Interview with Celebrities

Chủ đề này dành post những bài trả lời phỏng vấn của những nhân vật nổi tiếng (ca sĩ, diễn viên, chính trị gia v.v).
Phỏng vấn có thể formal (trên TV, báo chí), hoặc informal (trên websites v.v)
Hy vọng mọi người góp một tay để topic của chúng ta phong phú và bổ ích.
Qua những bài phỏng vấn này, chúng ta không chỉ improve English mà còn enjoy được những câu trả lời rất thú vị, đặc sắc, duyên dáng, và fun nữa.


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е?c 5plus1sense s?a ch?a / chuy?n v௠13:10 ng๠01/07/2003

u?c britneybritney s?a ch?a / chuy?n vo 20:37 ngy 03/07/2003

Đầu tiên xin post một số câu trả lời của Mariah Carey, the famous American singer, cho các fan của cô

Q: One of the amazing talents of yours that I admire is your SONGWRITING. As a songwriter, how do you feel when you hear other artists singing your songs, whether they cover your songs, or when you write new songs for them? Would you want to write for other artists more in the future?
A: Well first of all I love writing songs for other people because you get to kinda take on that persons character and mold the song accordingly so that's always something different for me because I am not writing for myself so it's a different thing to do and yeah, I would like to continue to do that in the future.
Q: what time of the year is your voice at its best?
A: I don't really acknowledge the seasons fully because I like to be in the warm weather most of the time except at Christmas and then I like a white snowy Christmas. So I would say when ever I'm in a climate like this, right now I am in Miami and it's very warm (I'm by the ocean) so that's a good thing for a singer to have humi***y and warm weather.
Q: Mariah you are one of my inspirations. What are "must-haves" when you are recording an album?
A: Thank you Must have Humidifiers, Tea and must have finished lyrics before I go into the nice studio!
Q: What was the last movie you saw that you really enjoyed?
A: I thought Brown Sugar was cute, I enjoyed that a lot!
Q: Hi Mariah! Do you have a vocal coach or do you "work out" your voice on your own?
A: I just sing by myself usually. My mom is a vocal coach but she trained me more when I was a little and now I work more myself.
Q: hi mariah! i was wondering if you have got an autobiography or biography out at the moment if not will there be 1 in the future? love ya xxxxxx
A: There will be one in the future and I'm gonna have to wait to see exactly when but definitely there will be one in the future!
Q: Dear Mariah, I love writing to you do you ever send personal messages to your Fans and competion winners??
A: Hi Wayne, Yes on several occasions I have sent a note or a card to members of my street team.
Q: Hi,mariah what does a.p stand for on that chain you wear and that video I know what you want with buster rhymes?
A: Hi Marquiese, The A.P. stands for automatic princess
Q: Have you ever thought of composing a Spanish album? You do have already a few songs that you could add to it.
A: Hi Yanni, I do have a few songs that I?Tve done in Spanish but I was told that the interpretations were not exactly as good as they could be and that some of the pronunciations were not exactly stellar. So what I might need to do is work on my Spanish a little bit more because I would love to do a Spanish album and a lot of other different languages because I like to reach as many people with music as possible. Luv Ya, MC
Q: Hello Mariah!! I was wondering will you ever do another LIVE album, with previously released songs, or A LIVE Gospel Album?
A: Hi Mike, Hmm...I was thinking about both of those options and it is possible. xoxo Mariah
Q: Hi Mariah! How many octaves can you sing? What is the highest note you have ever sungen? I love you Hugs, Iselin(15) from norway
A: According to the 2003 e***ion of the Guinness Book Of World Records Mariah hit the highest note in history of recorded music in her ren***ion of the Star-Spangled Banner where Mariah hit a G7# note cre***ing her with possessing a 7-octave range, meaning she is able to go from an A2 note to a G7# note without deviating from perfect pitch and all in the time-span of one breath.
Q: hi mariah! Do you think it might be possible for 16 yr old boys to sing as high as u can?
A: Anything is possible
Q: Hi Mariah, I just wanted to know what your tattoo is on your back..I noticed it in the Heartbreaker video and wandered if it was even real! Thanks
A: The tattoo was one of a Butterfly but it was not real, Mariah does not have any permanent tattoos.
Q: HI, I wanted to know what is the best present you have ever got?
A: I got lots of really special presents for my "Anniversary" from friends and fans and one very special butterfly necklace with my initial "M" inside from J.B. of MonarC.
Q: Hey MC I was just at the BOTH video shoot in LA and I wanted to say you were AMAZING as usual. Did you ever get that lovely zebra wrap back? Luv ya always and hope ya got my lamb, Tiffany
A: Well, in terms of the Zebra Wrap an audience member told my stylist, Blair that he had put it down his pants and ate a piece of it as well so we decided to let him keep it (Why wouldn't we!) Thanks for coming down to the shoot. Mariah
Q: Hi MC! I TRUELY IDOLIZE U!!! I love u very much! My question is pretty sinple. I was just wondering if u keep in touch with your high school/junior high friends? I remember seeing a clip of u making pizza with your friend Josephine. Are you still friends with her? Please reply! Thanks - Kara
A: Yes, and you will be seeing some more random moments alla making pizza, etc soon. Possibly a TV special or things of that nature. lol Mariah
Q: A couple of years ago, I heard that you was planning to released a tell-all book about her life. Are there any plans to write/release one??
A: I hate to be vague but yeah...we have a lot of things in the works. Keep ya posted. xoxo Mariah
Q: Hey Mariah... I just wanted to let you know that i am 22 and have been seperated from my wife since dec. 3rd because of military reasons and wont see her until july. But the one song that keeps us going strong is "YOURS". p.s. thanks for making me and my wife more in love just listening to that song every night
A: I'm sorry to hear that you & your wife will be separated for so long. Thank you so much for the compliment. "Yours" hopefully will be a single so that anyone who doesn't own the Charmbracelet CD as of yet will get to hear it and connect with it as much as you and your wife have, it's one of my favorites on the album as well. Take care, Mariah
Q: I have been a fan of your for years now and just wanted to tell you that your music has been a real big inspiration to me. Your music has helped me out in so many difficult situations. Your music helped me get through the toughest school in the Marine Corps (Marine Security Guard School). Thank you for every thing and keep on singing girl. People ask "Why do you put your life on the line for your country?" my reply, "I love my country, I want to be free, and to protect beautiful people like Mariah so she can sing and inspire people".
A: Hi Ronald, Thank you sooo much for the incredible compliment! I really respect your commitment to what you believe in. Keep safe. Much love, Mariah
u?c 5plus1sense s?a ch?a / chuy?n vo 13:36 ngy 01/07/2003

JK Rowling interview in full

The full transcript of Jeremy Paxman's exclusive Newsnight interview with Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, broadcast on BBC Two on Thursday 19 June.
JP: So this is it?
JKR: This is it.
JP: Are we allowed to look inside it?
JKR: Hmmmm. Yes a bit. You can have a look there... yes so, that's it.
JP: How many pages
JKR: 766... All with writer's block, which I think you'll agree is a bit of an achievement.
JP: But do you find the whole secrecy issue, the need for secrecy, a bit ridiculous?
JKR: No.
JP: Why not?
JKR: No not at all. Well, a lot of it comes from me.
JP: Really?
JKR: Yeah definitely. I mean, of course one could be cynical, and I'm sure you would be disposed to be so and say it was a marketing ploy, but I don't want the kids to know what's coming.
Because that's part of the excitement of the story, and having - you know - sweated blood to create all my red herrings and lay all my clues to me it's not a... this is my,this is my... I was going to say this is my life, it's not my life, but it is a very important part of my life.
JP: Has it come at a price this success and fame?
JKR: The fame thing is interesting because I never wanted to be famous, and I never dreamt I would be famous. You know, my fantasy of being a famous writer, and again there's a slight disconnect with reality which happens a lot with me. I imagined being a famous writer would be like being like Jane Austen.
Being able to sit at home in the parsonage and your books would be very famous and occasionally you would correspond with the Prince of Wales' secretary. You know I didn't think they'd rake through my bins, I didn't expect to be photographed on the beach through long lenses. I never dreamt it would impact my daughter's life negatively, which at times it has. It would be churlish to say there's nothing good about being famous; to have a total stranger walk up to you as you're walking around Safeways, and say a number of nice things that they might say about your work... I mean of course you walk on with a bit more spring in your step. That's a very, very nice thing to happen. I just wish they wouldn't approach me when I'm buying you know.
JP: Loo roll?
JKR: Items of a questionable nature, exactly. Always, always. Never when you're in the fresh fruit and veg section. Never.
JP: Do you think success has changed you?
JKR: Yes.
JP: In what way?
JKR: I don't feel like quite such a waste of space anymore.
JP: You didn't really feel a waste of space?
JKR: I totally felt a waste of space. I was lousy. Yeah I did, yeah . And now I feel that, it turns out there was one thing I was good at, and I'd always expected I could tell a story, and I suppose it's rather sad that I needed confirmation by being published.
JP: And what about the money? A lot of people when they suddenly make a lot of money, feel guilty about it. Do you feel guilt?
JKR: Yes I do feel guilty about it. Definitely I feel guilty.
JP: Why?
JKR: When it first happened I didn't immediately become very rich. The biggest jump for me was the American advance which was enough for me to buy a house, not outright, but you know we'd been renting until then. And I didn't feel guilty, I felt scared at that point. Because I thought I mustn't blow this: I've got some money, I mustn't do anything stupid with it. And then yeah, yeah, I felt guilty.
Yeah I did. I mean at least I could see cause and effect. I knew I had worked quite hard for quite a long time. Of course the rewards were completely disproportionate but I could see how I got there so that made it easier to rationalise.
JP: Let's talk a little bit about the next book. Harry and Ron and Hermione are all going to be older. How are they going to change?
JKR: Quite a lot because I find it quite sinister, the way that, looking back at the Famous Five books for example, I think 21 adventures or 20 or something, they never had a hormonal impulse - except that Anne was sometimes told that she would make someone a good little wife whenever she unlaid the picnic things.
JP: But that's the usual pattern of children's books isn't it? Swallows and Amazons is the same isn't it? The children never age. But your...
JKR: And it reaches its apotheosis in Peter Pan obviously, where it is quite explicit, and I find that very sinister. I had a very forthright letter from a woman who had heard me say that Harry was going to have his first date or something and she said "Please don't do that, that's awful. I want these books to be a world where my children can escape to."
She literally said "free from hurt and fear" and I'm thinking "Have you read the books? What are you talking about free from hurt and fear? Harry goes through absolute hell every time he returns to school." So I think that a bit of snogging would alleviate matters.
JP: So there will be some pairing up will there in this book?
JKR: Well in the fullness of time.
JP: Unlikely pairings? Not Hermione and Draco Malfoy or anything like that?
JKR: I don't really want to say as it will ruin all the fan sites. They have such fun with their theories - and it is fun, it is fun. And some of them even get quite close. No-one has ever - I have gone and looked at some of it and no-one's ever... There is one thing that if anyone guessed I would be really annoyed as it is kind of the heart of it all. And it kind of explains everything and no-one's quite got there but a couple of people have skirted it. So you know, I would be pretty miffed after 13 or 14 years of writing the books if someone just came along and said I think this will happen in book seven. Because it is too late, I couldn't divert now, everything has been building up to it, and I've laid all my clues.
JP: Is Harry going to become a bolshy teenager?
JKR: He's a lot, lot, lot angrier in this book. He really is quite angry a lot of the time and I think justifiably so, look at what he has gone through. It is about time he started feeling a little bit miffed at the hand life has dealt him.
JP: Well when you look at a lot of that marketing stuff, that merchandise, when you look at things like the Harry Potter Ice Pumpkin Slushie maker and all that junk.
JKR: Is that a real thing or have you made it up?
JP: I'm serious. There's a list of about 50 of these things. Harry Potter Embroidered Polo Shirts, the Late Night Ride Towel, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley alarm clock. I mean it goes on and on.
JKR: I knew about the alarm clock. How do I feel about it? Honestly, I think it's pretty well known, if I could have stopped all merchandising I would have done. And twice a year I sit down with Warner Brothers and we have conversations about merchandising and I can only say you should have seen some of the stuff that was stopped: Moaning Myrtle lavatory seat alarms and worse.
JP: I thought that sounded rather fun.
JKR: I knew you were gonna say that. It's not fun. It was horrible, it was a horrible thing.
JP: But you could have said "No, I'm not gonna have any merchandising".
JKR: I don't think I could at the time. Not at the time. I'm so bad with dates. It must have been about 1998-99, I started talking to Warner Brothers, and at that point I just didn't have the power to stop them. That is the nature of the film world.
Because they are very expensive films to make, and if they keep making them which is obviously not guaranteed, but if they do keep making them, they are going to get really even more expensive, and I mean I shudder to see what they say when they see Book Five. Because I think they are starting to feel I am writing stuff just to see if they can do it. Which of course I'm not. But I know there are headaches about the scale of the world that I'm writing.
JP: But do you never worry that perhaps your legacy will be not this entire world that you created but lots of bits of plastic?
JKR: Do I worry honestly? Completely honestly. No. I don't worry about it. I think the books will always be more important than the bits of plastic. And that's... I really, really believe that, and maybe that sounds arrogant but that's how I feel.
JP: Do you even know, when it gets to the level you're at. Do you even know what you are earning?
JKR: No
JP: Do you know what you earned last year?
JKR: No.
JP: Well it's tens of millions, I guess...
JKR: I met my accountant recently and I said "They say in the rich list that I am richer than the Queen, so that means you've embezzled quite a lot of money." I mean I do know what ball park I've got. I mean I'm not that clueless. And I certainly have not got Ê280m.
JP: What is it roughly?
JKR: Would I tell you?
JP: I don't know. You can't blame me for asking.
JKR: No I don't blame you for asking
JP: You mentioned in the previous books you finished one and immediately started the next. Have you started the sixth one?
JKR: Yeah.
JP: How far are you into it?
JKR: Not that far because I had a baby. But yeah, I started it when I was still pregnant with David. And I actually did get some writing done the other day, and that's not bad going considering he's only ten weeks. So he's pretty full time at the moment. But yeah I did a bit more the other day.
JP: Are we going to discover in book 5, why Voldemort has such an animus against Harry's parents?
JKR: Yes.
JP: Can you give us a clue as to...
JKR: No. It's not long now. Come on. Yes you do find that out in book 5.
JP: What else are you willing to tell us about what's in book 5?
JKR: Obviously a new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher.
JP: Is that going to be a woman?
JKR: Yes. And it's not Fleur which everyone on the internet speculates about. And it's not - Who's the other one they keep asking about? Mrs Figg. It's not Mrs. Figg. I've read both of those.
JP: Are we going to discover anything more about Snape?
JKR: Yes.
JP: And Harry's mother? Did he have a crush on Harry's mother or unrequited love or anything like that?
JKR: Hence his animosity to Harry?
JP: Yes.
JKR: You speculate?
JP: I speculate, yes, I'm just asking whether you can tell us.
JKR: No I can't tell you. But you do find out a lot more about Snape and quite a lot more about him actually.
JP: And is there going to be a death in this book?
JKR: Yes. A horrible, horrible
JP: A horrible death of a significant figure.
JKR: Yeah. I went into the kitchen having done it...
JP: What, killed this person?
JKR: Yeah. Well I had re-written the death, re-written it and that was it. It was definitive. And the person was definitely dead. And I walked into the kitchen crying and Neil said to me, "What on earth is wrong?" and I said, "Well, I've just killed the person". Neil doesn't know who the person is. But I said, "I've just killed the person. And he said, "Well, don't do it then." I thought, a doctor you know... and I said "Well it just doesn't work like that. You are writing children's books, you need to be a ruthless killer."
JP: Is it going to upset people?
JKR: Yes. It upset me. I always knew it was coming, but I managed to live in denial, and carry on with the character and not think about it.
JP: So you know what is going to become of all the major characters over the span of the series?
JKR: Yeah..yeah.
JP: Why stop when they grow up? Might be interesting to know what becomes of Harry as an adult.
JKR: How do you know he'll still be alive?
JP: Oh. At the end of book 7?
JKR: It would be one way to kill off the merchandising.
JP: That really would be killing the Golden Goose wouldn't it?
JKR: Yeah well. I'm supposed to be richer than the Queen what do I care?
(Pause)
JKR: I'm happier now I would say than I've ever been in my life, yeah definitely...
JP: But that's not just to do with writing of course...
JKR: No... but it does have a lot to do with that. I needed to take off the time between books four and five, and I really feel like I got to grips with a lot of things. I sort of put my head up and got a big lungful of air, and I looked around, and I saw what had happened, and I allowed myself time to deal with it a bit better. I think if you'd interviewed me four years ago, I don't think I would have been nearly as relaxed.
JP: There's an element in which, a way in which you've become public property.
JKR: Yeah.
JP: That you belong, because of what you've created, that people feel like you belong to them.
JKR: Yes that's definitely true. I think we get a thousand letters a week to this office - come and open my fête, write a personal letter to my daughter, come to my son's birthday party - you know what I mean. And in some ways that's very touching , that they think, really that they think that I have the time.
JP: Well if you don't ask you don't get.
JKR: I don't blame them for trying, I absolutely don't. Except for the woman who wrote to me and said would I please make her and her husband an annual payment because they hadn't been to the theatre in three years - and as begging letters go that wasn't a great angle.
JP: As begging letters go... you must get loads...do you give a lot of money away?
JKR: Well... mmmmm. I give money away, that's all I can say.
(JK Rowling and Jeremy Paxman at the table, looking at notes.)
JKR: This must not be seen too closely. This is the plan for Order of the Phoenix. I have these grid things for every book - well I have about 12 grid things for every book. It's just a way of reminding myself what has to happen in each chapter to advance us in the plot. And then you have all your sub-plots. It's just a way of keeping track of what going on.
JP: And these scraps of paper which you've filed elegantly in a carrier, they're plot ideas or...
JKR: Well some of them are totally redundant now because its been written and I keep them out of sentimentality's sake, I suppose. But some of it has backstory in it like this - in here is the history of the Death Eaters and I don't know that I'll ever actually need it - but at some point - which were once called something different - they were called the Knights of Walpurgis. I don't know if I'll need it. But I like knowing it. I like to keep that sort of stuff on hand.
JP: What's your preferred way of working? I mean lots of people sit down and say "I must churn out 600 words or a 1000 words a day". Do you work like that ? How do you do it?
JKR: No, well it's like painting a fence isn't it?
JP: No - well, some distinguished writers have written like that.
JKR: That's how you do it
JP: No - "distinguished writers", I said... Somerset Maugham used to write 600 words a day and he'd stop more or less whether he was mid-sentence.
JKR: No I couldn't do that.
JP: So what do you do? You sit down and keep going until you're too exhausted to continue.
JKR: Yeah pretty much actually. It's the flogged horse school of writing. The thing about the 600 words, I mean some day, you can do a very, very, very hard day's work and not write a word, just revising, or you would scribble a few words.
JP: We know that you've written the ending.
JKR: I've written the final chapter of book seven.
JP: So you know where you are going to get to. Do you know how you are going to get there?
JKR: Yes. Yes. I mean I allow a margin. It would be so boring if I really knew. It would be joining the dots, wouldn't it? It's not that well worked out. But it's fairly well plotted. I mean it would be worrying if it weren't at this stage, wouldn't it, if I slid off book 5 and wondered what shall I write out in book 6? You know, it's a complicated story so I need to know what I'm doing.
JP: Do you ever wish you hadn't started on it?
JKR: Yes. But not for the reasons you might expect. Sometimes, yeah, I've had very low moments when I thought "What the hell do I do this for?" But very rare. Very rare.
JP: Why do you think that occasionally?
JKR: I haven't thought it for a long time now, but it was while I was writing book four. I went through a very bad patch. The funny thing is that the press were writing that I had writer's block with Phoenix.
JP: That's the next one.
JKR: Yes, the one that's about to come out. And there was speculation that I was finding the pressure...well, it was funny because literally on consecutive days, either you'd have, either I was feeling the pressure too much and I was cracking up - or I was too happy being married. And that was stopping me writing. And you kind of couldn't have both. But in fact, the Order of the Phoenix never gave me any trouble. It was quite a docile book to write.
And then a lot of fun to write. Chamber of Secrets, I really did have writer's block. Briefly, I think. It wasn't a very serious case, it was only about five weeks. And compared to some people, what's five weeks? Goblet of Fire, I was very unhappy towards the end of writing Goblet, and at the point where I realised I was fantasising that I would break an arm and therefore not be able to... I really mean this. I mean I was just a little way away from actually thinking "How can I break my arm so I can tell my publishers that I can't physically do it?" and then that would give me more time. Because I committed to a totally unrealistic deadline. And I made the deadline But I really did make it by working round the clock really. I was so unhappy.
JP: So you didn't have writer's block. The reason this book has been - what three years? Three years since the last one isn't it? Why has it taken so long?
JKR: Well it hasn't.
JP: Huh?
JKR: Well it hasn't. The book didn't take that long. I decided... What happened was, so Goblet of Fire, I was really in quite a state by the time that book was finished, and I mean at that point I really did feel a lot of things came together with Goblet of Fire. I mean the press attention had reached an hitherto unknown level, and I couldn't work outside the house anymore, and just a hell of a lot of stuff was going on, you know. It was the fame thing.
Do I still feel like that? No. But that's because I took the time off. And I was still writing during those three years because I never stop writing. But I didn't want to be published again. That was the big difference. So when I finished Goblet of Fire, I said to - there were only two publishers who had bought the next book - and I said to both of them, I want to repay my advance. And both of them, you could almost hear them having cardiac arrest on the end of the phone.
"Why do you want to repay your advance?" And I said, because I don't want to publish next year. I want to write this book in a more leisurely way and I want to take some time off. Because I had had... I finished Philosopher's Stone, I literally started Chamber of Secrets that afternoon. I finished Chamber of Secrets, I started Prisoner of Azkaban the next day. And I finished Azkaban and I'd already started Goblet of Fire because they overlapped - so there was absolutely no let-up.
And I knew I couldn't do it. I just knew I couldn't do it; my brain was going to short circuit if I tried to do that again. So they said "Well, how about we do still get the book when you finish it, but we don't have a deadline?" So I said okay. So that's how we worked it. So there was no deadline. So, just once and for all, and for the record, I didn't miss the deadline. Because there was no deadline.
JP: And you didn't have writers block on that book?
JKR: No! I just produced a quarter of a million words. It's quite hard to do with writer's block.
JP: That's longer than the New Testament you know.
JKR: Oh God, stop it. With all these new facts that I didn't know. Is it?
JP: Yeah. By about 70,000 words or something.
JKR: Do you know the Christian fundamentalists will find a way to turn that into a reason to hate me as well. She's more verbose than God.
(JK Rowling and Jeremy at table, looking at notes and books)
JP: (Has Book Five) That thing that's the size of a house brick - it was originally much longer than that, was it?
JKR: No, actually it wasn't . It's about the size - originally I thought it would be slightly shorter than Goblet of Fire - and what is the phrase? The tale grew in the telling. It did. The thing is, I've got so much now, so much backstory to tell, but I really mean it this time. Six will not need to be that long. I had to move them around a lot in there, there's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing in there.
JP: Are you going to have a lot of loose ends to tie up in seven?
JKR: Oh god, I hope not. I'm aiming to tie it all up neatly in a nice big knot... that's it , good night.
JP: So that may not be particularly long either...
JKR: No, I think that will be long because I won't want to let go. I'll just keep writing. I'll probably just start a completely new plot in book seven. It's going to be very difficult to leave it . I mean, I do look forward to a post-Harry era in my life, because some of the things that go along with this are not that much fun, but at the same time, I dread leaving Harry... because I've been working on it over what I sincerely hope will prove to have been the most turbulent part of my life and that was the constant, and I worked on it so hard for so long - then it will be over and I think it's going to leave a massive gap.
JP: Do you know what you will go on to next after that?
JKR: Well, while I was in between, during the three years I've just had, I was writing something else for a while which was really great, it was good, and I might go back to that. I don't know.
JP: Is that an adult novel?
JKR: Mmmm. It's just something completely different. It was very liberating to do it.
JP: Be quite difficult for you though. You'd have to publish under a pseudonym wouldn't you?
JKR: Exactly. But they'll find out within seconds. I don't underestimate the investigative powers of the press, but I don't know what I'll do. I mean, I know I will definitely still be writing. Will I publish? I don't know. It's what you said, of course you write to be published, because you write to share the story. But I do think back to what happened to AA Milne, and he of course tried to write adult novels, and was never reviewed without the mention of Tigger, Pooh and Piglet. And I would imagine that the same will happen with me. And that's fine. God knows my shoulders are broad enough, I could cope with that. But I would like some time to have some normal life at the end of the series, and probably the best way to get that isn't to publish immediately.
JP: It's not a bad thing to go to your grave with - having invented this entire world and made children want to read?
JKR: Oh God. No. Not at all. Of course I am immensely proud of Harry, and I'm never going to disown it, and I promise I am never, ever, ever going to apologise for it. Never. Because I am proud of it and I will defend Harry against all comers.
JP: JK Rowling, thank you.

To mark his 18th birthday on June 21, Prince William answered written questions put to him by Peter Archer, Court Correspondent for the Press Association.
Q: What will you be doing on your birthday and do you have an exam on the day?
A: I don't have an exam on the day but I will be studying for my History of Art exam the next day.
Q: When will you finish your exams?
A: A few days after my birthday.
Q: When and how will you be able to celebrate your birthday?
A: I haven't really thought about it, but no doubt I will celebrate privately with some friends.
Q: Have you enjoyed Eton and what will you miss most when you leave?
A: Yes, very much. I'll miss my friends and Dr Gailey (Housemaster) who has been a tremendous support to me. And I've really enjoyed being able to go about Eton as just another student without the media attention.
Q: Do you still like the uniform - what is different about the Pop's uniform - and have you enjoyed being in Pop?
A: I've enjoyed being in Pop, which is a school prefect. I've always liked the uniform, particularly the Pop uniform which allows you to wear your own waistcoats, and the stick ups (stiff wing collar) and tie.
Q: Will you have a gap year and, if so, how will you spend it?
A: Yes, I will be having a gap year but at the moment I prefer to keep the details private until all the arrangements have been settled.
Q: Which university do you want to go to?
A: Until I know my results, I'm unsure. I know there's been an awful lot of speculation but you'll have to wait.
Q: What will you study at university?
A: The History of Art.
Q: Would you like to study abroad?
A: I can honestly say I haven't thought about it; it hadn't yet crossed my mind.
Q: Which sports do you enjoy best?
A: I enjoy water polo, football and rugby - mostly team sports.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: I enjoy being with my friends, going to the cinema, and watching football and rugby matches.
Q: Do you enjoy reading and, if so, who are your favourite authors?
A: Yes, when I get the time. I enjoy a wide range of books but I don't have any particular favourite authors.
Q: What sort of music do you like?
A: Much the same as I did a couple of years ago - dance and pop.
Q: Do you enjoy clubbing and dancing?
A: I enjoy dancing but don't go clubbing that often.
Q: How often do you manage to get to the cinema and what films do you like?
A: I go to the local cinema when there is a good film showing. I prefer action films.
Q: Do you still shop for your own clothes and what style do you prefer?
A: Yes; I much prefer casual wear.
Q: How difficult is it to cope with public and media attention?
A: I don't like the attention. I feel uncomfortable with it. But I have particularly appreciated being left alone at Eton which has allowed me to concentrate on my school work and enjoy being with my friends without being followed by cameras. I am grateful to the media for helping to protect my privacy and I hope I can enjoy the same freedom at university.
Q: How do you cope with the attention of girls?
A: In my own way. Trying to explain how might be counter-productive!
Q: How do you feel about being linked with show business personalities like Britney Spears?
A: There's been a lot of nonsense put about by PR companies. I don't like being exploited in this way but as I get older it's increasingly hard to prevent.
Q: Do you think you might join one of the services after university and, if so, do you have a preference?
A: It's too early to say. I haven't really thought about it.
Q: Have you thought of any other profession?
A: At this stage I just want to get through university. I know there's been a lot of speculation but the truth is I haven't made up my mind yet.
Q: When will you begin solo Royal duties?
A: My father wants me to finish full-time education before doing Royal duties and so do I. It will be a few years before I do Royal engagements although I expect, as in the past, I will sometimes accompany my father.
Q: Are you looking forward to it?
A: I don't know because it's a long way off yet; I haven't really thought about it.
Q: How often do you manage to see members of your family?
A: As often as I can, especially my cousins.
Q: What do you enjoy most about driving your car?
A: Like anyone my age, it gives me some independence.
Q: Do you have a horse?
A: No, but I ride my father's.
Q: How is your dog, Widgeon, and do you have any other pets?
A: Widgeon had eight pups about 18 months ago. I have no other pets.
Q: Now you're 18, will you have your own staff to look after your diary and correspondence?
A: No, I don't need them. My father's office looks after my mail and diary, and that will carry on as before.
Q: Do you have a girlfriend?
A: I like to keep my private life private.
Q: Why did you agree to be photographed at Eton for your 18th birthday?
A: The media have left me alone while I have been at Eton, for which I am grateful. But I knew there would be a lot of media interest in my 18th and I didn't want a whole host of media involved. Neither did I want any distractions as I was revising for my A levels. So, I agreed to allow one photographer and a TV cameraman to spend a little time with me at Eton.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator 3 interview



The man and machine talks
I can?Tt believe I?Tve already met Arnold Schwarzenegger five times now. I?Tve almost run out of questions for him. Almost. After spending two days on the set of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines with Arnold, in ad***ion to past interviews, wê?Tve covered a lot of ground. But with someone like Arnold, therê?Ts just so much more.
I grew up on Arnold movies. Terminator, Commando, Running Man, Total Recall and those great ?~80s movies were wonderful adventures. As I became a teenager, movies like Terminator 2 and True Lies redefined what I expected from movies and heroes. I even liked Last Action Hero.
Things died down in the late ?~90s as End of Days, The Sixth Day and Collateral Damage didn?Tt equal the grosses of similar genre movies from 10 years earlier. But Arnold hopes his return to his starmaking character will generate the buzz needed for him to own yet another summer at the box office.
Q: How much is at stake for this to be a hit?
A: Well, I feel as always that I will do everything that I can to make it successful. The key thing is to promote the movie, to stay on the message, not to deviate from it and to do everything that you can and make sure that the studio does everything that they can. I think that Jonathan did a great job with the film and we're just now having to make everyone aware of it. That's why I always appreciate very much the media and the journalist because they're becoming our kind of messengers to get the story out there and to let the fans know that the movie is coming out and all of that stuff. So, that's a very important part of the promotion because as you said, there's a lot of money that has been spent on it and I'm always interested in getting the money back.
Q: How frustrating was it that it took so long to secure the rights and make a sequel?
A: I was never as much frustrated as Andy Vajna were and other people were because I was not the one that was really trying to buy the project. What made it difficult for anyone to buy it was because half of it was tied up in bankruptcy, the other half of it was tied up in Gale Anne Hurd. It?Ts like everyone was going to negotiate and it was hard to pull all the rights together. It took a long time.
Q: Speaking of sequels, are you disappointed that Cameron doesn?Tt want to do True Lies 2?
A: Well, that?Ts not the case. He just has to figure out a different script or replace that scene that he feels doesn?Tt work now because of the terrorist attack.
Q: In our last interview, he actually said hê?Ts not interested in that sequel anymore.
A: Well, he maybe says that but I know that hê?Ts searching for a different idea.
Q: When you look at reality TV, do you think Running Man was ahead of its time?
A: Yes, and I think it would be good to do a sequel to The Running Man and a sequel to Total Recall.
Q: Your movies started the trend of the $100 blockbuster. Now that every movie is that big, what does it mean for Hollywood?
A: Those are Mickey Mouse amounts if you think about it. Think about how much money Warner Brothers and Time Warner lost when they joined with AOL. Look at that just because of one decision. I mean, there is no way that we ever can spend that money here in Hollywood. It won?Tt happen. So, I think that prices go up, salaries go up, ticket prices go up at the box office, everything grows up. That?Ts just the way it is. But I would say that no one here should cry for the studios. Don?Tt feel sad about it. They always somehow, the market always corrects itself in a way that they will only spend what they think they can afford and they will only spend on the movies that they know they can go to the next stockholder?Ts meeting and show them.
Q: Why do you think you?Tve lasted so long as an action hero?
A: I think the longevity has to do more with the fans. They are obviously interested in seeing me. I think that it has something to do with my life. It's not just about movies, so therefore I'm out there about a lot of different things like the Afterschool Programs, The Special Olympics, President's Council of Fitness so there's much more to my life. So if my movie goes south, then I do not go south because I have so many other great things so for me, I don't get affected the same way as other people do. But I can not really compare myself to other people because only very few people have the opportunity to stay up there for such a long time or when people and the media have interest in them for a long time. Clint was one of those guys. I think John Wayne is a great example and also Sean Connery. They have been around for so long and have done extraordinary jobs with their performances. So I think it's a fine line how to make yourself interesting but in my case I'm not purposely trying to do those things to make myself interesting. It just happens and it makes people intested in reading about you and watching you on the screen.
Q: Will the Matrix audience still be into Terminator?
A: I tell you, my son is nine, the other five. Even my nine-year-old son, I've never shown The Terminator because it's an R rated movie. But he comes to me and he says, 'Daddy, tell me about this scene' because someone he ran into told him about it. So he knew the dialogue and all these things. Then he says his friend had it on video. Another has it on DVD. Then it was on television and the thing is, the exposure played one time on television, as you know, is much greater than a movie screen. Television is tremendously powerful. So these movies that I've done have continued playing on television and are out in the video market. I don't think anyone has been left out. As a matter of fact, when Warner Bros. bought the movie, they did a survey and it came back that 100% of the people are looking forward to seeing another Terminatorj. It was the first time ever. Not 99% but a 100%. That's a staggering number. They ask the movie-goers. They don't ask someone who is 80-years-old. The kids and everyone said, ?oYes, we look forward to seeing another Terminator.? A lot of the kids in school look forward to it as much as the grown ups."
Q: What changed your mind about doing T3 without Cameron?
A: We went to him with a script and asked him to do it. It was his choice. What I was saying is that I would never allow anyone that buys the rights of Terminator to go and say, ?oOkay, Arnold, are you in or not? But wê?Tre going to do it without Jim Cameron. Wê?Tre not even going to go to him.? I would not have done that. But, we gave him the choice. I myself brought the script to him and he just couldn?Tt figure out timewise, didn?Tt want to do the movie under those constraints, that it was a summer movie that had to start shooting at a certain time.
Q: What were you looking for in a new director? A: The thing that we looked at was, A, it had to be someone that was very hungry. Hungry for making that big step forward and thinking that this is going to be his way or her way of making their big step forward into the big leagues and for that, they had to prove something. So, we were looking for a director that had a great track record, but that needed an extra big step and needed an opportunity. So, we talked to Ang Lee and we talked to John Woo and we talked all of these different directors who were in a category of already having done successful things, but doing this well would've established them as the next big deal. After searching, it became clear that Jonathan Mostow was the guy. He felt very comfortable with the visual effects, he felt very comfortable with the stunts, and he was very good with directing actors and all of that stuff, and he was at the same time, extremely hungry and was looking for something that would send him to the next [level]. Basically, it's what Terminator did for me, the first one made me a star, and the second one made me a superstar and these directors that were hanging below that level and one project can put them over the top. So, they would then be able to do anything. It becomes their baby, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for two years, that's what it takes, and anyone that looks at this as a job, you can forget about them. It has to become their life, and just like I said, a baby. When I look at my children, for my wife, it was twenty four hours a day. She never left their side, she was working with them, no matter how exhausted she was, she was always there, and that's how this movie has to be for the person because it's just so big, the movie, and so complicated and the visual effects and all of this. So, those were the qualities that we were looking for, someone that was talented, but also has in him this desire, this hunger, this determination that ?oI need that, I want that, and I will do everything and anything that I can to make that a success.? At the same time, he happened to also be a fan of the Terminator movies and knew everything about them. So, that helped.?
Was it different playing the terminator a third time? Well, what we concentrated on was besides to go from a villain to a savior, in the third one, to change the Goliath to the David. To make him the vulnerable character. No one would have ever thought the Terminator from Terminator 1 would become a vulnerable character, where you think this character has no chance. The David and Goliath story. He's the out-dated model and she can produce weapons, she's in command of other machines and she's way advanced. There's no chance. So you feel kind of sorry for him and you start hoping, ?oOh my god, I hope he makes it.? You start sympathizing and feeling sorry when things happen to him. That was the idea, to add that new flavor. To make him a vulnerable kind of character.
Q: What is your cameo in Around the World in 80 Days?
A: It?Ts a surprise.
Do you fight with him? It?Ts a surprise.
Q: Will you do more Terminator movies?
A: I don't think about any other movie until this one has played out because I mean the key thing is to let your audience decide if they want another Terminator or whatever the movie is rather than me making that decision. I mean, the fans are the element that makes the movie successful. If they go to the movies and they all make the box office a big, huge hit, then we will do another movie because it's clear that they want more of it.

Đây là bài phỏng vấn của WONBIN - 1 diễn viên Hàn Quốc (my idol)
Interview (1)from Jap Magazine -[Korean Wave]
After the broadcast of the first Jap/Korea drama "Friends", it is surprising at the attention he gets, he could be the legend - actor Won Bin.
He is the start for the exchange between Korea & Japan's entertainment scene.
- Movie [Guns N Talks] is to be shown in Japan theatre within this year (not yet confirmed). Can you introduce your character in [Guns]?
It is about the story of 4 killers, I am the youngest, Hayeon. Hayeon is very naive, he dreamt to be like his brother, who is a 'cool killer". Hayeon is an expert in Computer, he makes use of his computer knowledge in the process. But he is so nice that he can't finish his task alone.
-Is there any difference between you and Hayeon?
This question is tough. But we are both an introvert, and quiet. But I tend to be chatty with my close friends, but not Hayeon. Hayeon is always quiet.
-I have seen a photo of you on the Japanese magazine. Your hair is loose and shaggy in it, I think it is petty cute.
I think I look like that when I just get up from bed.
In [Guns], my hair was dangling down most of the time, and I worn a hat in many of the scene in [Guns].
- I heard that you are good friends with the other 3 co-actors in [Guns], do you still keep in touch with them now?
Yes, we are still good friends now but because we are all busy, we can only keep in touch through the phone. Sometimes, we did meet up...
[Guns] is my first movie, and they had helped me a lot.
-Any special scene in [Guns] which you like to recommend?
Everyone of us has parts that are worth seeing in [Guns]. But for me, it would be the part when I (Ha-yeon) preaches about love. Those who had seen the movie said that was a good scene. The 3 of them have many worth seeing scene too, you must watch it.
- After [Friends]. you are getting more and more popular in Japan...
Thanks everyone, and also Kyoko Fukada, and the whole production team.
-What is your impression of Kyoko?
My first impression of her is that she is frank and cute...she is like a cute sister.
-Are you still in contact with her?
About once a month, or around there.
-Kyoko is trying hard to learn the Korean language, does she use Korean when she communicates with you?
Yes, I don't know a bit of Japanese, Kyoko's Korean is fantastic.
-Any interesting comment or story about [Friends]?
When [Friends], everyone was busy and tired.
Japanese & Korean production teams sharing and exchanging info in their individual languages, that left a deep impression.
-I think your Japanese fans still can't differeniate between you and Ji-hoon.
Me and Ji-hoon both like sports...and the rest...in the drama, it always talk about the good points of Ji-hoon. But me and Ji-hoon are both ordinary person. Compared to him, I think the Mingtai in drama [Kokji] is more like my own character. I think I am quite different from my characters in [Friends], [Autumn Tale], [Guns]...
-In [Kokji], Mingtai is a rebellious guy (smile), but he loves his mother, and is loyal to his love ones, a very charming role. After [Friends], the popular [Autumn Tale] is also being broadcast here in Japan. Anything to share with us about [Autumn Tale]?
Many people like me in that drama, I think it is because
in that drama, Tae-suk is devoted to only one , and loves her purely and greatly.
-And you have a new movie?
Yes, pls. explore the different sides in me.
-Let's change the topic. What are you doing during your rest days?
Exercising most of the time. Sometimes, I play tennis, sometimes, I play computer games. Watch movies or video, and sleep.
-How long would you be resting?
I am not that busy now. After [Friends], I have taken around 2 months rest, but I am Commercial Films in between.
-Did you pick up any new hobbies during your resting?
Last time I was too busy. But now, I can enjoy practising my tennis.
-What about car-racing?
Car-racing is too dangerous, thus I am avoiding it now, It won't be good if I get injured now. I haven't ridden the motor-bike for quite a while.
-Which genre of movies do you like most?
No particular. I watch comedy or action movies, and almost all Korean movies, even those movies which are said to be dull. (smile)
-Do you find those movies nice? (smile)
I have seen some which are really dull. But even so, I will still watch it till the very end. (I watched them alone)
-Any Japanese movies which you have seen?
I just seen [Battle Royale] recently, many y scene which I don't really like. I prefer romance or drama.
-Let's change topic again. What kind of s do you like?
I like feminine woman. Last time, I like a Hong Kong actress known as "Wang Ning". But now, I think a nice first impression is the most important.
-What do you mean by a nice first impression?
At first impression, appearance must be near my ideal.
Then, we have to communicate to get to know each other characters. I will know if that is my choice after that. (smile)
-Does feminine means woman with long hair?
It doesn't matter at all.
-Then what kind of feminine do you mean?
To me, feminine woman is quiet, good, and always sensitive and considerate towards other people feelings when doing anything.
-What kind of woman do you dislike?
Arrogant type of woman.....
-If there is such a woman in your life, would you go into a relationship?
hmm, I don't know. (smile)
-Do you like dog? You had helped your dog give
birth when you were young, right?
Yes, how do you know that? (smile) That was during winter, my father said that it was very cold outside. The dog will freeze, and told me to bring her inside. When I brought her into the house, she started giving birth. (smile)
-Do you rear dog now?
I have two "sibenrianhasukii" (in Jap, a breed of dog)
-I have some personal question, sorry. I am thinking of rearing hasukii dog now. In Japan, many people think that they are rather stupid, what do you think?
I think dogs are all the same. When I started rearing them, I find them so cute, and kept bringing them out for a stroll. But now that they have grown so big, I have sent them back to my parents.
-Won't you be lonely?
I was too busy to even think of that. (smile)
-What kind of cloth do you like wearing?
Like what I am wearing now. Sports wear.
Casual, and free, natural. I don't like to wear many accessories. When I get up from bed, I just wipe my face simply, and then I will leave my house just like that. (smile)
-So you only wear business suit (western clothing) in special occasion?
I like sports, so usually I dress in clothes that doesn't
restrict my movements. I don't wear business suit in my daily event.
-You don't like accessories?
Yes, I don't like.
-I heard that in Korea, few youngsters will go for ear-piercing.
I don't like to pierce holes on my body, I don't like wearing any accessories. I don't even like carrying my cellular phones in my hand. In Korea, lots of people carry their cellular phone everywhere in their hands, but I only bring my phone out when I use it.
-Is it? So what do you like to eat?
Anything. But I like meat, no special liking in particular.
-But you have a nice body shape, how do you maintain?
I don't really eat much, and I exercise a lot. My stomach is not that good, so sometimes, I can't eat even when I am hungry. (smile) No special way to maintain my body shape (smile)
-What is your motto in life?
"I will put my best effort today as there would not be Tomorrow", I also like the word "Freedom"......
-Do you like the enclosed-room hot spring spa in Japan?
Not even enclosed-room hot spring spa, I like all type of hot spring spa in Japan.
-I think there is hot spring spa in Korea too, which one you prefer?
Korea's hot spring spa is very far away from my home. I have no time to go there, so usually, I will visit the nearby steam bathhouse.
-Do you like Japanese food?
Yes, especially sashimi, I like fish.
-Do you communicate with your Japanese fans?
Beside meeting them in airport or at venue...
I heard that I have many fans in Japan, but I have no chance to meet them.
-What do you feel about having so many letters sent from Japanese fans?
They even wrote in Korean.
-They learn Korean because of you. I heard that since [Friends], the number of students learning Korean had increased.
This is really something to be happy about.
-So what do you want to tell your fans of your future schedule?
I can't really tell much now. But I will have many activities around summer time.
-Which genre of movies would you like to act in?
Last time, I prefer action movie. But now, I like to try out different roles. I will see the script, if there is any good ones, I will act.
~ THE END~
From:
http://pub10.ezboard.com/fwonbinfrm2.showMessage?topicID=119.topic
© 2001 - 2002 ESP.FOR.WON.BIN
[blue]Nothing gonna change my love for BLUE

Interview with Sharon Stone
(Do not proceed if you are under 18)

Interview for E!Online from 8th July 1999
The Mighty was a little art film. Gloria is a little art film. Your next movie, Albert Brooks' The Muse, is an arty little comedy. Is this any way for a huge star to behave?
"I feel like so many rules are made for so many stupid reasons. I break rules; I often feel there's a healthy level of sociopathy. [Laughs.] To really achieve any level of greatness, you have to be willing to say yes no matter who says no, and to say no no matter who says yes. Sometimes it's so difficult. So difficult. But you have to take risks, and you have to take things you know aren't going to make a buck-fifty. You have to do things to grow. You can't just always go for the next hit--unless you're willing to keep being that thing. Now, I know you make more money doing it that way, but I don't care. There's no quality of life in that for me.
Gena Rowlands, Cassavetes' wife, is considered one of our greatest actresses. She created Gloria in 1980; you recently worked with her on The Mighty. What did she say about your remake?
The production people said they'd talked to her, that she was into me playing it and thought it was a good idea. That was very important to me; I didn't want to do it otherwise. Then I went to make The Mighty, and of course, they'd never spoken to her. So, I wrote her a letter and asked if I could have drinks with her. She said yes, which surprised me. I don't know if I would have if I were her--and I don't think she was thrilled, either. But we talked for quite a long time, and then we worked together. She became very supportive and encouraging, called me a lot while I was making the movie, came to New York and took me out to dinner. She's wonderful.
How is the new Gloria different?
Well, it's a very different time. You can't just shoot people in the street, then run around New York. There's CNN, computers, helicopters, surveillance cameras. It's all really different, so it isn't like that. Children grow up much faster now; that kid was 10 or 11 and our boy was 6. And I wasn't in love, or soulmates, with [director] Sidney Lumet. Actors love working with him, though. I learned a lot working with Sidney, because you have to do everything in one take. If you want another take, he tortures you. (Imitating an old New York man's voice): "Oh, Shaaaron needs another take!"
And what about working with a little boy?
Generally, you have another actor to work with. I had a six-year-old who, like, had to pee. "I have to pee, I have to pee." I'm like, "I understand, honey, but you have to let go of your ***** because we have to do this scene."
A statement like that from Sharon Stone could affect a boy for life. But it seems you're trying to move away from that image of a woman who has power over men.
The work is so different for me now. It used to be about *** and money and power and love and life and death. Someone like [Basic Instinct's] Catherine Tramell was a power character for me at the time, but if I played her today, she would have to be a love character, because it's all about that for me now. Of course, that would be excruciating.
So, the ongoing rumors about a Basic Instinct sequel are just rumors?
I turned down the sequel. I don't believe it's time for that now, and I don't want to be Catherine anymore. I had a home run with that movie, but I'm happy to just be at bat now. Has marriage influenced that attitude?
Well, I'd been very much like a lone warrior. But now I have less to lose because Phil can take care of me. Boy, there's a lot of comfort in that.
And, amazingly, you found that with a journalist. A little ironic, considering you've been the target of so much tabloid coverage.
I married a journalist, a fine journalist. I didn't marry those idiot, trendy, trash-mongering people who buy a camera or a pen and pretend they're professionals. I have great respect for good journalists, always have.
He's the e***or of a Bay Area newspaper. You're a Hollywood star. Do you guys, like, meet in Fresno on weekends?
I can't be on the road all the time and expect my marriage to be growing, too. I'm up there all the time...except when it gets too dreary, then I come down to L.A. for a weekend, just for the sunshine. But I love it in San Francisco. Love the people.
Must be a big change for someone who was so thoroughly part of the Hollywood scene.
Enormous periods of change are my favorite things. I love people who are willing to change; that's why I love my husband so much. And that's why I really want to do something new every time. And no matter what you do, you bring it into your next work. It doesn't matter whether it's comedy or drama, subtle or operatic; it informs you.
Speaking of change, it's nice to see your hair long in a movie again. Going to keep it that way?
When I have long hair, I don't have great hair, I have thin hair. We do my hair in the morning, and I sit under the dryer or use the curling iron or some other thing. I come back after lunch, I have to go back into hair. This is why I cut my hair. I feel like I have my life back. I wore a three-quarter fall in Gloria, and it was a much nicer life.
Do you still deserve your reputation as a demanding, driven collaborator?
I'm an overachiever, so I always overwork and overdo things. But I'll tell you, the older I get, the easier it is to say to myself, "You know what? I can't do it today, and I can't do it tomorrow, and I'm just going to stay in bed all day and watch TV." I just don't feel I have to do everything like I used to.
Sounds suspiciously like admitting burnout, a strange thing to hear from someone so ambitious.
Oddly, the lessons keep getting bigger, so, actually, it gets tougher. You know, you think, Oh, I'll get to be a star or I'll get acknowledged as an artist or I'll get to make money...and then it'll all be fine. But somebody said that with each of life's great gifts is the shadow of its tragedy, and that is really true.
Have you thought about what your life would be like if you weren't a star?
Sure. Back when I was accepting all of those crappy movies, I got to a point where I was willing not to have jobs. I had been a waitress, and I really, really, really enjoyed it. So I thought, Well, I'll waitress, and I'll do theater in my garage. In fact, sometimes on holidays, I'll waitress at a Salvation Army mission or something, and it's so fun because these people don't go to the movies, they don't have a TV, they don't know me from Adam. They just think I'm a darn good waitress. And I really like that.

Interview with Vo Nguyen Giap ********* Commander

Q: Was Điên Biên Phủ a conventional military victory or was it a victory for military warfare?
Giap: The victory at Điên Biên Phủ was a victory for the people. But then, of course, while the concept of a people's war and guerrilla warfare are not entirely separate, they are separate nonetheless. In this case, it was the people's war that was victorious. And guerrilla warfare was one aspect of that people's war. It's all quite complicated.... What is the people's war? Well, in a word, it's a war fought for the people by the people, whereas guerrilla warfare is simply a combat method. The people's war is more global in concept. It's a synthesized concept. A war which is simultaneously military, economic and political, and is what we in France would call "synthesized." There's guerrilla warfare and there's large-scale tactical warfare, fought by large units.
Q: What was new about the idea of the "People's War"?
Giap: It was a war for the people by the people. FOR the people because the war's goals are the people's goals -- goals such as independence, a unified country, and the happiness of its people.... And BY the people -- well that means ordinary people -- not just the army but all people.
We know it's the human factor, and not material resources, which decide the outcome of war. That's why our people's war, led by Ho Chi Minh, was on such a large scale. It took in the whole population.

Q: What do you think about the significance of Điên Biên Phủ for the world?
Giap: The history of the Vietnamese people goes back thousands of years. During that time we've repelled thousands of invaders. Only, in former times the countries that tried to invade us were on the same economic level as we were. Theirs, like ours, was a feudal society. That was the case, for example, when we fought the Chinese in the 13th century. But Điên Biên Phủ was a victory in another era. What I mean is that in the latter half of the 19th century, when western imperialism divided the world into colonies, a new problem emerged. How could a weak, economically backwards people ever hope to regain its freedom? How could it hope to take on a modern western army, backed by the resources of a modern capitalist state? And that's why it took us 100 years to fight off the French and French imperialism. Điên Biên Phủ was the first great decisive victory after 100 years of war against French imperialism and U.S. interventionism. That victory that put an end to the war and marked the end of French aggression. From an international point of view, it was the first great victory for a weak, colonized people struggling against the full strength of modern Western forces. This is why it was the first great defeat for the West. It shook the foundations of colonialism and called on people to fight for their freedom -- it was the beginning of international civilization.
Q: Was Điên Biên Phủ an easy victory because the French made so many mistakes?
Giap: It's not as simple as that. We believed that in the French camp, French general staff and the military chiefs were well informed. They'd weighed up the pros and cons, and according to their forecasts, Điên Biên Phủ was impregnable. It has to be said that at the beginning of the autumn of '53, for example, when our political headquarters were planning our autumn and winter campaigns, there was no mention of Diên Bin Phû. Why? Because, the Navarre plan didn't mention it either. They had a whole series of maneuvers planned.
For us, the problem was that Navarre wanted to retain the initiative whereas we wanted to seize it. There is a contradiction that exists in a war of aggression whereby you have to disperse your forces to occupy a territory but rally your mobile forces for offensive action. We took advantage of this contradiction and forced Navarre to disperse his forces. That's how it all started. We ordered our troops to advance in a number of directions, directions of key importance to the enemy although their presence wasn't significant. So the enemy had no choice but to disperse their troops. We sent divisions north, northwest, toward the center, towards Laos; other divisions went in other directions. So to safeguard Laos and the northwest, Navarre had to parachute troops into Diên Bin Phû, and that's what happened at Diên Bin Phû. Before then, no one had heard of Diên Bin Phû. But afterwards, well that's history, isn't it? French General Staff only planned to parachute in sufficient troops to stop us advancing on the northwest and Laos. Little by little, they planned to transform Điên Biên Phủ into an enormous concentration camp, a fortified camp, the most powerful in Indochina. They planned to draw our forces, break us, crush us, but the opposite took place. They'd wanted a decisive battle and that's exactly what they got at Điên Biên Phủ -- except that it was decisive for the Vietnamese and not for the French.
Q: Before Diên Bin Phû, do you think the French ever imagined you could defeat them?
Giap: Well, everyone at Diên Bin Phû, from the French generals and representatives of the French government to the American generals and the commanding admiral of the Pacific Fleet, agreed that Điên Biên Phủ was impregnable. Everyone agreed that it was impossible to take. The French and then the Americans underestimated our strength. They had better weapons and enormous military and economic potential. They never doubted that victory would be theirs. And yet, just when the French believed themselves to be on the verge of victory, everything collapsed around them. The same happened to the Americans in the Spring of '65. Just when Washington was about to proclaim victory in the South, the Americans saw their expectations crumble. Why? Because it wasn't just an army they were up against but an entire people -- an entire people.
So the lesson is that however great the military and economic potential of your adversary, it will never be great enough to defeat a people united in the struggle for their fundamental rights. That's what we've learned from all this.
Q: Why was the National Liberation Front so successful in expanding the areas it controlled between 1960 and 1965?
Giap: Throughout our long history, whenever we've felt ourselves to be threatened by the enemy, our people have closed in the ranks. Millions of men, united, have called for "Unification above all," for "Victory above all".... The National Liberation Front was victorious because it managed to unite most of the people and because its politics were just.
Q: Did you change your tactics at all when the American troops began to arrive after 1965?
Giap: Of course, but even so, it was still a people's war. And, a people's war is characterized by a strategy that is more than simply military. There's always a synthesized aspect to the strategy, too. Our strategy was at once military, political, economic, and diplomatic, although it was the military component which was the most important one.
In a time of war, you have to take your lead from the enemy. You have to know your enemy well. When your enemy changes his strategy or tactics, you have to do the same. In every war, a strategy is always made up of a number of tactics that are considered to be of great strategic importance, so you have to try to smash those tactics. If we took on the cavalry, for example, we'd do everything we could to smash that particular tactic. It was the same when the enemy made use of strategic weapons.... And, when the Americans tried to apply their "seek and destroy" tactic, we responded with our own particular tactic that was to make their objective unattainable and destroy them instead. We had to...force the enemy to fight the way we wanted them to fight. We had to force the enemy to fight on unfamiliar territory.
Q: Was your Têt offensive in 1968 a failure?
Giap: As far as we're concerned, there's no such thing as a purely military strategy. So it would be wrong to speak of Têt in purely military terms. The offensive was three things at the same time: military, political, and diplomatic. The goal of the war was de-escalation. We were looking to de-escalate the war. Thus, it would have been impossible to separate our political strategy from our military strategy. The truth is that we saw things in their entirety and knew that in the end, we had to de-escalate the war. At that point, the goal of the offensive was to try to de-escalate the war.
Q: And did the de-escalation succeed?
Giap: Your objective in war can either be to wipe out the enemy altogether or to leave their forces partly intact but their will to fight destroyed. It was the American policy to try and escalate the war. Our goal in the '68 offensive was to force them to de-escalate, to break the American will to remain in the war....
We did this by confronting them with repeated military, as well as political and diplomatic victories. By bringing the war to practically all the occupied towns, we aimed to show the Americans and the American people that it would be impossible for them to continue with the war. Essentially, that's how we did it.
Q: You are familiar with those famous pictures of April 1975, of American helicopters flying away from the American Embassy. What do those pictures mean to you?
Giap: It was as we expected. It marked the end of the American neo-colonial presence in our country. And, it proved that when a people are united in their fight for freedom, they will always be victorious.
When I was young, I had a dream that one day I'd see my country free and united. That day, my dream came true. When the political bureau reunited Hanoi with Laos, there were first reports of evacuation. Then the Saigon government capitulated. It was like turning the page on a chapter of history. The streets in Hanoi were full of people.
The pictures of the helicopters were, in one way, a concrete symbol of the victory of the People's war against American aggression. But, looked at another way, it's proof that the Pentagon could not possibly predict what would happen. It revealed the sheer impossibility for the Americans to forecast the outcome. Otherwise, they would have planned things better, wouldn't they.
The reality of history teaches us that not even the most powerful economic and military force can overcome a resistance of a united people, a people united in their struggle for their international rights. There is a limit to power. I think the Americans and great superpowers would do well to remember that while their power may be great, it is inevitably limited.... Since the beginning of time, whether in a socialist or a capitalist country, the things you do in the interests of the people stand you in good stead, while those which go against the interest of the people will eventually turn against you. History bears out what I say.
We were the ones who won the war and the Americans were the ones who were defeated, but let's be precise about this. What constitutes victory? The Vietnamese people never wanted war; they wanted peace. Did the Americans want war? No, they wanted peace, too. So, the victory was a victory for those people in Vietnam and in the USA who wanted peace. Who, then, were the ones defeated? Those who were after aggression at any price. And that's why we're still friends with the people of France and why we've never felt any enmity for the people of America....
Q: Who invented the idea of People's war? Whose idea was it originally?
Giap: It was originally a product of the creative spirit of the people. Let me tell you the legend of Phu Dong...which everyone here knows well. It's a legend set in prehistoric times. The enemy was set to invade, and there was a three-year-old boy called Phu Dong who was growing visibly bigger by the minute. He climbed on to an iron horse and, brandishing bamboo canes as weapons, rallied the people. The peasants, the fisherman, everyone answered his call, and they won the war. It's just a legend and like popular literature, the content is legendary, but it still reflects the essence of the people's thinking. So, popular warfare existed even in legends, and it remained with us over the centuries.
Q: Why do you think Vietnam is almost the only country in the world that has defeated America? Why only Vietnam?
Giap: Speaking as a historian, I'd say that Vietnam is rare. As a nation, Vietnam was formed very early on. It is said that, in theory, a nation can only be formed after the arrival of Capitalism -- according to Stalin's theory of the formation of nations, for instance. But, our nation was formed very early, before the Christian era. Why? Because the risk of aggression from outside forces led all the various tribes to band together. And then there was the constant battle against the elements, against the harsh winter con***ions that prevail here. In our legends, this struggle against the elements is seen as a unifying factor, a force for national cohesion. This, combined with the constant risk of invasion, made for greater cohesion and created a tra***ion -- a tra***ion that gave us strength.
The Vietnamese people in general tend to be optimistic. Why? Because they've been facing up to vicissitudes for thousands of years, and for thousands of years they've been overcoming them.
Q: What was the contribution of Marxism and Leninism to your theory of a People's War?
The People's War in Vietnam pre-dated the arrival of Marxism and Leninism, both of which contributed something when they did arrive, of course.
When the USSR collapsed, we predicted that 60 to 80 percent of our imports and exports budget would be eliminated because we depended upon aid from the USSR and other socialist countries. So people predicted the collapse of Vietnam. Well, we're still hanging on and slowly making progress. I was asked what I thought of Perestroika, so I answered that I agreed with the change and thought it was necessary in political relations. But Perestroika is a Russian word, made for the Russians. Here we do things the Vietnamese way. And we make the most of our hopes and the hopes of those in Russia, China, the USA, Japan, Great Britain -- but we try to assimilate them all.
As I mentioned, the Vietnamese people have an independent spirit, stubborn people, I suppose, who do things the Vietnamese way. So now the plan is to mobilize the entire population in the fight against backwardness and misery. While there are the problems of war and the problems of peace, there are also concrete laws, social laws, great laws, which retain their value whether in peace or war. You have to be realistic. You have to have a goal. You have to be a realist and use reality as a means of analyzing the object laws which govern things. To win, you have to act according to these laws. If you do the opposite, you're being subjective and you're bound to lose. So, we learn from the experience, both good and bad, of Capitalism. But, we have our own Vietnamese idea on things. I'd like to add that we are still for independence, that we still follow the path shown us by Ho Chi Minh, the path of independence and Socialism. I'm still a Socialist but what is Socialism? It's independence and unity for the country. It's the freedom and well-being of the people who live there. And, it's peace and friendship between all men.

​

I''m back and stronger than ever.
A year ago, she could do no wrong. Then came the backlash. But it takes more than a little bad publicity to beat Brtiney Spears...
Once upon the tine, there was a girl called Britney. She was the smiling princess of pop and was dating a boy band babe called Justin Timberlake. She was a family girl who didn''t drink, didn''t smoke, and didn''t believe in *** before marriage...
But then the cracks began to appear. Brit split up with Justin, her parents separated, and she started drinking, smoking and wearing decidedly un-virginal clothes (the ''F*ck'' slogan T-shirt raised eyebrows). She snubbed fans at the premiere of her movie Crossroads, which was slated by the critics. And at the opening of her restaurant, Nyla, the rain-soaked crowds greeted her with nasty taunts of ''Justin!Justin!'' The press crowed happily when, after reports of food poisoning, bad service and terrible attendance, the eaterie closed less than a year later. The Britney Backlash was in full swing.
Then there were the boys- Most girls go slightly mental when they split up with their first love, but, Britney''s dramas were played out on the front pages of every newspaper.She was linked to Fred Durst, Colin Farrell, Justin (again), a couple of anonymous boy banders, Ben Affleck, MTV host Mike Kasem, Ashton Kutcher, and business tycoon Phil Maloof.
But just when it seemed it was all over for the tarnished golden girl, Britney pulled herself together. She sold the LA love nest she''d bought with Justin. She auctioned off her old stage costumes for her charity, the Britney Spears Foundation, then threw herself into recording a new album, pencilled for release this autumn.
So, a bold new Britney is back and we caught up with her to disscuss her turbulent year, and her plants for the future. Oh, and she''s taller then you''d think, too.
Britney, for this album, you''ve teamed up with ace prodution team The Neptunes, Ashanti''s producer Aurelius , and Arvil''s team, Matrix. How''s it going?Well. I''ve just been able to take my time, have creative control and make it special, special. One of my favourite tracks on the album is called '' Touch of my hand''. I like to compare it to '' The way love goes''- kind of a Janet Jackson thing.
We hear there''s also a song about Justin - a response to ''Cry me a river'' Is that true?
It''s funny. I read that rumour too- but that''s not my style. I''d never do that.
How are things with Justin? There are rumours that you''re getting back together...
No, there''s nothing going on between us. I swear.
So, do you have a boyfriend at the moment?
No. I don''t want a serious relationship right now. Every relationship i''ve been in has lasted four or five years. I was that girl, you know? A one-guy girl. Now it''s cool just to be able to date for fun.
So, talking of dating, what was the real deal between you and Fred Durst?
He said some pretty amazing things about me. But i think he leapt in too quick, too deep. I don''t really know him that well. I''m really quite confused by the whole thing.
But is it true that you fell for each other?
um...I think maybe him for me, but not me for him. He''s really sweet but there was no relationship. He''s not my tyle.
So what happened, then?
I don''t know, you need to ask him. The thing is, we worked together for,like, three days and he''s a really cool guy - but there was no relationship.
Ok, so you clearly don''t want to talk about Fred. Moving on, do you get annoyed when people say that you shouldn''t be partying or wearing ***y clothes?
I think it''s silly. Touring, being overseas and missing home makes me want to go out more than i normally do at home. I guess i''m having my rebellious phase. But i''m just going out! I''m not doing anything bad. And i believe you can be a good person and still be ***y
You''re looking really good at the moment...
I''m kicking back a little. I guess, cutting down on those intense workouts and just doing yoga. But my number one beauty secret is lots and lots of sleep - eight hours a night. And i''m a big believer in naps, veggies ans drinking lots of water.
Have you got body hang-ups?
I judge myself sometimes, just like anyone else, when i''m having an off day. I''ll think: Maybe I should be a little slimmer. But then, i''m certainly not the type of person who can starve themselves. I love my food and I have to eat well.
What are your least favourite bits of your body then?
My nose and my feet. My feet are ugly! (laughs) And i hate my nose 0 it''s really big! I hate it
(Well but i think they''re ok Brit and u should try to love them, then sure i''ll like you more than i like you now.)
But, judging by the amount of exposure it gets, we''re betting you love that tummy.
(Laughs) I wouldn''t say my belly is the best by any means. But i do thing the belly is a beautiful part of the body. Personally, i think Janet Jackson has the best abs in the whole world.
(Hey Janet sometimes is a tomboy i think)
If your belly could talk, what do you think it would say?
''Feed me!'' (Laughs) There''s nothing like a McDonald''s to make you feel good. And I couldn''t live without ice cream
(I love Mc Flurry with Smarties)
Back to you image - you''ve changed your hair again...
I just said: '' Can we cut all my hair off? Pretty please?'' It was cut to my shoulders. I feel so refreshed. Life is more fun when you keep changing things.
Do you blow loads of cash on retail therapy?
I''m not really a big spender. I guess it it comes from growing up in a situation that wasn''t that finacially stable. So i can''t buy a $3.000 shirt, or just a Ê30.000 bracelet. I just can''t do it.
Do you ever feel success has gone to your head?
No. Probably because i''m really focused and very determined. I''m a real, down- to -earth girl.
(Xtina Aguilera: I think Britney''s great. She''s out there doing her thing. I''m doing mine - and there''s enough room for both of us. There''s no fight.
Fred Durst: Man, of man. I''d like to just forget the whole thing ever happened. But i''m doing to have to accept I can''t do that just yet.
Justin Timberlake:I was addicted to Britney, but that''s love for you. I was caught up in the fact that i was splitting up with the girl i''d been with for four years. But we''re friends now, we''re not mad at each other any more.)
I want to be in another place.
I hate when you say you don't understand.

It''s fun to read what Avril thinks about various topics. Here, you can view what she thinks about everything - the world, herself, and life in general - in the eyes of a seventeen-year-old.
"I wrote about what I was going through at the time." - on the inspiration for her songs
"I don''t really care if my clothes are wrinkled or there''s a stain on my shirt. Going out on the road, your clothes are dirty." - on her style
"I don''t want to be like Britney. That''s her thing and I''m doing my own thing too." - on Britney
"I don''t want to be no fake pop ****." - on not wanting to be...well, fake pop ****
"I''m not into gloss and glamour. It''s soooo fake." - on gloss and glamour
"If anybody tries to kiss my butt...I''ll just tell them, ''Shut the hell up.''" - if people start trying to kiss her butt
"Nick Carter wanted me to sing on his album but, you know, it''s not really my thing. I''m not putting myself in the teen pop type of box." - on Nick Carter asking her to sing on his album
"If you don''t like who I am, then you don''t like you I am. But all you''re gonna get, is who I am."
"im gonna dress whats me, im gonna act whats me, and im gonna sing whats me"
I won''t change anything because I think the most important thing is being yourself and that''s what I''m going to continue to do."
"I write about whatever''s on my heart" On what inspires her
"I dress cool and I look hot, so if you donâ?Tt like it suck it."
" I could be Britney, I could be BETTER than Britney. And if I were selling my body, I would wear that stuff but I''m selling my music."
"I''m not a bitch or anything, but I can be a bitch. People want me to look all pretty and ***y for pictures, and it''s just not my thing."
"Screw that, I''m not gonna wear those trashy clothes!"
"I''m a person with a ton of energy who likes to scream and party and rock out. And there are other sides of me that are real serious."
"I like skater clothes, baggy pants and wifebeater tees that say ''boybeater'' on them."
"I always go with my gut and stand up for what I believe in. I''m a fighter. I fight for what I want."
"School teaches you what to do with the rest of your life," she says. "I already knew."
"Even before, I knew what, like, a record was, I knew I was going to make one."
"If I become hugely famous, I don''t want to get a friggin'' ego. I''d Hope the people around me would kick my butt if I did!"
"I never see my family anymore."
"Many people ask weird questions. And some of them are really personal too."
"Evan''s my bro. I''m like his little sister."
"I am so busy - I never get to eat."
"i am the stubble queen"
"I''m not worried about what other people say. I''m just going to be myself. I''m not going to try to pretend I''m someone else. I''m not a bad person. I like to have fun and I like to be myself. Hopefully, people will see that."
"Sometimes I feel like my guitar is my therapist"
"I''ve definitely grown a lot in that whole period - especially as a person."
"It''s not A-vril. It''s Avril!"
"I definitely have a rock star life style"
"Im a rock chick at heart"
"Check out the lead singer! He''s adorable! The funny thing is, we kind of look alike."--- on her favorite band, Hanson.(rolling stones---issue 902)
"Hey dudes, I''m young, I''m single, I''m allowed to have some fun!"
"I think because I was brought up in a Christian home I was kind of careful not to swear in my lyrics,"
"I felt kind of guilty when I''d go to swear because I felt I would be disappointing my parents."
''''Girls seem to be more sensitive, right? That might help you write better. Guys like to hide their feelings.One thing beinga woman that i don''t do,though, is sell my body.I want people to respect me,and i don''t go around shaking it or wearing a push-up bra.''''
"How would I describe my music? I would describe my music as...........Avril Lavigne."
"When I was younger, my mom put me in a cute little pink dress with frillies for my first day back to school. I hated it!"
Quotes from 4 Music / 4 Play (submitted by cheer0884@aol.com)
"A lot of my songs are just true and honest and it''s kinda re-freshing to some people cause it''s not all like.... (laughs) "Oh Baby" this and "Oh Baby" that and it''s you know kinda means a bit more to some people"
"Everybody knew back home, everybody knew me as like (quotes with fingers) "The singer girl" "Oh yeah the girl that sings!" i''m like "Yeah i''m her!"
"I''d say that my insparation for music came from church because... that''s you know I grew up going to church all the time and heard music and I sang my first solo at church, sang at all the Christmas concerts and um... that''s kinda where I got my start and that''s you know where my roots come from and I started writing aswell when I was 12, taught myself how to play guitar when I was 12"
"I wasn''t even educated on what a you know a record deal was, all I knew was that you know if I sang for this guy and if he liked me that would make me be able to get... (giggles) make me to be able to create a record and that''s all I wanted, I wanted my CD, I wanted to have a CD and... so, it happend really fast"
"''Complicated'' is bout people being fake, two-faced, not being themselves, kinda you know bout that guy who, i''ve totally experienced this before um... with a couple of different guys, where you know like you get along with him and he''s really cool and acts really into you and everything''s great and then when he''s with his friends, he treats you... different!"
"I would describe myself as Avril Lavigne to someone if they asked me to describe myself cause the thing i hate about this, being in my situation, is that you get labelled you know, i''ve been labelled as Avril Lavinge "Sk8er Chick!"
"Yeah I use to skateboard when I was in grade 11 and I still would if you know I wasn''t on the road right now"
"Yeah it''s to that point now where it''s... I can''t go out shopping you know like the mall or whatever um... the last two times that I went i''m all like "I''ll be fine! I''ll be fine!" whatever and I went just like this (no discuise) and um... didn''t really get any shopping done, but it happeneds right, you know so... I''m not complaining. It''s just, it''s a little weird, something I have to get use to... you know next time i''ll just like put my hair up and wear a hat or something" (giggles)
"Be Yourself and **** whatever anyone else thinks"
"I''m not going to be pushed around and told what to do"
"When I get really upset, I go to my guitar, I feel like it''s my therapist."
"School gave me an inferiority complex, I never did my work, was always talking, and failed all my test because I didn''t try. I would be throwing M&Ms and the English teacher would say, ''Stop that or I''m going to make you leave the room.'' And I''d be like, Thats what I want. So I''d keep throwing them, get kicked out, and grab my skateboard and go skate."
"I was a little badass."
"Girls are strange. They have groups and don''t want to let anyone else in. I''ve had a hard time getting along with girls because of that."
"I''m a chick with edge. I like to rock out, have fun, and cause trouble. What you see is totally what I am. I haven''t let anyone mold me."
"I''m a fighter, I may be small but I''m tough."
One Step Closer