Donnie Wahlberg has come a long way since he first broke onto the entertainment scene, being a member of New Kids on the Block back in 1984. Fast forward to 2014; Wahlberg is a family man, actor, reality TV star, and a hot chocolate enthusiast.


Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski/INFphoto.com

Wahlberg can currently be seen on Blue Bloods, which is in its fifth season on CBS. When the show originally debuted, it was on Friday nights at 10 p.m. In part to a dedicated fan following and a strong social media presence, the show has become a hit and has made that time slot popular once again. This is just a small testament to the passion and dedication that Wahlberg pours into a project. Be it Blue Bloods or Wahlburgers or being a member of New Kids on the Block, Wahlberg is proving that he is one of the hardest working people in show business.

If working on one hit show wasn’t enough, he can also be seen working at his now famous family restaurant in Boston which is featured on the hit reality TV show Wahlburgers. The show allows fans to a get glimpse into what everyday life is like in the Wahlberg family and how they run their business. “We make time for it but we make the time for it because it gets us close to each other and it's a lot fun,” said Wahlberg. “I don’t really subscribe to the theory that reality TV is a bad thing, it’s here it’s not going anywhere and people might as well get used to it. On many levels this show has been the most fun job that I’ve ever had. You know as far as the TV.”

Being around family is something that comes across when fans are watching the Wahlburgers and now Wahlberg is taking his connection with fans and social media to a new level with help from Keurig. He is taking part in the “Say Hello with Keurig 2.0” sweepstakes, which allows fans to enter a contest with the grand prize of meeting Wahlberg in New York City for a cup of coffee or with a friend or family member of their choosing.

“Keurig approached me because of that, it’s really cool because you can make more than one cup of coffee and you can talk and hang out. Their whole promotional concept is to bring people together and I felt like I was the perfect person for this,” explained Wahlberg.

He also explained that every night he and his wife, Jenny McCarthy, sit down and enjoy hot chocolate from their Keurig. When asked if he was given the opportunity to have coffee with anyone in the world, he laughed and answered that he would of course pick his wife but a close second would be President Obama.


Image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com

With such a full television work schedule, the Blue Bloods star is still finding time to work on his other passion. Music.

When it comes to his work with the popular group, New Kids on the Block, not much could be discussed at this time but Wahlberg did hint that more news would be coming soon. “We have new stuff coming up with NKOTB but I can’t really talk about it yet. We are going to get back to work very soon as a band and a lot of that work goes on behind the scenes. We might tour three months a year but it takes nine months to work it out and plan it. So much goes into it. It's a 365-day a year job,” said Wahlberg.

With this long of a resume, it is clear that Wahlberg has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

TheCelebrityCafe.com caught up with Wahlberg while he was on the set of his show Blue Bloods and discussed how the show was going, what fans can expect this season, and how life is going working with his family on the hit reality show Wahlburgers. The interview is below.

Chelsea: You certainly have a busy work schedule…Blue Bloods and Wahlburgers. How are things going on the set of Blue Bloods?

Donnie: They are going great; we are starting our 100th episode today. So it’s pretty cool. It’s quite an accomplishment being on the air for 100 episodes, it feels more like ten. We are all pretty excited, you know when we first got the show on the air, we were stuck on Friday nights at 10pm and we have been getting 14 to 16 million viewers ever since. We have turned it into the best time slot in TV. That’s a real accomplishment.

Chelsea: What can fans look forward to coming up in the show?

Donnie: My character has a new boss in his squadron and he has really become a loose cannon. The fans will be watching him very closely, he will either have to redefine himself or pay the price.

Chelsea: How are things going on Wahlburgers? What is it like working with your family?

Donnie: Great. It’s a lot of fun; I have a lot of fun doing that show. I get to work with my mom and my brothers. I’m a big part of the restaurant and you know this is a great way to promote the business. We really have a great time doing it. I don’t really subscribe to the theory that reality TV is a bad thing, it’s here it’s not going anywhere and people might as well get used to it. On many levels this show has been the most fun job that I’ve ever had. You know as far as the TV. I get to be my own boss.

It’s sort of a peak into an aspect of our lives. We make time for it but we make the time for it because it gets us close to each other and it's a lot fun.

It’s not our entire life; you get to share parts of our relationships and stuff like that and who we are. That is really the fun part of it. Some people look at a show like this and say well that isn’t real, but it is real and when we are together that is how we are and we have a good time. We take our business seriously and we enjoy life. People, who take the show to seriously, just take it too seriously. We are real, like, if you hung out with Mark and his friends, you would probably laugh your ass off.

Chelsea: Since you are working with Keurig for the “Say Hello with Keurig 2.0” sweepstakes, what should fans know about how to enter the contest?

Donnie: I don’t do a ton of these things and I try to be selective. I do things that speak to me. I’m very much into connecting with people and I don’t use social media to make money or for promotion, I do it to connect with fans and I reach out to them, thousands and thousands of fans.

Keurig approached me because of that, it’s really cool because you can make more than one cup of coffee and you can talk and hang out. Their whole promotional concept is to bring people together and I felt like I was the perfect person for this.

I show up and have coffee with fans. I will often put out a message on Twitter saying “I’m eating at this restaurant come find me” and people find me. It felt like an extension of things that I already do. My wife and I sit down and have hot chocolate from our Keurig every night. It felt like a natural fit for me.

Chelsea: If you could have coffee with anyone who would that be?

It would be my wife first but hopefully I’m going to have coffee with a fan. If it weren’t with her it would be with President Obama. He would be able to take ten minutes and enjoy his cup of coffee. We talk about how hard we work but no one works harder than the President.

Chelsea: What else have you been working on?

Donnie: We have new stuff coming up with NKOTB but I can’t really talk about it yet. We are going to get back to work very soon as a band and a lot of that work goes on behind the scenes. We might tour three months a year but it takes nine months to work it out and plan it. So much goes into it. It's a 365-day a year job.

Chelsea: How is it to be reunited with members of NKOTB and performing again?

Donnie: Yeah it’s awesome. It was a great ride all of these years ago and it is so much more fun now. People say “I wish I could go back with what I know now” and we have gone back, we have self-financed it and are in control of our own destiny. We connected with our fans.

Social media has changed music in that the one hand all of this technology is great but people can’t sell records anymore. Touring and being a live band is really what it is all about and we have always prided ourselves on touring and getting to be in front of our fans as best we can. We are a natural fit for the way we work, it helps.

Chelsea: If New Kids on the Block could cover any song that is currently on the charts today which one would it be?

Donnie: I don’t know, I sang ten songs at my wife’s birthday party for her. I did all cover songs but they were mostly old songs. A lot of the songs today the subject matter, I just don’t connect with. I guess if I had to pick it would be Magic’s “Rude.”

I like listening to new songs but I just like listening to them.