this is "piers morgan live." welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. it isn't often that a star steps down at the very top of his game, whether broadcasting, sports or politics. tonight i'll talk to a man who did just that. arsenio hall. now he's back. i'll get his take on jay leno, jimmy fallon and the late night wars. also michael sam revealing that he is gay and a top nfl prospect and surrounding comments on race from a supreme court justice. steve mcqueen and the it girl of this oscar season. >> a star is born. i mean, forgive me. >> i'm sure you don't mind being called a star, do you? >> no. a star is born.

also this is the most interesting man in the world he's royalty, a german pop star and he is also skiing at sochi from mexico. we begin with breaking news. another vicious winter storm pounding the east coast tonight. chad myers is in the severe weather center with more. chad, never a more appropriate name than the severe weather center. it's looking pretty severe. tell me what's going on. >> it is snowing from new jersey to alabama. just on the eastern side of snow it's freezing rain and sleet. it's a mess out there in so many states and now moving into new york city as we speak. it's going to continue to be that way. all night long. in fact, it's going to snow, sleet, atlanta-charlotte, it's going to go all the way through the midnight hour. we're going to see very heavy snow around daybreak in d.c., new york city. it even starts as snow in boston around 8:00 a.m. but it changes over to actually rain for awhile because the low is close enough that it brings in some warm air. but by noon, very heavy snow.

d.c., new york city, could see two to three inches of snow per hour. it could be a place where there will be thunder snow. there's lightning in the clouds, thunder coming down. it's snowing so heavy. we don't see it a lot, but this is one item that i think could happen tomorrow, because this is such a vicious storm. it's finally gone by thursday night, literally it's out to sea and friday it's all gone. but we already have almost 4,000 canceled flights for tomorrow already. we only had 3500 or so today. more canceled because going to bigger cities, going to bigger airports. that was a live shot of d.c. snowing heavily now. >> yes a big p mess. and now we go lye to gary tuchman in atlanta who has already suffered a barrage of all of this a few weeks ago, and what it is like there now, gary? what is going on? >> what a difference a week

makes, piers. there are about 150,000 homes without power in georgia, lots of powerlines down, lots of trees down. compared to two weeks ago, huge difference in the highways and streets. you'll remember two weeks ago when the atlanta area got hit by a storm. people were stuck in traffic. my own daughter, i live in atlanta, i had to wait six hours for her to come home from school. people had to wait up to 20 hours for their loved ones to come home. people took it very seriously today. everyone from politicians to parents of children and everyone in between, people did not hit the roads. they knew this was going to be a big storm. the main highway through the center of atlanta, interstate 75 and 85, almost completely empty for most of the day. the roads within the city almost completely empty. people took it seriously, and there were literally almost no problems here in the city of atlanta. and compared to two weeks ago, a sigh of relief. piers? >> it is a relief to see them getting their act together down there. thank you, gary tuchman. we're going to have arsenio hall live in about ten minutes. before that we're going to turn to "12 years a slave" one of the most powerful movies that i've seen for many, many years.

it's been jolting up all sorts of action before the oscars. screen actors guild awards, golden globe nominations, nine oscar nominations, best picture, best director and best supporting actress. is the best director nominee steve mcqueen. best supporting actress nominee lupita luongo. welcome to both of you. lupita, i've got a theory about you. you arrived out of nowhere. you're getting all these nominations. going to win lots of awards and killing every red carpet i've seen you on. these dresses you're wearing, the fashion you're bringing, the sense of fun and pizzazz and color. where is this coming from? where have you been? >> well, i've been in kenya. basking in the sun, getting ready for this. >> getting ready. preparing for the onslaught? >> yes. >> steve, i want to take you back to the moment.

you'd done 1,000 auditions for the role of patsy. it's a searingly powerful movie. i've not felt like i did coming out of the movie since probably "schindler's list" in terms of the impact it had on me and on the audience, some of whom were in tears when they came out, others in total silence. amazing. but you needed to have someone for this key role. and in walks this young woman that you don't know much about. you've seen 1,000 people. and it's an eureka moment. why? >> i first saw her on tape. at first, i thought it was a mirage and i was rubbing my eyes, and was i seeing what i thought i was seeing. i brought my wife and daughter in and they confirmed i was looking at a great actress. then i got on the phone to my agent. i said we need to see this woman immediately. it was one of those moments where you kind of just quiver and sort of tremble because you know this is something big. >> you said she had the kind of impact on you of a young grace jones. >> yes.

at first. because just looking at her face. >> i know what you mean. >> absolutely. but this is a person who is lupita nyongo. one of those things a star is born. forgive me. >> i'm sure you don't mind being called a star, do you? >> a star is born. she has that quality. >> when she did the audition, did she exceed every expectation you've seen on the tape? like a real moment? >> beyond. the tape was intriguing. it was interesting. then i saw her again and it went beyond. it went to a place where you want actors to go. you want them to surprise you. >> lupita, for you it's an amazing sequence of events. it's all happening very quickly. when you finished the audition, did you think to yourself, i've got this or did you not have a clue? >> no. i was so exhausted at the end of the audition, you know. >> because you gave it everything. >> yes.

and patsy, whenever patsy speaks it's from a place of extremist. it's a matter of life and death. so doing it for an hour was exhausting. and finding nuance and trying to take every take as it's the first time. it was all very exhausting. >> so where were you when you got the call from this man that was going to change your life? >> i was on my way out of my apartment in new haven. i had just landed from louisiana. and i was taking a rug out into the sun to just bask and try and to heal the last 24 hours. i received the call from awn an unknown number. i picked up and he said this is steve mcqueen. he said i'd like to offer you the role of patsy. i sat down and said i'd like to accept the role of patsy. >> were you emotional? did you cry? >> no, i was dazed and confused,

because i felt like such a gut reaction to patsy. i felt like i understood something about her with my soul, but i didn't understand with my mind. so i was so excited when steve said that i could actually delve into this and discover more about that gut feeling. but then i was also very scared, because now i had to go and first of all prove myself and work with these incredible actors that i had watched for so long. and actually play with them. it was terrifying. >> it was a great moment, steve, when she comes to the first rehearsals, michael fastbent is your great go to guy. i think he's been in almost every great movie you've done. and he says to you after early rehearsals, with lupita, wow, i've got to get my stuff together here. this girl is amazing, right? >> absolutely. we were doing the soap scene with michael. and i took lupita to one side i said, give it to him. and it was such a wake-up call. because we reminded michael of

where he was when we first did "hunger" and that need and that want to sort of prove one self but also that sort of -- it's you've arrived. and basically it woke up michael and it woke up the others. >> the scenes are incredibly traumatic in parts. your character patsy is beaten, she's raped, she's treated appallingly. i don't want to give too much away about how it all plays out but it's very harrowing. it must have been incredibly harrowing to film that kind of thing. >> yes. i mean, it was very emotionally taxing. but for me, my challenge was to try and find patsy's agency in a situation that seems like she has none. and that gave me a very concrete task to do. and still play to win. she's not -- she is a victim of a lot of things, but she's not

victimizing herself. >> because an interesting fact about that you triggered a process about me. you were raised in kenya, born in mexico. but you were raised in kenya primarily, and you didn't know much about american slavery and you had to sort of research all of that, and so much of this was new to you in terms of understanding it all? >> yeah. but i think this is a part in history that many of us take for granted. i studied slavery in school, but i never considered it on an emotional level. and i know many people have expressed that, that 12 years a slave kind of offers an opportunity to understand this time in history from an emotional level in a way that reading it intellectually doesn't really register. and so for me it was that. the going in, and not only considering the facts but considering how they would affect me personally and emotionally. and that was the biggest eye opener. >> so you finished the movie. and no one knows what's going to

happen here. there's a good buzz about it. but then all hell breaks loose. >> or heaven. >> everyone who's seen it is raving about it, and steve, you real realize that you have a incredibly powerful film here. the moment you get the call, i don't know if you get a call, how do you find out you've been oscar nominated? that's the next huge leap for you. >> yes. i chose to watch it. i had a deliberation with my best friend. we were together here in l.a. and i chose to watch it. because i thought, i want to hear it from the horse's mouth either way. >> when the horse went lupita nyongo, what were you doing in that moment? >> i raised my hands up and i just closed my eyes and cried. and said, thank you thank you thank you. it was so surreal to hear my name in that context. >> brad pitt is involved in this movie. there's a lovely story your father never heard of brad pitt. you said i've been out with brad pitt. very happy for you, dear, but i've never heard of him. is that true?

>> brad pitt is one of those names that everyone's heard. but i guess he just couldn't place it. and for him, what was important was whether he knew him personally or not. and he didn't. so it didn't mean anything to him. >> you obviously knew brad pitt. you got a tremendous cast in this movie. did you think it would have quite the impact and resonance it's had? >> no. but i'm just so grateful that it has. the movie has made over $100 million right now. and it's just -- why i'm so grateful for is how people have received the picture. and at the beginning a lot of people saying this movie is too brutal and so forth. >> i think you have to show that. to me it would have failed if it hadn't been brutal. >> either i was making the movie about slavery or i wasn't. i decided i wanted to make it about slavery. i think sometimes there is a bit of amnesia about it. but i think right now, this time in history people are receptive to look at that past in order to

have -- feel the way they are right now and to see hopefully a better future. >> you're going to be at the oscars. i'm doing the red carpet for cnn. i'll see you gliding down the most famous carpet in the world expecting you to kill it again. but you have to be excited, nervous -- what are you feeling the way this has all happened to you, and now the oscars. >> i am just so grateful and so stoked to be going to the oscars and to be going there with so many other people from this amazing picture that i got to be a part of. it's going to be the final celebration. >> what does your family make of this? >> i mean, one of my -- my brother was like, is there therapy? like celebrity therapy? >> you now have paparazzi chasing you. you've had magazine cover after magazine cover. you're the cover of "vanity fair." this is crazy stuff. >> yeah. i mean, it is. and my mother is a celebrity right now. she went to get her shoes repaired.

for the first time the guy asked for a picture with her. >> so lupita's mom is now a star as well. everyone around you. it's wonderful while it goes, right? >> yes, it is. >> ride the success. it's a delight to meet you. great to see a brit flying the flag in hollywood again. and i wish you all the very best at the oscars. >> thank you so much. >> i've got a good feeling about it. if it were down the me, you would win. unfortunately for the both of you, it is not. "12 years a slave" is in theaters now and comes out on dvd march 4th. when we come back the late night wars. jay is out, jimmy is in. i'll talk to arsenio hall live and in the house. and it's his birthday. nto traff? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go--

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before he takes his vacation, and we know jay is horrible at vacations. >> i'm not a vacation guy. >> he's a workaholic.

by the way, i love to vacation. i'm a late night host that took 20 years off, okay? >> you were off for 20 years. >> i know about vacationing. imagine the black guy took 20 years off and came back and expected his job to still be there waiting for him. >> wow. >> one of jay leno's very last "tonight shows." in to talk about the shift is arsenio hall. lovely to see you. just talk about "12 years a slave" for a moment. i find that young woman, lupita nyongo, incredibly impressive person in many ways. brilliant in the movie, brilliant on red carpets, brilliant to interview. articulate. >> also beautiful. >> and beautiful, yeah. >> she is the whole package. >> an amazing screen presence. but i thought that what she and steve mcqueen said there about the relevance of this movie, the importance of it was really really i think vital. the history of american slavery

is so pivotal, i think so many of the issues going on today isn't it in america? >> yes. you know what really made me love this movie? i was the guy that went into the experience thinking that i'm the black man who knows everything about slavery. i've seen all the movies. enough. i even watched "mandingo" with ex-boxer kenny norton, okay? enough. i go watch this movie, and this man changed my life with the film. we know what the slavery experience is like in america through film. but to see the loss of freedom by a black man, coming and having it and losing it, that is a whole different indignant experience. >> i don't want to ruin the plot line but you should see this movie. as i said, to me the slavery issue what "schindler's list" did i thought educating people

about what happened to the jewish people at the hands of the nazis. i really think people should see this. but it was the fact that the lead character starts off pretty prosperous, enjoying a free for want of a better phrase white man's life and then it's all taken away. >> yes. >> for the color of his skin. >> yes, and the transition that he makes, the black man in wonderful attire, sipping red wine with white guests, and then in a moment there is smash cut, and it is dark and we hear a faint chain noise. and we realize he is laying in a dungeon in a shirt. and in that moment, his life is changed. >> exceptional the view that's given when you go and watch it, he's not supposed to be allowed to be having that life. it's wrong. he's a man in a black skin leading a white man's life. >> right. >> that's what's so powerful.

because you then see the degradation of all those years of slavery and then of course an uplifting end which i won't ruin. but it's so powerful. >> here's what's really hard for black people to get their head around. as far as our heroes. now we have martin luther king, barack obama, and brad pitt. that changed my life in another way. >> i'd love -- i loved lupita saying her dad had never heard of brad pitt. that was a perfect line. but he definitely would have heard of barack obama. >> brad pitt is my new favorite civil rights leader. >> let's turn to the late night wars. fascinating upheaval going on. jay leno leaving the stage, pretty reluctantly i think. and i think pretty sad to be doing it. >> less reluctant this time. >> than last time. does this feel right to you that he's going? >> does doesn't feel right but that's because he's my friend. we know that in the word show business the word business is lar larger than word show, right? if i owned nbc, i might do this.

there's a changing demography going on. even though you're number one, at "the tonight show" your audience may be older. maybe you aren't embracing social media. the world is changing while we're watching it. the sad thing is jimmy fallon's a good kid. and jay doesn't begrudge him. none of us do. because it would be someone that would get the job. >> jimmy's hugely talented. the interesting thing i always find about jay leno, my personal experience of him and i have said it many, many times that i was on the show, and went eight or nine times, and took my kids to the show a few times, and saw him. incredibly charming, nice, friendly, seemingly normal guy. and yet inspires so much jealousy and bitchery from so many comedians? is it because he was number one for so long? it is that? >> he's been number one for 20 years? think about it. his name is bobby and he's on fx. and no one knows him. there's not as much hatred. the number one guy. i mean, right now if you're a basketball fan you're arguing about whether the statistics for

kevin durant make him the best ballplayer in the world, or is it lebron who has won championships but doesn't have those statistics? we always are looking to the top to complain. and there are a lot of personal problems in history with different guys who do stand up comedy. >> who's been the best? >> johnny carson is the best. >> has anyone ever beat carson? can anyone ever beat the carson grip on the american audience simply because he was the only one really for a long period doing it? >> you know, he kind of taught my generation how to do it. as i said that i started thinking, steve allen was brilliant. some of the things you see david letterman do were inspired by steve allen. and dave will tell you that. there have been a lot of great ones. jay is this guy that held that number one position. and we've got to give him props. at the same time it's very complicated to say wow, they fired the number one guy. but that shows you how complicated business is. >> if you were to put money on which jimmy to win the new war, who would be the winner?

>> wow. i don't want to be in that position. but jimmy fallon is enormously talented. i'd have to put money on him. but more importantly, i got to put money on the lorne michael's machine. i got to put money on what i see as incredible intellect behind the launch of a new show and an artist. it's been going on awhile. it's been staged perfectly. >> okay. take a short break. come back talk about some of the new stories of the day including the sad death of a comedic legend, sid ceasar today who died on the heels of losing shirley temple. it has been a sad week for losing legends, and including jerry seinfeld's take the on how politically correct comedians should be when they cast their own shows. [ male announcer ] this is joe woods' first day of work.

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people think it's the census or something? i mean, we've got to represent the actual pie chart of america? who cares? it's just funny. funny is the world that i live in. you're funny, i'm interested. you're not funny i'm not interested. and i have no interest in agenda or race or anything like that. but everyone else is kind of with their little calculating is this time exact right mix?

i think that's -- to me it's anti-comedy. >> jerry seinfeld of course talking about political correctness in comedy. i want to know what arsenio hall thinks of of that. it was an interesting debate he sparked. i wonder with hindsight he'd phrase it exactly the same way again. i got the point he's making. at what point if you're comedy do you allow political correctness to determine decision making or what people see as political correctness? >> yeah. you know, we're backing up the wrong tree on this one. just because i know jerry. if there was something there i would be honest with you and i would call it. but this guy is about the joke. he's about the punch line. >> that's what i think. >> yeah. and that's the bottom line with him. now, the other issue is unfair also, because he can be about the joke and the punch line. the other issue is unfair because jerry seinfeld got more black friends than i do. you hear what i'm saying?

i mean, here's something very real. jerry seinfeld's kid's godfather is comedian george wallace. probably i'm -- and i'm not one of jerry's guys. i'm not a new york comic or anything. but i think that this muddies the water about real battles and racism in show business. >> what do you think the debate raging most of the year and last year about the" n" word whether it should be used by black or white or anyone. putting it out there in public usage whatever the occasion keeps it going and it's inherently offensive. >> it is. >> there's a famous situation at cnn where don lemon chose to use the word instead of the nsh-wor. i find it interesting.

you and i were talking about johnny carson, jay leno, legacy of late night. there is a clip. you should pull it one night. it's richard pryor and johnny carson talking. johnny doesn't use n word. johnny says ninja, the other one. and he's talking to richard pryor about the word. and they're having a very intelligent conversation between two legend humorists, and he is saying, do black people get upset wen you use that word, because you use it a lot. and he was talking about it, and now we are in 2014, and we can't say it, because careers are being ruined because of it. >> do you say it on your show? >> i call you that when we're off the air. no [ laughter ] >> i think it's such a cool word we shouldn't waste it on black people. i think sometimes you are -- >> should black people stop using it? should rappers stop using it? should it be decommissioned as a word if you take the assumption which is a correct one that it's inherently offensive? or should every black person in

america be entitled -- >> no matter how it feels, piers, as a comedian i have to say leave the word alone. i have to fight for people to be able to use the language and words the way they want. america, that's what we're all about. so even fit makes me cringe, i got to fight for your right to say it, because later i might need you to fight for my right. and i want to be judged on those same rules. >> let's switch gears a little bit to this guy, michael sam. he's the nfl wanna-be. big fantastic footballer. he's a college superstar, likely to be heading to the draft. a big reaction to this coming out. >> his father's reaction broke my heart. >> was fantastic, right? or did it? he was welcoming the father, right? >> well, i don't think so. i think the father had a hard time with it.

>> i thought in the end he'd come around to it. i understand that as a parent -- >> yes. >> i don't know how you would feel, right? >> yeah. i think he got blind-sided by it. i had michael irving, the great dallas cowboy, number 88 on my show the other night. he said something brilliant. he said that when this young man went to his team, a college team, his team not only kept it a secret but they were cool with him. and they went on to have a great season. they actually had a better season after they talked about it. and he was able to be himself but this is such a good point. it's such a good point. those are college kids. on the pro level, adults, grown folks, we aren't as intelligent about this man's right. >> you and i wouldn't give a damn if we had a kid who was gay, right? i don't give a damn. >> i still got to love him. >> it wouldn't even cross my mind to even have a problem with it. but these nfl guys briefing newspapers this week, this was going to be a major problem, they couldn't face the prospect of having to shower with him. as if they'd never had a shower with a gay guy before. how do they know? >> there's a g.m. who anonymously said this guy won't get drafted.

he didn't want his name used but we know that's out there. >> boy george said, look, people shouldn't feel compelled to come out. there's a march now to do this. but as a gay man who's been through that, you've really got to be comfortable yourself about doing it. you shouldn't be forced to do it. >> boy george also said karma karma karma karma karma chameleon. come and go. >> i didn't know you couldn't sing. [ laughter ] >> i go for the punch line. i leave the singing. >> let's take another break. let's come back. i want to talk to you about your surprising connection to one of america's olympic athletes. did you know you had a connection to one of america's olympic athletes? >> chicago's jason brown. hey! so i'm looking at my bill, and my fico® credit score's on here. yeah, you've got our discover it card, so you get your fico® score on your monthly statements now, for free! that's nice of you! it's a great way to stay on top of your credit, and make sure things look the way they should. awesomesauce!

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>> you're stable and you have to wait? >> there is a criteria that goes into it. and then it is the only the top two that make it. so you have to wait for the text to come through. >> you get a text. >> you get a text. >> oh, my gosh. so you're sitting with your phone. >> yeah. that's it. >> that's it. >> that is so cool. >> arsenio hall with american olympic figure skater jason

brown. how do you know this guy? you're old friends through his mother? >> his mom, marla killbrown, was my partner in the creator of the initial or original arsenio hall show. and i used to babysit for him and talk to him during morning meeting. and he has a sister and another brother. they lived in wilmet, illinois or a suburb of illinois. he will come back with the bronze medal for the team. he's a young man so he'll probably go again one day. >> here's my problem with the winter olympics. >> by the way, he didn't get gold but if he put some of the tap water in a bottle i think it's gold. it looks gold to me. bring that back. >> how can you help me? because i find almost all of the sports in the winter olympics really boring to watch. is it just me? do you sit there as a sports fan really enjoying it? >> no. i watch highlights. and i watched the opening ceremony and adore the sweaters. >> but you see, the sweaters were catastrophic, i thought, the americans one. psychedelic splurge. the other thing i thought was this ridiculous tradition of the procession of the teams walking

in. nobody can enjoy that. it goes on and on and on. for like decades. why can't they all just come out together? >> this is when you know you're not enjoying it when you start looking for the countries like with two guys and laughing. look at the guy with the bow and arrow. >> that's the only pleasure gained is in mocking people, isn't it? >> yes. that's not what they wanted. that's not what they planned. >> it's not what they planned. >> no. it's like we should be watching and enjoying. like in the summer we're not doing that. >> exactly. i like the summer olympics. i just can't get into the winter ones. i know people will blow up on twitter. but i can't help the way i am. >> maybe we should go back and waffle a little bit. want to go skating later? >> let's talk about black history month. do we still need to have black history month in america? >> well, didn't morgan freeman make a statement about this? >> yes, he did. >> he doesn't necessarily like

the black history month syndrome. >> he doesn't like the point of actually having to have a moment to remind people. he thinks it should be an ongoing continuous evolution away from all the old bigotry, slavery and so on. >> i love me some morgan freeman. you know that. i've told you that many times. i call you some nights and say i love me some morgan freeman. but i don't agree with that. because black people in america are working from a deficit. so at some point you have to do something to equal the playing field. and we call attention to it. you don't have to do that forever. but it has a unique problem. so we have to do that. and guys like stevie wonder who fought so hard to make that a holiday, he's not an moron. you have got to do that and create awareness and hopefully the goal one day as a nation, a country, and it is not a month, but an overall awareness that lasts 12 months. that is what you are trying to do for the future. >> clarence are thomas, a supreme court justice, told a

university we are oversensitive about race. he said "my sadness is that we are probably today more race and difference conscious than i was in the 1960s when i went to school. to my knowledge, i was the first black kid in savannah, georgia, to go to a white school. rarely did the issue come up." is he right? i often ask people on the show is america even more racism now than it was back in the '60s? may sound a strange question. but has it drawn out more racism having the first black american president, for example? >> that's possible. i think sometimes the first black president draws things out. having a 24-hour news network, maybe three of them, that watch everybody all the time, makes sure that things get exposed. but here's what i like to do with a guy like that. i don't want to be unfair to his truth. my neighborhood and his neighborhood might be different. that might be his truth. but that's not every black man's truth. >> when you walk around in america now, do you yourself experience any overt racism? because people know who you are?

>> you know, i don't experience racism. as a matter of fact, i go from a tunnel in my bedroom straight to the show. i don't even talk to people black or white, piers. karma karma karma. so i'm kind of reclusive. but as a kid on the streets of cleveland, i've had people roll down their window and scream the n word, roll their window back up. didn't see michael richards. but it was someone. >> it's a happy day for you today, arsenio. maybe not a happy day because you're one year older than you were yesterday. ♪ happy birthday ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you >> it's not the expense it's the thought. the fact you didn't think about this. i thought it was a last-minute booking because wesley snipes wasn't available. this is so cool. >> you've raised a great point. did you follow what happened there with samuel l. jackson? >> yeah. >> what did you make of it?

>> what a wonderful transition that i say wesley and you say samuel. >> sorry. you look a bit like wesley snipes. >> yes, that's what the joke is. sam reuben, wow. he's such a nice man. i felt so bad for him. he had a tough week. but that happens. that happens. >> i like sam reuben. i felt sorry for him. >> i'm sure people have walked up to you and said, boehner? i mean, in the summer. in the summer. when you had your tan on. >> i get mistaken for brad pitt and it drives me bloody mad. it shouldn't happen. >> people love brad pitt. black people love them some brad pitt. >> arsenio, it's brilliant to talk to you. loving you back on the airwaves. arsenio hall show weeknights on fox. it is terrific. i have been on it, and it is great. great to see you again. >> american custom. >> what was your wish? >> late night, baby. [ laughter ] >> coming up, he's a pop star. he's royalty. he's an olympic skier from mexico.

he is in fact mexico's only entrant into the winter olympics. most interesting man in the world comes up next. >> and a question that piers has for matthew mcconaughey. my wife wants me to lose weight, what should i do? >> go to mexico and drink the water. zach ] i can't help out as much as i used to. do you need help? [ doorbell rings ] let's open it up. it's a swiffer sweeper. swiffer dusters. it can extend so i don't have to get on the step stool. i don't know how it stays on there. it's like a dirt magnet -- just like my kids. [ afi ] this is a danger zone. that is crazy. ah haha! [ zach ] yeah. no, this definitely beats hanging out on a step ladder. good jump, baby.

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he once parallel parked a train. his two cents is worth $37 and change. it has never been his bad. he is the most interesting man in the world. >> most interesting man in the word. my next guest is the lone mexican contender in sochi. prince hubertus von hohenlohe.

he is an heir of a german prince and the last ancestor to a royal family. and he joins me now live from sochi. everybody is fascinated by you. what are you proudest of, of all your accomplishments? >> i don't know. it's a bit embarrassing to be what you just called me. i just think the great thing is i managed to sort of live parallel live and fulfill my dreams. it looks kind of easy, but it with was actually kind of hard work to get there. >> you've got your big competition on friday. mexico has never won a winter olympic gold medal. are you confident? >> no, i'm not confident to win a winter olympic gold medal. i'm confident to maybe make my country proud of me, because we've had a lot of negative press about other things.

s this is a great way of kind of promoting mexico in another way and just giving a good vibe for the country, which is what it needs. >> you made your olympic debut in the 1984 olympics in sarajevo. you're 55, and you will become the second oldest olympic competitor in olympic history after a swedish curler who took part in the games in choampoiox? so you're the oldest guy to compete in these olympics for nearly 100 years. how do you feel about that? >> you have to rub this in, didn't you? it's not something i wanted to be proud of. i didn't want to be famous for being the oldest in something.

but everybody is asking me if i'm going to do the next one so i'm the oldest. just because of that, i don't want to do it, because that's not a record i want to have. but i'm proud it's not in curling but in alpine skiing, which is a bit more glamorous and cool than curling. but curling would probably be a little safer. >> all the talk in america here is about poor old bob costas' blood-red eyes. have you seen bob? have you picked up on everyone talking about his eyes? >> yes. i've been aware of something happened. but i didn't know what it was. i think that, you know, there's some sort of issues in our olympic village with the air, because we have some infections and stuff. but overall, it's much, much better than it's been told, the story that's been told over in the u.s. i think that what the russians didn't get right is pr. they need to hire me for a pr person. they got the construction right and it looks amazing, but they haven't got the message out right, and they did just a couple of mistakes.

>> you're a magnificent ambassador for mexico. you're the only member of the mexican winter olympic team, and you even designed your own clothing that you're wearing there. and you speak five languages. there really is no end to your talent, is there, prince hubertus? >> it's a strange story, but it develops like that and you have to make the best out of it. what is funny is thatt at the first olympic games, the mexicans looked at me really bad, because they came up to the me and asked me in english, how was your run? i said -- [ speaking foreign language ] and they were shocked that i spoke spanish. so the legacy started that they started to like me. but it took 30 years and a cool suit that they moved me. >> everyone loves you, prince. >> i got a new suit here for you. >> you do? >> i do. i have it.

i didn't wear it because it's so cold and so early in the morning here. >> well, look, i want to fish you all the very best. you're skiing on valentine's day in the men's super combined slalom at 11:30 and 3:00 a.m. sochi time, and i want to thank you, prince hueberus. you've brought glamour and color to the olympics and we wish you all the very best, particularly with your lovely jacket there. >> i couldn't put it on because it's so cold. >> i think you successfully got the message of your clothing wear. you can relax. great to talk to you, and best of luck on friday. >> thank you, piers. thank you. >> take care. we'll be right back. >> he is the most interesting man in the world. of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪

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tomorrow night, i sit down with matthew mcconaughey and ask what he thinks is the defining moment of his life. >> what happens to a man after they lose their father, incredible things happen to a man after they lose their father. >> what impact did that have on you? >> courage, integrity, you know. anybody that loses a father, that's the main crutch in a man's life. and it's there for a reason, because you know if it ever comes down to it, you have your father to lean up against. >> what would your father make of you being oscar nominated? >> he would love it.

he would be hamming it up. he would love it. he'd be hamming it up right now. absolutely. >> oscar nominee and my vote for right now pound for pound the best actor in the world, matthew mcconaughey. that's all for us tonight. anderson cooper starts right now. good evening, everyone. it only looks like a winter wonderland. capitol hill up on your screen, you can barely see it. pretty as a picture, but on the ground though, it is getting very messy indeed and the storm is rolling north after pummeling the southeast covering carolinas and georgia in ice. at least ten lives lost. more than 100 million others affected or about to be affected by a winter storm that's not going gently into that good night. the chaos started in georgia and now it is hammering north carolina. millions bracing for a storm that the weather service called potentially catastrophic. the largest concern is ice, up to