POTP Exclusive

Adam Lambert is one of the most talented singers to ever compete on American Idol, but his talent is only one of the reasons why his passionate fans love him. Adam, a San Diego native, hasn't "gone Hollywood." He's open, honest, makes himself accessible to fans, and he remains gracious and kind. Lambert is touring with Queen this summer and his new album, Trespassing, debuted in the no.1 slot on iTunes, but he still remains so down to earth.

Sweet Jesus, Adam is f*cking hawt in person! Lawd have mercy.

I took a photo with Adam outside of American Idol yesterday and he was the cutest! Me being 5'4 and Adam being around 6'3 (with the platform heels he was wearing), he squatted down a bit so that he wouldn't tower over me in my photo. I was wearing heels so I wasn't that short to begin with, but that's Adam for you! Most celebs quickly pose, don't make any eye contact and go on with their business, but not The Glam One! Glamberts should be happy to know that Adam's thoughtful.

Luckily, like most of my celebrity encounters, Adam did not disappoint. I was unable to get to many of my questions, but I was pleased with my interview and I hope you will be too. * Sidenote, Adam was walking out of the room when he walked over to the food table. He almost grabbed a can of soda but opted for a bottle of water and he took one cracker. He really is watching what he eats these days!

When you describe Trespassing it sounds sort of therapeutic. Was it therapeutic for you to make the album?

Definitely! I mean I think the upbeat, kind of rebellious dance tracks are very much an extension of my viewpoint on life, the way I like to live my life freely and proudly. Hopefully it inspires people to do the same. And then the second half of the album definitely is a bit more revealing. I think it's the most personal I've gotten as a songwriter in my career, so it felt really... it felt a little scary but I think that the result is something that people can feel. I hope they're feeling that, ya know?

When the album was pushed back a few times were you ever worried about sales or did you trust that Glamnation would be there for you?

Schmidt is to New Girl what Jack and Karen were to Will & Grace; the show would suck without him. Max Greenfield plays Schmidt, an over the top character who literally makes viewers laugh every time he says something. Schmidt is the OCD metrosexual who embraces his feminine side and talks about sex like it's a fine art. 

Max has embraced his character so much, he often blurs the line between being himself or his lovable douchebag character when speaking to the media. At a separate event, I saw Max embrace his serious side, but luckily for me, Max was upbeat and hilarious last night as he discussed all things Schmidt.

POTP: Hello Max, how are you doing?

Max: Hi. Now are we talking about life or are we talking about style?

POTP: Um, the show [laughs]! Okay, you have an entire summer to get ripped just in case you have to strip down next season.

Max: I know.

POTP: Will you be doing another spin class? * Max teaches spin classes in LA.

Max: There might be another spin class. We’re going to try to put together one in New York.

POTP: Are you going to be working out [during the summer hiatus]?

Max: I am going to be working out like an animal. I wanna come in at about 185 next season of just, of mass, just mass!

Lamorne Morris is much much funnier in person than his character Winston is on New Girl. Lamorne is a stand up comedian turned actor who had a strong start on Fox's new hit show... and then things got a little weird. Winston got weird and we didn't know whether to pity him, root for him or try to find a way to kick him outta the loft! Then weeks later Winston got a girlfriend, a job, and his fun personality back, possibly all within one episode!

POTP: Hello! I don’t expect you to remember me cause you meet so many people.

Lamorne: I do remember you.

POTP: Oh you do?

Lamorne: Was it... Don’t tell me. It was inside of a building and we were eating food.

POTP: I gave you my business card.

Lamorne: That’s right.

POTP: My really ghetto looking business card [laughs].

Lamorne: Your business card that you wrote out with crayon. *Total exaggeration! I had an actual card, but Lamorne is hilarious. 

POTP: Pretty much [laughs].

Lamorne: Your business card that you wrote out on the back of a piece of paper [laughs]. You wrote your number on the back of a football card, on some athlete [laughs]. That’s funny.

POTP: I noticed that your character has changed for the better, he’s matured. So how did it feel when he was kind of in a slump? I know there were about two episodes were he was just a bit strange. Did you feel that?

Lamorne: Yeah. I definitely did.

POTP: And were you like, ‘I can’t wait until these episodes end? [laughs]’

Hannah Simone plays Cece, the hot model on New Girl who began sleeping with her best friend's roommate, Schmidt. Hannah and Schmidt make a great pair, they're both cocky and interested in the same things, but they're both struggling with where their fiery relationship is going.

POTP: I met you at TCA.

Hannah: Oh yes, cool! You love my bangs.

POTP: Yes.

Hannah: I remember! I remember.

POTP: I’m glad to see that you’re with Schmidt! Do you think your relationship softens your character and makes her more vulnerable?

Hannah: Of course. Ya, I think that’s just real life. We’re this strong version of ourselves and the one thing that makes you vulnerable, because when you lose control, is when you develop feelings for somebody. I think that’s cracked Cece wide open.

POTP: Cece said that she likes Schmidt, but do you think that she loves him?

Hannah: I think they’re on that path. I mean, I don’t know. I think this is probably the first time for both of them that they really dig somebody and they’re really connected. They’ve always gone through such a huge test with the pregnancy scare. And I always thought that Schmidt’s reaction was so touching. “We made a caramel miracle.” I thought that was so adorable. I think they’re on the path because they obviously genuinely connect, but it’s the early days.

Zooey Deschanel is known for playing the manic pixie dream girl in movies and she sings in the band She & Him, but she's never starred on a TV show until "New Girl" came along.

The pilot episode was hilarious and engaging, and then, like Lamorne Morris' character, Zooey's character Jess became almost too irritating to watch. She was over the top childish, immature, sensitive, clingy, insecure and whiny, and then Jess got "twirly." 

Jess gained some confidence and she became more fun and carefree. As a result, New Girl continues to get better with each episode!

As for Zooey in real life, she repeats dumb questions verbatim in a condescending tone and then gives a b!tchy answer each time a reporter asks her a dumb question. She's been doing interviews since she was 16, which kind of gives her the right to be b!tchy. She's still talented, smart and she lights up whenever she's asked about something relevant. At the New Girl season finale party last night, I went one on one with the star of one of the funniest new shows on TV to find out what she thinks about Jess and Nick, guest stars, the season finale, and more.

POTP: I think your character has gone from adorkable to more confident a little bit. How would you describe the evolution of Jess’ character?

Zooey: Well yeah, I mean when you first see her in the season she’s just gone through a breakup so she’s kind of floundering a little bit so you definitely see her get her footing a little bit more in terms of her interactions with other people and with men and um... but she’s still awkward, and you know she still has her moments. But she definitely has gained some confidence which is nice to see.

POTP: Is there anything in particular that you’d like to see happen to your character next season?

Zooey: No. I’m excited to see what the writers come up with. I’ve really enjoyed the fact that they’ve touched on the Nick Jess thing. I think that that could be explored more. I certainly like that character dynamic.

POTP: Does Jess recognize that she has feelings for Nick?

Zooey: I think she knows it maybe more than he does, but I don’t know if she consciously would have acknowledged it.

POTP: Is there anyone you’d love to see guest star next season?

Zooey: You know I’m not really even about, I don’t even know if stunt casting it up is... We’ve had a lot of well known people but I just want good actors. I don’t really care whether they’re... I just want people who are funny and interesting on our set. So far we’ve had amazing people. So far, all of my expectations have been. The show has exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I’m just so happy. I’m just excited for good actors.

POTP: How have you celebrated New Girl’s success?

Zooey: I don’t really ever stop to think. I haven’t really celebrated it per se.

POTP: What was the most difficult scene for you to shoot so far? I would think it was the Justin Long [foreplay] scene.

Zooey: That was a lot of fun! It was difficult. Different things are difficult. There was something in [the season finale]. We had a coyote and they’re really skiddish and scared, so it was kind of hard to work with a coyote!

Nicki Minaj has been getting slammed recently. Whether it's for her shocking Grammys performance or the idea that she's turning "pop" with her new music, the popular rapper is familiar with criticism. Nicki remains an original, wearing bright crazy attire, using alter egos in her songs and so much more. The "black Lady Gaga" is entirely different than Gaga. This chick keeps her private life private, which we can respect. We've never seen a single paparazzi photo of her and she isn't a self-indulgent Twitter whore like Rihanna.

Because of Nicki's privacy and fierce 'boss lady' persona, I didn't know what to expect. Upon meeting Nicki, I saw a petite girl who is eager to talk to reporters for as long as possible. She's pretty smart and very engaging. Nicki was a pleasure. She smiles and laughs often and you get the sense that while her critics may keep talking and typing, she doesn't mind it. She's in control and she's going to keep it that way.

What inspired you to do most of Roman Reloaded from Roman's point of view?
I was inspired to do the new album by feeling like, 'Yo, I no longer care what people think!' That's my biggest inspiration. If you like it, you like it. If you don't, buh-bye! I'm having fun.

From the actors to the director of Project X, Todd Phillips (who produced Project X) cast all unknown talent. After meeting Todd, it comes as no surprise to know that he enjoys sharing the spotlight and giving others a chance to shine. Todd is humble, hilarious, and down to earth. Many D-listers don't give reporters the same level of respect that Todd does. He doesn't just go through the motions, he seems genuinely interested in answering your questions. In part 2 of my interview (here's part 1) Todd talks about what he doesn't put in his movies, if he'll start directing action films, and why he doesn't pay any attention to his haters!

Todd Phillips standing between the Project X cast

How much didn’t make it into Project X and what will be in the DVD versions?
Todd: We shot so many iPhone camera angles and different things and scenes that didn’t make it into the movie. They had a lot of hours that didn’t make it into the film. People always ask, “What’s the great stuff that’s not in the movie?” If there’s great stuff, I promise you, we’re putting it in the movie [laughs]! I’m not like, ‘This is TOO FUNNY for the movie! Hold it back and just wait for the DVD!’

Is there anything that couldn’t make it into the movie?
Todd: Warner Brothers has given me the freedom since The Hangover films where they trust the taste, taste is probably the wrong word... They trust the line that we draw. I don’t think there’s anything we had to compromise on this film.

Do you think this film would have the same effect if it were shot without the found footage aspect?
Todd: I think you could have ultimately made it, but I think it’s not going to resonate in the same way. I think it will resonate in this way, I hope. I think it’s just another way in. You’re always looking for ways into a story. There’s been a lot of bachelor parties before The Hangover, but we were looking for a way in. The execution in this movie was just another way in.

We hear you got deals for Hangover 3 and everyone’s being paid well. Do you have to keep the rest of the budget down to compensate for that?
Todd: Comedies aren’t that expensive. We aren’t doing green screen shooting. Even Hangover 2 in Bangkok might seem expensive for flying to Bangkok. But they’re just not that expensive to make when you’re doing it the way we do it, where we’re just very focused. It’s not going to be an insane amount of money. The average studio movie is shooting effects and green screens and all these effects that we don’t use.

How did you process the bad reviews you received for The Hangover 2?
Todd: You can’t find a comic director who makes movies for critics. When a movie does $580 million worldwide, I’m not saying that proves anything other than people were enjoying the experience. We didn’t make it for that [critic]. We make it for an audience. You don’t sell that many movie tickets with people hating a movie. I’m very proud of the movie. I think we got a little bit knocked around because critics just dismissed it and said we just copied and pasted the first movie. That’s actually not what we did. What we did was well thought out for us, an execution of a second story. We’ll do a third one and I think the audiences will love it.

What was your most outrageous party experience?
Todd: I don’t like answering questions like that. Why would I tell you that [laughs]! I’m a private person! I don’t know you, I’m like ‘Here’s what happened!’ I don’t know. I think a lot of this stuff finds its way into the film in various ways. A lot of the stuff in your life, seeds of it ends up in the movie and maybe you expand on it and make it crazier. It’s not like I’m some crazy party animal if you know me at all, but I love mayhem and I love being around mayhem and I love making movies about mayhem. I think it’s fun to document in comedy when things spiral out of control.

Do you think you could be a good action director?
Todd: I think I could do action, for sure. I’ve been offered plenty of action movies, but for me I like doing comedies. I like writing it myself and I like doing my own thing.

How do you manage to stay relevant with the young male audience?
Todd: That’s a good question! I think that I’ve forever been fifteen [laughs]. That’s a problem.

A lot has changed for Jonathan Daniel Brown and Oliver Cooper. Jonathan was cast as JB after applying for Project X after seeing an ad "on some blog randomly," and Oliver Cooper plays scene stealer, Costa. The guys play best friends in the movie and it doesn't sound like things are much different for them off screen. Project X is shot with found footage so that it feels like a documentary so that viewers can feel that they're at the house party, which the film revolves around, themselves. Apparently the movie was well done, because Oliver says that one fan actually asked him if the movie was real! That's almost just as scary as what takes place in the movie.

Friends now in real life, from left to right: Oliver, Jonathan & Thomas Mann

Do you think any audience members will think this is real?

Oliver: Some kid in Toronto asked me, "Is this real?" And I was thinking to myself, ‘NO! Obviously you are an idiot! It’s a movie!’

JB: This movie is fiction. It’s comedy. It’s a good time. It’s not like, ‘Go out and do this!’

How was the action choreographed on screen. A lot of the big things looked kind of dangerous. Did they just kind of say, 'You guys just go crazy over here!'

JB: No CG or anything like that. The crew were all wearing protective goggles and special outfits, except for us. They were just like "Just use your hands! You might get some scrap metal, it's cool. We got on-set medics." It's like, 'oh, thanks!'

Did it ever feel kind of dangerous, a little scary?

JB: Oh, it totally did! When things were on fire? I was sweating like a pig.

Oliver: First off, we shot the movie in order, so [by the end] we were literally exhausted and the makeup was all crazy. There was chaos and so many extras were running around, it felt real!

What did you have in your pimp cup?

Oliver: A little bit of cocaine [laughs]. O’Doul's, that kind of made me sick to my stomach and it felt like I was actually drinking. I just felt terrible in the movie. I drank so much of that O'Doul's and every time you do a scene you gotta refill it up, like nine times and you just feel like you're really sick and drunk. I actually threw up in the movie and I literally threw up! 

JB: I think we all threw up. I did when I did the apple juice beer pong. It's constantly pumping.

Oliver: It’s hitting you in the back of your throat!

How did you develop friendships?

Oliver: I think what helped our friendship is that we all were kind of in a similar situation. Me and Thomas hadn’t been in LA for long, so we didn't have a ton of friends. We could relate, like, this is a big thing for all of us, so we kind of had that to bond with.

JB: We hang out multiple times a week.

Project X opens today in theaters.

Kirby Bliss Blanton of Project X only had small roles before being cast as Thomas Mann's underrated best friend in Project X. Even before the movie premiered, Kirby said that the publicity for the film is "already exceeding [her] expectations." She's already been featured in a sexy Maxim photospread and she just wrapped up work on another movie. When it came to the script, the cast only "had an outline," because Todd Phillips' latest creation was somewhat of a secret.

Kirby said "Once they figured out who they wanted to be involved in it, that kind of changed a little bit. Once we all did the table read and they got to see how we all act with each other, my character got changed."

What was your character before it was changed?

Kirby: I was gonna be Rebecca and they realized I should be Betsy instead of Rebecca. They brought in Alexis to be Rebecca. The storyline did change once they got us involved. We all kind of switched around. It worked out better in the end.

What prospects has this film opened up for you?

Kirby: I just got back from doing another movie in Utah called Hot Bod with the Polish brothers.

I’m curious how the found footage aspect of the movie enhanced your performance as actors.

Kirby: There’s a scene where it’s supposed to be an intimate moment between Kirby and Thomas and we’re not supposed to know that we’re being filmed, so the camera has to be in a certain place that we can’t see it. I remember thinking, ‘Is the camera even seeing us?’ It was really dark and I was like, ‘How is this going to work?’ You do feel like a little more like you’re not on camera. Same with the scene with the boy hiding in the closet. I didn’t know that there was someone in there either. It makes you feel like all of these moments are caught on tape.

Thomas Mann plays a nerdy teenager in high school who capitalizes on his parents' weekend out of town by throwing house party. The only problem is that "It becomes more than just a high school party, it becomes, like, an everybody party. I don’t think anyone’s been to a party of this magnitude before. Parties aren’t like this in high school." he explains.

But it wasn't all fun and games on set, because the budget for the movie was low, the cast had to get things right the first time.

"The car in the pool was a one-take scene! It was a crazy timing thing. We rehearsed it a bunch. They show me from my back, and I was thinking ‘I can’t be the thing that fucks this up!’"

Project X features so many party loving extras, Thomas explained that it felt real.

"I remember the most fucked up that I ever felt when we were shooting was that [ecstasy scene] where it's literally the cameras just basically dragging us through the party, through all these extras. The house was filled with 300 extras and we were just following this light that was on the camera and it was blinding. They had music blaring. It always felt like a party." That it does! Project X is in theaters now.

Project X Trailer, 2012