Posted on 08/30/2006 7:12:02 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - CBS News veteran Bob Schieffer wraps his 15-month run in the "CBS Evening News" anchor chair on Thursday, paving the way for Katie Couric's debut Tuesday.
Schieffer recently spoke about Couric's prospects, his delayed retirement, a big regret, and his budding career as a songwriter.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: HOW DO YOU THINK KATIE'S GOING TO DO WHEN SHE TAKES OVER THE ANCHOR CHAIR NEXT WEEK?
Bob Schieffer: Katie's got all the tools. I think she's going to do a terrific job. She clearly has an enormous following. She's going to bring some people into the tent just because she's Katie, and that's all to the good. It'll be interesting to see what happens. . . . I think Katie has a good chance to make this news program No. 1. Maybe not next week, but in time.
THR: HAVE YOU GIVEN HER ANY ADVICE?
Schieffer: I really haven't. I mean, we've chatted and all of that. But it's like when your kids get to be a certain age. You have to be there, but you have to be careful not to always be giving them advice. Katie's smart, and the people around her are smart. I want to help in every way possible.
THR: YOU'VE TOLD CBS NEWS AND SPORTS PRESIDENT SEAN MCMANUS THAT YOU WON'T RETIRE ON YOUR 70TH BIRTHDAY, FEB. 25, LIKE YOU PREVIOUSLY PLANNED. WHAT MADE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND?
Schieffer: Sean McManus asked me to stay until 2008, to the (presidential) election of 2008. That's my plan, but when we worked this out, I told Sean, "If you want me to stay, I want to stay," and that's what I want to do, but on my 70th birthday, I want to just review the bidding, and he said fine. So we'll revisit that. But right now, my plans and Sean McManus' plans are for me to be there until 2008.
THR: ARE YOU GOING TO MISS THE JOB ON "EVENING NEWS?"
Schieffer: Yes, I am. It's been this great adventure. I've done a lot of things and been a lot of places in my life and in my career, but this may be the No. 1 most unexpected thing that has ever happened to me and, in some ways, the greatest adventure I've ever been on.
THR: WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Schieffer: Some days we figured out a better way to do things, and some days we didn't, but what I am proudest of are these correspondents we've developed and gave a chance and made a place on the broadcasts: Lara Logan, Lee Cowan, Trish Regan, Sharon Alfonsi, Byron Pitts. These are the people you're going to hear about around here for the next 10 years or so. I feel very proud of that. THR: ANY REGRETS?
Schieffer: I really wanted to go to the Middle East for this war. Basically, because of some misunderstandings, I didn't get to go. . . . It was a chance to showcase Lara and Sharon, and I was certainly happy about that, but from a personal standpoint, I would have liked to have gone -- one more thing to see. But beyond that, everything about this has been fun.
THR: SO YOU'VE COME TO LIKE NEW YORK AFTER SO MANY YEARS IN WASHINGTON?
Schieffer: It's a great city; it's one of the great cities of the world, and the people here I find to be friendly. I exercise a lot. I get up at 6 and go for a walk every morning, and I go through (Central Park), and you come to see the same people, people out with their dogs. . . . People say New Yorkers are unfriendly, but I'm not sure I believe that anymore. They were very welcoming to me. It's the last city of distinctive neighborhoods. If you hang out in the neighborhoods, they get to know you. . . . I'll always love Washington because that's where my kids grew up, but I came to enjoy New York.
THR: WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR CBS AFTER YOU GO BACK TO WASHINGTON AND ANCHORING "FACE THE NATION?" WILL YOU WRITE A BOOK?
Schieffer: I may or may not, probably not if I stay in this role (on "Face the Nation" and doing commentaries for "CBS Evening News"). I've done work on that book, but I just don't think I can do it and write two commentaries a week and do "Face the Nation" and do analysis for the evening news. I write one commentary for "Face the Nation" on Sundays, and we're going to add another one Wednesdays for the "Evening News."
THR: AND YOUR MUSICAL CAREER? I'M TOLD THAT CBS NEWS WRITER JEAN BRATMAN HAS TURNED A HANDFUL OF YOUR SONGS INTO A DEMO TAPE THAT IS BEING SHOPPED AROUND IN NASHVILLE RIGHT NOW.
Schieffer: I'm really serious about writing songs. They're love songs, with a country-bluesy kind of feel. It's something I do for fun, like some people like to drive race cars or play golf. It's the same way if you play golf, they always say that golf is like a love affair: It's no fun if you take it seriously, and if you take it seriously, it'll break your heart. It's the same way with this. I'm serious about it. It's fun. We'll see what happens, but I'm trying to get someone to record them.
Heard her face was on every bus in NYC.
I hear he's applied as food-taster for Jean Claude Kerry's, 2008 campaign.
Im curious, can you elaborate?
I don't feel sorry. He probably has a nice dacha lined-up on the Black Sea.
Memo to Bob: Don't let the door.....
It's been several years I think since I saw that particular article.
Imus "Klinghoffered" him last week. Nothing else to do, but go back to Texas and bore dinner guests.
Bob will have to top these titles.
WORST COUNTRY-WESTERN SONG TITLES
The Best of the Worst Country-Western Song Titles (These are *real*)
- Do You Love As Good As You Look?
- Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through The Goalposts Of Life
- Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye
- Her Teeth Were Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure
- Here's A Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares
- How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?
- Been Roped And Thrown By Jesus In The Holy Ghost Corral
- I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
- I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling
- I Fell In A Pile Of You And Got Love All Over Me
- I Flushed You From The Toilets Of My Heart.
- I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You
- It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long (By THE NOTORIOUS CHERRY BOMBS)
- I Wanna Whip Your Cow
- I Would Have Wrote You A Letter, But I Couldn't Spell Yuck!
- I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dawg Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win
- I'd Rather Have A Bottle In Front Of Me Than A Frontal Lobotomy
- I'm Just A Bug On The Windshield Of Life
- I've Been Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart
- I've Got The Hungries For Your Love And I'm Waiting In Your Welfare Line
- If I Can't Be Number One In Your Life, Then Number Two On You
- If Love Were Oil, I'd Be A Quart Low
- If My Nose Were Full of Nickels, I'd Blow It All On You
- If The Phone Don't Ring, Baby, You'll Know It's Me
- If You Don't Leave Me Alone, I'll Go And Find Someone Else Who Will
- If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?
- Mama Get The Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head)
- May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
- My Every Day Silver Is Plastic
- My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don't Love Jesus
- My John Deere Was Breaking Your Field, While Your Dear John
Was Breaking My Heart
- My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him
- Oh, I've Got Hair Oil On My Ears And My Glasses Are Slipping Down,
But Baby I Can See Through You
- Pardon Me, I've Got Someone To Kill
- She Got The Gold Mine And I Got The Shaft; She Got The Ring And I
Got The Finger
- She Made Toothpicks Out Of The Timber Of My Heart
- She's Got Freckles On Her, But She's Pretty
- Thank God And Greyhound She's Gone
- They May Put Me In Prison, But They Can't Stop My Face From
Breakin' Out
- Velcro Arms, Teflon Heart
- When You Leave Walk Out Backwards, So I'll Think You're Walking In
- You Can't Have Your Kate And Edith Too
- You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd
- You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat
- You Were Only A Splinter In My Ass As I Slid Down The
Bannister Of Life
- You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly
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