george gershwin... jerome kern... the great cole porter... and interpreted by frank sinatra, ella fitzgerald, nat king cole, and then myself. (laughter) the whole world loves these songs. but times change, and there was an opening for another songbook. enter billy joel. (applause) billy's an exciting performer who can move and electrify audiences. he does it singing the songs of billy joel. great songs on subjects from love to war, from triumph and to loss. and stories about ordinary people with extraordinary emotions. and he puts them to tunes that you can't get out of your head. what a thrill it was for me to perform with billy in front of 110,000 of our fellow new yorkers at shea stadium, singing his ♪ "new york state of mind." ♪ billy joel... (applause) (chuckles) wow. billy joel is no less than a poet, a performer, a philosopher and today's american songbook. (applause) ♪ bennett: hicksville, long island. billy might have been the kid next door. joel: i knew i was not going to be a concert pianist.

christmas he wrote a song about easter but he never wrote a really cute song if you expect of george gershwin as to what is being led to a ship to do with your success he said nothing of an american composer they ask bob dylan nothing on it. so one of the reasons is that the same being a jew has nothing to do with it. it's probably the most jewish thing you can send him back. that's the typical response is i think that's part of the reason have been hesitant to point out to the enormous influence that despite stories from some quarters about the future jewish communities in the us begins my age and low birth rates continue lending unit sits and thinks the show was a flawed understanding of the nature of the jewish story in america. it's not that the to become americanized said america has become jewish him anyways so the trail and the impact of what's jewish in america. it is very rich and varied profile nor the reasons i wanted to write that book is to say look this is jewish peace the saying on the base of the statue of liberty give me your tired your poor your tempest tossed. that was writ

beautiful voice for thanks i think i think some aton would be my favorite the good old gershwin song porgy and bess. the movie right i want to know do you want to get into film i do after this album cycle i think i'll dive into this and i can i get a lot of awesome scripts and. try afterwards who is just who on twitter how has the internet changed the music industry. aid put it upside down. it's just a whole new world i wasn't around when the internet wasn't the main source. i don't know. you know first hand but what i will say is that you know the internet is is driving the music industry now and it's hard to get a record success for a price so hard to load i'm an artist i'm more famous now you know because you know at a click of a button you can you know know who these people are so they're more famous but they don't sell as many records so now. the labels have to make money in different ways and us are as we make money in different ways you know as in you know branding opportunities you know being a face to this brand or that brand. you know you have to go through that to store an

tonight you're going to see one of broadway's biggest shows it's "wicked," the musical, playing at the gershwinerful time. >> we will. >> merry christmas. >> thanks for sharing with us. >> and happy new year, too, boy. >>> still ahead, country music star trisha yearwood gathers everyone in the kitchen. >>> also, we get a special christmas performance by british singer, songwriter, leona lewis. >> and christmas experts. >> wait a minute. find out from santa, all after your local news. >>> here we are on christmas day. hard to believe how fast time goes by. straight from "miracle on 34th street," macy'sssistanta is here to help with spirited trivia. >> ho, ho, ho. i know you've been good. >> sort of. kathie lee's across the street ready it hand out $100 to toes who get the answers right. to those who don't, they get a kathie lee c.d. [ applause ] >> ho, ho. >> you ready, santa? >> i'm ready if you are. >> look at this adorable lady from texas. in what country is it customary for children to leave shoe by the fireplace to be filled with gifts by father christmas? the united states, china, france,

gershwin or use when the attack occurred while mr should have been a suspect. but the administration cherry picked intelligence to justify a strike against a stop. the white house has called her shoes report simply false. as you'd expect they would never be clear her she doesn't know who carried out the chemical attack that night. he just knows that for the second time in a decade the president of the united states was willing to take the country to war. using intelligence that could be bought. i simply don't know who did watch this. there's no question my government does not. there's also no question that the american president that we don't have i voted for. it's a lot of good things about it was willing to go to war or one of two missiles. syria without really having a case as knowing he didn't have much of the case but nurses report that originally appeared in the united states and overseas to the wonder of new books have it published where was extensively factor both the new workers in the washington post rejected her shoe store. yep that's the same washin

with the civil rights activist some of the greatest supporters was gershwin's but that pledge said totally of didn't george's ever been a and you cannot pretend that they did not. when did the zero were returned and it was okay to accuse an innocent man to advance the narrative? says one to grieve for the innocence but also to be cree said gilts of an innocent man i will trace it through 1987. two things happened and you would think that it precipitated a actually the latter may have precipitated the former. bonfire of the vanity was published in if you read that it is like the playbook for what happened to george zimmerman. in the book, that the prosecutor and the judge are weary to do try black and latino men not morally but they decided is in bad taste. what they would really like to try is the great white defendant in they find that with the character who is of master of the universe and they go after him in dick nor the evidence because it will make them feel good about themselves. they will align themselves with the all sharpton character. the kid who was killed is called henry lamb.

it's the skyline indelibly captured by woody allen to the strains of gershwin. >> it is a beautiful skyline open spots, central park. such a beauty and success that its designers were asked to create one in brooklyn. >> absolutely. central park is an absolutely rough draft. good thing they worked out all the kinks before they completed the more significant one, prospect park. and in brooklyn trees are so nice they write bookses in thin. >> you want to cry? check manhattan's real estate prices. i'm eat sure it helps my case but no island is more valuable. >> coney island is home to the wonder wheel. the world-famous cyclone and the warriors. jeffrey jeffrey, come out and play. >> nice. and excellent movie. but if you want a real life thrill, step into any of the yellow manhattan cabs. they might refuse. as the song says, i'll take manhattan. i'll take manhattan. it's a drink called the hutzpah. it doesn't contain egg or cream. >> come to think of it the chairman's from new jersey just like the netss. >> yes jeff, they were from jersey, but their spectacular new home is smack dab in brooklyn.

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