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Kevin Jonas Talks About His Solid Marriage to Wife Danielle & E!’s New Show “Married To Jonas”

Allison Kugel — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:13:38 +0000

Married To Jonas on E!

I recently spoke with eldest Jonas Brother, Kevin Jonas, to discuss his forray into reality television with E!’s newest reality series, Married To Jonas (Sunday, August 19th at 10 ET/PT on E!). The latest Ryan Seacrest produced reality vehicle takes a look inside the young married life of Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle as they balance Jonas Brothers insanity and day-to-day married life in suburban New Jersey.

Speaking with Kevin Jonas felt like speaking to one of my twenty-six year old brother’s friends (in a good way!), or my brother for that matter. Kevin’s voice and intonation doesn’t carry an ounce of celebrity bravado and his stories about courting his wife Dani, how they chose their wedding destination (with the help of a former boy bander), and why he decided to jump into the pool of celebrities putting their personal lives on television for the viewing public. As Jonas is all too aware, it’s this new phenomenon of voyeristic celebrity-watching that the public craves and he is happy to be in the fray to keep his music at the forefront of fans’ minds.

While his wife Danielle Jonas was busy doing her share of the Married To Jonas press, Kevin Jonas and I had some one-on-one time to talk about what it means to be a famous recording artist/reality TV star.

Allison Kugel: I read that it was your brother Nick who originally wanted the recording career, and you and Joe came on board to support Nick’s singing aspirations. Is that how the Jonas Brothers happened, or did you want a career in music as well?

Kevin Jonas: I was only interested in playing guitar and different things like that. But when it came to the career, it was one of those things where I always thought it would be fun to be in a band. I never expected the life that I ended up leading. We wrote a song together as the Jonas Brothers and somehow it just made so much sense. I was really blown away by the connection that we had.

Allison Kugel: You wrote that first song, and then how did it become the hysteria that the Jonas Brothers were a few years back?

Kevin Jonas: We wrote that song in 2005 and 2006 and it started then. It took a long time for things to culminate and years had passed and we moved from one label to another and then we really just built up a fan base. We really owe it to our fans. Honestly, it transcended everything that we ever imagined and it really kind of blew us away.

Allison Kugel: How do you feel about the label “reality TV star” as it pertains to your Jonas Brothers music career?

Kevin Jonas: Honestly, you can see amazing Grammy nominated and Grammy-award winning artists that are all over reality TV, whether it’s The Voice, American Idol, whether it’s music related shows or not. Cee Lo Green has his own reality show beyond The Voice. People are doing TV because it’s a market that seems to be working for people to get into the line of sight for their fans.

Allison Kugel: Do you think it’s because now the public wants more than just an artist’s work, they want to be privy to your personal life?

Kevin Jonas: Absolutely. For some reason it’s like they have to be more invested. It almost takes more out of you as the artist. You can’t just put out music and that’s enough. They want to be a part of every aspect of your life.

Allison Kugel: Is it that people want to know that in your everyday life when you’re not on stage, on the red carpet, or in the studio you’re kind of just like them?

Kevin Jonas: It’s partially that, and it’s partially the thought of humanizing the artist so that it’s relatable. And you also want to know where they’re coming from in terms of why they’re writing the songs that they write.

Allison Kugel: I watched the first episode of Married To Jonas and I have to ask, what is it about your mom that makes your wife Danielle so nervous?

Kevin Jonas: I think the idea is that my mom has had four boys and she has done a good job, and Danielle is the first other girl among all these boys and my mom. So [Danielle] is taking on a very intense role as well. I imagine I was the same way early on with her father, you know, I wanted to impress him. I wanted to show him that I could take care of his daughter.

Allison Kugel: What have Danielle and your mother bonded over?

Kevin Jonas: They’ve bonded so much in dealing with the travel, dealing with the life. No other person knows how to deal with the schedule and the way we have to do things other than my mom, from a woman’s perspective.

Allison Kugel: Were either of Danielle’s two sisters Jonas Brothers fans prior to you meeting Danielle on vacation in the Bahamas?

Kevin Jonas: It was one of those weird situations where her sister found out about us on the plane ride to the Bahamas. She actually saw a picture of us in one of those pop star magazines from back in the day, from early 2007. She was like, “Oh, look at these [guys].” Then, literally, maybe two hours later when she landed in the Bahamas and got to the hotel, I was standing by a pay phone when I first saw Danielle and her sister, and that’s when her sister asked to take a picture of us, because she had just seen us [in the magazine]. She’d never heard our music before, she didn’t know anything. But it was so early in the Jonas Brothers’ career that it was really a positive for me and Danielle because she was there through everything.

Allison Kugel: And because of that you feel that you can really trust her.

Kevin Jonas: Oh, my Gosh, absolutely! There has never been a minute where I haven’t trusted that girl.

Allison Kugel: I’m a Long Islander so I think it’s pretty cool that you and Danielle got married at Oheka Castle in Huntington on Long Island. How in the world did you happen to find out about Oheka Castle as a wedding venue?

Kevin Jonas: You’re going to laugh, but I called Joey Fatone (former member of ‘N Sync). I said, “Hey where’d you get married?” And he was like, “Well, I got married here.” I remember looking at their wedding and liking where it was, and I was like, “Oh, it’s Long Island. I can make that happen.” So Joey Fatone is actually the reason we got married where we did.

Allison Kugel: What’s your relationship like with your show’s producer, Ryan Seacrest?

Kevin Jonas: I speak to him all the time, weekly, if not daily. He’s always checking in and always saying, “Hey, I saw this latest cut, loving the show, it’s really interesting.” Beyond that, our reputation with Ryan goes back years with the music, the shows, and all those things. And he knew getting into this that we weren’t just the typical family signing up for a show. We had certain things we had to arrange and certain things we had to protect. He knew the dynamic of the band so he wasn’t out there trying to accomplish something that we weren’t also trying to accomplish.

Allison Kugel: What are you and your wife Danielle’s methods for handling aggressive female fans?

Kevin Jonas: Dani has always been so good about it. It’s amazing how well she has always handled it. Sometimes people will ask, “How do you deal with this?” But it’s really cool that the fans have taken her in. They’ve taken her in and they respect her, and sometimes a girl will ask [my wife] if she can take a picture with me. It’s kind of awesome.

Allison Kugel: So, there’s never been a situation where somebody pushed her aside or tried to shove their phone number at you?

Kevin Jonas: No, no, no. But even if there was something like that she would’ve brushed it off; she always has.

Allison Kugel: What kind of role does religion and spirituality play in your marriage?

Kevin Jonas: A huge part. We founded our relationship on a lot of the things we have in common. We come from the same place in the things that we believe and the values, and how we want to raise our kids. It’s very important to us both.

Allison Kugel: You’re both Christian, but are you more religious or more spiritual?

Kevin Jonas: I think it’s more spiritual. The word “religion” really makes me feel like there are certain things that you have to do, unlike in having a relationship. And that’s more of what we have. Our relationship is what’s important.

Allison Kugel: Every marriage is different. No two marriages operate in the same way. That being said, what’s one thing that works for you and Danielle that other people may think is quirky, or that wouldn’t necessarily work for other married couples?

Kevin Jonas: Even just living in New Jersey, with everything that we have to do. Most people feel like it’s crazy when everything we have to do is in the city or in LA. People look at us like we’re making things hard for ourselves. But at the end of the day, this is what we want and this is our decision.

Allison Kugel: How do you think the show Married To Jonas is going to affect your relationship as the season plays out and you see the footage on TV?

Kevin Jonas: It’s a very real mirror. We’re growing because of it. The show’s made us have to talk about everything and really share your feelings, and in doing that you grow. Sometimes in marriage you sweep things under the rug and you choose your battles. You work together to compromise a lot of times, but with this you see everything and talk about everything. You really grow as a couple. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad, but for us it’s been a good thing.

Allison Kugel: How will the show incorporate the making of your new Jonas Brothers album, and time with your brothers in the recording studio?

Kevin Jonas: It will cover it here and there, for sure. We are excited about working on an album and making music. The show is really about me and Danielle and our relationship and family, but [music] is a big piece of who I am because I am a Jonas brother.

Allison Kugel: Is your wife interested in music?

Kevin Jonas: Listening to it, yeah. Singing (laughs), no.

Allison Kugel: On a scale of one to ten how would you rate Danielle’s singing abilities?

Kevin Jonas: Never heard her sing. She will not sing in front of me. So I can’t even give you a good answer on that.

Allison Kugel: Does Danielle ever feel like she’s married to all three Jonas brothers?

Kevin Jonas: I don’t think she ever feels like she’s actually married to them, but I think she does feel like she’s married to our schedule. We are a very busy family and we work very hard. Sometimes we get caught up in that and we have to travel so much. Sometimes we go along with it, sometimes we make our own decisions and our own plans, but it does take some getting used to.

“Married To Jonas” premieres Sunday, August 19^th at 10PM ET/PT on E!

Follow Kevin Jonas on Twitter @kevinjonas.

Joe Pantoliano Exclusive Interview on Mental Health, Iconic Acting & the Downfall of American Television

Allison Kugel — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:45:30 +0000

By Allison Kugel

This is my second time speaking with Emmy winning actor, Joe Pantoliano. We first sat down for a face- to-face interview in December of 2010 when Panoliano was on a publicity tour to promote the documentary film, No Kidding, Me Too!, about people living with brain disease. During our 2010 chat, the wildly expressive character actor regaled me with vivid stories from his childhood and adolescence, as well as his recent diagnosis of clinical depression. At the time Pantoliano seemed self-aware but still raw from some of his previous troubles with his depression and the effects it caused within his family. At the time I wondered what the next couple of years would bring for Joe Pantoliano.

Fast forward to June 2012 when I received an email from Joe out of the blue telling me he happened to read our original interview and he wanted to chat about his recently released follow- up memoir, Asylum (Pantoliano’s first memoir, Who’s Sorry Now? was released in 2002). I read his new book, Asylum, and we scheduled some time to chat about the book and what Pantoliano has been up to.

Our second conversation was more laid back and familiar, and the Hoboken-bred character they call Joey Pants seemed more at ease in his own skin, his sense of humor now fully intact. This time I opted for off the cuff conversation in lieu of structured questions. I wanted to see what flowed…

Allison Kugel: It was comforting to read your new memoir, Asylum. You discuss how your success as an actor paralleled your brain dis-ease, and your ultimate diagnosis and treatment. I can honestly say “No Kidding, Me Too!” (nkm2.org, Panoliano’s org to erase the stigma of brain dis-ease), because I suffer with Anxiety and Panic Disorder. I’m in the same boat as you, and millions of others.

Joe Pantoliano (Joey Pants): How long have you had it, your whole life?

Allison Kugel: I have memories of being eight or nine and feeling anxious, or being eleven and feeling like I had to touch a door knob a certain number of times or lock a door three of four times. Since the mission of your organization, No Kidding, Me Too!, is to de-stigmatize emotional issues and brain dis-ease I would be remiss if I were not to disclose my own.

Joe Pantoliano: There’s a dynamite documentary I just saw called The Company. It’s about corporate America programming and manipulating the viewing public into buying their products. When I was diagnosed with clinical depression I couldn’t understand why I was depressed when everything was going good at face value. I had the success I wanted, I was making the kind of money I wanted, I was sleeping with the kind of women I wanted. All the things I thought were going to define me, and so that I would never have to feel bad again. In that film they talk about filling up the hole inside of you with people, places and things. At the time I didn’t consider the fact that I was addicted to Vicodin and actually recovering from Alcoholism. Those things played into the propensity for being a little more sensitive to my environment. It’s what makes us artists. The anxiety you feel or the depression I feel is actually reality telling you you’re going to the right place, that you are getting closer to your discomfort or away from your discomfort. They say that brain dis-ease comes in three parts; it’s genetic, environmental and socio-economic.

Allison Kugel: That’s what contributes to the symptoms developing.

Joe Pantoliano: Now my dis-ease is my friend, it’s my warning apparatus, so to speak.

Allison Kugel: In your book, Asylum you explain how your emotional issues, your “brain dis-ease” as you call it helped you to create magnificent three dimensional characters. As a result you won a lot of accolades. Was there a part of you that was afraid to get help or to get better for fear of being a less effective actor?

Joe Pantoliano: I never thought about that and at that point I didn’t care. Something had to change, and if I had to change my career then so be it. I didn’t want to live anymore. As it turned out, it was anything but that. It brought me closer to my feelings.

Allison Kugel: We share the same birthday, September 12^th, and the last time we spoke we talked about how you had trouble celebrating your birthday after 9/11. Can you celebrate your birthday now?

Joe Pantoliano: No, I still have a hard time with it. Because I’m also [observing] the death of three people that I really cared about. Also, I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’m less narcissistic. It’s one thing to celebrate the birth of a ten year old or a twenty-one year old, but when you celebrate turning fifty or sixty, you’re just that much closer to your demise (laughs).

Allison Kugel: In the past, since launching No Kidding, Me Too!, you’ve been to Washington to speak before Congress. What did you accomplish there?

Joe Pantoliano: It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been in Washington for that, specifically. We wanted equal rights for the all-American brain. Insurance companies do not treat emotional dis-ease with the same [consideration] that they would with gall stones, or a gall bladder operation, or putting a stent in your blood vessel because you have heart disease. There was a young boy in my film named Jordan who was diagnosed with depression in the third grade. He was only allowed one cognitive talk therapy session with a psychiatrist per month. By his senior year [in high school] he was so despondent that he had turned to alcohol. It was the only thing that helped him to feel better. He got caught and he felt so badly about letting his parents down again that he decided to throw himself out of his ninth floor bedroom window. He didn’t die. The minute he hit the ground the clock started ticking and that same insurance provider paid for the emergency medical helicopter, the fourteen operations that followed and the physical therapy.

Allison Kugel: All of that could have been avoided had the insurance company paid for talk therapy.

Joe Pantoliano: Yeah, so to get [congress] to understand about preventative medicine. Just like we’re starting to learn that preventative medicine is also what we eat, how we eat. Kids are getting Type 2 Diabetes because 60% of our nation’s adolescents are morbidly obese. The health community is looking at it as a Diabetes issue. They’re not looking at it as a symptom of a mental dis-ease. The way we are eating is symptomatic of the dis-ease we feel inside.

Allison Kugel: Aside from food, you also talk about a shopping addiction or unconscious shopping, as you put it. What is the most outrageous unconscious purchase you made?

Joe Pantoliano: Just recently I bought a pair of these Lululemon workout pants. You could wear them out to dinner or to a movie. They look like dress pants and they were fairly expensive, and I didn’t remember buying them. And I just bought a pair of Jimmy Choo motorcycle boots in black suede that were on sale. My addiction is funny. I never pay full price. I stalk sales. I have to have it, but I get to know the people in the store and I’ll ask them to hold it for me until it takes a [price] hit. This stuff is instilled in us. My parents were products of the Depression. There was always a fear about money and it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. I no longer have the option to steal so I have to look for the best bargain.

Allison Kugel: So, when you were able to steal you stole?

Joe Pantoliano: Yeah, because where I grew up that was a virtue, to be a good thief and then to re-sell. I had a scam in high school where I went down to Orchard Street to do my shopping. I used to go down there, this was like 1969, and I would buy these T-shirts and I paid legit, retail, I paid two bucks each. Then I’d stick them in the trunk of my father’s car and after school I sold them for five dollars and told the kids they were stolen. The kids wanted to buy stolen goods. The action of buying swag made them feel good, and made the clothes on their back feel more important. And the motion picture industry is a great thing because it’s the only product in America where you can sell something and still own it.

Allison Kugel: It’s been said that your cousin and step father, Florio, was a made man in organized crime. Fact or fiction?

Joe Pantoliano: One would think so. He always denied the fact that he was made, or that he ever made his bones is what they called it. He was involved and everybody knew him. He was in the penitentiary at the same time that Vito Genovese was. Genovese was a family friend and he took care of Vito. He made sure that he got his laundry done, protected him and got him midnight sandwiches. I think that he would have been well taken care of had Vito not died in prison… unless he was [made] and he didn’t want us to know that.

Allison Kugel: Was there ever a time when you considered organized crime or working with your cousin Florio to be a viable option as an alternative to acting?

Joe Pantoliano: No, never. That was made really clear by Florio. He saw how he had squandered his life away and realized how hard he worked. I think the guilt and the way he lived showed, because he always lost what he made. When he had it he threw it around like there was no tomorrow and he would lose whatever he had from his ill-gotten gains at the track. He told me that every move he ever made was the wrong move and that if I wanted [acting] I could do it, of course I could do it. He said, “You think Sinatra and those guys, they don’t wipe their ass every time they take a shit? There’s no difference between you and them. They wanted it, they wanted it bad and they were lucky enough to get it. And you just have to put in the work and be lucky enough to get it.” And then he said, “Stay away from these [neighborhood] guys, don’t ever ask them for a favor because you’ll owe them for life.” And I listened.

Allison Kugel: Some of your most iconic projects happened to be while you were struggling the most, emotionally. On some of these sets, did any of your fellow actors whether you confided in them or they picked up on your Vicodin use or mood swings, did anyone ever say, “Something doesn’t seem right with you.”?

Joe Pantoliano: The only time to my recollection was when I was doing a TV show called Easy Street on CBS, and Ken Olin thinking that I should look into mind medication and emotional [help]. I remember thinking, “You’re funny. You think I’m crazy, that’s funny!” But it was insightful on his part. My first remembrance was feeling odd and losing the desire to go out, or going out and doing things that were normally entertaining to do, and I was losing the fun. I felt sad all the time and didn’t know why. Friends like Chazz Palminteri would say, “What are you nuts?! You’re crazy. You’re sitting on top of the world. You’re making more money than you could throw a stick at.” [But] I remember Chazz Palminteri, he kidded me and he said, “Joey, you’re never gonna be the guy with the name above the title. You got a twenty minute face.” I was laughing, but it stung inside. And then I put my mind to getting my name above the title. I got Bound and then I started doing these character leads in movies.

Allison Kugel: What are your thoughts on young Hollywood versus seasoned actors when it comes to landing the best roles?

Joe Pantoliano: My agent said it best, that the young audience doesn’t understand a good actor from a reality star. Celebrity is celebrity whether you’re on Jersey Shore or you’ve starred in five or ten iconic movies. It doesn’t matter. They just don’t get it and they don’t care.

Allison Kugel: What’s your opinion of shows like Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives?

Joe Pantoliano: I don’t watch it. I think it’s really damaging. I think it’s another nail in the coffin of this societal decline. Television caters to the lowest denomination. If it’s being viewed, it doesn’t have anything to do with content. It’s like, it’s being viewed, so let’s make more of that. It promotes the kind of insidious, self-centered, narcissistic horseshit like The Real Housewives… I was at a celebrity fundraising event and there was a woman there that was one of these Housewives. Her husband committed suicide…

Allison Kugel: Taylor Armstrong…

Joe Pantoliano: There she was, having breakfast across the way from me. You could see she had all of this work done, and she was complaining how Amy Winehouse knocked her off the cover of People Magazine because she up and died, and that she would have gotten the cover because her husband committed suicide.

Allison Kugel: Are you kidding me?

Joe Pantoliano: Not kidding you. That she was comparing herself to an artist. We artists, we become artists because of our insecurity, that we want to say something, we want to make a difference. I found actors that I wanted to emulate and I wanted to be like them. I went to acting schools with teachers that I knew they had studied with. I wanted to learn and be as good as they were. I went and put it on the line and hoped to God I had the talent and good fortune to be able to get what I wanted. Now what do these kids think? These kids are thinking, “Oh, I’ll be a reality star. Or do a sex tape and leak it out and become a star.” You got to be careful showing these kids that stuff. I have a real pet peeve about that. I just recently got rid of our cable box. If my kids want to watch any kind of content they can do it on their lap top. I don’t know if I’m an isolationist.

Allison Kugel: Being that you’re a Sopranos alumni, what other HBO show would you be a part of regardless of the size of the part or the money offered?

Joe Pantoliano: Now I’ve got this thing for Aaron Sorkin and The Newsroom. I would work craft services on that. I just love how his mind works, and how prolific he is as a writer.

Allison Kugel: You’d take any role on The Newsroom, regardless of the size or content of the role, or what kind of money they were offering you?

Joe Pantoliano: Yup. I would do it in a heartbeat!

Joe Pantoliano’s latest memoir, Asylum, is available at Amazon through Weinstein Books. Follow him on Twitter @NKMToo or at nkm2.org.

Allison Kugel Speaks with Meghan McCain for PR.com Interview

Allison Kugel — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:06:55 +0000

Political Animal

Last month I spoke with political pundit and bestselling author, Meghan McCain. The majority of Americans know Meghan McCain as past Republican presidential nominee and legendary senator, John McCain’s, outspoken daughter.

My interview with Meghan McCain centered around her latest published effort, America You Sexy Bitch… A Love Letter to Freedom, which was co-written by comedian and actor, Michael Ian Black. The conservative McCain and the liberal Black traveled around the USA in an RV to speak with people of all walks of life to determine what it means to be an American.

As Meghan McCain told me, the unlikely duo were also on a mission to try to de-mystify why the United States has become so polarized in the 21 century. And, as Meghan explained to me, one side bar aspect of their roadtrip was an attempt for Meghan McCain and Michael Ian Black to begin to build a bridge and understand one another’s political and social ideologies. Little was accomplished there, although McCain insists that a mutual respect and lifelong bond of friendship was forged.

My conversation with Meghan McCain was a bit marred by her press tour fatigue, and as I spoke with her she was driving over the Brooklyn Bridge after a long day of book promotions. She explained that she had been asked a lot of irritating questions. There was one question she called me out on as being one of that said crop of irritating questions, and that was when I challenged her identity as a Republican and as a true conservative, for that matter. As she explained to me, one can have one or two more liberal ideals and still feel an overall identification with conversative values. Fair enough.

Here are a few excerpts from my Meghan McCain interview:

PR.com (Allison Kugel): Another writer declared you, “What’s annoying about politics.” What is it that people are threatened by when it comes to your political philosophies? Or I should say, what is the Republican base so threatened by?

Meghan McCain: Anything that is not completely 100% of the Republican orthodoxy seems to threaten people. America is changing, especially when it comes to gay rights; there’s a lot of resistance and I think that for whatever reason it threatens a certain group of people. I’m a strong, young woman with a strong voice, and I’m still in touch with my femininity. I have found that the combination of being a Republican and a strong woman, and being in touch with your femininity and your sexuality, for whatever reason, makes some people kind of explode.

PR.com (Allison Kugel): I do know what you mean. In your latest book (America, You Sexy Bitch) you say that you’ve only smoked marijuana a handful of times. I certainly wouldn’t call you a regular smoker by any means. Yet, you’ve felt the need to come out and identify yourself as somebody who has smoked marijuana. I’m surprised that you did that, only because of how aware you are of how the media operates. Now they are trying to make you a poster child for somebody in the public eye who’s political, who’s part of the Republican Party and who is saying that they have smoked marijuana. I’m curious why you chose to be outspoken about this particular issue.

Meghan McCain: When I was living in Los Angeles I had already started having my mind changed on the issue. I started doing a lot of research on the economic benefits of decriminalizing marijuana. I felt compelled to speak out on the issue and I have almost no fear in my life at all. There is very little that scares me anymore, and I just go on television and I say what I mean and mean what I say. I have this incredible platform that I have helped to build. I think I speak for young people. I don’t speak for all young people. I know young Republicans hate when I say that, but I’m just being honest about the kind of world I think we should live in. We smoked pot in the book and it was a discussion whether to take it out of the chapter. I thought it would be a great way to get attention and then change the focus to why we’re not proactively trying to decriminalize and tax marijuana in this country.

Kathy Hilton on Family, Fashion & Her New Collection of Special Occasion Dresses

Allison Kugel — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:19:15 +0000

Kathy Hilton on Family, Fashion &
Her New Collection of Special Occasion Dresses
By Allison Kugel

Dresses from The Kathy Hilton Collection

PR.com (Allison Kugel): Since you grew up in a home filled with girls how did that affect your personality and your style sensibilities?

Kathy Hilton: I would say growing up with two sisters, and my mother, who I loved and adored, and who was so elegant and loved fashion, we all love fashion yet we all have different tastes and style.

PR.com: What did you learn from your mom, and what do you emulate about her sense of style to this day?

Kathy Hilton: She was very glamorous. There are times I like to dress glamorous but then there are times I like to just be a little bit more… a little simpler. I have many different personalities, as you’ll see in my collection (The Kathy Hilton Collection).

PR.com: I’m not much of a fashion person. I’m usually in sweats and a tank top (laughs), but when I saw your dresses I wanted to reach through the computer and grab them. They are so beautiful! Your collection doesn’t show too much skin. The dresses are just very feminine and ethereal.

Kathy Hilton: They are very lady-like and feminine, and there are some that are very sexy. But I’ve also traveled a lot and I understand different styles. This all started because we have to go to a lot of events, and going into the stores and seeing the prices and how expensive things are; everybody is cutting back from this economy. I really wanted something for me, for my nieces, for my sisters, for my daughters, for all of their friends and for women that love beauty [and] quality. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to travel and wear all of the very wonderful designers and go to all the shows, and so I really love fashion. But I wanted something for everyone.

Read more of the interview with Kathy Hilton at PR.com

Allison Kugel Interviews Henry Louis Gates Jr. From PBS’s “Finding Your Roots” for PR.com

Allison Kugel — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 02:23:28 +0000

Allison Kugel Interviews Henry Louis Gates Jr. From PBS’s “Finding Your Roots” for PR.com

by Erica Teller

Tracing back one’s family roots and history is not necessarily a top priority for many Americans today. The average American assumes their race and ethnicity by looking in the mirror at the color of his/her skin. Most people ask their parents and grandparents about their ancestry and are satisfied with the basic answers they hear from them, although family stories can likely become somewhat inaccurate as they get passed down over time.

In the interview between Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and PR.com‘s Allison Kugel, you learn that finding out about your roots and ancestry is very important in understanding who you are and where you come from. Most people would be pleasantly surprised that they can trace their family roots all the way back to the early centuries, yet this varies from family to family and is dependent upon preserved documentation.

Robert Downey, Jr. was able to trace his ancestors back to the fourteenth century on Henry Louis Gates, Jr. show, Finding Your Roots. There is a reason that Finding Your Roots is averaging 2.5 million viewers. It is captivating to watch other people on the show discover that they are a mix of different races or that their families originally were a different religion.

Perhaps if more people discovered their roots they would be more tolerable of other religions and races; there might be a good chance that it is in their blood as well. For example, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explains in the PR.com interview that many people have a “hidden” Jewish bloodline in their ancestry because of the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Gates comments, “If you didn’t want to die and you were Jewish you had to be Catholic. If you didn’t really want to be Catholic, you had to pretend to be Catholic.” This happened to be the case for one of Gate’s guests on the PBS show, Linda Chavez.

It is not only important to find out where your ancestors originated from or what religion and race they were, but also to look into the stories that you find when tracing back your own ancestry. Actor, Adrian Grenier, learned that his fourth great grandfather, a man named Jose Ramirez, was captured by the Comanches and grew up around the Comanches Indians on Finding Your Roots.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explains in this interview with Allison Kugel, “My series, Finding Your Roots, shows that, 1. We’re all immigrants, and 2. We are all cousins. Genetically, we are all cousins.”

The average person who wants to find out about their own ancestry can go to archives.com or ancestry.com and pay a subscription fee, or use DNA companies such as the ones shown on Finding Your Roots including 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, and AfricanAncestry.com. Finding and learning about your roots and family history, however, is priceless.

Read Henry Louis Gates Jr.‘s interview with Allison Kugel at PR.com.

Mike Tyson Tells PR.com “The Greatest Fighter of All Time Should Be the Guy Who Entertained People the Best”

Allison Kugel — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:49:39 +0000

Allison Kugel interviews Mike Tyson for PR.com:

Mike Tyson Shares His Undisputed Truth & Unrelenting Humor with PR.com By Allison Kugel – April 12, 2012

PR.com (Allison Kugel): There is something you said a while back about happiness and success. You said, “When you have something in life that you want to accomplish, greatly, you have to be willing to give up your happiness.” Do you still feel that way, today?

Mike Tyson: Wow. It would have to [be] reminiscent of that, yes. This show (“Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” at MGM Grand in Las Vegas) is a small, little show. I used to have arenas, like with WWE, thirty thousand people. To me, this is like my living room with my family, seven thousand people. But I’m still serious and I still want to do well. Even when I had a billion dollars, I just wanted to do well. That’s how I am. Sometimes in wanting to do well I have to block out any chances of being happy, because I want to accomplish a goal. That’s how I’ve been raised by Cus D’Amato. Happiness is not worth your goal.

PR.com: Did you have to be angry to be a good fighter, or could you be happy and fight?

Mike Tyson: You can be very happy. I looked at boxing from a different perspective than other people. I looked at boxing that I’m only better because I’m superior in everything. I’m superior in my thinking, my breathing… I’m only the best because I’m superior. This is some sick shit. This is how I was taught with my trainers, you know (laughs). This is not me being this. This is me just saying this shit. So don’t think I’m this guy no more. But this is how it was, it was all about superiority. This is how I was raised; that I was better, smarter. But this is some crazy shit. I sound like fucking Hitler right now.

Read the entire Mike Tyson interview

Social Media Buzz: My Busy Philipps PR Interview Generates Coverage All Over The Blogs

Allison Kugel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:45:20 +0000

Social Media Buzz

My recent interview with Cougar Town star and comedic actress Busy Philipps has generated a lot of social media PR buzz for both, PR.com and for Busy.

During my interview with Busy for PR.com on February 2, 2012, Busy Philipps discusses her love of Twitter as a means of controlling her own voice on the Internet and setting the record straight about her work and her life. During our chat I asked Busy who convinced her co-star Courteney Cox to finally join Twitter, and Busy told me it was her and Cougar Town‘s creator Bill Lawrence, along with Cougar Town fans who finally convinced Courteney to start Tweeting.

Using PR.com’s strong online presence in teh search engines and our media contacts within the online entertainment space, PR.com gained public relations media coverage at the following entertainment news blogs for this celebrity story:

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/busy-philipps-pestered-cox-to-join-twitter_1290512

http://www.busy-philipps.org/tag/busy-philipps

http://culdesaccrew.net/ – scroll through

http://www.new-magazine.co.uk/latestnews/view/38155/Philipps-pestered-Cox-to-join-Twitter/

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/300659/Philipps-pestered-Cox-to-join-Twitter/

http://www.star-magazine.co.uk/breakingnews/view/37513/Philipps-pestered-Cox-to-join-Twitter/

The actress even tweeted about her interview with PR.com, emphatically stating, “Allright dudes- Read this: http://www.pr.com/article/1197 THAT is basically who I am.”

This story was brought to you by Allison Dawn PR

Elle Macpherson Interview for PR.com – We Discuss ‘Fashion Star,’ Intimate Apparel & Aging

Allison Kugel — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:35:12 +0000

Elle Macpherson Interview for PR.com

I just posted my Elle Macpherson interview on PR.com this morning. In my Elle Macpherson interview, I speak with Elle about her new reality competition television series, Fashion Star, which is set to premiere on NBC on March 13th. We talk about how she came up with the idea for the interactive fashion competition, working with Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie, and how viewers at home will be able to buy the fashions they see on Fashion Star, the very next day online.

Elle also opens up to me about her preference for swimsuits over couture, what type of underwear she prefers to wear, and raising her two sons in London, far from the Hollywood hoopla. Here are some great excerpts from the interview:

PR.com (Allison Kugel): Many celebrities launch fashion lines focused on upscale casualwear or eveningwear, yet you chose to create a lingerie line (Elle Macpherson Intimates). Why did you go into intimate apparel?

Elle Macpherson: I have always loved lingerie since my mother bought me my first bra and knickers as a young teenager. Coming from Australia I never had a passion for fashion. It wasn’t something that was very relevant in Australia. We had surf gear and sports gear, but fashion wasn’t something that we were dependent upon as a culture. When it came to modeling I found it really difficult because I didn’t really know how to model clothes. First of all, I didn’t wear many clothes (laughs). Give me a bathing suit and cowboy hat and I knew exactly what to do. Couture or fashion, I had no idea. I had never even worn heels before I moved to New York when I was seventeen years old.

PR.com (Allison Kugel): So when they put you in high fashion you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

Elle Macpherson: Yeah, I didn’t know what to do with myself (laughs). I would start laughing. I felt like those girls who dress up in their mother’s clothes!

PR.com (Allison Kugel): Do you always wear your lingerie under your clothes?Elle Macpherson: Always, and always matching. If I get dressed and then I decide to change my shirt and I have to change my bra because of the color, I would have to take off my pants and change my knickers as well. I can’t be miss-matched. It’s like wearing odd socks! I have a younger sister who makes fun of me and says, “It is so old-fashioned to wear matchy-matchy,” and I say, “I don’t care. I’m nearly fifty. I’m going to keep wearing matchy-matchy…”

PR.com (Allison Kugel): (Laughs).

Elle Macpherson: She wears different bottoms and different tops, and she says that’s much cooler.

PR.com (Allison Kugel): Does having the nickname “The Body” come with pressure, especially now that you’re in your late forties? Obviously, you look amazing, but do you feel like you have to live up to it, and that you need to be constantly working out?

Elle Macpherson: “The Body” has been a fantastic nickname because I’ve built a business around it. In 1989 I was on the cover of Time Magazine and they nicknamed me Elle “The Body” Macpherson. As soon as I saw it I thought, “I have to capitalize on that.” I never thought, for one second, “Oh yes, I’m the body!” I just thought, “Ok, perfect business strategy here.” So I built my business, really, on that. It’s been a really wonderful vehicle and I’ve been able to express myself in many ways using this name and image. I don’t find it a burden whatsoever. And, yeah, I’m nearly fifty. I don’t have the same body as I did when I was twenty, and that’s ok. The other thing is I don’t have the same spirit as I had when I was twenty, thank goodness! I have really enjoyed becoming the woman I am today.

Click to read the full Elle Macpherson interview for PR.com

This story is brought to you by Allison Dawn PR

Sneak Peak at My Interview with Twilight Star Peter Facinelli

Allison Kugel — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:13:19 +0000

Peter Facinelli Interview with Allison Kugel

My Peter Facinelli interview is scheduled to post on PR.com Monday morning. In the interview with Peter we discussed how he almost passed up his breakthrough role in the Twilight saga (oops!), his quirky role in Showtime’s series Nurse Jackie and taking the leap of starting his own production company, Facinelli Films to star in and produce the indie film, Loosies.

Here are a few teaser excerpts from my Peter Facinelli Interview for PR.com:

“I almost didn’t read for Twilight. My agent said, ‘Do you want to do a vampire movie?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ I was totally thinking blood and guts and bats in caves, like some kind of horror movie.” – on Peter Facinelli almost turning down the role of Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight saga

“For me, this is like movies from the 1970s that had these characters that were anti-heroes. They weren’t exactly heroes, but they were anti-heroes that you rooted for. The world isn’t black and white. They’re not always doing the right thing, but you root for them anyway because they have more good about them than bad.” - Peter Facinelli describing his character, Bobby, in the indie film “Loosies”

“That makes me completely uncomfortable (laughs). I don’t know how to play that. I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’d be really boring at that.” - on Peter Facinelli’s fear of playing the leading man

This news story was brought to you by Allison Dawn PR

Chelsea Lately Heather McDonald -Quotes From My Upcoming Interview & After Lately Promo Clip

Allison Kugel — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:28:27 +0000

If you think late night show, Chelsea Lately is hilarious, the behind-the-scenes mock-umentary, After Lately, will make you laugh yourself cross-eyed! I love how far Chelsea and all ofthe Chelsea Lately comedians are willing to go in the name of comedy, ranging from “that’s just wrong” to “I can’t beleive this is even on TV!”

I spoke with one of Chelsea Lately‘s most popular comedy writers and roundtable fixtures, Heather McDonald, for a very candid interview about the absurdity of pop culture celebrity, her friendship with the Kardashians, working for Chelsea Handler, and being a Republican in Hollywood.

Here are two exclusive advance excerpts from my Heather McDonald interview:

on where and how they shoot After Lately:‘
“Oh, yes. Those are our desks and we’re right in the studio. So we’ll finish taping Chelsea Lately, and then it’s like, “Your call time for After Lately is six o’clock and then we’ll shoot scenes at night or on a Saturday. It’s hectic but it’s a lot of fun because I’m so close with everyone. It really is like a family. Definitely people get on our nerves and there might be little snide remarks, but for the most part everyone loves each other and wants each other to succeed and have a good time.”

On sudden reality TV fame::
“I definitely see the absurdity of the instant fame that pop culture and reality shows have done for people. I do really enjoy the Housewives. The Beverly Hills Housewives are so much fun, definitely my favorite. They take these women who probably always wanted to be an actress, and now at 45 they’re on the cover of Us Weekly.”

My interview with Heather McDonald will post on Friday, November 25th!