Beyonce: you know she has a killer voice, a bootylicious body, and a budding acting career. But to find out how unbelievably gutsy she is, read on.(FUN FEARLESS FEMALE OF THE YEAR)(Interview)

In real life, Beyonce Knowles is nothing like you'd expect her to be. Quiet, demure, and conservatively dressed, she seems like an alter ego to the rump-shaking, sequined seductress you see onstage and onscreen. But have no doubt about it: The girl is sexy. Even sporting a snow bunny outfit (a fur-trimmed Fair Isle cardigan sweater and faded jeans tucked into flat, brown suede boots), she looks hot enough to melt a glacier.

Another surprising thing about Beyonce: She's only 24. She seems far more mature and explains that the past year forced her to really grow up. And we can see why. She made her final album, Destiny Fulfilled, with Destiny's Child, the Grammy-winning group that Beyonce's dad, Mathew, put together back in their hometown of Houston in 1990. And she began focusing on her new fashion line, House of Dereon, as well as her acting career. This month, she stars in The Pink Panther and is currently shooting the big-screen version of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls. After Dreamgirls, she'll start working on her second solo album (her first, 2003; Dangerously in Love, earned her five Grammys).

Despite Beyonce's success and popularity, she's never fallen prey to the behaviors that have sent so many other starlets over the edge. That means no bitchiness, no train-wreck breakups (she's been dating rapper Jay-Z for four years), no eating disorders, and no ugly fallouts with her parents (she's close to her dad, who is still her manager, her stylist mother, Tina, and ...