Orlando Bloom skyrocketed to instant fame playing Legolas the elf in the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.  Orlando also played major roles in “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, “Troy,” “The Calcium Kid,” and his first lead role in “Kingdom of Heaven.” He also starred in the disappointing box office flop “Elizabethtown” with Kirsten Dunst.

In early 2007, Orlando was voted Britain’s most desirable date, after he topped Cosmopolitan magazine’s “Eligible Eleven” poll.  About all the recent attention, Orlando replied “It’s a bit strange to be included in those sexiest people polls and all that sort of thing. I don’t really even know who I’m up against!”

Bloom says that he really doesn’t mind being considered a “sex symbol”, because some of his personal idols, like James Dean and Marlon Brando, were a few from their time.

When Orlando was asked about his increased focus on living a more Buddhist lifestyle, “I’ve been white knuckling it for so long. Between the first Lord Of The Rings and the last Pirates Of The Caribbean, I’ve been going non-stop. So now I just want some time and space from everything and the phone and the communication.”

When asked about Pirates co-star Keira Knightley, “She’s a great kisser and a lovely, and very funny, person. She’s absolutely gorgeous.”

It’s a first for Matthew McConaughey and good news for his adoring fans. In Surfer Dude, he’s shirtless for the entire film.

McConaughey’s role in the movie — a comedy about a champion of the long board who resists selling out to corporate America — wasn’t a difficult one for the laid-back actor to play.

Matthew McConaughey, who is often photographed on the beach, seemed to enjoy playing a soul-searching surfer. And it’s only a matter of time before his newborn son follows in his bare-footed steps.

Q: Congratulations on your three-and-half month old son Levi. Have you taken him surfing yet?

A: Not yet but he’ll be getting salty soon. Levi travels with his mom [model Carmen Alves] and me already. I want to get him out into the world. He’s outdoors as much as he is indoors. That’s how I was raised in the country. I like the city but I also want some space. And my boy is going to be out in the middle of it.  Full Interview

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s popularity soared in the early 2000s through the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) and since then he has crossed over into movie stardom.

Dwayn Johnson, born May 2, 1972, in Hayward, Calif., came to South Florida in 1990 to play football for the University of Miami Hurricanes, where he was a “walkon” non-scholarship player, playing defensive tackle behind Warren Sapp, an eventual first-round draft choice and all-pro.

After college, Johnson played football for two months with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL (Canadian Football League), then was released.Johnson next followed his famous father’s and his grandfather’s footsteps and became a professional wrestler.

After a short training stint in 1995, he competed for the WWF under the names Flex Cavana and Pidlaoan Rock, then Rocky Maiavia (a combination of his father’s and grandfather’s names), before turning “babyface,” in wrestling lingo and become the Rock.

His signature lines included: “If you smell what the Rock is cooking,” referring to himself in the third person. He also would raise just one eyebrow for “the People’s Eyebrow” and refer to wrestlers who continually lost matches as “jabronis.”

In Hollywood, Dwayne Johnson achieved success with The Mummy Returns (2001), The Scorpion King (2002), a remake of Walking Tall (2004) and Disney’s The Game Plan (2007).

Dwayne Johnson essentially retired from wrestling in 2003, although he makes guest appearances with the WWE. He also has appeared on Saturday Night Live numerous times, done commercial endorsements and organized a charity to help dole out a portion of the reported $33 million-plus he has earned as a professional wrestler.

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com

Lost star, Matthew Fox first gained fame playing Charlie Salinger, the eldest brother of four siblings who’d lost their parents in a car crash on Fox TV’s award-winning drama series, Party of Five (1994-2000). During his time on the show, he was featured in numerous magazines and was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.”

His fame grew in 2004 when he landed a starring role as Dr. Jack Shephard on ABC-TV’s Lost, a unique series that went on to become on of the highest ranked shows on the air, winning a Golden Globe as Best Drama Series. Fox received a Golden Globe nomination and won Best Actor Saturn and Golden Satellite Awards, as well as sharing a Screen Actors Guild Award with the rest of the cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Fox grew up on horseback as the middle of three brothers on his family’s cattle ranch in Crowheart, Wyoming. He received a football scholarship from Columbia University, where he earned a degree in economics. Fox intended to work on Wall Street, but at the recommendation of a girlfriend’s mother who was a modeling agent, tried his hand at modeling first. After landing a few commercials, he was hooked and spent two years studying acting at The School for Film and Television in NYC.

His first TV role was a 1992 guest shot on the NBC sitcom Wings, and from there on his career took off. He was a regular on CBS’ 1992 short-lived Freshman Dorm, followed by a starring role in the CBS Schoolbreak Special If I Die Before I Wake(1993) before making his feature film debut in Buena Vista’s My Boyfriend’s Back (1993) opposite Mary Beth Hurt and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

During hiatus from Lost, Fox returned to the big screen with a starring role in the major motion picture We Are Marshall (2006), opposite Matthew McConaughey.

Fox lives in Oahu, Hawaii, where Lostis filmed, with his wife Margherita and their two children, Kyle and Byron.

When asked about often being on ‘Sexiest man alive’ lists, Matthew replies, ”It feels like it’s happening to someone else. I mean I just go to work and I’m doing the thing I love to do.”

Asked about why he thinks he’s been so successful?  “I think luck and timing are, without question, a big part of my success in this business. But I would also say I don’t think there are too many actors in Hollywood who have done three pilots which have all aired on TV, with two of them continuing for six years. There’s a phrase that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. So I’m going to take some of the credit for it.”

Photo Attribution: Georges Biard

The last year has been a challenging one for mega-star Usher.

He’s had to endure relentless media scrutiny and deal with very personal matters — getting engaged, canceling the Wedding only to finally see it through, falling out with his mother, and seeing the death of his father shortly after becoming one himself.

Usher has also learned to change his lifestyle and settle down.

“I was going out night to night, having a different woman in my bed every time I chose, and I began to wonder: Am I really being a playa or am I a whore?”

Usher (Usher Raymond IV) was born on 14 October 1978 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1994, he released his debut album, Usher.

Usher was able to break into super-stardom with the release of his sophomore album, My Way in 1997. Containing the hit songs You Make Me Wanna and My Way, the album gave Usher a handful of awards including a Soul Train award and 2 Billboard awards.

After a four year break, Usher finally returned with the much anticipated 8701 album, which became multi-platinum and gave Usher his first two Grammys.

In 2004, Usher released Confessions, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts, setting seven Soundscan sales records and selling 1.1 million albums in the first week alone.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Usher feels that he finally has a chance to tell his side of the story and tell all what really happened in both his professional and private life.

”This should be the last time that I have this type of dialogue about my wife or my family, and it’s because I’ve never really had the opportunity to speak,” he says, answering a question that hasn’t even been asked, his smooth Southern drawl infused with a hint of combative aggression. ”But I really don’t wanna make my business the focus of what this is.”

Usher’s new CD, Here I Stand (out May 27), which mirrors the singer’s transformation from carefree bachelor to devoted husband and father.

The album’s first single, the sleek and seductive ”Love in This Club,” is already a ubiquitous dance-floor staple that’s hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and notched 1.5 million digital sales.

Ames Friedman, CC BY 2.0  via Wikimedia Commons

It seems that Ryan Seacrest has a thriving broadcasting career and several ventures in media. Many believe Ryan Seacrest is at the very forefront of the entertainment industry.

This year marks Ryan’s seventh year as the successful host of the #1 TV show, “American Idol.”  Along with his winning personality, the show has become a true cultural phenomenon, making Ryan Seacrest a household name in the process.

In addition to TV, Ryan reaches millions through the world’s most popular radio countdown show, “American Top 40,” He took over the show from radio legend Casey Kasem. “American Top 40″ still remains an institution in radio. With Ryan running the show, it is heard on more stations and in larger markets than ever before.

Ryan states, “When I moved to Hollywood, one of the first people I ever wanted to meet wasn’t a movie star. It was a disc jockey, it was Casey Kasem.  Kasem is a legend, a guy I used to listen to growing up. And not only listen to, but pretended to be.”

In Los Angeles, Seacrest took over DJ role on the Top-40 radio powerhouse, 102.7 KIIS-FM. The program, “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” which broadcasts weekdays from 5:00-10:00 AM, is now the No. 1 morning show in L.A.

On his love for radio, “I love it. I love the immediacy of it. I love the spontaneity of it, … I love the fact that every day you see something on TV that you have an opinion about and you want to talk about and the next day you can get on the air and do it.”

There has been many rumors about Ryan’s sexuality and whether he’s gay or not.

He comments, “I know a lot of gay males who I work with that are fantastic people and I love hanging out with them. But because I hang out and bring gay men into my life, does that mean that I’m gay? I promise you that I very much love women.”

Seacrest continues, “I’ve dated some women who have turned me on to some funny things that are strange for men to actually do, but these things have become part of my process. I think the things I do for my appearance help make me look better. I even colour my hair because I like how it makes me look.”

Who hasn’t heard of Donald Trump? Although he’s better known as that entrepreneur with the funny hairstyle, he’s so much more. Trump has been in the news as much as anyone these days, maybe not always for the right reasons. His well publicized media battle with Rosie O’Donnell was both intriguing and pathetic. Whether you love or hate Donald Trump, there’s no denying he’s a one-man PR machine.

Donald made a public mainstream name for himself as a real estate developer and a celebrity on the television show “The Apprentice”, and is now passing on his know-how through the Trump University, which offers a range of on-line courses and books.

Born in 1946 to a wealthy New York real estate developer, Donald Trump undoubtedly had a head start for his own real estate business – but it takes more than a foot in the real estate door to rise to the level of success of “The Donald”.

A true businessman and entrepreneur, he overcame financial difficulties in the 1990’s through ambitious real estate developments including Trump World Tower and Trump Place, and is a major real estate player in the United States. He is also CEO of Trump Organisation and founded Trump Entertainment, which operates a number of casinos.

His fame and notoriety raised even further with the television reality show “The Apprentice”, in which Donald Trump is both host and executive producer.

His success can be largely attributed to his entrepreneurial vision, hard-hitting business tactics and just the fact that he has set himself some BIG goals. But more than that, he has a burning desire to be a success – and this desire is what keeps him motivated to achieve.

Is “The Donald” your success role model? Find out his own success secrets through Donald Trump University, which was established in 2005 to share Donald Trump’s entrepreneurial know-how with the world through a variety of courses, programs, books and audios. Their mission is to ‘teach success’ by giving people the knowledge needed to succeed and by adopting a hands-on approach to learning – after all, most of us learn better by ‘doing’ than by reading or listening alone.

As American Idol gets ready for another season, there’s no doubt that Simon Cowell and his brash personality, at times overshadows the singing contestants. Along with the other two American Idol judges (Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul), Simon has brought American Idol into mainstream pop culture and every day water cooler chat.

Simon Cowell has worked in the music industry for 27 years. He started in the post room at EMI Music Publishing. After starting his own label at the age of 23, Simon joined BMG in 1989 and began a relationship that has now lasted for 20 years. During his time at BMG, Simon has sold over 150 million records and has had over 50 number one records. His artists have included Westlife whose first 7 singles all went to No 1 and most recently Il Divo, whose first 2 albums have collectively sold 15 million copies around the world.

Simon first became a household name in England as a judge of the singing competition Pop Idol. When that hit how was brought to the U.S. as American Idol, well the rest is history. He also wrote the book titled, “I Don’t Mean to Be Rude, But…”.  Beyond his role as a judge,  Simon has produced the following reality TV shows Cupid,  American Inventor,  America’s Got Talent, and Celebrity Duets.

When asked about American Idol’s popularity, Cowell answered “No. 1, it’s a great TV show. The second reason is that it only runs once a year so I don’t think the public is bored with it. Thirdly, it’s probably the most realistic reality show I’ve seen on American TV.  There are so many under the banner that have no reality in them. My idea is to make the audience believe that they are looking through the keyhole. That is the true definition of reality TV.”

When asked who his role model is, “I actually really like Donald Trump. I think he’s entertaining. There are so many unhappy billionaires, and he’s a happy one with a great sense of humor. I didn’t think I’d like him. I like people [who] don’t take themselves too seriously.”

So behind the famous Cowell scowl, is a multi-talented entertainer who has the knack for finding winning shows and winning singers.  Some people hate him and think he’s too harsh. But with his long string of successes, my bet is he’ll be around for a long, long time.

Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

Will Smith began his rise to fame as a rapper, but has gone on to become one of Hollywood’s leading box office actors and successful entertainers.  The road was rather bumpy early when by age 18, he had squandered most of his rap music fortune and was in debt with the IRS. When Warner Brothers tagged him to star in “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, Will Smith spent six years as the main character (DJ Jazzy Jeff) and began the transition into a movie career.

Smith recieved a 2007 Oscar Nomination for Best Actor for his role in The Pursuit of Happyness.

On his marriage to Jada, “We were together for two years before she even laughed at something I said! She thinks I’m hilarious now, it just took her some time to work into it, but we connected intellectually. Our conversations were always very serious, about the world and how we can make it better. We connected intellectually and worked into the comedic side.”

When Will was asked to reflect on his music career, “Rap music–which a lot of white America doesn’t understand–rap music is not just a music. Rap music is a subculture: hip-hop. It’s a style of dress, an attitude, a look, a language. It’s more than just music.”

When queried about Hollywood’s excessive lifestyle, Smith replied “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”

Brad Pitt was chosen as one of People Magazine’s annual 100 Most Beautiful People in the World in May 2007.

Brad Pitt revealed in 2007 that he still remains friends with his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston. “Jen and I still maintain a deep friendship and have a lot of life together that isn’t erased in any way. I don’t know how better to have handled it. My view was, this is no one’s business in the end – at least in matters of the heart.

So you need to protect all involved as much as possible. I don’t know if that cooled things off or exacerbated them, but it was a thing I felt justly about at the time. Again, the thing guiding me then was you don’t know how many days you have and you need life to be everything you want it to be.”

Brad says he really admires Angelina Jolie’s devotion to orphans, but he still longs to have children of his own.  Brad and Angelina are awaiting the birth of twins.

When Pitt was asked about being a father, “My expectations about being a dad are being excelled daily. When I tuck the children in at night I always take the time to talk to them. I have three kids now and next year I’ll have six then nine. We’re looking for a soccer team. I want to compete in the next World Cup.”

Patrick Dempsey has had a meteoric rise to fame as doctor “McDreamy” on the hit ABC show, “Grey’s Anatomy”.

Patrick married Jill Fink on July 31, 1999 and the couple are still happily married. They have three children together – a daughter named Talula, and twin boys – Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen born February 1, 2007.

When Dempsey asked how his popularity affects his wife), “If someone acts inappropriately or suggestively towards me, it grates on her. I mean, I’m a married man and the last thing you need in that situation is to be considered a sexy individual. I’m trying to just have a calm family life, to make my marriage work.”

Having Dislexia, Dempsey says, “Reading to my daughter has been therapeutic. I’ve gone back and started to learn to read on a very basic level. I’m reading Dr. Seuss, and I’m healing that part of myself, as well as developing my daughter.”

Discussing whether Meredith and Derek will end up together, Patrick responds, “I would love for Derek and Meredith to have a healthy relationship. It got a little too depressing last year, and I think the writers need to lighten up and get back to the first season. That’s what people want to see.”