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The energy in the room was palpable. I've watched numerous presidential debates on television but none compared to my witnessing one in person.
My red-eye flight arrived into Cleveland at 7:00 in the morning on Tuesday. The city had just gotten up to 8 inches of snow and many of the flights had been delayed. When I walked outside the airport to my car, the snow-covered trees instantly reminded me of being back in Detroit, my hometown.
After a quick change, I headed to Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. The NBC Press Room had hot plates of food for the crews that were beginning to pile in. My first interview was in the production control room where the director of the debates was mapping out the camera shots and perfecting the lighting on stage for the evening.
"How do you make sure one candidate doesn't get more camera time than the other?" I asked.
"That ball is in the candidate's court. We follow the action."
Then we took "the walk," the path that Clinton and Obama took from their rooms, down the hallway, up the stairs, through the curtains, and onto the international stage. My heart was racing, just thinking about the pressure they were about to be under. With the debate just moments away, I got to my seat in time to hear the moderator tell us to hold our applause and comments throughout the debate so each candidate could be heard. Surprised that, for the most part, everyone kept the promise. When the candidates walked out, everyone erupted into applause, whistling and yelling their names, followed by respectful silence.
And after the final "thank you for joining us," supporters rushed to the stage, begging for autographs and handshakes.
And I realized I had just witnessed history.
It takes about a week to recover from the Oscars.
It was such an incredibly wonderful day—mainly because I got to share the Oscars with my dad. And yes, he got his tux!
I sent a limo to pick him up from the airport Friday night which he could not believe was all for him. Saturday morning we headed down to the Kodak Theatre so Dad could get his credentials (the security could not be tighter at the Pentagon) and I could begin rehearsals.
I hosted the official Oscar Red Carpet show for the Academy on ABC and since we were preparing for a global audience, we had several days of practice.
On Saturday the carpet was full of camera crews from all over the world. I told Dad while I was doing my run-through, he could roam the carpet. So he checked out the sights and took pictures with Oscar. After a couple of hours, I went to look for him and spotted him doing an interview with a German television show!
My Sunday started at 3:00 in the morning when the alarm went off while I was dreaming about Javier Bardem.
Not in an “oh-he’s-hot” way but, in a “please-don’t-kill-me-like-you-did-everybody-in-No Country For Old Men” way. I pushed the snooze button a couple of times before I dragged myself out of bed to get ready before the car came to pick me up at 4:45 to take me to the studio to get hair and makeup done.
My first “hit” time was 6:10am. I was doing affiliate hits – interviews with a series of television stations around the country promoting NBC's Golden Globe Winners Special announcing the winners of the awards. With the writer’s strike, the Globes were reduced to a press conference – no red carpet, no fancy gowns.
So, NBC decided to make things a little more fun for the audience by presenting the announcements in a one-hour show full of clips from the film and television shows nominated along with other interviews of the stars that we have done over the years.
Putting on a show was a monumental task with details changing by the minute.
Nancy O’Dell and Billy Bush read the winners as they were being announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the news conference. My job during the show was to give an analysis of the winners with Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly magazine.
It was a night of sure winners and some surprising upsets and with the Golden Globes being a good predictor of the Academy Awards, it was very exciting!
I woke up this morning and within minutes my mind started to race. After, “Thank you, Lord, for getting me up this morning”, it sped to “What is wrong with Britney?” “Will she get her kids back?” “Is someone going to do an intervention?”
I interviewed Britney Spears years ago not long after I started at Access Hollywood. Even back then, she was a star in the music world – there was no doubt about that. She seemed very centered, very focused.
I never really bought into the “sweet southern girl” off-stage image that was presented to the audience. I found it hard to balance that with the schoolgirl mini skirt bumping and grinding to “hit me baby one more time.”
Provocatively, she would pose for a picture pulling down her panties and then, in interviews, would say she doesn’t consider herself a sex symbol. Well, the white-hot virgin is a nice fantasy for some but it’s just that – a fantasy.
She had smart people around her – she had to.
No one would argue that she is great vocally or the best dancer in the world but that was okay. There are many of those in
And because she knew her brand well, she had a major impact on American culture. She had sold millions of albums – many purchased by moms for their little girls who looked at her as a role model of sorts. You had to give the girl her props.
It has been a hectic two weeks. We are shooting the last of our hiatus shows that will air during our week off for the Christmas holiday.
I am just drained. I have been working nonstop taping extra shows, anchoring, doing interviews AND Christmas shopping for family, friends, and co-workers. I had gotten in late last night but, somehow, I was able to get all the presents wrapped for my colleagues on the show, pack them into my trunk so I could pass them out at the office early this morning. Our studio is decorated to look so pretty and when I drift away, wishing for a little bit of sleep, I look at the beautiful pink and white poinsettias lining the wall, the huge white wreath glowing with balls of sea foam green, mauve, and lavender, the white garland wrapped in small white lights over the archway, and the snow gently piled next to the window near the 3-foot nutcrackers and Christmas trees - Joe and James, our show’s art directors - are so talented.
“Two minutes, Shaun, two minutes!” Our fill-in stage manager, Johnnie says to me indicating that I have to get up again to lead-in to the next story on the show. I dread leaving the warmth of the 4 heaters the crew has set up for me.
Usually, it’s near cold enough on our set to actually snow (the average temperature being about 45-to-50-degrees). Not great for gals who want to wear cute short sleeved dresses and open-toed shoes. My feet are tired from standing so long. Every moment I get, I kick off my 4-inch sandals, and slip on the white furry Ugg slippers that my makeup artist, Valerie, gave me today. They are sooo comfortable!
It turned out to be quite a memorable evening. I got the message on my blackberry about 3:15 in the afternoon. The producers from "Larry King Live" wanted me to be a guest on Larry’s show that evening at 6:00 PM (PST) to discuss the funeral of Donda West – mother of Kanye. I was surprised because tonight’s show had been well publicized as having the surgeon who had operated on West as a guest for the full hour. It was huge “get” for the "LKL" show because many media outlets had been wanting to talk to Dr. Jan Adams to hear his side of the story about what happened during the surgery.
I read the message further – Dr. Adams’ flight to New York was delayed so producers were putting together a panel of people that would fill time until the doctor arrived. If he were to show up in time to be on the beginning of the show, the contingency panel would not be on, which I totally understood.
I rushed to get ready. During the drive to the CNN studio, I kept thinking about what the doctor was going to say. I had been covering this story since I heard the devastating news that Dr. Donda West had died suddenly. I had just had an exclusive sit-down with both her and Kanye a couple of months ago in Chicago when they asked me to host a charity event for the Kanye West Foundation.
She was quite an impressive woman – a college professor who raised Kanye as a single mom and then quit her job to become his manager.
I arrived at the studio about 5:00 PM and was escorted to the green room where guests sit and relax before going on air. The "LKL" producer greeted us and thanked us for coming even though there was a chance we would not actually be on the show. He told us that Dr. Jan Adams had landed in New York (the show paid for his ticket) and was en route to the studio and they were very confident that he was going to make the top of the show.
5:40 PM – the producer comes back in the green room and says Adams still had not made it and to prepare to go on. He told us that he would give us another update as soon as he could.
It is very important to have a driver in Johannesburg. As beautiful as the area is, we have been warned that it can be dangerous for the unwary traveler. Jack has escorted us tirelessly everyday that we have been in the country - driving us over 100 miles daily as we both cover our stories and do a little sightseeing along the way. Petrol is about 6.53 South African rand a liter - roughly four dollars a gallon -- very expensive for the many people who can't even afford indoor plumbing.
Jack is a tall, slim, dark-skinned soft-spoken South African. He speaks several languages - English, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana. He's 52 and the father of two boys and a girl. He's very quiet and, for the most part, talks only when you ask him a question.
When asked about his life, the words come easily. He and his family live in a 3-room shack made of tin. He is saving up to build a house that he says will cost him about 52-thousand rand or about eight thousand dollars. After passing a medical facility, I ask him if he has health insurance and he tells me "no." When he and his family need medical care, they go the government hospital and pay 35 rand for services (which is a little over 5 dollars). He says the care is not good. I ask, what if someone has a heart attack or cancer. He says that they will probably die.
"A Second Heaven"
That's how Jack describes the end of apartheid. He tells me about the areas where blacks were not allowed to go unless they had a permit. If a black person were found in the white suburbs after a certain time without a permit, the police would arrest them and lock them up - maybe two weeks, maybe a month -- detention without trial.
I awakened this morning to the sound of thunder. The curtains were drawn and the room was black. I had stayed up past midnight watching a Keanu Reeves movie - one of the many American films playing in my hotel. I was happy to have a few choices because the last time I stayed in Johannesburg, the hotel only had CNN International and they repeated the same 7 stories every 15 minutes.
The thunder boomed again and I rolled over and looked at one of my two Blackberry's - the one I have set to J'burg time. 6:30 Sunday morning.
Because it was too early to do the math, I glanced at my second Blackberry - Los Angeles time. 9:30 Saturday night. Which meant it was 12:30 in the morning Detroit time. Too late or too early - whichever way I'd like to look at it - to call Mom.
A couple more hours of sleep - rain makes that so wonderful.
I awoke again to the sound of clinking. After staying here a few days, I knew the sound well. I jumped out of bed, slipped on my sweat suit (the soft one that makes long flights a little more comfy) and stepped outside my room that is locate right across the hall from the lounge that serves breakfast for guests on that floor. Three people were already there eating, sipping coffee - clinking, and typing away on their laptop computers. The wall of windows brought in the sunlight - the clouds long since vanished. I stepped to the edge and took in the spectacular view. Hills and hills of gorgeous jacaranda trees peppered throughout the greenery.
I am back in South Africa for the second time this year. The story that brought me here is a disturbing one. A dorm matron at Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg has been arrested on multiple charges of alleged abuse. The allegations are that 27-year-old woman, Tiny Makopo, sexually abused one girl and physically abused several others. There are a total of 7 alleged victims - six girls and one adult.
Oprah released a special statement to me today that said, "This has been a huge blow. But you learn from your mistakes. I would very much like to look Tiny in the eye, like any parent would and ask why and how could you do this?"
As soon as Oprah found out about the abuse, she flew in with a team of investigators and they interviewed the staff and the girls. They then turned over that information to the South African police authority who, after conducting their own investigation, issued a warrant for Makopo's arrest. Makopo then turned herself in the police and is currently being held in a police cell.
She has also cleaned house at the school - relieving all the dorm matrons. It is believed that others knew what was going on and turned a blind eye.
Last night I received a few emails from some friends who informed me that I was, once again, the topic of conversation on Howard Stern.
Now, Howard is a buddy of mine. We met years ago on a flight from Los Angeles to New York.
It seems this time, Jamie Foxx was a guest on Howard's show and they were talking about Jamie's Sirius satellite radio show, The Foxx Hole.
I was actually a guest on Jamie's show about a month ago and boy, it was certainly an uncensored Jamie Foxx!
I adore Jamie - he's one of my favorite people to interview. This time, the tables were turned on he got to ask me the questions!