Kat Graham Lands Record Deal
Source: Contactmusic

Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham is launching an assault on the pop charts after landing a record deal.

The former back-up dancer for acts like Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams has also starred in music videos for Akon, Nelly, John Legend and Justin Bieber – and now she’s preparing to carve out her own music career after signing a deal to release her first album.

In a video posted to YouTube.com, she tells fans, “I am so, so excited to share my big, special announcement with you guys. As you can see I’m in a recording studio… the reason is I am now signed to A&M/Octone Records.

“It’s my first time being signed to a major label and we have a single. The new song that you guys will be hearing is called Put Your Graffiti On Me. We’re shooting a music video this weekend and I’m so excited that you guys are going to be a part of this journey with me!”

Be sure to follow us, Kat & her record label on twitter if you aren’t already!

Kat Graham Fan @katgraham_hh, Katerina @KatGraham, and A&M Octone Records @amoctonerecords

Katerina Graham To Ring In The New At Shrine
Source: Courant

Katerina “Kat” Graham stars as Bonnie Bennett, a witch, in the CW drama “Vampire Diaries.” Besides that, she had a role in the movie “17 Again” and has other television credits. Graham is also a singer who recently toured with the Black-Eyed Peas and produced a remake and music video for the Paula Abdul hit “Cold Hearted Snake.”

On New Year’s Eve, she will host the New Year’s Eve party at the Shrine at MGM Grand Foxwoods. Looking forward to a party that will properly welcome the new year, Graham, who also has a new CD, called from her California digs to Spill the Beans with Java.

Q: Did you ever imagine playing a witch would be your claim to fame? Or is it?

A: Not in a million years. I believe in a lot of different things, and that they exist and people follow it religiously. I have always been an admirer of character actors, and this was a chance to be a character actor. I am totally different than the character I play, but I love playing Bonnie, and I love the cast I work with.

Q: Who is your own favorite witch?

A: I love the witches in the “Wizard of Oz.” When I was younger I loved “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and Willow from ” Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” They were normal witches. That’s why I like playing Bonnie. She is so absolutely normal on the outside.

Q: What are your plans for the Shrine party?

A: I just want to get out there and have a good time and party with everyone. I want us to be together, bring in a new year and dance with everyone. My boyfriend, Cottrell Guidry, will be with me so I will definitely be getting my New Year’s kiss. I have a couple of dresses I can wear but not sure which one I am going with yet.

Q: Will you perform some music at the Shrine party?

A: I will probably do a song, maybe “Sassy” or something from my new CD. Or maybe something exclusive, and I’ll just surprise everyone.

Q: How do you manage it all: singing, TV, movies?

A: Singing and acting, it is all I do. I don’t see many friends as much as I would like to. But I am doing what I love and am able to get invited to places like Shrine.

Q: Do you have any 2011 resolutions?

A: To be more healthy. Because I live on the go, I eat on the go. That means I eat whenever I have time and what I can get. I’d like to create a food regimen and only eat healthy. It’s important, especially with my lifestyle.

Q: What is next for you professionally?

A: I have a movie coming out [in February] called “The Roommate,” and it is really cool. Then I have “Honey 2″ coming out after that. Then there is “Vampire Diaries” and the CD, so I am keeping myself busy. I am hoping to do some traveling and meet more of my fans. I like to do a luncheon in the places I perform for those who aren’t 21 and can’t get into the club venues. I am trying to get an early flight to Connecticut so I can have one on Friday.

Q: What is something no one knows about you?

A: I am actually a full-on gourmet chef. I enrolled in cooking school but didn’t finish because of my shooting schedule but love Mediterranean and Spanish cooking. And I can make a really mean steak. I got interested in cooking when I was filming “17 Again” and we had the best caterers on the set. I started to talk to them and ask a lot of questions and asked if I could cook with them when the schedule allowed.

Tickets starting at $50 are available in advance by logging onto ShrineMGMFoxwoods.com, calling 860-312-1212 or visiting the MGM Grand box office. Those attending must be at least 21.

INTERVIEW: Katerina Graham (Bonnie) from The Vampire Diaries
Source: The TV Chick

The Vampire Diaries is off to an amazing start to its second season. Any concerns (not from this TV Chick) of a sophomore season slump have been wiped away. There are crazy doppelganger hijinx, proving that Nina Dobrev really can do no wrong, and of course some incredibly sexy vampires and werewolves (I’m looking at you Uncle Mason!) One of the characters that has really come into her own this season is Bonnie. Her witch powers are developing and she isn’t afraid to take on the vampires to protect her loved ones. I recently had the chance to chat with Katerina Graham at New York Comic Con, and she talked about Bonnie’s powers, her motivations and maybe even a possible love interest.

One thing we learned from the panel is that Bonnie’s powers continue to grow. What can you tease about where she’s going to go in the next few episodes?
They develop and there’s a positive to it and a negative to it. So you’ll be able to see both sides of that instead of just kind of this already evolved witch whose evolution kind of came out of nowhere. The five episodes kind of placed her evolution when she was with her family from last season. You get to see her dealing with her growth for the first time, really, which I think is important to see. So the good and the bad, you’ll get to see.

How much does she blame herself for Caroline turning?
I think enough to really make her want to help her and do what she can to make Caroline’s situation better. But at the end of the day, I stand by Bonnie, and her [thinking] “If these vampires hadn’t come to town, my grandma would still be here.” And people think Bonnie makes these decisions knowing the end of the episode — these are characters that have no idea what’s going to happen from the actions that they do. And I think that if Bonnie knew that Caroline was going to become a vampire, I don’t think she would have pressured Damon to give her the blood. But she didn’t know. She had no idea Katherine was going to go in there and do that. She had no idea that Tyler Lockwood was going to get into an accident and crash the car and Caroline would be in the hospital. These characters — people forget that they have no idea what’s going to happen if they do certain actions. So I think she feels — obviously as guilty as you can when you know you made a mistake — but at the same time — she made a mistake but she’s spending more time trying to figure out how do we fix this? How do we make this better?

What motivates Bonnie this season?
Well I think one of the things that motivates Bonnie is compassion. And I think that she’s definitely the most — besides Damon although Damon’s getting a lot more compassion — she’s a very misunderstood character of Mystic Falls. I think she’s probably the most misunderstood character on the show. So, compassion. She really loves Elena. She loves her, [she’s] her best friend. Losing her grandmother — I don’t know how many people are close with their grandmother — but when you don’t have a mother and you only have your grandmother, she becomes your mother figure in your life. So when that got taken away from her, she kind of — loses a lot of that tolerance. I would.

Bonnie is coming across as very powerful right now, especially in that scene with Damon. And Damon sort of let’s her have that power, whereas he might have killed someone else. Are we going to see that backfire?
I think that however that looks, Damon had to protect her because he made a promise. And even in the episode of History Repeating, he mentions to Bonnie at the parking lot of the school that he wants to protect her, believe it or not. And I think it’s important to pay attention to that. But I think they’re going to go at it — again. But I also think that she’s doing what she came to do. She wouldn’t let him know that she’s weak in any way, even if she was weak, she’s not going to let Damon know that she’s got any weaknesses, because he’ll use it against her. People forget that he tried to kill her. He went for her throat, while she was being possessed. He took me out, or tried to, and vice versa. We’re going to keep going at it.

In more ways than one?
In more ways than — hey!! (laughs)

There are a lot of Bonnie and Damon fans out there…
Yeah, and Julie [Plec] has a great line that she wrote in one of the episodes for Katherine and Stefan where Stefan was like “But I hate you!” and Katherine was like “Well that sounds like the beginning of a love story, not the end of one.” So we’ll see. I know the fans really, really love it. So maybe eventually. We’ll see. I love doing scenes with Ian, though. He’s so fun and creative.

Will Bonnie ever get a love interest?
Yeah.

But Bonnie does tackle Mason in an upcoming episode. She sort of does a vampire mind meld on him. How does that relationship come about?
Well basically, you guys have to watch the episode to see how much Mason was involved and what he does. But if Bonnie’s taking him down, it’s got to be for some reason. He did something wrong. I can’t say what he did.

How important is the fan reaction to the show?
Oh, I live by the fans. They know that though. A lot of them in there probably know me. We’ve probably all gone to dinner. I’m really close with them. I scour the forums and blogs and obsess over what they say.

One thing I wondered about Bonnie — has she come into her powers on her own? Or was there something with the grandma passing — did the powers pass on to her? Or did she learn them from someone we haven’t met yet?
That’s a great question. That’s kind of in the Bonnie development thing that’s probably in line with the other developing things. We’ll see. That’s a Kevin question. I’m just the actor. But I definitely think a lot of Bonnie’s stuff is instinctual. She can feel things, that’s just a part of who she is, and it comes from a very organic place right now.

The Vampire Diaries airs Thursday nights at 8 pm on the CW.

Major Vampire Diaries Scoop: What is Katherine’s Master Plan?
Source: Philly Burbs

The cast of “The Vampire Diaries” – Katerina Graham (Bonnie Bennett), Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert), Sara Canning (Jenna Sommers) and Zach Roerig (Matt Donovan) – as well as executive producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec made an appearance at New York’s Comic Con earlier this month.

I was lucky enough to sit in on a panel discussion where the cast and producers answered questions about the show and the new season.

“The Vampire Diaries” TV show, which airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on The CW network, is based on the series of books by L.J. Smith.

“We used the book to set up the first episode,” Williamson said. “A lot of the time, we take parts from the book and include it in the show, but we are a room full of writers + and we always change up ideas.”

Plec added that, at this point, the TV show is “very loosely based on the books.”

Williamson hinted at some of the twists viewers can expect.

“This season in Mystic Falls, the past is coming back for something, though it is not clear for what yet,” he said. “Katherine, Elena’s look-alike, is back. We have not seen the worst of Katherine yet. Next week’s episode (which airs tonight) will be a game-changer.

“You can expect Katherine to be around for a very long time, until she’s just not anymore. She is a very delicious character and I want her mystique to remain, but at the same time, I do not want her in every scene.”

Plec added that “Katherine will come in contact with other characters, like Jeremy Gilbert. The two characters will have a major face-off.”

Speaking of Gilbert, McQueen’s thoughts on playing Jeremy are that “he was meant to go through a lot of loss. He lost his parents and lost his love interests Vicky and Anna. He kind of mans up.

“Jeremy must embrace his destiny, rather than relying on what most teenagers go through, like in school,” says McQueen. “My character has just stayed away from that.”

When asked what he likes about his character, he responded: “I like the fact that Jeremy has some mental issues – because he has some screws loose – and that just makes him a more interesting character to play.”

From last season, we know Elena and Jeremy’s Aunt Jenna used to have a wild-party side. Canning, who plays the character, shared that “some of Jenna’s past will be revealed. She has a skeleton in her closet that we are soon to find out about.”

Canning said that what is so great about playing Jenna is that she is the only person in the cast who doesn’t know what’s going on (referring to not knowing there are vampires around).

“Jenna will always have a really cool aura of mystery around her,” Canning said. “We don’t really ever know what is going on with her.”

When asked about what will happen if she finds out the truth about Mystic Falls, Canning responded: “I am really interested to see how she will deal with all of it. Jenna is so liberal and open-minded, but I don’t know how she is going to deal with finding out that her boyfriend knows her niece is dating a vampire.”

Vampires aren’t the only inhabitants in the town of Mystic Falls. Witches also live among them, including Bonnie Bennett.

“Bonnie has a lot of power. Her power is measured by how much she cares about her best friend (Elena),” said Graham, who portrays her. “She will do whatever she can to protect the people she loves. Bonnie is capable of anything.”

Graham said her character “isn’t cruel. She is just confused, scared and very strong, and always willing to call Damon out on his mistakes.”

Producer Plec hinted that Bonnie’s future may include an encounter in a love triangle involving someone she knows and a new character.

Matt Donovan is one of the few human characters on the show and your typical boy-next-door.

So what’s it like to live in a world of vampires, werewolves and witches?

“My character Matt has no idea what’s going on,” Roerig joked. “He’s busy busing tables and eating Easy Mac and canned peas. But it is interesting to play him.”

Last season, Matt was in a relationship with Elena.

“Matt’s over Elena, but probably wouldn’t mind getting her back,” Roerig said.

And what about the future of Elena and Stefan?

Plec confirmed “their relationship as of the moment is very strong. Their relationship is like a monogamy commitment. It’s kind of cheesy, but I think it’s very beautiful and special.

“It will not last long, though. Katherine is messing with both of their minds, and we are going to see cracks in their relationship.”

As for Damon, “although he has been hurt by the fact that Elena rejected him, he will get over it soon enough,” Plec said. “You don’t always end up with your soul mate. These characters must find their souls first – and then find their mates.”

So what happens next? Tune in to The CW Thursday nights at 8 to find out!

Major Vampire Diaries Scoop: What is Katherine’s Master Plan?
Source: TV Fanatic

Attention, Vampire Diaries fans: make sure you tune in for the next four episodes.

We know, this is like asking Damon Salvatore to win a contest of snarky one-liners. It will clearly happen no matter what. But producer Julie Plec has teased the next set of new installments by saying Katherine’s master plan “explodes” and:

“By the time we hit Thanksgiving, you’re going to know a good chunk of it, if not most of it.”

With an uninterrupted string of episodes on tap until Thanksgiving, E! News reports that fans can also look forward to the following spoilers and developments:

We’ll flashback to Bulgaria in the 15th century and “answer a lot of questions,” Kevin Williamson says. “Because I think everyone’s interested in the doppelgänger or how did the line continue. And she’s a Petrova, we get into the Petrova line of it all…We show how [Katherine] started, where she went, why they wanted her, why she was necessary to the story of the vampires.”

Jeremy will get a love interest that “could possibly be somebody that we already know,” Plec says.

There’s a price that Bonnie “has to pay,” Plec teases, adding: “She’s coming into her own, and she’s learning how to be a witch and how to be a strong witch, but we’re also showing that there are some weaknesses involved and she’s got to be careful.”

Jeremy will get into the action, as Steven R. McQueen (and this clip) previews: “Rather than letting all this stuff happen to him, he’s gonna say ‘F–k that and I’m going to take control and I’m going to help out in this whole thing.”

Producers are biding their time with Alaric and “waiting for the moment to start his new journey,” says Plec.

There’s a lot to digest here. We’ll meet you in our Vampire Diaries forum to discuss it all!

Kat Graham reveals top spoilers of ‘The Vampire Diaries!’
Source: Chicago Now

Sorry guys, the misleading headline on this post is strictly for Katerina Graham, who wasn’t about to give me any scoop on Bonnie, the witch she plays in The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries.”

But she did offer this tidbit as we discussed Bonnie’s desire to protect her friends from vampires, werewolves or anything else threatening them: “Even if there was a bad witch in town, one that was up to no good, she would challenge her. Definitely. She wouldn’t let it slide just because they might bring another, well, you know, witch in.”

Did the spoiler-blocking Graham slip? Since our chat, “TVD” executive producer Kevin Williamson told TV Guide that Bonnie will meet a witch named Lucy “whose identity will be a big surprise.”

But that’s probably not going to happen in “Plan B,” the episode airing at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 on WGN. The vampire-despising Bonnie does deal with her strained relationships to BFFs Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Caroline (Candice Accola). Despite their differences–Elena dates hottie vamp Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), and Caroline has become a vamp–Bonnie still will help them, Graham said.

“I think Bonnie is all about protecting and loving her friends,” the 21-year-old said. “She’s going to do what she has to do to protect the ones she loves, no matter what.”

She’s got the game to do it, too. Bonnie has taken down Stefan’s trouble-making brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), a couple times. And even though her powers had no effect on Katherine, the evil vamp (also played by Dobrev) who has come to the creature-plagued Mystic Falls to wreak havoc for Elena, Stefan and Damon, Bonnie–Graham actually–wants another battle.

“I hope. I love when Nina’s just like the bad-assed, kick-ass woman,” she said. “I love doing scenes with her, period, but I really love doing showdown scenes with her because she’s just so into it. I think a showdown with Katherine would be incredible.”

She also wants Bonnie to find love, which is a storyline that exec producer Julie Plec has promised. Still, Graham wasn’t giving anything away.

“The strongest connection she has with a guy is with Damon, and it’s not a positive one,” Graham said, refusing to speculate on who Bonnie might date. At the time of our interview, I suggested Matt (Zach Roerig), although since then I’ve started to think it might be Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). “Maybe we’ll talk in a few weeks to recap.”

Katerina, it’s time to give me a call.

I have much more from Katerina Graham below, but first here’s part of a chat I had with Steven R. McQueen and Michael Trevino, who were in Chicago for the “TVD” Hot Topic Tour.

MORE FROM KATERINA GRAHAM
Read on for more from Graham. We talked not only about “TVD,” but also her music career, disco dancing and the head colds we’d been suffering from.

You should be able to get rid of that fast with a spell or some kind of potion, right?
Yeah I know, right? You would think I would get a little something from being on this show, a little magical something. No, I’m still driving to work; I’m not flying.

Don’t you wish that were the case though?
I really do, it would save me so much time on traffic. [Laughs.]

Is traffic bad in Atlanta?
You know what, you’d be surprised. Because coming from L.A., I’m like, “Nothing can beat L.A. traffic,” but if you get stuck on this thing called the 20 East out here, you’re like done for. I mean, it’s just awful. Yeah, the traffic out here is pretty serious.

Yeah? You guys shoot outside of town, right?
Yeah, we have two stages that are about 20 minutes, 30 minutes away from where I live, which is basically where we shoot most of the stuff. We’ve built all these crazy sets for the Salvatore House and Elena’s bedroom and her school. And then we have, when we’re shooting exterior shots are at this place called like the Lockland Mansion where we shoot in the town called Covington. And that’s like an hour outside of Atlanta and we have these fans that come out every so often and it’s like always like the same fans. So you kind of grow a relationship with the fans that come visit you, ‘because it’s always the same ones that live there. It’s really awesome. So. Yeah. Yeah, it’s really cool.

So, how far along are you guys in shooting?
I think we start Episode 8 tomorrow or the next day. We did a final scene for Episode 6 and then we’re doing it simultaneously with Episode 7 because certain things you change around and it’s easier to shoot certain things later. So, yeah, we’re already on Episode 8 and the fans are just about to see Episode 4. So I know a few secrets; I know what’s going on in Mystic Falls a little bit right now. Yeah.

That’s good, ‘because I’m looking for spoilers.
Yeah, I know. Even if I don’t give them you’ll post, “Kat Graham reveals spoilers!” That’s what all you guys do! I’m like, “I don’t remember saying any spoilers.” That’s fine; at least you know I’m expecting it.

Headlines like that get everybody reading, right?
Hey, as long as you get them reading.

When I talked to Sarah earlier this year I tried, but she was not having it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You couldn’t coax it out of her. I can’t even say anything. Most of the time I try and stay in the dark about things until I have to actually shoot it.

I missed last week’s episode ["Bad Moon Rising"]. I’ll have to watch online but let’s talk about–
How dare you have the nerve to talk to me and you haven’t seen every single “Vampire Diaries” episode!

But I did see the week before, when Bonnie goes all postal on Damon ["Brave New World"].
You know, he’s gone postal; I don’t see why she can’t go postal. He goes postal every episode. She has one little fit and people go crazy. It’s fine.

I thought it was pretty awesome.
Yeah, it was just kind of a build-up, you know what I mean?

She seems to be a little less eager to put up with anyone’s crap. Is that going to happen more often?
I don’t know. I think she’s just trying to protect the people that she loves and whatever family she has left, which is Elena and her friends and even Caroline. She just wants to protect the town, and at any cost really. She knows that murder will happen if she doesn’t stand up and there isn’t another witch in town to stop this madness. And the humans are kind of subject to whatever the vampires want them to do, whether it’s mind manipulation or be their dinner. She kind of has to stand up for all of them. So she’s not going to be all that eager to just go along for the ride. But I think it comes from a really great place.

She sort of keeps getting pulled back into the fray.
Yeah, but at the end of the day, it’s really for Elena, her best friend and–I’m sorry I’m making pasta–it’s really for Elena and like the town and it comes from a really good place.

Yeah, but now her relationship with Elena is kind of strained.
I think Elena’s relationship with everyone is strained. And Bonnie’s relationship with everyone is strained. They’re walking around every day and you don’t know who’s going to get murdered, you don’t know who’s going to come to town. It’s like this can of worms has been opened in this small town and everyone’s kind of on edge. Like, “What are we in for?”

I definitely feel that Bonnie is always going to consider Elena her best friend and they both really rely on each other to be there for each other. There are certain things that happened in their relationship that definitely made Bonnie feel really alone. She’s still hanging out with a guy that’s partially responsible for the death of her grandmother. And I think Bonnie has always been the voice of reason.

I don’t know how I would personally feel if my best friend was still kicking it with a vampire who attacked a girl, just coming from a very basic reasonable place. I think people are like, “Bonnie’s blaming people and … she’s the bad guy.” But come on, really, have a sense of reality: If this had really happened to you, how would you react to it? Would you just let the vampires run rampant? Would you do what you could to protect the ones you love? Would you leave?

Do you think she feels a little bit of guilt or remorse over her grandmother?
Oh absolutely–guilt for everything. [She feels] guilt for the thing with Caroline; guilt from asking her grandmother for help. She asked her grandmother, obviously at some point, to help her open the tomb so they could get Katherine out and Damon can leave town. So definitely there’s guilt there and that can come out in different ways. It can come out in blame; it can come out in loneliness and isolation.

When I feel guilty about something, it never comes out exactly like, “Oh, I just feel so bad about things.” It can kind of manifest in different ways. I think that’s what’s happening with Bonnie. She’s just kind of putting all the pieces together on how we’re going to fix this and how we’re going to help Caroline adjust and make her better and get the situation under control. And how am I going to get my friend back? I think at some point she has to stay involved to keep any control over the situation because if she’s completely out of it then mayhem can ensue and she can do nothing about it.

Right. She made Caroline a ring so she could be in the sun.
She made her a ring, which was really sweet. And this was after Caroline had murdered someone, P.S. I give Bonnie major props ’cause it would have taken me a little longer to make the ring to let her walk outside. [Laughs.]

And she gave her that warning, which is sort of how Bonnie’s been operating, that if you attack anyone else, we’re done.
Yeah, I’ll stop you. Yeah. And I don’t think it’s out of any sort of like, I’m flexing my muscles to show you I can stop you because I’m a big powerful witch. I don’t think it comes from that place. I think it comes from, “Listen, this is really serious. You’re murdering people. I’m going to stop you if I have to.” It’s plain and simple.

But isn’t it nice she’s got the game to back it up?
Yeah. In life in general, being able to back your own words and hold your own is always a great feeling. Who knows, Bonnie might have a lot of trouble in the future. She might work on a spell that might take a lot out of her. You never know. But she can do a lot right now.

Is that a hint? Are you giving me a hint?
I’m not giving you anything! Get out of there! [Laughs.] Get out of there!

All right, so the one person she can’t seem to stop is Katherine.
Absolutely. Oh, so you have done your research.

I’ve been watching! I just missed last week.
I don’t know think she knew what to expect with Katherine but at least she tried. At least she tried to stop her. She called Elena and was like, “Oh my gosh, where are you?” I can’t fault her for trying, but it definitely made Bonnie realize that she needs to get a little stronger to face that kind of witch, I mean that kind of werewolf–that kind of vampire! There are so many creatures on this show. It was definitely a crazy scene to shoot.

Right. Is she working on that though, do you think?
Oh, are you trying to get a spoiler? Is that what we’re doing?

Well if you want, but what I meant was, do you have ideas in your head that aren’t from the scripts. Like making a background for her or–
Yeah, I do my own little character back stories because we have yet to meet really, my family apart from my Grams and Emily Bennett. I have my own work that I do that I don’t really talk about, but I’ve done like hours and hours of work before an episode, before a scene to make sure that it makes sense. But I definitely think Bonnie’s aware of the situation and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to figure out how to stop it. I don’t think she could really sleep well at night knowing there’s a doppelganger walking around probably murdering people in the town who looks exactly like her best friend. That’s just awful.

Right. Katherine tricked her for a split second.

Yeah. It’s because she’s not expecting to run into Katherine. She’s ranting about Damon being this pompous jerk-off, you know? That’s how girlfriend’s talk to each other. I remember that scene, the second she touched her, it was kind of this feeling that, “This is not Elena.” But it was too late.

Are you expecting there to be another big Katherine-Bonnie showdown?
There haven’t been but I hope, I hope. I love when Nina’s just like badassed, kick-ass woman. She’s such a strong female. I love doing scenes with her, period, but I really love doing like showdown scenes with her because she’s just so into it. I think a showdown with Katherine would be incredible, but we’ll see. We’ll have to watch and see what happens with Katherine and what happens with Bonnie and whether their paths will cross again.

Right. How is it playing opposite Nina as Katherine versus Nina as Elena? Is it a lot different?
It’s not that different. I’m still dealing with this great actress, Nina Dobrev, and somebody who I really love genuinely and respect. Katherine has this totally different vibe than Elena. As Elena, even though she has her serious moments, Nina has a lot of compassion in how she plays her, especially when it comes to Stephan–Paul Wesley. So I think watching her play Katherine there’s just this lack of compassion, almost like this heartless kind of creature coming out. It’s just very interesting, but she plays it so well. And she’s still the same awesome Nina to work with. She could play any part and still be that same sweet actress when we’re not filming.

Cool. I hear you guys all have a lot of fun together on set.
We do.

Zach and Sarah were here in Chicago in the spring and he talked about having people out on his boat and they talked about hanging out after filming.
We’ve gone out to the lake and stuff like that. The first season was also a lot easier because our schedules weren’t so crazy. As the show picked up, we have way more responsibility in terms of press and stuff like that. But we definitely see each other, like tonight I’m going to disco class with Candice [Accola]. We take a weekly class–it’s called “Disco Summer Nights” and we take this class out here and it’s just a blast.

Disco dancing?
Yeah, we literally disco dance, with a disco ball and everything. It’s a class that they teach out here and we just have fun with each other. These girls are my family; they’ve been my family and we really get along.

Nice. Now speaking of dancing, I’ve seen your videos. I wouldn’t think that you would need to take a disco dancing class.
You know what? [Laughs.] It’s not even about full-out dancing and choreography. It’s just about having fun and being together. I sometimes enjoy dancing completely ridiculous and completely silly rather than doing choreography because I just like to have fun and be around good people who I love. I know how to dance. The point of this is that I need to always remember to have fun and to be a kid again and not take myself that seriously and just enjoy life.

So it’s a good way just to release after work all week?
Absolutely. Put on some disco music and get down.

Do you wear bell bottoms?
I was looking for some today and I don’t have any in my closet because. Tonight it would be perfect to have some bell bottoms, some goldfish platform shoes and have my afro out. But I couldn’t find any, so I’m actually wearing a tank top that Nina got me for my birthday. So I’m going to get the disco fever in this.

So the werewolves, are we going to see Bonnie with the werewolves at all?
I don’t know. I really don’t know.

Does she even know that they’re around at this point?
Up to the last episode, no she doesn’t know. She’s still unaware of that and I’m sure when she finds that out it’ll be a whole other situation to deal with in trying to control it anyway possible.

Do you think she probably doesn’t like the werewolves either?
Bonnie really would love everyone, but if the werewolves were nice and the vampires were nice, Bonnie would invite them all over for dinner and they would be eating meatloaf and salad. Everyone would be getting along perfectly if they were all nice. But the second somebody shows a bad side or a murderous side to them Bonnie’s alert goes up heavy. I think if they were all cool, Bonnie would be cool.

I think that even if there was a bad witch in town, one that was up to no good, she would challenge her. Definitely. She wouldn’t let it slide if they might bring another witch in. I think that Bonnie is all about protecting and loving and she’s going to do what she has to do to protect the ones she loves, no matter what sort of character they are.

Do you want her to get a boyfriend?
I do want her to get a boyfriend. I really do.

But that’s just more drama, which she doesn’t really need.
It depends. It depends on what kind of boy. [Laughs.] But I definitely think, in some form, Bonnie needs a connection so that she that isn’t just coming in when they need a spell or when they need a witch or when she’s angry. I think she needs to show that she has that inside of her, that sexual feeling, because she hasn’t really had that ever. She hasn’t had a serious love interest and the only real relationships she’s had have been with women. I’ve said this before, the strongest connection she has with a guy is with Damon, and it’s not a positive one. So hopefully, yeah.

Would she date a vampire ever, do you think?
I wouldn’t put it past her. I wouldn’t put it anything past the show. I think anything can happen on this show. That’s why I’m just an avid watcher. I love reading the scripts because even me being on the show, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I don’t know what direction they’re going to turn. I don’t know who’s going to die, who’s going to live, what new characters are going to come on. I’m completely floored every time I read the script. I’m amazed at what Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec bring to this show. So, even me being on the show for over a year now, it’s still shocking to me because there’s some really great things about the writing.

Right. Who would Katerina rather date, a vampire or a werewolf–or a warlock?
Ummm, let me think.

Or a pop star?
Or a pop star? No! I’d rather date a vampire than date a pop star. I really like the whole magic thing. I think that’s really cool, so probably a witch then. Probably date a witch, another witch, something like that.

Have you met any of the real live witches?
I have met some. They’ve emailed me, and I’m like, “Ooh. Yeah, you know this is just a role. I’m not really a witch, but thanks for the props.”

They offering tips?
Yeah, they’re offering tips. I had one walk up to me and give me a bag of chicken bones and some crazy stuff. I’m like, “Yeah you know what? I’ll just put this back in my trailer.” It’s just really, really odd. I’ve had some really interesting experiences with people. I always wanted to be in “Harry Potter.” I always felt cheated out of a role in “Harry Potter” even though there was literally no role for me in the movies. But I still watch it and read the books. I’m an avid Harry Potter fan, so I’m finally getting my due. My Harry Potter on, you know what I mean? I just don’t have a wand and I don’t have a broom, and I don’t have a hat. But I’ve got a Grimmoiré and really cool cast members, so it totally makes up for all of that.

Right. What were the chicken bones supposed to do, did she tell you?
I don’t know. But I threw them out; I’m just not into it.

Maybe they were just for soup?
No, I don’t think so. [Laughs.] But as long as it’s all positive; people should just do what they want to do and I’ll just do my little acting. It was very interesting.

OK, so let’s talk about your music for a little bit. I saw a couple of videos, which were pretty fun. A co-worker sent me one and wrote, “Can you believe this? This is the witch on ‘Vampire Diaries.’” Have you always been interested in music?
That’s amazing. Well I’m glad that he sent you that. Yeah, I have been. I’ve been recording for, literally since I was 13 years old.

I think the biggest pet peeve I have is when people blow up big and they’re like, “I’m going to put a song out!” I want people to know that it’s been going on since before “Vampire Diaries.” I was Will.I.Am’s artist for a couple years and I toured with the [Black Eyed] Peas, which was a blast. After that I wound up working on my solo stuff, which I did when I filmed “17 Again,” with Zac [Efron], and then I would do a little things like “Hannah Montana,” little guest-star stints and stuff like that. I was still at that point working on my solo album.

And “Sassy,” the song that I released [watch "Sassy" video here] was done a year ago or two years ago, right before “Vampire Diaries.” Then ended up booking “Vampire Diaries” and then the pilot got picked up and everything kind of happened so fast. But I never stopped making music. I literally have a recording studio in my living room. I don’t think I know how to stop. I think it’s just a part of me and I want to incorporate acting and want to do like short films and stuff like that.

So you are done with the album?
We’re still working on it, meeting some incredible producers. We have a couple songs, “Sassy” and “Cold-Hearted Snake” on iTunes. But the main album I want to put out, when I’m not committed to “Vampire Diaries,” like on like a hiatus or something like that so I can actually tour with it and give it it’s respect.

So you’re still working on things for that and you’ll probably put out singles and stuff like that?
Oh yeah, we’ll probably put out a few more before the end of the year even if it’s a remix, like really fun stuff.

All right, I’m going to try one more time: Give me a big scoop. Is there going to be some big, jaw-dropping thing happening soon?
Somebody dies. There’s always a big jaw-dropping that happens–are you kidding me? This is freaking “Vampire Diaries!” That’s what we do. We’ve got that down pat.

All right, all right. My theory [which has since changed] is that Bonnie starts dating Matt.
Oh, you think I’m going to start dating Matt?

Yeah, now that Caroline broke it off.
That’s an interesting theory. Maybe we’ll talk in a few weeks to recap. I’m sorry, but I’m still expecting a good spoiler title, “Kat Graham reveals newest top spoilers ever of ‘Vampire Diaries!’”

Fans of Katerina Graham may be used to watching her work her magic on the small screen, but now the Vampire Diaries star is going to show the world what she can do on the big screen when she stars in the new dance film Honey 2.

The sequel to the 2003 film Honey, starring Jessica Alba, follows dancer Maria Ramirez, who just got out of juvenile detention. Teaming up with a new crew, Maria is able to channel her talent in a whole new way. Kat is a trained dancer and singer, so the leading role is a perfect fit for her.

Billie Woodruff, who directed the first film, will be behind the lens again for the new and improved movie. The film is already in production in L.A., so we hope to see Honey 2 out in theaters by next year. How excited are you to see Kat in this new role? We already know she can play a good witch, so we can’t wait to see her moves on the dance floor.

Source: JSYK

The Drama Club: Interview With The Vampire (Diaries) Teen Witch
Source: Fancast

Katerina Graham’s Bonnie began the season as Elena’s ditzy best friend on ‘Vampire Diaries.’ She soon was revealed to be a witch whose ancestor played a key role in Mystic Falls’ history. Graham has expertly transformed Bonnie from a carefree teen to a young woman who is embracing her powers. Graham warned that the cast members have no idea what is going to happen next on the wildly addictive serial. Instead, she discussed the cast’s close bond, the complicated vampire-witch relationship and why she is glad Bonnie does not have a boyfriend.

Last week’s episode ended with Bonnie being kidnapped by the new vampires in town. How is Bonnie going to get away from them?

I won’t say how or if, but I will say that she won’t be alone.

Why is Bonnie’s grandmother, Sheila (Jasmine Guy), so young?

A lot of people ask that. She’s a witch. She can make herself look younger. That’s why she looks so great.

Was Gina Torres’ character Bree, the witch that Damon killed, related to Bonnie?

Bonnie doesn’t know and I don’t know.

We haven’t seen Bonnie’s parents yet. Are they going to make an appearance?

I don’t know. Right now it’s known that I live with my father and my Mom’s not really around.

When Bonnie was haunted by Emily, how did you do all of those special effects?

We have a great stunts department. We have a great special effects crew. Whether it comes to fire or the floating feather trick, there’s such an intricate science behind all of those great scenes that you see. For the Emily stuff, we definitely had a safety meeting. When the amulet got thrown up there was somebody standing above me hidden by a tree with one of those specks of fire that looks like it’s rings of fire. They lit that pentagram around me. A lot of the stuff was actually done [live]. It wasn’t [put together] in post.

In the 19th century flashbacks, the witches and the vampires were working together. Now they are enemies. What caused the rift?

There’s definitely something that happened. A lot of the time it’s mostly vampires asking witches’ assistance, not the other way around. It’s having to offer a helping hand to protect someone. So certain things are being asked of witches that are not being asked of vampires. Something happened to make them be on bad terms. They obviously don’t trust each other.

Who are your closest friends in the cast?

I’m close with all the girls. From the beginning of the show, when we started shooting, we just bonded. I saw Kayla [Ewell, Vicki] last night. She’s one of my good friends. Nina [Dobrov, Elena] and I obviously have the most scenes together so we spend the most time together because but we’re really close. She’s great.

Have you had any funny bloopers?

There’s one that I can’t share because it hasn’t aired yet but it involves Jasmine Guy. Call me after it airs and I’ll tell you how funny it was. Any time Elena and I have to run somewhere out of fear we end up snickering. When Damon is in his vampire attire and hair and make up, Ian Somerhalder always pranks everyone.

I saw footage of the show’s fan event in Atlanta. The whole mall was packed with screaming fans. Did you have any idea that the show was going to become a phenomenon in a matter of months?

I had an idea. I knew that when we were on set it was something special. It couldn’t have just been a coincidence that we all got along so well and that we were just a great group. It was really well put together from the beginning. I knew that it would always have any audience. To have fans like that is not really something you can anticipate. You can hope for it, but for it to really happen is a whole another thing.

When you get a new script, do you have “Oh my God” moments like the audience does?

Absolutely. I have those every single time I read a script. We can’t wait until we get them and can go back and forth with each other like, “Can you believe this happened and that happened?” I am definitely one of the fans when it comes to the show.

When you were cast, what did Executive Producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec tell you about Bonnie?

They let me discover her. They really guided me in the beginning, but they knew that I had the character’s essence down and how she was this fun, very loyal, very innocent best friend. If I ever have any questions, I can always ask them. It’s really their writing that explains the most. It’s up to me to find out what they’re trying to tell me about the character and how they’re trying to evolve the character.

How has Bonnie grown over the course of the season?

She was so quiet before and not necessarily timid but she wouldn’t necessarily stand up for herself. She is definitely a lot stronger then she was in the beginning. She’s a lot more self-reliant, a lot more aggressive. There are certain things in the beginning that Bonnie wouldn’t dare to do. She just wanted to be that out of the way, sweet, loyal friend. Now she’s had the realization of what could be lost and what could be taken away from her. She knows that she can either fight for it or just let it happen.

Poor Bonnie has not had the best luck with love so far.

It’s not bad luck. I just don’t think she really cares. Most of this first season has been about finding herself and finding her strength and figuring out who she is. I think that’s important. I love that she has not had a boyfriend yet.

There have been a lot of articles about how minority actors tend to be relegated to supporting roles on television and film. Of course Bonnie is so much more than the best friend, but do you think the time will come when you will be cast in true leading roles?

I hope so. I’m really proud of how Hollywood has embraced multi-ethnic people. I think that they’re looking to make that happen. I feel like we’re moving incredibly rapidly forward. There aren’t stereotypes anymore. The color of your skin doesn’t mean you’re a specific type of character. I love the roles that Will Smith and Denzel Washington have taken on and actresses like Zoe Saldana doing Avatar. It’s incredible. I hope that one day it can just be based on the talent and not on the color of your skin. I’m really happy. I’m part of a great show that doesn’t care. There has not been one reference to my skin in the show. I’m just Bonnie Bennett. It’s never been about any sort of separation or her not being included in anything. I think that it’s beautiful. I hope that more shows will embrace that. I also think part of the reason we have such a strong following is that we have so many different demographics that we cater to whether its young people, black, white. Malese Jow (Anna ) is cast in our show. She’s an incredible actress. And Kelly Hu (Pearl). We have such a strong and diverse cast.

If ten vampires and ten witches were trapped in a room, who would survive?

I don’t know. But all I can imagine is there would definitely be fire. If Emily was in there, I don’t think many vampires would be surviving. If Damon was trapped in there, I don’t know what would happen.

Within the Vampires Diaries universe, there are vampires, witches and werewolves. Why are witches the most awesome?

Witches have a moral standpoint. They don’t have barriers. Vampires have this self-battle they’re constantly dealing with, these cravings they can’t escape from. Witches don’t have that. Witches are more in control of their choices in terms of what they say and what they do. We can make stronger decisions quicker in a lot of ways than vampires because vampires turn into these animals, these hunters. Witches can plan more. But I also think vampires are stronger physically, so it’s kind of a give and take.

Congratulations to All the CW Awards Winners!

The results are in, and your CW Awards winners come from three very popular genre shows: Smallville, Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries! Find out which series won the most categories, and check out the percentages by which your favorites beat out the competition:

Second Annual CW Awards Winners

Best CW Series: The Vampire Diaries, 33 percent

Best Lead Actor: Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries, 42 percent

Best Lead Actress: Allison Mack, Smallville, 35 percent

Best Supporting Actor: Misha Collins, Supernatural, 51 percent

Best Supporting Actress: Katerina Graham, The Vampire Diaries, 27 percent

Best Writer/Producer/Auteur: Eric Kripke, Supernatural, 57 percent

– E! Online

Katerina was recently interviewed and here are a few excerpts from the articles, be sure to check them out.

During the week of December 14 through December 18 The CW will be airing a marathon of all the episodes of The Vampire Diaries so far. Be sure to check your local listings for time and channel.

The Vampire Diaries’ Jasmine Guy and Katerina Graham Discuss Spoilers, Dance and Prince Proteges
Source: Movieline

Katerina, the show is about to go on a hiatus until mid-January. Can you string viewers along with some titillating hints about where the show’s going?

Anything you can possibly think of? It’s happening. All of the storylines that the fans are questioning about is looking like it might happen. Just have to watch and see. It gets better every single week, there’s another cliffhanger, and another. There might be another person being cast that really helps evolve the whole witch story. I will say that.

Katerina Graham: No one is safe on ‘Vampire Diaries’!
Source: New York Post

Is it hard to juggle the show and your music career?

Sometimes it feels like I have to hold back the tiger and say, “wait your turn.” But I am so fortunate to be a part of this show, I don’t mind putting my music aside and devoting all my attention to “Vampire Diaries” because everyone wants this show to be the best thing ever.