Could you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Alexander Rodriguez, and I’m a entertainmentaholic.  LOL.  I’m a TV and radio show host that loves all things from entertainment – from classic holiday to pop culture to celebrity rumors – count me in!

How would you describe your iHeart Radio show, On the Rocks?

My show is an eclectic mix of everyone from entertainment sharing some cocktails and sharing some juicy Hollywood stories.  From Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony Award Winners to porn stars, pop culture celebrities and drag queens, you never know who’s going to be rubbing elbows and clinking glasses while I get them to reveal stories and aspects of their lives who have never heard before.

What have been some of your favorite moments on that show?

I’m such a huge fan of classic Hollywood, so sharing some martinis with MGM musical maven Shirley Jones was an absolute pleasure for me – she shared stories about her friendship with Frank Sinatra, sharing the screen with Robert Preston and booking the movie Oklahoma from an audition where she was literally learning the songs moments before to some of her difficult times with family during her stardom, it was a conversation I will never forget.  I’m also addicted to everything reality TV so having MJ Javid from Bravo TV’s The Shahs of Sunset and cast members of Vanderpump Rules was pretty fun.  Girllll, I found out some juicy gossip about the reality of reality TV!

On September 20th, you will be debuting a brand new show on LATV, Glitterbomb, what can you tell me about this new endeavor?

Glitterbomb, a new national TV talk show (check your local listings!), is the first ever Latinx LGBT talk show.  Hosted with my two co-hosts, Entertainment Weekly’s Patrick Gomez and telenovela star Enrique Sapene, we are an all inclusive entertainment show chatting to celebs from Hollywood as well as the Latinx community with hot topics, Hollywood news and behind the scenes stories from some of your favorite personalities.

Can you share anything about what viewers might have to look forward to in terms of guests or topics for the first season?

We really have some great diversity – and some eye candy – for our first season.  We chatted to women making a name for themselves in Hollywood with Justina Machado from One Day at a Time and Jen Lyon from TNT’s Claws, the handsome Josh Murray (winner of The Bachelorette), live performances that include The Four’s Matt Bloyd, some Bravo TV goodness with OC Housewife Peggy Sulahian, Shahs Mercedes Javid and Newlyweds stars Craig Ramsay and Brandon Liberati, social media advice from Social Media Queen Rachel McCord and a visit from American Woman’s Jenn Bartels sharing what its like to have her first big TV show.  My co-hosts and I also tackle topics that cover staying friends with your ex, using your entertainment persona for politics, oversharing on social media and first dates.

What are your hopes for the show and what are you looking forward to most with Glitterbomb?

Our show is all inclusive, so my hope for this show is that families will sit together and watch the show, share some laughs, see some of their favorite celebs and open a dialogue about the magic in diversity that this national shares.  The show is hosted by three gay hosts, but it is open and available to everyone – this is a show girlfriends can make their boyfriends watch and they won’t complain.  LOL.  The Latinx community has been a little behind in the acceptance of the LGBT community – but the youth is changing that and LGBT characters are now being featured in Latinx news, movies and telenovelas.  Its a very exciting time, especially during this current political and social climate.

Society is very focused on labels, but you have a very anti-label disposition, could you share how you are able to fit within various communities while also maintaining your own individual identity?

This is a very important questions, especially in today’s age.  I’m gay but don’t go to the gym everyday (or ever, ha!), I’m part of the “bear” community but don’t wear leather to pool parties, I’m Latino but never had my quinceanera and have problems ordering at Del Taco, I live in West Hollywood but don’t go to the Abbey every day, I’m the product of a single family home but never take that as a negative, I was raised Catholic but don’t go to church anymore…so many labels that just don’t fit.  What makes me fit and become welcomed in different communities is my personality and my confidence and my willingness to share life stories with others, even those that differ in politics and social issues.  We have to stop holding on to our labels as the only thing that define us because we lose site of what our goal within a group is, and that is to have our voice heard as part of the American culture.  That doesn’t mean lose your identity within your culture/sex/sexuality/class – it means giving the same respect to other groups that we are demanding for ourselves.  In today’s society, there is no black and white anymore, we are all evolving everyday.  This is even a problem within the LGBT community where we ourselves are divided to such an extent that it damages our overall goal – people are body shaming others, higher incomes are bullying lower incomes, assumptions are made about LGBT porn stars, drag queens are being celebrated for tearing other drag queens down…we have to stop the labeling and hate in our own community to set an example.  Phew…can you tell I get worked up about labels?

In reading about your journey within the world of entertainment your mom is often mentioned as the person who helped shape your wit and personality. Could you discuss that in a bit more detail and share a bit about your path to where you are now in terms of your career?

Let’s just say she still threatens to ground me and I have to defriend her on social media from time to time.  Just kidding!  As I mentioned before, I come from a single family home.  I was never raised with a father figure, which is some ways I’m sure made it easier, but I never knew that in “normal” terms my family life was lacking.  All I can remember was a house full of humor.  My mom worked three jobs until I was in college to put me through private school, always have voice and acting lessons, who drove me to all my shows and even saw a show I did in LA over 30 times over the course of six months.  She believed in me as an entertainer from my early childhood doing school plays to starting doing professional theatre at a very young age.  She has always inspired me and taught me to work harder than the next person, never be ashamed for who you are, be kind to others (she insisted that we volunteer for local organizations since I was 7), and above all, laugh at life.  She taught me the humor and joy in smaller things, we weren’t able to afford a lot growing up and I was often put down as being the only so-called poor family in school, but I can tell you that you have never seen a house so full of laughter.  My humor and wit are directly inspired from her, the original Momma Rose.  Writing this down it sounds cheesy, but it is completely true.  She needs her own show!

Now for some slightly goofier questions. I saw you were a cinephile and I was curious, what are your three favorite movies?

I LOVE MOVIES!  I’ll even watch the direct to TV ones.  My top 3 in comedy are Best in Show, Addams Family Values, and the classic version of The Women.  Drama movies top 3 are Requiem for A Dream, Frida and Stella (with Bette Midler).  Rom com top 3 are, none.  I can’t stand Rom Coms.  Ha ha!

As a follow-up, what cocktail would you drink while watching these movies?

My only drink of choice ever is vodka.  Vodka in the mornings, vodka in the afternoons, vodka at night.  Its the best choice.  Vodka with cranberry and a splash of 7 is my go to at all times – no lime!

Where can our readers keep up with everything you are working on?

My radio show is live every Tuesday at 7pm PST, head to Instagram/Twitter at @ontherocksonair  , personally you can see my antics around the nation at @alexanderisonair and Glitterbomb Instagram needs some love at @GlitterbombTV    Facebook you can find me at On the Rocks Radio Show and GlitterbombLATV.  Drop me a line, I love chatting with people!

Share your thoughts with us in the comments or on Twitter, @thenerdygirlexp. You can find me on Twitter, @kleffnotes, on my blog, kleffnotes.wordpress.com, on my kleffnotes YouTube channel, and I run The Nerdy Girl Express Snapchat, thenerdygirlexp.