Posts Tagged ‘Chuck Comeau’

Backstage At Z100’s Zootopia

May 24th, 2008

New Kids On The Block remain tight-lipped when it comes to reporters at Z100’s Zootopia. It’s photos only in the press room, so it’s time for a shout-out. How does it feel to be back together after 15 years?

“It feels incredible,” Joey McIntyre says.

Donnie Wahlberg adds, “We’ve been around for a long time.”

The Beantown boys bring out a cake onstage to celebrate Jordan Knight’s birthday. Delish! They play a medley of hits, their new single Summertime and retro Tonight.

Wow! I’m going to be on the next season of MTV’s Making The Band – fingers crossed. Danity Kane’s camp brings along a release form for me to sign because they taped me talking to the girls. I love airtime. Aubrey O’Day and company start singing their favorite song — DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s ditty Summertime. A-ha!

Up next is Simple Plan’s Pierre Bouvier, who tries to get Chuck Comeau to open up about the origin of their new tune Your Love Is A Lie.

“It’s a song about betrayal and about being cheated on,” he says. “It happened to me, so it sucks. I wrote a song about it. It’s a song for everybody who’s ever been cheated on.

“Come on, more specific, what happened to you man?” Pierre prods.

“That’s it,” Chuck says, embarrassed.

It’s always drama for Simple Plan in the press room. One time, Chuck asked Kelly Clarkson on a date in backstage at a Z100 event!

Jesse McCartney gets the crowd pumped with his hit Leavin.’ One thing he left behind while recording his album Departure? Junk food. “If I get another cavity, I’ll be upset,” he says. “Everything’s sugar-free.”

 

Sara Bareilles slides by. “I’m truly excited about performing tonight. Hopefully I’ll make people smile.” Bonus: She went to UCLA with Maroon 5 — and they’re touring together!

Here’s OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder sailing around in a wheelchair. What happened? “I slipped last night in Philadelphia offstage. There was water everywhere, and it happened. I was thinking ‘whatever you do, don’t fall, don’t do this.’ As soon as I took a step, both of my crutches fell out from under me. There’s a lot of pain, and it’s stressful.”

He wrote the Leona Lewis megahit Bleeding Love.“Everybody heard it and thought ‘this is the one,’” he says. “I’m happy for her. Good luck to her.”

Making The Band choreographer Lori Ann Gibson dishes some dirt about making dance moves for Madonna.

“I thought it would be life-altering,” she tells me. “I’d worked with urban acts like Mary J. Blige, Puffy, Missy – and I thought she was a step up. Madonna. I realized then that no matter how much money or how many records that if it’s really not there in your soul and if you’re really not coming from an honest place, it’s not worth it. She has an amazing work ethic but you’ll find the real artistry with Beyonce, Usher or Alicia Keys.”

Snap!

What about the Jonas Brothers?

“I started working with them when they were very young. To see what they have become is truly a great thing. They’re honest, they’re great songwriters and musicians. To see how their natural talent has developed is a blessing. They’re going to be here forever.”

We’ll see!

The night ends with a performance from Miley Cyrus, who gives her all to tunes including Start All Over, See You Again, Fly On The Wall, Breakout and G.N.O. (Girls Night Out). Confetti pours down over the tween crowd.

Oh, here’s Jesse’s rep. That means Jesse’s not far behind. ‘Night all.

 

Miss yesterday’s antics? Hit up Gifting Miley Cyrus.

 

Pick up the OK! on stands now for more coverage of Z100’s Zootopia. Angelina Jolie: Four Weeks To Go! is the cover line.

Gifting Miley Cyrus

May 23rd, 2008

Miley Cyrus sweeps into the Izod Fragrance Artist Gift Lounge backstage at Z100’s Zootopia wearing a huge smile on her face, a Topshop dress and a jacket so expensive she would never buy it herself.

 

Shocking? Nah. The Hannah Montana star, 15, is a penny-pincher. “She had a Blackberry but she lost it, and she’s too cheap to get another one,” I hear. Luckily, she receives a Blackberry Pearl in her stash of goodies.

Miley curls up on the couch to chat with Z100 before taking inventory of her new accessories. She raids the stainless steel jewelry line from Black and Blue taking one of everything. She’s eager to schedule her new Roomba to vacuum her room while she’s away on tour. And, during a round of The Box Girls Box of Questions Conversation Starter Games, she says, “I’d sit in my boxer shorts and play video games all day if I was a boy.”

Well, if she was a boy she might be just like half-brother Trace Cyrus, who is in the electro-pop band Metro Station. Miley joins him onstage during the pre-show, and the crowd goes wild.

“She was chilling,” he tells me. “She was sitting there watching it.”

One thing Trace has that Miley doesn’t is a body filled with tattoos. His favorite? “This one right here,” he tells me, flexing his arm. It says ‘This time here will never last.’ It’s lyrics to one of my dad’s [Billy Ray Cyrus] songs.”

Lunchtime! I grab a meal ticket and scope out the catering section, where I bump into New Kids On The Block. I’m enjoying my roast beef sandwich, French fries, potato salad and sugar cookie when the guys roll through. “It’s too crowded in here,” Donnie Wahlberg laments. “Let’s eat in the dressing room.” (Bummer!)

The guys roll into the gift lounge. The highlight is the Roomba. Danny Wood, who is a single dad, is excited to get housework help from the gadget. And Jordan Knight says the device will free up the time his wife would spend vacuuming. Joey McIntyre walks up and announces “We are in the future.”

Here’s Gavin DeGraw. I’ll never forget the first thing he said to me years ago when we met in a club: “Are you married?” And then, he had the hit single I Don’t Want To Be. I have the worst luck with this. Anyone whose advances I’ve dismissed always hits the big time. (Hello, Bill Rancic.) Gavin’s still got it. “Hi gorgeous,” he says. Hm, is he dating anyone now? “I’m too busy right now to fail at a relationship.” I see…

Another fun guy is Simple Plan’s Chuck Comeau. He’s up there – he cracks me up, and his Quebecois accent makes me smile. I once interviewed Simple Plan on a bed at The Time Hotel in NYC. (Not my idea – theirs.) He remembers. What’s his status? “Single and open for business,” he tells me. I was also there when he asked Kelly Clarkson out a few years ago at a Z100 event. “Nothing ever happened with that. I thought I had an ‘in’ – I thought I was in, but it’s OK. I’ve moved on. I’m stalking other people now like Megan Fox. She’s so hot … she has an amazing talent at acting. She’s absolutely gorgeous.” (Ooh, he’ll have to fight Jesse McCartney.)

Whoa! Love Song singer Sara Bareilles is getting lavished with praise by each member of Danity Kane. Sara is loving the adoration – she’s on top of the world.

Does Sara ever get tired of performing her megahit?

“I have my moments of not being so excited about it, but overall it’s so very fun,” she tells me. “It’s at the point now where people are knowing the words and singing along. That’s very rewarding.”

Danity Kane’s Aubrey O’Day admits she loves to buy handbags. “I’m disgusting about purses,” she tells me. “There’s a purple Prada bag that I really want right now. I just feel like a couple more shows and I’ll feel like I deserve it.”

Here come the Jonas Brothers! Shhh …

 

 

For more behind-the-scenes moments, check out Backstage at Z100’s Zootopia.


Pick up the OK! on stands now for more coverage of the Izod Fragrance Artist Gift Lounge backstage at Z100’s Zootopia. Angelina Jolie: Four Weeks To Go! is the cover line.

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