Weeknight Alive

Oh Frank Zappa will share his thoughts about music nuclear war parenting plus lots more. Sergio Cholas Yana director Laurie of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will reminisce about his years with the BSL. This weekend journey for peace ends in Washington. We'll meet some of the people who made a commitment to show their support for nuclear disarmament and musically it's Eugene Jubilee and rich Well she's brash she's sassy she's on top. She's Oprah Winfrey. I think what I really was going to do is to act. I'm an actress in my spirit. It is yeah you know I'm an actress I think that's what I was born to do and so everything that I do is just preparing the way to react to it to be able to do that. This from a woman who was once the queen of Baltimore daytime television co-host of Channel 13 people are talking Richard Cher with King and he's still here but the queen Well she's moved on to other things. Thank you. You're on the air Hello. I would just like to make a brief comment. I think it's going about as good as you can. You can

expect I mean he could not do any better actually. We are winning and 12 out of 13 markets and I think the only city that we're losing in that we get over that we get ratings from overnight is Houston and we can't figure it out what's you know what's you know what's what what's the Fluke about Houston. So we just decided to move the time period not sweat it. So it's going very well. It's very well when you first came to Baltimore you wanted to head on point and was it for you to stick by your station and take their suggestions. I think that I really grew up in Baltimore I. I pride myself on coming from this city. A woman and it is because you know some difficulties as I you know I look back on Adela and I say oh you know my hair fell out that's right and I was co-anchoring the 6 o'clock news and I wasn't doing that anymore. But all of that was very helpful for me to develop this sense of confidence and this level

of comfortable in this I have you know with the camera now being in front of the camera all of that happened as a result of being in Baltimore. And when I was taken off the air with Jerry Turner here it was really easy to blame the station and really easy to say oh if I wasn't a woman this wouldn't have happened if I were weren't black this would have happened but I think that excellence is the best attend to racism and sexism. And when you really are the best period then no one can tell you I'm sorry there's no room for you here. What what do you tell students when they ask how important is experience before you get your degree. It's an interesting question because because it is something that comes so natural. Natural and naturally for me it is hard for me to imagine people being taught how to do this. It's like acting or singing you are born with the gift and you can fine tune the gift and refine it and closely define it but you you either have it I think or you don't. To be more specific

and answer your question it is probably more essential to have had some kind of experience than it is to have a major degree because I have a production company now and I am in the business of hiring people and their degrees don't mean very much to me at all what matters to me is what kind of experience they have and how they are able to handle this business and their desire to be in it really true desire not because I think I'm going to meet somebody famous or not because I think I may get famous much myself but a real earnest desire to want to work in this business. You just mentioned your private production company. Production what's going on with that right now. Well we are in we are in our neo fight stage we are just just formed and in the process of looking for a good work to develop for myself and for other actors. And we're talking about producing a television show next year as a dramatic series for ABC

probably. And there are some other projects involving other people that will probably be doing looking to buy rights to do various works and develop them into movies and things like that. And what about the man in your life. He hates me talking about music as if he's very private in his life and doesn't like for me to say anything about him but his name is Stedman Graham. I had known him for a long time when when I first moved to Chicago. He's one of those people you know you have to see all the time. He sticks to it so it's hard to miss. So I moved to Chicago and he was dating someone else is very very good looking. Aside from being very smart and very supportive of me but very good looking and my mother always told me you know don't go out with somebody looks better than you do. So the first time he asked me out you know I said forget this you know what's he one who's he think he is. And second time he asked me out I said Oh I must be a snob must be a jerk who wants to be bothered. And third time he told me that this is it I'm not asking you anymore. So I went out and I was complaining the whole time that I mean as I'm preparing for this day and I

said to my friends if you haven't heard from me by 10 o'clock then called his restaurant and get me out and all this stuff. So but after the first date it was very nice. So it's been going on for a while now. Thank you so much for joining us. Good seeing you again. Good seeing you again. We've come a long way. Yeah got a lot further to go again lot further to go. Thank you. Thank you. Oprah show can be seen Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m. on channel 2. A native son her new movie will be released in December. Good evening and welcome to weeknight alive. I'm Brian Whitley. Yesterday was Thanksgiving but Glenn Tolbert waited until today to share a turkey story with us yes and it's really a turkey musically of the hot sounds of Michael Klein and the Charm City Rockers. And we'll also get a sneak preview from the annual festival of trees. Earlier this week Kelly Saunders had the pleasure of talking with a young Maryland woman who's making her mark on the pro world of tennis.

We begin tonight with a Lutherville native who has built quite a name for herself on the pro tennis circuit. She has teamed with Martina Navratilova to win the women's doubles championship at Wimbledon rank near top in the tennis world and out with a new book. We are pleased to welcome Pam Shriver to our studio tonight. Goodness you passing shots is the name of your new book. It's very very candid much more candid than I would expect. Well I'm kind of a candid person. I'm very outgoing and I'm very honest and when I started to keep a diary I started here in December of 84 and there are a lot of things going on with my tennis I was at sort of a crossroads mind. I was debating a coaching change I was debating whether or not to go was a management term a lot of decisions. And so I just started to write it and I found it sort of goes with therapy and so I kept going with it. And at that point it was going to I had no intentions of making a book. But then when someone a publishing house found out I was keeping a diary that would be interesting. So it was good that I started in sort of a natural candid way just like you would write before you go to bed at night and

I tried to keep that same attitude going throughout the year. It is in a way I felt like a boy you're going through the pages because it is it's just a day in and day out events and questions you ask should I do it am I making the right decision. Did the tennis game itself. You've got Navratilova and you've got Christopher Lloyd usually wanted to see him. And and they and you you know and other fabulous players. What's it like always having the top two spots Atlanta and we're trying to work on that there's a strong group coming up right now. Steffi Graf right now is right number three in the world she's 17 years old from West Germany on a Monaco was always a threat she won the U.S. Open two U.S. Opens ago. She's ranked for holiness took over a six foot two Czech girl just moved ahead of me in the number five on at number six. But really the four of us are very strong challengers to Martina and Chris right now particularly Chris because she hasn't played at tournaments since the U.S. Open she has a bad knee. So if we can maybe play well

when she starts to come back after the first of the year you never know. Maybe we can take away one of the spots and what is the Grand Slam of tennis when you talk about the Grand Slam and would have to win again. Well to win the Grand Slam you should win the Australian the French Wimbledon U.S. titles always in one calendar year. Martina has done and Margaret Court has done it and marine Connelly is down in the women. And Rod Laver did it twice. And Don Budge is done it once in the men. So it's that's in the history of tennis only five people have done it. And Martine and I had done it in doubles. We did it too. Actually we won two in a row. We won eight straight Grand Slam titles. So that was kind of a blast were the first women's doubles team ever to do that. And let me ask you about playing doubles with Martina. You say that you learned some variations on shots playing with her watching her play that she is that she just wants everybody around her to be the best tennis player possible and she's not stingy with help audience in her eyes. Well how does

it differ playing doubles as opposed to playing individual tennis. Well it's very interesting when tennis was really the only sport where you can team up with somebody and then stay an hour earlier have been opponents and just this past weekend in Madison Square Garden the Virginia Slims championships that happened in Nashua nearly beat her in the semifinals I was up 3 1 of the third set and losing 6 4 in the third but then an hour and a half later we were playing for the championship so the doubles. So she's always been pretty free with advice especially with her good friends. And actually it was something that she said to me after the U.S. Open when I lost her in the quarter finals. She said through the press that I wasn't getting all that much better that I wasn't trying new things on the court and sort of the same time I was trying to work on some new shots but it's very difficult when you get kind of set in your ways and you like to play a particular way. So when you write as since and I have come up with some new things and I'm much more relaxed on the tennis court I've been playing by far my best tennis the last couple of months.

Speaking of being relaxed on the tennis court I for one just watching it on television can't imagine how you do it. Do you do you make a conscious decision to take that nervousness before a match and channel it somewhere constructive and well what you have to try and do is put things in the right perspective and it's taken me a long time and I hope whatever attitude I have right now I keep going into my career because it's a great one it's just kind of well I go out I give my best and if I don't do it today there's tomorrow and I've always told myself that but I never really believed and never felt it on the court. And this attitude gives me a lot more freedom to try things I'm not afraid anymore to take chances. Yeah you hate to fail so a lot of times on the tennis court you become introverted and you don't want to take the chances you hope they miss. And I play the kind of game a very aggressive a serve and volley and I've got to be willing to take the chances. I'm just not going to make it. You said something just before this that was also very interesting that at one point you can be opponents and then an hour later be paired as the doubles team. That also holds true when you all tour together and you're on the same circuit you see each other a lot you've known each other for

years. How do you psych yourself up to go out and they have dinner together the night before and then you try and pound them on the court the next day. You know you're going to play somebody that week. You look at the draw that you keep a little bit of the distance from them. But for instance my best friend in the world on the tour is a Leesburg and she's a local Baltimore girl as well we grew up together. And if I know I'm going to play at least in a couple of days I suppose there's a little bit of awkwardness but really in tennis you get used to it from an early age you're always playing your good friends in the juniors and also it's kind of natural. But other people I have people who know also differently. I mean some people won't talk to you other people just blab away. Chris and Martin are very good that way they like to talk I like to talk I find the worst thing in the world is be in the locker room with your opponent and just sit on opposite sides of the room and not say a word. Does that happen often. Just sometimes and I don't like it is that a mind someone playing with you. Sometimes sometimes people just figure well you know until the match is over let's just call and that's that's fine too it's again I think as I think the longer

you're around and this is my ninth year so I've played a lot of matches and I must say it becomes pretty routine all the atmosphere before imagine it. Let's go back in time. Now you're a local girl who played for McDonogh and write it in your book you talk about some of your high school matches and being the only girl that you're so funny because today I've done a couple interviews and everyone's brought up at school the school play because I was on the boys team I played Number two my freshman year. And I told a couple of stories in the book about playing Gilman McDonough's archrival and I was the first girl to ever compete against a Gilman boy and it was very much a nerve wracking situation and I and as I said I went to shake hands with my Gillman opponent at the start of the match. He pulled out a plastic artificial rose and gave it to me sort of as a sly ploy I guess when it was it's kind of funny. And but and you want to yeah I did. God I could have been a real rose I would have given a couple more games. It was fake I wanted the transom.

Well OK you've been a pro for nine years and you're only 24 years old. Which is really says something. If you stop and think about it and it was also mentioned in the book and the point is well taken at age 24 a lot of young men are just making it to the majors if they hand. And here you are you've been around your season that what is 9 years as a professional taught you mean a heck of a lot about life you know people talk about the college experience and did I miss it well. I've been to college for a long time and if I could probably get my master's degree I'm working my Ph.D. and whatever you deal with a lot of people you meet an incredible amount from all different sorts of places in the world Australia behind the Iron Curtain Japan political people corporate people there's a lot of sponsorship obviously in tennis and you have to be able to to deal with that. You know I think probably of tennis gives me anything when I get through to just be dealing with situations and I think probably what career I go into afterwards will have to be dealing with people as well because I feel like that's

what I've ended up being almost as good as maybe hitting it over and over to you so I was when you were mentioning a degree I instantly thought of sociology you have to learn to handle an and credible assortment of people people and situations. There's a lot of pressure in tennis and I guess the more times you're in pressure situations and come through the better off you are and sometimes when you're young you don't deal with that well have been a number of young players that have made it or they've fallen off the tour. And I feel very fortunate to have made and I think it's for a couple of reasons one I have a very great family I have a great home town and I love coming home and I keep the two lives separate. So when I go out it's different. And when I come home I get away from the tennis. Welcome home. Yeah I guess. Although you brought the tennis with you you've got a tournament going on this weekend. That's right actually as we speak. Yes we are prepaid thing and this is going to be shown Friday night and Friday night at 7:00 o'clock. That's right and will be tomorrow Saturday and Sunday. It's for the benefit cystic

fibrosis and it's at Loyola College Martina Navratilova is in town in Leesburg and Carling Bassett stands. It's a great event. A lot of my friends already have take it which is how I originally found out about this. And your new book which is so relatable and just so wonderful. Someone called it the Grand Slam tennis books It's called passing shots and it's published by McGraw-Hill and Pam. Kelly thanks. It's nice. Thank you Kelly. Are musical performers tonight are one of the hottest earthy rock n roll bands in Baltimore. And with your memories of that morning two weeknight a live Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. That's weeknight a live Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. We have on this show some absolutely fascinating interviews. This next one and I said it was a turkey it's a good turkey. This one promises to be the most bizarre Glenn Tolbert reports. Well it's the day after Thanksgiving the day after the big turkey slaughter.

And we thought we'd make the best of this opportunity to come to the Rocksmith turkey farm better known as a hillside turkey farm and three month Maryland. And we're here with that farm activities director Lisa riffle. Lisa I understand the. Judge's name is. Tom Turkey is that right you've coached him. Yes I have. All right is he ready to give us an interview here. Yeah right I hope so too. Phineas Phineas T Turkey sir may I ask you I understand you belong to an organization I serve with I think speaking place I belong. I understand you've got a donation called the turkeys international historian Institute What is that all about. Pardon me. Lisa I don't think he's with us here. Did you understand that. Now I'm sorry I didn't understand you were going to say what was that. How about if I just call you Finney is that OK. Affinity is all right.

Listen what's the problem you think. You might be a little bit nervous in front of the camera I don't know anything we can do about that. Maybe with his friends he talked a little bit better. OK let's give it a shot. Anyhow you going to go back with your friends there. No comment how about I would put you back in here when you talk to. OK let's give that a try. By Fanny Well he does look happier already. OK folks we're going to see if we can join Phineas around the side of the house here and hopefully among his own kind he'll be a little more comfortable. Lisa thanks for the help. See what happens if I talk to Phineas about myself here. All right let's go around the side. And this is the turkey's window on the world. I see Phineas back there making his way through the crowd of excited relatives now that they see the cameras here.

Many of us over here yeah thank you. Come on guys let him through. All right anyway Phineas is making his way through the crowd here folks and we're waiting for him to work his way here. There's a couple things I'd like to give you in the background of the turkey for us. Then you select this with me something you might want to know about this majestic you knock kneed bird I'm sorry it wasn't installed. OK they accept it. Anyway I got this back to you before the before I mean around the corner here. Well Turkey was almost named the national bird United States did you. I knew that Phineas. Everybody knows that. Sorry. Anyway other facts have been great turkeys in history. Great turkeys in sports. Turkeys are represented in art. I have to go on. Yes I say yes. Anyway the turkey figures heavily in politics these days as we all know. But did you know that some of the greats in entertainment were turkeys. Yeah I hope I'm not

put in that list after this story. Anyway that was Veronica Turkey Toulouse Turkey TS Turly who scratched out the lyrics for the hit musical turkeys with a famous theme song Memories and they like that one. And who can forget that famous actress who was in Gone With The Wind. Butterball McQueen. Other classics of the silver screen super Turkey. Saturday night Turkey is a big hit in these parts and it's going to be released film saga about the great deep sea diver The Wright Stuff thing. And of course some turkeys have met with foul play. And some of belted out. Remember they remember it remember Al Capone was a capon. I mean right this folks it was an official press release anyway. And I don't think I have distinguished themselves in history. I'm sorry that's the way it is. We will be the

first to admit that there are some real turkey loste in the bunch. But where would we be without the Turkey Trot. What would jazz be without the drumstick. What would a party be without wild turkey bourbon. Ransom Party is back here folks but this is all very interesting to me is this press release of yours but you guys really haven't commented on specifics let's get down to the nitty gritty. A few comments weighs in the following words jump in where you will cranberry sauce. Not bad tinfoil. Pop-Up tester gravy. Thank God I'm gone spoil my kids. Well enough said about this. Reporting them from the hillside turkey farms in Thurmont Maryland. This is Glen Tolbert for weekend night alive. You know what that means.

Thank you Glenn that was absolutely enlightening. On Wednesday night week not alive. Good evening welcome to weeknight alive I'm Kelly Saunders. Now on tonight's show we're going to be given and with the acts of pugilism Yes lots of boxing tonight in just a few minutes we're going to begin a three part feature with one of the world's great boxers the gentleman you just saw. All wet all over your screen and yes figuring it out was right. Stephen Hunter will review the new Twentieth Century-Fox release streets of gold which is about two young fellows who are hoping to make it in the boxing world. And it's also about their coach a Russian immigrant. The Fort McHenry Tunnel is one year old today and we're going to take you inside this amazing Donnel. It's received nothing but praise from those of us who use it and runs completely can be run completely on computer. Fascinating stuff on Jeff's way. We'll have a return visit to manor tavern one of the first restaurants we visited this year musically it is the folk sounds of Jonathan Edwards and friends. In Palmer Park Maryland right here in our own backyard there is a boxer who is known the whole world over that Boxer is 30 year

old Sugar Ray Leonard. What's the sport of boxing all about. Tonight tomorrow and Wednesday night we're going to take an in-depth look at this man at his sport and at his boxing future. It is a brutal sport. It's participants nothing to espouse the higher ideals than nothing but the sport itself. With. I can even go even deeper because what happened the perception of the American public has become typical of the worst because of. Will the lack of education they tend to spike. That was the case with me. I am doing something that I always want to do there was a void. I mean I have a chance to fight this mob of Hagler.

Swimmer swims against other swimmers and against the clock. A climber climbs Mount Everest to see if he can withstand the elements. In each case we use a measure something outside ourselves to test ourselves to prove ourselves. There is something very simple and very fair about two men stripped to the waist and compete with nothing more than courage strength and skill. The will to survive and their fists. At one time I was emulate jewel phrases style because he was so tenacious so aggressive and so domineering that by right you're getting heavy weight. And then I noticed that there was a better style much more able to take mom all the rest are watching this one I think. Then I will watch the tapes and films of the past.

Obviously. They were trying to find someone to present a war to mom. They wanted someone. And they the box in public. They couldn't think of anyone else locally because it was a charity situation. So my agent Charlie Brotman. Went to the I guess the executives say well let's get Sugar Ray Leonard this is prophylactics now. And the guy says sugar. So this is going to be the Olympic gold medal winner. This guy's will be champion and you know all the other accolades. OK. And you had questions I asked. You get there because it was a great.

Learn from. There is a very great difference between a champion and a contender. It's quite a tough sport boxing. We're going to have part two of the interview with Sugar Ray Leonard tomorrow night. One year ago today our traffic problems were released on what went bald. Tonight it's our pleasure to bring you three of the finest folk singers in our area Mary Chabon John Jennings and Jonathan Edwards. Just another day I'm watching for them.

Just another round of been having you back not just to help me. Just another just close enough to go

on. Just to know that they're close to having you back again. Jonathan Edwards and friends thank you. They probably go to the Manor tavern and join

Stephen Hunter for his. What does it feel like to face the ultimate challenge well tonight in part three of our three part interview with Sugar Ray Leonard. That's what he talks about the ultimate challenge. And this time the ultimate challenge is Marvelous Marvin Hagler. BAD BAD BOY. I mean I had a chance to fight mob this mob and I know I can do it to us and I probably can do it but I don't and I can do it now. Why do you want to fight. Marvelous Marvin Hagler. You know that question comes up. It's all redundant nationally because people say well you know you suffer an injury injury you've been on the run for two years you should have a change in fighting and I mean it's like in the Olympics I mean it's like going to

end them to competition. You fight all those years I mean as an amateur I don't have 55 fight but the competition meant nothing unless I achieved the ultimate. That was the Olympics. I never even try for that. There had been a void in my life. What I had was greatest strength this belief within of self is your determination and the hackers were plow champion and it's been a long road for him to achieve and to become somewhat of a commodity so he's very proud. And that's what makes him when he when he goes to war as he calls it he goes to war. What Leonard's greatest strength does a parallel because I believe within myself and my ways of being

innovative. How do you train for Marvin Hagler to be innovative. You gotta do things that. The traditional ways and means do those things because a place some time next year. So I have time to be as innovative as I possibly can tangibles again talk about the fact that when the fight does take place they will. That means it will be a year that had as not a fight and so there are the intangibles. So he's trying to he's trying to buy me as a foreigner. So there are all the intangibles throughout his career his fancy footwork. No question that's a given.

I feel this way. It's a challenge and it's something I always have to overcome. The Resolute one single minded determination and commitment in Las Vegas the fight open with Hagel are a favorite. Don't matter. Well for those of you who are wondering I just took a poll a studio poll and we figured out that actually twelve point five percent of the people in the studio right now believe that Ray will not block off this twelve point five percent one out of eight but we all wish you good luck. Thank you for doing the interview. And just a reminder the week of December and we have a special treat tonight Jeff order. There's so many things to say about Jeff. He's a gifted songwriter and performer who had his first formal lesson at the age of four and his first composition at the age of five. He was classically trained at the New England Conservatory and at

the Peabody Conservatory conservatory. He has written classical jazz ragtime rock ballads rhythm and blues and commercial jingles. Tonight Jeff will be performing an original composition entitled The friendship. That was very beautiful. Thank you Jeff. As some of you may know Jeff was the composer of

giving Hans the song written to raise money for the hungry and homeless in Baltimore. You will also be able to see Jeff this.