Trivia: 2003 brought Carson Kressley his watershed moment: such was the year that the once-obscure fashion designer -- employed as an independent stylist for the Gotham-based Polo Ralph Lauren -- auditioned to star as a regular on the Bravo series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. An Allentown, PA, native and a graduate of Pennsylvania's Gettysburg College (with degrees in finance and art), Kressley was soon tapped to work for Lauren as an assistant to many of the company's top-tiered executives, then auditioned among several dozen candidates to star on the reality series, which featured himself and a cadre of other witty homosexual men offering advice to straight men on how best to improve their homes, apparel, and various other areas of lifestyle to qualify as truly chic (or "metrosexual," as the program typically put it). Kressley remained with the series for numerous seasons, and he and his co-stars soon graduated to the level of national celebrities, dubbed "The Fab Five."Kressley expanded into other arenas by authoring the 2004 tome Off the Cuff: The Essential Style Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them and the children's allegory You're Different and That's Super (2005). He next hosted the Lifetime reality series How to Look Good Naked, which involved putting women on the air who felt unhappy about their bodies, and then instilling them with confidence and a positive, enthusiastic outlook (sans the use of plastic surgery or other "artificial" enhancements). In 2008, Kressley hosted the CW reality series Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, a televised competition that found several mother-daughter teams going head-to-head with one another in an elaborate beauty pageant. As the years progressed, Kressley would remain a fixture in reality television, appearing on shows like Dancing with the Stars.

Trivia: Modern queen of the burlesque Dita Von Teese was born Heather Renee Sweet in Michigan in 1972. Raised on classic movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Von Teese developed a fascination with the old-fashioned style from an early age. After the family moved to California, Von Teese became even more immersed in film culture, and eventually studied costume design in college, preparing for a career in styling period films.Von Teese began working at a local strip club when she was 18, but was disappointed by the lack of style and creativity shown by most of the dancers. She began developing a modern burlesque show, which would prove to be increasingly popular. By the mid-'90s, Von Teese was a celebrity in her own niche, spearheading a resurgence in burlesque dancing and pin-up style. She became a recognizable media personality, modeling for designers like Vivienne Westwood and Jean-Paul Gaultier, and appearing in a small selection of films, like The Death of Salvador Dali and The Boom Boom Room. In 2005, Von Teese married rocker Marilyn Manson; the two divorced in 2007.

Trivia: Best known for her lead billing on the syndicated courtroom reality series Judge Judy, acerbic, by-the-throat justice Judith Sheindlin was born Judith Blum into a Brooklyn family, the daughter of dentist Murry Blum and his office manager-cum-wife, Ethel Blum. Judy graduated from American University, then decided to pursue her law degree and earned it from New York Law School, graduating from that institution in 1965. In subsequent years, she successfully balanced a career as a family-court prosecutor with the demands of raising two children and enduring a difficult marriage; that union, to attorney Ronald Levy, ended in divorce in 1976. Reportedly a mere three weeks later, Judy met her second husband, Justice Jerry Sheindlin (whom she married in 1978), and the two "pooled" their children into a combined residence. By 1982, Judy had worked her way into a position as prosecutor in New York City family court and quickly earned a reputation as a crusader for social justice -- with firm enough convictions and a vociferous enough attitude that she drew the attention of such national media outlets as 60 Minutes and The Los Angeles Times. In 1993, Sheindlin's life changed forever; that was the year the long-serving television justice Joseph A. Wapner opted to retire from The People's Court. Upon receiving the news, Sheindlin reportedly phoned the office of the production studio and offered to take the job herself; three years later, she got her wish with the launch of Judge Judy, which connected with its audience in the wake of such events as the O.J. Simpson hearing (an event that helped revive American public interest in the judicial system). Sheindlin then single-handedly led a veritable boom in Court TV as her audience numbers -- and annual salary (estimated by one source as over 30 million dollars when her tenth season on the air rolled around) skyrocketed; she also drew a host of unofficial imitators, from Judge Joe Brown to Judge Mills Lane, none of whom managed to consistently top Judy's ratings or popularity. On the side, Sheindlin also authored several best-selling books, including Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever: The Making of a Happy Woman and Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining. In 2007, Sheindlin hit another milestone, as episodes of her program debuted on home video in the fall of that year.

Trivia: Sang Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" at his Season 7 American Idol audition in San Diego. Had previously auditioned for the sixth season of Idol, but didn't make the cut. Is a big fan of American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino. Lists Chris Brown, Britney Spears and Ashlee Simpson as his favorite pop singers.