Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often known simply as Beyoncé (pronounced /biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-YON-say), is an American Pop/R&B singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time.

During the hiatus of Destiny’s Child, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love (2003), which spawned the number one hits “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy” and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards.Following the group’s disbandment in 2005, Knowles released B’Day in 2006. It debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and included the hits “Déjà Vu”, “Irreplaceable” and “Beautiful Liar”. Her third solo album I Am… Sasha Fierce, released in November 2008, included the anthemic “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. The album and its singles earned her six Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. Knowles is one of the most honored artists by the Grammys, and third among female artists, with 16 awards—13 as a solo artist and three as a member of Destiny’s Child

Knowles began her acting career in 2001, appearing in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2006, she starred in the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles launched her family’s fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2004, and has endorsed such brands as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L’Oréal. In 2010, Forbes ranked Knowles at number two on its list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the world; she was also listed as the most powerful and influential musician in the world. Time also included Knowles on its list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”.

Knowles has attained five Hot 100 number one singles as a solo performer and four with Destiny’s Child. As a solo artist, Beyonce has sold over 11.2 million albums and nearly 25 million singles in the United States. According to Sony, her total album and single sales, when combined with the group, have surpassed 100 million. On December 11, 2009, Billboard listed Knowles as the most successful female artist of the 2000s decade and the top Radio Artist of the decade. In February 2010, the RIAA listed her as the top certified artist of the decade. In 2010, VH1 listed Knowles at number 52 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent the majority of her youth in the small town, Napanee, Ontario. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain, and by 16, Lavigne had signed a recording contract with Arista, now RCA Records. Record executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid offered her a two-album deal worth more than $2 million. When she was 17 years old, Lavigne broke onto the music scene with her debut album, Let Go, released in 2002.

Let Go made Lavigne the youngest female soloist to reach #1 in the UK, the album was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. As of 2009, over 16 million copies had been sold worldwide, more than 6 million of which were sold in the United States. Her breakthrough single, “Complicated”, peaked at #1 in many countries around the world, as did the album Let Go. Her second album, Under My Skin, was released in 2004 and was her first album to peak at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 , eventually selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. The Best Damn Thing, Lavigne’s third album, was released in 2007. This album gave Lavigne her third #1 album in the UK Albums Chart and featured her first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single, “Girlfriend”. Lavigne has scored a total of five #1 singles worldwide, including “Complicated”, “Sk8er Boi”, “I’m With You”, “My Happy Ending” and “Girlfriend”. Lavigne has sold more than 30 million copies of her albums worldwide and is currently one of the top-selling artists releasing albums in the U.S., with over 10.25 million copies certified by the RIAA. Billboard named Lavigne the #10 pop artist of the 2000s, and she was listed as the 28th overall best act of the decade based on album sales, chart success, and cultural relativity in the U.S. She is currently working on her fourth studio album, expected to be released in 2010.

Lavigne branched out from recording music, pursuing careers in feature film acting and designing clothes and perfumes. She voiced a character in the animated film, Over the Hedge, in 2006. That same year, she made her on-screen feature film debut in Fast Food Nation. In 2008, Lavigne introduced her clothing line, Abbey Dawn, and in 2009, she released her first perfume, Black Star, that will be followed by her second perfume, Forbidden Rose in 2010.

In July 2006, Lavigne married her boyfriend of two years, Deryck Whibley, lead singer and guitarist for Sum 41. The marriage lasted a little over three years, and in October 2009, Lavigne filed for divorce. Whibley and Lavigne continued to work together after the divorce, with Whibley producing on her upcoming fourth album, as well as Lavigne’s single, “Alice”, written for Tim Burton’s film Alice in Wonderland.

Bynes was named one of Teen People’s “25 Hottest Stars Under 25″ in 2006, and in 2007, Forbes listed her as the fifth highest paid celebrity under 21, with earnings of $2.5 million. In 2010, Bynes announced her retirement from acting. After one month, Bynes announced she had “unretired”.

Bynes started out at University Elementary, and later graduated from Thousand Oaks High School’s independent study program (though she attended La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks for some time). She has expressed a desire to attend New York University in the near future. She briefly moved into an apartment in Hollywood, California, but has since returned to her family home in Thousand Oaks. Bynes is interested in drawing and fashion design, having commented that she is “the girl whose biggest nightmare would be to lose my makeup bag while traveling.”

In 2007, Bynes spoke out against becoming another wild Hollywood star: “I think I’ll go out as much as I’ve ever gone out… which is not a lot. I like to dance and stuff, but drinking isn’t good for you in every way. It’s not good for your skin; it makes you feel horrible. So, drinking-wise, no”. She restated these ideas in interviews throughout the summer of 2007, telling Access Hollywood: “I like being with my family and friends, and I don’t need to be out at the clubs.” In an interview in December 2007, Bynes described how her parents taught her about alcohol.

Bynes has since stated that she is “reevaluating” how to spend her social time. In the January 2009 issue of Cosmopolitan, she stated: “I used to be known as the girl who was anti the club scene. But I’m finding a balance. I can have a drink and dance if I want. You have to go out to meet people and guys. I’m in that phase where I just want to have fun.”

Bynes appeared in lingerie on the cover of the February 2010 issue of Maxim magazine, highlighting her photo spread inside. She stated “I think every shot … was sexy” and that the new look is “who I am.”

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The financial services firm sued the musician in Los Angeles on Wednesday, alleging she owes more than $350,000 in unpaid charges and other fees on her AmEx Gold card.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, seeks $352,059.67 for the unpaid balance, damages, attorney’s fees and late charges, and says Love’s charging privileges were suspended after she “failed and refused” to make payments.

Love’s publicist said he had no immediate information on the suit, and had left a message with her attorney.

Love, the 44-year-old widow of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, is a litigation magnet. She was sued for libel in February by a fashion designer upset by comments Love had reportedly made about her on the micro-blogging Web site Twitter.

Last year, Love was sued for $1 million by an advisory firm seeking its share of proceeds from Love’s partial sale of Nirvana’s publishing catalog. The deal, covering such Nirvana tunes as “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Lithium,” was reportedly worth $19.5 million. Cobain killed himself in 1994.

AmEx sues rocker Courtney Love for unpaid bill

The actor attended a “24″ DVD release party Tuesday night, one of his first public appearances since he was charged with assault for allegedly headbutting a fashion designer in New York last week.

The star of the hit show, who already is on probation for a 2007 drunken-driving case and who is due to appear in court on June 22, was tight-lipped on the assault charge, and its implications for the upcoming shoot.

Conveniently, he will be in the Big Apple anyway, since the show is moving to the East Coast for the first time next season. He was similarly mum on key plot developments.

“I can tell you that it’s grounded in a political shift that’s taking place in the world, that I actually think is probably the most realistic thing we’ve ever done,” he said.

“It’s going to be centered in one of the most realistic circumstances, because some of our stuff — let’s be fair — has been kind of far-fetched. But this one I think is quite possible, so I’m very excited about that.”

Sutherland, 42, stars as Jack Bauer, a government agent who tirelessly saves the world from terrorists and other shady bad guys. Each season covers one day, divided into 24 real-time episodes.

In real life, he spent 48 days in a Los Angeles jail early last year after being arrested in 2007 for drunken driving. He is now serving five years probation for that incident.

24 star promises show will finally get real