TriStar]]> Not a leg man? Not a problem. Cherry Darling (McGowan) ditches her shapely gam for a big gun that packs an even bigger kick. Sure, it's might hurt her stripping career. But in a world infested with "Sickos" (flesh-eating zombies), the flesh trade is a dying industry, so arming your leg just might save your life.

Dimension]]> This model turned actress has made a career of looking hot and glamorous while single-handedly butchering thousands upon thousands of people and zombies in a variety of dystopian futures and historical slaughterhouses ('The Fifth Element', 'Utraviolet', 'The Messenger'). Mass murder has never been so pret-a-porter.

Screen Gems]]> Since "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," Jolie has been playing action stars with a grace and intensity no other actress in Hollywood can touch. But in "Wanted," she takes it to a whole next level, contorting her body and bending her gunshots in superhuman feats of dexterity that blow away the competition.

Universal]]> When Ripley (Weaver) and her fellow intergalactic truck drivers pick up exactly the kind of hitchhiker your parents always warned you about (double mouth full of fangs, razor tail, bleeds acid, etc.) only she and her gnarly '80s perm are a match for movie history's rudest, extraterrestrial freeloader.

20th Century Fox]]> Some actresses look sexy doing anything. And this campy Western's main appeal is that it happens to have two of them (Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek) running around Mexico in bustiers and bullet belts. Cruz plays a noble bank robber with an itchy trigger finger... and a way of making one forget what else happens in the movie.

20th Century Fox]]> Keanu Reeves might be "The One" in this sci-fi mind-bender. But it's Trinity (Moss), the super-slick virtual operative in black, who steals the show by running on walls while armed to the teeth, or suspending herself in midair for dramatic effect before kicking some lowly mortal clear across the room.

Warner Bros.]]> Sarah Connor (Hamilton) left all previous female action stars in the dust when she teamed up with the robot assassin known as The Terminator (who strongly resembled former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger) and then birthed the future savior of the world. Hard to beat that.

TriStar]]> When Mike Myers needed a British bird who would embody all the shagadelic attributes of 60's-era spy babes, there was really only one choice: Hurley. On a side note, female secret agents aren't wearing nearly enough silver go-go outfits these days.

New Line]]> There's something about how Fonda looked completely awkward holding a ridiculous, futuristic laser that, in its own way, is sexy -- or at least really cute. On an epic quest to save the galaxy from evil in the year 40,000, Barbarella manages to outlast an orgasm machine, survive killer birds and lose her clothes with alarming regularity.

Paramount]]> Jinx's (Berry) bikini-clad entrance pays homage to -- and just might upstage -- Ursula Andress' classic ocean emersion from 1962's "Dr. No." But Berry doesn't just look amazing: She can also hold her own next to James Bond, taking out super villains like only the sexiest of spies can (It's a scientific fact that a spy's deadliness is in equal proportion to his/her sexiness).

MGM]]> When the Earth takes a decidedly dark turn following an unfortunate zombie outbreak, Jesse Eisenberg is lucky enough to run into, and get duped by, the lovely Emma Stone. Using her younger sister to tug on her mark's heartstrings, this gun-toting con artist adapts to a rapidly changing world economy, where, if you don't use your brain, the zombies will.

Columbia]]> Just so we're clear, there are no U.S. Immigration and Customs agents that look this good working the Mexican border. It's a movie, so certain liberties are taken. Jessica Alba might not even be able to fire a handgun in real life... We're just putting that out there so that no one tries to cross the border illegally for the wrong reasons.

20th Century Fox]]> Just so we're clear again, there are no undercover U.S. Customs agents that look this good working the Florida coast. Again, it's a movie, so certain liberties are taken. We're just putting that out there -- AGAIN -- so that no one tries to enter the U.S. illegally for the wrong reasons. Apparently, the role of "Sexy U.S. Customs Agent" was a "thing" last decade.

Universal]]> In this recent action comedy, Saldana plays Aisha, a mysterious badass who promises a team of prodigal Special Forces amnesty if they go on an impossible mission. Saldana shows off some hot moves and makes a machine gun look like a fashion accessory in this explosive sleeper.

Warner Bros.]]> It was a true-life story that Hollywood couldn't pass up: the daughter of a movie star who aspired to be a model but ended up a bounty hunter. And Knightley wears the hard-ass attitude and ammunition belts like she's the real deal.

New Line]]> No one can infuse a movie scene with sexuality like Johansson, and in this Michael Bay sci-fi epic, the one question on moviegoers' minds as they walked out of the theater was: Sooo... they just cloned one of her?

Warner Bros.]]> Retreating into her violent, anachronistic imagination, Babydoll (Browning) escapes the horrors of the sanitarium that cages her. Delusionally donning an ill-fitting schoolgirl uniform, this unapologetically objectified blonde polishes off her inner CGI demons with a gun in one hand and a samurai sword in the other.

Warner Bros.]]> Do you love Alicia Keys' soulful songs, smooth voice and gorgeous face, but wish that she was also a sexy assassin? Well, we've got the movie for you! In this hard-hitting action thriller, Keys is pitch perfect (music pun) as a leather-clad hit woman on assignment in Vegas.

Universal]]> Who says killing is a young lady's pastime? In this rambunctious action comedy, Mirren might soon need assisted living, but she sure doesn't need assisted killing. One foot in the grave? More like one foot on her victim's throat.

Summit]]> http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/pop-divas-in-movies/ http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/pop-divas-in-movies/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:30:23 +0000 Kim Potts http://www.nextmovie.com/?p=16219 Get more »]]>

Screen Gems

Madonna and Whitney to Gwen and Britney... Nearly every pop queen has packed up their diva ways and taken them to the big screen. 

The results have been mixed; for every Mariah Carey in "Precious," there's a Mariah Carey in "Glitter," and for every J. Hudson in "Dreamgirls," there's a J. Simpson in "Employee of the Month." 

With veteran screen diva Cher teaching acting newcomer Christina Aguilera the tricks of crossing over in "Burlesque," here's a rundown of the most memorable instances of divas gone Hollywood. 

Mariah Carey

Everett Collection

Movies: "Glitter" (2001), "Precious" (2009)

Report: When she played a gorgeous pop diva in "Glitter" ... not so much. But when she went un-glam to play social worker Ms. Weiss in "Precious," Carey proved she had some acting skills. To be fair, not even Meryl Streep could have made "Glitter" sparkle, and plenty of actresses have shined only when they got a shot at quality material.

Rating: C 
 

Beyonce

Screen Gems

Movies: "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002), "The Fighting Temptations" (2003), "The Pink Panther" (2005), "Dreamgirls" (2006), "Cadillac Records" (2008), "Obsessed" (2009)

Report: Beyonce, on the other hand, may want to stick to musical-themed roles. She may not have won the big awards for "Dreamgirls" or for portraying legend Etta James in "Cadillac Records," but awards nods can be a bad thin ... as in the Worst Actress Razzie nomination she earned for "Obsessed," a reverse sexual harassment thriller which one critic called nothing more than an excuse for a Beyonce/Ali Larter catfight. Meow.

Rating: B- 
 

Britney Spears

Paramount

Movies: "Crossroads" (2002)

Report: She was playing an aspiring singer, she was surrounded by talent like Dan Akroyd, Kim Cattrall, Justin Long and Taryn Manning and the teenybopper storyline revolved around three BFFs on a road trip, yet surprisingly, Britney's first major big-screen role was a big dull dud. Even more surprisingly: the mess, a commercial and critical flop, was written by Shonda Rhimes. Yes, that Shonda Rhimes.

Rating: C- 
 

Gwen Stefani

Everett Collection

Movies: "The Aviator" (2004)

Report: Her onscreen time was relatively brief, but Stefani's turn as Hollywood legend Jean Harlow was memorable in the Martin Scorsese-directed Howard Hughes biopic. Stefani's wide-eyed look and retro-inspired style, aided by a top-notch hair and make up crew, of course, led to an impeccably accurate portrayal of Harlow, whose star-making role came courtesy of Hughes and his 1930 hit "Hell's Angels."

Rating: B 
 

Jessica Simpson

Warner Bros.

Movies: "The Dukes of Hazzard" (2005), "Employee of the Month" (2006)

Report: Whatever else happened onscreen -- including a nominee for worst line ever when her Daisy Duke tells a cop, "I think something bounced up into my undercarriage" -- Simpson had made sure she filled out her denim Daisy Dukes nice and properly, so all was mostly forgiven for that one. As for her follow up, with Dane Cook, in "Employee of the Month," there's too much bad acting to forgive, but we sure do want to forget it.

Rating: D- 
 

Alicia Keys

Universal

Movies: "Smokin' Aces" (2006), "The Nanny Diaries" (2007), "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008)

Report: R&B/pop diva Keys brought her laidback cool to the role of Georgia Sykes, the hitwoman who, with partner Sharice Watters (Taraji P. Henson), is hired to off Vegas magician and wannabe gangster Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven). Her subsequent roles, in "The Nanny Dairies" and "The Secret Life of Bees," were much lower key, but "Aces" has us hopin' for more guntotin', action-packed performances from the new mama.

Rating: C+ 
 

Mary J. Blige

Lionsgate

Movies: "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" (2009)

Report: Her role as singing bartender Tanya, BFF of Taraji P. Henson's April, in Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," was enough to have us excited for her first major starring role, playing legendary jazz singer and pianist Nina Simone in the 2012 biopic "Nina."

Rating: B+ 
 

Fergie

Weinstein Co.

Movies: "Grindhouse: Planet Terror" (2007), "Nine" (2009)

Report: Who wouldn't have fun playing Tammy (the lesbian lover of Marley Shelton's married anesthesiologist Dakota), who gets attacked and has her brains eaten by zombies while trying to reunite with Dakota? Not Fergie, whose performance in the Robert Rodriguez horror flick was every bit as convincing as her big song-and-dance number in "Nine."

Rating: B 

Jennifer Hudson

Paramount

Movies: "Dreamgirls" (2006), "Sex and the City" (2008), "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008)

Report: Oscar and Golden Globe wins for Hudson's performance as Effie White not only surprised viewers who'd watched her awkwardly sing her way to a seventh-place finish on the third season of "American Idol," but also forced snarky "AI" judge Simon Cowell to admit he'd underestimated the skills and star potential of the former reality TV star.

Rating: A 
 

Taylor Swift

New Line

Movies: "Valentine's Day" (2010)

Report: She won the Teen Choice Award for Breakout Female, but it's tough to gauge whether she was acting -- playing giggly high schooler Felicia, who's enjoying puppy love and teddy bear gifts from boyfriend Willy (Taylor Lautner) -- or whether she was just living out on screen the crushes she and boy Taylor allegedly (if her new songs are being interpreted correctly) lived out in real life.

Rating: C 
 

Macy Gray

Lionsgate

Movies: "Domino" (2005), "Idlewild" (2006), "For Colored Girls" (2010)

Report: If you need a quirky character actress, quirky character Gray may just be your woman. She's memorably played half of a fake I.D.-making set of twins ("Domino"), a drunken nightclub diva named Taffy (in "Idlewild") and, in "For Colored Girls," a creepy back-alley abortionist who "will make you rethink ever having unsafe sex," according to Huffington Post reviewer Jenee Darden.

Rating: B 
 

Janet Jackson

Lionsgate

Movies: "Poetic Justice" (1993), "Nutty Professor II" (2000),"Why Did I Get Married?" (2007), "For Colored Girls" (2010)

Report: Those of us who remember her in "Good Times" and as Willis' girlfriend on "Diff'rent Strokes" weren't so surprised to see her unfurl her acting talents on the big screen after her mega-successful pop star career took hold. As for critical response to those roles, she did receive Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for "Poetic Justice" ... in the best original song categories; she also won a Razzie Award for Worst New Star for the flick. Her more recent, dramatic roles -- as successful women whose personal and professional lives don't mesh -- in Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?" flicks and "For Colored Girls," have won her far more positive reviews.

Rating: A-