Air Date: Thursady April 23th, 1998.

Rosie: Our first guest can easily light up a big screen, a Broadway Stage and a Major Concert Hall. Starting next Thursday she begins a limited run of the musical revival of St. Louie Woman, please welcome back to the show the gorgeous Vanessa Williams!

R: Hi! Vanessa. How are you?

Vanessa: Fine Thankyou!

R: Do you want our foot stool?

V: Do you have one?

R: We have a new one, press that red button, get ready

V: Where is it?

R: Hit it again!

V: It doesnt work

R: Oh gee! Oh no! we installed it. At the commercial we will fix it, oh we had it installed, it worked fine. We had Williams Shattner (spelling??) here, he hitted the button, the whole chair went, dumped him over, can you believe that?

V: Well, hopefully I'll stay on my chair.

R: its great to see you

V: Good seeing you!

R: How are you?

V:Im good, exhausted. Well you know, we are opening in a week, we started rehearsals monday and we open next week.

R: Thats great City Center has this wonderfull program that they do limited runs, thats were Chicago started a concert version that is now running on Broadway, and this St. Louie woman, it was a musical in the 40's?

V: It was written in the 40's about a black civilization in St. Louie at the turn of the century on 1898. I dont know what period are we exactly doing. Its about black horse raicing in the day when the socitety in St. Louie was all african americans. I play Della Green who is in love with a jockey called Little Loggie(spelling???) and she is kinda kept by a guy called Big Low Brown (spelling???) who Roc Dutton is playing and doing fantastically, so its 5 performances but since we only have a week of rehearslas you actually have a chance to hold the lyrics and the book, cause you dont have all the time to learn the choreography and put a Broadway Show together.

R: And so enjoyable to watch, I've seen almost all of them. It a great night of theater.

V: And they restored the original music, its a great score.

R: Now, I have a question is Roc the same as Charles Dutton?

V: Yeah, but we all call him Roc

R: Oh ! I was starting to think it was an odd thing, you know what I mean, I didnt know they called him Roc, I acted like I knew, I knotted oh ! yeah, but Im thinking Who is that?. And this is a role that was offered to Leena H (spelling???)

V: They wrote it for Leena, but at the time in the 40's her advisors said it was a little too controversial, the language "I aint doin' this" and that kind of stuff

R: Right

V: Its part of Black American History which is part of our History. Thats how people talked at the turn of the century, her advisors said they didnt wanted to "look back" they wrote "Come Rain or Come Shine" for her but she never ended it using it for the show. Ruby Hill was the woman who actually did it on Broadway.

R: Well, Im so happy about that I cant wait to see it.

V: Its going to be great and tickets are still available, its not sold out yet.

R: But it will be soon, 'cause I got to tell you, you can never get a ticket to a City Center thing. Now, do you listen to your own advisors? If they say I think you shouldnt be doing that.

V: I go with the gut, yeah you know, you have visions. When you see it and you know you can do it, you gotta go for it.

R: You've been the star of huge movies, with big movie stars, but you are about to work with the greatest.

V and R: Elmo!

V: Thats right

R: You are doing a feature film with Elmo.

V: Im sure you are going to come along too.

R: I was up for that part, dammn it!

V: Im playing the queen of trash in the land of trash.

R: Well, you probably are trashier than me, thats why you got it! ja! ja!.

V: You are going to be in it too?

R:: Yes, Im going to do a little part in there as well. Isnt that going to be fun?

V: Oh! I cant wait!

R: Your kids are too old for that? arent they?

V: Devin is into it. I think he is playing in the back in your wonderland.

R: My son is probably thrilled nothing thrills him more than boys that are older than him. Is your son like that?

V: Wearing the baseball cap backwards, cool shoes.

R: My son doesnt like to play with kids his own age . If there is someone that is two or three years old then he is not interested, but if they are 5 or 6 he says " I want to go with the big boys".

V: Absolutely!.

R: You have the most beautiful kids, and today is take your daughters to work day

V: Well, my daughters are here

R: Well, would youlike to bring them out? This is your work.

V: Ok girls!, I have Melonie And Jillian

R: Come on out girls!

R: How are you? Good to see you, have a sit right here. So, this is the first time you've gone to work with your mom?

BOTH: No.

R: No, you come all the time to the sets and everything, is the first day on take your daughters to work day?

Both: Yeah

R: Are you nervous being on TV?

Both: A little.

R: What is your favorite show, Tv show, do you watch a lot of TV?

(girls thinking)

Vanessa: Something on Nickelodeon, maybe?

Melonie: Yeah, I like All That and Kenan and Cal

R: Kenan and Cal, ha? Did you watch the Kids Choice awards?

Melonie: No.

V: We were away on vacations, sorry!

R: They won an award, well maybe I can get you a tape, how about the Spice Girls?

Both: Yeah!

R: Who's music do you like better, your moms or the Spice Girls?

V: mmmhhh?

Both: Both

R: Thats a good answer. Are you good sisters to your little brother?

M and J; Sometimes

R: Ever have to baby-sit

M and J: No.

R: What do you think you want to be when you grow old?

M: I want to be a fashion designer

R: Wow! Who is your favorite fashion designer?

M: Well, I dont really have one in particular. I like different ones. I have a book

V: Are you looking for your book?

M: I have a little book and two binders at home

R: This are your designs? Can I see it?

M: sure

R: Oh! God! Did you do this? This are fabolous! (Showing a Calvin Klien ad inside the notebook)

M: No.

R: Oh ! You just like this one! Are your designs in here too? I thought you just cut the pictures of your favorite ones. OH Wow! Look at this. look at that(seeing Melonie's designs and showing them to the camera). How old are you?

M: 10

R: 10 years old and you are designing dresses. (applause from the audience). Now Jillian what do you want to be when you grow old?

Jillian: an artist

R: An artist? What kind of an artist?

J: A cartoonist.

R: (to V) Artistic group of kids you have here. Wll, would you do us a favor and introduce your mom, she is going to sing for us after the break, alright say "We'll be right back after this break"

M and J: We'll be right back after this break

R: More with Vanessa Williams dont go away

(Commercial Break)

M and J: And now, singing "Come Rain or Come Shine" from "St. Louie Woman" our mom, Vanessa Williams

(vanessa performs)

R: Vanessa Williams, at the City Center, go see her would you. Her Beautiful daughters!. We'll be right back with William Baldwin

END