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That Raven, she's so busy
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By Cesar G. Soriano, USA TODAY

It's not every day that you become the tween queen of television.

"It's crazy! I love it. I'm really enjoying myself, so it's cool," says Raven, the 17-year-old star of the Disney Channel comedy That's So Raven.


With the departure of Lizzie Maguire star Hilary Duff (news), the actress formerly known as Raven-Symone is now the top cheese at the kids' cable network. And Raven is spreading her wings:


The Cheetah Girls, a Disney original movie starring Raven as a singer in an all-girl band, premiered Aug. 15 with some of the best ratings ever for the network. The musical is in reruns.


That's SoRaven, about a girl who can see into the future just enough to get her into trouble, is now filming its second season. It's one of the highest-rated shows among "tween" viewers, ages 9 to 14. The show airs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT, with new episodes premiering Oct. 3. On Sept. 20, Disney-owned ABC will begin airing Raven reruns on its Saturday lineup at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT.


Raven will soon begin filming her first starring role in a feature film, Disney's All-American Girl. She also has been cast in the lead role for a Warner Bros. remake of Sparkle, about a Supremes-like group of singing sisters.


The singer/actress, who recorded her first album at age 5, will release a new album next year on Disney's Buena Vista records. She also sings the Raven theme song, contributes to the show's upcoming soundtrack and performs on the Cheetah Girls soundtrack.


On Sept. 7, Raven will perform the national anthem at the White House for the "Tee Ball on the South Lawn" game and picnic hosted by President Bush (news - web sites) and his wife, Laura.


The Atlanta native has been acting since she was in diapers. Before now, she was best known as the precocious 3-year-old Olivia on Bill Cosby (news)'s show, a role she barely remembers. "It's so foggy. But I do remember the smells, how the set smelled, how Mr. Cosby smelled."


After that came roles on Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and two Dr. Dolittle movies.


Raven also shares a bit of TV history. With the January premiere of That's So Raven, she became one of the few African-American actress to have her real name in a show title. That, along with the show's physical slapstick style of comedy, has led to media comparisons with I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball (news).


"I'm honored to be in that category. Wow. I can kind of see it, but that's a BIG name. When I'm acting, I try not to think about it. I'm just trying to be me.


"Hopefully everybody enjoys my work. Hopefully I'll stay grounded, and hopefully it doesn't backfire," says Raven. "If I did change, my family and friends would kick my butt!"


With Hollywood calling, she juggles reading movie scripts with reading textbooks. The home-schooled student graduates from high school next month. The accomplished cook would like to attend culinary school someday. And she still tries to maintain some semblance of a normal teenager's life.


"When I'm back in Atlanta with my friends, we shop, we chill, we flirt," says Raven. She declines to say whom she's flirting with. "Oh, that's personal. I have to keep something to myself!"