Jennifer Lopez has always wanted to be a star, not just a dancer, singer or an actress, but all three. Her hard work and ambition have been boundless as she rose from her childhood in the Bronx to her status as the highest paid Latina actress in Hollywood.

Music has been important to Missy Elliott all her life. From her earliest recollections of turning up the radio to drown out her parents' arguments, to singing to her dolls, Missy just loved to write poems and to sing.

From the streets of St. Louis to the Grammy Stage, it's been a long and rough road for the rapper born Cornell Haynes, Jr. He started out as a baseball player, but had to make a tough choice between sticking it out in the minor leagues or gambling on the streets.

Just about every fan of popular music has heard of either Puffy, Puff Daddy, or P. Diddy. That's because Sean Combs, known throughout the years by many names, has influenced current music as much as anyone else in history.

Queen Latifah has spent much of her life being a ground breaker. After signing her first record deal when she was sixteen, Latifah's energy and talent made it clear she was a unique performer and a special individual. As the first important female rapper, she is credited with being one of the most influential musical performers of her generation.

 She had the chance to take advantage of the culture the city provided as well as its quality education. At 12 years old, she auditioned and was accepted to the Professional Performing Arts School. For Alicia, the school was an artistic playground.

It was her mother's strong faith in her daughter's talent that led Ashanti Douglas down a hard and often frustrating road to finally find success as a singer.

With the support of her driven mother, Ashanti made the decision to try and make the big time.

It's not easy growing up with a beautiful and talented older sister; Ashlee Simpson knows all about it. Her sister is Jessica Simpson, a popular entertainer and one of the stars of the reality TV series, Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica. For most of her life, Ashlee lived in the shade cast by Jessica's shadow.

Ashton Kutcher was born in a small farming town and ended up among the bright lights of Hollywood. The path he took to get there is one filled with challenge and uncertainty. Dealing with his twin brother's illness, his parents' divorce, and a move to a brand new town as a teenager left Ashton wondering what to do with his life. His plan to pursue a medical career was fueled by his desire to find a cure for his brother but his dreams of fame began to overtake him.

If it seemed like Britney Spears appeared on the music scene and instantly became a smashing success, it was just an illusion. In reality, Britney has been working for years to create the kind of stardom she has just begun to receive. A down-home country girl,

Carrie Underwood is the small town girl who has taken America by storm. But the road to success from home town of Checotah, Oklahoma to her emergence as 2005's American Idol wasn't always a smooth one.

Christina Aguilera began performing in talent shows when she was six years old. She appeared on Star Search at the age of eight. At ten she sang the National Anthem for the Pittsburgh Steelers and at twelve she joined the cast of The New Mickey Mouse Club. If she seems in a hurry, she is. "I've wanted to be a star since I was six or seven,"she said.