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Say what you will, but at least people are learning that you can be healthy and sexy without necessarily either starving yourself into a cackling skeleton monster or frankensteining your body until you resemble two hams hanging off a coat rack. It’s just a matter of eating like a sensible human being, going for a jog every now and then, and not telling yourself that you can eat either five pizzas or air for dinner.

Sixty-six year old actress Helen Mirren was recently voted the female "body of the year" by Los Angeles gym patrons, beating out Jennifer Lopez and Pippa Middleton and other younger competitors. Mirren's enviable physique has been the focus of many a photographer (and an SNL skit) and it is formidable. While it may not be realistic for the average sixty-something woman to have Mirren's figure, I was thankful that at least the people who voted her the "body of the year" chose an actual mature woman as a sex symbol. The New York fashion world has not been as kind lately. For years, it has pushed the size 0 and size 00 super-slim figure out onto the runway. The sample sizes are now so small even models have trouble fitting into them. For some designers, the solution is to not to change the clothes, but to  hire models as young as 12 who are still in the gangly, hip-less, limbo of adolescence. Now, art directors and photographers and designers have gone even fur...

She's 66 years old. She has an Academy Award for playing a decidedly frumpy Queen Elizabeth. Her last movie role was as the elderly spinster nanny to Russell Brand's playboy millionaire in "Arthur." And she's officially got the best body in the world. Dame Helen Mirren, what was it like when they created you on Mount Olympus? When the gym chain LA Fitness polled 2,000 members on the sexiest male and female physiques on the planet, you'd expect renowned hotties like Nicole Scherzinger and this year's It Girl, Pippa Middleton, to make the list. And they did. But who'd have guessed that Inspector Jane Tennyson would blow away the competition for the top spot? Or that 48-year-old Elle Macpherson would come in second, and 42-year-old Jennifer Lopez would land in fourth? And lest you thinking defying Father Time is for the ladies, the male list is decidedly unyouthful too, with Daniel Craig, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, David Hasselhoff and Simon Cowell all makin...

KELLY BROOK seems to understand why she lost out to DAME HELEN MIRREN in a recent best body survey. Speaking as she hosted the Bulmers Cider Garden v1 event in London, Kel laughed: “Helen Mirren has better boobs than me. I can’t beat her because she has got great tits and an Oscar. “How could I beat that? Helen is my inspiration in life. Maybe if I get them out a few more times, I’ll get an Oscar too.”

Helen Mirren has a boogie on her way to film a rock and roll movie. Wearing a bandana and little make-up the veteran Oscar-winner showed off some nimble footwork as she made her way to the New York location for her latest scenes. She's starring in a controversial biopic of crazed music mogul Phil Spector. The producer is currently serving life for murdering 40-year-old actress Lana Clarkson. Godfather star Al Pacino takes the lead role while Helen 66, plays Spector's long-time pal and lawyer Linda Kenney Baden in the film. Angry protesters called for Helen to pull out of the film because many believe it suggests the former Beatles producer was wrongly jailed. Bette Midler was originally in line for Helen's role but pulled out, citing a back injury.

t’s not everyday that Don Michael Corleone, Tony Montana, Frank Serpico and Lt. Col. Frank Slade all walk into the Supreme Courthouse in Mineola. The embodiment of the roles, actor Al Pacino, along with fellow Oscar-winner Helen Mirren and a cast of extras and crew members numbering more than 100 descended upon the courthouse Monday and Tuesday for a location shoot for the movie about infamous music producer Phil Spector. The still untitled HBO biopic centers around Spector (Pacino) and his relationship with his defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden (Mirren) while on trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson, who was found dead in Spector’s California mansion. Jeffrey Tambor ( The Hangover , Hellboy ) is also starring as Bruce Cutler, another of Spector’s defense attorneys. Spector was convicted in 2009 of second degree murder and is currently serving a sentence of 19 years to life. Originally Bette Midler was cast in the role of Baden, but withdrew after suffering a herni...

Most women only a few days away from their 63rd birthday would be steering well clear of the beach. And if they did venture there, it would be in the most modest of concealing attire. Dame Helen Mirren, however, is happy to flaunt her enviable curves and flat stomach in a bikini. How does she do it? Dame Helen Mirren looked sensational while holidaying in Puglia, Italy this week It seems hard to believe that this is the same actress whose portrayal of the Queen won her an Oscar. Yet this was no retouched studio shot, with the only work to transform her toned body having been carried out during gruelling hours in the gym. Dame Helen is holidaying in Puglia, on the southern tip of Italy, with her film director husband Taylor Hackford, 63. Happy snap: Helen gets on the other side of a camera to photograph her husband Taylor Hackford Bikini queen: The actress flaunted her enviable curves She bought a castle in the neighbourhood to celebrate her 2007 Academy Award for Best Actress. S...

She's 66 years old. She has an Academy Award for playing a decidedly frumpy Queen Elizabeth. Her last movie role was as the elderly spinster nanny to Russell Brand's playboy millionaire in "Arthur." And she's officially got the best body in the world. Dame Helen Mirren, what was it like when they created you on Mount Olympus? When the gym chain LA Fitness polled 2,000 members on the sexiest male and female physiques on the planet, you'd expect renowned hotties like Nicole Scherzinger and this year's It Girl, Pippa Middleton, to make the list. And they did. But who'd have guessed that Inspector Jane Tennyson would blow away the competition for the top spot? Or that 48-year-old Elle Macpherson would come in second, and 42-year-old Jennifer Lopez would land in fourth? And lest you thinking defying Father Time is for the ladies, the male list is decidedly unyouthful too, with Daniel Craig, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, David Hasselhoff and Simon Cowe...