Alec Baldwin now hosting podcast for WNYC public radio

New York public-radio station WNYC announced today that New York's potential future mayor, Alec Baldwin, will be hosting a new interview show, available via podcast beginning October 24. The podcast will be called "Here's the Thing," and will allow Baldwin to chat with people he finds interesting, with an emphasis on guests in the entertainment field. Baldwin has already honed his New York Public Radio game by hosting nationally-syndicated program, "The New York Philharmonic This Week," on WQXR.

One can't help but picture Pete Schweddy taking over hosting duties on "Delicious Dish," but dessert balls will not be on the show's menu. The self-admitted "public radio junkie" will talk with Michael Douglas about cancer and discuss watching Glee with his young daughter on the initial podcast. Other interviews to follow will include Republican strategist Ed Rollins, Kris Kardashian Jenner, Chris Rock, Kathleen Turner, Erica Jong, and Dick Cavett. The podcast is expected to eventually evolve into an on-air radio show, though nothing is set in stone as of now.

The fifty-three-year-old Baldwin's interest in politics is well known, and this latest gig seems like a logical move for the Long Island native. And the contrast of talking shop with Chris Rock and the dry-as-dust Dick Cavett definitely sounds intriguing. Baldwin's 30 Rock contract expires after the upcoming sixth season, and he's unsure if he'll give Jack Donaghy one more year after that. Asked about a possible run for political office, Baldwin said:

"I have to finish what I'm doing now and separate these two parts of my life. I haven't really formalized that. It's like the difference between going to Jon Stewart and Jim Lehrer. The jokes have to stop, everything has to be on the record."