Rocker Rick Springfield, Legends William Shatner and Henry Winkler - Show Recap
Original Air Date:
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Oprah and Rocker Rick Springfield:
In 1981, Rick Springfield hit it big with a #1 single, "Jessie's Girl" and a role as Dr. Noah Drake on the soap opera General Hospital. Rick sat down with Oprah to talk about his nearly 30 year career as a musician and small screen actor.
Yes, there is actually a Jessie's girl! Rick explained that all of his songs are based on real life experiences and Jessie's girl was actually Gary's girl but the name didn't fit well into a song.
The actual girl the song was based on never knew it and Rick can't remember her today because he said he just admired her from afar.
Rick described being at the height of his career and feeling miserable, even after his #1 hit. He realized that the success and fame was not going to bring him happiness but what the music meant to his audience and fans was the important part. Rick had a moment when he knew his family was his priority, though it took him a while to figure out what to do. Rick took a 5 year break from his career and had 2 sons with his wife that he began dating before his #1 hit. The couple is still together and Rick appreciated the relationship he has with his wife and sons to this day after making them a priority.
Oprah and Henry Winkler:
As Fonzie on Happy Days, Henry Winkler was the definition of cool. Now, the TV legend still acts, but has added producer, director and children's book author to his resume.
When asked what it feels like to be an icon, Henry shared that he sees himself as a husband and father of 3 but not in the terms of being a legend.
He even described how his 27 year old daughter Zoe, who is a preschool teacher, is obsessed with Oprah and the fact that Henry was a guest on the show made him an icon in his daughter's eyes.
Playing the role of Fonzie made Henry Winkler famous - so much so that his jacket has been on display at the Smithsonian since 1980. Henry shared that the character was fun to play and allowed him to be everything that he wasn't. After a famous line was delivered by Fonzie about getting a library card, registration increased 500% in the US after the episode aired. Henry feels that people will want to get back to the type of television that was popular in the 70s and 80s, and even before - back to a time when television didn't have to be cutting edge, but could just entertain.
Now that Happy Days is behind him, Henry is a successful children's book author with co-writer Lin Oliver. The duo writes the Hank Zipzer series which is based off of Henry's life living with dyslexia. It wasn't until Henry was 31 that he realized he had the learning disability when he was traveling with his son who was able to talk about a subject for hours, but couldn't write 3 sentences about it. After getting his son tested, Henry realized he suffered from the same thing. The 4th grader in the series looks at this struggle and gives Henry the opportunity to touch children's lives in a positive way.
Oprah and William Shatner:
From Star Trek to TJ Hooker to Boston Legal, in addition to author, singer and Priceline.com pitchman - William Shatner is truly an American icon.
William Shatner is a huge fan of another icon - Oprah! William described how much his wife, Elizabeth, loves the show and how she lured him in as well. William and his wife record the episodes and watch them 5 at a time and even keep Oprah's magazine in their bathroom!
While William is best known for his role on Star Trek, the series only lasted 3 seasons before it was cancelled due to poor ratings. William is now starring as Denny Crane on the hit show Boston Legal.
William shared a touching and comical story with Oprah and the audience that started with intense pain. William found out that he had a kidney stone and once he was able to pass it, asked to keep it. Soon after, GoldenPalace.com offered to buy the kidney stone for $15,000 - William was able to negotiate and get $75,000. With an additional $20,000 he was able to raise from the cast and crew of Boston Legal, William was able to donate $95,000 to Habitat for Humanity and have a house built for a deserving family in the New Orleans area. William has an autobiography due out in May titled Up Till Now.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Oprah and Rocker Rick Springfield:
In 1981, Rick Springfield hit it big with a #1 single, "Jessie's Girl" and a role as Dr. Noah Drake on the soap opera General Hospital. Rick sat down with Oprah to talk about his nearly 30 year career as a musician and small screen actor.
Yes, there is actually a Jessie's girl! Rick explained that all of his songs are based on real life experiences and Jessie's girl was actually Gary's girl but the name didn't fit well into a song.
The actual girl the song was based on never knew it and Rick can't remember her today because he said he just admired her from afar.
Rick described being at the height of his career and feeling miserable, even after his #1 hit. He realized that the success and fame was not going to bring him happiness but what the music meant to his audience and fans was the important part. Rick had a moment when he knew his family was his priority, though it took him a while to figure out what to do. Rick took a 5 year break from his career and had 2 sons with his wife that he began dating before his #1 hit. The couple is still together and Rick appreciated the relationship he has with his wife and sons to this day after making them a priority.
Oprah and Henry Winkler:
As Fonzie on Happy Days, Henry Winkler was the definition of cool. Now, the TV legend still acts, but has added producer, director and children's book author to his resume.
When asked what it feels like to be an icon, Henry shared that he sees himself as a husband and father of 3 but not in the terms of being a legend.
He even described how his 27 year old daughter Zoe, who is a preschool teacher, is obsessed with Oprah and the fact that Henry was a guest on the show made him an icon in his daughter's eyes.
Playing the role of Fonzie made Henry Winkler famous - so much so that his jacket has been on display at the Smithsonian since 1980. Henry shared that the character was fun to play and allowed him to be everything that he wasn't. After a famous line was delivered by Fonzie about getting a library card, registration increased 500% in the US after the episode aired. Henry feels that people will want to get back to the type of television that was popular in the 70s and 80s, and even before - back to a time when television didn't have to be cutting edge, but could just entertain.
Now that Happy Days is behind him, Henry is a successful children's book author with co-writer Lin Oliver. The duo writes the Hank Zipzer series which is based off of Henry's life living with dyslexia. It wasn't until Henry was 31 that he realized he had the learning disability when he was traveling with his son who was able to talk about a subject for hours, but couldn't write 3 sentences about it. After getting his son tested, Henry realized he suffered from the same thing. The 4th grader in the series looks at this struggle and gives Henry the opportunity to touch children's lives in a positive way.
Oprah and William Shatner:
From Star Trek to TJ Hooker to Boston Legal, in addition to author, singer and Priceline.com pitchman - William Shatner is truly an American icon.
William Shatner is a huge fan of another icon - Oprah! William described how much his wife, Elizabeth, loves the show and how she lured him in as well. William and his wife record the episodes and watch them 5 at a time and even keep Oprah's magazine in their bathroom!
While William is best known for his role on Star Trek, the series only lasted 3 seasons before it was cancelled due to poor ratings. William is now starring as Denny Crane on the hit show Boston Legal.
William shared a touching and comical story with Oprah and the audience that started with intense pain. William found out that he had a kidney stone and once he was able to pass it, asked to keep it. Soon after, GoldenPalace.com offered to buy the kidney stone for $15,000 - William was able to negotiate and get $75,000. With an additional $20,000 he was able to raise from the cast and crew of Boston Legal, William was able to donate $95,000 to Habitat for Humanity and have a house built for a deserving family in the New Orleans area. William has an autobiography due out in May titled Up Till Now.
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