By Tim Holland-TVGuide.com
April 1, 2003
The towheaded host takes his late-night show on the road to New Orleans this week to coincide with the men's NCAA Final Four, which tips off on Saturday. Sure, the former Montana State "benchwarmer," who boasts that he led the Big Sky Conference in turnovers and later hosted ESPN's SportsCenter, knows basketball. He'll proudly show off his shooting skills in a nightly contest with audience members and interview roundball enthusiasts in town for the tournament.
But the kind of hooping Kilborn is most looking forward to in the Big Easy doesn't have anything to do with basketball. "I'm just going to make sure I have a good first show on Monday, and then just coast for the rest of the week and enjoy all the good food and the restaurants," says Kilborn.
He's joking, of course, but there's some truth in his words, too. He loves Cajun food and New Orleans nightlife, he says, which were a bigger lure for him to head South than watching the on-court dramatics of college hoops. He also can't stop talking about a naughty bit he has planned called "Girls Please Don't Go Wild." In it he'll try to bribe girls to keep their tops on by offering them beads or T-shirts, rather than witness them flash their breasts as they often do during Mardi Gras. The horror!
"It's my conservative side coming out," he jokes.
He also plans a gumbo-eating contest and hopes to showcase local talent, known and unknown, during his visit. Tonight, legendary accordionist Buckwheat Zydeco, a Louisiana native, is on tap to perform. On Friday, New Orleans born Master P takes the stage with 504 Boyz.
Other guests this week include Roseanne, Joey Fatone, Robert Duvall, Jamie Kennedy, Will Ferrell, and Tom Green.
So, if you can't be in New Orleans for the festivities leading up to the big games this weekend, Kilborn may just be your ticket to all of the hoopla - on and off the court.
