Denise Lee Richards

Denise Lee Richards (born February 17, 1971) is an American actress and former fashion model. She came to fame in the late 1990s, after a string of films that highlighted her sex appeal, including Wild Things and The World Is Not Enough. Richards is also known for her marriage to (and divorce from) actor Charlie Sheen.BiographyEarly lifeRichards moved to California with her family when she was 14 and graduated from El Camino High School in Oceanside, California, where she became a cheerleader.CareerBefore she was an actress, Richards was a fashion model. Richards spent the majority of the 1990s appearing in lower-budget films, television movies, and guest starring in episodes of several television shows. Her first starring role in a wide theatrical release was Starship Troopers in 1997, which was followed by her role in the moderately successful cult film Wild Things in 1998. Richards was subsequently cast as Dr. Christmas Jones in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999), which had a high box office gross and contributed to Richards' renown. In addition to her film work, Richards has made regular appearances in the situation comedies Spin City, Two and a Half Men, Friends and Seinfeld. She also starred in the short-lived UPN series Sex, Love & Secrets in 2005. Throughout the early 2000s, Richards appeared in several film roles which both parodied and utilized her image as a sex symbol, including Valentine, Undercover Brother and Scary Movie 3. In December of 2004, she posed in a nude pictorial for Playboy magazine.Personal lifeRichards has dated actor Patrick Muldoon. In 2002, she married actor Charlie Sheen, with whom she appeared in Scary Movie 3, where she played his character's dying wife. The couple have two daughters: Sam J, who was born on March 9, 2004, and Lola Rose, who was born on June 1, 2005. Richards was named the Sexiest Mom of 2005 by In Touch Weekly magazine.In March of 2005, Richards filed for divorce from Sheen. The couple briefly reconciled and were seeking marriage counseling to mend their relationship. However, on January 4, 2006, Richards' representative announced that she was continuing with the divorce, and she has recently sought a restraining order against Sheen, citing his use of death threats against her. She has since been linked to actor John Stamos, whom she dated during her teenage years.Richards reportedly enjoys kickboxing and has several dogs.On April 25, 2006, it was reported that Richards is romantically involved with Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora who recently separated from Heather Locklear.Divorce from Charlie SheenOn April 19, 2006, Richards filed for divorce from Sheen under the laws of the state of California. [1] In her 17-page court filing (not counting additional supporting evidentiary documents), Richards alleged that Sheen's behavior was increasingly erratic, making their marriage impossible, and that she feared for her safety and the safety of their two daughters: Sam J. and Lola Rose.Richards claimed that Sheen was physically and verbally abusive and threatened to kill her or have her killed, and that despite having accidentally shot his previous fiancée, Kelly Preston, he wanted to place firearms under their coffee table to protect them. Richards claimed that Sheen had become paranoid and obsessive, citing his belief in 9/11 conspiracy theories, a belief that baby formula caused brain damage, a desire to purchase gas masks, and an "abnormal fascination" with Nicole Simpson's death.Further, Richards alleged that Sheen visited prostitutes and was addicted to gambling, prescription drugs (which he bought over the Internet), and pornography. Richards also alleged that Sheen posted a picture of his erect penis on his online profile of a "sex-search type" website and that he frequently viewed pornography featuring "very young girls," and websites "involving gay pornography also involving very young men who also did not look like adults."Based on these allegations, Richards sought and received a restraining order against Sheen.Charlie Sheen denied the allegations. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight co-anchor Mark Steines, he described Richards' actions as a "smear campaign" and insisted that he was a responsible father who would "give his life for his children." He added that Richards is "the only one entirely culpable for putting these radical allegations out for public consumption... my children included."

Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American Emmy Award-winning actress, particularly well-known for playing Kelly Bundy on the sitcom Married... with Children. She has since established a film career, with major roles in several pictures, such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and recently starred on Broadway in a revival of the musical Sweet Charity.BiographyEarly lifeApplegate was born in Hollywood, California. Her father, Robert Applegate, was a record producer. Her mother, Nancy Priddy, was a singer and an actress who survived breast cancer. Her parents split up after she was born, and her father remarried.CareerApplegate quit school at age 17 to pursue acting. From 1987 to 1997, she played Kelly Bundy on Married... with Children. From 1998 to 2000, she starred in her own sitcom, Jesse, on NBC.Applegate was in attendance at the Viper Room when River Phoenix overdosed.In 2002 she co-starred with Cameron Diaz, on the comic movie The Sweetest Thing, playing the role of Courney Rockcliffe, Diaz's best friend.While playing the title role in a revival of Sweet Charity, she injured her foot, and it was announced that the musical would close during previews. She persuaded the producers to rescind their decision, and on May 4, 2005, she made her Broadway debut to moderately good reviews. Sweet Charity ended its Broadway run on December 31, 2005. She also guest-starred on two episodes of Friends (in 2002 and 2003) as Amy Green, Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) irresponsible younger sister.In 2006, she appeared in Jessica Simpson's music video "A Public Affair", alongside Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest and Christina Milian.Personal lifeOn October 20, 2001, Applegate married longtime boyfriend Johnathon Schaech, in a small mixed-religion Palm Springs ceremony attended by family and close friends. On December 5, 2005, the publicists of Applegate and Schaech confirmed that they had filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court.Applegate was the 2003 spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer education and research. Applegate's mother is a breast cancer survivor. Applegate is a supporter of animal rights and PETA. She appeared in a holiday advertisement for PETA to remind people to forget fur for the shopping season.Applegate is friends with actresses Nicole Eggert (born two months after Christina), Gwyneth Paltrow and actress/singer Jessica Simpson. She studies jazz and dance and donated money to John Kerry's presidential campaign. Applegate was neighbors with guitarist John Frusciante in the early 1990s.AwardsApplegate won a prime-time Emmy Award for her guest-starring role as Amy Green on Friends. In the 1980s and early 1990s, she was nominated four times in the annual Youth in Film Awards, two of which she won.

Claire Forlani

Claire Forlani (born July 1, 1972) is an English actress.BiographyEarly lifeForlani was born in Twickenham in London, England to Pier Forlani (an Italian, from Ferrara) and Barbara (who was English). At the age of eleven, Forlani entered the Arts Educational School in London, where she began to study acting. During her six years at the school, she also studied dance, which led to performances on stage in The Nutcracker and Orpheus in the Underworld.CareerForlani's parents moved to San Francisco in 1993, in order to allow for wider casting opportunities in Hollywood films. Subsequently, Forlani was cast in the television mini-series J.F.K.: Reckless Youth and the film Police Academy: Mission to Moscow.In 1996, Forlani appeared in a supporting role in the blockbuster action movie The Rock. She continued to appear in both widely released and smaller-budget films. Forlani was cast in the 1998 film, Deep Rising, but due to creative conflicts left the set during the first few days of filming; that same year, her starring role in Meet Joe Black (co-starring Brad Pitt) was Forlani's most financially successful film. Next, she appeared in Antitrust, a thriller that was released in January of 2001 to mixed reviews.Forlani was the new face of L'Oreal in 2001. She has been ranked Ranked #51 (2000) and #89 (2001) in Stuff magazine's 100 Sexiest Women, #85 (2001) in FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women and was slotted in Loaded's Hot 100 Babes.In the fall of 2006, Forlani will join the cast of CSI: New York in a recurring role as a medical examiner.Personal lifeForlani has dated actors Benicio Del Toro, John Cusack (between 1997 and 1998) and Ben Stiller (between 1998 and 1999) and is engaged to Dougray Scott.

Thora Birch

Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress and was one of the leading child actors of the 1990's, starring in movies such as Hocus Pocus (1993), Now and Then (1995), and Alaska (1996). Since the 1990's she has moved on to more mature roles, with notable performances in films such as American Beauty (1999), and the acclaimed cult film Ghost World (2000)BiographyEarly life and careerBirch was born in Los Angeles, California, the eldest child of Jack Birch and Carol Connors. Both her parents (who have managed her career and remain her managers right up to the present day) were former adult film actors and her mother appeared in the notorious pornographic film, Deep Throat[1]. Birch, who has a brother named Bolt Birch, is of Jewish, Nordic, and Italian descent. The family's original surname was "Biersch", coming from her German Jewish ancestors.[2] The name 'Thora' is a feminized form of the name Thor, the God of the Sky and of Thunder in Norse mythology. From an early age, Birch was encouraged by her parents to audition for commercials. She landed several parts representing companies such as Quaker Oats and Vlasic Pickles. In 1988, she broke into acting when landing the role of Molly in the short-lived television series Day By Day in which she was billed simply as "Thora." That same year she played an important role in the movie Purple People Eater opposite Ned Beatty and Neil Patrick Harris for which she won a Youth In Film Award for her performance.Breakthrough role in ParadiseBirch's breakthrough role came in 1991 when she was cast as 'tomboy' Billie Pike in the movie Paradise which also starred Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith and Elijah Wood. To obtain the role, she had to compete with more than 4,000 other young hopefuls who auditioned for it. Birch received enormous praise for her performance and her career thereafter went from strength to strength.1991-1995: A period of consolidationThora's ability to portray herself as a young tomboy landed her several parts during the period 1991-1995, including the role of Dani in Hocus Pocus (1993). Her acting ability moreover continued to attract much praise and she won leading roles in such films as All I Want For Christmas (1991) and Monkey Trouble (1994). She also appeared in two big-budget blockbuster Harrison Ford films, Patriot Games (1992) and its sequel, Clear and Present Danger (1994).Now & Then: seminal performanceBirch's performance in the 1995 film Now and Then is generally regarded as one of her best performances to date. It also starred Gaby Hoffmann, Christina Ricci, Demi Moore and Melanie Griffith. Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, the film is about four friends who have been so preoccupied with their own lives that they have not seen one another for some time until the impending birth of one of their babies reunites them. Upon reuniting, they reminisce about events during the summer of 1970 when they were 12 which were ultimately influential in shaping their lives. It was during that summer, a mixture of both happy and sad events, that they realized that adulthood was fast approaching, that they began to work out what life was about and what they wished to do with their own lives. They also promised to be there for another, hence the reason why they were reuniting for the birth of the baby. The film, a female take on the film Stand By Me, was an enormous success and Birch won great critical acclaim for her performance.Alaska: memorable roleBy 1996, Thora was one of leading child actresses of her generation. She consolidated her position with a leading role in the adventure film, Alaska (1996) in which she plays the role of Jessie Barnes who has moved to Alaska with her father (played by Dirk Benedict) and brother after the death of her mother. Her father is a former airline pilot and upon moving to Alaska, he starts earning a living by delivering supplies to small towns in the Alaskan wilderness in his light aircraft. Whilst making a delivery, his plane crashes into a mountainside. Concluding that not enough was being done to locate him, Jessie and her brother set out on a successful attempt to find him with the help of a baby polar bear.1996-1999: break from actingAfter guest-starring appearances in the The Outer Limits, Promised Land and Touched By An Angel, Thora took a break from acting for a couple of years. In 1999, she returned in the made-for-TV movie Night Ride Home and also took a small uncredited role in the Natalie Portman film Anywhere But Here. She also was initially cast in the role of Tammy Metzler in the dark-comedy Election, but ended up leaving after only the third day of filming after disagreements with director/writer Alexander Payne. Jessica Campbell was then given the role of Metzler.American BeautyLater in 1999, Birch won enormous critical praise playing the role of Jane Burnham in American Beauty and was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award. The movie itself went on to win the Oscar (i.e. Academy Award) for Best Picture. As Birch was barely 17 at the time she made the film, and thus classified as a minor in the United States, her parents had to approve her brief topless scene in the movie and they and child labor representatives were on the set for the shooting of it.Ghost World: landmark performanceAfter leading roles in The Smokers (2000), Dungeons & Dragons (2000), and The Hole (2001), Birch landed the leading role in Ghost World alongside Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi and Brad Renfro. Not only did she win further enormous critical acclaim, but her performance in the film is considered by many to be her best to date and she was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress. The film concerns best friends Enid (played by Birch) and Rebecca who graduate from high school and find themselves forced to enter the 'real world'. Enid is a counter-culture rebel who hates 'frauds' and 'losers' and therefore has trouble acquiring and retaining a job. One day, she and Rebecca play a prank on a lonely middle-aged 'loser' named Seymour which backfires. Enid then becomes obsessed with Seymour, at first feeling sorry for him, and then hero worshipping him on the basis that he is a man who has remained true to himself and his own principles unlike the 'frauds' she despises. She then resolves to help him acquire a girlfriend on the basis that she "can't stand the thought of a world where a guy like [Seymour] can't get a date". However, in obsessing about Seymour, Enid is avoiding the challenge of building a life of her own in the 'real world' she is now having to confront post graduation. Essentially, the film is about the complexities of becoming an adult in the modern world. When watching the film, the quality of Birch's performance is such that one can empathise with, and even sympathise with, Enid's perspective on life, despite her cynical attitude, the adverse affect it has on all around her, and her fanatical desire to be 'cool' (so compulsive, that even Rebecca fails to grasp the original punk look she experiments with at one point). The fact that the viewer is not expected to fully identify and sympathise with Enid is brought out by the contrasting fortunes of Rebecca who, in the course of the film, sells out to the conservative values that both she and Enid were rebelling against at its outset. Enid, on the other hand, finishes the film in search of some kind of meaning to her existence. The point of the film is that it's not which choices we make in life that are important, but whether the choices we do make are ones that leave us fulfilled and content. Birch's performance brings out what a difficult process and prospect this is for Enid, as Enid witnesses her best friend Rebecca betray the values she once held dear in an attempt to conform to the more conventional values of society in the pursuit of 'success' (i.e. in its capitalistic form), and realises that Seymour, a man who has remained true to his principles, was doomed to lead an equally empty life. It was Thora's success in bringing out these complex underlying strands to the film in her critically acclaimed performance which were pivotal to the film's success.2001 to dateBirch's most notable roles since 2001 have been that of Liz Murray in Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003) and April in Slingshot (2005). Her next movie, Shamrock Boy, is in the post production phase and scheduled for release in late 2006. She also has the lead role in Tainted Love which has just completed filming and which is scheduled for release at some point in 2007. Birch has also indicated that she has aspirations to become a director and has recently begun directing short video sketches for a sketch comedy troupe called The Doomed Planet. The sketches can be seen on her official websiteTriviaLives in southern California Is a vegetarian Holds a blue belt in karate.

Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress best known for her roles in the films Kids, Sin City, Clerks II, and Rent.HistoryRosario Dawson was born in New York City to a father of Native American and Irish descent and a mother of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban ancestry. According to recent interviews the two are now divorced.Early CareerHer film career began unexpectedly when filmmaker Larry Clark saw her on a Manhattan street and asked her to be in a movie he was making. The movie, Kids, became a critical success and Dawson's performance was commended. As a result, Dawson decided to pursue an acting career and attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Dawson has worked steadily since her debut, with a mixed amount of commercial and critical success. As of 2006, she has worked with directors such as Oliver Stone, Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith, Chris Columbus and Spike Lee, and costarred with the likes of Will Smith, Edward Norton, Adam Pascal, wife & husband duo Idina Menzel & Taye Diggs,Colin Farrell and Clive Owen.Slow SuccessDawson's film career has been varied, ranging from independent films to massive big-budget flops to highly successful blockbusters, among them the Spike Lee-directed He Got Game, opposite Denzel Washington and professional basketball player Ray Allen, to the second Men in Black film, opposite Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. She has had leading roles in two massive flops: Josie and the Pussycats and The Adventures of Pluto Nash. The Adventures of Pluto Nash was nominated for six Razzie Awards.Recent WorkIn 2005, Dawson appeared on stage as Julia in the Public Theatre revival of Galt MacDermot's 1971 musical The Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, New York (August-September 2005). Next Dawson portrayed the HIV-positive heroin-addicted exotic dancer Mimi Marquez in the film adaptation of Rent. It was her first role in a film musical. Some critics praised her performance; others panned it, stating that she was not as good as the actress who originated the role. Also in the same year Rosario had a major role in the comic book adaptation, Sin City; and she is also scheduled to be in the film's sequel. Dawson is also working on a role in the movie Descent with Rent costars Tracie Thoms and Wilson Jermaine Heredia.In 1999, Dawson teamed up with Prince for his timely re-release of his 1980s hit "1999". This remixed version featured the actress in an introductory voiceover, offering commentary on the state of the world in the titular year. She is also featured on the music track "She Lives In My Lap" from the OutKast album The Love Below.Dawson co-founded Voto Latino in 2004, an organization encouraging American Latinos to participate in civic government using technology and media. She spearheaded the first American Latino celebrity voter registration drive in 2004.Also, a self-proclaimed comic book fanatic, Dawson favoring books such as Jhonen Vasquez's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, and more. She co-created the comic book miniseries Occult Crimes Taskforce.Her latest film is Kevin Smith's Clerks II, released in the United States on July 21, 2006.Personal LifeDawson has been described by fans and staff as being extremely 'kind' and 'down to earth', and is noted for her 'friendly' and 'sociable' attitude during public appearances. She is currently dating former Sex and the City star Jason Lewis. They reside in Los Angeles.