CELEBRITY IN TERVIEW

HERE’S A LITTLE TREAT FROM THE BIG HOMEY, YOURS TRULY. ANOTHER DOUBLE DOSE OF CELEBRITY CHATTER, A FUN Q&a duo for you to enjoy. Today’s featured celebs are two funny men who are enjoying a current run of commercial success in their respective fields. I’m referring to jay mohr & steve zahn. I know you’ll dig, so go ahead & do that.

Got a minute? Comedian Jay Cox Mohr (né Jay Mohr), the star of Gary Unmarried (Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS), sounds off about the sitcom's success, packing on a few pounds, and taking his wife's last name.

Q: You've appeared in several short-lived TV series, and Details crowned you the King of Pilots. How does it feel to be on a People's Choice Award–winning sitcom?

A: It's about time. Whenever you do a pilot, you put all your interest and passion into it. This really is a business based on rejection and failure. Baseball has a higher success rate. If you hit 30 percent of the time, you go to the Hall of Fame. In acting, if you hit 30 percent of the time, you're Gene Hackman.

Q: What's in store for Gary in the rest of the first season?

Gary's going to play the field more. He's going to break up with his girlfriend. We went from "Gary unmarried" to "Gary very committed" very quickly. And hopefully I'll be a thinner Gary in Season 2.

Q: Have you put on weight?

A: When you get into a relationship where you're truly happy, the belly seems to grow a bit. I was talking with Ed Burns on the set of The Groomsmen, and we both have larger bellies than we're used to. He said to me, "Show me a happily married man with a six-pack and you have to question his sexuality." As long as you have big arms, it's all right to have the big belly —like Harvey Keitel.

Q: Is it tough to play a divorced character when you're so happy in your marriage (to actress Nikki Cox)?

A: There's no character I would find depressing to play. I want to be on TV and enjoy its benefits, its wonderful health and dental plan. You know what's depressing? Not playing anything on television. Getting cut out of movies. It's also depressing to have to go through your IMDb page with a complete stranger at a Dodgers game. "Where do I know you from?" "Jerry Maguire?" "No, never seen that."

Q: You've been married for two years, but in December you added your wife's last name to yours. Why?

A: She took mine. It only seemed fair. We both have the same name now: "Cox Mohr."

Q: Better that than the other way around.

A: We thought about sending out wedding invitations for "Mohr Cox." Who could say no? Even if you're a heterosexual male, out of curiosity you'd wonder, Where is this room with "Mohr Cox"—and how will they all fit?

By: Ryan Wenzel

Got a minute? Veteran actor Steve Zahn sounds off about living in the moment, his new movie Management (in theaters May 15), and groping Jennifer Aniston's butt.

Q: Your character in Management, Mike, falls in love with Sue (Jennifer Aniston), a guest at his family's motel. Early on, she lets him touch her butt. How'd that go down when you were filming?

A: The butt-touching scene is supposed to be the most awkward scene in the world. It's fucking bizarre. In any other movie, they would go on a date, it would be funny, and the montage would begin. But this turns into two 11-year-olds in the basement playing doctor. It's odd and yet at the same time very sexy. It had to be perfect—not just with what Jennifer and I were doing but with the camera. We did a lot of takes. I'm embarrassed by the outtakes.

Q: Did she use a butt double?

A: No, that would have been ridiculous. Because then I would have used a stunt hand.

Q: Mike tries to woo Sue by serenading her with Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love." Was this kind of stuff part of your courting repertoire?

A: I pursued my wife (actress Robyn Peterman) so much it was embarrassing. We were doing a musical, Bye Bye Birdie, and I remember planning my routes—crossing backstage just because she was crossing backstage. Ridiculous shit, but that paid off, man.

Q: You're known for playing funny, quirky characters. What's it like to be a leading man?

A: It's the same kind of character, but busier. It wasn't like I was replacing some hunk. If I'm the romantic lead, you know it's going to be different from what you're used to. Even years ago, in New York when I was reading scripts, I always responded to the other parts. I was like, "I like this guy. I like the buddy."

Q: You have five movies scheduled for release in 2009. Has that been overwhelming?

A: Honestly, a lot of those movies were shot a while ago, like The Great Buck Howard, Sunshine Cleaning, and this one. It's always interesting when people say, "Man, are you busy." A week earlier, I'm selling the car because we need money, asking, "Are there any bad movies out there I could do?"

Q: What's next for you?

A: I have to take a pee, man—I don't think too far ahead.

By: Ryan Wenzel

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: TYRESE GIBSON & BEYONCE

A TREAT FOR YOU, MY BELOVED READERS. I HAVE A CELEBRTIY DOUBLE FEATURE FOR YOU. THANKS TO UPSCALE MAGAZINE I HAVE INTERVIEWS WITH TWO OF HOLLYWOOD’S SEXIEST, TYRESE GIBSON & MRS. CARTER, OR, AS YOU MAY KNOW HER, BEYONCE. CHEERS, & ENJOY. YOU CAN THANK ME LATER.

Truly Beyoncé

Words by Isoul H. Harris

“I am my biggest critic,” says Beyoncé, while taking a rare break from the rigorous rehearsals in New York for her upcoming world tour. A pop superstar feigning self-critique for greater public endearment isn’t novel, but in her case it’s probably genuine. Why else would someone so successful continue to work and produce at such a dizzying pace? Her infinite drive has been ceaselessly documented and written about: there is no argument that this young, black girl from Houston has worked for her reported $315 million net worth (and—gasp!—that’s without hubby Jay-Z). But what truly keeps her going?

“I stay motivated and I don’t get jaded because I love what I do. If you love what you do, you just want to work harder and do more. I always feel I could have done something better,” says the notorious workaholic. Despite her ridiculously successful career so far—which includes more than 50 million albums sold with Destiny’s Child, three successful solo albums, countless endorsements from Tommy Hilfiger and Armani perfumes to L’Oreal and even DirecTV, a string of high-profile movie roles and sold-out worldwide tours—she still feels the need to upgrade. Diddy won’t stop out of a craving for relevancy; Tina still tours selectively because she’s wanted; but Beyoncé is fueled by the fear of mediocrity.

She has been in rehearsals for the tour since February, and in true Beyoncé fashion, she is determined for perfection. “I always want to challenge myself to do something new and better and I feel this tour will be the best I have ever done,” she interjects.

From the new routines showcasing songs from her third solo outing, I Am…Sasha Fierce (a mixed bag of languid ballads and beat-driven anthems) to the costumes designed by legendary Parisian atelier Thierry Mugler, the former core of Destiny’s Child knows what it takes to thrive as an artist in a time when people are more concerned with their house and car notes than paying to hear musical ones. Her last tour was a critical and commercial triumph: she could have been Diana Ross at Caesar’s Palace circa 1979. “My all-female band and my dancers are amazing. My mother (Tina Knowles) introduced me to Thierry Mugler and we brought him on as creative advisor. Visually and musically, I want this to be an incredible experience,” she says easily. But then, she allows a little vulnerability to seep in. “But,there is always pressure to do better than the last time

TYRESE GIBSON

Made Man

Words By Billy Johnson Jr.

Something happened at Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon’s one-year anniversary party in April at the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas that left Tyrese Darnell Gibson feeling dazed. After the dinner, he went back to his hotel room to change clothes. A friend noticed that his mood seemed down and asked him if something was bothering him. It took him a second to figure it out.

“It finally hit me,” the 30-year-old says via phone two days later, while in Louisville at his first Kentucky Derby. “I miss being married. I missed that feeling of just having someone to call my own. Even though there are lot of random things running around, you still want that solid foundation at home. So I just had a moment when I seen them hitting glasses and toasting…I just had a moment like, ‘Damn.’”

Interestingly, many did not know that Tyrese even had a wife until he filed for a divorce from Norma Mitchell last October after being married for just 10 months. And though he won’t get into the specifics of the split, he does offer this much: “I filed for divorce. I’m not perfect. I’ve made some major mistakes in the past and she has too. Sometimes marriages just don’t work out.”

Still, he maintains that the divorce won’t stop him from being a great father to their daughter, Shayla Somer Gibson. He thinks that too many parents allow their personal conflicts with their exes to get in the way of their relationships with their children.

“There’s gonna be moments where the energy is funky and uncomfortable, but do your part,” Tyrese argues. “There’s a lot of people in your life that you do not necessarily get along with or are not on the same page with, and you’re still in their life. So do what you have to do so that you can do what you want to do, which is spend time with your child.”

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: THE DREAM

Napoleon Dynamite to Star in Sitcom

Comedy Central has ordered 10 episodes of a groundbreaking series, starring Jon Heder as an out of work computer IT specialist, to be co-written by Will Ferrell.

NEW YORK, NY —Comedy Central has ordered an initial run of 10 episodes of a new, untitled sitcom starring Jon Heder ("Napoleon Dynamite," "Blades of Glory") from Gary Sanchez Productions and Debmar-Mercury, it was announced today by Gary Sanchez Productions, Comedy Central and Debmar-Mercury.

Produced by Gary Sanchez Productions, the production company led by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy, distributed by Debmar-Mercury, the untitled, multi-camera sitcom for Comedy Central will star Jon Heder as an out of work computer IT specialist who leaves the big city and returns to his small home town, where he moves back in with his parents and younger brother. Ferrell, McKay and Henchy will write and produce the series.

Modeled after previous successful groundbreaking Tyler Perry sitcom ventures from Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, Comedy Central has initially ordered 10 episodes of the Heder sitcom and will then have the option to order an additional 90 episodes upon a successful first-season run. Debmar-Mercury would retain the rights to take the series into syndication after its run on Comedy Central. Prior to this deal, Debmar-Mercury had partnered with Comedy Central in 2003 to distribute the broadcast syndication rights to the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series "South Park."

"Combining the creative genius of the Gary Sanchez gang with the brilliant business model established by Mort and Ira at Debmar-Mercury should ensure many, many great laughs in the years to come on Comedy Central says Michele Ganeless, president, Comedy Central. "With a proven track record featuring some of the most memorable comedy films ever made, we are so excited to be in business with Will, Adam, Chris and Jon," says Lauren Corrao, president, original programming and development, Comedy Central.

"We've always been fans of Jon's," McKay comments. "This deal gives us a chance to take some big creative swings without the risk of testing and focus grouping the show to death."

"We immediately jumped at the opportunity to be in business with this elite team of A-list comedy talents, who are among a handful of people in Hollywood capable of pulling off a project of this magnitude," notes Marcus. Adds Bernstein, "As we expand on a proven business model, we could not be more pleased that Comedy Central chose this concept to serve as its first full-fledged, live-action original sitcom."

David Bernath, Comedy Central's senior vice president, programming, negotiated the deal with Debmar-Mercury's Marcus and Bernstein.

Heder, 31, who came to fame starring as the title character in "Napoleon Dynamite," studied animation at Brigham Young University in Utah and appeared in student-produced short films, including a comedy, "Peluca." It was later expanded into the feature-length "Napoleon Dynamite." Its surprise hit status coming out of the Sundance Film Festival led the film into national distribution and, by the end of 2004, Heder's portrayal of the hapless Napoleon was widely imitated as the movie went on to gross more than a hundred times what it cost to make. Heder's acting career took off. He next appeared in the Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy "Just Like Heaven" (2005) and landed roles in other comedies, including the animated feature "Monster House" (2006) with Maggie Gyllenhaal and the ice-skating farce "Blades of Glory" (2007) with Ferrell.

SOURCE: POP TOWER

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: DRAKE

Finally. After months of everyone bumping Drake’s “Best I Ever Had”—sweat pants, hair-tied, chillin’ with no makeup on—the biggest song in the country finally gets a video. A video directed by Complex homie Kanye West, no less. And it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. This past week, the Toronto native’s smash single rocketed up 24 spots to #3 on the Billboard charts, right as he solidified his much gossiped-about record deal.

Just before premiering the highly anticipated video (whatup, OnSMASH!), Drake stopped by the Complex office to discuss working with Kanye, the truth about his new deal, his handicapped experience at the 2009 BET Awards and his thoughts on World Star Hip Hop’s newfound love of Degrassi…

Interview By Damien Scott

Complex: Everyone’s been waiting on this video. Can you take us through the making of it?

Drake: Yeah. The video is directed by Kanye West. Basically we decided, as opposed to taking ourselves super serious, we just wanted to have some fun with it. Myself, being a young man, a young single man at that, I kind of wanted to be real about the way I function with women at this current point in my life. Which is, I don’t have one woman that I call my girl. There’s different girls in my life that play different roles and I see at different times, but collectively they kind of make up the roster of happiness for me [Laughs].

Complex: Understandable. So what’s the concept?

Drake: The concept of the video is, I’m a coach at a high school and the girls of my life are all on my high school basketball team. Throughout the video you see us prepping for this big championship game, and my team ends up losing. You see the looks on their faces at the end of the video, but the moral of the story, I guess, is win or lose, you can still be the best to somebody. When women see the video and see all the breast and ass, hopefully they don’t take offense. Hopefully they see the real meaning.

Complex: Well, now they’ll know.

Drake: [Laughs.] Now they’ll know.

Complex: Kanye is known as kind of a control freak. How was it working with him on set with him directing?

Drake: Me and Kanye have a great eye to eye. I can’t speak for anybody else, but I would give Kanye the utmost credit for actually being one of the most understanding creative people that I have worked with. I think me and Kanye have mutual respect for each another and I listen to what he has to say regardless, ’cause I trust him. I don’t really fight his suggestions [Laughs.] But he was great. It was a long day and I just thank him for dedicating the time he dedicated. He was great.

Complex: Speaking of basketball, you tore your ACL playing basketball, right?

Drake: Yes sir. It was intense casual, I guess [Laughs]. It was just a regular pick up game and I just took the wrong step.

Complex: Damn, that’s horrible. At the BET Awards this past Sunday, everyone was shocked to see you sitting on a stool. Did you ever think to yourself, Maybe I shouldn’t perform?

Drake: That, actually—to be honest—was a terrible idea that I’ll never do to myself again. [Laughs] But I was being pressed from different areas to perform, and I think what really happened at the BET Awards is with the passing of Mike, the climate really changed, as far as the award show goes. I don’t think it called for us to perform “Every Girl” and “Always Strapped,” and I think it was an award show filled with tributes and music and these genuine heartfelt speeches. And to sort of climax out of a very tongue-in-cheek point, and then people misconstruing Wayne’s daughters and her friends coming out on stage…

Complex: Yeah, it really was an awkward moment.

Drake: Yeah, it was just timed very poorly and it definitely wasn’t planned like that, but with that being said, it is what is. I believe in Wayne and myself and it’s nothing we can’t bounce back from. To anyone who was offended, my personal apologies, it wasn’t intended to offend anybody.

Complex: Watching it at home, the BET Awards seemed to be a mess. Did it seem that way in person?

Drake: Well, I can only speak for my portion of it. I had asked for something very specific for my performance and none of those were met, as far as production value, so…

Complex: That’s BET for you…

Drake: I understood my situation, as far as sitting in one place, and figured there was a way to make it interesting. But when I looked around and noticed that none of that was going on [laughs], I kind of just realized that it was going to be a loss for me. But at the end of the day, it is what it is.

Complex: How did you feel when you heard Mike passed?

Drake : Shocking. Because Michael is just one of those people that you just kind of expect to always be there—he’s Michael Jackson. He’s like one of those guys you never think about…

Complex: …as a real person?

Drake: Yeah. I just never thought Mike could die. And it’s tragic. I know before this tour, a lot of people never had the opportunity to see Mike perform. It’s unfortunate and I always find it interesting to see when people pass away and people find this new found love for the person

Complex: Yeah, a lot of people were saying if Mike never passed, a lot of the comedians would have still gone on making jokes and what not.

Drake: Yeah, you know it’s just…it’s a very interesting thing when somebody passes away and people sort of…the world loves Michael Jackson, I just think that there are certain people who use it as an opportunity to talk more. With that being said, I always appreciated what Mike did and my condolences go out to Mike’s family.

Complex: For real. Going back to your music, “Best I Ever Had” jumped to #3 on the Billboard charts. And then you announced yesterday that you signed your deal with Universal…

Drake: Nah…I definitely want to clear this up, I didn’t sign to Universal. I’m actually signed to… a lot of people were telling me, “Oh, you should do it independent.” I’m actually 100% independent. I signed to Cortez Bryant and G. Roberson, my managers, so I signed a joint venture between Aspire Music Group, which is them, and Young Money. So the only part that Universal plays is P&D [pressing and distribution]. I’m not a Universal artist. I’m signed to myself.

Complex: What does Young Money bring to the table?

Drake: Since the beginning of this, Lil’ Wayne has always put himself out there on behalf of me, from spitting my verse at the VMAs, to jumping on the songs that I needed him on and always promoting me. Right now it’s more about building up Young Money, as opposed to what Young Money brings to the table at this point. Obviously, what Young Money brings to the table is Lil’ Wayne. He’s a powerhouse and I felt it was only fair to stay loyal. I thought it was only fair for him to get that look and I wanted the YM logo on the album and to make sure that he knows that I don’t take what he did for me for granted.

Complex: You were entertaining other offers from Atlantic and Interscope, right?

Drake: I can definitely say that I wanted to be over at Interscope for a while, but it wouldn’t allow me to work with Wayne the way that I wanted to work with Wayne. I had to make a sacrifice. But with that being said, if we sell some records and people actually see how the record deal breaks down… Somebody told me they saw my deal the other day and they said it was one of the worst record deals in history [for] the label. That’s a good thing for me. I own everything, I have 100% creative control, I own all my masters, everything. I’m blessed to be in that situation. If we sell some records, I think we’ll just add to the historic pace that this has been going at.

Complex: There was a feeling that if you didn’t sign to a major label, that would signal the demise of the record industry.

Drake: I think that it all depends on the success on the project. I can have this conversation with you and tell you the impact I think it may have, especially when the details of the deal get out. But it’s all dependent on what I do. I first have to make the right album that will sell some records. With that being said, I definitely think it could cause a bit of a shift if we find a way to sell a million records.

Complex: What made you want to strive to stay independent?

Drake: Since I started, I’ve always been giving my music away for free…I’ve always kind of done it for the people, you know? So I just want them to still have some attachment to this project. I don’t want to lose my fans completely because they support me in a way that’s more than just listening to my music. They support me like we’re friends. They support me like they have emotions invested in it. So I want there to be a challenge to it, so when it drops, they’re looking at the numbers, they’re maybe even clicking it twice on iTunes just to prove a point. I want it to be fun, man. This shit is just not exciting if it’s so straight forward like, “I’m putting a record out, go to the store and buy it” and there’s so many people behind it, it has nothing to do with me. You know? It’s like, fuck it, let’s just have fun, let’s see if we can shake up the world, let’s see if we can fuck with the system. I just figure it’d make it more interesting on the album day.

Complex: There were rumors of a $4 million bonus…

Drake: [Laughs] Where is it? Tell me where it is, I’ll go pick it up right now. I got some money. I got a little money. I’ll be alright for a couple months.

Complex: Lately there have been a couple videos on World Star Hip-Hop showing you in your Degrassi days. It doesn’t seem like your past bothers you in any regard…

Drake: I think World Star Hip-Hop thinks it bothers me. There was a time in my life when I really lashed out against World Star Hip-Hop. And it wasn’t World Star Hip-Hop the site, ’cause I’m not gonna pretend like I don’t go there every day. It was just the way people look at World Star Hip-Hop as an outlet for them to talk about shit. There are artists that I feel could be doing a lot better for themselves that go on there and kill their own careers by just talking too much, and I think that they took that personally and now all they do is air Degrassi clips of me and potential things that could embarrass me. But with me, man…the great thing about me being me in this game is that I’ve been so honest up until this point, I really have nothing to hide, I don’t fear any clip, you know? It’s out there already, everyone knows that’s my story. At the end of the day, it’s part of me, it’s my stepping stone. I’m proud of every moment thus far.

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: MICHAEL J. FOXX

CHECK OUT THIS THROWBACK INTERVIEW MY GOOD AMIGOS AT ESQUIRE MAGAZINE CONDUCTED WITH THE EVER INTERESTING WARRIOR, MICHAEL J FOXX AS PART OF THEIR ‘WHAT I’VE LEARNED SERIES’. GOOD STUFF. CHEERS, & ENJOY

What I've Learned: Michael J. Fox

Actor, 46, New York

By: Scott Raab

Right now, I’m feeling pretty good. It’s just one little thing in my brain.

If I let it affect everything, it’s gonna own everything. I don’t deny it or pretend it’s not there, but if I don’t allow it to be bigger than it is, then I can do everything else.

My body is an isometric exercise, because I’m always putting pressure against things. Whatever I’m doing at any given time, I’m also doing something else -- I’ve always got this thing going on.

The thing I miss most is spontaneity -- just kind of saying, Fuck it, let’s go to Vegas. I can’t really do that.

I got a ‘67 Mustang, but I’m not driving it much. My wife gave it to me for my thirty-fifth birthday, so I’ve had it for eleven years, but even when she gave it to me, it came with vintage plates, which was kinda distressing -- a car that’s six years younger than me is a registered antique.

There was this image of me as this kind of cute ‘n’ cuddly guy, which in as far as it got me laid, I didn’t mind it too much. It made me party harder.

People said, “Does it bother you that girls want to sleep with you because you’re famous?” “That’s a tough one. Lemme think about that. No.“

I knew I had something more going on than just being cute. What was tough about that for me was growing up playing hockey, coming from Canada, leaving at eighteen, all that stuff. I was a beer drinker and a chain-smoker, and I’d been in my share of scraps when I was a kid. So I kinda saw myself as a little bit of a hard guy, you know?

I can’t always control my body the way I want to, and I can’t control when I feel good or when I don’t. I can control how clear my mind is. And I can control how willing I am to step up if somebody needs me.

That’s one of the things the illness has given me: It’s a degree of death. There’s a certain amount of loss, and whenever you have a loss, it’s a step toward death. So if you can accept loss, you can accept the fact that there’s gonna be the big loss. Once you can accept that, you can accept anything. So then I think, Well, given that that’s the case, let’s tip myself a break. Let’s tip everybody a break.

My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations.

Acceptance is the key to everything.

Which isn’t to say that I’m resigned to it, or that I’ve given up on it, or that I don’t think I have any effect on the outcome of it. It’s just that, as a reality, I get it.

Who gives a shit how it looks? It doesn’t matter. I look like what I look like.

If you don’t have someone calling you on your shit, you’re lost.

I can’t be smug, because I know that you can lose anything at any point. And I can’t be angry, because I haven’t lost it.

I started golf in my forties, which is the ultimate optimism.

My whole life, meeting people is like a blind date, because I feel like they’ve already seen the video on me.

I say to my son, “My tattoo is that I don’t have a tattoo.” I just about got a tattoo when my dad passed away, because he had one, a horse’s head surrounded by a horseshoe with roses -- he was a jockey before he went into the military. So when he passed away, I just about went downtown and got a tattoo of a horse with roses. I’m glad I didn’t -- because I was drunk outta my ass.

Discipline is just doing the same thing the right way whether anyone’s watching or not.

I was never big on lunch boxes and all that stuff, and I look at it now and think, God, how much money I turned down. Oh, fuck, I’d do it in a heartbeat now.

I realized very quickly that I had no idea what the hell was good for me to do. You have no idea. The things you do -- you do some things for money, you do some things for free. It’s a very difficult place to be. But on the other hand, it’s so much fun. You realize, There’s no way I should be allowed to do it, and I’m gonna watch everybody let me do it -- and I can get a giggle out of how it’s killing them.

I make no bones about the fact that I stopped drinking. That was the key to everything. Until I did that, I just couldn’t have the clarity.

I had to choose not to party anymore. I could’ve chosen to continue doing that, but that would’ve been destructive. Who wants to be a cliché?

I’m driving the Ferrari down Ventura Boulevard ninety miles an hour and the cop goes, “Mike! C’mon, take it easy, you’re gonna hurt somebody.” I remember sitting there after the cop walked away, going, “This is just seriously fucked up. This is really crazy.” It’s one of those moments when you realize that the only thing that’s ever going to stop me from doing whatever I want to do is me -- and I don’t want the job.

No matter how much money you have, you can lose it.

No matter how much fame you have, it’s not something that belongs to you. If I’m famous, that doesn’t belong to me -- that belongs to you. If you can’t remember who I am, I’m no longer famous.

I see Us magazine and People magazine and all these tabloids -- they have the same story over and over again. It’s the same every week, and I get all kind of smug about it, and I think, Come on, really? You care about this shit? But then cut to me going, “Get outta the corner! Get the fuckin’ puck up! What the fuck are ya doing?” It’s tough to stay off the subject of the fact that we’re all gonna die. We all need our subject changers. That’s what it all comes down to.

The thing with Limbaugh was so interesting. I didn’t even have to say anything. People said to me, “Don’t ya hate the guy?” I was like, “I can’t get it up to hate the guy.” I know it’s a racket, I know it’s a job -- it’s show business, and that’s fine. Let’s take it as show business.

People wanted me to rip him apart. The truth is, Limbaugh is ripping himself apart well enough for all of us.

Six months in the jungle with Sean Penn is tricky, but he’s a real talented guy. I sent him a note at the end of it saying, “I can’t say that it was a pleasure, but it was a privilege.”

I have this Bose Sirius radio, and I put it on Classic Vinyl and get my guitar and just play along with it -- it’s all twelve-bar blues -- and for hours I just do that.

I’m not in the widget business anymore. I have no widgets to sell.

I had lunch with Sean when I was trying to decide whether to go back and do Spin City. I said, “I just want to pick your brain.” He’s a brilliant guy and a great artist and an honest fella in a great way. I said, “I’m trying to figure out whether to go back and do this TV show,” and he gets this smile on his face and he goes, “Well, it is the most successful part of your gift.” Brilliant. What I love is that I could hear that and laugh my ass off and say, “Fuck you” -- but I so appreciate people that think on that level.

I always wanted to do a short film about Petomane, the flatulist. Petomane was the guy who could do the “1812 Overture” out of his ass.

When I see pictures of Lindsay Lohan in the car or Paris Hilton -- the level of glee and the level of viciousness -- wow. We’ve got a war goin’ on. We’ve got people dying. And we’re all up in arms about this girl.

I have such empathy for all these young women. I was there, and I did all that crap. We’d rip it up, y’know? And we never got busted on any of that stuff.

“She deserves it” and “Who does she think she is?” Who does she think she is? She doesn’t think -- she doesn’t know what she had for breakfast this morning. Who gives a shit? Relax, everybody. Calm down.

Whatever terrible thing is going on, it’s going on until you find out that it’s not. So get to that part as quickly as possible.

I don’t know of anyone that’s had a perfect run.

I’m an American citizen since ‘99. I’m happy because I get to vote. There’s a lot of years that I paid for a lot of stuff that I didn’t like; I like having a say in it.

It started the summer before last summer, when the president vetoed the first Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. He had these families around him, these “snowflake babies,” which presented it like it was an either/or situation and the two were mutually exclusive. It was just such manipulation, and it just pissed me off so much.

I’m not looking at polling, I don’t have to play any of these games, I don’t have to worry about whether I’m on message or off message. I’m just saying, Hey, can we look at this for a second?

I don’t really consider myself a political animal. I try not to be grandiose about that. It’s like the barn is burning down and you’ve got the bucket of water. I don’t know how I got this bucket of water, I don’t remember going to get it, but it’s in my hand, so I guess I’ve gotta throw it.

I have to think of myself as a regular human being.

Michael J. Fox discusses his new book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist

Find this article at: http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/michaeljfox0108

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: DRAKE

CHECK OUT THIS VID OF AN INTERVIEW MY ACE, MR. ILL SPITTER, LIGHT SKIN BROTHER REPPIN, RAPPER DRAKE DID WITH DJ SEMTEX. CHEERS & ENJOY

http://vodpod.com/watch/1705237-drake-interview-with-dj-semtex

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: CARSON DALY

Got a minute? Television host Carson Daly talks about his gig hosting NBC's New Year's Eve, his TRL days, and being a massive tool.

Q: Looking back on many years of hosting New Year's Eve festivities for NBC and MTV, does any particular memory stand out?

A: Well, at MTV it was just a party—literally it was just a party on the air. But one of my favorite memories at MTV was when Green Day performed.

Q: And at NBC?

A: Last year Alex Rodriguez and his wife were just making out on the stage right next to me. A-Rod! What a difference a year makes!

Q: Which musical guest will you kiss when the ball drops: Katy Perry, Ludacris or T.I.?

A: Definitely Ludacris. I'd have a better shot of kissing one of the dudes. Katy Perry would probably smack me before I made a move. I don't get the whole kissing at midnight thing.

Q: Speaking of being smacked, who do you think would win in a fight: you or former TRL host Damien Fahey?

A: There is no reason on the planet that would happen. If it did come to that, I'm just a much bigger guy. I think I would destroy him, actually. But it would only happen on Celebrity Death Match.

Q: What was the reason for the two black fingernails you sported during your TRL days?

A: When I used to do radio, I would color coordinate my nails because I was engineering six different microphones. So I actually wore nail polish for a reason. There was a technical reason behind it, but it was pretty dumb.

Q: Since you just talked about the party atmosphere at MTV, who was the drunkest at the TRL finale?

A: Kid Rock had a very very healthy buzz going on. And then I'd say me.

Q: How did it feel to parodied on SNL? And by Jimmy Fallon, no less.

A: Jimmy's a good friend, he used to come into my office all the time and practice his 'I'm Carson Daly and I'm a massive tool.' To be parodied on that show is fuckin' awesome! Vanessa Rothschild

SOURCE: DETAILS MAGAZINE

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: ANIKA NONI ROSE

CHECK OUT THIS INTERVIEW WITH ANIKA ROSE, OF STAGE AND DREAMGIRLS FAME. SHE’S ALSO STARRING IN THE JILL SCOTT HBO DRAMA, THE NO.1 LADIE’S DETECTIVE AGENCY. SHE’S DEFINITELY SEIZING THE MOMENT & TAKING ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY. CHEERS TO HER. ENJOY

Disney Princess Talks Emmys and Jennifer Hudson

Marc Malkin

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Anika Noni Rose must have wished upon a star, because her dream really came true. Ms. Rose is the starring voice in Disney's upcoming animated flick The Princess and the Frog.

"It's the most thrilling thing," says Rose, the Tony Award winner who you're likely to remember from her work as Lorrell opposite Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé in Dreamgirls. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a little itty-bitty person to be a Disney voice."

It's also a history-making flick, with Disney's first African-American princess…

It must be a pretty intense feeling knowing you're the first African-American princess.

It's pretty amazing. For me, it means even so much more, because I have a nephew who is only 3 years old, and I will be the first princess he sees.

Are you hoping for a White House screening of the movie?

I'm ready! I mean, you look at those two little girls and they are the most beautiful creatures. You want to run up and hug them.

Let's talk about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Did you read the books before getting the part of Grace Makutsi?

I had! I had read about three of the books, just randomly someone gave them to me and was like, "I think you'll like these."

What was it like filming in Botswana?

It was fantastic. [Director Anthony Minghella] had us there a lot longer than we needed to be. I was there for two months, but I only shot for 12 days. I was living in a hotel that used to be someone's house. The fact that he allowed me to be there for that amount of time really allowed me to take in what was around me.

You've won a Tony, were part of the Oscar-winning Dreamgirls and now there's Emmy buzz for No. 1 Ladies'. Are you like a good luck charm or something?

I do have to say that I'm very honored that HBO has decided to push it forward for this, because it's such a labor of love. It's nice to have someone standing behind you saying, "Look at this, pay attention to this, we love what they did."

Do you know yet if there's going to be a second season?

We don't know. I've gotten to the point where it doesn't worry me. About four or five years ago, I would have been like, "Ahh," but now I really feel like things don't always work out the way you plan, but they always work out.

Your No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency costar Jill Scott just had a baby, and your Dreamgirls costar Jennifer Hudson is pregnant. Have you offered to babysit for them already?

What is that? [Laughs] Everybody is popping out little ones. I'm just ready to bite a foot and a thigh. I love a baby thigh and foot in front of me so much.

How do you think they'll be as moms?

For a baby to come into a home where they are wanted, and they are wanted before they got there, that's a wonderful thing.

I've been a Jennifer Hudson fan since before Dreamgirls.

It's been a hell of a year for her. I'm happy for her and that her life is moving forward.

SOURCE: CLUTCH MAGAZINE

CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS: SETH ROGEN & KEVIN SMITH

THE ALWAYS FUNNY, ENTERTAINING, & WEIRDLY GENIUS KEVIN SMITH & SIMILARLY GIFTED SETH ROGEN SHOW WHY THEY ARE SO SUCCESSFUL AT WHAT THEY DO IN THIS COMPLEX MAGAZINE ARTICLE. I will warn you that this story does contain coarse, profane language, as they discuss topics closely related to their collaboration on the outrageous movie, Zack & Miri Make a Porno. But, as all of their fans are well aware of, they wouldn’t have it any other way. CHECK IT OUT & LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS. ENJOY

Story by Justin Monroe; Photography by Mark Mann

MORE CREDITS »

You can tell a lot about a man by the porn he watches. you can tell even more by the porn he makes. But what about the movie he makes about the platonic slacker friends who decide to shoot an amateur skin flick because rent is due and money is low? In the case of Kevin Smith, who wrote and directed Zack and Miri Make a Porno, the raunchy comedy with equal parts hump and heart, and Seth Rogen, who stars as the film’s swinging dick, you can tell they love making people laugh as much as they love watching people make love.

Though Smith and Rogen represent two distinct comedy crews, their coming together seems as biologically fated as sperm meeting egg. Rogen, 26, who became a leading man in the smash baby-mama dramedy Knocked Up, has long been a fan of Smith, 38, who introduced viewers to his View Askewniverse (a world of recurring characters from New Jersey) with 1994’s Clerks. Smith saw Rogen for the first time in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and immediately wanted him to star in his next film—then wrote the role of Zack with Rogen in mind. While Smith favors dense, hyper-articulate dialogue, and Rogen’s posse leans heavily on improv, both like to find a happy ending by sifting through as much nastiness as their twisted minds can conjure. And as Complex learned when it sat with the comedic stars to discuss the adult arts, there’s no shortage of filth for them to draw upon.

So when did you first encounter pornography?

Kevin Smith: The first time I ever saw one, my mom, my dad, and I watched it together. [Rogen laughs.] No, my mom and my dad were at a family friend’s house and they went out to eat, and I stayed behind to watch TV. I went through her videotape collection and found a tape that looked like a professional tape, but in a regular VHS sleeve that you get at the store for your own recording purposes. There was something about it—the label was peeled off, but it was calling. I popped it in and I watched it with one eye on the TV and one on the door, one ear on the driveway.

Seth Rogen: How old were you?

Kevin Smith: I was 14 at the time.

Seth Rogen: Nice.

Kevin Smith: There was no Internet, and most of the adult magazines at the time, like Playboy, and even Hustler, never showed penetration. They would always show like a face or a mouth getting tantalizingly close to a cock. As it progressed in years, the tongue would inch out and always be a centimeter from the tip.

Seth Rogen: In Canada, Penthouse had full penetration.

Kevin Smith: Did they really? Goddamned Canadians.

Seth Rogen: We go right for the penetration.

Kevin Smith: But the biggest impression it made on me was the soundtrack done entirely on a kazoo. [Rogen laughs.] So, to me, the soundtrack of sex was a kazoo.

Seth Rogen: Every time you hear a kazoo now…

Kevin Smith: I’m like, “Oh my god, I gotta fuck!”

Seth Rogen: I initially thought you were going to say it was your family friend’s homemade porn. [Both laugh.]

Kevin Smith: I wish, man. Circa ’84, I don’t think anybody was hip to the idea of “let’s videotape ourselves fucking.”

What was your first time, Seth?

Seth Rogen: My friend stole a Penthouse. We must have been 12 years old or something. The girl who was heavily featured in it had one of those really dangly vaginas.

Kevin Smith: Meat curtains?

Seth Rogen: [Laughs.] I remember that was the first one I’d seen like really up close, and it blew my fucking mind. I was like, “What the fuck is that?!” Even to this day, I don’t think I’ve seen one quite so dangly, so it really made a very odd impression on me. Then when I was like 13, right when I got in high school, my other friend’s cousin gave him a porn; it was called The Fisherman’s Wife. Again, it blew my mind; seeing something going into someone else just seemed like something surgical.

Kevin Smith: It also taints your first sexual experience, ’cause you’re like, “I have to do like six or seven different positions in order for it to be considered sex.”

Seth Rogen: Exactly. And then, at the end, the guy comes into an ashtray and the girl licks it out of the ashtray. I thought that was normal, like, “Oh, that’s what you do when you fuck somebody.”

Kevin Smith: You come in ashtrays to stop pregnancy! [Laughter.]

Kids nowadays have access to the filthiest shit imaginable online. Is that a bad thing? Are you surprised every 15-year-old isn’t a raging psychotic?

Kevin Smith: I feel sad for the youth because it used to be an insanely naughty thing to get your hands on porn, and now it’s just so accessible.

Seth Rogen: Oh, don’t feel bad about it. As I grew up, my sexual maturity developed right along with modem speed. Like, the hornier I got, the faster modems got. I feel like kids are going to look at porn no matter what. There were times when we were like 14 years old that we would just go online to find the sickest shit we could possibly find. That was the goal, and I don’t think it fucked us up. I think it got it out of our system, if anything. It doesn’t repress shitting in a woman’s mouth. You’ve seen it when you were 14—you know it’s not something you need to do.

Kevin Smith: Seeing someone shit on camera just made me want to hide my shit even more.

Seth Rogen: Yeah, exactly!

Kevin Smith: Like, “Nobody can see this angle of me.” It doesn’t look good with an attractive woman—it’s gonna look worse coming out of a hairy ass.

Seth Rogen: There was one where a guy was spread-eagle on a piano and a woman was eating his ass out; I remember thinking, “He looks so vulnerable!” I felt so bad for him! [Laughs.]

Kevin Smith: “Why won’t someone help him?!”

Seth Rogen: He looked like a turtle that had been flipped on his back!

Kevin Smith: Do you still surf net porn?

Seth Rogen: Oh yeah, definitely.

Kevin Smith: What is your preference? I find myself moving further and further away from styled shots and lights and shit.

Seth Rogen: Oh yeah, more amateur. The POV amateur!

Kevin Smith: It’s kind of sad and wrong, but there are websites where you can see people’s girlfriends.

Seth Rogen: Sex tapes and shit. Kevin Smith: Yes! It’s fantastic! You feel like such an insane voyeur and you just know on some level that the girl in the picture was like, “This was never meant to see the world.” But really, Largelabia.com is my favorite site. [Ed.—We think Kevin means Sexylabia.com, which is dedicated to “large labia and their sex appeal.” Loose lips sink ships, Kevin]] Seth Rogen: Really?! That’s your jam? [Laughs.] Large labia, man! Kevin Smith: I love to see dangling meat curtains. My wife is not like that, so I like to see how insanely misshapen they can be.

What’s the last thing that made you feel filthy just looking at it?

Seth Rogen: Gagging and choking girls seems to be seeping into the mainstream, and I don’t like that at all. Hopefully, it’s a fad; I’m hoping it rolls through town and just goes back to where it came from. Kevin Smith: I think “Two Girls, One Cup,” that was really the one. Seth Rogen: That was kind of the peak. Kevin Smith: It became viral and went mainstream, and it was covered on morning radio shows and shit. I remember, somebody was like, “It’s not real! They just shoved the ice cream up there!” It’s still ice cream coming out of an ass! Seth Rogen: I think once food is coming out of an ass, it’s shit. I don’t care if you ate it.

Have either of you had any really embarrassing discoveries of your porn?

Seth Rogen: Everyone’s found my porn and it’s always embarrassing, I have to say. I’m glad I’m not into anything weird. I know someone who’s married and his wife found his porn—and it’s all Latina porn. His wife is a white woman, and she was like, “What the fuck?!” [Laughs.] Kevin Smith: “I can never do this for you!” Seth Rogen: Exactly! “There is nothing I can do to become Latina! If it was anal, we could talk about it. There are things to explore, but I can’t change race for you.” Kevin Smith: I’m pretty forthright and open about it, so nobody goes, “I can’t believe he’s got a porn!” I mean, we’ve got a kid now, so of course we take better steps to not file it next to the Disney DVDs. Did your parents ever not catch you jerking off, but still know about you jerking off? Seth Rogen: They definitely found porn in my room, and they probably knew I’d been jerking off. Kevin Smith: That’s a fair extrapolation. Seth Rogen: “He’s not just looking at it and going back to bed!” [Laughs.] Kevin Smith: One day as my parents were walking out, my father said to me, “Do me a favor—those tissues under your bed? Just throw them out.” And I said, “Oh, yeah, my nose was really runny last night,” and he goes, “It wasn’t your nose, throw them out!” And I felt mortified, ’cause I felt like he was going to come back in two hours and have a discussion with me about how to jerk off properly and throw things out. Seth Rogen: “We don’t hoard our ejaculate—we throw it away!”

R. Kelly, pioneer of celebrity sex tapes, was recently acquitted of child porn charges. Were you disappointed?

Seth Rogen: Apparently it was not him. Whether he’s guilty of that or not, he does some nasty-ass shit, it seems like.

Kevin Smith: I advocate ass eating. I am a big fan of ass eating, but not for the underage. I can’t even watch the porn sites that are “barely 18” and shit like that. Doesn’t do it for me; I just feel old. But I was staying at a hotel in Albuquerque, and I discovered three categories of porn that I had not yet seen. And they weren’t even insanely out there. One was “Over-40” porn. Seth Rogen: Oh yeah, that’s big, that’s big. Kevin Smith: I couldn’t imagine any business traveler going, “I want to see someone over 40.” Seth Rogen: “That looks like my wife!” Except for young guys, probably. Kevin Smith: That was strange. The other was “All British.” Seth Rogen: That’s big, too. People are into accents. Kevin Smith: The one that I had never heard of, never thought of—and this is a no-brainer—was called “Tomboy.” It’s basically chicks with short hair, small boobs, and athletic bodies. It was just like the idea of fucking your best friend in grade school. Seth Rogen: That girl you always hung out with. Kevin Smith: The girl you wrestled with before you knew how to kiss. I bought the Tomboy just to see. Seth Rogen: And how was it? Kevin Smith: Only one I would consider a tomboy. The other two just had short hair. The British one was completely bald. One looked like a chick from the ’80s with very Billy Idol slicked hair. There was one, whose image sold the video, who looked like a classic tomboy. And it was kind of fun. ’Cause as a viewer, you’re used to long hair being whipped around and shit. It was kind of neat.

Is there enough comedy in porn?

Seth Rogen: You know, I like it when porn stays as fucking far away from comedy as humanly possible. I went to the AVN Awards maybe five years ago, and one thing I learned is that porn stars are not fucking funny! They are good at a lot of shit I am not good at, but telling jokes is not one of them. The part of your brain that makes you funny dies the second you fuck nine women a day for 10 years straight. Kevin Smith: I don’t think porn even needs a soundtrack. They don’t need to dress it up. Just get in close with a camera and show angles that you don’t get to see when you’re doing it yourself. I would love it just dry and you could hear [Smith makes the sound of slapping genitals]. Seth Rogen: I like my porn like a Charlie Rose interview: Black background, just the facts.

Homophobia—cop-out or craft?

Kevin Smith: See, I don’t think we’ve done anything that’s homophobic. It’s more homoerotic than anything. Seth Rogen: Exactly—we celebrate male relationships. We don’t damn them. Kevin Smith: We did take shit from this dude Scott Seomin at GLAAD who campaigned against Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Seth Rogen: Semen? Kevin Smith: It’s spelled S-E-O-M-I-N, but… Seth Rogen: That guy should never make a public announcement about anybody!

Kevin Smith: In some ways, he was the perfect guy. But they went after us because they felt the movie was homophobic, and I was like, in one moment one of the two titular characters says that he would suck the other one’s dick. That’s homoerotic. That’s not putting down gay. That’s upholding gay in a somewhat mainstream film! Seth Rogen: We got some shit for 40-Year-Old Virgin, for the whole “You know you’re gay” thing. But I am the least homophobic guy you’ll meet. I’ll suck your dick right now. [Laughs.] To prove it, I’ll put your dick on my forehead!

Speaking of all this man-on-man action, Seth, how gentle is Kevin on the casting couch?

Seth Rogen: Pretty gentle. He’s a gentle lover. Kevin Smith: I said I’m an ass eater, dude. I give as much as I take.

And Seth was pretty willing?

Kevin Smith: He was gentle, like all Canadians. It was a Canadian kind of love.