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Mo Rocca: Celeb-buster
Court TV's funnyman revels in Hollywood's legal scandals.
By Brian Truitt

Mo Rocca has dressed up like a rumpled Nick Nolte in his infamous police mug shot, used a helmet and watermelons to assess one man's claims of stripper-induced whiplash, and tested Jeff Gordon's wife's charge in their divorce proceedings that race-car driving is no more dangerous than fishing -- all in the name of investigative journalism.

The 34-year-old host of Court TV's "Smoking Gun TV" is back for more: The second installment of the series (to air Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET) will profile three stories from thesmokinggun.com -- including the one about the ballistic bride -- and culminate with the awarding of a "Smokie," for the year's wackiest news story.

The Bethesda, Md., native, former president of Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, has been a producer for a children's series and an editor of a soft-core porn magazine. Now, the single New Yorker has a full plate, also contributing to "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," NBC's "Today" show, and VH1's pop-culture flashback installments "I Love the '70s" and "I Love the '80s."

We asked Rocca to give us the scoop:

How often do people ask if "Mo Rocca" is your real name? (It is.)
It always happens, and I say that in the late '60s, when I was born, my father was a diplomat and we were stationed in Mozambique. I say that because I like to lie. Then I tell them my mother was a hippie and was hiking across the Mojave Desert when I was born.

What would people be surprised to know about you?
That I'm a gymnast. I'm taking classes so I can learn to do a back flip, which I'd really like to be able to do. [And] that it's my hobby to visit the homes and grave sites of past presidents.

Tell us something about yourself that would be Smoking Gun TV-worthy.
My contract rider mandated that I be provided with water and a fruit plate backstage. After I was hired for the show, I knew I was vulnerable, so I had the fruit plate removed.

Is there something you would pay to keep from being broadcast about you?
A photograph of my apartment. It's so messy these days. Oh, and that restraining order -- I should keep that under wraps.

Who would have a restraining order against you? You seem like a cool guy!
Alan Greenspan. I go crazy over Fed reports. Every time one's issued, I get so excited.

Do you think celebs care how bad they're revealed to be?
Sure. I think anyone is embarrassed by being charged with a crime.

What kinds of things should remain private?
Personal matters are off limits. When a law is broken or a complaint enters the public domain, then it's fair game.

Best gossip without naming names ...
Did you hear about the sitcom star who left her husband for a senator and is also sleeping with a major studio chief? If you have, please tell me about it, because it would be a great story for the Web site.

How about some Washington gossip?
The best-kept secret is that Ann Coulter and Hillary Clinton are best girlfriends. They have their own little Ya-Ya Sisterhood. They shampoo each other's hair; they trade clothes. They're just girlfriends who love to talk on the phone all night long.