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WE FOLLOW THE BEAT WITH.....

JUSTIN GUARINI

by: Lynn B.

When we chatted with cute American Idol-winner Justin G. in L.A., the singer/actor had just awakened from a heavy sleep. That accounted for the HOT voice. We got all kinds of info from his fave track on his new self-titled album to his crush on Jennifer Garner "call me!" and the fact that, as a kid, his room looked like a war zone. Justin feels that his film with Kelly Clarkson was a great learning experience. He's movin' on and he's up for doing another musical. And, did you know that Justin lived his own Blair Witch Project and that his hair wasn't always "fluffy"? Check it out.

AGW: You have kind of an exotic look. What is your ethnic heritage? Guarini sounds Italian.

Justin: Yep, my heritage is African-American, Irish and Italian.

AGW: What is your most memorable moment from the American Idol tour?

Justin: During one of my songs I would leap down the staircase, they were pretty big stairs, I'd take four or five stairs at a time and the security guards would go nuts but it was fun.

AGW: Do you want to write your own songs or are you happy having songs tailored for you?

Justin: I've written on this album. "If you Wanna" is one I did the lyrics on. I definitely want to write all my stuff and collaborate with other people.

AGW: What is your favorite track on the album and why?

Justin: Again, It may seem a little selfish but I kind of like "If You Wanna" because it's the one I feel most in touch with. It's so much more personal because I wrote it with two amazing people Carol Bayer Sager and Wade Robson. It was so nice to put my head together with them and I'm very proud of it.

AGW: How do you go about writing songs?

Justin: A lot of times it will be a tape recorder, just whippin' it out and putting down an idea. Other times it will be lyrics thought out beforehand and then I'll go and do the music. Other times it will be me just sitting at the piano plunking out melodies and some chords and going from there and seeing what fits.

AGW: Besides singing, what do you think you do pretty well and what do you do badly?

Justin: I think I understand people pretty well. I give pretty good advice when it comes to issues people have in their lives. Pretty badly? I think organization. I'm working on it but it's kind of scattered. My life and my room [I mention "trash pit" and he agrees]. My stepdad had this joke. He would say he would take a GPS unit with him everytime he went into my room. He was sure he could see a couple of VietCong hiding behind the dresser. It's a jungle in there.

AGW: In your album "Thank You" section you thank several people for the games of "Golden Tee".. what is that and who was involved in it?

Justin: It's a video game, an arcade game, a golf arcade game that my best guy friends and I used to play together.

AGW: To Kelly you say "your loving spirit has kept me at peace through all this madness". Very nice. Do you mean during the show or the failure of the film or what?

Justin: I don't see the film as being a failure because I learned a lot from it. Although it wasn't a box office success, it was a great learning tool. I think the critics had it out for us before it was out. But, from the moment I met Kelly to this day, she's been a wonderful friend and confidant. It's amazing how much we've grown together during this whole process.

AGW: Would you want to star in another musical film in future?

Justin: Oh, yeah, sure, if it was the right opportunity, without a doubt.

AGW: Are you interested in acting gigs in the future?

Justin: Oh yeah. There are a couple of things I'm reading for right now but I don't want to jinx them. CAA is my agent and we've been working pretty hard.

AGW: Have your folks been supportive of your career?

Justin: Oh yes. They've always supported me even at times when it's looked abysmal. They've supported my desire to be an entertainer and do what it is that I love; sing, dance and act. They've always been behind me 100 percent.

AGW: Do you remember the first song you ever sang in public? What was it and how old were you?

Justin: Man there are so many different ones. The first one I really remember was when I was in junior high and I was in a county chorus festival and I had the only solo and it was a beautiful spiritual called "Motherless Child", a really wonderful arrangement by a man called Donald Dumpson who was the man who put together Boyz 2 Men. I got a standing ovation and really enjoyed it and that's when I thought 'hey, this is what I'd like to do'.

AGW: There is a trend away from manufactured, "doctored" pop to a more real sound. Is this important to you…that you don't get "overproduced"?

Justin: I think it's great that the industry is swinging back toward singer/songwriters and towards a grittier sound. I think there's room for everybody to be honest. With this album, I kind of fall into both categories. I'm kind of all over the place. I really enjoyed that about the album but I look forward to focusing it down on the next one.

AGW: Okay, the hair. You've said that it hasn't always been this way. How did it look say, in high school? Are you going to change it?

Justin: At the beginning of high school it was really long. I actually chemically straightened it and I looked like a big mushroom. It was stupid, one of those phases. Then I really just cut it all off and had it short on the sides and back and a little long on top for some curl. Then, I think it was like that throughout college. Then, one year when I did a project and spent four or five months in the woods, living in a cabin, I just let it go. It was really Blair Witch Project scary. My hair was scary. It looked so strange. I was outside of social circles and nobody cared so I made the transition to what it is now.

AGW: Is Simon Cowell really as tough in person?

Justin: He's just very honest with his opinion. He's really a hilarious guy and very nice. But, on the show he takes that honesty to the next level. More often than not he's saying what's on people's minds.

AGW: Who would you have voted for in the last American Idol competition; Ruben or Clay?

Justin: I'm definitely a sucker for a soulful voice. I love R&B. I think Clay has a phenominal voice and talent but Ruben appeals more to my taste.

AGW: What would you be doing if not singing?

Justin: I'd still be going after it. I'm a firm believer that it was meant to work out for me one way or the other.

AGW: What's in the CD player right now?

Justin: I have an I-Pod. It's got everything from Dave Matthews to Bjork, Jay-Z, Mozart. So much stuff. All kinds of different things.

AGW: What would be your ideal date activities?

Justin: Especially when you are getting to know someone….this is going to sound funny but bowling, doing something, not just go to the movies. You need something that's not just you and the other person, so intense. You should do something and talk first.

AGW: Who are you now dying to sing a duet with?

Justin: I'm not sure but I know who I'd like to act across from, Jennifer Garner, whoooooooooo. She's hot! Call me. Definitely hot in Daredevil.

AGW: What do you do to kick back when on tour?

Justin: When I was on the tour, I'd just sleep. It was so intense, more often than not I'd just watch a movie and relax with my friends on the tour. We didn't have time to go out.

AGW: What is the best advice you were ever given and who gave it to you?

Justin: I'd have to say some of the best advice was from Quincy Jones. He was like 'do what you love because the rest of it is just chasing money'.

AGW: What would you really like fans to know about you?

Justin: I want them to know that they haven't seen anything yet. There's a whole lot to come. Once I get on my feet I'm going to start running.

AGW: What's next for you?

Justin: Promoting the album and concerts all over the U.S. I'm doing a reading for a movie and some television stuff is coming around the corner. Go visit my website.

CHECK OUT JUSTIN'S WEBSITE http://www.justinguariniweb.com