I know my mom said as early as she can remember letting me watch TV, my one treat a week when I was like 6 was to stay up and watch 'Saturday Night Live.'

Anytime there was an award show, it was a ritual where me and my mom would sit around and watch with my friends. We would make desserts and buy chips and popcorn and see what our favorite performances of the night were.

One thing my mom taught me was that when you're making deviled eggs, flip the eggs over the night before. They've been sitting in the carton as they're transported, so the yolks settle on bottom. If you flip them, then the yolks aren't skewed to one side.

I remember my mom let me stay up late and watch Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan compete in the 1998 Olympic Games. I made paper medals and wore them the whole night. I didn't start skating until 2000, but I was so inspired by their skating that it was why I wanted to start.

I did improv classes just like any kid would do soccer or gymnastics or swimming. At one of my showcases, my manager came to my mom and said, 'We would like to represent your daughter.' My mom asked me that night if I would like to actually act, and I said, 'Why not? I'll give it a try!'

My mom used to tell me stories at night, read books to me - and I read 'em over and over and over again. And you know what I learned from that? I went back and looked at everything - Why do I like reading the same stories over and over and over again? What, was I some kind of nincompoop? No - the narrative gave me connection with my mom.

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