Jessica's Blog

Jayma Mays, Diane Kruger, and More Stars Share Their Favorite Holiday Movies

Jessica Radloff — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:03:19 +0000

by Jessica Radloff for GLAMOUR

You aren’t the only one looking forward to It’s A Wonderful Life this holiday season! From the teary-eyed classics to the LOL comedies, you’ll never guess what stars like Diane Kruger and Jayma Mays admitted to having on their DVR! Our only qualm? Where is Home Alone on this list?!

Diane Kruger: “We [boyfriend Joshua Jackson] can’t wait for Love, Actually! We have to watch it every time. It’s such a classic now.”

Ian Gomez: “A Christmas Story, the one with the kid and the thing, and the yeah, yeah, yeah [referring to the sexy leg lamp]. Haha. That’s my favorite one! Another one is A Wonderful Life, although I can’t get through it. It makes me cry.”

Nia Vardalos: “I love The Sound of Music, which I know is not about a holiday, but it plays every Christmas.”

Jayma Mays: Love, Actually! Like, as in I have to watch that every single Christmas. Oh, and Scrooged! And It’s a Wonderful Life. I know that’s so cliché, but I think you have to watch it every year. It never loses its meaning. Those are my top three.

What are you favorite holiday movies? Based on the above answers, which celebs house would you most want to go over to for movie night?

My Exclusive Interviews with the Final Four X-FACTOR Contestants

Jessica Radloff — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:50:21 +0000

Temps were in the low 50s and the rain was pounding down on the CBS soundstage that houses FOX’s X Factor, but the top four remaining contestants were nothing but bright smiles and enthusiastic attitudes as they talked TV obsessions, dream duet partners and always believing in themselves.

Thanks to the PR team that handles the FOX hit, I got to spend a day on set with Marcus Canty, Melanie Amaro, Josh Krajcik and Chris Rene. Marcus is clearly the most outgoing of the group, giving me three hugs during the duration of our interview and wanting to celebrate every aspect of his good fortune. Josh and Melanie were a bit soft-spoken, almost as if they knew that as crazy as this journey has been, it’s about to get a lot more wild. Meanwhile, Chris was a combination of a young boy achieving a lifelong dream and a mature adult well aware of the hardships it took to get here.

On that note, enjoy the best sound bites from our interviews by clicking on the entire link below:

EXCLUSIVE: My GLAMOURous Night at the UNICEF Ball!

Jessica Radloff — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:26:46 +0000

My GLAMORous Night at the UNICEF Ball! (Including the GLEE Star I Danced With!)

by Jessica Radloff for GLAMOUR

EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood’s stars came out in full force last night as everyone from Kate Walsh to Matthew Morrison honored UNICEF and the tremendous humanitarian work they do at the 2011 UNICEF Ball held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Not only was I on the “white carpet” but I was among the select few invited as a guest inside for the spectacular dinner event featuring Lionel Richie, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Sean Penn, Diane Kruger, Kristen Bell, Benjamin McKenzie and more!

If the holidays are about giving and receiving, then there is no more beloved organization that accomplishes this task more profoundly than UNICEF, which has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more—something we so often take for granted. But as glitzy and as far removed as Hollywood is from regions like Darfur or Haiti, there is no more charitable community who gives back and offers more support. Private Practice star Kate Walsh, looking stunning in an off-the-shoulder navy blue Temperley dress complemented by Bacarat earrings, said, “As a kid, every year my parents would get the collection can for UNICEF, and I’d go around the neighborhood and collect for kids. It’s a little strange to me that in the 21st Century, there’s 21,000 kids under the age of five who have died from treatable or curable diseases.”

Which is why the event was all about bringing that number to zero, and going to whatever lengths to give kids a new chance at life. The gala honored Irena, Nick and Mike Medavoy (Mike has produced some of the most award-winning films of the last 35 years—from Rocky to Black Swan) with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award, while Queen Noor of Jordan (truly the most beautiful queen on the planet!) was recognized as a Woman of Compassion, an honor quite fitting for the philanthropic advocate.

At my table, I was seated next to Nicole Richie, looking absolutely incredible in Osman, and Southland’s Ben McKenzie (ahem, The OC’s Ryan Atwood). Let’s just talk for a moment about how utterly handsome and awesome McKenzie is. (Are you talking? OK, good). We both gasped when we realized Her Majesty Queen Noor was sitting at the next table over, and wondered if we should curtsy or bow in her presence? After all, I wish I could say I go shopping with the Duchess of Cambridge and drink tea with Prince William’s grandmother on a regular basis (thereby knowing the correct protocol), but I’m not quite there yet. Instead, we decided to stand up and applaud every time she got up to speak. That worked. I think.

Prior to the dinner, Ian Gomez (Cougar Town)—with his lovely wife Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) at his side—made a fellow reporter’s day by jumping back into the shoes of his beloved Felicity character, Javier, and engaging her. As a major Felicity fan (which by the way, four seasons was definitely NOT enough!), it was a kick to see him bring Javier back to life, even if just for a moment.

Glee star Jayma Mays (McKinley High’s Ms. Pillsbury) remembered me from our Glamour interview at the Emmys, where I totally fell in love with her. She has to be one of the sweetest, most adorable, quick-witted and clever gals I’ve ever talked to. Not to mention she has the most gorgeous strawberry-blonde hair you’ve ever seen. With all the events she gets invited to, don’t you ever wonder how celebrities pick and choose what to attend? Jayma helped break it down by admitting, “The second I get an invite, I look them up—you know, what they have done, what’s going on, and I realized with UNICEF, they are saving more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. They’re just such a fantastic organization.”

Former Entertainment Tonight host Mary Hart was the emcee of the event and admitted that she was most looking forward to hearing actor and activist Sean Penn speak (to honor the Medavoys) and see Lionel Richie perform. But first, I had to ask her a most serious question: considering she is the queen of Interviews, how was I measuring up? “Haha, you did great! Excellent eye contact, intelligent questions! It was wonderful. [laughs]” Whew!

Kate Walsh and I also had a pretty hilarious ‘white’ carpet moment. I’ve gotten to know the statuesque and beautiful Ms. Walsh pretty well this past year, and she was so kind to send me a bottle of her fragrance, Boyfriend, which in fact, I was wearing last night! Of course, I had to tell her, “Kate, get a whiff of me!” That’s certainly not a statement I say aloud everyday, lol. But Kate was so excited that I was wearing her debut fragrance (be on the lookout for a follow-up early next year) and that I hadn’t actually re-gifted it. Haha, love that Walsh!

But the best part of the evening came when the legendary Lionel Richie took to the stage to perform a trio of hits including All Night Long. Caryl Stern, the UNICEF President and CEO of the U.S. Fund, said to me earlier in the evening, “I’m particularly excited about Lionel performing! I’m like the epitome of the groupie [laughs]. I grew up dancing to his music!” And dance to his music we did. But it’s not everyday a girl (this one in fact) gets to dance alongside—wait for it—Glee’s Matthew Morrison (who rocked it out!), Quincy Jones and Larry King—but I did. I mean, seriously? How does that happen? ONLY in Hollywood, I tell you. And All . . . Night . . . Long.

Visit www.UNICEFusa.org for more information on how you can help and get involved with this fantastic organization.

Are you guys as obsessed with Matthew Morrison and Ben McKenzie as I am? And which Lionel Richie song is your absolute favorite? “Dancing on the Ceiling” is a close second I think to “All Night Long!” How about you?”

LIVE on the Red Carpet at the Premiere of NEW YEAR’S EVE

Jessica Radloff — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:14:01 +0000

On the Red Carpet at the New Year’s Eve Premiere with Lea Michele, Hilary Swank and Abigail Breslin

by Jessica Radloff, LIVE on the Red Carpet for GLAMOUR.com

While we have a few weeks to go before it’s actually New Year’s Eve, the festivities were already in full swing last night in Hollywood! I scored a spot on the red carpet at the premiere of the star-studded film New Year’s Eve–and I got a front-row view of Ashton Kutcher making his first post-split appearance, talked TV with the one and only Lea Michele and was sprayed by air kisses that came courtesy of my new friend Fergie.

Let’s start with that “red” carpet, which was actually black with the movie title emblazoned in gold. It was also a bit of an ankle twister because it literally covered pot-hole prone Hollywood Boulevard, which had been cordoned off for the evening, as well as the celeb handprints outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, causing guests (including this one!) to trip over its uneven surfaces. Minor red carpet wounds aside (nothing can stop this fearless reporter!), I did love the huge disco ball that was positioned over the red carpet and kept thinking how it would be the perfect accessory for the New Year’s party I keep promising to throw. (I’m just waiting for Josh Duhamel‘s guaranteed RSVP–ha ha!)

It was an unseasonably cold night in SoCal (40 degrees!), so some celebs–like new mom Alyssa Milano, looking gorgeous in black–swept by photographers. Others, like I Dream of Jeannie‘s Barbara Eden (nostalgia alert!), kept warm under the heat lamps in between interviews with reporters.

I loved chatting up Abigail Breslin (my how she’s grown since Little Miss Sunshine!). We have something very important in common–our shared birthday, April 14th–so we talked about the best day of the year.

I shared a fun moment with actor Larry Miller, who you may remember from his small, but memorable, role in Pretty Woman. He played the tongue-tied store manager, Mr. Hollister, who helped Richard Gere’s Edward and Julia Robert’s Vivian during their shopping spree. (Richard: “Do you have anything in this shop as beautiful as she is?” Mr. Hollister: “Oh yes! … Oh no. I’m saying we have many things as beautiful as she…would want them to be! That’s the point I was getting at! And I think we can all agree with that.”) He was cool enough to recreate that memorable movie scene with me right there on the red carpet.

Lea Michele and I were able to talk TV together. It was great to see all of her Glee co-stars out in full-force to support her. Cory Monteith, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Chris Colfer, Ashley Fink and Darren Criss all attended, but they skipped the red carpet to let their friend bask in the spotlight. The same with her BFF Jonathan Groff, who had a recurring role on Glee playing Jesse St. James, who waited patiently off to the side as Michele spoke with reporters. (Note to self: You can never have too many BFFs. I wonder if he’s available?)

Ashton’s arrival got everyone talking because it was his first public appearance since he and Demi Moore announced their split. He posed for playful pics with Michele, but no surprise here–he skipped the media line. Truthfully, considering that it has to be a very uncomfortable time for him (no matter whether you’re Team Demi or Team Ashton), I was just impressed he attended at all.

Fergie also skipped the press line, but in this case, it was so her dreamboat hubby Josh Duhamel could have the spotlight. However, the gracious and stunning singer felt bad she couldn’t give an interview to Glamour, so she made sure to blow us lots of kisses–and gave a shout out of love to Obsessed readers.

As for me, my cute New Year’s Eve inspired outfit was kept under wraps because of the chilly temperatures, but I still had a ball.

New Year’s Eve hits theaters nationwide on Dec. 9th.

Ok, Obsessed readers: Which celebrity at the premiere would have most looked forward to meeting? And if you could have one of them at your New Year’s Eve party, who would it be?

GLAMOUR.com: It’s Me, Jess!

Jessica Radloff — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:05:39 +0000

And From the Red Carpet. . . Meet West Coast Correspondent, Jessica Radloff

Hi, Glamour girls! I’m Jessica Radloff and I’ll be bringing you red carpet dish from here on the West Coast. I’m thrilled to be part of the Obsessed team since I’m quite obsessed with a few shows myself like Modern Family, Private Practice, Mike & Molly, Blue Bloods and, yes, The Bachelor. I’d keep going but then this would turn into the listings page you’d find in TV Guide magazine. Sometimes I joke that my life is controlled by my DVR, but who am I kidding—it completely is!

I’ve learned the TV industry from the inside out with internships at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Young and the Restless and Carsey-Werner-Mandabach (the team behind The Cosby Show and Roseanne). I also appeared on Oxygen’s sitcom Campus Ladies for two years, which was executive produced by the hilarious and stunning Cheryl Hines of Curb Your Enthusiasm. And, fun fact, Jonah Hill played my R.A. on the show!

I can’t wait to share behind-the-scenes scoop with you guys! Whether it’s visits to the sets of your favorite shows (I’m putting in a request now to go to Hawaii Five-O the next time Alex O’Loughlin has a shirtless scene), red carpet coverage for premieres and award shows or juicy insider secrets, I can’t wait to experience it all with you entertainment lovers.

As we get going here, why don’t you let me know 1) which show set you think I should visit first, 2) who are some of you favorite actors and actresses and 3) if you agree with me when I say that the early seasons of Full House were some of the best episodes ever! And while you’re at it, also follow me on Twitter.

A SWEET Cause: Operation Desert Pie

Jessica Radloff — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:05:58 +0000

My Dad is a creature of habit. Six days out of the week, he eats at the same place (St. Louis Bread Co.). Every Thursday he has lunch at the same pub with his same lawyer friends. Every morning he eats breakfast at the kitchen table while reading the paper and watching The Today Show until he goes to the couch to read the sports. Every morning. Like clockwork. Needless to say, Dad has a routine, and he rarely veers from it. (For the record, my Dad is awesome. Always reliable, always honest, always there for Mom, my sister and me. But anyway, back to the story. . . . )

So to get my Dad to like something new, or try something else, is not an easy task. I can’t say I blame him. If you find what you like, why not stick to it? When it comes to dessert, my Dad is simple. . give him a Tuxedo cake from Schnucks or a dark chocolate brownie with chocolate shavings from Panera (truly, the best damn brownie ever), and my Dad is a happy camper. Getting my Dad to try a new dessert? Not so easy.

Unless of course, it comes from Bud. At Royers Round Top Cafe. In Texas.

A little over a year ago, I wrote an article for The Huffington Post about the best culinary items (pizzas, ribs, beignets, popcorn, cookies, pies, etc.) that ship anywhere in the country. Royers Round Top Cafe made the list, but embarrassingly I must admit, not because I had tried it. It was only because so many others had and said I’d be nuts not to include Royers. So I did, Bud Royer saw it, and generously asked if he could send me some pies. What? You think I said no? When have I ever turned down food?

During the Thanksgiving holiday, a Chocolate Chip Pie and Ann’s Pecan Pie were delivered to my parent’s doorstep. ”Interesting,” my Dad thought. ”Well,” I said. . . “let’s put these babies in the oven and see if they are really as amazing as everyone says.”

They were better.

They were melt in your mouth, OMG, have I died and gone to heaven pies. And I don’t even eat pie! That statement of course is no longer true. If it’s a Royers Round Top pie, I eat it. And my Dad? Well, let’s just say he raves about two things in his life: his kids. . . and Bud’s pies.

But Bud Royer’s pies are more than just heaven in a pie crust. They are a reflection of Bud himself–amazing, better than the rest, and top quality.

Bud is like a real life Santa Claus. . . a comparison I’m sure he’s gotten more than once. Sure, the white beard might have something to do with it, but it’s Bud’s heart that makes him so much like Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick (or in my case, Hanukkah Harry. . . whatever Hanukkah Harry is supposed to look like). Bud is generous, compassionate, and beyond charitable. He is a lesson in living your passion. When you find someone like Bud in your life, you keep them there and don’t let them go. It’s that simple (and no, it’s not because he sent me free pies).

Although you owe it to yourself to order one of these master-pie-ces (www.RoyersRoundTopCafe.com just in case you were wondering), there’s a more honorable cause that Bud (and now myself) is asking you to at least take a look at.

Operation Desert Pie.

When Bud heard the story about how someone shipped a US serviceman in Afghanistan a pie from Royer’s Round Top Cafe–and how much it made that serviceman (and his stomach) smile–Bud came up with the idea for Operation Desert Pie. The smiles on these soldiers faces is contagious. To not only get a taste of home (because really, what’s more American than pie?), but something that is (in my humble-pie opinion) the best pie there is. Well, that’s just a treat. A treat these soldiers deserve.

During the July 4th weekend, Royer’s Round Top Cafe shipped over 700 pies to soldiers in the Mideast. Their goal for the holidays? 5000. Yes, it’s a big goal, and it’s why I’m asking for you to take one more charity under your belt. Plus, $5 of every set of pies is going to www.FisherHouse.org which provides free or low cost lodging to our veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers.

It’s a treat that gives our soldiers a little taste of home, while helping those a little less fortunate. Plus, it’ll give them something absolutely divine to rave about.

Just ask my Dad.

Need any more proof? Check out these two videos about Operation Desert Pie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=SW6NBsazuQk and http://animoto.com/play/gFfNGAPbvYbiU1sQZ1YOsg

Lastly, check out the Hairy Bikers at Royers Round Top Cafe–hilarious! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFQ2C1FwxO0&feature=related

2011 EMMY Awards–Red Carpet Pics

Jessica Radloff — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:39:33 +0000

On the Red Carpet at the 2011 EMMY Awards LIVE on FOX. . . reporting for GLAMOUR Magazine. Check out the December issue for some of the interviews!

Pics from the EMMY Awards. . . .

"Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks

"Glee" star Jayma Mays

"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter

"Friday Night Lights" star Zach Gilford

"C.S.I. Miami" and former "All My Children" star Eva LaRue

"The Vampire Diaries" star Nina Dobrev

Rapper and Actor Common

"Friday Night Lights" Emmy nominee Connie Britton

Anna Faris

"The Vampire Diaries" and former "LOST" star Ian Somerhalder

"Modern Family" supermom Julie Bowen

Amanda Peet

"Glee" star Kevin McHale, the Food Network's Padma Lakshmi, and "Glee" star Jenna Ushkowitz

Olivia Munn

"The New Girl" star Zooey Deschanel

"DWTS" and "Footloose" star Julianne Hough

Idris C. Elba

Extra Host, but more importantly, A.C. Slater!! Mario Lopez, that is. . .

At the Entertainment Tonight After-Emmy party

Interviewing Jason Ritter from NBC's "Parenthood"

At the People Magazine Emmy Nominee Party at the Pacific Design Center

Interviewing Martha Plimpton from FOX's "Raising Hope"

Interviewing Elisabeth Moss from "Mad Men"

The one and only Melissa McCarthy

With Nyambi Nyambi ("Samuel") on CBS's "Mike & Molly"

My Interview with BOB NEWHART for CS Magazine

Jessica Radloff — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:13:45 +0000

The original interview with Bob Newhart was published in CS (Chicago Social)/Modern Luxury Media’s October issue. Click here to read the article and here is the link to my contributor bio.

You’re coming to the Chicago Theatre on October 22^nd. That was all the information I could find, haha. So tell me what kind of tricks and jokes you’re going to be doing that evening. [laughs] I’m sure some local Chicago stuff, and then I’ll probably do one or two of the classic album routines because that’s why a lot of people show up for that and then the rest is some kind of observational what-a-strange-place-this-is we all inhabit and how you gotta laugh to get through it.

How often do you get back to Chicago? Do you still have family there? Yeah, my three sisters are there. . . well, two of them are there, and one is a little further outside the city. I usually get back probably once or twice a year on my way to other dates I try and make a stop in Chicago. The last time I was there, we got all the nieces and nephews together in one place so I could meet ‘em, so I wasn’t just Uncle Bob on the television. [laughs]

What Chicago places do you love—restaurants, things to do, etc.? I hate to pick out one over the other, but I really enjoy the city. The people are wonderful. They’re warm and especially welcoming. I think people should land in New York, spend a couple days, and then come to Chicago and see what people are really like. [laughs]

I think GQ in fact just recently named Chicago one of the most honest towns in America. Oh, is that right? I didn’t know that. It has great restaurants. You know, Michigan Avenue. When I come back, it’s like, ‘you’ve come a long way baby’ because I walk by familiar things. . . like The Chicago Theatre, as a kid I used to go to The Chicago Theatre, and then I’d go see Martin and Lewis, all those great acts, and now to be walking on those boards, the same boards those people walked on, I remember when Martin and Lewis were there and in between shows they would go out on the balcony and throw autograph pictures down to the people.

That is incredible. Do you ever want to retrace your steps and almost recreate the opening of “The Bob Newhart Show” which was filmed in downtown Chicago? Well, you know, if you’re a native Chicagoan, you know how dumb he is. [laughs] Because he gets on the Ravenswood El, he goes past his stop on Sheridan Road, he gets off in Evanston, where the El is on the ground, and then he walks back 55 blocks to his apartment. Now, would you want to have that man as a psychologist? A man who misses his stop everyday?

[laughs] No, but if I could get lost with you I’d like to do it because then you’d entertain me the whole way! [laughs] So then it would be fun! We did a show. . .I was working with a baseball player, a pitcher I think it was, for the Cubs and as a client, supposedly, he turned his whole career around and thanked me for helping him, on the psychology end, and the catcher was in the doldrums as far as the hitting was concerned. He came to me and they sent me the script, and it’s a nice game, and I said, ‘well the Cubs don’t play night games.’ And so they said, ‘ok, well we’ll make it Cincinnati and it will be a night game in Cincinnati and the Cubs are visiting,” and I said ‘yeah, but then the Cincinnati fans wouldn’t be booing this catcher, they’d be cheering for this catcher because he’s so bad.’ [laughs] I had to explain. . . Chicago’s kind of a unique place you know.

Are you a Cubs fan or a Sox fan? Oh, Cubs fan.

Do you follow the Cubs still now? Yeah, I love em, but it takes a strong heart to follow ‘em.

Ok, what about any favorite restaurants that stand out that you have to have when you get back to Chicago? We stayed a lot at the Ritz Carlton and we always enjoy the restaurant there at the Ritz, and then we stayed at the Four Seasons and enjoyed the restaurant there.

You have good taste. I’m going to stay with you guys next time! [laughs] And then we walk a couple blocks, and one of the ones we always have to get to is the Cape Cod Room at the Drake. The waiters are characters and the food is just great. If there’s one place that we always go to when we get to the Chicago, it’s the Cape Cod Room.

You said in your book that Chicagoans are really the toughest people out there—between the brutally cold winters and hot and humid summers, you have to be tough to live in that city. So when are you moving back? [laughs] Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I was in Chicago. . . born in Oak Park, but raised in Chicago. I spent 22 years in Chicago in the deadly winters. You just had a terrible summer. . a terrible storm, the worst storm they said they’ve ever had. So I got through that a couple times, although nothing that bad, but pretty close. And I had the horrible winters and then at 22 I was drafted and sent to the West Coast and said to myself, ‘how long has this been going on?’ and ‘why have they kept this away from me that you don’t have to freeze to death in the winter and die of heat stroke in the summer?’ [laughs]

Ok, we have The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, Bob. . .did you ever worry you were going to run out of names for shows? Maybe incorporate a middle name or initial at some point? Well, I did actually. I did Bob, which lasted a year and then I did George and Leo. My legal name is George Robert.

When did you start going by Bob? Well, if someone calls me George, that usually means I was in service with them or accounting with them. My Dad was George David, so they just called me Bob to avoid any confusion.

Right. Alright, George. [laughs]

In the 1960s, you worked as a certified public accountant at a Chicago firm and hated every minute of it. Well, that’s actually incorrect. To be a certified public accountant, you have to take a test, which I would never have passed. [laughs] So I was an accountant and that was it. [laughs]

Well, I was gonna say, my grandmother was a C.P.A. but she was never funny. When did they drop that requirement? [laughs] Well, we have lots of funny accountants now with Enron and Bernie Madoff, there’s a lot of funny accounting going on now.

Did you ever think about doing a show in which you played an accountant and found the humor in that? No, we never. . . that never came up.

Really? Well, I’m sure you could make up some funny accountant stories in there. [laughs]

Did you always feel like you would make it—that you would succeed in this business? No, no I didn’t. As a matter of fact, when I was an accountant—and I knew I wasn’t cut out to be an accountant—I decided that I was going to take a year of my life and try and make it in comedy, and if I didn’t, I would know that, and I wouldn’t have spent the rest of my life saying I wish I would have done that, or I wish I would have done this. So one year became two years and then two years became three and three years became four and then lo and behold I made a record album and it took off, and before I knew it, I was doing Ed Sullivan shows. Instead of watching Ed Sullivan shows, I was appearing on them. It’s just something I had to find out. . . if I was funny. I had to find out if I could make a living in comedy.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Let me think. Well, let me put it in the form of a saying. It was by Nathaniel West, the author. And he said, and I’m paraphrasing, in effect, ‘The world—the universe—is against us, so the only intelligent response is to laugh.’ [laughs]

I love that! [laughs] I do too! [laughs] Oh, that is great! I’m putting that on my computer screen saver. There you go! Look up the original, [because] I’m not sure I said it exactly right, but that’s the idea.

Let’s talk about Don Rickles. Oh, do we have to? [laughs] This was going so well. Jessica, this was going so well and then you had to go ruin it. [laughs] God you’re killing me. Well, he is one of your best friends . . . that’s right. . . and what I thought was so awesome at the Academy event last summer, they showed vacation video of you and Don and your wives traveling the world together. I want to know when you’re traveling, do people go crazy when they see you guys out and about? Well, when we travel in Europe. . of course other Americans recognize us, but one of the nice things about traveling in Europe and Asia, they don’t know who we are. We’re just two other ugly Americans traveling. [laughs] We’re rather loud, which plays into the ugly American. [laughs] We just have a great time. Over the years, gee, I think we’ve been almost everywhere. We were talking about it the other night . . . the places we haven’t been to. I think our favorite is Venice. We love to go to Venice.

What’s the funniest travel story you have with Don? Oh, there’s so many. We traveled to Israel together. We went to Greece, we went to Israel. God, there’s so many stories. We flew to Paris, I think we spent a couple days in London [first] and then we flew to Paris, and then the driver who picked us up at airport, he said, ‘would you like to see Normandie?’ And of course Don was in World War II and I was in the Korean War, and we all told him yeah, we’d love to see Normandie. Is it much of a drive? And he said, ‘no, no, an hour’ or something like that. It turned out to be 2 hours or something like that, but we’re driving and there was a sign that said Cherbourg, and Don said to the driver, ‘are there a lot of trees there?’ and the Driver said, ‘no, no, not really,’ and Don says, ‘no, I’m sure there are a lot of trees there.’ And the driver said, ‘there’s one or two trees, but no, no,’ and then Barbara his wife said, ‘Oh my god, he thinks it’s Sherwood Forest.’ We had to explain that was in a whole different country. It was some other forest.

What I love from the Academy was when Rickles was telling a story and couldn’t come up with a name, and he jokes, ‘feel free to chime in there buddy!’. . . he’s not afraid to make fun of you. Oh no. [laughs] Do you give it right back to him, or are you more of the straight man to his funny man? The first time I met Don, my wife Ginnie, and Barbara Rickles, Barbara Sklar, they knew each other before I married Ginnie and Barbara married Don. So Don was in the lounge at the Sahara in Las Vegas and I was at the Dessert Inn, and Ginnie noticed Don was there, and Ginnie said, ‘Oh, I’m going to call Barbara, we have to get together. I haven’t seen her in a long time.’ She was a secretary for an agent and that’s how Ginnie knew her. So we made arrangements after my second show and before his third show, at like 4 o’clock in the morning, we went to the cafeteria at the Sahara and sat and talked, and that’s the first time I had met Don, and Ginnie had met Don, and the first time I had met Barbara. So we’re talking and talking, and now we’re going to go in to see Don’s 4am show, and Ginnie says, ‘he’s just the nicest man. He loves his family so much and he wants to be home and doesn’t want to be on the road as much as he is, and he’s just such a sweet man,’ and I said, ‘well, honey, his act is a little different than that, than the guy you just met.’ So we go in and sit down, they put us in the front row and Don comes out and the first thing he says is, ‘the stammering idiot from Chicago is in the audience with his hooker wife from Bayonne, New Jersey.” [laughs] So Ginnie’s jaw dropped and I said, ‘I tried to tell ya!’ That was our first meeting.

What comedians or actors do you find funny today? Well, today, well, the other day I ran into Garry Shandling, and I like his work very much. Jerry Seinfeld of course. Steven Wright. Norm McDonald. There’s a young comic who’s beginning to get some attention. He’s on Letterman a lot and his name is Jake Johannsen and I think he’s very funny. There’s nothing I enjoy more than watching a good comedian work. I love to laugh and I love to watch somebody who’s good.

What I love about you is that you’re so funny without having to resort to any gimmicks, and I feel like today so many comedians resort to either sexual humor all the time or profanity, and they do it to get a laugh, but it’s not funny. You proved that you could tell a story or say a joke and make it about everyday life and it was hysterical. That’s the world I grew up in. That’s the way the world was then. And yet I think, well, I was up last night watching Tom Arnold on Piers Morgan, and he was asked the same question about the young comics around and he said the man I think that’s the Seminole comedian for the past fifty years, who unfortunately has died, and that would be Richard Pryor. I think he was beyond. . it was uber-comedy that he was doing. There were just such poignant moments, and he’d draw, despite the language, he’d draw these wonderful pictures of life in the inner city, and I just thought he was incredible.

When I told people I was getting the honor of interviewing you, they always say, ‘ask him about the Newhart finale that was a dream!’ Your wife came up with that idea. Where does that episode rank for you? Yeah, that was her idea. It certainly. . . well, if there’s one comment I get, it’s about the final episode, and they’ll say whose idea was it, and I’ll say, my wife’s. I was having a problem with CBS, well this was like in ’76, and they were kind of moving us around and putting other shows in at 9 o’clock and so I said to my wife, I think. . . wait, I’m sorry, we were talking about Newhart. We were going to a party, and I said to Ginny, I think this is going to be the last year, and without a beat she says, ‘if this is the last year, you should do a dream sequence where you wake up in bed with Susie explaining this weird dream you had.’ There were so many inexplicable things in Newhart. . you know, that the maid was an heiress, and you had Larry, Daryl and Daryl, and I always said that Larry and Daryl, even though they wound up in Vermont, they were straight out of deliverance. I thought there had been a whole lot of intermarriage that had taken place and resulted in Larry Daryl and Daryl. [laughs]

You guest-hosted the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 87 times. That’s what I’ve been told, yeah. [laughs] You’ve worked with what seems like every showbiz legend. Is there someone you have yet to work with that you’d love to, given the opportunity? Well, the one person I would have loved to have work with is Peter Sellers. I was a huge fan. I just saw R.J. Wagner, R.J. as we call him, and he’s coming out with a new book because his first book did very well. And I said, you gotta do a chapter on Peter Sellers, cause he. . . my favorite movie is probably Dr. Strangelove in which he played like 4 or 5 different characters. My kids say to me, ‘Dad, next time you watch Dr. Strangelove, would you let us know because we’d like to bring some of our friends over to watch you watch Dr. Strangelove. I just find it hysterical! I’ve probably seen it 25 times and I laugh each time.

Last question. . . with so much talent coming from Chicago and the Midwest tonight, what’s your advice to aspiring comedians and actors? Well, I get mail a lot from young comics starting out and my advice is work as much as you can because there’s no where else to learn it. You have to learn it on the stage. There’s no book that has ever been written. . there’s no other way of finding it out. Any opportunity you get to act or do stand-up, just take advantage of it because you’ll learn from it.

Mr. Newhart was so wonderful and invited me and my parents backstage after his show at The Chicago Theatre, where I got to meet his lovely wife, Ginnie, and Bob’s sister, Ginny (yes, you read that right).

Thanks, Jillian Harris!

Jessica Radloff — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:29:30 +0000

ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition and former Bachelorette Jillian Harris was kind enough to post our interview from AOL/Huffington Post Chicago on her website this summer. Check it out below and follow her on twitter @JillianHarris!

SHARING MY CHICAGO FAVORITES by Jillian Harris

with Jessica Radloff for AOL/Huffington Post Chicago

My First Article for GLAMOUR.com!

Jessica Radloff — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 03:22:47 +0000

6 Questions Every Guy Wants You to Ask Him

Friday, 07/29/2011 3:15 PM by Jessica Radloff

If you’ve been watching The Bachelorette, you have to cringe every time Ashley asks, “When was the last time you cried?” or “How do you see me fitting in your life?” Plus, who can forget the moment that she suggested Ben (or was it Constantine?) kiss in their minds? Whatever the case, I get that we often have to ask the hard questions (because good luck getting your guy to actually bring something up if you don’t!), but sometimes asking the seemingly easier questions will get him to open up even more. So, drumroll please… I came up with six sure-fire questions that‘ll get him talking—and you the answers you want.

1) Any sport, any athlete, who would you want to practice with?
Why you should ask: Unless you’re just starting out, it’s not a question that will give you any ground-breaking answers, but it will show him your playful side—a huge turn-on for guys. But more importantly, it should also prompt him to come up with something for you—which can be a great test to see how well he knows and listens to what you have to say.

2) Can you to go to the Victoria’s Secret website and bookmark your top three favorite pieces of lingerie? I just might surprise you by wearing my favorite.
Why you should ask: Guys will flip for this question. Like, as in seriously do a back flip. Unless of course he recently broke his foot. In that case, that shouldn’t stop him either. But seriously: If your guy picks out something in red or black (or a bold print), it could mean he wants to see your wild side come out. Same goes for a corset/bustier or garter set. Take this as a vote of confidence because it shows your guy gives you mad props for your bedroom abilities. If he picks out something that’s a bit classier or contemporary (think babydoll style, pastels, lace), he’s going after a more playful or innocent look, and he may want to be the one to lead the way in the bedroom.

3) If you ran into the President in the elevator what would you say to him?
Why you should ask: He doesn’t have to give a “Miss America” answer, but actually having a cause that means something to him (say more funding for pancreatic cancer research or what to do about off-shore drilling) shows he’s responsible and thinking more about than just himself. Definitely a good sign for you! On the other hand, if he answers, ‘legalizing marijuana,’ well, aside from the fact that you’re dating Turtle from Entourage (side note: how great did he look in the season premiere?!), you’re also dealing with a dude that might not be ready to grow up.

4) If you were to go on a game show and win a trip for two anywhere in the world, where would we be going?
Why you should ask: OK, so there’s a little bit of a trap here. The key word is we, obviously. Pay attention if he says a locale that you’ve mentioned before or brings up a destination that is perfect for couples. If he says white-water rafting (and you’ve never shown a hint of interest in risking your life on jagged rocks and swift waters), then you could be dealing with a guy who’s not ready to commit.

5) If you could have any super power—and you can’t say flying—what would it be?
Why you should ask: Most guys will say flying (trust me, I’ve asked), so let their minds run wild with possible super powers that they haven’t thought of. If he answers X-ray vision, just laugh with a roll of your eyes. But if he says he wishes he had the ability to freeze time, it may indicate that he feels rushed or unprepared some of the time. If he says he would want to be invisible, is it because he often feels put on the spot or under attack? See if he’ll elaborate on his answer, which might give you the X-ray vision you need into your relationship.

6) What movie title best describes your life right now?
Why you should ask: You might get more questions than answers depending on what your guy says, so be prepared. If he responds with Friends With Benefits or He’s Just Not That Into You, then just show him the door. But let’s say he answers something along the lines of Something’s Gotta Give or Up in the Air; is this news to you? Are you aware his life is, well, up in the air? It might give you insight into why he’s been at a standstill with issues important to you (Moving in? Being exclusive? Being distant?) Of course, depending on the time of day, don’t be surprised if he answers The Hangover. In which case, just save this game for later. Or buy yourself a ticket to see Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Which question are you going to try on your guy? What other sneaky ways do you have of getting him to open up? And don’t forget to let me know what your guy says when you ask him any of the above questions!

Jessica Radloff is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a passion for dishing out relationship advice. A total ‘guy’s girl,’ Jessica loves sports (St. Louis Cardinals! NFL!), cupcakes (Sprinkles!) and watching addicting reality TV (Bachelor Pad, anyone?). She has written and hosted for AOL, The Huffington Post, TV Guide, Celebuzz, and Modern Luxury Media. Check out her columns and her website and follow her on Twitter at @JRadloff.