Well look who it is! If it ain't Eva Jacqueline Longoria Parker! And damn! Is she ever looking good? Come to think of it, does she ever not look good? If she ever does, I'm certainly not aware of it and definitely have not seen it. Longoria is h to the o to the t hot!!!
She's is most recently well known for her role as Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives but many very likely know her from her stint as Isabella Braña on CBS's The Young and the Restless. I'm definitely one of those who know her from the popular soap opera. I know you are all going 'I thought you said you didn't watch soaps' and to that I say. I don't. I didn't. I won't ever. But you are definitely owed an explanation.
I'm pretty sure many of you have been the victim of having to sit through shows, programs, movies, etc. because everyone else in the house was watching it/them. Right? So there you go. I was merely a victim of being in the same room while the show was on. My mom, mind you is a Soap addict so I could not have escaped it all.
One thing I've got to say though, Longoria sure knows how to play the role of a bitch. Seriously. The woman's got a knack for it. And to play a bitch to the point where someone wants to scratch your eyes out is by far no easy feat. And that's how I felt at the time watching her manipulate Paul (Doug Davidson) and thereby fucking over Christine (Lauralee Bell) royally. You wanted to be able to take her out back in the alley and whoop her ass real good and send her back from whence she came. That is the power of a talented actor.
Her character on Desperate Housewives draws on the same theme as the one she played in TY&TR. So there's no doubt Gabrielle is the character you love to hate. In DH though, her character though very similar takes on a twist in that there are times when you can both sympathize and empathize with her. Hell sometimes you wanna cheer her on. You want to pull out those pom-poms, haul on that mini-skirt and to cartwheels and splits while spelling out her name.
It was her stellar performance on Restless that aid a firm foundation for the rest of her career. It's the role that made her. And if you notice I'm kinda staying on this point it's because in retrospect, she really did an amazing job of it. Her role reminds me of Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirschner's role on Showtime's The L Word) the bitch you love to hate but still feel sorry for at times. But let's move on to some background and other stuff on her.
Eva is the youngest of four daughters born to Enrique Longoria, Jr and Ella Eva Mireles Mexican-American Catholic parents in Corpus Christi, Texas. The family grew up on a farm in Texas which was handed down to them over generations. She disclosed on the Oprah Winfrey Show that the family struggled tremendously to keep the farm afloat as well as maintain themselves.
She also revealed that she was ostracized terribly by the older siblings; they used to call her used to call her 'la prieta fea,' which means 'the ugly dark one'; in other words 'the ugly duckling' because she had dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. Well Elizabeth Judina, Emily Jeannette, and Esmeralda Josephina take a look at this heartthrob now! Take a look at FHM, Askmen.com, Stuff, Maxim and so many other magazines and a hosts of most beautiful and sexy lists!
She was listed #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, making her the very first and only woman to accomplish the feat of ranking #1 for two consecutive years. She was also positioned #9 on their Hot 100 of 2007 list. Longoria was featured on a 75-by-110-foot vinyl mesh replica of its January 2005 cover in honor of the magazine's 100th issue in 2006. In your faces! YEAH! Booyah! Eva has spoken! Ugly duckling huh? Who's the ugly ducklings now? I don't see any of you on these magazine covers, or in the magazines themselves, or on any of these lists! Ha! Take that! *ahem, getting a little carried away are you Slym?*.
Besides being a television and film actress Eva has also become a model. She's got contracts with several agencies to be face of their campaigns. L’Oreal, Hanes and more recently Bebe Sports are some of the companies that she has procured contracts with.
2000 was definitely Longoria's year - she landed a guest-starring role in Beverly Hills 90210, made a guest appearance in General Hospital and landed the pivotal role in TY&TR from 2001 to 2003. After the soap she had a few not so received roles one of which helped to solidify her career a bit more (Dick Wolf's Dragnet). The highlight of her career came in 2004 when her role in DH catapulted her onto Hollywood's A-List.
Her first major movie role came in 2006 when she was cast opposite Michael Douglas and Keiffer Sutherland. I was super excited about this movie. I really was. The major reason being that I was gonna get to see Eva with a badge and gun! YAY! The other reason was that The Sentinel was my kinda movie (thriller-drama-whodunit). Gotta admit that it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Nonetheless, Longoria did not disappoint. She was hot hot hot; but besides her being hot, she did a really good job with the role.
Longoria believes in giving back. To this end she is an ardent philanthropist and humanitarian. She founded and established Eva's Heroes (2006) geared towards assisting disabled children. She is the national spokesperson for PADRES Contra El Cancer. She also supports several other charities/organizations who are dedicated to assisting children and the elderly.
Awards: Winner of 8 awards and nominated for 9 others including a Golden Globe.
2006 ALMA Award - Person of the Year
2002 ALMA Award - Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama for The Young and the Restless (1973)
2007 Bambi Award - TV Series International for Desperate Housewives (2004)
2007 People's Choice Award - Favorite Female TV Star
2006 Actor Award - Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Desperate Housewives (2004) [shared with the cast of DH]
2005 - Actor Award - Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Desperate Housewives (2004) [shared with the cast of DH]
2005 Teen Choice Award - Choice TV Breakout Performance - Female for Desperate Housewives (2004)
Her latest released movie Over Her Dead Body was funny enough but still it wasn't all that. She has just completed work in Lower Learning (no release date as yet - should be within this year though) and Foodfight where she voices the character of Lady X - a story about what happens after the lights go out in a grocery store (no release date has been given either).
Tidbits:
Attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology (the study of anatomy, physiology, and body movement).
Was Miss Corpus Christi USA 1998
Was a dancer with The Pussycat Dolls
#3 on E!'s 50 Steamiest Southern Stars
Personal Quotes:
"I love being a woman. I love the sexiness we get to exude. But the best thing about being a woman is the power we have over men."
"I'm a fabulous date, I make sure I look good, I like hearing what a guy has to say and I make sure the evening is a real laugh. I like to laugh."
"I'm totally blown away by the success of "Desperate Housewives"
"I've always been desperate to be a pussycat. And here I am, a bona fide, show- stopping pussycat." [Yes I know I've used this pic before but what the hell she's absolutely delectable in this photo - this pics makes my mind go places]
I've got a question for you. Have you seen Longoria on the back of a bike?
Now that's downright hot!
Well there it is. Took quite some time but I done did it. Hope it's good for you. I dub thee Hottie Friday on a Sunday.
