Being business-minded so young is more about being passionate with the things that you love. I mean, I’ve had people tell me that I would never have my own show that I wasn’t talented or strong enough. And I’ve had a bunch of people criticize my music and my personal style and everything. I think it’s all about finding something you’re genuinely passionate about that you would never let anything get in the way of. That is a big part of how I became who I am because I love everything that I do. So if you have that passion it will give you the drive that you need to become unstoppable.

I’m very proud of my background and where I come from. When I was younger I thought I had to have blue eyes and blonde hair and be white to success, I know how some girls feel inside. I know they think if they want to be an actress or a singer they have to have those qualities. For me, I love not having blonde hair or blue eyes to prove that we all don’t have to look that way.

Acting in the movie Ramona and Beezus which is based on the series of books written by Beverly Cleary was nerve wracking. I had to bring these books to life for the first time! We used seven of the eight books and turned it into this movie. I read all of the books in third and fourth grade and I had two or three weeks to prepare for the role so before I flew out to Canada to shoot the movie they sent me the series and I re-read them. It was such an honor to be apart of the process.

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Disney star Selena Gomez and actress Joey King have revealed some of the pranks played on the set of their new film.

The 18-year-old and Joey’s new movie, Ramona and Beezus, hits cinemas this weekend and the pair admit there were some funny antics on the Vancover set.

And their dad in the film, John Corbett, seems to be the culprit.

The Wizards of Waverly Place star told MTV News: ‘He was definitely a prankster, he was just so funny.

‘One time he lifted up his shirt to Bridget (Moynahan) before we went into a serious scene, and that was pretty funny. And Bridget pulled it off very well.’

Gomez also fell victim to John’s pranks.

King, 10, said: ‘In one scene, it was dinner and he kept piling mashed potatoes on Selena’s plate.’

Despite all the silliness, Selena seems very happy to have starred in this movie.

She added: ‘This was my first feature film, so I’m extremely honored to be a part of this.’

[Source]

Harnessing the power of pop for a more decent, warm-fuzzier world.

Ramona and Beezus is based on Beverly Cleary’s Ramona series of children’s books, and while it isn’t the only adaptation to give flesh (or ink) to Cleary’s indomitable misfit, it’s the most accessible retelling to date. Set in Portland, Oregon and swimming in the post-prairie-meets-hipster regional aesthetic, Elizabeth Allen’s vision of Ramona makes up for its flaws with a perfect cast and a timeless set of values. In this world, sincerity is decency. The Quimbys aren’t the comically dysfunctional family of sitcoms or the tenuously held together family of divorce dramas. They’re as ideal as imperfect, and struggling in an economic climate that has a bottomless reservoir for hardship. The Quimbys (four females, one male) may be a bit femme-power-y, which could dissuade the boy demographic, but it’s safe viewing for all families and it doesn’t degrade itself by leaning on the blandly uncontroversial. While the film can’t possibly do poorly it will still deserve higher numbers than it’ll get, even with past generation book fans dragging their kids to theaters. DVD afterlife should be tidy.

Ramona Quimby (a supremely charming Joey King) is a plucky and imaginative kid whose big ideas typically get her into a heap of mess. Her imagination is so oversized, in fact, that is seeps out of her and transforms fitted sheets into parachutes and her room into the night sky awash with stars and astronauts. Her older sister, Beatrice, a.k.a. Beezus (Selena Gomez), knows better how to work in the real-world systems that surround her and has both popularity and authority to show for it. While their mother (Bridget Moynahan) stays home caring for their baby sister, father Robert (John Corbett) sublimates his artistic tendencies to hold down a sturdy job as a paper-pusher-it’s a sturdy job until he’s let go right in the middle of their house renovation. Frightened that the bank will (literally) drive off with her family’s home, Ramona embarks on a handful of earning schemes that demonstrate her impractical cleverness and unfortunately cost the family money. Meanwhile, her Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin) is softly lured by her high school sweetheart (Josh Duhamel), an adventurer of unclear distinction who’s home for a few weeks. As the bank threatens to get between the Quimbys and their home, and Aunt Bea’s budding romance threatens to get between Ramona and her aunt, Ramona’s excursions into her imagination grow fewer and further between (which smartly designates them as healthy) and she’s forced to lean on her sister, who has her own problems to contend with. In the end of the day, it’s not Ramona’s penchant for daydreaming or even her cheer, which she works to preserve through her many failures, it’s the bonds of family that keep the Quimbys afloat, whatever inventions Ramona thinks the tide can send.

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If all goes according to plan, Selena Gomez’s 18^th birthday celebration won’t turn up in the tabloids or the scandalous Web site TMZ.

“Oh my goodness!” she says. “TMZ? You are not seeing me on TMZ!”

She turned 18 yesterday, the night before her big-screen debut in “Ramona and Beezus,” and it was “going out to dinner with my grandma and grandpa, who’re flying out for my birthday”—all part of her anti-tabloid life and career strategy.

“I’m boring. I spend time with my family, hang out with my mom and with a few friends. That’s what works for me. Boring.”

For a starlet with a record deal, one last season of her Disney Channel series (”Wizards of Waverly Place”) and her own clothing line, Gomez puts a lot of effort into keeping things on the down-low.

Take her debut feature film. If you remember the Beverly Cleary novel about the misadventures of Ramona Quimby and the teen sister she still calls “Beezus,” you’ll remember the title was “Beezus and Ramona.” The title was changed, and Gomez is taking second billing.

And even though she has movies in the can and more on her radar, don’t think she’s going the way of Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens just yet—fretting over that “transition” from child star to young adult.

“My mom doesn’t want me to grew up too fast,” she says of her mother and manager, Mandy Teefey. “I’m 18, but younger than that at heart. I’m not going to do anything that I’m not comfortable doing.

“I’m fully aware of my audience. I may hope and dream of having an older audience some day, for my film and TV work and my music. But now, the people who have been with me over the past four years are these 7- to 15-year-olds who have given me my job. If a little girl tells her mom, ‘I want to see the new Selena Gomez movie’ or ‘buy the new Selena Gomez CD,’ I would hope that their parents could say ‘absolutely’ without having to second-guess it or second-guess me.

“So there’s a transition coming. I’m just not there yet.”

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Awesome interview!

Rating: G

Runtime: 1 hr. 44 min.

Genre: Comedy, Kids & Family

Synopsis: The adventures of young Ramona Quimby (newcomer Joey King) and her big sister Beezus (Selena Gomez) come to life in this all new film based on the best-selling books (over 30 million…and counting) by Beverly Cleary. Ramona’s vivid imagination, boundless energy, and accident-prone antics keep everyone she meets on their toes. But her irrepressible sense of fun, adventure and mischief come in handy when she puts her mind to helping save her family’s home.

Starring: John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Bridget Moynahan (I, Robot) also star as Ramona and Beezus’ parents, Robert and Dorothy Quimby, while Ginnifer Goodwin (He’s Just Not That Into You) portrays the girls’ Aunt Bea, opposite Josh Duhamel (Transformers) as Bea’s former flame, Hobart. Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) plays Ramona’s third grade teacher, Mrs. Meacham. Elizabeth Allen (Aquamarine) directs from a screenplay by Laurie Craig and Nick Pustay.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: That was a clip from the new movie “Ramona & Beezus,” starring our next guest, teen superstar Selena Gomez.

Now, just one day shy of her 18^th birthday, her resume is quite impressive. Now Gomez has a hit TV show call “The Wizards of Waverly Place.” You can catch that on the Disney Channel. She has a brand-new clothing line, Dream
Out Loud, sold exclusively at K-Mart. And she’s also the spokesperson for UNICEF’s trick-or-treat campaign. Clearly, far from your average teen.

Selena Gomez, it is such a great — how are you? Great to see you. How are you?

SELENA GOMEZ, ACTRESS: I’m great. Thank you.

HANNITY: All right. Now some would say, all right, how do I know you? I have an 8-year-old daughter. So I’ve interviewed presidents and vice presidents and secretary of states. It’s only two people that she’s ever wanted to meet: Billy Ray Cyrus and you. And she came here tonight to meet you.

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