KRS-One, also known as The Blastmaster or The Teacha, has been one of the most respected emcees in hiphop since he got his start in the late '80s as one half of Boogie Down Productions. Since building his reputation on tracks like Stop the Violence and Sound of da Police, KRS has enjoyed a long and... more

KRS-One, also known as The Blastmaster or The Teacha, has been one of the most respected emcees in hiphop since he got his start in the late '80s as one half of Boogie Down Productions. Since building his reputation on tracks like Stop the Violence and Sound of da Police, KRS has enjoyed a long and celebrated solo career, with over a dozen albums to his name.

That's why his new album, Survival Skills, is such a big deal. In his first real collaboration since the BDP days, he's teaming up with Buckshot, an emcee who's got a pretty big reputation of his own. Buckshot was one of the main players in Brooklyn's hiphop supergroup Boot Camp Clik, and a member of Black Moon. Together, they're on a mission to spread a bit of hip hop history to a new generation of fans, and teach everyone what it takes to survive in the rap game for as long as they have.

KRS and Buck talked to Suicide Girls about the state of hip hop and the aims of Survival Skills.

Jay Hathaway: How do you feel about selling records to kids who have never heard of Grandmaster Flash or Roger Troutman?

KRS-One: As a historian, it's a straight privilege to be able to influence anybody to the historical and traditional heritage of hip hop. This is one thing we noticed also on the Rock the Bells tour. Everybody didn't know who we were. Some people knew Buckshot, didn't know KRS. Believe that. Others knew KRS, didn't know Buckshot. Some people didn't know either of us. To be out there talking about, "this ain't a diss to nobody's art / 'cause Afrika Bambataa gave you the start," and they barely know who Afrika Bambataa is, this is part of work. This is our job, to educate the masses, let them know that there's an importance to the heritage that we are putting forward. We're not just music merchants. We're preserving our culture, we're preserving our way of life. Anybody who has a critique against preserving your own way of life, all you can call those people are cowards, there's no way around it.

JH: Do you think that a lot of people are going to copy you on this whole anti-autotune movement? Other than Jay-Z, I mean ...

Buckshot: We've moved on. We killed that thing already, and we've moved on. We run a hip hop military mindframe, and one thing we don't do, we don't glorify a kill. We get in and get out. The people don't want this no more, so we're going to represent the people. That's why you see Survival Skills, 'cause we're on to the next lesson. Now we're going to show you what it takes to have survival skills. Buckshot and KRS said "fuck autotune," as far as saying "don't be a biter like everybody else," and then everyone else came to the table and said, "Yeah, you know what? Fuck autotune." So a leader is always going to be a leader, and a follower is always going to be a follower. That's always going to be what it is.

JH: So people are copying you when you say, "Don't copy?"

BS: It's not a person saying "I'm copying Buckshot." You can't copy me, and I don't promote that. What they're doing is they're getting a clearer vision of being able to say, "I didn't know there was an option, before Buckshot and KRS-One said it."

JH: KRS, I know you're The Teacha, but what did you learn from Buckshot by doing this album?

KRS: We always say that we never stop learning. It's not anything that I've learned, it is that I'm continuously learning. The experience is not one that I can put my finger on. It's really the inspiration. This is an opportunity for KRS-One to have a beginning again, to be grounded again. If I'm learning anything, I'm learning about the grounding of KRS-One, the need for KRS-One to be relevant in today's world. Before the Buckshot album, I was pretty much by myself. I did an album with my brother, Kenny, I did an album with Freddie Foxxx, but nothing as important as this album, and that's real. It's like you've traveled 10 miles and back again, and someone else says, "I've got a brand new car. Let's go do those 10 miles one more time." This time, you know the terrain, you know where you're going, but you're not in the same vehicle, and you're not driving with the same people. It's actually new, but it's old.

KRS-One has to constantly reinvent himself in the face of this debate that he may be too old to be rhymin'. Why are you rhyming? Why are you still touring? People ask these dumb questions, as if we're not getting thousands of dollars for doing it. Forget about "love the art," forget all that. As a 40 year-old, 30 year-old, 25 year-old man or woman, if you have a skill at DJing or emceeing, and you make more money than certain doctors or lawyers, why would you skip out on that? People don't think that far ahead, so they say, "You're too old for that." How can you be too old for 50 thousand dollars a show?

I urge all so-called old school artists or true school artists to find your guy from the nineties, your dude, this young kid in you, and do an album with him. Straight up and down, this could be a new business model for hiphop. It unites the young with the old, it unites the beginner with the seasoned vet. Buckshot's no beginner, and Buck is not a youngin' either [laughs] but our album represents that vibe. Buckshot's representin' today's emcee: young, fiery, ready to roll. I'm representin' the tradition heritage of hip hop, the foundation, the pillars.

JH: Buck, what's your favorite KRS-One track? And KRS, what's your favorite thing Buckshot's done?

BS: That's hard. It ain't gonna be political, I'm gonna just say KRS. That's like asking me what's my favorite part about my favorite emcee.

KRS: Right, that's a hard question. Each song hits you a certain way. There's not one song or moment in that sense. It's hard. That question's hard.

BS: Every song has a different aesthetic. Every song. That's why I cap it off by saying, Kris. Period. The answer to that question is KRS-One himself.


JH: When you've got two experienced, well-respected emcees like yourselves in a room together, do you get competitive with one another?

BS: No. I'm gonna say that in my heart. I'm so wrapped up in going, "This is Kris. He gets on the mic, he can't do no wrong." Meaning, fuck that, he can talk about trees and swaying in the wind.

KRS: [laughs]

BS: To be able to come behind Kris is a privilege. It's like ... volcanic gasses are needed, but not inside New York. Negative energy is needed, but it don't exist in our realm.

KRS: This union between Buck and I is so opposite to that, competition. Some people thrive on that. I think some individuals come together, and even though they love each other and respect each other, they thrive on the competition between each other. We're more like Voltron, like a sort of coming together. I'm relying on Buck onstage. Even at the Rock the Bells concert, he's doing my vocals. The album's so new, I didn't even have time to study my shit, Buckshot already studied the whole album. We're onstage in front of 5, 6, 700 people, and I'm freestyling, and Buck's trying to do the vocals. It's that kind of Batman-Robin Justice League-type morphing, becoming two versions of the same idea. That's what Survival Skills is really about: here's a younger and an older version of the same idea, here's a Brooklyn and a Bronx version of the same idea, here's two different eras of hiphop with the same idea. Competition just doesn't come in.

JH: How have you managed to put out so many albums that people want to buy, and stay so relevant to a new generation of listeners?

KRS: A lot of people are starting to put out music that reflects a certain time and tone, and that time and tone was '91 to 2001, that whole 10-stretch. This generation is trying to see what that '91-2001 was like. If you didn't have respect in '91 to 2001, you don't exist today. And that's respect to all my dudes, man, I know dudes that are not around today for no other reason than that they just didn't go the route‚ like my man Tone Loc, that's my dude, no doubt, but where is he today? He's doing movies, he's doing voiceovers for cartoons, he ain't strugglin', but where is he today? Where is Young MC? Where are these guys that were coming up in my era? King Tee. Where are these guys?

Everybody had a plan, everybody was the man, everybody was God body. Everybody knew what they were gonna do, but only a few of us made it into the new millennium, and we weren't the record sellers either. Tone Loc was the biggest record seller of the '90's, and today young cats don't even know who he is. Groups like Wu-Tang didn't sell shit. Compared to the millions that hip hop was selling at that time, Protect Ya Neck was a hot single and that's about it. But now, 2009, you say "Method Man" to a 13 year-old, they're fuckin' in tears, ready to go pay 50 dollars to see Meth walk around and possibly bring Redman out. And why? Because Redman and Method Man gained some kind of respect in the '90s.

What keeps you relevant in the minds of people is stories they can tell about you. What you made them feel when they came to the concert, that kind of stuff. I don't see too many groups working on that these days. They're more interested in the girl, or the ice, or the car. They're not really interested in doing things for respect. The only reason I'm doing this right now is for respect!

And they're not even doing it for the cash, they're doing it for glamor. That's how pussy we got. Even in the '90s, it was all about the Benjamins. In the new millennium, it's all about pussy. That's all it's fuckin' about. Motherfuckers rappin' about pussy, niggas are pussy, niggas talkin' pussy.

BS: Motherfuckers have got so terrible that when they say the ice and the fame, if you take those chains to the pawn shop, they're not even real diamonds!

KRS: They're not even real! [laughs]

BS: We got so low that now it ain't about nothin' else but the pussy.

KRS: Oh, shit! That's all we got left! You either chasin' pussy or you are a pussy. That's the state of hip hop. Lowercase hip hop. Capital Hip Hop is over with Survival Skills, and we ain't pussy. At the end of the day, that's what it really comes down to now.

JH: Who do you think is going to be around in the next 10 years?

KRS: Whatever this album does, me and Buckshot bought ourselves a ticket into the new millennium. There's a generation that now knows, heard, know our point of view. All we gotta do is stay consistent, and we walk right into another decade.

The usual suspects. L'il Wayne'll be around, but over the next 5 years, he has to do more community work. And I'm not saying that 'cause I'm an activist. The community gotta see you out there, even though you're a huge artist. I'd say Wayne. Just look at the people that you remember now. If you don't remember an artist now, you're not gonna remember him 10 years from now. Cats that you just don't think about anymore, those are the cats that are gone. They're on their way out. That could be some of your biggest artists. Wayne if he don't play his game right. That could be 50 if he don't play his game right.

Immortal Technique, if he stays consistent with what he's spittin', he'll make it into the next decade, because what he's saying is so shocking. On Survival Skills, he says, "Fuck the commercial world, I'd rather stay underground." That is a strong statement. You're drawing the line and saying "I will forever scramble for mine. Even if you hand me a million dollars, I will reject you. I'm gonna go down with the ship."

BS: He said, "I'd rather stay raw," and raw means untampered. Unseasoned. Unflavored.

JH: Do you have to draw that line and make that statement to have credibility?

KRS: It's a survival skill. If you don't stand for something, you fall for everything. The line has to be drawn at some point in your life. If you're young, then you've got time to fuck around, play both sides, lie about your associations, say "I'm a gangster but I'm really not," say, "I'm conscious, but I'm really not." After 26, 27, you start hitting 30, and you have to keep it real with yourself, as a man or as a woman, or you're not going to be able to go to sleep at night. As a little boy, you can play that shit, but as a grown-ass man who's got a reputation to hold, you gotta draw the line. I ain't no bitch, let's draw the line. I'm not listening to commercial radio, let's draw the line. I'm not gonna sign up and laugh along with those who disrespect women, let's draw the line. When you draw the line, you ain't surrounded by no bitch-ass niggas. You're surrounded by real brothers, real sisters, real gods and goddesses. When you draw the line, people know what side of the fence you're on, and people can trust you. It's not for credibility or authenticity, it's so that you can sleep at night.

JH: Where do you draw it, personally?

KRS: Me? I draw the line between real and fake, right and wrong, good and evil, justice and injustice. That's it. I stand with God. I know we live in a godless time and more people every day are becoming atheists, and the church, the temple, the synagogue, the mosque all have failed people, but I still stand with God. I have no choice. My whole life is magical and mystical. I have one foot in the material world and the other in the spiritual world. Two of the people that I love dearly are guiding me right now: Scott La Rock and my son Randy. Both of them are in the spirit world guiding us right now. You can't talk like a pimp if you're a prophet. I draw the line on that. You can hang out with pimps, I do all the time. My nigga Freddie Foxxx will teach you somethin' about pimpin', yes he will. But at the end of the day, I'm the Teacha. There's stuff these cats don't realize about the real hood, about the real streets. The real streets respect teachers. They don't really respect that gangster shit, and we know this, but kids still wanna pop that shit. Them hardened cats in federal pen that's really doing hard time, they're listening to Buckshot and KRS.

BS: Word.

KRS: Real G's, real dudes, they're on their knees asking God for forgiveness for offing that dude last week, or selling that shit, or whatever ... every dude I speak to, they're like, "Yo, Teacha, I got this whole block on lock. Anything you want around here is you, but yo, I'm strugglin'." I could tell you some stories right now that would blow your mind.

BS: Hold on, hold on. Not to cut you off, Kris, but I spoke to
Sanyika Shakur, aka Monster Kody. I speak to his sister and his kids on the regular. Real talk: this is an individual who was a product of what he grew up in, and tried his best to change it. He's not glorifying that. All the people like Tupac or Sanyika Shakur, who grew up in the struggle and had to say "Fuck you," loud, in order for people to hear it, ultimately said, "This is why I said 'Fuck you," so he wasn't just ignorant about it.

KRS: Right, right. Pac is a damn good example. Everybody claiming thug life, and Pac explained that shit outright, explicitly. When he says thug life, he's meaning, "Fuck this corruption, we gonna survive." And that's a survival skill, that real shit. That constant fake gangster shit is such a distraction.

BS: You get no benefit from it, even. It's one thing when you benefit financially, right? But cats can't even benefit financially from it anymore, so you just look like clowns. If I walk up to you onstage and say, "Yo, son, let me get a key of cocaine like you said on your record," you'd say, "Oh, shit, I don't do that! That was just for the record!" The guy who said, "I'm gonna be a gangsta rapper," there's a price to pay for that ...

KRS: Word.

BS: .. as long as you're willing to pay that price and play that position. If you look at everybody who came before you, they'll show you the price. It's either death or in jail.


Survival Skills is available Sept. 15th 2009

There is temptation--especially when you'’re single and lonely--to think of the single, lonely people as the only ones with romantic woes. When I was a twenty-two year old virgin, I was a deeply unhappy fellow. I also thought getting a girlfriend would solve all my problems. Then I met someone,... more

There is temptation--especially when you'’re single and lonely--to think of the single, lonely people as the only ones with romantic woes.

When I was a twenty-two year old virgin, I was a deeply unhappy fellow. I also thought getting a girlfriend would solve all my problems. Then I met someone, and guess what? I became a deeply unhappy guy with a girlfriend and problems.

I decided the problem was the girlfriend and got rid of her. It was ten years before I had another one. I stayed unhappy.

Guess the problem wasn'’t the girl.

Things have changed since then. I‘'ve made some different choices. I‘'ve become a happier person. I’'ve been with more women in the past three years than the previous thirty-two combined. I am madly in love with the one I‘'m seeing right now and I'‘m (knock on wood) entertaining serious thoughts about what it would be like to spend my life with her. Also, I write a dating column on the internet.

I am now a happy guy with a girlfriend, a wealth of romantic and sexual experience, a dating column on the internet…and problems.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to happiness--romantic or otherwise--is the expectation that there will be a time when we don'’t have problems.

There will always be something. First you can'’t get anyone to notice you. Then you get noticed, but it’'s someone you don'‘t like. Then someone you like notices you, but won'’t stick around past three weeks. Then lots of people notice you, and you can'’t say no to any of them, because what if one of them is The ONE and you miss him or her, and besides you’'re used to not having love in your life so you'’re obsessed with getting as much as you can in the same way that people who grow up poor are obsessed with money: “DON’'T LEAVE NOOKIE ON THE TABLE. THERE ARE PEOPLE STARVING FOR LOVE IN ETHIOPIA SO CLEAN YOUR METAPHORICAL ROMANTIC PLATE.”

Also, they don'’t want sex enough. Or they want it too much. Or they remind you too much of your dad, or they chew with their mouth open, or worse, they don‘t seem to have ANY faults at all to the point where you think they might be too good for you, or…

You get the idea.

I have a five-step method for dealing with problems. I like it because it can apply to anything from locking my keys inside my apartment to climate change. I also hate it because doing it well takes effort, and I don‘t always feel like making an effort, especially when I‘'d rather be feeling sorry for myself.

But it works, so here we go:

1 - Accept that problems will arise. They will arise on their own schedule, not yours. They might also not be problems you are ready for.

2 - Pay attention. Observe what is actually happening. Observe what is happening outside and what is happening in your inner world of emotions and thought. Above all, try not to get the two confused.

3 - Recognize what you can control. There are times when we overestimate our power to affect a situation. Other times we wallow in helplessness when deep down, we know better. Learn to tell the difference.

4 - Ask yourself the magic question: “What do I want and what am I willing to do to get it?” Keep in mind the second part is as important as the first.

5 - Take action …or not. Not every problem needs to be solved. But it’'s nice to do what you can.

Pretty simple, huh? It sure looks that way. But putting each step into practice is a journey unto its own. I’'d encourage you to focus on one specific step a week. Explore it as fully as possible in as many situations as possible and see what you find.

Let me know how it goes.

"I constantly want to feel like I'm in danger," says author and screenwriter Diablo Cody during our interview. This statement reveals a lot when you consider Cody's resume. She punctuated a rather mundane series of office jobs by moonlighting as a stripper, phone sex worker, and a... more

"I constantly want to feel like I'm in danger," says author and screenwriter Diablo Cody during our interview. This statement reveals a lot when you consider Cody's resume. She punctuated a rather mundane series of office jobs by moonlighting as a stripper, phone sex worker, and a peep show girl. While still working for "the man" she documented her experiences in the sex industry in a very public space -- a popular blog called Pussy Ranch. Subsequently she penned a full-blown memoir, entitled Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, which was published by Penguin imprint Gotham Books.

Having bared her body, next Cody bared her decidedly off-beat soul, writing a spec screenplay called Juno based in part on her experiences, and that of her friends, while growing up. The non-stereotypical, non-tragic tale of teen pregnancy courted controversy with its optimistic, pro-choice perspective, but ultimately prevailed both at the box office and the Oscars, where Cody won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Having bagged what many consider to be Hollywood's ultimate accolade, Cody took a career risk again, turning to a genre -- horror -- that neither has the respect of the mainstream film community nor favor with The Academy. Horror however is Cody's raison d'être, her latest film, Jennifer's Body, being an homage both to the conventions of the genre and her feminist ideals.

Femme fatale Megan Fox plays the tile role of Jennifer, a schoolgirl whose body is more attractive than her soul. The film co-stars Mama Mia actress Amanda Seyfried, who plays the archetypically nerdy Needy, Jennifer's bosom buddy turned frenemy. The blood starts to fly after a gig at the local dive bar when Jennifer and Needy encounter the enigmatic Nikolai (Adam Brody), a singer who's willing to deal with the Devil to facilitate his rock & roll dreams.

On the eve of the film's release, SuicideGirls caught up with Cody by phone to find out if her dreams remain true -- or if they've turned into anything resembling nightmares.

Nicole Powers: In your last SuicideGirls interview done around the time Juno was released you talked about how you were working on a book about Hollywood. Since then, in a few short years you've gone from being the outsider to an insider. What has Hollywood and the film industry taught you?

Diablo Cody: Well, honestly, I'm still writing that book, and it's interesting because it gets more and more challenging with time. As I become less of an outsider I lose that outsider perspective. And I think it's important to actually maintain that perspective because if you become one of them you've officially lost the battle in life.

I think, if anything, I've become tougher. Hollywood will definitely toughen you up because it's the kind of place where you can be rejected very quickly. Also, I love Hollywood because it's a town full of optimists. It's a town full of people whose dreams have come true for them. I grew up being told to keep my feet on the ground and not make any big plans, and I appreciate now that I'm an adult I'm surrounded by people who do make big plans and who follow up on them. It's actually kind of cool to witness.

NP: It's nice to watch your Hollywood experience. You hear so many horror tales, but you seem to have had an experience that's been incredibly positive.

DC: Yeah, it's funny. It's been positive really from the very beginning. 'Cause when I first came to town I already had some momentum going with my career so I never went through the phase that a lot of newcomers do where you're waiting tables and struggling. I was very fortunate in that regard so I've always seen Hollywood as a very warm and welcoming place.

NP: I also think that's a reflection of your outlook on life. There's a thread of positivity running throughout your work. I mean with Juno, the played out tale of teen pregnancy is traditionally very dark and depressing, but you portrayed a highly functioning teen from a highly functioning family, and show that a bad situation doesn't have to 100 percent suck.

DC: Yeah. I think I actually am kind of an optimist by nature. Actually, I even surprised myself with Juno because I think I had originally envisioned it as a very, very dark comedy and the finished product was more life-affirming. But Jennifer's Body, I wouldn't actually call it an optimistic movie. It's pretty dark and it says some pretty damning things about teenagers.

NP: It does, but there's a lightness that counterbalances it. Some horror movies are just about gore on top of gore, and kill after kill after kill, whereas Jennifer's Body has much more light and shade. I think part of that comes from the smartness of the dialog.

DC: I appreciate that so much. Thank you. The director, Karyn Kusama, it was really important to her to make something that had a warm vintage feel as opposed to the coldly mechanical horror movies that you see these days. We definitely didn't want it just to be a series of kills, one more titillating than the next, which is kind of the MO these days. We definitely wanted to tell a story about the girls, and I like the phrase "light and shade." I think that is a pretty apt description.

NP: What you've done with Jennifer's Body is produce a smart movie in a genre that's generally become so dumb it's almost insulting to its audience. It's become all about the kills, and not the story and characters.

DC: That's true. And I think definitely the horror element was secondary to character development for us. Obviously there are a lot of messages in this movie. We were trying to say stuff about body image and sexuality, about female friendships, about relationships. We tried to shove all our weird feminist ideals in there but package them in a glossy commercial way.

NP: Last time you spoke with us you also talked about how your ambition was to be a horror movie director. Has that desire been sated by working on Jennifer's Body? Or has it intensified?

DC: I would still like to do that. At the moment I feel pretty satisfied by this experience, and I think I will probably do something non-horrific next. That being said, I cannot wait to write another horror script, and I'm definitely interested in directing in the future.

This was a world that intrigued me my entire life. I always loved horror movies. I've always been intrigued by horror filmmakers and so the opportunity to actually get up close and do it was life-changing. It made me realize that this might be a calling for me. And I still feel that way.

NP: What about the horror genre appeals to you?

DC: I don't like to go to the movies and have a passive experience, sitting there, watching a screen. I want to react. I want to feel like I'm genuinely in peril. I want to laugh until I cry. I want to be engaged when I watch a film. And I feel like there's two ways to do that: make a comedy or a horror film.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good drama, I'll watch a period piece from time to time, but most of the time I find myself going back to horror because you have the most visceral experience when you're watching those films.

NP: I was reading your Twitter page, and your post about Six Flags -- I guess the horror movie is the rollercoaster of the cinema world because it induces that physical feeling of terror.

DC: I think it's possible that I might have some kind of adrenalin disorder because I'm obsessed with rollercoasters and I go to Six Flags all the time. I travel around the country and ride coasters, and I catalog them on my computer. It's this weird secondary hobby I have. I feel it's interesting that I'm into shock cinema and also these machines that turn you upside down. It's like I constantly want to feel like I'm in danger.

NP: I think there's definitely a connection there that should be explored further with your therapist.

DC: [laughs] Yeah. I think I've done a lot of work there already.

NP: So what are your favorite scenes in Jennifer's Body?

DC: My favorite scene in the whole movie is probably the sex scene between Needy and Chip [Needy's boyfriend played by Johnny Simmons]. I was so excited about being able to write an authentic sex scene that was awkward and sweet and realistic, and place it in an established sexual relationship between two teenagers. Because in a movie it's always either their first time, or somebody gets killed halfway through, or there's some big debate leading up to it. Nobody ever just has matter of fact sex in horror films and I wanted that to happen. I think the chemistry between Amanda Seyfried and Johnny Simmons is incredibly sweet, and I like the juxtaposition between that scene and Megan killing the boy in the abandoned house. It's kind of showing opposite sides of the same coin.

My other favorite scene, I always love seeing the girls fight in Jennifer's bedroom at the end. I think it's shot so beautifully. I love the way the blood rolls into Jennifer's throat. Just form an aesthetic perspective, it's probably my favorite scene.

NP: And of course there's the kiss (between Jennifer and Needy) which everyone is talking about. People have been throwing this word "gratuitous" around. Is that frustrating for you?

DC: Yeah. It is. First of all, yes it is hot. Definitely. I think it's beautiful. I get turned on every time I watch it. I don't feel that people would think it was gratuitous if the characters were not the same sex. So to me that's just inherently homophobic.

NP: Also if there was no chemistry. People only see it as gratuitous because it's hot - and it may make some viewers uncomfortable - because it's working.

DC: Yeah. Exactly. I wonder if people would call it gratuitous if it was not effective. And we've established that there is this sexual tension between the two of them. Jennifer even alludes to the fact that they've played games together and, you know, they hold hands during the show. It's obvious that Needy is nursing feelings for Jennifer, and I didn't understand why in a tense moment we couldn't address that. Also, and nobody talks about this, there's something inherently scary about kissing a cannibal. To me it's a very tense moment. What if Jennifer eats her? I'm not sure I would want to kiss somebody who is possessed by a demon and known to eat people, so there's also an element of horror there. I really like that scene.

NP: The other thing that I like is that Adam Brody got the chance to be cool because obviously he played the dorky Seth Cohen in the OC for years.

DC: Yeah. And the thing is Adam Brody is just a cool dude. He's a really charismatic, intelligent, funny guy. He's very quick witted and he actually improvised a lot in the movie. Working with him was a wonderful revelation. He's one of those people where you work with him once and you want to work with him again.

NP: What bits did he improvise?

DC: One of my favorite lines is when they're at the bar and they ask him why he's playing all the way out in Devil's Kettle, and he says, "Well I think it's important to connect with our fans in shitty areas too." I'm pretty sure that was not in the script. [laughs] But the way he delivered it made us laugh every time. And there's a part in the car when Jennifer's asking questions and he says, "Oh, you don't have to talk." He's so full of menace and evil - it's great.

NP: The elephant in the room is Megan Fox, who's become so huge that she's bigger than any one project that she participates in at this point. Was that a concern?

DC: Honestly, at the time when we cast her it wasn't the case. When we cast her in this movie she had just come off the first Transformers movie. Obviously people knew who she was, but she wasn't this superstar phenomenon that she is now. I was able to sit down with her in a bar and discuss doing this movie, whereas if we sat down in a bar now she would probably get mobbed. So it was sort of serendipitous that she wound up becoming this huge star. We got an accidental movie star.

NP: In a recent Frisky.com interview you talk about how Megan is the kind of woman girls love to hate, which is a reaction you examine in the movie when you explore how we perceive beauty and how females interact. Often it's not very nice how women treat women is it?

DC: Not always.

NP: It can be pretty damning on the female gender.

DC: You know what though? I love women and I'm definitely a girls' girl, and I really like being surrounded by women on this movie. But I think, unfortunately, we live in a society that pits women against each other. Women are encouraged to be competitive by the patriarchy because it helps us to stay suppressed. I feel very strongly about that. I think that's why you see the stereotype of women being catty and bitchy. It's being perpetuated by men and unfortunately women buy into it, and they mimic it - especially young girls. I think a lot of young girls are programmed to believe there can be only one, and that you need to keep each other down in order to succeed, and I don't like that mentality. I think women need to help each other and support each other. In the movie I'm not indicting Needy and Jennifer, I'm indicting a society that creates women like Jennifer.

NP: I like the connection that you make between the horror genre, and the horror women endure at school. Young girls can be so cruel to each other. How much do you feel is nature and how much is nurture?

DC: I don't feel that it is biological. I don't feel that the competition is ingrained. I feel that it is created by society. I feel that if girls had equal opportunities, had equal treatment in school and were encouraged to be as inquisitive and aggressive as men are encouraged to be, that there wouldn't be so much anger.

NP: Final question, because I know you have limited time. I was watching the outtakes of Juno on the DVD extras, and it killed me that some of those scenes weren't in the final cut of the movie. Are there any scenes in Jennifer's Body that didn't make the cut?

DC: A lot. There's going to be an extreme director's cut because we actually lost a lot. The movie was originally longer, looser, weirder, more ambiguous. Some of it we lost with good reason and some of it we miss. So we often joke about the DVD, that it's going to be pretty exhaustive. We had to leave a lot behind.

NP: What's the one scene that you miss the most?

DC: There was a scene at Colin Gray's funeral, the kid that [Jennifer] kills in the house. His mother unleashes this angry speech about the superficiality of teenagers and how furious she is with whatever monster it was that did this to her child. It's really intense but we had to cut it because it was so good that people would cry when they saw it when we tested the movie. It kind of ruined the mood. It was like suddenly you'd stepped into a different film where no one's having any fun anymore. I though it was an important moment because I felt we needed to address the gravity of the situation; Like people are dead, parents have lost their children. It's not just hilarious, it's awful and Jennifer must be stopped. But the scene was so powerful it was too much, but I'm looking forward to people being able to see it.

NP: You talk in terms of a director's cut, but I actually feel there should be a writer's cut because that's where the vision starts.

DC: You know, I think that's a cool attitude. Not a lot of people feel that way. Writer's are typically marginalized in Hollywood. I've been very lucky in that I've worked with a lot of supportive and sympathetic people, but most of the time nobody cares what the writer has to say.

NP: Well you're in a good position because you have such a marquee name. Maybe you could be the first writer to get a writer's cut DVD. I'd love to see the writer's cut of Juno, I'd love the see the writer's cut of Jennifer's Body.

DC: I've never even thought of that. That's a fascinating idea. Maybe I should try it.


Jennifer's Body hits theaters on September 18.

Say goodbye to vacation, the beach and the sun and say hello to pencils, desks and the Fall. It's not all bad though, school is starting and SuicideGirls are here to spice up the classroom. They are the perfect daydream for any boring class. (image) (image) (image) (image) (image) (image) (image)... more

Say goodbye to vacation, the beach and the sun and say hello to pencils, desks and the Fall. It's not all bad though, school is starting and SuicideGirls are here to spice up the classroom. They are the perfect daydream for any boring class.

























Fashion Notes

School of Sleaze

If only girls really dressed like this in school, truancy levels would drop significantly! Forplay has a couple of "uniforms" that really make the grade. Be the cutest girl in class with this Sexy School Girl outfit for $54.00 or get the A with the Honor Roll School Girls Costume for $39.99. For all you Naughty School Girls out there, detention never looked so good for $58.00!

Fall Fashion 2009

Okay, back to reality and back to clothing you can actually wear in a school. If you're not into wearing the typical plaid skirt, high socks and a tie combo, here are some Fall trends that will be sure to make a statement.

Military Inspired Clothing

Military jackets are a must this season. So take a hint from Sgt. Pepper and try the Military Ponte jacket by Betsey Johnson for $378.00 or this Military Style Jacket by Steve Madden at Macy's on sale for $120.00.

Another stylish way to keep warm this fall is with a trench coat, try the Annie Toggle Canvas Coat by Guess for $148.00

Tall Boots

Tall boots are in! Steve Madden has a great selection of boots this season. Try military styled Blondee Boot for $129.95 or Intyce for $129.95. When buying boots, remember quality. Although they will be pricier than the discounted brand, they will last a lot longer. Spending the extra money now will save you money in the future.

The Leather Look

No animals were harmed in the making of Dirty Laundry. With that said, leather is huge this season. A great way to get the leather look without upsetting our furry friends is with faux leather and it's A LOT cheaper. Guess has a great selection of jackets that look just like the real thing. Like the Maya Faux Leather Jacket for $118.00.

Leggings

Also, leather pant-like-leggings are a great alternative to the real thing. You can find them, plus many other style of leggings at American Apperal. They have long ones, short ones, leggings with buttons and zippers and colors galore! You name, they have it.

Looks for Less

Want the same style at a cheaper price? School style is all about affordability. Nothing makes a starving student look better then a smart deal. Forever 21 is a great place to get expensive looks for a reasonable price. You can get great deals on leggings and jackets. Like this A-Ten-Hut Military Jacket for 24.80 or this Ruffle Zippered Jacket for $22.80.

Zappos.com is a great one-stop-shop for amazing deals. They have a huge shoe selection! Check out these Report Makee boots for $64.95 or these Chinese Laundry Tahoe boots for $79.16 and these Tianna boots by Steve Madden are a steal for only $78.62.

Totes

You have to carry all of those books around in something. A great place to find cute designer totes is ShopStyle.com. They have a HUGE selection for a wide price range. You can even fill your bag with Lady Gaga's new school supplies.

Here is your color palette for fall 2009 brought to you by Pantone.



Most importantly, even better than looking good, don't forget to give your teacher an apple!

Check back for more Dirty Laundry and let SuicideGirls show you the best way to (un)dress.

Comedian Zach Galifianakis likes his one-liners. They become the quoted dialogue from his movies, he zings ‘em at stand-up audiences and even in interviews he relishes in punchy brevity. That makes an interview with Zach Galifianakis short but offers a strong case for quality over quantity. For some... more

Comedian Zach Galifianakis likes his one-liners. They become the quoted dialogue from his movies, he zings ‘em at stand-up audiences and even in interviews he relishes in punchy brevity. That makes an interview with Zach Galifianakis short but offers a strong case for quality over quantity.

For some 15 years, Galifianakis has performed stand-up with a devout following, a cult which grew larger when YouTube made it easy to share covert videos from small stand-up gigs. This summer, movies cast Galifianakis into a major spotlight. The Hangover put Galifianakis’ obscure one-liners about post-9/11 airplane masturbation into one of the most seen comedies of all time. The success of G-Force, in which he creates a team of secret agent guinea pigs, paled in comparison.

After a smash summer hit like The Hangover, you’d think networks would be scrambling to build a TV vehicle around Galifianakis. HBO’s already got him signed to their upcoming series Bored to Death, which began filming before Galifianakis’ box office twofer. He plays the supporting role of Ray, the best friend of lead character Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman). Jonathan is a bored writer who decides to pose as a private detective, and actually takes on cases while Ray tries to talk some sense into him.

“If I were 26 and this was happening, it would be all great, and I would probably buy like 17 Dodge Vipers,” Galifianakis told a press conference in July. “But right now it's just a major inconvenience.”

After the Bored to Death cast press conference, a group of reporters followed Galifianakis into the hallway. The show doesn’t come on until September 20 so we need a little more comedy wisdom to tide us over until then. He stuck to the notion that attention was a burden but that only fed into his deadpan curmudgeon persona, with his trademark flannel and bushy beard. He did laugh at some of the zanier questions, as indicated.

Question: With this summer’s success, what does it feel like to be Zach Galifianakis right now?

Zach Galifianakis: It still feels fat. It feels the same, to me. I just forget that I’m in stuff, so I just live my life inside my own mind, and I forget that I’m in movies now.

Q: Is this funny to you, this whole experience of people wanting to talk to you?
ZG: No, it’s not. It’s a major inconvenience. People are coming and putting things through my mailbox.

Q: Like what?
ZG: Just notes from neighbors, like death threats. No, none of that. But, all that’s kind of new. I’m trying to figure that all out. Hopefully, it won’t be too big of a deal.

Q: Are you going to do Hangover 2?
ZG: If there’s a good script and we would all like to work together, maybe.

Q: So, you would be willing to do another one?
ZG: If there’s a good script, I would, yes. Right now, there’s no script.

Q: Now that you’re huge, who’s the most famous person on your speed dial?
ZG: [Laughs] Three of the members from the band DeBarge. Nobody remembers them. Nobody. I don’t hang out with famous people. I think they’re jerks.

Q: You are good friends with Bradley Cooper, aren’t you?
ZG: Is he famous now? Bradley is a friend of mine. He likes to come over to my house and take naps, which I find weird. Not with me, but he just will nap.

Q: Does he give you any advice about dealing with fame?
ZG: I don’t talk to Bradley about that stuff. It’s his fault that he’s a pretty boy. I don’t have to deal with that stuff. That’s his fault.

Q: On Bored to Death, what sort of comic relief do you get to be? What’s the tone of your best friend character?
ZG: He’s just this angry, surly curmudgeon guy that is frustrated with his existence. It’s really easy and fun to play. It’s a very fun, nice character to play. He’s not a nice guy, in particular, and he’s not socially gracious, but that’s really fun and easy to play.

Q: Were you a fan of Jason Schwartzman, prior to this?
ZG: Yes. Jason Schwartzman was a big reason that I wanted to do the show. I think he’s very good, clever and subtle and a very nice man.

Q: How long have you known him?
ZG: I only knew him right before working. He gave me a phone call and said that he was very happy that we were going to work together. Gentlemen are hard to find these days, especially in show business, and he and [series costar] Ted Danson are just gentlemen. I’m not necessarily a gentleman, but those guys really are. How nice they are on set actually makes me kind of upset because then I’m like, “Oh God, I’ve got to be a nice guy now?” They really are just gentlemen. They’re really nice people.

Q: Seriously, how has your life changed after all of the success with The Hangover?
ZG: I can get a really good table at Arby’s now. My life really hasn’t changed that much for me, honestly. It’s hard when you’re doing comedy, and then you get in this kind of world now. It’s a dangerous thing, with comedy, to be going to Hollywood parties and all that stuff. If you forget what brought you here in the first place, it can be a very dangerous thing. And I’m old enough now to be aware of it. I’m trying to not think about it too much. It hasn’t changed. I can pay my parents to leave me alone. No, it’s nice to spend money on your folks and people that are close to you.

Q: Have you splurged on anything at all?
ZG: No. I don’t spend money. I still have my 1998 Subaru that I will probably drive until it runs out. Hopefully, I’ll drive it for 10 more years. My goal is to keep my same Subaru. I also like the car.

Q: Are your stand-up shows more packed now than they used to be?
ZG: I don’t do shows that I announce. I just show up at hole-in-the-walls.

Q: Do you anticipate that there will be any stand-out jokes or lines in Bored to Death, like the bin Laden line you had in The Hangover?
ZG: There are some really good jokes in this TV show that I will not spoil, but yeah.

Q: Will your character stay out of trouble?
ZG: The character is a guy who has a girlfriend that has two kids, so he’s a little bit grounded. His whole goal, as the show progresses, is paternal. He wants kids. He smokes pot and drinks too much, but so do a lot of people and they still have other, more grounded goals.

Q: G-Force was such a big hit. Have you gotten a call for G-Force 2 yet?
ZG: No, not yet. I have not gotten a call yet.

Q: That could be a franchise for you. Is that something you’d be interested in?
ZG: When I was doing the first G-Force, the Disney people took pictures of me, in case they wanted to make a toy. I was like, “Oh my God, if this ever became a ride at Disney and you would just see my cut-out before you get in line and it says, ‘If you’re this short, you can’t ride this ride,’ that’s my nightmare.” But, having said that, I don’t know the answer to that question. Up to this point, I’ve just gotten work and it just falls into place. I’ve never really been drawn to anything. I just go and audition. I got lucky this summer, to be quite honest. Everybody is always like, “What drew you to this?” and I’m like, “Well, I needed a job.” There’s nothing that draws me. Now, hopefully, I can have those choices. But, if there’s a G-Force 2 and I get to talk to more guinea pigs, I don’t think there’s a problem with that.

Q: What is your favorite movie that no one else has ever heard of?
ZG: [Laughs] Maybe people have heard of it. I hope they have. It’s called Withnail & I, which is a British comedy.

Q: That’s your sensibility?
ZG: Yes.

Q: Do you have any personal, dream projects that you hope you’ll get to do at some point?
ZG: Yeah, there’s a lot of them. They’re all in my mind. Hopefully, maybe I’ll put them on the page, one day. There’s one called Fat Jesus that I’d love to do.

Q: Is that indeed about a fat Jesus?
ZG: It’s self-explanatory.

Bored to Death premieres Sept. 20 on HBO.