Interview :  Lena Lamoray via conference call Layout by Bioelectricdesign MEAT LOAF TO GUEST STAR ON  HOUSE & DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS PHOTOS/VIDEOS/PROMO COURTESY OF FOX & MEAT LOAF   HOUSE AND THE TEAM WORK TO KEEP A HUSBAND AND WIFE ALIVE BUT ARE FORCED TO MAKE A DIFFICULT DECISION AS BOTH PATIENTS’ CONDITIONSDETERIORATE ON AN ALL-NEW “HOUSE” MONDAY, APRIL 6, ON FOX Meat Loaf Guest-Stars  Charlotte, an older woman who has spent the last six months taking care of her husband Eddie (guest star Meat Loaf) while he's been dying of heart failure, is rushed to Princeton Plainsboro for immediate treatment after collapsing from respiratory failure at Eddie's deathbed.  With Eddie still alive and taken to the hospital as well, the two of them become a double mystery when Eddie's condition sporadically improves in direct correlation to Charlotte's condition deteriorating.  The urgency of Charlotte's medical condition breathes new life into their lacking romantic relationship, and their regrets of what could have been are replaced with genuine tenderness as Charlotte informs the team she wants Eddie to have her heart should she die before him.  The team is forced to make a difficult choice as both of their lives are nearing an end in the "Simple Explanation" episode of HOUSE airing Monday, April 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

--“DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!”—(8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT)  HE’LL “DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE,” BUT WILL SPECIAL GUEST MEAT LOAF LOCK IN THE CORRECT LYRICS? FIND OUT ON “DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!”Grammy Award-winning musician Meat Loaf and his daughter Pearl Aday take center stage to win big for charity. They perform together and try to lock-in the correct lyrics to raise money for The Painted Turtle, the sixth addition to Paul Newman’s family of Hole in the Wall Camps for seriously ill children, on a very special DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS! airing Friday, May 22 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Host: Wayne Brady

MEAT LOAF will guest star on HOUSE on Monday night.  He will also be on DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS  with his talented daughter PEARL ADAY on May 22nd to raise money for THE PAINTED TURTLE.   MEAT LOAF is celebrating his 43rd year in the entertainment industry.  He has delighted all of us with his incredible range of acting and singing.  He has certainly paved the way for other entertainers.  I do not know anyone who isn’t a MEAT LOAF fan.  Can you honestly say that you did not love his portrayal of BOB in FIGHT CLUB?  How lovable was he?  In real life he is an admirable man that does what he loves and helps others with his encompassing charitable nature.   FOX set up a conference call to celebrate their wonderful show, HOUSE and this endearing guest star.  I got to personally ask MEAT LOAF a couple of questions and I have to say he was such a gentleman to everyone.  I think that is one of the reason why everyone wants to work with him.

Lena:  You’ve worked with some amazing actors such as Brad Pitt and Ed Norton.  What was it like working with Hugh Laurie?

MEAT LOAF:  You know what?  I have to tell you, I really don’t know – because I don’t know if you can hear all the answers – but he walked onto that set and he has all that dialog every show, and a lot of it.  And all the technical terms.  I really don’t know how he did it.  Every time he would walk on that set he didn’t have a script, he just went.  I was in awe of him.  As we were shooting, because it shoots over a two-week period, I got to watch.  There were two episodes of House on while I was shooting it.  The last one that I’ve seen, because I’ve been off doing a movie now so I haven’t seen anything, he was playing piano.  I knew he played piano, but they really featured him in this one playing piano.  I have a song on my album that is just piano – we’re going to record this piano … - so I just wrote him a little note saying, “Here – listen.  This is a demo and I’d love for you to play on it.”  That’s all I was going to do.  I wasn’t going to go up to him and go, “Did you hear the demo?” or any of that.  The next day on the set he walked up to me and said, “Are you kidding me?  Yes, I’ll play.”  So I’m hoping that happens. As far as an actor, the guy’s amazing.  And he’s right there.  I mean, he’s very, very generous as an actor.  I mean, I just found the experience amazing. 

Lena:  Now, has he offered you a guest spot with him and Jesse on Band From TV?

MEAT LOAF:  No, he has not.

Lena:  No?  He should.  Thank you.

MEAT LOAF:  I don’t know what that is.

Lena:  It’s a charity band – it’s a bunch of celebrities from TV.

MEAT LOAF:  Cool.

Lena:  They do really incredible work for people, too. 

MEAT LOAF:  That sounds like a good thing.

Lena:  You’d definitely be a good complement to that.

MEAT LOAF:  Well, thank you for saying so.

Lena:  You’re welcome.  Thank you for doing the interview.

MEAT LOAF:  No problem.

Other conference call highlights:  When MEAT LOAF was asked about his upcoming appearance on DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS this is what he had to say, “We’re playing for Painted Turtle, which is a subsidiary of Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall.  It was put together by Lou Adler and Paige Adler.  For people who don’t know who Lou Adler is, he produced the Mamas and Papas, Carole King, Cheech and Chong.  He was one of the biggest.  I have a long history with Lou.  He was the producer of the stage version of Rocky Horror Picture Show in L.A. in 1973.  So I worked for Lou.  Lou is really responsible for putting me in the movie of the Rocky Horror Picture Show because he was also one of the producers who did that.  I have a long history of playing basketball with Lou and Jack Nicholson out in the Rainbow parking lot in the afternoon.  I’ve just been friends with Lou for a long time. He was telling me about Painted Turtle.   One of the co-founders was Larry Brown, the NBA coach.  It just does great work for the kids just like Newman had always done.  I try to do things for kids.  I mean, there are so many charities to play for.  I go to the hospital sometimes.  If you ever go to the hospitals, the musicians, there are all kinds of things, but that particular charity is unbelievable. See, they asked me to do it and I said no because I just don’t do things like that.  But my daughter Pearl has a band.  She’s trying to get started.  She plays and she’s working really hard.  She really is a really good singer, which you’ll see on Don’t Forget the Lyrics.  I mean, this child can flat sing.  I wanted to help Pearl out.  So they said, “Well, what if you came on with your daughter Pearl?”  And I was like no, no.  Finally I said, “Okay.  Because it’s Pearl, I’m going to help Pearl out.”  I did it for the charity and for Pearl.  I didn’t do it for me, I can tell you that.”

When MEAT LOAF was asked about the research he did to play a guy dying of heart failure he responded,

“Well, I’ll tell you – the main thing that was perplexing was okay, how to be sick without playing sick.  You follow me?  And they’re very good – the casting on House is very good – about getting 75% or 80% of their actors that come on that just figure it out.  So that was the hardest thing because I’ve never played anybody – I mean, I’ve played crazy people; they’re sick – but not in the fact of being ill.  It’s real easy to play sick, but to be sick is a lot harder.  And I remember we were shooting one scene and when we finished it I said, “I’m glad we’re not shooting anymore of these because I swear to god, I’d die of a heart attack.”  My chest was killing me. I mean, it was hurting.  I don’t know really how I got there.  I will confess that I was watching Damages.  You have to understand – I love Damages, I love Glenn Close.  I don’t know if you’ve worked with her.  I don’t know if you have, but I have and man, oh man.  Ted Danson was in a hospital bed and I had it on TiVo, so I just rolled it over and over and over again.  I just kind of watched Ted Danson.  Ted Danson playing sick – I went, “God, he looks really sick,” so I just studied him for a little while.”