Jimmy Kimmel Barely Has Time for the American Music Awards

Jimmy Kimmel doesn't mince words about what makes the American Music Awards -- which he is hosting tonight (11/21) -- stand out as special.

"You mean as one of 30 awards shows? Honestly, I don't know how unique it is," he replies. "I do know there are some great performers who are going to be on. I hate to single out anyone -- but Gwen Stefani always comes up with something new and great. Fall Out Boy -- those guys are really good. Snoop Dogg is always a barrel of laughs, but you have to steer clear of his trailer before the show or you might experience light-headedness."

Kimmel doesn't have any spare time to worry about whether his third hosting stint on the American Music Awards will live up to -- or exceed -- his first two, as he hopes. His plans called for him to tape his regular late night show ahead, emcee the AMAs, then prepare for a "Jimmy Kimmel Live" event tomorrow night (11/22) -- a Jay-Z outdoor concert for which Hollywood Boulevard will be blocked off.

"It's just very busy right now, but we do get Thanksgiving off, and a week at Christmas," reports the funnyman, who also recently taped the first 10 installments of his forthcoming ABC game show, "Set for Life."

He's not waiting for down time to spend with his 15-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son. They're well-known faces at his set, and they'll be around for the AMAs. "They're both really into music. My son plays the bass. I make him listen to '80s music," Kimmel reports. "He likes it."

And then there's Jimmy's girlfriend, fellow comic Sarah Silverman.

Is he planning to get married soon or anything like that? "No," he answers, "nothing like that."

UP, UP AND AWAY:

Legal correspondent Ashleigh Banfield, who works alongside Jack Ford on Court TV's "Courtside," says her passion in life is heli skiing -- but it may be becoming too dangerous now that she is a mom. Yes, we're referring to the sport of downhill skiing on slopes reached by a helicopter. Bet you don't see Nancy Grace doing that! "I'm an avid heli skier, but I've had to revisit the dangers of helicopter skiing now that I have a little one. In fact, my husband and I are trying to decide if we should ever be on a helicopter together. It's a really tough thing to decide since it was our favorite, favorite activity," she says of hubby Howard Gould. "I've done it for years. There's nothing I'd rather do. In fact, that was my dream honeymoon."

Now that's not something you hear every day!

Although the former international news correspondent may have to give up one of her favorite activities, she says she's got plenty keeping her busy at work. "To understand every facet of the law is a very large undertaking," Banfield admits. Luckily, she's got friends abroad to help keep her adventurous spirit thriving. "I still feel really close with my foreign correspondent producers and cameramen friends. I'm living vicariously through them. Although, I'm sure that the American government is a little concerned with my constant e-mails to Baghdad!"

A 'REAL' IMPROVEMENT:

"They really went out on a limb in pushing us to the limit, and we came out of it much stronger people," says Brooke LaBarbera, who's starring in the 18th season of "The Real World." The Tennessee native claims there will be a lot more depth to the MTV reality show this time -- not just the drunken debauchery that has made the series famous. "The casting team definitely picked seven of the most different, unique individuals that I could have possibly conjured up. The fact that our personalities and our backgrounds are so very diverse makes our season extremely interesting and thought-provoking," she explains of the show, which premieres tomorrow (11/23). "We dealt with a lot of issues that people have been struggling with for years -- everything from racism to competition with certain people to love triangles to sexuality."

LaBarbera believes that she and her cast mates, who worked with Outward Bound Wilderness while in Denver, came out of the experience more open-minded. "I think that each and every one of us was very uncomfortable in the beginning in terms of the differences in our personalities and just trying to swallow what we've gotten ourselves into. After a while, everybody learned something significant."

HORSEPOWER:

Rachael Leigh Cook has played a lot of different roles as an actress, but she never thought being a jockey would be one of them. "I just finished a movie in Ontario called 'All Hat' -- it's like the saying, 'All hat, no saddle.' I play a jockey," she tells us with a laugh. "I've been falling off horses for the last couple of weeks, but it was a lot of fun. It would have taken me years and years to ride well, so I wasn't allowed to do the actual riding." Cook says the experience has certainly made her appreciate the men behind the horses. "They're the most hard-core athletes I think I've ever encountered. No joke."

(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)