83 Zhang Ziyi

Born in Beijing in 1979, Zhang first studied the arts at the Beijing Dance Academy and later joined the highly regarded Central Academy of Drama. This move to acting proved to be a good choice, as Zhang went on to star in such milestone films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Hero (2002), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), among others. Demonstrating her intelligence and artistic prowess, she accepted her invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 2005, and is now an eligible voter for the Academy Awards.

One good year deserves another, which is why Zhang kept her ground on our Top 99, falling only four spots from last year’s ranking at No. 79. Following her AMPAS acceptance in 2005, Zhang was selected to sit on the jury of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the youngest juror in the festival’s history. Acting-wise, Zhang was seen in 2006 as an empress in the dramatic film The Banquet, a period piece set in China’s Tang dynasty. Zhang’s CV also became a lot more crowded in 2006 thanks to the attention she received for her previous effort, Memoirs of a Geisha. The recognition for her work on that film included various nominations and awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the Golden Globes, the Image Awards, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and MTV awards.

As for 2007, Zhang seems to have a relatively light schedule with only two major projects slated for release. Her voice will be heard in the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, along with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kevin Smith, Patrick Stewart, and Billy West. Zhang will then be hitting screens late in the year with the serial-killer thriller The Horsemen, costarring Dennis Quaid.

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83 Zhang Ziyi

84 Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff was only in the business for a few years when she landed the life-changing role in Disney’s Lizzie McGuire. The program turned Hilary into a household name among adolescents, and it wasn’t long before the up-and-coming actress began appearing in more high-profile projects. She starred opposite Frankie Muniz in Agent Cody Banks (2003), played one of Steve Martin’s daughters in Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and its sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), and she took on a leading role in The Perfect Man (2005) with Heather Locklear. Hilary is also a stand-out singer: She has three multi-platinum albums and a gold Christmas album. Her most recent album, Most Wanted, spent two weeks at the top of the U.S. charts.

Hilary’s only cinematic appearance in 2006 was in the comedy Material Girls, in which wealthy siblings learn to fend for themselves after their money is frozen. Though the film was a financial and critical bomb, Hilary did get to work with her real-life sister, Haylie. They also recorded a decent cover of Madonna’s song “Material Girl” for the film’s soundtrack. Hilary’s personal life didn’t fare quite as well, as her relationship to singer Joel Madden ended in November. Hilary has the face of an angel and a heart of gold, which was on display in Ontario, Canada, when she performed to raise money for a tsunami relief fund. Hilary debuted at No. 86 on AskMen.com’s list in 2006, and if she keeps up the good work we’re sure she’ll become a perennial favorite.

2007 is shaping up to be another busy year for Hilary. She’ll appear in Brand Hauser: Stuff Happens, a comedy that stars John Cusack, Ben Kingsley and Marisa Tomei. Hilary will also be lending her voice to the animated comedy Foodfight!, alongside Charlie Sheen, Eva Longoria, Haylie Duff, and Wayne Brady. Hilary is hard at work on her new album, which is rumored to be named Dignity and is expected to hit stores in April. The first single, “Play With Fire,” is already a hit, reaching No. 33 on the U.S. dance music charts.

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84 Hilary Duff

85 Dita Von Teese

The second coming of Bettie Page? An Elvgren pinup with a pulse? Model and burlesque performer Dita Von Teese may be labeled by many as a retro-fetish artist, as she possesses a timeless beauty and a desirability that’s absent from contemporary models. Born Heather Renee Sweet in 1972, Dita was always fascinated with the films of the 1940s, their stars and their elegant fashions. This attraction to old-time Hollywood helped spur Dita's interest in vintage lingerie, which led to her first burlesque-inspired strip show by the age of 19 and fetish modeling shortly thereafter. Over the years, Dita's underground image quietly slipped into the mainstream thanks to high-profile appearances in Playboy and her relationship with Marilyn Manson, whom she married in 2005.

Dita’s long-overdue debut to our Top 99 comes after a typically busy year of modeling, personal appearances and burlesque performances around the world. But outside of this more standard work, Dita broke out into TV and film in 2006, with appearances in The Girls Next Door, America’s Next Top Model, Faking It and the just-completed motion picture Saint Francis. After such a fulfilling year for Dita, 2006 ended on a sad note; citing “irreconcilable differences” (rumored to be Manson’s drinking), Dita filed for divorce on December 29th of last year. In a rare twist for celebrity splits, she is not seeking spousal support.

Given the fact that Dita’s not seeking support from Manson, perhaps her divorce will move along a bit faster than usual. But even without court proceedings, Dita will be rebounding into 2007 with a full schedule. She enters the year as a Style Icon contender in Elle magazine’s Style Awards, while on the cinematic front, the aforementioned film Saint Francis should be released in 2007 along with The Boom Boom Room costarring Willie Nelson. Of course, in between these projects, Dita will continue to model and perform, much to our delight.

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85 Dita Von Teese

86 Cindy Margolis

It takes a lot to stay on top of the sex-symbol game, with busloads of eager bimbos showing up every day to take your place. Add to that the public’s ADD-like tendency to always look for the next best thing, and Cindy Margolis’ continued appearance on our list is even more amazing. This beautiful, ambitious Californian got her start in college selling greeting cards adorned with her picture. Some of these ended up on the mantles of influential agents who got her modeling gigs and a coveted spot as one of “Barker’s Beauties” on The Price is Right. Her presentation of washers and dryers obviously appealed to the early adopters of the cyber world, as she held the title “Queen of the Internet” from 1996 to 1999. More than a decade later, this one-time Austin Powers Fembot is still a major-league stunner.

Remarkably, Ms. Margolis celebrated her 41st birthday last year. Although she hadn’t made it onto our list since 2003, she reappears this year four positions higher than she did the last time around. At an age where many women are minivan shopping and knitting, Cindy continued to rack up lucrative endorsements and television appearances. She became the spokeswoman for Tropical Poker, which she represents by playing in various tournaments around the world. But her biggest move in 2006 -- and the one that most benefited men across the globe -- came with her decision to finally pose nude in Playboy. She had appeared many times before, but she frustratingly always wore lingerie or bathing suits. She suggested her age was a factor in finally agreeing to bare it all, saying, “It will be fun to go up against the 20-year-olds and show them that they don't have anything on me!" Take a look at the December 2006 issue, and you’ll probably agree with her.

This girl shows no signs of slowing down. She gets to spend a big chunk of her time jetsetting around the world playing poker as part of her endorsement deal with Tropical. She’s also developing a line of sassy T-shirts for girls and will continue to focus her energy on her charity work with RESOLVE, a national infertility association. A big heart to go along with a world-class smile and a voluptuous body -- that’s how you stay on top for so many years.

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86 Cindy Margolis

87 Paz Vega

Though she’s only recently stepped into the spotlight, Paz Vega has been a fixture among Spanish viewers for almost a decade. Paz has appeared in such critically acclaimed foreign films as 2001’s Sex and Lucia, 2002’s Talk to Her and 2002’s The Other Side of the Bed. Her North American breakthrough came out in 2004: Spanglish, written and directed by James L. Brooks, cast Paz as a Mexican maid who comes to live with a rich American family, and there’s little doubt that the actress was more than able to hold her own opposite renowned stars Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni.

It’s no wonder that this is the third year in a row that Paz ranks on this list, as the actress continues to challenge herself by taking on vastly different roles. Paz’s sole American film made in 2006 was the quirky comedy 10 Items or Less, in which she played a feisty grocery store clerk who forms an unlikely friendship with a big Hollywood star (Morgan Freeman). The film attracted attention when it was revealed that it would be opening in theaters at roughly the same time that it would be available for download. Paz also made an appearance in the Spanish film Los Borgia, though it has yet to find a North American distributor.

In addition to a pair of foreign-language films Teresa, el cuerpo de Cristo, a biography of Saint Teresa, and La Masseria della allodole, the latest work from the acclaimed Taviani brothers -- Paz is due to appear in the Christopher Walken thriller Fade to Black. But given the recent announcement that Paz is expecting her first child, it seems likely that the actress will be taking a short break from the business over the next year or so. At any rate, Paz will continue to rank as one of the hottest Latin imports around, alongside such notable names as Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek.

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87 Paz Vega

88 Mayra Veronica

A trained ballet dancer, actor and singer, this Cuban-born Miami resident also holds a degree in psychology from Florida University. But don’t think for a second that Mayra is only known for her cerebral talents. Her unique face and ample curves have landed her in front of the camera for Univision’s Don Francisco Presenta, in ad campaigns for Nike, L’Oreal and Coca-Cola, and in her own bestselling calendar. “In Spanish, they say I’m ‘Angel Diablo’,” explains Mayra. “[I have] an angel’s face and a devil’s body… an innocent streak, but a body that is not that innocent-looking.”

Mayra’s debut appearance on our Top 99 comes after a busy 2006. Besides her modeling and TV appearances on Univision and in commercials, Mayra appeared in Frankie J’s "Pensando en Ti" music video and shot one of her own in support of her upcoming album. In fact, her first single, "Vengo Con To,” has already received a fair amount of airplay on Spanish radio stations. And though Mayra has been spotted throughout 2006 with Gil Dezer, a South Florida developer and business partner of Donald Trump, it's obvious that her No. 1 in the past year has been her fan base. This became clear when she was asked who she would like to thank for her appearance on the list: "Definitely AskMen.com for even giving me the chance to go on there and all the people that voted for me, they’re my support system. So, I thank them all and I’m really glad to have them in my life."

Sometime soon, you’ll be able to get your hands on Mayra in the privacy of your own home, as her likeness and voice are featured in the upcoming Def Jam 3 video game. Mayra is also said to be putting the final touches on her next album, with a worldwide promotional tour set to begin in February. "I don’t see it mellowing down anytime soon," Mayra comments on her 2007 schedule. "I’m just trying to take any minute I can to rest."Mayra will no doubt continue to appear on television and in magazines, too. As for her love life, she’s not saying much; though linked with the aforementioned Dezer and rapper Pitbull (who name-checks Mayra in a 2007 single), according to her website, she considers these men friends.

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88 Mayra Veronica

89 Alana de la Garza

It was bit parts in television series like All My Children, Smallville, JAG, Two and a Half Men, and Las Vegas that led Alana de la Garza to higher-profile shows like CSI: Miami, and eventually, the much-coveted spot of Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Connie Rubirosa on Law and Order. Although it was her solid acting chops that landed her those parts, her distinctive, stunning features from her Mexican and Irish parents certainly didn’t hurt.

While Alana’s short stint on CSI: Miami finished at the end of last season, her work as the ADA on the original Law and Order series continued. Alana could also be seen promoting her new show throughout the year on entertainment news programs like Entertainment Tonight and E! News Daily. Ultimately, it was this jump to the high-tier Law and Order that propelled de la Garza onto the Top 99 for the first time.

The ADAs tend to come and go on Law and Order, so for 2007, Alana de la Garza is trying to focus on making her character a lasting one. Apart from acting, Alana is involved in charity work; she has traveled across the United States to raise money and awareness for muscular dystrophy and Jerry’s Kids.

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89 Alana de la Garza

91 Jennifer Love Hewitt

The sexy, cute and curvaceous Jennifer Love Hewitt first appeared on the small screen in Kids Incorporated before hitting it big when she joined the cast of Party of Five in 1995. Her feature-film resume includes I Know What You Did Last Summer with Sarah Michelle Gellar, its sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Can’t Hardly Wait, and The Audrey Hepburn Story. Since 2005, she has had huge success with her television fantasy/drama Ghost Whisperer. She's also an accomplished singer with four albums to her credit.

Jennifer earned the Best Actress prize at the Family Television Awards and a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for her work on Ghost Whisperer. She was also nominated for Best Female TV Star at the 2007 People’s Choice Awards, but she lost out to Eva Longoria. Jennifer appeared at the 2006 Emmys as a presenter, looking stellar in a form-fitting, beaded metallic gown. On the big screen, she starred as Liz Wilson in Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, which did moderately well at the box office. As for her personal life, she has been dating actor Ross McCall since the beginning of 2006. Last year, she ranked No. 53 on AskMen.com’s Most Desirable Women list and her highest rank so far has been No. 29.

We'll continue to get our regular dose of Jennifer on Ghost Whisperer thanks to the sizable audience it has been pulling in. In addition, we'll be hearing her as the voice of Erica in the animated series The Magic 7, which also features the voices of Ice-T and Demi Moore. Apparently, she loves animation, because she will also voice Deborah in Angry Little Girls, a show that she executive produces, and Princess Kyla in the highly anticipated animated feature Delgo. If you’re tired of hearing about her G-rated shows, look for her to heat up the big screen in the fact-based film She Had Brains, a Body, and the Ability to Make Men Love Her, which is about a Texan housewife who becomes a popular hooker.

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91 Jennifer Love Hewitt

92 Amerie

Amerie is a rare type of recording artist armed with degrees in English and fine arts, an amazing voice and smoldering looks that could be the cause of global warming. In short, she commands the pop-music spotlight. Her emotional songs have a way of making people both excited and emotional. She has changed the way the public views R&B music by making songs that people can dance to in any venue. And while her voice preceded her other talents, her dance skills have been raved about in the past few years.

Amerie’s first two albums were certified gold, and her mixtape album, Because I Love It Vol. 1, was well-received when it debuted in the fall of 2006. Volume 1’s hit single “Take Control” peaked at No. 66 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs despite its limited exposure during the year. But Amerie’s biggest success of the year, aside from being ranked as AskMen.com’s eighth Most Desirable Woman, was winning the ASCAP award for Top Soundtrack Single of the Year for “1 Thing.” The track was featured in the movie Hitch, which starred Will Smith and Eva Mendes. She was also a Grammy nominee for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Amerie cannot help but look forward to what should be a big year for her in 2007. Because I Love It Vol. 2 is already being hyped up even though it’s not due out until March. She will also be releasing the Because I Love It album, which should hit stores in the spring. The music world is going to be talking about Amerie’s work all year long.

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92 Amerie

93 Diora Baird

Diora Baird has an all-natural buxom figure. It’s no secret that she’s a 32DD, but those are only two reasons she’s a recognized name. Diora has displayed acting talent in films like Wedding Crashers (2005) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006). You might also recognize her from her modeling work in Guess? ads and in magazines such as Maxim and FHM. Her "body of work" is quite impressive, particularly on the August 2005 cover of Playboy.

Diora Baird appeared in a whopping five feature films in 2006, including Accepted and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, starring Jordana Brewster. Although she is still working on getting bigger roles, she has already managed to work with accomplished actors in high-profile films. In the fall of 2006, Diora got into the video game market. She lent her voice to Scarface: The World is Yours as a prospective girlfriend to the title character. Outside of her career endeavors, Diora became engaged to Taylor Handley, who was her costar in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

Diora Baird has two film projects in production for 2007. She will make appearances in South of Heaven and Young People F**king, both of which are comedies starring other up-and-coming actors. Diora continues to act and model, securing a wide range of career possibilities. She’s a physical beauty, but her growing career demonstrates that she is more than just a pretty face.

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93 Diora Baird

94 Gabrielle Union

“Actress and model” may be a common way to describe Hollywood starlets, but Gabrielle Union wears those labels with class. With beauty and grace, she has risen up through the dual battlegrounds of movies and TV while staying grounded and composed. Her most high-profile performances came as an anti-antagonist cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in Bring It On (2000), as Will Smith’s FBI girlfriend in Bad Boys II (2003) and as the first black love interest on Friends. Outside of acting, Gabrielle works as an activist and public speaker on violence against women, as she was a victim of a sexual assault in 1992.

She may have just split from husband Chris Howard of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but becoming a divorcée only improved Union's position on the Top 99 by one place compared to last year. In 2006, Union appeared in a few episodes of ABC’s Night Stalker, playing a reporter who helps a detective with his investigations of unusual homicides. Though the show was canceled, Union kept working throughout the year by obtaining a part in the high-profile biopic Running with Scissors and by starring in the video "I Love My Chick" for rapper Busta Rhymes.

2007 should start and end big for Gabrielle Union. She will appear in Tyler Perry’s latest film, Daddy’s Little Girls, a Cinderella story about a successful female lawyer who falls in love with a single father of three. Then, in November, Union will be seen in This Christmas, the tale of a young girl who gets a mall Santa to help find a new husband for her divorced mom. As for her personal endeavors, Union is playing the dating field, but there are rumors that she’s seeing Wentworth Miller of Prison Break.

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94 Gabrielle Union

95 Cassie

Cassie is one of the country’s most promising rising stars. A total package, she has racked up more professional accomplishments in a couple of years than most achieve in a lifetime. A model for the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch at the age of 14, a professionally trained dancer by 18, and the name attached to a hit single, “Me & U,” by the age of 20, this Connecticut native clearly knows to make her elders feel inadequate.

Though her breakthrough hit, “Me & U,” was written and recorded in 2005, it wasn’t until Cassie signed with Bad Boy in 2006 that the single reached No. 1 on R&B charts and her self-titled debut album rocketed to No. 4 on Billboard’s album charts. The success of Cassie's recording career also reenergized her modeling work; she became the lead model for Missy Elliott’s adidas clothing line, appeared as the star in Mario’s “Here I Go Again” video, and had her visage plastered in Times Square as part of a high-profile billboard campaign for Target.

Cassie ended 2006 by dispelling rumors that she would be leaving Bad Boy and confirming that work on her new album for the label would be taking place throughout 2007. In addition to music, Cassie revealed that she would be trying her overwhelming good luck in the world of fashion; she will be releasing her own line of T-shirts and hoodies. Lastly, Cassie announced her intentions to conquer the world of acting and is set to appear in an undisclosed movie due to begin shooting early this year.

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95 Cassie

96 Beth Ostrosky

Like mother, like daughter. Beth Ostrosky’s former-model mother introduced her to the business in the early '80s when Beth was just 9 years old. Since then, the Pittsburgh native has expanded her reach to include TV appearances and movie roles, including in the hilarious flick Flirting with Disaster with Ben Stiller. Beth O., as she’s known, hasn’t let success get to her head; she volunteered in Ground Zero relief efforts after 9/11 and serves as the spokesperson for North Shore Animal League, a New York-based no-kill shelter. Since 2001, she has been dating Howard Stern and has appeared several times on his TV show.

This is Ostrosky’s first appearance on our Top 99, and it is a result of your votes and her full calendar in 2006. When she wasn’t keeping her boyfriend in line on Howard TV On Demand, Ostrosky was busy as a magazine advice columnist for FHM and continued to flirt with the camera. She is still devoting a great deal of time to North Shore Animal League; she shot a TV public service announcement for the shelter as part of its new campaign.

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96 Beth Ostrosky

97 Erica Durance

A fixture on TV sets across the country, Erica Durance is the Canadian-born actress who molded the character of Lois Lane into her most alluring form ever on the WB’s hit series Smallville. Off camera, Durance has had some shaky starts -- marrying in 1996 only to file for divorce in 1999, for example -- but she seems to be on firmer ground since her she married Canadian actor David Palffy in 2005.

After years of hard work and endless guest appearances on TV series such as The Chris Isaak Show, Tru Calling, Andromeda, Stargate SG-1, and The Collector, Durance completed her first full season as Lois Lane on Smallville in 2006. Voted the sexiest Lane of all time by AskMen.com readers and making her debut on the Top 99 this year, Durance parlayed her small-screen success into some motion-picture work this past year, playing the female lead in the sequel to The Butterfly Effect and starring in the thriller Stranded.

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97 Erica Durance

98 Diane Lane

With more than 50 acting credits to her name and a career that has spanned over two decades, Diane Lane has always managed to remain relevant, deftly progressing from precocious child star to sultry siren to bona fide movie star. She’s worked opposite some of Hollywood’s best and brightest -- including Nicolas Cage, Richard Gere and Keanu Reeves -- and has appeared in box-office hits like 2002’s Unfaithful and 2003’s Under the Tuscan Sun. And though she’s been linked with familiar faces like Christopher Lambert and Jon Bon Jovi, Diane is currently enjoying marital bliss with actor Josh Brolin.

2006 was a fairly uneventful year for Diane as she appeared in only one film, the Ben Affleck drama Hollywoodland. The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival to rave reviews, offered Diane the opportunity to step into the shoes of a glamorous 1950s sexpot alongside such distinguished performers as Bob Hoskins, Adrien Brody and Robin Tunney. Diane’s inclusion on this year’s Top 99 and on lists in the past -- she ranked No. 85 last year and No. 45 the year before -- are testaments to her enduring popularity, and there’s little doubt that she’ll continue to be a fixture on similar lists in years to come.

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98 Diane Lane