Selena Gomez flashes her string-of-pearls smile and black-olive eyes as 3,000 fans give her a rock-star welcome Monday at the King of Prussia Mall. Gomez, the recording sensation, star of the Disney TV series The Wizards of Waverly Place, and anchor of the Fox mistaken-identity comedy Monte Carlo (opening Friday), is buoyed by the shout-out. With self-assurance and self-doubt in dizzyingly equal proportions, Gomez, 18, is walking the tightrope from teen idol toward mature stardom in five-inch heels, struggling against the perception she's just a "Disney girl." If fan love alone were all it required, Gomez would be there already. "I come from Disney World and am not taken seriously," Gomez explains matter-of-factly Monday afternoon before her triumph at the Mall.
"It inspires me when moms tell me they want their girls to be sassy and stand up for what they believe in, like [her Wizards character] Alex." Gomez deals with "the negativity and rejection" that she faces from casting agents and from the haters on Facebook the old-fashioned way - with affirmations. "It's such a funny thing, how nothing's funny when it's you," go the lyrics to Gomez's "Who Says," her epically relatable song about bouncing back from put-downs. After Barney, she did some Disney shows before ultimately getting cast in Wizards at 14. Gomez dated Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Lautner (Twilight's Jacob) before keeping company with pop sensation Justin Bieber. When designers approached her to launch her Dream Out Loud line of clothing, Gomez was psyched. The kids in Ghana want to go to school, want homework, want to learn."
If she had the power, she says, "I'd build schools in Ghana." While her own songs are for the most part mood-elevating, Gomez isn't the type of music lover who uses songs to lift her spirits. I'll listen to Death Cab for Cutie or 'More Like Her' by Miranda Lambert." Gomez's edge in Ramona and Beezus and in Monte Carlo, where she has a dual role as a down-home Texas girl mistaken for a spoiled heiress, distinguishes her from the sunshine overdrive of many teen stars. "In Ramona and Beezus, we saw this other side to her," observes Siminoff, who is betting that Gomez has the resources to play three-dimensional characters. "Not everything is a happy ending," Gomez reflects.
Selena Gomez was back onstage and appeared to be in much better health on Monday (June 13). The Disney star spent the weekend recovering after being hospitalized last Thursday in Los Angeles for a combination of food poisoning and exhaustion.
The 18-year-old singer/actress took the stage for a performance at the Santa Monica Place mall Monday afternoon, wearing a flowing, white blouse over a white tank top, black shorts, and black strappy heels. Gomez and her band, the Scene, played two of her hit songs, "Who Says" and "A Year Without Rain," to cheers from the crowd. Gomez thanked her fans profusely for coming out to see her and for their support, especially in the last few days. She also apologized for missing her original appearance, which had been scheduled for this past Friday.
"I want to thank you so much for coming. If you guys came on Friday, I'm so sorry that I couldn't be here," she said before the band struck up the first few notes of "Who Says." "I love you guys very much."
Although Gomez didn't do any crazy dance moves or flips, she performed each song with plenty of energy. Her voice sounded strong and steady. At the end of the second song, the teen star answered a few questions from fans in the audience, mostly pegged to her experience filming the upcoming movie "Monte Carlo," around which the event was organized.
Gomez did take a brief moment to assure her fans (and the throng of reporters also gathered) that she's feeling just fine. "I'm feeling much better, thank you," she said.
Justin Bieber has flaunted some PDA with Selena Gomez on live television. The "Baby" hitmaker was announced as the winner of Top New Artist at 2011 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night, May 22, but before he got on stage to accept the trophy, he was caught on camera sharing a quick kiss with his songstress girlfriend.
The 17-year-old singer collected a total of seven kudos on the special night. Before the show was kicked off, he had already nabbed Top Social Artist, Top Streaming Artist, Top Pop Album and Top Streaming Song (Video). During the ceremony, he was presented with Digital Artist of the Year and Fan Favorite Award in addition to the New Artist gong.
After his big wins, Justin made time to speak with the press backstage. During the Q&A session, he was asked if kissing Selena was the best prize of the night. To the question, he replied, "She's amazing." He went on to add that the best moment "was seeing my mom's eyes and how proud she is." The pop sensation also admitted that he was most proud of winning Top New Artist.
The "Never Say Never" additionally unraveled that he is taking a month off before starting to work on his next album. Of the effort, he shared his hopes for it to have songs with "meaning and significance." He added, "I want to focus on myself and get into what I'm feeling."
Getting a Congratulatory Kiss From Selena Gomez:
