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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint The Harry Potter series (from 2001)

Christian Bale
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Tom Cruise
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Matt Damon
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Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

When Vladimir Putin rode a horse bare-chested through a rustic region of Siberia, it produced astonishing images casting him as a rugged Russian outdoorsman.

In the official photographs and video, shown on state television, Putin cultivates the macho image that Russians appear to love as they look to him to keep the country stable and strong more than a year after he stepped down as president.

Putin was shown fishing and swimming the butterfly stroke in an icy river in the Tuva region of southern Siberia. He posed while sitting in a tree, wearing khaki pants and T-shirt with a canvas bush hat.

But the most astounding image was of 56-year-old Putin riding a horse through the mountains, his bare chest on full display.

While Americans may think of the Marlboro man, for Russians the more powerful association is the warrior heroes of Russian fairy tales who rode horseback and defended Russia from foreign invaders.

The shot of Putin posing in the tree drew comparisons to Nightingale the Robber, a character from a popular Russian folk epic who lives in a nest and has mystical powers. It was this picture that the Kremlin-friendly newspaper Izvestia put on its front page Wednesday, with more inside.

In visiting Tuva earlier this week, Putin was returning to the area where he and Prince Albert II of Monaco vacationed two years ago and where Putin first caused a sensation by fishing in a mountain river stripped to the waist.

Putin, who is married with two grown daughters, has long cultivated a macho image. He has often been shown on television skiing down mountains and practicing judo, in which he has a black belt.

He has copiloted a fighter jet, sailed on a nuclear-powered submarine and just last weekend descended 4,600 feet to the bottom of Lake Baikal in a mini-submarine on a four-hour mission to inspect crystals containing natural gas.

All of his exploits have been widely publicized, thanks to the government’s control of the major TV stations.

Putin’s summer holidays spent getting back to nature and fishing resonate with many Russians. They also provide a stark contrast to the yachting and globe-trotting lifestyles of many of Russia’s super rich.

Energetic, strong and sharp-witted, Putin has long been compared to his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, who was weakened by heart disease and embarrassed Russians with his drunken antics.

But in recent months, it is the contrast to Medvedev that has been more striking. The president shares nearly equal time with Putin on national television, but the bookish 43-year-old Medvedev is most often seen in coat and tie, presiding at meetings, engaged in diplomatic formalities or handing out awards at Kremlin ceremonies.

Putin has not ruled out returning to the presidency when Medvedev’s term ends in 2012.

She posed with glass and bottles of Campari alongside male models for the Italian aperitif’s limited-edition calendar.

Jessica explained: ‘All the clothes were very cool. They’re young, sexy and fresh.

“I’m usually walking around in comfy clothes with a baby on my arm and it’s nice to dress things up and feel sophisticated, sexy and surrounded by so much beauty. Also being surrounded by Brazilian models made it even easier. It was all very chic, but still young and cool, my favourite combination.”