It was magical. I interviewed Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. The animator for Bambi and Thumper drew pictures especially for me to take home. I got to meet and interview the current Disney stars. And I got to take my own very young children to this magical place where I was actually working. I also adored the I Love Lucy TV show. Lucille Ball made me really want a career in TV, but again, I knew that was so very unlikely. I never got to meet her but was thrilled when I got to interview her daughter, Lucy Arnaz. Lucy Jr. was not interested in talking about her mom as much as I wanted to hear about her mom. So that interview did not go particularly well, but it still has a special place in my heart because
The Magic of Show Biz
her mom entertained and inspired me for so many years. When I finished the interview, my good friend and director Chuck Maye quietly said through my earpiece, “I don’t love that Lucy.” Debbie Reynolds was a superstar. I could watch Singin’ in the Rain every day, but the movie that had the biggest impression on me was Tammy and the Bachelor. For whatever reason, I loved that movie and played her “Tammy” 45 vinyl record over and over. Many years later, Debbie Reynolds came to Charlotte, and I was assigned to interview her. I could hardly sleep the night before. I was totally starstruck when she entered the studio. She came early, and we had time to visit. I got to tell her how much I loved her and her work. After the live interview, I expected my idol to be whisked away in her limousine back to the Land of the Stars. As I was finishing my show with tosses, teases, interviews, and cooking segments, I looked over, and Debbie Reynolds was still there, observing from the darkened studio on the other side of the bright TV lights shining in my direction. She stayed. After the show, she asked if we could just talk. She seemed to have honed‑in on my needs. Her drivers went to lunch, but she stayed with me for hours,
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