DAYUM it has been a while since I went back to my Real World/MTV roots! I've thought about it a few times, but I would ultimately rather talk to people who deserve to have an ego than those who are on one or two reality shows and think I need to go through some super fancy secret agent to talk to them.
When it's Johnny Bananas, though.. I'll make an exception. This is like a former bucket list item!
Johnny's been cursed since he took all the money from Sara, but he won't admit to that of course. Will he admit to having ONE person he'll never hurt in the game?
Before a mini series of challenges begins with "Champs vs Stars," he called me so I could test his ego and see how calculated he really is. Also- Terrell Owens. Turns out he's not going to be a big fan of Johnny like he had hoped. Shocker.
Will I do more of these? Meh. I don't HATE it... but I've got bigger plans coming... you'll see. [Unless of course this gets thousands of listens....]
One thing I like to talk about with most artists: What they were teased for or the crap they had to go through growing up. It happens to all of us in one way or another, and I think it's good to hear about how these people that you may look up to have coped with it in their life.
Grace VanderWaal, who won America's Got Talent in 2016, is a girl WAY beyond her years. She's confident and sassy and crazy smart... so she's already got it figured out [mostly] at the age of 13. It wasn't always that way, though.
Grace said overcoming the things mean girls would say was the hardest thing she's ever accomplished... but that she thinks the word "bully" is overused. I think that's important to note. A lot of times people say they're being bullied, and it's a new synonym for teased. I still haven't figured out if it's the way people are raised now or if it's the Internet or what, but we're fast to cry "BULLYING!" That's not to say people AREN'T being hurt by what other people are saying or doing... there are just levels of it all, and somehow we need to be able to figure out a way to differentiate between them, AND how to teach people to deal with all the different levels.
Anyway, hear it all from a 13 year old who probably has plenty of it coming her way in the future, but it seems like she'll be able to handle it just fine:
Also, if you haven't listened to her music, you're missing out. It's really good, and there's no way you'd know it was a 13 year old if you had never heard of her.
When smart people come into the studio... I could try to be as smart as them... or I could bring them down to my level. The level of Urban Dictionary terms.
That's what happened with Ne-Yo! I wanted to inspire him to write some songs with these new terms!
Do YOU know what ABC sex is? What about masturdating or hiberdating?! Jesus jeans and party socks?! We went over all of these things, and had way too many ADD thoughts/side convos in there as well.
Because we kept going on so many tangents, that's pretty edited down... but the full video from a live stream is here for you, too.
BTW... DO YOU SEE THAT FANCY iHEART WIDGET?!?!? THAT'S BECAUSE I HAVE MY OWN PODCAST CHANNEL ON THERE! FINALLY! Just search "elizabethany" and follow it so you never miss one! Plus, they'll think I'm cool and probably give me a hefty raise if people like me.*
If ya don't know my love for the 90s, where in the f bomb have you been?!
When someone asked if I wanted to chat with Chilli from TLC, the only question in my head was HOW WILL I FIT DECADES OF AWESOME INTO A COUPLE MINUTES?!
I had to focus... which I actually can't do, but I had a way better convo than I could've imagined. There was a moment, much like when I talked to BoB, that I could tell she picked the phone off speaker and really enjoyed the conversation with me. She was humble, laughing with me, and bringing up things I was almost a little nervous to bring up myself [Usher and Left Eye].
ICYDK, TLC is on tour with a bunch of other 90s acts right now... plus they put out a new album, have a single with Snoop, and are very much back in the game. We talked about that, how she feels about Lifetime doing a biopic on Simone Biles, and why she keeps an ex-box around.
Plus a simple game of Would You Rather 90s vs. Now with different topics.
I feel real good about that one, so hopefully that's for good reason!
Just another day of pinching myself wondering what younger me would actually think if she could tell the future.
Fun thing that's been happening: I've been filling in on WMZQ, DC's country station! My friends know how much I love country music, and some of the world knows that I'm also heard every night on 95.5 The Bull in Vegas, but it's something special to be able to talk to a new group of people in my hometown.
I've also been able to connect with some country artists that come through because of it! Dan and Shay are going to be coming through for WMZQ Fall Fest in October, so Dan called me to chat it up, then Shay jumped in too!
Their album "Obsessed" has been a staple in my car for the last couple months, so I was pumped up and ready to fangirl. Plus, I saw Dan at 5am the last time I was in Vegas. He knows how to have a good time.
There's one thing I needed to ask about because it's become a trend in country music: Hooking up with that wrong person one more time. Their song "How Not To" suggests it, and a dozen other recent ones, and it's a total bad influence on people [including me]!
We also touched on them picking each other's teeth and how far they'll go to help a bro out.... and more.
Hopefully you're a fan of country too.. but if not, I can change that for ya. Country artists are the best and they certainly know how to win people over... easily.
Are you a #Nashie?! Because I'm OBSESSED with the show Nashville. There are so many likable characters and enough drama to make me crave the next episode but not drive me crazy during the week between.
From the beginning, I've always loved Deacon. He's one of those characters that goes through a lot of s#!*, and makes some really bad decisions, but you still root for him. You see YOUR soulmate in him.
FINALLY... I got to meet him. In my head, we've already been best friends for a long time, and I told him that. He found it pretty funny. Then I told him my name and he had some difficulty with it so I guess maybe the friendship was one sided... UNTIL TODAY.
He was just as awesome as I've always imagined/hoped. Sounded great, was humble, appreciative, friendly, warm, and funny. I was smitten... and also freaking out.
I only had two minutes with him on selfie-cam, so I had just a few very important things to bring up:
What he does when he comes home to NoVA
If he and Chris Carmack have a battle of the DMV territories on set
How incredible Lennon and Maisey Stella are in real life
Yeah, it's shaky and stuff but like WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO HOLD A CAMERA STILL WHILE TALKING TO YOUR FAVORITE PERSON ON YOUR FAVORITE SHOW?! No. So stfu kthanks.
A couple months ago I got an email from a "Brad" saying he was a fellow 90s loving and fanny pack wearing freak. Turns out, it was BRAD FROM FREAKING LFO.
LFO= one of the few albums that I'd say defined my life. I know every word to it. I was effing pumped to get this email.
He said he was coming to town and wanted to come in to the studio and all I could say was HELL YES.
Fast forward to today and they came! Brad and Devin joined me in our Southwest Soundstage to chat, play Truth or Dare Jenga, and play their new song. Then they surprised me by challenging me to sing every word to "Summer Girls.." IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM. I immediately turned 14 again, blushed the whole time, and freaked the freak out.
The full video is below, but here are some highlights:
2:50 - What they've been up to since we last heard from them [hint: family time and Devin crashing in Brad's house]
4:35 - How they continue on without Rich and honor him on their tour [Rich In Love]
14:15 - Brad prank calls a girl who was on her way, but running late
16:10 - The main thing that's different this time around... they have important things to say
19:25 - Their new song Perfect 10
23:00 - They make me prove that I know all the words to Summer Girls, which I.... well... I TRIED OKAY!
Talking to people that I never even DREAMED of having the chance to meet will never get old... or normal. I kept telling them that it felt surreal, even if "the main guy" wasn't there. Now I can forgive my mom for not paying hundreds of dollars for me to see them way back when. She thanks you for that, LFO.
Answer: he doesn't. While he refused to play, he did have a response that made it absolutely perfect and further proof that country artists live like normal ass people.
Another normal person story: He took an Uber to the station, and then another Uber all the way to his Baltimore hotel.
If you ever get the chance to see him, do it. He's hilarious and crazy talented.
True life: Aaron Carter and I had a handstand contest this past weekend. We'll get to that later, though.
For a few months, I've been trying to get him to come into the studio for something... anything! His new music is surprisingly great, and rivals all the other "current big names" right now. Really.
We finally booked a pool party and it ended up raining all weekend because OF COURSE IT DID. After punching things and trying to make sure those things weren't my coworkers, I made sure we brought the outside in to our Southwest Soundstage downstairs so we could still take advantage of him. Cue the frozen drinks, Hawaiian food, beach balls, etc.
When Aaron got there, he was a dream to work with [and no- it wasn't the frozen drinks that brainwashed me]. He was enthusiastic, helpful, talkative, fun, and showing me a bunch of things he was working on... all BEFORE we brought anyone else in, started the interview, etc. He was just genuinely excited to be there and showing off his new music.
The people came in, we talked about each of our recurring dreams, some records he set back in the day, and how that music was "him performing someone else's work." I asked him who beat Shaq then... turns out it was some dude in his 30s named Josh Schwartz. Damn.
It's pretty obvious/known that Aaron has been through some s#!* in his life, so we touched on that, how he's staying positive now, and how it's fun to shove all of his awesome beats in his haterade-filled family's faces.
Check out the ENTIRE event, with the interview [although lacking audio for the first minute] being first. Other highlights: a flip at 12:40, and a 2017 remix of I Want Candy at 23:05
His energy is so contagious in all the best ways! I was feeling high on it for the rest of the weekend, for sure.
Or maybe it was the high of winning the handstand contest against him. Really. Proof is in the Instagram.
A post shared by elizabethany (@luvelizabethany) on
And just in case you haven't listened to any of his new stuff, this is the current single:
Welcome back, Aaron. It is SO lovely to have you and to have met you and to make another one of my "never could have even dreamed this would happen" mindblown preteen moments.
It seems like it was a year ago that we found out Girl Meets World was a thing and I started a very enthusiastic countdown... but now it's coming to an end after three too short seasons.
I'm glad that before it comes to an end, I was able to talk to Sabrina Carpenter about the impact of the original show, and the truths of the new cast.
In the best version of Truth or Dare, she has to answer questions about her cast, and if she doesn't- complete a dare.
To be honest, I'm surprised it was such a simple, silly question that made her go for the dare! Maybe she was just intrigued.
And as for Sabrina herself- she's a star... and just like all the current Disney stars, she has multiple talents and is an incredible singer. Beyond talent, she's humble, smart, genuine, and basically everything great that I can say about an artist besides "knows how to drink" because she's too young for that. She's not gonna disappear, that's for sure.
Now.... can we maybe stop with all of the shows coming back? GMW did it right, but now we're all heartbroken again. Fuller House is good.... but we don't need to be doing all this other nonsense.
HOT 99.5 Jingle Ball. It's the biggest night of my year. It's like prom, or maybe even a wedding. MONTHS of planning. MONTHS of outfit picking. LOTS of dollars spent... for one day... that you pray goes smoothly, but rarely goes according to your assumptions.
In September, I was pretty pumped that I had an outfit I loved ready to go, only missing one piece. Then, come Black Friday, I go to try it all on again and realize I actually hate it. *cue panic* I ordered a bunch of things, mostly from Boohoo, and prayed one would work. Two days before Jingle Ball, nothing had arrived. I was forced to find something else. Instead of going to any of my usual places, I hit up the Rent the Runway STORE in Georgetown, and got really lucky when they had just one sequin jumpsuit left- in my size. [I knew I wanted pants and sequins before I even began shopping.]
Damn, it's amazing what angles and a good mirror can do, huh?!
I picked up shoes from DSW, earrings from Charming Charlie, necklace from Forever21, and prepared myself to do my own hair and make-up. I was too devastated with how it turned out last year when someone else did it for me[I don't even like linking to it in reference but here we are]. Cue the waxed-up braids, curling wand, Urban Decay smokey eye, NYX red lipstick, some failed attempts at contouring, and stila mascara and I was really diggin' my look for this year.
I ended up finishing the look with a giant SACK this year [with flask inside] and gave out some random goodies to the artists backstage.
Machine Gun Kelly was easily the most appreciative [and just the most fun in general throughout the entire night], Ellie convinced me that she might actually use what I gave her, Daya was the first to practically throw it away in front of me, and Joe Jonas was the one to call me out for having holiday leftovers. Sigh.
Unlike last year, I got some time "on the couch," in the broadcast room with some of the artists coming in for an interview. My girl Alessia had more than an interview coming for her, though. Days before Jingle Ball, the Grammy noms came out and her name was not included in any of the lists. That ain't right. Luckily, I know a place with some good and quick trophies and we made magic happen.
OBVIOUSLY I wish she would have been as excited as Meghan was, but I get it- she's gotta play it cool and stuff or whatever. JUST WASTE MY MONEY ALESSIA IT'S FINE.
Tove Lo also came in and made it real easy for my to once again just talk about her boobs and naked body.
Diplo came in to talk about holiday parties, what you need, and to receive a gift of course. I also tried to get a preview of his after party but there was no predicting the clustereff of artists that ended up being on his tiny stage that night. I have no idea how he was able to perform under such conditions. This is a real HQ video, straight from Facebook Live because #variety #allthesocials #HOT995JingleBallbeTrending.
And when you have a duo of DJ/producers who made a dumb but catchy song about a Selfie, then turned around and made the year's biggest hits there to close the show, I HAD to stop them backstage. I cornered them after their meet and greet for a very professional game of Urban Dictionary... which they definitely beat me at but I'm gonna say it's because they have more experiences with *substances.* Maybe. Probably. #DJlife
There are so many other clips that I'm gonna have to post as Throwback Thursdays or something because... well... let's be honest. It's January 5th and I'm JUST NOW getting this entire post up. I'm behind on things... but to look forward to:
Machine Gun Kelly's room had some nice "air fresheners" that neither of us would shut up about
DNCE's Cole and I had a very fun relationship, that came to a dramatic end when he asked if he could keep my flask
Daya definitely thinks I stalk her, or mooch off of her, like her friends who were visiting in her room
Ashley I from the Bachelor, who is seemingly everywhere, even made it backstage at our Jingle Ball as some sort of correspondent
Ellie Goulding is one of the sweetest, but coolest chics, who is great at sneaking in the subtle dirty jokes or lines
The girls of 5th Harmony were more separate than I've ever seen them, but now we all know why. Still- they're the sweetest girls I've ever met so I will never say anything bad about them. Especially Ally. Girl- you are a special kind of human being that I wish I could be
Finally, I wouldn't have ANY of this to show you if it weren't for my little brother. I'm sure you've heard of him once or twice. His name is Mike.
I was able to fly him in from Toledo to be my camera guy... but really, he's there to be my inspiration, my comfort, my focus-and-be-you-and-let's-make-this-great. Having him around reminds me to be myself, not focus on the camera or the fact that I'm "interviewing celebrities." I'm just a girl with a mic, genuinely interested in meeting these people who create good music and great shows. I know I won't always be able to have my favorite person next to me at big events, but it's hella nice when I can, and I'm gonna take advantage of it.
It's almost weird to even look back at all of this because it all happens so fast, you can't process it at the time. We're sprinting to the stage, then back to the hall to catch someone, then sitting and waiting for something to happen for 45 minutes, then sprinting again, losing something, forgetting something else, hitting record, and suddenly stepping out in front of 16,000 people. It's a rush that I never wanna lose the ability to feel, that's for sure.
So in 2017, my goal is to keep the rush alive. Create more opportunities to feel it. Share it more with you... and what I preach to you and myself every day: stop making little excuses for why you can't do something or why it can wait. Don't let anything wait. Don't push anything off. Live in the today and the now and make things happen.
love,
elizabethany
PS: Never thought I'd get a sweet gif of myself and the Grinch on a huge stage at the Verizon Center but that's my life now.
Hannibal Burress was a name I would have never known before the Bieber roast.... but I loved him from then on. I've thought we kinda have the same style in telling stories, without putting too many bells and whistles in there.
Did I just say bells and whistles?!? HOW OLD AM I?!?!
I was pumped to have a comedian come in to the show. It's different and there are a lot less expectations... plus I had unlimited time to chat, as far as I was concerned. So we chatted, joked, got extremely ADD, kept chatting, laughed, and it kept going for a long time.
As usual when I talk to someone who is also open to talking about their sex life, there's a lot of talk about body parts. Turns out, when you're famous, body parts just show up in your DMs ALL THE TIME! AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN BAD!
He had no problem talking about the biddies he hooks up with, and totally called out a girl in San Jose who was trying to sneak some selfies. Idiot girl.
There was also an educational portion, of course. Hannibal had no idea "sex trees" exist! They do. They're Callery Pear trees.
And for my fellow radio/entertainment peeps, it starts out talking about how to plan what to talk about- which I LOVED.
To be honest, I had no idea how people would receive him on my show. Did a lot of people know his name? Would they like it? I played one clip and posted a pic, and everyone was obsessed! So, thanks to Hannibal for giving me an entire show's worth of things to play. You da bomb.
You remember that bomb song from Jay Sean, "Down," right?! Duh.
Well after a couple years of being quiet, he's back with a new song with Sean Paul, which means he's willing to do some radio interviews. He came all the way to DC, JUST to talk to me on my birthday. Real life. I felt really effing special.
As soon as Jay walked in, it felt comfortable and fun and vibey, and that makes for a really genuine chat. We talked about the risks he's taken and the ridiculous things people post on Instagram. We shared stories about Sean Paul and did you know he has an accent?! Turns out there's an explanation for that too.
Then the REAL fun came, and it's all thanks to my mom for sending me this Urban Dictionary game for my birthday!
It was educational and ridiculous as we learned what different terms meant.
Seriously, Mother Teresa sex.... that's a game changer.
I'm so thankful for artists who come in to have a good time and just wanna be two people hangin' out for a bit. Jay Sean, you da bomb. And so is this song of yours.
When artists come in to the studio, there's one thing I have to get them to do: Be a part of this artists interviewing each other series.
Maybe it's because I think it's interesting to see what they wanna know about each other, maybe it's because I'm terribly lazy... but it's still fun! It's especially fun when they get excited about who they're asking or answering.
Fifth Harmony's Ally Brooke kicks this one off to Troye Sivan, who asks Ruth B, who asks We The Kings, who asks Tinashe, who asks Iggy Azalea.
There's a lot of food being talked about. How is it that celebs can talk/think about food so much and still look so damn good all the time?!
How cute is Ally though?! She was so flustered, but she's the nicest person on the planet so of course made something happen and gave the ultimate compliment to Troye.
The next one has already started, with Iggy asking Halsey... hopefully that one will be complete with our visitors in less time than this one!
It may have been 13 years ago since 98 Degrees took their hiatus, but it's been three years since they reunited, and now they're going on their first headlining tour in over a decade.
Coming with them: O-Town, Ryan Cabrera, and DREAM.
Normally I hear about these shows, I geek out, I try to get tickets, and then I sit far away and still love every second. This time I realized I could contact Jeff Timmons myself and get him on the show. [PS the fact that I can do that will ALWAYS be INSANE to me!]
Of course we talked about the tour and the Dead 7 movie and other exciting stuff, but I also mentioned an NSYNC reunion, AND SOMETHING MAGIC HAPPENED, Y'ALL.
"It's in the works," he said. IT'S IN THE WORKS.
"....With Christina, Backstreet Boys.... what do you think about Brandy and Monica? Would you fly to Minneapolis for something like that?!"
Details may be unknown, but we do know for sure that he's at least WORKING ON ALL OF THESE THINGS HAPPENING. So start saving your money now. I'm gonna invest in diapers and tissues for extra wetness.
I also delivered props for canceling shows in NC, despite fans being upset.
It's a good time to not live in North Carolina.
For more on Dead 7, the tour, and if he ever thought this is what he'd be doing 15 years ago, listen to the full chat below.
Thank you Jeff, for being awesome and funny and cooperative and getting me excited in more ways than one.
A couple months ago I found out I was giving away tickets to some Naked Magic Show with Australian men. I did a quick search and decided one thing needed to happen: An interview/video with Chris and Mike.
After a lot of trying and drive to Baltimore, we made it happen. Now I'm in love and moving to Australia once their tour is done.
That last part may or may not be true.
We had a lot of inappropriate jokes and they told me I suck at spanking, AND I guess I was distracted by them because I called them musicians instead of magicians in my video... but it's still a good one.
Now that I've seen the show allow me to confirm that it is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I don't wanna ruin anything, but you will be impressed by the magic AND their humor [and their entire package, if you will]. If they're coming to you this summer, SEE THEM.
I swear I'm not being persuaded by this naked picture OR the fact we got to hang with them for a while afterwards....
Fifth Harmony's girls split up and traveled the country to promote their single "Work from Home," which is ironic cuz they were not at home at all... but they are THE ABSOLUTE NICEST girls I've ever met, and it's always great to have them in.
Ally is who got to come to my stations, which I was pumped about. As much as I hate prying about things they clearly don't talk about, I still wanna know the same things everyone else does! There have been rumors that her three year relationship with Troy Ogletree ended before the holidays, but they don't talk about it.
Since I recently went through the hard times and revelations, and I also like to keep the always-happy attitude, I figured we could bond. That we did, in just 2.5 minutes. Turns out Lauren deserves the biggest thank yous for helping Ally cope in the last couple months.
I seriously love realizing other people are ENFP's and helping them. I also just love my job and talking to people and asking questions... not to be nosey, but because I'm genuinely interested in how they're doing.
When you work with a bunch of radio legends, you gotta find a way to do your own thing and get your own content. Now that I'm also music director around these parts, I have a little more credibility and decided to get my hands on some artists while they were in their dressing rooms, walking down the halls, or doing press.
It's basically everything we're told NOT to do. It's the most unprofessional thing I've ever done... yet it's probably the video I'm most proud of to this day.
Enjoy a different look at Jingle Ball:
The way it works back there is crazy. Everything is so specifically timed. They'll do an interview at 6:48, meet and greets at 7:04, and perform at 7:27. Squeezing in extra PLANNED time was impossible... so sometimes you just need to demand some attention and pray you don't get in trouble. [I definitely got in trouble. I always get in trouble. This time it was a scary bodyguard for a certain band made of four certain male humans.]
Natalie La Rose came to town and we decided to take her to the Capital Wheel at the Harbor and do a little singalong at the top.
Originally I figured we'd have her sing her songs and stare in awe, but then something else magical* happened. We all sang the national anthem while going around.
*not sure if magical is the word, but you be the judge.
We then went to lunch and let these two winners ask her anything, grub on whatever they wanted, and just have a beautiful afternoon at the Harbor. Not a bad Wednesday.
It feels good to meet people and see them with the stare of "wow, what is happening." It's also pretty neat to see DC from on top of a ferris wheel.
And just in case you're interested in outfit details:
-basic F21 top
-Express shorts that can be worn into the winter because of the material
This job really knows how to make sure I'm on my toes sometimes.
This morning was a struggle after a long weekend, and I was in the studio talking to Danni about some real serious ish when suddenly the phone rings and "Hi, I have Kevin Hart on the line for you."
Oh. Mild panic set in, and we obviously went forward with the interview someone else had set up while Googling like maniacs trying to figure out what he could be calling to promote.
What ended up happening was a conversation about why there is brail in drive thrus, his habit of walking into other people's hotel rooms, and what he's most proud of. The dude is clearly awesome.
Radio... throwing curveballs when all you [think you] wanna handle is a straight down the middle slow pitch.
