LAS VEGAS — Music icon Barry Manilow is returning to NBC on Monday night for a holiday special. Evening’s own Fanilow Jim Dever got to interview him about the show. Below is a transcript of their conversation.
DEVER: "Hi, it's Jim in Seattle. Before we get started, I gotta tell you, I looked up at the monitor and realized we were both dressed exactly alike today."
MANILOW: "Well I'm glad we called each other before we did this."
DEVER: "Hey, I gotta start by telling you I am such a Fanilow. Not only am I dressed like you, but I must tell you every chance I get, I tell people one of the finest albums ever made was '2:00 AM Paradise Cafe' by Barry Manilow."
MANILOW: "I knew I loved you when you were talking about what we were wearing, '2:00 AM at Paradise Cafe' is my favorite album that I ever made!"
DEVER: "That's amazing because it's mine too! And it's one of my favorite albums that anyone has ever made. I have always loved that album."
MANILOW: "It was such a thrill. At the end of rehearsal, we were going to record it song by song by song and then put them all together. And I just said to them, why don't we see if we can try it from the beginning to the end? And we did. And that's the album from the beginning to the end."
DEVER: "Well what I wanted to talk to you about today though is this NBC Christmas special coming up. What is it we can expect? It’s on your home turf for this special as well, right?"
MANILOW: "I've been doing this Christmas show for a couple of years. So, we were ready when NBC said that they would like to tape it. Yeah, It's a real family Christmas show. It's filled with great Christmas songs, and I've even put my own pop songs in there. And we got Santa Claus and children and it's those on the audience. And it's an entertaining family show."
DEVER: "I need to ask you one thing. And you've been asked this a million times. But one of the earliest works, I guess that people would be familiar with of yours was the State Farm jingle. Right. Could you give me a little bit of that?
MANILOW: "Like a good neighbor State Farm is there. That one you're talking about?"
DEVER: Yes! Beautiful. Thank you so much. Barry, it's been such an honor and a pleasure talking to you and I'm so much looking forward to the special Happy Holidays to you."
MANILOW: "Thanks, Jim. Bye-bye everybody."
"A Very Barry Christmas" airs on Monday, December 11 at 10:00 p.m. on KING 5
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