Jessica Simpson released her first single, "I Wanna Love You Forever", which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2000. Soon afterward her major label debut album Sweet Kisses was released. To support the album, Jessica Simpson toured with Ricky Martin and with boy band 98 Degrees, and she and 98 Degrees group member Nick Lachey began dating shortly afterwards. After dating for two years, the couple cooled their relationship. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the couple reconciled. Simpson stated, "After 9/11, I knew that I never ever wanted to be away from Nick ever for the rest of my life."
On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Kristen Stewart would play Isabella "Bella" Swan in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name. Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when director Catherine Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test which "captivated" the director. Kristen Stewart stars alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, her character's vampire boyfriend. The film began production in February 2008 and finished filming in May 2008.
Natalie Portman started dancing lessons at age 4 and performed in local troupes. At the age of 10, a Revlon agent asked her to become a child model, but she turned down the offer to focus on acting. In a magazine interview, Natalie Portman said that she was "different from the other kids. I was more ambitious, I knew what I liked and what I wanted, and I worked very hard. I was a very serious kid."
In 2006, Keira Knightley was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Keira Knightley's biggest financial hit thus far, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, was released in July.
Beyonce Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager, and Tina Knowles, a costume designer and hair stylist. Beyonce Knowles' father is African American and her mother is of Creole (African American, Native American, and French) descent. Beyonce Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother. is the elder sister of Solange, a singer-songwriter and actress.
In the late 1980s, Halle Berry went to Illinois to pursue a modeling career as well as acting. One of her first acting projects was a television series for local cable by Gordon Lake Productions called Chicago Force. In 1989, Halle Berry landed the role of Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls (a spin-off of Who's the Boss?). Halle Berry went on to have a recurring role on the long running serial Knots Landing. In 1992, Halle Berry was cast as the love interest in the video for R. Kelly's seminal single, "Honey Love".
On July 19, 2003, Leah Remini married actor Angelo Pagán who also appeared on The King of Queens as Rico and other various characters. On June 16, 2004, Leah Remini gave birth to a daughter, Sofia Bella a day after her 34th birthday. Leah Remini's pregnancy was chronicled on the VH1 documentary Inside Out: Leah Remini the Baby Special. Leah Remini was also showcased on The Rachael Ray Show during a period of time she was trying to wean her child off pacifiers and drinking from a bottle.
At 12 years old, Jessica Biel attended The International Modeling and Talent Association conference in Los Angeles, where she was discovered and signed on by a talent agency. Jessica Biel began doing modeling work in print ads, as well as appearing in commercials for products such as Deluxe Paint and Pringles.
The son of Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a high school counselor, and William Alvin Pitt, a truck company owner, Brad Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Along with his siblings Doug (born 1966) and Julie Neal (born 1969), Brad Pitt grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where the family moved soon after his birth. Brad Pitt was raised as a conservative Southern Baptist.
Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress and model. Megan Fox began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a recurring role on Hope and Faith. In 2004, Megan Fox launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. In 2007, Megan Fox was cast as Mikaela Banes, the love interest of Shia LaBeouf's character in the blockbuster film Transformers which became her breakout role and earned her various Teen Choice Awards nominations. Fox reprised her role in the 2009 sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Later in 2009, she starred as the titular lead character in the film Jennifer's Body.
Tyra Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 1997, Tyra Banks received the VH1 award for Supermodel of the Year. That same year, Tyra Banks became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog.
In 2007, Amanda Bynes spoke out against becoming another wild Hollywood star. "I think I’ll go out as much as I’ve ever gone out... which is not a lot. I like to dance and stuff, but drinking isn’t good for you in every way. It’s not good for your skin; it makes you feel horrible. So, drinking-wise, no". Amanda Bynes reinforced these ideas throughout the summer of 2007, on the talk show circuit, and in many press interviews. She told Access Hollywood, "I like being with my family and friends, and I don't need to be out at the clubs." In an interview in December 2007, Bynes detailed how her parents taught her about alcohol.
Serena Williams is the reigning champion in both singles and women's doubles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and in women's doubles at the US Open. She has won 25 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 11 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. Her 12 Grand Slam singles titles ties her with Billie Jean King for sixth on the all-time list.[3] Williams ranks fourth in Grand Slam women's singles titles won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf with 22 titles and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with 18 titles each.[3] She has won more Grand Slam titles in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active female player.
Vanessa Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, and lived all over the West Coast – from Oregon to Southern California – with her parents, Gina (née Guangco), who held a succession of office jobs, and Gregory Hudgens, a firefighter. She was raised Roman Catholic and she has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens, who is also an actress. Hudgens is of mixed cultural background, as her father is of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, a native of Manila, is of Chinese-Filipino-Spanish descent. All of Hudgens's grandparents were musicians.
