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NEWS
June
2002
Page
5
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V-Fair
2002 Ft. Pollyanna Dorough and Krystal
Source: VTeens
Yahoo Group
POLLYANNA ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
Lisa: Welcome to V-Fair 2002!
Pollyanna: Thank you.
Lisa: Here at VTeens, your fans were so excited that you excited that
your accepted our invitation to attend.
Pollyanna: Oh, thank you, I’m flattered.
Lisa: In honor of that, we held a contest for your fans to submit
questions. Out of 400 entries, we only chose five winners.
Pollyanna: Wow! Okay...
Lisa: The first question is from Jessy and she is from Milwaukee, WI.
Question: What's your favorite memory from your childhood?
Pollyanna: (After pondering for a moment.) I guess my favorite
childhood memory would be, when the entire family got up and we went
to Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina visiting my Grandparents. We
were in the waterfalls in the mountains.
Lisa: How beautiful.
Pollyanna: Yeah. It was beautiful, very serene. Family gatherings are
my favorite memories.
Lisa: The second question came Debra in Union, South Carolina.
Question: You are a wonderful singer. Do you have plans to pursue
an acting career in the future?
Pollyanna: Aww…thank you Debra! Oh totally. Actually, I am an
actress as well. It is good to be a really versatile person because I
am not just a singer or a songwriter, I am an entertainer. It is my
duty, my responsibility as an entertainer to educate myself in all
fields what-so-ever. Acting is part of entertaining. On stage, that is
exactly what I am doing, I am acting. I used to act in high school and
college. Howie and I did the “Wizard of Oz Together.” I was
Glenda, the good witch of the North. (In a cheery character voice) Are
you a good witch or a bad witch? And Howie was a munchkin. (In a lower
character voice) We represent the lollipop guild. It has always been a
part of both of our lives; acting, singing, dancing. So, I do see a
gradual transition into that. I also do voice-overs. (In a little girl
voice) I do all types of voices. So, definitely I am an entertainer
and I try to keep doors open to all avenues because you never know
when you are going to get burnt out with one of the avenues you are
pursuing now. I think it is real important for anyone going into the
market to realize that.
Lisa: The next question is from Julie representing Ventura, Ca.
Question: I'm a huge fan of yours and an avid supporter of the
Lupus Foundation. Will you be hosting any Lupus Concerts or Events in
Southern California?
Pollyanna: Hey Julie, how are ya? Thank you. Well, we actually
have been supporting Lupus LA. Howie and I have been working with
Lupus LA for the past two years. You can always catch us there too. My
niece, Chelsea just moved to LA as well and she is going to try to
organize something for us to do there as well. Basically right now,
Lupus LA is our only connection to LA, but it is starting to
change.
Lisa: Awesome. This question came to you all the way from Argentina. I
am sure you remember Sol; she is the President of your Fan Club in
Argentina.
Question: What country haven’t you visited yet, but you're
looking forward to bringing your music there?
Pollyanna: I know, hey Sol! How’s it going? Australia, Japan,
China…I just want everyone to hear it eventually, to be honest. I
love South America and I will be releasing my album very soon. I might
even be releasing through the Internet, so we will see what happens.
Hopefully, everyone will be able to hear my music.
Lisa: The final fan question is from Laura Riley in Rainsville,
AL.
Question: Do you think the publicity that you and Howie have done
for the Dorough Lupus Foundation has helped people become aware
of the disease and are you surprised by the media reaction about the
Foundation?
Pollyanna: Hey Laura! That is the entire reason we are behind
this, it to make a difference with this disease. Unfortunately we lost
my sister Caroline to this disease. After she had passed away on her
death bed, the doctor came up to my brother Howie and told him, “With
your celebrity-ness, you could really help us to find a cure for this
disease.” It is really an unknown disease and there is only a
certain amount of funding behind the disease. Research and
advancements can only go so far with limited funding. With his status,
we are trying to make a difference by education people about the
disease. A lot of people are living with the disease Lupus and do not
even realize it. With our website, it is called the
DoroughLupusFoundation.Org, we have put a lot of reading material
there for people to get information on the disease so they can educate
themselves about the disease. Howie and I actually just got back from
Mexico City where we did the XaFM Concert on behalf of the Dorough
Lupus Foundation. At that event we raised over $25,000. That is going
towards research and I think we have been very generous also passing
our bonds and money that we have raised to other areas; throughout
South America…
Pollyanna turned to the side and sneezed.
Laura, Lisa, and a few nearby fans: God Bless you!
Pollyanna: Thank you. We have been trying to be generous about
spreading the wealth around. It is an entirely non-profit
organization; we are just there trying to help people that have the
disease, so…they will not have to go through what my sister went
through…or the pain of loosing a loved one as well.
Lisa: Is there anything you would like to share with the VTeens
Members?
Pollyanna: I want to say, THANK YOU SO MUCH…for supporting me, for
supporting my family, the Foundation, the Backstreet Boys…just for
your love and support. I hope to meet you all very soon; I hope you
enjoy my music. Continue your love and support. I just want to give
one big shout-out…THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU!
Lisa: Thank you so much for being here today. Good luck and have
fun!
Pollyanna: Thank you.
Pollyanna was amazing. I was nervous and excited to be blessed with
the honor of interviewing her. *Thanks Ben!* The first thing she did
when I introduced myself was give me a hug. That immediately calmed my
nerves. She made me feel as though I was the most important person in
the world. The passion she has for life and the love she holds in her
heart is evident through her words, actions, and music. I expected
Pollyanna’s performance to catch the attention of many fans.
However, what I did not expect was to be left speechless. I was
talking to Laura, Pollyanna’s assistant after the event and I could
not even form a full sentence of how breath-taking Pollyanna’s
performance was. “Fly To Heaven” was my favorite part of Pollyanna’s
performance. The strength she endures to perform is undeniable.
Pollyanna is open about loosing Caroline and genuinely wants to help
those that suffer from the disease Lupus. I ask everyone at VTeens to
stay tuned. Pollyanna’s album is in the works. Be sure to check out http://www.doroughlupusfoundation.org,
get involved and help make a difference.
“Sometimes I have dreams, I picture myself flying…” Do we have a
Supergirl in the house? You asked and K responded:
MISS KRYStAL ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
Lisa: Hey KRYStAL!
MISS KRYStAL: Hello… (With a huge smile)
Lisa: Here at VTeens, we wanted to take the opportunity to give your
fans front-row action, even if they couldn’t be here to see you
perform today. So, we held a small contest where your fans could
submit questions to you. Then out of 500 entries, we narrowed it down
to five winners.
MISS KRYStAL: (She laughed for a second) Wow, wow.
Lisa: The first question came from Joanne and she is actually a NY
native.
Question: Krystal, if you hadn’t become a recording artist, what
other avenues of interest would you have pursued?
MISS KRYStAL: Wow, well once of the avenues that I love and that I
recently had a chance to pursue was acting. I actually have a movie
that is coming out in July. I perform in the movie, and I recorded the
theme song for the movie. I also just recently got a chance to film my
first pilot for television, “Save the Last Dance.” Maybe if I wasn’t
a singer, then that is what I would do. I sure love it and it does
take just as much work.
Lisa: The second question…
MISS KRYStAL and Lisa: WOO-HOO! (Cheering for Mary)
Mook: Can we go that way? We have to show these girls some love. We
need to go out there are support them.
Lisa: Of course.
MISS KRYStAL: Yeah.
Mook: All right, come on. Let’s do it out there.
Lisa: (As we walk to the front of the stage) The second question is
from Romica in Union City, CA.
Question: How do you feel about your music and the impact it has on
people?
MISS KRYStAL: For instance, they took a poll on your site, with
all the new songs. To see people’s interest in my new music and to
see it impact them in a positive way…that is just awesome. My goal
is for people, the minute they hear my music for them to be uplifted
and to feel the spirit, to brighten their day or from them to relate
it to something that day. Know what I’m saying?
Lisa: For sure.
MISS KRYStAL: So, that is what I hope people get from my music.
Mook: Let’s go up in here that might be better.
MISS KRYStAL: All right.
Mook: Want me to lead the way girl? Go, go.
Fans: KRYStAL, KRYStAL.
At this time, MISS KRYStAL and I took a short break to jam out to Mary
Mary with Mook and Angie near-by.
Lisa: All right y’all…we took a short break to rock to Mary Mary.
We are back now and we are going to pick up where we left off. The
next question is from Mari and she says “what’s up” from
Brazil?!
Question: What is the most amazing thing a fan could do for
you?
MISS KRYStAL: Oh man, I think the most amazing thin a fan could do…well,
other than just be as lovely as they always are, (with a beautiful
smile), I think it would be awesome if a fan was praying for me. I
have always thought that would be neat. I had a few fans tell me
recently, we will be praying for you. I was like…cool; I am going to
be praying for you. You know? That is the best thing we can do for
each other, the best form of support. Like reaching out, I got your
back and that includes pray.
Lisa: We have Mehgan from Aurora, CO and she wanted to ask…
Question: If there was one word that you wanted people to remember
you by, what word would that be and how does that describe you as a
person?
MISS KRYStAL: Woah, that is a heavy question! Woah, okay. Can I
make up a word?
Lisa: Go for it!
MISS KRYStAL: I don’t know if it makes sense though. I guess the
word would be spirit. I would hope when people look at me…I want to
say soul-spirit. I do not want to forget that soul goin’ on. Those
good old roots that I got! If somebody said to me, I saw that girl she
is full of spirit…I would feel as though I did my job.
Linda from VOA: Girls, can we walk and talk? We need KRYStAL at the
fan table.
Lisa: Okay.
We reached the fan table and sat down.
Lisa: We were in the middle of talking about the one word that would
describe you.
MISS KRYStAL: Right. I made the word soul-spirit, so it can be the
music AND the spirit.
Lisa: The last question is from Nicole in Bayonne, NJ.
Question: If you could work/collaborate with anyone dead or alive
who you pick and why?
MISS KRYStAL: My hero is Mary J. Blige and if I could just be able
to do something with her...that would just be a dream come true. She
seems to have the same heart; I have the same heart as her. She has
paved the way for artists like myself. I would love to meet up with
her and do something with her.
Lisa: My gosh, you are something else.
MISS KRYStAL: Thank you!
Lisa: Have fun with the fans and keep it real.
MISS KRYStAL: I will, thank you.
*A sigh of relief* As if Pollyanna, the IMen, Brittney, DN’A, Exact,
and Mary Mary weren’t enough to handle…there still stood MISS
KRYStAL HARRIS. After her interview, K prepared to hit the stage.
After a quick change, she spent a good fifteen minutes praying. She
truly is in-touch with her inner spirit. As soon as she stepped foot
on the stage, the crowd went crazy. The cheers of “Go KRYStAL”
filled the park as she performed a few of her new songs which were
featured on VTeens before the event. K also surprised her fans when
she performed, “The Kid In You.” This is the title track off her
upcoming movie “The Country Bears.” The audience began cheering
even louder as soon as the beat of “Supergirl” kicked in. She
dedicated her performance to all the Super- Moms, Super-Dads,
Super-Boys and SUPERGIRLS rockin’ with her in Central Park! MISS
KRYStAL closed her performance with “God Bless America.” Without a
doubt, there was not a dry eye in the park. New York became the heart
of America on September 11th and it is a feeling nothing less of honor
to be an America.
For a full review of the event, click here.
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Transcript
of Kevin's Senate Committee Testimony
back up
Source: US
Senate
President and Founder of the Just Within Reach Foundation
Before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Sub-committee on Clean Air, Climate Change and Wetlands
Respectfully submitted June 6, 2002
Mr. Chairman, Honorable Committee members, guests… I’m here today
to talk about the systematic destruction of one of the most beautiful,
productive and historic regions of our country – my home state of
Kentucky, the mountains of West Virginia and Tennessee, and the other
areas of Appalachia where the practice of mountaintop coal mining has
taken over.
In the midst of their giant lakes of coal sludge that sometimes burst
without warning, their constant dynamiting that shakes homes from
their foundations, their transformation of forested mountain ranges
into flat, gravel-covered moonscapes, and their contamination of well
water and aquifers, coal companies engage in the practice of “valley
fill” – our reason for being here today.
For years, the Corps of Engineers has routinely issued permits to coal
companies in the Southeast and Appalachia, allowing them to fill
valleys and waterways with “overburden” from their
mountaintop-removal coal extraction operations. Overburden, along with
coal sludge, are the byproducts of extracting and washing coal, before
shipping it to electric generating plants around the country. EPA
officials, residents living in the shadows of the mines and citizen
groups have questioned the validity and legality of the Corp’s
decision to issue such permits -- permits for an activity that dumps
mining waste into the region’s streams, rivers and valleys. Hundreds
of millions of tons of industrial mining byproduct are pushed into the
valleys surrounding coal extraction sites, to date, burying over 1,500
miles of headwater streams in West Virginia and my home state. Valley
fills destroy the spawning grounds that support our recreational
fishing industry, they contaminate our drinking water and they trash
our thriving tourist industry that relies on the natural beauty of our
area.
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In
April, a Federal District Court judge finally brought some
needed attention to this issue by ruling that the Corps’
practice of issuing valley fill permits violates Congress’
intent in the Clean Water Act and its restrictions on using
waterways for industrial waste disposal. The Administration’s
recent attempt to circumvent the Clean Water Act by rewriting
the rules to define coal extraction waste as “fill” is a
nice gesture to their friends in the industry. But it clearly
exceeds the Administration’s legal authority granted under
the Act. Such a gesture cannot alter the meaning of the LAW. I
urge you to make this clear to the President and his
agencies.
The bottom line is that we have an industry that has thrived,
not from honest business practices in a free market, but from
passing its real costs to the people of Appalachia and the
rest of the United States… with subsidies in the form of
illegal permits from the Corps of Engineers and other agencies
that are supposed to protect us. Ending the practice of valley
fills and making coal companies manage their industrial waste
like any other industry is not about hugging trees and
worshipping mountains. It’s about making coal compete for
our energy dollar on an equal playing field with natural gas,
hydroelectric, solar and wind. It’s about recognizing that
WE own the streams and rivers of this country and that WE own
the fish and other resources in those waterways. Destroying
the rivers, the fisheries, the forests and the mountains
through irresponsible coal extraction, as well as the
coal-produced acid rain deposition in your home state, Mr.
Chairman, is no different than kicking down the doors of our
homes and walking out with an armful of our valuables –
theft is theft.
I am not a scientist, but I do know what I’ve seen on
flights over the coalfields. The historic resources that
sustained Daniel Boone, the original Cherokees and generations
of mountain people are being converted on a mammoth scale into
flat, lifeless plateaus. The first time I flew over the area
at 5,000 feet, I thought I would see a few scarred peaks.
Instead, I saw the entire horizon filled with mountains with
their tops blown off, huge lakes of toxic sludge and piles of
waste filling every valley around the mines.
I came here today to bring attention to an Administration
policy and a Corps of Engineers practice on valley fills that
is completely misguided and gives no consideration to the
lives of generations to come. When I move back home to raise a
family on my farm in Kentucky, I want my kids to be able to
fish and swim in the same places I grew up. I ask you, our
leaders, to look beyond the political clout of the coal lobby
and do what’s right for the forgotten Appalachian
region.
In closing, I would like to personally invite each of you to
take a flight with me over the coalfields and see firsthand
how our future is being robbed.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your invitation to speak before
the committee and your willingness to bring this difficult
issue to light.
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Voinovich
to boycott pop star's testimony
back up
Source: The Plain Dealer
By: Elizabeth Auster, Plain Dealer Bureau, Washington
- Sen. George Voinovich insists he has nothing against pop stars like
the Backstreet Boys. Or supermodels like Christie Brinkley. He's just
tired of politicians fawning all over them, he says.
So today, the Ohio Republican will make his stand. He plans to boycott
a Senate hearing where Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys is
scheduled to testify on the dangers of mountaintop coal mining.
"It's just a joke to think that this witness can provide members
of the United States Senate with information on important geological
and water quality issues," Voinovich said in a written statement.
"We're either serious about the issues or we're running a
sideshow. Someone needs to make up their mind."
Vicki Hanna, a spokeswoman for the star, said that perhaps it is
Voinovich who is "misinformed and isn't very well-educated on
what Kevin has been doing on this issue."
Hanna noted that Richardson, a native Kentuckian, has established an
environmental foundation and recently flew over coal-mining areas to
learn more about mountaintop mining.
The practice involves stripping away the tops of mountains to extract
coal.
"Kevin is a smart celebrity," said Hanna.
"He's grown up in the area. It's his home. He cares deeply about
the people and he just wants to do anything he can to help. Getting
people to talk about the issue is a great start."
Richardson is expected to criticize the Bush administration at the
hearing and at a news conference later today for allowing debris from
coal mines to be deposited near streams.
Voinovich said that he, too, has "serious concerns" about
the environmental impact of mountaintop mining.
Nonetheless, Voinovich called Richardson's appearance a "media
stunt" and said it is "part of a disturbing trend" by
the panel's Democratic leaders to call celebrity witnesses.
He noted that Brinkley, the supermodel, testified earlier this year on
nuclear energy.
A spokesman for Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Democratic chairman of the
panel running today's hearing, said he thinks it is wise to "hear
from a wide range of voices."
For his part, Voinovich took pains to make clear that he doesn't
object in every case to musicians lending their voices to serious
causes.
He said that U2 singer Bono, who recently traveled to Africa with
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, has become an expert on debt relief
and international development.
"I pushed hard to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to
Cleveland. This isn't about music, it's about substance," said
Voinovich.
"Even if this guy [Richardson] was a polka musician, I would
still object to him."
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No
Harmony at Senate Hearing with Backstreet Boys
back up
Source: Yahoo! News
Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson hit a wrong note with a
Republican senator when the Kentucky-born singer urged Congress on
Thursday to crack down on coal mining pollution.
Ohio Sen. George Voinovich said he boycotted a meeting of the Senate
Environment subcommittee to protest Richardson's testimony on
mountaintop mining waste.
The senator refused to attend on the grounds that Democratic leaders
of the panel invited Richardson "to make a media stunt out of
what is a serious issue," a Voinovich spokesman said.
Richardson found himself more in tune with female fans who packed the
hearing room and applauded after his testimony opposing a Bush
administration plan allowing coal companies to plow Appalachian mining
waste into river valleys and streams.
Richardson, who also founded the Just Within Reach Foundation, an
environmental education group, testified against the effects of
mountaintop mining in his home state of Kentucky.
"I am not a scientist, but I do know what I've seen on flights
over the coalfields," said the singer.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the Democratic chairman of the
panel, shrugged off the boycott.
"Senator Voinovich and I were obviously not in sync,"
Lieberman quipped at the hearing, referring to the competing boy band
'N Sync (news - web sites).
Voinovich, whose home state includes the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame,
didn't listen to Richardson's testimony but he did compliment the
singer's fashion sense. "He had a very nice cotton suit on,"
a spokesman for the senator said.
Richardson was the latest in a series of celebrities to appear before
congressional panels, including actors like Julia Roberts and Michael
J. Fox.
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