Michael Sabatino (J.T. Cornell)

This past summer, J.T. Cornell turned the lives of Whitney, Chad and Theresa upside down by exposing long-held secrets. What does he have in store this time around? Read our interview with Michael Sabatino to get the scoop on the return of his outrageous, scandalous character.

Welcome back! What did you think of your previous experience on the show?
It was just pure joy and endless fun. I had the best time running around through Rome. Working with Lindsay (Hartley, Theresa) and Liza (Huber, Gwen) was a lot of fun. I enjoyed playing J.T., who is just wacky and out of control and unpredictable.

What was your favorite moment?
Probably the introduction. Meeting and picking up Theresa in the hotel bar. Getting drunk and having the mickey slipped back into my drink... and then the pigeons. That whole thing was great. But it was great even right up until the end when Theresa tackled me off the moped.

Last time J.T. revealed two major secrets. What can we expect from him this time? More drama?
I think so. I'm sure he has another bombshell to drop, even if it's hazardous to his health. I think someone will get their world turned 180 thanks to J.T. In particular, he's got somebody prominent by the short hairs. But everyone has a secret in Harmony...

Is there anyone you'd like to work with more this time around?
Well, it's happening because I'm getting to work with Andrea Evans (Rebecca). Last time Rebecca and J.T. just had phone calls, but those are taped separately. So I didn't really get to work with her much. We just had two brief flashbacks. But now I've been working a lot more with her. What a sexy, delightful actress to work with! That's been the highlight of this revisit of J.T.

In the first Tabloid Truth promo you had to sing and dance. What was that like?
(Laughs) Jackie Briskey in casting called me to ask, "Do you sing?" and I said, "Well, noooo..." and then she said, "Well, you are!" I was afraid of what was coming, but it turned out to be a lot of fun to do. It was so wacky.

Was it terrifying? Have you ever sung on camera before?
Never have. What was terrifying was how the dialogue repeated in the song. I would drive my 3-hour commute home, and in my car I'd listen to the original song. I could hear how it was performed by the original guy, who won endless Tonys, and then I would try my version. (Laughs) Not being a Broadway singing actor, I was just like, "Wow." It was daunting. But it was great to pull it off. We did it in one take. Kathy, the pianist, was wonderful; she helped me a lot. The second song (coming up in a later Tabloid Truth chapter) was harder because I didn't get to rehearse it.

Is playing a comedic character more difficult than a villain?
No, this is just freedom. Drunk people are funny. (Laughs) They do weird things, make faces... I mean, I can't slur my words too much or people won't understand what I'm saying. So I try to do more physical things (to act drunk). Most of the guys I've played before are straight-laced, severe, etc. so I have much more freedom with J.T.

Tell the truth: Do you read tabloids in real life?
I don't. Although I like looking at the covers at the market. I remember one cover that said "Giant Bee Attacks Heartland." They showed this farmer with a shotgun and his foot is on the head of this big giant bee! And it also reads, "Experts Says Stinger Could Stun an Elephant!" (Laughs)

What's one secret you think fans don't know about you?
My 6 year-old had a TV show he liked called "Duck Dodgers" with Duffy Duck. Tom Jones sings the theme song. So I bought the Best of Tom Jones, so my son could hear Tom sing other songs. And I realized - I'm a big Tom Jones fan! (Laughs) So I'm secretly a Tom Jones fan.

Well, I also heard another "secret" about you - you play the accordion?
I do! I haven't played in a long time. When I was younger, I went to the music store with my mom, and I checked out the drums. The music store guy said no, you don't want to do that, you want to really learn music first and then you can move on to drums. There was a wall of accordions and I picked out one of those. I started taking lessons and competing. I was even in an all-accordion band called The Bullwinkle Accordion Band. We played throughout Southern California for rest homes and hospitals and dining rooms for the elderly.

The show should incorporate that into the next Tabloid Truth promo.
Maybe it could be a combo of Tom Jones accordion rap! (Laughs)

Be sure to check out Michael in Tabloid Truth, beginning Tuesday, October 10th at www.PassionsTabloidTruth.com!