My Preferred Jessica

From time to time I have to admit to a certain girl crush. Last time it was the efferevescent Mandy Moore. This time it is the stunning Ms. Biel. This confession is actually hard for me as I was so adamantly anti-Biel during her "7th Heaven" days. She was just another little starlet with limited appeal. When she skanked it up to get out of her "family-values"-laden TV show I was less impressed. She came across as kind of desperate and I really thought that she would fade into the shadows of superstar wannabe-ness.

But then Esquire named her the Sexiest Woman Alive and she did a hot bikini scene in Stealth in the summer of 2005 and then she was everywhere. But these incidents did not endear her to me. In truth, I cannot explain exactly why my views have changed but her profliferation has given me time to reflect and I have decided to like her. My positive feelings began with her turn in The Illusionist wherein she held her own with Edward Norton and Rufus Sewell. Next was the emergence of a red-carpet savviness as evidenced here, here and here. Then there is her awesome (I mean, the woman is HOT!) - and wonderfully healthy - body that hints at a well-adjusted mind under all that muscle tone.

But the thing that really convinced me this year was a recent appearance on Letterman to promote I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry. In the segment she was cajoled into singing karaoke and it was a fantastically sincere and awkward endeavour. So now I must admit that in the race between the 3 Jessicas (Biel, Simpson & Alba) my choice is the (ok, I admit it) talented and lady-like Biel.