I got the chance to visit with one of my kids' favorite stars, Emma Roberts, who plays the new Nancy Drew. She talked about her passion for reading and teen hottie Zack Efron! Her movie opens Friday, June 15, 2007.
One of my favorite things about summertime is being able to work outside. On a gorgeous day in New York, I had a laugh with Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, stars the stars of the Broadway musical "Spring Awakening." They were both saying how they are always stuck in a theater and never get to perform outside, so they were loving it!
"Spring Awakening's" Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele perform "Word of Your Body" on our plaza. Jonathan is nominated for a Tony as Best Actor in a Musical at the ripe old age of 22! By the way, that big head you see in the foreground is our super-strong cameraman Claus. He was not only a football player at Syracuse, but also a great singer. He was singing show tunes while we were waiting for the performance to start!
I'm a real sucker for babies and this little one in particular really captured my heart, and not only because her name is Hannah. We had a great time staring into each other's eyes for about 10 minutes. It's funny -- when I was growing up, there were never any other Hannah's around. Now it's one of the most popular baby names!
Sometimes we have to go above and beyond our call of duty as interviewers. "CSI" star Marg Helgenberger was here to chat about her new movie with Kevin Costner called "Mr. Brooks" and was having trouble with the microphone on her blouse. Just seconds before we went on air I was trying to help her out so that she would feel comfortable.
We tried our best to fix Marg's microphone, but it kept flipping over. Halfway through her first question, I simply handed her mine! It's not much of an interview unless you can actually hear the answer to your questions!
Out on our plaza with Elisabeth and Andrew Shue after our interview on Monday, June 4, 2007, about their new movie "Gracie." They gave us a soccer demonstration and we were cracking up about Andrew's smooth move to save the soccer ball from bouncing off camera.
Throwing my arms around Elisabeth and Andrew Shue as I was throwing to a commercial break after our interview on The Early Show. I have a tendency to be really touchy-feely and grabbed them both for a group hug!
Henry Winkler stopped by the plaza to chat about the latest book in his "Hank Zipzer" series; the story of a boy dealing with a learning disability who uses humor as a way to cope. The books are fantastic and are a reflection of Henry's sometimes-painful childhood. His dyslexia went undiagnosed until well into adulthood. The books are funny and inspirational, much like Henry himself!
Henry Winkler is one of the sweetest guys around. Here he stops to take a picture with a fan after our interview on the plaza.
Just after my interview with the fabulous Antonio Banderas. He's an incredibly nice guy, and I love talking to him off camera as well as on. Here we are laughing while looking at a monitor that's showing a close-up shot of his "Shrek" character, Puss in Boots.
I love it when we get to do sports segments on The Early Show, and it doesn't get much better for me than talking with Brady Quinn, the quarterback for Notre Dame. After this interview, he gave me a big No. 10 jersey with his autograph on it that I'm seriously considering framing. He'll make a great NFL quarterback with Cleveland.
I'm really impressed with everything Reggie Bush has done. I interviewed him a year ago after he won the Heisman Trophy. He's gone on to not only have a great year with the Saints, but also does so much good work with the New Orleans community in helping rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
Each morning on The Early Show, I get to meet lots of interesting people, from celebrities and newsmakers to those of you who come out see us on the plaza. This was one of my strangest interviews; I ended up yanking this guy's nose ring off by accident!
Being a morning show host, you get to do a lot of cool things, and dancing with Mario Lopez may be the envy of all the girls out on our plaza. I was a little worried about keeping up with his dance moves, but I actually hung in there and got pretty good reviews from the office staff!
If you are wondering who the big TV stars are in my house, it's certainly not me. It's the two guys I'm posing with here. My kids and I have literally seen every episode of their show, "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," starring charming twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse.
Music is a big passion of mine, and I was so excited to meet Phil Collins, who brought the entire cast of the Broadway musical "Tarzan" to our plaza. Collins wrote all of the music for the show, and it's absolutely fantastic. Josh Strickland, next to me in red, stars as Tarzan and was once a contestant on "American Idol."
I've loved Phil Collins' music ever since I saw my first Genesis concert when I was in college. Here I am asking him about a possible reunion, and now it's happening. I can't wait. I already have my tickets!
I think this photo is kind of funny: Harry Smith and I look like a couple of proud parents at graduation. Of course, who wouldn't be proud of Tiger Woods, who I've known since his days when he dominated the U.S. Amateur. Harry is hoping that standing so close to Tiger will rub off on his golf game.
Sometimes it's important to stop and take in everything that's going on around you and really appreciate it. Here's one of those moments.