Celebrity Galore

Amanda Leigh “Mandy” Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer.

Moore became famous as a teenager in the early 2000s, after the release of her teen-oriented pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. She has since branched out into a film career, starring in 2002′s A Walk to Remember and later appearing in the lead roles of other movies also aimed at teenage audiences. Two of Moore’s later films, American Dreamz and Saved!, were satires. Her private life, including her relationships with tennis player Andy Roddick as well as with actors Wilmer Valderrama and Zach Braff, has been much discussed in the media. Moore’s fifth album, Wild Hope, was released in 2007.

Moore was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, the daughter of Stacy, a former news reporter who once worked for the Orlando Sentinel, and Don Moore, a pilot for American Airlines. Moore’s father is of Irish and Cherokee descent and her mother is of English and Jewish ancestry. Moore has two brothers, Scott and Kyle; she grew up in Longwood, Florida, outside of Orlando, moving there shortly after her birth because of her father’s job as an airline pilot. She was raised in the Catholic religion (although she is no longer a practicing Catholic) and attended Bishop Moore High School, a Catholic school in Orlando, as well as Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs.

In 2006, Moore commented on her early albums with ill feelings, noting that although she believed that her first album was appropriate for her age, she felt it “sucked” and that her first albums were “just awful”. Moore also said that she “would give a refund to everyone who bought my first two albums” if she could; during a radio interview in April 2006, the show’s co-host (who had seen her comments) asked her for a refund on the first album, a request that Moore fulfilled.

Due to low sales for Coverage, Sony’s Epic Records dropped Moore. The company released the hits compilation album The Best of Mandy Moore, which reached number 148 on the Billboard 200, in November 2004 as a final obligation to Moore’s contract. Another compilation, Candy, followed in 2005. During this time period, the only music Moore had recorded was a song demo, “Hey!”, written by James Renald, and a cover version of Lori McKenna’s “Beautiful Man”, which was posted to her MySpace.

On February 23, 2008, Moore released Wild Hope in Australia, and subsequently toured with Ben Lee and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Western Australia, supporting Kelly Clarkson on her tour. Moore’s last stop on her Pacific Tour was at Eastwood City in the Philippines. Moore is also to open Vanessa Hudgens’ concert in Mexico in her Identified Summer Tour.

In October 2008, Moore posted on her website blog live videos of three new songs she’s been working on, along with singer-songwritter, pianist and guitarist Mike Viola. It was at first expected to a be a duo album between the two, but then in January 2009, it was revealed it would be a solo album with a collaboration with him, slated for release in April 2009.

Moore has branched into the fashion world with her own fashion line named Mblem., a brand of contemporary knitwear and cashmere. The line is sold in over 500 specialty boutiques including Ron Herman and Lisa Kline and in some department stores such as Macy’s West, Bloomingdales and Nordstrom. One of her aims is to provide clothing for taller girls (Moore herself is 5’10).

Source [ Wikipedia ]