Central Attraction
5 Questions For…
Asia Nitollano,
newest member of The Pussycat Dolls
Q: What made you want to be a Pussycat Doll?
A: I’ve been watching the Pussycat Dolls ever since they came out. They were on MTV doing a special with Christina Aguilera, and they were hot! The girls could sing, they could dance, and I really liked their style, which I thought complimented mine.
Q: What kind of training did you have before you auditioned?
A: I was a Knicks City Dancer until I started the show, but I’ve been dancing since I was six. I don’t have any specific training for singing, but it’s something I’ve been doing my whole life. I get my singing voice from my father.
Q: When you walked in to the auditions, did you think you could win?
A: At first I thought, ‘Oh my God, there are so many beautiful girls here!’ It was intimidating. But after a while I felt out my competition, and I got more confident. I thought I had a good chance.
Q: After the show aired, did you think you were portrayed fairly?
A: I wasn’t pleased. They focused only on the drama, because drama is good for TV. But I know and the other girls know what really happened in the house.
Q: What was the hardest part about being on the show?
A: It was stressful being there, learning a new song every day, going to long rehearsals, doing shows until two a.m., and getting up at seven. But by far the hardest part was being away from my daughter. She was only one-and-a-half at the time, and I had never been away from her before.
Asia just performed with the Dolls for the second season of The Pussycat Dolls Present, which will try to assemble a new recording group. Look for it as a mid-season series on the CW (channel 11).
Just Wild About Harry
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the mid-summer moment when children and teens across Westchester—indeed, across the nation—turn off their Wiis, unplug their iPods, put their cells on vibrate, and voluntarily sit down to read a big book. Of course, there’s only one boy-wizard who could conjure up such a massive read-a-thon. Harry Potter wraps up his magical seven-year saga on July 21, when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits the bookstores—to much fanfare, we might add. The Scholastic Store in Scarsdale is hosting a month-long series of events running up to the big release party, ranging from a quiz-challenge about the previous book (July 14) to a magic class with roving magicians (July 15) to an afternoon of “potion-making” (July 18). When the big day arrives, the Scholastic Store will be open late with face-painting, wand-making, and trivia activities, along with a book sale that starts at the stroke of midnight. Look for other “Potter Parties” at Just Books in Old Greenwich, Connecticut (which will show some of the movies beforehand), along with most Barnes and Noble locations.
