Billy Bush - Misc
Summary
"William Hall 'Billy' Bush" (born October 13 1971) is the co-host of the syndicated NBC Universal TV show "Access Hollywood". He is a first cousin of George W. Bush.
Professional personality
Prior to his leading role on the show, he was an East Coast correspondent for "Access", based in New York City from early 2002 until mid-2004. When NBC did not renew Pat O'Brien's contract, he left the show to host the new television program, "The Insider", and Bush stepped in as O'Brien's replacement.
Bush is known for his light-hearted sense of humor and on-air hijinks with celebrity interviewees. For example, Bush famously brought pizza backstage to the models (including Heidi Klum) at a Victoria's Secret fashion show; he presented Colin Farrell with a post-menopausal stripper for his birthday at the premiere of "Phone Booth"; he asked Penélope Cruz if she was able to spell her boyfriend Matthew McConaughey's last name (she could not); he asked Jennifer Lopez how she really feels about her buttocks; he asked Britney Spears whether Madonna or Colin Farrell was a better kisser; and he disguised himself as 'Richard Broom' and faced Donald Trump at an audition for "The Apprentice".
However, his carefree or careless attitude has sometimes backfired. For example, he was criticized for beginning a live interview with Naomi Watts at the Academy Awards with 'Watts up?' (The host, Billy Crystal, called him 'the most annoying man in show business.' (... more)
Bush hosted the reality competition "Grease: You're the One that I Want!" on NBC in 2007, which was used to select cast members for director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall's Broadway revival of "Grease".
Career highlights
Bush hosted the radio morning show, "Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show", on WWZZ-FM (Z104) in Washington, DC until 2001, when he was fired for inappropriate comments he made while on the air.
As part of his "Access Hollywood" work, Bush was sent to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece to do entertainment features. More recently, Bush concluded his third appearance as co-host of the Miss Universe 2005 pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. He previously co-hosted the pageant in 2003 and 2004 alongside Daisy Fuentes and fellow "Access Hollywood" co-anchor Nancy O'Dell, respectively. He also hosted the Miss USA pageant in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
As a sign that his act may be tiring, Bush gave an embarrassing performance as one of the hosts of NBC's 2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special. At one point during the show, Bush interviewed actor Jeremy Piven, whom he asked questions about celebrity babies. Bush started the line of questions by asking Piven if he'd seen Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck's baby, Violet. Piven, appearing visibly surprised at the question, replied 'I have not seen the baby.' When Bush followed up with a question about whether Piven had seen Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's baby, Shiloh Nouvel, in Piven's Malibu, California neighborhood, Piven replied, 'No ... I have 116 other things to do. ... I don't go hunting for celebrity babies, thank you, Billy.' Bush was undeterred in his line of questions and then asked Piven whether he'd seen Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter Suri. At that point, Piven snapped, 'You need another job. You have potential as a human being. This may not be right for you. Seriously - can you focus on other things?' The interview continued, with Bush asking Piven a question relating to how the character Piven plays on his television show "Entourage" would have reacted in a given situation. Piven was again incredulous, explaining that Bush was asking for the opinion of a character that Piven played on television, and asking why Bush wouldn't ask a question relating to Piven's attendance at the Emmy Awards.
Later on his official (Access Hollywood blog) , Bush described the incident as a 'funny, sarcastic and a jab between friends' and downplayed any real tension between him and Piven. Bush stated in his blog that he's surprised that anyone would take the conversation seriously. Bush remarked: 'Babies are not his favorite topic. We are friends and I knew he'd hate it. In a man's world, that's expressing affection.'
Personal life
He is the son of Josephine and Jonathan Bush. Bush attended St. George's School in Rhode Island and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Government at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He was captain of the college's men's lacrosse team.
He now resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sydney Davis, whom he married in April 1998, and their three daughters, Josephine (also born in 1998), Mary Bradley, and Lillie.
External links
(Billy Bush) at the Internet Movie Database
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Billy Bush.
