Christina first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club.
Christina signed to RCA Records after recording "Reflection" for the film Mulan.
Christina debut album was a commercial success spawning three number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Christina took creative control over her second studio album Stripped (2002), which received mixed reviews but produced substantial sales.
The second single, "Beautiful", was a commercial success and sustained the album's sales amidst controversy over Christina's sexual image.
Christina's third studio album Back to Basics (2006), included elements of soul, jazz, and blues music, and was released to positive critical reception.
Aside from being known for her vocal ability, music videos and ever-changing image, musically, Christina includes themes of dealing with public scrutiny, her childhood, and female empowerment in her music.
Apart from her work in music, Christina has also dedicated much of her time as a philanthropist for charities, human rights and world issues.
Christina's work has earned her numerous awards, including four Grammy Awards and one Latin Grammy Award, amongst eighteen nominations.
Christina has become one of the most successful recording artists of the decade, selling more than 43 million records worldwide.
Christina grew up hearing Spanish and thus understands the language, although she is more fluent in English.
According Christina, her father was very controlling, as well as physically and emotionally abusive.
Although her father has written to Christina, she has ruled out any chance of reuniting with him.As of July 2009, Tyler's films have grossed just under $400 million worldwide, not including his plays.
The younger Tyler changed his first name to Tyler because of his troubled relationship with his father.
Tyler has said that his father was physically and verbally abusive to him during his childhood, and that this contributed to his attempting suicide as a teenager.
In 2008, Tyler earned around $75 million, placing him just outside the top five highest paid men in Hollywood.
Tyler has written and toured with eleven stage plays. The stage plays feature more singing than the movies and are sometimes classed as musicals.
Tyler's first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, produced on a budget of $5.5 million, became an unexpected commercial success, prompting widespread discussion among industry watchers about whether middle-class African-Americans were simply not being addressed. The final gross box office receipts were $50.6 million, although it was critically panned scoring only 16 percent approval rating on the website, Rotten Tomatoes.
Tyler has also teamed up with Oprah Winfrey to present Precious, a movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire.
Tyler Perry Studios had its grand opening on October 4, 2008. The opening was attended by Sidney Poitier, Will Smith, Cicely Tyson, Oprah Winfrey and Hank Aaron among others.Channing is known as an actor and occasional dancer.
Channing began his career as a fashion model and now appears in film roles. He has appeared in a number of films, including She's the Man (2006), Step Up (2006), Fighting (2009), Public Enemies (2009), and G.I. Joe.
Channing was athletic while growing up, playing American football, soccer, track, baseball, and performing martial arts, although he says that "girls were always biggest distraction in school.
As a child, Channing practiced kung fu.
Channing graduated in 1998 and was voted most athletic.
Afterward, Channing was awarded a football scholarship to Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, but he turned it down and returned home and started working odd jobs.
Channing once had a stint as an exotic dancer at a local nightclub, under the name "Chan Crawford."
When living in Miami, Channing was discovered on the street by a model talent scout.
Channing was cast as a dancer in Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" music video, after an audition in Orlando, Florida; he was paid $400 for the job.
Channing's has worked for noted clients such as Armani and Abercrombie & Fitch as a model.
Channing was in television commercials for Mountain Dew and Pepsi in 2002.
Channing has appeared in Vogue magazine.
Channing has said that his modeling career has helped him with his life, specifying that "It's made my life, and my family's life, a lot easier, because I never knew what I wanted to do and now they don't really have to worry about me anymore. I've been able to explore life, and through exploring it I've found that I love art, I love writing, I love acting, I love all the things that make sense to me. And I've been given the chance to go out and see the world, and to see all the things out there. Not everyone gets that chance".Usher rose to fame in the 1990s, releasing the multi-platinum album My Way (1997) and 8701 (2001).
Usher's success continued with the release of his breakthrough album, Confessions (2004), which has sold over ten million copies in the United States, and been certified diamond by the RIAA.
Usher has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards.
In 2008, Usher was ranked as the 21st most successful Hot 100 Singles Artist of all-time by Billboard magazine.
Usher is ranked higher than any other artist of his eneration.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Usher has sold over 21.5 million albums in the United States.
Usher has his own record label, US Records, and is a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise.
Usher has appeared in films, debuting in the 1998 film The Faculty.
As a child, Usher joined a local church youth choir in Chattanooga when he was nine years old.
When Ushers family discovered he could sing they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to help him develop his talent.
Usher founded New Look, a non-profit charity organization which aims to "provide young people with a new look on life through education and real-world experience".
In 2006, Usher's charity started an initiative called Our Block, for which it helped rebuild and revitalize city blocks in New Orleans. The project went on one street at a time, and the funding was helped through part of the proceeds of Usher's team-up with Armani Exchange in creating "Love 4 Life" dog tags, which were made available at the company's stores and Web site.
In 2005, Usher was among the artists who signed on for a Hurricane Katrina relief concert.Dane has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident.
Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album in 28 years and went double platinum.
As an actor, Dane has appeared in films since 1997, including Mystery Men, Waiting..., Employee of the Month, Good Luck Chuck, Mr. Brooks (in a non-comedic role), and My Best Friend's Girl.
/>Dane's big comedy break came in 1998 when he appeared on Comedy Central's Premium Blend. This started a relationship between Dane and Comedy Central that has lasted many years.
In 2000, Dane did a half-hour special on Comedy Central Presents. Since then his special has won the Comedy Central Stand-up showdown twice in a row.
Dane once appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards with Snoop Dogg to present the award for Best New Artist.
On April 15, 2005 Dane performed his first HBO Special entitled Vicious Circle filmed "in the round" at the TD Banknorth Garden.
On November 12, 2007, Dane became the second comic to sell out Madison Square Garden.
On April 10, 2007, Dane broke The Laugh Factory's endurance record (previously held by Richard Pryor) by performing on stage for 3 hours and 50 minutes. Dave Chappelle would break the record five days later but on January 1, 2008, Dane broke Chapelle's record, by performing on stage for 7 hours.Wayne (retired ice hockey player) is currently a part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL), and has also been the club's head coach and head of hockey operations.
As a player, Wayne's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled.
Wayne became known for setting up behind the net, an area that was nicknamed "Gretzky's office" because of his skills there.
In 1978, Wayne signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), where he briefly played before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the NHL, where Wayne established many scoring records and led his team to four Stanley Cup Championships.
Wayne's trade to the Los Angeles Kings had an immediate impact on the team's performance, leading them to the 1993 Cup finals, and is credited with popularizing hockey in the southern United States.
Wayne played briefly for the St. Louis Blues and finished his career with the New York Rangers.
In his career, Wayne captured nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player, ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season, five Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship and performance, five Lester B. Pearson Awards, and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP.
After his retirement in 1999, Wayne was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and is the most recent player to have the waiting period waived.
Wayne became Executive Director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, where the team won a gold medal.
In 2000 Wayne became part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and following the 2004?05 NHL lockout he became their head coach.
Nicknamed "The Great One", Wayne was called "the greatest player of all time" in Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the NHL.
Wayne is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the NHL, and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players, and coaches.
Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, Wayne held forty regular-season records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records.
Wayne is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season?a feat he accomplished four times.
Wayne tallied over 100 points in 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them consecutive.
Wayne's jersey number, 99, has been retired by all teams in the National Hockey League.Wesley is best known for his role as Blade in the Blade trilogy.
In 1991, Wesley formed a production company called Amen Ra Films and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television.
Wesley has been training in martial arts since the age of twelve, earning the rank of fifth dan black belt in Shotokan Karate.
Wesley has also trained as a student of Capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira and in a number of other disciplines including various styles of kung fu.
In 2006, Wesley was arrested for tax evasion.
In 2008, Wesley was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file federal income tax returns, and on April 24 sentenced to three years in prison. On May 22, the trial court ruled that Snipes may remain free while his appeal is being considered.
Wesley's apartment was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers during the September 11 attacks in 2001. He was delayed at the gym, working out, otherwise he would have been home at thetime.Young Jeezy was a member of Boyz N Da Hood.
Young Jeezy's single "Soul Survivor", which featured Akon, became a top-ten hit in the U.S.
Young Jeezy has appeared on many other rap and RandB singles such as "Say I" by Christina Millian, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, and "Love In This Club" by Usher, the latter being a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.
As a child, because his parents were separated, custody of Young Jeezy transferred between family members frequently.
In an interview with XXL magazine, Young Jeezy described his childhood as "empty".
In 1994, he spent nine months in a boot camp in Savannah, Georgia for narcotics possession.
Maintaining his street credibility, according to Young Jeezy, is of the utmost concern to him as an artist.
In the summer of 2008, Young Jeezy was at the center of a controversy over his choice for President. While he had previously endorsed Barack Obama, he spoke about meeting and supporting John McCain during an interview with Vibe magazine. The statement caused a stir, and Young quickly clarified his choice, via a viral video. In the four-minute explanation, Young made it clear, Obama was his main choice.
On The O'Reilly Factor, commentator Bill O'Reilly criticized their performance as a "rant that offended people", but Young responded: "I got white friends.Zac began acting professionally in the early 2000s, and became known to young audiences after his roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical.
Zac once said he was always the shortest kid in school (he is now 5'8") and was teased for the "huge gap" in his teeth.
People magazine named Zac as one of 100 Most Beautiful People in 2007.
Zac says he wants to be a serious dramatic actor, not necessarily a singer.
Zac was recommended to an agent in Los Angeles by his drama teacher.
Zac's father encouraged him to begin acting when he was eleven.
Zac is of Jewish ancestry and is an agnostic, having never been religious.Gwen serves as lead vocalist for the rock band No Doubt.
With previous material ranging from punk rock to new wave music, their third wave ska oriented third studio album Tragic Kingdom (1995) propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide.
The band's popularity went into decline with its fourth album, Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) focused on dancehall production traits, and generally received positive reviews.
Gwen recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004.
Gwen's album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, and emerged an international success with sales of over seven million.
Gwen's album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies.
Gwen's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded "Wind It Up", a moderate worldwide success.
Gwen (along with No Doubt) has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
Gwen won the World's Best-Selling New Female Artist at the World Music Awards 2005.
Gwen is known as a fashion trendsetter.
In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture.
Gwen performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls.
Gwen married British grunge musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002 and they have two sons.Gwyneth is the daughter of Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner.
Gwyneth dropped out of university to follow an acting career.
Gwyneth's early films include Se7en (1995), Emma (1996), in which she played the title role, and Sliding Doors (1998).
Gwyneth's performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998) won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Gwyneth followed up with roles in such films as The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Shallow Hal (2001).
Gwyneth starred in the film Duets (2000), produced and directed by her father, Bruce Paltrow.
Gwyneth had box-office success with Iron Man (2008).
Gwyneth once dated Brad Pitt.
Gwyneth married Chris Martin, the lead singer of British rock band Coldplay, in 2003.
In September 2008, Gwyneth launched a weekly online upscale lifestyle newsletter, Goop, encouraging readers to 'nourish the inner aspect'.
Gwyneth is a Save the Children Artist Ambassador.Cristiano currently holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after having transferred to Real Madrid.
Cristiano's contract with Real Madrid is believed to have made him the highest-paid player in the world.
Cristiano began his career as a youth player at CD Nacional and his successes with the team led to a move to Sporting Clube de Portugal two seasons afterwards.
Cristiano won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal.
In 2008, Cristiano won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named player of the tournament.
Cristiano was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.
Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Cristiano is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."
Cristiano's second given name, "Cristiano," was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor.
Cristiano scored two goals in his Sporting debut against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the UEFA Under 17 Championships.
When he was 15, Cristiano was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Cristiano's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Cristiano was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.Halle received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
Halle won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was also nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming the first and African American woman to win.
Halle is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and also a Revlon spokeswoman.
Halle has also been involved in the production side of several of her films.
Before becoming an actress, Halle entered several beauty contests, finishing runner-up in the Miss USA (1986), and winning the Miss USA World 1986 title.
Halle's breakthrough feature film role was in the 1991 Jungle Fever.
Halle has been in The Flintstones (1994), Bulworth (1998), X-Men (2000) and its sequels, and as Bond Girl Jinx in Die Another Day (2002).
Halle won a worst actress Razzie Award in 2005 for Catwoman and accepted the award in person.
Halle is divorced from baseball player David Justice and musician Eric Benét.
Halle has been dating French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry since November 2005.Diablo was first known for her candid chronicling of her year as a stripper in her Pussy Ranch blog and her 2006 memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper.
Diablo achieved critical acclaim worldwide for the script of the 2007 film Juno, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
A sitcom created by Diablo, called United States of Tara, based on an idea by Steven Spielberg, was picked up for 13 episodes (including pilot) by the U.S. cable TV network Showtime, the Canadian channel The Movie Network and The Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Diablo was raised Catholic.
Diablo graduated from the University of Iowa with a media studies degree. While at the University of Iowa, Diablo was a DJ at KRUI 89.7 FM.
Diablo once wrote a parody of a weblog called Red Secretary, detailing the (fictional) exploits of a secretary living in Belarus. The events were thinly veiled allegories for events that happened in Diablo's real life, but told from the perspective of a disgruntled, English challenged Eastern Bloc girl.
Diablo currently resides in Los Angeles.
Once, on a whim, Diablo signed up for amateur night at a Minneapolis strip club called the Skyway Lounge. Enjoying the experience, she eventually quit her day job and took up stripping full-time for a while.
Diablo also spent time working peep shows at Sex World, a Minneapolis adult novelty and DVD store.
Diablo eventually retreated to journalism, and a budding writing career stimulated by her skin trade days.Donnie has been in the Saw films, Boomtown and Righteous Kill, and in the award-winning World War II miniseries Band of Brothers.
At 15 years old, Donnie joined New Kids on the Block. Donnie was known as the "bad boy" of the group and was known to curse during live performances on awards shows.
Donnie's first film appearance was in the 1996 film Bullet with Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur.
Donnie appeared as a kidnapper in Ransom with Mel Gibson.
Donnie is a body art enthusiast; he has had his left ear pierced four times, as well as piercings in his left nostril and his left nipple.
Donnie has a tattoo of his family crest on his left arm.
Donnie is a prominent celebrity poker player, appearing in World Poker Tour tournaments.
Donnie is a Boston Celtics fan. />Donnie's favorite book is The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.
Eddie is best known for his stand-up comedy including - Live at the Ambassadors (1993) Unrepeatable (1994) Definite Article (1996) Glorious (1997) Dress to Kill (1998) Circle (2000) Sexie (2003) Stripped (2008/2009).
In 2007, Eddie was listed as number 3 of the 100 Greatest British National Comedians as part of Channel 4's ongoing 100 Greatest... series.
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Eddie was voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Eddie was number 75 in Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
During the 1999 television special It's... the Monty Python Story, which Eddie hosted, John Cleese said Eddie was the "Lost Python".
In July 2007, Eddie was one of the presenters from the London leg of Live Earth.
During an interview for the 2008 Stripped tour, Izzard spoke about becoming more active in European politics as well as running for political office in Europe within the next decade.
Eddie added a stop in New Orleans during his 2008 Stripped tour. All proceeds from the June 23rd, 2008 performance were donated to Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans.
On 27 July 2009, Izzard began a seven week marathon run through the UK to raise money for Sport Relief, carrying a flag for each country in which he ran, from London to Cardiff to Belfast to Edinburgh and back to London.
Eddie has described himself as "a lesbian trapped in a man's body," when explaining his dress sense.Jessica has achieved seven Billboard Top 40 hits, and has three gold and two multi-platinum RIAA-certified albums.
Jessica starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey in the MTV reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.
Jessica filed for divorce from Nick on December 16, 2005, citing "irreconcilable differences." The couple's divorce was publicized worldwide and was reportedly finalized on June 30, 2006.
Jessica ventured into the country music market in 2008 and released Do You Know.
As a child, Jessica began singing at her local Baptist hurch.
At age twelve, Jessica unsuccessfully auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club.
While attending J.J. Pearce High School, she signed to Proclaim Records, a minor Gospel music record label.
Jessica recorded an album, self-titled, "Jessica", but Proclaim went bankrupt and the album was never officially released except for a small pressing funded by her grandmother.
Jessica left high school at age sixteen.
After Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola heard "Jessica", she was signed to the label. Soon afterward her major label debut album Sweet Kisses was released.
To support the album, Jessica toured with Ricky Martin and with boy band 98 Degrees, and she and 98 Degrees group member Nick Lachey began dating shortly afterwards.
In December 2006, while performing a tribute to Dolly Parton at the Kennedy Center Awards, she botched the lyrics, getting flustered in front of a crowd that included prominent persons such as Steven Spielberg, Shania Twain, and President George W. Bush. Though Jessica was given the chance to redo the song for cameras, her portion was edited out of the CBS broadcast.
Jessica appeared in the Dukes of Hazzard, and her second film was Employee of the Month.
Jessica also designs and markets a line of handbags and (primarily high-heeled) shoes and boots.
In June 2008 Jessica was seen with boyfriend Tony Romo wearing a shirt that said "Real Girls Eat Meat". It was seen as a slam at Romo's ex girlfriend Carrie Underwood who is a vegetarian. Jessica received heated criticism from PETA.Ellen hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and is also a judge on American Idol, having joined the show in its ninth season.
Ellen has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys.
As a film actress, Ellen starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in EDtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar's animated film Finding Nemo.
Ellen starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002.
In 1997, during the fourth season of Ellen, she came out publicly as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Shortly afterwards, Ellen's character Ellen Morgan also came out to a therapist played by Winfrey and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues as well as the coming out process.
Ellen has won twelve Emmys and numerous awards for her work and charitable efforts.
Ellen was raised as a Christian Scientist until the age of thirteen.
Ellen once worked as a waitress at TGI Friday's, a house painter, a hostess and a bartender.
Ellen originally started performing stand-up comedy at small clubs and coffeehouses. Ellen describes Woody Allen and Steve Martin as her main influences at this time.
Ellen was named Showtime's Funniest Person in America in 1982.Derek is a Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who has played his entire career for the New York Yankees.
Derek has served as the Yankees' team captain since 2003.
Derek's presence in the Yankees' lineup, highlighted by his hitting prowess, played an instrumental role in the team's late 1990s dynasty, which won four World Series championships.
Derek debuted in the Major Leagues in 1995, and the following year, he won the Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Yankees win the 1996 World Series.
In 2000, Derek became the only player to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in the same year.
Derek has been selected as an All-Star ten times, and he has won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards on three occasions.
Derek is regarded as a consummate professional, by teammates and opponents alike.
Derek is considered to be one of the best players of his generation.
Derek is the all-time hits leader among shortstops and his .317 career batting average through the 2009 season ranks as the fifth-highest among active players.
Derek has been among the American League (AL) leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years.
Derek is the all-time Yankees hit leader, passing Hall of Fame member Lou Gehrig in 2009.
As a child, Derek and his sister would spend summers with their grandparents in New Jersey, who took them to Yankees games, making him a passionate fan of his future team.Evan founded several Internet companies, including Pyra Labs (creator of weblog-authoring software Blogger) and Twitter, of which he is currently CEO.
Evan grew up on a farm in Clarks, Nebraska, where he assisted with crop irrigation in summers.
Evan is a vegetarian.
Evan co-founded Pyra Labs to make project management software. A note-taking feature spun off as Blogger, one of the first web applications for creating and managing weblogs.Evans company Pyra was eventually acquired by Google on February 13, 2003.
Evan was named one of PC Magazine's "People of the Year" in 2004.
Twitter was spun out into a new company in April 2007, with Evans as co-founder, board member and investor.
In October 2008, CEO of Twitter.
By February 2009, Compete.com ranked Twitter the third most-used social network based on their count of 6 million unique monthly visitors and 55 million monthly visits.