MONTREAL, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Stop the presses. Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson were all outvoted by European bombshell Monica Bellucci, according to AskMen.com's readers, as the Most Desirable Woman of 2002.
Monica Bellucci, a well-known Italian actress and model in the Old Continent, was selected by AskMen.com readers as the woman they would most like to date. The criteria emphasized both the beauty and personality of the world's best known celebrities. And according to AskMen.com readers, Monica Bellucci combines both elements to a tee.
AskMen.com, one of the most influential websites for men with 4.6 million readers in April 2002, gave readers the power to vote from a wide and varied list of women, often against mainstream trends. The list included international stars, like French singer Ophelie Winter at No. 27, Chinese leading actor Gong Li at No. 22, and British television personality Kelly Brook at No. 8.
"Credit that to our international audience of 4.6 million monthly readers from over 150 countries," says Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, Vice-President Media Relations. He continues, "Monica Bellucci's place in the number one slot doesn't surprise me. She has all the elements that any man would want in a woman."
Indeed, this year's list was full of surprises and themes. Models still top the totem pole of desirability, with 8 women who can claim the catwalk as their profession landing in the Top 20.
More mature stars also proved that age doesn't reduce their allure. Vivica A. Fox can be found at No. 96, Sela Ward hit the list at No. 70 and Michelle Pfeiffer landed at No. 58.
The number one men's site hopes this year's list has similar success to their 2001 list, that was viewed by over 5 million readers during its year- long run on the website. AskMen.com opened up the voting to its 30,000 newsletter subscribers.
So does AskMen.com plan to make a new list next year? "Yes. We devote ourselves to covering topics that are of interest to all aspects of men's lives; such a list is always fun to browse. Our readers liked the fact that we started the countdown from the No. 99 spot back in January, and counted down the ladies one by desirable one."
DENTON, Texas, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Hairdressers will need to get out the scissors and curling potions if fans follow their fave star's style.
In the Sally CelebHeads(TM) survey conducted by Harris Interactive last month, Halle Berry's cropped curls were most admired by fans. Berry, who's often referred to as one of Hollywood's "most elegant" stars, proves that short hair can be just as glamorous, just as alluring, as long, billowing tresses.
Michael Renzulli, CEO of Sally Beauty Company, announced the results of the study at a luncheon for editors of beauty industry trade publications in Los Angeles. This is the eighth year Sally has commissioned such a study. Formerly called "Best Tressed(TM)," it gives fans a chance to pick their favorite looks from stars in several facets of the entertainment industry.
The survey also gives stylists, buyers and fashion and beauty writers the opportunity to stay ahead of changing hair trends, Renzulli noted, adding that celebrities have an ever-increasing influence on the tastes and preferences of consumers.
While Berry's short curls were tops for movie actresses, Nicole Kidman's bouncing red curls came in a close second, leaving the rest of the field far behind.
Heather Locklear's big blond style once again registered number one on the meter for TV personalities, three times more than her nearest competitor, Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Americans liked the ever-changing look of musician Jennifer Lopez's shining dark hair, but also liked Britney Spears' blond styles.
When it came to men, fans liked movie actors with short hair and wanted longer styles on TV and in music. Brad Pitt was tops on the silver screen, followed closely by Pierce Brosnan. Politicians rated high on TV, with "Spin City's" Charlie Sheen in the top spot. Rob Lowe of "The West Wing," and Tony Danza from "Family Law" tied for number two.
For the third year in a row, Ricky Martin led the male musicians' style parade, followed by fellow Latin Enrique Iglesias.
Far out, wild and wonderful -- who but Boy George could meet that challenge for the men. On the distaff side, Christina Aguilera and Pink tied for first place, with Courtney Love not far behind.
Results of the Sally CelebHeads(TM) survey are based on telephone interviews with 1,001 adults, selected using Random Digit Dial to reduce bias and include both listed and unlisted telephone numbers. The interview was done between Jan. 3 and Jan 13, 2002. Harris says the margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.
Posted by Jen on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 @ 03:05 p.m.
NEW YORK (AP) - Mariah Carey was voted the pop act most people would like to see booted from the planet, according to The New York Post.
Carey placed first in the poll on the music Web site popdirt.com, which asked the question, "If you could remove one pop act's music from the face of the earth, who would it be?" About 8,000 people replied to the poll.
Carey secured the top spot with 31 percent of the votes. Jennifer Lopez was the runner-up with 24 percent of the votes and 'N Sync (news - web sites) nabbed the third spot with 12 percent.
Rounding out the top 10 were Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, the Backstreet Boys (news - web sites), Jessica Simpson, Enrique Iglesias, Madonna (news - web sites) and Ricky Martin.
Posted by Jen on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 @ 03:04 p.m.
PURCHASE, N.Y. (Reuters) - Pepsi-Cola on Tuesday unveiled a bright blue cola, Pepsi Blue, as the soft drink giant adds to its carbonated lineup to perk up sluggish cola sales in the key U.S. market.
Pepsi-Cola North America, a soft drink arm of PepsiCo Inc. , called the berry-flavored drink targeted to teens, "a fusion of berry and cola" flavors and said it will be on store shelves by early August.
But some grass-roots promotion of Pepsi Blue will start next week, Dave Burwick, senior vice president of marketing for Pepsi's carbonated soft drink brands, told reporters gathered at the company's Purchase, New York headquarters.
Pepsi Blue follows a number of recent carbonated soft drink debuts from Pepsi-Cola. It will also follow the mid-May introduction of Vanilla Coke from top competitor Coca-Cola Co. .
"This is a critically important juncture for Pepsi and Coke as they both introduce major cola line extensions," said John Sicher, editor of industry newsletter Beverage Digest. "The issue is, will these moves return growth to their huge trademark soda businesses?"
Consumers have flocked to Pepsi's Mountain Dew Code Red, which has a cherry-citrus taste and rolled out in May 2001. A diet version of Code Red is set to follow this summer.
Pepsi is not concerned that consumers are being overloaded with new options, since they appeal to different consumers.
"Code Red is about Mountain Dew, this is about Pepsi," Burwick said of Pepsi Blue.
BRIGHT BLUE HUE
Pepsi Blue will come to market almost two years after the October 2000 launch of Sierra Mist, Pepsi's lemon-lime soda that competes with Coke's Sprite and Cadbury Schweppes Plc's 7 UP.
Pepsi has also launched lemon-spiked colas Pepsi Twist and Diet Pepsi Twist nationally. Those drinks compete with Diet Coke with Lemon from Coca-Cola.
Pepsi Blue comes in a clear plastic bottle with a transparent label that lets the bright blue color of the beverage show through. The drink's color is reminiscent of Windex, the window cleaner from S.C. Johnson & Son.
Pepsi Blue will be available in 20-ounce and 1-liter bottles, and other sizes may follow, the company said.
Pepsi said it tested a variety of products before deciding on Pepsi Blue, which took nine months to create. The company said it might bring out other colored sodas in the future, though it declined to comment on them.
"We have very high hopes for this," said Gary Rodkin, the president and chief executive officer of Pepsi-Cola North America. "It's going to be a winner, but I wouldn't want to peg a number on it," he said when asked about volume expectations.
While Pepsi Blue is the first major carbonated soft drink with a blue hue, it is not the first blue beverage on the market. Pepsi's Gatorade, comes in blue, among other colors.
With a slew of new drinks coming to market, the beverage makers are facing an ever more difficult battle for space in the crowded aisles and coolers of convenience store.
Rodkin, in an interview, said it's tough to get more space and that there's "a lot of blocking and tackling" involved to get secure prominent positioning for new drinks.
He also said there was no decision yet on whether to use pop star Britney Spears, who promotes Pepsi-Cola, to sell Pepsi Blue.
New twists on old drinks have been a great boost to Pepsi's sales. About 70 million cases of Mountain Dew Code Red were sold last year, even as sales of regular Mountain Dew declined, according to a Beverage Digest/Maxwell study.
Pepsi Twist and Diet Pepsi Twist have also been adding to Pepsi's volume.
But, it is still too early to tell if a diet version of Pepsi Blue will be on the way.
"Never say never," Rodkin said.
Posted by Jen on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 @ 03:02 p.m.
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