I once overheard someone say something about the city of Paris along the lines of: “Ah Paris, you either love it or hate it.” It stuck with me, that assertion, and over time I came to believe in its accuracy. No one was ever on the fence— comme ci, comme ça—about Paris; people really did either seem to love it or hate it. Over time, it also came to me that the same could be said for any number of things: Brussels sprouts, roller coasters, Dostoyevsky.

When I recently learned I’d be interviewing A-lister—sorry, A+ lister—Katherine Heigl, however, and started poking around to get a better sense of who she is as a person, one thing swiftly dawned on me. Katherine Heigl is nothing like Paris or Brussels sprouts. Everyone—no, really, everyone—loves her. One of the few names on a short list of big stars no one seems to have any of the proverbial dirt on, Heigl has occupied a special place in the hearts of fans for well over a decade, appearing in some of this generation’s favourite hits on the big and small screen alike. But for a woman loved by everyone, she herself famously expresses unabashed disdain for one thing—make that two things—with her much-forwarded Funny or Die mockumercial. A viral clip that shot around the Internet at breakneck speeds, IHateBalls.com serves as the forum for an undeniably effective pro-spay/neuter campaign.
In what is arguably one of the most memorable pieces of animal overpopulation-control communication ever, she sarcastically tells viewers: “A lot of people say to me ‘Katherine, you promote neutering so much, you must really love animals.’ I’m like: ‘Yeah, they’re okay, I guess. But the real reason I’m so pro-neutering is… I hate balls.”

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New Line and Warner Bros. will debut the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the ensemble sequel New Year’s Eve on May 1, 2012.

New Year’s Eve is the followup to the hugely successful film Valentine’s Day from director Gary Marshall. Like Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve is all about intertwining love connections and stars seemingly half of Hollywood: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhammel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelel Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara.

The Blu-ray version of New Year’s Eve will come packaged with the DVD and UltraViolet versions as well. Expect a 1080p 1.85:1 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio presentation. Bonus features are set to include:

Audio Commentary with Garry Marshall
The Magic of Times Square
New Year’s Eve Secrets of the Stars
Jon Bon Jovi & Lea Michele Rock New Year’s Eve
Deleted Scenes with Garry Marshall
Gag Reel

Heigl says she wasn’t really a mystery fan but found herself hooked on Evanovich’s books.

“Stephanie is fun. She’s just got this great wacky sense of humor and a way of seeing people and the world that is very light and fun,” she says. “She just sort of rolls with the punches, and you just can’t help but like her and want to be like her.”

When asked how she would want to be like her character, Heigl says, “I think that she’s kind of effortlessly beautiful and sexy and doesn’t try. Every woman wants to be effortlessly beautiful and sexy.”

Hard to believe that Heigl, who has graced too many magazine covers to count, has to think about being effortlessly beautiful and sexy. But she’s also well aware that being in the public eye is a lot of work and being a young leading lady – as her mother reminds her – doesn’t last forever.

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Photoshoots: 2012: Session 5