Whether she's simply walking down the street with boyfriend Justin Timberlake or frolicking on the beach, it's difficult to open a weekly tabloid without seeing pictures of Jessica Biel adorning the glossy pages. Without any major acting awards to her credit, however, it seems that Biel is no more than just that: a tabloid star.

See photos of Jessica Biel.

Appearing as a stripper in her latest film Powder Blue, she has made a 360-degree turn from her days as a preacher's daughter on 7th Heaven, but after 13 years in the business, why is it difficult to name more than two or three of her movies? We break it down and examine the burning question: is she worth the hype?

CAREER
Perhaps best known as Mary Camden, the eldest daughter on the WB's wholesome family series 7th Heaven Biel spent five seasons playing a "good girl" and earning a squeaky-clean image. That was OK at first, but Biel soon realized that if she wanted a serious career post-Heaven, she was going to have to dirty up her image a bit. What's a preacher's daughter to do? Why, pose semi-nude on the cover of a men's magazine, of course!

Under the headline "Fallen Angel," it was the now defunct Gear Magazine that gave the underage Biel an outlet to unleash her inner bad girl, sparking a firestorm of controversy and enraging the show's producers. In a quick effort at damage control, producers wrote a "rebellious phase" into her storyline, which found Mary Camden being shipped off to live with her grandparents in Buffalo for some attitude therapy, and meant Biel never returned to the show full-time. She did make a few cameo appearances throughout the remaining six seasons of the show, but, with that one photo shoot, she essentially ended her WB career.

Why not move on to bigger things? In her first feature film role, Biel played a "gothic, rebellious teenager" (sound familiar?) in the critically acclaimed Ulee's Gold opposite Peter Fonda. While the role didn't put her in contention for an Oscar, she seemed poised to take the film industry by storm. After all, she was still just a teenager and had plenty of time to become the next A-list actress. With subsequent roles as the love interest of Freddie Prinze Jr. in Summer Catch, a promiscuous college student in The Rules of Attraction, and the target of a disturbed murderer in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Biel's once-promising film career seemed to be off to a slow start. With two more box office failures to her credit -- Blade: Trinity and Stealth -- it was her understated turn in The Illusionist, opposite Edward Norton, that finally won Biel critical acclaim and proved that maybe she was more than just a pretty face. She was awarded the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and won an Achievement Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival for her performance. Following this success, she returned to leaning on her looks in the 2007 atrocity I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and two straight-to-DVD releases later, it seems that this so-called "turning point" may have been a fluke.

PERSONAL LIFE
If you know nothing else about Jessica Biel, it's likely that you are aware of the fact that she has dated some of Hollywood's hottest men. From actor Chris Evans to New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, the girl with the bangin' body makes more headlines due to her personal life rather than her professional endeavors. It's her latest boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, who has garnered the most attention, though. So just what kind of guy does it take to win her heart? "Funny is key -- funny, silly, someone who doesn't take themselves seriously, someone who can be ridiculous. That's the most attractive thing." I'm sure the heartthrob factor is simply an added bonus.

FINAL VERDICT
There's no denying that Jessica Biel is hot, and she knows it. She's played the hot neighbor, the hot lawyer, the hot stripper ... should I go on? If her ability to consistently land this type of role isn't straightforward enough, maybe the fact that she is on virtually every "hottest woman in America" list is more telling. So why is it, then, that she is suddenly backtracking and saying that the one thing that is hurting her career is her most notable attribute: her looks. In a recent interview with Allure, Biel said, "I just want an opportunity. If you don't like the audition, don't hire me! But if you don't want to even see me -- that's hurtful. And why? You know nothing about me!" What we do know about her is that she shouldn't be complaining about the one thing that has kept her in the spotlight all these years. And for that matter, if she doesn't want to be known as just a pretty face, then why are those the only roles she is taking? Perhaps she said it best: "I have a lot to do careerwise." Let's hope her future includes more acting and less pouting.

The bottom line: Sexy? Yes. Worth the hype? Sadly, no.

You heard our take, now weigh in with your opinion.

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