[h1]Rebecca Black: 5 Things to Know[/h1]
By Rennie Dyball
Friday March 25, 2011 03:05 PM EDT
Given that today is Friday, (Friday, gotta get down on Friday), you've likely got
Rebecca Black on the brain.
After all, her
viral video named for the end of the workweek has amassed a stunning 47 million views – and counting. She's been
slammed and cyber-bullied worldwide, and gained more
positive attention from the likes of
Simon Cowell and Jay Leno.
But what do you
really know about the 13-year-old with the catchiest song on the planet?
1. She's into musical theater
Sure, she's got that pop songand all, but Black (who's taken four years of voice lessons and hopesto land a record deal) is also taking center stage at her middleschool. "I got the lead this year for
Oklahoma!" the eighth-grader tells PEOPLE. "I've always been in our school's shows, ever since first grade."
2. Her bedroom is Bieber-ed out
"I am
so dorky when it comes to
Justin Bieber,"she admits. "I have a little mini shrine in my room." Should the Biebs(who has Tweeted about "Friday") invite her to collaborate, "I wouldscream at the top of my lungs and possibly not be able to sing again,"she says with a laugh.
3. She's s-m-a-r-t
In addition to singing, "She's also anhonors student," says Black's mother, Georgina Kelly, who admits thather daughter's vocabulary has left her searching for a dictionary."She's won spelling bees ... she's a smart cookie."
4. She digs Selena Gomez
"Itotally admire her," says Black. "I think it's awesome that she hasn'ttaken that downward spiral that other child stars have taken. And Ireally love
Katy Perry, too."
5. Those are her real friends in the video
When Ark MusicFactory set up the video shoot for "Friday," they gave Black the optionof including her friends, and she agreed. So now, a whole pack of kidsfrom southern California are famous along with her. Not that any ofthem expected to be. "Last Christmas there was a group of people whose[YouTube] video hit 100,000 views, and I thought, 'Wow, how incredibleis
that?' " recalls Kelly. "It made the news!" Of course, herown daughter has now surpassed that mark – 470 times over. "This," addsBlack, "is the
last thing I thought would happen."
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20476461,00.html