Interview: Ali Landry, Host of Yahoo's 'Spotlight to Nightlight'

By 05/21/2009
Interview: Ali Landry, Host of Yahoo's 'Spotlight to Nightlight'

Ali Landry - Spotlight to NightlightThe children of celebrities have been photographed, fawned over, and even called celebuspawn. From Gwen and Kingston to Angelina and Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne, celebrity moms and their kids are among the most popular topics on Yahoo’s omg!.

Yahoo’s new series Spotlight to Nightlight hosted by the ultimate hot mom, Ali Landry, explores this world of celebrity parenting. This bi-weekly original web series, sponsored by State Farm, is an extension of omg!’s hugely popular “Goddess” blog, which focuses on news, photos, and perspectives from the world of famous mothers.

Whether taking their offspring for a shopping trip in Malibu or sweating off the baby weight with their trainer, celebrity moms’ day-to-day lives have captured the attention of millions of Yahoo! users. Ali Landry, former Miss USA, actress, model, and mother to a two-year-old daughter, takes the fans inside the opulent yet ordinary world of celebrity parenthood. Celebrity moms might wear designer clothes, but they also get spit up on.

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omgSpotlight to Nightlight is the first original web series on omg! and joins the ranks of other Yahoo! original programs, including celebrity style show The Thread on Yahoo! Shine and Yahoo! TV’s recap show Primetime in No Time, which recently reached the record-breaking 150 million views mark. omg! attracts more than 23 million unique visitors per month

Tubefilter met with Ali Landry at a Mother’s Day event benefiting Kids Play International. A few days later we spoke to her on the phone to find out more about filming Spotlight to Nightlight, juggling work and family, and planning the ultimate kids birthday party.

Tubefilter: You have been Miss USA, the Doritos Girl, appeared on TV shows and in movies: did you think that when you became a mom, that you would do a show about motherhood? How much does being mom change your life and career path?

Ali Landry: There is no class that really prepares you for motherhood. It’s like you are stepping into a completely different world. You have different friends. You shop differently, think differently. Everything is different. I think like most moms, once you have a child you become obsessed with everything baby and mommy and everything that has to do with motherhood. Like most moms, I was so inspired after I had a child. I wrote a television show and we are going to pitch it. I have all of these other ideas, branding ideas. It used to be home and decor ideas and now of course it switched to children. Then the Yahoo show came up and it was just a perfect fit with everything I was working on. It’s great.

Tubefilter: Spotlight to Nightlight shoots on location at children’s stores around LA. Tell us a bit about how an episode is filmed and put together?

AL: Between Yahoo State Farm, our sponsor, have a discussion about topics. We really want to cover things that are current, that families and parents are really dealing with. We knew we wanted to have a celebrity angle. So we bring in a celebrity to discuss specific topics.

First we figure out what topic we are going to do that week. I find out a day or two before. We get the copy. I start preparing for my blog. I also tape the introduction in Spanish. (see below) I work on that introduction and I practice my Spanish. We go in. It’s a three hour shoot. They edit it down to 5-7 minute segments, but we talk for like an hour. Once you get two moms together you can talk for hours about what is going on with your kids. You can’t get us to stop talking. They have bullet points that they want me to hit. It’s really easy to do- talking to another mom about their children and their life.

Tubefilter: How big is the crew?

AL: On set there are seven people.

Tubefilter: In the first episode you and Catt Sadler discuss celebrity nannies. What did your daughter’s nanny say when she heard that some people who are caregivers to the children of the rich and famous make $120,000 a year? Did she ask for a raise?

AL: She is just now getting a glimpse into this world of celebrity. I explained to her that some people make millions of dollars, so some people can afford to pay that money. She is like part of our family. We would do anything for her. We have been giving her raises over the years, but we can’t afford that much.

Spotlight to NightlightTubefilter: You also did an episode with Kristi Yamaguchi about getting kids active. What was Kristi’s best piece of advice?

AL: Both Kristi and her husband are professional athletes. She let’s her kids lead her. Whatever they are interested in, she will let them try it. We all have dreams for our children, sometimes thing you did when you were younger and thing you didn’t do, but wish you had. Ultimately, you want the best for your child. You really just need to pay attention to what they are interested it and let them try it out and see if they like it. That what she said and it’s what we all know. It is interesting coming from a professional athlete, who has probably been skating since she could walk. She said that she was always passionate about it and that her parents never pushed her.

Tubefilter: Several moms including Kristi Yamaguchi and Brooke Burke have been on Dancing with the Stars. Do you see a trip to the dance floor in your future?

AL: I was asked twice to do it in the beginning for the first two seasons. At the time I was about to get married and it wasn’t a good time to do the show. I have always had a passion for dance. I have dance since I was young. I visited the set last year and went to a taping and I could not stop moving my feet the entire time. The energy in that room, it just seems so fun. Now I am open to do it, so if they ask me, we’ll see.

Tubefilter: In your episode with Nancy O’Dell she talks about expecting the unexpected. Any surprises for you doing a web series?

AL: I am one of these people that research every single product before I buy anything. I do a lot of shopping online. So to have something accessible to people for 5-7 minutes, where they get a little tidbit of information. The interview format has that personal connection. As a mom, I know I don’t always have time to sit and watch a whole television show. I never thought of the impact that a 5-7 minute show could have. I didn’t really realize what that meant. Now that I am a busy mom, the idea of getting information and entertainment in 5-7 minutes is great.

Ali LandryTubefilter: Do you have some dream guests you like to interview on the show? Any chance we’ll get to hear some parenting tips from Madonna?

AL: Gosh, well that would be great. Whomever we have on our show, we all have something in common. It’s about making everybody relatable. There is an obsession with celebrities. You can see it reflected in the magazines. Everything is about their baby and getting back into shape after pregnancy and what tis one is wearing and what are they doing. There is an obsession with celebrity babies and moms. But for me, it’s about our viewers seeing these women like themselves. Like sitting down with one of their girlfriends. They are going through the same things you are going through with the same exact issues. Potty training. Vomiting all over you. Peeing on your clothes. Issue with your spouse, trying to work, trying to balance it all. For me when I interview them, I really just want to get to know them. I want them to let their guards down and let our viewers see a glimpse of who they are in real life.

Tubefilter: Anything you have learned from being a mom that you didn’t expect?

AL: Every day is different. It makes you a better person. It makes you a better woman. I like myself better now, that I am a mom. You let a lot of things go. It’s great. I have never smiled so much. I have never laughed so much. I have never had so much joy in my heart. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I had no idea. When you don’t have a child people tell you it’s the best, but you don’t get it. You really have to adapt. Every day is different, a new situation. It’s just great. I am a planner and this is like stepping into the unknown. That’s scary for me, but it is also very freeing.

Tubefilter: Can you tell us about any of the guests or topics that are coming up?

AL: I am so excited we are doing a party planning show next. I am in the middle of planning my daughter second birthday. That show can’t come up fast enough for me. I want it to be beautiful. I am putting pressure on myself. Estella could care less she’d be happy banging on pots and pans for her party. I am really excited for that episode. For guests we have a party planner and we also have Dana Devin. I have seen photos of parties she has planned and also of her kids rooms. I know she pays attention to details, so I am so excited to talk to her. It is her party planner who is coming on. They have no idea what they are about to get into when we start our conversation.

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