KHANversation Pieces

It’s Hannah Time!! (Get it?!)

samiakhan — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:39:26 +0000

Before I continue…yes, the title of this blog post is a reference to an early-90’s, multi-hit-wonder-of-a-rapper who went bankrupt. Don’t judge me. Please continue reading…

How many Winter Olympians are you Facebook friends with?

OK now how many of those actually have a gold and silver medal?

Now whether I’m really friends with snowboarder Hannah Teter is up for debate (we’ve met twice and also witnessed her score a silver medal on Thursday in Women’s Halfpipe,) but one thing you can’t deny is our digital friendship (seriously, look at her list of friends as proof.)

Just ya know, hanging with an Olympian

So, as any friends would do, we had a conversation. Yes, a conversation,because well, friends don’t “interview” each other. As a result, we don’t talk about snowboarding. We don’t talk about the Olympics. And we don’t really talk about her charity. Instead? We talk about boys, food, music and well, ya know, things you’d talk about with your newly-formed BFF.

Highlights?

She loves her some surfers. Yep, this snow chick has a thing for the beach bums. Specifically? Her celeb crush is Kelly Slater.
If she wasn’t a snowboarder, she would be an environmentalist
What’s on her music radar? Well she just downloaded “Dominoes” by the Big Pink. (As we’re writing this post, we’re listening to her song recommendation. Team SKARVLOG approves, Hannah.)
If for some reason a situation arose and she could only eat one thing the rest of her life, it would be blueberries (wonder if blueberry pancakes/waffles/muffins count too?) She loves antioxidants?
If she had free time, she’d be sitting on a beach, in Hawaii, bronzing.
Her most embarrassing moment happened at the X Games. She was doing a victory lap in just her jersey (she had taken her jacket off) and then, she fell and “looked like an idiot.”
Her defining moment of success? Getting on the professional circuit, playing in the big leagues,winning at 15 (we’re guessing it beats geometry homework,)
Prefers cookies (vegan ones) to cupcakes.
She’s not a fan of football or basketball.
Prefers pouring her oh-so-delicious Hannah’s Gold (get yours now!) maple syrup on pancakes instead of waffles.
If she could compete in the summer Olympics, she’d either run or “jump over the thing.” We think that means vault. Or high jump.
And if for some reason she wasn’t an athlete, and happened to be a Mobile Explorer instead, her videos would feature powder runs up in Whistler and “just spray snow everywhere.” (SKARVLOG would, throw snowballs.)
Oh, and she thought we were funny, for drinking too much of her maple syrup.

So yeah. That’s what a 5-min-conversation with this new Facebook BFF is like. I’m assuming the digital friendship moves forward with a poke or maybe a wall post. I’ll keep you posted.

Dude. Shaun White is on our Flight.

samiakhan — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:50:23 +0000

As many of you know, my friend Amy and I are in Vancouver, as one of five Samsung mobile explorer teams… we’re capturing the Olympic experience through blogs, video, and social media over the next few weeks…AND competing to win the title of Ultimate Mobile Explorer! Please visit http://www.facebook.com/SamsungUSA to vote for us – Team SKAR Vlog (We also have a super cool site, thanks to the oh-so-fabulous and dare I say SKAR Vlog’s biggest public supporter, Adam Fanton: http://www.skarvlog.com)

However, just because I’m in foreign territory doesn’t mean I’m not blogging…follow along as you live vicariously through us and find out what it’s like to fly with Olympic snowboarder Shaun White.

Rockstar Snowboarder. Rockstar Runner. Rockstar...Blogger?

United Airlines flight 6114. Los Angeles to Vancouver. Wednesday February 10th. Approx. 9:20am.

Amy: “Dude. Shaun White is on our flight!”
Samia: “Where?! My mom was just talking about him (or well, his long, red hair.)”
Amy: “He’s up there! I’m gonna try filming him!”

Samia: (thinking Amy is crazy for filming the back of his head.)

Two hours later… plane landing soon…

Samia: “We have to talk to him. We can’t let this moment pass. We’ll regret it forever.”
Samia and Amy pause… unsure of how to approach this high-profile Olympian.
Amy: “Why don’t we go give these empty cups to the airline hostess, and then on our way back, ask if we can take a picture?”
Samia: “You equal genius.”

Samia and Amy do said-plan.

OK so, that scene right up there? Really happened. Yes. REALLY. Hours into our Olympic adventure, before we even crossed the border and entered international territory, we had already had our first experience with an Olympic athlete. And not just any Olympic athlete… it was like, THE Olympic athlete ….US snowboarder Shaun White.

So we’re sure that you guys are dying to know what happened next. Well…ten minutes, six questions, and three photos later, we went back to our seats feeling like we were Shaun White’s new BFF… or well, at least his Samsung Mobile Explorer team of choice (he told us he’d only support Team SKAR Vlog.) He even introduced us to the person sitting next to him… Olympian Halfpipe athlete Gretchen Bleiler.

Highlights of the conversation?

We talk about his hair. He tells us about how it takes forever to grow, and he tells us about a recent haircut. We ask if anyone had ever attempted to keep his hair. He says no (well, not that he knows of, at least.)

We talk about visiting foreign countries. He shares a story about visiting Africa with friends and how small children would just come up to him and touch his skin (“wow, he’s real!) Apparently, he’s visited countries like Rwanda to support African Relief (Shaun White = ultimate good samaritan.)

What’s on his music radar? We interrupted him writing in his journal, and listening to…”We are the Champions,” by Queen. Naturally, we bring up our early memories of Mighty Ducks 2 and how that song will forever be associated with that film. He agrees.

We also ask him how old he is. He’s 23. He asks us how old we are. Our response? 24. He turns to Gretchen and says (yes this actually happened,) “Oohhhh, I’m hanging with older women…” Naturally, we were flattered.

After realizing he was close in age, we had to ask….and yes, all you geeky gamers (Samia Khan included) out there will appreciate this: Yes, he played the video game Cool Boarders growing up. Let’s be real… he was FEATURED in the video game at age 13. In fact, he would play Cool Boarders 3 with his friends, and his friends would be the “Shaun White” character and beat him! Obviously… we know he could take them when it came to the real deal outside, but nonetheless, Shaun admitted he’s quite competitive and didn’t like his friends beating him while playing AS him.

Fun fact: He grew up in San Diego, and though he’s a pro snowboarder, actually hates the mountains and the cold!

In conclusion? Shaun White: Super nice. Super approachable. Super rockstar status (come on, you guys totally think he looks like a younger version of Steven Tyler too…)

Rosie Reunion, Part 1

samiakhan — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:57:39 +0000

OK so I just sat in on a TCA panel featuring Rosie O’Donnell and Parker O’Donnell, who were here in LA promoting her new HBO doc “A Family Is A Family Is A Family” (Parker and Rosie? They’re…family.)

Now this post isn’t to talk about the film, but rather, my reunion with Rosie. Wait…reunion?! I thought you might be confused. See clip below from February 2009 for a refresher…

OK so as you can see, Rosie and I? Like BFFs… or so I thought! This time around, it was a sorta media frenzy, so I didn’t get my one-on-one time with her, and instead had to share her with a bevy of other print reporters (this is the first time I’ve ever used the word “bevy.”)

Media frenzy because? Well, two issues. Gay marriage/families, and the obvious talk-of-the-town, Conan versus Leno. I’ll cover the first issue in my “Rosie Reunion, part 2″ post where I feature an interview with her son. For now, I’ll focus on issue two… the late-night controversy.

Rosie’s thoughts?

“Shame on Jay Leno. I think he’s forgotten his roots and who he is and what stand-up comedy is about. Graciousness has never been his number one quality.”

Eeeeks! Drama. And yes, I’m contributing by spreading it. Not only in this blog, but also in this HollywoodNews.com article I wrote. See story here! (PLEASE click on this link. I’d like feedback on my venture into online journalism.)

Late-Night Letdown?

samiakhan — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:09:23 +0000

OK so this isn’t exactly a “Khanversation,” but I’m here in Pasadena covering NBC’s press day (and yes, as a result, I’ll have a ton of my typical, SK-style posts in the future) and I wanted to share this “breaking news” article that I wrote regarding the Leno/Conan situation for HollywoodNews.com — enjoy!

It’s Official: Leno leaving Prime Time

BY SAMIA KHAN
It was the announcement that we all had been waiting for. In a room filled with television critics and reporters from all over the country, Chairman of NBC Entertainment Jeff Gaspin announced that starting February 12, The Jay Leno Show will no longer air at 10pm.

Gaspin says the goal for the network is to keep Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon as part of their late-night lineup. Gaspin has confirmed that a proposal has been made to move the Jay Leno Show to 11:35pm, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien to 12:05am, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to 1:05am.

NBC will not confirm whether any of the hosts have agreed to this proposal, but Gaspin did say they plan on having everything sorted out before the Winter Olympics begin.

Highlights of the 40-minute Q&A panel with Gaspin and NBC President of Prime Time Entertainment Angela Bromstad:

- Gaspin on how the late-night hosts reacted to the news: “Jay and Conan and Jimmy were both gracious and professional. they both understood the delicate situation that I was in. Beyond that is a private situation. When all this settles, you can ask them.”

- Why move Leno: Gaspin says this is not an NBC issue, but rather an issue for the affiliates. “It didn’t meet affiliate needs.” In some markets, it has affected their local newscasts ratings drastically.

- Gaspin on Leno’s poor ratings: “I don’t think that people didn’t watch the Jay Leno Show at 10 o’clock because of the show. People have a lot of choices at 10pm. There’s so many other choices that people thought were better. So many dramas on network and cable. I watch my DVR at 10pm. There is so much intense competition at 10 o clock.”

- Gaspin on the future of Conan: “My goal and my hope is that he will stay with the network.”

- How willl Leno and Conan overcome the perception that they’re damaged goods: Gaspin says, “Time, frankly just time. i think when they tell jokes about whats going on, it helps… they’re not doing this in the dark. Time is the best answer to the question.”

- What about Carson Daly: He can’t start at 2:05am, right? Gaspin says that Carson Daly will remain with the NBC network in some capacity, however the 2am time slot belongs to the affiliates.

Regarding other NBC shows:

- Will Heroes return next season? Bromstad says they’re sitting down with one of the creators, Tim Kring, and he’ll be pitching his views for the next season. “[Heroes has] been performing very well in it’s 8pm time slot so there’s a good chance it’ll be coming back.”

- The future of America’s Got Talent: David Hasselhoff will be leaving the show, and Howie Mandel will be replacing him.

- When asked about the option to put Friday Night Lights on the NBC schedule: Gaspin says the Friday night Lights is available as soon as March 1st

- Given the current state of the network, does NBC wish they hadn’t cancelled Southland: Bromstad says
“It was a very tough decision I personally love the show… it’s not easy to come across those auspices and that cast. However we did launch the show at 10 pm, it did fall off in terms of ratings, because of its serialized nature… it probably found a better home in cable.

Do You Remember….My Night w/Jay Sean?

samiakhan — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:40:08 +0000

He'll take you to a private getaway

OK so let’s cut the BS. You know it, I know it, we all know it. I just haven’t well, addressed “it.”

I’m brown. South Asian. From the Indian “subcontinent.” Rather, my parents are from there. Mom raised in Pakistan, dad raised in India. One arranged marriage and 30-something years later, their 24-year-old daughter is blogging about her adventures and interactions with the so-called celebrity (which I doubt they’re happy about. Mom’s latest speech? How I should go to med school in Pakistan…because then guys will want to marry me.)

Anyway, why I need to mention this racial issue? Well, because this is the first post that I’m devoting to my “people.” Or rather, a famous person who so happens to be “brown” too. (Side note: everyone kinda knows everyone else in this brown Hollywood scene. So while I could have brought you blog posts about various Indian actors, comedians, and maybe even a tv doctor, I’ve held out until now.)

I recently attended the Five Four/Jay Sean CD release party. Before I continue, shout out to the guys at Five Four Clothing… Andres, Dee, Anand (who I’ve definitely mentioned in previous posts,) and J Dubb… great guys, even greater clothes? (Wow, that sounds so cliché.) I’m sure I’ll blog about them again… but for now, let’s get back to Jay (wait…does Mr. Z have rights to the name “Jay?” Or maybe Mr. Leno? Eeek. I’ll use full names to play it safe.)

Overall observation? Jay Sean is super down to earth. I mean sure, I’d heard it from the guys, but I didn’t understand it til I sat down with him myself. I was going to share the video but it’s dark/the audio is crap, so I’ve transcribed it for you instead. Enjoy!

SK: Five Four’s been repping you hardcore!

JS: They’re amazing, and really nice guys…

SK: This is Five Four, right (I point to his shiny jacket that totally looks Five Four)

JS: It isn’t! But the jeans are.

(Rejected! It’s ok though, his British accent is adorable so I overlook the fact that I was wrong.)

SK: Congratulations by the way, the #1 single in the US… kind of a big deal.

(I’m referring to “Down” featuring Lil Wayne. Don’t act like you’re too cool for mainstream and haven’t heard it. Because you have. And, admit it… you’re “down” too.)

JS: I know! I don’t know how to describe the feeling, it’s very surreal cause you cant comprehend how big that is. I’m just over the moon, you know, just really, really over the moon and I think…very humbled by it. Cause its no joke when you get there and you really have to count your blessings. I’m very extremely blessed.

(He takes a break, sips on some water. He probably wishes he was sipping something else. We’ll get to that later…)

SK: What was it like, being approached by Cash Money?

JS: I just thought to myself, “This is incredible, I’m thousands of miles away from these guys, they have the biggest artist in the world right now signed to their label (Lil Wayne)… and they’re looking at me…like, this is amazing,” like you know, it was extremely flattering.

SK: So what’s the goal, the end all be all for Jay Sean. Sure you’ve been huge in Britain…

JS: For me I want to be up there in arenas, playing stadiums, getting up there to the level that Justin’s at and those greats….

(The very mention of Justin Timberlake makes me squeal inside. Obviously I insert a fact I know as soon as this is mentioned.)

SK: You just performed with him, right? In Vegas?

JS: Yeah, that was incredible. I’m a huge fan of Justin’s, so for him to pick me, handpick me out of all the artists in the world, and say “You, I want you to perform with me, as a part of my bill,” that was crazy.

SK: Did you get tips from him?

JS: Mmmhm. More than anything he just told me like, “Dude I really like you because you’re very grounded and…just don’t let that change you.” There aren’t many artists with a number one record that can say that and I really appreciate that cause I’ve always believed in that, I’ve always believed that just because you’re successful, just because you’re a celebrity, you don’t have to be a jerk, you can still be a nice guy – so for me, it was just nice to hear that from Justin.

SK: Alright now before we go…We’re here at your CD release party…for people who aren’t lucky enough to be here, what’s partying with Jay Sean like?

(Naturally he’s thrown off by this question, he smirks, and chuckles a little, then begins to answer)

JS: You know what? Normally, normally, normally (I have no idea why he said “normally” three times) when I don’t have to sing early in the morning like I do tomorrow, I wile out and…and I like to have fun, I like to have a little bit of a drink (he says the word “drink” in a more exaggerated British accent… it’s kinda cute.)

SK: What’s your drink of choice?

JS: Vodka, vodka soda. And ya know I really like to enjoy myself when I’m in a club cause that’s where I can really switch off, ya know, and hang out so normally I go hard…

SK: OK so I think there’s a table upstairs waiting for you, so I’ll let you go to that…it was so nice talking with ya.

Then we hugged and parted ways. Only to reunite upstairs in the club part of H.Wood. See photos below.

Oh and coming soon! The Jay Sean/Five Four clothing collaboration! I already own the scarf, but I hear there’s more to come in the Spring.

That's water in his hand

Mr. Greatest Ever in the building (Drake.)

Just give him a light? Sean Paul.

Jokes on…Jokoy?

samiakhan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:35:01 +0000

Jokoy. Filipino comic, who you may know from the Laugh Factory (where I first saw him back in like 2005,) or more recently on a national scale as a frequent panelist on Chelsea Lately’s roundtable.

Anyway. Why I’m writing a “Khanversation” piece on him is kinda funny/random, so obviously background is needed.

A friend of mine has season passes to the Clippers…granted, they’re not the hottest seats in the house, but! Who is really gonna say no to free tickets? So I get the tix, take my friend Will, and go to the game on Monday November 23rd. Once we sit down, we realize that it’s difficult to enjoy the game from super far away, so…we decide to make a game outta trying to score better seats. We have a few run-ins with security (who doesn’t these days?) and eventually sneak past one and get CENTER COURT seats, about 20 rows up. Amazing, right?! Close enough to see players, elevated enough to see the whole court. Baller. (Pun definitely intended.)

OK so onto what warrants a “Khanversation” blog post. As you know, I’m a heavy tweeter, and well, decided to search “Clippers” to see who else was at this game and updating. I start scrolling and whose name do I see? Jokoy! Who has posted the following:

Naturally, after looking at the photo he posted, I @reply him, and say:

THEN…He responds with:

To which I respond….

He eventually turns around, we make eye contact, he waves! It was great.

And… it doesn’t stop there!

Post game, Jokoy must walk near our section to exit. Will and I wait because…well, I’m hoping a conversation will ensue that will be blog-worthy( ok so the secret’s out…sometimes I just do things so I can write about it.)

I wanted to tell Jokoy that I have a red shirt with an image of his son (Buy yours here!) that I got from his DVD release party back in May (before I was given the shirt, someone asked me if I was friends with Jo…naturally, I said yes. I wanted a shirt.) But, before I could get to that, he comes up to me, says something along the lines of “Heyy! So good to see you, so random!” and gives me a hug.

Conclusion? He probably read my Twitter bio, and assumes we go WAY back. So at this point, I improv the situation, talk basketball, say something to the extent of “Who knew a Clippers game could be this exciting, usually I just want to leave by 3rd quarter, but man! What a game!” to which he agrees. We small talk some more, and then eventually part ways… but not before Jo uses the cliche celebrity line that I mentioned in my previous post… yes, THAT one.

“So good to see you!”

Eeek. :-/

Anyway…We hug again, and did I mention he even gave my friend Will (the one wearing a suit) a hug too? Granted Will works at CAA, and Jo is repped by CAA, so that may actually make more sense than the hug he gave me… but whatever.

In conclusion… I sorta pulled a fast one on a comedian… isn’t that his job?

Oh and I discovered proof that we actually sorta go way back? I found pictures of my back on his website, from that DVD release party where I got that red shirt that I now wear regularly to sleep. See below.

That's me (my back) on the right, in the multi-colored shirt!

Nice to meet…err…see you?

samiakhan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:45:08 +0000

OK so this past weekend, I attended an event at the USC film school. I attend panels, network away, yet constantly get distracted by this guy… I can’t place it, but he looks SO familiar. Something about the eyes?

I see him again and again, and we keep making eye-contact (or so I think it’s eye contact) so before I leave, I just go up to him and say “Heyy…do I know you?” to which he responds, “I was thinking the same thing!” First I ask if he went to SC. Negative. I ask if he was sure. Again, he was sure we didn’t go to school together. He ask me where I worked. I say TV Guide Network. He says that may be why… and asks if I do red carpet interviews. CLICK! We conclude that I must have interviewed him at some carpet. We begin trying to figure out exactly which carpet… and well, call me crazy, but I have a photographic sort of memory, and throw out the Acts of Love Autism event, back in November 2008. ..and was right! That’s when “Hi, I’m Austin”/”Hi I’m Samia” happens.

Austin Butler, My Long Lost Friend? Nov 2008.

So after Austin Butler and I discover that we’re long lost friends (sort of?) he introduces me to Sean Covel, who just so happened to a be a speaker on one of panels I attended. Why is Sean Covel a big deal? He graduated from USC’s film school and well, produced a film that at least 50% of you readers have quoted at some point – “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Uh...freakin idiot!

Anyway, as I talk them, I discover “fun facts” like how Sean, though he’s seen the film a million times, has blocked the lines from his memory, and actually gets the lines from the film wrong when he DOES try to quote them.

Austin was on the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101 (co-starring Britney’s sis, Jamie Lynn Spears,) and in a film called Aliens in the Attic (which he was promoting when we first met last year. has been busy in Canada, shooting a new CW series called “Life UneXpected.” had a week off in LA, and decided to pay a visit to his buddy Sean. They actually know eachother because Sean is engaged to actress Alexa Vega, who’s worked with Austin.

Anyway, as we’re parting, the highlight of the convo happens. Do we say “Nice meeting you?” Not quite. Since we’ve met before, the cliche-carpet-line, “Nice to see you!” seems appropriate. Problem? It’s cliche, it’s stock, it’s…well, long story short, it’s a commonly heard line on the carpet, that both stars and publicists use so they don’t offend someone they have/haven’t met. Me, Sean, and Austin joke/banter about this, and conclude that the next time we cross paths, we’ll use a “Hey You!!” or something to that effect.

Anyway, my friend is getting antsy, so I wrap up convo with the guys and… what do I say? “Nice seeing you again.” :-/

Chris Brown Transformed Me.

samiakhan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:45:25 +0000

Yes, I went to the Chris Brown concert. Yes, the FAN Appreciation Tour. Now before I get “hate” comments, let me explain myself.

I love live music. I love small venues. And I love a good performance. All three of these? Checked off the list.

I know a lot of people were just like, “F Chris Brown,” “going to his show means you support domestic violence,” etc etc. But. I have to disagree. The boy can put on an effing show. Seriously.

I Can Transform Ya Intro

Totally Transformed.

He started out with his new single, “I Can Transform Ya.” Hot choreography, not so hot vocals (he TOTALLY lip-synched the song.) Everything after this was sung live, however, so he is forgiven (my mom says I trust/forgive too easily. She also once told me how she was worried about me, and says that I have a personality that would end up staying in an abusive relationship…. I haven’t told her that I went to see Chris Brown.)

My new nightgown.

Overall observation/highlights? The fact that the venue was filled with under-18-year-olds, some fans we met that came all the way from Sweden to see Chris, a surprise appearance by Ray-J during the New Boyz opening act, Chris Brown bringing Keri Hilson on stage to sing “Turnin’ Me On,” and watching Ciara rock out to CB’s show from the balcony view (I swore she waved to me and former USC roomie Priya.) Oh! Speaking of Priya, she had fabulous quote that sort of summed up why people should give Chris Brown another chance, and I thought I’d share: “Bill Clinton cheated on his wife, and people still loved him as President.” Translation? Chris Brown, despite what many would consider personal shortcomings, still kills it as a performer.

OH! And can’t forget the Michael Jackson medley/tribute. He did a little Rock With You, Thriller, and Billie Jean! Think it’s safe to say Chris Brown could have been MJ’s heir?

MJ Tribute

The girls went Craaazy.

Not gonna lie, even during all the Rihanna hoopla, I had a soft spot for Chris Brown. Maybe it’s because of the interview I did with him back in Sept ‘08, where he came off as nothing short of a sweetheart. OK maybe not a sweetheart, but he was pretty nice when he talked to me about all of his tattoos and his love for Super Nintendo (FYI, his favorite SNES game is Mario 3, he liked the option of Mario with a raccoon tail that lets you fly.) If you watch the clip below, you actually may even hear him talk about RIHANNA! Check it out.

OH! Funny side story. I saw this little kid who looked like he wanted to be Chris Brown. I couldn’t help but stare. He was next to another kid (older) who appeared to look like Lil Wayne. Said-individual then takes his shirt off and…underneath? A shirt that says “Weezy.” Anyway. I go up to them and say hi. They take their earphones out to listen. I ask to take a picture. They nod their head. Straight one-way conversation… like, I totally got celebrity-style dissed by wannabe celebs! So whack. Anyway. At least I have the picture!

Mini Chris Brown and Weezy.

“Crash” Course on Jocko Sims

samiakhan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:57:17 +0000

I love @replies

Yes… it’s another tweet about…ME. First it was Rob Thomas, and next? One of the stars of “Crash” on Starz Channel, Jocko Sims.

Jocko plays Anthony Adams aka Panic, Dennis Hopper’s right hand man in the show. There, he plays an aspiring hip hop artist. What’s kinda cool? Reality sort of imitates art. In fact, he actually recorded a single for the show called “Head Up,” which you can apparently purchase on iTunes.

Anyway. In real-life, he’s the producer behind this aspiring kid rapper, Kiowa Tucker – or “K.O.” as he likes to refer to himself (Yes, KO as in knock out. Yes, he’s like 13. But he’s got skills! Or is it, “skillz?”)

Future of hip-hop?

OK so I interview Jocko, desperately trying to not let my Trojan pride get in the way (unfortunately, he Bruin-ed his life and attended UCLA.)

Awkward moment? I’m giving him a “Crash” quiz and at the end he asks if there’s a question about him! Fail, there isn’t! But in my defense, I didn’t write the quiz, I just administered it.

To be real though, the interview was super fun… great banter, ESPECIALLY once we started talking Twitter.

I feel like Twitter really bridges the gap between celebrity (Jocko) and normal person (me.) Anyway, I call Jocko out on the fact that he never tweets. He says it’s hard for him to think of stuff to tweet, and to remember to tweet it. I tell him that I, too, used to be a hater…until I discovered Twitterfon. Since he has an iPhone, I suggested that he download “Twitterfon” (now known as Echofon) because well… once you have Twitter on a mobile device, you become addicted. It’s really not that cool when you have to like, log onto a computer just to write your 140-character-or-less thought.

Anyway…we now follow eachother on Twitter, and well it’s been over 2 month since our interview, and he’s only tweeted 13 times since then! Ridic. I’m definitely going to at least @reply him and send him this blog entry. Maybe he’ll tweet more after this?

IS This It?? One Step Closer to Michael Jackson.

samiakhan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:28:06 +0000

Michael Jackson's Bassist

Alex Al… never heard of him? Well even if you haven’t, he has a pretty cool name, so that warrants a blog entry in itself.

But no in all seriousness, you may not know him, but if you’re one of the thousands that have checked out MJ’s concert movie, “This is It,” you’ve at least seen him. He was Michael Jackson’s (RIP) bassist. He also writes and produces music, and as if MJ wasn’t a big enough deal, he’s also worked with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Usher.

I recently did a sit-down interview with him at a music studio out in Burbank.

Before I continue… I must say, if I haven’t already, that I love music.

So, waiting around in a music studio? Heaven! I love the music industry and if I could find a way to combine my loves -music and television news (*cough*MTVNews*cough*,) I’d be absolutely content professionally (well at least til age 30.)

Anyway, I roamed around the halls, took photos of various posters of artists who have worked there (part of me squealed when I discovered Eminem had done work here,) and discovered that the band in the studio next door were rehearsing for… *gasp!* The Backstreet Boys.

OK so back to AA (Alex Al.)We chat for a minute on cam (err…15 or so to be exact,) he tells me random Michael Jackson stories (MJ used to pray in Jesus’ name during every practice, the last thing AA said to MJ was “man we’re here for you, we just love you,” and that he found out about his death while sitting in traffic on the 101 on the way to rehearsal at Staples…) and then we end up chatting off cam for quite a while because he says that he can genuinely tell that I love music (I take this as a compliment.)

I discover that he and a handful of other talented musicians are part of George Lopez’s band for his upcoming late night show – super cool, right? It kinda explains why this make-shift parking spot was outside…

I expected a better "Reserved Spot" sign

George Lopez's future band rehearsing

After our side chat, Alex Al kinda makes my day– he wanted to take a picture with ME! Yes. Not the other way around. He had said something about how I was gonna be a big deal someday? Haha, clearly I was flattered.

Anyway…it was a fun convo. The future of Alex Al? I can’t say. As far as our new friendship? Who knows. I’ll be looking for him when I see “This is It” and well, if I ever catch an episode of George Lopez’s new show.

SK and AA... future BFFs??