You love her as Veronica, the feisty, sexy next door neighbor and best friend to those incorrigible Gallagher's on Showtime's hit dramedy Shameless. The outrageous Shanola Hampton joins Jamey Giddens and Luke Kerr on this episode of the Pop Confidential Podcast!

Tune in to hear the striking, mocha-hued, dreadlocked thespian reveal how she managed to nab the scene-stealing role of V, which is played by a white actress in the original U.K. version of Shameless. Does she think it's getting better for actresses of color in Hollyweird?

Listen as Hampton shares a laugh-out-loud story about what happened when a fan recognized her as the uninhibited Veronica, and decided to admonish her about her character's onscreen sexual antics with hubby Kev, played by Steve Howey! Speaking of Howey, you'll want to hear this funny lady talk about the first time they worked together—on the WB series Reba—and what special memento they brought to their Shameless set from the hit sitcom. How did Howey feel about having Hampton wielding gardening shears at his junk in a recent episode of Shameless? Only one way to find out, and that's to tune in!

The podcast takes a soapy twist when Hampton reveals she grew up watching General Hospital, One Life to Live, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless with her Southern grandmother. Find out which soap seductress she thinks is a much bigger ho than Hampton's Shameless character!  Hear how she reacted to Sonny and Brenda's latest love meltdown, as well as how she feels about the revolving door of Carlys on General Hospital. Learn the six degrees of soaperation between All My Children supercouple Jesse and Angie and Veronica’s mom on Shameless.

How does Hampton feel about playing essentially the moral center and voice of reason for Fiona and her wild siblings? Are she and Fiona's portrayer Emmy Rossum and the rest of the Shameless cast, as close offscreen as they are on? You'll have to download the interview to find out all of this and much more!

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Luscious Jackson, the alternative rock group most known for their songs “Naked Eye” and "Lady Fingers,” has returned with their first new material since 1999’s Electric Honey. When the group debuted in 1993, they did so under the wing of The Beastie Boys;  today comprised of Jill Cunniff, Gabby Glaser and Kate Schellenbach, Luscious Jackson is back, and releasing their music in a new and independent way.  
 
I recently caught up with lead vocalist and bassist, Cunniff for Pop Confidential. We discussed the long-awaited reunion, kids and “‘90s Nostalgia.” 

Pop Confidential: A couple months ago I was driving home and I found "Naked Eye" on and the radio, a song I always loved.  Then, just when I thought things couldn't get anymore awesome, it led into an interview about your reunion! How did all that come about; it had something to do with a children's album, right?
 
Jill Cunniff:  Well, we did most of a children's album a few years back and tried to make a TV show kind of like Yo Gabba Gabba, but it didn't come together.  So we ended up putting the album on the shelf, not knowing exactly how to get it out besides just throwing it on iTunes.  This was before social media was really booming. Now we have a base of fans that we can turn to and say,” new release” or “new song.”  We didn't have that then. So, recently Gabby came to me and started talking about how all the kids in her neighborhood love the songs on the kids album, so let's finish it.  At the same time I got a call about Pledge Music, which is a crowd sourcing funding site for musicians.  We decided to do a whole new album of non-children's material to go along with the pledge drive. We are also finishing up the kids album.  The drive is at Pledge Music. READ MORE

It may be the dead of winter, but it's summertime in Chicago on Showtime's outrageous, hit dramedy Shameless. Only two episodes into the raunchy, comic sudser's second season and we're more hooked on the antics of Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) and his dysfunctional brood than ever before!

So far we've seen Frank get youngest son Liam (Brennan Kane Johnson and Blake Alexander Johnson) kidnapped by thugs and romancing a dying woman called "Butterface"; Fiona (Emmy Rossum) working at a hip club with pal Veronica (Shanola Hampton), screwing a Jimmy Bot and fending off married men; Lip (Jeremy Allen White) being jealous of the new boyfriend Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins) picked up at Sex Addicts Anonymous; Ian (Cameron Monaghan) wanting to get into West Point, that is, when he isn't banging a recently-sprung, juvenile delinquent Mickey (Noel Fisher) all over town; Debbie (Emma Kenney) running an illegal daycare and dealing with puberty by demanding her own room and of course, little Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) trying to set things on fire. Let's not forget about neighbor Kev (Steve Howey), who has kept busy selling drugs and booze to kids out of an ice cream truck with Lip and growing super marijuana plants with his fresh-from-a-polygamous cult foster daughter. Who says there's no more quality family programming on television?     

"The hot weather brings out the mischief in everyone, even Sheila," promises Andrew Stearn, president of John Wells Productions and one of Shameless' executive producers, referencing Frank's agoraphobic girlfriend and Karen's mom, played to the hilt by Joan Cusack. "She will find herself in an interesting 'relationship."

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Eve Myles, the in demand Welsh actress and Gwen Cooper, the top secret Torchwood agent, tasked with keeping mankind safe from sinister, extraterrestrial threats—alongside her dashing, usually immortal, omnisexual pal Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman)—have more in common than their looks.

After a revealing chat with Myles, who brought her iconic character across the pond in Starz and BBC's joint production of Torchwood: Miracle Day, I learned when it comes to balancing work and motherhood (Myles and partner Bradley Freegard welcomed daughter Matilda Myles Freegard in 2009), whether said work is temporarily relocating to Hollywood for a high profile acting gig or trying to solve "The Miracle," it's all about looking at the bigger picture.

Pop Confidential: Gwen has had an incredibly emotional journey so far in Torchwood: Miracle Day. Not only is she trying to save the world, but also her family, often times at cross purposes. As a mother in real-life have you ever wondered what you would do if you found yourself in Gwen Cooper’s particularly badass shoes?

Eve Myles: No [Pauses] [Laughs]. I don’t actually think I can phrase that any stronger. Absolutely, not. I find it very difficult, I mean I just finished work maybe half an hour ago, from doing 13 hours today, and every second of it aches my body when I’m away from my little girl. On the other hand, I’m working an hour up the road, doing a little drama, whereas Gwen Cooper has to see the bigger picture and save the world—for her little girl—everyday. If she doesn’t do what she does to the best of her ability, well then her little girl will suffer in the end. Unfortunately for Gwen Cooper, she doesn’t have a choice. She has to go ahead and kick ass. Fortunately for the human race Gwen Cooper and Jack Harkness are on their side [Laughs].
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Alexa Havins has come a long way since she was stealing babies from beloved lesbian icons as Babe Carey Chandler on ABC Daytime's All My Children. Even still, the beautiful, talented starlet, with the bubbly, infectious laugh, certainly hasn't forgotten where she got her start, or where she met the man who would become her husband and baby daddy (Daughter Lexington was born Aug. 9, 2010), then-costar Justin Bruening, who played Jamie Martin opposite Havins on the soap opera.

Havins then gets personal about how it felt to learn the soap opera that not only gave the young actress her start, but essentially her family, was being cancelled, only to be saved by the Internet at the eleventh hour. With so many big name alums like Josh Duhamel and Eva La Rue returning to Pine Valley before the All My Children picture book closes on network TV, will Havins and Bruening be returning as Babe and Jamie? After she answers that, Havins gives us a sneak peek at tonight's sure-to-be exciting episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Pop Confidential: Congratulations on the strong debut ratings for Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Alexa Havins: You know I was curious, I just said to my husband, “I wonder how the numbers did and I don’t know what the ratings are,” so you’re the first to tell me [Laughs].

PC: I think they were 1.5 million?

AH: For cable that’s really good!

PC: Yeah, they were good.

AH: I don’t know what they’re aiming for, but you know what? It’s one of those interesting situations to be in a show that’s not like a new debut, but in a way it is new to many people stateside, so it’s interesting to see.

PC: I think I read somewhere that it matched the highest rated original scripted debut for Starz.

AH: Oh fantastic! Then they’re happy [Laughs]! That’s good, so then it won’t be uncomfortable when I see everyone at Comic-Con [Laughs]!

PC: Nope! What has it been like becoming part of the whole Dr. Who/Torchwood universe?

AH: It’s interesting to be part of a show that has such a strong legacy. I mean we all know how long Dr. Who’s been with us, and since [Torchwood creator] Russell [ T. Davis] did the revamp. The second the job offer came around I was really enticed at the opportunity to 1.) be a part of Torchwood and 2.) just to work with Russell and John [Barrowman] and Eve [Myles]. So without question, it’s a place, especially for a newcomer, to just jump in and be a part of the team and just be a part of the ride. It’s pretty mind boggling. It’s a little surreal. READ MORE

Beyonce famously sang, "If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it." Well from where I'm blogging, I'm glad a few bruthas have a hard time doing so, because if they didn't we probably wouldn't have one of my new not-so-guilty pleasures, VH1's sinfully-addictive dramedy Single Ladies. I caught up with the hilarious, talented and heartfelt Stacy A. Littlejohn, who created the groundbreaking series about three sexy women living and loving in Atlanta.

I also find out how much of the stories of Val (Stacey Dash), Keisha (LisaRaye McCoy) and April (Charity Shea) are inspired by the lives of Littlejohn and her real-life pals. Then I get Littlejohn to tease tonight's episode of Single Ladies, as well as fellow executive producer Queen Latifah's much buzzed about, upcoming guest stint. 

Pop Confidential: Single Ladies is a smash hit for VH1. Congratulations! How does it feel to be the creative force behind such a groundbreaking series for basic cable?

Stacy A. Littlejohn: Thank you! I’m very honored and flattered by the good response we’re getting. People are really enjoying the show, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s like, “Wow, people really like it!” and so yeah, it just puts a smile on my face every day. It makes all the long nights and 90-hour weeks for months at a time worth it.

PC: And the show is doing well in the ratings.

SL: The ratings have been good. They’re extremely happy with the ratings at VH1. You know, of course I always want more. I want more people to come and for it to really catch on. I want a wider audience, and that’s “W-I-D-E-R” not “whiter.”

PC: Right [Laughs]!

SL: Well, a "whiter" audience would be good too, because that would make it wider [Laughs], but I would just really love for it to catch on all over, with all cultures. It’s not just meant to be for black girls. It’s meant to be for everybody, so I am happy with the numbers, but as a showrunner, you want more, more, more, more, more!
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