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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
10/1: A talk with Billy Bush now on Q100
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Billy Bush, seen daily at 7 p.m. on WAGA-TV as host of “Access Hollywood,” is trying to emulate Ryan Seacrest by dabbling in radio, too. Bush can now be heard on a syndicated nightly show on Q100 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
“There’s something so much more visceral about radio,” Bush told me Tuesday, before interviewing Jenny McCarthy. “And it’s much harder than reading a teleprompter.”
He said radio is another outlet to break news and do post celebrity interviews that can’t be done on camera. He also said he’s not going to just regurgitate stories from the Web or other TV shows. He’ll be able to get info himself using the resources of the 200 employees at “Access,” which draws about 4 million viewers a night.
On Q100, so far, he is doing mostly pre-taped pop culture bits a few times an hour between songs. “The best thing the show brings to Q100 is we get world-class interviews,” said operations manager Rob Roberts. “He has a presence and first-hand knowledge most radio stations don’t get.”
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9/30: B98.5’s Delilah at Buckhead Borders Friday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delilah can be easily mocked for her love song dedication show, which is heard on 222 stations nationwide including B98.5. The people who call in are almost over-the-top in love and have a tendency to want to hear something by Celine Dion. And Delilah indulges them in a honeysuckle warm voice and a distinctive laugh.
But she has inoculated herself by making fun of herself, dubbing herself “the Queen of Sappy Love Songs.”
“Who in the world is sappier than me?” Delilah asked in a phone interview earlier this month. “Maybe Mr. Rogers, God rest his soul.”
It seems inevitable that she’d eventually write a book — because doesn’t everybody?
Hers is, not surprisingly, called “Love Matters.” It’s a compilation of 50 of the favorite stories she’s heard over her 12 years doing her syndicated radio show. “There are so many beautiful, compelling and inspiring stories that only gets three minutes of airtime,” she said. “This is a way to make them a little more permanent.” She said she literally had enough good stories to fill 50 books.
“Love matters” is the crux of her philosophy in life although she is self deprecating about her own relationships. She’s been through three marriages that didn’t work out and she isn’t shy about owning up to her issues. “That’s what compels my listeners to share what they share,” she said. “There are ways to make a mistake and figure it out. Sometimes, I wasn’t sure if I made the mistake quite good enough so I’d revisit it.”
She’ll be signing it Friday October 3 at 7 p.m. at Borders, 3637 Peachtree Road next to that Circuit City.
If you happen to be a big Delilah fan (or foe), email me at rho@ajc.com. I’d love to interview you for a story in the print edition.
Although she doesn’t mind talking about her personal life, she doesn’t like discussing where she lives (she’s on the West Coast.). Her problem? Stalkers. “When they listen to me, they feel a connection that sometimes violates a few boundaries,” she said. “They start thinking they’re supposed to be involved with me.”
“There are groupies,” she added. “Then there are freaky groupies. One guy told me we were husband and wife in a previous life. Now—not so much.”
Deliliah said she has grown more tolerant over the years, less judgmental. “Early on, when someone says they moved in with their boyfriend, I’d ask, ‘When are you getting married?’ Now maybe if I slowed down a bit myself, I wouldn’t have made such bad choices!” (She compares herself to Bridget Jones, singing “All By Myself” in her apartment.)
Now dating, she said “I am extremely happy. I’ve never been this peaceful. Or content. Or exhausted. But it’s a good exhausted.”
Believe it or not, over her 33 years on the radio, Delilah has been a country DJ and even a classic rock DJ in Seattle. Her favorite classic rock hit not often heard on B98.5: “Barracuda” by Heart. In country land, she recalls wearing satin pants and meeting Tanya Tucker. She began syndication of this love song dedication show in 1996 and joined Peach 94.9 in 1997. When Peach died in 2006, B98.5 grabbed her immediately.
She said she takes 50 to 100 calls a day but only airs 25, seeking only those that are positive or inspiring. A guy who once dedicated a song to his mistress didn’t make the cut for that reason. Five or six songs an hour are preprogrammed. She picks the other five or six.
Delilah says she can’t sing a lick but remembers lyrics. She can hear a story and come up with an appropriate song almost immediately.
Delilah lives on a farm with 32 chickens, six horses, a goat, two rabbits, three dogs, two cats and two lovebirds. Yes, two lovebirds. Not one. (“That’d be an out-of-love bird.”)
She also has seven adopted kids as well as three biological children. When she said she sounded like Angelina Jolie, she demurred. “I wish I looked like Angelina! My oldest child is Angelina’s age so I’ve been doing this a long time!”
-Update on “Project Runway,” which may not end up on Lifetime after all. The New York Post reports that the Weinstein Co., which owns the show, may force NBC to move the show to NBC itself if the company has to keep it in the family, not Bravo. NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, filed a lawsuit a few months back when it found out Weinstein was moving “Project” to Lifetime, claiming it had right of first refusal. A judge last week agreed, freezing the ability of Lifetime to prep for “Project’ to come there in early 2009. The show is now in legal limbo.
-Here’s a photo of Alan Alda I took last Friday at the Atlanta Press Club luncheon. He’s 72 years old, promoting his book “Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself.” He’s quite thoughtful and always amusing. He won’t talk politics, though it isn’t difficult to figure out his preferences.
