Victoria Caroline Adams was raised in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire, in the U.K. where she attended school at St. Mary’s High School in Chestnut. An outcast because of her family’s wealth, Victoria soon decided she wanted to become famous after seeing the musical Fame. Her parents agreed to enroll her at the Jason Theatre School, which she attended until she transferred to Laine Theatre Arts College in Epson, Surrey, to study dance and modeling.

Victoria belonged to a band called Persuasion, but it was her role in the all-girl band called the Spice Girls that rocketed her to stardom. Dubbed “Posh Spice” by the media, she soon became known as a fashion icon more than as a singer. Once the band split up to pursue their own solo careers, Victoria released her debut album titled Victoria Beckham, but never quite reached the level of fame she enjoyed with the Spice Girls.

Victoria has written two autobiographies and shot five reality documentaries, including Victoria Beckham: Coming to America, but concentrates her efforts on her three cute kids with her soccer-star husband and the next fashion trend she’s sure to set.

Who was your favorite Spice Girl?

Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, moving from place to place but growing up primarily in Toronto, Canada. As a teenager, he attended four different high schools, including Etobicoke School of the Arts, De La Salle College (aka as “Oaklands”), and Avondale Alternative.

He started acting at age nine, appearing on stage in Damn Yankees and later in Romeo and Juliet. The TV show Hangin’ In marked his television debut, followed by appearances in TV commercials, short films, and TV series.

After making his movie debut in Youngblood, Keanu traveled to Los Angeles to further pursue his acting career. With manager and agent Erwin Stoff at his side, he landed a few minor roles which lead to a part in River’s Edge. Now with his foot in Hollywood’s door, he is most notably remembered for his roles in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Speed, and The Matrix.

Both Keanu’s career and personal life have been filled with ups and downs, yet fans still root for his success. Let’s hope this latest state of affairs wraps up quickly and in his favor!

How much is an actor’s success attributed to his or her acting ability vs. a really good manager/agent?

[photo: Caroline Bonarde Ucci]

However, Tom Cruise is not exactly known for flying under the radar. This New York-born actor and producer may be forever remembered for the Oprah Winfrey Show couch-jumping incident, but perhaps he’s just rubbing his success in the faces of all the bullies he had to deal with in the 15 schools he attended in 12 years! He attended such schools as Robert Hopkins Public School, Henry Munro Middle School in Ottawa, Ontario (where he first became involved in drama), and Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey from which he graduated.

Tom’s mother must have seen the star in her boy, because she founded the Gloucester Players for her son and his classmates. He landed his first film role soon after high school with Endless Love. Movies such as The Outsiders, Legend, and Top Gun all proved successful for Tom, but it was his underwear-serenading scene in Risky Business that marked Tom for Hollywood hotness.

With many successful films under his belt, Tom and his former talent agent Paula Wagner formed Cruise/Wagner Productions. They proceeded to take over United Artists film studio and, although Wagner has since stepped down from her role in the company, Tom still produces for the company.

Do you think celebs can ever successfully “blend into” a community outside of Tinseltown?

Sandra Bullock was born in Arlington, Virginia, but lived in Nuremberg, Germany, until she was 12 years old. During her time in Germany, she traveled with her opera singer mother (taking small parts in her mother’s opera productions), sang in the opera’s children’s choir at the Staatstheater Nurnberg, and studied ballet and vocal arts.

As a teen, Sandra attended Washington and Lee High School where she was a cheerleader and an active participant in her school’s theater productions. She then attended East Carolina University but left to pursue an acting career (she’s since earned her bachelor’s degree).

Sandra’s next move was to Manhattan for acting auditions and she is known to have held a variety of jobs (including bartender and coat checker). She also attended Neighborhood Playhouse for acting classes, appearing in several student films. Landing an off-Broadway play, No Time Flat, led director Alan J. Levi to offer her a part in the made-for-TV movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman. Sandra chose to stay in Los Angeles once the movie was wrapped.

Sandra appeared in independent films and a TV series called Working Girl, leading to her big screen debut with the movie Love Potion No. 9. Although she held many roles, her break-through performance came in the movie Speed, leading to many successful films such as While You Were Sleeping, Miss Congeniality, and Crash.

Sandra isn’t only an actress. She owns her own production company called Fortis Films. She’s the executive producer of the sitcom The George Lopez Show, and continues to gain praise anywhere you look in Hollywood.

What’s your favorite Sandra Bullock film?

[Photo: Angela George]

Before the fame, Carrie Underwood was raised in Checotah, Oklahoma, on her family’s farm. It wasn’t long before she was performing at talent shows and the local Baptist church. By 1996, she was signing a deal with Capitol Records, which unfortunately was canceled due to management changes at the label.

Carrie went on to focus on her studies and graduated from Checotah High School as their 2001 salutatorian. She then attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and an emphasis in journalism. Although her studies were her main priority, she performed summers in her college’s Downtown Country shows, beauty pageants, and even won Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.

2004 was also the year that Carrie auditioned for American Idol, the vehicle that marked the beginning of her success. After winning the fourth season of the show, she went on to release albums Some Hearts and Carnival Ride.

Her third album will be released on Arista Nashville and is reported to be named Play On. No doubt that Carrie fans will be waiting for the November 3 release date!

[photo: Jyle Dupuis]

Who is your favorite American Idol winner?

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz was born in Waco, Texas, and began studying ballet at only three years old. She attended Prairie Creek Elementary in Richardson, Texas, but was accepted in the School of American Ballet in New York City by the time she was 11-years-old.

After sister Jessica Simpson signed a record deal, the family moved to Los Angeles, California, where Ashlee became one of Jessica’s back-up dancers, but also began landing roles in commercials. Her newfound acting career began to blossom as she appeared on shows like Malcolm in the Middle and 7^th Heaven. Her film credits include the movie The Hot Chick and an independent film called Undiscovered.

Following the success of her sister’s music career, Ashlee began a career of her own in music with Christmas songs and movie soundtrack titles, and finally signed a deal with Geffen Records.

Documenting the launch of her first music album was the reality-TV show The Ashlee Simpson Show, which lasted two seasons. Albums Autobiography and I Am Me both debuted at number one, proving her a vocalist in her own right. However, a botched appearance as a music guest on Saturday Night Live made the public question her talents as she was “caught” lip synching.

Her third album, Bittersweet World, was produced with such talents as Timbaland, Kenna, and Chad Hugo, but Ashlee has since put her musical career on hiatus with the birth of her son.

She has, however, appeared in commercials for Canadian retailer Zellers and, until her character officially exits the show, plays Violet on the new Melrose Place. Once her role has ended, there’s no telling which talent Ashlee with pull out of her bag of tricks. Although her posts and pictures on Twitter will confirm that she’s most proud of her role as a mommy.

[photo: Glenn Francis]

Did you write off Ashlee Simpson as a singer following her disastrous appearance on Saturday Night Live?

Megan Fox was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and began taking classes in dance and drama at the Kingston, Tennessee, community center by the time she was five years old. She was a member of the Kingston Elementary School chorus and Kingston Clippers swim team, but by the time she was 10, she moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. When she was 13 years old, Megan became a teen model, thanks to her wins at the 1999 American Modeling and Talent Convention in South Carolina. She attended middle school at a private school called Morningside Academy and St. Lucie West Centennial High School to complete her education.

During her high school career, Megan made her acting debut in a movie called Holiday in the Sun, but her major film debut came with Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Although several TV  roles, including ABC sitcom Hope & Faith, boosted her career, it was the movie Transformers where she played the character Mikaela Banes that rocketed her career into the Hollywood limelight. Most recently, she held the leading role in Jennifer’s Body and is working on a project called Jonah Hex. It’s her modeling roots, combined with her Transformer character Mikaela that will keep her in the lockers and as the screen saver of teen boys and men long after her movies have gone to video.

Do you think Megan Fox’s comments about the unimportance of an education make her a bad role model?

[photo: Bruce Moyle]

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Saint Michael, Barbados, attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School and Combermere School in Barbados. At 15 years old, she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. Friends introduced the trio to record producer Evan Rogers, and Rihanna and her mother spent the next year traveling back and forth between the U.S. and Barbados.

Before relocating to the U.S. at age 16, Rihanna tried her hat as a teen model and won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant and was an army cadet with the military of Barbados. But, it was clear that music was where she belonged.

Under Rogers’ support, she auditioned for Jay-Z, who was head of Def Jam Recordings at the time. The audition landed her a contract and she’s worked with producers such as Carl Sturken, Stargate, J.R. Rotem, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, and continues to enjoy her success.

Do you think that teens are influenced by how stars like Rihanna handle their personal turmoil, such as her serious issues with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown?

[Photo: Gemma Mary]

Marilyn Manson was born in Canton, Ohio with the moniker Brian Hugh Warner before taking on the persona of the rock star he’s known as today. He attended Heritage Christian School, Cardinal Gibbons High School in Florida, and Broward Community College. While earning a degree in journalism, he wrote music articles for lifestyle magazine 25^th Parallel to gain experience.

He soon formed the band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids (soon shortened to Marilyn Manson), along with two other small band projects along the way. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails noticed the band and produced Marilyn Manson’s first album, titled Portrait of an American Family on Nothing Records label. The band gathered a cult-like following and continues to have success today.

Music isn’t Marilyn Manson’s only talent. He made his big screen debut in Lost Highway, and continues to enjoy small acting parts and cameos in movies such as Jawbreaker. He also prides himself as an artist, with his first show, The Golden Age of Grotesque, at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Centre.

Now at age 40, this shock rocker continues to enjoy the music scene, is currently working on adding director to his resume with project Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, and focuses on shaking his case of the swine flu.

Do you let your cute kids listen to this shock rocker? Or is he banned for his extreme lifestyle?

Renee Zellweger was born in Katy, Texas, where she attended school. She actively participated in sports such as soccer and baseball in junior high school, but took up cheerleading, gymnastics, and drama club at Katy High School. She began acting in several school plays and went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin (majoring in English) where she took a drama class to fill her credits requirements. Despite her Dean’s List grades and model student status, she realized her love of acting and began to waitress to support herself.

While still living in Texas, she landed her first acting gig in a beef commercial and began auditioning for roles around the Houston area. Renee appeared in several films such as A Taste for Killing and 8 Seconds, but her first major movie role came with her part in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.

Renee moved to Los Angeles, California, and won roles in movies such as Empire Records and her career-boosting role in Jerry Maguire. In 2008, she produced Living Proof on Lifetime Television, but movies such as Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago, Cold Mountain, and her latest film My One and Only continue to secure her place in Hollywood.

[photo: AP Photo/Peter Kramer]

Do you feel that actors and actresses gaining weight for movie roles sets a bad example for today’s children?