Country icon Reba McEntire reveals her favorite song and talks about a return to TV

Country legend Reba McEntire passed through Houston Wednesday afternoon for an interview with 93Q's Morning Zoo crew at Morton's Steakhouse in the Galleria area.

Taking a seat in front of a special 93Q banner at the side of the room, McEntire entertained a crowd of more than 50 radio professionals and contest winners with stories from her blockbuster three-decade career as a country singer and actress.

"The Queen of Country" apologized for being late after her flight circled the airport several times. "They wanted to give us a tour of Houston, that's all," she laughed.

Morning Zoo hosts Tim Tuttle and Kevin Kline (not the actor) started off the interview with questions about McEntire's "famous friends," a list that ranged from music stars like the late Johnny Cash to former President George H.W. Bush.

 Since the finale of Reba in 2007, McEntire's comic timing has remained finely-tuned, enough so that she will be cast in the starring role of a new ABC comedy pilot. 

"Come on, who's on speed dial?" Tuttle joked, not expecting her easy-going response of Ronnie Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill, and Kimberly Perry.

McEntire said she typically only texts many of her notable fellow performers. "I use lots of smiley faces," she laughed, "because everything I say is funny... at least, I'd like to think it is."

Since the finale of Reba in 2007, McEntire's comic timing has remained finely-tuned, enough so that she will be cast in the starring role of a new ABC comedy pilot. Titled Malibu Country, the show follows a recently-divorced country singer who relocates from Nashville to southern California with her three kids to relaunch her music career. (Side note: David Stewart of the Eurythmics serves as one of the project's main producers.)

"Trash cans," she smiled. "You'd be surprised. Dressing rooms are often in locker rooms and there are often only just two trash cans."

It was the Morning Zoo's Erica Rico who asked the million dollar question: "Reba, do you have a favorite song?"

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, McEntire said "Fancy" and the crowd broke out in applause. She added that she makes sure she has an emotional connection to all her songs, recalling the time she wavered and passed on "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" which George Strait brought to number one in 1984.

After the talk, nearly every person at the event had a picture taken with the country icon, who dashed from Morton's shortly after 4 p.m. to catch a flight to Lafayette, La., — the third-to-last stop on her current "All the Women I Am" tour.