In the late 1990’s, pop music was overtaken by a stream of teen stars whose good looks, attitude, catchy songs and powerful hype machines often overshadowed their talent--or lack thereof. The anomaly of this teen invasion was Christina Aguilera, who backed up the hype with a powerful set of pipes that validated her pop star status. Possessing a four-octave range, Aguilera faced constant comparison to another blonde ex-Mousketeer, Britney Spears, when vying for the role of pop music’s top diva. Her eponymously titled debut album, released in August 1999, took the music world by storm and eventually sold over 10 million copies. Though she also rivaled Spears and Jessica Simpson as the pop star with the most wholesome image, Aguilera would eventually break that mold to become something she was more comfortable with: herself.

American entertainer Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, HI, to the only Jewish family in the neighborhood. After dropping out of a drama class at the University of Hawaii, she took a tiny role in the 1966 film Hawaii, playing a seasick boat passenger. Training for a dancing career in New York, Midler made the casting rounds for several months before finally winning a chorus role, and then the featured part of Tzeitel, in the long-running Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. In the early 70's Bette signed with Atlantic records, producing her 1972 platinum debut, The Divine Miss M.

It was unclear which fact was more extraordinary about Anna Paquin – that she won an Academy Award at age 11 for her performance in “The Piano” (1993), or that after the win, she had no plans to continue acting.

BIOGRAPHY

It was difficult to say whether Shannen Doherty was best known for her acting or her off camera antics. As Brenda Walsh, twin sister to Brandon and the resident Midwestern girl putting down roots in Beverly Hills, Doherty made her mark on pop cultural history with her four-year stint on Fox's iconic TV hit, “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990-2000). At the same time she played virginal Brenda, Doherty began attracting media attention – both tabloid and mainstream – for her perceived temperamental behavior off screen.

BIOGRAPHY

Despite a short-lived start on series television, actor Heath Ledger moved into features as a heartthrob in teen films, quickly developing into one of Hollywood’s most prominent and gifted talents, as well as a tabloid favorite for his very public relationships with actresses Naomi Watts and Michelle Williams.

BIOGRAPHY

Despite his pretty boy looks and movie star charisma, actor Brad Pitt spent most of his career trying to avoid bloated box office leads, in favor of riskier, lower profile roles.

BIOGRAPHY

A pouty and pretty strawberry blonde New Yorker who commenced her career a child actor with instincts, skills and a streetwise grace that far outpaced her age, Scarlett Johansson first came to attention playing the daughter of Sean Connery and Kate Capshaw terrorized by Blair Underwood in "Just Cause" (1995). Having made her stage debut at age eight in 1993's "Sophistry" at Playwrights Horizons Theatre, the young player also studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute.

BIOGRAPHY

When it came time to find a young actress to assume the role of the twins (originated by Hayley Mills) for the 1998 remake of the film "The Parent Trap," an exhaustive casting search occurred throughout the USA, Canada and even in London. Perhaps because the behind-the-scenes figures opted to avoid the obvious and cast the Olsen twins, thousands of girls were considered. After three callbacks and a screen test with stars Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, freckle-faced Long Islander, Lindsay Lohan, won the role.

BIOGRAPHY

A longtime favorite of frat boys and fan-boys alike, actress Jessica Alba started out in commercials before graduating to the small screen. Her turn as a pre-adolescent mean queen during the 1994-95 season of the children’s comedy series, “The Secret World of Alex Mack” (Nickelodeon, 1994-98), helped her land the role of Maya Graham for the first two seasons of “The New Adventures of Flipper” (Synd., 1994-2000).

BIOGRAPHY

Thanks to a rare combiniation of winsome girl-next-door charm and vulnerability, wholesome sex appeal and whip-smart comic timing, Jennifer Aniston found TV stardom playing Rachel Green, the spoiled rich girl making her way in life as a waitress and fashion buyer who relies on her "Friends" in the hit NBC sitcom, becoming one of the most popular actresses of her era.