Blog by Sean Gehon, Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Needless to say I’ve been very lucky over the past year. My job has landed me the opportunity to meet, interview, and have fun with some of the most interesting people on the planet. I may not be curing cancer, and I’m certainly not helping to end the war in Iraq, but I am doing my best to enjoy the opportunity I’ve been given, and maybe help put some smiles on some faces! As much as I enjoy entertaining other people, I can’t deny the perks of getting to meet some of my favourite celebrities.

Yesterday was a day much like every other day at Star! Daily. I came into work, wrote my blog, and got told last minute that I would be taking over an interview for Danielle McGimsie due to a scheduling conflict. Normally a last minute interview leaves me panicking and sometimes even ill prepared when the time comes. Luckily, I got the chance to interview one of my favourite new artists, Mika! For those of you who don’t know, Mika is the attractive British singer of Grace Kelly who’s been grabbing head lines all over North America.

Mika’s debut album Life in Cartoon Motion debuted at number two in Canada! Considering many successful artists from the UK have trouble even getting played in Canada, this is no small feat. I have to admit, I didn’t want to like Mika when I first heard his name. To be fair, I didn’t listen to the music, I didn’t even give him a chance; I simply wanted to write him off due to the support he garnered from Perez Hilton. As many people know, I have very little respect for the way Perez Hilton has made himself famous at the expense of others. I’m certain his flash in the pan success will fade soon and the world will realize he’s just a bully with bad pink hair. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to Mika until his album arrived on my desk here at Star! Daily. I’m glad I took a chance on the album, and got to meet the man behind the music.

Having met my fair share of celebrities in my time here at Star! I’ve begun to find it rare to find someone genuine, honest, and open. The media can be harsh. They have the ability to blow things out of proportion and often reveal candid details about celebrities’ private lives. Meeting someone like Mika is rare. Sitting down with Mika was unusually laid back and comfortable. It was easy to get a sense about who Mika was and what he was willing to talk about. I find with many celebrities they won’t look you in the eye when you interview them. They’re very unfocused and unwilling to look at you as though you’re some evil person trying to manipulate them into saying something shocking and candid. It just seemed that Mika was more easy about the entire situation, or maybe I was just being manipulated by his soulful, puppy dog, brown eyes?

Okay, I’m a fan. It’s probably wrong to gush over the people you interview, but sometimes you just can’t help it. Many celebrities are labeled charming, and Mika certainly has me charmed. Through his entertaining music and intelligent way of speaking during our interview, the man has quite the career ahead of him. However, like many successful acts from the UK, I’m not really sure how successful he’ll be. Perez Hilton is a huge force in the media today.  Perhaps that will give Mika the boost that a new artist needs to break through into our market. Genuine people like Mika truly do deserve success, and I hope he gets it.

Sean (Dreams come true Sunday… when I meet a Pussycat Doll!)

• Danielle McGimsie
• Dina Pugliese
• Husein Madhavji
• Sean Gehon
• Star! Expert