Jimmy Kimmel on How the Oscars Are Held in a Mall: ‘Last Night, Barbra Streisand Was This Close to a Hot Topic Store’

Jimmy Kimmel has hosted the Oscars four times, and his "Jimmy Kimmel Live" studio is right across the street from the Dolby Theatre. So he's especially well equipped to break the news to the rest of America about something everyone in Los Angeles already knows: The Academy Awards are held in a shopping mall.

Yep, the Ovation Hollywood — formerly known as Hollywood and Highland — has been home to the Oscars since 2002, having opened as a shopping center at the corner of, yes, Hollywood and Highland in November 2001. On Monday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the host recounted the night's Oscars while reminding his audience where the telecast takes place.

"Monday after the Oscars is one of the weirdest days of the year around here," he quipped in his opening monologue. "It’s like Cinderella when the clock strikes midnight – and everything turns into rats and rags. That’s how I would describe our neighborhood: It’s raggy and ratty out there right now.

"I’m not sure how many people watching around the world know that the Oscars are held in a mall," he added. The Dolby Theater is just a mall! There’s a Foot Locker, there’s a Johnny Rockets. Last night, Barbra Streisand was like this close to a Hot Topic store."

Kimmel noted how “One Battle After Another” won six Oscars, including best picture, while “Sinners” had a very strong night with Michael B. Jordan winning best actor: "Michael B Jordan is now so successful, he announced today he’s retiring from acting - to play baseball," Kimmel joked. "He’s been signed by the White Sox."

The host also noted how "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters" won best original song ("Best Original Song your kids play so much it almost makes you miss Baby Shark") and pointed how how the most unexpected moment of the night may have been when there was a tie for best live action short.

Read more here.

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Holds Food Drive As Trump Administration Threatens to Halt SNAP Benefits for Millions of Americans

With the Trump Administration threatening to withhold SNAP benefits to Americans in need, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has launched a food drive to support the Los Angeles Food Bank and the St. Joseph Center. The LA Food Bank’s mission is to “mobilize resources to fight hunger in our community,” while the St. Joseph Center helps “working-poor families and people experiencing homelessness to achieve stability and self-sufficiency.” 

As the Trump Administration’s government shutdown is about to hit 36 days — marking a new record — there’s still uncertainty over whether the 42 million Americans who rely on food stamp payments will receive any of those benefits moving forward.

Wrote the show on its Instagram account: “Cutting SNAP benefits creates uncertainty for American children, seniors and families. To support our community members in need, we’re starting a donation center in our Hollywood backlot to benefit the @LAFoodBank & @StJosephCtr. Details below. If you are in LA, please come by to donate food and if you are not, please consider supporting your local food banks.”

Dubbed “The Jimmy Kimmel Live Big, Beautiful Food Bank,” the donation hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. at 6901 Hawthorn Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90028.

According to the show, the most needed foods are low-sodium soups/chili/stews, tuna/chicken/salmon (cans or pouches), nut butters, low-sugar cereals, protein bars, whole grain pasta and rice.

Also requested are crackers, trail mix, fruit snacks, 100% juice boxes, dried fruit, UHT milk, cereal boxes, wipes, diapers, facial cleanser, deodorant, soap, lotions, oral hygiene items and feminine products.

Read more here.

Jimmy Kimmel Rose to the Occasion in His Late-Night Return, Reminding Us Why We Have to Speak Out Against Tyranny

Jimmy Kimmel never thought he’d be here. But Kimmel has the skill to rise to this moment, at a jarring time in this country’s history as freedoms are under attack and democracy hangs on just by a thread.

On Tuesday’s return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” we were reminded of that. Kimmel struck the perfect tone, acknowledging the gravity of what had just happened, telling his audience that both sides of the aisle should cherish and celebrate free speech — and then not pulling any punches in joking about what Donald Trump has been up to over the last few days. Political satire has been a late night staple since the dawn of the entire genre, and Kimmel was going to make sure it isn’t going anywhere.

“You had the feeling that this was an important moment,” said one audience member who attended the Tuesday taping. “It felt very cathartic, like, not everything is lost.” It was a good reminder that part of the promise of America has being able to speak without fear of government intimidation.

We all love Jimmy, but he never asked to be drafted to be the protector of the First Amendment and free speech in this nation. He’s a late night talk show host, not an activist. A comedian whose job is to simply poke fun at our nation’s elected leaders.

“This show is not important, what is important is we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this,” Kimmel said.

But these days, just pointing out our government’s foibles makes you an enemy of the state. Kimmel found that out last week, but he’s not the only one. President Trump is still celebrating the impending disappearance of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” And he promises that Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are next. Trump has the power of the FCC, the DOJ and other agencies ready to do his bidding — and last week, the administration came very close to getting what it wanted: The silence of one of the few prominent voices still poking fun at the madness coming out of Washington.

Let that sink in for a second: Talk show hosts — comedians whose main job is to crack audiences up and help a rotating cast of guests promote their latest projects — are so embedded in the craw of Trump that he’s demanding his agencies find a way to shut them up.

“I just want to say how alarming it is to feel like late night is important,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” writer Louis Virtel said this week on his podcast. “Nobody takes this job thinking, ‘and you know why I decided to make jokes about, whatever, Melania Trump today? To make a difference.” On the one hand, Trump loves to bash the hosts as being low-rated no-talents — yet “he’s the one who is constantly bringing up every day how important these people’s speech is.”

Like many Angelenos, I’m old enough to remember when Kimmel was “Jimmy the Sports Guy” on KROQ’s “Kevin & Bean,” and waiting in line for the annual Christmas cassette that he helped produce. Trust me, “Jimmy the Sports Guy” wasn’t planning on becoming the national lightning rod for free speech — he started off his career by just wanting to be entertaining on the radio.

But Kimmel’s tenacity and talent was always there, even when he was loitering at stations in Phoenix and Los Angeles, waiting for his big break. After he made his way onto “Kevin & Bean” — famously, the morning show hosts had no idea their program director had even hired him — he quickly found success as the sidekick on “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” as comic relief on “Fox Sports Sunday” and then as one-half of “The Man Show” with Adam Corolla.

Read more here.

From Stephen Colbert to Seth Meyers, Northwestern's Late Night Dominance

Thanks to my old pal and colleague Jenny Hontz for including some of my thoughts about late night TV — particularly in the age of Trump — as part of her cover story in the latest edition of Northwestern's alumni magazine. In "NU Rules Late-Night TV," Jenny notes the surprising number of Northwestern alums dominating the space: Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Robin Thede, Jimmy Kimmel producer Jill Leiderman and more. An excerpt:

Historically, late-night broadcast TV has played it safe, not wanting to alienate a segment of the audience by taking sides on serious issues. “Hosts from a different generation were really surface in their comedy,” says Medill grad Michael Schneider ’95, executive editor at IndieWire and editor at large at Variety. “They really focused on the more silly aspects of politicians — how they looked, how they acted. That doesn’t work right now because of what’s going on, because of the real issues we’re facing and what this administration is actually doing.”

“Johnny Carson was edgy, but he certainly never made anyone feel uncomfortable,” says Lou Wallach ’91, a communication studies graduate, independent producer and former programming executive at Comedy Central. “The last thing before you went to bed was sort of nice, not polarizing or provocative. Times are changing. Now there’s an expectation — dare I say an obligation — to be polarizing and provocative, and I think Colbert and Meyers do it brilliantly.”

These may be politically polarizing times, but left-leaning political satire has proved popular with late-night viewers. Once Colbert started taking on Trump, he overtook his more apolitical competitor Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC’s Tonight Show, in total viewers and significantly narrowed the ratings gap among young viewers.

“I think the audience is like me: They’re desperate for some relief,” Colbert says. “If half of the country votes for somebody you feel is the absolute nadir of what it means to be an American, and that person gets the highest job in the land, it can be a lonely feeling — that maybe you do not have a community to belong to … . People seem grateful that there are shows like ours or Seth’s on the air to put the day into some context and make you feel not alone.”

Even the affable and typically apolitical host Jimmy Kimmel, whose ABC show Jimmy Kimmel Live! is executive produced by School of Communication graduate Jill Leiderman ’93, has been unable to stay neutral on the sidelines. Kimmel’s highly personal monologues about his son’s heart condition were credited with helping defeat the initial attempts to repeal “Obamacare.” And after one of the worst mass shootings in American history, the concert shooting in Las Vegas last October, Kimmel’s heartfelt call for commonsense gun reform resonated with Americans frustrated to see no action — other than thoughts and prayers — under Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.

“It especially resonated because Jimmy generally doesn’t take on these types of issues, so when he does, it means this is real,” Schneider says. “This is something personal. He’s not trying to be political. He’s just speaking from the heart.”

In fact, most of these hosts would bristle at the notion that they’re acting in a partisan manner. “They don’t want to be painted as purely liberal or left wing because that does sort of alienate a chunk of the audience,” Schneider says. “They basically shy away from those labels and say they’re just pointing out what’s going on in Washington and speaking truth to power. And right now, who’s in power? It’s Donald Trump and the Republicans.”

Read more here.

End of Year Roundup: Memorable Quotes from My 2016 in the TV Trenches

Some notable quote-ables from my 2016 stories, panels and podcasts:

Jimmy Kimmel on hosting the Oscars: "If asked, I would do it. That’s not to say I wouldn’t immediately regret saying yes, as I do with almost everything I agree to. The Oscars really does seem like a no-win situation, but in a way that makes you want to win. It’s a challenge, and nobody’s ever happy with the host." (September)

Gina Rodriguez: "You do not live in this world alone. It really blows my mind when celebrities or anyone with any amount of social status or power doesn't use it to make things brighter. If everyone did that it would be more of a shiny place." (December)

Ilene Chaiken on writing "Empire" in the Trump era: "A lot of us feel more rage. It’s probably going to come out in some of what we write. We still want to tell great stories, we want to be entertaining. But if I had an agenda before, I sure as hell have an agenda now." (November)

David Blaine admits that eating glass is taking a toll on his body: “Every time I drink hot and cold, I really feel it. That one I’ll agree with [the dentist] on. It doesn’t mean that I’ll stop. But I’ll agree with him.” (November)

James Burrows on the late Grant Tinker: “I owe my entire television career to him." (November)

Marc Summers on the legacy of "Double Dare": “I was backstage at a Bruno Mars concert and they said, ‘Do you want to meet him?’ He saw me, runs down the hall, throws his arms around me and hugs me. I said, ‘Oh, my God. Do you know who I am?’ And he goes, ‘You raised me.’ It’s like, that was weird.” (November)

"Parks and Recreation" executive producer Mike Schur on how the show accurately predicted a 2016 Cubs World Series win: “Honestly it seems like a big magic trick that we predicted this, but it wasn’t really a magic trick, it was just being a big baseball fan and knowing what they were doing.” (November)

Tracey Ullman on the recent trend toward darker TV comedy: “I’m a bit older now, but some of the younger stuff, I just say, jeez, just end it all now! The world’s coming to an end, it’s all a bit bleak.” (October)

Jon Glaser on playing a douche-y version of himself: "“Why am I good at being a dick? But when you’re doing comedy, its fun to be an asshole and get to act like a real jerk. It’s enjoyable because it’s not real.” (October)

"The Walking Dead" executive producer Greg Nicotero on shooting the show's brutal season opener: "It quite frankly had a tremendous effect on all of us. All the actors and myself included. When it was over, I was like, 'I literally need to detox from this for two weeks' because it was just so heartbreaking." (October)

Michel'le on watching the Lifetime biopic based on her life: "This is no joke. I would never want anyone to live this life. I’m watching myself, when I watched them portray me and Dr. Dre and it touched me in different way… it was a very eye-opening experience. I didn’t see it that way [at the time]. I thought it was just normal for me.” (October)

David E. Kelley on how his last CBS show, "The Crazy Ones," soured him on broadcast TV: “They’re more into making elevator music than they are good product. I realized that the goal wasn’t to make something that people could be proud of or invest in, but something compatible to just go with the business model. I had to look at other avenues." (October)

"Insecure" executive producer Prentice Penny on being African-American in predominantly white writers' rooms: “It can be difficult, it can be uncomfortable at times. Do you make a stand on this thing, and if you do, are you going to be considered ‘The black guy who’s doing this’? But you don’t want to let it slide… it’s like chess. And you’re trying to be a good writer in the room. There’s all these levels of not just the work, but the perception of how you’re perceived in the work. To navigate that can be tricky.” (October)

Mark Cuban: "“Donald Trump’s branding is like how they branded cigarettes in the ’60s. You can put the Marlboro Man [out there] and make him look like there’s something positive [to smoking] – even though when you buy their product, you are going to die and there’s a good chance he is going to kill you.” (September)

Ted Danson: "My new philosophy in life is you go find the most creative people in the room, and then ask them very nicely if you can be a part of what they're doing." (July)

"This Is Us" executive producer Dan Fogelman: "Life is very cinematic and its big and beautiful and ugly and messy. That's what the show is about." (September)

Greg Berlanti: "It’s just as powerful to me when a little boy comes up to me and talks about Supergirl and thinks she’s just as cool as The Flash. It feels like it’s part of the revolution happening in general on television. As there are more shows, people are getting better at realizing there should be more shows about, and for, and by, everybody from all walks of life." (September)

NBC research president Alan Wurtzel: "I think we can fairly say that the DVR’s reign is about to end." (July)

Kevin Bacon on doing an Amazon show: "From the time I signed on to 'The Following' things have already vastly changed in the entertainment world in general. It’s an adjustment for me. I started making movies in 1977, and I didn’t even think about the idea that I would ever be on a television show. Once I finished the 'Guiding Light,' I was like, 'I’m done with television!' So to be on whatever you call it, a platform, it’s wild." (August)

"Making A Murderer" filmmaker Laura Ricciardi: "There were no winners here and there continue to be no winners." (August)

"Hawaii Five-O" producer Peter Lenkov on tackling "MacGyver": "Am I going to be called ‘the reboot guy’? Yeah, probably. Is that bad? Maybe for some people. It’s not bad for me." (August)

Netflix's Ted Sarandos on whether there's "too much TV": "There are too many mediocre, safe shows on TV.” (July)

Conan O'Brien: "There are days where you say how you feel about things. I’m sure I probably lost some people after Orlando, when I said how I felt about people having semi-automatic weapons and how that made no sense to me. I’m sure there’s a lot of people in this country who thought, “screw you, pal.” But at a certain point you just don’t care." (July)

Wayne Brady on how it's now cool to be a game show host: "Being a game show host was very much akin to being a local affiliate weatherman – and no offense to local affiliate weathermen, but there’s a stereotype. But now everyone’s coming to sit at our table. I kind of paved the path, for black men specifically, the Anthony Andersons, the Steve Harveys, the Michael Strahans. That wasn’t looked upon as the coolest gig in the world. I think that flipped the paradigm a little bit.” (July)

"Modern Family" executive producer Steve Levitan: "It always struck me that this lobbying group, the NRA, has so much power. It’s a perfect symbol that something’s wrong, that things aren’t right in our country. The injustice is so overwhelming that it’s hard to ignore and it just pisses me off." (July)

Chuck Lorre on bringing realness to his comedy: “Broken people trying to repair their lives, I can relate to that. I know a lot of people that can relate to the comedy in the repair business of a person’s life. I think we’re all in the process of doing a little mending.” (June)

Lorne Michaels defends having Trump host "SNL": "Last fall, the people you thought were part of the moment, or what was happening, were Trump, Bernie and Hillary. And we had all three on the show pretty early. You catch a lot of grief for doing it but it’s what we’ve always done, and what I think the audience expects us to be doing." (June)

Jerrod Carmichael on the delay in NBC renewing "The Carmichael Show": “For what I think this show has contributed to the network, I found it disrespectful. Not that I entered into the television business for all the respect in the world.” (June)

Former MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath on Prince: "In an age where everyone knows everything about everyone, you never knew everything about him. He kept you curious. But for someone so unique, he seemed incredibly approachable. He was so fucking incredibly talented. Everything about him: style, choreography, attitude, and the most undeniable musical chops you ever heard in your life." (April)

Dan Rather: "With investigative reporting, there are really only a few places still trying to do it. It’s increasingly difficult to find a regular outlet for the kind of journalism that I and others got in the business to do.” (April)

Pharrell Williams: “I’m praying that women come together and save this nation. You think about the destructive things that have come from mankind, it’s mostly men.” (December)

NBC alternative president Paul Telegdy, on Trump: “What’s going on demonstrates, if nothing else, the enormous amount of responsibility that goes with the job of putting out the version of someone that we do in a TV show. I think his persona seems to be in lockstep with his persona on the show… I don’t think where Donald is in this campaign is any surprise to anyone who was close to him.” (May)

Harry Connick Jr. on why he's doing a talk show: "In a day, I can reach more people than I do in an entire tour." (July)

Keeping Austin Weird: Four Days in the Texas Capital

I'm still not sure I get why Austin lays claim on being "weird," but perhaps it's simply in comparison to the rest of the state. But visiting Austin for the first time this weekend, I probably only touched the surface of this fine town. After all, I was limited to the downtown area taking part in the annual South by Southwest festival, and that also gave me perhaps a skewed view of the city. My takeaway was indeed weird: Lots of great food, cool venues but a big taxi problem. See? Weird.

But it was a great weekend. I moderated the panel for the world premiere of Showtime's "Penny Dreadful," featuring star Josh Hartnett and director Juan Antonio Bayona, and also moderated a panel organized by the United Nations Foundation for NBC's "Revolution." We also attended a taping of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," featuring guest Jimmy Kimmel, and spent a bit of time with Andy and Jimmy after the show. Seth Meyers was there, and we hung out with him at an NBC party celebrating the show. And I even sat down for coffee with Kevin Bacon, which means I'm now One Degree of Coffee from Kevin Bacon. Some pics:



I'll be doing a separate post on the Long Beach Airport, but I'll tell you now, I'm a fan of the renovated terminal. Great food choices and a pleasant experience all around. I just wish it was closer. Hands down, a better choice than LAX or Burbank -- except in rush hour. Above, my JetBlue plane.



Willie Nelson, the patron saint of Austin!



Walk around certain parts of Austin, and you'll think the entire town smells like BBQ. This town bleeds sauce. And one of the best sandwiches we had there -- actually, one of the best sandwiches OF ALL TIME -- was this brisket beauty from Lambert's. Stay tuned for the Rate-A-Restaurant review.



Seems like a good sign that Lambert's is in the Schneider building.



The bustling Austin Convention Center.



Only in Texas, right? A gun lamp at the Driskill Hotel bar.



BBQ from Stubb's. Those ribs.



Stubb's BBQ buffet



Science Channel party at Stubb's.



My "Penny Dreadful" panel with Hartnett and Bayona. (Pic by Steve Battaglio)



Putting some effort into spinning the "Price is Right" wheel.



Come on down!



On the second spin, I got $1.00! Too bad it was the second spin.



With Li'l Bub at the Animal Planet party.



The Spazmatics perform 80s hits at the Animal Planet party.



Andy Cohen hosts "Watch What Happens Live" in Austin.



Cohen with guest Jimmy Kimmel.



Branding is everywhere at SXSW. But the weirdest brand experience? Cottonelle. What?



The Funny or Die bungalow.



Lunch at the Funny or Die bungalow.



Spotted at the Funny or Die bungalow: "NO Taylor Swift ANYTIME."



Spotted at the Funny or Die bungalow: "No Pitbull FROM HERE TO CORNER."



Jimmy Kimmel's camera crew interviews a native Austonian.



Back at the Funny or Die bungalow, Bill Cosby performs. Really.



The Austin skyline, as seen from Foodtruckville.


Mrs. P's Electric Cock serves chicken.



One last bite of BBQ at the Austin airport.

MIKE ON RADIO: Oscar Ratings, Pilots and Jimmy Kimmel on KCRW's "Press Play"

Fun chat with host Madeleine Brand on Tuesday's edition of KCRW's "Press Play." We chat up Oscar ratings, the trends of pilot season and how Jimmy Kimmel's interview with Toronto mayor Rob Ford turned out. It's 20 minutes into this episode, stream it below:

Jimmy Kimmel Declares "Rob Fukuzaki Day," Fills In on KABC

Long before "Jimmy Kimmel Live," L.A. KROQ listeners remember the talk show host as "Jimmy the Sports Guy" on the "Kevin and Bean Show." Jimmy channeled his sports news past on Monday, showing up on the KABC news set in Glendale to fill in for Rob Fukuzaki and give the sports report. Kimmel declared it "Rob Fukuzaki Day," giving Rob permission to spend the rest of the evening off. (BTW, I also first knew of Rob Fukuzaki as a radio DJ, back when I listened to him in high school on Honolulu's 92.3 KXPW.)

It's Cold. And Here's How Silly We Look For Complaining About It

Jimmy Kimmel put together a roundup of local L.A. news reports complaining about the freezing temps. And yes, to the rest of the country (except perhaps Hawai'i and Southern Florida) we look like a bunch of babies. Watch above.

Q&A with Jimmy Kimmel: The Early Days--and How KROQ Propelled His Career

If you listened to KROQ's "Kevin and Bean Show" in the 1990s, you still remember Jimmy Kimmel as "Jimmy the Sports Guy," as well as all of the bits and voices he did for the show (like Snoop Dogg and Karl Malone, among others). It's been fascinating to watch Kimmel's rise, first moonlighting as the sidekick on Comedy Central's "Win Ben Stein's Money" to "The Man Show," co-hosted by another guy who got his start on KROQ, Adam Carolla. Then came the biggest leap of them all: ABC late night talk show host. It's been 10 years since the Super Bowl Sunday in 2003 when Kimmel took to the stage, live from Hollywood, with, yes, Snoop Dogg as his guest co-host. A lot has changed on the show: The audience wasn't allowed booze after an audience member barfed on night one; the show is no longer live (although it's still taped later than most talk shows) and the guest co-hosts were dropped long ago.



Oh, and now, as of Tuesday, Kimmel airs at 11:35 p.m., smack dab opposite Jay Leno and David Letterman. Last year, before he hosted the Emmys, I sat down with Kimmel for our TV Guide Magazine cover story on the star. (You may remember, he dressed up as all five drama TV series nominees. Read the story: Man of the Year: Jimmy Kimmel on the Emmys, Oprah and Going Head-to-Head With Leno and Letterman.) During the interview we talked a bit about his radio career, including his stint at KROQ. That wasn't really TV Guide Magazine material, but it was still interesting. Below, he talks about how he jumped from market to market as his radio career hit some bumps; how he arrived for his first day at "Kevin & Bean" only to learn that the hosts weren't informed of his hire; how he ate a piece of year-old bacon at KROQ and lived to tell the tell; and his terrible first on-air TV experience in Seattle. Here's an excerpt.

TV Guide Magazine: Let’s go back to the beginning. Talk about your early radio career, and how you were fired at virtually every radio station up until you got to KROQ.

Kimmel: I was. I was fired in Phoenix and then Seattle. Then I moved back in with my parents in Phoenix, where they didn’t fire me but I got a job in Tampa-- in which I was fired. I went from Tampa to Palm Springs, I did not get fired in that job. I met Carson Daly, who was my intern there, and I left. I went to a radio station in Tucson, they fired me there, and then I came to KROQ in L.A. and I worked there for five years. It’s weird though because when you quit you’ve got to carry your own stuff out of the building. Instead of security putting it in a box and taking you downstairs.

TV Guide Magazine: Radio is a notoriously fickle business, but why were you constantly shown the door?

Kimmel: It was a combination of things. For one thing, most of the people I worked for weren’t particularly bright. And didn’t have much tolerance for creativity. I did a lot of weird stuff and I tried to entertain not only on the air but off the air as well, always pulling pranks on my bosses, silly things that I always assumed that they would take. Some of them did, some of them were great and some of them I keep in touch with to this day. But some of them just didn’t get it and were not interested in my nonsense. They just wanted to do their jobs and get out of there with no problems. When you do a morning show that’s at all interesting, problems are going to come up. People are going to complain, sponsors are going to get angry. This is the baggage that comes along with doing a controversial show. Most program directors and general managers will tell you they want that but they really don’t.



TV Guide Magazine: So how did you finally end up at KROQ and "The Kevin & Bean Show"?

Kimmel: Through Kevin Weatherly, whom I went to college with. When I went to Arizona State Kevin was at the radio station in Phoenix, KZZP. That was and probably still is the best radio station in the country. (Weatherly then moved to modern rock titan KROQ.) I was dying to work [at KROQ] and I kind of just repeatedly presented myself to him, trying to get myself hired and finally they did hire me. But when I did get to the station, the first day I showed up to work with Kevin and Bean, I walked in the door and they said, "They hired you?" I thought "Oh my God, this is a disaster." I moved my whole family out to California and these guys didn’t even know that I had been hired. But it turned out we got along really well and we worked together very well.

I have a lot of energy. You need that when you’re doing five and a half hours of radio every day. And I brought Adam Carolla to the show, Ralph Garman, a lot of people, some behind the scenes. I was obsessed with making the show as good as it can be. It really was something I thought about all day, all the time. Just constantly evaluating material for the show. And I did characters on the show, I did sports 6 times a morning. As far as writing goes, it taught me to write a lot of material very very quickly. That was something that helped prepare me for this job.

TV Guide Magazine: Bean told me to ask you about the time you ate a piece of year-old bacon in the office.

Kimmel: Bean is a vegetarian so he pulled the bacon off his Egg McMuffin. I nailed it to the wall and said, "In one year’s time I will eat this piece of bacon." And then as it got nearer I started dreading the fact that I was going to have to eat the bacon, and it became almost a part of the wall. I did eat the bacon, and it tasted like paint. But I survived.

TV Guide Magazine: Did you always see radio as a springboard? Was it your plan all along to do TV?

Kimmel: No, it wasn’t. I hosted local TV interstitials when I worked in Seattle. Kent Voss and I hosted a movie. And I watched it afterwards on TV, and I was terrible. I was so stiff, and so bad, and I evaluated myself, "Well, I’ll never be on TV, so I really need to make this radio thing work."

I was on the radio here in L.A. and only wound up on TV because every once in a while an agent or a producer would call and ask me to audition for something. Doing the same thing in Chicago or Philadelphia, none of this probably would have ever happened. I’d probably still be on the radio. More likely, I’d probably be unemployed again. But because I was in L.A., people were driving to work and hearing me and they asked me to audition for a variety of things. I started doing promos for the Fox network as “Jimmy the Fox Guy.” And then I auditioned for "Win Ben Stein's Money." And then I thought, "All right, maybe I’m not terrible. People seem to be laughing, this seems to be going OK."

TV Guide Magazine: Are there any YouTube videos of your Seattle TV appearance?

Kimmel: I don’t think so. I’ve never showed them on the show, but I do have them somewhere. I remember I’m wearing a thick cable-knit sweater and Sally Jessy Raphael glasses. It’s funny, it’s so stiff it’s not even interesting. It’s so bad it’s not even bad enough to be funny. Just kind of boring.

TV Guide Magazine: Didn’t CBS Radio try to get you to replace Howard Stern? (The gig eventually went to Adam Carolla on some stations, including Los Angeles' 97.1 KLSX-FM, and David Lee Roth in East Coast markets. Neither are still on the air.)

Kimmel: They inquired about it, but it was never serious. I worked with Adam on his show as producer, but I was never offered (the job). I was working for ABC at the time. I think that CBS Radio thought there was a good chance my talk show would be canceled, and they wanted to have me under contract in case that happened, then I could join Adam on the show that replaced Howard Stern, but that never happened.

TV Guide Magazine: How did ABC first come calling, and what was your reaction?

Kimmel: It was very strange and it’s hard to believe it happened like this, but my agent told me that Lloyd Braun, the president of ABC, wanted to have a meeting with me about doing a variety show on Thursday nights. I had no interest. I didn’t think a variety show would work. Even though, no matter what position I’ve ever been in my life, I’ve never knowingly agreed to do something bad -- something that I knew was going to be bad.

I said, "I’m not really interested in that," but my agent said, "You have to meet with this guy. He’s the president of the network. He wants to meet with you." I went to meet with him, and not for one moment did we ever discuss a variety show on Thursday night. The whole time we talked about late night television, and I thought we were just shooting the breeze really. And I grew up idolizing David Letterman, very interested in that stuff. We just talked about the state of late night television.

I learned this later, but he and Bob Iger had watched hours of tape of me hosting different shows, and they agreed they would offer me the job. They asked me to come in the next week. I walked in the office and they said, "We’d like you to host our late night show on ABC." I was thoroughly confused. I didn’t know what was happening, I didn’t expect it, I didn’t know they were looking to put a show on ABC. The last I heard, Letterman had said "no" and that was that.

Of course I said yes, and I went home in shock. Adam Carolla’s wife already knew I had been offered the job. She knew before I knew. She worked at ABC as an assistant there. The next day we were trying to pick a name for the show and hiring people. It was crazy. I signed my contract at a diner one hour before the network upfront. They brought my contract and wanted it signed before I went on stage in front of the advertisers. It just happened like that. I still look back on it and can’t believe how little thought and research went into that decision. It really was largely a hunch. They invested millions of dollars in a hunch.

TV Guide Magazine: We used to joke that Lloyd had a man crush on you.

Kimmel: I love Lloyd, I still do, and I’m still in contact with him. But I think for him, our show was a lot of fun, as opposed to the kind of slavish process you go through to put a scripted show on TV.

For me, of course it was exciting but I felt a lot of pressure. My best friend going up through my whole childhood, the best man at my wedding, Cleto, he lived across from me in Vegas. We loved Letterman and would watch Letterman every night together and talk about it, and he is a very talented musician, he’s touring with Paula Abdul and a serious sax player. I was like, "He has to be my band leader, if I’m going to have a band he absolutely has to be my band leader." But I was nervous that ABC would say no to it. They immediately said yes, they loved the idea, so Cleto and his dad are in the band. Then of course there are a lot of people from "The Man Show," my cousin Sal and a lot of our writers that I wanted to bring along, and I was able to bring pretty much everybody that I wanted to.

More Kimmel Q&A can be found here.

My Latest from TV Guide Magazine

In case you missed it, some of the recent stories I've worked on for TV Guide Magazine over the past month:

Exclusive: Chuck Lorre Unveils Censored Vanity Cards for His New Book
First look at Two and a Half Men exec producer Chuck Lorre's new book, a collection of his famed vanity cards. We posted one of the cards that was censored by CBS. Lorre, who combed through countless vanity cards to choose his favorites for the book, admits he was stunned by some of the ones he hadn't read in years. "I was surprised to see how seemingly open I was to sharing my thoughts and experiences," he says. "I didn't have a good censor at the time, I was just sort of spilling it all out. I probably should have used that time to see a therapist or something."

Exclusive: The Amazing Race Producers Line Up New Reality Project at A&E
Fresh off their ninth Emmy win for outstanding reality competition series, The Amazing Race executive producers Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri have set up what could be their next show, a reality series currently in the works at A&E.

Watch My Show: Last Resort's Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek Answer Our Showrunner Survey
In this age of ambiguous TV heroes, it's clear in ABC's new thriller Last Resort that Submarine Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and executive officer Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) — forced into exile after demanding confirmation of orders to fire their weapons — are the good guys. The show's real intrigue comes from trying to figure out who the bad guys are. Co-creators and executive producers Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Karl Gajdusek (Dead Like Me) answered our showrunner survey to explain why we should book a trip to the Last Resort.

Exclusive: Jimmy Kimmel's Head Writers Give the Backstory to This Year's Emmy Gags
Jimmy Kimmel Live! co-head writers Molly McNearney (who in her spare time is also Kimmel's fiancée) and Gary Greenberg gave us some exclusive tidbits on how this year's Emmy laughs came together, from the opening sketch to Kimmel's Tracy Morgan/Twitter stunt.

Exclusive: Garry Marshall Eyes a Return to TV with Fox Project
Three decades after Garry Marshall dominated TV with the likes of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, he's just sold a new TV project to Fox with his son Scott Marshall.

Network Honchos Survey the New TV Season
The next few weeks will be rough for the networks, as they parse what works — and what doesn't — among this year's crop of new shows. We asked the five broadcast network heads, plus a few key cable bosses, to give us their thoughts on what will big on the small screen -- including their picks for sleeper hit, stars to watch, the show they'd love to steal from another network, and more.

Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban Join Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson on American Idol
My take on the long road to finding a new crop of judges for American Idol.

This Year's Emmy Awards Burning Questions
Heading into this year's Emmy awards, some of the races to watch.

Network Q&A: AMC's Charlie Collier on Breaking Bad, Mad Men and His Big Year
AMC is having a moment. Breaking Bad ended the first half of its final season with some of its best ratings ever, while AMC's top-rated The Walking Dead returns on Oct. 14. With so much going on, AMC president Charlie Collier talked to TV Guide Magazine about his network's fortunes.

Exclusive: Community's Donald Glover Develops New Sitcom at NBC
It looks like Donald Glover will be engaging in some extracurricular work outside of Greendale Community College. The Community star, who plays former high school quarterback-turned-air conditioning repair annex recruit Troy Barnes, is developing a new show for NBC with 30 Rock co-executive producer Matt Hubbard.

Watch My Show: Guys With Kids' Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy Answer Our Showrunner Survey
For his leap into primetime as an executive producer, late night host Jimmy Fallon partnered up with his former Saturday Night Live colleague Charlie Grandy (as well as Amy Ozols) to create the new NBC sitcom Guys With Kids. Fallon and Grandy explain why these Guys are dolls.

Exclusive: Producer Change at the Top of Fox’s Ben and Kate
Fox's new comedy Ben and Kate, which is already earning early positive buzz from critics, will move forward without two of its executive producers. Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, who joined the comedy in May as showrunners, have departed to focus on their own series development.

Exclusive: Animal Planet Renews Call of the Wildman for Season 2
Yi yi yi, Animal Planet's "Turtleman" has just snapped up a second season renewal. The network ordered 20 more half-hour episodes of its new hit series Call of the Wildman for air in 2013.

Fox Lands New Comedy From Bill Lawrence and Creator of $#*! My Dad Says
Cougar Town creator Bill Lawrence is partnering with Justin Halpern — the writer who turned his Twitter feed into the short-lived CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says — to develop a new comedy at Fox.

Man of the Year: Jimmy Kimmel on the Emmys, Oprah and Going Head-to-Head With Leno and Letterman
My big Jimmy Kimmel cover story: It's hard to believe that Kimmel has much time to sit down anyway — or eat or sleep, for that matter. The ABC late-night host is in the middle of the biggest year of his show, and, quite possibly, his life. So far in 2012, Kimmel has made nice (and become pals!) with Oprah Winfrey; hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner to great reviews (including high marks from the president); was tapped to host the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards; subsequently scored the show's first-ever Emmy nomination for variety series; and even got engaged to girlfriend Molly McNearney, the show's co-head writer, while on vacation in South Africa. "And," he quips, "I'm pregnant."

How Primetime Is Getting A Little Bit Country
Analysis: Nashville, the city, and Nashville, the country music industry, are expecting big things from Nashville, the new fall drama from ABC. The serialized drama, which stars Connie Britton as an country singer juggling her home life and struggling to remain a relevant artist, might not have made it on the air a few years ago. But just as country music is moving toward the mainstream, the mainstream is gravitating toward country music — and TV execs, hungry for audiences, are eager to tap into country's loyal fan base.

MTV Explains Why The Situation and His Jersey Shore Pals Had to Go
G-T-Later! Jersey Shore is still a ratings smash, even though audience levels have dipped from its 2011 high. But MTV programming executive vice president Chris Linn tells TV Guide Magazine that it was time for the show to retire anyway.

Robin Williams Looking to Return to TV, Teams With David E. Kelley For Comedy
Shazbot! Robin Williams could be making a return to TV, where he famously got his start 30 years ago as the lovable alien from Ork on Mork & Mindy. The actor is in talks to team up with writer David E. Kelley to develop The Crazy Ones, a comedy about an aging but brilliant advertising exec.

The Inside Story on How NBC Landed Michael J. Fox
Backstory: It's back to the future for the sitcom king, who once again feels up to the task — and is returning to TV in a big way. NBC, where Fox became a superstar in the 1980s as young conservative icon Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, has given a rare 22-episode guarantee (before a lick of film is even shot) to a new sitcom based on Fox's life.

Watch My Show: Up To Speed's Richard Linklater and Speed Levitch Answer Our Showrunner Survey
For his first foray into episodic TV, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) has partnered with a true original: Eccentric tour guide and historian Timothy "Speed" Levitch. Their new Hulu series Up to Speed is an unconventional travel show that follows Levitch as he explores unusual attractions across America — such as the "luckiest subway grate" in New York and the "shoe gardens" of San Francisco.

Watch My Show: Gravity Falls' Alex Hirsch Answers Our Showrunner Survey
It's The X-Files meets Twin Peaks — but animated, and for kids. Disney Channel's Gravity Falls may be unlike any other cartoon out there. Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal play Dipper and Mabel Pines, siblings who are forced to spend the summer with their eccentric great-uncle in a town where very weird things happen. Creator Alex Hirsch says he conceives each episode like a "little movie," as the show explores its versions of urban legends. We asked him to scare up some reasons why we should investigate Gravity Falls.

Summer Movie Blockbusters Still Rule on Cable
Analysis: FX is known mostly for its original series, from Sons of Anarchy and Justified to Louie and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But as much as 80 percent of the cable network's schedule is still devoted to theatrical movies — which is why FX execs have been on a blockbuster buying spree again this summer.

Italian Fest of San Gennaro Returns This Weekend

Jimmy Kimmel's and Adam Carolla's annual Italian Feast of San Gennaro, inspired by the long-running New York event, is back this weekend to once again celebrate Italian culture and food, and benefit various local charities.

The event begins on Thursday, Sept. 27 with the opening night fundraiser "Prima Notte 2012." The event, hosted by Kimmel and Carolla (with Mark DeCarlo as master of ceremonies), will feature big band music by Louis Prima Jr. and various comedians. The night will also pay tribute to "Italian Americans in sports," including former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and former NFL player Lou Cordileone.

Other events include a Procession of St. Gennaro on Hollywood Blvd. (beginning at noon on Saturday, September 29th and concluding with a Mass on the Main Stage presided by Monsignor Antonio Cacciapuoti) and other fund raisers like a "Gravy – Sauce" competition hosted by "The Meatballs of Comedy."

The Feast of San Gennaro takes place Sept. 28 to 30 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. behind the Jimmy Kimmel Live Theater at 1651 N. Highland Ave. General admission is $5; kids under 12 are free.

Jimmy Kimmel Lives, on TV Guide Magazine

There have already been a ton of highlights in my early (just a year and a half so far!) tenure at TV Guide Magazine, from two Comic-Cons to two major, newsy Chuck Lorre/"Two and a Half Men" covers. But this ranks right up at the top: Our big cover package on late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy, who's hosting the Emmy Awards on September 23, agreed to dress up as characters from all six of the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy nominees ("Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," "Downton Abbey," "Homeland," "Boardwalk Empire," "Game of Thrones"). Plus, I had the opportunity to spend a day at the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" studios on Hollywood and sit down with the host for a lengthy interview.

There was a ton to talk about. This has been an amazing year for Kimmel, who was tapped to host both the White House Correspondents Dinner and the Emmy Awards for starters. Then there was his big Oprah moment on his annual post-Oscars special. Just a few weeks ago he got engaged to his longtime girlfriend. And now, ABC has rewarded him with a timeslot upgrade (come January) to 11:35 p.m. This story was already in the works when he got the official greenlight for his promotion -- and it just solidified the reasons behind doing this story now.

All four covers are on stands now:



And you can read an extended version of my Q&A with Kimmel here.

Meanwhile, direct from the photo shoot, I also had a second opportunity to interview Kimmel, this time while he was dressed as "Breaking Bad's" Walter White. Watch a video of the photo shoot below:

Mike on Radio: Talking Michael J. Fox, Jimmy Kimmel and the Oscars on KCRW's "The Business"

Thanks to Darby at KCRW's "The Business" for letting me drop by the station and tape another "Hollywood Banter" segment of the show (filling in for host Kim Masters). This week the Los Angeles Times' John Horn and I talked about:

- Michael J. Fox strikes unique deal with NBC for a 22-episode series without making a pilot
- Jimmy Kimmel to move his show to 11:35, going head-to-head with Leno and Letterman
- Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to produce the 2012 Oscar telecast. Who will host?

John and I also offer up a friendly wager: I'm predicting that Zadan and Meron will recruit their pal Queen Latifah to host next year's Oscars, while John is putting his money on another pal of theirs, Neil Patrick Harris. We'll see!

Jimmy Kimmel's San Gennaro Festival, Held This Weekend, Turns 10

Ten years ago, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel decided to create an event that emulated the Italian-themed San Gennaro festivals he enjoyed as a kid in New York. The L.A. version of the San Gennaro Festival quickly grew -- and is now a major, annual event held outdoors in Hollywood, near Kimmel's ABC "Jimmy Kimmel Live" studio.

The 10th Annual Feast of San Gennaro Los Angeles kicks off tonight with the invite-only “Prima Notte 2011,” which will pay tribute to Italian American actors in Hollywood and Frank Mancuso Sr., former CEO of Paramount and MGM Studios.

After that, the festival is open all weekend to the public. Here are some more highlights, from the San Gennaro P.R.:

In honor of the Feast’s 10th Anniversary there will be special events going on throughout the weekend to raise funds for their various charities, including an attempt to break the Guinness World Record of Longest Marathon of Television Watching (the current record is 86 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds of continuous television watching), by watching 100 hours of Italian-themed films and television shows, a “Gravy – Sauce” competition hosted by The Meatballs of Comedy and on Sunday afternoon and many others.

Hopefully KROQ's Dave "the King of Mexico" Sanchez is participating in the TV Watching contest, and will finally gain the crown that he should have won in 2005 before being disqualified by Guinness.

Here are the details for this weekend's events:

Friday, September 23 - Sunday 25, 2011
11am - 11pm
1651 N. Highland Ave. (south of Hollywood Blvd).

$5 Admission - Kids under 12 free
info@feastofla.org
(818) 508-0082

Two Radio Guys Made Good: Jimmy Kimmel and Carson Daly on Their History Together (VIDEO)

You all know I'm a radio geek. (As a matter of fact, in writing about my Gene Simmons reality panel below, I kept typing "KIIS" instead of "KISS." See? Radio geek.) And I must admit, I have a begrudging respect for Carson Daly and Ryan Seacrest, my two archnemeses. Why? Because they pulled off the kind of successful radio careers that I dreamed of having when I was a kid.

In these clips from the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, Jimmy and Carson recount how they first met -- back when Jimmy was 17 and Carson was 12 -- as well as how Carson was once Jimmy's intern at a radio station in Palm Springs. The fact that both are now late-night network TV hosts is quite astounding.

Depeche Mode In Hollywood: Reaching Out and Touching Faith

(Flickr pic by JC Olivera).

Depeche Mode hit the stage on Hollywood Boulevard Thursday night -- and Franklin Avenue was there. The street was shut down between Western and Gower, all for the "Jimmy Kimmel Show" (and also sponsored by W Residences, which is celebrating the opening of its new Hollywood building at Hollywood and Vine).

One cop estimated 15,000 people in attendance. I can tell you: The place was packed. Los Angeles has always been a stronghold for Depeche Mode, thanks in part to KROQ, I suppose. And last night's event proves that they can still draw em in, 30 years on.

The band played a short set of seven songs -- including a handful of new ones. But, of course, the crowd responded to the classics: "Enjoy the Silence," "Never Let Me Down Again," "Personal Jesus." David Gahan still has the rock star moves -- although one of the folks I was with pointed out that, well, Dave kinda reminded him of the aging 80s singer played by Hugh Grant in "Music and Lyrics."

The crowd outside the fence -- sans tickets -- threatened to start getting rowdy, as they climbed on roofs and started shaking the fence (which at one point looked like it would come down, starting a riot). But the cops, perhaps remembering the 1990 Depeche Mode debacle at the Beverly Connection, kept things under control.

The show ended on an anticlimactic note, as there was no encore -- instead just speeches by City Council president Eric Garcetti and the W developer. Boo!

Those of you following Franklin Avenue on Twitter saw my updates in real time (uh, sorry about clogging your account). Here's how it unfolded:

Still 30-45 minutes away until Depeche Mode. Frolic Room so close but so far away

Security to people who climbed a roof to see: "Guys, I love that you're up there,but youre going to go to jail!"

People without tickets trying to knock the fence down. uh-oh-- 1990 all over again?

Holy F, there's a lot of people here. DM's still got quite the fan base here in L.A. We're just all, ahem, a few decades older...

They're playing New Order on the loudspeaker. We've been transported into a 1985 KROQ playlist

Well, they fenced those people away from the fence... no rioting... yet

Warm up guy on stage; DM in a few mins

"Thanks for hanging out and not killing each other" -- Jimmy Kimmel

Kimmel: "Also thanks to Eric Garcetti, who got about a thousand complaints today. Go vote for him."

First song, "Wrong"

Crowd's *kinda* into it, but they're waiting for the classics

Channing Tatum and Elisha Cuthbert also on stage; tonight's Kimmel guests

"Personal Jesus"

Crowd is reaching out and touching faith

"Walking in My Shoes"

Batch of new songs

"Enjoy the Silence"

Martin L Gore on guitar, yo

"Never Let Me Down Again" (Dave: "This is back to where it all began!")

Garcetti on stage, now the W developer. Being booed. Get off the stage!

No encore! Boo. Goodbye, i'll stop filling you with tweets now

(Flickr pic by kiasuchick.)