Rossi Morreale Interview

Rossi Morreale is the host of CMT's Can You Duet. He spent some time talking to PCM's Ashley about the successful show, country music and what he's been up to lately. Named one of People's Sexiest Men Alive in 2003, the personable host was also pleasantly and surprisingly early calling in, a rarity in the show biz world!

RM: It's been going very well. You know, it premiered as the highest rated show in CMT history, and as what I understand, it's pretty much holding strong and doing very well.

AD: Do you think that there's going to be another season - can we expect another season of it?

RM: Oh gosh Ashley, I hope there is. You know, I think there is because we're coming up on our performance shows and I think the audience is really going to get behind it once the groups are performing and doing their live shows because the talent is amazing. The performers are really awesome, they play a lot of their own songs, and I think the CMT audience is really going to get behind it. And if it continues to do well, I don't think there's any reason why CMT wouldn't do another season.

RM: Oh my gosh, I would love to host it again! This is my baby - I love the support of it, I love watching the kids come in as they try to accomplish their dreams, and then somebody ends up getting a record deal, which I know is a dream of musicians.

AD: I've read your bio on CMT and you've had a lot of hosting duties. So how did you get involved with Can You Duet?

RM: Can You Duet I actually got involved with - it actually was the easiest show as far as on my side of things that I've ever gotten because Fremantle [Media], who I worked with last year on a game show called Temptation, they were the same production company.

RM: So they basically just called me and said, "We have this new show called Can You Duet. We want you to be the host. Do you want the job?" And I was like, "Yes, I do." From what I understand there was maybe a little struggle because I think CMT wanted somebody else or some of the other producers wanted somebody else, but Fremantle wanted, I believe, from what I understand, wanted me from the get-go and I believe they had to fight for me and talk, and I had a couple meetings. I know I did a couple of different phone interviews, which weren't really any big deal, and then they were like, "You've got the job." So I really didn't have to go in and audition, I kind of just got the show on previous experience.

AD: Yeah. I know that Can You Duet has the same producers as American Idol, but I watched a couple episodes and there actually are a lot of differences. One of the things I was wondering was how the 25 duos at the beginning were selected.

RM: The judges went through a ton of people, and they just kind of started narrowing it down and narrowing it down and narrowing it down. They recorded all those first auditions, so they got a chance to go back and watch and really critique and see who they thought had the potential to be country music's next great duo. So that was all the work of the judges. They just - it was all their experience in country music. They just narrowed it down to who they thought had a chance and who they wanted to give a chance to come into workshop week.

AD: Do you know if the top 25 was just really clear cut or if there were some duos that were on the line, on the fence?

RM: You know, I really don't know. That's actually information I'm not privy to. I kind of go there and I root for them and I talk to them before they go in and as they come out, but when it comes down to the actual singing abilities and who they think can make it, I don't get near that information. I am actually just as surprised as the audience about the people who come out of the room and what have you; that's when I found out.

AD: Okay, so it's not like American Idol where Ryan Seacrest sort of knows ahead of time the results.

RM: No, I think he's a little more involved. I feel like American Idol, too, is the judges and Ryan Seacrest, and then there's the contestants.

RM: On our show, it's really me and the contestants. I am their friend, I'm their biggest fan, I root for all of them, I console them when they come out. I'm always there for them, regardless. There are a couple of times where you'll see in later shows where the judges kind of jump on one of the, or a few of the contestants, and I take up for them and kind of ask the question, "Gosh, why are you being so hard on this person or that person?" So it's really me and the contestants against the judges.

AD: Speaking of the judges, you have some huge names on the show. Do you know what they're looking for in the winning duo?

RM: Oh my gosh, I think it changes for all three of them. I think Aimee Mayo is really coming from a position - obviously she's a big songwriter, so I think she's looking for good songwriters. I think that's one of the things she looks for, and good performers. A lot of the songs that the performers sing were songs Aimee Mayo wrote, so she looks at whoever recorded her song and then how the contestant sings it. I think she does a lot of comparison there to vision how her song is performed. Naomi [Judd], I think, is looking for that star quality, someone who can handle the road and working together and everything that she had to do, being a part of one of the biggest country duos of all time.

RM: Plus I just think she knows a star when she sees them. I really think she's going on that, plus a lot of past experiences. Brett [Manning], it's obvious Brett's a vocal coach. The guy knows voices inside and out, I mean, if you caught this last episode, the things he can do with voices with just a little time and a tweak here and there - he brings out a whole other side of people's voices that they don't even know is there. I think he'd just go on vocal qualities and the people who are, actually, good singers. So with all three of those I think they're all looking for something a little bit different, and when they all find that duo that has everything they're looking for, I think you're going to have a great group, a great duet.

AD: I did see the last episode. It was pretty amazing how [Manning] helped some of those duos really come together vocally. Do you know if a lot of them were actually together before hand, since I know in the audition process they could switch duos or make their own duos.

RM: A lot of them were, like you look at the twins: the Herndon twins and the Coppolas, obviously, they've been singing together, performing together since birth. A lot of those duos are making a living right now playing at clubs and honkytonks. None of them have record deals, but they're trying to make it as a duet anyway. You know, Brother Trouble, the Karg Boys, LB & Oakleaf: these are all duos that are performing together in Tennessee and in surrounding areas on a consistent basis. Then look at Chris [Cline] and Nathan [Herron], Caitlin [Lynn] and Sara [Culler], these are all people who were paired together. Some came and were paired in auditions, some people, like Chris, came to the audition by themselves. He did the audition by himself, and he's now on his second or third partner, I believe. So some of them came and said "I'm a great singer, I can sing with anybody, and I'm willing to work and be a duet, and some came with a lifelong partner, a sister, a brother, a best friend, and said "Hey, we want to sing and we want to sing together," and they're trying to make it, so it's been a little bit of everything.

AD: I think that's what makes the show so interesting. I know you support all of them, but can you tell if there are any frontrunners or people fans will really get behind?

RM: I think different fans will get behind different groups. If you look at the people who are left, there are 12 duets left right now. For instance, every twin in the country is going to immediately get behind the Coppola and the Herndon twins, just because all twins have a special bond. I think a lot of people are going to relate to Joey & Rory, the married couple that every time they get there and sing, you can just tell they fall in love again.

RM: You've got guys like LB & Oakleaf, [Nick] Brownell and [Jeremiah] Richey. These are just guys who are studs. I think ladies are just going to love them; they're good lucking and playing guitar and rocking out. I think girls are going to love them and guys are going to want to be them. And then of course you have groups like Wild Honey, and the Herndons, and the Coppolas, these beautiful girls who are up there singing. I think guys are going to love them, and they have great voices, and they're hot. You look at country music and there're gorgeous women all across country music, and I think that's going to translate, so I think there's a little bit of something for everybody. There's the old school country, which is like Joey & Rory, you've got groups like LB and Oakleaf, who do a little bit of southern rock, and Brownell and Richey - those guys are like country rock 'n roll.

AD: Okay, so you've already said that Can You Duet was CMT's highest-rated original series debut, but did that surprise you, or were you expecting it?

RM: I was a little shocked. I mean, I think this is a good show. I think it's done well, obviously the American Idol producers have a pretty good track record, and I think this show's done well. It's got all the components of a hit show: it's got the drama; it's definitely got the talent. I've always expected big things from the show, and I'm still expecting big things from the show. I would be disappointed if it did not get picked up again - for a couple years - I'd be surprised, honestly, because it has everything that a really good competition and a reality show needs, and also, it's different from any other show out there. I know it's from the same producers as American Idol, but it's not like we're doing a country version of American Idol. This is duets - people up there are playing instruments, they're playing all kinds of instruments. You're truly seeing what a musician goes through, whether it be singing, playing, singing and playing - that's got to be one of the hardest things in the world if you ask me; I know I can't do it. I can't do them alone, to be honest. I think it has everything it needs to be a hit show.

RM: The next few weeks are going to be great. Next week is when the top 12 duos go in and have a mentoring session with Naomi Judd. I can tell you Naomi is a very smart woman. She has a lot of wisdom when it comes to country music, or just the music industry itself. She knows what they're looking for and she does not hold back. She is not afraid to tell someone they are great or they are not great or have a lot to work on, whether it be singing or personality or stage presence or their music playing. I obviously missed a lot of that because I wasn't there for the mentoring sessions, but I can't wait to see it. Some of the things she says, some of the things she comes up with - she's usually right on and she says it in a way that sometimes isn't always the nicest way, but she's so sweet and like a southern mother that it comes from a good place.

RM: Then after that we immediately get right into the big stage at the Wild Horse [Saloon], which is legendary. Every great country artist has played at the Wild Horse in Nashville. There are packed crowds, a live audience, and that's when you really start to see these duets come alive. You'll se a big difference, I think, from when they perform in front of the three judges, which is obviously a little nerve-wracking, from when they get in front of that crowd and feeding off that energy and start performing.

RM: I wouldn't say I was a huge country fan, but I grew up in Arkansas, so I've always listened to country. I've gone through my hip-hop stages and my rock 'n roll stages and my classic rock stages, but country's definitely always been there. Growing up in Arkansas there's no way you can't like country. I've seen everyone from the Dixie Chicks to Garth Brooks to Alan Jackson and the Charlie Daniels Band. I've seen just about every concert that's come through Arkansas. George Strait toured the city when I was in college… I definitely know my fair share of country music.

RM: I've been a big fan of Big & Rich ever since they've come out. They're a little bit rock 'n roll plus I got to hang out with those guys a few times and they're really cool guys.

RM: They're great, and John Rich is one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people ever. The last time I saw him was at the CMT Awards, and he was like, "Hey, Rossi, man, how you doing, good to see you again!" I was like, "What? How do you know my name?" So to me that's just really cool. I'll tell you what, going to the CMT Awards was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. You see all these performers. There are all these young girls up there now who are really talented, like Taylor Swift - her performance was amazing. Carrie Underwood, I'm a big fan. Seeing Alan Jackson up there doing his thing; he's been around forever. The only thing that show was missing was a little bit of George Straits. Then I would have been set. But I also love Alabama; I'm a big fan of Johnny Cash, so I tend a little more toward home school country than all the new stuff. But I still like Tim [McGraw] and Faith [Hill], I like Kenny Chesney - I've seen him in concert. I like the Dixie Chicks. I love it when they get on their fiddle and banjo and start harmonizing. I love that kind of stuff, and I've always been a big fan of duos and trios. I like it when people sing together.

RM: You know, that's what's kind of funny. They asked me about this and that's one of the biggest things. I said I've always been a big fan of duos and harmonizing, even one of my favorite rap groups is Bone Thugs 'n Harmony, and I don't know if you know anything about them, but there are four or five of them and they all harmonize and sing together in the choruses. I've always liked that and think it's better than one person. Even when you go with like Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion and they sing together. Like the Grammy performances of Eminem and Elton John; that was amazing, to see really talented musicians come together and perform, I think they're better than one person up there.

AD: I agree. What's next for you after this season's over? Do you have any other projects in the works?

RM: Well, Ashley, that's a very good question. Right now I'm looking for that next gig, always looking for that next job. I'm actually on my way to an audition right now.

RM: Well, it's for a pilot for Discovery. It's just one of things you do and forget about it until they call you back and start offering you the job. But I know Fremantle's working on some stuff. I've heard that they've been throwing my name into the hat for some new shows they're working on, which is good. I think they enjoy the work I do and working with me. Discovery just called about my availability, I don't even know for what, so I'm just going to auditions so, at this point, just looking for a new show. I do have another show I work on that airs every Saturday called CBS Weekend Extra. It's like Extra in-between movies. I do that every Wednesday and it airs every Saturday.

RM: Okay…

AD: In 2003 you were named Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine. What was that like?

RM: Well, you know, it was actually a little embarrassing. And I was "One of," and the [CMT] bio says "Voted People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive." Johnny Depp was actually the Sexiest Man Alive that year, and probably every year, I'm sure, at least in somebody's book. But it was flattering, it was really cool, it was a little embarrassing. I've never really considered myself, well, I've always been more of a personality guy. I've always been a fun guy, a guy who's having a good time and I've never really… the whole looks thing… When people come up to me and say, "You're so hot," I'm just like, "Haha, wow." I never know what to say to that and it's all of a sudden in a magazine so I would see people and they'd be like, "I saw you in People magazine; you're really hot."

RM: Yeah, I'm like, "Trust me, it's makeup and lighting. In real life I'm not this beautiful." It's embarrassing because they see you in the magazine and they're like, "You looked unbelievable in that magazine. You look totally different in person." I didn't really know what to do with it. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, but it was definitely something that was a little different for me.

AD: Was your family back in Arkansas really proud? Did they buy like all the issues?

RM: They loved it. People magazine sent them a poster size picture from the article and they put it on the wall. My parents love it. Everything I do they think is the biggest thing ever. But if you can't get the support from your family, your friends, your whole state, who's going to support you?

AD: Right, right. Is there anything else you wanted to add about Can You Duet?

RM: I just want to encourage people to watch it. Right now we're going through the stories and I think the country music CMT viewers want to see performances. I just want to tell everybody that some of the best country performances they've ever seen are about to hit the air.

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