Talking with T.I. and Ciara about the Scream tour

Yesterday, Bethonie Butler and I skipped our Wednesday tradition of walking to a Chipotle that is not the closest one to our office (!?!?) to check out a press conference for this year's Scream Tour, which kicks off in New Orleans on August 3. Promoter Michael Mauldin (a.k.a. Jermaine Dupri's dad) and 106 & Park's Terrence and Rocsi had a lot to say about this year's event, but T.I. (pictured) quickly established himself as the tour's King, court jester, and marketing impresario. Joined onstage by the whole Screamfest lineup (minus T-Pain), he held court and displayed an impressive knowledge of his fellow artists' hit records as he broke down the tour:

"This is not the same Scream Tour that you're used to. I'm referring to it as the new and improved, grown and sexy Scream Tour. Everybody who's under 16 or 17 and you ain't got a grown man or grown woman, you might wanna bring your parents so they can explain to you what you're seeing up there. I know Lloyd gonna 'Get It Shawty,' and I know Yung Joc gonna make sure 'It's Goin' Down.' T-Pain gonna 'Buy U a Drank,' and you already know Ciara gonna do it just 'Like a Boy.'''

Addressing the tour's historically female-dominated audience, T.I. added that it might not be the worst thing for guys looking for a good ratio: "It's gonna be like three or four to one, man. That's like the population of Atlanta."

Ever the hustler, he promised to personally sell each of his tourmates' CDs — Yung Joc’s sophomore album Hustlenomics drops mid-tour on August 28. In T.I.'s own words: ''I do take credit cards.... I take cash, you can bring your roll of quarters, pennies, nickels — whatever you got.'' Talk about Trap Muzik!

Of course, Ciara will be representing for the ladies — and bringing the boys to the arena — as the Scream Tour's first female headliner. We caught up with her to talk about the evolution of the tour, Tranformers, and her favorite Michael Jackson show. Check it out after the jump.

EW: You made "Like a Boy," so you obviously know how to hold your own with the guys. How do you plan on doing that on this tour with Lloyd, Yung Joc, T.I., and T-Pain?

Ciara: I've had the experience of being the only girl surrounded by a lot of males before and it's truly an experience. It just pushes you harder — you've got to find your place in all of it because, of course, the girls love to see the guys. So I'm like what can I bring for the girls that they're gonna love from me. I'm just gonna have to go out there and give it my all and bring something that's gonna cater to my ladies as well as the males. And have fun! I think that's the most important part of touring.

EW: Are there any songs from The Evolution that you're looking forward to performing?

Ciara: Yeah. "I Proceed," "My Love," of course, "That's Right" and "Like a Boy." And "Crush." Those are a few of the regulars that stand out in my mind instantly.

EW: Being so well-known for your choreography, how are you going to adapt to this year's circular stage at Screamfest?

Ciara: Oh my goodness, you gotta really balance things out and make sure that all sides are pleased. It's kind of cool because it really puts the spotlight on you even more. It's like, "Don't let nothing go wrong, because it's [going to be seen] all around. Besides that I just think it's gonna be fun. It's something different for me, I've never been in the round before, so I can only imagine the excitement of being in the round, but I'm looking forward to the experience.

EW: Will there be any collaborations with the other artists? Something with T.I. maybe? "Goodies" remix"?

Ciara: Maybe. [Laughs]

EW: Do you think there are going to be some parents and kids who have been to previous Scream Tours who will be surprised by the lineup?

Ciara: Oh, absolutely. I think there will be kids who have been to the Scream Tour that have grown up. They're older now but they're gonna want to come back because I think the Scream Tour is definitely more mature than what it used to. T.I. calls it the "Grown and Sexy Tour," and the artists are definitely older than before.

EW: What's on Ciara's "Must List" these days?

Ciara: I love Adventures in Hollyhood and I like Real World vs. Road Rules Challenge. I love that show. The most recent film I saw was Transformers, and I loved it. I'd like to be in a film like that one day.

EW: Do you see yourself as an action star?

Ciara: Absolutely! I think the sky's the limit when it comes to acting. I want to do action, comedy... I don't know, I want to do everything!

[Editor's note: Ciara has already done some acting. She starred in MTV's All You've Got last year and will make her feature film debut in the Broadway to film transfer, Mama, I Wanna Sing!]

EW: Have you seen the new Harry Potter yet?

Ciara: I've seen 1 and 2, I think... I get lost in trying to figure out which ones I've seen, but I will say I think that's a great sequel. But I need to catch up. And I also want to get into Shrek. I never got a chance to see those so I just went and bought the first two.

EW: From your experiences with Harry Potter, do you have a favorite moment?

Ciara: I think one big moment was... was it a fight or something? I'm not good with the names! But I think that the lead, that guy... he's adorable. I forget his name.

EW: Daniel Radcliffe.

Ciara: Maybe that's him...

EW: Harry Potter!

Ciara: Yeah! I think he's adorable!

EW: Is there a particular tour that you went to, maybe as a kid or more recently, that really sticks out in your mind?

Ciara: Well, I didn't get to go to this tour, but the one that really stand out to me is Michael Jackson Live in Bucharest. Crazy! Oh my gosh, to have that many people out there at your show? That is a dream. I can't forget some moments like him flying out of the stadium. He did "the lean." He did a lot of great things on that tour.