When Hawaiian-born Nicole Scherzinger was growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, she received a Christmas gift at the age of six that would change the course of her life: a tiny purple boombox and a cassette of Whitney Houston’s chart-topping 1985 self-titled debut album. “My parents had no money, but they got me this player and Whitney’s album, which had ‘Greatest Love of All’ on it,” Scherzinger recalls. “That was it for me. From that moment on I wanted to sing. Her voice was so powerful; every note she sang just felt like the truth.”
Ever since, Scherzinger has been chasing that truth in everything she does, funneling her relentless drive and deep desire to connect with people through performance into a multi-faceted career that has enabled her to sing (she lead the multi-platinum pop group The Pussycat Dolls to 10 million in album sales and numerous sold-out global tours), dance (she took home the mirror ball trophy as the tenth season winner of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars), and act (How I Met Your Mother, the Neil Patrick Harris-directed production of the Tony-Award winning musical Rent at the Hollywood Bowl, and a cameo in the upcoming feature film Men in Black III). Scherzinger’s smart critiques during her two seasons as a judge on NBC’s a cappella competition The Sing-Off, as well as her guest judge appearances on the British version of Simon Cowell’s televised talent show The X Factor so impressed Cowell that he tapped Scherzinger to serve as a judge on the American version of The X Factor, which launches on Fox this fall and is already one of the most-talked about new shows of the year.
“The X Factor is a phenomenon,” Scherzinger says. “When you’re on the set, you feel the crazy energy. It’s Simon’s world and anything goes. I’m really looking forward to mentoring and being of service to the contestants. I live and breathe music, so any way that I can use my experiences as a performer coming up in this business to inspire, motivate, and encourage these newcomers to achieve their dreams will be really satisfying.”
This year, Scherzinger will also achieve one of her own life-long dreams, the release of her debut solo album, entitled Killer Love, which will be released by Interscope Records this summer. The album is a bold, statement-making collection that combines Scherzinger’s love for rock, soul, and funk with alluring pop productions. Killer Love announces Scherzinger, who spent five years leading The Pussycat Dolls, as an artist in her own right, showcasing her powerful voice, ear for irresistible melodies, and considerable songwriting talent.
Scherzinger titled the album Killer Love after a song she co-wrote with RedOne of the same name about “a love so deep, heavy, and dark that it’ll probably kill you,” she says. “It’s about losing yourself in a relationship. When that happens you may be in a very broken and weak place, but through that process you find yourself and get stronger, which is what songs like ‘Casualty,’ ‘Desperate,’ and ‘Everybody’ are about. I chose these songs because I wanted to sing about what has happened to me in past relationships and I felt like people could really connect with my stories. That’s what gives me so much fire and soul when I sing. When you sing about surviving, there’s so much more authenticity behind it.”
The first collaborator Scherzinger enlisted to help her craft Killer Love was RedOne, known for his work with Lady Gaga, Enriquez Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez. “I described the music I heard in my head to him, which was pop, but rock-influenced and with a soul-funk vibe,” Scherzinger says. “At the time I was inspired by these iconic artists from the ’70s and ’80s, like Tina Turner, Sly Stone, Prince, and Michael Jackson. I love them because you can hear the emotion behind everything they sing. They take that energy to the next level of surrender and let everything go in their music. Being on my own as a performer after The Pussycat Dolls was very liberating, so I wanted to do something big, powerful, and dangerous -- I wanted to make music with teeth.”
RedOne and a host of other top-notch producers and songwriters, including Jim Jonsin (Beyoncé, Usher), Tricky Stewart (Rihanna, Mary J. Blige), Stargate (Ne-Yo, Katy Perry), Boi 1da (Drake, Lil Wayne), and Esther Dean (Britney Spears, Jennifer Hudson), helped bring out the many sides of Scherzinger’s musical personality, from strong and seductive to emotional and vulnerable, which she expresses through a variety of styles: playful, Island-flavored pop (first single “Right There,” featuring 50 Cent), sleek, Euro-tinged dance anthems (No. 1 U.K. hit “Don’t Hold Your Breath,” “Wet,” “Club Banger Nation”), as well as several soaring ballads (“Casualty,” “You Will Be Loved,” and the spare, deeply felt “AmenJena”). “I wrote ‘AmenJena’ because I wanted a song that just came from my gut,” Scherzinger says. “It’s 100 percent me. I poured everything I had into that song and I just love the simplicity of it.” The common thread throughout Killer Loveis Scherzinger’s elastic voice, a remarkable instrument that she is free to unleash in a variety of ways as a solo artist.
Scherzinger knew from a young age that she was destined to be a singer. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she watched her family perform traditional Polynesian numbers featuring her mother as the lead hula dancer and her grandmother, Tutu, as the singer. When Scherzinger was six, her family relocated to Louisville, Kentucky. She attended performing arts junior and senior high schools and attended Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where she majored in theatre and minored in dance. Scherzinger later joined rock band Days of the New, with whom she recorded an album and toured, but was eager to become a pop artist. She auditioned for the WB’s talent series Popstars and won a slot as one of the lead vocalists in the all-girl group Eden’s Crush, who scored the Top 10 single “Get Over Yourself (Goodbye).” “I remember being in New York City and driving over the Brooklyn Bridge and hearing it for the time ever on the radio and freaking out,” Scherzinger recalls. The group released a gold album, and toured with *NSYNC and Jessica Simpson before disbanding at the end of 2001.
It wasn't long before Scherzinger got word that Ron Fair and choreographer Robin Antin were looking for vocalists to create a recording group based on Antin’s A-list Hollywood dance troupe The Pussycat Dolls. She showed up at the audition ready to pitch herself as a solo artist. “I didn’t want to be in a group, I was just there to get in a room with Ron, give him my demo and get a solo deal, that’s all,” she says with a laugh. But [Interscope Geffen A&M chairman] Jimmy Iovine and Ron saw something in me and said they couldn’t let me go. Being in another group wasn’t part of my plan, but I was always going to do whatever it took to get me to the next place.”
After Scherzinger joined The Pussycat Dolls in 2003, the group became a worldwide phenomenon, releasing two albums, 2005’s PCD, which has sold nine million copies worldwide, and 2008’s worldwide million-seller Doll Domination. They’ve also scored a string of massive hit singles, including the No. 1’s “Don’t Cha” and “Buttons,” the Grammy-nominated “Stickwitu,” “I Hate This Part,” and “When I Grow Up,” which hit the Top 10 in 16 countries. The group won two Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and toured with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and The Black Eyed Peas. “I’m very proud of what we’ve done,” Scherzinger says. “It was really high-quality pop music, thanks to Ron and Jimmy, and I loved the whole process.”
The only member of The Pussycat Dolls with songwriting credits on the albums, Scherzinger became a highly sought-after collaborator for other artists, appearing on recordings by Shaggy, Vittorio Grigolo, Will Smith, Avant, P. Diddy, 50 Cent, Slash, Pitbull, T.I., will.i.am, Timbaland, and Enrique Iglesias.
Now she is gearing up for a jam-packed 2011 with the premiere of The X Factor and the release of Killer Love. “All I’ve ever really wanted to do was sing,” she says. “I didn’t care about being famous. I wanted to do musical theater and then make records because I saw how much albums connected with people. Whitney Houston really touched me and changed my life. She drew me into her world and that’s what I hope to do with Killer Love. I want to tour and launch an amazing show that’s more than just me standing there singing the hits. I want to create a world inside of the music like my favorite performers did. I want to play in that realm artistically and creatively and see where it takes me, then put it onstage and share it with people. That’s what it’s about for me.”
OFFICIAL SITES:
Source :
Early Life
Television Work
At age nine, Kunis took acting classes after school at the Beverly Hills Studios, where she met her first and still current manager Susan Curtis. Said Kunis: "My parents told her, 'Listen, we can’t afford head shots; we can’t afford anything. We can’t take her to auditions because we work full-time.' ... [Curtis] said, 'Don’t worry. I’ll fix everything,' and she did. I ended up getting the first thing I went out for, which was a Barbie commercial. All my parents said was, 'You can do whatever you want to do as long as you get A's and stay in school." Kunis began appearing in print-ads, catalogues, and TV commercials for children's products like Lisa Frank products, Mattel's Barbie, and Payless Shoes. She also modeled for a Guess girls' clothing campaign. Her first TV role was as the young Hope Williams on an episode of the popular soap opera Days of our Lives. She had a minor role on 7th Heaven as Lucy's nemesis and supporting roles in Santa with Muscles, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and the Angelina Jolie film Gia, as Gia Carangi's younger self.
In 1998 Kunis was cast as Jackie Burkhart in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. All who auditioned were required to be at least 18 years old; Kunis, who was 14 at the time, told the casting directors she’d be 18 but didn't say when. Though they eventually figured it out, the producers still thought Kunis was the best fit for the role. That '70s Show ran for eight seasons, becoming the second longest-running live-action sitcom on Fox (after Married with Children). Kunis expressed some frustration with working on one show for so long. "Eight years of doing the same [show] felt like being behind a desk, and I lost my drive," she says. However, she quickly "had an epiphany. I decided I wasn't going to take my career so seriously and make my job who I am. I just want to be happy with my life."
In 1999, Kunis replaced Lacey Chabert in the role of Meg Griffin on the animated television sitcom Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series plot centers on a family called the Griffins, a dysfunctional family. The series starred MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and Mike Henry. Kunis won the role after auditions and a slight rewrite of the character, in part due to her performance on That '70s Show. MacFarlane called Kunis back after her first audition, instructing her to speak slower, and then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her. MacFarlane added: "What Mila Kunis brought to it was in a lot of ways, I thought, almost more right for the character. I say that Lacey did a phenomenal job, but there was something about Mila – something very natural about Mila. She was 15 when she started, so you were listening to a 15-year-old. Which oftentimes with animation they'll have adult actors doing the voices of teenagers and they always sound like Saturday morning voices. They sound, oftentimes, very forced. She had a very natural quality to Meg that really made what we did with that character kind of really work."
Kunis described her character as "the scapegoat." She further explained, "Meg gets picked on a lot. But it's funny. It's like the middle child. She is constantly in the state of being an awkward 14-year-old, when you're kind of going through puberty and what-not. She's just in perpetual mode of humiliation. And it's fun." Kunis was nominated for an Annie Award in the category of Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production in 2007. She also voiced Meg in the Family Guy Video Game!.
Film Work: 2001-2008
In 2001, she appeared in Get Over It opposite Kirsten Dunst. She followed that up in 2002 by starring in the straight-to-DVD horror film American Psycho 2 alongside William Shatner, a sequel to the 2000 film American Psycho. American Psycho 2 was panned by critics; later, Kunis herself expressed embarrassment over the film. In 2004 Kunis starred in Tony n' Tina's Wedding. Although the film was shot in 2004, it did not have a theatrical release until 2007. Most critics didn't like the film, which mustered a 25% approval from Rotten Tomatoes. DVD talk concluded that "fans would be much better off pretending the movie never happened in the first place". In 2005 Kunis co-starred with Jon Heder in Moving McAllister, which was not released theatrically until 2007. The film received generally poor reviews and had a limited two week run in theaters. She followed up with After Sex playing alongside her Get Over It costar Zoe Saldana. In October 2006 she began filming Boot Camp (originally titled Straight Edge). Although the film did not have a theatrical release in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 25, 2009
Kunis starred as Rachel Jansen in the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, co-produced by Judd Apatow. The role, which she attained after unsuccessfully auditioning for Knocked Up, entailed improvisation on her part. The film garnered positive reviews, and was a commercial success, grossing $105 million worldwide. Kunis's performance was well-received; Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal praised her "fresh beauty and focused energy", while James Berardinelli wrote that she is "adept with her performance and understands the concept of comic timing". She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. In an interview, Kunis credited Apatow with helping her to expand her career from That ‘70s Show". Also in 2008, she portrayed Mona Sax, a Russian assassin, alongside Mark Wahlberg in the action movie Max Payne, based on the video game of the same name. Kunis underwent training in guns, boxing, and martial arts for her role. Max Payne was relatively successful at the box office, grossing $85 million worldwide but was panned by critics with several reviewers calling Kunis miscast. Director John Moore defended her choice of Kunis, saying, "Mila just bowled us over...She wasn't an obvious choice, but she just wears Mona so well. We needed someone who would not be just a fop or foil to Max; we needed somebody who had to be that character and convey her own agenda. I think Mila's just knocked it out of the park." She was nominated for another Teen Choice Award for her role in the film.
Film Work: 2009-present
In 2009, she appeared in the comedy Extract with Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman. The film received mostly positive reviews, and grossed $10.8 million at the box office. Roger Ebert, while criticizing Extract for not being believable, wrote that Kunis "brings her role to within shouting distance of credibility." Director Mike Judge commented that part of what was surprising to learn about Kunis was her ability to make references to the cult animation film Rejected. Judge said: "As beautiful as Mila is, you could believe that maybe she would cross paths with you in the real world." After seeing Kunis perform in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Judge wanted to cast her in the role of Cindy in Extract: "I just thought, 'Wow, this girl’s perfect.' And she really wanted to do it, which was fantastic." Said Kunis, "I’m a huge fan of Mike Judge's from Office Space, so I was, like, 'Okay, this is a very easy decision.' I told them I would do anything needed to be in this production – like craft service, or, say, acting." In 2010, she starred alongside Denzel Washington in the action film The Book of Eli. Although the film received mixed reviews, it has performed well at the box office grossing over $157 million worldwide. Film critic Richard Roeper praised Kunis's performance calling it a "particularly strong piece of work". Several other reviews were equally positive of her performance, including Pete Hammond of Boxoffice magazine, who wrote that she's "ideally cast in the key female role" Even reviewers who did not necessarily like the film complimented her performance, such as James Berardinelli, who stated that "the demands of the role prove to be within her range, which is perhaps surprising considering she has been thus far pigeonholed into more lightweight parts" and Colin Covert of the Star Tribune who wrote that she "generated a spark and brought a degree of determination to her character, developing an independent female character who’s not always in need of rescuing." Some critics, however, called her miscast. Kunis received another Teen Choice Award nomination for her performance.
Kunis was also cast in a minor role in the 2010 comedy Date Night, starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. She garnered several positive reviews for her performance. She and Natalie Portman play rival ballet dancers in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. Kunis, who was cast in the film based on her performance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and on the recommendation of costar Natalie Portman, underwent a training regimen that included cardiovascular exercise, a 1200-calorie a day diet and ballet classes for four hours a day, seven days a week. The film premiered as the opening film at the 67th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2010. The film also had a premium screening at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival on September 13 and will have its initial release to the public on December 3, 2010. Early reviews of Kunis's performance have been positive, with Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter stating, "Kunis makes a perfect alternate to Portman, equally as lithe and dark but a smirk of self-assurance in place of Portman's wide-eyed fearfulness." Guy Lodge of In Contention praises Kunis saying, "it’s the cool, throaty-voiced Kunis who is the surprise package here, intelligently watching and reflecting her co-star in such a manner that we’re as uncertain as Nina of her ingenuousness." Kunis's performance won her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival and earned her Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. At the 37th annual Saturn Awards she was also honored with the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance Kunis was cast alongside Justin Timberlake in the romantic comedy Friends with Benefits, which filmed from July to September 2010 in New York City in Los Angeles. Director Will Gluck stated that he wrote the story with Kunis and Timberlake in mind. "There were a couple of actors I wanted to work with, so I wrote it for Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. I wanted to do more of an adult movie about sex, too, and about relationships." Kunis has confirmed that her next project will be Ted, co-starring Mark Wahlberg, and directed and co-written by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. She will follow up Ted with the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures' prequel, Oz, the Great and Powerful, where she will play Theodora, the youngest of three witches, opposite James Franco.
Media Publicity
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Kunis was ranked #54 in Stuff's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002); Maxim named her #47 on its 2006 Hot 100 list. In 2008, she was ranked #81 on the Maxim Hot 100 list. She was also ranked #81 on the FHM U.S 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2008, although she is unranked in other FHM magazines from different nations. Kunis was also described as one of the "most attractive geeks" in 2008 by Wired.com due to her much-publicized affinity for World of Warcraft. The same year she was featured and on the cover of the October issue of Complex Magazine. In 2007 Kunis participated in a video for the website Funny or Die playing alongside James Franco. The video was a parody of the MTV show The Hills and was a huge success for the website with well over one million views. Shawn Levy, director of Date Night, stated that part of what made him decide to cast Kunis with James Franco in the film was the chemistry he felt they had in the Funny or Die video. In December 2008, Kunis was featured in Gap's "Shine Your Own Star" Christmas campaign with other celebrities such as Jennifer Hudson, Jason Bateman, Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Heder, and others
In 2009 she was ranked #5 in "Maxim Magazine's Hot 100" list. In addition, she won the award for "Hottest Mila" at the 2009 Spike Guys' Choice Awards beating out Milla Jovovich. Also in 2009 Premiere.com ranked Mila the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. In 2010 she was featured in the "Women We Love" segment in Esquire with an accompanied video. For the 2010 "Maxim Magazine Hot 100" Kunis ranked #22, and for the 2010 FHM Hot 100 list she ranked #17. Kunis has kept this type of media attention in perspective and has remained grounded by saying: "You've got to base your career on something other than being FHM's top 100 No. 1 girl. Your looks are going to die out, and then what's going to be left?" In 2010 Kunis served with Randy Jackson as the Master of Ceremonies for the 9th Annual Chrysalis Foundation Benefit. The Chrysalis Foundation is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization formed to help economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals to become self-sufficient through employment opportunities. For the October 2010 Elle magazine 25th anniversary special edition, Kunis was one of the women chosen to be featured for their success at a young age. The honor included a photo and video presentation on the magazine's website. Kunis was among several female stars photographed by Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams in conjunction with the Calvin Klein Collections for a feature titled American Women 2010, with the proceeds from the photographs donated to the NYC AIDS foundation. Also in 2010, Kunis was featured and on the cover of the December issue of Nylon. In 2011, Kunis graced the cover of the February issue of Cosmopolitan and the March issue of W magazine. For the 17th Annual Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair, Kunis was among the actors to be chosen to appear on the cover. For the 2011 edition of the top 99 most desirable women, Askmen.com ranked Kunis #2. Also in 2011 Kunis ranked No.5 on the Maxim Hot 100 list. At the 2011 Spike Guys' Choice Awards Kunis received the Holy Grail of Hot award beating out Minka Kelly.
Personal Life
Kunis has spoken with affection about her parents and has credited them for being a positive influence and keeping her focused on what is important in life. "I had a normal upbringing and went to public school," she says. "If I ever, even for a second, started getting a big head, I was brought back to reality pretty quickly. My parents are why I'm pretty grounded." Kunis has been dating actor Macaulay Culkin since 2002. Although there have been rumors of the couple getting married, Kunis has denied this, saying: "I've been engaged. I think I've already been married. And I'm sure I have a child somewhere. I'm waiting to have something else happen. No, I'm not married. And no, I'm not engaged. And no, I do not have a child. No one seems to listen. And next week I'll be engaged again. I think, at one point, they were like, 'Seen shopping in Beverly Hills for engagement rings.' We were in Japan working. What is wrong with these people? Half the time you can say they misconstrued facts. But, more often than not, they just make stuff up." In an interview with BlackBook Magazine Kunis stated that marriage is "not something that’s important to me". Regarding her relationship with Culkin she said she tries her best to protect their privacy. "We don't talk about it to the press. It's already more high profile than I want it to be." When questioned if it was difficult to stay out of the tabloids and press, Kunis responded: "I keep my personal life as personal as I physically, mentally, possibly can." Asked if that is difficult she said, "I don't care. I will go to my grave trying. It is hard, but I'll end up going to a bar that's a hole in the wall. I won't go to the "it's-happening" place."On January 3, 2011, Kunis' publicist confirmed reports that Kunis and Culkin had ended their relationship, saying ""The split was amicable, and they remain close friends""
She has identified herself in interviews as a fan of the online computer game World of Warcraft and has received a certain amount of attention from the game's fan community as a result. She has not released what server she is in but says she is with her close friends in the Alliance. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she said she does not use voice chat in the game after another player recognized her voice. Although Kunis has described herself as a "computer nerd" she does not have a Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. In an interview with H Magazine Kunis stated that she does not devote as much time to World of Warcraft anymore, but enjoys hanging out with her friends when she can. "When we have ‘friends night’ and we all get together, we play board games like The Settlers of Catan." She also mentioned that she and her friends enjoy doing Murder Mystery tours, where they drive around the Los Angeles area exploring locations of famous murders that have taken place. Kunis also enjoys traveling, and often goes on trips with her older brother, Michael. She and Michael have explored countries such as Fiji and Korea. "I like the way he travels," she explains. "He grabs a map, says, 'Let's walk,' and makes you explore." When asked to describe her perfect day Kunis said: "It would be going for a swim, lazing around the house, playing with my dogs, drinking a root beer float, catching up on TiVo, having some food, a glass of wine and calling it a night." In January 2011, she revealed publicly for the first time her struggle with an eye condition called chronic iritis that had caused blindness in one eye. However, a couple of months earlier she had surgery that corrected the problem.
Source:
Vanessa Hudgens
It could have been just a dream back then but on the 14th of December 1988, a star was born. Greg and Gina Hudgens named the their first child Vanessa Anne, which 16 years after will be the name everyone will be saying around the world. Sister to Stella Hudgens, Vanessa was born in Salinas Californa – a true “Cali Girl” but is also of half-and-half nationality. She’s half Irish-Native American from her dad and half Filipina from her mom who was from Cebu but also has Spanish and Chinese blood flowing through her veins.
Since eighth grade, Vanessa’s mom started home schooling her and her sister as they kept moving around the country and later settled in California. Although she claims to not have experienced the high school drama, Mrs. Hudgens surely did not lack giving knowledge. Little did she know, later in her life, Vanessa will be experiencing the high school life she missed in reality.
Career
In 2005, Disney wrote a musical made-for-television movie that later became a world phenomenon – High School Musical. The tv-movie was Vanessa’s first starring role playing the shy silent freaky genius girl, Gabriella Montez with then-rising star Zac Efron as basketball star Troy Bolton and Disney Channel’s Ashley Tisdale as drama queen Sharpay Evans. Joining in the six major cast were Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie, Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth and Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans. In January 20, 2006, High School Musical called out to millions of kids, teens, young adults and young at hearts and became a world wide phenomenon, which brought Vanessa Hudgens’s name to fame. She had been interviewed in various talk shows and live shows including NBC’s The Today Show in New York City. She had also began travelling the world promoting the movie in UK and Australia with the rest of the major cast.
She later appeared in two episodes of Nickelodeon’s Drake and Josh as Drake’s (played by Drake Parker) girlfriend, Penny, which aired February 4, 2006 (Alien Invasion) and March 18, 2006 (Little Sibling). She also appeared in Disney’s The Suite Life of Zac and Cody in four episodes as London Tipton’s (Brenda Song) fan and classmate, Corrie, including Kept Man which originally aired on May 19, 2006, Neither a Borrower Nor a Speller Bee on April 14, 2006, Not So Suite 16 on March 24, 2006 and Forever Plaid on March 20, 2006.
Being such a huge hit, High School Musical made a sequel following Troy and Gabriella throughout summer in the second made-for-tv movie High School Musical 2 with all the cast and director Kenny Ortega returning. The movie hit over millions of viewers when it aired in Disney Channel on August 17 making it one of the most-watched movies in cable tv in America.
The year after, in October 24, 2008, the senior year story of the characters of High School Musical was put on featured length film as High School Musical 3: Senior Year hit the American theaters. Early releases were made in Europe and was later followed in the other parts of the world including Australia, Mexico and more. This movie had been the trilogy’s farewell to the original cast but also the welcome to three new characters played by Jemma McKenzie Brown as Tiara, Matt Prokop as Jimmie ‘The Rocket’ Zara, and Justin Martin as Donny Dion who was said to be continuing the franchise started.
Sometime in early 2008, Vanessa Hudgens was cast to play outsider Sa5m in Summit Entertainment’s Bandslam, which was formally known as Will and Rock On. Joining her in the cast list Gaelan Connel as Will Burton, co-Disney Star Alyson Michalka as Charlotte Barnes and Friends’s Lisa Kudrow as Karen Burton. Set in Utah and New York, the movie will rock the theaters on August 14, 2009.
On April 2009, news surfaced the internet confirming Vanessa’s casting on the first film project of CBS Films playing the role of Lindy in the movie “Beastly”. It is the movie adaption of the book written by Alex Flinn which retells the story of Beauty and The Beast in modern times. The story is set in New York which will be filmed mostly in Montreal starting early June 2009. Together with Alex Pettyfer and Mary-Kate Olsen, the movie is expected to be seen in 2010.
At the same time, Vanessa was confirmed to join the casting of Zack Snyder’s next project after Watchmen called “Sucker Punch”, which he describes as Alice in Wonderland with machine guns. It’s an all girl cast sharing the big screen with Emily Browning and three other girls. It is expected to see the story of a girl admitted to a mental hospital by her father and is imagining ways to get out in theaters in 2011.
The success of High School Musical brought Vanessa’s fame further to the music industry making her the first of the six original cast of the movie to have an album. V was released eight months after the movie was released on the 26th of September under Hollywood Records including hit songs Come Back To Me and Say OK.
The music video for Come Back To Me was released on August 25, 2007 featuring Vanessa’s sister and friends and pet dog Shadow. It was then followed by Say OK, which was released in two versions. The first version was released on January 12 to feature Vanessa singing the single and behind the scene footages in the High School Musical Concert held in various states of America. The official Say OK music video was released on March 16, 2007 featuring co-star Zac Efron and some of her friends.
After yet another success, Vanessa released her second album on July 1, 2008 which includes the hit single Sneakernight, which premiere on April 11, 2008 in Radio Disney. Sometime in September, the music video for the single was released on June 4, 2004 featuring HSM Back-up dancers and Red Ecko Sneakers.
More music videos for singles will hopefully follow Sneakernight, which was said to be either Identified or Amazed – featuring Lil Mama.
Source: Vanessa-Hudgens.Org
Official Website:
vanessahudgensofficial.com
Erica Durance
Erica Durance was born on June 21, 1978 in Calgary, Canada to a truck driver, Joel, and librarian, Gail. She grew up with an older brother and sister on a turkey farm in Three Hills, Alberta in Canada. After school, she moved to Vancouver to start her acting career.
During her early works in movies and tv shows she was credited as Erica Parker, simply due to the fact that she had been married before. At age 18 she got married to her boyfriend of over a year. Three years later the couple got divorced. Erica made her acting debut in the 2002 horror movie The Untold aka Inexplicable (Canada: French title) and Sasquatch (USA). Other roles included House of the Dead (2003) and the made for tv movie Devil Winds (2003).
In 2004 she was cast as the young Lois Lane in the WB's hit tv show Smallville - she plays the role to perfection. Due to her success among the fans, she was made a recurring guest star, starring in 13 out of 22 episodes.
Erica got married to actor David Palffy on January 8th 2005 after they'd been in a relationship for 3 years. The couple had met during the filming of Stargate SG-1. It is rumored that Erica will be back for Smallville season 5, though as of yet, it is unsure what her status will be, regular or recurring. She and her husband recently bought a house in Vancouver, Canada where they are currently living and working.
MOVIES
The Butterfly Effect 2
2006
Julie
Island Heat: Stranded
2006
Karina
Devil Winds (TV)
2003
Kara
House of the Dead
2003
Johanna
The Untold
2002
Tara Knowles
Smallville
series regular since Season 5 - Season 10
Lois Lane
Smallville
13 episodes of Season 4 - September 2004-May 2005
Lois Lane
The Collector
1x13 Another Collector - August 25, 2004
Rachel Slate
Stargate SG-1
8x07 Affinity - August 20, 2004
Krista James
Andromeda
4x20 Time Out of Mind - May 3, 2004
Amira
Tru Calling
1x13 Drop Dead Gorgeous - March 18, 2004
Angela Todd
The Chris Isaak Show
3x03 Let the Games Begin - January 22, 2004
Ashley
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Early lifeAmanda Michelle Seyfried was born in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on December 3, 1985. Seyfried’s mother, Ann [née Sander], was an occupational therapist, and her father, Jack, was a pharmacist. Seyfried has one older sister, Jennifer Seyfried, who is a musician in the Philadelphia organ-driven rock band Love City. Seyfried graduated in 2003 from Allentown’s William Allen High School. She began her career as a child model when she was 11 and when she was 15 she began her career as an actress; starting off with an uncredited role and going on to have a recurring role on a television series, which expanded into her having a successful television career.
Career
Early work
In 1995, Seyfried began her acting career at age nine, in her hometown Allentown, Pennsylvania where she attended classes at Civic Theatre of Allentown. She signed with Image International Agency [IIA] in Allentown, before switching over to work at Bethlehem’s Pro Model Agency and eventually signing with Wilhelmina Agency in New York City, New York. Seyfried’s modeling career ended when she was seventeen. During her modeling career she appeared in print ads for clothing companies; including Limited Too with Leighton Meester.
While modeling, Seyfried took voice lessons from eleven to seventeen. She trained with a Broadway voice coach for nearly five years and two years in studying opera in which it led her to appear in the New York stage productions, the revival of Grease on Broadway and A Christmas Carol. From there she began acting as an extra in the daytime drama television series Guiding Light; her role on the show was uncredited. In 2000, she portrayed Lucinda Marie “Lucy” Montgomery #2 on the television show As the World Turns. Appearing on the show as a recurring character, her role on the show lasted until 2001 After appearing in 27 episodes, Seyfried left the show as a result of creative conflicts. From 2002 to 2003, Seyfried played the recurring role of Joni Stafford on the American Broadcasting Company [ABC] broadcasted show, All My Children. In 2003, Seyfried auditioned to play the mean-girl role of Regina George in the Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan; the role eventually went to Rachel McAdams, but the producers of the film selected Seyfried to play one of Regina’s two dim-witted “Plastic” friends and sidekicks, Karen The film was a box-office success, earning over $129 million in its theatrical run Seyfried’s performance in the film earned her, along with Lohan and McAdams, an MTV Movie Award in the category of “Best On-Screen Team.”
Seyfried auditioned to play the title character on UPN’s television series Veronica Mars. Although the role eventually went to Kristen Bell, Seyfried portrayed the title character’s murdered best friend, Lilly Kane. Although her character was only shown in flashbacks, Lily was vital part of the first season’s plot and made Seyfried one of the show’s familiar faces. Seyfried appeared in ten episodes from 2004–2005. In 2005, Seyfried played the lead character, Samantha. A role written specifically for her, in one of the nine parts in the film Nine Lives, comprising nine short films with different themes and an ensemble cast. For her performance in the film, Seyfried won an award from the Locarno International Film Festival, for Best Actress, which she shared with the film’s other female leads. The same year she played supporting character Mouse in the critically acclaimed independent film, American Gun. In 2006 Seyfried appeared in five episodes on Wildfire as Rebecca and had lead role as Chrissy in the award winning short film titled Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves, by writer-director Andrea Janakas. Seyfried also contributed a minor role as Julie Beckley in Alpha Dog. From 2004 to 2006, Seyfried made multiple guest appearances on television series, including House, M.D., Justice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2008, Seyfried also appeared and played a supporting role in the independent short film, Official Selection.
Breakthrough
Seyfried’s profile gained prominence due to her role in the highly acclaimed HBO drama television series, Big Love. The series centers on a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family, in which Seyfried plays Sarah Henrickson, Bill and Barb’s first daughter who struggles with her family’s polygamous faith. Big Love premiered in the United States on March 12, 2006. HBO confirmed that the show was renewed for a fourth season – which was filmed in August 2009, and premiered on January 10, 2010. Seyfried appeared in all 35 episodes of the show’s three seasons. In December 2009, HBO confirmed that Seyfried would return for the show’s fourth season, but that it would be her last, as Seyfried wished to focus on her film career and upcoming projects.
Following the success of Big Love, Seyfried had a supporting role as Zoe in the 2008 horror drama film Solstice. Also in 2008, she co-starred alongside Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!, a romantic comedy film adaptation of the 1999 musical of the same name. Mamma Mia! was Seyfried’s first leading role as Sophie. With worldwide revenue of US$609 million [of a US$52 million budget], the film was the fifth highest grossing film of 2008 and, as of March 2010, is the 49th highest grossing film of all time. Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe commented that “what Seyfried lacks in emotional range is compensated for in luminousness”. Her musical performance in Mamma Mia! was released on the film’s soundtrack, for which she recorded five songs. As part of promotion for both the film and its soundtrack, Seyfried recorded a music video of the song, entitled “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! [A Man After Midnight]“.
On February 22, 2009, Seyfried presented an award and performed alongside her boyfriend, Dominic Cooper, actors Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, and musicians Beyoncé Knowles and Vanessa Hudgens at the 2009 Annual 81st Academy Awards ceremony. In March 2008, Seyfried signed on to co-star alongside Megan Fox and Adam Brody in the comedy horror film Jennifer’s Body. In the film Seyfried was cast as Anita “Needy” Lesnicki, the title character’s best friend. The film, which premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and was released to theaters on September 18, 2009, received mixed reviews from critics. Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times wrote in his review for the film “…but thankfully the part of Needy has been tasked to the appealing Amanda Seyfried, an actress able to reach past Cody’s tone-busting one-liners and connect on a basic what-the-hell-happened-to-my-friend level.” Kurt Loder of MTV wrote that Seyfried “is just right” as Jennifer’s best friend Needy in Jennifer’s Body.
In early March 2009, director Zack Snyder had tapped Seyfried to portray the lead role Baby Doll in Sucker Punch. Seyfried was due to co-star alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone, but within the same month, she had to drop out of the film due to scheduling conflicts with Big Love. Emily Browning was later cast in the role. Seyfried co-starred alongside Channing Tatum in Dear John, the film adaptation of the novel of the same name that was written by Nicholas Sparks. The film was released on February 5, 2010, and received generally negative reviews, although Melissa Anderson of LA Weekly praised Seyfried and Tatum’s on screen chemistry. However, Michael O’Sullivan of the Washington Post was less enthusiastic about Seyfried’s performance, stating that while she “otherwise makes a credible love interest,” she could not convince him “that she had to do what she did.” Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com, describing Seyfried’s character as being potentially sweet and marvelously direct, felt that those were two qualities were held in balance perfectly by Seyfried. Spotlighting her musical talents, Seyfried has written and recorded “Little House”, a song which appears on one of the official soundtracks of Dear John. Despite of many negative reviews, Dear John became the first film to break up Avatar’s box office reign at number one at the United States box office and went on grossing $80 million in the US theatrically.
Seyfried appeared as the title character in the erotic thriller Chloe, theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010. Chloe, in which she co-starred alongside Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, had originally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2009. In the film, Seyfried’s character is a woman who is hired to test a husband because his wife feels that she cannot trust his fidelity; negative consequences ensue after the beginning of the arrangement. Although the film was in limited release, it grossed $3 million in the US theatrically and became one of the higher-grossing specialty films in the US in 2010. Her performance in the film also received favorable reviews from critics. Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic felt that Seyfried is an “outstanding actress,” and wrote that her and Moore carry the film’s material “further than it should go up to this point,” but added that neither overplays their role, allowing the movie’s story to develop patiently. Regarding the actress’ portrayal as the film’s title character, A. O. Scott of New York Times noted that she tries to “turn a dubious conceit into something more credible.”
Later in 2010, Seyfried starred in the romantic-comedy film Letters to Juliet, based on the book by Lise and Ceil Friedman. In 2010, she received an award and was named “Showest Breakthrough Female Star of The Year”. She also won the “Scared-As-S**T” category for her performance in Jennifer’s Body and was nominated for Best Female Performance for her movie Dear John, at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. Also in 2010, she was included in Forbes’s “The 17 Stars To Watch” list, received 3 nominations in the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Actress Drama and Choice Movie Chemistry with her co-star Channing Tatum for their movie Dear John. Seyfried was also nominated for Choice Movie Actress Romantic Comedy for Letters to Juliet.
In late January 2009, she became attached to appear in Myriad Pictures’ adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s comedy A Woman of No Importance. The film is set to be released in 2011. However, 2010 reports indicate that the film might not happen due to lack of financing. Although it was confirmed in 2009 that she would appear in the movie Albert Nobbs, she ultimately dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Mia Wasikowska. Seyfried plays the lead role of Valerie in Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood. It was released on March 11, 2011. She will also play the lead role of Sylvia Weis in Andrew Niccol’s In Time, set to be released in October 2011.
Personal life
Seyfried has stated that she suffers from anxiety and panic attacks.
Seyfried’s first serious boyfriend was her All My Children co-star Micah Alberti. After their relationship ended, she briefly dated her Alpha Dog co-star Emile Hirsch. In 2005, Seyfried began a relationship with actor and musician Jesse Marchant; their relationship ended in 2008. In 2009 she started dating her Mamma Mia! co-star Dominic Cooper. The couple broke up in May 2010. She then began a relationship with Ryan Phillippe.
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