tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first up tonight, our conversation with grammy-winning musicians lyle lovett. in january, he will go on a major u.s. tour and help bring down the curtain on the long- running music series "austin city limits." recently he started "much ado about nothing." also, johnny mathis. he sold over 100 million albums during his career and he is out now with this first ever country cd called the "let it be me." music greats lyle lovett and johnny mathis, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet pu

tavis: two questions here. how is motherhood? >> awesome. tavis: more than acting? you had better say yes. that was a trick question. >> if anything, the reason i paused is motherhood has made me enjoy acting more. tavis: you are psychic. >> i am. i was not going to talk about that. i took a pause because i really love acting more that i have had my daughter. the focus is off of me. that is freedom, that i am no longer the most important thing in my life. as much as i did not want to admit it that i was maybe self- centered, i was so self- centered. i did not realize how so self- centered. my small day-to-day dramas, it was different. now she is my priority. i cannot think about the dangers. i walked into every in vermin like i was -- environment. everything becomes like a danger. how would i bring her in here? we were on an airplane a couple of days ago and it seemed like everyone was contagious. it is scary. at the same time, she is -- i hope i can be the kind of mom that she would be of benefit to the world and hope -- help make the world a better place. no press

tavis: good evening, i am tavis smiley. a conversation with one of music's all-time greats, stevie wonder. we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the holiday in january honoring martin luther king, jr. on december 18 in southern california you can still get tickets for stevie wonder's annual benefit concert. today marks the 15th anniversary of the worthy cause. my conversation with music icon stevie wonder coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. >> nationwide is on your side >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. kcet public television] national captioning institute --www.ncicap.o

tavis: good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley. tonight part two of our special conversation with the legendary stevie wonder. on december 18 he'll be celebrating the 15th anniversary of his holiday benefit, house full of toys, this year many stars will be featured. in january the nation will pause to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the king holiday, a holiday stevie wonder helped make a reality back in 1986. we're glad you've joined us, night two with the iconic stevie wonder, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> -- you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captio

tavis: this is my term, not yours. i'm not so sure that our of religiosity makes it -- makes us as tolerant as we think we are. muslims come to mind. our tolerance seems to be decreasing. >> you have to have the right historical perspective here. 100 years ago, there were anti- catholic riots. by now, catholics are probably the most popular religious group in america. muslims are a special case. they seemed to be tied up with the whole war on terror, but there were three groups that are less popular among americans. one is mormons, one is muslims, and one is buddhists. i've never heard of a buddhist terrorists running around. we don't know them. most americans don't know a muslim, more men, or a buddhist. in the african-american community, most of the religious views -- african-americans are substantially more favorable. there are more muslims and more folks in the african-american community that are asking that question. tavis: black people know what it means to be disenfranchised indeed the -- and be the "other" in a

tavis: i take that.did you come to discover -- because you seem to be very clear about what your modus operandi is, your project, your style, the lane you want to run in. you want to speak to women, empower women with your lyrics. how wide did that become the lane you wanted to run in? >> it was a combination of things. it naturally happened around "turning me on" days. i had that concept and i wanted to say that and even -- like when i wrote that record, i had the concept for a year or so and wanted to find the right track because really, i'm the type of girl and i know other girls who are the types of girls who it's not about the chains, about the car or the house and this, that and the other that you think are impressing me, it's really the intellect, stimulating my mind. tavis: in los angeles? where do they live? >> they're everywhere. there are good girls out there. tavis: that was just a joke. >> but seriously. you know, and then turning me on was from the same head. it was just, like, oh, my gosh,

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, my conversation with a legislate -- a legendary musician, patti smikth. -- smith. she released a book which won an award for non-fiction. "just kids." my conversation with music coming uptti smith', right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: i am pleased to welcome patti smith to this program. the legendary performer has just released "just kids," a heart felt memoir. it is an honor to have you on this program. >> thanks. t

tavis: greenglarbgs i'm tavis smiley. first up tonight, a conversation with gordon brown, the man who succeeded tony blair. he has a new text about how we can overcome the economic crisis. also our preview of our next installment of our primetime series "tavis smiley reports." it airs december 29 and focuses on one of music's biggest new stars, dudamel. he is leading a movement to bring classical music and education to a new generation. we're glad you can join us. our conversation with former british prime minister gordon brown coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles. >> and from contributions to your pbs station from veers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: gordon brown i

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, our conversation with legendary musician and producer quincy jones. the 27-time grammy winner is the most nominated grammy artist in all of music. in addition to a new book, he also has a new album which features a who's who is -- a who's who of artists. it is called "q: soul bossa nostra." our conversation with quincy jones, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: always pleased to welcome quincy jones to this program. the iconic musician, composer,

keep the faith. >>> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org tavis: join me next time for our conversation with two-time oscar winner kevin spacey and amy adams. that is next time. we will see you then. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs. >> be more. pbs.

tavis: thanks for your insights. >> thank you. tavis: edmund morris is next. a few words about elizabeth edwards. she lost her battle with cancer yesterday. in 2004, she joined us on this program from the campaign trail. i closed our conversation by asking her to describe what she most wanted other people to see in her. >> mostly, i think of myself as a mother. i have children in four decades. i guess it will be -- i will put that last one off to college when i am in my 60's. nearly my entire life is defined by the fact that i am a mother. >> tavis: you say that proudly. i suspect you should. what does it mean for you and what does it give you in terms of context? to have been a mother in four different decades? >> i think one of the things that is helpful is when i am not here talking to people, it means i understand what is happening in their lives. it was not that long ago i was going to work and making school lunches and going off to work, and trying to figure out if i could take my lunch at the same time as the children's dental appointment and figuring o

tavis: good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley. first up tonight, a conversation with oscar-winning filmmaker danny boyle following the success of his film, "slumdog millionaire." he has a new film, "127 hours." the film tells the real-life story of a stranded hiker played by james franco. also, acclaimed author, reza aslan, is here. he's out with a new anthology, it's called "tablet & pen." we're glad you've joined us. that's coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance us proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: please welcome danny boyl

tavis: i love your line. "she does not appear to have a first language." >> you know how you hold your breath when someone quotes you. my line to norman mailer always gets misquoted. he made me furious, and gore vidal furious, and i did not realize -- you might be able to identify -- what could make you angry on the air in front of an audience as the host. it would be norman mailer saying, why don't you just read the next question of the question sheet? and heard myself say, why do not fold it five ways and put it where the moon does not shine? this got the longest laugh of mmy crews. "cavett, is that something you had it for years? norman was not happy. it gets misquoted. people think it, why don't you fold it five ways and stick it -- that would be vulgar. tavis: [laughter] but you read books. >> the biggest mistake i made during a talk show is i thought you had to read the book. it helps. i read 435 page books and had a guest on for eight minutes. there went by weekend. it's good to be acquainted with the

tavis: same bibles. >> different bibles. >tavis: one black and one white. >> yes. tavis: is there black bible? i thought there was just one. these 6 million negroes were going to work north? >> that is what i wanted to get a grasp on. it was not one migration. it was multiple and there are three main ones. one was up the east coast up to washington and the new york. there was a middle one from mississippi, alabama, western georgia up to chicago, detroit, cleveland. that was the middle one. the one that is least known about which i really enjoyed writing about was the one from louisiana and texas to california and the west coast. >> what made you devote so much time and attention to this study? >> i am a daughter of the great migration. the african-american to meet our products of the great migration. it is that massive. many of us owe our existence to the fact that people migrated. my mother migrated to washington, d.c. and my father migrated from southern virginia. here i am. had it not been for the great migration, i would not exist. the story was not being told

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, our conversation with one of the most successful singer song writers and the music business, sheryl crow. her latest project is a celebration of r&b music called "100 miles from memphis." she is also a breast cancer survivor who last month opened the sheryl crow imaging center in los angeles. our conversation with sheryl crow, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: pleased to welcome sheryl crow to this program. the multi grammy-winning singer- songwriter has started a tour in support of her latest project, "100 miles from

tavis: good evening from los angeles. per se, a conversation with the health care executive who blew the whistle on the health-care industry, wendell potter. his book on how he pulled back the curtain on deceptive practices is called "deadly spin." el debarge is out with his first project in nearly 15 years. the acclaimed new disk is called "second chance." we are glad you joined us. wendell potter and el debarge, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. >> nationwide is on your side >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. you. thank you. former head of communications for health insurance giant cigna, who blew the whistle on de

tavis: the evening. following last month's gains by republicans in congress, there is so much soul-searching within the democratic party. so tonight, conversations with two high-profile democrats on how the party can it regain enthusiasm. first up, second highest ranking democrat dick durbin. yesterday he joined leaders from both parties at a white house meeting. then there will be joined by gary hart. the former colorado senator is up with a new book. it is called "the thunder and the sunshine". a look at the future of the democratic party with illinois senator dick durbin and gary hart coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, on

tavis: why this project? of all the things that come over your desk, why did you want to do this one? >> "the wrestler" was very connected to "black swan" because they're both about performance and i like them as companion pieces. they're about artists that put their bodies at risk to do what they do but one's about the highest art throughout and one the lowest art. kind of the magic and hope of cinema is that you can take an aging wrestlers at the end of his career and a young dancer at the beginning of her career, if the emotions are real, the audience will go with them on the trip. tavis: what is it that attracts you to this performance art as theater? >> my favorite part of the job is working with actors and they are performers and the only time i get to be michael jordan soaring through the air when he's in the zone is when i get to watch actors in the zone. i'm right there with them. and when they're channeling it, whatever the powers of the universe are coming through them, i get to be right there and

tavis: first of all, the title. i love me some d j rogers, and one of my favorite songs is "love brought me back." >> i was in new york, and i heard that, and i thought, that is the title of my book. it makes sense. when you look back at certain things, you can ask yourself how do i get through this. players got me through this. >> you did a cover, "say you love me." that is a beautiful song. >> i ran into debt and sell. -- denzel. tavis: if i show of december 8 and you do not sing it, i am going to think he is more important than i am. >> nosair. >> it is a great song. it was not that long after that you went into dialysis. how did you wind up with a kidney? >> it is a long list, especially in big cities, and my son was not a match. we got a call. i was with my sister when the call came to say they did find a perfect match and that the kidney was specifically designated for natalie cole, so the hospital kind of flipped out. how did i get to the top of the list all of a sudden? a woman had taken care of me for one d

tavis: you mentioned inspiring. does the character that you play -- do they have to be strong personalities? yardy opened a plane someone that is that in texas? -- are you open to playing someone that is the antithesis? >> i mean that as embrace it. -- as in brave. they have extraordinary experience. i find people like that to really move me. you read about them in the paper. that is why i am an actor. i love people and their stories. i find a compelling. tavis: i am trying to get a sense of whether or not you feel some conviction, something that compels you an inclusion into wanting to portray on the screen for the rest of us to see women who are brave. >> i did not set out to do that. i did not start my career wanting to find these real-life stories and tell the specific types of stories. these are the stories that i am drawn to preve. hopefully, i will do lots of different types of things. i have to say that something happens when i read them. i am nude from a very deep part of my soul -- i am moved from a very p

tavis: we do.pace is all about. >> people are always looking for an angle or a story, and that was interesting, but that is not my whole story. it is tough when you get headlined as something that is not necessarily everything you are, but of the same time, it does not matter. it is a headline. people get to know you anyway. >> what is with the dogs? they are nice dogs. >> it was his idea to shoot with all the dogs. i thought it was a good idea. i had a song that was about a dog. it kind of tied it all in, and i thought it was funny. >> is not me. it is a dog. the new project is called "the fall." in november, i cannot wait for the troubled region the collaboration's project. -- i cannot wait for the collaboration project. it is very random. >> it is very random, and it is all people i love and respect. the label had an idea to put it together in a compilation album. i was surprised, but they all fit together. >> "the fall" is out now. october 2, i will see you. up next, a special performance from