Nelson Aspen - Man Friday - He's Our American Boy

Friday, 18 April 2008

The Afternoon Show is honoured to have Mr. Nelson Aspen as our Man Friday having survived a trip through American Customs Nelson is here to chat to about everything from his plans for the future to his great grand mothers cookies.

 
NELSON ASPEN is one of Entertainment's most charming on-air personalities in TV, radio, print and on-line.
For three seasons, he was the Hollywood Producer/Reporter for TV GUIDE TELEVISION and frequent guest star on everything from celebrity news and talk shows to sitcoms and travel programmes.
He's contributed to a vast array of outlets, from the news magazine EXTRA, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD and INSIDE EDITION to his own how-to series "NEW with NELSON!" But there's a lot more to this Hollywood Insider than just good looks, A-list contacts and masterful storytelling ability. No matter which side of the camera he's working on, audiences can't get enough of his unique storytelling ability!

Currently, he's juggling regular correspondent duties for the #1 morning shows of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as a fourth consecutive season on our very own "Afternoon Show"...bringing the latest in entertainment and pop culture to millions of viewers around the world, every morning!
One day he's on the red carpet chatting with Tom Cruise, Sir Anthony Hopkins or Russell Crowe...the next he's sitting down for exclusive chats with Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Jodie Foster, Jake Gyllenhall, Cate Blanchett, Ben Affleck, Naomi Watts, Reese Witherspoon or the Desperate Housewives...and the next, he's singing and dancing on stage with The Wiggles or Hugh Jackman!
A regular presence on the radio dial, Nelson keeps commuters company with drive-time showbiz reports and his on-line articles and video blogs are among the web's most widely read. In addition to his successful presenting work, he also is a frequent commentator for news & entertainment documentaries and specials like "Top 40 Celebrity Countdown," "Power Lesbians" with saucy Rebecca Loos and Lifetime's "Royal Weddings." He has a serious side, too, as evidenced by his recent compelling live, breaking reports on the Jon Benet Ramsey murder investigation, the latest OJ Simpson trial, Paris Hilton's incarceration and the death of Steve Irwin. When show business news happens, Nelson is always among the first in his industry to report it.
HOW HE GOT STARTED

NELSON began his professional career at age 8. His first starring role was as Piglet in House at Pooh Corner. Pooh was a professional company, all adults except for Nelson, Roo and Christopher Robin.

He actually produced a radio version of A Christmas Carol when he was about 8 or 9, he did all the voices and he did this as a fundraiser for the Heart Association. He did some commercials but nothing famous or branded, just local.

He had a cabaret show, Easily Influenced, that ran in New York for a year and his most recent 'Wake Up With Nelson: Confessionals of A Morning TV Personality played in the USA last year
If he wasn't in the entertainment industry, then he would have become a school teacher. In fact it's still in the back of his mind as a second career one day. He is actually going back to college part time this summer.

FAVOURITE & LEAST FAVOURITE CELEBS
He counts Meryl Streep, Brendan Fraser and Jodie Foster as very professional and polite, he describes them as artists on screen, with no dramas off screen. He found Melanie Griffith and Faye Dunaway rude and unpleasant and he is not a fan of Reese Witherspoon.

DAME JULIE ANDREWS INTERVIEW
Nelson was very excited about his recent 30 minute interview with Julie. It was, in his opinion, probably one of his best interviews to date.  Not only was it a great interview for him, Dame Julie was very impressed too. She told the cameraman after he left the room that it was the best interview she'd had in recent memory.  Nelson was very humbled by this.  It was Nelson's 3rd time meeting her and his second interview with the British Dame. He believes that all the planets aligned that day. He also had an exclusive, so he had the luxury of time and he was 'uber prepared before he met her!'

HIS HEROES GROWING UP
He was a 'fiend' for all things nautical, Titanic, Poseidon Adventure etc. Carol Lynley was his favourite actress. His heroes now usually come from his running community; Dean Karnazes, Kathrine Switzer.

KEEPING FIT
During a hiatus, NELSON discovered aerobics. Grabbing the baton with his characteristic enthusiasm, he trained rigorously to become a top instructor and traveled the world conducting Master Classes and training other instructors (even Lady Di's!). He continues to specialize in health & fitness and travel related stories. He's an avid distance runner and the creator of his own patented exercise program, "The Brains and Brawn Workout TM ." He's taken audiences on global visits from as far as the Australian outback, Niagara Falls and the UK's Eastend marketplace to closer-to-home points like Rodeo Drive, New York City's Times Square and the volcanoes of Hawaii.

Nelson now has a trainer three times a week, he runs for one hour three times a week and he has long runs on Saturdays. As he ages, he does more and more stretching. He eats pretty healthily in a 'South Beach' style diet - high protein, low fat, smart carbs, oh and wine is his downfall!!

CHARITY WORK
Nelson gives a lot of time to charity. He has run several marathons to raise funds (in fact all his races are for charity). A cause close to his heart is the charity called One Heartland (formerly known as Camp Heartland) - It's Camping and outreach programme in America for children aged 7 to 17 who are living in the shadow of HIV or AIDS. He also supports AIDS Project Los Angeles and St Judes Childrens Hospital.

SCANDALS
When the scandal surrounding film star Hugh Grant and prostitute Divine Brown rocked the airwaves, NELSON became a sought after commentator for TV shows such as HARD COPY and AMERICAN JOURNAL. Trusted for his accuracy and fairness on important topical news, he can also play for laughs. His creative, off-the-wall lifestyle segments like "Personal Trainers for Pooches," "Hypnotize Your Boobs Bigger" and "Fairy School" show off his madcap side and willingness to take a pie in the face when necessary!

HIS WRITING CAREER
In the autumn of 2002, he released a novel,' Sacred Blood' an historical thriller set in 1941 Nazi occupied France. Plans for a movie version are in the works. And, in 2004, Kensington Books released his happy, how-to manual for entertaining, 'Let's Dish Up A Dinner Party!' which jettisoned him into the realm of Martha Stewart and Emeril. In fact, ELLE Magazine named him one of their six annual "Good Time Gurus!" So if he's not on television, or running marathons, or creating elaborate table settings (or all three at the same time!)...what is Nelson doing!?
He also has another book in the offing, aptly titled NELSON ASPEN HOLLYWOOD INSIDER UNCOVERED (NB;  this isn't the confirmed title but they are about 99% certain at the moment). The book will be published in October of this year.

OTHER CREDITS
He also went on to roles in the big screen's ISHTAR, OFF BEAT, and TV's long running SEARCH FOR TOMORROW where he played the character of Albert Prange. When his soap opera stint ended ("I was washed off in a flood"), NELSON pursued Daytime Television via production, working on the staffs of every East Coast based serial drama-from casting to writing. From there, he moved to the prime-time situation comedies, EVERYTHING'S RELATIVE starring Jason Alexander and THE DICTATOR starring Christopher Lloyd.

NELSON broke new ground as the Microsoft Network's first mainstream "Cyber-Star" in his own website appropriately titled NELSON'S WORLD. His fun style of celebrity reporting and quick wit made the show an unprecedented hit. For 182 live episodes, NELSON produced, wrote and hosted powerhouse interviews with a diverse roster of showbiz stars. His unique ability to package entertainment in a knowledgeable and sensitive manner endeared him not only to fans, but to the stars and their representatives, too. These roots recently served him well in 2007 when Yahoo hired him as their correspondent, to report & commentate on all things movie-related. Thousands of movie fans around the world log on daily for Nelson's news, views and schmooze.

Some of his monikers have included KABC TV's "Party Patrolman," KABC Radio's "TV Guide TV Guy," and KACD's "Groovy Gossip Guy." He writes for several international publications, as well, and has a weekly editorial column. He privately coaches celebrities and other media professionals for interviews and public speaking appearances and is a frequent emcee & panel moderator for star-studded events such as film festivals, book launches and screenings at the world famous American Cinematheque.
Fun, fair, friendly, fascinating. Nelson enthuses, "I love to be busy. Bodies in motion STAY in motion and I intend to keep moving!" With his winning way, his gift of gab and intelligent sense of reporting, it's not difficult to see why NELSON ASPEN is, as always, going places.