Meet Antonio Sabato Jr… you may know him from such things as General Hospital, Melrose Place, Rizzoli & Isles, CSI:NY, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, My Antonio, Modeling and of course from his very active Twitter account.

Antonio was kind enough to take time out of his schedule to do an interview about his current projects and use of Social Media.

This week, I was thrilled to be able to chat with actor Adam Baldwin. Currently starring in the hysterically funny and intriguing show Chuck, you can catch him every Monday on NBC.  Even if you are not a fan of the show, you may recall Adam from his long career in such movies as My Bodyguard, Ordinary People, Full Metal Jacket, Wyatt Earp and Serenity to name just a few. He’s also had many television roles,including Jag, NCIS, Angel, Bones, X-Files and, of course, Firefly as Jayne Cobb.

I’ve been doing these interviews for a little while now, and I’m really enjoying it. The only problem I’m having is that as soon as I hang up the phone, I realize there is always something I forgot to ask. So, you may note that on this interview, we didn’t discuss Adam’s recurring role on X-Files. Next time, I promise…

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. I only had time for a few and I did give you credit! Don’t forget — you can follow Adam on Twitter…just click here to do so.

Listen to the interview:

Last year, I spoke at the 140tc in Los Angeles and had an amazing time. One of the best panels there was a celebrity panel put on by Dr. Drew. He lead the panel of: Tony Hawk, Loni Love LeVar Burton and others to discuss how they use Twitter. Afterward, I got to spend some time with Dr. Drew. I discussed with him, one thing that he had not asked. “Why they use Twitter and what is in it for the celebrity.”  He agreed and stated he had tried to get them to comment on it, but none of them would go there. This has always stuck with me.

So, that discussion has taking me here to this. Something I want to try. Interviewing others about their use of not just Twitter, because there is more to social media then just Twitter, but social networks, online branding, blogging, communities, and lots more.

I started by producing an interview with Heroes creator Tim Kring using Second Life last month. I moved on to a short interview with Yvette Nicole Brown of  the tv show Community.  Which brings me to the next interview I am going to do with actor Lou Diamond Phillips.

For this interview, I plan on recording the interview and posting here on the site. Nothing daring or out of the box I know. What I want to do is ask questions about his use of social networking sites, interactions with his community and such.

…But I need your help!

Lou has agreed to let me get the questions ahead of time from online communities or via my blog. As he put it, ” I think it is a great idea to include the Twitterverse.”

So, what would  you like to ask actor Lou Diamond Phillips? Here let me give you some ideas. I will do it in list form, becuase people like lists:

- How and why he uses Twitter.

-His online interactions with fans.

-Why he is not on Facebook.

-Maybe  about  his SyFy tv show Stargate Universe which just finished season 1.

-It could be  about something about La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, Young Guns, his stage work or even his poker skills

- His recurring role on Criminal Minds

I need your help to make this awesome! So bring it!

So leave a question here, send me a Tweet, leave it on Facebook.. heck email me. I will need them by June 25, 2010 and of course I will give you credit for the question!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Yvette Nicole Brown is one of the amazing stars on the hysterical  TV show  Community on NBC and a user of Social Media. You may know her from such shows as Girlfriends, Entourage, The Office, That’s So Raven, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Half & Half, Sleeper Cell, House, Two and a Half Men, That 70′s Show and Boston Legal. I had a great conversation with Yvette to discuss her career, Community  and how she uses Social Media.

Dave Peck: Yvette, I want to thank you for taking time out to have this interview with me. You have a lot going on these days! Can you tell me how you got started in acting?

Yvette Nicole Brown: I started in commercials and then branched out into bit parts on television and in movies. I’m still navigating the beginning stages of my film career, but luckily TV-wise, I’ve landed on a cool show working with folks I absolutely ADORE!

DP:What was the role that you thought “Wow, I might be on to something here?”

YNB: This is random, but probably the role of “Doris Thumper” on “Boston Legal”. It was my first meaty role on a drama and I got to sing, dance (a bit) and be funny (in a painfully shy, dramatic way. LOL!) That I pulled it all off amongst all the acting greatness that was the cast of that show (!!!) continues to be one of my proudest moments and memories as an actress.

DP: What made you get started with Twitter? Were you easily hooked?

YNB: I was primarily a Facebook girl when I started to hear about this hot “NEW” thing called Twitter. The idea of it intrigued me, but still I avoided it for the longest time. Primarily–and this is gonna sound silly–because “friends” on Twitter are called “followers”. For some reason, having “followers” just felt wrong to me. I didn’t feel worthy to have folks following me (LOL!) and I felt the weight of possibly not having anywhere worthwhile to “lead” them. If they’re following, I should be taking them somewhere, right? But after a while, I realized that it was just a word and the challenge of saying something informative or funny in 140 characters was too big of a draw to ignore.

And yes, I was INSTANTLY hooked! Though it took me quite a while to learn all the ins and outs. I didn’t even know that there was an “@” page at first.  Two weeks in, I was mortified to realize that lots of people had sent tweets to me that I had never responded to.  So I spent like a DAY sending a response tweet to EVERYONE who had written me since I joined. It wasn’t easy, but I got thru everybody. And though it’s a bit harder to do now, I still try to respond to most of the tweets I get… or at least to the questions. To not respond seems rude. I want folks to know that what they have to say matters to me.

DP: What other Social Media tools are you using? i.e do you use YouTube? Facebook? MySpace?

YNB: I’m on Myspace still… though I rarely check it.

And I’m still on Facebook… which I check daily, though I am WAY behind on reading and responding to facebook emails. (I have both a FB Personal Page and  FB Public Page )

*In my defense, from what I can see, my inbox has been overrun by invites to events that are mostly in other STATES. Um, how does that happen, exactly? LOL! So I don’t feel so bad about hardly ever checking it.

DP: What do you enjoy about interacting with the online communities most?

YNB: I love the immediacy of Facebook and Twitter (in particular).  Anything that’s on my mind or that I want folks to know I can instantly put it out there. Sometimes to my detriment (HA!) Twitter is like a public diary for a lot of folks who use it. And though I try to keep the really personal stuff out of the 140 characters I post; a lot of my daily activities (and surely what I’m watching and what I think of it second by second) finds their way into my tweets. And within seconds I can hear what other folks are thinking. It’s been awesome!

DP: What do you like least about interacting online?

YNB: My least favorite part about interacting online is that it’s easy to forget that I don’t know most of the folks on my pages and they don’t know me. You forget how handy it is to interact with folks you have a sort of “shorthand” with.  My friends know my sense of humor and my heart. So even if I word a tweet wrong, they know the spirit in which I wrote it, for the most part.  At times, I’ve had to explain myself and my intentions a bit more than I’d like. And I’m explaining things—for the most part—to strangers. That’s a weird feeling.  And I will never understand how folks can take an innocuous tweet and slant it negatively. That I just don’t get. And don’t get me started on same day/ East Coast spoilers! LOL!

DP:What kind of reactions do you get when you respond to fans online? Are they blown away? Are you getting the interaction or response you thought you would with Twitter?  More, less?

YNB: I started responding to folk first on my imdb page and I’ve continued the practice on each social networking site I join.  And I’m still surprised at how shocked people are that I respond.  A lot of people even doubt it’s really me saying thanks and answering questions; which I find hilarious. Responding has just always seemed like the kind thing to do.  I wouldn’t ignore a compliment or question I received face to face. It’s no different just because it’s online.  As for whether it was the response I wanted, I never had a particular response in mind. I’m just happy folks enjoy my work and are kind enough to let me know. That is a blessing.

DP: Do your followers make you laugh with their replies? Any specific interaction that you recall making you laugh?

YNB: My followers (still have a hard time with that word, lol!) are AWESOME! And quite a few are very funny. I feel like together we have created an open, positive atmosphere where all are welcome… as long as they respect folks and are kind. It may seem hokey, but life is hard enough. Who wants to log on and be bombarded with nonsense and strife. I don’t like it and I don’t want it on my page. Luckily, I’ve been blessed to be “followed” by like-minded individuals.  And those who bring mess or are looking for some, don’t usually stay on my page long. It’s  all too sunshine and rainbows for most of them.  And I wish them well as they go. LOL!

DP:Was there any celebrity in particular that follows you that you thought to yourself, “How cool that this person is following ME?!”

YNB: I remember when I found out singer/songwriter India.Arie was following me I was like, “Say WHAT?!” I adore India and her music and to think that she was even aware of me, much less following me was almost TOO much!   The same goes for Debbie Allen! Ms. Allen should NOT know I’m somewhere breathing air! LOL! That she does is miraculous at a level I can’t even quantify!

DP: There is a great YouTube video showing the cast of Community’s reaction when you found out you were being renewed. What can you tell me about that moment? How do you feel that it’s on the Internet forever?

YNB: That video shows the EXACT range of emotions I went through. I’ve been told by my friends and family that my face shows EVERYTHING I’m thinking.  So it’s ALL there. I was TERRIFIED then OVERJOYED. LOL! And I love that it’s on the Internet “forever”. It’s an honest moment between me and my friends as we heard the fate of a show we love making dearly. That the news was good makes the viral nature of our little video that much sweeter.

DP: Any plans for Yvettenicolebrown.com in the future?

YNB: Do I personally have plans for the future? Or do I have big plans for my website? Which one, Dave?! Ah, I’m just gonna answer both! LOL! Personally, I just wanna keep making folks laugh as “Shirley” on Community.  Don’t have any big dreams aside from that one. Being on an NBC Thursday night comedy kinda fulfills most of my childhood acting dreams! J As for the website, I did it all by myself, which I’m really proud of. That said, I’d LOVE to figure out how to add video. But baby steps.

DP: Thanks for you time Yvette!

Yvette Nicole Brown can be seen on the TV show Community, Thursdays 8 p.m /7c on NBC, as well as on Hulu,  iTunes and Twitter!