A lot of contemporary black actors have a "Booty Call" in their past. Even Oscar's most recent choice for best actor, Jamie Foxx, turned up as Bunz in that 1997 synonym for "awful black cinema."

TAMMIE ARROYO/STR (ENLARGE)
Rapper 50 Cent and actress Vivica A. Fox.
Artisan (ENLARGE)
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Vivica A. Fox in Boat Trip
Miramax Films (ENLARGE)
Vivica A. Fox in Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL - Vol. 1.
Twentieth Century Fox (ENLARGE)
'Soul Food': (Left to Right) Vanessa L. Williams, Nia Long, and Vivica A. Fox
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THE 411 2005 Women of Soul with Kelly Price, Chanté Moore, Deborah Cox and Tamia. Hosted by Vivica A. Fox and Shemar Moore. $41 in advance, $51 day of show. 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Atlanta Civic Center, 395 Piedmont Ave. Ticketmaster, 404-249-6400 or www.ticketmaster.com.

But Vivica A. Fox seems to ricochet more often than most between the basements of "Booty" moments (she played the object of Foxx's affection, Lysterine) and the heights of hits like "Set It Off."

And we've been keeping track. Kind of.

A year before "Booty," Fox appeared in two respectable films. First, she was a stripper in the summer blockbuster "Independence Day" (but a stripper who came home to the star of the movie, Will Smith). Then she had far more screen time in the rare action drama with black women (including Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah) as leads, "Set It Off".

In 1998, Fox played alongside future Oscar winner Halle Berry in the Frankie Lymon story, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Then times seemed rough on her again in 2002 when she signed on to one of Cuba Gooding's post-Oscar embarrassments, "Boat Trip".

A year later, Fox was back in remarkably athletic form and ready to take on Uma Thurman in another major hit, Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1."

Before 2003 was over she started appearing on the arm of bullet-riddled rapper 50 Cent . It increased her paparazzi profile, but he would later belittle the relationship in interviews and on his current CD, "The Massacre."

Oh — and dancing on stage at the next year's MTV Awards with Lil Jon didn't help her image much.

Back on the upswing, Fox this weekend hosts an evening of exceptional R&B vocalists — Kelly Price, Chanté Moore , Deborah Cox (below right) and Tamia. Each exudes class and confidence. And even better for Fox, there's not much chance they'll say anything disparaging about her in a song.