More details have come to hand of Rove’s escapades in the States, in New York the show will be filmed in ABC’s Times Square studios with the real New York in the background. “Our backdrop will be the real skyline of New York City,” McManus says.

All of the team will attend except for Carrie Bickmore who is pregnant. Rove says Bickmore was dearly looking forward to broadcasting from that studio as, once when she was holidaying in New York, she had watched a newsreader in the same studio and fantasised about doing the same.”I know a little bit of her heart is breaking,” McManus says. Rove will conduct a tour of Sesame Street with Elmo, and will attend The Simpsons World Premiere.

Rove also talks about how he will have to speak differently to Americans. “We (Australians) do talk very quickly,” McManus says. “We’ve had a lot of American guests who have expressed to me before going on air that sometimes they have difficulty understanding the Australian lingo. And we do talk a lot in slang.” When asked why Rove is going overseas he jokes, “Escaping winter is always fun.”

On the NY show McManus will be joined by Adam Sandler, Janeane Garofalo, Kelly Clarkson and Ben Lee. McManus is looking forward to finally meeting Sandler, having interviewed him via satellite a number of times. When asked if Sandler will remember Rove? “I am never of the belief everybody knows who the hell I am,” McManus jokes. “In the past I have just been a voice in the earpiece to him. I would not be naive enough to think he will give me a big hug and say, ‘It’s nice to finally meet you’.” In LA, the list includes Claire Danes, Aussie ex-pat Radha Mitchell, Good Charlotte and the cast of The Simpsons Movie.

Portions of this article (including Rove comments) sourced from “Roving the World” at News.com.au