Big Time Rush :)

Recently, I sat down to interview four guys, there names are Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan. And if you have a tween or teen girl around you…they are probably screaming right now! These guys are big! And if the screaming has stopped and they are now able to tell from your perplexed look of you they actually are, their name is Big Time Rush. How big are they? Their Nickelodeon show (also called Big Time Rush) debuted last November is now second only to Icarly and the group came out with a cd that when I met them for this interview, had kids skipping school to stand in line to meet them, security in full force, and an army of media cameras reserved for only the very famous.

The guys had a grueling schedule of hitting different cities promoting their new cd but they were totally loving every moment of it. I talked with them in one of the Back rooms of Best Buy in Altamonte Springs, Fl before they were to meet their eager fans and to sign 600 of their cd’s which sold in a matter of hours at the store.

So here’s Big Time Rush : Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan:


Q. “Your TV Show on Nickelodeon, also called Big Time Rush, is the 2nd highest rated show behind ICarly. So were you surprised the show would do so well?”


A.(James) “Absolutley! It took a long time to cast and after - literally 2 years of auditions, we hoped it would do well and then it seemed to exceed all those high expectations we had to begin with! and we couldn’t imagine it would become this big this quickly… So we’re all very, very grateful.”


Q. “Your pilot episode from last November aired after the Icarly - Imove out special -Do you think that was really great to be right after Icarly?”

A. (Kendall) “It was really cool! Icarly gave us a launching pad for many to recognize the show & be able to see it & once they kinda got hooked- they loved watching it.We’re very thankful for Icarly and Miranda and we love her to death!”
(Carlos) “ In fact, she just guest starred on our show which is really cool for us -for our Christmas show!”


Q.” Casting for Big Time Rush was in 2007 - so this wasn’t an overnight thing for you guys - Carlos Had postponed Boston Conservatory to study music for awhile - did anyone else put stuff aside?”

A. (Kendall)” I had a band I started before Big Time Rush and it’s on hold at the moment-But I’m full into Big Time Rush and it’s been going great. In fact, the people that are outside waiting to have us sign stuff is incredible and we each appreciate it so much and we wouldn’t be here without the fans!”

(Logan)”I was acting and had just moved out to LA and getting call-backs and on hold for a lot of cool projects and this was the one that fizzled on and I joined this and it’s been history ever since.”

(James) “ I know all of us through the course of the audition prject actually turned down a good amt of shows and looked at for several movies but because of our contract - didn’t get to do that. Carlos and I actually got called the same time into Disney.”
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So I finished up my interview with hugs and thank you’s and walked past the hundreds of screaming fans holding up signs and past the tv cameras covering the tween frenzy, and past the security and headed out to do my next on location interview…Champion Wrestler and NY Times Best selling author Mick Foley.

A lot of times I’m asked by kids are they really that nice or what did they say or do?
After watching them hangout and get ready to do my interview with them, I can say yes, they are really nice- all of them. They also really get along together and no one is like a take charge person - each one has a lot of input and they all enjoy doing what they are doing. After Florida, they were heading over to Texas to do the same and across the country, Big Time Rush is Big!

My Interview with Gloria Gaynor!

Gloria Gaynor is the Disco Queen of the 1970's and has survived and done so many things since then. I got to sit down and talk with Gloria Gaynor in Orlando at the Peabody Hotel before she was scheduled to perform next door at the Orlando Convention Center where Gladys Knight, B.B.King, Jane Pauley,Whoopi Goldberg, Larry King and Rob Reiner were there also to speak or perform.

There's a lot you may not know about Gloria Gaynor that when i was talking to her, I didn't know at first either. She's a super nice person and she's very strong - like you know whatever comes her way - she will survive. I felt her strength and her love while talking to her and maybe that's because of her strong religious feelings. Here's my talk with the Iconic Gloria Gaynor.

Q. “When did you realize you wanted to be a singer?”
      A. “When I was about 12 or 13 years old.”

Q.” You started off singing jazz and later rhythm and blues (I’ve interviewed some great blues performers like Taj Mahal and Floyd Miles) and that’s a lot different then Disco- so how did you make the switch over to Disco music?”
     A.”I switched over to disco music because the jazz music I was singing was starting to die a little bit and  there weren’t as many performances available to me so I decided to change over to something that was going to be more lucrative & also to supply this new market that was growing - the Disco type of music.”

Q.” Kids think that they can go on stage and BAM they’re famous - most kids I know don’t know of the “Chitterling Circuit”. How long did it take you to where you said, “Wow, it looks like I’m doing good with my singing!”
   A. “I started singing in 1962 and my first recording was 1972. It took 10 yrs of what I call honing my craft and I think that’s good because when you do that, you have the opportunity to really know what your doing and be comfortable before you become famous and rushed with a lot of people -doing autographs & people running you here and there- then you don’’t know what’s going on.

Q.  “You are the Queen of Disco and that’s something really awesome because you’ve been a huge influence on people in the late 1970’s and now. But when you got to be a superstar and Grammy winner, could you still go to family and friends? I mean how did friends and family react to you once you got famous?”
      A.”They kind of got famous too. I call myself - their claim to fame because when they hear me performing in a public place, they want to let people know I’m their sister, niece, aunt or whatever and so they reacted very well. They’re very proud of me and kind of gave me a little special treatment.”

Q.”Your song, “I Will Survive” has been inspirational for a lot of people. Have you heard of a particular inspirational thing that happened from your song and how did you feel.?”
     A. “I’ve heard some really inspirational things about it. One of the things that happened was that(and this to me was amazing) I was in Brazil and doing one of my gospel secionts in my Disco Show -I just took a few minutes to do some gospel songs and in between the songs, I was talking about my faith and what it’s done for me. And there was a girl there who after the show went to her friend and they came back the next day-and she didn’t speak any English so she had no idea what I was saying and her girlfriend spoke English and Portuguese and her girlfriend said to me. This girl said there was a section in the show when I sing and then talk and it burns in her heart and you have to come with me and tell me what [Gloria Gaynor] is saying. So the girl brought her friend and she translated everything I said about Jesus, about how good He is to me and all of that and after the show, they both wanted to become Christians.”

Q. “What is your favorite song? And can you sing a bit for me?”
      A. “My favorite song, originally it was called “I Will Survive” but it’s not the one you know- it’s a completely different song - it’s a Christian song and I changed the name of it when I recorded it because I didn’t want people to think Iwas singing the same song.”

The Queen of Disco, Gloria Gaynor, sang, “I will Survive” to me, and at that moment I thought I was the luckest kid in the World to have Gloria Gaynor sing just to me.

Q. “If you could say one way of How to Survive- what you’ve learned - what would it be?”
      A. “You need to always be truthful with yourself and with others.”

Q. “You’ve performed in front of Presidents, Popes, International superstars, done Broadway (Smokey Joe’s Café), TV shows (That 70’s Show and Ally McBeal) and performed in more that 80 countries. Is there somewhere you’d like to go back and perform or somewhere new to perform?”
     A.”I’d like to go back to Bali - because it’s absolutely beautiful and the people were really, really warm and they welcome you and make you feel at home- it was great.”

Q. Future Plans and gigs?
     A. I have lots of plans for the future because I’m always working. I’ll be going back to a lot of countries - even before the year is over. - I’ll be going back to Croatia, to Spain, to Italy and to Brazil and I’m also getting ready to do a Gospel Album but the most exciting thing for me is - I’m In college! And I’m studying Psychology because I want to open a healing, learning and recreational center for teenage parents because I want the mothers and fathers to come together and raise their children together and learn how to be a family and be good for each other.

Talking to Gloria Gaynor, I felt a lot of her quiet strength and I know she’ll be helping a lot of  kids in the future to survive. And while you may know her as the Disco Queen, I know her as a great lady.

Interview with Matisyahu

 

Matisyahu

If you know reggae music, then you know this name.  If you listened to and watched any of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games, then you heard his music.  And if you like Akon’s music then you probably know that Akon likes Matisyahu’s music.  I talked to Matisyahu last weekend before his performance where he was performing after Sublime with Rome and Dirty Heads who are groups that if you know reggae music, you’ll know these are more of best of the best in their fields.  In fact Sublime’s Rome Ramirez and Dirty Heads just released a single you’re hearing a lot on the radio called Lay Me Down. Rome sings the song with Dirty Heads but not Sublime.  If you know reggae music, you already know this information.  But I didn’t talk to Sublime with Rome for a few reasons. 

1. The guys were busy doing a sound check when I arrived 

2. I did not have a scheduled interview with them.

Grammy nominated Matisyahu is a style that I really like and so do millions of other people.  He’s got his own style, (it’s really too complex so noone is even going to try), his road manager escorted me to Matisyahu’s RV, where he was before his sold out concert.  I knew he was going to be a nice person, I could just tell and when you listen to his current song, “One Day” that he co-wrote, that was another reason that as a kid, I can tell when someone is pretty cool.  I didn’t talk to him about his performances at the Olympics or his many late night show performances on Jay Leno, Kimmel or Letterman.  I asked him how he became him (and of course, if he could sing “One Day”  to me, which he did).

Q. You do rap, hip hop, jazz, scat singing and Judaism hazzan and beat boxing all into
     Reggae music.  First what is beat boxing? And how did you combine all these
     Styles?
A. Beatboxing is when you make the sounds of drums with your mouth.  When I was a
Kid, I never really took to an instrument. I tried to play but could never really focus to
Learn, but I knew I loved music & I loved singing and as I started listening to more reggae/hip hop music, I started doing rapping and then did beat boxing.  My friends who rapped freestyle-I’d do the beat boxing behind them.

Q. When did you start singing and who inspired you? 
  A.  When I was in school there were 2 choruses, the regular performing arts chorus and
The gospel chorus. When the gospel chorus performed,I wanted to be in that and everyone asked why do you want to be in the gospel chorus. That was really the first
Inspiration in singing I got.

Q.  Your lyrics are very powerful and your song “one Day” is one of my favorite songs.
  How did you come up with the lyrics to write this song?
A. I wrote that song with 3 other people so I can’t take all the credit for it. But basically, I
Wanted to write a song that was really an anthem, a song about peace and hope and belief .

Q.  at the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver, “One Day” was the Olympics Official song for NBC.  You’ve called it a Global Anthem. Do you think you could sing some of it?
A. Matisyahu sings “One day” , even though he has an earache and scheduled to 
Perform in a few hours.  
     I have to say, that’s something I’ll always remember.

Q. “One Day” also had a remix with the singer Akon.  How did that happen?
A. a friend said Akon really liked it and the record company had him sing it. 


Q. You just finished Disney’s Circle of Life song for the New Disney Reggae Club
Album… was it fun to do? And how did you decide to do it different from Elton John?
A. I felt like it would be a good reggae song because of the theme of the music and the
Imagery in reggae music like the lion of Judah.  We tried to make it more modern…
More phsychodelic.

Q. You have a style that’s all your own…was it tough to keep “real to yourself” in the
Music business?   
  A, The hardest thing is keeping it real to yourself. Everytime I get up on stage, I ask myself what am I doing here-why am I here- do people really want to listen to me-what do I have to say and how can I express what I have to say the best and always try to be evolving and growing and better ways to express myself and not get caught up in pleasing
Everybody.

Q. have you had any obstacles and how did you overcome them?
A. everyday is an obstacle. Everyday there’s little things and just try to stay centered and focused and thankful.

Q. Plans for the future?
A. Continuing to make more music, write more songs and another album and I’m thinking about doing a kids album too.

Matisyahu is touring the US and Canada through September. He just finished a world tour. The New Disney Reggae Club Album is available everywhere and features in addition to Matisyahu,   Ziggy Marley, UB40 and more.  

Interview with Orlando Magic's Vince Carter

 
  Orlando Magic’s Vince Carter is known all over the world but he’s known in Daytona 

Beach as Vince Carter, a person with a caring heart and helping hand and…our star.

I talked to Vince Carter back in August 2009, when I first started my radio show and he

Was preparing for the Orlando Magic training before the season started.  It was a phone 

Interview and we talked about different stuff like Kai’s Closet- where he has his daughter

Learn the importance of giving by donating her clothes to the needy.

Well last week, I met up with Vince Carter during his Vince Carter Basketball Camp.

 It’s  something he’s very proud of and we went over to sit on the steps outside the

Gymnasium at Mainland High School and talked about stuff.

Q This is the 12th year for your basketball camp here in Daytona Beach.  But it really
Isn’t just a camp - it’s an academy where kids learn more about playing basketball?
And are the kids all local?
A.No, I have some kids from Spain, from Brazil, Orlando area-they come from all over.
We have a good time here as you got to see.  We incorporate basketball and life skills and how to have fun and meet new people and it’s been a great experience!

Q I talk to a lot of people - not just kids and they all have so many great things to say
About you and your mom.  Do you know how much you change peoples lives and how
Do you helping so many people change your life?
A I consider myself a good listener first of all and for all the people, they look up to me as an NBA superstar-the appreciation they have for me -they see I’m just a regular human
Being that likes to have fun-I’m just a big kid & I adapt to young kids.  I have to say, I get a lot of credit for the success of this camp - a lot of my coaches who are with these guys hour after hour coaching them, teaching them the skills from what I’ve learned- I have to 
Salute them as well. 

Q  Sometimes In basketball or with regular stuff you do - people can say mean things -
How do you handle it? Because I’m in middle school and kids can be really mean to me
Sometimes too?
A. Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the term, “Turn the other cheek?”  I think that’s the biggest comeback you can give to a person who says mean things- as much as it may hurt you inside. I think the consequence after having a verbal argument with them sontimes ends up negative.  You know we see the news and people are hurt because of an argument.  And it’s the hardest thing to do.  I think when a person is mean to you, makes fun of you or whatever, and you don’t say anything back to them I think it bothers them because their expecting you to have a verbal argument with them and they realize that they can’t get to you.  Like a wall- if you can’t crack a wall- you tend to leave it alone after a while.  And that’s the advice I’d give to you and just like myself, you look on blogs or on tv and everyone critizes critiques what I do and it’s frustrating - your human but at the same time, hold your head up high and be confident of who and what you’ve accomplished and what you want to accomplish and I guarantee you’ll go further than that person.

Q Do you have a favorite food and is it at your restaurant?
A. I’m a pasta lover. Italian. I have a favorite dish-2 different pasta dishes in my 
Restaurant. I’m not much of a seafood person.

Q. When you’re not playing basketball, what do you like to do? Hobbies?
A. I’m a homebody. I have 2 boston terriers-that are actually my daughters that I love
To play with.  I’m a computer techy.  I like electronics. I don’t watch much tv, or play video games(I have them but don’t really play them). I enjoy my friends.  One thing I
Kind of pride myself on is I like to learn a little about a lot of things. People have an
Appreciation for that because they think  “wow, he knows something about what I do”

Q.  Your slogan for your Embassy of Hope foundation is “Believe in your Dreams” I
Talked to Lucille O’Neal [Shaquille’s mom], and she said always “Dream Big”. Kids
Have a tough time reaching for stuff that seems impossible to achieve - how do you motivate them?
A. That’s one of the things my coaches and myself want them to learn.  We want them to learn how to reach for their goals -set them and reach for it.  It’s helping them to learn to persevere through tough times when that door closes or people tell you you can’t do it - not being aftaid to try again and I have 5 goals that I live by & they learn in the camp: Vision, Balance, Teamwork, Hardwork, and Perservere.  

Q Plans for the future? Next year?    
A. Continue to do my basketball camp because it’s something -I absolutely love doing  
It and it helps me feel free away from the “business” of the basketball.  Build other restaurants- Orlando, NJ, NC - in areas where I’ve lived and hopefully soon, you’ll see some more Vince Carter Restaurants.

With Vince Carters vision I think that will probably happen soon too.   

My Interview with Jack Johnson

Surfers know Jack Johnson… most of the world does actually.  His songs are easy and comfortable.  Which was like my experience with Jack Johnson and his tour crew.  I was greeted at the security entrance in the back area of the Amway Arena and from then on, it was like I went to my neighbor’s house and sat with friendly people.

I was escorted to the VIP room and asked a little later if I wanted to go up to the Village Green area (where the non-profit organizations had tables and Jack Johnson was talking to them up there). So the tour Manager walks me up and I’m with Jack Johnson for about  30 minutes or so while he’s talking to the surf rider foundation, and Filter for good.com and a lot more. He’s a good listener.  And then we go in the

Elevator back to the VIP room for the interview. 

      I already knew from my research on Jack Johnson, plus talking upstairs with the local and national non-profit groups that are at each of his concerts that the to The Sea World Tour, is a lot more than a music tour...It’s a lot about being committed to giving back to the community.  It was a great experience for me and I learned a lot around some awesome people! Like 100% of his 2008 tour profits were used to establish the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation (JOCF) to support

environmental, art and music education for now and into the future and that 100% of the 2010 tour profits of the world tour go to charity too! 

After visiting the different organizations, I headed back to the VIP room with Jack Johnson for our interview.

Q. “I watched an interview you had that you talked about growing up in Hawaii and

      Playing the ukele. When I think of Hawaii and ukelele playing, I think of brother

       Iz. Was Iz an influence on any of your music while growing up?

A. “Yeah, He definitely was someone I heard when I was a little older that influenced

      Me- but I heard a lot of other people when I was young, a lot of my dad’s friends that

     Lived next door.  In elementary school, I was lucky - that was the first instrument I

     Was introduced to- was the ukelele.  It was one of those things I had in my hands even

     Before I remember playing and and Brother Iz was definitely someone we heard        

     Growing up.

Q.” When you started playing the guitar, did you think I want to do this for a

      Career? I mean were you pretty focused while growing up?

A. “I wasn’t really.  I kind of learned to play the guitar so the family could do singalongs    

     With Beatle song, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, stuff like that. Then I went to college

     & I kind of always kept it as a hobby, then I started making surf movies & still kept

     It as a hobby & then I put it in the background of the surf movies and that kind of led me getting a chance to record the songs because people got the soundtracks to the surf

     Films. But when I was a kid - it wasn’t something I thought I’d do for a living.”

Q “One of my face book friends, Tyler Sheridan, wanted to ask (because we know your an awesome surfer) what’s your favorite place to surf?”

A.  “When I was really little, I liked a spot called Aukai Beach Park and the waves there

    Are kind of smaller and fun.  And then when I got to be a teenager and in my twenties,

    I liked surfing at a spot called Pipeline - That’s probably one of the most challenging

    Waves in the world and so that was when I was surfing everyday and a lot of hours

     Everyday and really practicing.  Now days, I have three kids so I don’t surf the        

   Pipeline anymore - because you really have to stay up with it. And now I like surfing a

   Spot called Pupukea “ (I think I made a funny face because he said) yeah, I know that’s a funny name- and that’s where I surf a lot now. “

I asked him what a pipeline is - and he explains it better than my favorite teacher. Of

Course I went home and thanks to www.wannasurf.com found out it’s considered for

“pros or kamikaze surfers”  Yeah, that’s something else you find out when talking to

Jack Johnson- is he’s pretty awesome but he doesn’t tell you. 

Q “ The environment is very important to you and you donate 100% of your tour

      Profits to support the environment, art and music education.  How did you   decide to do this. I mean, did you say at the start of 2008 tour and To The Sea world tour this is what I want to do?”

A. “Yeah, I decided before we went out and did the 2008 tour that I wanted to find a way that I could be promoting the new cd that we put our but also trying to give back to a bunch of these non-profit groups that I’ve met along the way in our 2005 tour - and I just

Thought their doing a lot of good things and I know that musics a really good way to bring people together and raise funds for thins you believe in.  Environmental education

Is definetly a big one for me and music and art education as well.  Things that have given

Me so much a chance in my life - the chance to learn and play music and to get into art

And also now that I have kids - making sure that this is a planet that’s going to be healthy and happy and a place for them to grow up - it’s important to me.

Q  “Your to the sea world tour - it just started 2 months ago but what have people

     learned from you?”

A. “Some of the venues we’ve played at - we ask them to try different things, different

Ways of putting on a show, sometimes trying to source their energy that their using for the show- to renewable sources like wind or solor power.  Some of the venues after we leave find out that the first show we do together that it’s worthwhile for them to continue to do and that makes us feel happy - that some places we play are actually changing how they do business and then a lot of the fans when they come to the show- we have refillable water bottle stations so you don’t have to buy water bottles - you can bring your own container and make less single-use plastic. So I think when people come they realize that that’s a nice way of doing things and they take that back home with them and hopefully apply that in their own life. “

Q I talked to Matisyhu and he’s thinking of doing a kids album.  I know you did a sing along and lullabies for the film Curious George - any other plans for kid songs?”

A. “Not yet but I have 3 kids so I’m always writing little songs whether it’s about

Brushing your teeth, taking showers or baths, so I’m sure I’ll have all these songs around and record another kids album but there’s no plans to do one right now.”

Q . “Did you have any obstacles and how did you overcome them?”

 A. “I hit my face really bad one time surfing and these are fake teeth in the front and I got about 150 stitches in my forehead and lip and for a while (I was 17 when that happened), I was a little bit worried - a few months I had to sit out of the water - whether

I was going to be able to surf like before just because of the fear of the accident and I just learned to slowly push myself back into a comfortable place I was before the accident.  But that was definitely one of those times I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do something I loved to do on the same level.  I think just by persevering and continuing to try as best I could - I got to the place I was before.”

 

Q I love your song upside down from the Curious George movie and definitely my

   favorite video.  And “You and Your Heart” is awesome too! Do you have a   favorite song?”

A.  I have one called “Better Together”. I think partly because I’ve had so many people tell me stories about when they’ve used the song in their lives.  A lot of people use it as their first dance song on their wedding day or bringing their kid home the first time.  I think because I’ve heard these stories and that song means more in other peoples lives, it means I like the song even more. “

Q. “Plans for the future?”

A. “I always try not to plan too far ahead but in about a week, I’ll go home to Hawaii and stay their about a month and then tour in October.  And I’ll probably take off for a year because I can’t write too much while I’m on tour because I have allt these people wathcing and I like to write when I’m not thinking of performing - instead just writing the song because it’s something I want to do…not something that I have to go out , play the song in front of people someday - it makes it hard to write when I think about that. So I’ll take a year off from touring and try to write some new songs.”

It was great talking to Jack Johnson and his crew was really nice! I headed over to my ballet class at Orlando Ballet and then came back to watch the concert.  It was really great!  If you get a chance to see Jack Johnson at one of his concerts - you’ll really enjoy it. Plus you’ll know that your able to do a lot for the environment too!

You can find out more about making a global change at www.allatonce.org

“An individual action, multiplied by millions creates global change.”  Is the all at once motto. And it’s really nice to be around people that like to make it all happen.

My First Blog!!

Hey Everyone! 


This is my first blog, and I am very excited to start sharing all the cool info from my celebrity interviews :)  Be sure to check back often to catch up on all of the latest stuff. Also, check out my YouTube for all the interviews, and add me on Facebook! 


~Pavlina