Live with Faith Hill & David Foster
Ali Wentworth, Mark Consuelos and Gayle King are here, and the biggest topic on their minds—and everyone else's—is the 2008 election. After what has seemed like years of campaigning, the end is just five days away!
This year, many states offered early voting, some for the very first time. In Illinois, the last day to vote early was Thursday, October 30. Oprah says she initially was going to wait until Election Day to vote...but decided to vote early instead to make sure she didn't get stuck in a long line on Tuesday, November 4. Despite having to wait an hour and 12 minutes to cast her ballot, Oprah says the polling center was very organized. "First you'd come in and you'd fill out your stuff," she says. "And then you sit and you wait for them to call your name."
"So they actually said, 'Ms. Oprah Winfrey'?" Mark asks.
"They all called it at the same time: Oprah Winfrey!" Oprah says. "I did a little dance and went up to the voting booth."
Oprah says she even met women from a drug treatment center who were at her polling place to vote for the first time.
Gayle says she can't wait to cast her vote...but her home state of Connecticut doesn't offer early voting. "You know what I'm going to do on Election Day?" Gayle says. "Take a camera to the polls. And when I get in the booth, I'm going to click up whomever I'm voting for, click up his name and take a picture of me standing by the ballot. Just to have it, because I really do feel it's a historic thing."
While early voting is over in Illinois, it's still going on in many states...with some offering it right up until Election Day. Find out your registration status and the early voting laws in your state at www.CanIVote.org.
This year, many states offered early voting, some for the very first time. In Illinois, the last day to vote early was Thursday, October 30. Oprah says she initially was going to wait until Election Day to vote...but decided to vote early instead to make sure she didn't get stuck in a long line on Tuesday, November 4. Despite having to wait an hour and 12 minutes to cast her ballot, Oprah says the polling center was very organized. "First you'd come in and you'd fill out your stuff," she says. "And then you sit and you wait for them to call your name."
"So they actually said, 'Ms. Oprah Winfrey'?" Mark asks.
"They all called it at the same time: Oprah Winfrey!" Oprah says. "I did a little dance and went up to the voting booth."
Oprah says she even met women from a drug treatment center who were at her polling place to vote for the first time.
Gayle says she can't wait to cast her vote...but her home state of Connecticut doesn't offer early voting. "You know what I'm going to do on Election Day?" Gayle says. "Take a camera to the polls. And when I get in the booth, I'm going to click up whomever I'm voting for, click up his name and take a picture of me standing by the ballot. Just to have it, because I really do feel it's a historic thing."
While early voting is over in Illinois, it's still going on in many states...with some offering it right up until Election Day. Find out your registration status and the early voting laws in your state at www.CanIVote.org.
On our show Miracle Children with Celine Dion, Celine and Oprah introduced the stories of miracle children from around the world. One of those stories moved just about everyone to tears.
Eliot was born with Trisomy 18—a genetic disorder with a very low survival rate. In a video tribute to their son, Matt and Ginny celebrated every day of his life. Though the lifespan for children born with Trisomy 18 is just five to 15 days, Eliot lived for a joyous 99 days.
Watch the moving video celebrating Eliot's life.
"As Celine, the audience and I watched, we could barely keep it together," Oprah says.
Eliot was born with Trisomy 18—a genetic disorder with a very low survival rate. In a video tribute to their son, Matt and Ginny celebrated every day of his life. Though the lifespan for children born with Trisomy 18 is just five to 15 days, Eliot lived for a joyous 99 days.
Watch the moving video celebrating Eliot's life.
"As Celine, the audience and I watched, we could barely keep it together," Oprah says.
During the show—which taped a couple of weeks before it aired—Matt and Ginny shared big news. Ginny was pregnant and just days away from giving birth to Eliot's sibling!
Two weeks later, Ginny gave birth to Hazel Emerson. "She's doing great," Ginny says.
Matt says Hazel's healthy delivery was a relief. "I think anybody who's lost a child goes into the whole pregnancy deal with just a little different mind frame," he says. "We went into ultrasounds with a little dread, unfortunately, a little fear. It's just something we prayed about. To be at her birth and to hear her cry—and she cries really well, really loud—I think 'relief' is the right word. It's been fun ever since."
As a father, Mark says seeing Matt in the video truly inspired him. "The one thing that struck me was when you were talking about your feeding shift. You said, 'It's 11:45, and my feeding shift has begun. Mom is asleep, and the best part of my day has begun,'" Mark says. "It really just struck me, like, 'Oh my gosh.' This is one of those moments where you really cherish every single day, and they are so fleeting. It was a wake-up call to me. So thank you for doing what you did."
Two weeks later, Ginny gave birth to Hazel Emerson. "She's doing great," Ginny says.
Matt says Hazel's healthy delivery was a relief. "I think anybody who's lost a child goes into the whole pregnancy deal with just a little different mind frame," he says. "We went into ultrasounds with a little dread, unfortunately, a little fear. It's just something we prayed about. To be at her birth and to hear her cry—and she cries really well, really loud—I think 'relief' is the right word. It's been fun ever since."
As a father, Mark says seeing Matt in the video truly inspired him. "The one thing that struck me was when you were talking about your feeding shift. You said, 'It's 11:45, and my feeding shift has begun. Mom is asleep, and the best part of my day has begun,'" Mark says. "It really just struck me, like, 'Oh my gosh.' This is one of those moments where you really cherish every single day, and they are so fleeting. It was a wake-up call to me. So thank you for doing what you did."
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The next topic that got Oprah, Ali, Mark and Gayle talking is the December issue of Shape magazine, which features country superstar Faith Hill on the cover. What's so special about that? This 41-year-old mother of three is showing off her toned legs and abs in a bikini! "Wow. I thought that was me for a second," Ali jokes.
From her kitchen in Nashville, Tennessee, Faith is Skyping in to share her fitness tips. For years, Faith says she only worked out to get in shape for a video shoot or work-related event. "I would exercise rapidly for two to three weeks," she says. "Then, I would go about my regular life."
Then, in January 2008, Faith says she underwent knee surgery, which changed her outlook on exercise. "I was down for six months. I couldn't exercise. I couldn't do anything," she says. "At that moment, I realized, you know what, I'd really taken my health for granted."
Over the summer, she says she and her husband, fellow country star Tim McGraw, decided to change their lifestyle completely. "[We] changed our eating habits," she says. "We started working out daily with cardio, mostly on an elliptical cardio machine."
Faith says she does about 4 miles a day on the elliptical and incorporates Pilates into her routine. Once she started seeing results, she says she agreed to do the cover of Shape as a 41st birthday gift to herself. "I also think it was a gift to her husband," Mark says. "Thank you from all the husbands out there."
From her kitchen in Nashville, Tennessee, Faith is Skyping in to share her fitness tips. For years, Faith says she only worked out to get in shape for a video shoot or work-related event. "I would exercise rapidly for two to three weeks," she says. "Then, I would go about my regular life."
Then, in January 2008, Faith says she underwent knee surgery, which changed her outlook on exercise. "I was down for six months. I couldn't exercise. I couldn't do anything," she says. "At that moment, I realized, you know what, I'd really taken my health for granted."
Over the summer, she says she and her husband, fellow country star Tim McGraw, decided to change their lifestyle completely. "[We] changed our eating habits," she says. "We started working out daily with cardio, mostly on an elliptical cardio machine."
Faith says she does about 4 miles a day on the elliptical and incorporates Pilates into her routine. Once she started seeing results, she says she agreed to do the cover of Shape as a 41st birthday gift to herself. "I also think it was a gift to her husband," Mark says. "Thank you from all the husbands out there."
Faith and Tim may be living a healthier lifestyle, but that won't stop them from celebrating Halloween with food and friends! On Halloween night—a big deal in the Hill-McGraw household—Faith says they're having 10 close friends over for dinner before heading out to trick-or-treat. What's on the menu? Stew and grilled cheese sandwiches. "We try to fill the bellies full of something besides candy," she says.
Instead of giving up good eats like grilled cheese, Faith says she's cut back and tried to make better choices. "I cut out sweet tea and soft drinks," she says. "I didn't deprive myself; I just kind of cut back."
There are some things, however, this Mississippi girl won't cut out completely. "I can't refuse fried chicken," she says.
Instead of giving up good eats like grilled cheese, Faith says she's cut back and tried to make better choices. "I cut out sweet tea and soft drinks," she says. "I didn't deprive myself; I just kind of cut back."
There are some things, however, this Mississippi girl won't cut out completely. "I can't refuse fried chicken," she says.
If Oprah could sing like Faith Hill, she says there's only one music producer she'd call—David Foster. With 15 Grammy awards and more than 100 top hits to his name, David is the mastermind behind many of the songs that make up the fabric of our lives.
Over the years, he's sold half a billion records and worked with some of the most celebrated artists of all time, including Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Cher, Paul McCartney, Madonna and Celine Dion. "For some of these people, I'm part of their story," he says. "For a couple of them, I'm a big part of their story, so it feels pretty good."
In December 2008, artists like Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé and Brian McKnight will celebrate David's legendary career in the PBS special Hit Man: David Foster & Friends. They'll be singing some of his most famous hits, which he says come to him while he's at the piano. "Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't," he says. "I could write a song right now. It probably would be crap, but it would be a song. [With] the song 'After the Love is Gone,' I sat down and it fell out in one moment—the whole chorus fell out."
At home, David admits that he doesn't like to listen to his own music. "I love classical music, so that's what I listen to mostly," he says.
Over the years, he's sold half a billion records and worked with some of the most celebrated artists of all time, including Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Cher, Paul McCartney, Madonna and Celine Dion. "For some of these people, I'm part of their story," he says. "For a couple of them, I'm a big part of their story, so it feels pretty good."
In December 2008, artists like Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé and Brian McKnight will celebrate David's legendary career in the PBS special Hit Man: David Foster & Friends. They'll be singing some of his most famous hits, which he says come to him while he's at the piano. "Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't," he says. "I could write a song right now. It probably would be crap, but it would be a song. [With] the song 'After the Love is Gone,' I sat down and it fell out in one moment—the whole chorus fell out."
At home, David admits that he doesn't like to listen to his own music. "I love classical music, so that's what I listen to mostly," he says.
The entertainment industry is bound to have a few big egos, and David has seen his share. However, he says he's also had the pleasure of working with true anti-divas, like Celine Dion. "It's just unbelievable the way she's just stuck to the plan. She listens to the people around her," David says.
Celine showed her grace to all of Madison Square Garden when she shared her stage with Charice, a young singer who David thinks is the next big thing. "She is undeniable," he says. "Even regardless of all the hype that's going on, she's the real deal."
Celine showed her grace to all of Madison Square Garden when she shared her stage with Charice, a young singer who David thinks is the next big thing. "She is undeniable," he says. "Even regardless of all the hype that's going on, she's the real deal."
David takes a seat at the piano to play a few favorites he's worked on, starting with "The Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera. When David starts to play one of Gayle's favorite songs, "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion, Gayle can't contain herself.
"Do not sing it, Gayle!' Oprah says. Of course, Gayle will not be silenced—she stands up and belts out her big solo! "I have no shame," Gayle says.
"Do not sing it, Gayle!' Oprah says. Of course, Gayle will not be silenced—she stands up and belts out her big solo! "I have no shame," Gayle says.
While Gayle admits she's not the best singer in the world, David says he knows who is. Of all the talented performers David has seen over the years, he says Andrea Bocelli is one of the greatest. "He is my favorite singer on the planet."
Andrea takes the stage to sing "The Prayer" and "Because," a song from his new album, Incanto, featuring some of the greatest love songs in history.
Watch as Andrea performs "The Prayer" live.
Andrea takes the stage to sing "The Prayer" and "Because," a song from his new album, Incanto, featuring some of the greatest love songs in history.
Watch as Andrea performs "The Prayer" live.
Published 10/31/2008