STANA KATIC from Castle Exclusive Interview

This morning I got a chance to speak with STANA KATIC about the new season of Castle, on which she plays Detective Kate Beckett.

She dished on Castle and Beckett's relationship, some of the murders that will brace our screens this second season, and much more.

Castle premieres on September 21 at 10pm on ABC, but until then, enjoy the interview below.

Are you excited to be back for a new season?

Stana Katic: Totally stoked. Everyone is really glad. We start episode six on Wednesday or Thursday of this coming week. It's just been really, really fun this season.

So what's coming up this season?

Stana Katic: Well, last season we left on a cliffhanger. There was a question of whether Castle and Beckett will be able to work together again and whether that relationship will fall apart or find its way, after he broke her trust. Basically one of the things that Beckett said clearly was, 'Do not cross this line –' and the line was to not research her mother's murder. Of course Castle does and when she finds out it was kind of like, 'Okay, we're done.'

Then what happens is we open up the season with this fabulous PR stint for Castle's new book 'Heat Wave' which is based on Kate Beckett's character through a fictional character called Nikki Heat. So he decides to do this PR thing in the precinct and she's forced to talk about him. In the meantime there's a call coming in about a murder. The journalist ends up putting the two of them back together again and we go on a journey of crime solving and pretty much make amends quickly and get back to the fun of solving crimes together. I think that's what audiences enjoyed last year, that repartee, that kind of chemistry between the Beckett character and Nathan Fillion's character, Castle. So we get to do some more of that.

There are some really sexy murders I'm looking forward to showcasing. We're also going to delve into some of the other characters' lives as well which is really exciting because we have such a really fabulous all around cast. We get to build on Esposito and Ryan who are my two fellow detectives. We'll get a chance to learn more about Captain Montgomery played by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who just won the lifetime achievement award from the NAACP which is really awesome. We were all very proud and gave him a huge standing ovation when he came to set that day. Then we go into Castle's home life as well with Martha and Alexis and learn a bit more about that. So I think it'll be really fun. I'm looking forward to this next episode. It's a Halloween episode. We go into that kind of vampire underground, coven kind of world. That'll be fun, too.

Very cool. I see that you're taking on the vampire aspect that everyone is crazy about right now.

Stana Katic: I know! It's so crazy. It's everywhere, even little TV shows are popping up aside from 'True Blood' which has been on for a little bit. I think The WB has something coming out. It's just madness.

Can you give me an example of one of the sexy murders you mentioned?

Stana Katic: This week we found a girl stuffed into a manhole and we literally had to go to a manhole and when they opened up the real city manhole there were swarms of cockroaches creeping out. We're all peaking out over this manhole and the cockroaches are charging at you full force. That's not super sexy though [laughs]. We have a murdered model. We go into the modeling world during Fashion Week which is really exciting, in New York. I'm trying to think what our first murder was, but that's probably the first example.

Is Beckett's mother's murder going to be brought up again and will there ever be a resolution for it?

Stana Katic: I think so. I can't imagine that if Beckett found out about it, or found out a piece of information; I mean last year we find out that that's the reason why she became a detective. From my talks with the writers and even trying to work on this character she was your average Manhattanite girl, going to university and getting ready for a fun life. That murder happened and that spun her into a different scenario and she decided to become a detective and didn't want anyone else to suffer that same injustice. I can't imagine that her finding a piece of the puzzle wouldn't inspire her to get back onto it and solve that crime that was basically the thrust of her entire new life, her entire new journey. I know that the writers plan on delving into it. It's going to take a little bit of time because that is a huge thing and so I think we'll work it out by the end of the season, but taking time to get there.

Do you think that Beckett and Castle will ever get together or should get together?

Stana Katic: They're definitely made for each other, definitely a fabulous pair and they solve crimes together so well. They're both obsessed with it. I think like any really, really good meal you're going to take your time enjoying it and I think the two of them have a lot to learn about each other still. There's the question from Beckett's perspective of what happened to Castle's last two relationships, why did they fall apart and why would she just jump into something. I think they haven't totally opened up with each other about their feelings for one another. Although, we do kind of flirt with the issue throughout this last episode that I'm doing right now which is really fun. We're going to take our time getting there as well. There's so much to learn about each other and I think since it is that kind of relationship that it makes sense and so why not enjoy the characters, enjoy what it is that makes them tick and then slowly bring them to that final point.

Is there something you wish would happen to your character, an event or a storyline so that you could play something specific?

Stana Katic: The writers are really fabulous and finding a lot of opportunities. There was a line last season that said, 'So many layers to the Beckett onion. However will you peel them all?' Beckett says that to Castle and he's basically poking at her, trying to get more information about her life and she's kind of like, 'No way, buddy.' I think this season especially the writers have a lot of fun, kind of peeling other layers of Beckett. We discover that she studied in Russia for a bit. You get to see another sassier, sexier side of Beckett which is really exciting to play. I think that a lot of those wishes are getting fulfilled because I think the reality of every working woman is that she has to be one kind of person at work. She has to be the consummate professional, but every working woman is I think a fun loving girl when she goes home.

So it's really exciting to be able to play that side of Beckett. I'd really love to see more of her home life. I'm sure that we'll delve into the relationship with her father, which I'd be really excited to play because that's her only parent now and the two of them share that history together and I think that'd be really beautiful. Also, then to get to know who she is outside of work, what she does when she decides to play. We've given some to it and I'm looking forward to the other stuff that we'll be able to work with as we move along in the season.

Since season one, have you found it easier to get into character, and generally how is the set working differently from the first season?

Stana Katic: What's amazing is that a huge majority of our crew came back to season two which is almost unheard of because so much of our crew are actually film people. So that was really neat, being able to step back onto a set and know everybody's name and just fall back into it. Literally, in that first week, within that first couple of hours we all looked at each other like, 'Wow, it doesn't even feel like we had a hiatus because we just stepped back into the groove.' Everyone knows each other and everyone understands each other's rhythms as we move forward. So it's been really easy to move back into it with everybody. A majority of the people are people from last season.

As far as my character is concerned we did a lot of the groundwork last season and so now we're having some time to play and discover the other things that make her tick which is really exciting. I think the first season they had a mandate to make her a detective and to communicate that and now we get to see that sassy, saucy side even more. I think that's what the audiences really enjoy, that Tracy/Hepburn kind of repartee. I'm loving playing that and Nathan is just a really great teammate, bouncing that kind of dialogue off of. We're getting to do a lot more of that and I think we did a fun job of it in the first season which is why we got a second season. So this season we're taking advantage of it even more.

Apart from your character on the show, who's your favorite?

Stana Katic: Of course Martha, right? She's just so fabulous and so theatrical. It's really great. I think she's that extra jewel on the show. She just flowers it and makes it super colorful. I really enjoy her. I met a lot of people in New York who really got her, really enjoyed her because she is that kind of Broadway Babe, that Broadway game. I really enjoy her and she's got great, great comedy, and especially this year I think they've really done her justice. It'll be fun to see her again this year.

HOT GIRLS LIKE VIDEO GAMES

THE STUNNING MODEL-TURNED-ACTRESS MAGGIE Q EXPLAINS WHY GAMER GUYS ARE A TURN-ON
"My mom was a bartender, so I grew up playing video games and pinball at her bar," says the 29-year-old Maggie Q, as we walk along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Tomorrow, the eye-melting model-turned-actress-who played edgy, sexy bad girls in Live Free or Die Hard, Mission Impossible III, and Balls of Fury-will be jetting off to the Gobi desert to shoot a Chinese period film. But today, she's hell bent on rocking the classic Ms. Pac Man at Barney's Beanery, a local watering hole. "They also have air hockey, shooting games, and racing games," she says cheerfully. "And it's dank and it smells!"

While her personal gaming preferences are old school, Q's newest venture is anything but: She plays the main character in Electronic Arts' Need for Speed: Undercover, the twelfth iteration of the seminal racing game that's set for release on November 18. Not only does Q grace the cover, but she also stars in its live action sequences. "We did something that's never been done before," she explains. "It's like a movie has been folded into the video game."

"What's the plotline?" I ask.
"You'll have to play the game! And expect to be completely frustrated!"

As much as Q loves games, there's one area of her life that's devoid of them: her relationships. "I can be very direct," she says. "I have an ex who constantly e-mails," she says. "The last time we had dinner together, he said, ‘Hey Mags, when will I see you again?' And I said, you'll see me when you don't have your BlackBerry with you."

Of course, you wouldn't make that mistake, right? If you said no, Maggie Q doesn't believe you. In many of her relationships, the guy's gadgets have become a third wheel. So if you want to lure, land, and keep a woman like her, you best obey her six new rules of technology and dating.

Rule 1: Turn it off to turn her on
Sadly for Q, Barney's is closed. So we settle into a booth at a restaurant up the street. As soon as Q sits down, she pulls out her phone and shuts it off. Then she does the same with her BlackBerry. I now have her undivided attention, and it feels . . . weird. I ask if she did it for my benefit-a little show for the reporter across the table, especially in light of the story about her ex. Her answer is an emphatic no. "When I eat dinner, I eat dinner," she says. "When I work, I work. No one wants to share a meal with someone who's e-mailing the whole time."

Rule 2: Master your game . . .
"Having a complete mastery of a video game-especially a fighting game-would definitely be a turn on for me," says Q. But the same principle applies to lots of other things. "If a guy is good at something he loves, whether it's photography or martial arts, it's sexy. Whatever you do, do it well, and women will find you attractive."

Rule 3: . . . and include her, too
Gaming isn't just for guys. Q says there's a romantic side to video games, too. Like most people her age, she grew up with an Atari--"I played Combat and Space Invaders and Centipede, every game really"-and remembers those times fondly. For that reason, she says, going to an arcade that has a bunch of vintage games can make a great first date. When in doubt, try a racing game, she adds: "They're the most exciting games. And women love them because they're simple to learn."

Rule 4: Ear pieces aren't earrings
"Bluetooth headsets aren't sexy," says Q. "They're disgusting. If you want to use one, great. But when you're done talking, take it off and put it back in your pocket."

Rule 5: Take dirty pictures, but don't keep them
"Technology has made the world a scandalous place," says Q, who Hong Kong tabloids allege made a sex tape with an ex (a charge she denies). She understands how taking revealing pictures can spice up a relationship, but guys who horde them make women suspicious. "For some guys, there's a keepsake value. They become collectors. But this doesn't deepen a relationship; it just feeds their ego. There's a bigger issue there."

Rule 6: Know how to e-mmunicate
Need directions to a restaurant? Yeah, e-mail her. Want to create a flirty undercurrent for your rendezvous later that night? Sure, send her an "I can't wait to see you" text. But don't ever analyze your relationship electronically. "It's inappropriate to communicate about relationship issues via text or e-mail," says Q. If you really want to get into her heart (and, okay, her pants), write her a handwritten letter, says Q. "It's a huge turn on."

Hot Celebrity Interview

MICHAELA CONLIN from Bones Exclusive Interview
I recently got a chance to interview the lovely MICHAELA CONLIN, who plays Angela Montenegro on Bones.

Last season of Bones ended with quite the controversy, and Michaela Conlin was nice enough to share her thoughts on the matter. She also dished on what new things are coming up for Angela this season, which includes her going to see a psychic played by none other than Cyndi Lauper.

Season 5 of Bones premieres on Thursday, September 17, at 8pm on Fox, but for now enjoy Michael Conlin's interview below.

Congratulations on getting renewed for two seasons. That's awesome.

Michaela Conlin: I know, I know. Isn't that crazy. It's crazy in the network television world.

I'm sure the fans have been excited all over.

Michaela Conlin: Yeah. I traveled this summer. I went to Paris and Turkey and it was really crazy to be stopped by those people on the other side of the world, very strange.

The final episode last season generated some controversy with fans because of the whole Bones and Booth relationship. What's your take on that?

Michaela Conlin: That's a good question, a good provocative opener. Step right into the fire. I think a couple of different things about it. I think it was a tough decision. I think the show has these really loyal and ardent fans that have followed the show from the beginning. I think that the episode, at least in my opinion and I think in Hart's [Hanson] opinion, was really sort of an homage to the show. There were a lot of people from the past and inside jokes. It was sort of a referential season finale for that particular season. In regards to them getting into bed together, I think it's hard because I think people don't really know what they want. I think that some people would love to see them in bed and then will get upset when they're in bed. I think it's hard to sustain the kind of lightening in a bottle thing that David [Boreanaz] and Emily [Deschanel] have, and I think that Hart has done a really good job with that. In my opinion, I thought it was a really clever way to do it. But I know they have more to unleash, hopefully this season they'll be able to let out everything that they couldn't get out in that season finale.

Do you know when the finale will be resolved this season? David told me they probably wouldn't keep the amnesia story for too long.

Michaela Conlin: I don't know, actually. I have no idea. I know that in the episodes we've begun to shoot this season they're definitely dealing with the residual effects of him being in the coma. But I'm not sure how long that's going to last now.

What's coming up for Angela this season?

Michaela Conlin: It's an interesting season. Cindi Lauper is playing Angela's psychic in the season opener. I'm not sure if you knew that, or not.

No, but fun.

Michaela Conlin: Yeah, it is really fun. I think it's hilarious that Angela is always surrounded by musician types. Her dad is ZZ Top. I think that maybe Cindi Lauper and ZZ Top should do a duet on the show, her dad and her psychic. She was a real joy to have on the set. She was great. She came in and did the season opener with us. There's a great scene with Emily and her and I at the beginning of the show. So that's been a really fun treat and I hear that she's going to be back being that she may have some things to predict. So we'll see how that goes.

Is she a real psychic or is it just a scam?

Michaela Conlin: In real life?

In the show.

Michaela Conlin: In the show. Yeah, I was like, 'I'm not sure.' [laughs] She plays Angela's psychic, a real bona fide psychic. So I have a hypnotist and a psychic at this point. I think Angela just needs straight up therapy. She needs to just go and see Sweets a couple of times this season, which I also hear is going to happen which will be fun.

You just mentioned her dad. Will we see some more storylines with him this season?

Michaela Conlin: I hope so. I also hear that we might meet her mom at some point, which I think would be really interesting. I'm not quite sure yet when that will be, but that should be kind of cool. It's always hard to say what a season will bring, but that's what I'm hearing and is kind of cool.

Do you think that Angela and Hodgins will get back together or is there a new love interest in the air?

Michaela Conlin: I hear that Angela resolves her celibacy pact, or she ends it. I should say that she concludes her celibacy run. But I can't tell you with who. It'll be pretty funny and fun. In regards to Hodgins, I don't have any information. I feel like I keep saying that I don't have any information. I don't know what's going to happen to the two of them. We'll just have to see, but I know there are other things on the horizon for Angela that should be pretty interesting.

Is there anything you wish would happen to her this season, after four seasons and going into the fifth?

Michaela Conlin: Yeah. I've spoken to Hart about this, but Emily and I, both Brennan and Angela, we'd really love to see more of them and how they became friends because it was a strong point in the opening of the series, with the pilot, and subsequent episodes in the first season dealt a lot with their friendship. I'd really like to see us go back to that, go back to how they met and how they became friends and kind of get into that because I think it's a really unlikely friendship that was struck up. I'd also like to see Angela maybe deal with, she never really wanted to quite be in that lab. She was very grossed out by the bodies in the beginning of the series. I'd like to see her sort of deal with all of that stuff again. I love when people from the past come back. I loved when Roxie came back last season and I love when our parents visit. It tells us a lot about these characters that are predominantly just inside that lab. So when someone from the outside comes in, we learn a lot about them. So I always think it's nice when we have people visiting or even the new round of interns that have been coming through, I think it's an important aspect of the show at this point.

The male characters in the lab have regular contests about who's going to be king of the lab. Do you think there should be a queen of the lab contest with the girls?

Michaela Conlin: Oh my God, that's such a good question. I've never had anyone ask that before. I'm totally bringing that up to Hart. I'm going to bring that up to Hart and I'll give you credit [laughs]. I'd like to be queen of the lab. I'm sure we all would. I think all three ladies are queen of the lab in their own domains. I think Brennan with the bones, Cam with the flesh and Angela with all of the forensics and all the restoration of the skulls. So I think they're all, in their own minds, queen of the lab.

Angela doesn't usually go out into the field with Bones and Booth. Do you think this season will be any different in that regard, or do you hope to get out more?

Michaela Conlin: Absolutely, yeah. It's tricky with those because the show is structured in a way where Brennan and Booth are out in the field while there's a case running concurrently, we're working on something back in the lab. So it's sometimes tricky to further the story along with us not there. It does become a sort of structurally difficult thing sometimes. But I would absolutely love to. I think that Angela is going to be snooping around in a lot of people's business this season. She definitely loves to stir the shit up and find out who's sleeping with who. So I think that'll find her in a few different situations. I hear that there might be a lot of moments with Angela and Sweets, as well as more with Brennan and Booth.

What has been your favorite storyline on 'Bones' so far?

Michaela Conlin: I think my favorite so far would not be the falling in love between Angela and Hodgins but the trying to find her ex-husband. I thought that was a really great storyline and it gave us a lot to do and was really funny, and was just a fun storyline to play. It was like a comedy of errors. So I really enjoyed that storyline, them trying to figure out if they were supposed to be together. It felt real to me. A lot of my friends are in relationships that are difficult. I liked that it wasn't all roses. I thought that was nice.

After being on a show now for four seasons do you find it easier to prepare for each new episode?

Michaela Conlin: Yes and no. The rhythm of each of the characters is really specific and so in that respect, line memorization and all the technical aspects of the show are definitely easier. The hours and being used to working on series television which is such a marathon, we shoot ten months of the year, fourteen hours a day that I'm definitely physically much more used to it. I think that as far as the work for the character goes it can sometimes be even harder because I think audience members get used to seeing characters certain ways and they think that they know you, and as you know, we're all different every moment of the day. So it's hard to sort of bring new parts of her forward without sort of offending this loyal audience, because you want to make sure she's a real person and not just a one note TV character. So that's been challenging.

In regard to your process, is there something special you do for each new script?

Michaela Conlin: Yeah. I've been working with an acting coach for eight years out here in Los Angeles. I went to NYU and studied theater. I've been studying for a long time and there are definitely certain things that are much more helpful than others. For me it's just voice and body. It's getting into my body and then working with my voice, not a singing voice, but just connecting your breath to what you're saying. I studied that in school in New York and I continue to study it out here. I work every week with an acting teacher. I did a lot of movement classes and yoga classes and dance classes. I think it's really important to physically stay in your body, especially with the hours that we shoot where we're standing for really long periods of time. So those are the two things that help me the most.

Aside from your character who's your favorite character on 'Bones'?

Michaela Conlin: Good questions. No one has asked me these questions before, in four years of the show. Can you believe it? Who is my favorite character? Michaela's favorite or Angela's favorite?

How about both?

Michaela Conlin: I think that Angela's favorite character is Brennan because I feel like they're much more similar than they let on. I think they're opposite sides of each other and I think they really need each other to balance each other out even though they don't want to admit that to each other. I think that Michaela's is Sweets' character, who's really interesting because he's so young. John Daley is a great actor, but the character, the fact that he comes from such a psychological viewpoint I think makes him a really interesting character, and we'll hopefully see more of him too.

You weren't at Comic Con this year. Would you be interested in going next year?

Michaela Conlin: I know. Bummer. We were there last year. We were all working. Yeah, I'd love to go again. We all went last year, I think it was last year and it was great. Everybody warned us that it was going to be really crazy and packed which it was, but I was really struck by just how enthusiastic and supportive people were about the show and also everything else that was there. People were just really thrilled to be there and it sounds cheesy, but sort of celebrating the stuff that we do. I was really sort of inspired by that honestly and thought that it was really cool. We had a lot of fun. I'd love to go back.

If you could guest star on any other show which one would it be?

Conlin: Oh, wow. 'Mad Men'. 'Nurse Jackie' is pretty good, too, but I'll stick with 'Mad Men' though.

Hot Celebrities Interview

MELANIE C
BY EVELYN MCDONNELL

EVELYN MCDONNELL: How does it feel to step outside the Spice Girls with your solo debut Northern Star [Virgin]?
MELANIE C: It's all my dreams come true. It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time. It's quite a personal album. All the songs reflect on what we've been through over the last few years. Also, I've explored a wider range of musical directions. I take more of the rock angle on a lot of songs, and there's some lovely acoustic numbers and there's still pop.

EM: Have you always been a rock fan?
MC: Yeah. I was brought up with a lot of rock music because my mom had always been in bands. I find it very emotive.

EM: I heard that MTV is not playing the first video, "Goin' Down."
MC: There was a little bit of controversy because there are a couple of words in there that they feel are a bit strong for a younger audience. But they love the video, and I think they'll play it after a certain time or maybe bleep out a couple of words.

EM: What are the words?
MC: It's a song about when I was a little bitter about a relationship that had ended. I say: "From this little hitch, I've become a superbitch," and then, "Well, I'm not a whore, I've just gone hardcore." It's not very Spice, is it?

EM: You do have such young fans, and of course, you're getting older. Has there become more of a gap?
MC: We're always very proud of how young our fans are because when you're that young, you're not corrupt. You just enjoy something because you like it, not because the media is telling you that this is cool. But I think with this album, I'd like to be accepted by an older crowd.

EM: Do you think you'll ever have to change the group's name from girls to something else?
MC: Spice Women? Old bags? Can you imagine us being forty doing "Wannabe"? No, we'll always be girls at heart, no matter how old we are.

EM: Did you grow up in a feminist household?
MC: Not really. It was very equal. I've got a brother and we both had to do the washing up and my stepfather was always Hoovering and stuff, so it wasn't the typical wife in the kitchen and husband goes out and gets the money. We all shared everything and it's like that now. I go home and go, "Mom, I'm really famous." She says, "Yeah, but I don't care. Do the washing up."

EM: How exactly did you come to earn the name Sporty?
MC: That was just a tag which was put on me because of the way I dress. I've always been a bit of a scruff; I've always been into casual clothes. I'm not really one for wearing skirts and getting dressed up very often. All the [other Spice] Girls wear those silly clothes; they look fantastic, but they're so uncomfortable. Whenever we go out, they're all in their heels. Halfway through the night everyone's going, "I'm so jealous. I wish I had your sneakers on." So you see, I got the best name.


EM: One of the things that's really great about the Spice Girls is that you're an example of women bonding and having fun together.
MC: Women are always perceived to be bitching about each other or scratching each other's eyes out, when really there's nothing better than a good girly gang you can turn to when your man dumps you. You always call your friends up and they save they day, don't they?

EM: How much were you in touch with the other girls while you were recording your solo album?
MC: Quite a lot. I have to do my catching up at least once a week, find out all the gossip.

EM: Is it going to be hard to be on stage without them?
MC: No, it'll be great, 'cause I won't have to do dancing. I can just do what I want. I can just sing and jump around. And if I do make a mistake, I've only got myself to blame. It's a relief. Weight off my shoulders.

Hot Celebrities Interview

THORA BIRCH
BY DOMINIQUE SWAIN

DOMINIQUE SWAIN: Hi, Thora, what have you been up to?
THORA BIRCH: I just got back from filming Dungeons & Dragons in Prague.

DS: Is it going to be good?
TB: Um, it's going to look awesome. It's a very visual film. I mean, half the time I was just looking at this huge blue screen.

DS: At the dragon?
TB: No. I ride the dragon. [laughs]

DS: Oh-ho. Fun city! OK, your new film American Beauty opens this month. What's it about?
TB: It centers on Kevin Spacey, who plays my dad, and all the events that lead up to his death in the course of one year. He develops a huge crash on my best friend while he's going through his midlife crisis and I fall in love with the boy next door, who has a very scary, controlling father. When I saw it I was emotionally shattered, because it has you in stitches one minute, and then the next you're in this vortex of conflicting feelings.

DS: What's your character, Jane, like?
TB: She's confused and upset because she's like the by-product of all her parents' problems. They don't like each other and that bleeds over into her psyche, even if she doesn't realize it.

DS: Do you want to hear my favorite poem?
TB: Yeah.

DS: It goes, "They fuck you up your Mum and Dad. / They may not mean to, but they do. / They fill you with the faults they had, / And add some extra just for you." [Philip Larkin, 1971]
TB: You know what? The director [Sam Mendes] told me that one day when we were making American Beauty.

DS: I heard it on the set of my last movie, too, because my costar was convinced that my parents had wrecked me. I was like, "Great, thanks. Thank you for validating that." Did you go through a period of teenage rebellion?
TB: I've definitely had those moments with my parents where I was like, Please stay the fuck away from me. But it's hard to be pissed at two people who devote a tremendous amount of time and energy and effort on your behalf. I don't think there is any teenager out there who doesn't have moments when they feel like there's anything your parents could say or do to make everything OK. You have to make it all right yourself.

DS: Do you feel you gave one of your strongest performances in American Beauty?
TB: In a sense, I feel like I started all over again with this film. The other films I've done were great, and I love them all, but I'm not there any more. I've moved on. It's just different and I recognize the difference.

DS: What do you seek in a script?
TB: Things that are hard to do. Right now I want to take a dive into something seedy. [laughs]

DS: OK. Any boys you're interested in?
TB: Boys? Yeah! I'm interested in boys! [laughs] I don't have any steady relationship, though, because I don't want to. I would rather be free to look around, if you know what I mean.
DS: What would you change about the world?
TB: I think we should decompress it, knock it down, and then restructure the whole thing from the bottom up again. Recently there was something on the news about how amphibians are becoming extinct and it caught me off guard how much I was upset by it. One of my friends said, "You're nuts crying about a freaking lizard!" But at that time, it just messed me up!

DS: I found a frog in my bathtub yesterday. But then it stopped hopping because my sister's five-year-old kid was prodding it.
TB: Oh my gosh.

DS: I don't mean to upset you again. OK, I think I'm done with the questions. I've never done this before.
TB: Well, I thought it was the only way I could get you to call me.

Hot Celebrities Interview

BUCKCHERRY'S JOSH TODD
BY SKUNK ANASIE'S SKIN

SKIN: Hello, Josh, ready to talk?
JOSH TODD: First I've got to tell you, I'm such a huge fan of your band.

S: Oh, cool! I've just been seeing you on MTV, and I was like, "Oh, that looks way cool." So thank you, and likewise. From everything I hear, it sounds like you guys are pretty wild: You like your drugs, you like your sex, you like your rock 'n' roll.
JT: [laughs]

S: You have a tattoo across your ripped abs that blasts the word "Chaos." Why?
JT: I grew up on punk rock, and chaos was really just what went on between my ears constantly. I don't know, I was a very angry young man. Some little girl came up to me in the mall one time, and she goes, "Do you know if you have tattoos you're not going to heaven?" I said, "Who told you that?" She said, "Well, it says it in the Bible." I said, "Well, that's if you believe the Bible." And she just went "Unhhh!" and ran off. It was like in the Bible Belt in the South. I just could not believe that some little kid was programmed like that. It scares me.

S: There are some analogies between Skunk Anansie and Buckcherry - we beth have a bit of a hard-rock thing. Your live shows are full of energy. How important is pleasing the audience to you?

JT: I'm all about performance, which there hasn't been a lot of in the '90s. I mean, my favorite performer is Michael Jackson. I think singers should sing more, and not play an instrument while they fucking perform. That's why I was attracted to you, and I really love Marilyn Manson. The theatrics that he puts into his shows are amazing. Seeing a show and losing your mind and just forgetting about your life for however long the band is on stage - that's why I got attracted to this when I was a kid.

S: What do you think of the whole pop thing - like the Backstreet Boys and all that stuff. Are you into any of that?
JT: I'm really a big fan of anything that generates sexual energy. If there's a bunch of screaming teenage girls going nuts over bands, I think it's great. As far as the Backstreet Boys' talent, I think they're horrible. But whatever.

S: Did rock 'n' roll save your soul?
JT: Fuck no! I think acid saved my soul.

S: When was your first trip?
JT: I was probably seventeen. It was about eight hours. Then we went into the woods, and I looked at this snail for like an hour. I was like, "Man, snails are so fucking cool, man."

Hot Celebrities Interviews

NATALIE PORTMAN
BY JAMES LAPIN

JAMES LAPINE: I was at the A&P the other day, Natalie, and saw your face on a soda can.
NATALIE PORTMAN: I know, I know. I did a photo shoot recently, and they had Pepsi cans there, and my face was on all of them. I was so embarrassed.

JL: How weird. Did you know you were going to be on a soda can, or did you Just go to the 7-Eleven one day and there you were?
NP: They told us ahead of time that there would be a lot of marketing tie-ins to Star Wars [Episode I: The Phantom Menace], especially with Pepsi, because they paid a lot of money to put us on their chips and sodas and all that.

JL: Now that you're known as Queen Amidala, are you recognized more than you used to be?
NP: Definitely, because I used to never get recognized. [laughs] But it's not horrible. It's nowhere near what I expected.

JL: I can't imagine what it must be like, having somebody you don't know come up and talk to you. What's your role in your new film Anywhere But Here, which is based on the [1987] novel by Mona Simpson?
NP: I play the daughter - Susan Sarandon is my mother - and I actually thought I had felt a lot of the things before, because you always have conflicts with your mom growing up. My mom and I have a much more together relationship than the mother and daughter in the movie, though.

JL: Did you ever take acting lessons?
NP: No. But I've been working since I was eleven and that's how I learned.

JL: Were your parents totally cool about your going off and being an actor?
NP: I think they were hesitant because of the whole lifestyle; there's definitely a sense of sin among nonfilm people about film. But they knew I really wanted to do it, and I think if you're confident in the way you've brought your kid up, you're not going to be too worded about anything.

JL: So now that you're about to start college, you'll probably have to choose your projects very carefully.
NP: Well, I really don't have much choosing to do, because I have two more Star Wars movies to make during college. So I guess I won't be working on anything else for a couple of years.

JL: Will you act in college?
NP: No. I think I'd be too embarrassed. You don't understand; I have such stage fright. It's really bizarre, because I am not a shy person. But I get very self-conscious and very worded about what other people are thinking.

JL: Have you given any thought to what you'll major in?
NP: I think I'm going to do International Relations. I love languages and I'm really interested in international politics - specifically Mideast stuff, because that's where I'm from.JL: Do you have any sense of whether you'll go into politics or continue your acting career?
NP: No, but I've been thinking about it a lot. I love acting, but I don't know if there's something out there that I love more. That's what college is going to be about for me - checking things out.

JL: Well, there are lots of actors who have gone into politics, too. I was Just reading that Glenda Jackson is running for the Mayor of London. And you know, there was Ronald Reagan, but he's not exactly a sterling example.
NP: Politics is easy to segue into from acting. I'm very interested in it, though I would never mn for office. But after this, anything I do is going to seem very bizarre to me.

Hot Celebrities Interviews

ELIJAH WOOD
BY BROOKE SHIELDS

BROOKE SHIELDS: Let's talk about the movie we did together, Black and White. Had you done a totally improvisational film before?
ELIJAH WOOD: No. And as interesting as the project seemed, I was really scared because it was so far away from anything I'd done. Then I came to the conclusion that if you're ever fearful of taking a step forward to a place that could be better for you, you should always take it, because that's the only way you'll ever grow. So despite how afraid I was, I made the decision to continue.

BS: Well, fear Is an Incredible motivator. OK, now you can talk about kissing me. [laughs]
EW: That was an absolutely lovely day! I came to the set thinking I was filming one thing, and one of the assistant directors came to my trailer and said, "You've got to kiss Brooke Shields in the park today." I was like, "I'm sorry. Run that by me again?" [BS laughs] What a great experience! I already felt very close to you, and that brought us a bit closer.

BS: The feeling was mutual. Still, I was thinking, I should be arrested for this! And you kept saying that it was legal in some states! [laughs] So I didn't feel so bad. So next you're doing The Lord of the Rings. Have you read the trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien?
EW: No, but I read The Hobbit.

BS: Did they suggest you read all three books?
EW: It wasn't necessary, although I believe they're under the impression that I have read all three. But I don't think it really matters. The scripts are brilliant, and they've kept the tone of Tolkien's writing, which is wonderful.

BS: How would you describe a hobbit?EW: A hobbit is a very short, amusing character. They don't wear shoes. They have hairy feet and pointy little ears. My character, Frodo Baggins, has a wry sense of humor.BS: You were perfectly typecast.
EW: [laughs] How perceptive!

BS: I did kiss you, remember? I was given these Tolkien stories when I was a child. They should be required reading at an older age, Just because of the lessons In them.
EW: Oh, definitely. The stories reveal the darkness of the human spirit, and where that can go, as well as the extreme light.

BS: You'll be shooting in New Zealand, right? Will you be there for a long time?
EW: Fourteen months, because we're doing three movies. It's going to be an adventure, a real journey. And I think that I'll be different when I come back, as a person and an actor, and I look forward to that.

Noureen DeWulf, Actress in 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' (INTERVIEW)

Noureen DeWulf is a young Hollywood starlet that is sure to take over the scene. Having starred alongside Matthew McConaughey in this summer’s hit ‘Ghost of Girlfriend’s Past,’ many are taking note of this bombshell. 

Noureen DeWulf will also be hitting the big screen later this summer with Will Ferrell and Jeremy Piven in ‘The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard.’

9 Questions With Noureen DeWulf
1. How did you get involved in acting and what motivates you to continue?
Acting came about as a part of my life very naturally. I was studying at Boston University, and I just kept gravitating towards theater. The love of what I do motivates me. Success motivates me.

2. How significant are the topics of cool hunting and trend spotting in the world of entertainment?
Well, it’s a really symbiotic relationship. Things from popular culture that are referenced in movies often become more popular and conversely, a movie can make itself really cutting edge/relevant by mentioning in the know trends.

I think a lot of Judd Apatow movies are like that, maybe because the actors improv so much, they can’t help but make pop culture references. At least that is how I am, anyway, when I improv.

3. How do you define cool?
I guess whatever is comfortable is cool.

4. How do you define a trend?
Um, if I see 2 or 3 people sporting the same something in one day, I’d then say that thing is trendy.

5. What is the coolest aspect of your current/upcoming project?
That would be ‘The Goods: Live Hard Sell Hard’ (in theaters 8/14/09), and I think the coolest aspect is the amazingly talented funny people involved: Jeremy Piven, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Neal Brennan, Ed Helms, Ving Rhames, David Koechner, Ken Jeong… These are hilarious and very, very cool funny people to work with.

6. How do you reset yourself to be creative?
I take myself away from everything and read some Deepak Chopra, as cliche as that sounds… I also read Ernest Holmes, I go to the beach. I try to check out and then back in. I think the further internally one can go, the further out and up they can go as well.

7. Professionally, what do you want to be doing in 10 years?
More of what I am doing now, but in a bigger capacity.

8. If you weren’t in entertainment, what would your dream profession be?
Dog whisperer.

9. If you could work with anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you do?
It would be Quentin Tarantino, and basically I’d do whatever he said.

Reference: IMDB