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You'd think another season
of "American Idol" would keep Ryan Seacrest busy enough. He doesn't
agree. Last week, the talent-competition host launched a syndicated,
weekday talk show, "On Air With Ryan Seacrest," and assumed the reins
from Casey Kasem in presiding over the radio staple "American Top
40." It's also time for another round of the program that brought Seacrest
to national attention: "American Idol" starts year three Monday, Jan.
19, on Fox in the now-traditional way: with highlights of on-the-road auditions
that often cause judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson to cringe. New episodes also air the following two nights, with the series
returning to its usual Tuesday-and-Wednesday schedule the following week.
Viewers can again participate through phoned-in votes for their favorite
"American Idol" contestants. Even with all his other activity, Seacrest is thinking about who
may be the next Kelly Clarkson or Ruben Studdard. He says, "People ask,
'What's the biggest change?' and I say, 'Well, the cast is different.' The
judges and I are the constants, and I think you need something that's familiar
in a television show, but you also need an element of surprise. Every time we
do this, the surprise is a Ruben or a Clay (Aiken, the second season's
runner-up), or a Kelly or a Justin (Guarini, the runner-up to Clarkson in
season one). "We saw more potential contestants than ever this year,"
Seacrest says. "I think there's an added level of enthusiasm and
excitement from people who may have viewed this just as a made-for-TV
competition, and didn't give it the credibility it deserved in the music world.
After the success Kelly, Clay and Ruben have had, those who might have doubted
the impact a TV show could have on a music career are stepping up. Who cares
how you get there, as long as it's ethical? It doesn't matter if you make it
because you're on TV or because someone sees you in a bar. If you make it, you
make it." Still, Seacrest concedes it takes more than "American
Idol" to make that happen. "Kelly and I have talked about this,"
he says. "Once you leave the show, it's not over, and it's also not
easier. You really have to kick it into overdrive and excel, and then
eventually transcend the association with 'American Idol' and become your own
artist." Though Seacrest has given up the weekday radio shift that
initially made him a celebrity in Seacrest insists he didn't push radio legend Kasem out of
"American Top 40." "Fortunately, Casey was willing to trust me
with hosting the show, which is one of the biggest goals any guy in radio can
have. I was excited to meet Casey when I first had the chance a few years ago.
Then, when I was asked to be his guest host a few months ago, I was just
ecstatic. I was never aggressive about taking Casey Kasem's job, but I was aggressive
about making it clear that if there was ever going to be another guy in that
role, I wanted to be the guy. I was willing to wait patiently. I never expected
it to happen this fast." It's largely thanks to "American Idol," Seacrest
acknowledges, that it happened at all for him. "There are absolutely no
misconceptions to me about that. The success of 'American Idol' is something
that comes once in a lifetime, and that has opened the door for everyone on the
show to pursue the other things we want to. The series is a part of pop
culture. We take our roles and responsibilities on it seriously, but it is a
fun show to do. I like to poke fun at myself as much as anybody else
does." Cowell clearly has a good time giving Seacrest a hard time on the
air when possible, but Seacrest takes it in stride. "The characters we
appear to be on the show are extensions of who we naturally are," Seacrest
says. "If Simon seems acerbic, well, guess what? He is. I'm sometimes
overly cheery and hopefully well-coiffed, but that's who I am. The reason Simon
and I can have such exchanges on camera, without worrying about hurting the
other's feelings, is that we are such good friends. We enjoy getting a rise out
of each other." Quiet time is at a premium for Jen -- |
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