With Fox airing the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, we checked in with the
amiable James Brown, 50, the host and traffic cop for Fox's NFL
Sunday.
SI: You went to Harvard, correct?
Brown: Yes.
SI: That means you're the smartest guy on the set after Jimmy
Kimmel?
Brown: If that were the case, Harvard would be asking for the
sheepskin back.
SI: If James Brown is the hardest-working man in show business,
what's James Brown of Fox Sports?
Brown: I've been called the hardest-working man in sports, but
I'm not too pleased with the title the Godfather of Sports. I
think of myself as hip and relevant, though my daughter
[20-year-old Katrina] says on my next birthday she's giving me a
gift certificate for a senior citizens' home.
SI: What's the better Terry Bradshaw movie: The Cannonball Run or
Smokey and the Bandit II?
Brown: Anybody who has difficulty sleeping should fire up one of
those flicks.
SI: Did you know Howie Long was in the movie 3000 Miles to
Graceland?
Brown: The critics panned it.
SI: Is Howie the reason it tanked?
Brown: I purposely didn't see it because I like Big Boy.
SI: Have you seen Jillian Barbarie's meteorological degree?
Brown: I have not, but considering all the comments I've heard
around the country from men, no one cares whether she has one or
not.
SI: You hosted Fox's World's Funniest videos. Any regrets?
Brown: I got blasted by my colleagues, but it's an honest living,
and I showed a lighter side. The bottom line is, it's paying for
my daughter's education.
SI: Please tell us this isn't true: Did you host a PBS special
on Yanni?
Brown: I was trying to show the breadth and scope of the things I
can do.
SI: You own all of Yanni's albums, don't you?
Brown: Let me be brutally honest with you. No.
--R.D.
COLOR PHOTO: AARON RAPOPORT/FOX
