Interviews



I interviewed Stephanie Wells, the designer of Double Happiness whose pieces have been frequently featured on Gossip Girl, in magazines such as Seventeen and Nylon, and seen on celebrities including Nina Dobrev and Emma Roberts.
KB: How long have you been designing jewelry for and what's the background of your line Double Happiness?
SW: I have been designing jewelry for 11 years. I began making jewelry for myself, but quickly found others wanting to buy the pieces from me. I am 90% self taught – that is, I did not study jewelry, wire wrapping or lost wax casting. It is through many hours of trying to figure out how to manifest what is in my head and make it into reality that my techniques were born.
KB: What are your inspirations when designing? Do you have different visions for each collection?
SW: My raw materials are what inspire me and they change each season. Having worked with editors and stylists for years, I understand the seasonal cycles and work with colors specific to that season. BUT, I have a hard time re-working materials, that is once I work with a color and cut, I find it hard to go back and be re-inspired. Thus, I am constantly searching for new, unique materials each season. I also like to collaborate with in-need womens organizations both in the US and overseas and have been fortunate to create collections with gorgeous hand made paper beads from Uganda, amazing seed bead flowers from Afghanistan, and gorgeous African wax cloth from Rwanda.
KB: What are your thoughts on Gossip Girl? Did you have a vision of seeing your jewelry on any particular characters?
SW: Gossip Girl is the fashion trend leader on TV and it is an honor to be included in their fashion. I love the fact they have a variety of looks, as I like to create a variety of looks/energies when I design. I think all women have a variety of energies they like to channel – boho, chic, rocker – and I try to design to fit all our needs.
KB: What is it like seeing your pieces on one of television's most fashion forward shows? Has being featured on Gossip Girl had a large impact on your designs?
SW: It’s extremely flattering. Gossip Girl is distributed all over the world, and it is interesting to see the response we get from people overseas. I have had sales from Jordan, England, Spain all because characters on Gossip Girl have worn my jewelry.
KB: Can we expect to see Double Happiness on any other shows or movies?
SW: Double Happiness Jewelry is often used in movies, TV shows and magazine editorials. I cannot usually publicize press in a TV show or magazine until the press actually hits the streets. But, I can say that the stylist for Harry's Law just picked up pieces from the line. We are also often on the Wendy Williams Show, Rachel Ray show to name a few.






Full name? Melody Eileen Woodin
How old are you? Turned 21 this past April.
Where are you from? Hockessin, Delaware. Very exotic!
Where do you live now? I've been in the city for 3 years, currently in Alphabet City!
What is your favorite show that you've done? Any Dior show. Each one tops the last.
What is your favorite shoot that you've done? I did a shoot for Interview with Albert Watson. They dressed me up like Mark Bolan from Trex. I love classic rock so I was thrilled they booked me for it.
What is your personal style like? Tomboy! I do the skinny jeans look for castings but at home I stick to casual comfort.
Did you complete school? I graduated highschool (Alexis I. DuPont) before moving out to NY. I plan on going to college after modeling...aybe Equine Sciences.
If you weren't modeling, what would you like to be doing? My family runs a horse farm, so every chance I get, I'm out at the barn either giving lessons, mucking stalls, or breaking and training the foals. My heart is out there.
What is some of your favorite music to listen to? Wow tough question... ethro Tull, Crosby Stills & Nash (Young as well), The Doors, The Eagles, The Guess Who, Heart, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin...
What about favorite movies? Jurassic Park, Little Miss Sunshine, Wild Hogs (reminds me of my dad!), Over the Hedge (love animated movies), Fried Green Tomatos.
Favorite books? A Clockwork Orange/Water for Elephants.
What's your drink of choice? Dr. Pepper. If we are talking alcoholic, a dirty, dirty martini.
How did you get into the industry? Were you "discovered" or was it a choice? Modeling, for me, was an alternative to heading into a university right away. I wanted to take time to really think about what I wanted to pursue as a career. I grew up in a very small town, so fashion wasn't really a part of my life. I approached Barbizon in Philly, came up to NY for a modeling and talent competition called IMTA, and was scouted by Roman Young, who was at Supreme at the time.
What are some of the perks of being a model? Perks? Well to be 100% honest, I love being around other girls who are built like me. I know that sounds funny, but when you are 6' and only 115lbs, its easy to feel uncomfortable in your physical shell. My mom would say it is getting the occasional designer piece as a trade...I tend to give them all to her.










Interview with Hilary Duff
Q: Your resume includes a long list of talents: singer, actress, designer, and producer. What inspired you to write young adult books?
A: I really just had the itch for a new challenge. I knew that my main character would be a strong female on a quest or adventure. I naturally wanted to write a script and turn it into a more detailed story. Instead, I decided to write the book first, since it was something I hadn’t done before. I met the right people, and with their help, Elixir was born.

Q: In Elixir, Clea often finds herself the focus of international attention, especially when she is trying to run away from it. Did you draw from your own experiences of growing up in the spotlight? 
A: I like to think of Clea as a totally unrelated character, but I guess subconsciously, authors inject pieces of their personality and experiences into the story. In a way, Clea’s challenge of dealing with fame relates to my personal experience and really adds to the story, but it differs in that Clea’s parents were famous, and she wants to break that mold she has been set in.

Q: What inspired you to add the paranormal aspect to Elixir?
A: I have always been interested in the paranormal and afterlife, everything from ghosts to angels. I think that everyone has that curiosity of the great unknown. It is fun to add the paranormal element because there aren’t any limits to what you can do.

Q: How did the writing process for Elixir differ from your other artistic endeavors?
A: The best thing about the book-writing process is that I was able to write in my living room and in my pajamas! Although I didn’t have to learn lines or get ready to sing in front of thousands of people, I found that this was probably the most challenging project. People are complex and have a lot of different attributes, everyone has a story. The hard part is making sure the characters share that same unique quality and leaving no unanswered questions.

Q: As a Youth Ambassador of Columbia, did your travels abroad there inspire you to bring Clea and Ben to South America?
A: Traveling to Bogota with my charity, Blessings in a Backpack, was one of the most inspiring and emotional experiences of my life. It was a real eye-opener. Helping people and raising awareness is a big part of my life, and I wanted to find a way to include that into my book, and Grant Raymond was the perfect character for this.

Q: What do you think of the dual nature of Sage? Are readers supposed to love him or hate him? A: I want readers to love him. He is sexy and sweet yet mysterious and damaged. I don’t know about every girl, but these qualities always draw me in. Throughout the book he confuses Clea, and gives mixed signals, so we can be mad at him. . . but not for too long!

Q: What message do you hope to give young adults reading Elixir?
A: To believe in love, take chances, and live for the moment. Find adventure and always dream big.

Q: The first book has quite the cliffhanger. Can you give us a sneak peek into what's next for Clea?
A: My wonderful coauthor Elise Allen and I have been playing around with a lot of juicy ideas but nothing is set in stone. Clea has been on an emotional rollercoaster, so that is probably where the next book will start. Clea will need to find a way to pick herself up and put the pieces of her life back together. Who knows how long that could take? And what her next move will be? Hopefully her dreams will guide her. IF she can dream. . . .







Interview with Adele.

How did you prepare for recording the new album?
To start with I was doing a lot of hopping from one studio to the next and trying to find somewhere that had a good vibe. I also met up with a lot of producers and writers and musicians and hung with them out a little bit. I always like to hang out with people for a while before I work with them because it someone’s got a shitty sense of humour – no matter who they are or how good they are – I can’t sit in a room for seven hours with them if they don’t get my jokes.
Were you surprised at how well your first album, 19, did?
I really was. I thought it was just going to be a London or UK based album, I didn’t expect it to spread to so many places. I thought it would just be my friends and family buying it so I wasn’t expecting it to sell thousands of copies at all. I was hoping for a thousand. I personally didn’t have any expectations as such, but it surpassed anything my record company XL expected it to do. Obviously they believe in me because they signed me, but I don’t think they thought 19 would propel the way it did. It was really bizarre and surreal.

What were you doing work wise before you released the album?

I spent three years as a support act for people like Jack Penate and Jamie T and some alternative things, like some amazing American soul artists like Amos Lee and Raul Midon. Then suddenly it was like I’d popped out of my mum’s fanny singing Chasing Pavements. Then the Critic’s Choice and the BBC Sound and all that kind of stuff happened. All of us had been so in control of what I’d been doing, and we did things because they felt good and they felt right. Then all of a sudden the album took on a life of its own that we couldn’t control. That’s what made the success even stranger – the fact it got taken out of our hands to a certain extent.
And then you ended up with a Number One album…
I know, it’s mad. Basshunter kept the single Chasing Pavements off Number One for four weeks with Now You’re Gone, but it went straight to Number Two which I was so pleased about. That was really weird because I wasn’t even in the UK when it happened. I’ve always been the biggest music fan and since I was about 11 I’ve been so aware of the top 20 singles charts and top selling albums and stuff, and I was actually in New York when all of this was going on. I was having dinner with some people and my manager very casually said that I was Number Two. He just kind of dropped it into the conversation like it was really normal. I was so freaked out.
Changing the subject totally, which beauty products do you swear by?
Because I wear a lot of make-up when I’m working I like to use skin food by Weleda because I feel really replenished when I do. My skin feels back to life and not caked in foundation. I’m also obsessed with lip balms and I use loads of different makes. I’ve got about ten on the go at one time. I love Chanel make-up, and perfume wise I wear Christian Dior’s Hypnotic Poison.

And you also love false eyelashes from the looks of things?

Oh yes, I love Shu Uemura and MAC eyelashes. I like to look like a drag queen. I’ve never had those eyelash extensions you can get though. My mum has them and she wakes up in the morning looking like she’s hungover because they’re all bent! I can’t maintain my eyelashes myself so I need someone to do them for me and false ones work on me. Shakira looks amazing with her big eyelashes and no other make-up, but I don’t think I could get away with that look. I like false lashes and plenty of eye make up.
Who are your beauty icons?
I think Fearne Cotton always looks really beautiful and really fresh and like she hasn’t make much of an effort. She looks like she’s just rolled out of bed looking that amazing. I can’t do that – I need a lot of prep – but she’s naturally lovely. Halle Berry always looks pretty nice too, and Queen Latifa has got the most amazing skin ever. She actually looks better without make-up than with it.
Who are your female heroes?
Obviously mum is a massive idol, and Bette Milder is as well. She’s the epitome of an entertainer. I think she’s truly incredible. I’ve always been aware of her because you’re kind of born being aware of her, but I properly lost my breath when she was on last year’s Royal Variety show. I just thought she was stunningly incredible. She was funny and witty and talented and charming. If I ever met her she would completely hush me down. She looks like one of those women who would command your attention, even when she’s not trying to.

interview with Tinie Tempah
MTV: Yo Tinie, when did you start rapping and where did the name come from?
Tinie – I was in Citizenship class (at school) with my friend and this was around the time when I realised that I wanted to be an MC.
So I was like, ok there’s Dizzee Rascal, there’s Tinchy Stryder- I need something that’s as good as that. So I literally just went through a thesaurus with my mate Jeremy, we just looked under anger saw temper.
I thought I should put something in front of that and Tinie Tempah came to me. I went out in the playground that day and was like ‘hi everyone this is my new name, don’t call me Patrick anymore I’m Tine Tempah from now on!’
MTV – You’ve had some sort of incredible reviews from critics so far and you’ve been touted on all these sort of ones to watch type lists… are you feeling the pressure?
Tinie – To be quite honest I’m not feeling any pressure. It’s finally good to have everybody’s eyes watching you. 2010 is the beginning of a new decade so I’m glad that a lot of people are watching me.
MTV – We’re loving the single Pass Out, When did you make it and who were you with in the studio?
Tinie- I’d just signed the deal with EMI and it was like the first track that I made afterwards. I went in and met this guy called Labyrinth.
Pass Out was literally the first thing we come out when we started working together. He produced the track and he’s the guy who’s singing on the hook as well. Everyone was bobbing their heads when we played it in the studio, that’s when we knew maybe we might be on to something.
MTV- Did you feel at that time it might be a single?
Tinie – No I didn’t ever feel Pass Out would be a single I always thought it would just be one for the album. I thought it’d be a little bit dark and a little bit underground for it to be a single- but you never know with music these days!
There’s a reference on there to MTV’s biggest show The Hills, are you a fan of the show and who’s your favourite girl?
Tinie – Well to be quite honest I’m not that big a fan of The Hills… but when I was writing the track I was like- I live a very very very wild lifestyle, who else does?
The Hills girls have got really rich boyfriends and they have crazy parties. So I actually phoned my sister and was like “Yo Kells who’s the main two girls in The Hills?” and she was like “Heidi and Audrina.”
In terms of telling you my favourite girl I couldn’t actually do that but I’m sure they’d all be very interested to meet me one day so we could maybe… discuss… things. Haha.
Tom – You came up on the grime scene and worked with a lot of people. Have they given you any advice?
Tinie – Every single person that I have collaborated with thus far is somebody that I’m inspired by. Whether they are friend or not it’s somebody who I’ve looked up to. Chipmunk is a good friend of mine and Mr. Hudson. I only recently met him when I did the track with him- but he’s a really really down to earth guy man.
MTV – How’s the debut album coming along who’s going to be on it and when’s it out?
Tinie- First and foremost it’s called The Discovery it’s out summertime. I’d like to say July but you know these things move about. I don’t really want to give anything away because like I’m quite particular about people that I work with. I could work with a few people and then tell you who’s going to be on it but by next week I would’ve recorded a whole bunch of other… but expect a couple of surprise collaborations and expect a lot of exciting tracks. 12 exciting tracks.
MTV  – Is Pass Out a good example of the sound do you think that’s a good introduction to new fans of what the album’s all about?
Tinie – Well I’d say ‘Pass Out’ is in terms of randomness, but in terms of a particular sound or particular theme I never really like to make one track sound the same as the rest. I don’t believe in having a particular style or sound.
Expect randomness… really good randomness though.



Kristen Stewart interview.

At the end of a long day of interviews promoting Twilight, it might be exhaustion -- or high spirits -- that makes Kristen Stewart so blunt; asked if she's thought about walking away from the series just to mess with people's heads, she laughs: " Oh, God, yeah. I've totally had the thought; it would be so easy for me to send so many hundreds of girls into such a frenzy. It took a long time for me to admit that I was too bogged down by the first book, to admit to these girls that I wasn't as ... I'm just as obsessed as they are; I read it from an entirely different perspective and had to live it for three months. I can't start the next book unless I have the job to do, or I'm just gonna drive myself insane -- and even this, they don't get that. They're like "What? How could you not read the book ...?" Yeah, I have thought, many times. "What could I do?" It'd be so easy. ..."

Stewart spoke about coming to grips with a dedicated group of fans, getting into character, changing Bella's wardrobe, how she kept the natural in Twilight's supernatural story and much more in Los Angeles. 

Cinematical: There's this great moment in Twilight where Bella's driving by the diner as her friends are walking out, and she's running for her life from vampires, and her friends are happy and she's sad ... Was it hard building a naturalistic character in this film, or was it a good place to retreat to, from all the special effects and supernatural stuff?
Kristen Stewart: It's funny; when we were doing the film, it didn't feel like a big effects movie. They were never around; we didn't have the money to pull it off; everything was in-camera. It always felt like a character-driven movie; it always felt like I may as well just be doing an indie, except there's like fifteen thousand more people sitting behind the monitor with opinions. In this case it was ... I feel like it's a very real world; the only little minor detail is that (Edward's) a vampire. And that could be very representative of any problem that a guy you're with may have, any sort of hang-up he may have; this is just a really sort of glorified extreme version of that. So, it was always so rooted in reality that no, that doesn't really apply. 

Cinematical: I was talking with Ms. Hardwicke about the fact that Bella comes from a fractured family situation, and that she meets the Cullens -- who are aren't a traditional family, but are a very functional family, and if that's part of the appeal for (them) for Bella as a character. Could you feel that on-set, responding to the energy of the actors playing the Cullens? 


KS:
 Yeah, absolutely; they are family ... I mean, not the actors playing the Cullens, but. ... When you meet (the Cullens) for the first time in the movie, you think 'Wait, so is he their dad? He's really young; so is she; how does that work?" I think ... you're not always born into your family, and that, for her, was sort of what she felt. ... Even though she really does love her mom and her dad, it's not the family she should have been born into. 

Cinematical: When you stepped into those scenes, did those actors seem to have a connected vibe to them?
KS: Yeah! They absolutely seemed to portray people that have been together not just for however long a normal family would be together ... families don't always want to be together all the time; (the Cullens) have chosen to be together all the time; it's different when you choose that, and absolutely I think they portrayed that; It's something you see that's so admirable, and you want to be part of it. 

Cinematical: I can easily imagine that this endless process of interviews is the worst part of making the film ... 


KS:
 Yes. 

Cinematical: ... What was the best part of making the film?
KS: Being done? At the beginning of a project, it's like, so daunting. A lot of people were very celebratory (at the beginning of filming) because they knew that this was gonna be, like, "Oooh, it's a big movie! We have a built-in fan base! You guys are doing great!" Yeah, but our job is so far from being done. I'm always incredibly stressed out in the middle of making a movie, and once I'm finished, it's like "Whew ... done." It's finished, and I don't have to stress out about it anymore; it's a done deal. 




Selena Gomez interview.
What was the vision when recording your new album, When The Sun Goes Down?
"I wanted to age it up a little bit and I really wanted it to be different and fun. It's kind of a little bit European sounding too with the repetitive fun beats, baselines and things we've added. The lyric content is really fun, kind of cheeky and different for me. The imaging and artwork was really fun and I got to experiment with different eras, got to have wigs and wear crazy make-up!"

Like the psychedelic style in the 'Love You Like A Love Song' video which is definitely not what we were expecting from you...
"Thank you! That was what we were rooting for!"

Why did you choose to release the empowering 'Who Says' as your first single?
"Originally I wasn't even going to put out a third record because I was finishing Wizards of Waverly Place and going on tour. I wanted to do a single and I heard 'Who Says' and loved it and really wanted that song. The reaction it got was really great. It's really inspiring to me just to sing and then to see how my fans have reacted and the stories I've heard has been really amazing. I wanted to make a whole album that made people feel that way. 'Who Says' is very inspirational.

Your albums have arrived quite quickly after each other...
"I know! I spent two years on the first one, Kiss and Tell, and a year on the second one, A Year Without Rain, and then, like, two months on this one, When The Sun Goes Down!"

Does that mean you'll spend a month on the fourth one then?
"No! That is the one where I will start over and definitely take my time with it."

Britney Spears wrote a song on the record called 'Whiplash'. Have you met her yet to talk about the track?
"No, I have not met her but I do love her and I think she is awesome. I was very honoured to have a song on the record by her."

Have you seen the Femme Fatale tour yet?
"I've missed it so far because I've been promoting. I really wanted to see her concert in Los Angeles - everybody says it was awesome and she's doing really well. My favourite Britney song is 'I'm A Slave 4 U'. That is such a fun song."

You are doing a mash-up of Britney songs on your summer tour; anymore hints about what fans can expect?
"I don't want to give anything away but I will say that we are starting from her earliest hits to her more recent hits."
Pixie Lott co-wrote another song on the album and even makes an appearance...
"Yes! I love Pixie very much. She wrote a song called 'We Own The Night' with Toby Gad and I'm obsessed with it, I think it's a beautiful song. Originally I was just going to have the song and not feature her but I love her voice so much. I listen to the original version with her singing it more just because her voice is so beautiful. I wanted to keep some of the ambience she had on the record therefore we featured it."

Candace Bushnell recently said you'd make a perfect young Charlotte York in Sex and the City. Would you be up for it?
"That was a huge compliment and I was very surprised when I heard that - it was very sweet. But there is nothing official and I've never even been approached or anything. My mum is more of a fan because I wasn't really allowed to watch it when I was younger but I definitely love the series."

A day doesn't go by without a picture of you popping up online or in the magazines. How are you handling the increased paparazzi attention?
"It's weird. I don't think I'll ever really get used to you, to be honest. I don't like that part of my job but it does come with it so I have to deal with it."

You are in London for the launch of Disney Channel HD and marked the occasion by performing tracks from your new LP; how did it go?
"It was fun. I got to perform two new songs from my new record and also 'Naturally'. I love my fans and I love doing concerts in small venues. I performed at the Hammersmith Apollo here in London and that was awesome because it was very intimate. I was able to see my fans and interact with them which was great."

More from our Selena Gomez chat...

On her English accent in Monte Carlo: "It was very weird but fun. I think it came across fine. I love the film and worked really hard on it."

On whether we'll ever see her doing a gritty, dark drama: "Eventually I'll probably do that. I am open to doing a lot of things but probably not at the moment.

On plans for another Wizards of Waverly Place movie: "Not at the moment, no."

On whether she'll be bringing her tour to the UK anytime soon: "Hopefully! I would love that, but as of now we haven't announced any UK dates."

On what she'll be doing for her 19th birthday: "I will actually be driving up to northern California to do a concert so I'll probably just be celebrating with my fans, which is the best way."

Wizards of Waverly Place star Selena Gomez celebrated the launch of Disney Channel HD with a special showcase in London. Selena Gomez & The Scene's When The Sun Goes Down is out now.