What does an Extra correspondent, Diddy’s son, and a tech trade show have in common? Um. They all helped contribute to one of my life goals…a conversation with Justin Bieber (maybe not a LIFE goal, but at least something that 13-year-old SK would think was really dope.)

The trade show? CES in Las Vegas. I was there to do coverage of all the latest gadgets and unveilings for the tech show I host for Sony called “SGNL.” I was done taping on Tuesday but I asked to stay til Weds because I jokingly told the network that I wanted to stalk Justin Bieber the next day during his appearance at the TOSY booth for some robot unveiling. OK maybe it wasn’t exactly a joke. And maybe it wasn’t stalking. Either way. I admitted that I was a sucker for the 17-year-old heartthrob,  and that I shouldn’t leave Vegas without trying to have a moment (Especially since the week before, unbeknownst to me, Biebs was at the Laugh Factory for an 8pm show, and I was two doors down at Coffee Bean hanging out with a friend, who’d be doing a spot on the 10pm Laugh Factory show that same evening. Needless to say, I held hanging out with said-friend against him because I felt he kept me from Bieber.)

PS I guess I forget how crazy regular America is when it comes to celebrities, because I went to the event 20 minutes early thinking I’d be fine. Wrong. Chaos. Tons of people. Yeah. Even at a tech trade show dominated by middle-aged men in suits, there were Beliebers. Or at least, parents of Beliebers who wanted photos with him to get validation and autographs to buy their children’s love.

Even techies <3 Bieber

Anyway I maneuver my way to the front of the side area crowd so I’m on the edge where the velvet rope was (because I’m a badass like that and make myself appear important so people move when I say I need to get through. Too bad this approach does not work when trying to cross security.) Security doesn’t care that I have a press badge. In fact… he stands in my way, blocks my view, is basically kind of a jerk.

As I stand there and wait, I see Scooter Braun. If you don’t know who that is, you’re not a real fan (and for you non-fans reading this that want to know, he’s the guy that discovered Bieber on YouTube years ago, and now acts as his manager.)

I ask Scooter if Justin is available for interviews. He says he’s not doing anyway. I ask if  he knows what Biebs’ favorite app is, and said that he definitely couldn’t answer that, as his name is attached to too many brands. Anyway. We chat more. He’s super nice, so I figure since I wasn’t gonna blog about Bieber, I could at least have a solid Scooter Braun story. Obviously, a blog requires a picture. So then I say “This may be a weird question, but then again, you probably get it all the time – can I take a picture with you?” He said it was definitely a weird question, laughed, and posed anyway. We chatted again later. He asked if we just walk around CES and are given free stuff. Not really. I told him Biebs could do that, but not me.I establish that I host a tech show for Sony and I could probably get Bieber Playstation stuff, before I realized he probably already gets all that stuff. Scooter reassured me that yes, indeed, Biebs gets a lot of swag. Observation of Scooter’s dopeness? Canadian lady nearby chats w scooter. Scooter brings her back a signed Bieber picture. This middle-aged woman eeeks over him. This is when I realized Scooter is the nicest person ever (maybe not EVER. But you know what I mean.) As an industry profesh working for someone as big as Bieber, you have the status to be a jerk, and he isn’t. This alone is reason for him to be my new temporary crush (Plus, I like guys who wear hoodies, don’t know why. Think it’s that whole Eminem appeal. Swag.)

SK & SB

Anyway. Since I had maneuvered my way to the front of the side area blocked off by a velvetrope, I was positioned in such a way that, even though I couldn’t really see too much, there were swarms of people behind me, thus making it impossible to exit. Keep in mind, I don’t wait. I don’t wait in lines ever. Call me spoiled, call me impatient, really… I just think I can spend my time in better ways. Plus, I’ve been fortunate to someone get access to things just through friendships and random connections (khannections? Ack. I try too hard to be clever.)

So here I am thinking, “Wow, yeah…13-year-old SK would have def waited through all of this for a Timberlake sighting, and here she is now… over a decade later…waiting for the OTHER (possibly more talented) Justin.

Baby Belieber

And as soon as I think that…the connections start working. A dear friend, Adrianna Costa, who is a correspondent for Extra, is there covering the event. She and her producer spot me and we hug/chat. Security now eases up because the people of Extra have essentially validated me (Vegas/LA = image. If you appear to know important people,  security folks become nicer) – and now security allows me to hop the rope and get into the VIP press/area.

As I’m standing there, I see a guy who I know. I’m like, wait…is it Quincy?! So I text my friend Deepa whose home I had met Quincy at the previous month, asking her if Quincy was friends with Bieber, and if he’s a skilled photographer (all I knew about him professionally, until this point, was that he’s a musician from a talented music family that includes Diddy. Yes, Diddy, of  White party fame.) She responds with yes. So now that I’ve gotten access over the rope, I approach Quincy, give him a hug, remind him that I’m the reason he had such a delicious dessert at Deepa’s housewarming/holiday party, and that he owes me Bieber (okay I didn’t say it with that much sass at all, it just sounds better that way. Really. I was happy and friendly, excited to see Quincy, and asked if I could meet Biebs.)

So… Quincy introduces me to Bieber.  We shake hands with our right hand. He’s as adorable in person as he is on tv/tshirts/internet/magazines/everything-else-with-his-face-on-it. He asks how I know Quincy. We explain the connection. As Bieber is signing a photo for me,  I observe that he’s left-handed. Of course, I’m left handed, so I tell him this. I then tell him something to the effect of “You’re left handed, it means you’re a creative genius.” Which I then follow up with “wait… you probably already knew that.” He laughs. His publicist laughs. He then asks me, “Wait, are you saying you’re a creative genius?” Of course, I say yes (I mean really, have you seen my blog/twitter/hung out with me? Brilliance.) He laughs. I respond by telling him you have to have confidence. Publicist gives me props for it, saying she likes it. I nod, start talking about how we’re in the exclusive 11% of the world and something else that leads me to use the word “swag”… and then…I leave.

So yeah. The lesson of the story is…whatever your goals in life are, whether it be to take over the world, be incredibly successful, meet your life partner, or um, meet a 17-year-old popstar who you are pretend obsessed with, as long as you know what you want, you can make it happen. As Bieber’s 3D docu-movie’s title suggests, Never Say Never.

Greg Finley. Six feet tall, New England-born, basketball-loving, Hanes wearing (yes I saw them), Simply Orange-drinking actor most known for his role on “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

As for his secret life? Well… I hung out with him for a few hours as he posed for the Fall 2010 Michael Wright Collection, so I think I have at least a few “secrets” uncovered.

First off, maybe it’s no secret, but he’s super sweet. Surprisingly. Most attractive people, at least in my opinion, are entitled to be self-involved and fake nice. He was the real deal.

He loves his hip-hop.  When you’re doing a photo shoot, ya gotta be in the mood. His mood-setting tunes?  Lots of Jay-Z, Kanye’s “Amazing”, Rihanna’s “G4L” and more. I suggested Britney. I don’t think he was having it. He actually told me that he “really vibes with rappers.” Maybe it’s the whole struggle thing? (Fun… ok well, not-so-fun fact? He lived outta his car when he first moved out to LA. Cliché, sure. Inspiring moreso.) I tried to relate. “I love the Drake line, ‘Everybody got a deal I did it without one.’” He agreed. Later in the day, “Big Poppa” came on. He got excited. Which prompted me to ask his thoughts on Diddy rapping. He paused. Said he can’t hate, and that he’s a good producer (Obviously, he doesn’t follow him on Twitter.)

Greg’s a sneaker head. In fact, his shoes actually sparked conversation when I first got there (I noticed a few boxes and had to ask.) He brought a couple pairs of Nikes and a pair of Creative Recs to the shoot. Had he brought his whole collection? Um…he has over 100 pairs of shoes, so that would be a lot of boxes. We talk about shoe faves, like the Jordan 11s (as he refers to them, the Oreos) and the Easter egg Nikes (not gonna lie, I didn’t know what he was talking about here. But, I played along.)

Chicago Bulls colors!

Basketball is his life.  I try to test this claim, and thus ask him if he’s been to the Basketball Hall of Fame. His response? “In Springfield, Mass?” So yeah, he’s been there many times. However, not since they put up the new Michael Jordan exhibit (which I checked out last year) so I think that means I’m ahead.

So far, he sounds like another JTimberlake, at least in terms of interests. Then, I see the tattoos . Obviously we’re at a photo shoot. Thus, clothes were removed. As a result (sigh) I checked out his tats. One to note? Fair haired warrior on his upper left arm – (it’s what his last name “Finley” means.)

Hopefully this isn't a "secret"

However, we were at a photo shoot for a clothing line, so let’s cut the “shirtless” talk and address the reason we were there in the first place – the Michael Wright Collection.  The look? “Bring your grandma to the modern day” with yarn-inspired shirts and hoodies.  I totally wanted to steal the grey hoodie below.

Sponsored by: Ciroc, Sean Jean, and I AM KING (Basically…Diddy)

Most people spend the 4th of July with friends/family… so unless my new bff is Diddy or Ashton Kutcher, it’s clear I had an untraditional 4th.

Every year, Diddy throws his “White Party” in the Hamptons. For the first time ever, he brought it to LA… because he’s been here filming a movie with Russell Brand. Anyway. I had to cover the event for work.

The play-by-play? Everyone has to park in Beverly Hills and get shuttled up to some giant mansion in the Hills. EVERYONE (yes, media included) must wear white. At first, I had considered wearing off-white cause I had this cute dress in that color. Thankfully before I got dressed, my dear friend Reid told me, “Diddy will throw you out if you don’t wear white.”

Anyway, everyone is in white, hanging out in scorching heat, awaiting arrivals. Diddy pulls up, runs inside. Eventually a handful of celebs walk the carpet, but not as many as I’d expect. When Diddy walks, he brings an entourage of servers carrying special “Diddy” drinks (a Ciroc mix) and white cupcakes because well, everything is white.

Because of certain industry “ins,” access to the party is granted… where I discover what it’s like to live like a King (yes, there were bottles of I Am King everywhere…) White cotton candy, a room dedicated to the video game DJ Hero (yes, from previous post,) people on stilts, a mini bounce house with both music-video-chicks and little kids bouncing, Starbucks ice cream, bottles of Ciroc at every table… ridic. OH! And Diddy on the mic, encouraging everyone on the rotating dance floor to dance (I remember they were playing Drake’s “Best I ever Had.”)

Overall observation (And yes I tweeted this but it’s too funny not to repeat?): Everything at Diddy’s white party is white… except the attendees.

OK that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Diddy hosted it with Ashton Kutcher this year, so of course celebs like Demi were there, as were JC Chasez from NSYNC, Tara Reid, Chris Brown (didn’t see him but saw the pics the next day,) Russell Brand, and more.

I hope I get an invite next year.

As I mentioned on Facebook and Twitter, I covered KIIS-FM’s Wango Tango concert on Saturday the 9th on behalf of TV Guide Network…

However, I will not go into the fun (and the fiasco) that was Wango Tango. I’ll save that for a later (as in likely tomorrow) post.

I’d rather stay positive, people. Wait… let me try that again. LET’S STAY POSITIVE PEOPLE!! LET’S GO! LOCK IN!! (Thanks for the inspiration, Diddy.)

Image Courtesy of MTV's Matt Elias

OK in all seriousness though, BEP was pretty…pretty dope, right? I start off the interview talking to the camera, and little do I know Will.i.am is creeping up over my left shoulder. I turn to the group, and before I can do anything, let out a little jump and “ahhhh” when I discover Will.i.am’s presence. Awkward? Kinda. But it kept the convo real. We jump straight into interview-mode, Will.i.am keeps using “right” over and over (as you’ll see in the clip below,) and compares themselves to Wolfgang Puck?! Uhh… yeah. Brilliant analogy. Really.

But overall observations?

Will.i.am? Funny. Still passionate about Obama. Enjoys “beaming in” to network news channels.

Fergie? Way cooler than I expected. She’s like…down. Ya know what I mean? Jokes around, has fun, and… I gotta give it to her, she has sick abs.

The other two guys? (Apl.de.ap and Taboo?) Well… they didn’t really talk much so I couldn’t really get a fair observation (then again… I didn’t really talk to them… so… yeah… that’s probably why they were quiet?)

Check out the interview below. Disclaimer: “Boom Boom Pow” is totally one of those songs that gets stuck in your head. (Fast forward the first 9 seconds of black…)

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.2531540&w=425&h=350&fv=]

The shorter version: