Posted on Sun, Jan. 09, 2005
Forget Disneyland; here's Jimmy
By Larry Stewart
Los Angeles Times
He had just won the Orange Bowl. So where was USC quarterback Matt Leinart
headed next?
To "Jimmy Kimmel Live.''
Leinart, the Heisman Trophy-winning star of college football's national
championship game, was in big demand.
Jay Leno wanted him. Dennis Miller wanted him. David Letterman surely would
have been thrilled to have him. Probably Oprah, too.
But he chose Kimmel.
"I never worked so hard to line up a guest,'' said John Carlin, the show's
sports talent coordinator.
It helped that ABC, which carries "Jimmy Kimmel Live,'' televised Tuesday's
Orange Bowl.
Carlin gave a lot of credit to Tim Tessalone, USC's sports information
director, and Teri Wagner, ABC Sports vice president of programming, for making
it happen.
"We were talking on the phone at 2:30 a.m. Miami time, still working out
details,'' Wagner said.
The key was getting Leinart's friend, Nick Lachey, to agree to appear as
well.
"I probably wouldn't have done the show without Nick,'' Leinart said.
Lachey was in Miami for the game to see his friend play and his
sister-in-law, Ashlee Simpson, sing at halftime.
Lachey, 31, stars with wife Jessica in the MTV reality show
"Newlyweds.''
Leinart is reportedly dating Jessica Simpson's personal assistant, Casey Cobb.
"All I can say is we are friends, and she is a sweet person,'' Leinart said
after the taping. "I'll leave it at that.''
During the taping, Kimmel hit Leinart pretty hard about leaving USC for the
NFL.
"You are gone,'' Kimmel said.
"I don't know if you know this, but they're
paying players millions of dollars now.''
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