Carrie Keagan returns to VH1 with “Big Morning Buzz Live.” Credit: Jessica Hoffman
Mornings are about to get a whole lot edgier as VH1’s entertainment news and talk show Big Morning Buzz Live with Carrie Keagan returns on Sept. 30. Season three will be filmed live from the old MTV TRL studios above Times Square. And host Carrie Keagan is pretty pumped to be moving to behind enemy lines.
A move to TRL studios—that sounds like MTV territory. How do you guys feel about that?
I’m so excited! We’re taking over the big stage. I know where all the bodies are buried now. It’s going to be great. We loved our set when we were in the 20th floor lobby with the elevator shaft and everything, but it’s time to graduate. They gave us the big guns. And now we get to be closer to all the action down in Times Square, and hopefully we’ll be able to interact a lot more with all of the stuff that’s happening down there.
What will you do with all that space?
I have a lot more space to do cartwheels. I want to do a lot more interactive stuff. We have brought people onto the set before, and we’re going to be surprising some fans with set visits and things like that. Because the stage is so much bigger, we have a lot of room to bring in really big bands. Last season Jon Bon Jovi came and played, Fun. came on, we had Macklemore. I’m hoping this year’s going to be even bigger and even better. We’re VH1 — music is everything to us — and I am so psyched that there’s going to be a ton of music on that set again.
And Jason Dundas is back too?
Yes, he’s fantastic. Jason is a big goofball. He’s a bundle of energy every morning. He bounces in, and then he bounces out into Times Square, and he’s always bringing me the pop culture news every morning. He’s adorable, so everybody loves looking at him!
Do you two come up with a lot of the topics for the show?
A fair amount of them, for sure. It’s collaborative. I have a great staff. My writers and producers are all incredibly wonderful and they’re all tapped into all things pop culture. It’s definitely collaborative. Whenever we come in every morning there’s always something going on that we’re all buzzing about, and that’s what ends up on the show.
You have an impressive repertoire of more than 700 interviews. What are your tactics?
When I first started doing this, I wanted to know what it felt like to have a beer with George Clooney. That’s how you do an interview: You hang out with somebody, and you talk to them like they’re your friend. I don’t think I’ve ever asked somebody, “Hey, tell me about your project,” or “What was it like working with so-and-so?” I just like knowing what it’s like to hang out with people, and I think that’s what most of us that are fans of people want to know: that feeling of just sitting at a bar, having a cocktail, shooting the s—.
Do you remember your first major interview?
Nicolas Cage was my first big A-list celebrity. I was definitely nervous, and I am a huge fan of Nicolas Cage anyway —Raising Arizona is one of my favorite movies ever — so sitting across the room from him was incredibly intimidating and scary. But I ended up cracking him up at some point with a stupid joke, and that meant everything to me. It was like a dream come true. I’ve actually interviewed him a bunch since then. I enjoy talking to him very much.
Who do you have coming up for episode one?
I don’t know! Actually they haven’t told me yet. Last year we had Sylvester Stallone and Eva Longoria; we get the biggest names and we break a lot of bands. I know that this year we’re going to be upping the game. We’re going to be getting a lot more people, some big celebrities, and some amazing bands.
What can we expect “too edgy for breakfast” to mean for season three?
It’s going to be bigger, and it is definitely not your mama’s morning talk show.
Tune into Big Morning Buzz Live With Carrie Keagan, Monday-Friday at 10 a.m.
