Bankrate: What's the best thing about being famous?
Maria Menounos: For me, I'm such a people person, I love saying "hi" to people and I love having them know that somebody's on the inside who's cool. You think of famous people as not being friendly, not being real. I kind of feel like I'm the ambassador in that respect, where I was Twittering today and someone said, "Oh, I want to get a picture with you." So I said, "Meet me at Rockefeller Center and he did, and he got a picture with me." People were Twittering me, saying how cool that was for me to actually take the time to do that. I always feel I'm the one on the inside for the people.
Bankrate: How do you share your financial success?
Maria Menounos: I have a charity "Take Action Hollywood!" that I started after a trip to South Africa. I was there reporting on AIDS and the effect it has on that area, so when I returned home, I started this charity hoping that the entertainment business can shed some light for positive social change there. I also help provide for my parents and that's a wonderful feeling to know that I can. They don't have to work anymore; it's their turn now. They live in Connecticut but they come and visit me for six months in Los Angeles every year. I take them everywhere. They get to meet everyone and get to see everything.
Bankrate: You come from humble beginnings. Can you talk about your childhood and the money strains on your family?
Maria Menounos: I remember my family cleaning a nightclub in the '80s for money. I would go and sing on the stage there when they cleaned, but it was back to reality when we had to go home. My parents would collect the beer cans and get money for recycling them because there were always bills to pay. Later on in life, I had to leave college because of financial concerns, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise because one of my big turning points in life happened. I got the job at Channel One (News) and that brought me my entire career. It was right after I produced "In the Land of Merry Misfits" in 1998. Now I'd say I have the best job in the world. Besides meeting great and interesting people, traveling all over the world and being able to provide for my parents, I get to do my movies and branch out, so I'm always learning and growing.
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