Once you meet her in person, it is impossible not to love Mandy
Moore. Think whatever the hell you will about her singing, her acting,
and her songwriting—from the moment she sets that gorgeous gaze upon you and bubbles her gargantuan and
remarkably enthusiastic “hi!” you’re doomed. You adore her, you’re all
hers, and you’re going to become a cheerleader for her cause, no matter
what you believe to be true about yourself, your role in the universe,
or your particular tastes in film and/or music. Trust me, I’ve been
down that strange road.
Check out our recent phone interview. It begins:
“HI, ADRIAN! This is Maaaaaaandy! Hi! I am REALLY excited about
playing Seattle… I love—love—Seattle SO MUCH! I
can’t. Even. Tell you, man!”
Whoa.
I’ve met Mandy Moore three times: twice in the summer of 2004ish,
the night her film Saved! opened the Seattle International
Film Festival, and the Friday night immediately following, when I
caught her partying her then-rather-underage moneymaker off on the
dance floor of a unnamed Seattle gay club (Neighbours). I narked on her
scandalously drinky underagedness in my column, Celebrity I Saw U, the
following week. Good times.
“I had such an awesome time at the Seattle Film Festival
that year… it is SO MUCH better than L.A. or Sundance… it
totally has its own thing going on!”
She remembers! And lies!
The third time Miss Moore and I had a friendly “how ya durrin?” was,
well, just right now kinda, via phone, as she sped off to tape an
appearance on an episode of How I Met Your Mother, that
wretched CBS sitcom starring the likes of Doogie fricking Howser and
Willow from Buffy. (Ugh.)
“So, Mandy! Tell me what’s going on?!” says I.
“I’m just getting ready to tape How I Met Your Mother! It’s
reeeallly funny,” answers The Moore.
“Oh… How I Met Your Mother!” Ugh. “CBS!” Ugh. “Yeah,
um… awesome!” Really. Ugh.
But questionable sitcoms are far from the most exciting thing in
Miss Mandy Moore’s life. She’s just busted out with Wild Hope,
her first CD release in two years, and she’s counting on this little
chunk of her all-grown-up-now heart to bridge the gap between a
teenybopping-cover-artist-bubblegum yesterday and the hopeful tomorrow
of a serious songstress. She begins her seven-month coast-to-coast tour
with certified serious songstress Paula Cole at the Crystal Ballroom in
Portland, and a couple nights later she plays the Showbox in Seattle.
She’ll be drawing material only from the new album, so I ask her,
“Mandy! Tell me about your new release!”
“I’ve worked so hard on it, Adrian. I’ve never cared about an album
like this before. It’s really very important to me. It’s very organic
and kinda ‘folky’—it’s my first real native effort and it’s
definitely my favorite. I helped co-write every song over two
and a half years! That’s a long time.”
Indeed. Although Mandy never quite seemed to amass the
out-of-control success of some contemporaries, it’s impossible to deny
that she has matured like vintage vino while some (ahem, Britney,
Lindsay) have gone as rancid as buckets of Three Buck Chuck. And she is
very aware of how valuable staying power can be.
“When people in the late 1990s started looking at these crazy
poptarts and wondering which one would kind of fade and be crawling
back to where she came from, I don’t think people were looking at
Britney. But I think I’ve made good choices and been very, very
lucky.”
Indeed. Aside from the super hotties she’s dated—Wilmer
Valderrama and (OMG!) tennis player Andy Roddick—The Moore has
remained practically invisible to the tabloid press. And even young
love is on hold for the moment.
“I’m a single girl now. With this tour, I have WAY too much going
on, so many elements to consider and so much work to do, this isn’t a
wise time to have a boyfriend,” she tells me.
“Mandy, what would be the apex of your life? What is your ultimate
dream?”
“Oh, man alive! I’ve always wanted to play Adelaide in Guys and
Dolls. And to host SNL. That would be INCREDIBLE… a
dream come true. I love SNL!
Adelaide? Guys and Dolls? SNL? “Man
alive?” There is no use denying it. You will love Mandy Moore.
Love her! 
