Courteney Cox Dishes "Dirt"!

As soon as you see her you think "Hey, it's Monica." That role is certainly her most popular one yet, but for Courteney Cox there is life after "Friends".

She got her start once upon a time by rocking out with Bruce Springsteen in his "Dancin' In The Dark" music video and she took off from there. She was Gail Weathers in the Scream films and she was Lauren Miller on the TV show "Family Ties". A lot of folks also know her as Mrs. David Arquette! Now she is Lucy Spiller in the FX network series "Dirt". She plays the editor-in-chief of one of those tabloid magazines that everyone pretends they don't read, but you know they really do!

TeenHollywood was there when she dished the dirt about her show's second season.

TeenHollywood: This season's stories feel a little bit more like they were ripped from the headlines. Was that something of a conscious choice or was it a coincidence?

Courteney: No, it's absolutely a choice. We thought that would be a good way to just start the season, and it is absolutely ripped from the headlines. We usually do a hybrid of celebrities and then add to the story like maybe what happened to cause this to happen to them or sum it up in a different way just for fun, but yes, it's definitely relatable this year and I think it makes for just a more exciting television show.

TeenHollywood: Right now you have some story lines that are a little bit a la Nicole and Paris and David Hasselhoff, are there any other celebrities that we can expect to see something from? Any little tidbits you can give us on that?

Courteney: In almost every episode you'll see something that you will recognize, and that's kind of hopefully the fun of it that you'll be able to guess who this person we might be talking about, even though it's not really about them. It could be about just a couple of people or a couple of situations. But yes, every episode there is that kind of (a) relatable story line.

TeenHollywood: Have any of the celebrities that have been touched upon contacted you guys?

Courteney: No, I don't think they've seen them yet.

TeenHollywood: They're going to be surprised?

Courteney: We'll see. I think there's a fine line that the producers, even me as a producer, will take. We don't ever intend to hurt anyone. And as a matter of fact sometimes we make the characters sympathetic just by showing our creative version of what their life must be like or how they got to the place where they did something outrageous. It's all in fun. It's much lighter this year and it's funnier, and I don't think anyone's going to get upset and if they do that I guess it wasn't intentional.

TeenHollywood: How do you keep the show grounded and not go too far and not make the characters too "out there"?

Courteney: Well you know you would think that that would be a problem, but really if you just look at any magazine or follow any celebrity that people are fascinated with, they seem to do the outrageous things on their own. We'll come up with something that we think, 'Okay, now what's really shocking,' because we want to make good television so, obviously, we want to shock people. But then, lo and behold, it ends up happening. Life is outrageous enough.

TeenHollywood: And do you find that true even for your character, that you don't have to worry about keeping her grounded because just the world she's in is so "out there"?

Courteney: Yes, I think that's the world of magazines and I think it's so competitive that you do have to go to great lengths to get the exclusive story or the perfect picture. It's just so competitive. So I think that that's what great about this show and the subject matter, because there are no limits.

TeenHollywood: Last year was great when you had Jennifer Aniston on the show. That was a lot of fun for people. Are there any other guest stars you're planning on or that you can tell us about?

Courteney: We have great guest stars this year. We don't have any cast members of "Friends"; but Tom Arnold was on and Rosanna Arquette, my sister-in-law; and Vicki Lewis and Sharon Lawrence and Richard Karn; all just really great actors. (We also) have recurring role characters and new characters on the show that work in the office. I think it's been a great season for just really good actors being on the show.

TeenHollywood: You said this year's going to be lighter and funnier, but you seemed to have a great year last year. Was there some feedback that made you say we do need to lighten it and funny it up a little bit this year?

Courteney: This year we just want it to be a little bit more of a broader appeal. I think the people who loved "Dirt" last year will hopefully love it this year, but there will be just more of an audience because the people who read US and In Touch and all those tabloid magazines I think will get a kick out of the show.

TeenHollywood: I've noticed that your show exposes the dividing line between serious celebrities who are in it as a career versus the people who are in it for the parties and the photo ops. Do you think your show illuminates paparazzi in a kinder light?

Courteney: Well no, I don't think we're trying to show them in a more positive light. The only thing that you can say is how many there are and how competitive it is, but no, I don't think anyone in our show really comes off smelling like a rose. And I think that we're showing the humanity of everyone, but no one's looking great.

TeenHollywood: What about playing the editor-in-chief of a tabloid magazine appealed to you?

Courteney: Well, just playing a character that is strong, that is very ruthless, but with a heart. When I originally pitched this show to FX it didn't even have a woman character in it. It was really about a Hollywood young actor who was willing to kind of sell his soul to a paparazzo to keep up in the world of Hollywood; FX came up with the idea of making it centered around a female at a tabloid magazine. And it sounded so good that way

TeenHollywood: Has your role as Lucy affected your views or your feelings at all towards the paparazzi or towards tabloids?

Courteney: I would say that playing this character and working on this show has definitely shown me how hard it is and how competitive it is. It's just really hard to run a successful magazine. I get that. And I've gotten just how many paparazzi there are out there and how hard it is to get the exclusive picture. So yes, I guess I've learned, it doesn't mean that I agree with it all, and I definitely don't agree with the obsession on certain celebrities. I understand the fascination, but when it gets obsessive I think it gets dangerous. So I haven't changed my view, but definitely I've learned all sides of it, for sure.

TeenHollywood: You were Gail Weathers in the Scream series and I wanted to know if there was any inspiration from that role, because you were kind of a ruthless reporter, and now you're a ruthless editor.

Courteney: Well it's an interesting parallel because Monica was a ruthless competitor but I guess I have that streak in my personality. Gail Weathers though, was really campy. I think we're making a fun show, but I don't think it's campy, so that would be the big difference. In Scream 3, I did have the worst hairdo in the world. I can't believe it's forever on film, brutal.