‘Magic Hour’ Starts Tonight
Earvin (Magic) Johnson likens his quest as a talk-show host to playing basketball.
As a star with the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson got a rush before walking onto the court before a big game. While the arena has changed, he’s expecting the same feeling when he takes the stage for “The Magic Hour,” which is launching tonight at 11 (on Spokane’s KAYU-Channel 28).
“It’s like in basketball, setting (teammates) up,” he said this week. “I’m passing like I used to pass. Just now, I’m setting up the guests.”
Johnson is the latest in a string of high-profile late-night talk shows. Last season, Keenen Ivory Wayans got his shot, and was canceled. “Vibe,” produced by Quincy Jones, has changed hosts (with Sinbad now onboard) and is barely hanging on in the ratings. And, of course, there’s the ongoing battle between Jay Leno’s “Tonight” on NBC and David Letterman’s “Late Show” on CBS.
Nevertheless, few have come into the business with as much built-in fan appeal as Johnson, who since leaving basketball has remained in the public eye as a business leader and occasional broadcaster.
He left the court in 1991 after being diagnosed with the HIV virus. He remains healthy, working out regularly and taking a drug cocktail that keeps the virus at bay.
As for his new talk-show gig, Johnson said he’s not worried about the steep odds against his succeeding. For one thing, he said, his “popularity base is always there.” For another, he’s confident that he’ll “be able to book the A-level guests - because that’s the key.”
And, he added, he’s not going to overreach: “Of course, we all know Jay is No. 1. If I can be No. 2, I’ll be happy.”
Johnson, whose opening-night guests include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Whitney Houston, has been calling upon many Hollywood pals to appear on the program. He has also gotten advice on hosting from Leno, plus former talk-show host Arsenio Hall, who’s a pal.
Never, said Johnson, did either one try to talk him out of doing the show. “It’s something that I always wanted to do,” he said. “Both encouraged me to do it.”
One goal, he said, is to offer a different show than the many who have come before him. He won’t do a monologue, though there will be music - the house band is fronted by Sheila E - and he wants to get a bit more out of the guests than the typical here’s-my-new-book/movie/ record interview. Toward that end, he has spent the last year working with a speech and interview coach.
“Normally when the Lakers blew it, Magic blew it,” he said, laughing. “That’s what went along with the title of being the leader. I know that’s going to be out there. I just think we’re going to be a winner. I don’t feel we’re going to lose here.”