Kim Kardashian can attribute her popularity to a host of reasons, but not all of them are usually considered something to be proud of.

A Lineage of Fame

Born to Scottish and Dutch descent, Kim is the daughter of Robert Kardashian, who is commonly known as O. J.’s defense lawyer in the most notorious murder trial of the 90’s. Her mother, who is currently stepping up to the popularity of her daughter, had divorced Kim’s father, yet is now married to a well-known Olympic athlete, Bruce Jenner. Kim also has two sisters named Khloe and Kourtney, who slowly become headline grabbers on their own right. In fact, Khloe just gained a spot in PETA’s campaign against fur.

Kim is Brody Jenner’s step-sister. Brody once starred in MTV’s hit reality show The Hills. He is now following the reality streak with his very own Bromance. As a regular member of high society gatherings, Kim has become good friends with fellow pop icons Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. And let’s not mention the fact that O.J Simpson is her godfather.

The Assault on Stardom

With this kind of heritage, it was not long before Kim found her way into the Hollywood industry. She began as a staff member in her father’s music marketing company, Movie Tunes. Meanwhile, Kim appeared in her first feature-length movie… hmm, appropriately titled Disaster Movie, alongside Vanessa Minnillo and Carmen Electra. The film has attempted to follow the path laid down by Scary Movie and its sequels, but this attempt definitely failed miserably. It has had one of the lowest ratings in Rotten Tomatoes and was subsequently named as the worst movie of 2008 by The Times. It also gained the brilliant position of the second worst movie in IMDB.

Kim then tried her luck in Dancing with the Stars, a ballroom competition featuring celebrities who are paired with notable dancers. Well, she only lasted three episodes and was voted off on September 30, 2008. Yet quick to recover, she is now starring in the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which is available on E! Channel.

The Sex Scandal

When her 4-year marriage to Damon Thomas, a music producer, ended, she started seeing Ray J, an R&B singer, known to the world as Brandy’s brother. The romance had been short-lived, but it didn’t end peacefully. Around that time, their homemade sex video accidently leaked to the World Wide Web. Vivid Entertainment decided to sell the copies, and Kim tried to sue the company, in order to make sure she regains ownership of her own footage. However, following a mysterious change of hearts, Kim settled the case with Vivid Entertainment. She was paid $5 million in the settlement deal. She is now seeing Reggie Bush, while her ex-boyfriend Ray J is constantly being spotted in the company of the one-and-only Whitney Houston.

Her Business Sense

Like her other close friends who have ventured into various lines of businesses, Kim is definitely doing her fare share of entrepreneurship. She’s currently promoting her workout DVD, originally titled Workout with Kim Kardashian. She is also into fashion, creating her own apparel line and acting as a stylist to a lot of fellow celebrities. Most of her work can be seen in television and live catwalks. In 2009, Kim will also be launching her own line of perfume, which, according to her blog, has been her long-time dream.