Episode 41: Fridays Live with Diane Sawyer and Alicia Keyes
It mainly is a joy to come into work every day with these incredibly smart people. The evening news is still such a powerful place in America for muscling up to get something done, and that’s what she loves. Where you wake up every morning and say, ‘Don’t tell us we can’t get answers.’ Yes, they will. They’re going to get answers. Oprah asks what time she got up for the morning show- 3:45 to 4:00am. Sometimes she talked herself out of it. In her sleep she had a whole series of dreams designed to talk her out of why she didn’t have to get up early and how this was going to be an easier day.”
Oprah recalls it was going to be for 3 months, and 11 years later…. Don’t invite me to your house, says Diane.
Charlie was leaving and she knew all the people at ABC. One of her biggest adjustments to evening news, Diane says, was getting used to how little time you have to deliver. “In the morning you have two hours and you can kind of say what you think, and suddenly you’re compressed to a much shorter amount of time and you want to make every sentence matter,” she says. To come in in the morning and to be able to say that this matters, like the Toyota story they broke.
Everyone keeps telling them that it is too complicated the fees on credit card bills- no it isn’t, they’ll explain it and that matters. Oprah says she’s rearranged her whole schedule in order to watch Diane at 5.30pm each day. She could not believe that one day Diane was in Afghanistan, and the next she was in Haiti, how did she do that? “We’re sitting in Afghanistan, we finished our reporting there over several days and we look up at the crawl and it says there’s a challenge in Haiti and everybody said, ‘Rebook, reschedule,’” she says. “We flew straight to Europe. Europe to New York. Threw bags off, got the other bags because one was cold and one was hot, went to Haiti. It took me three tries to get in that morning. We stayed up all night. We just kept pushing until we finally got in on this teeny helicopter that morning and we made it in time.”
Oprah said how are you literally standing up? With no disrespect to the devastation, how was she doing this with time zone and jet lag and so on? Diane has said that she needs to be in rehab for her curiosity. At times, like in the security line at the airport, she thinks that she just cannot do it. But it is just a burst of energy from what people need to know about the sheer moment by moment courage of these people in the middle of this impossible devastation. Oprah reiterates that it just shouldn’t take 4 days to get water to people. Diane says that 69% of funds hadn’t been spent, there still aren’t tents and latrines in places, and she still doesn’t understand a world that lets doctors use vodka for anesthesia and cleaning wounds, and they have been trying to sterilize shoe laces and tie up wounds.
Diane takes the cameras with her for a day in her life… Take a look. She gets up at 7, after a decade of 3.45, to wake up and be normal. She eats at 11am, she has a cucumber soup and zucchini for lunch. She goes to the office. She has to be ready to go live at a moments notice, so the first stop is the makeup chair. She is usually in the newsroom, she goes to a meeting with a congressman and puts on grown-up clothes. Her trainer came by with a yoga mat and weights in the hope that she’ll start working out again. She says that the weights are too heavy, that’s not going to work out. Lunchtime, she eats soup from home in a plastic cup. Upstairs for a newsbrief. She meets with the team behind closed doors to finalise the show. An hour to go, crunch time. She says that she is so lucky because everywhere that she has worked has been a different way of doing things. If they can make the world see things a little differently, it’s been a good day.
Diane started out in 1967 as a weather girl at WLKY in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The Oprah show called them up to get some old photos. Look at you. “I was terrible,” she says. “I didn’t wear contact lenses then and I couldn’t actually see the West Coast. I was giving my impression of the West Coast most of the time.”
Diane’s done thousands of interviews, Oprah asks who was her favorite interview. She says the ones she likes most have been with young children with big dreams. “My favorites are when I get to go to Appalachia and talk to the kids up there. The remarkable kids who in the midst of horizons about this big are dreaming of a future as wide as everybody else,” she says. Diane’s also struck by the interviews that leave her wondering what just happened, she says. “Like Saddam Hussein,” she says. “I was asking him if he had killed people and I was asking why he had those big portraits of himself up there. Wasn’t it kind of embarrassing at the very least?” She was momentarily afraid of getting out with the tapes.
Diane’s reported from plenty of danger zones but says she is rarely afraid. “Something just blocks out everything but why you’re there and the purpose of why you’re there,” she says. “I remember being afraid once, and it was in a Civil War in Africa and some kids with AK-47s took us out into the countryside in a concrete space and I thought, ‘I’ve done this to my crew.’” Sometimes her curiosities take her too far.
Oprah asks which was her worst interview, Diane says getting celebrities to open up can be hard. “They’re so shy,” she says. “I don’t know why we think they should be able to come on talk shows. Because the definition of what that is, is to be interior and to have everything be all folded in and so that to be sitting there with somebody who just can’t talk…. it’s a struggle.” Joaquin Phoenix was a struggle, and he got in her lap because there was nothing else for them to do. Oprah had to pull him out of the Green Room. John Travolta is holding him up on strange. Barbara Walters said Warren Beatty was her worst. Oprah doesn’t have a worst interview. Oprah says when shy people come on a talk show and don’t want to talk, its very irritating.
Oprah asks what Diane and her husband of 21 years, legendary director Mike Nichols do that they haven’t been able to do for the last 11 years. He said to me the other day, ‘You know, there’s just more of you now.’ And I know what he means,” She used to have a universal expression of high eyebrows and wide open eyes which meant either I am fascinated by you or I’m asleep. She now listens to him. They have time in the evening. They cook. It’s like kids, they can’t believe they get to stay up so late and they’ll cook really late. They stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning because they’re talking. Even though she was home in the afternoon a lot of the time before, you don’t talk the same way. It’s that day is done and let’s really learn about each other all over again every day.
Oprah says wow they have a special relationship. Oprah says that the funniest email was when Oprah asked her how to keep basil fresh in the refrigerator. Diane was trying to research for Oprah, and called Oprah to tell her to use a shower cap for the basil. Oprah says that doesn’t work. Then Oprah asks if Diane got the thing she sent for Christmas, a set of basil keepers. Diane says yes and they go to break.
Live in Chicago with Diane Sawyer of the ABC Evening News. The lack of hoopla was deliberate- they wanted to make sure that there was no time without a person there after Charlie left. Diane says the news is ultimately about the stories being told, not the person telling it. It’s about the work, the purpose you have, what you actually accomplish, whether you change people’s lives. That’s ultimately the signature of the broadcast.
Oprah says that the first time she saw the evening broadcast, she thought Diane has finally come home. She is finally in the space that she really belongs. Not that she didn’t do a great job on the morning show, but Oprah would see her sometimes bouncing on a trampoline and think what is she doing? Diane says it feels right, she likes that it feels concentrated, she is thinking more and more. Leonard Cohen says as you get older what do you do today to feel a hero. Today she feels every day has something great to do and great to bring. She is energized and the world is a big place. Oprah says that she is the best looking 64 year old, everyone cheers. This is what 64 is, oh my goodness.
Oprah wants to talk about the horror story of this week, 17 year old honor student Chelsea King who went missing after a jog in San Diego and her body was found and now a registered sex offender has been arrested in connection with her murder. Diane says that Chelsea’s family have been incredible through t’his. As a country we are back with the question, what do we do with them. 75% do not reoffend, but the 25% who do reoffend are the cause of this great problem in American justice. The calculation as to whether they will or not, and Oprah’s amazing conversation with offenders which showed that they are not all made alike- to make that decision or to make the decision that theres a certain person they have what is called an indeterminate sentence, and that’s it.
Oprah says that it is wonderful to see Diane and to know that she’s in a space where she can really, fully be all that she is meant to be, makes Oprah very happy. They hold hands. Oprah says that 30 year old John Albert Gardener, a registered sex offender has been charged with the rape and murder of Chelsea King. He is in solitary confinement without bail. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. He has plead not guilty to all the charges, Oprah has to let us know.
Oprah asks Diane if she’ll do the no-phone zone pledge. Yes. She will be flying back to host the news at 630pm eastern and will be wearing the same shirt unless she spills tomato juice on it.
12 Grammy awards and 30 million albums sold, all before age 30, Alicia Keyes is teaming up with fellow superstar Beyonce Knowles, can you imagine the two of them together? Come on out Alicia. Show off, show off says Oprah. What you doing girl, that is too cute, says Oprah. Alicia says that she wanted to brighten it up with a little sparkles. Oprah asks what she’s doing? Alicia likes to call it her lifestyle, focusing on eating well and having a good workout regimen. Oprah says she heard it was after watching the documentary Food, Inc. Alicia says yes, to the point where she was asking everyone if they had seen it. March 11th Oprah says they will be airing it again, it’s a good program. “I’ve always been conscious about how I’ve eaten, and so that just made me eat even better,” she says. “So I just feel really good. I’m really happy. I’m in a great space. I feel really positive.”
She’s on tour right now, she was in Chicago on Wednesday night, Chicago was amazing they love Chicago. Oprah says that if it was warmer, the whole world would be in Chicago. Oprah says that people are much friendlier if she comes back in July, right now they are just trying to get inside out of the cold.
Oprah asks about the duet with Beyonce. Alicia says she and Beyonce have wanted to work together for years. They’ve been friends for a little while now, and were able to grow up together in the business. “They were both on Columbia Records at the same time, and so have been able to watch each other flourish.
She knew that recording her album was the right time to do a duet, so they recorded “Put It in a Love Song” Wow, says Oprah. “We had so much fun,” she says. “It was insane, and the people were just unbelievable.” They recorded the video in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the crowd applaud.
Oprah says that there are some really hot photos, did the press go insane? Everyone came out to see them, wherever they were… Oprah say that she’d have come and seen them.
Oprah says it is amazing, that Alicia is celebrating 10 years in the music business, and Oprah remembers that the first time Alicia was here at barely 20 years old she did her national TV debut on the Oprah show. Look at her braids and her tuxedo thing. Now she has sold millions of albums, and won 12 Grammy awards. Oprah says that Alicia, of all people has been able to hold on to that space inside herself and she does that so beautifully in this crazy world. Alicia says first of all thank you very much for that compliment, that means alot to her. Her family and having people who truly love her and know who she is on the inside around her, very close are a big part of that. And being conscious about others keeps her grounded. Oprah has been a huge supporter of her and her work with Keep A Child Alive and that allows her to be part of the world, which means the world to her. Oprah knows Alicia is going back to Africa- yes she’s taking five Americans with her and if you text “alive” to 9099 you could be part of that trip to see what changed her life. The clinics and orphanages that she is part of, and the beautiful people there. That is important to keep her grounded in the bigger picture. “I think really being conscious about others is a very big part of what keeps me grounded,” she says. “I’m able to really see what happens in the world. I understand people’s experiences.” Oprah says that the way to stay grounded is to take what you have to give and share it with the world. Alicia feels you learn so much about yourself, “It makes you feel good, and I feel like you learn so much about yourself. You learn that there’s more than just what meets the eye, in our four walls,” she says. “It makes you feel like kind of super fly.” Super fly says Oprah.
Oprah asks how her new world tour is going. “It’s amazing,” she says. “This time, I have to say, I feel more powerful and more strong than ever before. I feel more motivated, more dedicated, more focused.” They’re going to Detroit, Canada, New York, the West Coast. She’s calling the world tour The Freedom Tour. Alicia has a huge hit out now with Jay-Z “Empire State of Mind”. Since she was a teenager, Alicia says she’s dreamed of working with Jay Z. “When I was 16 years old and trekking into Columbia Records with my Timberlands on and my headphones on, I was riding on a train listening to him” she says. “Fast forward all these years later, and we’re both from New York. We have this really powerful song that resonates with the world, because it’s about achieving your dreams.” It’s become a New York anthem. It’s amazing, they both say.
Oprah asks who she’d like to work with. She likes to work with interesting people like Jack White, that was good. She’d love to work with Kings of Leon. “I love an artist named M.I.A. who’s like really kind of quirky and has her own style. I love that.” She’d love to work with Prince. With Prince, says Oprah, that would be interesting. Prince if you’re watching, says Oprah.
This is the new CD the Element of Freedom, where Oprah says that Alicia looks beautiful on the cover. She sings the new song, “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart”. Oprah says “you go into a zone at the piano girl, I love it”
So much fun, says Oprah, that was their flash mob with the Black Eyed Peas. Ocoee Florida Middle School used The Oprah Show flashmob as inspiration to get fellow teenagers to read. Take a look at this, it’s about something she loves.
Students hold up books and perform to people singing about reading books. That’s so cool, says Oprah, Joining via satellite; the principal, reading coach and student body of the school. The Principal was dancing in the front of the video, it was an amazing day and she wanted to inspire the school. It was the reading coach’s idea, she saw the Oprah Show and wanted to get the whole school out on the lawn to do that. Oprah asks if its difficult to get teens to read when they have so many distractions. With their other interests, especially those who struggle, not being able to read well can affect your whole life. Being seen with a book is not always cool, and they wanted to change that. Oprah notices that everyone in the video had a book in their hand, did they go the library? They were asked to bring out their favorite book, and if they didn’t bring one, the teachers helped them out. Oprah asks to speak to Danny and asks him what it was like to be in the flashmob. Danny says it was just amazing, oh my gosh, getting all these kids dancing and making a music video and getting on her show, it’s so awesome, oh my goodness. Oprah says that talking about reading is a good way to get on her show. Another student Alex says that it was so much fun and even those who didn’t know each other got out together and that now people are reading so much more and passing their tests and their scores are through the roof. That’s fabulous says Oprah.
Oprah has heard that the school library is outdated- it was built for 1100 students and now they have 1700 students so it needs an upgrade. Target are giving them 2000 books and a wall to wall facelift of the library so they have comfy seating so they can keep reading and reading. Thanks to Target who do great things for education across the country, revamping K-12 libraries. Yay Target. Oprah tells the school that they have to go back to class now. Watch the Oscar show and don’t text and drive.
WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:
Diane Sawyer says she should be in rehab for her curiosity
Diane Sawyer doesn’t understand a world that lets doctors use vodka for anesthesia and cleaning wounds
At lunchtime, Diane Sawyer eats soup from home in a plastic cup.
Oprah says when shy people come on a talk show and don’t want to talk, its very irritating.
Oprah says that Alicia Keyes, of all people, has been able to hold on to that space inside herself and she does that so beautifully in this crazy world
A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:
The way to stay grounded is to take what you have to give and share it with the world.