Making her grand entrance on June 8th, 1978 in Medford, Massachusetts, Maria Menounos was a shining star at birth. By the time she was a student (and a good one at that), her sights were set on a career in journalism. Some days, she would even arrive late to school after watching the morning news on CNN for too long.

In 1995, thanks to the encouragement of her friends and family, Menounos began to enroll in beauty pageants. The following year, she won the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen USA. Though she did not win the Miss Teen USA crown, her involvement in such a big production helped her gain a lot of experience, not to mention pave the way for her career. In fact, she boldly told pageant host and Entertainment Tonight reporter Bob Goen that she would love to work with him at ET. Her six years of foresight seem quite prophetic today.

Her string of success on the pageant circuit ended in 1999, when Menounos finished a very respectable second place to Miss Massachusetts USA. By this time, she was on to bigger and better things as a student at Boston's Emerson College. During her senior year, she was hired as a reporter for Channel One News, known as the top news source for American students. Her work for Channel One's 10-minute segments included traveling to El Salvador to report on the devastating earthquake of 2001 and interviewing President George W. Bush.

She also lent her broadcasting skills to two radio stations; she produced, hosted and wrote news segments for both a local and a college channel. Menounos even made an independent film in 1999 called George's Auto, proving that she is truly an all-around talent.

These achievements translated into a wave of high-profile TV offers. The best and most lucrative by far came from the most popular news show in syndication, Entertainment Tonight. The famed celebrity news show convinced Menounos to join its team as a correspondent in 2002. She excelled immediately, interviewing everyone from the Osbournes to Robin Williams, and reporting on movies, music and fashion.

Menounos did so well that ET executives offered her a hosting gig for ET on MTV & VH1, a crossover program that brings the latest celeb news to the two popular networks. She remains a correspondent on ET but, to many, her most important contributions involve charities. Menounos formed Take Action Hollywood!, a foundation that raises social awareness and enlists the help of the entertainment industry.

--AskMen.com