LaLa Covers Rolling Out Magazine

Round One: New Beginnings

Necole Bitchie: So La La, how does it feel to be a wife?

La La: It’s definitely a great feeling. Me and Mel [NBA star Carmelo Anthony] have been together for a long time. It was important for us to do this in front of family, friends and our son.

NB: Do you feel more responsibility now that you are a wife?

La La: Now that I am his wife, I definitely feel a little more responsibility. Now, I have to make sure things are taken care of … but I’ve been doing that throughout our entire relationship anyway. I just think that people look at you differently when you are finally a wife — especially in my situation because I had been engaged for so long, and you heard so many people saying so many different things about it.

NB: Did you feel pressured to get married because of the talk?

La La: No, not at all. If we [had] felt pressured, we would have done it a long time ago. We’ve been together for seven years, and it took us that long to get married. We never got caught up in that because we knew that we had a strong, solid relationship. Marriage wasn’t something we talked about a lot; we had our son and we were raising him. Finally we both decided that now was the time and we just did it.

NB: How do you balance being friends and being a wife?

La La: Well, I think it’s a very healthy thing for us to have other friends. It’s also important for us to have independence, and give each other space. Mel and I are not together all the time; we like to give each other space. I think that’s what keeps us going … he’s on the road working, and I’m working. It also gives me plenty of time to be with my son and hang out with my friends. You just wanna stay busy so your dude doesn’t get tired of you.

NB: What do you think about open relationships?

La La: I wouldn’t want my man sleeping around with other people. Even if he told me, I would not be OK with that. I do know people who do it, and it works for them. I think you have to have a lot of confidence, and be very secure in your relationship to allow each other to stray and do different things. That just wouldn’t work for me though.

NB: What about divorce?

La La: If two people aren’t happy, then they shouldn’t be together. I think that in life you see so many people staying in relationships and they are miserable. I know so many people — friends and family ... [that] either don’t want a divorce or to be by themselves. I think that if you and the person have tried to make it work and it’s not healthy for you or them, get out of it. If you’re not happy, you simply should not be with that person.

NB: So you wouldn’t stay in a loveless marriage for the sake of your child?

La La: No I would not, because I feel like if I’m not happy in my household, then my son is not going to be happy either. My energy and vibe is going to reflect on him, and I don’t want that. But even outside of that, I certainly wouldn’t want to stay in any situation if I wasn’t happy.

Round 2: La La’s Full Court Wedding
The conversation would eventually leave La La the wife and mother, and focus on her as an entrepreneur. As a television personality and head of her own production company, there has never been a dull moment in the professional life of Vazquez. And now that her VH1 reality show “La La’s Full Court Wedding” has made a successful premiere, the opportunity to make even greater strides in the entertainment world appears to be well within her grasp. The pair discussed as much.

NB: Everyone has been talking about your new reality show on VH1. Tell me about it.

La La: My new reality show is [about] the events leading up to my wedding. So it’s me working out, hanging with my friends, and getting advice from people like Ludacris, who is like a brother to me. So it’s me, Kelly [Rowland], Kim [Kardashian], Ciara — all of us are going through this journey leading up to me getting married. Then you actually get to see bits of the actual wedding. I think this show gives you an inside look at my life: me as a mom, a friend, a career woman … me as everything! I’m excited about it premiering September 19 on VH1.

NB: What were your thoughts on celebrities doing reality shows?

La La: I’m not against reality shows if you’re doing what you wanna do. But I’m not necessarily for just going out there and being crazy just for TV. For me, I wanted to do it because it gives people an inside glimpse into who I am, and I think there are so many questions out there about who La La is. Well, watching my show solves all of those questions. It’s a fun time, and I thought it would be cool to invite the audience in on the fun.

NB: I also hear that you are producing another reality show with basketball players.

La La: We have a group of basketball players going around dating and looking for love. The goal of the show is to showcase women who are attracted to athletes, because I think it’s a very specific type of woman. We are quick to call them groupies or what have you, but a lot of times, these women are career-driven women running companies — not just people who don’t do anything all day trying to make a come up. You also get to see women who say, ‘I would never date a basketball player’ … kind of like I did, and then they end up with one.

NB: What do you say to people who won’t date an athlete or celebrity because they think they might cheat?

La La: It doesn’t matter what career a person has … if they are going to cheat, they will do it anyway. So go for it, don’t let the career title be a hindrance. Even if you have a working guy, if he wants to cheat, he is going to go out and do that. Now it’s true that athletes have more access, but a man is going to do what he wants to do. As long as you know that — stepping into a situation, and you know what you can and cannot put up with, then you’ll be fine.

NB: So where do you see La La in five years?

La La: I really hope to be acting. I’m producing a movie right now with Brett Ratner, and I’m really excited about that. There is so much work that I want to do with my production company … and it will get done … but I’m really focused on my acting craft.

NB: Thank you for your time. On behalf of rolling out, we really appreciate it.

La La: No, thank you.

(rollingout.com)