With the first two Miss Metal-Blast's setting the standards for what we're really looking for in a beautiful woman to represent www.METAL-BLAST.com it really pushed us and pushed the applicants to to give their all in order to be chosen and we've got another awesome Miss Metal-Blast this month. She's a writer, a conoisseur of fine wine, the first lady of the GWE and gorgeous as well. Let's check Lana right now and find out how and why she's hotter than the month of June itself.

Ok, tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Lana, I'm 28 years old, and live in Philadelphia with my boyfriend, tons of action figures, and a stuffed fox by the name of Sammy. I'm an Aries with a moon in Sagittarius, which means I'm something of a headcase. If I work hard enough, I'll be able to purchase the title of "eccentric", since only rich people are considered as such. When you're poor, you're just garden-variety loony.

Where are you from and what kind of work do you do?

Originally, I was from Scranton. Yes, THE infamous Scranton that "The Office" takes place in. And yes, it *is* that strange of a town. The detail on that show, people's attitudes and even down to certain streets is hilarious. They have it down pat. I came to Philadelphia about ten years ago for college. Once I graduated, I stayed here. I do visit back home quite a bit, however. My family lives back in Wilkes-Barre, which I like much better than Scranton. It's always good to go back home.

By day, I work in the outdoor advertising industry (billboards). Advertising isn't anywhere near as glamorous as shows like Melrose Place make it out to be. It's very tedious at times.

Aside from that, I'm a freelance writer. I started out doing television recaps for another site and then migrated here to Metal-Blast recapping Monday Night RAW. I'm lucky enough to be able to write about things I really enjoy over here and on PopMatters.com. I review albums for that site and recently, got to write my first feature piece. I was pretty damn proud of that one. Also, I have a wrestling column on a few other pro-wrestling sites that posts anywhere from two to four times a month.

In short, I'm a big dork.

What kind of ambitions or goals do you have?

Too many! Eventually, I'd love to work writing for a magazine or be able to get enough paying freelance rolling in to be able to write full-time. Sometime in the near future, when I get a screenplay or a decent enough folder of short stories to fill a full-length book, I want to start looking for a literary agent to help me shop my work around. In all honesty, I don't care if I get filthy rich off of writing (although a shitload of money would be nice and there's no way I'd turn that down), I would be happy being able to make a decent living off of doing something I really enjoy.

What kind of hobbies do you have?

Nothing really out of the ordinary. I used to customize toys and dolls, but instead, I still collect certain action figures. I'm a big fan of reading and dig both comic books and books with big words and no pictures. Other than that, nothing terribly exciting. I watch a lot of movies and love to check out new music and good bands whenever they roll into town.

Favorite bands?

Motley Crue was the first band I really got into. They still hold my Number One spot as my favorite band. I'm looking forward to checking out the new Marilyn Manson album and am relieved he's gotten back into making music. I like a lot of the classics like Alice Cooper and Ozzy. I loved the Murderdolls when they were together, but since they've broken up and many members moved on to their own projects, that means more good music to listen to like Trashlight Vision and Wednesday 13. I kind of like a lot of bands that have a slightly goth edge to them. The 69 Eyes, AFI, and My Chemical Romance are a few I really like. My Chem's "The Black Parade" was hands-down, my favorite album of last year. I'm a sucker for concept albums and they really did it right. I like a lot of other non-rock, non-metal stuff, too. I still love Johnny Cash. I really miss being able to look forward to a constant flow of new releases by Cash. He always had a really cool, positive message that anyone could relate to, regardless of position in life, race, or religious creed. I really dig Tupac, too. Totally different from Cash, but hey, they're both racking up more posthumous albums than Elvis, so there's a common thread.

Which type of musician are you most likely to go after, The singer, the guitar player, the bass player or the drummer?

Whichever one has a pulse. I'm not all that picky. Each type of musician has their own set of issues to deal with. I've never dated a musician, but I've been around enough of them to psychoanalyze each member of a band by their instrument. Usually, bass players are the most normal, although I've never really been attracted to bass players. (Go figure.) Oddly enough, I seem to find more drummers attractive if we're going solely by the law of averages, but that's just on a purely superficial, looks-based level.

Turn ons/Turn Offs?

Turn ons: I'm a sucker for guys with long hair, nice eyes, and a really good sense of humor. Usually, if you have a good sense of humor, it's a given that a you're pretty smart. It takes some amount of intelligence to be think on your feet and be funny.

Turn offs: Guys with perfect teeth. You know. Jon Bon Jovi teeth. There's something about perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth on a guy that just makes me a little suspicious and skeeved out. Stupidity is another glaring turn-off. I have no patience for people with nothing upstairs, so that's something I try to avoid. Same goes for arrogance.

What does it take to win you over?

I'm kind of naturally skeptical about people. Some people either make you feel really comfortable right off the bat, or there are others that kind of put you on red alert. Usually, if someone likes a certain band or wrestling, I usually know they're okay. Or makes some sort of inappropriate comment about farts, poop, or vomit. Always a big hit with me, particularly if they display a certain amount of flair and intelligence while expounding on unsavory bodily functions.

How does it feel to be the only writer on the Metal-Blast staff that can turn in their assignments consistently on time?

LOL! They're not *always* on time! There's a few times where I eke them in under the wire. I didn't even know that Metal-Blast had such a thing as deadlines.
( Editors note: If we really had deadlines to adhere to in order to keep our jobs, this place would be known as www.pimp-stress.com)
I think that all that matters is that it's relatively timely, but more so that it's well-written. A lot of the writers for this site are really good and I think it's more important to take your time, edit the piece and turn out something really good that people will enjoy reading rather than half-ass it for the sake of speed. I don't think anyone on this site has ever been mega-late with what they've done. Regardless, I think readers really prefer quality over just having something for the sake of throwing something up on the page. It's all good.

People obviously want to read about a new album within the first couple weeks after it's been released, so there's a little more wiggle room with that. With television reviews/recaps, it's a little tougher. There's more pressure to bang it out on time. No one's going to give a shit about a show a week later after it's already been aired, so there's no point in writing a recap if you can't do it on time. That's just the pressure I put on myself.

I had worked for a site before (that I am no longer with) where I would submit my recaps within the required 24-hour window of time to the editors. It wasn't like there was a whole crew of writers that they had to edit. It was frustrating busting my ass to get things done in a timely manner and then not seeing my shit up until a week later, when no one could really give a crap. So, I left that site I don't like wasting my time and it just wasn't beneficial or a good, creative environment. It wasn't like there was any payment involved. Most online freelance jobs, writing for sites, you don't get paid for. However, there are some perks usually involved like free CDs and review material, which kind of pays for itself at times. However, if you're recapping, it's just your own time and voicing your thoughts on a program you happen to enjoy. The thrill is knowing
people are reading your stuff and either agree or disagree with you. Being able to make people laugh or think is pretty good payment. But when you're not even getting that because your shit doesn't get posted, that's just a waste of my time and I don't like giving that shit away for free. ;)

By contrast, another site I write for has a writing staff of at least 200 and is updated daily with an insane amount of content. They post things in a timely fashion, but it's common courtesy on the part of the writer to turn in their assignments on time. So, it's just a matter of good manners. You're only as good as the site you write for allows it and you guys at Metal-Blast are pretty damn awesome about letting me run with writing whatever and posting it. So, THANK YOU!!!! I really appreciate it here, and whether you believe it or not, you guys are a lot more on top of things than you think. It's great to work with all of you.

Since you're a wrestling fan, who are your favorite wrestlers?

Growing up, I loved Hulk Hogan. I'm not a Hogan fan now, but as a kid, the only way my Mom could get me to eat this frozen stew was by telling me it was "Hulk Hogan Stew." It had these gross-ass pearl onions in it (which to this day, I get the dry heaves thinking of pearl onions), but I ate it because Mom said that if I didn't, I couldn't be a true
Hulkamaniac. Clever tactic on her part. George the Animal Steele was another huge favorite of mine.

I loved a lot of the heels as a kid. Macho Man was one of my favorites. He was just insane, and colorful and his promos, even as a kid were a sight to behold. He was really fun to watch particularly when he was with Scary Sherri. She was just awesome. Elizabeth was beautiful, but Sherri just seemed to have so much more fun and got involved. So, being something of a tomboy, it was cool to see chicks getting in there and mixing it up. I miss seeing Trish and Lita in the ring, too.

Once I got older and got cable with my big-time job at Burger King during high school, I was able to watch RAW and ECW -- When it was great! I used to love the Public Enemy and the Eliminators. They were just awesome. Older guys I dug were Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes. On promos alone, those guys were some of the best and I still love watching them. I dug the Outsiders, Goldust, and Shawn Michaels, too during my high school years, during what I like to call "The Golden Age of Wrestling"

Mick Foley is another favorite of mine. I got to meet him once when I was in high school and he was THE nicest guy. This was when he was still in ECW. Just a really cool, nice person and so cool to the fans. He was with his family at the food court and I was with a few friends and recognized him and just wanted to go up and say he kicked ass. I realize that time with their families is a precious commodity, so I didn't want to be a dick and make a scene and ask for an autograph. He was just really, really cool and such a nice guy. It's always cool when you meet someone whose work you enjoy and they're actually nice.

Current guys on the roster I really like watching are Flair (duh), The Hardys (both of them always put on good matches), Shelton Benjamin (so underrated), Kane (another underrated guy), Edge and Randy Orton. I miss seeing Kurt Angle on WWE, too.

TNA vs WWE?

I watch a lot more of WWE than I do TNA, largely because I forget when TNA is on. (Old age will do that to you.) I prefer WWE to TNA, but definitely prefer TNA to the new incarnation of ECW, which is pretty putrid. I think TNA is definitely able to step it up, particularly if they snap up a lot of talent cut from the rosters lately. I'd love to see more competition again in the wrestling world. It was so much fun to watch in the late '90s because you had three really good companies all churning out quality matches and fun storylines. Maybe now, any competition will be smarter and not hand over half of the payroll to a select few members of the roster and run the whole company under. So, maybe within 5 years, TNA will be able to fully compete with WWE and the fans will have some competition again. They've made leaps and
bounds in the time they've been around, so I gotta give them a lot of props for that.

Strawberry Hill vs Apple Blossom vs Country Kwencher?

[color=pink][b] Ah! It's like the Three-Way Dance of cheap hooch! Strawberry Hill is a classic and Country Kwencher is probably the most popular one available at (not so) fine retail outlets or Asian corner markets that are cool about dispensing malt liquor without having to show I.D. (Not that I ever did that. ;) I'm gonna go with Apple Blossom here. It's the underdog, but one of my personal favorites. Plus it's green and reminds me of Hi-C Ecto-Cooler. You remember that stuff, right? It was that green gunk with Slimer from "The Ghostbusters" on the bottle. Good stuff. Only Apple Blossom is like the adult version of the beverage. Sure, you have to drink an entire bottle to get even half of a buzz cooking, but
it's still pretty damn tasty.

I like to serve it at my own little high-class, wine n' cheese parties that I occasionally throw for myself after a hard day at work. I find that the fragrant bouquet of Boone's Farm's Apple Blossom compliments a fine Velveeta or feta cheese crumbles straight outta the box quite nicely. Bonus points for serving it with pieces of rolled up hard salami.

Got anything to pimp, Pimpstress? Bands, charities, favorite websites (besides Metal-Blast.com), TV shows, etc.

Sure! If ya like my RAW recap on Metal-Blast, check out my wrestling column, Pimpstress' Post on TheWrestlingVoice.com http://thewrestlingvoice.com/columns/lanacooper/ and ProWrestling.com. Also, check out another site I write music for, PopMatters.com. It's a great site with a lot to say about all sorts of aspects of pop culture, not just music, but movies, comics, television, and nearly anything you can think of.

How do you feel about being Miss Metal-Blast for June?

I'm really, really psyched and unbelievably happy about it. There have been some awesome broads for April and May and I'm proud to represent the site along with Punx and Rana. I haven't spoken much to Rana, but I've always thought Punx was one hell of a cool, funny chick. They're both good company to be in with. And Metal-Blast has been berry, berry good to me and I hope I do the site justice. Thank you again so much for EVERYTHING. J

Congratulations to Lana for being selected as Miss Metal-Blast for June! If anyone deserves the title it's our resident WWE RAW Re-cap writer. She's got everything we look for in a Miss Metal-Blast and more so we were more than happy to find out she wanted to do this. We're honored to have her represent our site as Miss Metal-Blast for June. If you think you have what it take to be the next Miss Metal-Blast, send in your application HERE and might just be next month's Miss Metal-Blast!