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CNN Live Today

Interview With Jim Belushi

Aired September 22, 2003 - 11:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So what, he's a little tight with the wallet, but his wife is a babe, and he's also got three kids and all of life's pain in the backside. He's Jim Belushi, and he plays a blue-collar Joe in the hit show "According to Jim."
Now the sitcom is going to be having its third season premiere tomorrow night on ABC. And as you see here, with us live, Jim Belushi, with us from Los Angeles this morning.

Good to see you. How you doing, man?

JIM BELUSHI, ACTOR: Good. Good morning, Leon. Nice to see you.

HARRIS: Glad to have you with us today. So tell us, is there going to be any real big surprise now that you've got the show established. You've got the characters established. You've got the blend going now. Any big surprises coming this season?

BELUSHI: You know what? the only surprise is we're going to have some great guests cast like we had last year. Danny Akroyd and Lori Newman are coming back, and Jennifer Coolidge, and Chris Elliot. But I think we're doing more of the same, because last year, I thought we started hitting the stride in the last part of the season.

We're going to do more of that this year, keeping the family, humor going, the recognition humor that we've been doing so well.

HARRIS: Have you been surprised by how well it's been doing? I mean, did you know going into it that it was going to be this good?

BELUSHI: You know what, you always hope it's going to be this good and you always have a vision for everything you tackle, all the work that you tackle. For it to be so good right now and the ratings doing as well as they are, we're just so pleased, and joyous and grateful.

All right, so you've been through this before. You've been on other sitcoms before.

BELUSHI: I have been on a lot of shows that never made it this far. This is the longest I have ever -- I have never even been picked up before. We've been picked up for a third season. So it's getting quite exciting.

HARRIS: So then, tell me, how does life change when you fall into a hit like this? Does the food taste better? Do games feel funnier? I mean, what? Tell me how life changes for you? BELUSHI: Well, life changes because I'm with ABC, and ABC has lot of sports events, and they also own ESPN. And life changes for me because I get great tickets to sporting events. I'll be at the Monday Night Football game with the Bears and the Packers. I'll be at the last game for the Cubs and for the season. I was at the Cubs and New York Yankees game. I was at the Super Bowl last year. I mean, I get great sporting event tickets. It's really changed.

HARRIS: Just rub it in, just go ahead and rub it in, just make us all miserable. We appreciate it.

BELUSHI: I'm loving it.

HARRIS: Thank you very much.

Listen, I have to ask you something else, though, on a more serious note. I know that you worked with John Ritter.

BELUSHI: John Ritter and I did a movie together called "Real Men" many years ago, and John also was on Tuesday night, you know, he was the big lead-in for Tuesday night, the big hit for ABC.

HARRIS: Give us an idea, what do you think it's going to be like doing that show without him? And can you imagine what it would be like for you to be working on a show like that?

BELUSHI: I've got to tell you that ABC has taken a great chance here to continue on with the show, but you know what, everybody in the audience has experienced a loss in their life. I know they have. Whether it's a brother, like myself, or father or, you know, an uncle, or someone very close to them. And for a show to explore that loss and that grief, it could be the most exciting and great TV that there is, and I'm hoping they can do that.

You know, you can start a sitcom where someone is a widower or widow, but the audience doesn't know who that husband or what that relationship was, but this audience will. We all know it was John, John Ritter. And everybody loved him. And it could be a real exciting chance to keep John's spirit alive and also be great chance for some great TV. I really do think that.

HARRIS: That's interesting. That's interesting. Well, we're going to be watching to see how that plays out. But we also expect great things coming from you.

Good luck. Appreciate your time today, buddy. Good luck. Have a good one, all right.

BELUSHI: Thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 22, 2003 - 11:40   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So what, he's a little tight with the wallet, but his wife is a babe, and he's also got three kids and all of life's pain in the backside. He's Jim Belushi, and he plays a blue-collar Joe in the hit show "According to Jim."
Now the sitcom is going to be having its third season premiere tomorrow night on ABC. And as you see here, with us live, Jim Belushi, with us from Los Angeles this morning.

Good to see you. How you doing, man?

JIM BELUSHI, ACTOR: Good. Good morning, Leon. Nice to see you.

HARRIS: Glad to have you with us today. So tell us, is there going to be any real big surprise now that you've got the show established. You've got the characters established. You've got the blend going now. Any big surprises coming this season?

BELUSHI: You know what? the only surprise is we're going to have some great guests cast like we had last year. Danny Akroyd and Lori Newman are coming back, and Jennifer Coolidge, and Chris Elliot. But I think we're doing more of the same, because last year, I thought we started hitting the stride in the last part of the season.

We're going to do more of that this year, keeping the family, humor going, the recognition humor that we've been doing so well.

HARRIS: Have you been surprised by how well it's been doing? I mean, did you know going into it that it was going to be this good?

BELUSHI: You know what, you always hope it's going to be this good and you always have a vision for everything you tackle, all the work that you tackle. For it to be so good right now and the ratings doing as well as they are, we're just so pleased, and joyous and grateful.

All right, so you've been through this before. You've been on other sitcoms before.

BELUSHI: I have been on a lot of shows that never made it this far. This is the longest I have ever -- I have never even been picked up before. We've been picked up for a third season. So it's getting quite exciting.

HARRIS: So then, tell me, how does life change when you fall into a hit like this? Does the food taste better? Do games feel funnier? I mean, what? Tell me how life changes for you? BELUSHI: Well, life changes because I'm with ABC, and ABC has lot of sports events, and they also own ESPN. And life changes for me because I get great tickets to sporting events. I'll be at the Monday Night Football game with the Bears and the Packers. I'll be at the last game for the Cubs and for the season. I was at the Cubs and New York Yankees game. I was at the Super Bowl last year. I mean, I get great sporting event tickets. It's really changed.

HARRIS: Just rub it in, just go ahead and rub it in, just make us all miserable. We appreciate it.

BELUSHI: I'm loving it.

HARRIS: Thank you very much.

Listen, I have to ask you something else, though, on a more serious note. I know that you worked with John Ritter.

BELUSHI: John Ritter and I did a movie together called "Real Men" many years ago, and John also was on Tuesday night, you know, he was the big lead-in for Tuesday night, the big hit for ABC.

HARRIS: Give us an idea, what do you think it's going to be like doing that show without him? And can you imagine what it would be like for you to be working on a show like that?

BELUSHI: I've got to tell you that ABC has taken a great chance here to continue on with the show, but you know what, everybody in the audience has experienced a loss in their life. I know they have. Whether it's a brother, like myself, or father or, you know, an uncle, or someone very close to them. And for a show to explore that loss and that grief, it could be the most exciting and great TV that there is, and I'm hoping they can do that.

You know, you can start a sitcom where someone is a widower or widow, but the audience doesn't know who that husband or what that relationship was, but this audience will. We all know it was John, John Ritter. And everybody loved him. And it could be a real exciting chance to keep John's spirit alive and also be great chance for some great TV. I really do think that.

HARRIS: That's interesting. That's interesting. Well, we're going to be watching to see how that plays out. But we also expect great things coming from you.

Good luck. Appreciate your time today, buddy. Good luck. Have a good one, all right.

BELUSHI: Thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com