It's always wonderful to say "@Hello Ross," when he's close enough to hug.
When Ross Mathews was here to perform at Pride in June, I got a few minutes with my longtime pal.
He's working on a follow-up to his bestseller, "Man Up!: Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence." "I'm meeting with publishers," he told me. "It's being written and I have to say it is great. It's the book I'd want to read if I wasn't me."
Presciently, our interview touched upon fired White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, who dominated the news last week with the release of her book "Unhinged." The last time Omarosa was this much news, she and Ross were making sotto voce music together on CBS' "Big Brother" as if there weren't microphones everywhere. We know now that's a situation with which she is decidedly comfortable.
Q: We are a few months beyond you whispering on "Big Brother" with Omarosa. Are you still frightened?
A: I don't think it's gotten any better. Do you feel any better? [Looking into the camera.] I'm just one voter but I love this country. We've made amazing strides and we're a great country. I just want to be OK. When I was asking that question in there, I knew it was going to make news. I wanted to ask someone who was a supporting player in history, the question that parents with kids in college, families with a mortgage, wanted to know. Are we going to be OK? And she said no.
Q: Did you like Omarosa?
A: I appreciated Omarosa. I did. I'll tell you why. Anyone who is strong, plants their flag and has convictions, I'll respect. I won't agree with, but I'll respect.
