At one time, Helen  Mirren was best known for her Oscar-winning
performance as the title monarch in "The Queen." But then "Red"
opened in 2010 and became a surprise hit. Audiences embraced
Dame Helen's turn as a deadly assassin, and she quickly  began
developing a different kind of reputation.    "Well, the word
badass does occur quite frequently," she says with a chuckle. "I
love being a badass. It's just the best. To lurch from being a
queen to a badass is really cool."  Mirren is nothing if not
cool. And this year, she's red-hot too. The actress recently
wrapped up an acclaimed run reprising her role as Queen
Elizabeth in "The Audience," the new play by Peter Morgan, who
also penned "The Queen."    Mirren also starred alongside Billy
Crystal, John Goodman and Charlie Day in "Monsters University," 
one of the season's biggest hits. And she returns to her role of
former sniper  Victoria in "Red 2," now playing in area
theaters.  Mirren didn't have to think twice about joining the
cast of the sequel. "People