Celebrity crush: Laura Vandervoort

This week's new profile shines the spotlight on a queen of science fiction television, or at least a smoking-hot princess. Amazon and iTunes links follow. Any affiliate payments earned from your purchase or rental will help pay the hosting fees for my podcasts, so please consider clicking.

Name: Laura Vandervoort (images | official site | Twitter)
Hometown: Born and raised in Toronto, according to her Wikipedia profile. That's right: Laura is a foot soldier of our Strange and Savage Neighbo(u)rs to the North. And I, for one, welcome our new masters as long as they look like this.
Best Known For: Her TV series work in America has tended toward genre television, playing Kara Zor-El (aka Supergirl) on Smallville and alien princess Lisa on the reimagined V. She also starred in a two-part miniseries titled Riverworld, based on a series of science fiction novels, and appeared on the short-lived fantasy/horror series The Dresden Files.

Big-screen work includes Into the Deep 2, a direct-to-video sequel to a movie that featured Jessica Alba and Ashley Scott in bikinis. This one featured Laura and reality TV star Audrina Partridge in bikinis. (Ye Olde Podcaster hasn't seen either.) She also filmed The Lookout with fellow celebrity crush Isla Fisher.

Humble Beginnings: Laura was a multi-sport athlete before she got into acting. She started karate at age 11 and earned a second-degree black belt at 16.

Early roles included appearances on the TV shows Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps, Mutant X, and a TV-movie called Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire, all in the horror or science fiction genres. At 19, she scored the leading role in Instant Star, which ran for four seasons on Canadian television.

Slightly more down-to-earth TV roles have included appearances on CSI, Doc, and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.

Obligatory Edgy Stuff: See above about the black belt. She'll kick your ass and look great doing so.
Why Ye Olde Podcaster Likes Her: While not, to Ye Olde Podcaster's eye, quite as fetching or gifted an actress as her predecessor on Smallville -- fellow celebrity crush Adrianne Palicki played a (bustier and meaner) faux Kara in season three -- Laura's grown on me after a bumpy introduction on the series in its seventh season. Her brief return appearances in seasons eight and ten show her acting skills have grown, and her work on V as the conflicted daughter of the evil alien leader has given her new challenges.
Film and TV-movie credits: This Means War (Amazon | iTunes) * The Entitled (Amazon | iTunes) * Damage (2009) (Amazon | iTunes) * The Jazzman (Amazon | iTunes) * Into the Blue 2: The Reef (Amazon | iTunes) * Out of Control (Amazon | iTunes) * The Lookout (Amazon | iTunes) * Troubled Waters (Amazon | iTunes) * Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (Amazon | iTunes)

Voice work: Family Guy, season 9: "Brian Writes a Bestseller" (Amazon | iTunes)
TV and Web series credits: V (2009), season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * Smallville, season 10: "Supergirl" (Amazon | iTunes) * Riverworld (Amazon | iTunes)* V (2009), season 1 (Amazon | iTunes) * Smallville, season 8: "Bloodline" (Amazon | iTunes) * Smallville, season 7 (Amazon | iTunes) * CSI, season 7: "Big Shots" (Amazon | iTunes) * The Dresden Files: "Bad Blood" (Amazon | iTunes) * Instant Star, season 4 (Amazon | iTunes) * Instant Star, season 3 (Amazon | iTunes) * Falcon Beach: "Pilot" (Amazon | iTunes) * Instant Star, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * 72 Hours: True Crime, season 3: "Head in a Bucket" (Amazon | iTunes) * Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye, season 3: "Bad Girls" (Amazon | iTunes) * Instant Star, season 1 (Amazon | iTunes) * Doc, season 5: "The Family Tree" (Amazon | iTunes)