- April 17, 2007
- FORA.tv
Chris Gardner: Excerpt from The Pursuit of Happyness
Self-made entrepreneur Chris Gardner reads an excerpt from his book, The Pursuit of Happyness, recounting his experience at an EST group therapy seminar in 1970s San Francisco. This video was taped at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco. This clip contains explicit language. Chris Gardner in conversation with 20/20 producer Lynn Redmond about his newly published autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness. Gardner's fascinating story is also the subject of a movie of the same name starring Will Smith as Gardner and Smith's son Jaden as Gardner's son, Chris Jr. The film was shot in the Bay Area and was released in December 2006 by Columbia Pictures. Gardner is President and CEO of Rich LLC. He is also an avid philanthropist committed to assisting organizations involved in education and economic development.
Charles Frazier: Following Up Cold Mountain
Author Charles Frazier talks about the pressures involved in following up his first novel, Cold Mountain - a bestseller and National Book Award winner - with his latest book, Thirteen Moons. Charles Frazier, the best-selling author of Cold Mountain, discusses his long awaited second novel Thirteen Moons. Currently on best-seller lists everywhere, this story is steeped in history, rich in insight, and filled with moments of sudden beauty. Charles Frazier's Thirteen Moons is the story of one man's remarkable life, spanning a century of relentless change. At the age of twelve, an orphan named Will Cooper is given a horse, a key, and a map and is sent on a journey through the wilderness to the edge of the Cherokee Nation, the uncharted white space on the map. Will is a bound boy, obliged to run a remote Indian trading post. As he fulfills his lonesome duty, Will finds a father in Bear, a Cherokee chief, and is adopted by him and his people, developing relationships that ultimately forge Will's character. All the while, his love of Claire, the enigmatic and captivating charge of volatile and powerful Featherstone, will forever rule Will's heart. In a distinct voice filled with both humor and yearning, Will tells of a lifelong search for home, the hunger for fortune and adventure, the rebuilding of a trampled culture, and above all an enduring pursuit of passion. As he comes to realize, when all else is lost and gone forever, there is yearning. One of the few welcome lessons age teaches is that only desire trumps time. Will Cooper, in the hands of Charles Frazier, becomes a classic American soul: a man devoted to a place and its people, a woman, and a way of life, all of which are forever just beyond his reach. Thirteen Moons takes us from the uncharted wilderness of an unspoiled continent, across the South, up and down the Mississippi, and to the urban clamor of a raw Washington City. Throughout, Will is swept along as the wild beauty of the nineteenth century gives way to the telephones, automobiles, and encroaching railways of the twentieth. Steeped in history, rich in insight, and filled with moments of sudden beauty, Thirteen Moons is an unforgettable work of fiction by an American master.
Michael Arndt: Themes of Little Miss Sunshine
Screenwriter Michael Arndt talks about the major themes present in his Academy Award-winning script for the film Little Miss Sunshine. In 2000, screenwriter Michael Arndt had no credits, no agents, no publishing history when he took a year off to write a saleable script that got him an agent and a deal and, five years after that, one of the big hits of 2006. A new book, Little Miss Sunshine: The Shooting Script, details the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of the indie runaway hit with an introduction, afterword, and enlightening scene notes from Arndt. Starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin, the film strikes a nerve with everyone who's ever been awestruck by how their muddled families seem to make it after all. Michael Arndt offers a rare insider's look and considered thoughts on one of the film's most prevalent themes, success vs. failure.
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