WALTER SCOTT ASKS...
JAY LENO
The former Tonight Show host, 64, has returned to TV with Jay Leno's Garage, Wednesday nights on CNBC, on which he gets to talk about some of his favorite things: automobiles.
When did your love affair with cars start? "I grew up in New England in a rural area where the car was our iPhone. Now kids go places virtually — we had to go places in reality. I was at the DMV at 8 a.m. on my 16th birthday."
How many cars do you own? "I've got about 140 cars and about 170 motorcycles. Some of them are valuable and some are just old cars that I like, like Corvairs, cars that are interesting or that have a fun story."
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Is car culture different today than when you were growing up? "Yeah. When I was a kid, there were car songs: '409,' 'G.T.O.,' 'Little Deuce Coupe.' Even kids who knew nothing about cars pretended to, because girls liked guys with cars. Now it's more computers and things of that nature. It's not better or worse, just different."
How is Jay Leno's Garage different than other shows about cars? "It's just two guys talking about cars and motorcycles. Laurence Fishburne is a motorcyclist like I am, so I said, 'Do you want to come down and ride some bikes? We're not going to talk about The Matrix; I'm not going to ask you about your career.'"
Do you watch any late-night talk shows now? "I watch them all."
Email your questions for Walter Scott to personality@parade.com
Q: As the new host of America's Funniest Home Videos, what is Alfonso Ribeiro's favorite kind of video to watch?
— Miriam L., Dover, Del.
A: The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air tar and Dancing With the Stars champ, 44, says the most entertaining videos are what he calls "epic fails," when people attempt something "monumental" that ends up being monumentally stupid. "I love those," he admits. America's Funniest Home Videos premieres its 26th season tonight on ABC.
Q I heard that Kirsten Dunst will be in the new Fargo. What kind of role will she play?
— Eva Hagens, Tonopah, Nev.
A: A fun one, according to the 33-year-old actress, best known for her role as Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man franchise. When the Emmy-winning FX series kicks off its second season tomorrow night, she'll be starring as Peggy Blomquist, a Minnesota hairdresser who sets off a wild chain of events when she accidentally runs over a mobster. Dunst says she wants audiences to enjoy her character as much as she did. "I want them to giggle," she says. "I want them to be on Peggy's side."
LENO BY PAUL DRINKWATER/NBC/GETTY IMAGES; K&TG COURTESY PMK BNC; THOMAS BY DAVID BECKER/BET/GETTY IMAGES; RIBEIRO BY CRAIG SJODIN/ABC; DUNST BY CHRIS LARGE/FX
