The post Owen Wilson learns to “smell the roses” as he finds peace in life after 50 appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The Academy Award-nominated actor, known for comedic roles in films like “Wedding Crashers,” “Zoolander” and “Meet the Parents,” stars in the new Apple TV+ series “Stick” as Pryce Cahill, a washed-up professional golfer seeking redemption.
Speaking at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey, Wilson reflected on how his perspective on success has evolved over his decades-long Hollywood career.
“Those studies that say the happiest time in people’s lives are after 50 — as a kid, I really had a hard time believing that,” Wilson said. “But here, I do find myself feeling pretty happy and pretty content.”
Wilson said he’s moved past the pressure he felt earlier in his career, when poor performance felt catastrophic.
“Early on, you’d make something like, wow, this doesn’t do well. I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” he said. “It just felt like so much was riding on stuff, so much pressure to kind of do well and succeed. I do kind of feel, yeah, a little bit more sort of peace, and …. taking time to smell the roses.”
The actor has also been open about his mental health struggles, a theme that resonates in “Stick.” The show explores what Wilson calls “a reckoning that most people have to kind of face in life.”
“That idea of rock bottom reminds me of times in my life when I’ve had struggles, how much I needed other people — family, friends,” Wilson said. “I think that’s reflected in this show.”
Wilson, who remains as active as ever in Hollywood, said he’s learned to appreciate setbacks as necessary stepping stones.
“We can all sort of look back at bad things that happen, where you’re like, yeah, without that bad thing, then I don’t get to this good thing,” he said.
The first season of “Stick” is now streaming on Apple TV+.
The post Owen Wilson learns to “smell the roses” as he finds peace in life after 50 appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Daughter of Mother Emanuel AME church victim reflects on her father’s death a decade after mass shooting appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The church’s pastor, Clementa Pinckney, was one of the people killed in the massacre. His daughter, Eliana Pinckney, graduated from Philadelphia’s Temple University in May.
“It gets a little easy to forget sometimes that I’m 21 and that my dad died when I was 11,” she told CBS News.
Then-President Barack Obama delivered Pinckney’s father’s eulogy.
“I can distinctly remember at 11, knowing the magnitude President Obama held,” she said.
Two days later, at the shooter, Dylan Roof’s, bond hearing, some family members of his victims publicly expressed forgiveness.
Felicia Sanders survived the shooting by playing dead, shielding her granddaughter underneath her. But her son, Tywanza Sanders, was gunned down.
“By the time I hollered for everybody to get down, the first couple people had already been shot,” Sanders told CBS News. “…I saw my son got hit. My son died on one side of me and…my aunt died on the other side. He took the bullets that we ultimately was supposed to have.”
“May God have mercy on you,” Sanders told Roof in court back in 2015.
“I raised up, knowing that Jesus forgave us,” Sanders told CBS News of her decision to say that in court. “Forgiveness wasn’t for him. It was for me.”
Myra Thompson, who led the Bible study, was among those killed. Her husband, Rev. Anthony Thompson, told CBS News he did not initially intend to speak at that court hearing.
“I forgive you and my family forgives you,” Thompson said in the courtroom in 2015.
“What I want people to understand is this was a divine intervention,” Thompson told CBS News. “OK, God called me to forgive this guy. That’s when I began to heal. And then, within a few minutes, I’m light as a feather. He gave me a peace, and that’s what that forgiveness did.”
Said Pinckney: “I think forgiveness is a really hard thing and a hard concept. Instead of having a sense of hatred or animosity towards him, I honestly wish for growth for him and anyone surrounded by him. I think that hatred is such a powerful disease that unfortunately, seems to dictate the way our country is run.”
Four years ago, Pinckney told CBS News as she was graduating from high school that she wanted to put more good into the world. Today, she’s a professional actress. At Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre, she’s part of the ensemble in its production of “Rent.”
“I’m really passionate about doing art that means things to people,” she said. “That isn’t the reason they came to the theater, but it’s the thing they leave the theater thinking about.”
With her social justice mindset, Pinckney hears her father’s voice. She’s giving life lessons in resilience and forgiveness, both on and off the stage.
“The fact that I still have a family that I can call and check in on … is such a blessing,” she said.
The post Daughter of Mother Emanuel AME church victim reflects on her father’s death a decade after mass shooting appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Here are the safest vehicles for new teen drivers and how much they cost, according to an annual report appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The annual rankings identify vehicles at three price points, with 74 models costing under $10,000.
Forty-eight models come with automatic emergency breaking and highly-rated headlights for under $20,000.
A third premier batch includes 22 new 2025 vehicles equipped with the latest crash prevention and safety technology, including a seat belt reminder.
“It’s a really important thing for teens because we know teens are less likely to buckle up,” said Jessica Jermakian, IIHS senior vice president of vehicle research. “Parents should be looking to buy as much safety as they can afford. We’re looking for vehicles that will protect the teen in the event of a crash and also help them prevent the crash in the first place.”
The vehicles range from small sedans to large cars, small and medium-sized SUVs and minivans. Each earned a good crash rating from IIHS in five tests: original moderate overlap front, original side, driver-side small overlap front, roof strength and head restraints.
Vehicles that are not on the report’s list for new drivers include minicars, sports cars, large SUVs and pickups. They also urge caution with starting a new driver out in an electric car because they have a lot of available power and can hit a high rate of speed quickly.
Here are the vehicles included in the rankings:
Small cars
Toyota Corolla sedan (2017-19; 2023 or newer): $9,500Honda Insight (2019-22): $11,600Mazda 3 hatchback (2019 or newer): $12,100Toyota Prius (2017 or newer; only vehicles built after August 2016): $12,600Mazda 3 sedan (2020 or newer): $13,000Toyota Prius Prime (2017 or newer): $16,200Honda Civic hatchback (2022 or newer): $19,200Honda Civic sedan (2022 or newer): $19,200Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid (2019): $19, 300
Midsize cars
Toyota Camry (2018 or newer): $13,100Mazda 6 (2019-21; only vehicles built after June 2019): $14,000Subaru Legacy (2020 or newer): $15,700Nissan Maxima (2020 or newer): $16,900Kia K5 (2021 or newer; only vehicles built after November 2020): $17,000Lexus IS (2017 or newer; only vehicles built after June 2017): $17,000Subaru Outback (2020; only vehicles built after October 2019): $17,400Volvo S60 (2021-22): $17,500Hyundai Sonata (2023 or newer; only vehicles built after December 2022): $18,100Mercedes-Benz C-Class (2019 or newer; except 2021 models built before February 2021): $19,100Honda Accord (2021 or newer): $19,800
Large cars
Genesis G80 (2017-20): $12,200Genesis G90 (2017-22): $12,400Acura RLX (2018-20): $16,700
Small SUVs
BMW X2 (2019-or newer): $12,200Mazda CX-3 (2020-21): $12,900Subaru Forester (2019 or newer): $13,000Mazda CX-5 (2020 or newer): $15,400Chevrolet Trailblazer (2021 or newer): 17,300Ford Bronco Sport (2021 or newer): $17,500Nissan Rogue (2021 or newer): $17,500Hyundai Tucson (2022 or newer): $17,600Mazda CX-30 (2022 or newer): $18,000Kia EV6 (2022 or newer; only vehicles built after August 2022): $19,800Mitsubishi Outlander (2022 or newer; only vehicles built after June 2021): $19,800Toyota Corolla Cross (2022 or newer): $19,800
Midsize SUVs
Acura MDX (2017-20): $13,100Volvo XC90 (2018 or newer; only vehicles built after March 2018): $14,600Lexus NX (2018 or newer): $14,900Honda Pilot (2019 or newer): $16,000Ford Explorer (2020 or newer; only vehicles built after May 2020): $16,600Volkswagen Tiguan (2022 or newer): $16,600Toyota Highlander (2017 or newer): $17,000Honda Passport (2019-21; only vehicles built after June 2019): $18,100Nissan Murano (2021 or newer):$18,400Mazda CX-9 (2021 or newer): $18,500Audi Q4 e-tron (2022 or newer): $18,600Acura RDX (2019 or newer): $19,400Subaru Ascent (2021 or newer): $19,900
Small cars
Nissan Sentra (2015 or newer): $4,400 Mini Countryman (2011 or newer): $4,600 Mazda 3 sedan (2014-19; only vehicles built after October 2013): $5,000 Kia Soul (2015 or newer): $5,100 Mazda 3 hatchback (2014-19; only vehicles built after October 2013): $5,400 Subaru Impreza wagon (2014 or newer): $5,700 Subaru Impreza sedan (2014 or newer): $5,800 Volkswagen Golf (2015-21): $6,300 Kia Niro Hybrid (2017-22): $6,600 Honda Civic sedan (2014-21): $6,800 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen (2015-19): $6,900 Subaru Crosstrek (2014 or newer): $7,300 Honda Civic coupe (2014-21): $7,900 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack (2017-19): $8,000Chevrolet Volt (2016-19): $9,500Chevrolet Bolt (2017-21): $9,800Acura ILX (2016-22): $10,000
Midsize cars
Volvo S60 (2012-20): $4,900 Volkswagen Jetta (2015 or newer): $5,300Hyundai Sonata (2016-22; only vehicles built after October 2015): $5,900Mercedes-Benz C-Class (2015-18): $6,500 Chrysler 200 (2015-17): $6,700 Volkswagen Passat (2016-22): $7,100 Subaru Legacy (2015-19): $7,200 Mazda 6 (2016-18): $7,300 Volvo V60 (2015-20): $7,300 Acura TL (2012-14; only vehicles built after April 2012): $7,500 Audi A3 (2015 or newer): $7,500 Ford Fusion (2017-19): $7,500 Subaru Outback (2015-19): $7,600 Honda Accord sedan (2013-20): $8,200 BMW 2 series (2014-21): $ 8,400 Nissan Maxima (2016-19): $8,600 Toyota Camry (2015-17): $8,800 Lincoln MKZ (2017-19): $8,900 Honda Accord coupe (2015-17): $9,200 Toyota Prius v (2015-17): $9,300
Large Cars
Volvo S80 (2012; 2015-16): $4,800 Hyundai Genesis (2015-16): $8,400 Kia Cadenza (2017-20): $8,500 Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2014-19; only vehicles built after January 2014): $8,800Audi A6 (2016 or newer; only vehicles built after January 2015): $9,300
Small SUVs
Buick Encore (2015-22): $5,100 Fiat 500X (2016-18; only vehicles built after July 2015): $5,300 Nissan Rogue (2014-20): $5,300 Subaru Forester (2014-18): $6,000 Mitsubishi Outlander (2014-21): $6,100 Jeep Compass (2017 or newer; only vehicles built after December 2016): $6,700Mazda CX-3 (2016-2019): $6,800 Mazda CX-5 (2014-2019; only vehicles built after October 2013): $7,200Hyundai Tucson (2016-21): $7,700 Kia Sportage (2017 or newer): $7,700 BMW X1 (2016 or newer): $8,900 Audi Q3 (2015 or newer): $9,100Hyundai Kona (2018 or newer): $9,600Honda CR-V (2015 or newer): $9,800
Midsize SUVs
GMC Terrain (2014 or newer): $5,200Volvo XC60 (2013-21): $5,200 Chevrolet Equinox (2014 or newer): $5,300Volvo XC90 (2013-17): $6,000Nissan Murano (2015-20): $7,100 Kia Sorento (2016 or newer): $7,500 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (2017-18): $8,300 Chevrolet Traverse (2018 or newer): $8,500 Hyundai Santa Fe (2017 or newer; only vehicles built after March 2016): $8,500Audi Q5 (2015 or newer; only vehicles built after January 2015): $8,700 Lincoln MKX (2016-18): $9,200 Mercedes-Benz M-Class (2014-15; only vehicles built after August 2013): $9,200Acura MDX (2014-16): $9,300 Volkswagen Tiguan (2018-21): $9,700 Mazda CX-9 (2017-20; only vehicles built after November 2016): $9,800
Minivans
Kia Sedona (2015-21): $5,400 Honda Odyssey (2014 or newer): $7,300 Chrysler Pacifica (2017 or newer; only vehicles built after August 2016) : $9,100
Small cars:
Honda Civic sedanMazda 3 hatchbackMazda 3 sedan
Small SUVs
Honda HR-VHyundai Ioniq 5 Hyundai Kona Hyundai Tucson Mazda CX-30 Mazda CX-50 Subaru Forester (excludes Wilderness trim) Subaru Solterra
Midsize cars
Honda AccordHyundai Ioniq 6Toyota Camry
Midsize SUVs
GMC Acadia (built after January 2025)Honda Pilot Hyundai Santa Fe (built after November 2024)Kia Telluride Lexus NXMazda CX-70Mazda CX-90Subaru Ascent
The post Here are the safest vehicles for new teen drivers and how much they cost, according to an annual report appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Behind the scenes look at UPS deliveries as holiday shipping deadlines near appeared first on My Blog.
]]>An estimated 2.2 billion packages will be shipped this holiday season, according to ShipMatrix Inc.
The last day for FedEx ground economy is Friday Dec. 13, and Wednesday Dec. 18 is the deadline for U.S. Postal Service ground and first-class mail. Procrastinators have until Dec. 23 for FedEx overnight and UPS Next Day Air.
Making those deadlines requires a workforce of more than 1.5 million drivers nationwide, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here’s a look at how the UPS operates with the holiday season in full swing.
CBS News correspondent Nancy Chen went behind the scenes at a UPS training facility in Chicago. It’s one of 13 so-called Integrad training facilities across the globe where more than 100,000 drivers have graduated since 2019.
“Every driver has to go through this training, including annual training afterwards,” said Ryan King, Chen’s instructor for the day.
King explained they use a see-through truck as a tool to teach organization.
“They have hundreds of stops a day and hundreds of packages, so it’s very important that they’re able to find the package efficiently,” he said.
Chen then learns the basics, including putting on special shoes and a safety harness to simulate icy and slippery conditions.
She also practiced driving on their simulator.
“We have a lot of pedestrians out on the streets here so we need to get eye contact. We’re gonna tap that horn,” King said during the training.
After training, Chen rode along with Sharon Pascoe, who has been accident-free in her 35 years of delivering for UPS.
Pascoe said she likes the people most in this job, but she has a message during this holiday season, “If you shop early, it gets shipped early. That’s the best way to get everything on time,” she said.
Other advice to get your gifts to where they need to go on time include picking the correct packaging to reduce weight. Envelopes can sometimes be less expensive than boxes.
Also consider printing two copies of the label. One for the outside — just in case something happens to the package — and another for the inside as a backup.
The post Behind the scenes look at UPS deliveries as holiday shipping deadlines near appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle addresses controversies, challenges facing the agency appeared first on My Blog.
]]>Currently, officers train to protect the president using bike racks that represent a White House fence. Using their imaginations, they navigate a field of trees at the Secret Service’s training center in Laurel, Maryland, as if they were the inside the White House.
Cheatle argues that a White House replica is needed for proper training.
“You wouldn’t ask your Super Bowl champs to go out and train in a parking lot,” Cheatle said.
To further explore the concept, the agency visited Tyler Perry’s production studios in Atlanta, where a replica White House has been built. Cheatle wants Congress to fund a similar replica for training.
Having served in the Secret Service for 28 years, Cheatle was involved in the evacuation of Vice President Dick Cheney on Sept. 11, 2001, and served on then-Vice President Biden’s protective detail. She was appointed director last year, amid a swirl of controversy the agency faced over deleting most of its text messages from Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in 2021. The agency attributed it to a data migration.
Cheatle defended the agency, saying, “Our integrity is everything. And there was nothing nefarious attached to that.”
Its integrity, however, has been questioned amid scrutiny over other incidents. There are now questions over how an intruder managed to enter the home of national security adviser Jake Sullivan in April without being detected by his security detail.
Misconduct over the years — such as off-duty agents hiring sex workers in Colombia before one of former President Obama’s trips, and a drunken altercation in South Korea — has also put the agency’s integrity into question.
Cheatle said she has made sure “the workforce knows that misconduct won’t be tolerated.” Full investigations also take place whenever there is an allegation, she said.
“If we need to put a person on admin leave or revoke their security clearance, we’ll do that,” she said.
Recruitment and retention are other challenges. The Secret Service’s departure rate was 48% last year due in part to the job’s high demands.
The need for a full workforce will be pivotal in the 2024 campaign season, which will feature former President Trump, who already has lifetime protection.
In an effort to diversify the agency, Cheatle aims to have 30% female recruits by 2030. Part of that effort has included allowing YouTube influencer Michelle Khare to train with agents.
“I’m very conscious as I sit in this chair now, of making sure that we need to attract diverse candidates and ensure that we are developing and giving opportunities to everybody in our workforce, and particularly women,” Cheatle said.
The post Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle addresses controversies, challenges facing the agency appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Dierks Bentley is out with his 10th studio album “Gravel & Gold” 20 years into his career: “Still that same kid that just loves country music” appeared first on My Blog.
]]>Bentley’s career took off in 2003 when he hit No. 1 with his debut single, “What Was I Thinkin.'” His latest studio album is his 10th — and he said he’s managed to remain the same guy he was when he broke into the country music scene.
“It’s weird,” said Bentley, who is now 47. “The further you go trying to search for authenticity and search yourself and come up with new records, new ideas, but you’re still— a lot of the songs, same old me. I’m still the same guy, playing the same guitar.”
“I’m still that same kid that just loves country music,” he said.
On Bentley’s path to country music stardom, there were detours and doubters — and one rough tour in particular that prompted him to take a break and make a bluegrass record. He recalled looking out toward the audience, and seeing empty rows.
“That’s where you get all the grit and determination, that’s what makes you, you know kind of fearless later on,” he said. “And so that was really the I guess part of the alchemy of turning gravel into gold. And from that point on it’s been a lotta gold,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bentley moved his family from Nashville to Colorado, where he put down his guitar for a while and listened to all the music he’s made over the past 20 years, like his albums “Modern Day Drifter,” “Long Trip Alone,” “Feel That Fire,” “Up on the Ridge,” “Home,” “Riser” and “The Mountain.”
Recently, he returned to Nashville, where he owns a bar — “Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row Nashville” — that faces the Ryman Auditorium, which one of the most celebrated venues in country music and a place where Bentley has performed on more than a dozen occasions.
“Just to be standing on this rooftop is so bizarre. You know, looking back in the Ryman Auditorium and looking back on all the bars I used to play … all the dreams,” he said.
The post Dierks Bentley is out with his 10th studio album “Gravel & Gold” 20 years into his career: “Still that same kid that just loves country music” appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Tennessee town spars with the state over control of its finances: “We’re going continue to stand up for the righteousness of this town” appeared first on My Blog.
]]>But Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower took over Mason’s finances after years of alleged mismanagement and corruption.
“It’s for the good of the taxpaying citizens who are getting nothing for the taxes they are paying,” Mumpower told The Tennessee Holler.
In Tennessee, the comptroller approves or rejects municipal budgets and audits, and can dictate how a city spends money.
“We can’t even pay any other bill over $100 without contacting them and them giving us permission,” Mason’s Vice Mayor Virginia Rivers told CBS News.
Rivers and Mayor Emmitt Gooden have been on the town council since 2016. Rivers said when they arrived they had a lot to fix after she said almost $1 million was stolen from the town.
Mumpower said his intent is to help the town repair its finances, but the town’s attorney, Terry Clayton, frames the fight with the state in biblical terms.
“We believe that God doesn’t put any more on you than you can handle. And he supplied David against Goliath. So we’re going continue to stand up for the righteousness of this town,” Clayton said.
Mumpower declined CBS News’ request for an interview. He did provide a timeline showing embezzlement in 1995 and again in 2012; 20 years of late audits in Mason; and nearly $900,000 illegally transferred from the water and sewage funds into the general fund.
Though more than $600,000 has already been paid back to the funds, the comptroller is requiring the town to pay $9,500 upfront before they pay any bills. Mason has $248,656 left to pay back.
The town only has four businesses that it receives tax revenue from. Tennessee gave Ford a half-billion-dollar grant to build an electric car plant, not far from Mason.
According to local reports, the plant will create 33,000 construction jobs with a nearly $2 billion payroll. Once complete, there could be 27,000 jobs and Mason could benefit dramatically from that.
The announcement last year that Ford was coming coincided with increased pressure from the comptroller on Mason to get its financial affairs in order.
“Why couldn’t he have come before now, before Ford comes in,” Rivers said. “All of a sudden you want to show up and make these demands.”
In court, town attorney Clayton joined by the NAACP asked for a restraining order against the comptroller, accusing him of discriminating against the majority Black-run town. The comptroller’s attorney rejected that.
“It was White people that were there when all their money was stolen. Nobody showed up. That’s strange,” Rivers said.
Clayton said that the state’s help is coming off as “heavy-handed.”
“It’s too heavy-handed, you come down here, you have a civil conversation and not come down here and threaten a municipality and tell the folks, if you don’t give up your charter, we will go around you. Okay. That’s a threat,” he said.
The state comptroller talked to the town about whether they’d be willing to give up their charter and no longer be a town but the town said no.
The state can’t force them to give up the charter. Now, a judge will decide next whether to tell the state to back off or not.
This comes as the corruption allegations continue after Vatisha Evans Barken, the former police chief in Mason, was indicted for allegedly falsifying her timesheets. CBS News could not reach her for comment.
The post Tennessee town spars with the state over control of its finances: “We’re going continue to stand up for the righteousness of this town” appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Supply chain issues could lead to product shortages and fewer Black Friday discounts — here’s what to buy now appeared first on My Blog.
]]>November is traditionally one of the best months to find deals, but many hot products are in short supply or more expensive than usual. And while sales might be starting sooner this year, consumers might not see steep discounts for Black Friday, according to Consumer Reports, the nonprofit organization that reviews popular products and tracks prices throughout the year.
Consumer Reports shopping editor Mary Beth Quirk joined “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday to offer tips on what Americans should buy right away to get gifts in time for the holidays. Anyone looking to buy high-tech electronics like laptops, smartphones and video game consoles should do so as soon as possible, she said.
“Buy them now if you see them,” Quirk said, noting that microchips used in certain devices are also in short supply.
“There’s probably not going to be sales on them later anyway,” she said.
The problem could be even worse for new, in-demand products, including high-tech toys.
“I’m sure parents get annoyed with all those flashing lights and sounds, but if they have their heart set on something, you want to pre-order it right now if it’s not available,” Quirk said. “And if it is, you might want to think about buying them right now because it’s not going to go on sale if everybody wants it.”
But even as consumers see fewer “door-busting” Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals this year, they will still be able to find discounted prices for certain items, she said.
“What might happen, with the hot, in-demand things, if you don’t get a deal, it might restock on that Black Friday,” Quirk said. “So you’re looking for that video game console, it’s still good to shop then because it might become available.”
For people who are trying to save money and really want to wait for the holiday deals, there’s a number of products they might be able to get at a lower price, including cookware like multi-cookers and other kitchen gadgets, apparel, local products and even TVs, she said.
Those looking to replace a large appliance like stoves will likely have a harder time and might want to wait six months if they can or consider similar products or brands, she said. Another way to avoid potential shipping delays is by visiting stores in person, where the prices will generally be the same, Quirk said.
“For the most part, there are going to be the same kinds of sales online and in stores,” she said.
The post Supply chain issues could lead to product shortages and fewer Black Friday discounts — here’s what to buy now appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Oprah Winfrey names Emancipation appeared first on My Blog.
]]>“So one of the great joys for me is finding new authors. And I am so thrilled to introduce you to a debut author with his debut book, ‘The Sweetness of Water,’ by Nathan Harris,” the talk show icon revealed.
“The Sweetness of Water,” hitting shelves the same day as Winfrey’s announcement, takes place in the days immediately after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Harris’s novel follows the story of two formerly enslaved brothers and the White family that hires them, after the brothers walk free from the plantation where they’ve spent their entire lives.
The author told “CBS This Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil that getting his work selected for Oprah’s Book Club was “one of the most surreal moments” in his life, that he “never in a million years” imagined would happen.
“I remember when Oprah made the call. My editors told me I had news, and I thought it was bad news. I actually got hives, and I was going to urgent care. So I was kinda panicking, ‘What’s going on?’ And then I get the call from her,” Harris recounted. “And there’s no better cure for hives than a call from Oprah.”
Winfrey said the historical fiction novel caught her eye because she had “never seen anybody do that” for the period the book covers.
“As I was reading it too, Tony, I was, like, ‘Oh, yes. Of course. What would those first few days, weeks, months, years be like?'” Winfrey said.
She turned to Harris and continued, “Then when I found out that it was a young, 29-year-old who wrote this book, I was, like, how’d — wasn’t that my first thing to you? Wasn’t that my first thing to you? ‘How did you do this?'”
“I wish there was a good answer for it,” Harris said. “I was just as curious as you were. I mean, I feel like history class goes from the Civil War to Reconstruction. I was thinking, ‘What were those moments like,’ you know? And in my mind, those two brothers are on the plantation. And it was almost like the gate swings open. You can go. You can stay. You can do whatever you want.”
Winfrey asked Harris if he had studied a lot of history before writing his book.
“You know, I read a number of oral histories — oral narratives taken down from slaves talking about their experience — freed people. And the second I started reading them, I was almost, like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I wanna sort of not read more so I can let my imagination take over,'” Harris said.
Winfrey explained what it was about “The Sweetness of Water” that resonated with her.
“I think one of the things that’s so relevant about the story is that you can feel the essence of what it means to have come from there to here. That’s why I liked it so much, is because you get to literally look at how far we have come,” she said.
Asked what he hopes people will take away from the book, Harris commented on how much “the past resonates” in his work.
“We’re dealing with today issues of race, issues of class and the scars of the past,” he said. “And I guess I want this novel and what this community faces to show that we can come together in a way. There is hope. And there is a chance to be uplifted. But we have to have empathy for people who don’t look like us, people who, you know, again, are from a different class. And we can do that.”
Winfrey called the book “kind of a Juneteenth celebration,” coming out just days before the holiday.
“It’s a perfect book for reading at exactly this time and a great book to take with you no matter where you’re going this summer,” she said.
Winfrey urged readers to discuss their experience on Oprah’s Book Club — promising them, “y’all are gonna wanna talk about it.”
“The thing is, I’m always reading when the books aren’t out. So I don’t have anybody to talk to. So you’re gonna wanna talk about it,” she said. “Come read with us and talk about it.”
The post Oprah Winfrey names Emancipation appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Maren Morris talks about performing while nearly nine months pregnant, calls baby her “duet partner” appeared first on My Blog.
]]>Texas-born Morris performed to an audience of about 63,000 at the Houston Rodeo on Saturday despite being scheduled to give birth later in the month. It was the biggest show of her career so far, according to the artist.
“He’s kicking, but I think we’re gonna be okay for today,” she told “CBS This Morning” co-host Anthony Mason. She and her husband, fellow musician Ryan Hurd, are expecting their first child on March 30.
“Like, the charm of pregnancy has now worn off,” Morris said. “My husband and I both just want to meet our kid. But I can’t wait to look back at all this footage from tonight years to come and like, show him, my son, ‘This is what I did, like the week before you were here.'”
She called her unborn baby her “duet partner through the whole thing.”
Morris has said she plans to go back on tour in the summer after her son is born, and that she was not worried because she had “seen so many amazing artists do it and make it look not only normal for the child, but fun.”
As a child herself, Morris grew up in Arlington, Texas to parents who run a hair salon. She began singing at 10 years old before moving to Nashville at age 21 to become a songwriter.
In the years since, she achieved country stardom with two number one albums, joined ACM-nominated country supergroup “The Highwomen,” and even crossed over into the pop genre with her hit single, ‘The Middle,” in collaboration with DJ and producer Zedd.
When asked about her unique route to acclaim, Morris agreed that “in some ways,” she did it her own way.
“I haven’t tried to follow anyone else’s map,” she said.
The post Maren Morris talks about performing while nearly nine months pregnant, calls baby her “duet partner” appeared first on My Blog.
]]>