Normally when it comes to models, my team and I find scattered pieces of information around the net and compile them for a post, then sprinkle it with some of our personal opinions. But in the case of the gorgeous Marina Victoria, her bio reads like a book. In respects to whoever wrote it, I couldn’t break it up, so you can take a read after her pictures below.

On April 26, 1987 at 10: 30 am, her first smile was seen as she entered the world in a small town called Evpatoria, Ukraine. “Marina!” her mother would call into the neighborhood playground from her kitchen window. They lived in a poor building where 5 – 7 different families would share the same bathroom and kitchen. Growing up was not easy especially with her dad abandoning them, leaving her mom Juliya with two children to raise and no job or any sort of income. Growing up, she was a tom boy. She used to always get into fights, climb fences and trees, and almost blew up the neighborhood when her and her friend decided to make a bond fire beside a gas tank. Of course she will never forget the beating she got from an old lady and her grandmother who caught them. Although Marina always tried to live her life to the fullest and stay positive, she knew that she was meant to be more.

At the age of 7, her mother Juliya and the daughters were on the line of being homeless. Juliya borrowed money for an airplane ticket to go to Canada to work and bring back money to survive, while leaving her two daughters with their ill grandmother. When Juliya arrived to Canada, she was standing at the airport with five dollars in her pocket, no English or relatives to turn to. As she started praying to god she heard “Excuse me, would you be kind enough to help me with my luggage?” an old lady asked . They got to talking, and Juliya ended up staying with the old lady while taking care of her grandkids and cleaning houses on the side.

After two and a half long years, Marina and her mom were finally reunited when she arrived to Canada at the age of 9. Juliya was still cleaning houses and going to college while Marina went to elementary school. It was not easy for Marina to get used to this lifestyle. She did not have any friends and did not speak English at all. After a few months of being in Canada, Marina gained a lot of weight due to different environment and food. She was always made fun of at school, which made it harder for her to accept and live her new life in Canada. The summer before high school, Marina went back to her hometown for the summer, where she swam everyday with her old family and friends and ate healthy like she used.

When she came back, she lost all the extra weight, her skin was silky tanned, and body toned. Her life changed dramatically. She went to a new school, met a lot of new friends. Her mom and her friends always told her she should get into modeling, but being a young teenager and previous self esteem issues, she never took it seriously. She decided to pursue her passion for dancing instead. She started to take dance lessons at the age of 14, and at the age of 17 she was in a famous dance group called School of Mayhem. Unfortunately hard times hit and she had to stop dancing, quit school, and took on three jobs to help out with bills at home and take care of her family financially in Ukraine.

Later, she decided to take her first modeling gig, and was a feature on a well known Canadian retail clothing website. She then took on more challenging offers that allowed her to display her background in dance with projects that gave her lead roles in music videos.

What was supposed to be just a hobby, has taken Marina to places she could not have imagined in her wildest dreams, from winning the number one spot in the SCN Bikini contest 2006, to fashion shows, to music videos and Magazine features, Marina is recognized by more people everyday for her unique Korean/Russian look and her outstanding personality. She is currently the spokes model for ProjectBounce Inc. which is one of the largest companies in Canada for urban media. MV’s journey has only just begun…

It’s just logic that people use things.  Some things are consumed, while others are thrown away.  The more people, the more stuff.  Eventually everything gets to a heinous point, and this planet has reached that point for sure.  These photos from locations all over the globe are proof of that.

Wincanton recycling plant in Billingham ,Teeside, checks all the old fridges and washing machines before they are recycled.

Indian local boy wade through the pollution and floating debris left after the immersion of hundreds of idols of Hindu goddess Durga into the River Yamuna in New Delhi, India Monday 02 October 2006. The Hindu Festival of Durga Puja, celebrates the killing of a demon king by the goddess ended today with colorful celebrations all over the country. Every autumn, Bengalis all over the world celebrate her festival which not only represents the victory of good over evil, but is also a celebration of female power.

Chinese migrant workers sort through industrial and household waste at a recycling center in Beijing, China, 22 January 2008. In an attempt to clean up the nation’s air, soil and water China is attempting to improve recycling of household waste as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions and industrial pollution. Environmental degradation has been labeled by government officials a leading obstacle to continued economic growth. China is considering adopting a new environment tax that will force companies to pay in accordance with how much pollution they discharge, reports state media.

An Indian boy searches for coins in the polluted waters of the Yamuna River in New Delhi on April 4, 2008. The national capital is a major culprit in the pollution of the Yamuna, accounting for about 79 per cent of the total waste water that is poured into the river by the major towns along its banks. Despite the Indian government spending millions on trying to clean up the river, most of it going to waste-treatment stations, pollution levels continue to rise.

A file picture dated 11 July 2007 shows a man collecting dead fish in Guanqiao Lake in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, which died due to the polluted lake water and the sizzling weather in the city. On 22 April 2008, Earth Day is celebrated in many countries to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the earth’s environment.

Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers remove algae from a beach near the Olympic Sailing Centre in the city of Qingdao on July 5, 2008. Olympic sailors are not normally afraid of the water, but athletes and coaches say the pollution at the Olympic sailing course in Qingdao makes them very wary of getting wet. The bright green algae that has choked parts of the Olympic course has drawn an unwelcome spotlight on China’s environmental record and prompted an ongoing cleanup effort by more than 10,000 people, backed by boats, bulldozers and the military.

View of a graffiti of a woman reading a book in the walls surrounding the Mapocho river in Santiago on August 21, 2008. The Mapocho river, at present gravely polluted, is being cleansed through an innovative project which includes a 28,5 km long underground tunnel where the sewage will be re-directed.

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A polluted creek covered with trash in Manila, Philippines on 01 March 2009. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported in 2008 that the Philippines hosts 50 major polluted rivers, with a majority of pollutants coming from domestic waste.

Thousands of scrapped taxis are abandoned at a yard in the center of Chongqing city on March 4, 2009. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities as the country’s long-running economic expansion has allowed increasing numbers of consumers to make big-ticket purchases such as cars.

Indian scavengers look for coins and other valuable items from among the offerings of devotees in the Ganges at Varanasi on April 5, 2009. More than 400 million people live along the Ganges River. An estimated 2,000,000 persons ritually bathe daily in the river, which is considered holy by Hindus. In the Hindu religion it is said to flow from the lotus feet of Vishnu (for Vaisnava devotees) or the hair of Shiva (for Saivites). While the Ganges may be considered holy, there are some problems associated with the ecology. It is filled with chemical wastes, sewage and even the remains of human and animal corpses which carry major health risks by either direct bathing in the water (e.g.: Bilharziasis infection), or by drinking (the Fecal-oral route).

A Chinese woman and her child walk along a street during a sandstorm in Lanzhou, north China’s Gansu province on April 23, 2009. Air pollution in China’s cities remains very serious, state media quoted a minister as saying, amid an ongoing battle to clean up the skies in the world’s largest coal-consuming nation.

Kosovo albanians work at an open coal mine near the town of Obilic on April 24, 2009. Air pollution in Pristina has passed all legal norms of environmental pollution regulations. While in the world’s developed countries air pollution is permitted to pass its limits only 18 times during a year, Pristina reaches this limit within three months. Experts at the Institute for Public Health warn that this pollution factor is decreasing people’s life expectancy.

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A worker washing dead fish remains at a Meat and Bone Meal factory in Dhaka. MBM is animal feed manufactured from abattoir waste and animal carcasses. Following the BSE (Mad Cow Disease) crisis, meat and bone meal been illegal as animal feed in Europe since January 1st, 2001. This is not the case in Bangladesh where the practice is still widespread.

Volunteers try to clear a dam which is filled with discarded plastic bottles and other garbage, blocking Vacha Dam, near the town of Krichim on April 25, 2009.

A cow grazing amidst the piles of rubbish in Dhaka. With over 8000 slums, thousands of people work everyday in the polluted environment of Bangladesh’s capital. The city is known to have the 2nd most polluted water supply in the world, contaminated by industrial waste and human excrement. The local authorities in Dhaka do not consider waste disposal a priority and as a result, rubbish accumulates in large piles around the city before it is finally removed.

Made from a singular piece in multiple materials and various colors, each Bliss table is produced by genuine craftsmanship and can be customized to be modest and subtle or loud and extravagant depending on the user’s taste. The center features an interchangeable, modular unit that further its versatility and make it adaptable to any occasion.

Many people consider being a celebrity like being in some sort of elite club.  An upper echelon of a big circle of friends.  In some respects that may be true, but there are still certain people in the “celebrity community” that you may not necessarily expect to spend time with each other.  Check out the series of photos below.

Woody Allen and Michael Jackson

Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein

Colonel Sanders and Alice Cooper

Barack Obama and George Clooney

Elvis Presley and Tom Jones

George Lucas, David Bowie and Jim Henson

Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson

Dave Grohl, RuPaul and Kurt Cobain

The Beatles and Mohammed Ali

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart

Michael Jackson, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas

Charlie Chaplin and Mahatma Gandhi

Prince and Prince Charles

Stephen Fry and Lady Gaga

Nancy Reagan and Mr. T

Eartha Kitt and James Dean

Bob Marley and the Jackson Five

Dustin Hoffman and Lawrence Olivier

Rihanna isn’t known for covering up, so it’s no surprise that she dared to bare it all in new behind-the-scenes photos from a shoot for her upcoming fragrance, which is appropriately titled Nude.  The singer’s pal Melissa Forde posted the sexy pics on Instagram with the caption, “#Nude Behind the scenes for new fragrance photo shoot.” In the photos, Rihanna poses topless, donning a blond wig for several seductive photos.  Nude will be Rihanna’s third fragrance. She released Reb’l Fleur in spring 2011 and Rebelle in December.

Chanta Patton is one hell of a Christmas present, born on December 25th, 1986 in North Carolina.   Ms. Patton grew up in Baltimore as a teen and as a step into the field, she won Baltimore’s Next Top Model.  An impressive modeling resume may set certain people apart from the crowd, but Chanta also attended Coppin State University earning a degree in Applied Mathematics.  Although Chanta has been getting herself quite noticed in the urban scene, she intends to make the jump into features very soon, and has already been featured in videos with Nelly, Kardinal Official, Akon, Snoop Dogg, Too Short, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, T Pain, Young Jeezy and Usher.  Take a look at more of her pictures below.

Be it high fashion, urban models, or anyone in between, I always have a certain affinity for women with tattoos.  It doesn’t matter if you have three sleeves, or just one tiny butterfly on your left hip, many guys love tattoos.  Check out a collection of wonderfully tatted girls above and below.

Desana Moses, is quite a remarkable music video vixen, model, and actress.  She was born in Europe, and later continued her growth in D.C. She has appeared in several music videos, magazines, and host a number of major events. Her most notable appearance was in the Gucci Mane’s “Burrr” Video feat. Soulja Boy & Yo Gotti.  Since her appearance in the modeling business, she has frequently been featured in magazines such as Straight Stuntin’ Magazine, Sweets Magazine and Don Diva Magazine just to name a few. Desana is Caribbean, Black and Dominican.

Sometime post just speak for themselves. These clever and quite bitter illustrations are pretty funny. Check them out.

Angelina Ivy is Swedish and Chilean and when she’s not modeling, she’s recording music, creating art or dancing for special events. Spending most of her time at dog beach and practicing her serve at the tennis courts are just a few of her other hobbies.  The 32H-22-38 model started with a Pin-Up style modeling background and known for appearances in Lowrider Magazine, Angelina was raised mostly in Southern CA, Ivy has also lived in Miami, Philadelphia, New Jersey and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Valeria Orsini was born in Atlanta, Georgia January 19th, 1990 and lived in the A-town until the age of two.  Orsini later moved to Miami, Florida where she was raised and still resides. Valeria is of Colombian, Italian, and Puerto Rican descent and measures 34C-24-35. Standing at 5ft.2in, Valeria has done everything from calendars for “Latin Mix” to Swimming with sharks for “PlayBoy TV” and special guest on “Bunny Talk Radio”.  Nine5Four magazine’s 2010 May cover and 2010 September’s Mixed Magazine both feature the lovely Ms Orsini.  She has walked the runway live for Tara Love, Linda Zamora, and Lace to Lust, just to name a few.  Orsini hosted some of the hottest clubs across America and has featured in numerous videos for artist like Trina, Flo rida, Cam’ron, and Mon E.G.

Aqua Dome is a luxurious 4-star superior hotel offers stunning views of the Ötztal Alps, spacious and elegant rooms, and the only thermal spring in Western Austria. The spectacular architecture of the Aqua Dome Hotel blends in harmoniously with its natural surroundings. The hotel’s large wellness area, which guests can access free of charge, offers spa pleasures on 2,000 m². An outdoor spa area, large lawn for sunbathing, saunas, beauty treatments, fitness centre, and the Alpen Arche Noah children’s and family area provide ample opportunities for bathing and leisure activities.

The restaurants serve regional and international cuisine, as well as healthy dishes, in a stylish setting. Drinks are served in the lounge, at the bar, and at the cosy wine bar, which has an open fireplace and leather sofas. Aqua Dome Hotel & Tirol Therme Längenfeld offers a separate water world for children and families, including 2 large pools and a giant water slide. In addition, families can have fun in the play rooms.

It’s been said for quite some time now that ‘Jersey girls’ do it better’, and half Cuban, half Puerto Rican Esmee Luciano may be a perfect example.  This particular Jersey girl stands 5′ 2″ and measures up at 32C-26-40.  Luciano has graced the pages of King Magazine, Blackmen Magazine, and Straight Stuntin’, among many others.  Check out some more of her photos and a behind the scenes video shoot below.

Theo Gosselin is an amateur photographer from Paris.  His photographs are full of young enthusiasm and youthful romance as he documents the hipster movement in France.  Check the method below.

Model, actress, aspiring recording artist Ella Field is more than comfortable in front of any camera.  This Greek, Italian, and Colombia video vixen been living and working in Los Angeles since 2007, and having an athletic and dance background has definitely helped her 32-25-39 physique. You can check out more of her work in Somaya Reece’s “Tramp” video, 
Giovani’s “Giddy Up”, and 
Flo Rider’s “Right Round” video.

Keira Knightly

The daughter of actor Will Knightley and playwright Sharman Macdonald. After she requested an agent at the age of three, her parents allowed her to work on productions in her summer holidays. Her first role was at the age of 9, in Moira Armstrong’s A Village Affair (1995) (TV). However, Knightley’s first high profile role came in 1999, as Sabe, Decoy Queen to Natalie Portman’s Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). Since then she has completed an impressive array of films, including her Oscar-nominated performance as Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005), but is probably best known for her role of Elizabeth Swann in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

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Emma Stone

Stone began acting as a child as a member of the Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, where she made her stage debut in a production of Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind in the Willows”. She appeared in many more productions through her early teens until, at the age of 15, she decided that she wanted to make acting her career.  The official story is that she made a PowerPoint presentation, backed by Madonna’s “Hollywood” and itself entitled “Project Hollywood”, in an attempt to persuade her parents to allow her to drop out of school and move to Los Angeles. The pitch was successful and she and her mother moved to LA with her schooling completed at home while she spent her days auditioning.

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Megan Fox

Megan Denise Fox was born May 16, 1986 in Rockwood, Tennessee. Megan began her training in drama and dance at the age of 5 and, at the age of 10, moved to Florida where she continued her training and finished school. She now lives in Los Angeles, California. Megan began acting and modeling at the age of 13 after winning several awards at the 1999 American Modeling and Talent Convention in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Megan made her film debut as Brianna Wallace in the Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen film, Holiday in the Sun (2001) (V). Her best known role is as Sam Witwicky’s love interest Mikaela Banes in the first two installments of the Transformers series: Transformers (2007) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009).

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Abbie Cornish

Abbie Cornish grew up on her parents 170 acre farm in the Hunter Valley town of Lochinvar with her 3 brothers and younger sister. Abbie started modeling at age 13. Her first acting job was at age 15 on the Australian Broadcasting Commission series “Children’s Hospital” (1997) playing a quadriplegic.

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Arielle Kebel

Arielle Caroline Kebbel (born February 19, 1985) is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on which she played Paige Thomas. She is often considered a Scream Queen, due to her work in notable horror films including The Uninvited and The Grudge 2.  Kebbel was born in Winter Park, Florida. Her mother, Sheri, is a talent manager and owns a production company. Kebbel graduated from Crenshaw School in Winter Garden. Arielle was a contestant at the 2002 Miss Florida Teen USA beauty pageant. Before pursuing a career in acting, Arielle was a fulltime model. She has since appeared in publications such as Maxim, H, Lucky, Men’s Health, Stuff and FHM. She also has visited high schools in the midwest currently

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Kaley Cuoco

A model and commercial actress from the age of 6, Kaley Cuoco’s first major role was in the TV movie Quicksand: No Escape (1992) (TV) with Donald Sutherland and Tim Matheson. Her other television credits include guest-starring on the series “Ellen” (1994) (where she played “little Ellen” to the Ellen DeGeneres character), “Northern Exposure” (1990), “Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush” (1995) and “My So-Called Life” (1994). In addition, she played a leading role in the miniseries, Mr. Murder (1998) (TV). Cuoco has appeared in the feature films Lucky 13 (2005), Picture Perfect (1997) and Virtuosity (1995). On stage, she has performed in Los Angeles-area productions of “Annie” and “Fiddler on the Roof”. When she’s not acting, Cuoco is an avid tennis player, who consistently ranks well in Southern California Tennis Association standings as a member of a regional amateur division team. In addition, she enjoys spending time with friends, going to the mall and hip-hop dancing. Cuoco is home-schooled and lives in Ventura County, California with her family.

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Blake Lively

Blake Lively was born in a showbiz family in California and quickly followed her parents’ and siblings’ steps. Her first role was “Trixie, the Tooth Fairy” in the 1998 movie Sandman (1998), directed by her dad, Ernie Lively. Her big break came along a few years later, though. Blake was up to finish high school when she got the co-starring role of “Bridget” in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) in 2005.  Blake was so perfect for the part of “Bridget” that, with no big references or even auditioning, she landed the part. According to her, all she did was walk in and leave a photo of herself. It was clear that she was the “Bridget” needed.

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Brenda Song

Brenda was named an All-American Scholar in ninth grade and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.  She stars as London Tipton, the hotel owner’s spoiled daughter, in the Disney Channel’s sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (2005). Having acted since age six, Brenda is already a familiar face to Disney Channel viewers. Before beginning production on the new series, she had a recurring role as the hip and trendy Tia on “Phil of the Future” (2004). She also starred in the top-rated Disney Channel Original Movies Stuck in the Suburbs (2004) (TV), the mystery Get a Clue (2002) (TV) with Lindsay Lohan, and The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) (TV) with Hallee Hirsh and Spencer Breslin.  Her other television credits include guest starring roles on “That’s So Raven” (2003), Santa with Muscles (1996) starring Hulk Hogan, and many many more.

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Nina Dobrev

Nina Constantinova Dobreva was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. She moved to Canada at the age of two and has lived in Toronto, Ontario ever since. From a very young age, she showed great enthusiasm and talent for the arts: Dance, Gymnastics, Theatre, Music, Visual arts, and Acting! Modeling jobs led to commercials, which then turned into film auditions. Shortly after, she booked roles in the feature films Fugitive Pieces (2007), Away from Her (2006) and the popular television series, “Degrassi: The Next Generation” (2001), on CTV.  Nina loves to travel and has often visited Europe both for pleasure, as well as competing internationally, representing Canada in Aesthetic gymnastics. She enjoys playing volleyball, soccer, swimming, rock climbing, wake boarding, snowboarding, and horse back riding, to name a few.

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Kat Dennings

Kat Dennings was born Katherine Litwack in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, to Gerald and Ellen Litwack. She is the youngest of five children.  Kat was predominantly home-schooled, graduating at the age of 14. Her family subsequently moved to Los Angeles, California to support Kat acting full-time.  After work doing commercials, she began work in television, starting with a role on HBO’s “Sex and the City” (1998), following up with roles on “Raising Dad” (2001), The Scream Team (2002) (TV), “Everwood” (2002), “Without a Trace” (2002) and “ER” (1994), among others.  Kat made the move to the big screen with supporting roles in Raise Your Voice (2004), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and Big Momma’s House 2 (2006). She later achieved a level of fame with roles in The House Bunny (2008) and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008).

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Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born in New York City. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, and her father, Karsten Johansson, is Danish. Scarlett showed a passion for acting at a young age and starred in many plays. She has a sister named Vanessa Johansson, a brother named Adrian, and a twin brother named Hunter Johansson born three minutes after her. She began her acting career starring as Laura Nelson in the comedy film North (1994). The acclaimed drama film The Horse Whisperer (1998) brought Johansson critical praise and worldwide recognition. Following the film’s success, she starred in many other films including the critically acclaimed cult film Ghost World (2001) and then the hit Lost in Translation (2003) with Bill Murray in which she again stunned critics. Later on, she appeared in the drama film Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003).

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Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and began modeling when she was 11-years-old. She acted in high school productions as well as taking singing lessons, and landed a recurring role in the long-running US soap, “As the World Turns” (1956), when she was just age 15.  More soap work followed as she completed her schooling and she had already secured a place at Fordham University when she was offered a role in the Tina Fey-penned teen hit, Mean Girls (2004). She deferred the university place to complete the film.  More TV work followed, raising her profile across America, while her appearances in Mamma Mia! (2008) and Red Riding Hood (2011) helped establish her international fame.

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Zoe Kravitz

Zoe Isabella Kravitz, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, was born on December 1, 1988 in New York City. Zoe’s love and interest in acting developed from classes she began taking while in school. Wasting little time, Zoe started working on two films during her senior year in high school; No Reservations (2007), directed by Scott Hicks, where she worked alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart, and The Brave One (2007), directed by Neil Jordan, starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard.  Outside of her film endeavors, Kravitz has kept busy with various projects. She is currently serving as lead singer and co-writer with her band, “Elevator Fight”. Kravitz is also the new face of Vera Wang’s “Princess” perfume. The campaign launches in November 2009. Zoe starred in 2008 in Jay-Z music video for his single, “I Know”, off his “American Gangster” album. She was also featured with Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, Tyrese Gibson, George Lopez, John Leguizamo and several other celebrities in Will i Am’s “We Are the Ones” video during Barack Obama campaign.

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Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She grew up in Salt Lake City and North Carolina many years of her life and actually had an ambition to become a ballerina, for which she attended Joffrey Ballet School in Chicago at the age of 11 and started taking acting lessons too.  Her most notable roles are in movies such as Sky High (2005), Final Destination 3 (2006), The Ring Two (2005) and the horror remake, Black Christmas (2006).  On the small screen, Winstead is probably best known for her role as “Jessica Bennett” in the popular NBC daytime drama “Passions” (1999), for which she received nominations from the Hollywood Reporters’ Young Star Awards and the Young Artist Awards for her performance on the show. Other television credits include the CBS series “Wolf Lake” (2001), the MTV original telepic Monster Island (2004) (TV) and guest roles in popular shows such as “Touched by an Angel” (1994), “Tru Calling” (2003) and “Promised Land” (1996).

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Freida Pinto

Freida Pinto traversed the modeling circuit in Mumbai [represented by Elite Model Management India] for two years before gaining her big break when director Danny Boyle picked her out in the audition process to play the female lead, Latika, for his project Slumdog Millionaire (2008). In a promo interview, Boyle likened spotting her to his discovery of Kelly Macdonald for Trainspotting.  Surprisingly, Freida, who studied at Mumbai’s St. Xaviers College, only began taking acting classes [she has done amateur theatre before] after completing her debut film – when she attended a three-month workshop by Barry John, the veteran theatre guru.  Between 2006-07, she anchored ‘Full Circle’, a travel show which was telecast on Zee International Asia Pacific. She went on assignments to Afghanistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Fiji among other countries.

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Katerina Graham

Katerina Alexandre “Kat” Graham (born September 5, 1989) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and model. She has appeared in numerous television shows and film productions, as well as music videos. In 2009, she began appearing in a supporting role as Bonnie Bennett in The CW television network show, The Vampire Diaries.  Graham was born in Geneva, Switzerland and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Joseph, is Liberia, and her mother, Natasha, is Jewish (of Russian and Polish origin). Graham was born in Geneva, while her father was working as a journalist for the United Nations. Graham’s father was a music executive and the godfather of two of Quincy Jones’ children, while her grandfather was a UN Ambassador, serving for 40 years in The Netherlands, Sweden, Romania, and Kenya.

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Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde was born Olivia Jane Cockburn in New York City. She was raised in Washington, D.C. and went to school there, as well as in Andover, Massachusetts, where she graduated in 2002. Her father, Andrew Cockburn, was born in England and later became an Irish citizen, giving Olivia dual American and Irish nationality, and facilitating her brief study at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. After appearing in the short-lived Fox television series “Skin” (2003), she made her Hollywood debut in The Girl Next Door (2004) and then came to public notice in “The O.C.” (2003), but it was as Dr. Remy “Thirteen” Hadley in “House M.D.” (2004) that she achieved international stardom. She has since starred or co-starred in the films TRON: Legacy (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), In Time (2011), People Like Us (2012) and The Words (2012).

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Jennifer Lawrence

Actress Jennifer Lawrence, best-known for playing Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games (2012), was born in Louisville, Kentucky on August 15, 1990. Her career began when she spent a Summer in Manhattan at the age of 14. During that time, she scored some small commercial and film roles, and shortly thereafter her family moved to Los Angeles so she could further pursue her dream. She was cast in the TBS sitcom “The Bill Engvall Show” (2007), and in smaller movies like The Poker House (2008) and The Burning Plain (2008).  Her big break came when she played Ree in Winter’s Bone (2010), which landed her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. Shortly thereafter, she secured the role of Mystique in franchise reboot X-Men: First Class (2011), which went on to be a hit in Summer 2011. Around this time, Lawrence scored the role of a lifetime when she was cast as Katniss Everdeen in the big-screen adaptation of literary sensation The Hunger Games (2012). That went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies ever with over $407 million at the domestic box office, and instantly propelled Lawrence to the A-list among young actors/actresses. Three Hunger Games sequels are currently scheduled for release in November 2013, 2014, and 2015, with Lawrence reprising her role at least for the first one (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

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Mila Kunis

The talented Milena “Mila” Markovna Kunis was born to a Jewish family in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, USSR (now independent Ukraine). Her mother, Elvira, is a physics teacher, her father, Mark Kunis, is a mechanical engineer, and she has an older brother named Michael. After attending one semester of college between gigs, she realized that she wanted to act for the rest of her life. She started acting when she was just 9 years old, when her father heard about an acting class on the radio and decided to enroll Mila in it. There, she met her future agent. Her first gig was in 1995, in which she played a character named Melinda in Make a Wish, Molly (1995). From there, her career skyrocketed into big-budget films. Although she is mostly known for playing Jackie Burkhart in “That ’70s Show” (1998), she has shown the world that she can do so much more. Her breakthrough film was Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), in which she played a free-spirited character named Rachel Jensen.

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Yaya Alafia

Yaya Alafia was born and raised in New York City along with her sister and two brothers. She got her first acting gig at the age of eleven when her junior high school drama teacher, Ann Willis Ratray, encouraged her to audition for educational films. She continued to perform in school shows throughout high school and college and in 2005, made her feature film debut in Take the Lead. In 2008, she made her Off-Broadway debut in “The First Breeze of Summer” at The Signature Theater, for which she garnered rave reviews and won the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theater. She has portrayed a range of characters, from Danny Glover’s frail teenage daughter in John Sayles’ Honeydripper, to Mark Ruffalo’s voluptuous lover in Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right. She has been tagged one of Hollywood’s new “it girls” by many, including Lynn Hirschberg who featured her on the cover of W Magazine in September, 2010.

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Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Leslie Panettiere was born on 21st August 1989 in Palisades, New York to Lesley Vogel and Skip Panettiere, along with younger brother Jansen Panettiere. Her mom got her started in the business by doing commercials when she was just 11 months old. Then, at only 4 1/2, she was cast on the soap opera “One Life to Live” (1968), where she remained until 1997. Since then, she has gone on to appear in many feature films and TV movies. But she is probably best known in the United States for her role as “Claire” on the hit TV show, “Heroes” (2006/II).  As for movies, Hayden starred in Remember the Titans (2000) with Denzel Washington and Joe Somebody (2001) with Tim Allen. When Hayden isn’t working, she enjoys singing, dancing, horseback riding, gymnastics, taking piano lessons, and swimming.

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Jessica Szohr

Szohr is of Hungarian descent, one quarter English, and her maternal grandmother is African American.  She was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, a place she describes as a “family-oriented small town”.  The oldest of five children, Szohr played soccer, served on the student council, and was part of the cheerleading squad while in school.  She started a cleaning company with a friend, cleaning their teachers’ houses.  Szohr started modeling at age six. Her first national campaign was for Quaker Oats at age ten, and she also appeared in print ads for Kohl’s department store.   Subsequent modelling gigs followed, including prints for Crate & Barrel, Mountain Dew, Sears, Jockey and JanSport.  Szohr graduated from Menomonee Falls High School a semester early and moved to Los Angeles with her mother at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career.  She told Seventeen magazine that she “almost moved home like five times.”

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Aly Michalka

Alyson began acting at the age of five in stage productions by churches her family attended outside Seattle, Washington, and in Thousand Oaks California. She was featured in numerous musicals including “Jailhouse Rock” and “A Time to Remember”. Alyson, who plays piano and guitar, also writes music and sings with her younger sister, AJ Michalka, as the pop-music duo of 78violet. The sisters are platinum selling recording artists with “Hollywood Records”. When she isn’t acting, Alyson enjoys drawing. Her artistic talent was recognized by Hallmark Cards. When she was in the fourth grade, she won a contest for a Christmas card in 1999, when she was 10. Lately, Alyson is interested in fashion and sewing, and has plans to design a clothing line. The Torrance, California, native has two dogs, Saint and Bandit, and lives with her parents and sister in Los Angeles, California.

I’ve been citing different models on this site for quite some time, but it’s rare that one as visually appealing as Sarah Quintal falls right into your lap. (Figuratively, not literally).  The California born model has a laundry list of interests as diverse as her photo portfolio, from riding street bikes, to phlebotomy, to tattoos.  To get a better idea of her interests and experience, check out her public page here.

The 2014 Lamborghini Veneno Roadster is one of the most exclusive cars in the world, with a production run of just nine units and a price tag of $4.5 million.  Lamborghini says the Veneno Roadster has no roof — not even a fabric top.  “There is no roof, just a strong rollover bar for optimum safety,” said Lamborghini in a statement. “The design is focused on optimum aerodynamics and stability through fast corners — with handling akin to that of a racing prototype.”  It is “fully road legal,” said the Italian automaker.  The Lamborghini Veneno Roadster is based on the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, but it’s about ten times more expensive. The 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP700 Roadster starts at $444,595, including a $2,995 destination charge.  The Lamborghini Veneno debuted at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show in celebration of the brand’s 50th anniversary.

In my downtime there are several sites that I cruise, but the one thing that always keeps my attention is internet memes.  The internet has its own pseudo-culture that I just can’t ignore anymore, and every Monday from here on out, I’m going to post 20 of (what I consider) some of the funniest memes I’ve seen onto the blog.  Enjoy.