale gallery in Germany.
A Chinese actress who also has fame in the United States, Bai Ling once posed naked for the famous men's magazine Playboy back in 2005. She was reportedly performing research for her upcoming film, an undisclosed film about the sex trade.
Lindsay Lohan, actress and darling of the paparazzi, strikes a controversial pose on the cover of the June issue of Radar.
The 20-year-old Georgia Rule star agreed to be the cover girl for the mag's story about the dangerous world of celebrity photography.
"Lindsay wants to send a message," the mag's editor-in-chief Maer Roshan proclaims in his editor's letter.
However, Lohan's rep Leslie Sloane-Zelnick assures Radar that Lindsay's beef with the photographers isn't personal: "This whole thing is just spinning out of control. Sooner or later, someone's gonna die."
Over the course of the photo shoot, Lohan gamely brandished a flamethrower, a Glock and a Thompson submachine gun to ensure she made her point. Before she departed, someone asked why she had agreed to such a provocative shoot.
"I want people to pay attention," she said.
Clearly.
In the latest issue of Nylon, the fickle starlet confesses that she actually enjoys all of the attention she gets from the shutterbugs.
"I obviously like it," she said. "I wouldn't ever want them to not take my picture. I'd be worried. I'd be like, 'Do people not care about me?'"
(US Weekly Online)
Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty arrives for the world premiere of "Life in a.. Metro" at the Empire cinema in London's Leicester Square, May 8, 2007. [Reuters]
Amber Benson @ Wizard World Chicago 2004
Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives at Disney's California Adventure.
Key supporting actress in the movie Harry Potter, playing the role of Hermione Granger. She's cute, beautiful, and blessed. : )
Christina Hendricks @ Serenity Premiere
Morena Baccarin @ the Serenity Premiere
Lindsay lohan christian Dior shopping photos
Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives at Disney's California Adventure.
New movie posters for a South Korean movie called "Hwang Jin-yi", starring Song Hye Kyo and Ji-tae Yu, were released on May 1. Shot with a big budget of 10 billion South Korean won, the movie tells the story of a dancer, musician and poet called Hwang Jin Yi, who overcomes the hardships imposed by her low social status. It is expected to screen on the Chinese mainland from June 6. [Photo: sina.com.cn]
Bjork performs at Live 8 Japan at Makuhari Messe in Makuhari, east of Tokyo, in this July 2, 2005 file photo. Her last album featured only the sound of human voices, but with her latest release 'Volta,' Bjork seems to have entered her 'Tusk' phase.[Photo: Toru Hanai/Reuters]
Scarlett Johansson arrives to the Louis Vuitton LOVE party for Oxfam America in New York, Thursday, May, 3, 2007. [Photo: ent.sina.com.cn]
Hotel heiress Paris Hilton (R), arrives at the Metropolitan Branch Courthouse, in Los Angeles. The celebrity socialite was given a 45-day prison sentence by a Los Angeles court here Friday after being found guilty of a parole violation.[Photo: AFP/Gabriel Bouys]
Maya Asawawong Skinny Thai Asian Girl
Balloon Barichat Sweet Thai Asian Angel
Amanda Peet arrive to attend the premiere of the film "The Ex"
Britney Spears'aunt, Chandra McGovern, is speaking out about the pop star's bald head and brewing family drama.
In an interview, McGovern says of Britney's recent troubles: "The family felt very disappointed in the way she was acting." We don't blame them! Divorce, rehab, shaving her head...it's been an all together wacky year for Spears, 25.
And speaking of that shaved head, Brit's aunt explains: "[It] was a rebellion against everybody. She was saying I'm not the pop princess you think I am, now leave me alone."
Harsh words to deliver via haircut.
Aunt Chandra predicts the Spears family will resolve their issues shortly. Despite rumors that Britney is angry with her mom, Lynne, McGovern says: "If there is a family feud it won't last long. She and her mom are close.¡±
Looks like Brit's "comeback" applies to more than just her music career!
Troubled pop star Britney Spears is set to tell all about her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, in an autobiography, claiming the aspiring rapper allegedly drove her to suicide.
The "Toxic" star, whose turbulent life has included a brief Las Vegas wedding, a bitter divorce and custody battle, and a stint in rehab, will lift the lid on her high-profile public downfall, which saw her bizarrely shave off all her hair.
Publishers are already fighting over the rights to the book, which is tipped to earn the singer US$10 million.
The 'Music and Lyrics' star, who recently topped People magazine's first 100-strong Most Beautiful list, insisted that happiness is what makes people look good.
"I just think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness," Contactmusic quoted her, as telling the mag.
Barrymore admitted that though it was "fun" to watch people who are outwardly beautiful, she would rather be around people who made her "laugh and feel good", rather than someone who only looked beautiful but made others uncomfortable.
"If somebody walks into a room and they're drop-dead gorgeous and sexy, it's really fun to look at. But if somebody is giving of their spirit and they make you laugh and feel good, that's a whole other level of beauty," she added.
Barrymore will now be seen on the big screen opposite Aussie hunk Eric Bana in their new film 'Lucky You', which hits theatres on May 4 this year. (ANI)
Sarah Jessica Parker has taken a subtle swipe at fellow fashionista Gwem Stefani as she gets set to launch her own clothing line, Bitten.
The Sex and The City star admits she isn't a big fan of Stefani's L.A.M.B. clothing collections, insisting items are too "high fashion."
Speaking in the upcoming Glamour magazine, the actress calls Stefani's designs "much more avant-garde" than her own, adding, "I don't want to do that for women, because that's not their lives." She also doesn't approve of the high cost of L.A.M.B. fashions.
She says of her Bitten items, "You're going to be able to buy $200 worth of clothes, leave that store with six bags and be able to pay your utilities and take your kids some place special fortheir birthday."
Parker tells the magazine she knows just what it's like trying to raise kids on very little money: "I got all of my oldest sister's hand-me-downs. And by the time I inherited them, they were really out of fashion." (Contactmusic)
British model Kate Moss poses with her fashion collection in the Topshop window of at their flagship store at Oxford Circus in central London April 30, 2007. Shoppers were able to purchase clothes at the flagship retail chain store ahead of the official launch on Tuesday. [Reuters]
Hundreds of shoppers lined up for a sneak peek at Kate Moss' new collection for British fashion retailer Topshop.
Moss posed briefly in a store window in a flowing orange dress to promote the preview only moments before it began. Topshop was to let groups of shoppers browse for 20 minutes at a time Monday to avoid a mad scramble.
The collection includes jeans, shirts and dresses designed by the 33-year-old supermodel.
First in line outside the chain's Oxford Street store was 16-year-old Yasmin Kidd. "I want to get first pick," said Kidd, who was accompanied by her mother. "I'm a fan of Kate Moss and I usually shop at Topshop."
Customers could try on a maximum of eight garments during the preview and could purchase five of them. The company said it hoped limiting the number of garments per person would discourage shoppers from selling items on the eBay online auction house.
The collection by Moss was to be formally unveiled Tuesday.
Shoppers can choose from 50 designs, including a vest top for $24 and a cropped leather jacket for $300. Other items include skinny jeans, one-shoulder minidresses and T-shirts with the letter K woven into the designs.
The collection includes a summer line set to hit Topshop in June.
Kate Moss-Topshop: http://www.katemosstopshop.com/
Information from: AP via Yahoo News
