Hottie of the Day: Simone Simons


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I’ve always wanted to profile a singer for latest “Hottie of the Day” but wasn’t willing to settle for the pop diva of the moment. Then it hit me. Metal is not all about angry frontmen. There’s some very fine ladies who front metal bands of all kinds. One of them is the latest “Hottie of the Day” in the form of the lovely Simone Simons.

Simone Simons is the frontwoman for the symphonic metal band Epica. This lovely redhead is a Dutch mezzo-soprano whose vocal range will surprise the uninitiated to the metal scene for being quite vast. She can sing circles around any of the pop divas doing shows during Super Bowl halftimes and whatnots. Some singers like to bale themselves with an alternate persona named Sasha Fierce, but they have nothing on the level of fierceness that Simone can bring to her performances on stage in addition to more subdued and emotional introspection.

Simone Simons is definitely a worthy and lovely addition.

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Hottie of the Day: Jessica Chastain


JESSICA CHASTAIN

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Well, I might as well get on the Jessica Chastain bandwagon. She’s the latest pick for “Hottie of the Day” and also another addition to the redhead selections that’s growing (but still not the number 1 redhead on the site).

Jessica Chastain seemed to have come out of nowhere in the last two years. While she has been acting for many years before 2010 it wasn’t until 2011′s release of Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life which finally got her noticed. Since then she has been such films as Corialanus, Take Shelter, The Help, The Debt and Lawless. In each and every film she has been singled out as one of the highlight performances and from what I’ve seen she’s definitely deserving of the praise she’s been receiving.

Yet, it’s in 2012′s Zero Dark Thirty that Chastain may have finally gone from ingenue stage to full-blown star. She carries Kathryn Bigelow’s film from start to finish and all the accolades and acclaim she has been receiving for that performance may just snag her a Best Actress Oscar award next month. Even the box-office is not immune to the redhead’s growing star power as the top two films in North America for the weekend of Jan. 18-20 has her in the starring role with Zero Dark Thirty and the horror film Mama.

Born near my neck of the woods of Sonoma, California, Jessica Chastain is a graduate of the famed Julliard School in New York City and worked her way through the Hollywood system by getting supporting roles in tv series after tv series before her breakout role as the mother in The Tree of Life.

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Hottie of the Day: Mary Elizabeth Winstead


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With this being horror-theme month here at Through the Shattered Lens I thought it was time for another “Hottie of the Day” entry and one who has some experience atbeing a scream queen in horror films these past couple years.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is better known for the role (perfectly cast and played) of Ramona Flowers in Edgar Wright’s wright’s film adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but she has done quite a bit of work in the horror genre. One of her earliest films was as the lead in Final Destination 3. Then she has followed that up with roles in Quentin Tarantino’s half of Grindhouse as a naive young actress being stalked by Kurt Russell’s psychotic stuntman in Death Proof. Her last couple films have also been in the field of horror as she had major roles in both The Thing prequel and the fantasy horror mash-up this past summer with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Ms. Winstead has become a favorite of genre fans and not just for her All-American girl-next-door look, but for the fact that she has talent as an actress and makes the most of every role she plays even in films that critically fails. Of late her work has gotten her noticed as a contender for the end of the year awards for best performance in a film with her performance as Kate Hannah in the comedy-drama Smashed.

Whether she wins awards later this year or not, here’s to hoping that she doesn’t stop doing genre projects while moving on towards more serious work.

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Hottie of the Day: Deborah Ann Woll


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Season 5 of HBO’s hit series True Blood just ended over the weekend and the verdict seems to be a season that was better than the previous one though still plagued with some slow moments and uninteresting subplots. It also had what many termed as a WTF cliffhanger that should make Season 6 quite interesting. But this post is not about focusing on the show, but one a particular actress in the show who plays one of my favorite characters since she arrived on the scene.

The latest “Hottie of the Day” is none other than Deborah Ann Woll who plays the immature and naively, sweet baby vamp Jessica Hamby. Better known amongst the show’s fans as “Baby Vamp” the character played by Deborah Ann Woll continues to be a fan favorite. It elps that Ms. Woll’s performance as “Baby Vamp” ranges from alluring, sexy yet also sweet-natured. While she may be a gorgeous redhead to behold it doesn’t mean that Ms. Woll’s acting skills are lacking. She’s not just a pretty face for the audience to gawk at. As evidenced by this season’s episode where she says a final goodbye to her first love, Ms. Woll can act circles around her co-stars when allowed to do so.

I’ve also selected Ms. Woll as the latest hottie because sooner or later site co-founder Lisa Marie will complain that there’s not enough redheads being featured. Good thing True Blood reminded me that there is one hot ginger out there right now for me to pick and profile.

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Hottie of the Day: Leticia Dolera


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The latest “Hottie of the Day” arrives courtesy of the Spanish horror film sequel REC 3: Genesis.

Miss Leticia Dolera takes on the role of Clara who happens to be the bride of the wedding setting that makes up the second sequel to the Spanish horror franchise REC. I won’t go into detail about whether this latest sequel is worth checking out. For some it was and for others it was a major letdown. One thing that everyone who has seen the film could agree on was Leticia Dolera being one of the highlights of the film. Ms. Dolera was something fierce in REC 3: Genesisand her performance made the film worth watching.

A Spanish actress who began her career in 2000 with the Spanish tv series Al salir de clase and who has become a fixture in Spanish entertainment, Ms. Dolera should become even more well-known around the world especially with the genre crowd because of her appearance in performance in REC 3: Genesis. She has that exotic look that Spanish women are always able to pull off without even trying. I wouldn’t be surprised if she one day makes the jump from Spain to Hollywood.

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Hottie of the Day: Kate Beckinsale


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It’s been over a year since I’ve chosen a new “Hottie of the Day”. Fellow site writer Leonard made the last choice with Lynn Collins just in time for the release of John Carter. I thought it was a good follow-up that my newest choice also be just in time for a new film release. Making a second return to the site is the ridiculously beautiful British actress and all-around badass Kate Beckinsale.

Ms. Beckinsale made her first appearance on this feature just a little under two years ago. She now returns just in time for the release of the Len Wiseman directed (aka Mr. Beckinsale) remake of the 1990′s Paul Verhoeven/Schwarzenneger collaboration Total Recall. To say that she shined in every scene she was in during this remake would be an understatement. The film was fun, but Kate and her scenes just made it better if just for those moments.

So, without further adieu time to gaze on the lovely Kate Beckinsale.

Hottie of the Day: Lynn Collins


I’ll admit that I’m not very experienced in writing about The Hottie of the Day. The things that move me about women may not be what moves everyone else. Along with that, you have to find something really cool and interesting to say about the subject, when in fact, you’re taking the phrase “Wow, she’s hot.” and expanding on that. Maybe if I get better, I’ll do more.

This may be a tough one, though.

My last entry in this part of the Shattered Lens was Olive Oyl. On seeing John Carter this past Friday, though, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Lynn Collins on the scenes she was in. Playing a princess with a warriors spirit (and an awesome tan), Collins quit smoking and went through a bit of training for the fight sequences. For this, and a number of other example, she becomes the Shattered Lens’ Hottie of the Day for March 11, 2012.

If she looks at all familiar, it’s probably because she’s had a number of films under her belt. Although she had a small part in Joel Schumacher’s “The Number 23″ some years ago, Collins may be remembered best as Wolverine’s former love in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In that film, she played Kayla Silverfox, a mutant with the ability to sway people’s minds via touch. She was later featured in Alan Ball’s Towelhead, as the girlfriend of the protagonist’s father. Ball would later go on to feature Collins in the first few episodes of HBO’s True Blood as Dawn, one of the barmaids at Merlotte’s who had a tryst with Jason Stackhouse. Though her character didn’t last through too many episodes, she made her short stay a memorable one.

Lynn has been in a number of independent films, such as Numb with Matthew Perry, where she had to deal with Perry’s penchant for Kleptomania. She also starred in Uncertainty with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Collins, a mix of Irish and Native American backgrounds, is married to fellow actor Steven Strait, who was in The Covenant (also with John Carter’s Taylor Kitsch) and Roland Emmerich’s 10,000 B.C.

Here’s hoping that we see a lot more of Collins in the years to come.

On a side note, I wouldn’t mind if it’s her face behind Tali’Zorah’s Quarian mask in Mass Effect 3. That’s just me. :)

Hottie of the Day: Kumada Yoko


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The next hottie of the day comes from the Land of the Rising Sun. Like most hotties chosen from this region this one also happens to be one from the gravure model and idol scene. Kumada Yoko is our latest “Hottie of the Day”.

Ms. Kumada was born in Gifu City, Japan in 1982 which would make her, like fellow gravure model Hoshino Aki, a rarity in that she remains in the J-Idol world despite being much older than the usual models. This speaks to her longevity in the business which usually prefers that the models it hire for Idol projects and gravure photoshoots be between 17-23 years of age.

Yoko did start out much older than most of her peers as she studied to become a nurse once she was out of high school. She did try taio go into the entertainment business much earlier but was forbidden by her parents who disapproved of the profession. But while studying to be a nurse the urge to enter the business was still strong in Yoko and she finally followed her dream and hasn’t looked back.

While her early career was mostly gravure photoshoots and the Idol videos here and there, in time work came to her and she began to branch out to appearing on several TV shows and her share of live-action dramas. In the end, her love remains as a model and she continues to this day to pump out new photoshoot book collections and J-Idol videos.

Hottie of the Day: Jessica Canizales


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It is Super Bowl Sunday and while most of the nation and also others around the world will be watching this event as if their life depended on it for some it’s just another Sunday. These people, some of them at least would rather be watching the Lingerie Bowl. In honor of the latest Lingerie Bowl we have a new “hottie of the day”. The hottie chosen is the lovely model and Playboy Playmate Jessica Canizales.

Ms. Canizales was born in Brazil, but spent most of her childhood growing up in Panama and Idaho as her family moved several times. Once she was 18 she moved to Miami where she began to go to school to become an interior designer. While going to school she worked part-time at the local Hooters. It would be while she was employed at Hooters that she began modeling for the Hooters calendar.

It sounds cliche but she was discovered by a Playboy scout while walking down South Beach and asked her if she was interested in posing for the magazine. Her decision to take the offer would payoff for Jessica as she became a Playmate for the Spanish version of Playboy. She has since appeared many times on special editions of the magazine and has begun working for Playboy TV.

Jessica has now begun to branch out and started her own official website where she interacts with her fans.

Official Website: Planet Jessie

Hottie of the Day: Melissa Giraldo


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The newest hottie of the day share similarities with four previous hotties. This latest choice for our hottie feature is the lovely Melissa Giraldo.

Ms. Melissa Giraldo come straight from Medellin, Colombia. Like her lovely sisters the Davalos Twins, Daniela Tamayo and Sandra Valencia she is also one of the more popular models in South America as her work in the swimwear and lingerie industry has made her quite sought after to model companies’ products. Melissa has become one of the exclusive models for PHAX swimwear and also Besame Lingerie. She has also appeared many times in magazines as the featured pin-up and continues to expand to new fields in modeling such as runway shows both in her local Colombia and throughout South America.

Like the other South American models featured in this site’s “hottie of the day” she has gained quite a loyal following outside of Colombia and South America due to the spread of her pictorials over the internet. Only time will tell when she will finally explode in popularity here in the US. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes one of the new Victoria’s Secret Angels in a year or two.