Queen Latifah: Miranda Shen/Celebrityphoto.com

Queen Latifah

Age 33

Hip-hop's answer to Mae West is a crossover bonanza: Her Oscar nom for ''Chicago'' was followed by the who-knew? hit ''Bringing Down the House'' ($133 million gross) -- a doubleheader that grabbed Hollywood's attention. On the docket are ''The Cookout'' (with Eve), ''Taxi'' (with Jimmy Fallon), ''Beauty Shop,'' a ''Barbershop'' spin-off built just for her, and ''Bad Girls'' (with Jada Pinkett Smith). All that and time left over to rap -- or rather, sing: She's just signed up for a retro-jazz-R&B album (with Norah Jones' producer, Arif Mardin), tour, and TV special.