Wednesday, December 3, 2008

My Crazy and Busy Weekend

Hey everyone!
I hope you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was a blast! My whole family ate a big dinner then just sat around and played board games. Good times.
The next morning, I woke up bright and early and headed to LAX with my mom! As we were walking to our terminal, none other than the comic genius BRAD GARRETT walked up to me. YES! Walked up to me!!! I’m not kidding!!! He came over with his two adorable children, Max and Hope, and he told me they were big fans of the show. He said “You are brilliant.” and a couple minutes later he said “You have a very bright future.” I was in shock. I asked for a picture with him and (wait for it…..) he asked for a picture with me!!! So not only is Brad Garrett on MY camera, but I’m on HIS! CRAZY right?! I know you said yes, so I’m gonna say ‘right!’ Anyways, Brad Garrett was literally one of the nicest people I have ever met. He was unbelievably humble, down-to-earth, easy-going, and just so cool. I am a HUGE fan of his, so to meet him in person (and to have him come up to me, nonetheless!!!) was surreal. Wow.
The flight was about 4 hours and then we landed in Chicago! From there, a driver in a really fancy limousine picked my mom and I up and drove us for 2 and a half hours until we got to Peoria, Illinois! On the ride, I replied back to lots of my SayNow phone calls! SayNow is a great company where you can call me… my number is (323) 622-8587!!!
Once there in Peoria, I signed autographs for about 4 hours. Thousands of kids were there, lined up. I couldn’t believe it. It was such an amazing experience. One of the guys in charge told me that some kids had been waiting since 1 o’clock in the morning!!! And they brought tents! That was beyond touching to hear. Each and every person that came up to meet me was so kind and great!
From Peoria, our driver took us for a 3 hour ride to Rockford. It was a long drive and I couldn’t fall asleep cuz I’m not so great when it comes to falling asleep while being in cars or airplanes! But the driver had some really fantastic radio station on, so I was rocking out to the songs with my mom! We had a blast!!
The next afternoon, my mom and I were picked up and driven to a cool arena in Rockford! I signed autographs for about 4 hours there (so about the same as in Peoria). Once again, every person who I met was so sweet. It’s especially touching when kids give me drawings or letters or poems or sweet little gifts that they’ve made for me. It makes me so happy to meet these people who spend THEIR time watching the show!
Early the next day (yesterday), our driver took us back to the Chicago airport and we headed home! Back to work today. . VICTORIA JUSTICE is guest starring! She’s such a kind, kind person, and so is her mom! They are really a wonderful family. We’re gonna have a blast this episode!!
Well, I’ve written quite a few paragraphs so I’d best be off. Tell me how your Thanksgiving was! What’d you do? What’d you eat?! Are you excited it’s December 1st?!?! I know I am!
’Til next Monday, ~ Jennette
P.S. Since we’ve been on a roll talking about David Archuleta’s CD, did you know that David wrote “A Little Too Not Over You?!” I didn’t know this until today, so I thought I’d share that little tidbit with you! Cool!!!


~Jennette Talk to ya Later

Monday, December 1, 2008

New Blogger


I know I have just made a new blogger but thanks for following

Paul Newman

Hello everyone,
I am very sad as I write this blog. I just found out that Paul Newman, the amazing actor and equally amazing person, has passed away. Mr. Newman was one of my mom’s favorite actors. She saw “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” 32 times. Paul Newman not only did incredible amounts of charity work, he also gave incredible performances in every single role we viewers were fortunate enough to see him portray.
If you haven’t seen or heard of Paul Newman, you really need to go to the movie rental store and pick up some of his movies. Also, go buy some of his dressings and/or sauces from the grocery store - they’re called Newman’s Own. He donated the money that his dressings made to charity, and I’m sure this tradition will be carried on. Support the extraordinary Paul Newman, everybody.
~ Jennette

Thanks to my Frans (who keep me going in tough times!)

Hey everyone,
I wanted to take a minute to thank you all for being so supportive and encouraging through the years of my career. You do not realize how much the e-mails, notes, and letters mean to me and how much they have been a great source of lifting me and pushing me forward.
Last week, I had one of the very best days of my entire life. And then the next day, I found out something that was so hurtful it made me forget what was even so special about that perfect day just one day before. I am human like everybody else, and being an actor only makes you that much more sensitive. Honestly, it was hard to sleep because I was so sad. I pondered the correct way to overcome this hurt and many other past hurts without lowering my personal values to do something that might hurt others. I actually just started to think of all the faces of the kids who smile, or jump, or scream when I meet them…or when I go to hospitals and I see the precious little faces that reach out their weak arms to hug me….and the e-mails and letters that many of you have kindly sent me. And I thought: I will get up and I will push on because I have these great people to do it for. And I want to let you all know, that to honor you all, I wrote a song for you a couple months ago and I think it should be realeased within a couple of months from now. I hope when you hear it, you will hear the gratitude in the words.Sincerely, ~ Jennette :0)

Lauren Conrad fashion show / meeting my favorite musical artist!

Hey everyone!
So last Tuesday (as in the 14th of October) was incredible and a day I will never forget!
I woke up early and went into LA to work on some of my songs. I think they’re coming along very nicely. Wow, I sounded really proper in that last sentence there.
After working on my songs, I headed over to the Warren Tricomi salon in Santa Monica, which was really beautiful. Red Light PR sent me there. That was so nice of them! Following the salon visit, I attended Lauren Conrad’s lovely fashion show for her spring collection. You all know what a big Project Runway fan I am, so seeing this fashion show was pretty darn cool! The dress I wore to the 2008 KCAs was a Lauren Conrad piece and I really, really hope to wear something from her spring collection to the 2009 KCAs! Not only are her clothes very trendy, chic, and fashionable, but they are totally comfortable, flowy, and oh-so-soft!
Where was I? Oh yes, the fashion show. So I was lucky enough to be able to wear a shirt by Lauren Conrad to her fashion show…awesome! I wore Bishop of Seventh jeans (which I love!), Banana Republic shoes, and a Mark necklace, which raises awareness to dating abuse. I sat down in my seat, ready for the fashion show to start, when I looked across the way and saw none other than Mr. Gavin DeGraw himself! ANYONE who knows me knows how much I LOVE Gavin DeGraw…I listen to his music every day! I’ve listened to his music in the car, in my dressing room on set, in my bedroom at home, on the treadmill, on airplanes, in numerous other states, EVERYWHERE! Let’s put it this way: wherever I go, Gavin goes. I’ve seen every single one of his music videos and just about every little Gavin DeGraw-oriented video there is on Youtube! I know every one of his songs forward and backward because I’ve listened to each one at least 500 times…at least….no lies present.
SO GAVIN DEGRAW WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT EXACTLY ACROSS THE RUNWAY AND TWO SEATS OVER FROM MY SEAT!!!!! I promise you there was no spotlight on him, but to me there was…..and there was also a “Halelujah” chorus chanting from somewhere in the background. haha. I literally screamed, and then quickly felt bad for the well-dressed, fashion-forward, stern-looking man sitting beside me. I’ve never doubted my vision when seeing a famous person, but I suppose the fact that Gavin DeGraw is one of my idols caused me to second-guess myself. I asked my mom, “IS THAT GAVIN DEGRAW?!” (only with much more enthusiasm than I could possibly convey in writing) and my mom said “YES, JENNETTE! GO OVER THERE!” So, of course, I did. Despite the fact that the announcer person over the speakers had just asked everyone to take their seats, this was a moment I had dreamed of for several years, and I wasn’t going to let the speaker-person intervene! I ran - across the runway, I might add - to the other side. Gavin was sitting down, looking awesome (as always)!!! I said “OH MY GOODNESS I HONESTLY THINK I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN” and he said “Really? Why thank you.” I said “I love EVERY SINGLE ONE of your songs” and he said “Thank you” and I said “Your music is so special to me” and he said “Wow, that means a lot to me.” Then he STOOD UP and took my hand with both of his hands. I was expecting him to get down on one knee and propose any second…haha just joshin’ just joshin’. I wish….Anyways, he took my hand with both of his hands and said “What’s your name?” and I (probably stuttered) “Jennette”. He said, “Pleasure to meet you, Jennette. I’m Gavin.” I nearly fainted. haha.
I asked Gavin for a picture and he said “Certainly, certainly. Come on in real close here, Missy.” My mom snapped the picture (which I look at every day, of course)! Afterwards, I talked to him a little bit more and then asked if I could give him a hug! He said “Well sure!” so I hugged him and I can honestly say that a hug has never felt so great! haha! I said “Really, it was SO nice meeting you” and he said “Pleasure to meet you, pleasure to meet you” and sort of bowed his head in a perfect way I’m sure only Gavin DeGraw is capable of! I (sadly) made my way back to my seat across the way from Gavin and noticed my heart was pounding ridiculously fast and my leg was kinda twitching. I hoped Mr. well-dressed, fashion-forward, stern-looking man sitting next to me didn’t notice. haha. But honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if he did notice, cuz I JUST MET GAVIN DEGRAW, my favorite musical artist! Nothing could rain on my parade after that! And let me tell you all, Mr. DeGraw could not have been any nicer. He is such a true gentleman, I could just tell…he’s really mild-mannered, calm, and so so so sincere. He was sweet, gentle, kind, patient, humble, and genuine to me. As much as I had dreamed of meeting Gavin DeGraw in the past, I never would’ve dreamt he’d be that much of a dream-come-true!
Okay, well I just wrote 877 words before this sentence, and about 800 of them were on/about Gavin DeGraw. I’m sure you’ve had enough of my ramblings, so I’m gonna go now. But thanks for listening! I figured my frans would be the perfect people to tell since they know and understand me so well! Whoa, I just rhymed…with the “tell” and the “well”…I promised that was unintentional. hahaha.
Bye!~ Jennette :0)
P.S Check out a few pictures from the event here

Hi from Set! / My New Monday Blogging Routine / Thanks Kristian!

Hey everyone,
I’m on set today, just doing schoolwork in my dressing room and waiting for the table read at 11:00am. It’s a fun episode this week. Reed Alexander, Noah Munck, and Aria Wallace are all guest starring! How cool is that?!
Yesterday, I went to a Nickelodeon Big Green Help shoot! That was loads of fun! I hope the TV spots we shot and Nickelodeon’s campaign in general will encourage kids - and adults - to get out there and make the world a better, greener place! And by greener, I don’t mean pouring Nickelodeon slime everywhere and calling it a day haha… although that is quite a blast.I mean making our environment better, stronger, and healthier!
So last Friday (as in 3 days ago), I recorded a song that I really, really love and I think (and hope!) that you will all love, too. The lyrics are really great and the melody is extremely catchy. Best of all, the song is drawn from a personal experience that I think you will all be able to really relate to!
Oh, before I go learn more about subordinate clauses and write some hefty essays (haha), I wanted to let you guys know that I’ll be writing a blog entry (or at least I’ll attempt to) every Monday. That way, you’ll know when to come check the website for new blogs so you don’t keep checking to find nothin’!

~Jennette

Mother Goose Parade / Music / David’s CD and “Works for Me”

Hello!
The night before last, my mom and I went to the W hotel in San Diego, where I attended a ‘celebrity dinner’ to sort of kick-off the Mother Goose Parade. It was a blast! I danced around with my awesome friend (I call her my lil sis!) Sammi Hanratty as well as Aria Wallace and the Ochoa boys (Ryan and Raymond). I met Justin Martin from High School Musical 3 and Tony Oller from As the Bell Rings… they were both very nice and fun! Turns out Tony knows the ‘fast food freestyle’, so we were rappin’ that out together. Then Justin broke into some fierce freestylin’ and I felt obligated to chime in. haha good times, good times. Both Justin and Tony’s moms were very kind as well… awesome!
You know what was insanely cool about the dinner, though??? TORI SPELLING came over to me and introduced herself! Yep, it’s true! She was incredibly nice and friendly! She told me iCarly is on the TV at her house almost every day and that it’s her son’s favorite show! We took some pictures together and she hugged me and talked to me for awhile. To say the least, I was pretty psyched. .
The next morning, I woke up bright and early for the Mother Goose Parade. One of my best friends Annie and her mom Cindy came! Annie and I have a handjive we call the “Beast Handjive” because it’s so long it’s like a beast, so we were enjoying adding some more claps, turns, and stomps onto that!
As we were all waiting for the parade to start, I:- met the band Menudo! They all just came over and started talking to me. They were so easygoing and down-to-earth!- made up a rap with my awesome pal Ryan Ochoa (Ro yo, haha).- was shocked when Efren Ramirez (PEDRO FROM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE!) took one of my many red bracelets off of my left hand and put it on his hand, then took a hairtie off his hand and put it on mine. Haha I still have “pedro’s” hairtie on my hand and I am not intending on taking it off anytime soon. I mean, come on! How many people can say they have a hairtie from PEDRO?!- met Jerry Mathers and Christopher Knight. Some original kid actors for ya! They were both cool and nice.
Then, I went out, walked the red carpet, and did some interviews before starting the parade!!! The parade was very, very, very FUN! It was humbling to see so many people waiting and watching, and it was priceless to see some of the reactions on the faces of everyone. I was so touched by the people who made signs for me! I attempted to snap some pictures with my phone, but because I was on a moving car, they came out kinda blurry haha. One little girl even brought me a cute little pink container filled with homemade chili! Attached to the lid was the girl’s school photo with a note on the back that said “I hope you like this chili, Jennette”. How sweet is that?! I will never forget it. .
Well, it was an eventful weekend. I had lots of fun. .
Now, a quick tidbit on music before I sign-off. Guitar’s going great!! I have an incredibly cool teacher named Tyrone. He’s such an amazing person and the best teacher I could ask for. .I’m learning how to play some of my songs, so I’m really excited about that. Drums are going quite swimmingly as well! My teach Jacob is quick the rocker, so I feel like I should be wearing ripped up vests and black skinny jeans to my lessons. hahaha.
I’ve been listening to David Archuleta’s CD just about every day on my way to work. Still lovin’ it, of course!!! Hey, thanks for letting me know about his song “Works for Me”. I pre-ordered his deluxe CD on iTunes, but sadly, that CD does not include his exclusive wal-mart song! I listened to it on youtube and LOVED IT!!!!!!!! It reminds me of a cross between Smokey Robinson and Jack Johnson… thanks for pointing that one out, guys!
Well, that’s it for now. These blog posts always end up so much longer than I expect!!


~ Jennette :0)