LiveWorld Transcripts

Odyssey presents

Mary Alice Williams
Host of "Quiet Triumphs"

October 26, 1999

Description: Mary Alice Williams, host of "Quiet Triumphs," chats about her show and her new book, “Quiet Triumphs: Celebrities Share Survival Strategies for Getting Through the Hard Times.”

Page 1 of 8

Odyssey: Odyssey, A Henson and Hallmark Entertainment Network, welcomes you today to participate in a discussion with Ms. Mary Alice Williams, Emmy-award winning journalist and host of our on-going celebrity interview series "Quiet Triumphs" which airs Monday-Friday at 8am, ET/PT. Ms. Williams has recently completed her first book, "Quiet Triumphs- Celebrities Share Survival Strategies for Getting Through the Hard Times," (Harper Collins) which is based upon some of the interviews she has completed on the series. This is Ms. Williams' first Internet chat session. Today she will answer questions about her career and interests, whether about "Quiet Triumphs" or in her career as a journalist. And now, here's Mary Alice Williams.

Mary Alice: Hello, thank you for joining us today - it's nice to talk to real people! The fact is that through the program "Quiet Triumphs" and through the research I did to write the book, I discovered that celebrities are real people who struggle just like the rest of us. In the end, it is a book not about "the celebrity,” but about you.

Sally4: How did you become associated with "Quiet Triumphs"?

Mary Alice: A friend of a friend called and said they were looking for a host, and gee, would I do it? It was that simple. I, of course, had no idea what it was going to be about and thought that interviews with celebrities would be dull, dull, dull! So instead of interviewing people about the wonderfulness of themselves, I decided to interview them as though they lived like I do. And they do! They struggle with the same issues each of us confronts. They have buried parents, some have buried children. They have struggled with addiction, or loved someone who struggled with it. They have been through divorce, frightening illness, and all of the daily challenges that are part of the human condition. And through them, I have learned that what is most private and personal to each of us is most universal. It happens to everyone. Sharing the wisdom, strength, and experience of people who've been through something like this, is the best way for the rest of us to cope.

Malcolm: Do you feel the level of what constitutes a problem for celebrities is different from "normal" people? Can they handle bad stuff better?

Mary Alice: No, it's not different at all. When something brings you to your knees (and if you live long enough and well enough, something will!), we all tend to feel that fate has gone out of her way to pick me. Don't we? Nobody has EVER felt the way I do and I have no one to talk to. And it doesn't matter who you are, or how rich and famous and powerful you are, EVERYBODY feels that way. So they don't have a worse or a better time. Except, in some cases, I envy the people who have anonymity and can go through things without the entire world peeking in on it.

Albert: Do you find a similarity in your role as an anchorperson and hosting "Quiet Triumphs"?

Page 1 of 8