On the Set of Good Day LA with Jillian Reynolds

Talk us through a morning at Good Day LA.

I get up at 5:15am. I know that my co-hosts get up a lot earlier. They like to read papers and eat breakfast. I like to sleep until the last possible moment. I probably get here around 6:15 and I am on the air at 7am. I do my own makeup. Patty does my hair. I usually end up wearing my pajamas into work and carrying my dress with me.

How do you assemble your wardrobe?

After 20 years of doing live television, I have accumulated a ton of clothes. Because I am not sponsored and Fox doesn't pay for my clothes, I am free to buy anything I want. I buy really inexpensive clothes at H&M to expensive dresses at Dolce&Gabbana. Now with having a daughter, I haven't been shopping as much. With the economy sucking like it does, I have been recycling a lot of my old clothes. I have been wearing a lot of my old stuff and try to switch it up, like with black tights.

People aren't as judgmental of repetition of clothing as they were a few years ago.

And right now you can find major deals. Recently I was at the Way We Wore, and they were having a 50% off sale. I have a ton on vintage dresses that I am wearing. I get dressed for the show that morning. It's not like a put my outfit out the night before.

Good Day LA is know for the banter, the free spirited style, the occasional chaos. Do you plan any of that part of the show or is it all just the dynamic with you, Steve and Dorothy?

We have been together for 16 years. We plan nothing. We never have. I think that is the beauty of the show. The viewers aren't stupid. They can see what is contrived and what is not. We plan absolutely nothing. That's why it works great. It's not scripted. The stories are scripted, but the show is what happens around the stories.

This morning you featured jewelry designer Loree Rodkin, the stoned boy on YouTube, the story about Salma Hayek breast feeding an African baby...

I love that story!

And the awesome Steve Harvey was in the studio talking about his new book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man"

I love him!

Who has been your all time favorite guest?

That's a great question. We've had everybody from Raquel Welch to Snoop Dogg to P. Diddy to Simon Cowell. For me doing what I do, for being as lucky as I am doing what I do, I never worry about who the best guest is. We can have the author of a boring book, but I always have fun. I want to learn. I am like a viewer. Teach me. We had Bob Woodward here, that was fun. I think sometime the producers are worried...well this is a serious guest or a quieter guest. It's not the guest's job to stand on their head and spit nickels out of their ass. It's my job to make this entertaining. Every guest brings something great. It sounds pollyanna. I look forward to every guest we have on the show.

Does the show surprise you everyday?

No, but I surprise myself, what comes out of my mouth sometimes. I think what surprises me is after 16 years how much fun I am having. Steve and I realize that we are finally in a really nice groove. It hasn't always been that way. There was a time when Dorothy and I fought like animals. For a while I couldn't stand Steve and he couldn't stand me. We had all of these emotions on our show. It is the most real show I have ever done. There is nothing real about reality TV. I mean I am doing a reality show now. They come to you with ideas and story lines and scripts. and I am like are your friggin' kidding me? My husband is doing one called Hollywood House Husbands. It's going to air this summer. They have storylines and where they want it to go. I am not used to that. I am used to this morning show where I get to talk live.

On Good Day LA, you encourage viewers to join Good Date LA and you give dating advice on Ask Jillian. What is the best piece of dating advice you ever gave someone?

When you know you know; you can't force the real thing. If it's meant to be it will be!

On Good Day LA this morning, your soundtrack for the weather report was Beyonce's "Single Ladies". Is there any other newscast in the world that is going to be playing Single Ladies during the weather report?

I don't know. It's funny you noticed that. I love music. I love everything from M.I.A. to old school rap. I love Snoop. I love Nas. I love Jay-Z and I especially love Tupac and Biggie. So we'll be playing that, and I get so into it I forget that I am supposed to do the weather. I can't compete with the lyrics because I am listening to the lyrics. It gets really confusing.

Do you pick the music for the weather report?

Yes, some of it. Our director has a great music collection. The other day we played music from the Vicky Cristina Barcelona soundtrack. They are really cool about it. Dorothy bring things to the show. Steve brings things. I like pop culture and music, so that is what I bring. I should be bringing the weather, but I don't.

You often talk about Howard Stern on the show. We hear you went to his wedding. How long have you known him?

I did. Yes. I went to Howard's wedding. Well let me see...I went on Howard's show about eight years ago. I have done his show a few times. I have always been a fan. I like real people and honestly. I think he is hilarious. One of the funniest most gifted people. You talk about interviewing... he got Al Roker to admit that he masturbates . Did you know this? On yesterday show! I mean, Al Roker the weather guy! You are not going to find that out on the Today show. So Howard is my idol in this business.

With the economic situation at Sirius, what do you think Howard would do next?

He better not retire! If he retires, I retire. He is the reason I was able to drive from Huntington Beach every day at three in the morning and be entertained. In fact I wouldn't want to get out of the car. When I moved closer, his show became 20 minutes in the morning for me, which sucked. Now that he is on Sirius I can hear the replay. I would be very upset if he retired.

Our co-editor Lindsay William-Ross is from Canada and had this question for you. "As a fellow Canadian, what is your take on being from Canada (Burlington, Ontario) and living the US, and, really, living in Los Angeles. What does you miss about Canada, if anything?"

I would say my family, especially after having a baby. It's nice to be able to have a sister come over. They are a country away. There is such a big Canadian community down here. When you meet there is a connection you have. I love that. I'd have to say it's been a really easy adjustment because I was never a cold weather person, so I wanted to live in either Miami or LA. I sent tapes to both cities and I got a job in Miami right away out of working in Montreal. I love living in the States. I love it so much that I am going to become an American citizen. I am still a Canadian citizen. It has taken me almost 20 years to decide that is what I want to do.

We noticed that your show has been featured several times on The Soup. Joel McHale and his writing team have even created a segment called "What's Pissing Off Steven Edwards This Week?". You have also discussed The Soup on the air on Good Day LA. What is going on with Good Day LA and The Soup?

First of all Steve hasn't been pissed off enough lately. I haven't seen any segments. So I am really feeling that I am neglecting my job. My job is to completely irritate and piss Steve off. I think Joel is probably one of the funniest, quickest wits ever. I have hosted that show before, when it was "Talk Soup". Yes, it was "Talk Soup" Joel. For years before you came along, dude! He gets so friggin' offended when I call it "Talk Soup" and I am thinking, "OK it was named that for 20 years dude! Relax!" He is very funny and I like his take on things, pop culture, and the Steve Edwards stuff is genius. And Joel is good looking too, so that doesn't hurt. In fact I am waiting for Steve to kick it so Joel can come here and do his job. Just throwing that out there. It might piss Steve Edwards off.

How do you feel about Good Day LA being part of the pop culture dialogue?

I love it. I think that it is great. I love that they pick "What's Pissing Off Steven Edwards?" because it's true he is getting very ornery. So I am glad someone is finally seeing it. I sit beside the man every day and I think, "Gee is he getting more curmudgeony or is it me? Is he getting really cranky or is it just me?" Then finally to have the vindication that "Talk Soup" I mean "The Soup" saw it!

Watch the clip by clicking on the image or here

In addition to Good Day LA, you are on some FOX sports shows. We could talk all day about women in the male dominated sports world, but how fun is it to be with the guys and talk sports?

Well I don't talk sports with them. That is the common misnomer. People think that because I am on the NFL pre-game show that I talk football, but I do weather. For me it's fun because that last thing I have ever talked to Terry or Howie about is football. Mostly they like to talk about what they got their wives for Christmas, the newest latest greatest high heels that are out there, and they talk about their kids. I am very close to Terry Bradshaw's daughters. So for me it is a male dominated world, but sports is the last thing we talk about. They like to talk about other thing than sports. I think because they do it for a living that when they get with me or the other girls on the show, they like to gossip. Michael Strahan is the biggest gossip I have ever known; he loves US Magazine. He loves TMZ. So that is the stuff we talk about.

What would we find you doing when you have some free time or a day off?

Probably painting. I love to paint. I have auctioned off all of my paintings for animal charities. I feel that I haven't been creative in that way lately. You would find me hanging out with my daughter or getting a massage. I love getting massages. It's my thing. Or trying to give myself a spray tan. I am trying to perfect that.

So you won't have to go to a spray tan place?

Well I bought the machine, which is how kooky I am. When I went back to dark, my natural hair color, I felt like I looked goth without a tan. So then I bought the machine and I would have all of these splotches. So my girlfriend sprays me, but I am trying to learn how to do it. I tried to teach my husband, but he was so not into it. He said, "This is wrong. You are painting your skin."

What are some of your favorite places to hang out it LA?

Restaurant-wise I am obsessed with Mozza. I love that restaurant. I love Mario Batali. I saw his road trip in Spain and I want to be his best friend. I want to hang out with him and Gwyneth Paltrow. My husband and I went to Mozza last weekend. I love that place. I love to go to Fred Segal on Melrose and in Santa Monica. That's my go-to store. I love Sunset Plaza for shopping. Right near me where I live in the West Valley they finally opened up a Neiman Marcus. Thank you! I was there the other day and it was dead. "You guys aren't closing are you?" I asked the sales girls. I will keep shopping and make sure they stay open, single handedly. I live out by Topanga and it's kind of cool because you have horse country and then you've got Neiman's and these great stores in that mall. I go to Calabasas a lot too. The Commons is great. I am also a big lover of staying in a watching movies. I have like a 'man cave'. I made my house so man friendly. When my husband moved it he was like, 'Nice!" I have the six foot TV, the surround sound, I love it. I like staying home too an being a homebody.

Now let's talk about some other shows you have been on such as V.I.P.

Pamela Anderson gave me my first job as an actress. I had only done two things before that, 90210 playing a reporter and on Melrose Place. After that I met Pam at a party. She's a fellow Canadian. She is very cool and we became friends. She said, "I want to have you on my show, V.I.P.". When I got the script, I didn't realize that I already had the part. I thought it was a cattle call. My agent, said "No, she wrote a character for you called Foxy Levin. That's you. You are a Foxy Levin." I said, "Oh I am a Jewish hotcake. I love that!" I took the job and I loved it. I did 11 episodes.

And on V.I.P. you got to work with Savage Steve Holland.

I love Savage Steve! Every day was sort of a wild merry-go-round. There was so much energy coming out of him. I would say to Pam, "You are so lucky. This is what your work environment is?" Pam is crazy and I am crazy and Savage Steve is crazy. It was like a mental institution. It was so much fun!

You have also worked with Tyra Banks.

I love Tyra. I just got a note from her the other day. She likes my hair dark. She is one of those women who has always been empowering. Tyra used to come on our show 10 years ago to promote her causes. She is really into making sure that young girls know that they are worth it and can do anything. That's really a cool thing that she has that kind of platform to do good. Now that she is in New York I don't get to see her as much. I am really happy for her success. She is taking it and doing something positive with it.

And has figured out way to be entertaining and out there at the same time.

She amazes me. That kind of energy. I love it. I am Pro-Tyra.

And one more show. We have to ask. Hollywood Squares.

I sat beside Burt Reynolds for a week. That was interesting. You can hear all of the squares. We are all mic'd. I could hear him hitting on Gina Lee Nolan for the whole week. I was below him. He was the center square. Those were funny times. But I would have to say my best experience in television outside of this show was working on Good Morning Miami with Max Mutchnick and David Kohan who created Will & Grace. These two guys are geniuses. I wished that show would have kept going. It had everything going for it. Mark Feuerstein is genius. There was something about that show that was magical. I am still friends with Constance Zimmer. It was one of those magical places. I just has lunch with Craig Ames from wardrobe. I would go on the studio set of CBS Radford. I learned so much from Tiffani Thiessen and from all of those actors. I also learned that I am not an actor. I love doing live TV and hosting and have (HAVING) fun and the element of surprise, but that show was such a great experience. In casting they were looking for a Jillian Barberie type. These girls would come in and audition and finally after 50 or 60 girls, they said, "You know what? Let's just get Jillian to come in here." So I came in and they said, "You got the part."

Jillian Reynolds really is the best person in the world to play Jillian Reynolds. There's no one else like her. At this point we went to her dressing room. Jillian pulled out a headshot and signed it for Joel McHale. Later that day we stopped by E! to bring Joel the photo. Now it hangs in The Soup office. What we really want to know is, will Jillian piss off Steve Edwards enough this week to catch the attention of The Soup writers. Hope so!

Good Day LA is on KTTV FOX LA every day from 7-10am.