I remember the first time I ever showed my parents a song that I had written. The content may have been a little darker than they were used to, or really introspective in a way that may have been uncomfortable. I thought they'd retaliate with some kind of judgment or concern about whether I was feeling all right, but they were proud of it.
A lot of entertainment, and especially in a half-hour format, can be all jokes, all the time. And some of those jokes can be really, really funny, but what I respond to, as a viewers, is identification or caring about the characters.
An artist never works under ideal conditions. If they existed, his work wouldn't exist, for the artist doesn't live in a vacuum. Some sort of pressure must exist. The artist exists because the world is not perfect. Art would be useless if the world were perfect, as man wouldn't look for harmony but would simply live in it.
I always thought what made 'Beetlejuice' look so great was because it looked like some genius kid made it in his basement.
You can get really left of centre influences in mainstream pop. Michael Jackson and Prince are some of the most progressive artists ever if you actually dissect their songs there's some crazy stuff going on.
Some people may get in to the building without the proper passes and things, but I think that's the price you pay for being an open place for people to come.
The '90s were a bit of a disaster for me in so many ways. On a personal level, I don't think I could have toured. Also, I had some physical problems with my back that are now sorted and I just wasn't in the right state of mind.
I tried to pay some small tribute to A Man and a Woman (1966) with the recurring musical theme.
The most important thing for anyone, I think, is to be engaged, whether you're an artist or a journalist is to be engaged in the process at some level.
I always knew I wanted to be involved in entertainment in some way. But I really can't say I'd be where I am now if I hadn't been on 'American Idol.'
I would really like to do a movie. Schedule-wise I don't know when exactly, but I think it would be great to do a Portlandia movie. Some of my favorite television shows have done it and they've been great. Like Monty Python. I think it would be great.
Finding some quiet time in your life, I think, is hugely important.
I grew up in Florida, and I have a lot of friends, close friends, who are Cuban-Americans, and I have heard the stories of their families escaping, and some of them didn't even make it to come to the United States for a better life to get away from the Castros.
I probably had some impact, because everyone keeps telling me that I did. I like to feel like I'm coming out with something to try to make room for other young women to make their art.
Be yourself is about the worst advice you can give to some people.
During last night's debate, John Kerry and John Edwards were so friendly to each other some political experts think that they may end up running together. In fact Kerry and Edwards were so friendly, President Bush accused them of planning a gay marriage.
In sum, as we enter the 21st century, the Euro-Atlantic community - North America and Europe together - has to face some tough challenges when it comes to improving our capability.
Life is a terminal condition. Were all going to die. Cancer patients just have more information, but we all, in some ways, wait for permission to live.
Some people will never learn anything, for this reason, because they understand everything too soon.
Some writers take to drink, others take to audiences.
People in this room must have back problems, I'm sure some of us do, and it is really, really one of the worst pains and debilitating parts of your body that you can actually have because you really can't do anything in your life when you have it.
I think that the audience wants to see women being put into real situations where they can relate to them, rather than seeing some glamorous woman in a 'Bond' film.
For me the ideal date would be to drink wine in the backyard under the stars, listen to music and just talk. Then we'd eat steak and, later, dessert. If all went as planned, we'd save some of the dessert and play with it while making out.
Whatever happened to books? Suddenly everybody's talking about these 100-hour movies called 'Breaking Bad'. People are talking about TV the same way they used to talk about novels back in the 1980s. I like to think I hang out with some pretty smart people, but all they talk about is 'Breaking Bad.'
One of the difficulties about interviewing people in Rwanda is that the country is trying to get on with ordinary life and some people just don't want to get involved in this.
Most people imagine music playing in their heads, but some hallucinate music; some cannot sleep because of the soundtrack in their mind.
Once the film is done, then I like to watch myself. I know some actors say that they get very self-conscious watching themselves on screen especially if they have to cry in the scenes, they don't like the way their face contorts, but I have no such issues.
Some news managers have been slow to grasp that good television news is always substance over form.
I thought The Visitation was good fun. We did some of that filming at Ealing on the big set.
You will not find poetry anywhere unless you bring some of it with you.
The personal contact is a personal thing. The fact that some people don't know their neighbors, I don't think that technology is at fault. You don't lose anything with technology. You gain other avenues of understanding.
Male? Female? It's not always relevant to some people. They are who they are - they might not fit into a specific box.
I was young and so eager to make some money as well as get exposed and show my talent.
We had doubles for some of the stuff but a lot of it had to do with there's certain hours that you can dive and then you can't dive for another certain, like 12 hours just for the air and stuff.
I'm just a very normal person, living in north London, doing my best for my area and to put forward some serious debate on issues in the party.
I like Jeremy Scott, and he has some really dope sneakers.
