Equity, Ownership Excite Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest was profiled in today’s NY Times by Lola Ogunnaike. The Idol host gets up at 4 am to do a radio show, then works for E! and has his hands in lots of other things–including hosting duties on the #1 show on TV.

“Equity, ownership, production fees, license fees: those are the vocabulary words that are exciting to me,” he said, flashing a perfectly aligned smile. “If you really want to be in this business for a long time, you have to be more than just one moving part.

“I’m frightened by the thought of being out of work,” he said. “Growing up, there were people on shows like ‘Diff’rent Strokes,’ ‘Facts of Life,’ ‘Love Boat’ that you thought would be huge stars for the rest of their lives, and they’ve just vanished. You never want to be that person.”

His on air foil, Simon Cowell said he was convinced that Mr. Seacrest would be nothing without him. “I gave him a personality,” he said. “He was the equivalent of nonvintage wine, cheap plonk, and now, as a result of being around me, he’s become full-bodied.” He finally came around to complimenting Mr. Seacrest, which appeared more painful for him than an amputation. “I’m going to hate reading this, but Ryan has a tremendous work ethic,” he said. “He wants all the glory, but he’s prepared to work for it, and I’ve never ever heard him complain.”

Mr. Seacrest, who says he’s straight, doesn’t mind the ribbing, but his friends do, he said. “They’re always, like, ‘Why don’t you tell him to stop,’ but I’m, like, there are worse things in the world than being a joke in a Jay Leno monologue,” he said. Teri Hatcher, the star of “Desperate Housewives,” told Oprah Winfrey recently that Mr. Seacrest dumped her cold after a few dates.

A relationship will have to wait, he said. For now he’s focused on capitalizing on all the opportunities being thrown his way. “You can achieve a lot by hustling now, or you can be lazy and say, ‘This is great,’ ” Mr. Seacrest said. “That is not in my plan.”