Here’s Ryan Seacrest…handing Golden Tickets to NYC subway buskers (well, not really) and encouraging Lionel Richie to join the American Idol judges panel.
It’s hard to believe, but Ryan Seacrest actually takes the subway in New York City. On a recent trip, the TV host came face to face with a subway busker.
“It was the first encounter of this type of a performance for me,” he explained to Kelly Ripa during a segment of their talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan. “And I’ve traveled the country listening to people sing. And I enjoy it. Especially hearing people sing a capella. But I was in my seat for two minutes, and then this happened!”
Ryan, as host of American Idol for 15 seasons heard plenty of a cappella singing as hopefuls lined up to sing for the judges
Ryan showed the audience video he took of a man serenading commuters with Ben E. King’s classic “Stand by Me.”
Afterward, Kelly wondered whether the singer recognized Ryan. “Did he know you were Ryan Seacrest? Was that his American Idol audition? It felt like he was turning to you specifically and giving you a lot of face time!”
“No one is looking at him!” Ryan explained. “I was the only one making eye contact with him! If you look, there was no one on the train even looking up at him. So I felt bad no one was looking.”
“But he was not bad! I wish I had tickets to Hollywood to give away!”
Hey Ryan…maybe you can recruit him when you return to host ABC’s American Idol reboot! *Wink Wink* About that…is no news good news? Wonder how those contract negotiations are coming…
In other news, Lionel Richie called into the On Air With Ryan Seacrest show to talk about his upcoming tour with Mariah Carey, and dished a little about whether he’ll be joining Katy Perry on the American Idol judges panel when the show returns to ABC next spring. Rumor has it Richie has been in talks with producers to join the show.
Ryan SWEARS he knows nothing about ABC’s casting decisions.
“It’s probably out of my norm,” Richie says of becoming a judge, “but so in my norm….having you on the show, I can’t imagine it being boring by any stretch of the imagination.” (Cue Seacrest laughing nervously.)
“Chemistry is everything,” Richie told Seacrest. “If it happens, I’m going to be the guy that goes ‘that’s not how it works.’ But it’s something that I’m really toying around with.”
For his part, Ryan believes Richie would be “terrific” in the role.
Hm…
