Celebs have been tweeting like crazy this past summer, and many of their Twit-pics show them cavorting on beaches and on vacations in the teeniest, tiniest bikinis (hello, LeAnn Rimes!). But our favorite beach-ready stars are those 40-and-fabulous stars who have been spotted in bikinis looking stunning and who inspire us to aim for their same fit frames. While summer may be coming to a close, this crop of beauties will keep us inspired well into the New Year to hit the gym and pick healthy fare over our favorite junk foods!

Summertime doesn’t sizzle just because of the temperature. From Jolie to Berry to Vergara, check out these sexy shots of starlets putting on some major bikini action. After all, if you’re not posing in a bikini with your arms splayed at sharp angles above your heads, are you really posing at all?

If the Real Housewives have taught us anything, it’s that big dreams and Botox are as ubiquitous in Beverly Hills as a lost tourist looking for the Hollywood sign. But not everyone in Tinseltown has lived the luxurious life since birth. In fact, some of our favorite tabloid residents of Malibu and Bel Air came from humble beginnings, calling home to shelters, trailer parks, and even the back of a car. Here are 13 stars who went from rags to rich and famous.

The gorgeous Felicity Huffman turns 51 today–and she’s never been afraid to commit to difficult roles, even if it means playing down her good looks. Huffman and these other actors and actresses have transformed themselves into plain Janes and ugly ducklings, winning critical acclaim and awards on the way.

Winning an Oscar is the dream of almost every actor, actress, and precious stage dog—we love you, Uggie!—this side of Hollywood and Vine. What aspiring thespian hasn’t clutched a hairbrush while standing in the mirror, tearfully thanking her agent, parents, and Pilates instructor who knew the name of that discreet plastic surgeon? But what they don’t tell you when you step off the bus from Iowa—because that still happens, right?—is that winning an Academy Award can also be a curse. Or you just have a really bad knack for picking scripts. (We’ll go with cursed.)

Welcome to the Hollywood jungle. We’ve got young boys and dames. Cougar Town isn’t just a show on ABC—Tinseltown has long embraced saucy ladies who hunt and gather younger men. Not up for your own pursuit? Catch Cougar Town for its return on Tuesday, February 14.

Actor-producer-director Garry Marshall brought moviegoers a gift a week ago last year with New Year’s Eve, a holiday-themed romcom that featured a dizzying array of A-list actors and actresses. After scoring a hit in 2010 with Valentine’s Day, Marshall pointed his lens at a variety of lonely hearts, star-crossed lovers, and parents-to-be as they navigate their love lives and new beginnings on New Year’s Eve in New York City. Snakkle challenges you to identify the stars in the movie from pictures before they were famous…

Snakkle dusted off the megaphone and did a few splits to bring you these cheer-tastic pics of celebrities who used to root for their school teams!