Just a heads-up, America: When you turn on your TV this week, something is going to be different After more than 40 years, “Wheel of Fortune” has a new host, an American institution in itself, the man who appears to be the host. everything This day: Ryan Seacrest.
Just listen to a list of his current work: “I’ll start the year, New Year’s Eve, Ball Drop, which kicks off the year; ‘American Top 40’; ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest,’ in the morning on KIIS-FM, and then ‘American Idol’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ across the country; and then a few specials here and there.”
“Wheel of Fortune” (distributed by CBS) is the latest (and perhaps most high-profile) work for Seacrest, who grew up in tiny Dunwoody, Ga., where he kept busy as a child. “Believe it or not, I played high school football,” he said. “I played strong safety. I was strong, but not that Strong I didn’t play much, but I practiced a lot. I practiced a lot but played less in games.”
But high school football in Georgia is no joke. “It’s a big deal,” Seacrest said. “That’s my excuse!”
But you’re from Hollywood to Dunwoody, Ga. Can’t get much better than that, which wasn’t lost on Secrest, who said he’s always dreamed of being on the air. “I would listen to Casey Kasem on my Walkman headphones (while) mowing the lawn, and I would picture what it would be like in Hollywood,” he said.
He made his way to Los Angeles in his packed Honda Prelude. “At the time I had a contact at a radio station called STAR 98.7, which was loosely connected to the station I worked at in Atlanta. I eventually met the program director. I remember coming home to my apartment in Burbank every day, the answering machine, e.g. , hitting the micro tape, waiting for his voice.”
Finally, the call came, which led to radio success and then the show that changed his life: “American Idol.”
He said, “I know the DNA of that show. I mean, the house I go to and say, ‘Oh, we built that bathroom, I know the door is shiny, you want to go here for spoons and spoons. Silverware.’ I sort of know that really well.
“Anything I do is somebody who’s a big star or a supporting cast, and it’s not about me. It’s about a contestant, it’s about a story, it’s about something else or somebody else. And I think that makes me feel a little bit. More Comfortable,” Seacrest said.
Meanwhile, “Wheel of Fortune” was a house built by its creator Merv Griffin and meticulously maintained by host Pat Szak for more than four decades. Now, Seacrest has to figure out the floor plan with the rules of the game, which he says he actually practiced a lot: “Wherever I used to work, the producers would come in sometimes, and they’d bring contestants, and we’d play ‘Wheel of Fortune’ in hotels, just the rules and the situation. And to become familiar with things that happen, so that at some point it becomes second nature.”
CBS News
In early tapings of “Sunday Morning,” Seacrest seemed comfortable in the role of host and co-star with TV royalty that is Vanna White.
“I’ve known Ryan for probably 20 years,” White said. “But in the last few months, we’ve done some traveling together for the show, and we’ve gotten to know each other a little bit better. So, I think we have good chemistry.”
Asked if she was nervous about the chemistry aspect, White replied, “I had no idea what to expect, when I’ve been with someone for so long. I was so scared, but she’s doing a great job.”
Seacrest said, “It’s such an incredible, special franchise. It’s more than a TV show. It’s something that means something to people. And when I knew this was an opportunity for me, it was a no-brainer. Like, ‘Let’s pull out at once, and begin.’
Of course, “figuring it out” means fitting it into his famously-packed schedule, which occasionally includes some downtime to recharge. For Seacrest, that’s always been the case at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where he sits on the board of trustees these days.
So, why even take it more His time as a museum board member? “It’s not really a job; it’s just a way to escape, you know?” He said “You walk through this museum and you forget what’s going on in the world and have the opportunity to see the various works on display.
CBS News
“What’s amazing is, it’s right across the street from the E! Entertainment Building. It’s over at Universal now. But when I was working at E!, I was on morning radio, I was doing E! News, I was hosting ‘Live from the Red carpet.’ And I’ll walk across the street here to LACMA, just take a deep breath and I always come back rejuvenated, so I’m trying to stay here.”
When asked if he had reached “Pick Ryan Seacrest,” Seacrest replied, “I don’t know if I’ve reached ‘Pick Me,’ but I feel like I’ve reached this moment. ‘I’m completely taken over.’ I don’t think I should be doing anything else right now. I want them to do well, but I want it to be something that people go, you know, I get that.'”
He ended with how Merv Griffin described the show: “The beauty of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is that it’s a show you can sit in front of the TV or watch in the background, and play along or shout at the contestants if they’re into it.” doesn’t, and you’ve got it in front of them.’ I mean, that’s the show is“
For more information:
Story created by John Goodwin. Editor: Mike Levine.
See also: