yorba linda california where the first lady shares the story of marlon brando and his time in the president's residence. thursday through saturday we will be in charlottesville virginia for the virginia festival of the book. and that's a look at some of the happenings book tv will be covering this week. many of these events are open to the public, look for them to air in the future on book tv on c-span2. >> .. i'd like to start off by thinking our great friends at the art center for hosting this exciting event today and also c-span booktv which taping it and we can all watch it later on

their website. so that's exciting. i'm claudia gryvatz copquin -- the founder of long island litfest and we are long islands first literary festival and we are now entering our fourth year. thank you. thank you. this year's lit fest is going to happen here so we're super excited about that and it's taking place on april 29. it's a fold it up off the readings and book signs of workshops, and we hope to see a lot of you here. in addition we also produce special events like today which we feature one outstanding author. sheila nevins is the author of a "new york times" best-selling book "you don't look your age...and other fairy tales." she's also been president of hbo documentary films, responsible for overseeing the development and production of more than 1000

documentaries for hbo, hbo two and cinemax. as an executive producer of producer sheila nevins has received 32 content in the awards, documentary in these and 42 george foster peabody awards. i know. [applause] but there's more, there's more. during her tenure, ato's critically acclaimed documentary has gone on to win 26 academy awards. sheila has been honored with numerous prestigious career achievements awards including the governor support from the academy of television arts and sciences, and in a lifetime achievement award, and a personal peabody in recognition of the work and ongoing commitment to excellence pixies also a recipient of a lifetime achievement award, i got them awards tribute, and was made at nyu school of arts henri. let's watch some of her recent work.

♪ ♪ ♪

[speaking spanish]

>> them word marriage has special meaning. it's why we are here today. i want to be able to share the joy and happiness that my parents felt, that my brother still, i friends, my coworkers, my neighbors of having the opportunity to be married. he is the love of my life. i love him probably more than i love myself. i would give anything for him. i would put his needs ahead of my own. ♪ >> i feel like i can create my own world and kind of go into that place where, you know, everything is based on my rules. there's really no way of telling what i would be like. i wish i could ride in the roller coaster i wanted to ride, like ever. i wish i could, like, go through corkscrews and stuff, barrels.

even though i am terrified of them it would be really cool to try. i didn't put myself in front of you to have you feel bad for me. i put myself in front of you to let you know that you don't need to feel bad for me because this is how, this is how you get to know me. this is my life. this is a part of it, it's not a major part of it. part of it. >> most people have a mommy and daddy in your class. you have two mommies. did you ever want a daddy? no? i think a daddy might be fun. when i was a kid i could not have a mommy. do you know what happened to my mommy? died. >> so my husband was just a daddy and a grandma like a very old grandma who did not to cook. [laughing] what kind of family you think you'll have when you get big?

do you think you'll get married and have kids? [inaudible] >> five, and you are six? >> yes. >> if someone had told me this cult of scientology and just to give them all your money, they can make anything possible in your life. my goal wasn't to write an exposé. was silly to understand scientology. i was interested in intelligence, skeptical people are drawn into a belief system and wind up acting on those beliefs in ways they never thought they would. [inaudible]

>> exploded right into my head, just behind me. i remember there's a very distinct moment when i finally realized what it was. i was an amputee from the war. i remember when i was a kid i wonder if they will love me like for who i am here i hope so.

>> what will you say to them? >> the reality is, you know, to raise a kid, i won't be able to pick up my son or daughter with two arms, i won't. >> hot on his trail what he is doing around the clock is vandalism. no one knows who he is or what he looks like. with banksy, you never know.

>> no business like show business. i have to say something. everything about it is appealing. [laughing] >> everything. no, seriously. the traffic -- when you are stealing, and i don't mean -- [inaudible] there are people like show people. [inaudible] ♪ i'll smile ♪ i will reap because i'm bipolar. ♪ hey, it's true tomorrow, if you do too much below, i'll stay

or i'll go. ♪ for i'll never stay mad [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> what an honor it is for me to introduce the woman behind these and some other great documentary films.

ladies and gentlemen, sheila nevins. [applause] >> there's so many of you. i didn't know where i am. where am i? anyway, and two, claudia, thank you all for coming. i did not do all these by myself. i have been lucky and devoted, which makes me somewhat unlucky because i have spent most of my life, 35 years, working on documentaries. i've come up for a breath, and here i yam. part of coming up for this breath and part of the sorrow of so much of what we worked on for so long willie did have its affect on me in the sense that i saw what you saw but times maybe a thousand. the sort of sadness, i think i had been, i'm old, i've been around a long time, and i

decided that it was time to go, and so march 31 is my last day at hbo. you're getting the three more paychecks. [laughing] that's every other week. i figured out this morning. when you go up without any money, you never don't say thank you when you get paid. a colleague of mine said to me, when you get your last check are you finally not going to say thank you? i said, i don't think so. because to get paid for what you do, even though it hurts a lot of time, is really quite a gift. but i gave a lot and i got a lot. so here i am at the end of a career looking for another career. does anybody have any jobs? you do? what you want me to do? >> music agent. >> i can't carry a tune. [laughing] >> well, don't give up on us. >> do you think i could sing? >> no.

[inaudible] >> i don't know anything about sports. i hate sports. [laughing] do sports to better on hbo then my documentaries? why would i i want to talk to ? [inaudible] >> excuse me. [laughing] take him away, please. [laughing] okay. anyway, i wrote a book. i'm here to sell the book. i'm talking, the hookers do moving up and enter a dense issues and to get away from them again shows at a catalyst in las vegas where some of my loyalist fans are. call girls, calling girls, pimps. i've been all over the place, but i've never been here before. [laughing] anyway, i never know what -- i know you bought the book so that you ask you to buy. so sorry. can you return them? [laughing] is that possible, claudia? can they get their money back? half? no? that's it. you are sunk, guys.

so i thought i would you do things. i would do this, stand apart, and then i would read two stories, and if you don't mind, i thought appropriate was my facelift story. don't take it personally. there are 48 story through but but it did look at the line. [laughing] i'm pretty honest about it. you don't look like this at 70 unless you been tortured. okay. i don't look 78. if you got caught up -- cut up the way did you wouldn't either. facing facelift. >> is the first book in the book. dr. baker, i said, i look awful. he looked at me with a tragic smile and said, fear not. we can do a left. you will be just fine.

i'm 56, i said. this was 20 years ago. i'm 56, i said. and i think it's about time, don't you? he put his arm around me and said sorrowfully, it's time. is anything less innovation than a facelift? i heard of a nip and tuck he kind of thing. we will fix you up. don't worry. you will look seven years younger. how long will that me lasts, i asked. some seven years he said. he gave me a hand mirror under the brightest fluorescent lights. lights. it said magnifier times eight. i looked in. i got dizzy and i started to gas. clery there was no way out. in the mirror i saw a wrinkled, which like, scrunched up, squashed face. amir spoke to me menacingly whispering in my ear. said, without any doubt, you are not the fairest of them all. you are not fair at all.

i put the mirror down quickly so dr. baker would not hear it. how long will it take? i asked the doctor cavalierly. this new me? if you get an eyelid, two weeks. without that, maybe 90s. in any case it very and you can tell the network you are going on a vacation. okay, i'll do both eyes and face, i said. i wanted to get it over with. and the hand mirror had said indirectly, i had no choice. i made a date for the new me three months away. how would i face myself, i thought, with the new face? and awful i really looked. why hadn't anyone told me? but then again that everyone has fluorescent lighting and that times eight magnifying mirror. most of age-appropriate fans said i looked pretty good. but let's face it. they had age-related dimming vision. i left his office and hailed a cab. my heart was racing. was a brave enough to go through

with this superficial scalping? to make matters worse the traffic was awful. i told the driver to slow down please. he took it personally. he said he had not had an accident in 20 years. i explained with a regular excuse that i thought i might be pregnant. [laughing] he looked in the rearview mirror, a business of the truth, he said, you don't look like you could be pregnant. okay, , dr. baker. this is it. the driver must have been a plant. the cab had been too easy to get. baker probably owned the taxi company. we laughed a little, the driver and me, and i told him he was right. i admitted to bad back and told him i was 48. lying, lying about increasing numbers have become part of my everyday life. i remember nostalgically the days when asked him to slow down because of my pregnancy, and taxi drivers would ask me, congratulate me and as if it was a boy or a girl. and now i have to lie even more.

i have to light work about going on a vacation. lies, lies, lies. there was no other choice. it was now or never. this was the right time to eradicate the old me. i knew it. i must be perpetually one age, and i picked 51 and six months. this would be where i would stay forever. you see, , i must be young at ay price. young was in. i worked in media. nobody wanted advice and overbroad. my bosses wanted a young audience. had it occurred to them that an older brain could think smart and young? i thought most likely not. in any case i i had to hide my age. for those who knew the true number they must be rehearsed to say, my god, you don't look your age. that might give me comfort. wait a second, i skipped the page. you thought it would be over.

you don't look your age. that might give me comfort. i told my husband and my son about my upcoming operation. each extolled my present beauty and assured me of my imminent death vice surgery. [laughing] is ridiculous, my son said. you'll look like michael jackson. my husband said, you look just fine the way you are. okay, okay. i'm beautiful enough but i'm not young enough. maybe on young enough but i'm not young enough for the rest of the world. while waiting for this miracle my bard college 40th reunion arrived. i opened the door and marked with my graduating year. old ladies glared at me through thick glasses. i closed-door quickly. this must be the wrong room i thought. had they heard contacts? old ladies with advanced degrees and high iqs. bard college was a place where brains were supposed be more important than beauty. i pretended that was true but i never bought into that

philosophy. i opened the door again and walked bravely into the room. oh, my god, seven elderly classmate. you look exactly the same as when we graduated. you do, too, i said. this old lady with me as well. and we were lying to each other. the day came. after a a sleepless night by superficial sulfurized at doctor baker's office at 5 a.m. in addition to being fearful of the anesthesia and ultimately of my death, i was betraying my liberal, ernest, 60 self. could this artificial manikin be me? could this to be the woodstock, march on washington, anti-apartheid liberal? could i be this deceptive mid-50s lie or? lying to taxi drivers and trying to keep seven years at bay? what happened to the honor system? i moved on to the gurney. i was then prepped by an annoying others who gave me enough valium that it would've allowed the boston strangler to the operation. i had given my life too badly. here i was, brainless, vain,

terrified. the last thing i remember is being too drowsy to run away. what kind of woman would do this to herself in a way? ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five. i woke several hours later seeming a live with a helmet around my head and swollen eyes and i really cute. i was given green apple juice in a paper cup, assaulting cracker and a mainers who would take me know. it was a package deal. was 24 hours all-inclusive. nurse ratchet idea with clear resentment. she was even older than i ever looked at me as if i was a foolish and frivolous female. she had clinton spin come to fore and did not approve of rich who lied. she watched the blood from around my eyes, lies a, she'd seen it all. she was disdainful. she now shallow i was. we spoke will end soon as a ship was up she left me alone with his face.

this new face was black and blue. these new eyes were swollen. the punishment was severe. i had earned the suffering and even spent a lot of money on it. i inform the office that i was on vacation. where? they said. hades, , i answered, and they laughed. and so it came to pass that the trade and was taken off, the staples removed, stitches pulled, bloodgone, that face refresh at a price to gear to explain. that is a better? i guess so. i returned from his vacation not with the ten but with yellow light blue streaks, anyway, those who didn't know the truth knew i was a workaholic. so where had i been? i made an announcement. guys, i had a facelift. no one seemed surprised. i went public and in and out of the office on my floor. the response responses predicte out as follows. oh, you didn't need it. you were and are so beautiful. you look ten years younger.

you can count on these lies. but with the ceiling and this extra seven years and nothingness came this inexplicable feeling of why not try more? why not try to please this spiteful times eight magnifying mirror? why not be consistently dissatisfied with my appearance and other age-old parts? everything cool -- every wrinkle what upsets me. i was known to bend over to the into a side view mirror of a strangers car. it seemed to me that one side of my face looked younger than the other. so i finally understood the aging hollywood star who said to me, this is my profile shot, darling. left side only. but the truth came in the putting one friday. a temporary assistant who of course that purple puncture to match her name and tattoos and string bracelets all signifying some revolutionary cause was assigned to me. it wasn't till the end of the day that a notice she had a gold ring in her lip.

this tribe assistant \20{l1}s{l0}\'20{l1}s{l0} it was also into alteration which to be signified with something precious in common. violette, i said, you did a great job today and that sort of work to do so hard. what do you usually do? she said she was in the last your college at the shield to devote her life to saving species whose extinction would herald the end of the universe. fish were dying, amphibians, plants. the screens are getting to warm. the planet was belly up. you know, i said to her, i was part of the march on washington in 1963. i made some of the posters. all, she said, thinking i was possibly involving lincoln assassination. [laughing] we chatted about birds and plants and fish in danger. i told her fish were low in calories. violette was invested in the future. you are an honest kid, i said vicki tell it like it is. how old, violette, do you think i am? she thought unfazed, you remind

me of my mother, i don't know, 60? close enough, i said, devastated. for then i was 57 that very week. so what was accordingly? the taxi driver of not with child and the child even with my new face knew i was like a mother. violette, i said, would you ever have a facelift? she thought and said, at a time i'm that old, there probably won't even be a planet. you feel good about yourself, i asked? yes, she said. because i i feel badly for the world and that helps me feel good about myself. i guess so, i said. she was selfless and i was selfish. she packed up to leave and went on to say the world. i probably found was applicable passion than usual. did i feel better now? old and still numb? yes and no. yes, for the camouflage of

losing make-believe time. no, because who was i fooling really? and yet disturbingly before i left the office i called my dermatologist dr. green. i need some refreshment i said to the nurse. botox or whatever else you have. i think avenue crevice on the right side of my lip. let me see if he can take you, she told me. dr. green, she said, has got something new for you. she would like you to try it. can you come over right away? yes, i can be there in 20 20 ii can get a cat. the doctor will wait. i jump into a cab. jolted entered. ideally pretend the pregnancy. i told the driver i had a bad back. he asked what i did for living. once upon a time to ask me if i was an actress. socks that i said, i'm in real estate. he looked in the mirror. i thought you were an actress, he said. it was worth it, i thought. look who i fooled. imagine all the beauties he

might thought i look like. any he said i know you are. you are judge judy. [laughing] i gulped. you really are judge judy. i swear i'm not, i said. oh, yes, you are. no, really. i'm not. all right come he said, but i know the truth. he smiled knowingly. the verdict was out. i was fooling nobody. i looked like judge judy. did i feel better about myself? i was alive but the bottom line was thought he heard a metronome kicking in my head that i've never heard before. maybe dr. baker had implanted it, maybe dr. green had rounded up or maybe i was just plain crazy. time, time, time. i rushed into the dermatologist office. i couldn't wait for the new six. i would try. no matter how much it cost, about how much it hurt, and i

was fooling no one. that's one story. [applause] >> okay, i won't read anymore. any questions? the doctors number? [laughing] questions? you are already here. how about you? [inaudible] have you had further -- yes. [laughing] >> how many? >> how many? one and one. one when i was 56 and one about seven years ago. looks pretty good, don't you think? [applause] you can clap for that. i've had a lot of botox. no, i i am a vein, superficial person. [inaudible] >> who isn't x i don't know. some people, good people maybe. maybe i'm not a good people. are you vein?

>> a little. >> you are very handsome. are you using the scarf to cover the wrinkles in your neck? [laughing] i i mean, you must be 20. >> i use moisturizer. >> i knew there was a reason. any other questions? >> what are you going to do after? >> that's a good question. what would you like me to do? >> i don't really know. i could write another book. i could relax. i hate roses. i don't want to smell the roses. i could be good to my friends. i could see -- all those things but am afraid i will get bored. what do you do? [inaudible] >> are you ever board? facelift doctors? what are their names? [laughing] >> ob/gyn. >> all, the other side. [laughing] okay, i get it.

i don't know, it's a great question and i don't know. if you have an answer just handed to me the -- >> stay active. >> if you don't stay active something terrible happens? death? [inaudible] >> how do you know, you're working? how do you know that happens? [inaudible] >> but if you didn't you would be depressed? [inaudible] okay. why are you coming toward me? i got scared. [laughing] i'm from new york. [inaudible] that's a good question. i think because i had a wounded

mother a wounded child my son had tourette's. my mother had a serious case of -- when i look at this i think that i was going backwards and that i was looking for other people who hurt so that i could make people empathize. i don't really know. is there a psychiatrist you? [laughing] waterboarded do think that it really and into wounded, and i think that i'm fun, because i'm into wounded, and i'm wounded because i'm into fun. i think that keeps me going. but no, i would gravitate towards, i would also do things like cathouse. i do things like real six. i did g string divas. i did taxicab confessions. you know, i wanted to laugh, and sex and sexuality was a way to kind of laugh if you saw in a

way that wasn't abusive. but i think that my heart was always in sorrow. >> thank you. >> yes, right behind. >> do you have a favorite documentary? >> people always ask me that question. i'm so tunnel vision and your driving a my day off robinett pesters case of add, which i think moves into tunnel vision. i think i really serious tunnel vision in a sense that i'm so obsessed about what i'm doing at a particular time that i love it to death, and then when it's over i love the next one. so i don't really know how to have a very, very favorite. i really don't. it's like asking if you have a favorite child, you know, it's almost impossible to ask. what if you ask a question and i

can't answer it? [inaudible] >> where are you? i can't see you. aren't you glad i told you not to sit there? [laughing] >> i didn't want to be your friend. >> i been an hbo fan for years. i love the documentary series. i'm going over this list of what you guys do, amazing. my question has more to do with -- [inaudible] what we are currently living through, what you must have witnessed or trying to get to the level of perfection that you are at, it must be a documentary in and of itself. >> maybe i don't want to make that documentary. >> you don't but i'm sure speedy you want me to tell in front of all these people? i have a lot of tales to tell.

i mean, i was a child of the '60s. i was complicit. i knew that my bosses could help me, and he knew that i was attracted and that, you know, flirting and occasionally more, sleeping with him, would help, and it did help and it didn't scar me. but now as an older woman i don't feel regret. i feel sad that i didn't know that i was using myself incorrectly to gain what should have been my right. i have learned a lot from this movement, although i'm not really part of it, which is that i did what helen brown told me. bigger i read her book like it was a bible. she told all about my blouse, my boskin listen to his tales by how his wife didn't understand him, go home with him, go to movies with him, and i did it. maybe i would be a today if i hadn't done it. i don't know. i think represent that time like madmen represented mean in that timeframe. i think of represented women in

the workforce in that time. i got out of college in 1963 and i was determined to succeed, and the way you climbed the ladder then was you listen to helen gurley brown. i mean, i was, i think them if you have book i said i was a gurley by halliburton when i met women like gloria steinem and worked with feminist are women who he managed separation and equality, i think i felt justified in what had been an done, and i would say never mortified, but somehow enlightened about the next generation of what would happen next. that's as honest as i can be. [applause] >> a man is asking a question. >> my name is james nevins speedy you have the same name as

i do. are you my father? [laughing] >> i'm a bit perhaps a shame. i was one if we met before and if we get married would you call yourself sheila nevins nevins? [laughing] i have to think about this. you know what i call myself? are you like the women using their maiden names? you want your life to be like get -- what do you want? [laughing] >> what are you ask me? >> do you want to get married? >> i'm already married. >> my ancestors are from galilee yet in ireland. >> i love ireland. >> looking at your biography and it seems like your ancestries are from russia. >> yes. i'm jewish. from russia. my father was born in russia. i'm an immigrant. >> on a more serious subject, what do you think of the -- >> she just asked me that

question. don't you listen to women? she just asked me. [applause] didn't you just asked that question? did you hear her? you are so busy rehearsing your question. that's what men do. they only hear what -- i like you do you bought my book but had to say, i just answer that. ask you another question. no, i would not know you and i would not call myself nevins nevins. [laughing] [applause] >> i wondered when you, projects came your way to same time, how did you decide which documentary you were speedy why couldn't i have done both? >> that say they were a four owe five. >> lets the i did four. >> was in the decision to that

said -- >> always, always. >> a how you -- >> i don't know, you have to give me the for projects that i would have say what i fought for for. everything was a fight. everything was, but in the beginning there weren't as many documents in the market as there are now. if they came and we could do many more that we could now, but you know, how would i decide? you fall in love, you know, two out of four. not with you, mr. nevins. [laughing] you are angry at me, aren't you? >> i rarely get red-faced but you got me on that way. >> that's because you are irish. >> i guess the takeoff from what he as, so i don't need to be negative but has anything negative happen to you, like you should not have opened up this

can of worms, you should not have delved into that? you know, the anything that happened as far as, you know -- >> scientology was tough. i was a little scared about that. i have reason to be scared. there's always a troll. before the word troll was using social media there's always a troll, always some felt good misrepresented or not done, you know, justice of the subject that was close to their heart. >> or did they say like -- >> one man was going to throw acid in my face because, in a taxicab confession, a man with a turban let's in two people and they call him towel head, and so there was a whole social media -- this was the beginning, about 15 , about 15 years ago companies that abc, posted a picture of an he said if you see her, throw acid at

her. scary, but not really, not usual. i would say there are many love letters which say thank you for talking about tourette's. thank you for talking about heart transplants. thank you for showing what we go through in syria. i would say there are as many of those. depends on the mood i'm in which one scares me our or loves me e most. it was not an easy job. there were a lot of wonderful i should have been doing sex programming, like real sex, and can't to a cathouse, called cathouse in las vegas. but i met some of the greatest women there and i i had no prom with the legalization of prostitution. i've done a lot of stuff on that. the abortion shows, i got a lot of stuff but i felt i was right, or least an opinion that was worth airing. who knows who's right? i don't scare easily. the drive out here scared me.

[laughing] i was scared. i really waistcoat. i don't think that guy, i hope is not you. i don't think it ever driven here before. he was a bartender and he clearly had worked late the night before. [laughing] but it's okay, we got here. i mean, we are here. these are my friends and they are with me. >> high. >> you are going. [inaudible] >> you are brilliant. >> she was brilliant. >> your perspective is brilliant. >> now, i would marry her. [laughing] you are so young. >> i thought it was so great and a know the audience is older than a wish it was. you said so many amazingly right on things that young women should hear often. >> that's an interesting to me because i think of my audience as older, and yet did you ever

watch some of the taxicab and real sex and all that? you never did. you are older than a millennial. >> yes. i have a millennial. >> you do? who is your doctor? [laughing] [inaudible] >> we were meant to be friends. [laughing] who is your sister? >> nancy thomas. >> i know nancy. she used to go out with my boss. [laughing] did she marry somebody else? >> yes. >> good for her. good. okay. this is a private conversation. [laughing] >> thank you. >> thank you. but it was marines article because in truth i did know her before the article. i was mortified of maureen dowd anything me, and we spent four and half hours together as you never asked me a question about a documentary.

i rehearsed the night before with a pr person from hbo from you did these, these companies picky when this comes when that 51 that. you can see this. you bought that. i was so rehearsed and it wasn't like that at all. terrific writer. she will is something else. she's scary but she's terrific. a lot of things that are scary and terrific, like being here. [laughing] >> where are you? >> right here. >> so you didn't see the corner of the screen. >> i did watch a lot of the taxicab things come confession. i look a lot younger than of him in. for question is actually very technical and it has to do with the fact that you must've worked with numerous videographers. >> many. >> and numerous editors in terms of technique.

over the course of a number of years you made these great documentaries and with the changes and everybody being final cut pro and all this kind of stuff, that the fact -- >> do you have a question? >> the question is, have you seen like the change in the technology and working with different people, are there some like highlights of the technology? >> i can answer, okay? the technology has made for the volume. sometimes people can credit for this enormous explosion of documentaries. the technology has become cheaper when i began this business is going to shoot something and docu you shoot of a 71. so for every man you see there may be 70 minutes shot. but you woodburning footage, burning film and it was expensive. what has happened is because the footage, , you can record over a video and because final cut and all these fast ways of making things happen there's a plus

four of -- says if the floor of documentaries out there. and, therefore, you know, that's the change in the business -- plethora. why don't we meet for coffee? >> okay. >> because you like in the biz. people want to know about sex and violence. >> thank you. >> thank you. children are here. >> so i'm 16 and -- >> they let you in? >> i of videographer and i'm a feminist, and i consider myself a feminist i don't think that i would ever let a man take advantage of me to advance my field and us wondering what your advice would be to somebody like me trying to get out the? >> i think been one of change. they would ask for the same things of you.

have you ever seen refinery 29? i was there talking to the woman who i guess runs it, and at the end some young woman, i think shows bit older than you, came over and said this is my part-time job. there's a guy who hits on me and my other job, what should i tell him? well, i've never had an opportunity to tell anybody anything. and i thought, and i said, i think what i would tell him is i'm disappointed in you. i really thought you could teach me something about this business and that we could together do something good and i could advance here but you disappoint me when you talk like that. so about three or four weeks later, i long for got conversation, she sent me an e-mail and she said it worked. he backed off. so i think that maybe the result of this whole movement is that you can talk back gingerly. i don't think after lock somebody else in less a target or somebody like that. [laughing] or matt lauer.

[laughing] i think you can basically, i mean, there are criminals and there are pokers. my list of pokers is bigger than this book. let's be fair. i mean, are we going to lock up picasso and michelangelo wax if you push david incorrectly? you have to be careful. on the other hand, i think you were born in the right time and you can talk back. and soon you'll be 17 and 18 and one day you will be 80. [laughing] and you will to fight and you doctor. [laughing] thank you, but you know, it takes courage 16 and ask a question. you are gutsy. [inaudible] >> my question is what the thing that you most excited and up in

the morning? what gets me every morning is a thought that helps me -- i get excited about ideas. although not sure exactly how to portray them. what keeps the up at night is all the horrible things that are happening. parkland keeping up at night. of those children keep me up at night. i do not help them because i've done and doing shows about gun control and i can't get through. that's what i think i will only like delta and united because they said no more nra. [applause] i think you have to support the people who have taken very strong stance in this, for the first time i see a light in the tunnel or to was an ally in the.

it's just, i feel like, the accused me of the net because of what would it be like to send kids to school a morning and you probably say if you don't do your homework i'm never going to speak you again, or god dammit, you weren't that? i told you not aware that, and you never see a kid again that night. that keep me up at night. because we are there. we are all, those parents and we are one of those children. we went to school when the doors open and there was no care. i don't know what's going on. that keep me up at night. kept me up last night. >> thank you so much. >> this is a happy question? >> maybe you should go next been. first i i want to ask him my sn has threats as well so what you speak there's a story about tourette's. i don't know if you read it yet. i'll read it to you. [inaudible] very, very difficult.

this he had a bad case? >> no. >> do you know what tourette's is? is a neurological tic disorder which also has involuntary verbal sounds as well as takes and they can go from one to ten like a diagnosis of cancer. so a typical or how hard or how severe it is, , you know, it's really important. is he is a severe case when he was a child -- >> how old is he now? >> twenty-nine. when he was a child he was in constant motion and it wasn't his only problem. >> easy okay now? >> he is except tourette's is also an impulse disorder, and so -- he's doing great. actually -- >> has a job? >> he laughs about it with people. yeah, no. my son has been an amazing person who is over, but i want to thank you for that. >> it's very important you all

know -- [inaudible] 5% of the kids say that and when the reason i did a film called i have tourette's but tourette's doesn't have me is because i wanted people to understand that is very attracted in media, especially because someone can say dirty word on television and he's not really guilty. but it's only 5% of to rest. most tourette's is blinking, kicking and basically attention deficit and hyperactivity. but he's got a job and is good so that's good. they are smart. is he a good imitator, mimic? >> no. but he's smart and creative. >> do you have other children? >> no, he's the only one. >> if they tap journey. >> my question is -- >> that wasn't the question? [laughing] you didn't read the story yet,

maybe you will not like it. >> here's the question. because you seem so much darkness through your travels in your documentaries, do you still consider yourself a hopeful person? >> no. no. >> because -- >> no. i a positive person. i tried to make the best out of sorrow but i don't think i'm a hopeful person. because i've been around for a while and things seem to have gotten worse. so i don't really, i can't say that. from 9/11 on i think i've not been a hopeful person. just looking at out the windowd living in new york and making a film about it, i can't be hopeful. no. but i'm positive. i'm here. i laughed. i tell jokes. i'm good standup. [laughing] that gets you through the dark day, right? >> maybe that's what you should

do for your next career. >> you a stand up in the catskills? [laughing] it's too late. i guess we have time for one more question so i will close my eyes and just you pick a person, okay? >> can you hear me? >> i can. >> is there a documentary that you work on where you exposed a problem in that documentary significantly changed the situation? >> that's a really good question, a good one to end on. i never think i can change the world but i think i can nudge it all of it. i think i come i don't mean i come i mean us, can show that it's hard for people that it's difficult to be gay, especially with the prop eight thing. i grew to love those people. there were a lot of them in there.

it's hard. it's hard but i think you nudge the world a little bit. you see something you never saw before. you feel sorry for yourself and you see a woman who gets acid in her face. you see a kid who has -- sammy died about a year after the film. both his parents were doctors and you're still doing work on it which is a premature aging disease which helps all of us because in studying it, you study harding of the arteries, you study cholesterol, you study arthritis. all these things he had at 15 years old, and he was so positive. you feel blue? listen to the ted talk with sammy. but i love this child and he was an old man. you know, did we change anything? they got a paycheck from somebody. i don't if we change the disease we certainly influence people not to look away from

difference, which i think is really another part of what i like to do, which is not to be afraid of something that isn't just like you, it's tourette's or day, gayness, but whatever. okay, thank you very much, all of you. [applause] thank you so much. [applause] thank you, everyone. sheila will be signing her books in the sky with it a few minutes. so if you head on over there, form a line, and thank you all so much for coming today. this is been really fantastic. she's fantastic. another round of applause. [applause] >> thank you. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

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museum of the bible just a few blocks from the capital in washington, d.c. the museum opened in november and houses eight floors of artifacts and exhibits focusing on the bible including an entire second floor dedicated to exploring the impact of the bible around the world. over the next 90 minutes will examine the bibles influence on literature and we will take your phone calls. .. >> well, i think we dealt a museum that looks at three different angles on influence of the bible, first of all, what the story is talking about and what the history to have book as