Alison Haislip

Alison Haislip is a host and correspondent for G4tv’s Attack of the Show and was kind enough to take the time out of her busy schedule to answer a handful of questions for me. Ranging from how she got started in the industry to covering the biggest geek conventions and everything in between.

Lets start with you, for any readers who may not be familiar with you or your work. You graduated from Boston College with a degree in theatre arts, and you’ve done quite a bit of acting, so has working in “the industry”, so to speak, always been your main goal?

I can’t imagine doing anything else.  I grew up in a family very dedicated to the arts.  Both my parents are musicians and I believed from a young age that I would become a singer.  I started doing musicals in 8th grade, then plays a few years after that.  That’s when I decided that I wanted to focus on acting more than singing.  I studied it in college, moved to Los Angeles 3 weeks after I graduated, and landed a manager and a film within 6 weeks of living here.  That’s when I knew I was doing something right.

You’ve gained quite a following during your tenure at G4, closing in on nearly 40,000 followers on Twitter. Have you had that first moment where you’re beside yourself and say “This is actually my job”? And if so what sparked that first realization?

I have that moment almost every single day!  I’ve been working for G4 for over 2 years now, and it still blows my mind that I get paid to do most of the stuff I do.  The very first gig I covered for G4 was the DVD release of Live Free or Die Hard.  I flew to NYC, got to chat with Justin Long, take a helicopter ride, and shoot guns.  I had never shot a gun before in my life, and now, it feels like I’m doing it every few months.  If that’s not a great first impression, I don’t know what is.

You do a lot of stunts for G4 packages, were there any you were reluctant about when you first got the job description?

Riding on the back of a Suzuki superbike going 160mph terrified me.  I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it when I got to the track that day.  Even when I was doing it, I didn’t know how I was doing it.  Thinking back on it still scares me!  I have no idea why I agreed to get on that bike.  But I did, and now I have an awesome story.

I was also pretty convinced I was not going to eat that scorpion during one of our recent Trendhumper shoots.  But Joe from Complex Magazine was so cool with idea of having to eat the worm, I couldn’t let him show me up.  So I closed my eyes and chewed up a scorpion.  I’m totally one of those people who can’t turn down a challenge, much to the chagrin of my parents.

You’re a geek. To prove anyone who may say otherwise wrong, what is your nerdiest possession?

I am a card-carrying Charter Member of the Lord of the Rings Fan Club.  If that doesn’t win me nerd cred, I don’t know what will.

Now for the big stuff. E3 is coming up in a couple months and last year the hardware announcements such as Project Natal, were received with pretty mixed feelings, while a lot of the games such as God of War III, Beatles Rockband and Uncharted 2 had people more excited. What do you think are going to be the key players this year?

I know Microsoft has some big things planned, so I’m sure there will be some awesome Project Natal demos going on.  I’m expecting a lot of 3D gaming demos as well, since 3D televisions and Blu-ray players were the big-ticket items at CES this year.  Hopefully, they’ll work on getting those 3D glasses to be more accessible so we can shoot our 3D zombies with ease.  I’d also be interested in a console update for one or more of the major systems since we haven’t had one beyond the PS3 slim in recent years, but I have a feeling it’s just not time yet.  A girl can dream, though.

And of course, shortly after E3 is Comic-Con, which is the Olympics, for your field of work. What do you think are going to be the tv and/or movie announcements you’re looking forward to learning more about this summer?

I’m excited about everything Marvel is doing.  I’m expecting to see some Thor footage, and hopefully we’ll get a glimpse of something Captain America related.  I’m dying to read the 6th Scott Pilgrim book, which comes out the week of Comic Con, AND to talk with the cast…fingers crossed that I get to cover that!  And of course, you can’t beat the fantastic costumes that continually surprise us year after year.

While we’re on the topic of movies, you just recently shot a film, Division III, with Andy Dick. Is there any info you’re allowed to shed the light on about your role?

The film is about an awful Division III college football team.  It focuses on the team’s 2nd string quarterback, played by Marshall Cook, and the team’s new coach, played by Andy Dick.  You’ll see many familiar faces from MadTV appearing in this, as well as a former American Idol, but I play the love interest for our struggling 2nd string QB.  I spend the whole film being awkwardly wooed by our not-so-smooth hero, and somehow, I end up as the voice of reason.  Obviously, this is why it’s called “acting”.  We all know there’s nothing reasonable about me!

And lastly we’ll go with somewhat of a novelty question. What is something the fans, loyal or new, may not know about Alison Haislip?

I was the lead singer of a band in high school. It was me and 4 guys.  We were called Elusive.  We played at parties, school functions, and bars we weren’t even old enough to drink in.  It lasted almost 3 totally kick-ass years until we just couldn’t rock anymore.  I still wonder where I’d be if we had ever made it any further….(cue dream montage of Alison becoming a crazy famous musician, living the life, procuring a horrible drug addiction, neglecting everyone around her, destroying the band, ending up in rehab, then, as she’s starting to get her life back together, having a dream montage about all of it never happening and becoming a host for a geek television show….)

Thanks again to Alison for taking the time to do this. You can follow her on Twitter here.