Author Archives: Parisa Michelle

Janina Gavankar Of The Gates Talks About Love Lockdown Video – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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  Many actors dabble in music and many musicians try their hands at acting. Some never make a dent. Other less fortunate ones fail miserably. But every once in a while, a multi-talented few burst through the barrier and make the crossover from one art form to another flawlessly. Janina Gavankar is that fast-rising star who seems to be able to do it all.
You have seen the 26-year old Dutch/Indian beauty Janina as “Papi” on Showtime’s hit series The L Word. This past Sunday, you saw Janina debut her role as a cop in ABC’s new summer series The Gates, a show which celebrates bloodthirsty vampires, hungry werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. 
But what you may not know about this talented actress is that she is also a trained pianist, vocalist, and orchestral percussionist. Her new video, a haunting, gut-wrenching remake of Kanye West’s Love Lockdown debuted six days ago to rave reviews, many calling it better than the original. AmIInTrouble.com first broke the story of her video last month and you should click here for the full exclusive story. In the meantime, enjoy Janina’s video–But, I warn you, don’t be fooled by the undeniable sexiness of it. By the end, you will feel every painful emotion gnawing at Janina in this cathartic video:
 
CelebMagnet had the chance to sit down with Janina and get answers for some questions posed by CelebMagnet readers:
CelebMagnet: What inspired you to remake Kanye’s Love Lockdown?
Janina: I was going through a dark period, and I needed something. This song was that something. I needed it, and made the video.
CelebMagnet: Which is your first love: Acting or singing and when did you decide you wanted to act/sing?

Janina: I grew up training to be a classical musician. I play piano, percussion, and I sang opera first. I realized I wanted to be an actor quite late (in high school), and it changed my whole trajectory. Music informs my work. I can’t tell you how many times I play a piano piece, or a marimba piece and have a moments when I realize what’s being said, in the same way I break down a script. The better musician I become, the better actor I become.



CelebMagnet: Do you consider yourself a minority? And if so, have there been any obstacles in your way because of it either in the music or the acting world?

Janina: I was built color blind, so I work color blind. It’s hard enough to be a girl in the industry. If I gave any credence to another obstacle, I’d be done for. I just keep my nose down and work hard. It may be cheesy, but I’ve lived by the artist code of “If you build it, they will come.”

CelebMagnet: What is next on the plate for you in terms of both acting and singing?
Janina: My new show The Gates premiered last Sunday at 10 PM on ABC. Too exciting! And I’m quietly making more music. I’m going to pick my next projects wisely… so stay tuned…

Comedian Maz Jobrani’s Plot to Overthrow The Government- EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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  ‘Twas the night before the long-anticipated World Cup match between USA and Slovenia. I met with an Iranian-American man late at night at a cafe in Hollywood, while the rest of Los Angeles was still out celebrating the LA Lakers 2010 Championship win. 


This man wanted to tell me all about his “plot” to overthrow “the government” while everyone was “sleeping behind the wheel” watching the soccer match the next morning at 9:30 AM. When I asked him “which government” he had in mind, he responded, “all the governments, so no one feels left out.” Sound scary? Not if the man doing the plotting is comedian/actor Maz Jobrani.


Maz is by far one of my favorite comedians and is best known as a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which featured some of the top Middle Eastern-American comics in the world. The Axis of Evil Comedy Central Special premiered in 2007 as the first show on American TV with an all Middle Eastern-American cast. I have seen Maz perform live stand-up comedy several times in Los Angeles. So, it was an absolute privilege and pleasure to be introduced to Maz through a mutual friend, actor Anthony Azizi. 

My “interview” with Maz was quite unique. He is literally a one-man show, leaving almost no need for interruptions for mundane questions. His words just flow, and anyone around just listens. So, before I could ask any personal questions, Maz continued with his rant to overthrow the government. He wants to overthrow the government to legalize marriages between zebras. He wants to legalize chewing gum. I think he also said he wants to legalize pot, but I think he was joking about that one. And he will “have a Big Mac to celebrate” once he succeeds. “Forget it, I changed my mind. I am overthrowing McDonald’s.” By this time I realized I should just record Maz because my pen could not keep up with notes. As soon as I turned on my camera, his rant had already found yet another victim:

Maz then changed gears. And got a bit more serious. I asked him about the funny Public Service Announcement (“PSA”) he had done for Iranican to encourage Iranian-Americans to participate in and list themselves as “Iranian-American” on the 2010 census. I asked, “Maz, was that a real PSA?” Maz said, “Of course it was.”  And he continued to explain what that PSA is about and why he says Iranians always put “zero” on forms:
I then posed to Maz some questions that Celeb Magnet/Maz fans had asked me to ask of Maz:
Edward: “Maz, when did you know you are funny?”
Maz: “I knew it the second the doctor slapped my ass when I was born. Most babies cry, I laughed. So, I knew I was funny then. I also knew then I would be into S&M, but that’s another story.”
Sepi: “How did your family react to you wanting to be an actor/comedian when Iranian men are expected to be doctors, engineers or lawyers?”
Maz: “I acted at an amateur level all through grades 1-12 and and college. I wanted to study acting in college, but my parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. I had absolutely no interest
in being a doctor, so I studied political science in the hopes of going to law school and becoming a
lawyer. My junior year at Berkeley I took a year and studied abroad in Italy. There I had this professor
that I thought was amazing. I decided I wanted to emulate him and be a professor. So, when I came
back to the States I applied for grad school in Political Science.

I got into UCLA’s Ph.D. program for political science, but at the same time I started auditioning for plays at the UCLA theatre department. I got into a few of their plays and realized that acting was my real passion. It had been a few years that I hadn’t really done any because I had followed the path my parents had wanted me to follow. But by the time I started grad school at UCLA I was mature enough to realize I had to do what I wanted to do with my life and that meant acting. I dropped out of grad school and started auditioning for independent films in LA. I then got a job at an advertising agency to help pay the bills. I decided I would act as a hobby and I got into a play. It wasn’t until I was 26 when I decided that I was going to pursue acting professionally. My parents were worried at first but did not stop me. My dad lived in Iran, so, he did not have much to say about it. My mom recommended that I also study automobile mechanics as a backup because I could always be a mechanic in any country as opposed to a doctor or a lawyer who would have to study and be licensed locally.”

Jason: “You play a lot of shows, sometimes back-to-back in the same venue; do you have an exact joke list for each show?”
Maz: “The shows I do in Los Angeles where I live are usually short 15-20 minute ‘workout sets’ where I try my new jokes with a live audience. My out of town shows are usually 1+ hours and I change orders of jokes and use different ‘crowd material’ for each show, you know, my spontaneous interactions with audience, which is always new based on what the audience gives me to work with. I like to change the order of the listed jokes too so it is exciting for me as well. But that makes the job harder too, because sometimes changing the order ruins the set up for the next joke when I go out of order. And worse, sometimes mid-act, I wonder if I have already done a particular joke I want to do next during the same set. When that happens, I start the new joke slowly, and wait for crowd reaction. If their laugh is authentic, I know this is the first time they are hearing it! If the laughter sounds forced, I know I must have already done that joke. It doesn’t happen often. But I have heard other comedians do the same jokes in the same set and not even realize.”
Shadi: “When will you perform again in Washington, DC?”
Maz: “Actually, I will start a US tour in January 2011 and will be performing in Washington, DC around the Iranian new year, either on March 20 or 21st. I will also be recording that show as my new DVD.”
Raamin: “Do you know you look like Mexico team’s goalkeeper, Oscar Perez Rojas?”
Maz: “Oon toppoltareh.”  Translation: “He is chubbier.” Maz continued: “And, I have a more refined nose. People also tell me I look like the guitarist for Velvet Revolver, Dave Kushner.”
Steve: “Where else will you be performing next?”
Maz: “I will have sporadic US shows this year, am going on an international tour this month to places like London and Sweden, and will start a full US tour in January 2011.” You can catch all of Maz’s tour dates on his spankin new website by clicking here.
Parting Words
I asked Maz what he wanted to tell his fans. He said, “Go buy my DVD, Brown & Friendly.” During my interview with Maz, he found out I love Adam Lambert. So, he also had a special message for Adam Lambert fans:

For the rest of his fans, and I suppose Adam Lambert fans too, he had the following message:
Maz and I then goofed around a bit as you can see before we parted ways. He gave me his business card; I think that means we are now BFFs. For all I know, the number on that card is a voice service/answering machine only. I can always dream. All I do know is that I cannot wait to hear Maz’s new material at his next show.
So, I will be checking out Maz’s new website often to know when and where he will be performing next.

Comedian Maz Jobrani Has a Special Message For Adam Lambert Fans

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VIDEO CLIP OF THE DAY.



  Maz Jobrani is by far one of my favorite comedians and is best known as a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which featured some of the top Middle Eastern-American comics in the world. The Axis of Evil Comedy Central Special premiered in 2007 as the first show on American TV with an all Middle Eastern-American cast.  I interviewed Maz last week and you can find that interview in full here. When Maz found out I am a huge Adam Lambert fan and that Adam’s fans frequent CelebMagnet, he videotaped this special message for all of Adam’s fans:


 You can but Maz Jobrani’s Brown & Friendly DVD here! For Maz’s tour dates, click here.

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What Is All This Buzz About The Newest Celeb Hair Obsession, Brazilian Blowout?

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If you have unruly, unmanageable, frizzy, or curly hair, you may have wished or probably even dreamed that you could change its texture. Well, I am here to tell you that your wishes have been answered and your dreams have come true in a new process still being perfected called the Brazilian Blowout™. Introduced on the west coast just over a year ago, Brazilian Blowout™ is a professional smoothing treatment that is quickly making its way across the country. This God-sent cure for unruly hair is welcomed by some of the most famous celebrity women in Hollywood including Halle Barry, Lindsey Lohan, Nicole Ritchie, and Ashley Tisdale.  And now, you can have the same procedure done, at half the usual price (Los Angeles only, sorry–but look on Craigslist for possible similar deals in your area). Continue reading →

Amanda Bynes Has Retired From Acting at 24…Via Twitter

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I am beside myself. I just read that Amanda Bynes has decided to give up her acting career at the ripe-old age of 24. Why am I beside myself? Because I had never even heard of Amanda Bynes. 


Initially I thought maybe I was out of the loop. So, I did a bit of research on her and I am no longer convinced I am the only clueless one here. 


Amanda was last seen on the big screen in the 2007 movie Sydney White. I have never heard of that movie either. Hmmm…OK. Whatever. She’s retired and wants the world to know, so I am letting you all know. How’d she make her big official announcement? On Twitter of course. Maybe she had a really bad day; otherwise why wait 3 years after your last acting gig to officially give up acting via a Twitter rampage?


Here are the actual Tweets straight from the horse’s mouth leaving no room for gossip:


I’ve never written the movies & tv shows I’ve been apart of I’ve only acted like the characters the producers or directors wanted me to play
Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem
If I don’t love something anymore I stop doing it
I don’t love acting anymore so I’ve stopped doing it
I know 24 is a young age to retire but you heard it here first I’ve #retired


 Oh well.  I wish you well Amanda. 
Speaking of Twitter; you can follow CelebMagnet On Twitter too. Click here! (I am sure the news that we are on Twitter is as equally earth-shattering as Amanda’s news that she is retiring from acting).

Bon Jovi Fires Long Time Manager! So long Jack Rovner

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I must admit, as a long-time follower of Bon Jovi, I did not see this one coming! Bon Jovi has actually fired long-time manager, Jack Rovner of Vector Management, after it was reported that Rovner messed up several times during Bon Jovi’s current “The Circle” tour.

The first mistake supposedly occurred when $1,000 VIP tickets were sold which included a meet-and-greet with Bon Jovi, however, fans complained that after shelling out the dough, they were never granted access to meet the band. Can you imagine? This is horrible! I had actually thought for a split second of shelling out the $$ myself when Bon Jovi came to Los Angeles. But then I realized, wait, I have met them all for free before…and $1,000 is a ridiculous amount, especially for a celeb magnet. So, ya, no. And man, am I happy I saved my money. I can’t imagine paying THAT much money and getting the shaft. Hearing that must have driven Jon bonkers.

Another snafu consisted of Rovner booking the band an exclusive “artist in residence” gig on NBC, which prevented Bon Jovi from promoting their new album The Circle on other networks – a pretty big marketing mistake if you ask me or anyone that knows about marketing! Why would anyone limit publicity to one source? Not that Bon Jovi needs the promotion, but still, that sounds like a bad move.


And the real icing on the cake was Rovner’s role in the Showtime documentary When We Were Beautiful, in which “Jon makes the rest of the band admit they are paid employees and owe everything to him” says a band insider. I had previously watched that documentary and been shocked to see that unfold on film. I always thought Jon and the boys were all on equal footing; guess I was wrong. I also wondered myself how the rest of the band would feel after 20+ years of playing together, as a “family unit” only to have to admit publicly that Jon is basically their boss and keeps them on payroll.  You can see how something like that could cause a rift between band members, “employees” or not. So, obviously Rovner had to take the fall.

When news hit that Rovner was reportedly told he was “lucky to have a job” after sending his lawyer Michael Guido to ask Jon for a raise, Jon Bon Jovi decided to stop the rumors and take a stand and tell his side of the story. He did so by e-mailing the New York Post: “Though I personally live for and love Page Six, I’m sorry to say that the tidbit gossip you have received regarding the split between Vector Management and Bon Jovi is inaccurate. The boring truth is we decided to go in different directions and thanked both Jack and his team for a great job. He is and will remain a close friend and someone who I will be very grateful to for his dedication.”

A spokeswoman for Vector Management said: “Jack and everyone at Vector are very proud of the work they did [with Bon Jovi] together over the last five years, including their first Grammy awards, first No. 1 chart debuts globally, and even a No. 1 on the country charts. Vector continues to represent the nation’s top-selling acts, including Kings of Leon, Kid Rock, Dierks Bentley and many others.”

Sudanese Humanitarian, NBA Star Bol Dies At 47

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Manute Bol, a lithe 7-foot-7 shot-blocker from Sudan who spent 10 seasons in the NBA and was dedicated to humanitarian work in Africa, died Saturday.  He was 47.
Bol died at my alma mater, the University of Virginia’s Hospital in Charlottesville, where he was being treated for severe kidney trouble and a painful skin condition, Tom Prichard, executive director of the group Sudan Sunrise, said in an e-mail.
“Sudan and the world have lost a hero and an example for all of us,” Prichard said. “Manute, we’ll miss you. Our prayers and best wishes go out to all his family, and all who mourn his loss.”
Bol played in the NBA with Washington, Golden State, Philadelphia and Miami, averaging 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocks for his career. He led the league in blocks in 1985-86 with Washington (5.0 per game) and in 1988-89 with Golden State (4.3 a game).

Cheryl Tiegs Makes Launch Of Bel-Air Magazine Memorable

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CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER.

  Remember the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Of course you do: The popular 90’s sitcom starring Will Smith as a street-smart teenager from Philadelphia who is sent to live with his wealthy relatives in a Bel-Air mansion. Twenty years later, Bel-Air still remains an exclusive LA community synonymous with taste, elegance and luxury: Nicholas Cage, Christina Aguilera, and more recently, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, all live in this exclusive, tucked-away community adjacent to Beverly Hills and UCLA. 


Interesting that the Fresh Prince “mansion” (above) still looks the same as it did on TV 20 years ago, but somehow, the word “mansion” no longer accurately fits the bill with all of the architectural wonder homes  which now surround this most famous house in the neighborhood. Also, the “mansion” remains one of the few homes that is not hidden behind tall gates or trees, or both.


Tonight, I was invited to an exclusive reception held on the grounds of one of the estates in this community to celebrate the launch of Bel-Air Magazine. Bel-Air Magazine has a mission to “engage, inform, and inspire [their] readers with an array of topics that reflect their interests, including art, design, film, fashion, entertaining…” explains Publisher Rick Armor.  “What will set Bel-Air Magazine apart is [a] focus on the philanthropy and social consciousness of this unique community. Our magazine will spotlight different charities each month to bring attention to the important causes that the residents of Bel-Air champion.”


With that motto in full gear, tonight’s festivities centered not only on celebrating the Magazine, but also on honoring local medical specialists who dedicate their lives to improving the quality of life for children. The event held a silent auction of items donated by local artists and designers, with all proceeds supporting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Mingling or located among the hundreds of guests, were card magicians, musicians, designers, women on stilts, photographers, open bars, appetizers, and donated art items every where one looked. The residence hosting the party seemed more like a country club than a place real people live in, situated on acres of open grounds overlooking the City of Los Angeles. I never made it inside the residence for fear that I would not want to go back home. 


The evening was a bit dampened by the fact that we had to park very far from the event site and it took a good hour to stand in line for the shuttle from the parking lot to the top of the hill where the party was located. So, by the time I arrived at the party with two of my friends, two hours after it had started, we felt out of place and way too tired to enjoy all that was going on.

By the time we got to the party, most of the food was gone and no recognizable celebrities were around for me to report on. I was told Sylverster Stallone’s brother and “a guy with big ears that looks famous” were there, but no one else that my readers would be interested in were supposedly there. 


So, my friends and I did a quick look around and headed back to the line for the shuttle buses to head back to our cars 30 minutes after we arrived. It was then that I noticed a magician doing card tricks for a very distinguished blonde woman. Took me a while to recognize that the woman was Cheryl Tiegs, the supermodel from the 1970’s before there were even supermodels. She was also the spokesperson for Cover Girl makeup and landed the coveted cover of several Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. So, it was a thrill to see her still looking stunning in her 60’s. I took a picture with her, but we were both way too tired for a chat. I apologize readers that is all I have to offer you all: just a pic of the two of us. But, i think the woman on stilts smiling behind us is pretty damn cool material. Update: Awesome. My friend who had invited me to the event just told me the very first two guys she introduced me to when I first arrived at the event had produced a few small little movies you may have heard of: The Twilight Series and Alice In Wonderland. Awesome. I had no idea who they were at the time I met them. Oh well. It’s not like I ever would want to get a step closer to meeting Johnny Depp or Robert Pattinson. Nope. Not I. Especially not right before the premiere of Eclipse.

Gary Coleman To Get An International Memorial

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Finally, CelebMagnet is happy to report some news about Gary Coleman that doesn’t break my heart. His former agent, Victor Perillo, is making sure Gary will be properly honored after his death by planning a memorial in honor of his former client. Perillo tells RadarOnline.com: “I’m planning a proper memorial for the industry to say goodbye to one of the greatest child actors ever; I’m planning it with NBC and Norman Lear and it will be something for everyone.” He explains, “Gary Coleman was an international star and he should be celebrated as such both in life and death.” 


In the meantime, plans to cremate Coleman are still underway. Perillo adds, “From what I understand the cremation was supposed to happen sometime last night after Anna Gray, named executor in Coleman’s 2005 will, viewed the body.” Coleman’s body has been awaiting cremation at the Lake Hills Memorial Mortuary & Cemetery in Sandy, Utah. Update: Per ET Coleman’s body was just cremated.