Today i met with Kim Taylor Bennett, a fixture on all the red carpets in London.
She has interviewed movie stars from Jennifer Lopez to Russell Crowe for her show "From The Red Carpet." Kim also writes for Time Out, The Fader, The Observer and Nylon in between!
So Kim you must be so busy! Any tips on how you keep on top of everything?
I'm the most disorganised person ever - my desk, my wardrobe, my room - all a massive mess! I guess the best thing is making sure you have everything written down in a diary so you know exactly what's going on. My unofficial P.A. (boyfriend) provides valuable backup.
Who have you met recently who's left you star struck?
My most recent interviewee was Russell Crowe for Robin Hood. I had to wait for three hours to get five minutes with him at a film junket. That much waiting time makes me super nervous and anxious so when I got in there I was a little on edge. The first half our chat went well and then I asked him one question and he was totally not into it. From then on in it went down hill and I wanted to escape ASAP. Sometimes these things happen and I have to remind myself to take a deep breath and just get on with my job.
When I interviewed Jennifer Aniston I was totally stunned by how amazing her body was. 41 years old! I couldn't believe it. But I think Bruce Willis had the most star power - he was really measured, unhurried and charismatic and most importantly he wasn't afraid to poke fun at himself.
On the red carpet are you a heels or flats girl?
Heels all the way. Not only do they make you stand up straighter but it's good to have some extra height above those around you when you're trying to nab an actor on their way down the carpet.
Any tips you're willing to share about looking good on the red carpet?
I'm still working this out. I don't really wear that much make up normally, but it's astonishing how much you have to slap on when you're on camera so that you don't look totally washed out.
When you're not at the latest film premier - whats your ideal night out / in?
Going out would definitely be having sushi for dinner and then going to a gig and dancing around with friends.
Nothing beats dancing badly. I love it.
Staying in - a massive dinner with friends and hanging out till late. This inevitably also leads to bad dancing.
What advice would you give to anyone who wanted to pursue a journalistic career?
I got my first job on a magazine by doing loads of work experience and making sure that I kept in touch with at least one person at the mag or paper so that I could hit them up for work in the future.
When you're doing work experience just make sure you're efficient, practical and interested.
These days if you want to write - start a blog and get writing. Or if you want to present - put together a show and whack it up on youtube. Radio? Do a podcast. It's all useful experience. People want to see a portfolio of work and they want to see that you're motivated enough to get off your ass and do stuff yourself.
Also i've heard your a fan of fancy-dress! Whats your fancy - dress outfit of choice?
My God! I LOVE fancy dress. To the point where I have incorporated this into my red carpet events on occasion. My first ever premiere was Shrek the Third and I was so nervous. The red carpet was actually green and I suddenly thought - what if I painted my face green? That would be a talking point and it'd break the ice.
A few days before I'd dressed up as a green hedge for a party (the theme was disguise), and I knew the place where I bought the facepaint was round the corner from Leicester Sq so I went and bought some more and it really worked. Justin Timberlake, Mike Myers and Antonio Banderas all stopped by for a chat.
Similarly I dressed up as Marge Simpson for the Simpsons premiere. When you don't look like yourself I think sometimes it can give you a confidence that helps in that situation.
My personal favourite outfit though is a spider. I used to be the editor of the CDUK website and for the Halloween episode the wardrobe department made Lauren Laverne a hairy spider costume with six legs made of coat hangers covered in furry fabric. After the show Lauren let me have it and it's served me well. You get really sweaty, you smell a bit like a wet dog, you knock over drinks and accidentally grope everyone at the party, but it's brilliant. (see attached)
More about Kim here!
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