I think we have to look at the currently under age actors as to who will become the next one. People could go for people like Kristen Bell but however lovely she might be, if she hasn’t made it to that status by now, I don’t think she’s going to make it. I think there are currently three main candidates we can look at; Dakota Fanning, AnnaSophia Robb and Sofia Vassilieva. Except for their first names ending in a the main thing they have in common is that their hair has the required hair color. Seeing they’re still minors I’m not going to judge them on their vavavoom factor quite yet. Besides, they’re in Hollywood and this might sound a bit harsh but you don’t really see ugly people in Hollywood.

© Summit Entertainment

Lets start with the most famous and youngest one; Dakota Fanning. I’m afraid she’s also the first one where I have to say she’s not going to be the one. She does have the acting talent for it, I think she has shown that in some of her most recent movies like the Secret life of Bees. However in this there is also the matter of perception by the general public. I know too many people who see her as the annoying girl from War of the Worlds and too much as a child star. I still think she’ll have a lengthy career in Hollywood, the public will just never see her as the one blonde superstar. In that sense I don’t think that being on the Twilight cast now will do her a lot of favors either. She now has two things to be stereotyped for, even though she joined Twilight at a later date.

So that leaves AnnaSophia and Sofia and they both share a major advantage in my eyes. If you were to mention either name to a random person on the street there would be some people who know them.

© Overture Films

There however would be a huge amount of people who would have no idea who they are or what they do. Both of them have already built a bit of a resume in Hollywood by now, not that they’re huge movies but it’s more about the people they’ve worked with. Between them they’ve worked with people like Charlize Theron, Helen Hunt, Anjelica Huston, Julie Andrews and that’s only mentioning some of the Oscar winners. There are plenty more Oscar nominated or otherwise well respected and experienced actors in the mix.

Now that itself doesn’t mean much when they don’t make use of it. They however have the chance to learn from some incredibly talented people. A privilige which isn’t there for everyone. Yes of course Dakota has also worked with people like that but AnnaSophia and Sofia don’t really have that child actor stigma stuck on them. Despite Sofia being on a show which is in its sixth season now she isn’t famous enough to get that. AnnaSophia has mostly done movies but again never the big block busters which had her as a main star.

© Warner Brothers

Neither AnnaSophia and Sofia seem to be scared to pick up more challenging roles. Of course Sofia did My Sister’s Keeper in which she had to play a cancer patient which to her own admission wasn’t easy on a personal level. Annasophia is currently filming the movie Soul Surfer which most likely will ask more of her as well. While it’s going to be removed with computers her character still lost an arm in a shark attack. No idea if the movie is going to be any good but I can’t imagine that it’s easy to portray the emotions of a character like that.

So for both of them goes that they are actually talented actresses which is a requirement in becoming the reigning blonde in Hollywood. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be able to make it in Hollywood anyway. So who do I pick? In all reality I don’t know, they both have the goods to become the reigning blonde in Hollywood, only time will tell.

Jailbait: a girl under the age of consent with whom sexual intercourse is unlawful and constitutes statutory rape.

So who’s worth it going to jail for? Here’s our top ten.

10. Miranda Cosgrove: She’s got a nice pair of legs on her but there’s not much else to her. Who knows, she’s only fifteen so who knows what the next couple of years will bring.

9. Emma Roberts: Another nice pair of legs and a cute smile. But she turns eighteen in February so she has no longevity on the list. So just being patient would remove the risks of jailtime.

8. Sofia Vassilieva: People might wonder why she is on this list; she’s not really a starlet that gets a lot of attention except for positive critical reviews. However she did a movie where she had to shave her head; no hair whatsoever. Makes you wonder, did she limit it to her head? It gets the imagination going.

7. AnnaSophia Robb: She’s a cute girl, no way around it. That combined with her latest movie where she smokes in a seductive way earns her a spot in our top ten.

6. Ali Lohan: Her boobs are big enough to spark a plastic surgery rumor and she’s only fourteen years old. That combined with her revealing way of dressing on her show Living Lohan shows a lot of promise for the future; especially seeing she already auditioned for a porn producer.

5. Dakota Fanning: Has been out of the picture for a while, she did a rape movie which didn’t get as much attention as she wanted. Now she’s coming back with a vengeance, in Push she’ll be wearing short skirts. What gets her up to number five however is that she joined her high schools cheerleading squad. Who hasn’t had fantasies about high school cheerleaders?

4. Emily Osment: She doesn’t get the attention she deserves, over the past year she has developed quite a bit in her bust area which sparks some interest from people. She gets a lot of screentime as well and seeing the new season of Hannah Montana promises to be more grown up we should be seeing some nicer outfits. The Hannah Montana movie will probably do the same.

3. Selena Gomez: Hot latina; that’s as much as you can say about her really. So why bother wasting words on it.

2. Miley Cyrus: with the leaked pictures of the past year a lot of the mystery has been taken away which is a pity. She still has an amazing pair of legs and is starting to develop in other areas and she’s only fifteen; she’ll be a forced to be reckoned with. Though a year ago she was dressing more revealing; she’s toned down a bit which is a pity and cost her the top spot.

1. Taylor Momsen: Hot leggy blonde; what else do you want? A seductive look in her eyes with dark eyeliner to increase the effect. Short dresses with straps almost sliding of her shoulders and that at an age of barely fifteen and that while she doesn’t even look her age, what else could you want? There’s just no one out there that can beat her right now.

And now seriously; do you really think we’re going to rank teen celebrities on how hot they are? Of course not but the problem is that a lot of people do, these girls are no wear the legal age and adult people wish they could be in their pants. I’ve pointed out before that some of these girls are dressing above their age. It’s mainly the media and the people that are sexualizing them though, it’s a normal fact that teenagers like to dress up sexy at some point. The thing with these Hollywood girls is just that when you have professionally style hair and make up; they don’t exactly look their age. Just show a person who doesn’t know Taylor Momsen a pic of her at an official event. Just see how many people will guess that she’s only fifteen years old.

There are image forums around the internet where pictures of celebrities are shared. Last year these forums had rules that stated that pictures of celebrities under the age of fourteen weren’t allowed. Then however Miley Cyrus came along and she wore short dresses a couple of times and got some attention. After the comments got out of hand and were far too inappropriate at least two of the bigger image forums actually changed their rules to no pictures of celebrities under the age of sixteen.

Then there is the pedobear thing. Most people won’t have heard about it probably but it’s a growing thing around the internet. When something is considered sexy and the person it is about is a minor the pedo bear is pulled into it. Though I have to admit that the pedobear thing is mostly used in good fun; nothing bad is meant by it. It does show a general tendency to sexualize minors though.

It’s just something that’s in our society though; it’s not like it can be changed though it might just be a phase. The image forums changing their rules is only a stopgap measure anyway; Miley turns sixteen in a month.

Her first role in a big Hollywood movie was in the horrible remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (I liked the original, each minute of that movie was just an insult to the original), her role was rather small though and the movie was a success none the less. Her first really successful movie in which she starred was Bridge to Terabithia, I’ve heard mixed opinions about this movie. Besides the fact that Disney managed to completely screw up the marketing for the movie leaving a lot of pissed off fantasy fans. If you make a movie which is presented as by the makers of the Chronicles of Narnia and then release a trailer which shows a fantasy world you’d expect a fantasy movie.

That wasn’t the case, what people got was how a lonely boy befriends the new girl in school (AnnaSophia in this case) which completely changes his life. Turning him from a sad lonely boy into a happy one. If it then turns out that the last minute of the movie is pretty much the trailer of course you’ll get pissed off fantasy fans. If they had marketed it as what kind of movie it actually was it might have done better, despite it being a box office success. I’m just glad I saw the movie before seeing the trailer, though when I watched the trailer afterwards I wondered what movie it was for.

Though that’s more about the movie than about AnnaSophia; who pretty much managed to carry the movie in my opinion. Of course her character died in the movie but for the time she was alive she was easily the best actor of the bunch. The fact that the movie was a success will probably brand her as another Disney actress to some people, even though this is her only Disney project to date though she has another one lined up for the future. Witch Mountain is set to be released in March 2009.

She also took care of one of the songs on the soundtrack of the movie; which made that fact even stranger is that they played that song in the movie on the radio. Not really good for the logic of the movie but it seems like they needed to fill the soundtrack only with people that are signed to Disney in one way or another. I mean the girl can sing but her voice just doesn’t really stand out that much. I don’t think she has any intention of starting a music career anyway.

Her other big movie in 2007 was The Reaping, you would think it’s intimidating co-starring with double Oscar winner Hilary Swank but apparently it isn’t. AnnaSophia managed to stand her own against Hilary which is always a danger if a movie revolves about one main character. Though I have to admit that the movie sucked, not due to the performances by the actors but due to the movie itself. Sometimes a movie concept just doesn’t work. A movie doesn’t always have to be successful though, for AnnaSophia it was just another step in her career. There’s a lot a young actress can learn from someone like Hilary Swank.

Her last movie for 2007 was Have Dreams, Will Travel which is a smaller independent movie which hasn’t been released to the main cinema audience yet. Which is a tad weird to be honest but not bad in general, AnnaSophia managed to pull of a solid performance in that movie. Of course this isn’t a movie that will get a high box office gross but not all movies are made to do that.

Right now she can be seen in Jumper in which she only has a small part, so it’s not really a movie connected to her. Which isn’t getting very good reviews so far, I myself of course haven’t seen it yet. But it’s the kind of role that someone like AnnaSophia needs to do, it gives her the chance to work with experienced actors and it gets her some attention from a larger audience.

For AnnaSophia the most important movie of the year would be Sleepwalking, it’s not a wide release movie it will only have a limited release. It’s a movie with Charlize Theron but here’s the surprise: Theron isn’t the star of the movie; AnnaSophia is. Working with an Oscar winner is one thing but actually having a bigger part in a movie with one puts some pressure on a young actress like AnnaSophia. Though I’m confident that she’ll manage to hold her own.

Of course she’s a long way from being an established actress yet but she’s managing fine so far. She’s getting good reviews from people and is working with experienced actors to learn from. That combined with the fact that she also has the support from a company like Disney without being branded as one of the typical Disney stars sets her up for the future really. I’m almost forgetting the fact that she actually seems to have real acting talent, not something that can be said of all actresses her age. I can only see her career failing if she completely screws up if she continues on the path she has been on so far there will be a lot of AnnaSophia to come in the future.

I’ll only be addressing the top ten this week, next week I’ll address the bottom ten; I won’t bother discussing everyone in between.

10. Megan Fox
Her performance in Transformers might not have been an acting challenge she still made a name for herself doing it. She already has the sequel to Transformers lined up for 2009 and she doesn’t seem to be out of work for 2008 so she’s pretty much working her way up in Hollywood. Of course this isn’t a guarantee for long term success, she hasn’t really proven herself in roles that are more challenging acting wise.

9. Sophia Bush
Best known for her role in the struggling the CW drama One Tree Hill but besides that she also has a steady stream of movies coming out. Though none of these movies might be gems of cinematography she still seems to be getting quite popular with the younger scene. This isn’t a guarantee for a very long career but she won’t be out of work for a while.

8. Emma Watson
Or should we call her Hermione Granger? Not anymore, she started doing other roles outside of the Harry Potter universe. She’s starting small which is a wise choice.

7. Natalie Portman
She’s getting out of the starlet age though I’m still mentioning her here. 2007 might not have been her most successful year to date but she’s still moving along. She does the roles she wants and doesn’t just go for the big paycheck. She’s slowly building towards the point where she’ll always be assured of work in Hollywood. For 2008 we of course have The Other Boleyn Girl to look forward to where she’s co-starring with Scarlett Johansson.

6. Abigail Breslin
After her success year of 2006 she only had one movie coming out this year. Because of her work in 2006 she managed to get Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations in 2007. I personally don’t look at awards that much but big movie studios do so it sure is good for a career. 2008 might very well become Abigail’s year with four movies lined up with some impressive casts.

5. Keira Knightley
Pirates of the Caribbean is her obvious success of 2007, her main failure is the movie Silk which simply flopped. However she has announced that she wouldn’t do blockbusters anymore; because of that she ranks high with me. She does she wants and puts her art before money.

4. AnnaSophia Robb
This seeding might seem strange to some people looking at some the people that are ranked lower. Her main success Bridge of Terabithia pissed off a lot of fantasy fans because it pretended to be something it isn’t it still showed that the girl can act. The Reaping is pretty similar in that regard though it wasn’t as successful; she did keep up with Oscar winner Hilary Swank. She also has a decent line-up for 2008 so I see a bright future for her.

3. America Ferrera
To be completely honest I’ve only seen her in one movie and I’ve never seen a single episode of Ugly Betty. Still 2007 is her year with the massive success of Ugly Betty in the USA and abroad, it has made her name in Hollywood. Not the mention the numerous awards she received for that role. In 2008 she will continue with Ugly Betty of course and she’ll also star in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2; the last thing is the main reason why she only ranks number three. I can’t see that movie having major success.

2. Ellen Page
Pretty much a blank page (no pun intended) to the big audience; if people would know her it’s mainly for her roles in X-Men: The Last Stand and in Hard Candy though I doubt a lot of people could name her in that case. 2007 however brought her Juno a movie that’s loved by critics all around and is certain to win awards (it already won a couple actually). So in that regard 2007 has been her real breakthrough; 2008 will bring her a mix of smaller and bigger budget movies so her name will probably be spread even more.

1. Miley Cyrus
No shocker here; you couldn’t ignore Miley in 2007 it’s simply impossible. Even though her acting abilities are questionable at times (she’s young, she still has a lot to learn) she still manages to have the most successful show in Disney Channel history. Just a TV show doesn’t make her number one of course, the fact that she had another number one album in 2007 and the most successful concert tour of the year besides that makes her number one. She also became the youngest artist ever to have two number one albums withing one year; both of her albums are still moving strong in the Billboard charts. In 2008 we’ll see more Hannah Montana, the Hannah Montana Movie and probably one or two more albums. She still has to venture outside of the Disney family but it’s probably just a matter of time before we see her in more grown up movie productions. She has to venture into other movie productions actually, otherwise she’ll be Hannah Montana forever.