Raven is so like that! The hottest teen show and a new CD in stores ... that's what it's like to be Raven. She's so cool.

there are excellent reasons Raven-Symone is an attack of cuteness. It starts with a two-mile smile that's totally genuine. Then there's her big, bold laugh as she throws her head back and juts her arms up and out in front of her like she's rejoicing to the Goddess of Funny. Meet her, and those details are enough to make you wanna be her bud. But there's much more to admire about teen TV's most-watched actress.

Cheerful and stylish are not the best words to describe her. Adorable and cool aren't quite accurate either, even though she's a blast to talk to and clearly knows what's hot in fashion and music. With Raven, it's really the stuff you can't see that makes you feel comfortable around her. You don't have to be famous--or able to further her career--to get her attention. You just have to be honest and fun.

Raven, we decided, is like a water balloon of good vibes, bursting with giggles and down-with-you statements like, "Girl, fo' sho!" And she likes to talk about anything--lip gloss, George Bush, cooking, even God--and contributes her own colorful stories and intelligent opinions without ever forgetting to listen to your point of view.

She arrived for her GL photo shoot in pink sweats and flip-flops, with no makeup and no eye-rolling diva demands about a restricted diet or off-limit topics of discussion. She's just Raven. And, wow, she is so funny! "I'm very open with people," she says with her feet propped up, totally relaxed. "I'm like, 'Look, I got problems, OK? I have pimples. I fart! It's natural--everyone does it.'"

Arms all over the place, hands as visual aid, Raven is a total nut! She went into a total let's-not-be-cheesy comedy routine. She was keeping the energy of the room--and herself--down to earth. It worked. A ripple of gross-out stories from everyone followed ... only a grody 9-year-old boy could have topped the "ew" factor. The entertaining yuck-fest finally topped off when Raven high-fived GL editor-in-chief Karen on the subject of how much fun it is to squeeze zits. (Picking can scar. Bad!)

But Raven is not all jokes and chick-chat. She mellows out and talks about things that are important to her, specifically why you should never front. No posing, no faking. Be yourself with her, and watch the good stuff roll on up.

"Fake annoys the crap outta me," she says while her stylist glues blonde strands into her naturally short, chocolate-honey hair. "Now don't misunderstand. Fake is not highlights and acrylic nails. Fake is like you trying to front like you're something you're not. I will tell anyone: 'I have a weave in, OK?' Fake is lying about it."

Keeping things real is a regular topic in Ravens life. We blame it on a combo of being from Atlanta and growing up in front of cameras. Her status as a child star rivals the Olsen twins, beginning with her debut on The Cosby Show at age 3. There were many more TV appearances, and the big-time role of Charisse in both Dr. Dolittle movies. And Raven is the voice of Monique on the animated Kim Possible.

But it wasn't until That's So Raven that Raven became a member of Tinseltown's teen elite. Since Raven started competing with Hilary Duff's Lizzie McGuire for viewers (millions and millions of you), she's solidified her spot as a teenage commodity. Fans want more Raven, and more Raven you'll get.

Raven's small but significant role in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is not to be missed. Raven's character helps Princess Mia in her ever-clumsy search for a royal husband. "I got to sing with Mary Poppins [Julie Andrews], and lemme tell you it was the best day!" Raven hollers this like Raven Baxter might if she heard about a boot sale at the mall. "I watched Mary Poppins so much my mom would have to buy me new tapes, so meeting her was a dream! This from the girl who doesn't get why her fans don't understand that she is not Raven Baxter and doesn't really have visions. "I love my fans--love you, love you, love you!--but I have to tell some of the younger girls who get worked up when they see me, 'Oh, sweetheart, thank you for watching, but I'm Raven, not Raven Baxter.'"

Usually when she meets other Hollywood folks she deeply admires, she becomes incredibly nervous: "I met Janet Jackson, and she probably thinks I'm a mute. I just stared and blinked, going 'uh, um ...' So sad. But it was Janet, people! I'm just a girl like you!"

Playing an ordinary girl who ends up in an extraordinary circumstance is next up for Raven in All-American Girl, the movie that should push Raven into the big-screen league with Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan. The minute this news hit the Internet, tons of debates heated up on related sites from fans of the book. In the novel, the lead character is a white girl.

"Being beautiful is not being like everybody else," Raven says about the pressures girls have to fit a certain mold, particularly thin and blond when plenty of people are naturally round and not blond. "I think it's messed up that little girls only see one type of person. It gives them a false image of who we all really are. Girls come up to me and say, 'I'm not like everyone on TV, and finally we can look up to someone who's larger than a size 2.' I am not a pinkie-thin blond thing, and I never will be. I'm me."

Raven will always be Raven. And Raven loves acting. But if she could pick what's next in her career, she'd be on tour promoting a CD. And as her 19th birthday rolls on Dec. 10 (Sagittarius!), that's exactly what's scripted. Her CD This is My Time hit stores on September 21. The first single "Backflip" is the song you've had stuck in your head since school started. "I love all the musicians today--Beyonce, Evanescence, all the rappers," says Raven. "But I want to hear something new. Is it bad for me to say that?" This is My Time is Raven's third recording effort. Her first two CDs had a small fan following but didn't ruffle any sales feathers, even though she proved she has the pipes when she sang in The Cheetah Girls movie. In Ravens defense, she was 5 when her first single "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" was released. Not exactly burning competition for Britney.

Now, Raven desperately wants to stand out. "I want people to hear a new sound," she says, more serious than ever. "I'm trying to mix the deep R&B sound with fun track beats, and really alternative rock lyrics."

This third record is more mature than the silliness you see on her show. It's a reflection of the real Raven as a young woman and eclectic artist. "I have everything in my CD cases, from Alanis Morissette to Mary J. Blige to Celine Dion to LL Cool J," she says. "If we listened to one CD that bad everything, it would be off the chain. I don't think it's possible to reinvent the wheel, but it's possible to add on. Music lately seems stuck in one sound."

Raven's determination to not follow a formula will come through in everything she does because it's what she's about. If you're not happy, she seems to believe it's because you haven't chipped away all the worrying about what other people think. "Everyone has their own things about themselves they wish was better," she says, snapping back into jokester mode. "I can't beat myself up because I have a belly or my skin isn't behaving or I don't have as much money as other people. Whatever!"

Instant animation. But she sincerely means what she says. She just says it between giggles and her fast-moving hands. "So do your thing," she continues. "Put on mascara and dye your hair or put different pieces in it. When I'm playing someone, I transform and it's fun. When I'm at home, I'm in sweats! And you know what? Don't even ask me to wash my makeup off. That's what pillows are for!"

No matter which direction the conversation goes, someone around Raven always inevitably references a That's So Raven episode that somehow relates to the topic at hand. Maybe that's because the premise of getting all dolled up to play different characters has created a catalog of people living in Ravens head. There are the unbelievable fat suits with face makeup that takes hours. And then the crawling through ventilation systems, flying around in elaborate harnesses and so much more. When she's not doing some wild stunt--and she insists on doing the stunts herself--she's being a goofball. And it's hilarious. People around her want to talk about it.

"I'm loving the show. Loving it!" she says with so much expression she's like a cartoon character. "I dressed in full-body makeup to look like a man, and that was a lot. In an upcoming episode, I crawl through a stomach--don't ask me why! But Raven Baxter will do anything. I'm not a thrill-seeker, but TV Raven is all over it."

Imagine those Disney producers, when they were fine-tuning the details of her show, watching Raven go off for the camera. Here's this girl who fills up a room like a floodlight, and they had to label it. They probably scratched their heads and thought, "What do we call this adorable nutcase? She's just so ... what?" Answer: Raven! She's herself. Always. The real thing. This genuine quality we can't stop gushing about is what makes her talent come out no matter what. "There's a public me and a private me," she says, fiddling with her bangs. "But I try to be a lady. To me, being a lady means being poised and polite, and not in jeans with yo' butt showing!"

We close by telling Raven we can't find the perfect word to describe her. "People, I'm just Raven," she says, which is what we've been saying all along. Raven is Raven. And we love ya, sister!