Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are experts at the art of the publicity stunt. In the past year alone, the pair has finagled more tabloid covers than any of their Hills co-stars, quit I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here twice and survived a 24-hour plastic surgery decathlon that transformed Montag into an almost-unrecognizable tabloid star. So when Montag announced last week that she was dumping her manager husband in lieu of psychic Aiden Chase, Movieline, like the rest of the Hills-watching nation, was suspicious.
Movieline tracked down Montag's new manager, Aiden Chase, a third-generation intuitive based in Beverly Hills, who explained his relationship with Montag, revealed which dead celebrities are rooting for the reality star and addressed the rumor that Spencer was banned from The Hills.
I understand you were on set with Heidi yesterday. Was that for The Hills?
No, actually that was for Heidi's new movie Go With It. The film is with Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman. It was a great few days on set. She really excelled and got some great compliments and is just so excited about the direction of her career now.
Is she hoping to do more films?
Absolutely. Her goal is to be a movie star.
Is she thinking comedy or drama?
She would love to do more comedy and actually action. She would love to be an action star. She's been doing lots of training, learning how to fight and all of these great things that go into preparing for an action movie.
Well it seems like she is branching out now -- the Adam Sandler film, Ron Howard's Funny or Die video --
She loved doing that and was so honored that Ron Howard selected her for the video and they had a great time. Ron was really complimentary of her and it was just a really cool, fun day.
When did you start working for Heidi as a psychic?
With my healing and intuitive work, I had a client recommend me to go to Heidi and Spencer's house a few weeks after Heidi's surgery. So I went up to the house, met with them and we had great sessions. I've been going to them periodically for the last, I guess, few months and then for the last month, Heidi started saying to me, "You know, you've been doing all of this work for us, helping us with our careers and psychic information for us." It was just kind of like I was doing the manager job already, so she said, "Why don't you be my manager?" So I thought about it for a month and I eventually figured that I was already doing this role as her manager and helping instruct, I just wasn't making phone calls on her behalf. I thought that this would actually be great and a lot of fun and I really believe in Heidi's talent and her enthusiasm for her career. What would be better than being a part of that?
So there is no bad blood between you and Spencer?
No, Spencer and I are good friends. He is very happy and is figuring out what he is going to do for his career now. He likes having that space to pursue his own dreams.
What do you think of his decision to leave The Hills to fight cyber crime?
You know, Spencer is so passionate about helping the world become happier and healthier and protected. That's one of his passions. I think if he hadn't been part of the entertainment industry, he would have gone in that direction for sure.
Are you advising him as well?
Not so much now but maybe in the future. He's just really thinking about what he wants now and how he wants to fit into the scheme of Hollywood -- if he wants to be a media mogul, an actor or doing more reality.
Is there any truth that to the report that Spencer was actually banned from The Hills set for six weeks and ordered to take anger management classes after threatening a producer?
You know, I don't know if that is fully the case but all I do know is that Spencer is really excited for his future projects, especially feeling out this cyber-spy military area. I think that is a really fun thing for him to test out.
I also read that you communicate with celebrities that have passed on.
Yes, I have.
Have you been able to reach out to dead celebrities for Heidi? Would that make you a medium?
Well, I'm not really a medium like other mediums in the sense that periodically I'll have spirits of passed-on people -- not necessarily just dead celebrities, it could be the relative of someone that have a nice message like, "I love you" or "I apologize" or "Have you thought of this?" And that's what usually happens when I do a session. Sometimes though, I'll get someone like Gene Kelly or [legendary NBC executive] Brandon Tartikoff coming through. You work with a lot of celebrities, producers, directors and actors and guides in spirit really like to assist and sometimes have really great information for people that is based in love and support -- it's like a little whisper in the ear.
So has anyone contacted you with advice specifically for Heidi?
Yes. Definitely Gene Kelly has before and Brandon Tartikoff has before. Heidi is very connected to Native American energy too. She gets lots of information from Native Americans in spirit. I think that has to do with her childhood growing up in Colorado where she grew up really connected to the land, playing in the woods and really connecting with her spirit.
Can you talk about what kind of advice Gene Kelly had for Heidi?
Well, what Gene Kelly does is, he's a really great support system. He's like a cheerleader. He's usually like, "You're doing great!" and "Have you considered this detail and this detail?" That's really what it's about but nothing specific that I can tell you.
What do the Native Americans say to Heidi?
Native Americans are like, "Heidi, really connect to your soul. All of that wisdom for your future lies in your spirit." When she gets quiet, meditates and really listens to her heart and her soul, that's where all of the information comes.
Your website says that you focus primarily on bringing positivity and light into your client's lives. Heidi has of course dealt with her fair share of negative publicity in the last few months regarding her decision to undergo such extensive plastic surgery. As her manager now, how do you plan on moving Heidi's press coverage into a more positive direction?
I actually see a shift happening already. People are seeing how spectacularly beautiful Heidi is and how confident, secure and excited she is about her decision to have the plastic surgery. I really support Heidi in her decisions and she is just so pleased. So far, the proof is all the work coming her way from Ron Howard to the new Adam Sandler movie to future things that are in the works. She is content with her decisions.
Just to be clear, had you advised Heidi at all before her plastic surgery?
No! I met her a few weeks after the surgery.
What kind of projects does she have in the works?
Definitely film and TV. I can't really speak about anything specifically but she has definitely had a lot of interest especially since the Ron Howard video. People were really impressed with how she was funny and willing to poke fun at herself.
I just want to touch on The Hills briefly too. I know that the cast just started filming. Can you tell us anything in store for Heidi this season?
Actually, Heidi goes back today. It's her first day back after several weeks and I think she has only done one or two days so far. But I don't really know. It's going to be about Heidi's life and the new shifts in her life and that's what her part of the show will be about.
I guess fans will just have to stay tuned.
Well, I would love to make one more statement if that is okay.
Definitely.
An important part of my work is helping people find the dreams within themselves and it's really about for me, guiding them and helping them put their dreams on the right path. I help figure out how to get those dreams there in the most easy, the most gentle, the most fun and bountiful way possible while loving themselves. That is really the key in my work. Life is really tough right now and the more loving we can be to ourselves and others, it really heals the world.
Would you consider managing other actors or even people outside of the entertainment industry?
I would consider other actors and actresses but this is new to me. I'm really excited to pursue it. You know, my family was involved in the entertainment industry and I really understand how it all works. My mom was a talent manager. So for me, this is really experiencing Heidi's career and seeing if I'd like to take on more. Right now, I'm splitting my time between my healing work and Heidi's management. So I have like five healing clients and then Heidi as my entertainment client.
Thanks for talking to me. Good luck to you and Heidi.
Well thank you. I think really big, beautiful, bright things are coming her way.