and had there not then a mary todd lincoln there would not have been an abraham lincoln. that is simply a fact. she was breathtakingly smart, highly educated, half came from a powerful, political family and the south and found him as a young lawyer. and he was really nothing but a lawyer. and she recognized his brilliance and said, that is the man i will marry. he will be president. she went about to help him do that. tavis: the most important question i will ask, how much fun was a gaining 25 pounds? >> and not as much -- tavis: eat whatever you want. >> i was doing it with a purpose, because i was beginning to do the research and i was already in this very disciplined place. so like a jerk, i went to a nutritionist and i ate the most repulsive, awful things. i did not allow myself to eat chocolate cake and french fries. i had these shakes with pro-gain that weight lifters. was revolting. tavis: i am very disappointed. you have a chance to have all this fun, and you are drinking shakes. >> i felt like a goose. tavis: you dropped it. was that easy? >> it was really hard.

>> reporter: you didn't tweet as mary todd lincoln >> i don't tweet as anyone. we met with sally field at mary todd lincoln's childhood home in lexington kentucky >> it was a wonderful city to shoot in >> reporter: where we continued talking about her own history. during her almost five-decade career in the business, fieldv: says she hasn't just struggled for roles. she struggled with some costars literally. did you really bite tommy lee jones? >> oh,ed god, yes reporter: years ago yes. ou sure have traveled a long way not to go anywhere >> i'm still on the move reporter: in 1981 field and jones costarred >> you can get go of me reporter: field said he was something of a wild man back then. at a rehearsal the 5'2 field was having none of it >> tommy is a big strong man. he had a hold of my wrist toñr show me how i couldn't get here. i was twisting it. so i went... he let me go. i got free. >> you see me as gij it. reporter: of course, the southern california native was already known to audiences >> you are kind of cute. reporter: that surfer girl gij it. >> good

mary todd lincoln "lincoln" stars and daniel day lewis and tommy lee jones. we are glad that you joined us. a conversation with sally field coming up right now. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminate hunger and we have work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: what a pleasure to welcome sally field to this program. the oscar winner has been a beloved actress. currently starring in what is the most talked about films of "lincoln" lincoln quote. a trip down memory lane. can we do that? >> i guess so. tavis: a small sampling of your award winning career. >> you know, i was on broadway wants. >> really? >> for almost 12 minutes. the show closed the first night. i was so good. you should have seen me. he's going to take you and th

i promise we will get back to the lincoln conversation -- mary todd specifically. your referenced earlier this inner voice. everyone of us has that. some of us ignore it. some of us listen to it. i guess all those big no. and listen to it depending on the occasion. but tell me about this in your voice that has been speaking to you over the longevity of your career. >> and my life. tavis: how much do you respect that and of course? >> not everybody has it is what i have learned. you have it to a greater or lesser degree. because my inner voice -- it comes with the creative world, but my inner voice is a character of mind, apart me a very young one, pre-verbal that comes froma survival technique as a child, when you have inconsistent parenting. when a parent, the person who really is hands on taking care of him, has inconsistent attention towards you, cannot see you court barely or worse and the child can't say in his being that the parent is flawed because that understanding is to death the frightening, because the instinct for survival is if i do not have apparent

as mary todd lincolnversation for her role as mary todd lincoln

you do not want to miss this, sally field portrays mary todd lincoln in the new steven spielberg film. we continue our look at the fallout from this year's presidential election with frank rich, the former ku near times writer. his piece in the magazine this week is called "fighting sea- fantasyland." he joins us tonight from new york. good to have you back on this program. >> great to be with you as always. thank you. tavis: i would want to start with the news of the day. there is so much news. congress is back in session for this lame duck session as it were. clearly, the top of the agenda for them and i suspect for the nation is how they keep the country from going over what has been referred to as the fiscal cliff. a lot easier to say then sequestration trade your thoughts on how serious both sides have to be or if in fact will be in coming to some grand bargain, some solution. these days following the election. >> they will be fairly serious. the first thing that has to happen is the republicans have to get over their shock of losing an election they thought they were going to wi

you got sally field as mary todd lincoln, a role she was basically born to play.gain, daniel day lewis, an absolutely astounding performance. i do like this film. i feel like it is a gift to american film goers. we're really getting to see what lincoln, the man, was like. 3 1/2 stars. >> whoa. good. all right. >> this is going to be a factor in the oscars for sure. >> he's always in it. >> hi's always in it to win it. >> you can read all of max's reviews. all right. stay with us. john has another look at your weekend forecast when we come back. and the turk >> welcome back. the cost of your thankgiving dinner going up. that's according to the annual survey from the farm bureau federation. the bird eats up most of the cost, about $22. then milk at $3.59 a gallon, sweet potatoes, three pounds for $3.15. pumpkin pie about $3. stuffing a little less especially if you get the day old bread. speaking of thanksgiving, we are going to debunk thanksgiving dinner. >> we're talking turkey. >> tell us how to make a turkey. >> we're going to talk about how to cook -- these are

sally fields is great as the troubled mary todd lincoln.about daniel day lewis. >> this very well may be the best picture of the year. you can line up your critics choice awards and our oscars. never seen anything like it. it begins with the battlefield sequence like saving private ryan but then the battleground becomes the floors of congress and the weapons are words, and an amazing performance by daniel lewis. you feel he is lincoln. and expect nominations for sally field and tommy lee jones. it is a spielberg spectacular and i have to give "lincoln" a full bucket. i'm don sanchez, abc7 news and we will see you on the isle. >> up next, it's a sport, of course. with thrills, frills and flash down at the red bull >> the annual red bull flugtag contest dropped into san francisco this holiday weekend. it was held yesterday at mccovey cove. the first san francisco visit in ten years. 32 teams spread their wings, attempting the longest flight. few of them made it more than ten or fifteen feet. the team that won is from the bay area. the novembe

that's something sally field and i talked about, mary todd lincoln always telling him to stop tellingmore things change, the more they stay the same with wives. >> let's take a look. sally field must be great, too. let's take a look at other lincoln civil war movies which have been successful and which have been major flops. >> well, "young mr. lincoln" is one we can begin with. that stars hollywood legends as american legends. henry fonda plays this man. this movie is from 1939. and it's about how lincoln got started as a lawyer. and he defends two men who are wrongfully accused of murder, and again, standing up for what he believes in and for what's right when it's very unpopular. this film is nominated for an academy award, so you can't go wrong with it. if it is good enough for the library of congress and preservation in our national film registry, it's good enough for us. >> what's next? >> the next one is a movie that really hit me hard when i first saw it. i was younger and really unaware of what people went through when they're serving our nation. "glory" is the next pick star

four months later meets mary todd lincoln. her son ends up enlisting in the war.unately he dies in his first battle. he fought in 1861. he could pass as white. her son passed as white. he went to fight for freedom. elizabeth tells the president a little bit about this when they have a scene together. >> how do you make your -- you've had such an interesting career. you starred in "e.r.." you've done a bunch of movies as well. you quit so you could go dance. >> actually, i didn't quit so i could go dance. that's a common misconception. i actually had asked to leave "e.r.." the role was fantastic. i always hold it close. it was very poignant. at that time a woman who was hiv positive, a heterosexual hiv positive woman. >> we all thought you left to go dance with tina turner. >> i knew i wanted to have more music in my life. i asked to leave the show. then i met tina. that's how -- i took the lead. >> how do you decide -- what rings a bell for you when you're looking at a script or looking at a choice of what to do next? >> i think this was kind of a -- a no-brainer.

sally fields is great as the troubled mary todd lincoln. >> this very well may be the best picture of the year. you can line up your critics choice awards and our oscars. never seen anything like it. it begins with the battlefield sequence like saving private ryan but then the battleground becomes the floors of congress and the weapons are words, and superbly crafted. an amazing performance by daniel lewis. you really feel he is lincoln. and expect nominations for sally field and tommy lee jones. it is a spielberg spectacular and i have to give "lincoln" a full bucket. i'm don sanchez, abc7 news and we will see you on the isle. >> coming up next, the thrills, spills and flash down at the red alright let's break it down. mom, pop it. ♪ two inches apart, becky. two inches. t-minus nine minutes. [ ding ] [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls. let the making begin. ♪ that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so

sally fields is troubled as the troubled mary todd lincoln. >> this very well may be the best pictureics choice awards and our oscars. it begins with the battlefield sequence like saving private ryan but then the battleground becomes the floors of congress and the weapons are words, and an amazing performance by daniel lewis. feel he is lincoln. and nominations for sally field and tommy lee jones. it is a spielberg spectacular and i have to give len con a full bucket. i'm don sanchez, abc7 news and we will see you on the isle. >> a full bucket with a few kernels spilling over thereof. coming up next, it's a sport of sorts. the thrills, and flash down of the red bull competition in san ♪ [ female announcer ] nature exists on the grandest scale... ♪ ...and in the tiniest details. ♪ and sometimes both. nature valley granola thins pack the big taste of granola and dark chocolate into one perfect square, under 100 calories. nature valley granola thins. nature at its most delicious. >> the annual red bull fluke top contest dropped into san francisco this holiday weekend. it was held yesterd

and her portrayal of abraham lincoln's wife, mary todd, may earn her a third. til congress ends slavery. >> you think i'm ignorant of what you're up to. when have i ever been so easily bamboozled. i insist you amend the constitution and abolish this slavery. and war to you if you pick to pass the amendment. >> what a powerful performance. here's the thing that got me. sally field, two-time oscar winner. big star. one of the best actresses in the world. and you really had to fight hard to get this role. >> yeah. that's the way it needed to be. it -- you know, fate sometimes just steps in. it needed to be that way for all three of us. for steven, for daniel, for me. to actually become mary, i had to demand that they don't walk away. that it was me. and to the generosity, first of all, of steven, who allowed me to test the first time. and then, i tested a second time because of the generosity of daniel, who is an amazing man. they both are amazing. and daniel flew in from ireland to los angeles for the day, to test. >> you all went in full costume. >> yeah. we were

some critics say david was telling me she was over the top but mary todd lincoln was over the top. f anything was a little subdued. i thought she was brilliant. the nuance. the richness of the portrayal of each of these characters including robert todd lincoln was very impressive. >> in your book you describe lincoln as a man of many contradictions. what do you mean? >> everyone saw something different in lincoln. some people said he was the most willful man in the world, others said he lacked the will. some people would come and say he's the funniest guy other people said he was the saddest man who ever lived. i think that's closer to accurate. so, he would be -- he would reflect to people sort of what they were looking for almost. >> if he was sad, why was he so sad? >> he lost his mother when he was 9 years old, was abandoned in the wilderness by his father. his closest friend in the world was his sister two years older, she died when he was a teenager. his whole life was a story of loss. >> david you raised an interesting point he reflected to people what they were looking for.

elizabeth moves to washington, d.c., opens up her business there, and shortly thereafter meets mary todd lincolnmaker, and confidante and best friend through the four years of the lincoln administration after a few years afterwards. >> we're looking at the photos there of you in the traditional dress and then the real life pictures of her in the resemblance is uncanny. explain to us, it really is an amazing story, an amazing role you play. you wrote an essay about this for the book, written for the movie and you talk a little bit about your own personal experiences and things that you've overcome in your childhood that you can relate to this character. can you share with us? >> yes, you know there are some obviously i can't even begin to imagine the physical difficulties and the abuse and the beatings, et cetera, that elizabeth went through. i have no idea what that's like. but emotionally i found some parallels with her immediately. a childhood ending very quickly, my father died when i was young. being kind of a second family so to speak, my family was married prior to marrying my mother and h

when it comes to first ladies, we've got a fascination with fashion, from dolly madison to mary todd lincolnave been celebrated for their style. perhaps no one more than jackie kennedy. >> right out of the gate she hit it with her inaugural ball outfit, the way she stood out with the crowd, the freshness of that white color, new beginnings, her youth. it spoke on so many levels to so many people. >> yet, others have been criticized. >> with hillary the problem was that she didn't define her own style, and she kept changing. i mean, her hairstyle is the perfect example of that. >> for this election it's a fashion face-off between two formidable contenders with two distinctive styles. >> michelle obama wears h & m, things that the normal person could buy, even though the majority of the time she is dressed in high-end designer clothing. she still that has that relatable touch to her. >> ann romney typically favors more high end. >> ann romney dresses in a very refined, expensive looking way. she wears a lot of designer clothing, but she still has fun with her style. she mixes prints. she loves

. >> you have this note in here mary todd lincoln wrote to a friend.it combines the drinking of andrew johnson and also the card that we read from john wilkes booth. >> that's right. >> do you remember when that was made public, that note? >> i don't. i don't. >> it doesn't say. but i wondered if -- >> no. i think it was -- >> at the time? >> yes, i think so. if not, it certainly was the case that this thought was out there, that he had been in a conspiracy. because the note from wilkes booth was certainly made public at the time. it was part of the investigation. and there was this feeling that this southerner had, you know, come in -- been taken in by lincoln to help bind the wounds of the civil war and had then betrayed lincoln and helped lead to his assassination and conspire. >> you say -- you have quotes in here from president lincoln at the time, ain't round the inauguration whether he was drunk. i guess you say he did -- put on quite a show, having too much to drink. >> absolutely. >> he made a bad slip the other day but you need not be scared

sitting down with the woman behind lincoln, not mary todd but doris goodwin, whose novel was read byovie and the most read reality history. >> abolishing slavery settles the fate for millions now in bondage and unborn millions to come. >> i imagine this man, abraham lincoln from the moment i woke up to went to bed for 10 years. suddenly, he's walking and talking, back on the screen and in my life again. it's an extraordinary experience to see him become abraham lincoln. >> you make the character. you live with this person. seldom do you get to see such a striking depiction rise from your work. >> the most amazing thing is both spielberg an daniel day-lewis cared so much about detail they asked me to take daniel to springfield to go through his house with mary, go through the law offices and go to the museum. what he wanted to know about just the right thing, what did he sound like? what was his voice like? >> this acme. is that cure! >> we know from that period of time he had a high pitched voice. it used to go over the big crowds. you had 10,000 people in the douglas debates and dou

mary todd, found them so fetching. >> he looked so fine i started to call him babe-raham lincoln. >> i was like, mary, please. >> youk like a baby, a literal child. i bought a pair online, shipped to 115 main st., that's my gettysburg address. i'm funny. i find them to be affordable frames, of the people, for the people, and, not, by the people, that's part of this freedom thing. end slavery, let people buy awesome sunglasses. who's behind those foster grants? abraham stinkin' lincoln. >> i came up with that slogan myself. [ ♪ theme music ♪ ] [ ♪ music ♪ ] >> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, it's "the stephanie miller show." [ ♪ music ♪ ] >> stephanie: today, eh. >> walking on something. >> stephanie: mess mess. my first pr crisis. this is very exciting. >> isn't it? >> do you have a person? no i'm in radio. did i screw up? [ bleep ] i need to fix this. people are sending me numbers of crisis managers, what? i never leave my house. i don't have reason. wow, yes we wanted to address this yesterday. we had to hold off but my good friend bill press joins me now. look at that on the news maker line. he's making news wit

mary todd, found them so fetching. >> he looked so fine i started to call him babe-raham lincoln. >> i was like, mary, please. >> youline, shipped to 115 main st., that's my gettysburg address. i'm funny. i find them to be affordable frames, of the people, for the people, and, not, by the people, that's part of this freedom thing. end slavery, let people buy awesome sunglasses. who's behind those foster grants? abraham stinkin' lincoln. >> i came up with that slogan myself. before the sneeze, help protect with a spray. before the tissue, help defend with a wipe. before the cold & flu season help prevent with lysol. because when you have 10 times more protection with each hand wash... and kill 99.9% of germs around the house with each spray... those healthy habits start to add up. this season, a good offense is the best defense and lysol has your family covered because that's our mission for health. smiles make more smiles. when the chocolate is hershey's. [ ♪ theme music ♪ ] [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> ladies and gentlemen it's the "stephanie miller show." [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> stephanie: and this portion of the "stephanie miller s

mary todd, found them so fetching. >> he looked so fine i started to call him babe-raham lincoln. >> i was like, mary, please. >> youk like a baby, a literal child. i bought a pair online, shipped to 115 main st., that's my gettysburg address. i'm funny. i find them to be affordable frames, of the people, for the people, and, not, by the people, that's part of this freedom thing. end slavery, let people buy awesome sunglasses. who's behind those foster grants? abraham stinkin' lincoln. >> i came up with that slogan myself. [ ♪ theme music ♪ ] >> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, it's "the stephanie miller show." [ ♪ theme music ♪ ] [ ♪ music ♪ ] >> stephanie: my my. >> rain shine. >> stephanie: i'm glad we got that all of our system. we've had a stressful week here at "the stephanie miller show." >> it seems that everything that could go wrong would go wrong. >> stephanie: we hate everybody but you had. >> we're giving each other a big hug. >> stephanie: we'll close the door. >> you said that yesterday. >> stephanie: we've had that friggin' panda all week. six minutes after the hour. happy friday, everybody. www.curr

mary todd, found them so fetching. >> he looked so fine i started to call him babe-raham lincoln. >> i was like, mary, please. >> youk like a baby, a literal child. i bought a pair online, shipped to 115 main st., that's my gettysburg address. i'm funny. i find them to be affordable frames, of the people, for the people, and, not, by the people, that's part of this freedom thing. end slavery, let people buy awesome sunglasses. who's behind those foster grants? abraham stinkin' lincoln. >> i came up with that slogan myself. >> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, it's "the stephanie miller show." ♪ i'm walkin' on sunshine ♪ ♪ i'm walkin' on sunshine ♪ ♪ and it's time to feel good ♪ ♪ hey, all right now ♪ ♪ and it's time to feel good ♪ >> stephanie: i'm good. hello, everybody! happy post-thanksgiving. happy monday. six minutes after the hour. it is "the stephanie miller show." 1-800-steph-12 the phone number toll free from anywhere. stephaniemiller.com the web site. you know what you can see there. stephanie miller facebook. you can see the handsome romantic picture of jim ward at my house on thanksgiving playing the guit

mary todd and your in this whole thing and spielberg -- i mean, the guy's amazing. steven spielberg, one of the greatest directors ever. >> he is quite, quite amazing. >> jimmy: and at one point, lincoln- [ laughter ] -- is one of the best shots in cinematic history. >> and then, adam sandler -- >> jimmy: and then adam sandler comes in. we have a clip of the great sally field and daniel day-lewis in "lincoln." take a look at this. >> i believe you when you when you said amending the constitution and abolishing slavery will end this war. and since you are sending my son into the war, woe unto you if you fail to pass the amendment. >> seward doesn't want me leaving big muddy footprints all over town. >> no one in the -- knows better than you the proper placement of footfalls on un-tread paths. so it is. do it. you must. 'cause if you fail to acquire the necessary votes, woe unto you, sir. you will answer to me. ♪ >> jimmy: that's how you do it, right there. that's how you do it. [ cheers and applause ] congrats on the great reviews and thank you for coming to our show. come back whenever you want! sally field! "lincoln" is now playing in select theaters. opens everywhere on friday. fine