NY TIMES Sept. 1, 2003

An Obscure TV Host Is Flirting With Fame
By ERIK PIEPENBURG

Philip Greenberg for The New York Times

Ken Kleiber interviews Deidre

Goodwin of "Chicago" for his

cable access show, "That's

Kentertainment!"

The afternoon heat on Wednesday seemed only to energize an already zealous Ken Kleiber, the host, producer, writer, editor and sometime cameraman of his late-night cable-access show, "That's Kentertainment!"

That morning Mr. Kleiber received a promotion at his day job as executive assistant to the owner of a musical-theater licensing company. He was mentioned in Liz Smith's Newsday column. And a national tabloid offered him money for his exclusive interview with Liza Minnelli.

"And I'm only going on two hours sleep," he shouted.

"That's Kentertainment!," broadcast in New York on Thursday nights at 12:00 a.m.(sic) on Time Warner Channel 34, has attracted something of an underground following despite a negligible promotional budget. The show, which made its debut a year and a half ago, is a mix of sugarcoated interviews and variety-show sketches. Mr. Kleiber scored his biggest on-camera coup last month when he sat down for a one-on-one with Ms. Minnelli after a performance by her friend the cabaret singer Billy Stritch at a New York club.

"I'm a big fan," Ms. Minnelli told Mr. Kleiber on the show. "I'm really thrilled to do this."

When word got out that Mr. Kleiber conducted an exclusive interview with Ms. Minnelli, the first after the breakup of her marriage to David Gest, "Entertainment Tonight" and The National Enquirer called in search of a scoop.

He gave some sequences to "Entertainment Tonight," but refused to give anything to The Enquirer because, he said, it had been unfair to Ms. Minnelli in the past.

"Liza was nice enough to do this for me, so there was no way I was going to give them anything," he said. "I wouldn't go with the dish. That's not what I do."

The interview, which was broadcast last week, raised Mr. Kleiber's profile from practically nonexistent to on the radar. In a departure from his usual routine, he has begun declining pitches from "this weird little grapevine" of press agents eager to get their actor clients on his show.

"Ken comes from a different angle, almost like a fan doing an interview rather than a jaded reporter," said Jim Mannino, the publicist for "Chicago," the musical.

Belying its roots as a cable-access show — one in which the cable company provides time to would-be TV stars who pay production costs — "That's Kentertainment!" has featured celebrities who are hardly B-listers. Tommy Tune, Kristin Chenoweth and Charles Busch have done it, as has Carol Channing, a personal favorite.

"She is brilliant," said Mr. Kleiber (pronounced KLY-ber). "She is one of the people I grew up loving."

To pay the bills Mr. Kleiber, a Chicago native who worked there as an actor before moving to New York five years ago, is the executive assistant to Freddie Gershon, who owns Music Theater International, a licensing house. Mr. Kleiber, who refused to give his age but appears to be in his late 20's, usually conducts his interviews after the work day. He admits, though, that Mr. Gershon "has been generous" with time off to let him pursue his "other 40-hour-a-week" job.

He certainly seems to have the stamina for two jobs. On Wednesday volunteer cameramen accompanied Mr. Kleiber on a day of interviews that would have taxed even the hardiest of broadcasters.

At 2:30 p.m. his first interview, conducted while standing among police barricades in Times Square, featured Ruth Gottschall, who is to appear on Broadway in "Jackie Mason: Laughing Room Only," opening this fall.

An hour later, in an Ambassador Theater dressing room, Mr. Kleiber had a microphone in front of Deidre Goodwin, the current Velma Kelly in "Chicago." (Melanie Griffith, who stars as Roxie Hart, declined to be interviewed.)

Finally, around 6, Mr. Kleiber sat outside the Shubert Theater with Kate Buddeke, Julie Halston and Heather Lee, who play strippers in "Gypsy."

During this chat, Mr. Kleiber's voice and body finally showed signs of wear. But his enthusiasm did not.

"I try to have a conversation, not a list of questions," he said. "The actors know I'm enamored of them and their talent."

His aw-shucks style and kid-gloves questions must hold appeal for actors accustomed to more intrusive interrogators. ("You're fun!" Mr. Kleiber said to Ms. Goodwin. She replied, "You're fun, too!")

Investigative journalism it is not. The ultimate in fan appreciation, `Broadway Baby' style, it is.

"When I gush, it's not a put-on," Mr. Kleiber said. "Actors are human, too. Who doesn't like to be told they're great?"

Go back to the Press page