Britney Spears (1981-)
Britney Jean Spears is a famous American pop star who will go down in the history as one of the greatest pop artists from the west. She was brought up in Kentwood, Louisiana and was always interested in performing arts. She was only 8 when for the first time she was taken to ‘The Mickey Mouse Club’ audition and it was at the second attempt that she got a role in the show. From there onwards, Spears’ talent was recognized by various agents and labels. Her debut album ‘…Baby One More Time’ came out in 1999 and it became an instant hit all over the world, making Spears’ the most popular and successful teenage solo artist in the world.
Aaron Rodgers (1983-)
Aaron Charles Rodgers is a professional American footballer who plays for the ‘Green Bay Packers’ of the ‘National Football League’ (NFL). He became well-known when he led his team to a ‘Super Bowl’ championship in 2011. Born in Chico, California, Aaron was a football enthusiast right from his childhood. At the age of two, he would sit through and enjoy an entire NFL game. As a young boy, he was also involved in other sports, such as baseball and basketball. He was expected to be picked by the ‘San Francisco 49ers’ at the 2005 NFL draft. However, ‘San Francisco 49ers’ preferred Alex Smith over him. Rodgers was then picked by the ‘Green Bay Packers.’
Lucy Liu (1968-)
Lucy Liu is an American actress, voice actress, director, producer, and singer. An attractive and intelligent actress, she serves as an inspiration to many Asian actors who aspire to make it big in Hollywood. Following a string of early appearances in some popular series, she achieved fame when she joined the cast of the legal comedy series ‘Ally McBeal’ where she played the malicious ‘Ling Woo.’ The actress translated her sudden popularity into big screen roles in films, such as ‘Shanghai Noon’ and ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ She then delivered a superlative performance as Japanese crime lord ‘O-Ren Ishii’ in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill, Volume 1.’ Around the same time, she also played lead roles in some box office failures, such as ‘Rise: Blood Hunter.’
Charlie Puth (1991-)
Charles Otto “Charlie” Puth is a popular American pop singer and songwriter. He started gaining fame by posting his original songs and covers to his YouTube channel. After his talents were exposed to the world he was signed in by Ellen DeGeneres for a record label, which led to the start of his official career. His debut studio album was released in January 2016 by the American record label Atlantic Records. Even though it received negative reviews from critics it peaked at number 6 on the Billboard 200 published by the ‘Billboard’ magazine. A deluxe edition was also released in November which contained three additional songs.
Neelima Azeem (1958-)
Neelima Azeem is an Indian actress known for her roles in TV shows like ‘Phir Wahi Talash’, ‘Amrapali’, ‘The Sword of Tipu Sultan’, and ‘Junoon’. She is the mother of the actors Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter. The daughter of ‘Blitz’ journalist and Urdu writer Anwar Azeem, Neelima grew up in New Delhi, the capital of India. When she was a child, she had a deep interest in various forms of Indian classical dance and was trained in Kathak by Pandit Birju Maharaj and Munna Shukla. Azeem made her screen debut in the 1984 Malayalam-language film ‘Kaliyil Alpam Karyam’. She debuted on the small screen four years later, in the TV miniseries ‘Himalaya Darshan’.
Maria Callas (1923-1977)
Maria Callas was one of the most accomplished coloratura sopranos of the last century. She was instrumental in revitalizing opera with her dramatic skill, range and technique that left audiences spellbound. Born Maria Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in America, her mother shifted to Greece. There, Maria began receiving formal training in opera singing. Her relationship with her domineering mother was strained. After World War II, she moved to Italy to launch her career there. Her Italian debut was a performance of ‘La Gioconda’ at the Verona Arena. Her performance in ‘Tristan and Isolde’ and ‘Turandot’ made her a celebrity figure in Italy. She has performed Bellini’s ‘Norma’ many times.