Rosanna Tavarez

From Popstars to Eden's Crush to TV Guide Channel, Rosanna Tavarez proves she knows how to make the most of her opportunities…while having a good time.

PHOTOGRAPHY Montana U.S.A.

YOU WERE “DISCOVERED” BY THE TV SHOW POPSTARS. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO GET ON THAT SHOW?
Popstars was a really unique experience mainly because it was something that I didn't expect to be doing…I was right about to get my master's degree in choreography and dance technology, but I just so happened to be in Miami visiting my parents when I saw an ad in the paper. I just sort of went to the audition on a whim. The experience itself, once I got in the group, was just a crash course in what it's like to be a pop star. I went from being unknown to being relatively well known with a lot of young people. We sold half a million records. We toured with N'SYNC. We toured with Jessica Simpson. It was amazing.

ARE YOU GOING TO FINISH YOUR DEGREE?
I definitely want to get my master's. It has left a hole in my heart, because I put a lot of work into developing a dance career—a modern dance career, not videos and hip-hop. I just had my thesis left; I had to get a choreographic work together. Getting a choreographic work together is not something that happens overnight…But I definitely want to get it. It would be a little tragic for me if I didn't, so I'm going to see when I have the time to do it.

MORE OYE GIRLS:

EVA LONGORIA

JESSICA BURCIAGA

PAM RODRIGUEZ

CLAUDIA MOLINA

JEN JOHNSON

CC FONTANA

NIKKI TORRES

YOU MUST BE A GREAT DANCER. WHAT'S YOUR BEST MOVE?
My best move? Wow...well, I don't know about moves, but I've been told that I've got very fluid hips. [laughs]

YOU MADE IT TO EDEN'S CRUSH ON POPSTARS. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GROUP?
In a nutshell our label fell through, and I think the powers that be foresaw that girl groups and boy groups were not going to be the trend anymore by the end of the year we were together. There was sort of a consensus that we should all move on, so we did.

WHAT'S YOUR ETHNIC BACKGROUND?
I am Dominican. My parents are Dominican. I was born in New York and raised in Miami.

YOU WERE ON THE ON AIR WITH RYAN SEACREST SHOW. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WORKING ON THE SHOW?
I think it was being able to come into contact with really incredibly talented people on an almost daily basis. I mean, I pass by the hallway and there's Janet Jackson. I look over and there's Britany Spears about ten feet away from me doing an interview with Ryan. I interviewed John Travolta, and I love John Travolta. I've been watching John Travolta since I was a little girl. You see the celebrities every day, but when you really come across people that you are a fan of, you sort of just have to be professional and not freak out.

IS RYAN SEACREAST A COOL GUY TO WORK WITH?
It's great watching Ryan because he is very driven. He is really focused. He is a hard worker. Those are lessons that are invaluable, because you have to be that way in order to be in this business. You can't just rest on your laurels, and he is a great example of that.

IS RYAN SEACREST A METRO-SEXUAL?
[Laughs] I think he has admitted to being a metro-sexual, so I wouldn't really be saying anything new.

WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING THAT'S HAPPENED ON THE SET?
I think it was the time when Ryan's face got bitten by Sharon Osborne's dog. It was a Pomeranian. And it is a good lesson, because sometimes dogs can look really cute but they can be very territorial, no matter how small they are. They will bite you in the face, and that's what that dog did.

WHAT DIRECTION DO YOU SEE YOUR CAREER HEADING IN?
If I had to choose one direction? Man...is it bad to think that I want to do it all? Because that would be one answer. But I like to sing, and I like to act. I sort of discovered a passion for acting, so it'd have to be both. I've never been one to choose just one thing.

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?
I have an Xbox and we have this dance game, you know, where the mat is on the floor and you sort of have to keep up with the instructions that it gives you with these arrows. We get together with friends and play the dance game. We kind of get funky. It's really, really funny.

WHAT'S THE QUICKEST WAY TO YOUR HEART?
Creativity. If you want to give me a Hallmark card, obviously, I would be touched. But I'm more touched by somebody who would make a card.

WHERE ON YOUR BODY WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR WEAK SPOT?
It's where I am ticklelish. It's definitely on the side of my ribs. If someone tries to tickle me there I almost get violent.

WHAT CAN YOU NEVER SAY NO TO?
My mother's rice and beans. I could eat that every single day. Rice, beans, and platanos.

WHAT'S THE MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT MEN?
Girls are more apt to say, "Oh, isn't she beautiful?" But you can't expect the same thing from a guy. Women are so much more comfortable giving other women compliments, whereas men kind of feel homophobic about it. They think, Wait a minute I can't say that. That's not right.

LATINO MEN: GIVE ME THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY.
The good: they're handsome and romantic. The bad: they are traditional. And the ugly: the ones that are really macho.

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?
It was running away from my mother who was about to cook it.