User:JustinMacDonald

Biography

Justin MacDonald was born in Dunwoody, Georgia, to Constance Marie Zullinger[1] and Gary Lee Seacrest,[2][3] and has a younger sister, Meredith. Seacrest is of Swiss descent.[4] At a young age, he knew he wanted to be a DJ, and idolized radio personalities like Casey Kasem and Dick Clark. Ryan hosted the morning announcements at his high school, Dunwoody High School, from which he graduated in 1993. During his academic career, Seacrest was a staff writer with the school paper, a member of the model UN club and captain of the Dunwoody High School Swim Team (The Aquanots).[5] 1990s Seacrest began his career in 1990 at age 15 with Atlanta radio station WSTR/Star 94 FM while still in high school by interning with nighttime personality Tom Sullivan. Sullivan trained Seacrest in all aspects of broadcasting and put him on the air for the first radio broadcast of his career.[6] He made his first television appearance in 1993, hosting the Radical Outdoor Challenge. In 1995, Seacrest became the afternoon drive DJ at "Star 98.7" (KYSR-FM), an adult contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. Despite all of his other projects, he remained committed to that DJ role until 2003. Also during his early twenties, Seacrest hosted a few short-lived game shows. His first TV gig was Gladiators 2000 for syndication and Wild Animal Games for Fox Family (now ABC Family). In 1997, Seacrest hosted the weekly syndicated internet game Click, which lasted only two seasons. Also from time to time he became a substitute host for E!'s Talk Soup. 2000-present Seacrest appeared as the host of the fictional game show Lover's Lane on Beverly Hills, 90210 in "The Final Proof". Seacrest's first major television job was as the host of The New Edge, a weekend morning show created by CNET showcasing new technology. Seacrest accepted the position as co-host of the hit reality TV series American Idol in 2002 with comedian Brian Dunkleman. American Idol went on to become a success when the ratings went through the roof. This put Seacrest in the national spotlight. The following year, he became the sole host when Dunkleman left the show. (In a 2005 interview on the syndicated Howard Stern Show, Dunkleman insisted that it was his idea to leave Idol, to pursue his career as an actor, but he was bitter at Seacrest's occasional put-downs after Dunkleman's departure.) In 2003, Seacrest hosted the spin-off show, American Juniors. In January 2004, Seacrest launched a daily entertainment/variety/talk syndicated television program, On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Due to low ratings, the show was cancelled and aired its last episode on September 17, 2004. In January of 2004, Seacrest became the new host of the legendary radio program American Top 40, created and formerly hosted by Casey Kasem. The show was syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. Before he took over as host on AT40, he was a substitute host four times in 2003. In February 2004, Seacrest became host of popular Los Angeles radio station KIIS's morning show, replacing long-time host Rick Dees.[7] This show, also known as On Air With Ryan Seacrest, remains on the air. "Every day I've showed up at a radio station, and every day I've essentially talked on the radio. I mean every day of my life — Monday through Friday — since I was 15. So for me, I'm so used to walking into a studio and having interesting conversations people can relate to. It's my job."[8] In January 2005, Seacrest hosted the "Celebration of Freedom" concert in Washington, DC for President George W. Bush, the Bush family and the United States Military.[9] In late April 2005, Seacrest received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the age of 30. In August 2005, it was announced that Seacrest would become executive producer and co-host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, and that he would be the legendary producer-host's eventual successor.[10] On December 31, 2005 Seacrest performed much of the show's hosting duties. Dick Clark's role was limited by speech and mobility issues due to his recovery from a stroke. It was also announced that Seacrest will be co-hosting a revamped version of American Bandstand, alongside game show host John O'Hurley, a job that Clark held for 37 years. Seacrest also occasionally serves as a substitute host on the CNN television program Larry King Live. In January 2006, U.S. cable channel E! announced a three-year, $21 million deal for Seacrest to host and produce various programs, including E! News and its red carpet awards show coverages (E!'s signature piece of original programming).[11] An Associated Press profile portrayed Seacrest as using both the deal with E! and the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve involvement as a springboard towards a long-lasting career in television production and ownership. [12] In April 2006, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for co-hosting the 2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Seacrest had a very amusing cameo in the summer 2007 blockbuster film Knocked Up, where he steps out of his usual friendly host role on E! and rants about the stupidity of the interviews he has to conduct, noting that no one has anything to say about an exit strategy in Iraq or dealing with (presumably North) Korea. Seacrest hosted the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 16, 2007.[13] Ryan Seacrest has been signed up to host a new celebrity show on Capital 95.8 and GCap Media's One Network in the UK. His new two-hour show, The Entertainment Edge, will premiere on London station Capital 95.8 at 11am on September 15 then it will be repeated the next day at 10am on the One Network, which comprises 42 regional radio stations in the UK with a total of 7 million listeners. The weekly show will comprise music and celebrity interviews and news updates and it has been put together by GCap Media and Premiere Radio Networks, which air Seacrest's U.S. shows and will produce the programme. Personal life Seacrest reportedly earns $14 million a year, according to Forbes.[14] Seacrest dated actress Shana Wall from 2003 through 2005. They have since been spotted together on various occasions.[15] Wall was one of the competitors on the The Amazing Race 12. In March 2006, he was photographed hugging actress Mary-Kate Olsen, who later told Access Hollywood that she was "not attached."[16] Seacrest also stated on the May 2, 2006 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he, "went out with her sister Ashley a couple times, but that was it." Due to his longtime-bachelor status, rumors have persisted that Seacrest may be gay, due partly to the sometimes flirtatious banter between Seacrest and American Idol judge Simon Cowell. To date, Seacrest has steadfastly denied ever having a gay relationship, although he acknowledges "having no problem" with having gay fans. In a 2003 interview, Seacrest answered gay rumors in an interview with the weekly entertainment magazine Steppin' Out, "I'm trying to think of the best way to describe the feeling I get when I hear that particular rumor. I am a certain way. I am relatively clean cut and I do like to shop for clothes. If I had to break it down stereotypically, that would be a gay male habit. Well for me it's not. It's a straight male habit." Stuff magazine called him "the American poster boy for metrosexuality."[17] While denying the gay rumors, he does not shy away from activities that might further fan the rumors' flames. In 2005, Seacrest sat as "Queen" of the annual Halloween Carnaval in West Hollywood, California, a city known for its large gay male population.[18] Seacrest's height appears to be a constant source of humor for the media including E! News's E! channel sister show The Soup. One clip showed The Soup host Joel McHale and Seacrest together at the 2006 Emmy Awards, Seacrest visibly stepping on a platform to get on equal footing with McHale. "Here's the scary part," McHale commented, "I'm five foot-three." (in reality, McHale is 6' 3"). [19] His reported height varies between 5' 5" to 5' 9". Seacrest officially claims the latter.[20] His co-host on E! News, Giuliana Rancic, is known to wear flat shoes on the show when they are together. On March 27, 2008, he was ranked number 7 in The Boston Phoenix list of "The 100 unsexiest men in the world." [21] Radio On Air with Ryan Seacrest: Host, executive producer American Top 40: Host 2003 Radio Music Awards: Co-host Star 98.7: Former Afternoon Drive Deejay at the Adult Contemporary Los Angeles station. 102.7 KIIS-FM: Current Morning Drive Deejay with co-host Ellen K on the Top 40 Los Angeles station. The Entertainment Edge: Host in the UK CFBT-FM: Host of "At 40 with Ryan Seacrest" {aka Top40 at The Beat 94.5 FM) - Sundays @ 2pm to 6pm 100.3 Z-100: Co-Host Film Knocked Up: Cameo Television E! News Live: Co-Host Miley & Mandy as Himself Super Bowl XLII (2008) Host for pregame and halftime shows Gladiators 2000: Co-Host Wild Animal Games: Host The New Edge: Host Ultimate Revenge: Host Fear Factor: Contestant Reality Check: Jack Craft The NBC Saturday Night Movie: Host American Idol: Host (season 2-present) Co-Host (season 1) American Juniors: Host Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve: Co-host, executive producer Hey Arnold!: Fighting Families Host E! News: Executive producer Larry King Live: Guest host, substitute host Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade: (2005) Host America's Party: Live from Las Vegas: Host Good Day Live: Guest host Disneyland 2000: 45 Years of Magic: Host Robot Chicken: (2005) Himself Click: Host 59th Primetime Emmy Awards: Host Mind of Mencia: (2005) Himself Blind Date: Himself

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