Chat Transcript, Taken from Seventeen 

host_17qt: Welcome Jessica Alba! Jessica is currently on the cover of seventeen. Later this year she will be starring in the new TV series produced by James Cameron called Dark Angel. She is here to chat with us for the next hour, so send in all your questions.

jessica_alba_17: Hi everyone!!!!

manolis_varnassinger asks: Jessica, who do you play in your new show Dark Angel and what is the show all about?

jessica_alba_17: I play Max. The show is about a genetically enhanced girl in the year 2030, and it follows her life in San Francisco trying to stay undercover. She is trying to lead a normal life while helping civilians in a kind of communist society.

dj_yanno asks: Montreal, Canada. It has been said that you have french roots, is it true? Do you speak french?

jessica_alba_17: I don't speak french My grandmother was from Chicago and my grandfather was from Montreal on my mom's side

wileetbone asks: At what age did you first get interested in acting?

jessica_alba_17: I've been interested in it my whole life.

dahli9 asks: Do you visit your fan sites (i.e., www.jessica-alba.com)?

jessica_alba_17: I have seen them a few times, and I'm really flattered! I can't believe anyone would spend any kind of time on me because I'm such a dork!! :-)

emmie1569 asks: Hi, i'm emily from Alabama, and i was wondering if you got to meet or hang out with Seth Green during the making of Idle Hands?

jessica_alba_17: Yes I did. He is one of the most entertaining and sweetest guys I have ever met in my life! 24/7!

c_aguilera_fan_2000 asks: How did you get your career started?

jessica_alba_17: I started taking acting classes when I was 11 and I went to a showcase for commercials. I got my first agent when I was 12.

i_luv_u_jessica_31 asks: Hey Jessica, I was wondering if you were seeing someone? And what do you look for in a guy?

jessica_alba_17: I am not seeing anyone right now, and I look for security, intelligence and playfulness.

dahli9 asks: When will Paranoia be released? When will Dark Angel premiere?

jessica_alba_17: Dark Angel will premiere when the millennium shows premiere. Paranoid... I'm not sure, but I am screening it tomorrow. I am not sure when it will be released, though.

dnnewby asks: What do you do in your free time??

jessica_alba_17: I go to dinner with my friends usually. That's probably it. I don't really like going out clubbing. I go out dancing once in a blue moon. My friends and I go shopping and to movies and stuff like that.

sweetart_200 asks: Do you play any sports?

jessica_alba_17: I used to play soccer and softball. I gave them up when I started acting.

live_wire16_1999 asks: What was your favorite acting gig?

jessica_alba_17: I don't know. They were all really great because I learned something from all of them.

Canadian_Cute asks: What was it like working with Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed?

jessica_alba_17: It was AWESOME!!! It was really awesome, because she does everything that we all inspire to do. To be a producer and to be the star in your own movie is incredible, and she is so unbelievably nice and cool. She is just like sunshine -- she is always glowing.

luke_101 asks: How do you jumble acting and school? I have enough problems with college and work. I'd hate to see your schedule!

jessica_alba_17: I graduated when I was 16, and before you are 16, you are required to do 3 hours of school a day on the set.

adriana_alejandro114 asks: Jessica, what was your first kiss like, and who was it with?

jessica_alba_17: My -- I'm so embarrassed -- my first kiss was when I was 7 and it was scandalous because he was 10!! I only did it so he would pick me on our neighborhood baseball team! And, at the time, I thought it was great, but then it sucked because he didn't even pick me!

peterparker_604 asks: Hey Jessica! I think you are a wonderful actress and extremely fine! I was just wondering which CD's you're listening to right now? P.S. if you're ever in Vancouver, I'll take you out for a slurpee =)

jessica_alba_17: That's so sweet... right now I am listening to the new Ben Harper CD and Portishead live. The new Red Hot Chili Peppers CD is really good, and I've been listening to a Dolly Parton Christmas CD!

ciro_20 asks: Hi Jessica! im from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada... Ever try or thought about backpacking to Europe and leaving behind your stardom for a couple of months?

jessica_alba_17: TOTALLY!! And I wanted to do it this upcoming summer!

DELiVerDIs asks: If you weren't an actress, what would you be doing?

jessica_alba_17: Um, panhandling? :-) I'd probably be going to school to learn how to direct and produce, because the whole development of movies blows my mind! It's amazing how you can change someone's entire opinion with film.

DELiVerDIs asks: Do you have any pets?

jessica_alba_17: I have a rotweiller named Sasha.

kicks4everybody asks: What are your family reactions towards your up and coming stardom?

jessica_alba_17: They're really excited, but they're concerned about my safety. They just want me to always stay humble and real, you know?

mfredogrl asks: I'm from Mississippi and I heard you were too?! is that true!? If so, what part? i think thats sooo cool! NOBODY is from Mississippi! LOL

jessica_alba_17: My brother was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, but I was born in California.

amour_romantique asks: Do you have any upcoming projects down the line?

jessica_alba_17: Dark Angel is upcoming (just because I haven't filmed it yet :-) ) I can't do anything else until the Dark Angel dates are secured.

Candee_83 asks: What was the last movie you watched, and how was it?

jessica_alba_17: Hmmmm -- let me think... Gosh, I don't even remember -- it was like 3 weeks ago. Oh -- Fight Club! I loved it; it completely ruined me for like a half hour! Oh right, and Sleepy Hollow! It was so sweet. I loved how they didn't try to make it too real and dramatic. It was really nice.

kiddkris_1999 asks: How often to you respond to mail that fans send you?

jessica_alba_17: I always try to respond, but it is so hard because it goes through my agent, then my manager and then my mother (who makes sure that I don't get anything obscene). So what I do get? I try to reply, but it's hard because I have family stuff and training.

DELiVerDIs asks: What's your most embarrassing moment on the set?

jessica_alba_17: Gosh, there are so many!! All the bad stuff happens to me. Like in Idle Hands, I had to run, and I had so much fake blood on me that I totally slipped on the blood that was on my ballet slipper. I still have scars! Everyone saw me fall, too!

glfromtoronto asks: Do you ever feel like your own personal goals are being dictated to you by the media, your own management, or the industry in general? (GL from Toronto Canada)

jessica_alba_17: Never.

kupono_78 asks: Who do you admire, inside or outside the acting field and why?

jessica_alba_17: I admire, um, anybody who does unselfish things. I just read in a magazine about an older woman who babysits for kids with Cerebral Palsey on weekends for free! I love when people will do such charitable things from the bottom of their hearts for other people.

pit_bull_terrior99 asks: How was it working on the set of The Secret World of Alex Mack?

jessica_alba_17: It was fun, I was young. It was a bunch of kids doing three hours of school, and then going to play on the set for the rest of the day. I love Nickelodeon. I still watch all of the cartoons.

airweazel23 asks: How do you feel to be a role model for many people around not only America, but the whole world too? And because of being a role model, does that factor in to the equation when you are picking parts for movies or television shows?

jessica_alba_17: That's tough. I choose roles completely on whether they touch me or not and whether it will be for complete entertainment value or whether a story needs to be told. In general, I try to be as decent as I know how to be. I'm not mean at all and if people recognize me, I'm honored! It's a huge responsibility, because I know that kids look up to me. I hope that they have strong families, and that they don't only have people in the media to set examples for them.

theprep2001 asks: Was it odd for you playing a 14-year-old on P.U.N.K.S where you were already 18? Did it bring back memories of being a teen?

jessica_alba_17: I was 15 when I did it -- it was only released when I was 18. So it wasn't actually hard.

Darth_Mawl asks: In what way are you genetically enhanced in Dark Angel?

jessica_alba_17: She has sharper senses than most people and she is stronger than most people. She can hold up something that is twice her weight and throw it across the room but she doesn't really understand her strength she learns more about herself as the show progresses. It's not in a wonderwoman kind of way -more realistic.

djwoo asks: What will you be doing on New Years Eve?

jessica_alba_17: I will be with my ladies. :-)

patrick_the_automator asks: Do you ever chat on AOL or any other chat-based services?

jessica_alba_17: No, because I don't have the time. I don't have a computer at home.

emmie1569 asks: Hey Jessica, my friend Elizabeth wants to know if you like cheese?

jessica_alba_17: That's so rad. :-) Yeah, but I actually like soy cheese better. It sounds gross, but I'm lactose intolerant so I can't eat regular cheese. It's really good and no one believes me!!

albagirlfan asks: Hey Jessica. You are my big time idol =) Snaps. Do you like your hair long or short?

jessica_alba_17: I don't know -- I feel more feminine when it is long, but for me, I prefer it short. It's so much easier!

PaulusAurelius asks: What kind of roles do you like to play the most -- comic? Dramatic? (Personally, I'd love to take on any character in Shakespeare!)

jessica_alba_17: I like both, anything that I can do. Anything that I'm attracted to and that I am given the opportunity to do.

jobe594 asks: Did you really ride the motorcycle in Idle Hands, or was it just pulled along?

jessica_alba_17: I'm sorry 1000 times over. I was so nervous, I did it by myself and I looked so stupid. I took motorcycle lessons for Dark Angel, and now I can ride a 500 Ninja, but bikes still petrify me! They are so dangerous.

freshman_g4 asks: Hey Jessica, do you feel that you've missed out on some stuff because of acting?

jessica_alba_17: No, because this is essentially what I wanted to do, you know? Not a lot of people get to do what they want in life.

manolis_varnassinger asks: When do you come home from a hard day at a studio, do you bring these emotions you had to play to your real life?

jessica_alba_17: I try not to and I try to do as much as I can with my family and friends so that I can get away from it.

notredameourlady asks: Notre Dame, Indiana -- What's your idea of a perfect date?

jessica_alba_17: A date with someone that I enjoy -- it doesn't really matter what you do when you're with someone you like.

Merman_seeking_a_Mermaid asks: Jessica, I loved your character on Flipper. Apparently, she longed to be a mermaid. Could you relate to this character at all, and if so, how?

jessica_alba_17: When I was little I always thought that I was a mermaid. I always used to play Little Mermaid. I used to come out of the water and flip my hair and put forks in my hair underwater and I'd sing. But I'm tone deaf, so that doesn't help.

daman611 asks: Hi Jessica! I was wondering is there anyone in Hollywood that would would love to work with? P.S. I think you're beautiful!

jessica_alba_17: Thank you :-) There are a lot of people I'd like to work with. Off the top of my head, Susan Sarandon and John Malkovich.

herseykisses_604 asks: Do you have a crush on any celebs?

jessica_alba_17: John Cusack!I love Say Anything

turtle_23456 asks: Jessica, what are some of your favorite TV shows?

jessica_alba_17: The Simpsons, Frasier, and Rugrats! I love cartoons -- pretty much any cartoon on Nickelodeon. I like Seinfeld reruns. I really liked Action, until they took it off the air.

egyptiansweetheart asks: Do you live on your own or with your parents?

jessica_alba_17: I'm living with my parents for another month.

albagirlfan asks: Did you enjoy playing Kirsten on NBK? That must have been so fun.

jessica_alba_17: It was really fun except I'd come home and I'd still be, like, this big valley girl.

host_17qt: What did you think about the New York Times Magazine article you were featured in?

jessica_alba_17: Um, I don't know -- I really am grateful that Lynn wrote the nice things that she wrote about me.

browneyes83_99_2000 asks: Are you scared about Y2K?

jessica_alba_17: No. I'm scared about the people who actually think it is going to be the end of the world. It's ridiculous.

vutufguy asks: Jessica, have you ever surfed, because I have seen you riding a surfboard in Flipper.

jessica_alba_17: That was one of my very unsuccessful attempts. They had to have people push me onto a wave that wasn't even 3 feet. It was the biggest cheat ever!

Leatherfacehk asks: Do you have any pet peeves? and if so what are they?

jessica_alba_17: Feet on the coffee table next to my coffee cup!! HUGE pet peeve!! The razor being in the same cup as the toothbrushes!!

DELiVerDIs asks: Do you plan on settling down later in life and having kids?

jessica_alba_17: I DEFINITELY do!!! And I want to adopt too, if possible.

jessica_alba_17: Thank you SO much everyone!!

host_17qt: Thanks Jessica. That was great! Bye!

Formen Interview :
Touched by Dark Angel

Yeah, I know. I talk entirely too much about Jessica Alba, especially considering most of those times are when I'm doing Babe of the Day articles for other women. Here's what I figure: if I do this little feature on the show and how it's doing thus far, maybe I'll get it out of my system. But then again, maybe I won't. This also makes up for the fact that the damn World Series preempted this week's episode and will hopefully keep me from going into withdrawal pains. However you look at it, it's another good reason to talk about our newest of female role models and hottest of superheroes, James Cameron's Dark Angel.

Cameron's got a knack for something. It's not dialogue, character development, or deep symbolism… but I know he's got his finger on the pulse of something… Oh wait, I've got it. After that whole run-in with that Titanic thing, he's realized that what his works need isn't witty commentary on contemporary society. No, no, no; that just won't do. What he needs is a mind-bogglingly good looking woman to head things up and draw the right crowd back week after week. No real substance needed, really, not that there's no meat to the show's story; I actually enjoy it. Sure, the basic plot bears an uncanny resemblance to Robert A. Heinlein's Friday novel, but it's also got lots of great futuristic slang (I'm positive the term "down-ass" has been used at least once) and, again, the key element that's going to make the show a staple in Fox's lineup: a phenomenally hot main character.

Call this a bold assertion, but no, I don't think Dark Angel would stand a chance of being picked up by any network without either the draw of Cameron's name or Jessica Alba's beauty. The plot? A bunch of genetically engineered super-soldiers escape while they're kids, and 10 years later, we pick up with the exploits of one of those kids, now all grown up, trying to reunite with her old chums. And it just so happens that the one we're following through life is also the hottest of the bunch. Coincidence? Nah, in Cameron's world that's only reserved for times when stories bear too strong a resemblance to each other.

After setting up a good bit of the back story as to the main character, Max, and her sordid genetic past, we're treated to the thrills of post-electromagnetic pulse Seattle, where the United States is in economic turmoil, mob-like organizations abound, and pretty girls have to resort to burglary to make ends meet. And. of course, she's got to meet a computer hacker who happens to also be a prominent underground activist and a "dreamboat of a guy" (direct quote from someone whose name shall be withheld to cut down on embarrassment). By the second episode, they're already setting up Max as a highly sexual character by giving her a disorder that makes her as horny as a cat in heat for around 24 hours (a sunny day in Seattle, no doubt). If that's not blatantly selling Jessica Alba's sexuality for ratings, then dressing her up in skimpy lingerie and having me cast as a love interest who gets to sleep with her character definitely is. Granted, that's not going to happen, but it could, you just mark my words.

All that having been said, I still wait feverishly for my weekly infusion of Dark Angel, like a lowly genetic purebred addicted to Triptophane. It may not be the highest quality program on television, but it undeniably does what the idiot box was invented to do: entertain me and make me buy more Combos. And if they can do all that while throwing in the guy who played Kubiak on Parker Lewis Can't Lose, then all the better.