Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Celebrity Interviews I'd Like to See

“Barbara Walters hates celebrity interviews now” my husband interjected during our post-Heroes TV channel flipping.

“What?” With the exception of two hours of Chuck and Heroes on Monday night, my husband doesn’t even catch the weather report on TV, let alone “Entertainment Tonight.” “Where did you hear that?” I stumbled in reply.

“It was all over Yahoo news today. Barbara Walters thinks celebrity interviews have become too boring. She’s not going to do anymore.”

If I could call Ms. Barbara, here’s what I’d tell her: “Babs, it’s not that celebrity interviews are inherently boring. You & your network are just choosing the wrong celebrities. Here’s who would be fascinating to interview, the pope, the sisters of charity, the elderly ladies who hold court with baskets of biscuits and fried chicken to the cafeteria of the National Shrine, my four year old daughter, Hannah, just to name a few. These people are filled with wisdom, and joy and practical insights about life. There is no way you'd define conversation with them as "boring.”

If Tim Russert invited some nuns, some elderly church matrons and my four year old, “Face the Nation” could become riveting. “What is the biggest problem facing Americans today?” Those folks would have some interesting answers.

Whose insights would you like to learn more about this Advent season?