_Ben Lyons
November 2007
What is your full name and birthday?
My name is Benjamin Leonard Lyons and my birthday is October 8, 1981.
So speaking of your middle name, Leonard, what was your upbringing like given your family background?
It's a family business like anybody else's family, but obviously it's somethin' special, a little different, and my dad has been someone who's been just like (?), the most inspirational, supportive, but also just such a great example. He's so professional and he's so well-researched and I've never heard somebody who's dealt with him on any level have problems, it's always the nicest thing, which is so cool. Yeah, when you look back...when I look back on my childhood like I got to do a lot of really fun things as a kid, getting to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger, I remember playing video games with Macauley Culkin, and just like really fun, cool stuff and uh...it really also made me appreciate that, like, this is a business, and that, you know, there's lots of different jobs. You don't have to be an actor, you don't have to be an on-air host, you can be a producer, you can be a writer, there's, like, all these different elements of the machine so to speak. It was uh..and, you know...you mentioned my grandfather's name as a segway, that...I do regret not having gotten to know him at all, he passed away before I was born. And...and, you know, I'm very lucky in the sense of I get to run around and talk to a lot of cool people as does my dad, but nobody did it like my grandfather, he wrote for the Post six days a week for 40 years, covered people like Sinatra and Hemingway and Audrey Heburn and Grace Kelly and Marc Chagall and George Bernard Shaw and Charlie Chaplin. And it's just, like, really crazy when you think of how old Hollywood was back then, so uh, I do feel very fortunate as I get older to not only just like, the cool things they did, like professionally, but mydad and my mom were like the best parents, and that's more important, like, even though my dad's in the business, my mom is the one I go to for like, problems or advice or words of wisdom, like, she- she provides a really nice outside perspective on things.
What does your mom do?
My mom, she-she was a flight attendant for a while on TWA, she was the head of admissions for a private preschool on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, then, now she works at my old high school and my sister's high school and she tutors some kids uptown, so she's always been based in education. She works at a pottery store on Long Island too, like, she's all over the place.
So what were a few of your first jobs in the business, to get you up to this?
My first few jobs in the business I was in...in high school I interned at the William Morris Agency in the mailroom and that was just a crash course in the business, wore a suit and tie everyday to work, worked for minimum wage, and just had to cover scripts and read manu...you know, book proposals, and just every aspect of the entertainment business got funneled through that mailroom. I also started working in the music business, mostly, I interned at an independent hip hop label called Duck Down Records which sold--has sold, a couple million records around the world, a bigger deal in New York than out here. But I was like on the street team: like handing out flyers, doing promotions, I helped redesign their website and that, I ended up producing a lot of music videos for the guys on the label and then produced other music videos. So..and I worked for Def Jam, so I was..I was more based in the music business when I was like, in college and living in New York.
Well, with this being one of your first experiences, how did you learn to produce all these hip hop segments and everything?
I-I producing...I, as with everything you learn, the best kind of education is learning on the job and understanding, alright, a producer is the one who's in charge of the budget and has to deliver the product. What's the product? And with music videos, it was hiring a director, hiring lighting guys, casting, securing locations. I learned from producing the idea of like never taking no as an answer. Like, there's a way to make it work. Just get it done. And don't take no, and if you want it you can figure out, get creative, there's ways...everyone has a soft spot or a weakness or a way to get to them and just find it and then be persistent and it was a great learning experience. Especially for what I do now cause when we go out on shoots I've done that, like, I've been the producer out on the shoot with a talent. Interviewing a celebrity, like, I know what to look for, I know how it's gonna cut together in the editing room. So having that experience helps me a lot with what I do now, absolutely.
So you were still in high school then?
High school and college. I..I left college early. I did two years at the University of Michigan and then thought I was gonna transfer to NYU. That was not in their plans, unfortunately, and then I started working and...and just producing all this stuff and then producing led into hosting and here we are now.
What were you studying? What did you major in?
I was an English major. I figured if I could read and write I could probably get a job.
Well, with your family background, do you feel any associated with kind of living up to your grandfather or your father's expectations?
Absolutely. And...and it's a lot of the pressure I put on myself. You know, at first when I got started, everyone thought 'Oh you got the job because you're Jeffrey Lyons' kid, and it makes sense, like, I get it, you know, younger demos are obviously important for television hours and stuff, but at some point, you gotta do the job and at some point, yes it helps you get in the door but then, now, you're almost looked at harder because of how you got in the door. So it-it obviously helps, on a lot of levels it can go against you, like people will think 'Oh the only reason you got it is cause you're Jeffrey's kid or Leonard's grandson or whatever and then you hafta do that much better. And also, they raised the bar so high, like my grandfather is a legendary columnist in American journalism, my dad's been on television for over 30 years, like, and is so well respected in the business so you're really living up to that legacy and that responsibility and that can be a little daunting at times as well, but I like to think in the last year on E! and the last 3 years I've been on TV, I've been able to sort of make a name for myself, independently of them as well.
And was the MTV Your Movie Show the first hosting gig you had?
MTV Your Movie Show was the first time I was ever on camera and it was such a learning experience. I-I hope those tapes are burned and never see the light of day. Seriously, I have the Tom Cruise Valkyrie haircut swoop, I got the Jason Kennedy too much makeup on, I'm askin' stupid questions, but it was amazing. My first interviews, I did half an hour with Jack Black, half an hour with Will Smith, and half an hour with Angelina Jolie. It was like, great, just like welcome to the shit and Will Smith for me was the first time I really had to interview somebody who I had, like, a personal geek out with, like, The Fresh Prince was one of my favorite shows and sort of getting over that, like 'Oh my God you're Will Smith, oh my God!' and like, having to put that aside, it taught me a lot and, you know, and..and, I don't know I just hope those tapes never find the light of day (laughs). And just like you asked before about the producing and how did you learn to do it, even though I grew up with my dad, like I never had training, classes, media training or anything like that. I just did it and you just learn on the job and, luckily, there have been some places that have wanted to give me a chance to grow and learn a little bit cause I know those old MTV tapes...
So he never actually sat you down and said 'this is the way you..'
No! Never! I mean, I'll ask him for advice on things or just, you know, what to do with your hands, or how to read the prompter and that kinda stuff, but no, we never had sort of training sessions or like, I know a lot of people do that and those things are helpful. His agent once held, like, a seminar and talked...tried to...but that was more for serious newscasters, like, you know you see a newscaster with like, the pen in their hand and a paper on the desk and I-I don't really have aspirations for like, hard news on any level, which I don't know, I-I-I'm kind of disappointed in myself that a part of me isn't dying to go out and do serious journalism. I just don't have the interest.
So you're saying you don't consider what you do serious journalism?
I don't consider what I do serious journalism. My dad always, it's funny, he-he doesn't say...you ask my dad if he's in the entertainment business and he says no. He says he reports on the entertainment business and he's a journalist and works at a news outlet, NBC, and I-I-I don't understand how I could not be in the entertainment business. For one, I work at E! and E! Entertainment and...and all we do is Hollywood and movies and TV and, you know. And it's like, I see how, you know, a movie studio would use my name in a quote or they'll, like want me to get an interview, I'm helping them, I'm helping them sell their movie, so I'm inherently a part of the business, is how I look at it.
Going back to the MTV show, what was it like with Angelina?
You know, like...a whole half hour with Angelina. She had..she was shooting or had just finished Mr. and Mrs. Smith so the Brad Pitt stuff, like, she was still Angelina Jolie, there was this air of sexual mystery around her and controversy, but it wasn't the iconic philanthropist that she is today. And I remember wanting to approach the interview very serious, do my research, pull out United Nations stuff, you know, whatever, she'd want to talk about sex, she wanted to talk about her son, she wanted to...so I think it was right before she learned 'Oh I don't need to be talking about Maddox in every interview.' All she did was talk about taking Maddox to the Howard Hughes exhibit at the museum and what fun things to do for kids while she was in New York. She was very uncomfortable in her own skin, surprisingly so. She's like a goth chick from the Valley who had a dysfunctional home and she woke up one day and she's the most beautiful woman in the world, Angelina Jolie, so she's kinda like 'Whoa, this is a little weird!' and, sweater, jeans, and very sweet and engaging. I-I don't know, it'd be interesting- I doubt she'd remember me on any level, she's done so many interviews since, and traveled the world so much as four years ago, but we definitely had a good connection. She was a fun interview, she was cool.
Any diva-ness about her at all?
Nah, not at all. She showed up without an entourage, like was really willing to play along with some of the silly MTV questions, and-and, she-she introduced herself to all the crew members, shook everyone's hand and like, was really cool. I'm bummed now that she's almost become such a huge deal that I'll never get that type of access to her again, you know...Never say never, but I doubt...I doubt me doing an Angelina Jolie interview for half an hour, I think it...one would be a lot different than it was back then, but I don't think it's happening any time soon. I'm not counting on it (laughs).
You've already done so much and you're, what, 26 now? Are there any advantages or even disadvantages to being kind of on the younger side of...
Yeah, like what we were talking about before about, you know, getting things seriously for who you are. I remember my first round of meetings here at E! there was a lot of talk like 'He's too young to be out on the red carpet' or 'He's too young to cover the Oscars and-and let his opinion be heard so it doesn't hurt in this town, obviously, to be young, it's a better...it's a nice problem to have, but you know, you do have to sort of, you know, when you go and talk to a George Clooney or somebody, you know, Morgan Freeman or somebody, you need to like, really step it up because they look at you like you're 10 years old (laughs). But yeah, I have no problem being too young for something, that's fine.
And you also said that, about how trying to figure out questions to ask Angelina, do you usually go into interviews with an angle prepared? Or how does it...how do you determine...
You always want the interview to be conversational, like this is you know, however, yeah, I do pride myself on my research. There's certain things you want to pick up and there's a set up, like, I usually like to come out of the game with a couple questions about the actual film and then translate that into the whole career, and then sneak in some kind of just off-the-cuff pop culture, personal stuff. There's usually a flow to it, it's-it's really all about managing the time 'cause interviews are so tightly monitored: 8 minutes, hard 8 minutes and if you get an actor on a day when they're rambling and going on and on, and-and you might not get to the stuff you really need to so you kinda have to cut them off and push in and have them be a little bit more fast-paced and sound-byte-y more so than conversational. The best interviews are the ones you can just pop in a tape and play it straight through, no edits. That's the ideal, but it's very rare it happens that way.
Given time crunches, how do you choose what's the most important questions to ask?
Well you know, I mean, a lotta times I'm conflicted of doing the interview that I wanna do and doing the interview that's best for our audience and the E! Channel group. You know, someone like Kanye West, you know, the E! Channel focus, they wanna hear him talk about Britney Spears, they wanna hear about the MTV Awards, they wanna hear about the 50 Cent controversy. Me personally, Ben Lyons, a fan of hip hop music, like, I wanna ask Kanye crazy questions about mix tapes he made 5 years ago that no one else on the planet has heard but me and like, that doesn't translate necessarily to the best thing for our audience, so it's finding that balance and keeping in mind who's watching the show and what they wanna hear. You know I had an interesting talk a while back when I did Jim Carrey and, if you surveyed everybody who watched E! and said 'What do you wanna ask Jim Carrey?' a large portion of those people would say they wanna talk to him about his girlfriend, or, what's hew name? Jenny McCarthy or whatever. That was the last thing I thought of when I was gonna go in there and talk to Jim Carrey, like, he's a big reason why I fell in love with films in the first place, you know? And so it's finding a balance and anytime you can get them to bring up that kinda stuff, it's cool you know?
So what are your personal tips for being a good interviewer?
Well you nailed it, you've done your research. I can tell you were on the Google and the IMDB and that, so you're straight. Seriously, having...being prepared and like, I oftentimes get more nervous for an actor who's maybe done 1 or 2 films and doesn't have a lot of things to pull off of, cause then...then where do you go? With Denzel Washington, I know in 10 minutes I'm gonna have too much to talk about, but with 10 minutes with Elijah Kelly from Hairspray, I dunno. What else has he done and ah...what do you wanna do? That's when you dig into the sort of generic, go-to questions. I grew up with...you know with him you say 'Oh there's gonna be a generation of kids who grow up watching Hairspray, what are the films you grew up watching?' And like, that's kinda boring, but just have some go-to's to kill time and stuff. Often I do this- ask the question once, don't ask it twice. And...and what I mean by that is, you say something like...you wanna ask Jerry Seinfeld, 'How did you put together the ensemble cast of Bee Movie' right? You say “Hey Jerry, everyone from Chris Rock to Renee Zellwegger's in this movie, how did you put together the whole cast? Did you go and audition people or...' you know, you've already asked the question, let him do the answer, you know, so that's what I often do a lot because you're having a conversation with someone and that's how you would naturally talk with them. It plays better and it's a better...you get a better answer out of the person when you ask it once. There's no need to ask it twice.
Do you ever get nervous being on camera?
I get-I get too excited. You know what I mean? It's not so much fear, nerves-nervousness I think rests in fear and I don't, I'm not afraid to talk to anyone. I just like, you know I've never interviewed Vince Vaughn, I'm gonna talk to him tomorrow and I'm really excited, like, that's more what it is and I don't want to blow the opportunity to go home and be able to sleep at night. You know, after every interview I'm always like 'Oh, I wish I coulda asked him that.' There's always something, there's always gonna be something but I-I hate not being able to live with myself a week later, be like 'I can't believe I didn't tell him that story where I met him one time' or that connection or whatever it is, you know? There's always something, so that's what I get more nervous about is making sure that there's not a lot of some things...
Have you ever had anything embarrassing happen to you during an interview?
I did an interview with a guy...oh, plenty of times. First of all, I'm notorious to get hot, I sweat in these interviews and so sometimes people have kind of clowned me on-on sweating a little too much. Morgan Freeman, 'You're very hot for a young man!' Like, 'uhh thank you (?)' There's an actor named Jonny Lee Miller who starred in Aeon Flux and Trainspotting and Hackers. I knew that Angelina Jolie starred opposite him in Hackers, I had no idea that they were married once. So in the interview I'm asking everybody 'Who wins in a fight? The character in Aeon Flux or the character Lara Croft in Tombraider. They're both women in these action movies based on cartoons and video games and it's fun to cut together. Charlize gave me a great answer about, 'Oh it depends who wore more body oil,' bah bah bah very funny, right? He goes 'Fuck you, next question.' I go, 'What do you mean fuck me next question? Like, come on, like, you're in Aeon Flux, you're not gonna roll with your girl from this movie?' He goes, 'Next fucking question.' I'm like 'Alright, Jonny Lee Miller' and move on, finish the interview, and I'm walk...I'm outside at the valet at the hotel and I'm like 'Yo, did any of these other journalists have a problem with Jonny Lee Miller?' And someone told me that he was married to Angelina Jolie. I felt two feet tall. He thought I was trying to get slick and talk to him about his ex-wife and I really was, just speaking from a place of ignorance. It was the one time when not being aware of the tabloids and Us Weekly and all that shit kind of bit me in the ass in a way. So if I ever see him again or interview him again, I'm gonna apologize, like, ugh I felt terrible!
Do you, being such a movie buff, do you do a lot of your own research?
I do all my own research. Oh yeah, and sometimes the folks here will send questions or, you know, I'll have a conversation with our executive producer about what he wants for the show, but yeah, no I have a method that I use. I go online and...my dad actually had a crazy research method. You know, before the internet, before you could go on IMDB or Wikipedia or you know, Google interviews of anybody. I'll go on Youtube and I'll type in “Ben Affleck interviews” and watch his old interviews just to see his body language and how he reacts to questions and pacing and tone and whatever. But my dad, he'll read the newspapers or People magazine or whatever and he'll rip out articles. Like, physical, like rip out the article. And then he sends them to this guy in Oregon, who files all the actors alphabetically. So my dad'll say 'Hey I got a Jude Law interview next week.' The guy in Oregon'll send him the Jude Law package and it's clippings from the last 10 years of Jude Law and he does it for free and all this guy asks for is autographs. So my dad gives him...gets him an autograph from like a movie poster or whatever, or signs the actual file. This guy has autographs from like, the last 30 years, of actors. He has everything, like, on every movie poster ever. It's ridiculous. And so for the big actors, like Harrison Ford or Steve Martin, the files are broken down by decade. So my dad's just like 'I got a Steve Martin interview coming up' and this dude sends him a file of Steve Martin clippings from 2000, from the 90s, the 80s, the 70s, like, it's ridiculous. And like, you find a lot of cool shit in there, and, in 1985, a New York Times profile on Dustin Hoffman, like, he has great quotes and great sound-bytes, and you know, those types of things. So the value of research is unbelievable, like, and-and it's really bitten me in the ass when I haven't done it, it's bitten me in the ass when I thought I did it and did it wrong and 'Oh you starred in that movie with so and so.' 'Nah, I didn't' and you feel like a dick, you know, but-but research is the key, absolutely.
So how many hours in a day do you work, like, compiling all these things?
It depends. I mean when I go to Toronto or Sundance or one of those festivals, I'm doing 16, 20 hour days. And- going out hard and working hard and, you know, everyday is different. Like, I work on most of my weekends, I work. Sometimes only for an hour or two, sometimes 12 hours, you know, the Oscars we do live TV for like 12 hours. For the Globes, you know, I'm out at all the after parties 'cause I'm getting stories and meeting people and getting interviews for the next day on the show. Like, everyday is different and some days, you know, I can go see 3 movies in a day, it's a nice day at the office. I've seen 5 in theaters in one day, that was my best. But uh, everyday's different and I then feel like, with this business in particular, no matter what it is you do, you never really punch in and punch out, you know, I have friends who work at more structured job environments, whether a stockbroker or a lawyer and they come in 8:30 and they leave at 6 and then they go home, they go home. They have a life independently of work. My life and my work life are pretty interchangeable and, you know, I think that goes for everybody in the business, especially living out here, like, you go to a party, you go to an event, you go to meetings, it's all kind of the same people, the same faces, and it helps, you know, like I'm able to get certain interviews or get an actor to be more candid in an interview because I have a social relationship with them. Everybody sort of is always on call in this business, I feel like.
Is that hard to manage or for the most part do you enjoy that?
I love it! I love the fact that, you know, every night is an event that's tied into work, like the social life and the work life are nice like, I would hate being a stockbroker and then going out the bars on the weekends and then, it's like, it doesn't have anything to do with work. Like, you always have to be mindful that you're always sort of on, but it like, practicing business in a casual environment is something that I-I kind of enjoy (laughs), see myself doin' for a while.
What's your favorite part of all the things you do? You do your online blog, you, you know, used to write for YRB Magazine...so you've done print, you still write for online, and yet you do these live segments on TV and you also do live interviews.
I really enjoy doing radio a lot, recently. Radio- they always say it's gonna die, when TV came out they said it was gone, and the internet or whatever, but if you look at a lot of the great TV personalities especially of our generation, the Ryan Seacrests, the Jimmy Kimmels, the Adam Carollas, the Carson Dalys, they all have strong radio roots and that's not by accident. You have to be much more careful with what words you use, you..but at the same time it's also a lot more relaxed than the lights and cameras and television. I really enjoy doing radio, I hope to get my own show someday, that would be the best, that really...it doesn't sound as high profile and sexy as some of the other things you get to do but that's really...you know just to see a movie on a Friday night and sit down with the actor on Saturday and ask them whatever you want- that's a thrill and a privilege and a responsibility that I do not take lightly. Like, it's really cool and I love... I mean I'm so, you know me, I'm like, it's awesome to be able to see the film and then talk to the person who was in the film. That's dope, like, I'll never get over that.
What would you call your radio show if you had one?
Oh boy,I guess, Inside... In the Lyons' Den, The Lyons' Den brand has been in our family for 80 years, so I feel like some..it's working. So probably just The Lyons' Den even though it's kinda corny.
So what do you do, I mean I know you don't have typical days because your segments change all the time, but do you do from start to finish, what's in general, the kinds of things you happen to do...
I mean I gotta...people forget you gotta go see the movies, that takes up time and scheduling, especially in LA running around, to see a movie in Burbank and then one in Santa Monica, you kinda kill your whole day just 'cause you're driving around. I try and have as much communication with the publicists and studio publicity people that I...we deal with, just because it always comes in handy to have that good relationship and-and a lot of other correspondents maybe don't talk to the publicists. They don't need to, it's fine, but so everyday I'm just tryna send emails or pitch ideas or, you know, just have strength in those relationships with phone calls or meetings or drinks or lunch or whatever. I'm here at the office so I gotta, you know, I always hafta...there's always something to do at my desk. I still have to do my expenses from a London trip, you know, there's a story that needs an opinion, like, come in, should we use this question or that question? I do a lot of stuff for the network as a whole besides The Daily 10, so I do interstitials, I do fall movie previews and Talking Heads shows, I feel like there's always something going on. But that's pretty much it, you know, gearing up for interviews, doing research, like tonight probably, I'll sit at home and I'll look up, you know, Paul Giamatti stuff and Kevin Spacey stuff and, even though I'm a huge Ludacris fan, like, I'll still look up some stuff just cause I'm talking to him tomorrow and I mean, really, every day is different, depending on what time of year it is, and what's goin' on and what films, like you know, there's some days I could be in a voice-over booth doing a radio interview for three hours or I could be out at a premiere somewhere or on a set visit or just...everyday is different and that really is nice to break up the monotony, sort of, of a 9 to 5 kind of job. I don't think I could cut it.
How long does it normally take you to write one of your blogs?
Pshh...10 minutes to two hours! You know, depending on how much I get into it and the crazy thing about Blackberrys you can write 'em anywhere, so I get a lotta work done on planes, you know, like, I'll bang out...you don't get service when you're in the air, but I'll bang out 50 emails and 5 blog postings so that when you land, boom, it just all gets sent off and, you know. Internet's amazing, though, because you can put something up and you never know who reads it. And I'm very careful of not trashing a movie online. I'll go on the show and talk about it, but to have it written in stone, up there for people to see whenever and show it to anybody, you gotta be really careful of that.
What would you say are the favorite and least favorite parts of your job?
The least favorite part about my job is trying to voice my frustrations or concerns or aggravations with other people and like, they just think I'm bitching and moaning 'cause it sounds like what I do is so cool that they don't wanna hear it that, like, I have frustrations with my job just like everybody else does, so that's the worst part about my job, is getting other people to understand that it still is a job. They think it's all fun and games all the time. 'Ben goes out and parties then he shows up for work and blah blah blah blah, he didn't do shit.' Like..people..that's frustrating about my job, is that people don't understand it's a commitment, you do your research, you do a lot of interviews, you travel, it's exhausting, you know your shit, like, putting yourself out there everyday. You know, like, there's a lot that goes to it, it's not just like, show up and talk. But the best part about it is like I said before, sitting down and getting to talk to people who have influenced my childhood, my life as an adult, people I've looked to for style...
Such as?
From Kanye West to, you know, Ian Ziering. Like, you know, I can get as geeked out for my 90210 interviews as I do anybody else. It's not necessarily about how famous the person is but my...you know everyone has a personal connection to these people- you see their movies, you wear their clothes, you read their books and whatever. So those people that I have grown up admiring and watching and revering, to be able to talk to them and to have them even know me or watch me or have a Mark Wahlberg, he goes 'Oh I watch you all the time, dude, your Stallone interview was great.' You're just like 'What the fuck?' Like, Dirk Diggler was my IM name in high school, like, this is crazy, you know? That- that's really bugged out or even just the people you get to interview a few times and then they know you and they see you at an event and tap you on the shoulder and you turn around 'Hey Julia Stiles! How are you?' You're just like 'what the fuck?' Like that's crazy, like I remember seeing 10 Things I Hate About You in theaters when it opened. Andrew Keegan was out last night, even that...I geeked out! It's so stupid but like, just having relationships with these people that I've admired and really, you know, grown up on, that's the craziest shit ever.
So how would you define celebrity, or, you know, what's your perception of this Hollywood culture that we have today?
You know, you look back to the time period my grandfather worked, the people he covered were revered for their accomplishments. They were a talented writer, they were a scientist, a politician. I feel like back then, the status of celebrity and notoriety was much more of a melting pot. Now it just seems like we're only into actresses, reality stars, musicians, and mostly in the tabloids and things are young girls, and that's what's really scary- the Haydens, the Hills girls, the Lindsay Lohans, it's just all young, you know, affected, easily corruptible girls. And it's kind of a shame, I think nowadays the standard of why are you famous? is a lot different. It's much more famous for being famous, you know, looking at her picture right now, Rachel Bilson. Who the fuck is Rachel Bilson? Like straight up? Alright, she was really good on a pretty average teen drama for five years. That's it! You know? And with the fashion and the red carpet. You know, we always joke and say that girl will go to an opening of a bag, know what I mean? Just like...everything. And-and so now, it's much different than I think, I feel like “celebrity,” “famous,” “movie star,” those are all, like, much differently defined terms than say, when my grandfather, Leonard, was doing it.
Do you consider yourself a celebrity?
Absolutely not. Not on any level. I feel like, I've said I'm recognizable. I think I'm well-known. I would not say I'm a celebrity by any means at all. And I'm definitely not famous. But I'm...there's...recognizable and, you know, whatever. And gorgeous and good-looking and charming, definitely. No, I don't think I'm a-a celebrity you know, in any way, shape or form.
Are there any aspects of your life that are celebrity lifestyle. I mean, going to the premieres?
Yeah, no I get a lotta free shit. I get to go a lotta cool places. My Ray Liotta honey that was sent to me from Paramount, yeah. I, you know, I definitely see- it's easy to see how people treat you different, you know, it's funny, like, that someone would get, like, really gassed from what I do and treat me different because of it when I don't act any differently, but..and you know having personal life written about is definitely something I'm getting used to and understanding, just sort of how that makes people perceive you or how it affects your personal life. I also...you know, getting...honestly, I'm at the place in my life where if somebody stops me and wants to take a picture or talk or recognizes me, I fuckin' love it. I'll be the first to admit, it's really cool, it's really sweet 'cause it shows you're making a connection with them and they're actually watching. It's not even near the place of being intrusive on any level. That's when I think people get fed up with it, when they can't go get a bite to eat or they can't just leave their house to go to the gym and it's always, you know, always on and that's the price you pay, but I'm, of course, not even near that level. But to be recognized now is cool, like, that means someone's watching and they like your work. You know, I'm not recognized usually by people who don't like me. So that's cool too. You know, I feel like everybody recognizes Jennifer Lopez even if you don't like her movies, you're still gonna wanna say hi or take a picture and stuff. I know that if someone does come up to me and says 'Hey I watched you' that means, like, they're into it. So that's cool, like that's really fun (?). So I guess, that's it for my raucous celebrity lifestyle.
Is it possible to be a fan and simultaneously be a professional?
Absolutely and I will always be a fan and it's important for everybody to be a fan of what they do and the product they make. I get so disappointed in some of my friends who are executives at movie studios who don't go out and watch a lot of movies. Like, be a fan of film. You know, the most successful actors are fans of other actors. George Clooney is a cinemaphile. He knows his movies, you know? Jerry Bruckheimer loves movies, he's a fan of actors. So you know, it's always a matter of being a fan and appreciating somebody and their work and stuff, but yeah being professional. You have a job, you represent a company. If you're a PA at an awards show, it's not the appropriate place to hug Gwyneth Paltrow, but you say, you know, it's really cool Gwyneth Paltrow was there. That's awesome, or, you know, whatever. Yeah, but being...I see too many of my counterparts not so much at E! but more so at the other outlets who are so jaded and affected by what they do and unappreciative that they take for granted this life-changingly awesome opportunity to have- to talk to some of the famous people that... They're not a fan. And they don't care. They think that someone like a Paul Giamatti's boring and he's one of the great actors of our time. Like, that's ridiculous to me. You always have to be a fan.
So if you could interview anyone, who would you want to interview?
Wow, that's a question I get a lot. It is a staple question, it's ok I won't hold that against you. It's hard now because, for a while, it was Ian Ziering and that's happened like, 3 times now. And he's one of those 'Holy shit, this dude knows who I am, like what?' Kanye West was one for a while. That happened about a month ago. Then it was, and now it's Jerry Seinfeld, that was my go-to answer, now I...I feel like a dick being like 'You know what? I'm good!' You know, I'm tryna think actor-wise who I would really wanna chop it up with. I think...I guess Harrison Ford. Actually, I'm gonna say a director. I'll say Martin Scorsese. I haven't...I've never met Marty, I've never interviewed him. I think he'd be a good one to really be able to talk film and talk young people and how they're consuming film, you know that kinda stuff. I think that would be a good one..I mean...pshh..it's crazy now to watch a movie and if there's an actor in the movie I have not interviewed- that's weird. Like to watch Russell Crowe, I've never interviewed Russell Crowe, but pretty much everyone else from Julia Roberts to Cam Diaz, Halle Berry, I mean, I've talked to...and it's only been like one full year on E! so I can't imagine what after two years it's gonna be like. Like, I don't know. So I guess now Martin Scorsese, I'll go with the best director ever.
Are you an autograph collector?
Sometimes, yeah I..I geek out on autographs. I like pictures. I'm not, I never would take a picture of a celebrity just themselves, I feel like you can buy that in a magazine. But I like pictures of me with the celebrity. Even if we do an interview and it's documented on film, I'll pull somebody aside and take a picture, why not, you know? Absolutely.
So, what is your ultimate career goal?
I wanna get fat, play golf, you know. No. I would love to be in a place in my career where I-I could delegate the responsibility for people to execute ideas. Like if I have an idea for a marketing plan or a TV show, or a...you know something you can really have other people make those ideas become realities. And that's what's sort of the top top, the Russell Simmonses of the world kind of do, you know? They get an idea for a shoe line and it's not like making shoes, you know? But I-I see myself as being a high-profile, behind the scenes person. You know, Jerry Bruckheimer is a famous producer, but uh..and one fuels the other, like, his celebrity fuels his movie career, but you know, most producers are not famous or whatever. Even Brett Ratner is a well-known director and his celebrity fuels his films and vice versa. I would love to work for a studio or an independent marketing firm and also pop up in a movie here and there, or host a special here and there or kinda, have a public... I definitely want to do more than just do interviews and interview actors for 30 years. I've seen my dad do it and he loves it and he's great at it, it's just not the life for me. I know I don't wanna be at junkets doing 10 minute interviews in 30 years or...maybe 5 years. I-I'd love to have my own show, a late night show. That would be a lot of fun.
Called?
Uh, I don't know. Not The Lyons' Den, I'll tell you that much. It wouldn't last on the air. That's like a bad show on Skinemax. But I would love to host like...Charlie Rose for young people. You know, and really do like, an hour somebody, I think would be really cool. That's the next step. And beyond that, down the road, you know, Adam Carolla, I've gone on his radio show a couple times, he talks about how he loves his career so much 'cause one year you do a radio show, then you do a book, then you maybe do a stand-up tour, you kinda get to do a little bit of everything. Bob Saget, the same way. You know, he's on Broadway right now, he's on Entourage as himself. You kinda pop up and do different things. The entertainment business really allows you to do that, you know. We're doing stuff at the Hard Rock now, we're doing..I'm on E!, I bought the rights to a few scripts, there's all different types of things you can do in this town, so I never wanna limit myself to just one thing.
Ok, now since you're on The Daily 10, are there 10 things that you need during the day that you can't live without? What are your Daily 10?
Alright. My Daily 10, I like that, alright. In no particular order, because that would make me sound ridiculous. 1- my Blackberry, I'm not...functional without it. Unfortunately, that's the way we've become. That's one. I need a fresh pair of sneakers on everyday. Somethin' just to make people say 'Where did you get those?' It's the greatest compliment in the whole wide world. I have some contact with my family everyday whether it's email or a phone call or, you know, my sister, or somebody, just some family connection. 10 things I need everyday...I need to break a sweat everyday, like on purpose. And I don't do it, but I really need to. So these are 10 things I need. Some physical activity everyday. I try and watch a movie a day, whether it's one I'm covering at a screening or just to fall asleep at night, throw on a DVD, like, I definitely have to...like, I watch a movie every day. Let's see. That's only 5 things I need everyday! It's LA, so everyone does lunch in LA, right? I need like a good power lunch. Like, I do try and take some time to be sure to like sit down and eat, but in a way, it's like...I dunno, very European to think of it this way, I know it sounds silly, but like, we're always on the go, you're eating in the studio or at your desk or you've got a big dinner with a friend, I wanna just have a nice quiet...It's ok to cut yourself off from the world for 10 minutes and eat a sandwich, you know? It's like totally...totally fine. I had another good one that I totally...just...lost. That's 6 things I need everyday. Water? You drink a lot of water in LA. I'm stretching now. I'm going with the water. I try to listen to some Biggie Smalls everyday (laughs). I actually do try and do that. That's 8 right? I try and spend 10 minutes in the hammock everyday in my backyard. Living in LA, I have a nice backyard with a hammock under an orange tree, try and sit there and, you know, collect my thoughts. And...I need to...oh boy...what did other people say? What did Cat say? I dunno. And then uh...I...I gotta talk to the homies everyday, my closest friends, and that's what's been great about doing this, is that they don't give a shit that I'm on E!, they don't care. We're playing Fantasy Football, that's what we're talking about. No one cares that, you know, you were out last night with whoever. It doesn't matter. It's like I-I definitely, like, need my friends on a daily basis just to like keep me sane. 'Cause otherwise I go crazy with this shit. It's such an all-encompassing lifestyle and it's such a ridiculous deal that you could easily lose yourself in it. So having my good friends around. That's my 10. We got it. We got there.
If you were the subject on the D10, what would your number 1 story be?
(Laughs). Oh! That is...the number one story in my life right now is that I'm getting paid to go to Las Vegas for a year. That should be celebrated. That should be the number one story.
Why are you going there for a year? And why aren't you taking me?
You're welcome to come! Me, Sal, and Clinton, we signed a deal with the Hard Rock to host Daily 10 parties and events at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas every Saturday for a year. We did the first one last week, we're taking a week off, we're gonna do November 10th, the 24th, 3 dates in December, and then every weekend in January. So, that's the number one story in my life. It's preparing to spend forty, forty-five days a year in Las Vegas and not kill myself. No, you know what? It's fun though because it's fun to promote the show and Vegas is a great marketing city, you know and like, someone who's interested in marketing like we talked about as like, a future career, this is a great opportunity to get creative and learn how it works and what people value in marketing and Vegas is the town that people are selling everything. So uh, it's gonna be really fun. That's my number one story- it's living and working in Las Vegas.
Alright, so let's get some just random survey questions. How many DVDs do you own?
Upwards of 350. Probably 500 DVDs. I like to give 'em away, you can't, you know, trust me- the ones I give away, you do not want.You don't need Edison Force on DVD, you know?
Favorite actors and actresses? Celeb crushes other than Ian Ziering?
My favorite actors working, I love Ed Norton. I love...I like Tom Cruise, like a lot of people think I'm crazy 'cause he's crazy, but I think for being the most photographed guy in the world, like, he does an amazing job of making you forget that he's Tom Cruise and he's whoever he is. Denzel Washington, of course. As far as women go, I'm a big Natalie Portman fan, I think not only what she does with her movies, but her philanthropy work is incredible. I-I love Scarlett Johansson for obvious reasons and, yeah, that's probably my dream team right there.
Speaking of environmental concerns, you do a lot of work yourself with the environment. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Yeah. Growing up in New York City is not the most lush environment, you know, but having moved to California, I've kind of found myself turning a little green, if you will. I work with the Hollywood Beautification Team...I work with an organization out here called the Hollywood Beautification Team and their initiative is to plant like a million trees in Los Angeles and they work with the city on various different environmental projects and stuff, and more so than anything else, you know, whether it's...I mean look, we could all help support children and hunger in Africa and it's important we do raise awareness to those things but I think like most people you kind of find one sort of cause that speaks to you and you find a connection with so you can really pour yourself and your heart into it. For me that's been the environment and the climate crisis that we face and-and since moving to California I've been able to meet a lot of people who have been real leaders and at the forefront of that and have been nothing but supportive and-and inspirational.
So is that how you got involved with it? You just kinda met people?
Yeah, you know, you kind of, you meet people, I get sort of a reputation for some of the films I champion on the show. Like I do a lot on An Inconvenient Truth or Into the Wild or The 11th Hour, things like that, so you get invited to different things. And at those things you meet people. I have a kid from high...a guy I've known since...since before high school, since pre-school, his name's Billy Parrish and he was named One of the 25 Americans Changing the World by Rolling Stone magazine. Like, he's...he's dedicating his life to the climate crisis and he started an organization called Energy for Action that he's gettin' me involved with, so Billy's a real leader, like, he's the real deal with that and I've been able to kinda do my part a little bit, but you know.
So how did it feel winning the award for your charity work?
It was a quite a humbling experience. I looked at it more so as a challenge than an award bestowed upon me. It was sorta like 'Hey dude, you have a great opportunity and a passion for this, like, go do work.' You know? And that's kinda how I looked at it. It obviously wasn't for any lifetime of achievement. But I think we're all gonna be more environment-conscious, more energy-conscious in the upcoming, you know, election year, and just, as we get older and purchase things for ourselves. You buy your first car, you buy your first home, you're gonna wanna like, think of, you know, energy conservation. It's something that's facing our planet and we've ignored it for too long and I feel like our generation especially is really getting behind it to make a difference. And as far as the environment goes, it's not even about me or you buying a Prius and, you know, only shopping at Wholefoods, like, it's not even, that's not what it is. It's important we all turn off the lights at home and, you know, try and drive a more fuel-efficient car, but sadly, we're past that. Like we need policy makers, we need architects, we need government officials to really make a difference. Like, we all drive a Prius, that's great, but, like, you know, we need to like, have buildings built more efficiently and tax write-offs for, you know, things, to get people really, really goin' on this.
Have you ever thought of running for office?
I have not thought of running for office, there are too many incriminating photos of me doing things that...there's no political office for me. I see like, how someone like Al Gore who lived a whole live of service and political career, he's able to do more now to galvanize young people being out of the political arena, by starting current TV, or goin' around with Leo or makin' a movie, winning an Oscar, like he-he can do more, sadly, not being a politician and having to play that game. And that's inspiring for a lot of people who don't want to be in politics, you know, if you wanna just be aware. You don't need the office and the title to be looked at as someone who can make a difference.
So if you could choose to have anyone interview you, who would you choose?
Besides you? Cause you've done an awesome job and you've been very thorough. I'd love one of these actor folks who maybe doesn't like talking to the press to try and do it and get a good...yeah! Like a Sean Penn or even like, you know, some of these other more reclusive...a James Gandolfini, like a Pacino or DeNiro. They- they've done it so many times, like yeah. You know I mean I think anybody who, like yourself, comes prepared, is a fan of the work, like, that's great, you know? You love being at E!, I can tell and doing the show and that enthusiasm comes out. I'd want someone who respects your time enough to like, be focused and not like, lookin' to get outta there. I dunno. That's it.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
I have a lot! I'd probably say 90210 is a guilty pleasure. No, 90210's not a guilty pleasure because I don't feel guilty about it. I'm proud of it, you know, like, there's a...there's a certain sense of pride in being a 9-0 fan, so people always say that's my guilty pleasure.
What are your favorite movies? I won't ask you for A favorite movie because I know it's impossible.
Yeah it is impossible. You know I'm a fan of everything from To Catch a Thief from Alfred Hitchcock and North by Northwest to Sydney Lumet's.... CUTS OFF... Trading Places, are great comedies. I'm a huge fan of Spike Lee movies, Do the Right Thing. I love Woody Allen, Annie Hall. I really enjoy filmmakers who you're kinda watching them as much as you're watching the actual movie, like a Spike Jonze with Being John Malkovich or David Fincher for Se7en, or those kinda films, you know, where you're really watching the director (unintelligible) as much as you're watching the movie. I just gave you a lotta movies, I know. Sorry (laughs).
TV shows?
TV shows, besides 90210 and The Fresh Prince like we talked about, The Office is fantastic, it's out right now. I'm a huge 24 fan and I drive around Los Angeles thinking that every shady van is filled with terrorists ready to, you know, poison us all. I love Seinfeld, grew up in New York, and Saved by the Bell, of course, you know. I think that's a good list right there.
What's on your iPod right now?
New Jay-Z album, American Gangster, I've been listening to a lot. Still listening to Kanye's album, that hasn't gotten old 3 months later. I'm starting to try and expand into more cross-over-y type of music- The Citizen Copes and The Killers and, you know, that kinda stuff, stuff that's just not gonna like, scare away people from my car. I love Lil Wayne, I love Biggie, I'm a huge hip hop fan so I still get mix tapes from New York and stuff. Common's new album is-is great. Uh...that's a lot too.
What do you do when you're not working? What are your hobbies?
I play golf. I play a lotta golf. I like to spend time with my family. I like...when I'm not working, I'm a huge football fan, I'm a huge sports fan, so tonight I got the Knicks, the Knicks are starting tonight, so I got the game on TiVo right now. Football and basketball, and I try and play a lotta basketball still. We work across the street from one of the great museums in the world, I go there all the time: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA. What else? That's it. A big (?) lunch. I'm a big fan of a two hour lunch.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can burp on command, is that a talent?
Do it!
(Burps) I did that with Justin Timberlake. We had a burp-off. Yeah, that's a good one.
I remember the Kids' Choice Awards had a Burp Award one year...
Right! With Timberlake. And so that's why I challenged him in our interview to a burp-off and I forgot that not only is he a good belcher, but he has professional lungs so like, he can really kinda do it. That's not fair, you know, I have the lungs of a 50 year old man, so it sucks.
So, being that you grew up in New York, do you prefer New York over LA?
Absolutely. LA's great now for work, it's changed my life professionally. I love the sunshine, beautiful women, and the beach, the whole thing, but New York is culture, New York is real life. New York is living in Rome during the Roman Empire, you know? It's the pinnacle of the modern civilization on the planet. Like, there's no greater city than New York. It is the definition of a city, it's like you're in contact with strangers. I miss the sounds and smell of the train and the people, and the character. New York has a character and a community and you really feel it. While here in LA it's so transient and so introverted and isolated. You're in your car all day, you come to your isolated job, you go home, like, you don't have that kind of...there's no community. It's so spread out. People in Santa Monica have no relationship to the people in Los Feliz. You live in the Lower East Side or you live in Harlem, like, you're all connected by the city and like, this, pulse of the people that you don't feel in Los Angeles at all.
Is there anything that you would change? Or anything that you regret so far?
I could lose 10 pounds and get in shape! I could get my stomach together, that would be nice. No, but...anything I'd change or regret, you know, I-I regret earlier on in my career not maybe be 100% myself, 100% of the time. I was a little easy to compromise and said 'Oh if I do it this way this one time then next time, they'll do it my way' and it doesn't really work that way. You really make the bed you sleep in, so, you know, just continuing to focus on asking the questions I wanna ask, wearing the clothes I wanna wear, presenting myself in the way that most accurately portrays me, honestly I think that's important, you know? I don't wanna talk differently on TV than I do in person.
So if you were to write your autobiography right now, what would you title it?
What would I title my autobiography? Honestly...I would title my autobiography it would be called Bobby Brown Tried to Stab Me in the Face and Other Stories from the Lyons' Den. There we go. I was at a sushi restaurant, I was at Benihana's once and I was acting a little inappropriate, had a few too many sake bombs and Bobby Brown was at the next table, and apparently he was not enjoying the way I was behaving so he picked up the chef's knife and said 'I'll cut your face into food!' And uh...the whole restaurant got silent. I ended up...it was his daughter's birthday so I went across the street and bought 4 dozen roses and presented them to his daughter and apologized and he made me make a speech.
Bobby Christina?
No it was not Bobby Christina, it was another one. She was so embarrassed, poor thing. So that would be my book: Bobby Brown Tried to Stab Me in the Face and Other Stories from the Lyons' Den. Isn't that good? That's good. I like that.
What do you hope to be remembered for?
Wow. I hope to be remembered for somebody who had a lot of fun in the business. Who was always approachable, was always enjoying himself and was professional, and like, was on his shit. And despite all the saying 'Oh he was a nice guy' but 'He was also on it' and I think that's very rare in this town. You have people that are so into the business they become an asshole and they're all-encompassing, or people having too much fun and they don't get any good business done. So it would be nice just to be just a guy who was like 'He had a lotta fun and did some cool shit.' And I think that's it.
Any parting advice for, you know, what would you tell someone if they wanted to be you?
One- be someone else. Two- I would say that, like we were talking about at the start of the interview, not taking no for answer. People are gonna say you're too young, you're too old, you're too tall, you're too short, whatever. Just...and really, you know, do it your way. Kanye West has a song “You Can't Tell Me Nothing,” like, don't let people in your ear tell you 'do it this way, do it that way.' Like, be open and you know, be open to change and advice, don't be set in stone. But do what makes you comfortable, do what makes you happy. Don't compromise yourself. Don't say 'well, I'll just do this job for two years cause then I'll be able to do what I really wanna do.' Like, do what you really wanna do now, like, whether your 20 or 30. Like the only way you're gonna be successful is if you do what you wanna do. Find a way to do it, you know?
Links: The Lyons Den | Facebook | Twitter
My name is Benjamin Leonard Lyons and my birthday is October 8, 1981.
So speaking of your middle name, Leonard, what was your upbringing like given your family background?
It's a family business like anybody else's family, but obviously it's somethin' special, a little different, and my dad has been someone who's been just like (?), the most inspirational, supportive, but also just such a great example. He's so professional and he's so well-researched and I've never heard somebody who's dealt with him on any level have problems, it's always the nicest thing, which is so cool. Yeah, when you look back...when I look back on my childhood like I got to do a lot of really fun things as a kid, getting to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger, I remember playing video games with Macauley Culkin, and just like really fun, cool stuff and uh...it really also made me appreciate that, like, this is a business, and that, you know, there's lots of different jobs. You don't have to be an actor, you don't have to be an on-air host, you can be a producer, you can be a writer, there's, like, all these different elements of the machine so to speak. It was uh..and, you know...you mentioned my grandfather's name as a segway, that...I do regret not having gotten to know him at all, he passed away before I was born. And...and, you know, I'm very lucky in the sense of I get to run around and talk to a lot of cool people as does my dad, but nobody did it like my grandfather, he wrote for the Post six days a week for 40 years, covered people like Sinatra and Hemingway and Audrey Heburn and Grace Kelly and Marc Chagall and George Bernard Shaw and Charlie Chaplin. And it's just, like, really crazy when you think of how old Hollywood was back then, so uh, I do feel very fortunate as I get older to not only just like, the cool things they did, like professionally, but mydad and my mom were like the best parents, and that's more important, like, even though my dad's in the business, my mom is the one I go to for like, problems or advice or words of wisdom, like, she- she provides a really nice outside perspective on things.
What does your mom do?
My mom, she-she was a flight attendant for a while on TWA, she was the head of admissions for a private preschool on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, then, now she works at my old high school and my sister's high school and she tutors some kids uptown, so she's always been based in education. She works at a pottery store on Long Island too, like, she's all over the place.
So what were a few of your first jobs in the business, to get you up to this?
My first few jobs in the business I was in...in high school I interned at the William Morris Agency in the mailroom and that was just a crash course in the business, wore a suit and tie everyday to work, worked for minimum wage, and just had to cover scripts and read manu...you know, book proposals, and just every aspect of the entertainment business got funneled through that mailroom. I also started working in the music business, mostly, I interned at an independent hip hop label called Duck Down Records which sold--has sold, a couple million records around the world, a bigger deal in New York than out here. But I was like on the street team: like handing out flyers, doing promotions, I helped redesign their website and that, I ended up producing a lot of music videos for the guys on the label and then produced other music videos. So..and I worked for Def Jam, so I was..I was more based in the music business when I was like, in college and living in New York.
Well, with this being one of your first experiences, how did you learn to produce all these hip hop segments and everything?
I-I producing...I, as with everything you learn, the best kind of education is learning on the job and understanding, alright, a producer is the one who's in charge of the budget and has to deliver the product. What's the product? And with music videos, it was hiring a director, hiring lighting guys, casting, securing locations. I learned from producing the idea of like never taking no as an answer. Like, there's a way to make it work. Just get it done. And don't take no, and if you want it you can figure out, get creative, there's ways...everyone has a soft spot or a weakness or a way to get to them and just find it and then be persistent and it was a great learning experience. Especially for what I do now cause when we go out on shoots I've done that, like, I've been the producer out on the shoot with a talent. Interviewing a celebrity, like, I know what to look for, I know how it's gonna cut together in the editing room. So having that experience helps me a lot with what I do now, absolutely.
So you were still in high school then?
High school and college. I..I left college early. I did two years at the University of Michigan and then thought I was gonna transfer to NYU. That was not in their plans, unfortunately, and then I started working and...and just producing all this stuff and then producing led into hosting and here we are now.
What were you studying? What did you major in?
I was an English major. I figured if I could read and write I could probably get a job.
Well, with your family background, do you feel any associated with kind of living up to your grandfather or your father's expectations?
Absolutely. And...and it's a lot of the pressure I put on myself. You know, at first when I got started, everyone thought 'Oh you got the job because you're Jeffrey Lyons' kid, and it makes sense, like, I get it, you know, younger demos are obviously important for television hours and stuff, but at some point, you gotta do the job and at some point, yes it helps you get in the door but then, now, you're almost looked at harder because of how you got in the door. So it-it obviously helps, on a lot of levels it can go against you, like people will think 'Oh the only reason you got it is cause you're Jeffrey's kid or Leonard's grandson or whatever and then you hafta do that much better. And also, they raised the bar so high, like my grandfather is a legendary columnist in American journalism, my dad's been on television for over 30 years, like, and is so well respected in the business so you're really living up to that legacy and that responsibility and that can be a little daunting at times as well, but I like to think in the last year on E! and the last 3 years I've been on TV, I've been able to sort of make a name for myself, independently of them as well.
And was the MTV Your Movie Show the first hosting gig you had?
MTV Your Movie Show was the first time I was ever on camera and it was such a learning experience. I-I hope those tapes are burned and never see the light of day. Seriously, I have the Tom Cruise Valkyrie haircut swoop, I got the Jason Kennedy too much makeup on, I'm askin' stupid questions, but it was amazing. My first interviews, I did half an hour with Jack Black, half an hour with Will Smith, and half an hour with Angelina Jolie. It was like, great, just like welcome to the shit and Will Smith for me was the first time I really had to interview somebody who I had, like, a personal geek out with, like, The Fresh Prince was one of my favorite shows and sort of getting over that, like 'Oh my God you're Will Smith, oh my God!' and like, having to put that aside, it taught me a lot and, you know, and..and, I don't know I just hope those tapes never find the light of day (laughs). And just like you asked before about the producing and how did you learn to do it, even though I grew up with my dad, like I never had training, classes, media training or anything like that. I just did it and you just learn on the job and, luckily, there have been some places that have wanted to give me a chance to grow and learn a little bit cause I know those old MTV tapes...
So he never actually sat you down and said 'this is the way you..'
No! Never! I mean, I'll ask him for advice on things or just, you know, what to do with your hands, or how to read the prompter and that kinda stuff, but no, we never had sort of training sessions or like, I know a lot of people do that and those things are helpful. His agent once held, like, a seminar and talked...tried to...but that was more for serious newscasters, like, you know you see a newscaster with like, the pen in their hand and a paper on the desk and I-I don't really have aspirations for like, hard news on any level, which I don't know, I-I-I'm kind of disappointed in myself that a part of me isn't dying to go out and do serious journalism. I just don't have the interest.
So you're saying you don't consider what you do serious journalism?
I don't consider what I do serious journalism. My dad always, it's funny, he-he doesn't say...you ask my dad if he's in the entertainment business and he says no. He says he reports on the entertainment business and he's a journalist and works at a news outlet, NBC, and I-I-I don't understand how I could not be in the entertainment business. For one, I work at E! and E! Entertainment and...and all we do is Hollywood and movies and TV and, you know. And it's like, I see how, you know, a movie studio would use my name in a quote or they'll, like want me to get an interview, I'm helping them, I'm helping them sell their movie, so I'm inherently a part of the business, is how I look at it.
Going back to the MTV show, what was it like with Angelina?
You know, like...a whole half hour with Angelina. She had..she was shooting or had just finished Mr. and Mrs. Smith so the Brad Pitt stuff, like, she was still Angelina Jolie, there was this air of sexual mystery around her and controversy, but it wasn't the iconic philanthropist that she is today. And I remember wanting to approach the interview very serious, do my research, pull out United Nations stuff, you know, whatever, she'd want to talk about sex, she wanted to talk about her son, she wanted to...so I think it was right before she learned 'Oh I don't need to be talking about Maddox in every interview.' All she did was talk about taking Maddox to the Howard Hughes exhibit at the museum and what fun things to do for kids while she was in New York. She was very uncomfortable in her own skin, surprisingly so. She's like a goth chick from the Valley who had a dysfunctional home and she woke up one day and she's the most beautiful woman in the world, Angelina Jolie, so she's kinda like 'Whoa, this is a little weird!' and, sweater, jeans, and very sweet and engaging. I-I don't know, it'd be interesting- I doubt she'd remember me on any level, she's done so many interviews since, and traveled the world so much as four years ago, but we definitely had a good connection. She was a fun interview, she was cool.
Any diva-ness about her at all?
Nah, not at all. She showed up without an entourage, like was really willing to play along with some of the silly MTV questions, and-and, she-she introduced herself to all the crew members, shook everyone's hand and like, was really cool. I'm bummed now that she's almost become such a huge deal that I'll never get that type of access to her again, you know...Never say never, but I doubt...I doubt me doing an Angelina Jolie interview for half an hour, I think it...one would be a lot different than it was back then, but I don't think it's happening any time soon. I'm not counting on it (laughs).
You've already done so much and you're, what, 26 now? Are there any advantages or even disadvantages to being kind of on the younger side of...
Yeah, like what we were talking about before about, you know, getting things seriously for who you are. I remember my first round of meetings here at E! there was a lot of talk like 'He's too young to be out on the red carpet' or 'He's too young to cover the Oscars and-and let his opinion be heard so it doesn't hurt in this town, obviously, to be young, it's a better...it's a nice problem to have, but you know, you do have to sort of, you know, when you go and talk to a George Clooney or somebody, you know, Morgan Freeman or somebody, you need to like, really step it up because they look at you like you're 10 years old (laughs). But yeah, I have no problem being too young for something, that's fine.
And you also said that, about how trying to figure out questions to ask Angelina, do you usually go into interviews with an angle prepared? Or how does it...how do you determine...
You always want the interview to be conversational, like this is you know, however, yeah, I do pride myself on my research. There's certain things you want to pick up and there's a set up, like, I usually like to come out of the game with a couple questions about the actual film and then translate that into the whole career, and then sneak in some kind of just off-the-cuff pop culture, personal stuff. There's usually a flow to it, it's-it's really all about managing the time 'cause interviews are so tightly monitored: 8 minutes, hard 8 minutes and if you get an actor on a day when they're rambling and going on and on, and-and you might not get to the stuff you really need to so you kinda have to cut them off and push in and have them be a little bit more fast-paced and sound-byte-y more so than conversational. The best interviews are the ones you can just pop in a tape and play it straight through, no edits. That's the ideal, but it's very rare it happens that way.
Given time crunches, how do you choose what's the most important questions to ask?
Well you know, I mean, a lotta times I'm conflicted of doing the interview that I wanna do and doing the interview that's best for our audience and the E! Channel group. You know, someone like Kanye West, you know, the E! Channel focus, they wanna hear him talk about Britney Spears, they wanna hear about the MTV Awards, they wanna hear about the 50 Cent controversy. Me personally, Ben Lyons, a fan of hip hop music, like, I wanna ask Kanye crazy questions about mix tapes he made 5 years ago that no one else on the planet has heard but me and like, that doesn't translate necessarily to the best thing for our audience, so it's finding that balance and keeping in mind who's watching the show and what they wanna hear. You know I had an interesting talk a while back when I did Jim Carrey and, if you surveyed everybody who watched E! and said 'What do you wanna ask Jim Carrey?' a large portion of those people would say they wanna talk to him about his girlfriend, or, what's hew name? Jenny McCarthy or whatever. That was the last thing I thought of when I was gonna go in there and talk to Jim Carrey, like, he's a big reason why I fell in love with films in the first place, you know? And so it's finding a balance and anytime you can get them to bring up that kinda stuff, it's cool you know?
So what are your personal tips for being a good interviewer?
Well you nailed it, you've done your research. I can tell you were on the Google and the IMDB and that, so you're straight. Seriously, having...being prepared and like, I oftentimes get more nervous for an actor who's maybe done 1 or 2 films and doesn't have a lot of things to pull off of, cause then...then where do you go? With Denzel Washington, I know in 10 minutes I'm gonna have too much to talk about, but with 10 minutes with Elijah Kelly from Hairspray, I dunno. What else has he done and ah...what do you wanna do? That's when you dig into the sort of generic, go-to questions. I grew up with...you know with him you say 'Oh there's gonna be a generation of kids who grow up watching Hairspray, what are the films you grew up watching?' And like, that's kinda boring, but just have some go-to's to kill time and stuff. Often I do this- ask the question once, don't ask it twice. And...and what I mean by that is, you say something like...you wanna ask Jerry Seinfeld, 'How did you put together the ensemble cast of Bee Movie' right? You say “Hey Jerry, everyone from Chris Rock to Renee Zellwegger's in this movie, how did you put together the whole cast? Did you go and audition people or...' you know, you've already asked the question, let him do the answer, you know, so that's what I often do a lot because you're having a conversation with someone and that's how you would naturally talk with them. It plays better and it's a better...you get a better answer out of the person when you ask it once. There's no need to ask it twice.
Do you ever get nervous being on camera?
I get-I get too excited. You know what I mean? It's not so much fear, nerves-nervousness I think rests in fear and I don't, I'm not afraid to talk to anyone. I just like, you know I've never interviewed Vince Vaughn, I'm gonna talk to him tomorrow and I'm really excited, like, that's more what it is and I don't want to blow the opportunity to go home and be able to sleep at night. You know, after every interview I'm always like 'Oh, I wish I coulda asked him that.' There's always something, there's always gonna be something but I-I hate not being able to live with myself a week later, be like 'I can't believe I didn't tell him that story where I met him one time' or that connection or whatever it is, you know? There's always something, so that's what I get more nervous about is making sure that there's not a lot of some things...
Have you ever had anything embarrassing happen to you during an interview?
I did an interview with a guy...oh, plenty of times. First of all, I'm notorious to get hot, I sweat in these interviews and so sometimes people have kind of clowned me on-on sweating a little too much. Morgan Freeman, 'You're very hot for a young man!' Like, 'uhh thank you (?)' There's an actor named Jonny Lee Miller who starred in Aeon Flux and Trainspotting and Hackers. I knew that Angelina Jolie starred opposite him in Hackers, I had no idea that they were married once. So in the interview I'm asking everybody 'Who wins in a fight? The character in Aeon Flux or the character Lara Croft in Tombraider. They're both women in these action movies based on cartoons and video games and it's fun to cut together. Charlize gave me a great answer about, 'Oh it depends who wore more body oil,' bah bah bah very funny, right? He goes 'Fuck you, next question.' I go, 'What do you mean fuck me next question? Like, come on, like, you're in Aeon Flux, you're not gonna roll with your girl from this movie?' He goes, 'Next fucking question.' I'm like 'Alright, Jonny Lee Miller' and move on, finish the interview, and I'm walk...I'm outside at the valet at the hotel and I'm like 'Yo, did any of these other journalists have a problem with Jonny Lee Miller?' And someone told me that he was married to Angelina Jolie. I felt two feet tall. He thought I was trying to get slick and talk to him about his ex-wife and I really was, just speaking from a place of ignorance. It was the one time when not being aware of the tabloids and Us Weekly and all that shit kind of bit me in the ass in a way. So if I ever see him again or interview him again, I'm gonna apologize, like, ugh I felt terrible!
Do you, being such a movie buff, do you do a lot of your own research?
I do all my own research. Oh yeah, and sometimes the folks here will send questions or, you know, I'll have a conversation with our executive producer about what he wants for the show, but yeah, no I have a method that I use. I go online and...my dad actually had a crazy research method. You know, before the internet, before you could go on IMDB or Wikipedia or you know, Google interviews of anybody. I'll go on Youtube and I'll type in “Ben Affleck interviews” and watch his old interviews just to see his body language and how he reacts to questions and pacing and tone and whatever. But my dad, he'll read the newspapers or People magazine or whatever and he'll rip out articles. Like, physical, like rip out the article. And then he sends them to this guy in Oregon, who files all the actors alphabetically. So my dad'll say 'Hey I got a Jude Law interview next week.' The guy in Oregon'll send him the Jude Law package and it's clippings from the last 10 years of Jude Law and he does it for free and all this guy asks for is autographs. So my dad gives him...gets him an autograph from like a movie poster or whatever, or signs the actual file. This guy has autographs from like, the last 30 years, of actors. He has everything, like, on every movie poster ever. It's ridiculous. And so for the big actors, like Harrison Ford or Steve Martin, the files are broken down by decade. So my dad's just like 'I got a Steve Martin interview coming up' and this dude sends him a file of Steve Martin clippings from 2000, from the 90s, the 80s, the 70s, like, it's ridiculous. And like, you find a lot of cool shit in there, and, in 1985, a New York Times profile on Dustin Hoffman, like, he has great quotes and great sound-bytes, and you know, those types of things. So the value of research is unbelievable, like, and-and it's really bitten me in the ass when I haven't done it, it's bitten me in the ass when I thought I did it and did it wrong and 'Oh you starred in that movie with so and so.' 'Nah, I didn't' and you feel like a dick, you know, but-but research is the key, absolutely.
So how many hours in a day do you work, like, compiling all these things?
It depends. I mean when I go to Toronto or Sundance or one of those festivals, I'm doing 16, 20 hour days. And- going out hard and working hard and, you know, everyday is different. Like, I work on most of my weekends, I work. Sometimes only for an hour or two, sometimes 12 hours, you know, the Oscars we do live TV for like 12 hours. For the Globes, you know, I'm out at all the after parties 'cause I'm getting stories and meeting people and getting interviews for the next day on the show. Like, everyday is different and some days, you know, I can go see 3 movies in a day, it's a nice day at the office. I've seen 5 in theaters in one day, that was my best. But uh, everyday's different and I then feel like, with this business in particular, no matter what it is you do, you never really punch in and punch out, you know, I have friends who work at more structured job environments, whether a stockbroker or a lawyer and they come in 8:30 and they leave at 6 and then they go home, they go home. They have a life independently of work. My life and my work life are pretty interchangeable and, you know, I think that goes for everybody in the business, especially living out here, like, you go to a party, you go to an event, you go to meetings, it's all kind of the same people, the same faces, and it helps, you know, like I'm able to get certain interviews or get an actor to be more candid in an interview because I have a social relationship with them. Everybody sort of is always on call in this business, I feel like.
Is that hard to manage or for the most part do you enjoy that?
I love it! I love the fact that, you know, every night is an event that's tied into work, like the social life and the work life are nice like, I would hate being a stockbroker and then going out the bars on the weekends and then, it's like, it doesn't have anything to do with work. Like, you always have to be mindful that you're always sort of on, but it like, practicing business in a casual environment is something that I-I kind of enjoy (laughs), see myself doin' for a while.
What's your favorite part of all the things you do? You do your online blog, you, you know, used to write for YRB Magazine...so you've done print, you still write for online, and yet you do these live segments on TV and you also do live interviews.
I really enjoy doing radio a lot, recently. Radio- they always say it's gonna die, when TV came out they said it was gone, and the internet or whatever, but if you look at a lot of the great TV personalities especially of our generation, the Ryan Seacrests, the Jimmy Kimmels, the Adam Carollas, the Carson Dalys, they all have strong radio roots and that's not by accident. You have to be much more careful with what words you use, you..but at the same time it's also a lot more relaxed than the lights and cameras and television. I really enjoy doing radio, I hope to get my own show someday, that would be the best, that really...it doesn't sound as high profile and sexy as some of the other things you get to do but that's really...you know just to see a movie on a Friday night and sit down with the actor on Saturday and ask them whatever you want- that's a thrill and a privilege and a responsibility that I do not take lightly. Like, it's really cool and I love... I mean I'm so, you know me, I'm like, it's awesome to be able to see the film and then talk to the person who was in the film. That's dope, like, I'll never get over that.
What would you call your radio show if you had one?
Oh boy,I guess, Inside... In the Lyons' Den, The Lyons' Den brand has been in our family for 80 years, so I feel like some..it's working. So probably just The Lyons' Den even though it's kinda corny.
So what do you do, I mean I know you don't have typical days because your segments change all the time, but do you do from start to finish, what's in general, the kinds of things you happen to do...
I mean I gotta...people forget you gotta go see the movies, that takes up time and scheduling, especially in LA running around, to see a movie in Burbank and then one in Santa Monica, you kinda kill your whole day just 'cause you're driving around. I try and have as much communication with the publicists and studio publicity people that I...we deal with, just because it always comes in handy to have that good relationship and-and a lot of other correspondents maybe don't talk to the publicists. They don't need to, it's fine, but so everyday I'm just tryna send emails or pitch ideas or, you know, just have strength in those relationships with phone calls or meetings or drinks or lunch or whatever. I'm here at the office so I gotta, you know, I always hafta...there's always something to do at my desk. I still have to do my expenses from a London trip, you know, there's a story that needs an opinion, like, come in, should we use this question or that question? I do a lot of stuff for the network as a whole besides The Daily 10, so I do interstitials, I do fall movie previews and Talking Heads shows, I feel like there's always something going on. But that's pretty much it, you know, gearing up for interviews, doing research, like tonight probably, I'll sit at home and I'll look up, you know, Paul Giamatti stuff and Kevin Spacey stuff and, even though I'm a huge Ludacris fan, like, I'll still look up some stuff just cause I'm talking to him tomorrow and I mean, really, every day is different, depending on what time of year it is, and what's goin' on and what films, like you know, there's some days I could be in a voice-over booth doing a radio interview for three hours or I could be out at a premiere somewhere or on a set visit or just...everyday is different and that really is nice to break up the monotony, sort of, of a 9 to 5 kind of job. I don't think I could cut it.
How long does it normally take you to write one of your blogs?
Pshh...10 minutes to two hours! You know, depending on how much I get into it and the crazy thing about Blackberrys you can write 'em anywhere, so I get a lotta work done on planes, you know, like, I'll bang out...you don't get service when you're in the air, but I'll bang out 50 emails and 5 blog postings so that when you land, boom, it just all gets sent off and, you know. Internet's amazing, though, because you can put something up and you never know who reads it. And I'm very careful of not trashing a movie online. I'll go on the show and talk about it, but to have it written in stone, up there for people to see whenever and show it to anybody, you gotta be really careful of that.
What would you say are the favorite and least favorite parts of your job?
The least favorite part about my job is trying to voice my frustrations or concerns or aggravations with other people and like, they just think I'm bitching and moaning 'cause it sounds like what I do is so cool that they don't wanna hear it that, like, I have frustrations with my job just like everybody else does, so that's the worst part about my job, is getting other people to understand that it still is a job. They think it's all fun and games all the time. 'Ben goes out and parties then he shows up for work and blah blah blah blah, he didn't do shit.' Like..people..that's frustrating about my job, is that people don't understand it's a commitment, you do your research, you do a lot of interviews, you travel, it's exhausting, you know your shit, like, putting yourself out there everyday. You know, like, there's a lot that goes to it, it's not just like, show up and talk. But the best part about it is like I said before, sitting down and getting to talk to people who have influenced my childhood, my life as an adult, people I've looked to for style...
Such as?
From Kanye West to, you know, Ian Ziering. Like, you know, I can get as geeked out for my 90210 interviews as I do anybody else. It's not necessarily about how famous the person is but my...you know everyone has a personal connection to these people- you see their movies, you wear their clothes, you read their books and whatever. So those people that I have grown up admiring and watching and revering, to be able to talk to them and to have them even know me or watch me or have a Mark Wahlberg, he goes 'Oh I watch you all the time, dude, your Stallone interview was great.' You're just like 'What the fuck?' Like, Dirk Diggler was my IM name in high school, like, this is crazy, you know? That- that's really bugged out or even just the people you get to interview a few times and then they know you and they see you at an event and tap you on the shoulder and you turn around 'Hey Julia Stiles! How are you?' You're just like 'what the fuck?' Like that's crazy, like I remember seeing 10 Things I Hate About You in theaters when it opened. Andrew Keegan was out last night, even that...I geeked out! It's so stupid but like, just having relationships with these people that I've admired and really, you know, grown up on, that's the craziest shit ever.
So how would you define celebrity, or, you know, what's your perception of this Hollywood culture that we have today?
You know, you look back to the time period my grandfather worked, the people he covered were revered for their accomplishments. They were a talented writer, they were a scientist, a politician. I feel like back then, the status of celebrity and notoriety was much more of a melting pot. Now it just seems like we're only into actresses, reality stars, musicians, and mostly in the tabloids and things are young girls, and that's what's really scary- the Haydens, the Hills girls, the Lindsay Lohans, it's just all young, you know, affected, easily corruptible girls. And it's kind of a shame, I think nowadays the standard of why are you famous? is a lot different. It's much more famous for being famous, you know, looking at her picture right now, Rachel Bilson. Who the fuck is Rachel Bilson? Like straight up? Alright, she was really good on a pretty average teen drama for five years. That's it! You know? And with the fashion and the red carpet. You know, we always joke and say that girl will go to an opening of a bag, know what I mean? Just like...everything. And-and so now, it's much different than I think, I feel like “celebrity,” “famous,” “movie star,” those are all, like, much differently defined terms than say, when my grandfather, Leonard, was doing it.
Do you consider yourself a celebrity?
Absolutely not. Not on any level. I feel like, I've said I'm recognizable. I think I'm well-known. I would not say I'm a celebrity by any means at all. And I'm definitely not famous. But I'm...there's...recognizable and, you know, whatever. And gorgeous and good-looking and charming, definitely. No, I don't think I'm a-a celebrity you know, in any way, shape or form.
Are there any aspects of your life that are celebrity lifestyle. I mean, going to the premieres?
Yeah, no I get a lotta free shit. I get to go a lotta cool places. My Ray Liotta honey that was sent to me from Paramount, yeah. I, you know, I definitely see- it's easy to see how people treat you different, you know, it's funny, like, that someone would get, like, really gassed from what I do and treat me different because of it when I don't act any differently, but..and you know having personal life written about is definitely something I'm getting used to and understanding, just sort of how that makes people perceive you or how it affects your personal life. I also...you know, getting...honestly, I'm at the place in my life where if somebody stops me and wants to take a picture or talk or recognizes me, I fuckin' love it. I'll be the first to admit, it's really cool, it's really sweet 'cause it shows you're making a connection with them and they're actually watching. It's not even near the place of being intrusive on any level. That's when I think people get fed up with it, when they can't go get a bite to eat or they can't just leave their house to go to the gym and it's always, you know, always on and that's the price you pay, but I'm, of course, not even near that level. But to be recognized now is cool, like, that means someone's watching and they like your work. You know, I'm not recognized usually by people who don't like me. So that's cool too. You know, I feel like everybody recognizes Jennifer Lopez even if you don't like her movies, you're still gonna wanna say hi or take a picture and stuff. I know that if someone does come up to me and says 'Hey I watched you' that means, like, they're into it. So that's cool, like that's really fun (?). So I guess, that's it for my raucous celebrity lifestyle.
Is it possible to be a fan and simultaneously be a professional?
Absolutely and I will always be a fan and it's important for everybody to be a fan of what they do and the product they make. I get so disappointed in some of my friends who are executives at movie studios who don't go out and watch a lot of movies. Like, be a fan of film. You know, the most successful actors are fans of other actors. George Clooney is a cinemaphile. He knows his movies, you know? Jerry Bruckheimer loves movies, he's a fan of actors. So you know, it's always a matter of being a fan and appreciating somebody and their work and stuff, but yeah being professional. You have a job, you represent a company. If you're a PA at an awards show, it's not the appropriate place to hug Gwyneth Paltrow, but you say, you know, it's really cool Gwyneth Paltrow was there. That's awesome, or, you know, whatever. Yeah, but being...I see too many of my counterparts not so much at E! but more so at the other outlets who are so jaded and affected by what they do and unappreciative that they take for granted this life-changingly awesome opportunity to have- to talk to some of the famous people that... They're not a fan. And they don't care. They think that someone like a Paul Giamatti's boring and he's one of the great actors of our time. Like, that's ridiculous to me. You always have to be a fan.
So if you could interview anyone, who would you want to interview?
Wow, that's a question I get a lot. It is a staple question, it's ok I won't hold that against you. It's hard now because, for a while, it was Ian Ziering and that's happened like, 3 times now. And he's one of those 'Holy shit, this dude knows who I am, like what?' Kanye West was one for a while. That happened about a month ago. Then it was, and now it's Jerry Seinfeld, that was my go-to answer, now I...I feel like a dick being like 'You know what? I'm good!' You know, I'm tryna think actor-wise who I would really wanna chop it up with. I think...I guess Harrison Ford. Actually, I'm gonna say a director. I'll say Martin Scorsese. I haven't...I've never met Marty, I've never interviewed him. I think he'd be a good one to really be able to talk film and talk young people and how they're consuming film, you know that kinda stuff. I think that would be a good one..I mean...pshh..it's crazy now to watch a movie and if there's an actor in the movie I have not interviewed- that's weird. Like to watch Russell Crowe, I've never interviewed Russell Crowe, but pretty much everyone else from Julia Roberts to Cam Diaz, Halle Berry, I mean, I've talked to...and it's only been like one full year on E! so I can't imagine what after two years it's gonna be like. Like, I don't know. So I guess now Martin Scorsese, I'll go with the best director ever.
Are you an autograph collector?
Sometimes, yeah I..I geek out on autographs. I like pictures. I'm not, I never would take a picture of a celebrity just themselves, I feel like you can buy that in a magazine. But I like pictures of me with the celebrity. Even if we do an interview and it's documented on film, I'll pull somebody aside and take a picture, why not, you know? Absolutely.
So, what is your ultimate career goal?
I wanna get fat, play golf, you know. No. I would love to be in a place in my career where I-I could delegate the responsibility for people to execute ideas. Like if I have an idea for a marketing plan or a TV show, or a...you know something you can really have other people make those ideas become realities. And that's what's sort of the top top, the Russell Simmonses of the world kind of do, you know? They get an idea for a shoe line and it's not like making shoes, you know? But I-I see myself as being a high-profile, behind the scenes person. You know, Jerry Bruckheimer is a famous producer, but uh..and one fuels the other, like, his celebrity fuels his movie career, but you know, most producers are not famous or whatever. Even Brett Ratner is a well-known director and his celebrity fuels his films and vice versa. I would love to work for a studio or an independent marketing firm and also pop up in a movie here and there, or host a special here and there or kinda, have a public... I definitely want to do more than just do interviews and interview actors for 30 years. I've seen my dad do it and he loves it and he's great at it, it's just not the life for me. I know I don't wanna be at junkets doing 10 minute interviews in 30 years or...maybe 5 years. I-I'd love to have my own show, a late night show. That would be a lot of fun.
Called?
Uh, I don't know. Not The Lyons' Den, I'll tell you that much. It wouldn't last on the air. That's like a bad show on Skinemax. But I would love to host like...Charlie Rose for young people. You know, and really do like, an hour somebody, I think would be really cool. That's the next step. And beyond that, down the road, you know, Adam Carolla, I've gone on his radio show a couple times, he talks about how he loves his career so much 'cause one year you do a radio show, then you do a book, then you maybe do a stand-up tour, you kinda get to do a little bit of everything. Bob Saget, the same way. You know, he's on Broadway right now, he's on Entourage as himself. You kinda pop up and do different things. The entertainment business really allows you to do that, you know. We're doing stuff at the Hard Rock now, we're doing..I'm on E!, I bought the rights to a few scripts, there's all different types of things you can do in this town, so I never wanna limit myself to just one thing.
Ok, now since you're on The Daily 10, are there 10 things that you need during the day that you can't live without? What are your Daily 10?
Alright. My Daily 10, I like that, alright. In no particular order, because that would make me sound ridiculous. 1- my Blackberry, I'm not...functional without it. Unfortunately, that's the way we've become. That's one. I need a fresh pair of sneakers on everyday. Somethin' just to make people say 'Where did you get those?' It's the greatest compliment in the whole wide world. I have some contact with my family everyday whether it's email or a phone call or, you know, my sister, or somebody, just some family connection. 10 things I need everyday...I need to break a sweat everyday, like on purpose. And I don't do it, but I really need to. So these are 10 things I need. Some physical activity everyday. I try and watch a movie a day, whether it's one I'm covering at a screening or just to fall asleep at night, throw on a DVD, like, I definitely have to...like, I watch a movie every day. Let's see. That's only 5 things I need everyday! It's LA, so everyone does lunch in LA, right? I need like a good power lunch. Like, I do try and take some time to be sure to like sit down and eat, but in a way, it's like...I dunno, very European to think of it this way, I know it sounds silly, but like, we're always on the go, you're eating in the studio or at your desk or you've got a big dinner with a friend, I wanna just have a nice quiet...It's ok to cut yourself off from the world for 10 minutes and eat a sandwich, you know? It's like totally...totally fine. I had another good one that I totally...just...lost. That's 6 things I need everyday. Water? You drink a lot of water in LA. I'm stretching now. I'm going with the water. I try to listen to some Biggie Smalls everyday (laughs). I actually do try and do that. That's 8 right? I try and spend 10 minutes in the hammock everyday in my backyard. Living in LA, I have a nice backyard with a hammock under an orange tree, try and sit there and, you know, collect my thoughts. And...I need to...oh boy...what did other people say? What did Cat say? I dunno. And then uh...I...I gotta talk to the homies everyday, my closest friends, and that's what's been great about doing this, is that they don't give a shit that I'm on E!, they don't care. We're playing Fantasy Football, that's what we're talking about. No one cares that, you know, you were out last night with whoever. It doesn't matter. It's like I-I definitely, like, need my friends on a daily basis just to like keep me sane. 'Cause otherwise I go crazy with this shit. It's such an all-encompassing lifestyle and it's such a ridiculous deal that you could easily lose yourself in it. So having my good friends around. That's my 10. We got it. We got there.
If you were the subject on the D10, what would your number 1 story be?
(Laughs). Oh! That is...the number one story in my life right now is that I'm getting paid to go to Las Vegas for a year. That should be celebrated. That should be the number one story.
Why are you going there for a year? And why aren't you taking me?
You're welcome to come! Me, Sal, and Clinton, we signed a deal with the Hard Rock to host Daily 10 parties and events at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas every Saturday for a year. We did the first one last week, we're taking a week off, we're gonna do November 10th, the 24th, 3 dates in December, and then every weekend in January. So, that's the number one story in my life. It's preparing to spend forty, forty-five days a year in Las Vegas and not kill myself. No, you know what? It's fun though because it's fun to promote the show and Vegas is a great marketing city, you know and like, someone who's interested in marketing like we talked about as like, a future career, this is a great opportunity to get creative and learn how it works and what people value in marketing and Vegas is the town that people are selling everything. So uh, it's gonna be really fun. That's my number one story- it's living and working in Las Vegas.
Alright, so let's get some just random survey questions. How many DVDs do you own?
Upwards of 350. Probably 500 DVDs. I like to give 'em away, you can't, you know, trust me- the ones I give away, you do not want.You don't need Edison Force on DVD, you know?
Favorite actors and actresses? Celeb crushes other than Ian Ziering?
My favorite actors working, I love Ed Norton. I love...I like Tom Cruise, like a lot of people think I'm crazy 'cause he's crazy, but I think for being the most photographed guy in the world, like, he does an amazing job of making you forget that he's Tom Cruise and he's whoever he is. Denzel Washington, of course. As far as women go, I'm a big Natalie Portman fan, I think not only what she does with her movies, but her philanthropy work is incredible. I-I love Scarlett Johansson for obvious reasons and, yeah, that's probably my dream team right there.
Speaking of environmental concerns, you do a lot of work yourself with the environment. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Yeah. Growing up in New York City is not the most lush environment, you know, but having moved to California, I've kind of found myself turning a little green, if you will. I work with the Hollywood Beautification Team...I work with an organization out here called the Hollywood Beautification Team and their initiative is to plant like a million trees in Los Angeles and they work with the city on various different environmental projects and stuff, and more so than anything else, you know, whether it's...I mean look, we could all help support children and hunger in Africa and it's important we do raise awareness to those things but I think like most people you kind of find one sort of cause that speaks to you and you find a connection with so you can really pour yourself and your heart into it. For me that's been the environment and the climate crisis that we face and-and since moving to California I've been able to meet a lot of people who have been real leaders and at the forefront of that and have been nothing but supportive and-and inspirational.
So is that how you got involved with it? You just kinda met people?
Yeah, you know, you kind of, you meet people, I get sort of a reputation for some of the films I champion on the show. Like I do a lot on An Inconvenient Truth or Into the Wild or The 11th Hour, things like that, so you get invited to different things. And at those things you meet people. I have a kid from high...a guy I've known since...since before high school, since pre-school, his name's Billy Parrish and he was named One of the 25 Americans Changing the World by Rolling Stone magazine. Like, he's...he's dedicating his life to the climate crisis and he started an organization called Energy for Action that he's gettin' me involved with, so Billy's a real leader, like, he's the real deal with that and I've been able to kinda do my part a little bit, but you know.
So how did it feel winning the award for your charity work?
It was a quite a humbling experience. I looked at it more so as a challenge than an award bestowed upon me. It was sorta like 'Hey dude, you have a great opportunity and a passion for this, like, go do work.' You know? And that's kinda how I looked at it. It obviously wasn't for any lifetime of achievement. But I think we're all gonna be more environment-conscious, more energy-conscious in the upcoming, you know, election year, and just, as we get older and purchase things for ourselves. You buy your first car, you buy your first home, you're gonna wanna like, think of, you know, energy conservation. It's something that's facing our planet and we've ignored it for too long and I feel like our generation especially is really getting behind it to make a difference. And as far as the environment goes, it's not even about me or you buying a Prius and, you know, only shopping at Wholefoods, like, it's not even, that's not what it is. It's important we all turn off the lights at home and, you know, try and drive a more fuel-efficient car, but sadly, we're past that. Like we need policy makers, we need architects, we need government officials to really make a difference. Like, we all drive a Prius, that's great, but, like, you know, we need to like, have buildings built more efficiently and tax write-offs for, you know, things, to get people really, really goin' on this.
Have you ever thought of running for office?
I have not thought of running for office, there are too many incriminating photos of me doing things that...there's no political office for me. I see like, how someone like Al Gore who lived a whole live of service and political career, he's able to do more now to galvanize young people being out of the political arena, by starting current TV, or goin' around with Leo or makin' a movie, winning an Oscar, like he-he can do more, sadly, not being a politician and having to play that game. And that's inspiring for a lot of people who don't want to be in politics, you know, if you wanna just be aware. You don't need the office and the title to be looked at as someone who can make a difference.
So if you could choose to have anyone interview you, who would you choose?
Besides you? Cause you've done an awesome job and you've been very thorough. I'd love one of these actor folks who maybe doesn't like talking to the press to try and do it and get a good...yeah! Like a Sean Penn or even like, you know, some of these other more reclusive...a James Gandolfini, like a Pacino or DeNiro. They- they've done it so many times, like yeah. You know I mean I think anybody who, like yourself, comes prepared, is a fan of the work, like, that's great, you know? You love being at E!, I can tell and doing the show and that enthusiasm comes out. I'd want someone who respects your time enough to like, be focused and not like, lookin' to get outta there. I dunno. That's it.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
I have a lot! I'd probably say 90210 is a guilty pleasure. No, 90210's not a guilty pleasure because I don't feel guilty about it. I'm proud of it, you know, like, there's a...there's a certain sense of pride in being a 9-0 fan, so people always say that's my guilty pleasure.
What are your favorite movies? I won't ask you for A favorite movie because I know it's impossible.
Yeah it is impossible. You know I'm a fan of everything from To Catch a Thief from Alfred Hitchcock and North by Northwest to Sydney Lumet's.... CUTS OFF... Trading Places, are great comedies. I'm a huge fan of Spike Lee movies, Do the Right Thing. I love Woody Allen, Annie Hall. I really enjoy filmmakers who you're kinda watching them as much as you're watching the actual movie, like a Spike Jonze with Being John Malkovich or David Fincher for Se7en, or those kinda films, you know, where you're really watching the director (unintelligible) as much as you're watching the movie. I just gave you a lotta movies, I know. Sorry (laughs).
TV shows?
TV shows, besides 90210 and The Fresh Prince like we talked about, The Office is fantastic, it's out right now. I'm a huge 24 fan and I drive around Los Angeles thinking that every shady van is filled with terrorists ready to, you know, poison us all. I love Seinfeld, grew up in New York, and Saved by the Bell, of course, you know. I think that's a good list right there.
What's on your iPod right now?
New Jay-Z album, American Gangster, I've been listening to a lot. Still listening to Kanye's album, that hasn't gotten old 3 months later. I'm starting to try and expand into more cross-over-y type of music- The Citizen Copes and The Killers and, you know, that kinda stuff, stuff that's just not gonna like, scare away people from my car. I love Lil Wayne, I love Biggie, I'm a huge hip hop fan so I still get mix tapes from New York and stuff. Common's new album is-is great. Uh...that's a lot too.
What do you do when you're not working? What are your hobbies?
I play golf. I play a lotta golf. I like to spend time with my family. I like...when I'm not working, I'm a huge football fan, I'm a huge sports fan, so tonight I got the Knicks, the Knicks are starting tonight, so I got the game on TiVo right now. Football and basketball, and I try and play a lotta basketball still. We work across the street from one of the great museums in the world, I go there all the time: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA. What else? That's it. A big (?) lunch. I'm a big fan of a two hour lunch.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can burp on command, is that a talent?
Do it!
(Burps) I did that with Justin Timberlake. We had a burp-off. Yeah, that's a good one.
I remember the Kids' Choice Awards had a Burp Award one year...
Right! With Timberlake. And so that's why I challenged him in our interview to a burp-off and I forgot that not only is he a good belcher, but he has professional lungs so like, he can really kinda do it. That's not fair, you know, I have the lungs of a 50 year old man, so it sucks.
So, being that you grew up in New York, do you prefer New York over LA?
Absolutely. LA's great now for work, it's changed my life professionally. I love the sunshine, beautiful women, and the beach, the whole thing, but New York is culture, New York is real life. New York is living in Rome during the Roman Empire, you know? It's the pinnacle of the modern civilization on the planet. Like, there's no greater city than New York. It is the definition of a city, it's like you're in contact with strangers. I miss the sounds and smell of the train and the people, and the character. New York has a character and a community and you really feel it. While here in LA it's so transient and so introverted and isolated. You're in your car all day, you come to your isolated job, you go home, like, you don't have that kind of...there's no community. It's so spread out. People in Santa Monica have no relationship to the people in Los Feliz. You live in the Lower East Side or you live in Harlem, like, you're all connected by the city and like, this, pulse of the people that you don't feel in Los Angeles at all.
Is there anything that you would change? Or anything that you regret so far?
I could lose 10 pounds and get in shape! I could get my stomach together, that would be nice. No, but...anything I'd change or regret, you know, I-I regret earlier on in my career not maybe be 100% myself, 100% of the time. I was a little easy to compromise and said 'Oh if I do it this way this one time then next time, they'll do it my way' and it doesn't really work that way. You really make the bed you sleep in, so, you know, just continuing to focus on asking the questions I wanna ask, wearing the clothes I wanna wear, presenting myself in the way that most accurately portrays me, honestly I think that's important, you know? I don't wanna talk differently on TV than I do in person.
So if you were to write your autobiography right now, what would you title it?
What would I title my autobiography? Honestly...I would title my autobiography it would be called Bobby Brown Tried to Stab Me in the Face and Other Stories from the Lyons' Den. There we go. I was at a sushi restaurant, I was at Benihana's once and I was acting a little inappropriate, had a few too many sake bombs and Bobby Brown was at the next table, and apparently he was not enjoying the way I was behaving so he picked up the chef's knife and said 'I'll cut your face into food!' And uh...the whole restaurant got silent. I ended up...it was his daughter's birthday so I went across the street and bought 4 dozen roses and presented them to his daughter and apologized and he made me make a speech.
Bobby Christina?
No it was not Bobby Christina, it was another one. She was so embarrassed, poor thing. So that would be my book: Bobby Brown Tried to Stab Me in the Face and Other Stories from the Lyons' Den. Isn't that good? That's good. I like that.
What do you hope to be remembered for?
Wow. I hope to be remembered for somebody who had a lot of fun in the business. Who was always approachable, was always enjoying himself and was professional, and like, was on his shit. And despite all the saying 'Oh he was a nice guy' but 'He was also on it' and I think that's very rare in this town. You have people that are so into the business they become an asshole and they're all-encompassing, or people having too much fun and they don't get any good business done. So it would be nice just to be just a guy who was like 'He had a lotta fun and did some cool shit.' And I think that's it.
Any parting advice for, you know, what would you tell someone if they wanted to be you?
One- be someone else. Two- I would say that, like we were talking about at the start of the interview, not taking no for answer. People are gonna say you're too young, you're too old, you're too tall, you're too short, whatever. Just...and really, you know, do it your way. Kanye West has a song “You Can't Tell Me Nothing,” like, don't let people in your ear tell you 'do it this way, do it that way.' Like, be open and you know, be open to change and advice, don't be set in stone. But do what makes you comfortable, do what makes you happy. Don't compromise yourself. Don't say 'well, I'll just do this job for two years cause then I'll be able to do what I really wanna do.' Like, do what you really wanna do now, like, whether your 20 or 30. Like the only way you're gonna be successful is if you do what you wanna do. Find a way to do it, you know?
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