it's time for "samuel l. jackson settles it. ♪ samuel l. at what you said? >> jimmy: pecan. >> pecan >> jimmy: pecan. >> pecan >> jimmy: pecan pie. >> pea-can pie if you're from the south. pecan pie if you're from the north. >> jimmy: all right, all right [ applause ] christmas tree real or fake one >> real. [ applause ] you've got to have that pine smell in the house you know you've got to smell it you can't smell that tinsel tree, that aluminum thing people put up. >> jimmy: i had a fake thing in my house for years my whole life, growing up, i had the same christmas tree. it was in the basement and every time we pulled it out, it was this musty smell and that is the smell of christmas for me >> that is so bad. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: stove top stuffing or homemade stuffing. >> homemade stuffing what [ cheers and applause stove top stuffing >> jimmy: really >> stove top stuffing -- the city dwellers who never had to cook at home or never had a real kitchen or never wanted to smell the food cooking all day? see, you've got to have that smell

the revival of the pulitzer prize-winning drama star samuel l. jacksonfe, latonya rich a right side son jackson. the play is making history again. abc's robin roberts sat down with the cast. >> reporter: it's a return the new broadway revival. of revered playwright august wilson's pulitzer prize-winning "the piano lesson." >> i came from florida to see this play. >> i hope it's just the first of several august wilson plays that i'll see live. >> to get the opportunity to see these actors, really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. >> here we are. this beautiful theater. broadway's first revival of august wilson's "the piano lesson." how do you bring it to life? >> august brought it to life by the words he put on the paper. and so it was just up to me to see how i could reimagine it and amplify everything that he did. >> reporter: latonya richardson jackson directs the show centered on the charles family in 1936 pittsburgh. >> i know what he was thinking! >> reporter: at the heart of the play is a haunting family drama over a battle for this family heirloom

danielle brooks as his sister berniece and latanya's husband samuel l. jackson i mean, you -- the original boy willie. 87, yale, the understudy for the broadway debut. >> life-altering in a lot of different ways. my life changed when i was the understudy. drug addled at the time, why me, why me and i got to go somewhere and fix my life in a way that i didn't realize my life needed fixing and my life changed exponentially, you know, when i got out of rehab because of it. >> reporter: samuel l. jackson going on to become one of hollywood's highest grossest actors and now john david washington is following in the footsteps of his famous father denzel as boy willie. >> capable of anything. i can take and peel something with these hands. >> your father, also part of the august wilson legacy with "fences." your momma, who is another fine actor, pauletta, has seen it at least 13 times. >> i think it's 20 now. >> how did they prepare you for broadway? >> my whole life teaching me how to pray. understanding what faith means and how i insert faith and prayer into everythi

>> oh, samuel l. jackson. >> is he great? >> this is the last question.nking cap on. this retired nfl legend shocked his fan after posting images of him hit by lightning, only turned out to be a stunt. >> i watch profootball. >> when you have to. >> i know my jimmy garoppolo. >> of course, you know him. >> i stand corrected. that's a fip fifirst. eli. we'll hav into a tie breaker. r p>> i don't know wha. it was drew brees. >> what? >> this takes us to a tie breaker. >> we are both doing craptastic here. >> this is a tie-breaker. it is basically who's closer. >> joe biden's non-nuclear expert busted at baggage claim at a minneapolis airport. how much was the luggage worth? r >> $2,500. r >> $2,500? r >> $3,000. >> dr. nicole sapphire! it it was $2,300. >> i should have bet a dollar? >> i have one of these? >> now, i have two. >> i have been on your show before. >> i have one against brian. >> can i go on that leader board now? >> you are going to go on the leader board and you have to knock someone down. kennedy, better luck next time. >> i am not worried,

. >> stephen: the part of boy willie as you were saying was originated by samuel l. jackson're on stage-- certainly not when you're in the midst of performance, but was there any time in making this, in the rehearsal process, where you thought, "i wonder what he would have done in this moment?" or do you feel any pressure because he's right there? >> all kind of pressure. somewhat like i whoornd he would have done in this moment. i hope i'm not disappointing him. he's looking at me crazy right now. am i messing up? or is this sam saying you... i feel so much support from him. h's been very gracious and so helpful and influential in my development in my own way for the character. >> stephen: well, he thinks the world of your performance. i don't know whether you saw him when he was on this show back in september, but he talked about how he wasn't really allowed to talk to you about this because, of course, his wife is the director. >> absolutely. >> stephen: and this is what he said about your performance: >> the audience is really like, "oh, my god." you know, they're like--

you have samuel l. jackson. you have john washington who is denzel washington's son.fantastic revival. >> you have given tips on how to get good deals. if you could only go to one broadway show this christmas season, what would it be? >> if you can get a ticket, it's called merrily we roll around. it's where "rent" originated before moving to broadway. we see it right there. hot off the press. it is moving to broadway. this show was problematic when it opened in the '80s. only ran for a couple of seasons. a steven sondheim production. she finally brought it here. it got rave reviews across the board. it's a tough ticket. if you can wait, go in september. >> all right. emmy award-winning host of "on stage," frank, we appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> staying in new york city, a behind the scenes look at the new grand central terminal. it is famous for its early 1900s design and is a must-see for ourists. and this morning new york authorities are announcing a massive underground station will open in just a few weeks. nbc news correspondent tom costello got an exclusive f

everything i know about hostage negotiations i learned from samuel l. jackson in a movie a few years ago. when you look up who this viktor bout guy was, the lord of war was based on him. this is a bad guy, a bond villain. so what word to the degree we can understand on the outside, what were some of the negotiations that may have gone on that made this trade possible? was it the only deal at the table, like either get this done or nothing? how was this balance sort of calculated by the biden administration? >> from what we understand, this was basically the only thing the russians would agree to. that it's viktor bout for griner or nothing. and it is strange. you're right, it's a pretty bad look to be pushing this hard for the merchant of death, and all day, russian state media has been trying to humanize him and trying to evoke sympathy by showing his crying wife and talking about how much he's aged and how much weight he's lost in prison, but still it's a weird look. but you know, he is a former soviet intelligence officer, putin has a soft spot for those. an

. >> reporter: she starred alongside samuel l. jacksong these boys have got. >> reporter: her co-star and friend octavia spencer writing, the world lost another creative angel, my thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, friends and fans. >> she was just an infectious person. >> reporter: tyler ford was her long-time producing partner. >> i never saw a person soldier and be positive the way she was. >> reporter: but, of course, it was her marathon run on "general hospital" where she really left her mark. nurse epiphany appearing in an incredible 543 episodes from 2006 through 2020. the show's executive producer writing, the lights in the hub of the nurse's station will now be a little dimmer but her spirit and light will live on in both the show and our set. she was be very missed. ♪ waiting and waiting ♪ ♪ anticipating ♪ >> reporter: sonya eddy was 55. and sonya eddy was so believable as "general hospital's" head nurse there was a rumor she was a licensed vocational nurse in real life. while that isn't true, she clearly cared about