Convo's with Celebrities...

by Brittany Geragotelis

photo credit: The WB/Roswell

Yesterday was an especially eventful day at American Cheerleader. It was announced that I was promoted to Managing Editor! Can I get a Woo-Woo! So, that was super exciting. But what had me a jumble of nerves was the fact that I was interviewing actress Shiri Appleby of "Roswell" fame!


I know! How jealous are you?!


Anyway, being the big WB fan that I was, I totally watched the alien-centric teen show when it was on in 1999 (this was back when Katherine Heigl wasn't winning Emmy's and starring in romantic comedies), so talking with Shiri about her acting career was a treat for me. Now she plays Cate Cassidy on The CW show "Life Unexpected," a 30-something who is reunited with the daughter she gave up for adoption back when she was in high school. In real life, Shiri is a 30-something actress who's dealing with a lot of the same issues that her TV counterpart is going through (minus the shocking teen lovechild).

photo credit: The CW/Life Unexpected

Shiri was really great to talk to! Her personality was totally laid back and she seemed really zen about life—but not in a wack-job kind of way. It was more like she's started to realize the kind of person she wants to be and is working toward it. During our convo, Shiri mentioned that she wants to be a woman of grace. She also said that she tries to take a step back with many things in her life, so she can see the bigger picture. That sometimes the fight isn't worth it, meaning, you've got to pick your battles otherwise you're wasting a lot of time and energy on things you can't control.

The only snag in our conversation was when I asked Shiri about her love life. It's always uncomfortable for me to ask anything too personal during an interview and it's rare for me to bring up a celeb's love life. Mostly because it's not really any of my business and I don't want people to associate me with the rag mag "reporters" who are just out to gossip and destroy. With so much smut being published where the entire point of its existance is to tear others down, I can understand why people would be wary of journalists. So, when I asked Shiri about her love life, she let me know that she wasn't talking. It was like a record scratched and the music turned to silence. Then, it was awkward for a few minutes, but eventually we were able to get back on track.

In the end, the interview went well! Shiri had some pretty amazing things to say; you can tell the girl is really intelligent and has her shit together. I can't wait to transcribe the interview and be able to put something together for the magazine!

photo credit: RocNation

Today I'm off to hang out with another celeb! Alexis Jordan is the first female artist on Jay-Z's RocNation label—and a former cheerleader! I'm super psyched to spend the day with the 18-year-old and get a chance to know her and her music better. We're starting off at Good Day NY, moving on to a sound check for the Arthur Ashe Kids Day Performance where she'll be opening for the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and David Archeletta. After that, we're heading to the J&R Music Festival for a meet-and-greet and then for a performance by Alexis. And all the while, I'm going to be interviewing her and listening to some awesome music!

What an exciting day!

5x5,
B.