UP CLOSE 05

JODIE SWEETIN'S A SENIOR!

It's official - the "Full House" girls have grown up! If you're used to watching the show in syndication, you might not be aware of how much these TV sisters have changed since the series finale. As any Celebrity Sightings surfer can tell you, Candace Cameron Bure (DJ Tanner) is now happily married and the mother of a beautiful baby girl named Natasha. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (Michelle Tanner) will be thirteen years old in June, and are hard at work on their new T.G.I.F. series, "Two of a Kind." Believe it or not, Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie Tanner) is now a senior in high school!

CS Staffer Maggie McAlister recently caught up with the lovely Miss Sweetin, and luckily we've tapped the phone so you can find out exactly what's on her mind as she enters her final semester of high school and this exciting new phase of her life. Choosing a college, hanging out with her friends, spending time with her new boyfriend - it's all here!

Mags: Graduation will be here before you know it! How does it feel to be a senior?

Jodie: Senior year.... Oh wow, I'm having such a blast. There have been so many football games and great times with my friends. The memories that you make in your last year of high school are really, really special. Once you get past the college stuff, I think second semester is going to be great too - I'll be able to relax and not worry so much! I'm enjoying it though, and having a lot of fun.

Mags: How are you and your friends feeling about the college search and the application process? Are you freaking out about it?

Jodie: I can't wait to get it over with! Most of my friends are pretty mellow about it, but a couple are really stressed. I kind of go back and forth - sometimes I'm really calm, knowing I'll get it done and do okay. Other days, I'm like, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do? I'm going to wind up living at home until I'm 40!' [LAUGHS]

Mags: What schools are you applying to?

Jodie: I'm applying to U.S.C. [The University of Southern California], Loyola Marymount University, and Chapman University, which are all schools with good film programs. This whole process began at the end of junior year. My mom got most of the information off the Net. In the fall, I re-took the S.A.T. [Scholastic Aptitude Test] and went up 20 points on the math section, so that's good. [note: Jodie's final score on the S.A.T. was an impressive 1220! For more info on the standardized tests for college admittance, visit http://www.collegeboard.org/

Mags: Do you have any advice for other people who are "college shopping?"

Jodie: First of all, make sure it's a college that really has a strong major in your area of interest, especially if they don't seem to emphasize that particular discipline. Also, make sure you visit the campus. You might think a college looks good in the brochure, but then get there and say 'Ooh, I'm not sure about these people. This isn't me!' I haven't actually stayed overnight on a college visit, but if you're having trouble making a decision of narrowing down the search, give it a try. I loved all three of the schools I was looking at when I visited. Very quickly, I saw what I needed to see to help me make my decision.

Mags: How are classes going for you this year?

Jodie: Really well, except I'm taking A.P. Statistics, which is pretty tough! People kept telling me, 'Oh, take it! It's supposed to really easy, a lot better than Finite Math.' And guess what - they decided to make it harder this year! Luckily, one of my really good friends helps me like every night. He totally knows what he's doing with that stuff, so that helps. I'm getting an A+ in government, which is pretty easy. I'm also taking black and white photography, and we're doing just awesome stuff. It's a blast.
Another great class is Modern Literature. My teacher really makes you think about things analytically and makes it so cool. We just read "Catcher in the Rye" which I totally loved. The entire theme for the first semester was "Coming of Age." Second semester, we'll be focusing on relationships.

Mags: Speaking of relationships, what's up with this new boy in your life? Fill us in!

Jodie: Well, his name is Dylan, and we've been friends for a long time. We've been together since early in November. We went to homecoming together as "Men in Black" (it was a dress-up thing), which was a blast. We're definitely boyfriend and girlfriend, but it's not to the point that we don't have lives outside of each other. He's a really special guy - he's tall and blond and very athletic, but he's not into the whole competiveness of high school sports. He surfs a lot, and also plays baseball and football. We like the same kind of music and have the same sense of humor. We talk about everything, and he treats me like such a princess - I love it!

Mags: As well he should! What about new movies? What have you seen, and what do you want to see?

Jodie: I definitely want to see the remake of "Psycho." Also "Shakespeare in Love" and "Meet Joe Black."

Mags: I have to point out that there are cute boys in all three of those! Namely Vince Vaughn ("Psycho"), Ben Affleck ("Shakespeare"), and Brad Pitt ("Meet Joe Black.")
Jodie: I know - Brad Pitt is sooo cute. You can't do anything to make him look bad. [Jodie and Mags take a moment to swoon over Brad] Let's see... I thought "Pleasantville" was good. I also saw "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer," but I was so bummed about the end! I won't give away the entire movie, but it's basically the same as the first one. I like scary movies that are a little more interesting and challenging, like "Seven" [Also a Brad flick, thank you very much!] There's a new movie coming out with Robert Downey Jr. that looks amazing called "In Dreams." [Look for this thriller to be released in late January 1999.]

Mags: What kind of music are you into these days?

Jodie: Well, my mom has the new Alanis Morissette CD ("Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie"), which I totally want. I also want Tupac's "All Eyez On Me." I like the songs "How Do You Want It," "I Get Around" and "California Love" because you can dance to them. I'm sure there are others that I can't think of right now. I like pretty much all of his music.
Right now, I really like the Mya CD (self-titled). I have it in my car. I just got the new Ice Cube single "Pushin' Weight" [from the recently released "War & Peace" album]. I also like the Rugrats song ["Take Me There" from the Rugrats movie soundtrack - performed by Blackstreet and Mya]. I think it's totally cute!

That does it for this edition of "Up Close With Jodie Sweetin." We wish this bright and talented actress the very best of luck with her college search. Stay tuned into Celebrity Sightings - we'll let you know as soon as Jodie makes her decision! Until next time, log in and peace out!