Dakota Fanning - October 2005
Reuters Photo Credit: Phil McCarten
Dakota Fanning
The "hottest actress in Hollywood is also the shortest," Walters said.
Eleven year-old actress Dakota Fanning has worked with Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds, Denzel Washington in Man on Fire, Robert DeNiro in Hide and Seek, and most recently with Kurt Russell in Dreamer.
Over the last four years, her films have earned over $700 million.
Dakota receives $3 million per picture.
Walters said, "Dakota Fanning is fascinating because she manages to be both a big star and a little girl."
Dakota doesn't mind being referred to as "an old soul" and very mature for her age.
She told Barbara:
It's very nice. I feel like it's just me.
Raised in Georgia, Dakota started reading at the age of two.
At the age of four, her parents enrolled her in an acting workshop.
Dakota said she took the role of a little blue fish very seriously. She wanted to do the best job that she could then. That tenacity has clearly carried over the past four years on the big screen.
In Hollywood Dakota started out in commercials followed by small parts on tv.
Walters said:
Her big break came at age seven co-starring with Sean Penn in I Am Sam.
Since then every leading man in Hollywood has wanted to work with her.
This summer, Dakota stars in the children's classic Charlotte's Webb.
When Barbara asked her who selects her roles, Dakota said she ultimately picks the parts. Of course, she has help from her agent and her mom. Together they decide what is right for the time. Dakota says, "I have to really feel for the character." So when it comes down to it she makes the final decision.
Dakota's parents have chosen to stay out of the limelight and into keeping their daughter as "normal" as possible. Dakota told Barbara she often makes her own bed and cleans up her bedroom. She is not paid an allowance for the chores she does around the house. Dakota said:
My mom and dad didn't think I really needed one. They want me to do chores around the house because I want to do them and not 'because you're not going to be getting your allowance this week if you don't make up your room or your bed'.
She and her sister pretend they are waiters when they clean up the dishes in the kitchen.
Barbara tried to find a bit of dirt on Dakota. However, she did not succeed. Dakota said she doesn't have tantrums. She said she rarely gets in trouble. However, she promised she would some day act the part of a spoiled little brat just to appease Barbara.
Barbara's final words: "She is adorable."
Kanye West & Barbara Walters
Kanye West
Barbara Walters introduced Kanye West by saying, "He has a unique sound, and a unique way of sounding off in public."
Those who were fortunate to watch the Grammy Awards this year may remember little about the show. However, they will remember one performance. And that was by Kanye West.
The African American record producer and rapper received three Grammy Awards in 2005. (He was nominated for ten -- the most any artist received this year.) Currently, West has another Platinum selling album. (Late Registration sold over 904,000 copies in the first week of its release.)
This year, Kanye also made the cover of Time Magazine.
What Barbara did not mention is that Kanye West will open for four of U2's U.S. Tour concerts in December.
I know because I just bought tickets to their last concert on the tour; $1,000 for four tickets.
The good news is that when I told Tim we were taking my sister and brother-in-law to the December 19th concert in Portland, the die-hard U2 fan said, "I'm jazzed we finally get to see U2." He added, "However, I'm equally as excited to see Kanye West."
West will also open for U2 on December 14th in Saint Louis, Missouri, on December 15th in Omaha, Nebraska, and on December 17th in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This is separate from Kanye's current Touch The Sky Tour.
Kanye told Barbara, "I think the strongest artists have had a great image, and good music to back it up."
Walters said:
Kanye has all those things.
His music doesn't glorify guns nor objectify girls.
His songs are politically charged rhymes about say the horrors of the African diamond trade or the toll of drug abuse in America.
He says he focuses on really serious things that touch on social issues and "racial things." He told Barbara, "I get away with it because I hide it behind really good beats, or hot things that make you laugh to keep you from crying."
Kanye showed off his on-the-fly talent by spinning a rap for Barbara. He rapped:
I'm on Barbara Walters.
You know I won't falter.
Jesus walked. He took me to the alter...
And I can talk to any reporter.
Turn on your recorder.
Barbara not only introduced us to Kanye West, she introduced her audience to the people who influenced Kanye most growing up. West's mother was a professor of English until she became her son's business manager. Kanye's father has two masters degrees. A former member of the militant group, the Black Panthers, Mr. West taught Kanye that racism was everywhere.
Kanye credited his father for the lessons he has learned, which today translates into the lyrics in his hugely successful songs. West said he wouldn't be the artist he is if he wasn't on top of today's issues.
Kanye told Barbara that he does not get offended when people use the word "nigger" around him. However, he does get offended when white people use incorrect English when they are around him. Kanye said, "If they say, 'I don't be doin' this,' that feels equal to what the word "nigger" feels like to other people."
Barbara brought up the fact that some people consider Kanye to be arrogant or overly confident. However, when she asked him how he would describe himself he used one word: "black". When I asked Tim how he would describe Kanye, he said, "cool." Barbara would obviously say, "fascinating."
I would say, "very talented."
Tom Mesereau
Criminal defense lawyer Tom Mesereau Jr. was the next person honored as one of Barbara Walter's 'Most Fascinating People' of the year.
Mesereau's girlfriend is the Out on Parole actress, singer and activist, Minnie Foxx.
Having not tuned into one minute of Michael Jackson's five-month trial this was a new face to me. Mesereau successfully defended Jackson on all counts of his child abuse case.
In his interview with Barbara, Mesereau expressed his view on racial discrimination in America. He said:
Despite whatever advances this country makes in the area of civil rights, I still feel that people of color are devalued constantly in our society, and I do what I can to fight against it.
As someone who thrives on being a non-conformist, Mesereau is stepping outside the box and winning in his cases, again, and again, and again.
Lance Armstrong
Cyclist Lance Armstrong retired this year from racing.
Walters said, "This year Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France which is what he did last year, and the year before, and the year before that, and the year before, and the year before that ..."
Armstrong's seven-time win was unprecedented.
Walters said:
It's not normal for one man to be so strong, so fast, so focused. But that may be because Lance Armstrong isn't normal.
Walters pointed out some of the facts. Armstrong's heart is bigger than the normal heart. His resting heart rate is 32 beats a minute. (A tip-top in shape athlete is glad to have a resting heart rate that is twice that.) He is in the top 2% of all humans in terms of his ability to take in oxygen.
While he feels lucky to have been blessed with these super-human traits, his bike-racing career is not what he is most proud of.
Being the greatest cyclist in the world takes a backseat to his triumph over cancer.
Armstrong told Walters:
I'm proudest of being a cancer survivor -- absolutely -- by a factor of 100.
At just thirty-four years of age, he has the opportunity to impact a lot of people, especially those with cancer. Armstrong said, "I have a tremendous duty within the fight against cancer." He added, "I don't need to effect millions and millions of people. If I just affected dozens that would be enough."
His Livestrong foundation has already raised over $120 million.
Now that he has retired from racing, he looks forward to spending more time on his foundation, more time with his three children, and more time with his fiance, rock star Sheryl Crow.
Sheryl joined Lance during his interview with Barbara. The first thing Barbara wanted to see was Sheryl's six-carat diamond ring.
Barbara probed, as Barbara does best, into the common interests that brought the two together. Barbara asked what the attraction was. Lance, with a giggle and a priceless expression, said, "Well she's hot; I mean, I saw that. For starters, I thought, 'Wow!'"
Barbara asked Sheryl if there is a favorite song she sings to or about Lance.
Lance turned to Sheryl and said, "You don't sing to me."
And then he turned to Barbara and said, "I don't even ask her those questions."
Without missing a beat, Sheryl broke out singing, "Are you strong enough to be my man?..." from her 1993 album, Tuesday Night Music Club.
As ABC showed outtakes of Lance on his bike, they played Sheryl's hit song, "Strong Enough."
Armstrong ended the interview by saying, "I still feel like a kid on a bike."
Healthy, adventuresome, soulful? Yep, he would make the cut.
They both would.
Walters' last word? "Amazing!"
Ditto!
Jamie Foxx & His New Best Friend Oscar
AP Photo Credit: Laura Rauch
Jamie Foxx
Walters called 2005, "Truly The Year of The Foxx."
Jamie received an Oscar nomination for Collateral co-starring Tom Cruise.
And he received the Best Actor Academy award for his brilliant portrayal of music legend, Ray Charles. Walters called his award "the biggest prize of all."
Jamie told Barbara it's been a fantastic year. He said:
It's the NBA Championship. It's the Super Bowl. It's the Stanley Cup. It's everything all at once.
As we learned about Jamie Foxx' background, we learned that he wanted to be a famous singer. However, he got his start in the entertainment world as a comedian.
After his success on the popular tv show In Living Color, Jamie got his own signature television show.
Foxx both starred in and directed The Jamie Foxx Show.
Next summer, he will take on Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas' tv classic when he plays Ricardo Tubbs in the film version of Miami Vice.
This month, he will fulfill a life-long dream when he releases his first hip-hop album.
Order Unpredictable now, and it can be under your Christmas tree by December 21st. I did!
Jamie's first CD will be released by J-Records on December 20th.
The tracks include:
1. Unpredictable - Jamie Foxx, Ludacris
2. Warm Bed
3. DJ Play a Love Song - Jamie Foxx, Twista
4. With You - Jamie Foxx, Game, Snoop Dogg
5. Can I Take U Home
6. Love Changes - Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx
7. Extravaganza - Jamie Foxx, Kanye West
8. Three Letter Word
9. Get This Money
10. VIP
11. Do What It Do
12. Storm (Forecass)
13. U Still Got It (Interlude) - Common, Jamie Foxx
14. Heaven
15. Wish U Were Here
Barbara asked Jamie if he feels like he has made it. Jamie's response? "I feel like I've just started." He added, "People are just finding out who I am."
Jamie's right. I haven't seen Ray Charles, yet. Shame on me.
But I did see Collateral. And I was cheering him on, big time, during the Academy Awards.
Beth Holloway Twitty
Beth Holloway Twitty was selected by Walters for her tenacity as she searched throughout Aruba for seven weeks for her missing teenage daughter Natalee Holloway. Natalee has still not been found.
Our prayers are with the Twitty family. We celebrate Beth's commitment to bringing the person or people who took her daughter from her to justice. We share her biggest hope -- that Natalee has not been killed. And we celebrate Barbara's willingness to help tell Natalee's story through her mother Beth.
Teri Hatcher
She is called the unforgettable Teri Hatcher. Walters called her a "divine, sexy, single mom" in real life. On television she's a Golden Globe winner. While I still have yet to see one episode of Desperate Housewives, I did see her Golden Globe acceptance speech. Perhaps if her show was The Teri Hatcher Show and it was a comedy, I might watch it, after seeing that speech. On the night she won her award, Teri said, "I am here because a network gave me a second chance in a career when I couldn't have been a bigger has-been."
In speaking with Barbara Walters, Teri said, "It is truly, really should be inspirational to anyone in any career -- that you can not predict where you're going to be in a year from now."
Teri went on:
Because if you had said to me, this is where I'd be, with you in my house -- here's where I cry -- interviewing me, I mean, seriously, it's insane.
This woman is humble and loveable.
And by the way, she's real. And she's spectacular.
U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
This year, Condoleezza Rice became President Bush's Secretary of State.
She is the first African American female to take on this position in the history of the United States.
Barbara Walters called her "quite possibly the most powerful woman in the world with an aggressive approach to foreign policy."
On Tuesday night, we learned that in her 11 months as Secretary, she has traveled nearly 200,000 miles and visited more than 43 countries.
Walters said:
Condoleezza makes it look easy; so easy that it's easy to forget the remarkable journey she's made.
She grew up in one of the most segregated cities in the South -- Birmingham, Alabama.
But Condoleezza was raised in a small oasis of black, middle-class hope and pride.
Her parents, who were educators, told her that anything was possible in America, if she believed in herself.
While Barbara did not mention it, it is interesting to contrast Condoleezza Rice's upbringing versus Kanye West's. While both came from educated families, Kanye's father focused on the presence of racism in America. In contrast, Condi's father instilled a confidence in his daughter that, that, in spite of racism, she could overcome all challenges. When Mr. Rice was faced with racism, Condi watched her father organize armed patrols of his family's neighborhood.
Walters said, "She was a musical protege as a child, a college graduate at nineteen, Soviet Affairs Adviser to the first President Bush, then a kind of foreign policy tutor to his son, the Governor of Texas." "And when her pupil became President," Walters added, "she became National Security Adviser."
Bush said, "Americans will find she is a wise person."
Walters brought out the softer side of Rice, as well. Barbara spoke about Condoleezza being deeply religious. She mentioned that she plays classical music in a chamber music group. Condoleezza loves football. (So much so, we have heard that she hopes to one day be the Commissioner of the NFL.) Dr. Rice loves to work-out. And she loves to shop, especially for shoes.
Walters said that despite the criticism she has gotten, Condoleezza's supporters outnumber her critics.
Walters said, "In fact, many are wondering, 'Could she be the first African American woman President?'"
While Condoleezza has made it clear she has no desire to run for president, her supporters have nonetheless created a Web site called AmericansForRice.com -- with hopes that enough people in the U.S. will encourage her to consider otherwise.
Some, in California, New Hampshire and Ohio, have even invested in a personalized license plate, as a way of showing their support of Rice's nomination in 2008.
Condoleezza and Barbara's pick for "most fascinating of the year" were the only two people Ms. Walters did not personally interview.
Tom Cruise & Barbara Walters
Tom Cruise
Barbara visited Tom on his Mission Impossible III set. She said she wanted to find out why, for Tom Cruise, 2005 was the "War of the Words".
When Walters asked Cruise if he regrets anything he said or did this past year, his answer was simple and straightforward. Cruise said:
No. Not at all.
You look at what has occurred over this past year, where you have the kind of labels that have been put on these psychiatric drugs.
Since I started talking out about it, since the Matt Lauer interview, over 465,000 children have come off these depressants.
So I think it's exactly the opposite; it's been a very successful summer.
Walters transitioned to another one of Cruise's successes: His engagement to twenty-six year-old actress, Katie Holmes.
Walters said, "This has been so fast with Katie." She added, "I mean, you just met her last April." Walters asked Cruise, "How do you know so fast?"
Cruise answered:
I just knew. I really just knew.
It was an explosion.
She's magic.
And I think that all men should celebrate their women.
They should all jump on couches for them.
When you find that woman, you should really be unabashed about it. And that's how I feel about it.
I really mean it. I will forever be jumping on couches.
And now we're going to have children; it's beautiful.
Tom promised he was telling Barbara the truth when he said he did not know whether he and Katie were having a boy or a girl. However, Tom told Barbara that he plans to find out. Recently, Tom and Katie bought a sonogram machine, which they plan to donate to a hospital when they're done.
When Barbara asked Tom about Scientology's approach to giving birth, Tom spoke about creating a calm and quiet environment for his wife-to-be.
He said, "I want Kate to be as comfortable as possible, and whatever she's going to go through, she's going to go through."
When asked about a wedding date, he replied, "I don't know." However, later in the interview, Tom spoke about getting married next summer or early fall.
Tom transitioned back to another passion in his life: Making movies, especially Mission Impossible movies. He says they get his blood pumping. He loves hearing the theme music from the movie.
Walters ended her interview with Cruise by saying:
Tom is fearless in both his career and his personal life, as we have discovered over the years.
May Tom, his bride-to-be, and their new son or daughter have fewer challenges and more adventures in 2006.
At least Tom and Katie can continue to count on life being full of adventures.
Tom said:
It's never boring. That's what I told Kate; 'I promise you, it's just never going to be boring.'
Barbara Walters' 'Most Fascinating Person'
To find out who was dubbed by Barbara Walters and ABC as the 'Most Fascinating Person of The Year' go to:
www.abcnews.com
As Barbara promised, you'll never believe it.
She was absolutely right!
About Barbara Walters
For twenty-five years, Barbara Walters was the co-anchor of the award-winning ABC news magazine 20/20.
In January 2005, a DVD was released highlighting those twenty-five years of interviews with First Ladies, American Presidents, other world leaders, movie stars, and countless fascinating people.
Every year, after the Oscars, we look forward to watching The Barbara Walters Special.
Now that she has retired from 20/20, her specials are beginning to fall into the "above and beyond" category. Her next special, for instance, is called Heaven.
Do you suppose Barbara's producers at ABC will use the fourteenth track on Jamie Foxx's debut album in their upcoming program?
For those interested in taking a two-hour, around-the-world journey with Ms. Walters as she explores how people on earth perceive our ultimate destination, tune into ABC on Tuesday, December 20th at 9pm ET.
Barbara will talk about where Heaven is, and how we get there.
She promises that by the end of the program we will have some of those answers.
Inspire & Be Inspired.
Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "fascinating and soon-to-be heavenly" living!
~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC
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