Ten years ago it was really difficult for a young actress to walk onto a set and disagree with the director and having that be OK and have a conversation about it and everyone be cool with it.

I have been in teen shows for years so doing that stuff - kissing - is kind of commonplace and not a big deal. It was way more cool just because it was Meg Ryan.

I don't think a show's ever changed networks in the middle of the season before but it was cool because they gave us those extra couple years of life that was necessary to get us to syndication.

For years I have been going to the South of France to cool out.

That was really cool. I got to kiss a little boy. I was 7 and he was 10 and his name is Thomas Curtis. He was the first boy I've ever kissed in my entire life and he was three years older than me.

I love the song 'El Rey.' And for years I never knew what the song was totally about. It was something new for me. I'd never sung a song in Spanish before. Then I got the translation and saw what a really cool song it was.

If a musician wants to be an actor everyone thinks that's pretty cool. But if an actor wants to play a song even if they've been doing it for 40 years that's bad news.

When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that my relevance as a composition teacher would benefit from a certain cool distance to certain tendencies I had been observing for several years with increasing disquiet.

Even in high school I had friends that I didn't know were gay until years later. I'd find out on Facebook or something and be like 'Oh that explains some things ' or 'Wow no wonder they were so cool.'

As tempting as it seems to wear tennis shoes with your tux don't do it. I think it looks ridiculous. If you're 14 years old maybe give it a shot. In general don't portray anything that says 'I'm too cool and I don't care.'