Nives Celzijus

Nives Celzijus Drpić (born December 18, 1981) is Croatian singer, model, socialite and writer. Nives was born in Zagreb, as Nives Željković.

Authoress and columnist for German Bild magazine and Croatian weekly Arena Wrote the Naked Truth that had become an instant bestseller in Croatia and thus had become the best selling Croatian authoress. She was about to win the prestigious literary award Cyclops for her Hit Novel of the Year, which had been abolished immediately prior to its presentation due to the revolt of the literary elites which did not want Nives to continue in the line of recipients among who most recently were Ante Tomic, Dan Brown, Paul Cuelho and Slavenka Drakulic the abolishment of the award led to the biggest literary scandal so far, which was condemned by the media and numerous literary writers, including many associations such as B.A.B.E and the Croatian Helsinki Committee as well as by the top political echelons. Her new book under the title “In Bed with C.R.” will be coming out soon. Nives is also working on her musical career. She has released two CD’s: Modern Woman and Furious. At the moment she is finishing her third album and is also preparing to release a Single-track album aimed for the European market. After her arrival in Germany the magazine/daily paper BILD had proclaimed her Miss Bundeslige, i.e., the most beautiful wife of a soccer player and very soon she became the darling of the German tabloids. A cover photo ensued for the German FHM that was later issued in three other countries. The readers of the German and Croatian FHM had voted her into 15th place on the List of the Sexiest Women in the World in 2009, and the Slovenian FHM had placed her in 8th place. Among other things Nives has tried out working in Television as an anchor, actress, fashion model, etc… Everything that she did attracted great media attention and the interest of the public. And the best is yet to come…

Gisele Bündchen

Gisele Caroline Bündchen (born July 20, 1980) is a Brazilian model and occasional film actress. According to Forbes, she is the highest-paid model in the world and also the sixteenth richest woman in the entertainment world, with an estimated $150 million fortune.

Bündchen was born in the Brazilian town of Três de Maio and grew up in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, to Vânia Nonnenmacher, a bank clerk pensioner, and Valdir Bündchen, a university teacher and writer. She has five sisters — Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Rafaela and her fraternal twin Patrícia, Gisele's junior by five minutes. In February 2009, she married American football star Tom Brady. Bündchen is Roman Catholic and speaks Portuguese as her native language. She also speaks Spanish and English

I was born in Horizontina, a town in the backcountry of (Brazilian) state Rio Grande do Sul. The town was once mainly colonized by Germans. In the school which I attended, learning German was actually obligatory from third grade on. But being out of touch with the language for such a long time, I unfortunately forgot it. [...] I belong to the sixth generation of my family in Brazil.

Originally, Bündchen wanted to be a professional volleyball player and considered playing for the Brazilian team, Sogipa. While in school, Bündchen was so thin that her friends used to call her "Olívia Palito" (Portuguese for Olive Oyl, Popeye's skinny girlfriend) and "Saracura" (a type of Brazilian shorebird).

In 1993, a then-13-year-old Bündchen joined a modeling course with her sisters Patrícia and Gabriela at her mother's insistence. The following year, Bündchen went to São Paulo on a school excursion to give them an opportunity to walk in a big city. In a shopping mall, while eating at McDonald's with her friends, Bündchen was discovered by a modeling agency. She was subsequently selected for a national contest, Elite Look of the Year, in which she placed second — Claudia Menezes, from Bahia, took first place. Bündchen placed fourth in the world contest, held in Ibiza, Spain. In 1996, Bündchen moved to New York City to begin her modeling career, debuting at Fashion Week.

Her debut on the cover of the July 1999 issue of Vogue magazine, and the accompanying editorial entitled "The Return of the Sexy Model", is widely viewed as marking the end of the fashion's "heroin chic" era. She graced the cover again in November and December of that year. She won the VH1/Vogue Model of the Year for 1999, and a January 2000 cover gave her the rare honor of three consecutive Vogue covers. In 2000, she became the fourth model to appear on the cover of the music magazine Rolling Stone, when she was named "the most beautiful girl in the world." Bündchen has been on the covers of many top fashion magazines including W, Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, Allure, international editions of Vogue, as well as style and lifestyle publications such as i-D, The Face, Arena, Citizen K, Flair, GQ, Esquire, and Marie Claire. She has been featured both in the Pirelli Calendar 2001 and 2006 and in broader market publications such as Time, Vanity Fair, Forbes, Newsweek and Veja, more than 500 magazine covers throughout the world.

Bündchen consistently works with acclaimed photographers such as Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Nick Knight, Mert and Marcus, Rankin, Annie Leibovitz, Karl Lagerfeld, Peter Lindbergh, David LaChapelle, Mario Sorrenti, Nino Munoz and Patrick Demarchelier, and with renowned directors such as Jean Baptiste Mondino and Bruno Aveillan.

Claudia Schiffer said: "Supermodels, like we once were, don't exist any more" and reckoned that Gisele Bündchen was the only one close to earning the supermodel title.

Naomi Campbell said: "Models need to earn their stripes - I just think the term is used a little too loosely. Kate Moss is obviously a supermodel but, after Gisele, I don’t think there’s been one."

On August 26, 2008, the New York Daily News, in a list, named Bündchen the fourth-most-powerful person in the fashion world.

On May 12, 2009, The Independent, called her the biggest star in fashion history.

In 2002, during the taping of the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Bündchen was the target of a protest made by four members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals because she was signed to be the new face of Blackglama, a trademark of a fur-farming cooperative. When Bündchen was on stage, four women jumped onto the runway holding posters that read "Gisele: Fur Scum" and included the logo for PETA. Bündchen tried to ignore them while several security guards detained the protesters. Bündchen told CNN that the protest was "unwarranted" because the fashion show featured only faux fur. After the incident, the producers decided to stop the music and redid Bündchen's segment once the protesters were removed.

Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum (German pronunciation: [ˈklʊm]; born June 1, 1973) is a German model who is an actress, television host, business woman, fashion designer, television producer, artist, and occasional singer. She is married to singer Seal.

Klum is the hostess of Project Runway and Germany's Next Topmodel, and is a Victoria's Secret Angel.

Klum was raised by her parents, Günther, a cosmetics company executive, and Erna, a hairdresser, in Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany, a small city outside Cologne. Klum was persuaded by a friend to enroll in a national modeling contest called "Model 92". Out of 25,000 contestants, Klum was voted the winner on April 29, 1992 and offered a modeling contract worth US$300,000 by Thomas Zeumer, CEO of Metropolitan Models New York. As the winner, she appeared on the Gottschalk Late Night Show, a top German television show with host Thomas Gottschalk. She accepted the contract a few months later after graduating from school and decided not to try for an apprentice position at a fashion design school.

Klum has been on the cover of fashion magazines, including Vogue, ELLE and Marie Claire. She became known after appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and for her work with Victoria's Secret as an "Angel." In addition to working with world class photographers on her Sports Illustrated shoots, she was the object and subject of Joanne Gair body painting works in several editions from 1999 to 2006. She wrote the foreword to Gair's most book of body paint work. She was a spokesmodel for McDonald's, Braun, H & M, and Liz Claiborne, among others. She is currently a celebrity spokesmodel for Jordache and Volkswagen. In addition to modeling, she has appeared in several TV shows, including Spin City, Sex and the City, Yes, Dear, and How I Met Your Mother. She had a role as an ill-tempered hair model in the movie Blow Dry, played a giantess in the movie Ella Enchanted and was cast as Ursula Andress in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. She had cameo appearances in The Devil Wears Prada and Perfect Stranger.

In July 2007, having earned $8 million in the previous 12 months, Klum was named by Forbes as third on the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels. In 2008, Forbes estimated her income at $14 million, putting Klum in second place. For 2009, Forbes estimated her income at $16 million. Klum is signed to IMG Models in New York City.

In December 2004, she became the host, judge and executive producer of the reality show Project Runway on the U.S. cable television channel Bravo, in which fashion designers compete for the opportunity to show their line at New York Fashion Week and receive money to launch their own fashion line. She received an Emmy Award nomination for the show for each of the first four seasons. In 2008, Klum and Project Runway received a Peabody Award, the first time a reality show won the award. Klum was nominated for an Emmy in 2008 for "outstanding host of a reality or reality-competition show" for Project Runway, the first year that category was recognized by the Emmys.

Klum is an artist and had several of her paintings appear in various art magazines in the U.S. On September 27, 2002 she dedicated a sculpture she painted called "Dog with Butterflies" to commemorate the role of rescue dogs in the aftermath of September 11.

In 2004, Klum co-authored Heidi Klum's Body of Knowledge with Elle magazine editor Alexandra Postman. The book gives Klum's biography as well as her advice on becoming successful. Prior to that, Klum had been an occasional guest columnist for the German television network RTL's website. She wrote an essay for the German newspaper Die Zeit.

Klum's other projects have included music and video games. She is featured in the 2004 James Bond video game Everything or Nothing, where she plays the villain Dr. Katya Nadanova. She has appeared in several music videos, including Jamiroquai's video "Love Foolosophy" from their album A Funk Odyssey, and Kelis's "Young, Fresh n' New," off her second 2001 album Wanderland.

In early 2009, Klum ventured into web-based videos, starring in "SPIKED HEEL: Supermodels Battle the Forces of Evil". The web-series starred model Coco Rocha and was directed by fashion documentarian Doug Keeve (Unzipped, Seamless). In the story, Klum aka 'The Kluminator,' and her stylish sidekick Coco “The Sassy Superhero” Rocha battle the evil Dr. Faux Pas who is plotting to destroy Fashion Week. The heroines employ everything from blow-dryer guns to fist fights, in order to thwart Dr. Faux Pas' dastardly plans. The Kluminator and Girl Wonder avoid a chain of fashion disasters to neutralize a death ray that threatens to vaporize the community of fashionistas gathered in Bryant Park.

In November 2006, Klum released her debut single "Wonderland," written for a series of television advertisements for the German retailer "Douglas." Proceeds were given to a children's charity in her hometown of Bergisch Gladbach. She contributed to her husband Seal's 2007 album System, singing the duet "Wedding Day", a song that Seal wrote for their wedding.

In 2008, Klum was a featured guest on an American Volkswagen commercial, where she was interviewed by a black Beetle. When she commented that German engineering is so sexy, she caused the Beetle to blush and turn red. She has been a part of several commercials for Volkswagen and McDonald's on German television.

In November 2008, Klum appeared in two versions of a Guitar Hero World Tour commercial, where she did a take on a Tom Cruise scene in Risky Business. In both versions, she lip-synced to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" while dancing around the living room with the wireless guitar controller; the director's cut, however, had her strip to her underwear halfway through the commercial and was broadcast only after prime time.

Klum is a "Real Celebrity" on the website Stardoll. On Stardoll Klum has a line of virtual jewelry, and a virtual clothing line called Jordache. Users can go to Klum's suite and interact with her by doing interviews, sending pending requests or dressing Klum's doll.

In what some pundits saw as a heavy-handed approach by Klum's lawyers, an unemployed Chemnitz butcher, who used Klum's picture in advertising for a local dance on a flyer and a web page, contested her subsequent takedown notice in court and lost, forcing him to pay court costs of 2300€. A German actress has pledged to pay on his behalf.

On April 1, 2009, Klum appeared on the CBS television special, I Get That a Lot, as a girl working at a pizza shop.

Doutzen Kroes

Doutzen Kroes (pronounced Dow-tzen Kroos) (born January 23, 1985 in Eastermar, the Netherlands) is a Dutch-Frisian model and currently one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.

Kroes was born in the town of Eastermar, in the province of Fryslân, the Netherlands. After graduating high school (HAVO), she sent snapshots to modeling agency Paparazzi in Amsterdam.

Kroes has made the covers of Time, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Seventeen, Elle, Marie Claire, Glamour, W, Avantgarde, Dazed & Confused and Numéro. She also appears regularly in the Victoria's Secret catalog and walked the runway of the company's fashion show in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Kroes' campaigns include Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, Escada, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Versace, Hugo Boss, Guerlain, Botegga Venetta, De Beers, Escada, GAP, Gianfranco Ferre, and Neiman Marcus. In August 2005, she was named spokesmodel for the Calvin Klein "Eternity" fragrance campaign, replacing American actress Scarlett Johansson, and, in April 2006, she signed a three-year contract with L'Oréal Paris. Kroes can currently be seen in the company's commercials alongside Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington.

In 2005, Kroes was selected as "Model of The Year" on Vogue.com by readers and was featured on the cover of the May 2007 issue with Hilary Rhoda, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Agyness Deyn, Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Chanel Iman, and Lily Donaldson as the new crop of "supermodels." Along with several of these models, she appeared in the 2008 Pirelli Calendar.

In July 2007, earning at an estimated total of $4.9 million in the past twelve months, Forbes named Kroes fourteenth in the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels. In April 2008, she soared to the fifth position, with an estimated income of $6 million. In May 2009 Forbes named Kroes fifth again in the list of the World's 15 Top- Earning Supermodels.

Kroes also is in the official Frisian provincial campaign for the West Frisian language which is her mother tongue.

In 2006, Omrop Fryslân made a documentary about Kroes. Piter Claus follows Kroes during the fashion week in Milan. The documentary won a NL-Award for best regional documentary.

Doutzen Kroes received the Lifetime Achievement Award, part of the Dutch Model Awards, that she has won in Amsterdam, on May 12, 2009. The jury praised her achievements at her age.

At the end of August 2008, Victoria's Secret confirmed to People magazine that Kroes was to be the newest Victoria's Secret Angel. Her first campaign as the brand's newest Angel is "Supermodel Obsession", alongside Adriana Lima. She was signed to be the new face for Swiss cashmere label Repeat for two years.

Currently, she is signed by DNA Model Management.

In the Amsterdam branch of Madame Tussaud's wax museum, there is a wax figure of Kroes.

Miranda Kerr

Miranda May Kerr (born 20 April 1983) is an Australian model best known as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels since mid-2007. She was the first Australian addition to the Victoria's Secret campaign and was the face of Australian fashion chain Portmans and David Jones Limited. Kerr entered modeling in the fashion industry in her early teens after winning a 1997 Australian nationwide model search hosted by Dolly magazine and Impulse fragrances.

Kerr was born in Sydney but raised in Gunnedah, New South Wales, a small rural town. Her parents are Therese and John Kerr, and she has a younger brother named Matthew. During her childhood, Kerr "raced motorbikes and rode horses on her grandmother's farm." She describes her early life in the Australian countryside as "very grounding ... there wasn't any pretentiousness and no one really cared what you were wearing. You could just be you." Her family moved to Brisbane to allow Kerr and her brother to experience city life. She graduated from All Hallows' School and planned to study nutrition before pursuing modeling.

At age thirteen, Kerr entered and won the 1997 annual Dolly Magazine/Impulse Model Competition. She was flown to Sydney a week before her fourteenth birthday to shoot for the magazine. Upon Kerr's win, local media expressed "concerned outrage" at her young age. The controversy raised concerns about the glorification of young girls within the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries. Some conservative media outlets claimed her Dolly shoot (including images of a fourteen-year-old Kerr in bathing suits) constituted a form of child pornography. Of the press, Kerr said: "In the media at the time they were trying to cling on to anything remotely to do with pedophilia. Dolly is a magazine for teenage girls, not for old men. And I was fully clothed! Doing a winter shoot! They just made something out of nothing."

Kerr suffered emotional distress following the death of her high-school boyfriend during her final year of schooling. Eventually overcoming the trauma, Kerr signed to Chic Management's Sydney division. She received considerable commercial exposure after a series of beachwear ads predominantly for Australian surf chain Billabong, in which Kerr modeled surf brands Tigerlily, Roxy, Billabong Girls and One Teaspoon. This increased her profile in the Australian and Asian markets, after which Kerr relocated to New York.

Once in Paris, in 2003, Miranda Kerr signed with the Madison Agency. She did an advertising campaign for Ober Jeans with photographer Erick Seban-Meyer.

Once in New York, Kerr had a multitude of runway appearances and then signed with Next model agency in early 2004. From there, she was booked for runway and print campaigns for major labels, including Alex Perry, Ayyıldız, Baby Phat, Lisa Ho, Voodoo Dolls, Levi's, Bettina Liano, Nicola Finetti, L.A.M.B., Heatherette, Betsey Johnson, Trelise Cooper, Jets, John Richmond, Blumarine Swimwear, Neiman Marcus, Seafolly Swimwear, Anna Molinari, Rock and Republic, and Roberto Cavalli. She was also booked for print in magazines such as Elle, Australian Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and was featured in television advertisements for brands like Portmans, Bonds, and Veet.

In early 2006, Kerr appeared in the finale episode of the TV show Project Runway, modeling clothes for contestant Daniel Vosovic's final collection. She was the first girl to walk down the catwalk.

In 2006, Kerr broke into the United States market when she signed a lucrative cosmetics contract with Maybelline New York. The campaign ran in a series of internationally sold women's beauty magazines, including Cosmopolitan, CLEO, and Elle, and was eventually featured in Victoria's Secret catalogues.

Following her success with Maybelline, Kerr became the first Australian model to be offered a contract with Victoria's Secret in 2007, replacing Gisele Bündchen. Upon her acceptance, the first ever Australian Victoria's Secret Angel, joining the stable of models already signed to the lingerie giant, including Alessandra Ambrosio, Karolína Kurková, Adriana Lima, Selita Ebanks, Izabel Goulart, and Heidi Klum. Kerr's popularity continued to increase as one of the globally recognized Angels when she appeared in the Victoria's Secret 2006, 2007, and 2008 televised runway shows, which aired on four continents.

By 2007, Kerr had signed on as the face of Californian fashion retailer Arden B. After debuting in their Spring and Summer ad campaigns, Kerr returned for their Fall 2007 campaign, shot by fashion photographer Diego Uchitel. She has also become the new face of Clinique Happy and signed a lucrative six-figure deal to be the new face of Australian department store David Jones, replacing model Megan Gale. In 2008, having earned an estimated $3.5 million in the past 12 months, Forbes placed Kerr tenth in the list of the world's top-earning models.

Kerr (along with several other Victoria's Secret and Next agency models) was featured in a music video for the American hip-hop single Number One by artists Kanye West and Pharrell.

Following her modeling success with Victoria's Secret, Kerr made a small guest appearance in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother alongside fellow Angels Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller, Heidi Klum, and Selita Ebanks. Miranda is currently signed with IMG Models.

Kerr has been called "the next MacPherson". Kerr's model trademark is her dimples. Celebrity photographer Russell James said of Kerr, "The US has fallen in love with her. We love her because she has the most incredible girl-next-door look and she's also insanely beautiful. It means women are not intimidated by her looks and guys think they might be able to talk to her. It's a fantastic combination ... people want to be around her; she's fun on a shoot … and she's not stupid, which can be a very annoying trait among some models." Model agent Ursula Hufnagl described Kerr as "the perfect endorsement", citing her ability to "truly sell a product."

Kerr's charitable work includes Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and Children International.

Kerr stays healthy through daily yoga, light jogging, and a healthy diet of steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and fish.

Alessandra Ambrosio

Alessandra Corine Ambrósio (born April 11, 1981) is a Brazilian model. Her last name is spelled Ambrósio, but the diacritic mark is omitted in her modeling work.

Ambrósio, described by Tyra Banks as "The future of the modeling world", is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret and was chosen as their first spokesmodel for Victoria's Secret PINK line. Ambrósio is currently one of Victoria's Secret Angels and the former face for the UK company Next.

Aside from modeling work, Ambrósio represents as the National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Ambrosio was also selected by AskMen.com as Number 2 out of the "Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008".

Alessandra Ambrosio was born in Erechim, Brazil on April 11, 1981. Her parents, who are of Italian and Polish descent, own a petrol station. Ambrósio was just eight years old when she decided that she wanted to be a model, after seeing a picture of top covergirl Karen Mulder in a magazine: "I wanted to be like her", she recalls. She enrolled at a modelling class at the age of 12 and at the age of 14 she was one of 20 finalists for an elite modelling competition in Brazil. Ambrosio was always insecure about her large ears and at eleven had cosmetic surgery to get her ears pinned back, though two years later she suffered complications. In 2006 she appeared on The Tyra Banks Show, and said that the surgery was a bad experience and has discouraged her from ever getting plastic surgery again.

When Ambrosio was 12 years old, she enrolled in modeling classes then, began modeling for Dilson Stein at age 15. Winning Brazil's Elite Model Look started her modeling career. Her first big modeling job was the cover of the Brazilian Elle magazine. Elite passed along some of her Polaroids to Guess which led her to do the Millennium GUESS? campaign along with her friend and fellow Brazilian Ana Beatriz Barros. She has since been in huge demand, working with big-name brands including Revlon, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Rolex, Oscar de la Renta, Gucci, Escada, Rocco Barocco, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, as well as the famed Pirelli Calendar. As for fashion shows, she has walked the catwalks for designers such as Laura Biagiotti, Christian Lacroix, Byblos, Fendi, Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Christian Dior, Nicole Miller, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Vivienne Westwood, Oscar de la Renta, among others. She appeared in over 50 international magazine covers such as Cosmopolitan, Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Ocean Drive, Vogue and the only model to appear on the cover of Glamour in the United States in 2006.

In 2004, Ambrosio launched her line of swimwear called Alessandra Ambrosio by Sais, a division of Rosa Chá. It sold 10,000 units in only its first month on the market.

Her best knowns collaboration is with American lingerie brand Victoria's Secret. She appeared in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for the first time in 2000, and continues to be a participant in the subsequent shows. Her most notable walk down the runway was in 2005 wearing lingerie made entirely out of candy. In 2004, she was selected as the first spokesmodel for Victoria's Secret PINK line. She is currently a contract 'Angel' and spokesmodel for Victoria's Secret. Her 'Angel' status has brought her to the public's attention being cited by the popular media as one of the world's sexiest women. She was chosen as one of People magazine's annual 100 Most Beautiful People in the World, in May 2007 along with fellow 'Angels' Ambrosio is among the world's top-earning models.

Ambrosio was the face for the UK company Next and starred in their first television campaign in 12 years. She is also signed to Storm Model Management in London.

Only three months after giving birth to her first child, Ambrosio appeared in the Victoria's Secret fashion show 2008.

Ambrosio recently appeared in a spread with Sasha Baron Cohen in Marie Claire to promote Baron Cohen's 2009 film Brüno.

Anne V

Anne Vyalitsyna (Russian: Анна Вьялицына) (born March 19, 1986), also known simply as Anne V, is a Russian model. She is best known for her consecutive 5-year run in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Anne Vyalitsyna was born in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky. Both her parents are doctors; her father is a sports doctor for a soccer team and her mother is a pediatrician. She started her professional modeling career at the age of 15, after IMG scouts discovered her in Saint Petersburg while looking for new faces for MTV's Fashionably Loud Europe. She entered and ended up winning their modeling contest along with a contract with IMG Paris and, later, IMG New York.

Within six months of her win, Vyalitsyna had appeared for Anna Molinari, Chloé and Sportmax. She later landed shows with such high-profile designers as Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, Christian Lacroix, Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Emanuel Ungaro, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Helmut Lang, Hussein Chalayan, Issey Miyake, Julien McDonald, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Max Mara, Moschino, Narciso Rodriguez, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli, Sonia Rykiel and Versace, as well as campaigns with Anna Molinari, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Iceberg, Lancetti, Versus, Yohji Yamamoto, Zara and the Chanel fragrance "Chance." She has appeared on the covers of Vogue, ELLE, Glamour and Gloss, in the 2005, 2006, 2007,2008,and 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and she is featured in the music video for "Out Is Through" by Alanis Morissette. Vyalitsyna has worked with acclaimed photographers Steven Meisel, Terry Richardson, Patrick Demarchelier and Ellen von Unwerth, among others, and is now signed with One Model Management. "I've wanted to be a model ever since I was little, playing with my Barbie doll," she told The Age. "It helped (for the catwalk) that I can dance but everything is self-taught." In addition to working with world class photographers on her Sports Illustrated shoots, she was the object/subject of Joanne Gair body painting works in the 2005 edition.

Tori Praver

Tori Praver (born June 4, 1986 in San Diego, California), is a model of American origin who took the fashion world by storm after her appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue of 2007-2008 (her popularity has allowed her to continue to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue).

She is a blue-eyed blond girl, the fantasy of every American man. Her birth place is San Diego, but she was raised in Maui, Hawaii. Interestingly, she never wanted to be a model (she dreamed of being a whale trainer), but destiny came knocking at her door when she was only eleven years old.

A photographer from Ki’i Nani Photography, Carrll Robilotta, discovered her as she was walking through Costco with her mother. Carrll convinced her mother to do a photo shoot, and since that day, there has been no looking back for Tori Praver.

At first, there were numerous small modeling assignments and then she signed up with the prestigious Ford Models, which famous for representing models such as Paris Hilton and Naomi Campbell. She appeared on the magazine covers of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Cover. She was even the inspiration for the body painting works of Joanne Gair as the shooting for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition was going on.

Tori fought stiff competition to become the new face for Guess, a post previously held by supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Drew Barrymore and Anna Nicole Smith.

Undoubtedly, she is already the next big thing in the modeling. Tori Praver is the perfect combination of a beautiful mind with beautiful looks, which makes her a model with a bright and promising future.

Bar Refaeli

Bar Refaeli (Hebrew: בר רפאלי‎, born June 4, 1985) is an Israeli model, known for her modeling work and for her relationship with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio. She is the cover model of the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Bar Refaeli was born in 1985 into a Israeli Jewish family in Hod HaSharon, Israel. Her parents, Tzipi and Rafael, own a horse ranch. Her mother was a successful model herself in the late 1970s, under the name Tzipi Levine. Refaeli has three brothers. She began a modeling career at the age of eight months, appearing in commercials. She had to wear braces in her early years, postponing her modeling. At age 15, Refaeli returned to modeling with the representation of Irene Marie Models.

Career

Modeling career

Refaeli began her modeling career before the age of 8 months for a baby commercial. By age 15, she was featured in campaigns for the fashion brands Castro and Pilpel, also starring in a commercial for Milki. Refaeli won the title "Model of The Year" in a beauty contest[which?] in 2000 and 2001. She was also chosen to be the home model of Renuar fashion network and appeared in their summer 2002 and winter 2003 catalogs.

Refaeli appeared in ELLE (France), Maxim, and GQ (Italy). She debuted in the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, becoming the first Israeli model to appear in the magazine. In the issue, she posed with rock band Aerosmith.

She has been the spokesperson for fashion brand Luisa Cerano. She has modeled for Subaru, Accessorize, Brazilian clothing line, Besni, Italian jewelry line Marco Bicego, and Rampage.

In 2008, Refaeli became the face of clothing line Hurley, and the Diddy cologne, "I Am King."

On February 9, 2009, it was announced that Refaeli is the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model. A photo from the shoot, featuring a bikini-clad Refaeli, was also painted on the side of a Boeing 737 in a promotional deal with Southwest Airlines, leading many passengers to criticize Southwest for using an image they regarded as inappropriately sexual and "offensive to families".

She is signed to Storm Model Management in London, and 1/One Management in New York City.

Film and television career

Refaeli co-starred the Israeli TV series Pick Up in 2005. In October 2008, she co-hosted the Bravo special program Tommy Hilfiger Presents Ironic Iconic America, based on the book Ironic Iconic America written by George Lois. She returned as a program host in 2009, this time for MTV's brief revival of House of Style.

In 2009, she will star in an English-language film, Session, directed by Israeli Haim Bouzaglo. The film is a psychological thriller that tells the story of a manipulative psychiatrist, Josh Tellman, who becomes obsessed with a new young patient named "Jibbs."
Philanthropy

Refaeli volunteers for Project Sunshine, a non-profit organization providing free services and programs for children facing life-threatening illnesses. She has also volunteered for organization Ahava, which has been caring for pets abandoned in Northern Israel during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Bar Rafaeli and film director Shahar Segal have agreed to do a gratis campaign under the slogan "One Bag Less" to reduce the use of plastic bags.

On March 5, 2009, Refaeli was awarded in the "World Style" category at the Women's World Awards, an event honouring women for achievements in various fields and for contributions to furthering the elimination of discrimination of women.

Personal life

Previously linked to Baywatch actor David Charvet and Uri El-Natan, Refaeli began a relationship with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio in November 2005 after meeting him at a Las Vegas party thrown for members of U2. In the course of their trip to Israel in March 2007, the couple met with Israeli president Shimon Peres and visited Refaeli's hometown of Hod HaSharon. The relationship ended in July 2009.

In 2007, a controversy arose when it became widely known that Refaeli had married a family acquaintance and divorced him soon after in order to avoid military service in the Israel Defense Forces, which is mandatory for both men and women over the age of 18, with certain exemptions. As a result of the adverse publicity, the Israeli Forum for the Promotion of Equal Share in the Burden threatened to boycott the fashion chain Fox if they hired Refaeli, but the two sides reached a compromise in which the model agreed to visit injured IDF soldiers on visits to Israel and encourage enlistment in the army.

Nadine Velazquez

Nadine Velazquez (born November 20, 1978) is an American actress and model.

Velazquez was born in Chicago, Illinois, of Puerto Rican descent. She attended Notre Dame High School for Girls, and has a BA in marketing. Her first acting role was a McDonald's commercial as a drive-thru lady. She was also originally cast as Fernando Sucre's girlfriend Maricruz Delgado in the Fox television series Prison Break but acquired a role in My Name Is Earl instead.

Her latest roles were in the film War with Jet Li and Jason Statham, and in the Oxygen Network original television film Husband for Hire. She recently starred in the NBC series My Name Is Earl as Catalina Aruca. In 2006 she was ranked #54 in 102 sexiest women in the world, and was named #39 in the annual Maxim Hot 100 list.

Sophie Monk

Sophie Charlene Akland Monk (born 14 December 1979) is an Australian pop singer, actress and model.

She was once a member of female pop group Bardot and has since established a solo career with the release of an album, Calendar Girl.

More recently, she turned her hand to acting, appearing in films such as Date Movie and Click.

Monk's professional music career began in 1999 when she responded to an advertisement at the recommendation of her mother which requested girls with vocal and dance experience. The advertisement was for the Australian television series, Popstars, a TV talent show which aimed to create a successful new girl group. Monk, who has been trained in classical and pop singing and has been performing since she was eight years old, drove all night to audition. In one audition, she performed a rendition of Marilyn Monroe's famous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President", working on her previous experience as a Monroe impersonator at Warner Bros. Movie World. After numerous rounds of singing and dancing workshops, Monk was selected as a member of the group, which was named Bardot.

Bardot became the first Australian act to debut at the #1 position with both its debut single, "Poison", and self-titled debut album. Further singles "I Should've Never Let You Go" and "These Days" followed and in August, the group embarked on its first national tour. Bardot performed at the 2000 ARIA Awards at which they were nominated in three categories.

In July 2001, the group released "ASAP", the first single from their second album. Bardot now had more control over their music and image. The single peaked Top 5, as did follow-up single, "I Need Somebody", their most successful single since "Poison". The second album, Play It Like That debuted at #16, achieving gold status. Monk co-wrote the album track "Feel Right" with fellow bandmate Sally Polihronas. In 2002, final single, "Love Will Find A Way" completed Bardot's string of consecutive Top 20 hits and the group embarked on its second national tour. In May, the group disbanded.

Soon after Bardot's split, Monk began work on her solo career, re-signing a solo contract with Warner Music. She travelled overseas to work with some well-known producers including hit maker Rob Davis (famous for co-writing Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head") and this resulted in two tracks, "Inside Outside", Monk's debut solo single and the album track "Don't Push It". Sophie performed her new single for the very first time in September on the grand final edition of the AFL Footy Show at Rod Laver Arena. "Inside Outside" was released 28 October 2002 and after a week of busy promotion, debuted in the Top 5, spending a total of 12 weeks in the ARIA Top 50, receiving gold status. Monk also co-wrote the B-side "Luv Me" (in dedication to her long-term boyfriend of the time) with producer Shane Monopoly. Adding to her growing profile was her role as model and spokesperson for Expozay Swimwear. Second single, "Get The Music On" was co written by Roselyn Della Sabina, became another Top 10 hit, spending 10 weeks in the Top 50. The single's B-side "Shake" was also co-written by her.

In May 2003, Monk released her debut solo album, Calendar Girl, which surprised many by mixing contemporary pop-dance and funk with classical opera interludes, Monk having been classically trained growing up. Despite heavy promotion including TV advertising and in store appearances, the album debuted at #35 which was seen as a disappointing result. The album's final single, the ballad "One Breath Away", was re-recorded and mixed for single release, peaking at #23 in July, spending only 9 weeks in the Top 100. Despite beginning work on new material in early 2004, including songs with Roselyn Della Sabina and dance act Rogue Traders, Monk parted ways with Warner Music. The material created during these sessions has yet to surface.

Sophie Monk has since established herself in Hollywood. Although most of her roles have been reasonably small, she did play Marilyn Monroe for a high-budget telemovie The Mystery Of Natalie Wood (2004) and starred in the music video "Always" for rock group blink-182.

In February 2006, she starred in her debut feature role as the flirtatious and seductive 'best man' Andy in the spoof comedy Date Movie. A scene in the film sees Monk act out a parody of the infamous Paris Hilton burger advertisement, somewhat ironic now since her ex-fiancee started dating Hilton in 2008.

June 2006 saw the release of the Adam Sandler film Click, a story about a universal remote control. The film debuted at #1 on both the US and Australian box office charts. Monk plays a small role in this film; Stacey, David Hasselhoff's flirtatious, bimbo secretary who she described in an interview as "... kind of a floozy that kind of just works there because she gets around a bit. Another serious character."

In 2007 she appeared in HBO's Entourage episode "The Day Fuckers", which included a sex scene with Vincent Chase.

Also in 2007, Monk played the role of Cynthia Rose in the dark comedy Sex and Death 101, written and directed by Daniel Waters. The film stars fellow Australian actor Simon Baker, and Winona Ryder, and received a straight-to-DVD release on 5 March 2008.

In 2009, Sophie Monk is due to appear in a total of 6 films:

Firstly, in the upcoming Warner Bros. comedy Spring Breakdown she plays "Mason Masters". Monk describes her character as "... the head of the evil girls. I'm like the evil bitch that everyone wants to be like and they all end up hating her." She has confirmed that she is recording three songs for the film Spring Breakdown and that one of the songs "Candy" will be released as a single to coincide with the film's release. She is also set to star in a similarly named comedy titled Spring Break '83 in which she plays the character Brittany.

Also in 2009, Monk will appear in the horror film Murder World alongside Scout Taylor-Compton, as well as the films The Hills Run Red, Hard Breakers and The Legend of Awesomest Maximus.

Marisa Miller

Marisa Lee Miller (born August 6, 1978) is an American model best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, and her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret. After a stint shooting with photographer Mario Testino for fashion magazines like Vogue, Miller began working for both companies in 2002. As of late 2007, she is a Victoria's Secret Angel, and graced the cover of the 2008 SI Swimsuit Issue to record-setting numbers, accomplishments that have led to her being dubbed the "return of the great American supermodel."

She is also known for contracts with companies like Harley-Davidson and for taking the #1 spot on Maxim magazine's 2008 "Hot 100" list. Aside from modeling, she is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society.

Miller moved from a start as an amateur magazine model to high profile mainstream work after an acquaintance showed a picture of her to famed fashion photographer Mario Testino in 2001. Testino asked to meet Miller, who was running a surf school at the time, and was invited to Manhattan Beach, California, where she would be surfing.

Noticing her, Testino snapped pictures of her and approached her for a job offer that turned out to be editorials for both the American and Italian editions of Vogue. Within six months, Miller was working for Victoria's Secret and the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, in which she appeared in every issue from 2002 to 2008. She has also appeared in a diverse range of magazines, many of them international editions, such as GQ, Maxim, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, and Vanity Fair, as well as working on campaigns/advertisements for Nordstrom, J.Crew, Guess?, Tommy Hilfiger, Pepsi, Panasonic, Bath & Body Works, and most recently, for True Religion jeans and motorcycle company Harley-Davidson. In July 2008, Miller took her first step beyond modeling when her shoe line with skateboarder/surfer-oriented company Vans launched.

Television spots of Miller's include the short-lived reality television series Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model (2004), Puddle of Mudd's "Spin You Around" music video (2004), the pilot episode and finale of VH1's reality show The Shot (2007), and cameos in HBO's Entourage and the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother (both 2007), the latter with her fellow Victoria's Secret Angels. However, it wasn't until 2007 that she filmed her first television commercial for Victoria's Secret, appearing alongside Heidi Klum for the It bra. Miller's other commercials include a 2008 viral video on YouTube with All Star baseball player Ryan Braun for Remington's ShortCut clippers and a commercial for the NFL Network.

On December 4, 2007, Miller made her debut at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and opened a segment in the following year's edition. Other runway credits of Miller's include 2007's Fashion for Relief show, benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as MTV's Fashionably Loud, Imitation of Christ, Inca, and Amir Slama's Rosa Cha, for which she was one of the most anticipated models.

On the February 12, 2008 episode of The Late Show with David Letterman, it was announced via a three-story billboard in New York City that Miller would grace the cover of that year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The tandem online launch of the issue drew record page views to the SI website: 228 million, a 41% increase over 2007. In September 2008, Sports Illustrated released a "Best of Marisa Miller" swimsuit calendar for the 2009 year.

Victoria's Secret also put her to work in 2008, with a five-city tour to promote the 2008 Swim collection's release in stores; the April-May tour included stops in New York City, Miami, Chicago (where she threw the opening pitch at a Cubs game), Boston, and Minneapolis. The relaunch of Victoria Secret's sports line, VSX, soon followed, along with her first official campaign as an Angel: promoting the company's fragrance Very Sexy Dare.

Anna Nicole Smith

Vickie Lynn Marshall (November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007), better known under the stage name of Anna Nicole Smith, was an American model, sex symbol, actress and television personality. She first gained popularity in Playboy, becoming the 1993 Playmate of the Year. She modeled for clothing companies, including Guess jeans and Lane Bryant. She also starred in her own reality TV show, The Anna Nicole Show.

Born and raised in Texas, Smith dropped out of high school and was married at the age of 17. Her highly publicized second marriage to oil business executive and billionaire J. Howard Marshall, 63 years her senior, resulted in speculation that she married the octogenarian for his money, which she denied. Following his death, she began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate; her case, Marshall v. Marshall, reached the U.S. Supreme Court on a question of federal jurisdiction.

She died at age 39, apparently as a result of an overdose of prescription drugs. In the months before her death, she was the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son, Daniel Smith, and the paternity and custody battle over her daughter Dannielynn.

A major turning point in Smith's career was in 1992. It was then her career took off after she was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March 1992 issue of Playboy, where she is listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboy's most popular models, Smith was heavier and larger than the typical Playboy model. Smith was chosen to be the 1993 Playmate of the Year. By the time of her PMOY pictorial, she had settled on the name Anna Nicole Smith.

Smith secured a contract to replace supermodel Claudia Schiffer in the Guess jeans ad campaign in a series of sultry black and white photographs. Guess capitalized on Smith's strong resemblance to sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and put her in Jayne-inspired photo sessions. In 1993, before Christmas, she modeled for the Swedish clothing company Hennes & Mauritz (H&M). She was dressed in underwear and arranged in seductive poses. She appeared on big posters in Sweden and Norway.

A photograph of Smith was used by New York magazine on the cover of its August 22, 1994 issue titled White Trash Nation. In the photo, she appears squatting in a short skirt and cowboy boots as she eats chips. In October 1994, Smith's lawyer initiated a $5,000,000 lawsuit against the magazine claiming unauthorized use of her photo and that the article had damaged her reputation. Her lawyer said that Smith was told she was being photographed to embody the "all-American-woman look", and that they wanted glamor shots. He further stated that the picture used was taken for fun during a break.

Death and funeral

On February 8, 2007, Smith was found unresponsive in room 607 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Tasma Brighthaupt, a friend of Smith who was a trained emergency nurse performed CPR for 15 minutes until her husband, Maurice "Big Moe" Brighthaupt, Smith's friend and bodyguard took over CPR. He had frantically driven back to the hotel after being notified by his wife of Smith's condition. According to Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger, at 1:38 p.m. (18:38 UTC) Maurice Brighthaupt, who was also a trained paramedic, called the hotel front desk from her sixth floor room. The front desk in turn called security, who then called 911. At 1:45 p.m. the bodyguard administered CPR until paramedics arrived and she was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital at 2:10 p.m and pronounced dead on arrival at 2:49 p.m.

A phone call was released to the public on February 13, 2007 involving Seminole police and the local 911 operators, saying:

We need assistance to Room 607 at the Hard Rock. It's in reference to a white female. She's not breathing and not responsive...actually, it's Anna Nicole Smith.

After a seven-week investigation led by Broward County Medical Examiner and Forensic Pathologist Dr. Joshua Perper in combination with the Seminole police and several independent forensic pathologists and toxicologists, Dr. Perper announced that Smith died of "combined drug intoxication" with the sleeping medication chloral hydrate as the "major component." No illegal drugs were found in her system. The official report states that her death was not considered to be due to homicide, suicide, or natural causes. The full investigative report has been made public and can be found online. Additionally, an official copy of the autopsy report was publicly released on March 26, 2007 and can be found online.

Ultimately her death was ruled an accidental drug overdose of the sedative chloral hydrate that became increasingly lethal when combined with other prescription drugs in her system, specifically 4 benzodiazepines: Klonopin (Clonazepam), Ativan (Lorazepam), Serax (Oxazepam), and Valium (Diazepam). Furthermore, she had taken Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) and Topamax (Toprimate), an anticonvulsant GABA agonist, which likely contributed to the sedative effect of chloral hydrate and the benzodiazepines. Although the individual levels of any of the benzodiazepines in her system would not have been sufficient to cause death, their combination with a high dose of chloral hydrate led to her overdose. The autopsy report indicates that chloral hydrate was the "toxic/lethal" drug, but it is difficult to know if chloral hydrate ingestion would have killed her alone, since Dr. Perper indicated (in the March 26 press conference) that she had built up a tolerance to the drug and took more than the average person. He indicated that she took about 3 tablespoons, whereas the normal dosage is between 1 and 2 teaspoons. Chloral hydrate, first synthesized in 1832, was the first depressant developed for the specific purpose of inducing sleep. The infamous “Mickey Finn” or “knockout drops” was a solution of alcohol and chloral hydrate that was popular in Victorian England and in that era’s literature. When used properly, and without the introduction of alcohol or other depressants, chloral hydrate is effective in easing sleeplessness due to pain or insomnia. But according to Avis (1990) the effective dose and lethal dose of chloral hydrate are so close that the sedative should be considered dangerous. Today, the use of chloral hydrate has declined as other agents, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines, have largely replaced them. Despite rumors of methadone use due to its involvement in her son's death, Dr. Perper only found methadone in her bile, indicating that it could only have been ingested 2–3 days prior to her death and was not a contributing factor. The autopsy report indicates that abscesses on her buttocks (presumably from prior injections of vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) and human growth hormone), and viral enteritis were contributory causes of death. Tests for influenza A and B were negative.

It was reported that 8 of the 11 drugs in Smith's system, including the chloral hydrate, were prescribed to Howard K. Stern, not Smith. Additionally, two of the prescriptions were written for Alex Katz and one was written for Smith's friend and psychiatrist, Dr. Khristine Eroshevitz. Dr. Perper acknowledged that all 11 prescriptions were written by Dr. Eroshevitz herself.

Before Smith's body was buried, it began decomposing at a faster-than-normal pace. The drugs found in Anna Nicole's body in the autopsy, the fact that the legal battles delayed her embalming until over a week after her death, and the nearly month-long wait for her burial in the warm Bahama weather, were cited as possible factors in her more rapid decomposition. The family ended up having a closed-casket funeral.

Smith's will, drawn up in April 2001, named her son Daniel as the sole beneficiary of her estate, specifically excluded other children, and named Howard K. Stern as the executor. It indicated personal property valued at $10,000 and real property valued at $1.8 million (with a $1.1 million mortgage) at the time of death. A petition to probate Smith's will was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The petition to probate lists Larry Birkhead as a party with interest to Anna's estate. Legal battles may not end there. On April 2, 2009 Us Weekly reported that Anna Nicole's father Donald Hogan is considering filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Stern. Hogan was quoted as saying that while he blames Stern in Anna Nicole's death, he doesn't care "if [he] get[s] a dime out of [the lawsuit]."

A six-foot-tall black granite monument was installed at Smith's grave in the Bahamas, as of February 2009.

Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), best known mononymously as Beyoncé (pronounced /biːˈɒnseɪ/), is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, choreographer, video director, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the girl group Destiny's Child. Knowles has sold more than 50 million records worldwide with the group and over 75 million records in her total career.

In June 2003, during the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, which became one of the most successful albums of that year, and signaled her viability as a solo artist. The album was a commercial and critical success, spawning the hits "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", and earning Knowles five Grammy Awards in 2004. The disbanding of Destiny's Child in 2005 facilitated her continued success: her sophomore solo album, B'Day, released in 2006, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, and produced the hits "Deja Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar". Her third solo album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, was released in November 2008, and included the hits "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Halo" and "Sweet Dreams". Knowles has attained five Hot 100 number one singles, becoming one of the two female artists with the most number ones attained within the 2000-2009 decade. She is also the female artist with the most cumulative weeks at number one this decade, with 37 total weeks at number one, the most top fives and the most top ten hits this decade with twelve, as well as the most top 40 hits of the decade with 17 top 40 hits.

The success of her solo albums has established Knowles as one of the most marketable artists in the music industry, and she has expanded her career to acting and product endorsement. She began her acting career in 2001, appearing in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2006, she starred in the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles launched her family's fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2004, and has been engaged to endorse such brands as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal. In 2009, Forbes listed Knowles fourth on its list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the world, third on its list of the top-grossing musicians, and number one on the list of top Best-Paid Celebs Under 30 with over $87 million dollars in earnings between 2008 and 2009

Knowles has become known as a sex symbol. According to her, "I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady," but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is "absolutely for the stage". As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing. The B'Day Anthology showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles. People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007. Knowles' mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny's Child's success.

As one of the most media-exposed black artists in the United States, Knowles has often received criticism that some believe is due to racism and sexism. A fan of hers points out, "[Knowles] portrays herself as a sex symbol rather than an artist." Toure of the Rolling Stone stated that since the release of Dangerously in Love, "[Beyoncé] has become a crossover sex symbol a la Halle Berry ..." Her appearance in Vanity Fair magazine has also provoked speculations that her skin tone was digitally altered.

In 2007, Knowles was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the first non-model and non-athlete woman to pose on the issue and the second African American model after Tyra Banks. In the same year, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across the United States showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B'Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder "to make herself appear more sophisticated".

On April 24, 2009 Knowles appeared on Larry King Live where she gave herself a more political image talking about everything from singing at President Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009 to racism that she has faced as being an African-American. She said that Michelle Obama is "so chic" and even stated that her performance of "At Last" was the highlight of her career.

Dayana Mendoza

Dayana Sabrina Mendoza Moncada (born June 1, 1986 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a model, Miss Venezuela 2007, and Miss Universe 2008.

Mendoza has stated that she enjoys "design, photography, advertising and wave surfing." She was once kidnapped in Venezuela, and stated the trauma taught her to remain poised under pressure.

Before Miss Universe

In 2001, Mendoza signed with Elite Model Management and was a finalist at the Elite Model Look International 2001, in Nice, France. She has worked with the companies Max Mara and Costume Nacional, where she modeled in New York, Italy, Germany, France, Athens and Spain for Versace, Roberto Cavalli and other fashion designers. She speaks Spanish, English, and Italian. After Elite, she signed to Trump Model Management, and in Milan, Names Model Agency.

Miss Venezuela and Miss Universe

Dayana beat 27 other candidates to win Miss Venezuela 2007 on September 13, 2007, and became only the second woman representing the Amazonas state to win (the first being Carolina Izsak in 1991). She was crowned Miss Universe 2008 at the pageant in the Crown Convention Center, Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 13, 2008. Mendoza became the first winner of the pageant from Venezuela since Miss Universe 1996's winner Alicia Machado, thus making her the first Venezuelan Miss Universe in the 21st century.

Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori crowned her with a tiara worth 120,000 U.S. dollars. Her prize package includes cash, a year contract promoting Miss Universe, world travel, a rent-free, prestigious New York City flat, luxury apartment and a gift bag stuffed with designer shoes, dresses and beauty products, a $100,000 stipend for a 2-year course at the New York Film Academy and free access to famous fashion houses and beauty parlors. Mendoza will spend her year-long reign traveling the world to lecture on humanitarian issues and to promote education regarding HIV/AIDS.

As of June 2009, Mendoza as Miss Universe has traveled to Indonesia, Singapore, Puerto Rico, Italy, Spain, France, Nicaragua, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Bahamas, Russia, El Salvador, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Argentina, Romania and Vietnam, in addition to numerous trips around the USA and her homecoming in Venezuela.

Sienna Miller

Sienna Rose Miller (born December 28, 1981) is a BAFTA nominated American-born British actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Alfie, Factory Girl, and The Edge of Love.

Miller was born in a theater in New York City on December 28, 1981 and moved with her family to London, England when she was a year old. She went to Francis Holland Junior School, from the time she was 4 to 11. She attended Heathfield St Mary's School, a boarding school in Ascot, Berkshire and later studied for a year at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City.

Her father Edward Miller is an American banker turned Chinese art dealer. Her English mother, Josefina "Jo" Miller, ran Lee Strasberg's acting academy in London and was once David Bowie's secretary.

Miller has a sister, Savannah, a fashion designer; two half-brothers, Charles and Stephen, and a step-sister, Natasha Corrett (the daughter of her father's second wife Kelly Hoppen).

Modeling

Prior to her professional acting career, Miller worked as a photographic model. She signed with Tandy Anderson, and modeled for Coca-Cola, Italian Vogue, and posed topless in the 2003 Pirelli Calendar. Miller has also been closely associated with the style of fashion that became known as boho chic, much of which fashion followers noted was strikingly similar to the style of model Kate Moss.

Miller signed a two-year contract with Pepe Jeans London; the jeans ad campaign first appeared in magazines March 2006. Currently, Miller is an ambassador for the female BOSS Orange signature fragrance by Hugo Boss, which launched in June of 2009, where Miller can be seen laughing playfully in the adverts.

Acting

In her early career, Miller performed in several amateur New York City plays including The Striker, Independence, and Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella's Cigarettes & Chocolate.

In 2001, she made her film début with South Kensington, with Rupert Everett and Elle Macpherson. Her next projects were High Speed and The Ride (aka Joy-Rider) in 2002. In 2003, Miller had a recurring role in Simon West's television action drama series Keen Eddie. Miller had supporting roles in the remake of the 1966 film Alfie starring Jude Law in 2004. In the same year, she made Layer Cake with Daniel Craig. In 2005, she made her professional stage début as Celia in a West End production of Shakespeare's As You Like It alongside Helen McCrory and Dominic West. She understudied the lead role of Rosalind, which she played for one performance, when McCrory fell ill.

Later that year, Miller played the female lead opposite Heath Ledger in the period drama, Casanova, followed by what is known as her breakthrough role portraying 1960s socialite and Andy Warhol's muse Edie Sedgwick in the film Factory Girl, which opened December 29, 2006.

In 2007, Miller played a small role opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro in Matthew Vaughn's fantasy epic Stardust, based on the book by Neil Gaiman of the same name. That same year, she played an American starlet to Steve Buscemi's reporter in the film Interview, a remake of the Dutch movie with the same name. Later in 2007, she portrayed an undead bride opposite James Franco in the horror comedy Camille which did not receive a wide release and went to DVD shortly thereafter.

In 2008, Miller appeared in the film version of writer Michael Chabon's novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, also starring Peter Sarsgaard and filmed The Edge of Love, with friend Keira Knightley, a biopic of Dylan Thomas in which she plays his wife Caitlin.

She appeared in two 2009 films: Hippie Hippie Shake a new Working Title production directed by Beeban Kidron, which also stars Cillian Murphy, set in the 1960s, and a live-action film adaptation of the comic book and cartoon G.I. Joe. In September 2009, she will play the title role in Patrick Marber's After Miss Julie on Broadway.

Miller was set to play Maid Marian in Ridley Scott's upcoming film Nottingham, featuring Russell Crowe as the Sheriff of Nottingham, but she dropped out before filming began.

In 2009, Miller starred in the Comic Relief spoof of the film Mamma Mia! alongside English comediennes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, in which she played Sophie. She also played as barones in G.I Joe.

Fashion design

In 2006, it was announced that Miller would design a fashion capsule for Pepe Jeans; the project was later expanded to become a complete fashion label. Called Twenty8Twelve, it gets its name from Miller's date of birth and is financially backed by Pepe Jeans. The collection, which Miller designed with her sister Savannah, a professional fashion designer, launched in September 2007.

Luna Maya

Luna Maya (lahir di Denpasar, Bali, 26 Agustus 1983; umur 25 tahun) adalah aktris sinetron dan film layar lebar Indonesia yang mengawali kariernya sebagai model iklan dan catwalk.

Luna mengawali kariernya sebagai model. Wanita yang memiliki tinggi 173 cm ini terjun ke dunia peran pada 2004 lewat 30 Hari Mencari Cinta. Dalam film tersebut, Luna yang juga adik kandung dari peselancar nasional Tipi Jabrik berperan sebagai Barbara, seorang gadis cantik nan seksi yang menjadi idaman pria. Ini adalah peran pertama Luna sebagai tokoh antagonis.

Sukses memerani Barbara, Luna yang juga ikon KapanLagi.com ini kembali terlibat dalam film Brownies tahun 2005. Dalam film arahan sutradara Hanung Bramantyo itu, Luna mendapatkan peran kecil. Peran pertama Luna sebagai tokoh utama adalah sebagai Mina dalam Bangsal 13 pada tahun yang sama.

Nama Luna kian melambung di jagat hiburan Indonesia, setelah ia memerani film Cinta Silver dan digosipkan berhubungan cinta dengan Ariel, vokalis grup band Peterpan. Namun demikian, gosip ini langsung surut setelah Ariel dikabarkan menghamili gadis lain, Sarah Amelia, dan menikahinya. Setelah pernikahan Ariel, Luna belum lagi dikabarkan dekat dengan orang lain.

Selama kariernya, Luna telah membintangi tak kurang dari tujuh film, seperti Brownies, Cinta Silver, Ruang, Bangsal 13, Jakarta Undercover, 30 Hari Mencari Cinta, dan Pesan Dari Surga. Beberapa sinetron yang dia bintangi antara lain Dan, Kau dan Aku, Ada Cinta, Rahasiaku, Anggun, Cahaya Surga, Sujudku dan yang tayang di TV Langganan Astro Akhir Cinta .

Luna, yang mantan kekasih dari Fachry Albar ini, membintangi beberapa produk iklan seperti Lux, Zestea, Sarimie, Vitalong C , XL dan Bu Krim Detergen.

Sederet prestasi yang diraih oleh Luna membuat ia dipilih sebagai salah satu pembawa obor di ajang Olimpiade 2008. Tak hanya dunia peran dan model yang digeluti oleh Luna. Bersama Dewi Sandra dan Sandra Dewi, Luna turut menyumbangkan suarannya dalam sountrack Euro 2008.

Sadar bahwa karirnya di dunia hiburan tidak bisa dijadikan sandaran selamanya, Luna mulai belajar berbisnis. Pilihannya jatuh pada dunia busana. Ia membuka butik bernama "LM Hardware" di Bandung dan Jakarta.

Meski sempat diterpa berita tak enak, gara-gara namanya dicatut pada salah satu situs porno di awal 2009, Luna tidak patah semangat. Sebaliknya, ia semakin melebarkan karirnya dengan menjadi presenter acara musik Dahsyat bersama Olga Syahputra dan Raffi Ahmad. Karier di dunia pertelevisian ini melanjutkan keterlibatannya yang panjang pada acara Extravaganza. Bahkan kini ia pun sudah mulai ikut meramaikan dunia tarik suara.

Tyra Banks

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American media personality, actress, occasional singer, former model and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the UPN/The CW reality television show America's Next Top Model and is co-creator of True Beauty. She also hosts her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.

In 2009 she was honored by Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Excellence in Media Award.

Tyra Banks was born in Inglewood, California, the daughter of Karolyn (née London), a fashion manager and NASA photographer, and Donald Banks, a computer consultant. The couple divorced in 1980, when Banks was 6 years old. However, the relationship between her parents, and between her and her brother Devin Banks (born 1968), stayed friendly. Later, Carolyn married Clifford Johnson; she now goes by Carolyn London-Johnson. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She was accepted by colleges such as USC and UCLA for television producing.

Career

Modeling

Banks began modeling in the 11th grade. She later went to Paris, France to do some runway modeling. Within Banks' first week in Paris, designers were so entranced by her presence on the runway that she was booked for an unprecedented twenty-five shows - a record in the business for a newcomer. She has done extensive print and/or runway work for fashion/advertising giants, such as Anna Sui, Coors Light, CoverGirl, Badgley Mischka, Bill Blass, Cynthia Rowley, Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Gemma Kahng, H&M, Isaac Mizrahi, Maria Snyder, McDonald's, Aislinn Dubois Modeling Agency, Michael Kors, Milk, Nicole Miller, Nike, Inc., Oscar de la Renta, Pepsi, Perry Ellis, Randy Kemper, Richard Tyler, Rifat Ozbek, Swatch, Todd Oldham, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret and Yves Saint Laurent. She has appeared on the covers of high-fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Elle.

Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 1997, she received the VH1 award for Supermodel of the Year. That same year, she became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog.

Banks retired from modeling in May 2005 to concentrate on her television career. She walked the runway for the final time at the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Aside from modeling, In 1998, Banks authored a book entitled Tyra's Beauty, Inside and Out. The book was advertised as a resource for helping women to make the most out of their natural beauty.

Move into television and film

Banks' television career began on the fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in which she played lead character Will Smith's old friend Jackie Ames. She made seven appearances in the series. Other TV credits include Felicity, MADtv, Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out (in which she was featured as a special guest host and team captain) and The Price Is Right (guest-starring as a "Barker's Beauty"). She also appeared as a guest in the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast in an episode entitled "Chinatown."

Currently, Banks can be seen on television as the hostess, judge and executive producer of The CW Television Network show America's Next Top Model. In addition, she hosts The Tyra Banks Show, a daytime talk show aimed at younger women, which premiered on September 12, 2005. The show features stories about everyday people mixed in with celebrity interviews, much like the early format of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Under the slogan "Every woman has a story...and it happened to Tyra too," Banks promotes her show using emotional flashbacks to her own childhood and adolescence. Many of the episodes deal with issues facing women today. Banks and other experts give women advice on fashion, relationships and more. The first two seasons of the show were recorded in Banks' hometown of Los Angeles but, beginning with the fall 2007 season, the show moved to New York City. In 2008, Banks won the Daytime Emmy Award for her work and production on The Tyra Banks Show.

In late-January 2008, Banks got the go-ahead from The CW Television Network to start work on a new reality television series based on fashion magazines called Stylista. The show premiered on October 22, 2008.

Banks' first big screen role came in 1994 when she co-starred in the drama Higher Learning. She went on to co-star with Lindsay Lohan in the Disney film Life-Size, playing a doll named Eve who comes to life and has to learn how to live in the real world. Other notable roles include Love Stinks (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Coyote Ugly (2000) and Halloween: Resurrection (2002).

Music

Banks has appeared in several music videos, including Michael Jackson's "Black or White", Tina Turner's "Love Thing", Mobb Deep's "Trife Life" and George Michael's "Too Funky" (with fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista). In 2004, she recorded her first single, "Shake Ya Body," which had a music video featuring the final six contestants on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2. The video was world-premiered on UPN, but the single turned out to be a failure. On America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2 Banks said, "Singing has been a passion of mine for a long, long time...six years on the down low - been ducking in and out of studios cutting tracks." Later, on her talk show, she said, "I can't believe I wasted six years of doing something that I didn't finish...I was almost able to release my album T.Y.R.A., but since my music career hit rock bottom, I quit."

Though "Shake Ya Body" was a failure, record producer Rodney Jerkins told Jet magazine in 2004 that Banks "has what it takes to pull it off...she had a hungriness to want to be in the studio all the time. Some people want to be divas in the studio and work for three or four hours. You had to tell Tyra to stop, or she will keep you going." As for her voice, Jerkins said, "People will be shocked. She can really sing. She's like between soprano and high-alto. I challenged her vocally. I pushed her, but not too far. I pushed her where vocally it fit the track."

Banks released a single with NBA player Kobe Bryant, entitled "K.O.B.E.," which was performed on NBA TV. She also has a single on the soundtrack to Disney Channel's Original Movie Life-Size called "Be A Star." She is credited with performing the theme song to America's Next Top Model.

Personal life

She devoted an entire show to the subject of "Professional Athletes and the Women Who Love Them" on her talk show in November 2006. She is also the godmother of Ming Lee and Aoki Lee Simmons and Kenzo Lee Hounsou, the children of her friend, Kimora Lee Simmons.

Monica Bellucci

Bellucci was born in Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy, the daughter of Maria Gustinelli, a painter, and Luigi Bellucci, who owned a trucking company. Bellucci started modelling at 16, when she was attending the Liceo classico. Initially pursuing a career as a lawyer, Bellucci modeled to pay her tuition at the University of Perugia, but the lifestyle tempted her away from her law studies. She speaks Italian, French, and English fluently, Spanish semi-fluently, and she has had speaking roles in each of these languages as well as in Aramaic for her part as Mary Magdalene in The Passion of the Christ.

Bellucci is married to fellow actor Vincent Cassel, with whom she has appeared in several films, and has a daughter named Deva (born 12 September 2004). In 2004, while pregnant with her daughter, Bellucci posed nude for the Italian Vanity Fair Magazine in protest against Italian laws that prevent the use of donor sperm.

Modeling
In 1988, Bellucci moved to one of Europe's fashion centers, Milan, where she signed with Elite Model Management. By 1989, she was becoming prominent as a fashion model in Paris and across the Atlantic, in New York City. She posed for Dolce & Gabbana and French ELLE, among others. In that year, Bellucci made the transition to acting and began taking acting classes. The February 2001 Esquire Magazine's feature on Desire featured Ms. Bellucci on the cover and in an article on the five senses. In 2003, she was featured in Maxim. In 2004, she topped AskMen's 100 Most Beautiful Women in the World annual list. Bellucci's modelling career is managed by Elite+ in NYC. She is considered an Italian sex symbol. She is currently a face of a range of Dior Cosmetics. Bellucci is also signed to Storm Model Management in London.

Entertainment

Bellucci's film career began in the early 1990s. In 1992, she made her first appearance in a major English-language film as one of Dracula's brides in Bram Stoker's Dracula. She became known and popular with worldwide audiences following her roles in Malèna, Brotherhood of the Wolf and Irréversible, though is perhaps best known for her role as Persephone in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions followed by her portrayal of Mary Magdelene in The Passion of the Christ.

In a documentary about the film, The Big Question, she stated: "I am an agnostic, even though I respect and am interested in all religions. If there's something I believe in, it's a mysterious energy; the one that fills the oceans during tides, the one that unites nature and beings."

In 2003, Bellucci starred in Tears of the Sun as a doctor in Nigeria being rescued by the U.S., and in 2005 in the fantasy film The Brothers Grimm as a beautiful evil queen. Her latest films are The Stone Council, directed by the Frenchman Guillaume Nicloux (2006) and Manuale d'amore 2 (2007) where she portrays a physiotherapist who is the object of the desire of her patient. She was supposed to be seen portraying Indian politician Sonia Gandhi in the biopic Sonia, originally planned for release in 2007 but now shelved. September 2007 saw the release of Shoot 'Em Up, where she plays a prostitute opposite Clive Owen. She dubbed her own voice for the French and Italian releases of the film.

She filmed Le Deuxième souffle with Daniel Auteuil, Michel Blanc and Eric Cantona (2006).

Bellucci also voiced Kaileena in the video game Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and the French voice of Cappy for the French version of the 2005 animated movie Robots.

In 2007, she appeared in Heartango, a movie for Intimissimi, with José Fidalgo and directed by Gabriele Muccino.
Awards

In 2003, Bellucci won the Nastro d'Argento Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of Alessia in Remember Me, My Love. She has been nominated for several others, including the 1996 César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Lisa in L'Appartement.

Olga Kurylenko

Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko (Ukrainian: Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born November 14, 1979) is a Ukrainian model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Bond girl in the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace and for portraying the character of Nika Boronina in the movie adaptation of the video game Hitman. She became a French citizen in 2001.

Olga Kurylenko was born in Berdyansk, Ukraine. Her father, Kostyantyn Kurylenko, is Ukrainian. Her mother, Marina Alyabusheva, an art teacher of Russian and Belarusian descent, was born in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.

Her childhood was a poor one; she shared an apartment with her aunt and uncle, grandparents and cousin. She never had any fancy clothes, often wearing hand-me-downs and re-sewing torn sweaters instead of buying new ones. Her discovery led to a drastic change in lifestyle, "I couldn't have anything, basically. I couldn't have any clothes I wanted, shoes, beds, clothes for school - because my mum couldn't buy them [Olga, on her childhood]".

When Kurylenko was three years old her parents divorced, leaving her to be raised by her mother. Kurylenko rarely had contact with her father, meeting him for the first time when she was 8 years old, and later again when she was 13.

Kurylenko was discovered by a female model scout while on vacation in Moscow at the age of thirteen. When she was 17 she signed a contract with the Paris-based Madison modeling agency. By the age of 18 she had already appeared on the covers of Vogue and Elle. While working as a model in Paris, Kurylenko supported her mother back home in Ukraine.

She also dazzled the covers of Madame Figaro and Marie Claire.

Also, she became the face of Lejaby lingerie, Bebe clothing, Clarins and Helena Rubinstein. Furthermore, she modelled for Roberto Cavalli and KENZO, and briefly appeared in the Victoria's Secret catalog.

In 2005, Kurylenko began her film career in France. She received the certificate of excellence award at the 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her performance in L'Annulaire, and also starred in the Paris, je t'aime segment Quartier de la Madeleine opposite Elijah Wood. This same year, she was selected to be the face of Kenzo's new fragrance, Kenzo Amour. She has appeared in all subsequent Kenzo Amour ads. In 2007, Kurylenko starred in Hitman alongside Timothy Olyphant in which she did a full nude scene. She played Bond girl Camille Montes in the 2008 James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. The film was released in the United States on her twenty-ninth birthday.

Kurylenko was featured on the cover of the December 2008 issue of the US edition of Maxim magazine and on the cover of the February 2009 issue of the Ukrainian edition of Maxim magazine.

The fact that she is the first Bond girl from a post-Soviet state received mixed reactions in post-Soviet countries. The Saint-Petersburg based Communist group KPLO has accused her of "moral and intellectual betrayal" in starring in a film about the "enemy of the Soviet people" (meaning James Bond), but the mayor of Berdyansk has suggested naming a street after her and Kurylenko and her mother met Ukraine's First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko in President Yushchenko's family country house.