Confessions of a Teen Idol is only five days away!

I know you’re drooling to read more from the stars, so without further ado: Jamie Walters, Billy Hufsey and Eric Nies!

JAMIE WALTERS
Jamie, 39, starred on Beverly Hills 90210 and had a hit single, “How Do You Talk to an Angel.”

You work for the LA fire department. Do the guys rib you about being a former teen idol?
While I was a rookie, they moved me to one of the toughest stations. I showed up at 5:30 one morning to make coffee, and the guys really had printed really embarrassing pictures of me from Teen Beat magazine and posted them all over the kitchen. But after that some of guys asked me to sign copies of CDs for their girlfriends!

Would you like to return to 90210?
I hear that Tori Spelling is thinking about playing some kind of role, and I would imagine, if she gets on the show, I could have a guest spot. I would just hope they wouldn’t have me throwing anyone down the stairs.

What was the craziest rumor spread about you during your teen idol heyday?
There was a story printed that said Tori and I had taken our onscreen relationship offscreen, but the photograph was not of me. It was a completely different dude, but they were so desperate for the story, they used it anyway.

Do you miss having hordes of girls screaming out your name?
I still have screaming girls: my daughters, ages five, three and one.


BILLY HUFSEY
Billy, 50, starred on the TV series Fame and the soap opera Days of Our Lives.

What do you miss most about your teen idol days?
One time I was in New York City at a dance convention and there were 500 chicks chasing me. I'm running and thinking, “What the hell I'm running for? This is what I want.” People try to bust my chops saying, "You were a teen idol?" Dig it. If I had the chance to do it over, I would do it the same way. It was great.

What’s been your craziest fan encounter?
On the set of Fame, I was coming back from the commissary. I opened the door to my dressing room and there was a lady sitting in there with a gun. She said was in love with me and she said that she wanted us to go to heaven together. I said, “Can we have coffee first?” I'll never forget that.

Who has the biggest ego in the house?
Me! When you've been out of the business your talent is a rusty as nail that been sitting out in the rain, you gotta come up with something (laughs). You're talking about seven cats that were so huge in their day and now they're back to the basics trying to regenerate a career, so we really checked our egos at the door.

ERIC NIES
Eric, 37, appeared on the debut season of The Real World and hosted MTV’s The Grind.
 
Did your fellow Confession stars ask you for advice on how to handle reality TV?
It came up quite a few times. You’re always concerned on how you are portrayed, that the things you say or do are taken out of context. These guys didn’t really have that concern, because they don’t really want to be in reality television, it’s just an opportunity to get their name out there again. There was a couple of times I gave them some insight as how these things are edited and why they produce them the way they do. But that just brought us all really together, which was really special. This was a show about seven guys who had a lot in common, who were there to watch each other’s back and make sure everyone came out on top.
 
Do you keep in touch with anyone from your Real World days?
I was in Hawaii last year at a friend’s wedding and I just happened to run into Norm [Korpi]. I was driving around this corner, and all of a sudden he was coming down the street in a jeep It was so cool. He was there with a whole group of friends celebrating a birthday. We just randomly ran into each on Kawai, one of the most remote islands on the world. We always run into each other in the most random places.
 
What have you been working on since you left the teen spotlight?
I do life coaching. I rehabilitate drug addicts, help people to lose weight and get their life back together. I always been in health and fitness, and I’ve always been interested in wanting to give back and help other people. My brother and I have been working on a feature-length documentary about friends who grew up battling with drug addiction. Some are in jail, some are in dire need, and they’ve all agreed to share their story. It’s something that we’re very passionate about.

Was it weird to go from regular guy to reality show idol?
It’s always weird. People come up to you and they ask you personal questions about something they saw you do or say. The most difficult, you’re always your worst critic, so seeing yourself act, behave or respond in a certain way in a situation, is always very humbling.

Catch the premiere of Confessions of a Teen Idol Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. on VH1.

 

FYI: Tonight, I'll be celebrating the New Year with EXTRA! host Mario Lopez at Joonbug 's party at Marquee nightclub here in New York City. Hope your ball drop is tons of fun, fellow fanatics!

Reason I love my job no. 298: Easy access to all my former teen celeb crushes!


VH1 launches Confessions of a Teen Idol this Sunday, where seven ex-heartthrobs take the plunge to try to reclaim the fame that has escaped them over the years.

I got the chance to interview the entire cast (for real!). Check back over the next few days for my exclusive chats with the boys who kept our bedroom walls from going bare.

DAVID CHOKACHI
David, 40, made a big splash starring on Baywatch.

You almost quit the series in the first episode!
They couldn’t disclose everything we would be doing on the show, and when I talked to our producer, Scott Baio, I said to him, “Would you say ‘yes’ to a movie without reading the script?” I had no idea  what they were planning to do to us. But it was a chance to a explore new medium I hadn’t worked in, and it wasn’t a competition, that was really positive. Still, doing the show was a gamble.

What’s your best memory from Baywatch?
On the show we had all these opportunities to do these amazing action scenes. I would be out in Catalina shooting diving sequences. Riding jet skis full blast and taking out a guy jumping from ski to ski, literally for me was the best part.

Have you ever had a crazy fan encounter?
People were always punking me to save them since I played a lifeguard. You can’t be crying wolf on me! But one time we were down in Miami Beach doing an appearance and a girl was having trouble in the water. I thought she was setting me up to clown me, but my manager and I swam out to her, and it was the real deal. Who I was never even came across her radar because she was so freaked out.

What have you been doing since you left the beach?
I did Witchblade, which was completely different from Baywatch. I was a New York City detective and the role was kind of dark and edgy and changed people’s perception of me completely. It’s hard to get the Baywatch image out of people’s mind, so I’m constantly finding things where I can play against type.


ADRIAN ZMED
Adrian, 54, starred in Grease 2 with Michelle Pfeiffer and on the TV series TJ Hooker with Heather Locklear.

What was your strangest fan interaction during your teen reign?
One day my doorbell rang and at the door was a framed intricate stained glass mosaic of the face of my one-year-old son! While I was touched by it's beauty, I was also disturbed that a stranger would spend what must have been countless hours studying the face of my son, and finding out where I lived.
        
What was it like living in the house with other former teen idols?
The first time the guys hung out in the locker room I could see we all had the same size – egos. But it's not how big your ego is, it's how you use it.  It was a frat house atmosphere that I never had when I was in college. The camaraderie with the guys was a very special brotherhood I will never forget.
               
What’s your best memory of being on Confessions?
We put together a little show for inner city kids. Creating it, performing it and seeing the joy in their faces made me very happy and proud of the guys.

What advice do you have for today’s teen idols like Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson?
So many young stars today seem to be losing their identities in all of the hype and publicity. Focus on doing great work with your acting, treat people well and do something to help the world along the way. Everything else in life will come naturally and so will all the publicity, in a good way.

Confessions of a Teen Idol premieres Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. on VH1.

The number one resolution on the New Year's list of The Hills' star Brody Jenner? Find a new best bro!

He'll be doing exactly that on his new reality series Bromance, which premieres tonight.
 

Brody isn't taking the search to find a new BFF lightly. "Every bro is different," he tells me of the nine men who compete for the title.

"Ultimately, I"m looking for someone to be a loyal friend who is trustworthy, first and foremost. And someone who gets along with who you surround yourself with already is good too."

That means Brody's new pal will have to gel with his existing bros Sleazy T and Frankie Delgado, who aid him in his search.

"Frankie was always getting jealous, which is pretty funny," Brody laughs.

Earning entry into Brody's inner circle isn't an easy feat. Some of the challenges are just, well, strange.

"There could be some alligators involved in the sleeping arrangements," Brody reveals. "It’s not pretty."

But worth the battle. Bromance's winner is a pretty cool dude, according to Brody.

"I get along with him very well," Brody confesses, then spills, "We can't hang until the show airs, which kinda sucks."
 

Don't worry, Brody. True friendships withstand the test of time!
 

Bromance premieres Monday, Dec. 29 at 9 p.m. on MTV.

Kelly Ripa defines the word beautiful with “our kids, calmness and honor” while hubby of twelve years Mark Consuelos finds “peace” to be his ideal explanation.

This year the family is starting a new tradition.

“Winter in winter,” Kelly, 38, says. “We’re going to try it. Usually we do summer in winter – a bikini bathing suit destination – and now this year, I’m actually buying a coat. [laughs] It’s never been done before.”

Kids Michael, 11, Lola, 7, and Joaquin, 5, are  enjoying having their mom and dad around more during this time of year.

“I like to take my daughter to the ballet,” Kelly says. “We go to the Nutcracker every year, but I vow every year to do it more. That’s my contribution to cultural society.”

With Christmas and Thanksgiving done and dusted, Kelly offers fitness tips for those looking to drop a few pounds.

“I go to Physique 57, right on 57th street in Manhattan. It’s the love of my life – besides my husband. That exercise program is simple, easy.”

Mark, 37, chimes in. “And it really works.”

With all that exercise, Kelly can even include her favorite junk food – pizza – in the mix.

“I find that as long as you’re keeping your body in motion, you can pretty much eat anything in moderation,” she says. “It works out.”