Celebs

2006-06-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Charlize Theron (born August 7, 1975) is an Academy Award-winning Afrikaner actress who was born in South Africa.

Early life

Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa. Her father, Charles Theron, was a construction company owner of French Huguenot descent; her mother, Gerda, is of German descent and took over her husband's business after his death. Theron's first language is Afrikaans, and her second is English. "Theron" is a French surname pronounced in Afrikaans as "Tronn," although she has said that she prefers the pronunciation "Thrown."[1]

Theron grew up as the only child on her parents' farm near Johannesburg (Benoni) and was sent to a boarding school at the age of thirteen. At fifteen, Theron witnessed the death of her father; he was an abusive alcoholic, and her mother shot him in self-defense when he attacked her. No charges were pressed.

Career

At the age of sixteen, Theron traveled to Milan, Italy, on a one-year modeling contract, after winning a local competition. Her contract ended while she was in New York City, and she decided to remain there, attending the Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a ballet dancer. A knee injury ended this career path at the age of 18.

Unable to dance, she bought a ticket to Los Angeles. After eight months in the city, she was cast in her first film part, a non-speaking role in the direct-to-video film Children of the Corn III. She followed this with larger roles in widely released Hollywood films, and her career skyrocketed in the late 1990s, with box office successes like The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, and Mighty Joe Young.

The May 1999 issue of Playboy published nude photos of Theron, taken during the early years of her modeling career. Claiming they had been "for private use," Theron ended up suing photographer Guido Argentini.

After appearing in a few notable films, Theron starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster (2003). Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema" [2]), for which Theron won the Best Actress Oscar at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004, as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award. She is the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.

Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik in the J'ADORE advertisements by Christian Dior; she is the current spokeswoman for Dior perfume. On September 30, 2005, she received her own bronze star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the same year, she starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller Æon Flux [3] and was given positive reviews, as well as a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination, for her lead performance in the drama North Country. She had also been nominated for an Oscar as a lead actress for the role, although she did not win; this was her second nomination.

In 2005, Theron also portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest on the third season of FOX's critically acclaimed sitcom, Arrested Development.

Personal life

Theron dated the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, Stephan Jenkins, from January 1998 to July 2001. Jenkins broke up with her after failing to take her requests of marriage seriously.[4] Theron now resides in Los Angeles with her long-time boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, with whom she starred in the 2004 film Head in the Clouds, as well as in the 2002 film Trapped; she has said that they will not marry until same-sex couples are able to have their marriages recognized. In October 2005, her mother, Gerda, was married in California. The media thought that Charlize was the one getting married (to Townsend) and the paparazzi got as close as it could for the photos.

While filming Æon Flux in Berlin, Germany, Theron had surgery on a herniated cervical disc in her neck, the result of an injury incurred on the set during a stunt.

Theron is also involved in women's rights organizations [5]. She has tried to apply for a German passport because of her mother's German ancestry, but was turned down because she did not have any family members currently residing there.[6]

In 2006, Theron won GLAAD's Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards for increasing "visibility and understanding in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community."

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
2005	Æon Flux	Æon Flux
2005	North Country	Josey Aimes	Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress
2004	Head in the Clouds	Gilda Bessé	limited release
2003	Monster	Aileen Wuornos	Academy Award for Best Actress
2003	The Italian Job	Stella Bridger
2002	Waking Up in Reno	Candy Kirkendall
2002	Trapped	Karen Jennings
2001	Sweet November	Sara Deever
2000	The Legend of Bagger Vance	Adele Invergordon
2000	The Yards	Erica Stoltz
2000	Reindeer Games	Ashley Mercer
1999	The Cider House Rules	Candy Kendall
1999	The Astronaut's Wife	Jillian Armacost
1998	Mighty Joe Young	Jill Young
1998	Celebrity	Supermodel
1997	The Devil's Advocate	Mary Ann Lomax
1997	Trial and Error	Billie Tyler
1996	2 Days in the Valley	Helga Svelgen

50c

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), commonly known by his rap name 50 Cent, is an African-American gangsta rapper, who rose to fame following the success of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. 50 Cent achieved multi-platinum success with both albums, selling around 25 million albums worldwide. Jackson is known for his gangsta image, and prides himself on having been shot nine times and surviving the ordeal.

Early life

Curtis James Jackson III grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, New York in poverty-stricken circumstances. When he was eight years old, his mother was murdered in her home in a drug deal, and 50 Cent moved in with his grandparents. He soon became immersed in the drug trade, hustling around his native neighborhood by the name of "Boo Boo." By embracing that reputation, 50 Cent built a large following in New York before ever signing a major record deal.

50 Cent met up with Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC and was signed to his label to write all of his music. After leaving Jam Master Jay, he teamed up with the hip-hop production duo Track Masters. 50 Cent was signed to Columbia Records in 1999. The controversial single "How to Rob", an ode to robbing a slew of industry rappers, was a hit on the radio. The next single, "Ghetto Qu'ran", started a feud with the drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff who was the leader of the New York gang called the "Supreme Team." In the song he says, "'Preme was the Business man and Prince (Supreme's cousin) was the killer." His debut album Power of the Dollar was shelved, and subsequently 50 Cent left Columbia Records shortly after being shot in 2000.

Eminem first heard 50 Cent on one of his mixtapes, which he brought to Dr. Dre's attention. Eminem expressed interest in the rapper on MTV. 50 Cent officially signed to Interscope Records. The rapper was also the first to sign onto a joint effort between Eminem's Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Interscope marketed 50 Cent as the "real deal", and his appearance on the 8 Mile Soundtrack ("Wanksta") immediately went into heavy rotation on BET, MTV, and radio stations across the country.

The popularity of G-Unit

In its first week of release, his debut "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" sold 872,000 copies[1]. The album was certified gold in its first week and platinum the next, and it broke the record for first week sales of any major label debut in the entire Soundscan era. On April 12, 2004 "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" was certified six times platinum by the RIAA.

In 2003, 50 Cent and other members of G-Unit released their first mixtape, with DJ Whoo Kid. The mixtape featured remixes to songs previously released, as well as multiple underground/unreleased tracks. Rapper, Snoop Dogg was featured on many of the tracks, as well as on the cover art work. Since the first one has been released, G-Unit artists have realesed 20 other mixtapes with DJ Whoo Kid.

In 2005, 50 Cent released his sophomore album, The Massacre. It was originally entitled St. Valentine's Day Massacre, but the title changed when the album release date was set back. He scored a hit with the album's first two singles, "Disco Inferno" and "Candy Shop". The third single, "Just A Lil' Bit" peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Interscope then granted 50 Cent his own label, G-Unit Records. 50 Cent appointed his manager Sha Money XL as the president. [2] The label signed on Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit. In 2004, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent had signed The Game under a joint venture. 50 Cent also signed Olivia and Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records in 2005. [3] [4]. The rapper has also signed Spider Loc, M.O.P., and Mase, from Bad Boy Records. In 2006, the rapper has also signed Arizona rapper Hot Rod as a member of G-Unit.[5] 50 Cent has expressed interest in working with other rappers outside of G-Unit such as Freeway of Roc-A-Fella Records. [6]

Endorsements

After the release of Beg For Mercy from his group G-Unit, he teamed up with Reebok to release his own G-Unit Sneakers. He also invested in VitaminWater bottled water and his own clothing line. 50 Cent appeared on an episode of The Simpsons entitled, "Pranksta Rap" in February 2005.

A video game starring 50 Cent, called "50 Cent: Bulletproof," is available on the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable.

50 Cent starred in the semi-autobiographical 2005 film Get Rich or Die Tryin' directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Joy Bryant and Terrence Howard.

50 Cent released a memoir about his life up to his success entitled From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens; the book was released on August 9, 2005. There are other books planned for release in 2007.

Other controversies

The moniker "50 Cent" originally belonged to Brooklyn drug dealer Kelvin Martin. Martin managed to claim his success through the robbery and murder of local officials. Well enough, at least, for Curtis Jackson to take on the name and adopt the legacy, to the point of even having made a song called "how to rob", in which he talks about robbing other people in the industry the same way the original 50 cent did. The documentary Infamous Times: The Original 50 Cent the infamous gangster was released on DVD. After the dispute with The Game escalated, 50 Cent sued The Game's manager Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond over unauthorized filming for a documentary about Kelvin Martin. The family of Martin do not endorse the rapper.

While appearing at the Summer Jam XI concert in New York, 50 Cent and members of G-Unit were criticized for speaking out against other notable artists including R&B singer R. Kelly. Before going onstage, 50 Cent mentioned R. Kelly's pending child pornography trial. He and his crew received mixed reactions from the crowd and chairs were thrown onstage, forcing 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew to leave the stage for safety reasons.

The rapper also had a falling out with Eminem's former deejay Green Lantern. The deejay has been labeled a "snitch" and "traitor" for his apparent phone conversation with rival Jadakiss. The rapper had a phone interview with DJ Green Lantern over the feud with 50 Cent. The DJ was apparently encouraging Jadakiss to "deliver a major blow" to 50 Cent, which he did with the release of "Sorry Ms. Jackson, and Checkmate". The rapper never confronted the DJ about the situation, but it did affect the relationship within Shady Records. The situation forced Green Lantern to leave Shady Records and other ventures associated with Eminem.

On a taping of The O'Reilly Factor, conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly has urged boycotts against rap music. O'Reilly named 50 Cent as a target of his crusade to prevent rappers who promote bad behavior from endorsing mainstream merchandise. He criticized shoe maker Reebok for partnering up with 50 Cent to endorse his G-Unit Sneakers. O'Reilly has rallied another boycott, this time against the shoe maker. Despite the boycott, sales remain excellent, and Reebok still continues to endorse 50 Cent's products. However, a television advertisement for Reebok which featured 50 Cent was taken off air in the United Kingdom. The advertisement contained lyrics from one of 50's tracks, which resulted in complaints against their violent imagery.

Dan McTeague, a member of Canadian Parliament suggested that the government ban 50 Cent from entering the country. McTeague said the rapper's message was inappropriate at a time when its largest city Toronto was experiencing a huge increase in gun violence. [9] 50 Cent's Canadian tour went on as planned [10].

Heidi Klum

Career

Klum became known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and Victoria's Secret catalog. In addition to modeling, she has appeared in several TV shows, including Spin City and Sex and the City. She had a role as an ill-tempered hair model in the movie Blow Dry, played a giantess in the movie version of Ella Enchanted and was cast as Ursula Andress in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.

In December of 2004, she became the host 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.

In December of 2005, in addition to hosting the second season of Project Runway, she became the host of Germany's Next Top Model, the German version of America's Next Top Model, which aired on the German network ProSieben. The show was a ratings success, but was not without controversy. German feminist groups encouraged boycotts of the show after one of the contestants was eliminated after being told she was "too thick". Several politicians also accused the show of promoting anorexia and other eating disorders.

Heidi Klum created her own clothing lines (including one for infants) that were featured in the German mail-order catalog "Otto". She also has designed shoes for Birkenstock, jewelry for Mouawad, and swimsuits - featured in the 2002 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue - that, for a limited time, were available for sale through her personal website. She also produced her own fragrance, called "Heidi", which is currently available for sale through her own website. She is an avid painter and has 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 11th. She has also had a rose named after her, known as the Heidi Klum rose. Heidi Klum is featured in the 2004 James Bond video game Everything or Nothing, where she plays a villain Dr. Katya Nadanova.

Family

Klum has a daughter, Leni, named after Klum's grandmother, who was born on May 4, 2004. The father is Flavio Briatore, but Klum's husband, British musician Seal, is helping her raise the child. In the earlier stages of their relationship, Klum said Seal treated Leni as if she were his own child. Klum and Seal were wed on May 10, 2005, on a beach in Mexico. Klum gave birth to their son, Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, in Los Angeles on September 12, 2005. He is named after Heidi's father Günther, Seal's father Ademola and after a Navy jet, the Dash Two. As the Dash Two watches over the main jet, Henry is supposed to watch over his sister Leni. Klum revealed the meaning of Henrys several names in her TV-show "Germany's Next Topmodel".

50c

Early life

The popularity of G-Unit

Endorsements

A video game starring 50 Cent, called "50 Cent: Bulletproof," is available on the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable.

50 Cent starred in the semi-autobiographical 2005 film Get Rich or Die Tryin' directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Joy Bryant and Terrence Howard.