You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to fight my way up.

If you live through the initial stage of fame and get past it, and remember thats not who you are. If you live past that, then you have a hope of maybe learning how to spell the word artist.

What winning is to me is not giving up, is no matter what's thrown at me, I can take it. And I can keep going.

If I leave this Earth, I want to leave this Earth just knowing I've tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself.

The Cancer Society here in Nova Scotia is doing nothing, and money is being wasted. I would love to get my hands on the people in Halifax.

In my opinion, real reform, which lowers costs and ensures all Americans get the quality, affordable health care that they deserve, cannot be accomplished without a robust public option.

With my friends in Brooklyn, many of them started out as artists. I saw many of these friends move into late middle age, still struggling without health insurance or a cushion. I saw people who had given up being artists. Being an artist necessitates a compromise or living on the edge.

I invested a lot in my fitness.