POTP Exclusive

Although Matthew Morrison is a lead character on one of the most popular shows on TV, he keeps himself out of the tabloids. With the exception of a story that ran about Matthew going out on a date with Cameron Diaz, we haven't heard any stories about Matt's romantic relationships. Does he have a girlfriend? Is he single? Of course I had to ask! If you'd like to catch up with us, here's Part 1 of Poponthepop.com's exclusive interview with Matthew Morrison where he talks about what artist he's going to cover next, Glee casting rumors, and much more!

POTP: So Ricky Martin and Nene Leakes [are guest starring this season]. Is Nene still on the show?

Matthew: Yes, she’s doing this episode we’re doing right now. I haven’t met her yet. I haven’t done any scenes with her. I actually didn’t know who she was.

POTP: You’re not a Real Housewives fan [laughs]?

Matthew: Come on [laughs]! I don’t watch reality shows. I never watch TV unless it’s sports.

POTP: What sports?

Matthew: Right now I’m into the playoffs, football. Baseball, soccer, any sport, ESPN.

POTP: And your hair. Is that a natural curl? You know Sue Sylvester’s always talking about your hair.

Matthew: I actually tried to straighten it out a little bit today, but ya, it’s all natural.

POTP: And are you single?

Matthew: I am right now.

POTP: But you’re, like, always single, as far as I know. Why is that?

Matthew: It could be the best kept secret in Hollywood that I’m courting away my girlfriend.

POTP: Are there phantom girlfriends that nobody can know about [laughs]?

Matthew: I definitely have a girlfriend.

POTP: Is she an actress?

Matthew: No she’s not.

POTP: And you don’t take her on red carpets? Oh no!

Matthew: This is work, ya know. I’m going to be doing all these interviews with people and she’s just going to be standing here.

POTP: That's true. How long have you been with her?

Matthew: It’s been a while.

POTP: At least a year?

Matthew: Yes.

POTP: So you’re going to get married next year [laughs]?

Matthew: Haha [laughs].

POTP: I’m kidding. Thank you!

Matthew: Thank you. It was so nice to finally meet you!

Lamorne Morris is the only black cast member on Fox's New Girl. Unlike most television shows and movies, Lamorne's race is a non-issue on the show. Winston did play basketball overseas, but the stereotypes end there. Lamorne, originally from Chicago, has some similarities to his character. They're both "safe," and they're both pretty funny. Lamorne credits New Girl's writers for giving him a modern, well-rounded character.

POTP: People like the guys [on New Girl] so much and they’re always saying 'I wanna see more of the guys!'

Lamorne: It’s an ensemble and we’re very grateful to have such good chemistry together.

POTP: Me being black and you being black [laughs], in case you didn’t know...

Lamorne: I noticed [laughs].

POTP: Your character is not exactly ghetto. Before you got the role, were you like your character or were you more hood?

Lamorne: I’m from the Southside of Chicago, born and raised, but when I was 14, 15, I moved to the Western suburbs of Chicago where we were one of the only black families there. My mom was very adamant about education, and so I kind of grew up in a hybrid situation where I have my roots. I was ghetto growing up and very hood growing up, but when you’re around different cultures, you actually develop as a person. You evolve beyond what you’re from. You evolve beyond the odds. That’s how I am. People used to always say ‘You’re a very safe black dude!’ But I used to find that offensive, but now I’m kind of like ‘Ok, great! We’re all safe.’

POTP: You kind of seem a little bit like your character. I like that. I don’t recall your character saying ‘I’M BLACK AND I CAN’T GET A JOB BECAUSE I’M BLAAAAACK! THE COPS PULLED ME OVER TODAY!’

Lamorne: [Throws head back and laughs] Right!

POTP: I find that so refreshing about the show.

Lamorne: I think it is. Our writers are multi-cultural. Everyone’s smart. It’s a new day, a new generation. We’re above that. It’s silly to make silly and dumb stereotypes.

POTP: Does that come up in any future episodes?

Lamorne: Not at all. There are certain elements of the show that I do reference the fact that I’m black.

POTP: It’s subtle. They’re not beating you over the head with it.

Lamorne: On the Thanksgiving episode, Nick says we’re gonna sit around watching football and then we’re going to go to Best Buy for Black Friday, and I say, ‘As I like to call it, Friday!' You know, small stuff like that, or I take him to a black barber shop. At the end of that episode, you see him at a black barber shop with all these old school black dudes. Small stuff that’s funny. If we do reference race, it’s funny. Like, we have Jewish references where it’s funny that we need to address sometimes. We have to stop being so sensitive.

If you'd like to catch up on our one-on-one with Morris, check out Poponthepop.com's exclusive interview with Lamorne Morris Part 1. New Girl airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on Fox.

Hannah Simone plays the best friend of Jess, played by Zooey Deschanel, on New Girl. Hannah's character Cece has a thing for Schmidt, and Cece seems to have "terrible taste in men." However, Hannah  likes "weird funny guys." In part 2 of our exclusive interview, Hannah revealed her New Year's resolution, her relationship status, where she was working before joining New Girl, and more!

POTP: Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? Anything you want to conquer this year?

Hannah: I spent New Year's Eve with my family and someone just said ‘I want to make sure that everyday that I’m as happy as I can be.’ That’s really good, I think that’s a good one.

POTP: Do you have a boyfriend?

Hannah: [Laughs] I promised myself that I’m not ever going to say a word because I think once you open the door to your personal life, you can’t then uninvite people. You have to kind of know what you’re getting yourself into, so I don’t talk about it.

POTP: If you were your character, who would you date?

Hannah: I think Cece has this shine for Schmidt because they’re both hot messes and they’re cute!

POTP: Would you date one of your co-stars in real life?

Hannah: I don’t know! It’s so funny. Now that I know the actors and they’re like brothers it would be so hard for me to say someone. Oh! But there’s an episode where the landlord shows up, maybe I’d date the landlord.

POTP: Is the landlord cute?

Hannah: The landlord is a very weird funny man! And I like weird funny guys, so maybe I’d date the weird funny landlord [laughs].

POTP: Do you consider yourself funny at all, or is playing Cece a challenge for you?

Hannah: I think this show is so real. It’s not like it’s just ‘joke joke joke!’

POTP: That’s true.

Hannah: It’s like, you get to be this authentic real character and now we’re gonna create an insane situation around you that’s just awkward and funny and you just react how you react. The writers are so great at that, at creating these scenarios that are awkward and are funny to watch.

POTP: Is Cece going to have boyfriends? You said there are a few guys.

Hannah: Cece has terrible taste in men and I think those terrible men will continue to surface through the show, which is really funny cause they hire these super nice guys who are actors and they have to be such idiots to me! Which is really funny.

POTP: Do you hope to transition into film or are you just riding this out a little bit?

Hannah: I never could have predicted that this would be what my life is, so I’m so grateful for it, so any other blessings that come my way it’s just gravy at this point.

POTP: How happy are your parents?

Hannah: SO happy! They’re so proud! I used to work at the United Nations and they were equally as happy and proud. I think as long as you feel happy and fulfilled and inspired, it’s all they could hope for.

If you'd like to catch up on our one-on-one with Hannah Simone, check out Poponthepop.com's exclusive interview with Hannah Simone Part 1. New Girl airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on Fox.

On Fox's "New Girl," all of Jess' male roommates love her best friend Cece. Cece, played by Hannah Simone, is the hot model who comes over to Jess' loft to hang out sometimes. Hannah is clearly beautiful, but she's also down to earth. She was one of the easiest celebrities to talk to, and I can't attribute that to her newfound success. She's seems like an all-around lovely person.

I met up with Hannah to find out about what her character will be getting into, what her ethnicity is (it's not like you didn't wanna know), and who's hitting her up now on Facebook. *** Part 2 of my exclusive with Hannah where she talks about whether or not she's single, what Jess' landlord is like, if she'd ever date one of her co-stars and more will be posted next Friday!

POTP: What’s in store for you this season that you can tell me about.

Hannah: Well there’s a Valentine’s Day episode coming up where Ryan Kwanson from True Blood makes an appearance for my best friend, Zooey Deschanel. And Christmas Kyle, what I call him, the guy I dated in the Christmas episode, the world’s biggest idiot. He also is my Valentine’s date. 

POTP: So you’re gettin' it in.

Hannah: I mean, I have terrible taste in men on this show! You have to watch to see what he does to me on Valentine’s day, but if there’s been a worse Valentine’s Day story than that, I’d like to hear it.

POTP: Are you still with him after that Valentine’s Day?

Hannah: I don’t know if he’ll come back. Cece has such terrible taste in men, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kyle pops up again, but I hope not.

POTP: But what about Schmidt, though? Cece likes Schmidt. Do you think that’s a good or a bad thing?

Hannah: Schmidt is putting in work! Let’s be honest, he really wants a little Cece, but she had a little shine for him at Thanksgiving, so who knows what’s in store.

POTP: I have to just be real with you right now. What’s your ethnicity?

Hannah: My mother is half German-Italian, half Greek and my father is Indian.

POTP: Do you just roll with it when people sometimes say that you’re a certain ethnicity?

Hannah: I love it, to be honest with you. I used to be a VJ on Much Music in Canada and it was so cool to watch young fans, how they would embrace me as one of their own because they could kind of see themselves in it, so I was never gonna tell anyone they were wrong [laughs]. I was like ‘Ya, true, I’m from the south of Spain!’ I think that’s really important to be represented on TV for little kids to see themselves fitting in the fabric of everyday life and not as a stereotype. I’m just a friend on the show. It’s not like I’m “the Indian friend” and I have to have a funny accent or weird things happening.

POTP: I was talking to Lamorne about how they don’t really mention his race and I guess that’s the same for you. You’re Jess’s friend and that’s why I asked what are you because we aren’t told every week that you’re not white and 'this is your race' or whatever. I think that’s great.

Hannah: YEAH!

POTP: A lot of shows usually harp on those racial issues when they have people of color on their shows.

Hannah: I’ve never really quite understood it and it always kind of makes me crazy, like how you have to explain how they would be friends. But if you look at most people’s lives, especially in like big cities, young people. It’s a big mix.

POTP: And how tall are you? I know you play a model on the show and I’m standing next to you and I’m all, ‘Hmmm. Well I’m in flats but she’s not that tall!’

Hannah: I’m 5’7 [laughs], but I’m always in like big heels because I’m a model because I think being statuesque is very good on the show.

POTP: Are you working out to stay slender? Do you diet?

Hannah: I’ve always been healthy and in shape, and I love food so much that I will never ever compromise what I want to eat! Nobody’s gonna tell me no.

POTP: You just work out.

Hannah: Ya, and I keep it very simple because life is too short.

POTP: How has the show changed your life? Do people recognize you? Do you have to wear disguises?

It wasn't until Lamorne Morris was cast on Fox's hit show "New Girl" that fans of the show discovered his comedic talent. Morris is a stand-up comedian from Chicago. He has worked with BET, Vh1, and has hosted various programs before scoring his breakout role on Fox.

Lamorne plays Winston, one of the male roommates who shares a loft with Zooey Deschanel. I caught up with Lamorne at the Television Critics Association's all-star party a few Saturdays ago where he revealed what's in store for Winston, what it's like on the set, and how hard it is to remain in character. *** Be sure to come back next Friday for part 2 of my exclusive where Lamorne and I talk about racial stereotypes (always a crowd pleaser) and more!

POTP: At the UFC fight [which I also attended], you ran down the red carpet.

Lamorne: I was trying to avoid UFC questions because I don’t know anything about it. Is that bad?

POTP: What’s in store for your character?

Lamorne: I get a girlfriend, played by Kali Hawk. She’s a beautiful actress, really funny.

POTP: When will she be on the show?

Lamorne: After January 17th, I can tell you that much. It might be the following week.

POTP: Is she still your girlfriend right now that you know of?

Lamorne: Ya. So far, so good. We shot the Valentine’s episode recently and she was still my girlfriend and then we go and we have sex, which means it was probably pretty good, which means she’s still gonna be my girlfriend IF the writer’s see fit. If the writers do not see fit, then I’ll be home alone.

POTP: Is there chemistry?

Lamorne: There’s a lot of chemistry. There’s a bunch of chemistry! We hung out beforehand. I found out who was going to be playing my girlfriend on the show and we messaged each other on Twitter and she lives down the street from me, so we were hanging out every single day and we still hang out all the time.

POTP: So you actually LIKE her [laughs]?

Lamorne: Her boyfriend has muscles all over the place. I do not.

POTP: What’s in store for your character besides the girlfriend?

Lamorne: He gets a job!

POTP: He’s not stuffing envelopes this time I assume.

Lamorne: I can not tell you what he does, but it’s very unexpected. But it’s already been referenced in earlier episodes.

POTP: On the set, is it Zooey versus the guys?

Lamorne: We all legitimately get along. She gives me advice on stuff and we give her advice on stuff. We spend 15, 16 hours a day with each other and then we come to events like this where we’re hanging out as well, and because of the success of the show, these events happen a lot. We see each other more than we see our own family sometimes.

POTP: Were you doing comedy before the show?

Lamorne: I was doing improv comedy in Chicago. I made my rounds around the country, in the world I guess. I did a lot of commercials, I used to host BET, Cartoon Network, Vh1.

POTP: How do you keep a straight face? When you were playing those bells [on the Thanksgiving episode], ‘I was like this is ridiculous!' I would be laughing my ass off.

Lamorne: [Laughs] You don’t keep a straight face, that’s the problem. We have to cut away from it. I’m the one who breaks character a lot because it’s just so funny.

*** Part 2 of my exclusive where Lamorne and I talk about racial stereotypes will be posted next Friday! New Girl airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox

Glee just wouldn't be the same without Mr. Schuester. Will Schuester was the protagonist that we wanted to protect from his psycho wife during season 1; he was the one Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele, was in love with, and he's the man who may deflower Emma Pilsbury!

For the most part, Matthew Morrison keeps himself out of the tabloids. Luckily I was at the same star-studded party with Mr. Morrison the other weekend and I got some one-on-one time with Glee's squeaky clean teacher! Now if Matt was a jerk, I wouldn't hesitate to say so (stay tuned for what I say about Lea Michele in a few weeks when I post my interview w/ her), but I was impressed by him.  *** Don't forget to return to Pop on the Pop next Tuesday for Part 2 of my exclusive where Matthew talks about Nene Leakes, sports, and his love life!

POTP: What’s going on with your character this season?

Matthew: Well I think Will and Emma fans are gonna be so happy. There’s so much in store for Will and Emma fans. Will’s gonna pop the question. It’s very exciting to have some great adult storylines again.

POTP: But you guys are gonna wait until you get married for... ya know?

Matthew: I don’t know! I haven’t seen the scripts where we do the deed yet, but we’ll see. I don’t know.

POTP: I remember you did an interview where you said there’ll probably be a lot of sanitizer when that goes on [laughs].

Matthew: Yeah [laughs]. There will be a lot of Purell involed!

POTP: Are you going to be doing any more singing this season, and is there an artist that you would love to cover?

Matthew: I am going to be singing and I am going to be doing an artist that I would love to cover, and that artist is Elvis Presley. 

POTP: Nice! Your voice would be perfect for that.

Matthew: Ya. I think it would be good, well suited.

POTP: I know you recorded an album and released that. Have Glee fans supported that effort?

Matthew: I did a big solo tour this summer. It was great. It was so much fun. It was so different, performing live. I miss it. That’s my roots, Broadway and just being on stage so for me it was like oxygen. I need to do that.

POTP: Do you see yourself doing another album?

Matthew: Yes I do.

POTP: Are you a part of the long schedules on the set? I know you guys have long days. Do you have a lighter schedule because you’re teaching and not necessarily dancing?

Matthew: I kind of have it more so in some cases because I’m in every scene with the kids and every scene with the adults as well. I’m in both worlds so I can’t really get out of it.

POTP: How do you keep your energy up?

Matthew: Headstands.

POTP: Are you serious [laughs]?

Matthew: I’m serious. If I’m feeling tired of something, I’ll sit in my trailer and do a headstand and it rushes the blood to my head and it just kind of wakes me up.

POTP: Okay. How many of those? One a day?

Matthew: Just one when I’m tired, I do a headstand.

POTP: So I should do that instead of my energy shot or cup of coffee.

** Matthew suddenly gets a very concerned look across his face!

Matthew: Energy shots, that’s so bad for you!

Yesterday, there I was, sitting on my couch watching Sunday night's episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta when Kandi Burruss and Phaedra Parks just finished a dance workout session. Kandi tells Phaedra, "Now I normally do not like to go on the blogs, but I just so happened to go on today." Kandi was talking about POPONTHEPOP.COM! I immediately paused my TV, told my sibling, and then called POTP writer Lil Payne.

Kandi pulls up Pop on the Pop on her Blackberry to read the story we wrote about Marlo Hampton's multiple arrests. POTP's homepage is not shown on her phone's screen, but POTP's address is in her address bar. Now after 5 years of blogging, I know that if Pop on the Pop's homepage was shown, it wouldn't create a spike in traffic, so that's fine. Naturally, many celebrities must have stumbled across POTP in Google's results for various searches, but to see one of my favorite reality stars pull up my website on one of my favorite reality shows is obviously huge for me. It's so huge that I had to share the news!

Thank you Kandi for giving me one of my biggest career highlights to date!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fast forward until there's 2 minutes left to see when the magic happens! Haha.

Kandi Burruss, Phaedra Parks Read Poponthepop.com

If there's anyone who has swag on Glee, beside Chris Colfer and Naya Rivera, it's Kevin McHale, who plays Artie Abrams. Artie is in a wheelchair but he never throws a pity party for himself. Instead, fans of Glee get to know Artie the person, not Artie the person in a wheelchair.

This season Kevin's character has transitioned from just singing with the Glee club to directing some plays. It's nice to see that he's not only optimistic, but he's also multi-talented and ambitious. Kevin brings the swag episode after episode. At Fox's all-star party in Los Angeles, I asked Kevin about what's in store for Artie, where he gets his swagger, and what he thinks about all those predictable on-set rivalry rumors.

POTP: What’s in store for your character?

Kevin: In the immediate future, some lovin!

POTP: Okay! With who?

Kevin: There may be a little interaction with Becky coming up, which I did not see coming!

POTP: Who’s Becky?

Kevin: Sue’s assistant cheerleader.

POTP: Oh no no no no no NO! Are you serious?

Kevin: Yes.

POTP: So that’s soon?

Kevin: Yes, that's the first episode back. There may be another girl as well.

POTP:  But does it go past one episode with Becky?

Kevin: No, but maybe with the other girl.

POTP: If you could date a character who would that be, or who should hook up?

The movie Napoleon Dynamite became an unlikely blockbuster when it hit theaters back in 2004. In the years since, it's endured as an oft-quoted cult favorite and helped land it's endearingly awkward star, Jon Heder, roles in such big-budget Hollywood comedies as Blades of Glory and School For Scoundrels. Despite his mainstream success, however, Napoleon - the nerd king with the killer dance moves - remains Heder's most beloved role.

After nearly eight years of "Vote For Pedro" t-shirts and llama jokes, the popularity of the original film remains strong, and Fox has decided to lure Dynamite's rabid fanbase to its Sunday night line-up with the Napoleon Dynamite animated series, premiering tonight at 8:30 pm. Jon Heder will, of course, reprise his role as Napoleon. Recently, he spoke to Pop on the Pop about the challenges of revisiting such an iconic character after so many years.

POTP: What is it about the Napoleon Dynamite characters that you think translates well to animation?

Jon Heder: They are all so very different and kind of cover so many aspects of this weird and quirky world that was created for the film. I think it will run well with animation because you have, like, the bully, you have the romantic lead, the best friend...They all seem to have different agendas within this world. It kind of lends itself to opening up lots of different story lines and conflicts within each of their own relationships.

POTP: When the producers approached you with the idea of an animated series, what were your first thoughts?

JH:I was excited. I mean, we had always talked in the beginning about doing something, whether it be a sequel or an animated, or a live action in terms of whatever, but I was excited because I'm finally able to tell fans, like, "Yes, we're making more stuff.' I was just really excited to kind of get back into the character and get back with everyone involved with the film...re-enter that world.

POTP: As an actor, how different is it to re-visit this character in an animated series, rather than a live-action film?

JH: For the lead character in an ongoing animated series, I've had to show way more emotional range in this role than I ever have in anything else I've done. I've had to explore all the different sides to Napoleon that I never knew were there. It's kind of like there have been many times in the recording studio where we're like, "What would Napoleon say here?" or, "How would he react? Well, let's try this. Let's try that." It's been a lot of fun.

On Monday, I attended The X Factor press conference at CBS studios in Los Angeles and it was the nicest press conference that I had ever been to. The press conference itself was held in the same room, same stage and all, that The X Factor is filmed in.

Paula Abdul is just as tiny as she appears to be on television, and Simon Cowell was just as feisty with reporters as he can be with contestants.

When a reporter directed a question to all three contestants - Chris Rene, Josh Krajcik and Melanie Amaro - Chris and Josh answered the question and then another reporter jumped in (asking a new question) before Melanie was able to respond. That upset Simon, and he scolded the reporter, saying that he can't just jump in and not allow Melanie to answer a question. It was nice to see!

Simon himself is clearly a kind person. He has a vested interest in launching talent and he will protect his proteges. You definitely want him on your side.

Paula's Pepsi purse!

At the conference, Simon also said that he realizes that he went into The X Factor being too cocky, but he confessed that "I'm cocky by nature!" He also said that he learned that he is not American, and he changed the song that Melanie sang (yesterday) because he realized that British people would enjoy it more than Americans.

An attention whore girl asked Simon if she could host the show next year, and Simon gave her an impromptu audition on stage! No joke! He's that generous and that interested in helping others come up. Melanie said that she's "interested" in finding out what the media will dig up, as far as fake rumors are concerned; I'm hoping that she has a squeaky clean past... What else? Simon and Nicole really don't like each other and they had a few disagreements. Simon also promised that The X Factor will be much better next year!

The X Factor season finale, Justin Bieber will be performing btw, airs at 8PM tonight on Fox!

Photos via POTP!