Today’s Guest: A.J. Jacobs, Esquire magazine writer, contributing editor, author, Drop Dead Healthy, The Year of Living Biblically, The Know-It-All
Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of middle-aged Al Bundys who hope we spend the entire interview talking about what it’s like to be in the same room with Sofia Vergara… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!
If I were the president of one of the broadcast networks, I’d take another look at signing up A.J. Jacobs to make a sitcom based on his life.
(And yes, I know it’s been tried before – as described by A.J. himself in Esquire magazine last fall, but this idea is worth a second look.)
All the basic elements are there: A.J. is a neurotic, Jewish writer living in Manhattan with his grounded wife and naturally funny three boys, two of whom are twins. His extended family is full of characters, including his late Aunt Marti, a delightful eccentric, and his late grandfather, legendary Manhattan labor attorney Theodore Kheel.
A.J. JACOBS podcast excerpt: “I was surprised: I had low testosterone. I said to the doctor, ‘What’s wrong with low testosterone?’ He said, ‘Well, if you have more testosterone, you’ll have a bigger sex drive. ‘ I said, ‘Doctor, I have three young kids. What possible outlet would I possibly have for that?’ But there are other advantages: testosterone increases your energy level. So I was able to remedy it and raise it to normal levels. But I’m not at Silvio Berlusconi levels.”
His day job is as a senior writer for Esquire magazine, one that sends him all over the country to interview and banter with actresses who are literally the most beautiful women in the world. Think of the guest star opportunities!
But that’s not all: at night and on weekends, A.J. writes bestselling nonfiction books. He read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, an experience that he chronicled in The Know-It-All. In The Year of Living Biblically, he committed twelve months to literally following what’s written in the Bible.
And in his new book, Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Quest for Bodily Perfection, which I think may be his best yet, A.J. commits two years to not just losing weight but transitioning from happy-go-lucky schlump to vibrant, manly stud.
Each week, viewers could drop in on “A.J.” for a family-oriented half hour of laughs that would be reminiscent of John Ritter’s “Eight Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter.”
A.J. Jacobs Website • Facebook • Twitter • Esquire Magazine • Order Drop Dead Healthy from Amazon.com • The Year of Living Biblically: A.J. Jacobs’ first appearance on Mr. Media (2007) • The Guinea Pig Diaries: A.J. Jacobs’ second appearance on Mr. Media (2009)
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