Don't Call Me Diva - Edmonton Journal Mar 07, 08'

[Jagscupid]

Don't buy bad-girl hype, Lavigne says

If you believe the volumes of gossip written about pop star Avril Lavigne, her life is in utter shambles.

Maybe, maybe not. But we're taking Lavigne at her word. The product of Napanee, Ont., maintains she is not, as reported, pregnant with her first child, nor does she act like a power-hungry diva. She rebukes claims that she steals from other artists -- a pair of whom sued her -- and dearly loves her fans.

(Lavigne says it was a production glitch, and not a reported bout of spoiled-brat behaviour, that caused a free outdoor concert in Vancouver to start an hour late in December.)

In short, and with due respect to the Public Enemy tune of the same name -- Lavigne says don't believe the hype.

"A lot of people have said a lot of negative things about me, and I can give you my word that the majority of stuff you hear is false," she said from her Los Angeles home.

"That breaks my heart. Thousands and millions of people hear these stories, and they are not true, and I'm portrayed a certain way.

I swear to God, people meet me and they're like, 'I thought you were going to be a bitch, I thought your were going to bite my head off.' And I'm not a bitch. But certain people make me look like one.

"I'm totally shy, but people read that the wrong way. I don't walk around with a pearly white smile with big-ass white teeth; that's not me. I'm mellow."

Her so-named Best Damn Tour, which stops Wednesday in Edmonton, is Lavigne's biggest production to date -- incorporating everything from a moving stage to a pre-recorded cover version of Joan Jett's Bad Reputation, which will be broadcast over a giant LCD screen during one of her many costume changes.

"I've had to put so much into this, more than any of my other concerts. There is more going on, the staging is different, there's videos, there's dancers. It's a bigger production. I want it to be really good, so I've been working (at it.)"

Lavigne, 23, has been under intense media scrutiny since her 2002 debut, Let Go, which hit store shelves when she was just 17. The recording was an instant success, and won Lavigne a pair of MTV Awards, four Juno Awards and four Grammy Award nominations. It has since sold 16 million copies worldwide.

The recording made Lavigne an instant millionaire, and the hits keep on coming. Thanks to the success of her third album, Best Damn Thing, Lavigne earned $12 million in 2007, according to Forbes magazine. But with that price tag come unheard-of expectations for a young performer.

She has occasionally fizzled under the heat of the limelight, be it brushes with paparazzi (whom she spat on) or occasionally unconvincing live performances. Still, Lavigne says she never had trouble dealing with her own celebrity.

"I think it comes down to what kind of head you have on your shoulders. You can get really caught up in things. I came out when I was 17, and was right-off-the-bat successful. Being a kid, and being in the public and being talked about ... I'm fine. Different people deal with things differently."

For many, Britney Spears has become a cautionary tale on how not to deal with fame, and Lavigne has said elsewhere she feels truly sorry for how the former teen queen's life has unravelled. Lavigne says she discovered early on who not to trust, something Spears is still grappling with.

"This is a really crazy business, and there's a lot of slimy people, a lot of fake people. I've always kept a really good team around me. I'm smart. I have a gut feeling. I know when there is a bad person around, and I get very strong feelings. I always follow my intuition."

Lavigne's secret is to surround herself with people who have her "best interests at heart." To that end, she hired her brother, Matthew, to be part of her touring road crew, and expected her husband (fellow Canadian Deryck Whibley of rock act Sum 41) to be present at the tour kickoff in Victoria.

The Best Damn Tour is largely her creation, although Lavigne says she had help in all areas. One aspect of Lavigne's life that needs no careful fine-tuning, it could be argued, is her unique gift for a

super-addictive single. Though rumours to the contrary still persist, and lest you think she is the product of high-priced handlers --

Lavigne says think again.

"I am involved in everything. I am the boss. I make every decision, and I am involved in everything.

I run this ship."

[Madina]

It was posted 3 times I think
Thank you anyway

[Jagscupid]

Originally Posted by Madina

It was posted 3 times I think
Thank you anyway

Oh, okay. Someone can delete this thread if they want lol.
Guess our newspaper is late reporting Avril news lol.

[Madina]

haha that's OK
No worries

[iva.vilovic32]

thanks!

[Jimmyzz]

Thanks for the nice picture, thank you!!!!!!

[ohya]

i def cut that out and slapped it on my wall lol

[.omgpinkk-]

haha i posted this too
its on my bedroom wall

[Jimmyzz]

I want to print this photo and hang it on my wall too, lol, seriously though I really do like this photo.