How are you today, Frances?
I’m good, thank you. And how are you?

I’m good too.
Good! We’re all good!

What’s today got in store for you?
Today’s great, actually. I’m going to go shopping with my friends and then I'm going to go and watch the new Harry potter movie.

Cool, nice day. Are you excited about the new Harry potter?
Am I excited? Am I ever! I love the HP movies. I read all the books in one go when I was 9 years old. And I was so excited about the movies and then they came out and, sure, I mean, they’re amazing, right?

Which one's your favourite?
Number 2. I wasn’t so keen on 3 when they brought in the new director. I thought he told the story in a confusing way. And I know these stories, like, really well. I like the actors, they’re all really good. But the director for the 3rd let it down a bit, made it too confusing. I want clarity.

What’s the best thing about being 13?
The best thing… [thinks]..hmmm, I think the best thing about being 13 is that I’ll go and see PG13 movies unassisted. That just says everything about being 13. It’s like my mom and my nanny and everyone have to give me that little bit of extra responsibility now, because they can see that I’m growing up. So that’s the best thing about being 13. People have to start taking you seriously and letting you get on with things.

You’ve got a very good vocabulary. Are you good at school?
I’m pretty good, sure.

Are there any other kids at school with famous moms?
Yes, there is actually. There is a girl called Tallulah Willis in my school and her mom is Demi Moore. She’s a grade younger that I am so I don’t hang out with her but we chat sometimes and it’s good to have somebody else with a famous mom in school. It doesn’t make it so different.

Does Demi come and collect her from school sometimes?
Yes, she does sometimes. She's real nice.

Who’s your favourite teacher?
Steve, my core teacher. The thing I love about Steve is that he really challenges me. He doesn’t let anything fly by. He pushes me and makes sure that I’m getting on. I like that in a teacher.

What’s your favourite subject?
Science. I like chemistry. It interests me, all that stuff. We learnt about dry ice last year. I mean, who knew?

Do you like any of the boys at school yet?
No. I don’t really. There isn’t enough choice because it is quite a small school. No, not yet.

Do you have any pinups on your wall?
Only of me and my friends and some other pictures that people gave me. I have 5 best friends but 2 really best-best friends. Samantha and Giana and they’re my best friends and they’re on my wall.

What are the things that you look for in a friend?
Trust. The thing I like best about Giana is that I could trust her with my like. I know I could. I can talk to her about absolutely anything and share all my problems with her. She understands everything. The thing I like best about Samantha is that she is kinda neat but she's also crazy. Like, she’s very good at keeping things together but she also has a little wild side.

Nice combinations. Say I was to give you 5 words to describe yourself, what would you pick?
I’d pick ‘outgoing’ and ‘adventurous’ but I’d also pick ‘shy’. I’m kinda shy and outgoing all at once, do you know what I mean? Like, with new people I can be really shy but with my friends I’m outgoing.

I'd say you were quite outgoing. I’m a new person and you’re not being shy with me.
No, that’s true. But I still want both of those. And I would say that I’m a hard-worker and that I’m focussed. That’s my last one. ‘Focussed’’.

What’s your favourite TV show?
‘Laguna Beach’ [MTV’s ‘real-life O.C.]. Oh my god. I love that show! It is just amazing. I love all the drama and what’s going on and all the characters in it. I sort of feel like I live in that show I’m so obsessed with it.

I love ‘Laguna Beach’, too. Do you like ‘My Super Sweet 16’ [more reality rich kids]?
Doh! Like, who doesn’t? ‘My Super Sweet 16’ is my other favourite.

How do you want to celebrate your super sweet 16th?
With the biggest party ever. In the biggest hall, with the biggest music and the biggest chef and I'll come through wearing the biggest dress. [laughs].

Who would you want to sing at your super sweet 16th?
[thinks long and hard] Um, I don’t know. That really hard [nervously] Mariah Carey? I know, but I just love her.

Have you ever met her?
No, I haven’t. But id love to. I think that Id like Mariah as a person. I hope I would. The thing that’s great about Mariah is that everybody thought that she was so over after she made that horrible movie, Glitter. But then she just, like, bounced back with her best album ever and she number 1 forever and in all these countries around the world and everyone love her again.

You wouldn’t get your mom to sing at your super sweet 16th?
No. But I like her music. I think she has just the right combination of rock and pop.

You have a little rock’n’roll side to you?
Sure.

What is your favourite of your mom’s records?I think probably “Live through This”

Wow Hardcore!
Not really. You should listen to it more.

But you’re more Mariah and R&B?
Probably.

Do you like American Idol?
Come on! Who does not like American Idol? Doh! It’s the best. My favourite in the last series was Michaela.

Controversial choice.
Yeah, she went out, like 4th or something. But she was really my favourite. I like Carrie Underwood but country and western is so not my thing. I am soooo not country and western

What’s it like having a cool mom like Courtney?
It’s really cool, you know? I get to meet everyone I want and I get quite a lot of attention because of it, you know? I mean it depends on the situation. I have an awesome mom, I really do, but of course it hurts when you see a lot of lies about her in the tabloids and then you think, well it’s not that cool to have a cool mom. I don’t read it all. I don’t like it. But it can be hurtful. I don’t like seeing my mom upset. No-one does, right?

Right. What’s your style, Frances?
It really very girly. I like lots of pinks, lots of subtlety. I think the way you would describe my style is probably ‘classy girly’.

Do you ever say to your mom ‘Oh, dress your age!’
Yeah, sure! [laughs]. But not often. You know the funny thing about my mom? That stuff works for her! She can get away with it. So I might say’ dress your age’ sometimes, but usually I let her go. She looks good in it. Sometimes I do think I wish our lives weren’t so hustle and bustle and tabloid and all that stuff wasn’t going on. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so much at home alone and that it wasn’t about nannies and chauffeurs and all that stuff. But then my friends say ‘gee, I wish I had your life.’ Sometimes I think ‘gee, I wish I had your life, too’. We all play that game.

I think that is the nature of being 13, I'm afraid. Everyone else’s life looks a bit better than yours.
The grass is always greener, right

Spot on. What are you going to do when you grow up?
I’m going to be a photographer. That is just my favourite thing ever, capturing memories of the moment. How awesome is that? I think I’m quite good at photographs already. I mean, I love it. So when the school, put together a magazine of poetry they had room for 10 photographs in there and [bashfully] nine of the ones they put in were mine.

You’re sounding kind of shy and outgoing now.
I told you!

Here’s a thing. I interviewed your godfather Michael Stipe a year ago and he was talking about his photography. Have you seen any of his shots?
Sure. I have a bunch of his stuff on my as well. He gives me his photos. They are actually very good.

I know. Is he a good godfather?
Do you know what? He is the best. A lot of my friends don’t even get to see their godfathers but Michael is really sweet and he’s really fun. When he comes over we go on great visits and trips out and he takes me to do really neat things. I love him.

He said he was a good godfather, but I think everyone says that. It’s good to hear it from you, too.Oh, he’s the best. Believe me.

Do you like shopping?
DOH! I love shopping. Who doesn’t? It is the best fun in the world. There is a really neat little boutique that I love to go to called Intuition and I love Bloomingdales and I loooove Saks Fifth Avenue. I’m really into Armani Exchange at the moment and I like the Juicy Couture line. I like AG Jeans, 575s, Paper Denim. There’s a lot that I love. What would I do without my clothes? What would I be without my clothes? I love them.

What do you think you have most in common with your mom?
I think it’s probably our sense of humour. We will crack the exact same jokes at the exact same time. That’s cool, right?

Right. Do your have a performance streak? Have you been on stage?
Oh, like so many times. I have been in 'fiddler on the roof' and ‘Hair’ and ‘Grease’ and….[goes on to list just about every musical in the entire history of musical theatre].

Who did you play in ‘Grease’?
Rizzo.

That’s the best part.
I know. I got to sing ‘There are worse things I can do’.

Which is the best song!
For sure!

Are you going to be famous Frances?

I don’t know. I guess if I was going to be famous I would rather be an actress that a singer and really if I was an actress then I would rather be a Broadway actress than a movie actress. I don’t know. At the moment I really do want to be a photographer, but I think it depends on where I go with my life. We’ll see.

I think you’re a little star already.
That’s very kind. Thank you.