The scoop on the "Color Purple" red carpet
Red carpets may seem fun and glamours but they're really about the worst thing that any entertainment person has to endure; crowded, noisy, screaming to get someone to stop and talk when all they want to do is get away from the press. Still, it beats "actual" work for a living, so I guess I'm not complaining (too much.)
The latest was kind of exciting since I was going to be talking to Oprah Winfrey for the first time at the Chicago premiere of "The Color Purple" outside the Cadillac Palace Theater. You can see the full interviews with everyone here.
Maggie and Mayor Daley strolled by to talk about how great a production like this is for the city of Chicago. The Mayor joked about using the lessons of overcoming adversity in the play in dealing with the press.
Roger Ebert and his amazing wife, Chazz, made their 2nd public appearance since Roger's health problems. Roger was flashing his signature thumbs up and even broke into a bit of a dance when I kidded with him about being Mr. Around Town lately. He looks fantastic...as does Chazz.
R. Kelly told us that he's seen "The Color Purple" in New York seven times and wanted to see it here. Someone needs to tell "R" to lose the neon yellow wad of gum before he starts a round of interviews.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson was there and spoke about how the play is a celebration of what's right. I was amazed at his ability to show up precisily when Oprah did, almost as if he had matieralized out of thin air, and then shadowed Oprah on the red carpet when the cameras were catching their "money shots." In the raw interviews that you can see here, it's interesting wathcing him in the background.
Oprah's people were very warm and welcoming as was the "Big O."