Christina Aguilera

Singer, songwriter, performer, producer, perfumer"is there anything Christina Aguilera hasn’t done, and done exceedingly well? One of the most accomplished performers of the last decade, she has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, achieved four #1 singles on the Billboard hot 100 chart, and has won four Grammy Awards and a Latin Grammy Award, as well as two top five albums in the United States. She has collaborated with other great artists including Herbie Hancock, Andrea Bocelli, Sean “Diddy” Combs and most recently, the legendary Tony Bennett. 2008 proves there is no slowing down for the singer. In January, Aguilera gave birth to her first child, son Max Liron Bratman. Following the birth, in February 2008 the new mom served as the muse behind London jeweler Stephen Webster’s new sterling silver collection. Christina inspired and fronts the unconventional collection posing as a Hitchcock heroine in the ad campaign. “Where we took the ads I think, is a really original place. It was fun experimenting with that,” says Christina. In April of the same year Christina launched her second fragrance, “Inspire”. The fragrance is a mix of the artist’s favorite scent Tuberose with hints of gardenia and undertones of musk. The advertising campaign is a modern approach to the 70’s Pop art style which also gave way to Christina’s latest endeavor, a new album. In November of 2008 the singer will debut her first greatest hits album, “Christina Aguilera’s Keeps Gettin' Better - A Decade of Hits”. The CD collection available at Target will feature ten of her most popular, chart-topping hits, include two brand new tracks “Dynamite” and “Keeps Getting’ Better” as well as two of her old classics, “Beautiful” and “Genie in a Bottle” rerecorded. After sweeping the top of the charts with her third album, “Back to Basics,” which debuted at #1 in August ’06 and went on to become the biggest seller in the SoundScan era for a female artist, shipping 2 million worldwide, the unstoppable Aguilera announced a 41-city North American tour. With special guests the Pussycat Dolls as openers, the fashion legend Robert Cavali as the exclusive costume designer, choreographer and director Jamie King (Madonna, Janet Jackson and Prince) on board, and a unique stage design that allowed fans unprecedented access to the pop star, the shows were a feast for all senses and earned her rave reviews. Barely catching her breath from this whirlwind, which came at the heels of extensive European dates, Aguilera lent her hand to an entirely new production"an eponymous perfume, which she launched in October ’07 through Procter and Gamble. The heady, fruity fragrance is wild and exotic, sensual and succulent. And its hourglass shaped bottle with coquettish lace trim perfectly reflects its seductive boudoir sensibility. "I love trying new things in my music and in fashion,” says Christina. “To have a perfume of my own is the beginning of an exciting adventure.” The Staten-Island native’s trajectory from performing in local talent shows in Pennsylvania, where she grew up, to getting her big break on “Star Search” in 1992 to landing a part on the Disney Channel’s “The New Mickey Mouse Club”, is well known. It was her song, “Reflection,” for Disney’s “Mulan,” that led to a record deal with RCA and the release of her self-titled debut album in the summer of 1999. The album quickly hit #1 on the strength of its first dance/pop single, “Genie In A Bottle” (which dominated the charts for five weeks) and other chart toppers including “What A Girl Wants.” It was a feat she would repeat the following year with “Mi Reflejo,” the smash Spanish-language version of her debut, followed by her hit holiday release, “My Kind of Christmas.” In 2001 Aguilera joined forces with Pink, Mya and Lil’ Kim on the smash “Lady Marmalade” single and video. That eye-popping slice of eye and ear candy kept her front and center in the international spotlight even as she began, slowly and steadily, to lay the groundwork for her second album, Stripped. Released in October 2002, it sealed her status as an international superstar while transforming her image from bubble-gum-pop princess to steamy sex kitten. Along with the superheated funk of the album’s provocative debut single, “Dirrty,” came such standout tracks as “Beautiful,” “Can’t Hold Us Down” and “Make Over.” Earning her first of four Grammy Awards in 2000 for Best New Artist, her subsequent trophies came in 2001 for “Lady Marmalade” (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals), in 2003 for “Beautiful” (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) and in 2007 for “Ain’t No Other Man (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance), winning a Grammy for each of her albums. Among countless other honors, she is also the recipient of a 2001 Latin Grammy Award for Mi Reflejo (Best Female Pop Vocal Album), a 2000 Billboard Music Award for Female Artist of the Year, and two 2004 Rolling Stone Music Awards (Best Female Performer, Readers’ Pick; and Best Tour, Readers’ Pick, “Justified and Stripped”). Voted Sexiest Teen Idol in a VH1 poll, Aguilera’s beauty and charisma have also led Teen People to list her among its “25 Hottest Stars Under 25” and Maxim to crown her Best International Female Singer (2000), one of the Sexiest Women of the Year (2003) and #1 on their “Hot 100” List (2003). Aguilera has also been honored with two NRJ Awards (Best International Female, Best International Album) as well as a 2007 MTV Europe Award (Best Female Artist). Today, while devoting the lion’s share of her time to recording and touring, the 27-year-old is active in a range of philanthropy. Christina and her son Max appeared in a PSA for “Rock the Vote” encouraging young people to take a stand and vote for what they believe in. The ad, which features Christina singing “America the Beautiful” to Max who is wrapped in an American flag, is featured in magazines, television spots and billboards in Times Square. A major contributor to the fight against AIDS, Aguilera has participated in the “What’s Going On?” cover project for AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Artists Against AIDS. In 2004 she became the new face for MAC cosmetic company and spokesperson for the MAC AIDS Fund. In addition, Christina became involved in awareness campaigns with Youth AIDS and ALDO. She also sponsors and is actively involved in the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh for battered women and children.

Paris Hilton

Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American celebutante. She has worked as an actress, a model and a singer, and is an heiress to the Hilton Hotels chain.

She is best-known through the television series The Simple Life. She has appeared in several minor film roles, most notably in the horror film House of Wax in 2005. In 2004 she published a tongue-in-cheek autobiography.

In 2006, she released her debut album Paris. Hilton's career pursuits include singing, modeling, acting, writing, and television. As a result of several legal incidents, Hilton served a widely publicized sentence in an L.A. County jail facility in 2007.



Paris' Life and background

Born in New York City, Hilton is the oldest of four children of Richard and Kathy Hilton. She has a sister Nicky and brothers Barron and Conrad.

On the maternal side of her family, she is a niece of two child stars of the 1970s, Kim Richards and Kyle Richards. Hilton was related by marriage to Nicole Richie's godmother, Nancy Davis, when Nancy's brother, Greg, was married to Kim Richards.

Hilton's paternal grandparents are hotel chairman Barron Hilton, and his wife, the former Marilyn Hawley; Barron Hilton's parents were Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton and his first wife, Mary Barron.

Hilton moved between several exclusive homes in her youth, including a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and the Hamptons. She attended Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, California her freshman year of high school; Dwight School in New York for her sophomore and junior years; then a few months at Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut before dropping out.

Billion Dollar Babe

Conrad HiltonIn December 2007, Hilton's grandfather Barron Hilton pledged 97 percent of his estate to a charitable organisation founded by his father, the Conrad N. Hilton (image) Foundation.

An immediate pledge of $1.2 billion was made, with a further $1.1 billion due after his death. He cited his father's actions as the motivation for his pledge. According to reports, the potential inheritance of his grandchildren is sharply diminished.
Paris' career
Hilton has worked as a model, actress, musician, and businesswoman. According to Forbes Magazine, she earned approximately $2 million in 2003–2004, $6.5 million in 2004–2005, and $7 million in 2005–2006.

As a model
Hilton began modeling as a child, initially at charity events. When she was 19, she signed with Donald Trump's modeling agency, T Management. Hilton has also worked with Ford Models in New York, Models 1 Agency in London, Nous Model Management in Los Angeles, and Premier Model Management in London.

She has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including Iceberg Vodka, GUESS, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, and Marciano. In 2001, Hilton began to develop a reputation as a socialite, being identified as "New York's leading It Girl" whose fame was beginning to "extend beyond the New York tabloids". She has appeared in several magazines, including the April 2004 issue of Maxim. In a recent interview in Elle, Hilton exclaimed her happiness at being flat-chested and her puzzlement about women who want bigger breasts.

As an actress
Hilton's co-starred with Nicole Richie, the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie, in the Fox reality series The Simple Life, which premiered on December 2, 2003. The Simple Life ran for three seasons on Fox. The show was cancelled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth and fifth seasons, with talks of a sixth season to follow.

Hilton has also guest-starred in episodes of The O.C., The George Lopez Show, Las Vegas, American Dreams and Veronica Mars. Furthermore, she appeared in several music videos, including "It Girl" by John Oates and "Just Lose It" by Eminem. Hilton has made cameo appearances in several films, notably Zoolander (2001), Wonderland (2003), and The Cat In The Hat (2003). She landed minor and supporting roles in the feature films Nine Lives (2002), Raising Helen (2004), The Hillz (2004), and House of Wax (2005). Her role as Paige Edwards in House of Wax won the Teen Choice Award for "Best Scream" and earned her a nomination for "Choice Breakout Performance – Female". She also earned a nomination for "Best Frightened Performance" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. She landed her first lead roles in 2006 with the straight-to-DVD releases National Lampoon's Pledge This! and Bottom's Up. Hilton is scheduled to appear as the lead in several upcoming theatrical releases, including an as yet untitled superhero movie involving Stan Lee and a romantic comedy called The Hottie and the Nottie. Planning is underway for an eponymous cartoon series following the animated life of Hilton, her sister Nicky, and her dog Tinkerbell. As of August 2007, Hilton is part of the cast of Repo! the Genetic Opera, which began filming in September 2007.

As a recording artist
Hilton founded Heiress Records, a sub-label of Warner Bros. Records, in 2004 and released her self-titled debut album, Paris, under that label on August 22, 2006.

Although the album reached number six on the Billboard 200 for a week, its total sales volume has been low. All Music Guide commented that the album was "more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson, and a lot fresher, too." On the whole, critical reception was mixed. On July 16, 2007 Hilton confirmed that she was working on a new album with producer Scott Storch.

As an author
In the autumn of 2004, Hilton released an autobiographical book, Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose, co-written by Merle Ginsberg, which includes full color photographs of her and her advice on life as an heiress.

Hilton reportedly received a $100,000 advance payment for this book. Some in the media panned the writing as amateurish, and the book was parodied by Robert Mundell on The Late Show with David Letterman. The book became a New York Times bestseller. Hilton followed it up with a designer diary, also with Ginsberg, called Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me.