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BUSINESS, SHE IS NOT TRYING TO
COME ON THE QUEEN LATIFAH SHOW,
SHE IS JUST WORKING.
AND IT IS JUST COMMON SENSE TO
BRING OUT OUR FIRST GUEST, WHO
WAS IN THE MOVIE AND PLAYED
"STANDS WITH FISTS."
AND IS A SPINOFF OF THE CLOSER
AND HAS NEARLY 7 MILLION VIEWERS
A WEEK.
PLEASE WELCOME MY GIRL, MARY
McDONNELL.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> Q. Latifah: MARY!
MARY, MARY, YOU TUGGING AT MY
HEART STRINGS.
YOU'RE A CHEESE HEAD.
>> I AM A CHEESE HEAD.
>> Q. Latifah: DO YOU GUYS KNOW
WHAT CHEESE HEADS ARE?
GREEN BAY PACKER SEASON?
WELCOME.
HAVE A SEAT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Q. Latifah: THIS IS FOR ME?
>> YES, IT IS.
I COULDN'T VERY WE WILLL COME O
WEARING A CHEESE HEAD AND NOT
GIVE YOU ONE.
>> Q. Latifah: OH, NO, MY
GIANTS!
>> THAT IS OKAY, THESE ARE GOOD
COMFORT TOYS.
>> Q. Latifah: AND I LOVE ME
SOME CHEESE.
I AM SO GLAD WE SHARE A PASSION
FOR FOOTBALL.
>> I AM, TOO, I FOUND OUT YOU
LOVE FOOTBALL AND I WAS
THRILLED.
>> Q. Latifah: I LOVE SPORTS IN
GENERAL.
I HATE IT WHEN THEY MAKE IT SEEM
LIKE WOMEN GO TO SPORTS GAMES IF
OUR HUSBANDS GO AND THINGS LIKE
THAT.
THAT IS NOT THE CASE.
YOU'RE A TRUE CHEESE HEAD.
>> I'M A TRUE CHEESE HEAD, I
LOVE THE GREEN BAY PACKERS, WHEN
THEY WIN, I LOVE IT, WHEN THEY
LOSE, I CRY.
I MEAN, AARON RODGERS, WHEN HE
TOOK OVER FOR BRETT FAVRE, I WAS
JUST THRILLED HADÑi -- HE WAS AE
TO DO IT.
AND NOW FLYNN IS TAKING OVER FOR
HIM.
>> Q. Latifah: YOU HAVE BEEN AN
ATHLETE ALL YOUR LIFE.
IT WAS VERY INTERESTING FOR ME
TO LEARN YOU CAME FROM SWIMMING.
AND YOU USED TO DO SYNCHRONIZED
SWIMMING.
>> YES, I WAS A WATER BALLERINA.
>> Q. Latifah: I THINK YOU MIGHT
BE THE FIRST WATER BALLERINA I
MET.
>> WELL, THAT IS GREAT TO BE THE
FIRST.
I DID IT FROM 6 YEARS OLD TO 12
YEARS OLD, WE ALL SWAM TOGETHER,
I THINK IT WAS WHEN I FIRST GOT
THE HINT I LIKED ACTING.
THE WATER BALLETS WERE AT NIGHT,
WE WORE COSTUMES.
THE MUSIC WOULD PLAY, YOU WOULD
DIVE IN.
YOU COULD HEAR THE MUSIC UNDER
WATER AND PEOPLE WOULD CLAP.
IT WAS JUST AWESOME AND GREAT
EXERCISE.
>> Q. Latifah: I HEAR YOUR
CAREER GOT CUT SHORT, THOUGH.
A DOLPHIN?
>> YES, WHEN I WAS A YOUNGER
GIRL WITH MY SISTERS OUR
SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING TEAM WAS
INVITED TO SWIM IN THE
PHILADELPHIA AQUARAMA, YOU KNOW,
YOU LOOKED INTO THE TANK.
SO WE HAD TO MOVE OUR TEAMS
UNDER WATER.
WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
SHOW.
THE FIRST THING WAS WE HEARD MY
SISTER SCREAMING BECAUSE A
PELICAN HAD SWOOPED IN, THEY
TOLD US THE DOLPHINS HAD A COLD.
AND MANY, MANY YEARS LATER WE
WERE TOLD THEY WERE IN HEAT.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
I STILL DON'T KNOW -- I HAVE NO
-- I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS.
BUT WE WERE --
>> Q. Latifah: THE DOLPHINS!
WHAT?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
>> YOU GET TO GO BACK TO YOUR
CELL.
>> YOU DIDN'T WRITE THESE
MOTIONS, DID YOU?
[ SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE ]
>> OH, COME ON, KNOCK IT OFF.
>> WHO WROTE THESE MOTIONS?
>> THAT IS NOT GOING TO WORK,
YOU HEAR ME?
>> PLEASE --
[ SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE ]
>> ENOUGH!
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> Q. Latifah: OH!
WELCOME BACK.
MARY AND I -- WE'RE JUST SITTING
HERE HAVING A WONDERFUL
CONVERSATION ABOUT BEAUTY AND
INTERVIEWING.
AND WHEN WE FIGURED OUT WHO WE
WERE, AND I ENJOYED THE
CONVERSATION WE JUST HAD.
MAYBE WE SHOULD SHARE A LITTLE
BIT OF IT WITH OUR AUDIENCE
BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE
GO THROUGH THAT.
YOU WERE SAYING?
>> I WAS SAYING THAT EVERYBODY
THAT I MENTIONED, THAT I WAS
COMING ON THIS SHOW HAD THE SAME
REACTION.
AN INTAKE OF BREATH, OH, MY GOD,
QUEEN LATIFAH IS SO BEAUTIFUL.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON!
>> Q. Latifah: BEFORE YOU THINK
IT IS A VANITY THING, THAT WAS
NOT WHERE IT WENT, THAT IS KIND
OF HOW IT STARTED.
AND WE KIND OF GOT INTO A
DISCUSSION ABOUT IT BECAUSE I
WAS SAYING THAT I DIDN'T KNOW
THAT, I DIDN'T MAKE THAT
CONNECTION FOR A LONG TIME.
>> SHE DIDN'T GROW UP KNOWING.
>> Q. Latifah: MY PARENTS TOLD
ME THAT, BUT I DIDN'T GROW UP
KNOWING THAT, AND PART OF IT WAS
BECAUSE MY MOM WAS SO BEAUTIFUL
AND MY FATHER WAS SO TERRIBLY
HANDSOME THAT MY BROTHER AND I
ALWAYS FELT LIKE WELL, WHAT
HAPPENED TO OUR LOOKS?
AND I WAS SAYING THAT SHE COULD
RELATE.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THIS WAS
ALL BEING DEVELOPED.
AND THEN EVENTUALLY, THE BEAUTY
INSIDE CAUGHT UP WITH THE IDEA
OF WHAT WAS ON THE OUTSIDE.
SO --
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
AND I WAS SAYING THAT MARY COULD
RELATE.
AND THAT IS WHEN SHE TOLD ME
THAT SHE WAS MS. ITHACA, NEW
YORK!
>> I SAID THE FACT THAT I WAS
PRETTY KIND OF SNUCK UP ON ME,
AS WELL.
AND THAT IS ENDED UP BEING MS.
TEEN ITHACA, AS WELL, AND
THOUGHT WELL, I MUST BE OKAY TO
LOOK AT.
>> Q. Latifah: LOVED BY HUMANS
AND MAMMALS!
OH, NO, THAT IS CRAZY, WE COULD
TALK FOR HOURS BECAUSE IT IS
LIKE SO MUCH FUN.
BUT LET'S GET TO MAJOR CRIMES,
WHICH IS MY SHOW.
I LOVE MAJOR CRIMES.
I LOVED YOU AS CAPTAIN RADER,
BUT THE INTERESTING THING IS
MAJOR CRIMES REPLACED "THE
CLOSER."
WHICH WAS A HUGE HIT.
I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT, WHAT WAS
THE PRESSURE LIKE TO FOLLOW SUCH
A HUGE HIT SHOW, WITH A NEW SHOW
THAT IS A SPINOFF.
DID YOU FEEL THAT?
>> YEAH, THERE WAS TREMENDOUS
PRESSURE BECAUSE THE SHOW WAS SO
GREAT.
AND YOU WANTED TO RETAIN THE FAN
BASE.
SO YOU WOULD GO TO SLEEP AT
NIGHT GOING OH, WE HAVE GOT TO
WORK, SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
AND WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY
HOW TO SLOWLY TURN THE STORY
INTO OUR STORY WITHOUT ASKING
ANYONE TO CHANGE THEIR MIND OR
FEEL ANY WAY ABOUT IT.
AND BECAUSE WE HAD THAT
BRILLIANT CAST COME WITH US.
LIKE THEY WERE THE SAME PEOPLE,
TONY DENNISON, G.W. BAILEY --
>> Q. Latifah: SUCH GREAT
PEOPLE.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> AND IT IS SO EXCITING, I LOVE
TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE GOT
TO BE IN THE MAJOR CRIMES STORY
IN THE MAJOR CRIMES ROOM.
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO CHANGE THE
STORY.
AND THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN MOST
SPINOFFS.
>> Q. Latifah: AND YOU PLAY A
VERY STRONG WOMAN, A VERY STRONG
CHARACTER WHO PLAYED -- KIRA'S
NEMESIS, DO YOU GET A LOT OF
RESPONSE FROM OLDER WOMEN --
>> AND YOUNGER.
>> Q. Latifah: BECAUSE NOW YOU
HAD HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY
A CHARACTER WHO WAS NOT 25 YEARS
OLD, WHO IS STRONG AND
INTELLIGENT AND BEAUTIFUL, AND
WHO WAS IN CHARGE.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HAVING
THAT KIND OF IDEAL ON
TELEVISION?
>> I FEEL DEEPLY PROUD OF IT.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> Q. Latifah: IT IS
INSPIRATIONAL TO SEE.
>> WELL, I THINK -- I FEEL THAT
THE VOICE OF WOMEN OF A CERTAIN
AGE NEEDS TO BE HEARD, BECAUSE
WE ARE STEPPING INTO BIGGER JOBS
AT TIMES WHEN WE USED TO RETIRE.
WE ARE TAKING ON POSITIONS ALL
OVER THE WORLD.
WE'RE IN LEADERSHIP.
SO IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN TELL
THE HUMAN STORY OF THE WOMAN WHO
IS WORKING HARDER AT A CERTAIN
AGE THAN SHE DID AT 40, I'M
THERE.
I'M THERE 100%, YOU KNOW, I'M
REALLY PROUD OF IT.
>> Q. Latifah: THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Q. Latifah: THE EXPERIENCES
--
>> OH, THANK YOU.