Post by bossradio93 on Jan 12, 2004 16:30:16 GMT -5
The hardest working guy on the air
BY HOWARD COHEN, Miami Herald, 1.12
Time to welcome a new king. Ryan Seacrest, the new King of Media. Fellow radio jock Howard Stern gave himself that high-falutin' title, but he has nothing on this guy.
This afternoon, the 29-year-old Seacrest debuts his live daily infotainment series on UPN, On-Air With Ryan Seacrest. Sunday, he replaced radio legend Casey Kasem as host of the radio countdown institution, American Top 40. And on Jan. 19 he starts his third season as the host of American Idol, the show that made him a household name and gave Simon Cowell an on-air sparring partner besides perky Paula Abdul.
One gig Seacrest has ''put on pause'' for the time being: his DJ job on a Los Angeles radio station. Even he can't do everything.
''It's a good time now,'' Seacrest says, mastering the understatement. ''I have to prove I can do it. I've always been motivated, I've always had this internal drive,'' he says from New York where he's doing publicity. ``The most difficult thing was the How to Do It. If we knew the answer to that we'd all be superstars in the entertainment business.''
A solid work ethic helps.
``Every thing that I did [like] driving a radio station van at 16 was a stepping stone to get closer to what I wanted.''
BEING CASEY KASEM
Replacing AT40's Kasem, who, after 34 years, will go on to host an adult contemporary version of the countdown show, is a particular thrill for the Atlanta-born Seacrest.
``In the '80s I would pretend to be him. On cassette tapes I did a countdown a la Casey.''
But the On-Air TV show is probably Seacrest's biggest gamble. He's not only the star. As executive producer it's his job to make sure things run properly. The airwaves are also filled with talk shows and the ground is littered with the castoffs, so Seacrest has tailored his show to be a little different.
On-Air will combine entertainment news, interviews with pop stars such as Enrique Iglesias and probably an Idol or two, plus performances and interactive fan participation. Think MTV's TRL meets Entertainment Tonight.
''The beauty of our format allows us to be flexible,'' Seacrest says.
THE LONGEST DAY
The host's day will start at 7 a.m. to handle preproduction on the TV show. Rehearsal is at 10 a.m. Hair and makeup around noon. (And you know with Seacrest, the proud pinup boy for metrosexuals everywhere, this is the most important part of the day. However, he won't be bleaching his hair blond anymore, all that dying was reportedly causing it to fall off in chunks).
The show will then tape live from a Times Square-like studio at the Hollywood & Highland complex, facing the famous Hollywood hilltop sign.
''There will be mistakes as in all live shows,'' Seacrest says. ``I think it's important we don't cover that up and it's OK for the audience to see that. After doing American Idol and being a radio guy, you learn to go with the flow.''
After taping, Seacrest prepares for the next day's program unless it's Monday and he has to dash down the block to film American Idol.
Seacrest's behind-the-scenes tip regarding season three of Idol? Check out the female contingency this go-round he says. After watching some 70,000 contestants vie for a spot on the show the women proved quite good -- unless they freeze up on camera, he warns. You never know. ``There are some [contestants] like Clay [Aiken] we didn't think would be the shining star actually rising to the occasion and performing in front of people.''
To top it off, he tapes the syndicated AT40 tapes on Fridays.
''This is a business that consumes you [but] it's such a dream job,'' Seacrest says. ``It's not about the hours, it's about getting things done. It is an incredible lifestyle and job to have, that's why I'm trying to parlay it into so many things in pop culture.''
Los Angeles Radio People-Jan. 12, 2004
BY HOWARD COHEN, Miami Herald, 1.12
Time to welcome a new king. Ryan Seacrest, the new King of Media. Fellow radio jock Howard Stern gave himself that high-falutin' title, but he has nothing on this guy.
This afternoon, the 29-year-old Seacrest debuts his live daily infotainment series on UPN, On-Air With Ryan Seacrest. Sunday, he replaced radio legend Casey Kasem as host of the radio countdown institution, American Top 40. And on Jan. 19 he starts his third season as the host of American Idol, the show that made him a household name and gave Simon Cowell an on-air sparring partner besides perky Paula Abdul.
One gig Seacrest has ''put on pause'' for the time being: his DJ job on a Los Angeles radio station. Even he can't do everything.
''It's a good time now,'' Seacrest says, mastering the understatement. ''I have to prove I can do it. I've always been motivated, I've always had this internal drive,'' he says from New York where he's doing publicity. ``The most difficult thing was the How to Do It. If we knew the answer to that we'd all be superstars in the entertainment business.''
A solid work ethic helps.
``Every thing that I did [like] driving a radio station van at 16 was a stepping stone to get closer to what I wanted.''
BEING CASEY KASEM
Replacing AT40's Kasem, who, after 34 years, will go on to host an adult contemporary version of the countdown show, is a particular thrill for the Atlanta-born Seacrest.
``In the '80s I would pretend to be him. On cassette tapes I did a countdown a la Casey.''
But the On-Air TV show is probably Seacrest's biggest gamble. He's not only the star. As executive producer it's his job to make sure things run properly. The airwaves are also filled with talk shows and the ground is littered with the castoffs, so Seacrest has tailored his show to be a little different.
On-Air will combine entertainment news, interviews with pop stars such as Enrique Iglesias and probably an Idol or two, plus performances and interactive fan participation. Think MTV's TRL meets Entertainment Tonight.
''The beauty of our format allows us to be flexible,'' Seacrest says.
THE LONGEST DAY
The host's day will start at 7 a.m. to handle preproduction on the TV show. Rehearsal is at 10 a.m. Hair and makeup around noon. (And you know with Seacrest, the proud pinup boy for metrosexuals everywhere, this is the most important part of the day. However, he won't be bleaching his hair blond anymore, all that dying was reportedly causing it to fall off in chunks).
The show will then tape live from a Times Square-like studio at the Hollywood & Highland complex, facing the famous Hollywood hilltop sign.
''There will be mistakes as in all live shows,'' Seacrest says. ``I think it's important we don't cover that up and it's OK for the audience to see that. After doing American Idol and being a radio guy, you learn to go with the flow.''
After taping, Seacrest prepares for the next day's program unless it's Monday and he has to dash down the block to film American Idol.
Seacrest's behind-the-scenes tip regarding season three of Idol? Check out the female contingency this go-round he says. After watching some 70,000 contestants vie for a spot on the show the women proved quite good -- unless they freeze up on camera, he warns. You never know. ``There are some [contestants] like Clay [Aiken] we didn't think would be the shining star actually rising to the occasion and performing in front of people.''
To top it off, he tapes the syndicated AT40 tapes on Fridays.
''This is a business that consumes you [but] it's such a dream job,'' Seacrest says. ``It's not about the hours, it's about getting things done. It is an incredible lifestyle and job to have, that's why I'm trying to parlay it into so many things in pop culture.''
Los Angeles Radio People-Jan. 12, 2004