For as long as I can remember, I’ve been watching the Tonight Show, way back when Johnny Carson was on and Ed McMahon was his sidekick. I also watched many years of Jay Leno hosting The Tonight Show as well. There was a Tonight Show correspondent that I immediately disliked when I first saw him – Ross Mathews.
Ross “The Intern” Mathews came aboard the Tonight Show nearly 5 years ago. He was initially hired as an intern for The Tonight Show during his senior year of college at the University of La Verne in California. Every day, Ross would have to work as an intern, all following their dreams to be the host of the interview show.
On the last day of his internship, the Head Writer of the Tonight Show found out that he dreams of being on television, and so they gave him the opportunity. Ross was on assignment to cover the Ocean’s 11 premiere with actor George Clooney. The rest, as they say, was history. Ross became such an instant success on the Tonight Show that he was soon covering other huge events, like the Olympics and the Oscars.
Maybe it was Ross’ adorable smile or charming attitude that filtered through the television shots that made me like him. I believe that there is a greater passion in the job that is worth with celebrities interviews that Ross does. nice I was very happy when I saw that Ross had his own blog, a form of communication that has become so widely popular. I started visiting his blog regularly, and now days his funny antidotes don’t fail.
Ross created his original blog, which he is proud (and his fans are excited!) to share about these moves to a new home his with NBC. The page can now be viewed at: http://blog.nbc.com/ross_blog/ . I really happy Ross has his own blog that brings so many people happiness and laughter every day. .
Thru Ross’ blog is what many of his fans have come to know. Even where I mustered up the courage to ask Ross for an interview. I have to admit that when he got the interview from me, it was a complete adrenaline rush. But I have to get clearance from NBC to have an interview with him.
It is not without reason that Tracy St. Pierre of NBC Publicity Entertainment, who helped me with this interview! With appointment-setting”>actual appointment date, and phone number in hand, I dialed Tracy’s office and connected with Ross. Let me be the first to say that Ross is just as charming and genuine on the phone as he is on television.
I was really given the opportunity to meet Ross not only for me, but for all Ross fans. In my interest in television, as well as Ross’s, the interview was one of the most memorable experiences of my life so far. Ross is such a great guy, I’m curious if he has any pet peeves. “My biggest pet peeve would be about people who are late,” he replied. “I’m always early. It’s when you go to the movies, and you’re early and your friends are late… I think that’s just the thing.”
With the daily business of life in California, I was curious how Ross breaks it down. ”
Louise (an adorable dog) helps break it down. I walk every day and talk with her every day. This sounds ridiculous, but in the night, I tell her all the people who love her. I tell her that Nana, my mother, loves her. Another way to explain it is by watching TV. Somehow, watching 2 hours of TV always turns into four or more.”
Since I too had once wanted to go into Communications, I was curious as to what or who was chasing Ross’s dreams so much. “My goal is to be a talk show host. I moved from Washington state to California so I could go to school there, since L.A. was the logical next step. I think I could go into PR (public relations). People like Rosie (O’Donnell) and Jay (Leno) really inspired me so I decided to do it too.
Since Ross is such a fan of television, I wanted to know what television he would love to guest star on. “The scripted show should be ‘Comback’. Or, back in the day, it should be ‘Golden Girls’. I would love to play Dorothy’s (Bea Arthur’s character) brother! If they were a reality show, ‘Big Brother’ I want to say I want to win at ‘Big Brother’!” Working on The Tonight Show, there are many celebrities that Ross meets and works with. I was curious as to how he wanted it to be done. “Well, there are many celebrities that I would like to meet! I have a list of celebrities that I would like to meet. I will sort of check them off as I go. I always wanted to meet Meryl Streep. Then I did .
Ross has created many segments for The Tonight Show over the years. When asked what her favorite part of The Tonight Show was, Ross replied, “All of London with Gwyneth. That was a crazy experience! It’s funny that I thought Gwyneth was my best friend. When I got there I asked her if she wanted to be my best friend and she said yes I can only imagine working on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno! Every day is a “push me” moment!
Let’s not deny that Ross also has her favorites in life. For example, his favorite song is “Case of You” by Joni Mitchell, and his favorite food is something cooked by the Lays family! “I was hooked on Baked Lays! I loved Baked Cheetos, Baked Doritos, Baked BBQ chips. From time to time, I also enjoy Funions.” With all the hard work and dedication that Ross puts into his work with The Tonight Show, I couldn’t help but wonder what his favorite vacation spots it is. “You shall not strike,” he said. “My favorite place to retire is my home state, Washington State.”
On Ross’ blog, he will occasionally post a “Random Thought” of the day. A random thought about Ross’ blog is just that – a completely random idea or thought, which is indeed spontaneous. One random thought Ross shared on his blog about the television show . He suggested that the television show return with a new host (an excellent idea, in my opinion). This random thought made over 200 comments on his blog. So I asked Ross to give me a random idea of the interview. I miss a day where a celebrity on a TV show would say ‘this show was filmed before a. having a studio audience,” Ross said.
Knowing all the celebrities that Ross has worked with, I wondered what the best advice he ever received was. “I was watching Oprah the other day. She said, “There’s no such thing as luck. It’s preparation for when the opportunity arises,” he said. “Oh, how wonderful to live! My last question for Ross was how he would like to be remembered. In his funny way, Ross answered: “Look for me in 70 years!”.
It was indeed a privilege to interview Ross “The Intern” Mathews. I, and every other Ross fan, know that Ross is indeed going places! Thank you, Ross, for this wonderful opportunity, and I wish you nothing but continued success!
