If Mario Cantone hasn't amused you from the tele on The View, then you've laughed at his character Anthony, Charlotte's bestie on Sex and the City. The comedian is a gigantic force, he's all energy, drama, and humor, whether on the screen or live and singing in person.
He's bringing his songs and comedy to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood next week. So we chatted with him about everything from the loving family of Honey Boo Boo, who he's rooting for on Dancing with the Stars, and even meeting Barack and Michelle Obama -- both big fans... of his! Here's part one of our interview with the man who introduced himself to the president as "the King of Gays."
New Times: How's it going this morning?
Mario Cantone: I'm up! I'm up! I got out of my bed, I can't believe it. I actually moved. I'm not good in the morning.
It's not that easy. The morning light!
It is! I don't know how people in radio, they have early morning radio shows. When I do the View, I have to get up at 8, that's horrible. I don't know how people do it every day.
You're a night owl.
Yeah, I am. I don't go out at night that much, unless I'm dining, or going to the theater or the opera... I'm so gay, I can't stand it! I stay up, I like watching TV and being inside. The older I get, I guess the more agoraphobic I am...
What shows are you watching?
I'm watching New Girl, which I love. I'm watching the New Normal, which I like, I think it's very good. I like Dancing with the Stars, I like Glee, and I resisted Glee. I hated it for the longest time, and now I love it. My big shows are Mad Men, which isn't on right now, Breaking Bad, which is phenomenal. I'm watching Homeland, which is amazing. I like South Park. I call it my number one show in the world.
Did you see Little Honey Boo Boo was a guest last night on the show?
Yes, she was "the guest." Yes she was. I talked about that on The View a few weeks ago, Honey Boo Boo, which I had never seen, cause I don't watch reality shows, I watch the competition shows. But I watched some of that for the material. I was like, OK, I'm done. It's a lot. Although what I did see though, when I watched, as trashy as it is, I think there's a lot of love in that family.
I agree.
I think that's what's doing it. I think they love each other. Sugar Bear the father's got the tobacco dip in his cheek, it's certainly not as trashy as some of the Housewives, where they're beating the shit out of each other.
Who are you rooting for on Dancing with the Stars?
I'll tell you, Gilles Marini. He's such a pro. That girl, Sabrina's very good too, and I like Shawn Johnson, but I love Derek Hough, it's like watching Gene Kelly. He's one of the great dancers of our day. I think he's pretty brilliant.
What do you think of Bristol Palin?
She looks good. Her face looks completely different. I don't know what she did, but she looks different. Did she have her chin done? Whoever did the work, it looks good, I have to say.
The first week she was surprisingly good, then last week, she wasn't. But she's got a strong voting base. Her mother's probably email blasting millions of Tea Partiers and saying, "vote for my daughter!" And that's probably why she's still there. Mark Ballas, it seems like they really like each other, they get along. She's real gung-ho. She's got the gun. She's like Annie Oakley. She's like old Americana.
Scary Americana! Did you watch the debates last night? Any comments?
I certainly did. I was so depressed afterward. You have no idea. As far as I'm concerned Mitt Romney spoke really well, and he definitely led the debate, but you fact check that stuff and a lot of it isn't true. So, I don't care how he said it, they're a bunch of lies. I think Obama is much more honest and his facts are much more together. But he really was very kind of low key. And I'm like, you better step this fucking shit up next time, because people want to see theater!
That's the upsetting thing. They want to see theater! And that's why he won last night and Obama didn't, because he wasn't as forward and theatrical and driven in what he was saying. He's gotta step it up. I went to bed like, just shoot me in the head! Oh, my God!
Well, there's two more.
It does go back and forth. It's the disappointment of the moment. But I just met them [the Obamas]. I was doing a Mucinex commercial for The View, this was like 2 in the afternoon, and they were coming in at 4 to do the show last week. It was the most exciting thing. You're hoping maybe they'll know who I am. I just thought, she'll probably know, he won't. And not that it was the exact opposite, but she was very nice.
She waved during a commercial break. She caught my eye, I was in like the second row, she said "Hey!" and I said "Hi!" and we were kind of mouthing to each other like: "Hello, I love you. Thank you." And she poked him and he looked at me and he was like "Hey!" He mouthed, "I love you on the show!" I was like, you've got to be fucking kidding me! I was like: "Thank you, I love you too." And then he looked away and pointed at me and went: "I love this guy!" I was like, I can't believe this. It was so surreal!
And then in the end, when the show was over, he shook a couple of hands of the executives in the front row, and I put my hand out. He shook my hand, and I said to him: "Mr. President, as King of the Gays, I'd like to thank you." He threw his head back, he laughed so hard. And then I said, this is my husband, and he met Jerry, they shook hands, and then he looked at me again and just pointed, and said "I love this guy." And my husband said, "I love him too." I was like, this is the greatest moment in my life. That was my moment. I never really met a president before.
Well, that's a good one to meet!
I was going to say, that's the one I would want to meet.
Click back for part two tomorrow.
Mario Cantone, 8 p.m. at Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. Tickets cost between $39 and $69. Visit ticketmaster.com.
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