Paw 48: Kicking Off Year Five with the One and Only Meredith Vieira!
It’s hard to believe, and I feel so blessed that I am kicking off my fifth year with Rappaport to the Rescue on Pet Life Radio. My first guest who joins us every year at this time is the TV legend Meredith Vieira. And as always, animal trainer extraordinaire Bill Berloni will be part of this very special anniversary show.
Listen to Episode #48 Now:
BIO:
Meredith Vieira is a 15-time Emmy Award-winning host, executive producer and anchor. Beginning September 2019, she will host the Fox-syndicated game show 25 Words or Less. In 2018, Meredith served as co-host of PBS and BBC’s Royal Wedding Watch and as host of the PBS series The Great American Read. She served as executive producer on the award-winning documentary TOWER, released in October 2016. Vieira hosted and served as executive producer on her own nationally syndicated daytime talk show, titled The Meredith Vieira Show, which premiered in September 2014 and ran for two seasons. Previously, she received critical acclaim for her hosting of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Today Show, and The View. As host of Millionaire, Vieira became the longest-standing female game show host in history. She is also a member of an elite group to have anchored or hosted programs on 5 broadcast networks. Early in her career, Vieira spent more than a decade at CBS News, garnering five Emmy Awards for her work as an editor on the news magazines 60 Minutes and West 57th. Vieira founded and is CEO of Meredith Vieira Productions, which develops and produces film, television, and theatre. A native of Providence, R.I., Vieira received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University in Medford, Mass. She has three children, Ben, Gabe, and Lily, with her husband, best-selling author and journalist Richard Cohen.
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets.
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Announcer: Rappaport to the Rescue, with award-winning animal advocate, Jill Rappaport.
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Jill Rappaport: Hi, I'm Jill Rappaport, and welcome to Rappaport to the Rescue.
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Jill Rappaport: What a gorgeous day it is here on the East Coast.
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Jill Rappaport: I'm looking out the window.
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Jill Rappaport: My horses are trotting in the fields.
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Jill Rappaport: I'm surrounded, I wish you could see this, by my beautiful rescue dogs.
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Jill Rappaport: One is at my feet, one is on my lap.
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Jill Rappaport: They're licking me and kissing me.
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Jill Rappaport: Does it get better than that?
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Jill Rappaport: Well, maybe with this show that I have coming up.
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Jill Rappaport: We are going to be joined today by the one and only Meredith Vieira.
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Jill Rappaport: I absolutely adore this woman and I call her my good luck charm because every year she kicks off this show on the anniversary of when we launched, would you believe, going into our fifth year.
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Jill Rappaport: This month, four years ago, we launched this show and so to kick off our fifth year, of course, Meredith is back to be our special guest today and also the one and only Bill Berloni, animal trainer extraordinaire.
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Jill Rappaport: I haven't talked to Bill in such a long time because he's been so incredibly busy with amazing projects.
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Jill Rappaport: We'll hear all about those.
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Jill Rappaport: So please stay tuned, Meredith Vieira and Bill Berloni when we come back.
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Announcer: >Let's talk pets.
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Announcer: On Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: >Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: petliferadio.com.
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Jill Rappaport: Meredith Vieira, so great to have you on the show again.
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Jill Rappaport: As I said in the open, you're our good luck charm.
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Jill Rappaport: We kick off every year on Rappaport to the Rescue with you.
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Jill Rappaport: So thank you so much for being here.
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Jill Rappaport: And of course, Bill Berloni, what would I do without you?
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Jill Rappaport: So great to have you both here.
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Jill Rappaport: And Meredith, wow, what a year it's been.
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Meredith Vieira: It has been a year of highs and lows, like everybody else's.
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Meredith Vieira: You know, you have these moments of joy and these moments of despair and moments where you're just sort of going along and then ride in the wave and everything is really cool.
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Meredith Vieira: So since we talked, our sweet, Sweet Pea, our 17-year-old cat passed away, but she passed away in our home, I found through a friend, and Bill, you may know of this group of vets that call Zen Dog, and they will assist you in helping your pet pass away.
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Meredith Vieira: I'm not sure what the, what's the correct language there?
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Bill Berloni: Cross over.
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Meredith Vieira: Two of my kids still live in New York and they came and spent the day with Sweet Pea and we were all with her.
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Meredith Vieira: And she was in good hands.
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Meredith Vieira: She really was.
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Meredith Vieira: It was so sweet.
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Meredith Vieira: He asked me, what does she like to sleep in?
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Meredith Vieira: And in the last years of her life, there was this tattered basket and she would go in there.
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Meredith Vieira: I think it was her haven and he brought a basket to take her with him.
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Meredith Vieira: So it was very moving and the right thing to do.
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Meredith Vieira: It's always hard.
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Meredith Vieira: You guys know that.
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Meredith Vieira: I mean, Jill, for sure.
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Jill Rappaport: It's just tears in your heart.
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Meredith Vieira: You take solace in the fact that she lived a great life and now her brother's still kicking at 18.
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Meredith Vieira: He's got his issues.
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Meredith Vieira: He walks with a limp.
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Meredith Vieira: My husband walks with a limp.
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Meredith Vieira: I sort of walk with a limp.
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Meredith Vieira: It's like, what is this place now?
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Meredith Vieira: You know, we just need some rocking chairs and a porch and we're good to go.
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Jill Rappaport: Well, yeah, Felipe, wow, 18.
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Meredith Vieira: Yeah.
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Jill Rappaport: That's amazing.
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Meredith Vieira: And you know, I have been pretty stressed in recent weeks because my husband, who I've talked about, everybody knows he has MS and that means that his immune system is not as good as a lot of people's.
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Meredith Vieira: And he is in the hospital now.
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Meredith Vieira: He's going to be fine.
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Meredith Vieira: He's in rehab, but he had a bout of pneumonia.
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Meredith Vieira: And I've noticed Felipe and I know it sure animals pick up on the vibes of their pet owners, you know, and, or pals.
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Meredith Vieira: And he's been aggressively seeking me out and he'll take his paw and pull down my arm.
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Meredith Vieira: So I won't leave.
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Meredith Vieira: And I just think he's sort of, I'm here for you.
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Meredith Vieira: You just need to chill.
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Meredith Vieira: It's going to be fine.
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Meredith Vieira: I really feel he's brought me a lot of peace at this time and a lot of comfort that you don't even realize how much you need it until there's this warm furry guy next to you sort of, hey, good lady, I'm here to help.
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Jill Rappaport: Just the touch of one little paw.
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Jill Rappaport: And Bill, you see that all the time, the comfort that these animals give.
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Jill Rappaport: And they know when something's going on.
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Bill Berloni: Oh yeah, for sure.
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Bill Berloni: And you know, when we lose our loved ones and we get so upset, you know, it bothers me when people don't understand why, why are you so upset?
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Bill Berloni: It's just a cat or it's just a dog.
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Bill Berloni: And you know, but unless you're in it, you know.
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Jill Rappaport: I was on the Today Show and I just lost my dog and I was like, literally tears were coming down my faces.
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Jill Rappaport: So I was walking towards the studio, Meredith, and I thought, get it together, get it together.
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Jill Rappaport: You know, this was 20 years ago and I thought they're never going to understand that I'm sobbing over my dog.
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Jill Rappaport: And I was, I could barely breathe.
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Jill Rappaport: And I just remember trying so hard that I must hold it together because nobody will understand because it's my dog.
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Jill Rappaport: And yet today it's the same thing as a family member.
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Jill Rappaport: And people totally get it.
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Jill Rappaport: Wouldn't you agree with that?
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Meredith Vieira: Well, I would for sure.
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Meredith Vieira: And I think that it's so interesting.
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Meredith Vieira: I can't tell you the number of people who say, I like my dog better than my husband or my wife or whatever.
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Meredith Vieira: You know, it's an unconditional love and they say it ingest, but not totally ingest.
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Meredith Vieira: Animals are there for you forever.
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Meredith Vieira: It's that unconditional love that we've talked about a million times and we say it because it is true.
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Meredith Vieira: So I understand the sobbing.
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Meredith Vieira: I would be actually more curious and upset if somebody didn't react that way that to me would be kind of odd.
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Jill Rappaport: Well, to us, of course, but to people who aren't in our world and don't understand that they complete us, you know, it's a whole different spectrum.
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Jill Rappaport: But you know, I've talked to so many people recently, as you know, Al Roker just lost his rescue, his beautiful pepper that I facilitated that adoption years ago and I said, oh, I'm at a shelter right now.
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Jill Rappaport: Are you ready?
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Jill Rappaport: And he said, oh, just give us a little time.
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Jill Rappaport: How do you feel about that?
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Jill Rappaport: I want to talk to both of you that because the minute I lose an animal, I seem to want to always immediately rescue one in honor of the one I lost.
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Jill Rappaport: Meredith, are you ready to maybe get another cat, another dog?
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Jill Rappaport: You lost Jasper.
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Meredith Vieira: Not right now.
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Meredith Vieira: I'm not.
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Meredith Vieira: Felipe is already dealing with some geriatric issues that I'm on top of, like the subcutaneous fluids and things like that, because his kidneys are, he's an old guy.
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Meredith Vieira: So it comes with the territory with cats or often does.
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Meredith Vieira: I feel like I have a lot on my plate, and I think an animal in your home is a big responsibility, and I'm just not ready to take that leap again.
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Meredith Vieira: For Felipe, I'm not sure that introducing another animal right now would be great for him.
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Meredith Vieira: But I agree in the bigger picture, I can't imagine not having that four-legged buddy to come home to and to love.
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Meredith Vieira: If you've had that always, since the time I was a little girl, we had cats when I was little at my house, and then eventually when I grew up, dogs and cats, and it's ingrained in me.
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Meredith Vieira: It would be odd to walk into a house and not hear a meow or bark, or that pitter-patter as they're coming up to you on the wooden floor.
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Jill Rappaport: Well, you also have a grand dog, right?
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Meredith Vieira: Arthur, King Arthur, they call him.
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Jill Rappaport: And he really is the king.
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Meredith Vieira: At first, I thought that was ridiculous, and I think, yeah, that's kind of right.
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Meredith Vieira: I get it.
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Meredith Vieira: And he's about to be a big brother because Allie, my daughter-in-law and Gabe, my son, are going to have a baby in about two weeks.
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Jill Rappaport: Oh, muscle tall.
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Meredith Vieira: Thank you, our first grandchild.
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Jill Rappaport: I can't believe it, Meredith.
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Meredith Vieira: You can't believe it.
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Meredith Vieira: No, I'm very excited.
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Meredith Vieira: It's a little boy.
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Meredith Vieira: What they did was we celebrated Christmas.
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Meredith Vieira: They were all off, all three kids were their mates doing things, but they came on my birthday or the day before to celebrate here in Irvington.
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Jill Rappaport: December 30th, isn't it?
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Meredith Vieira: December 30th is my birthday, and they came the day before.
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Meredith Vieira: And we opened presents, and then at the very end, Gabe and Allie said, oh, we forgot to give you the card.
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Meredith Vieira: And I said, oh, that's cute.
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Meredith Vieira: That's nice.
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Meredith Vieira: And I opened it, and it was a little picture of the sonogram saying, it's a boy.
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Meredith Vieira: And I don't know when I stopped crying, but it was pretty dramatic.
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Meredith Vieira: I was like, you know, it was especially where we are right now in our lives and what's going on in the world.
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Meredith Vieira: And I don't want to get bogged down in that conversation, but when you find joy, grab onto it, really embrace it because it's such a precious thing.
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Meredith Vieira: I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
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Meredith Vieira: I just want a nice healthy birth and I know it will be, but you know, I'm the, it's that worry wart in me all the time that I just want everything to be fine.
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Jill Rappaport: Well, you're the Jewish mother.
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Jill Rappaport: That's why.
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Meredith Vieira: Yeah, exactly.
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Meredith Vieira: The Catholic mother is Jewish.
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Meredith Vieira: The Shiksa.
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Jill Rappaport: Meredith, that is just the best news in the world.
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Jill Rappaport: And it's so funny how life works, you know?
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Jill Rappaport: You couldn't be happier about that.
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Jill Rappaport: And you're dealing with a lot of stress right now.
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Jill Rappaport: And our thoughts and prayers are with your husband.
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Meredith Vieira: Oh, thank you.
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Meredith Vieira: Thank you.
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Meredith Vieira: He's a tough cookie, that guy.
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Meredith Vieira: So he's giving them a run for the money in rehab because he wants to get home, you know?
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Meredith Vieira: But he has to be a little bit stronger.
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Meredith Vieira: And he will be.
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Meredith Vieira: Pneumonia knocks anybody for a loop, but somebody with other pre-existing conditions, it can really throw you off.
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Meredith Vieira: You get back, but it's the process.
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Jill Rappaport: Very difficult.
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Jill Rappaport: And the fact that he's going to be a grandfather, I'm sure is giving him that extra push to be strong and get out of the hospital and get well again, right?
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Meredith Vieira: His grandpa name is, he wants it to be Pops, although the child will probably determine what the names are.
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Meredith Vieira: So for Father's Day, Ali and Gabe had a hat baseball cap with the word Pops on it.
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Meredith Vieira: And he was in the rehab unit with his hat on.
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Meredith Vieira: And it just was, it was almost comical, very, very sweet and cute.
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Meredith Vieira: And he got to, it was just kind of fun, you know, to spread the word there.
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Meredith Vieira: All the nurses thought he was adorable.
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Jill Rappaport: Do you have a special name you want to be called?
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Meredith Vieira: Well, my middle name is Louise.
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Meredith Vieira: So I like Lulu.
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Meredith Vieira: I think it's just a cute, so right now it's Lulu and Pops.
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Meredith Vieira: Whatever that little guy decides, that'll be it.
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Meredith Vieira: And that's fine with me.
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Meredith Vieira: I don't have any, you know, I think the baby's mom's mom deserves to get first picks.
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Meredith Vieira: That's the way I feel.
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Jill Rappaport: I love that.
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Jill Rappaport: Well, I want to talk a little bit about careers with both of you.
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Jill Rappaport: First of all, Bill, you have been jet setting all over on movie sets, on TV sets.
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Jill Rappaport: And I want to talk about that.
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Jill Rappaport: I know some of it's top secret, but we're going to spill the beans here.
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Jill Rappaport: Let's hear about that Naomi Watts movie.
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Bill Berloni: In January and February of this year, 2024, I've been working on a film based on a book called The Friend, which is basically a story.
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Bill Berloni: It was a best seller in 2018 about a woman here in New York who's 50ish, who's had an affair with her ex-professor and she lives alone and she's a journalist and her ex lover commits suicide and she inherits his great thing.
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Bill Berloni: And Naomi Watts plays this woman and she can't have a dog, she's never had a dog.
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Bill Berloni: And what happens is these two characters who are in love with this man meet and ultimately heal each other.
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Bill Berloni: And she goes on this journey to be able to keep this dog.
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Bill Berloni: So it was a project I was attracted to it five and a half years ago.
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Bill Berloni: I've been working on it five and a half years.
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Jill Rappaport: We've been talking about it for a while there, it was on hold during COVID and you were really concerned it was never going to happen.
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Jill Rappaport: And then you got that beautiful green light.
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Bill Berloni: We got that green light.
00:12:23.658 --> 00:12:26.658
Bill Berloni: And what's so, I don't get excited about a lot of projects.
00:12:26.678 --> 00:12:27.998
Bill Berloni: I'm sure you're like that too.
00:12:28.018 --> 00:12:29.858
Bill Berloni: But this one, the dog doesn't do any tricks.
00:12:29.878 --> 00:12:31.338
Bill Berloni: It doesn't do any fun stuff.
00:12:31.358 --> 00:12:36.978
Bill Berloni: It is just a dog and it's just beautiful love story about two sad people, creatures who meet and heal each other.
00:12:37.318 --> 00:12:43.078
Bill Berloni: And so I believe it's going to be an important film because it's a human animal bond the way we all know it.
00:12:43.218 --> 00:12:44.778
Bill Berloni: Everybody's going to see their dog in this film.
00:12:44.798 --> 00:12:47.298
Bill Berloni: Everybody's going to see Naomi's character in this film, falling in love.
00:12:47.438 --> 00:12:48.718
Bill Berloni: So I'm very excited about that.
00:12:48.738 --> 00:12:51.538
Bill Berloni: It's going to come out at December of 2024.
00:12:52.178 --> 00:12:53.358
Jill Rappaport: On the big screen, right?
00:12:53.378 --> 00:12:54.678
Bill Berloni: On the big screen, yep.
00:12:54.878 --> 00:12:57.258
Bill Berloni: And the great Dane plays the friend.
00:12:57.518 --> 00:13:01.098
Bill Berloni: But in the meantime, you know, New York is bustling with shows.
00:13:01.158 --> 00:13:04.198
Bill Berloni: We're back on the Sex and the City sequel and just like that.
00:13:04.398 --> 00:13:06.278
Meredith Vieira: Are Charlotte's dogs your find?
00:13:06.318 --> 00:13:06.838
Bill Berloni: Correct.
00:13:07.178 --> 00:13:10.798
Bill Berloni: At the end of last season, Sarah Jessica Parker's character decided she wanted a kitten.
00:13:10.978 --> 00:13:15.918
Bill Berloni: And so we adopted a few kittens, one that was particularly great.
00:13:15.938 --> 00:13:20.458
Bill Berloni: And at the end of the season, Sarah turns to me and goes, can I have this kitten?
00:13:20.478 --> 00:13:23.658
Bill Berloni: And I'm like, sure, we're going to find it a good home, just as good as any.
00:13:23.678 --> 00:13:25.798
Bill Berloni: So Sarah actually adopted that cat.
00:13:26.138 --> 00:13:27.778
Jill Rappaport: Was that the one she called Shoo?
00:13:28.278 --> 00:13:28.538
Meredith Vieira: Yep.
00:13:28.718 --> 00:13:29.738
Bill Berloni: That's the character's name.
00:13:30.258 --> 00:13:31.478
Jill Rappaport: How appropriate, right?
00:13:31.498 --> 00:13:32.878
Jill Rappaport: I'm surprised it wasn't Manolo.
00:13:34.018 --> 00:13:35.678
Meredith Vieira: Is the cat coming back for season three?
00:13:35.918 --> 00:13:36.398
Bill Berloni: Oh yeah.
00:13:36.478 --> 00:13:41.558
Bill Berloni: We're in the middle of filming, except we had to find another kitten because it takes place like a month after the last season.
00:13:41.578 --> 00:13:43.438
Bill Berloni: So we had to find duplicate kittens.
00:13:43.578 --> 00:13:50.558
Bill Berloni: The good thing about this story is for the first season, we adopted 12 kittens who all got homes for this season, because we only had one to do.
00:13:50.578 --> 00:13:53.718
Bill Berloni: We ended up with five kittens, which we're all going to place ultimately.
00:13:53.718 --> 00:13:58.258
Bill Berloni: So we're continuing to use this show to help find great homes for animals.
00:13:58.458 --> 00:14:02.518
Meredith Vieira: In that movie friend, the Great Dane, that's an older dog who's appearing in the movie.
00:14:02.538 --> 00:14:03.178
Meredith Vieira: That's not a puppy.
00:14:03.418 --> 00:14:04.738
Meredith Vieira: How did you find him?
00:14:04.758 --> 00:14:06.798
Meredith Vieira: And how do you know when you've got the one?
00:14:06.798 --> 00:14:07.738
Meredith Vieira: What is that moment?
00:14:07.758 --> 00:14:09.378
Meredith Vieira: Because this is not a dog that's going to do tricks.
00:14:09.578 --> 00:14:11.738
Meredith Vieira: It's almost like you're looking into the soul of the dog.
00:14:11.918 --> 00:14:13.598
Jill Rappaport: And they're the size of a small pony.
00:14:14.298 --> 00:14:18.358
Bill Berloni: When the filmmakers came to me originally and told me the story, I said, no, thank you.
00:14:18.378 --> 00:14:19.178
Bill Berloni: I'm not interested.
00:14:19.358 --> 00:14:20.018
Bill Berloni: They said, why?
00:14:20.418 --> 00:14:21.038
Bill Berloni: Why would you want?
00:14:21.058 --> 00:14:22.738
Bill Berloni: I said, because you can't train a great thing.
00:14:22.878 --> 00:14:23.918
Bill Berloni: They're gentle giants.
00:14:23.938 --> 00:14:25.138
Bill Berloni: They're not very active.
00:14:25.398 --> 00:14:26.398
Bill Berloni: They can be temperamental.
00:14:26.418 --> 00:14:27.938
Bill Berloni: I said, what you've written is great.
00:14:28.098 --> 00:14:30.418
Bill Berloni: And the author who wrote the book had never had a great day.
00:14:30.418 --> 00:14:31.598
Bill Berloni: She just made it up.
00:14:32.178 --> 00:14:37.298
Bill Berloni: So they've talked to some other trainers and they came back and said, but Bill, all these other trainers say it's really easy.
00:14:37.318 --> 00:14:38.338
Bill Berloni: And I'm like, well, they hire them.
00:14:39.098 --> 00:14:42.018
Bill Berloni: And when I told them the reasoning, they decided to listen to me.
00:14:42.038 --> 00:14:43.358
Bill Berloni: And it took us three and a half years.
00:14:43.658 --> 00:14:46.178
Bill Berloni: We saw over 60 dogs throughout the country.
00:14:46.198 --> 00:14:54.718
Bill Berloni: I mean, we really did this nationwide search and we found this wonderful woman named Bev Klinsman, who is a housewife in Iowa who has breeds Great Danes.
00:14:54.718 --> 00:14:57.278
Bill Berloni: And she has this beautiful Great Dane, his name is Bing.
00:14:57.498 --> 00:14:59.878
Bill Berloni: And she had trained him like a golden retriever.
00:14:59.898 --> 00:15:01.578
Bill Berloni: And I had never seen a Great Dane as well trained.
00:15:01.718 --> 00:15:09.498
Bill Berloni: And when we met her in the middle of the winter, a couple of years ago, I said to the filmmakers, I said, if you don't hire this dog, I'm not doing the show.
00:15:09.718 --> 00:15:13.458
Bill Berloni: And so we hired him and we brought him and his owner and trained her out.
00:15:13.478 --> 00:15:18.438
Bill Berloni: And so it did, but it took three and a half years because some of the Danes tried to bite us.
00:15:19.198 --> 00:15:22.058
Bill Berloni: This dog was just beautiful and well balanced.
00:15:22.858 --> 00:15:29.978
Jill Rappaport: And Bill, Naomi Watts is a very petite woman and that Great Dane, pretty strong.
00:15:29.998 --> 00:15:33.498
Jill Rappaport: That must have been an interesting training experience for both of them.
00:15:33.738 --> 00:15:35.998
Bill Berloni: As you guys know, when movies happen, they happen fast.
00:15:36.018 --> 00:15:37.238
Bill Berloni: There isn't a lot of rehearsal.
00:15:37.338 --> 00:15:40.238
Bill Berloni: I mean, there's some table reads and you block it on the set.
00:15:40.438 --> 00:15:43.058
Bill Berloni: And I said to the filmmakers, I need to do this like a Broadway show.
00:15:43.078 --> 00:15:45.618
Bill Berloni: I really need to train the main actress how to do this.
00:15:45.638 --> 00:15:54.518
Bill Berloni: And never thinking Naomi would say yes, but being the dog lover she is, because she has a dog and the consummate actress, she wanted to learn how to handle this dog.
00:15:54.618 --> 00:16:03.198
Bill Berloni: And so for a month before the film, three times a week, we went to her home and we worked with her and she got to know this dog and fall in love with it and build this bond.
00:16:03.438 --> 00:16:07.778
Bill Berloni: And when you see it, the first half of it, the dog is driving her everywhere, just not listening.
00:16:08.618 --> 00:16:12.258
Bill Berloni: It's actually a very controlled choreographed bit that we had worked on.
00:16:12.358 --> 00:16:18.778
Bill Berloni: So she's completely in control while she's making it look like she's out of control, which was a safety factor with 170 pound dog.
00:16:18.938 --> 00:16:22.718
Meredith Vieira: So was the dog with you 24 seven throughout all of the filming as well?
00:16:22.978 --> 00:16:32.998
Bill Berloni: Yes, the owner came with being the main dog, but then we had to come up with a backup dog and we had found another Harlequin Great Dane because they had to match, who was a pet out of Chicago.
00:16:33.058 --> 00:16:36.138
Bill Berloni: And so both dogs were intact, which meant they weren't neutered.
00:16:36.158 --> 00:16:41.718
Bill Berloni: So we were living in a very small house with two Great Dane's with Achilles' heel.
00:16:41.738 --> 00:16:42.818
Bill Berloni: Two adult males.
00:16:42.838 --> 00:16:43.978
Meredith Vieira: That's like a frat house.
00:16:45.278 --> 00:16:47.158
Bill Berloni: So I lived upstairs with the understudy.
00:16:48.518 --> 00:16:53.618
Bill Berloni: We lived downstairs and we had this whole thing where we had to set singles up to get through the house.
00:16:53.738 --> 00:17:01.738
Bill Berloni: But no, I don't need to do that, but this story, this story of the human animal bond and the love, and I felt it was something that I needed to do.
00:17:01.758 --> 00:17:04.178
Bill Berloni: If I'm gonna do one film, this is the one I wanted to do.
00:17:04.198 --> 00:17:05.638
Bill Berloni: I think it's gonna be beautiful.
00:17:05.958 --> 00:17:07.278
Jill Rappaport: It sounds so incredible.
00:17:07.298 --> 00:17:11.238
Jill Rappaport: I picture like it's gonna be another My Dog Skip, which never left my heart.
00:17:11.258 --> 00:17:12.418
Jill Rappaport: Did you see that, Meredith?
00:17:12.438 --> 00:17:13.218
Jill Rappaport: I know, Bill, you saw it.
00:17:14.178 --> 00:17:15.838
Meredith Vieira: Was that a Russell Terry or?
00:17:15.918 --> 00:17:18.018
Jill Rappaport: Yes, yes, but that movie.
00:17:18.198 --> 00:17:19.998
Jill Rappaport: There's like one of those films.
00:17:20.098 --> 00:17:20.738
Meredith Vieira: I loved it.
00:17:20.758 --> 00:17:22.058
Meredith Vieira: I just don't remember all of it.
00:17:22.158 --> 00:17:26.298
Jill Rappaport: Yeah, every decade, one of those animal films that stays with you forever.
00:17:26.438 --> 00:17:28.878
Jill Rappaport: And this sounds like it's gonna be that movie.
00:17:29.038 --> 00:17:30.018
Bill Berloni: Yeah, I believe so.
00:17:30.018 --> 00:17:33.218
Bill Berloni: And again, The Dog and My Dog Skip did a lot of great behaviors.
00:17:33.298 --> 00:17:37.338
Bill Berloni: This great dame just sits there and looks sad and looks happy and falls in love.
00:17:37.358 --> 00:17:39.858
Bill Berloni: So again, I think people are gonna relate to it a lot more.
00:17:39.958 --> 00:17:45.878
Bill Berloni: The dog not listening, the dog not coming, the dog ultimately starting to come to you and become part of your family.
00:17:46.118 --> 00:17:47.898
Bill Berloni: So that's what I think is gonna be exciting about this.
00:17:47.898 --> 00:17:51.018
Bill Berloni: It's less action and more emotion between an human and animal.
00:17:51.158 --> 00:17:54.278
Meredith Vieira: So how many boxes of Kleenex do we need to bring to the theater with us?
00:17:55.718 --> 00:17:55.938
Meredith Vieira: One.
00:17:56.538 --> 00:17:58.158
Bill Berloni: Spoiler alert, there's a happy ending.
00:17:58.178 --> 00:17:59.098
Jill Rappaport: Good.
00:17:59.238 --> 00:18:00.998
Jill Rappaport: Thank God, I wouldn't go if there wasn't.
00:18:01.038 --> 00:18:02.218
Jill Rappaport: I'm letting you know right now.
00:18:02.518 --> 00:18:07.998
Meredith Vieira: I actually met Tears of Joy with the sweetness of it, that I get emotional just seeing that.
00:18:08.378 --> 00:18:09.798
Meredith Vieira: But I'm glad there's a happy ending.
00:18:09.898 --> 00:18:10.918
Bill Berloni: All right, there's the drama.
00:18:10.938 --> 00:18:12.278
Bill Berloni: So yeah, you need the Kleenex for that.
00:18:12.298 --> 00:18:13.298
Bill Berloni: But then there's the happy ending.
00:18:13.318 --> 00:18:15.078
Bill Berloni: So maybe I may need another box.
00:18:15.098 --> 00:18:18.298
Bill Berloni: But yeah, and then we were asked to do Only Murders in the Building this season.
00:18:18.458 --> 00:18:20.838
Bill Berloni: They let the important people go and asked us to come in.
00:18:20.998 --> 00:18:22.498
Meredith Vieira: There was a cat in that, right?
00:18:22.538 --> 00:18:23.438
Meredith Vieira: Isn't there a cat?
00:18:23.738 --> 00:18:24.638
Bill Berloni: Last season there was.
00:18:24.698 --> 00:18:28.758
Bill Berloni: This season, if you look at the trailer, you'll see our little pig running down the hallway.
00:18:30.358 --> 00:18:33.838
Jill Rappaport: Do you work with Steve or Martin or who are you working with in there?
00:18:33.898 --> 00:18:34.378
Bill Berloni: All of them.
00:18:34.578 --> 00:18:35.578
Jill Rappaport: Oh, wow.
00:18:36.458 --> 00:18:37.358
Jill Rappaport: And Salina?
00:18:37.718 --> 00:18:46.698
Bill Berloni: Yep, there's the pig character and another character, which I can't say, but obviously they all intertwine and these animals lead them to help solve the case.
00:18:46.898 --> 00:18:48.518
Meredith Vieira: So has that all shot already?
00:18:48.698 --> 00:18:49.698
Bill Berloni: Yes, that's shot.
00:18:49.918 --> 00:18:51.598
Meredith Vieira: And so you know who did it?
00:18:51.758 --> 00:18:53.318
Bill Berloni: I know who did it.
00:18:53.338 --> 00:18:54.158
Meredith Vieira: Was it the pig?
00:18:55.358 --> 00:18:55.618
Meredith Vieira: No.
00:18:55.638 --> 00:18:57.198
Meredith Vieira: Yeah, I thought I figured it out.
00:18:57.558 --> 00:19:02.458
Jill Rappaport: Well, we started this podcast, it was, you know, in the middle of COVID and you had no work.
00:19:02.498 --> 00:19:05.438
Jill Rappaport: I mean, they actually did a GoFundMe for you.
00:19:05.518 --> 00:19:09.098
Jill Rappaport: It was that daunting and frightening for you and your animal family.
00:19:09.118 --> 00:19:16.758
Jill Rappaport: And I am so pleased and thrilled to hear about all of these amazing projects you have going on and so well-deserved.
00:19:16.778 --> 00:19:19.178
Jill Rappaport: They couldn't have gotten a better person for the job.
00:19:19.298 --> 00:19:21.178
Meredith Vieira: At the end of the day, there's only one Bill.
00:19:21.418 --> 00:19:29.638
Jill Rappaport: There's only one Bill Berloni and Meredith, you're another person who literally never stops in between all of your jobs and your roles.
00:19:29.838 --> 00:19:34.418
Jill Rappaport: Unbelievable how you stay so incredibly busy and you're able to juggle it all.
00:19:34.458 --> 00:19:35.738
Jill Rappaport: How the hell do you do it?
00:19:35.858 --> 00:19:38.198
Meredith Vieira: Well, I think it's called being a woman.
00:19:38.218 --> 00:19:49.878
Meredith Vieira: I mean, we're so used to juggling it, not to denigrate the men here, but I mean, I just think it comes with the territory, but we've just finished shooting the sixth season of our show, 25 Words or Less.
00:19:49.918 --> 00:19:55.038
Meredith Vieira: And this season, they had the filming in Atlanta, and I had never been there.
00:19:55.058 --> 00:19:57.538
Meredith Vieira: And I was sort of, you know, I'm from New England.
00:19:57.558 --> 00:19:58.818
Meredith Vieira: I don't want to go to Atlanta.
00:19:58.838 --> 00:19:59.898
Meredith Vieira: What's that going to be like?
00:20:00.138 --> 00:20:01.958
Meredith Vieira: It was, I don't know if you guys have been.
00:20:01.978 --> 00:20:03.918
Jill Rappaport: I can't believe you've never been to Atlanta.
00:20:03.938 --> 00:20:08.018
Meredith Vieira: Once on a story when I was with CBS News and it was on like pork prices.
00:20:08.278 --> 00:20:14.198
Meredith Vieira: So that's not going to Atlanta, you know, it's just I was interviewing somebody there and I didn't know what I was going to find.
00:20:14.358 --> 00:20:16.158
Meredith Vieira: And I'm such a northern girl.
00:20:16.178 --> 00:20:17.658
Meredith Vieira: I'm from New England and the whole thing.
00:20:17.678 --> 00:20:19.178
Meredith Vieira: And it was fabulous.
00:20:19.398 --> 00:20:22.438
Meredith Vieira: I just, the people, it's such an integrated city.
00:20:22.458 --> 00:20:24.058
Meredith Vieira: The food is so good, but dangerous.
00:20:24.378 --> 00:20:27.238
Meredith Vieira: This is fattening, but just everything about it.
00:20:27.558 --> 00:20:32.658
Meredith Vieira: And you walk in the supermarket and Sam Jackson is picking up supplies right next to you in his car.
00:20:33.338 --> 00:20:38.538
Meredith Vieira: It's become a mecca for movies and television shows because of all those tax incentives.
00:20:38.558 --> 00:20:42.038
Meredith Vieira: So it was, I thank the people at Atlanta for their hospitality.
00:20:42.158 --> 00:20:49.118
Meredith Vieira: And we had a great season with really wonderful contestants, a new blend for us because we normally are filming out of LA.
00:20:49.118 --> 00:20:54.398
Meredith Vieira: So these were real, most of the contestants were southern folk and amazing, amazing.
00:20:54.638 --> 00:20:56.578
Jill Rappaport: Well, the show has really caught on.
00:20:56.598 --> 00:21:04.318
Jill Rappaport: And, you know, for those of us who are fortunate enough to have gotten to know Meredith and I consider it a true blessing, you know, Meredith, I tell you this all the time.
00:21:04.458 --> 00:21:06.158
Jill Rappaport: You're one of my favorite people in the world.
00:21:06.178 --> 00:21:12.038
Jill Rappaport: And I always tell everybody you never met a kinder, more beautiful person inside and out than Meredith Vieira.
00:21:12.178 --> 00:21:16.258
Jill Rappaport: It's universal and everyone feels the same way about you, not to embarrass you.
00:21:16.478 --> 00:21:20.198
Jill Rappaport: But, you know, you have two sides to your personality.
00:21:20.218 --> 00:21:25.578
Jill Rappaport: When I first got to know you before I worked with you, you were the quintessential newswoman.
00:21:25.578 --> 00:21:28.138
Jill Rappaport: Everybody looked at you as, you know, CBS News.
00:21:28.138 --> 00:21:32.198
Jill Rappaport: And at such a young age, you were in the trenches, you know, doing your reporting.
00:21:32.218 --> 00:21:37.098
Jill Rappaport: Then, of course, we got to know you from The View as the quintessential talk show host, moderator.
00:21:37.118 --> 00:21:38.298
Jill Rappaport: You were the moderator for the show.
00:21:38.598 --> 00:21:43.978
Jill Rappaport: Then you went to the Today Show and it took over that role so seamlessly and beautifully.
00:21:44.418 --> 00:21:49.278
Jill Rappaport: And there was always the side of you, the fun, light side and the game show.
00:21:49.318 --> 00:21:50.918
Jill Rappaport: See, you love to do it all.
00:21:51.018 --> 00:21:55.418
Jill Rappaport: But I always feel like you enjoy the light, fun side a little bit more.
00:21:55.678 --> 00:21:56.038
Jill Rappaport: Right?
00:21:56.058 --> 00:21:57.738
Meredith Vieira: I really like both.
00:21:57.758 --> 00:21:59.138
Meredith Vieira: I think at the end of the day.
00:21:59.238 --> 00:21:59.658
Meredith Vieira: Oh, here.
00:21:59.678 --> 00:22:01.238
Meredith Vieira: Let me just bring him up here so you can see.
00:22:02.478 --> 00:22:07.098
Meredith Vieira: His back legs are getting weak, so he really uses his front to grab on and play hard.
00:22:07.358 --> 00:22:10.658
Meredith Vieira: But, you know, I like the mix, to be honest with you.
00:22:10.678 --> 00:22:16.638
Meredith Vieira: I like the fact that I could be doing a talk show one day and a game show another and news the next.
00:22:16.658 --> 00:22:21.938
Meredith Vieira: But the factor that combines them all or unites them all is the humanity behind them.
00:22:22.118 --> 00:22:27.238
Meredith Vieira: And ultimately, you're telling stories and you're trying to connect with other people.
00:22:27.518 --> 00:22:30.858
Meredith Vieira: Whatever that format is, that's the way I always looked at it.
00:22:31.338 --> 00:22:33.318
Meredith Vieira: So I've enjoyed the ride.
00:22:33.338 --> 00:22:39.158
Meredith Vieira: And I've liked the fact that I wear a lot of hats because you never know, oh, you don't want me for that game show.
00:22:39.278 --> 00:22:40.378
Meredith Vieira: But what about that talk show?
00:22:40.758 --> 00:22:42.458
Meredith Vieira: What about reporting?
00:22:42.678 --> 00:22:53.658
Jill Rappaport: So Meredith, that gives me great hope that you say you like wearing many hats and you're open to many hats because for all of your fans out there that loved you in the talk show format, any chance?
00:22:54.198 --> 00:22:54.858
Meredith Vieira: I don't know.
00:22:54.878 --> 00:22:58.958
Meredith Vieira: I've kind of gotten used to this eight weeks of work and then you're done.
00:22:59.838 --> 00:23:03.158
Meredith Vieira: It's kind of a great gig, you know, game show world.
00:23:03.658 --> 00:23:05.698
Meredith Vieira: And I work with such fabulous people.
00:23:05.838 --> 00:23:15.858
Meredith Vieira: And you know, Jill, having done this for years yourself, when you find a group that and it just clicks, you hold on to that because often the experiences are not as wonderful.
00:23:16.278 --> 00:23:19.818
Meredith Vieira: You have moments, but this was just a great team that was put together.
00:23:19.838 --> 00:23:23.038
Meredith Vieira: So I'd be hard pressed to go back to that.
00:23:23.118 --> 00:23:27.058
Meredith Vieira: I don't ever want to have a Monday through Friday job throughout the year.
00:23:27.298 --> 00:23:30.858
Meredith Vieira: But having said that, never say never, maybe there'd be something that would be great.
00:23:30.878 --> 00:23:38.238
Meredith Vieira: I'm working on a project now that I, I don't know, like Bill was saying, it's taken a long time for a friend, but mine is four years now.
00:23:38.338 --> 00:23:40.918
Meredith Vieira: And I don't know if it'll ever happen or not.
00:23:40.938 --> 00:23:46.598
Meredith Vieira: But I do know that I get so energized when I talk about it and I, bad ideas around with people.
00:23:46.598 --> 00:23:56.758
Meredith Vieira: So the process is to me as fulfilling as, you know, the end product, you just need to get a few end products, you're going to be in trouble, you know, I'll be talking to myself.
00:23:58.718 --> 00:24:04.198
Jill Rappaport: But also you get a, like you said, when you work eight weeks a year, you know, that schedule becomes really nice.
00:24:04.298 --> 00:24:10.798
Jill Rappaport: And then when all of a sudden, if you're looking at five days a week again, and hey, in the news world, it's seven days a week, right?
00:24:10.818 --> 00:24:11.498
Jill Rappaport: It never ends.
00:24:11.518 --> 00:24:12.298
Meredith Vieira: Yeah, yeah.
00:24:12.438 --> 00:24:13.978
Meredith Vieira: And I don't have that life anymore.
00:24:13.998 --> 00:24:19.138
Meredith Vieira: I mean, I really need to be attended to the home front much more now than maybe 20 years ago.
00:24:19.378 --> 00:24:20.138
Meredith Vieira: And that's fine.
00:24:20.158 --> 00:24:21.958
Meredith Vieira: I'm absolutely comfortable with that.
00:24:21.978 --> 00:24:24.278
Meredith Vieira: And that's where I happen to be in my life.
00:24:24.658 --> 00:24:30.558
Meredith Vieira: I can't wait to have grandchildren and, you know, and be able to at the drop of a hat, visit them.
00:24:30.798 --> 00:24:33.918
Meredith Vieira: Although my son said to me, you're not going to be like hiding in the bushes all the time, mom.
00:24:33.938 --> 00:24:34.658
Meredith Vieira: Outside our house.
00:24:34.678 --> 00:24:34.998
Meredith Vieira: Are you?
00:24:35.298 --> 00:24:37.198
Meredith Vieira: I'll knock on the door.
00:24:37.218 --> 00:24:38.458
Meredith Vieira: I'm not going to hide.
00:24:39.658 --> 00:24:43.118
Meredith Vieira: But I think he's already nervous about, oh, geez, she's going to be here constantly.
00:24:43.898 --> 00:24:44.778
Jill Rappaport: Oh, I love it.
00:24:44.798 --> 00:24:45.118
Jill Rappaport: Yeah.
00:24:45.138 --> 00:24:46.778
Jill Rappaport: But you may be moving in.
00:24:48.518 --> 00:24:50.158
Meredith Vieira: They should be so lucky, Jill.
00:24:50.418 --> 00:24:51.598
Jill Rappaport: There's Lulu again.
00:24:52.238 --> 00:24:54.058
Jill Rappaport: Well, that's really exciting, though.
00:24:54.078 --> 00:24:56.878
Jill Rappaport: And the fact that I'm sure you get offers all the time.
00:24:56.898 --> 00:25:02.738
Jill Rappaport: You know, at a certain point in this business, the minute they seem to look at a birth date, there's an expiration date.
00:25:03.118 --> 00:25:05.078
Jill Rappaport: And that is very depressing.
00:25:05.118 --> 00:25:06.658
Jill Rappaport: We've talked about this, Meredith.
00:25:06.678 --> 00:25:09.958
Jill Rappaport: You had the funniest line about the construction workers.
00:25:09.978 --> 00:25:11.138
Jill Rappaport: Will you share that with us?
00:25:11.218 --> 00:25:11.918
Meredith Vieira: Oh, yeah.
00:25:12.118 --> 00:25:16.438
Meredith Vieira: In fact, the project I'm working on has to do with aging.
00:25:16.458 --> 00:25:17.878
Meredith Vieira: It's just a different approach to it.
00:25:18.278 --> 00:25:25.978
Meredith Vieira: But I remember the moment where you live in New York City and you'd walk anywhere and there's always a building being put up or demolished or whatever.
00:25:26.378 --> 00:25:29.378
Meredith Vieira: And all those workmen are out there having their lunch or whatever.
00:25:29.598 --> 00:25:32.038
Meredith Vieira: And I remember a day where nothing happened.
00:25:32.198 --> 00:25:34.298
Meredith Vieira: Crickets as I walked by and I thought, well, wait a minute.
00:25:34.618 --> 00:25:39.318
Meredith Vieira: I long for the old days when they harass me and then I go home very indignant.
00:25:39.338 --> 00:25:40.258
Meredith Vieira: How dare they do that?
00:25:41.958 --> 00:25:43.038
Meredith Vieira: You get nothing.
00:25:43.318 --> 00:25:45.058
Meredith Vieira: And then I wrote about this.
00:25:45.078 --> 00:25:47.438
Meredith Vieira: I wrote a big essay to kind of put all my...
00:25:47.538 --> 00:25:48.658
Meredith Vieira: I said it to you, Jill.
00:25:48.838 --> 00:25:49.238
Jill Rappaport: I know.
00:25:49.258 --> 00:25:54.658
Jill Rappaport: And it's top secret, but I wanted to share it, Meredith, because the words were poetry to me.
00:25:54.798 --> 00:25:55.638
Meredith Vieira: Well, thank you.
00:25:55.658 --> 00:25:57.078
Meredith Vieira: It wasn't that they weren't looking at me.
00:25:57.098 --> 00:25:58.578
Meredith Vieira: It's that they didn't even see me.
00:25:58.758 --> 00:26:00.118
Meredith Vieira: I had become invisible.
00:26:00.198 --> 00:26:08.798
Meredith Vieira: And I think that's the way a lot of women feel at a certain age because you are put on a shelf, you know, and I don't want to get on a soapbox about this because I just don't.
00:26:08.818 --> 00:26:10.378
Meredith Vieira: But it's a tough thing.
00:26:10.398 --> 00:26:13.778
Meredith Vieira: And when you're in the world that we're in, that's a visual world.
00:26:13.958 --> 00:26:17.198
Meredith Vieira: It's hard when you hear somebody say, oh, we want you only the younger version.
00:26:17.358 --> 00:26:18.238
Meredith Vieira: We're looking to that.
00:26:18.258 --> 00:26:20.518
Jill Rappaport: The younger Meredith Vieira, are you kidding?
00:26:20.538 --> 00:26:21.358
Meredith Vieira: What does that mean?
00:26:22.218 --> 00:26:23.698
Jill Rappaport: Nobody would ever say that to your face.
00:26:23.718 --> 00:26:24.498
Jill Rappaport: Are you kidding me?
00:26:24.698 --> 00:26:25.158
Jill Rappaport: No way.
00:26:25.238 --> 00:26:28.778
Meredith Vieira: Well, somebody said that, but somebody told me because they were in the meeting.
00:26:28.998 --> 00:26:30.558
Meredith Vieira: And it was a friend of mine in a meeting.
00:26:30.578 --> 00:26:31.858
Meredith Vieira: This actually goes back years.
00:26:31.878 --> 00:26:34.178
Meredith Vieira: I had left Channel 2 News.
00:26:34.498 --> 00:26:38.158
Meredith Vieira: And so I was in New York City and so I moved from there to CBS News.
00:26:38.178 --> 00:26:47.158
Meredith Vieira: So it was at one point when I was at CBS News and the woman who was still at Channel 2 and was a friend, although they didn't know it, she called me and she said, you won't believe the meeting I was just in.
00:26:47.418 --> 00:26:50.678
Meredith Vieira: So I'm in my 30s, like early to mid 30s.
00:26:50.778 --> 00:26:55.018
Meredith Vieira: And she said they're looking for Meredith Vieira, but just younger.
00:26:56.238 --> 00:27:01.998
Jill Rappaport: Jesus Christ, if they're already looking for that now, oh my God.
00:27:02.198 --> 00:27:03.658
Meredith Vieira: That set me off a little bit.
00:27:04.198 --> 00:27:06.398
Meredith Vieira: That was the first day I drank a bottle of wine.
00:27:07.698 --> 00:27:13.358
Jill Rappaport: Well, yeah, and it really sets you back, Meredith, because after 30, you did nothing with your career.
00:27:13.378 --> 00:27:20.198
Meredith Vieira: No, but it was just, well, yeah, because I'm just stupid enough that I don't pay that much attention or smart enough, I don't know.
00:27:20.558 --> 00:27:26.998
Meredith Vieira: But those comments, even when you can overlook them in the moment, they stick with you.
00:27:27.078 --> 00:27:33.458
Meredith Vieira: No matter how enlightened you are as a person, that sort of self-distance is in the back of your mind all the time.
00:27:33.818 --> 00:27:38.098
Meredith Vieira: And it can eat away at your confidence after a point.
00:27:38.118 --> 00:27:42.898
Meredith Vieira: So you have to kind of every day put on your armor, so to speak, and get out there.
00:27:42.918 --> 00:27:50.778
Meredith Vieira: And it's probably why I tried to have a very diversified portfolio when it came to my profession, just so that I would have ins and outs.
00:27:51.158 --> 00:27:52.918
Jill Rappaport: Oh, and boy, do you ever.
00:27:52.958 --> 00:27:55.758
Jill Rappaport: You've done it all, and you've done it all to perfection.
00:27:56.098 --> 00:27:58.178
Jill Rappaport: That's what's so unbelievable about you.
00:27:58.358 --> 00:28:01.638
Jill Rappaport: There's so many people in this business that have dabbled in different facets.
00:28:01.878 --> 00:28:06.778
Jill Rappaport: And you and I and Bill, we know that some may work and some have bombed.
00:28:06.838 --> 00:28:07.998
Jill Rappaport: But not with you, Meredith.
00:28:08.318 --> 00:28:14.038
Jill Rappaport: You were a bonafide hit with every single thing you've ever tackled in your career.
00:28:14.038 --> 00:28:17.778
Meredith Vieira: Well, my talk show, my own, only lasted two years.
00:28:18.098 --> 00:28:20.678
Jill Rappaport: It did very well when it was on and people loved it.
00:28:20.798 --> 00:28:23.558
Meredith Vieira: But you know what I mean, I'm not a big dabbler.
00:28:23.578 --> 00:28:25.218
Meredith Vieira: I like to put my toe in a lot of things.
00:28:25.238 --> 00:28:28.598
Meredith Vieira: But once I'm in, my attitude has always been give it your all.
00:28:28.878 --> 00:28:35.358
Meredith Vieira: Don't half-ass it, you know, just for no other reason than out of respect for yourself and your craft and the people you're working with.
00:28:35.538 --> 00:28:37.238
Meredith Vieira: I've been on a lot of startup shows.
00:28:37.258 --> 00:28:40.158
Meredith Vieira: The View was a startup, 25 Words or Less was a startup.
00:28:40.418 --> 00:28:42.158
Meredith Vieira: My own show was a startup.
00:28:42.618 --> 00:28:48.058
Meredith Vieira: And you get to know people on a different level when you're in the trenches and you're building something together.
00:28:48.238 --> 00:28:52.718
Meredith Vieira: So for anybody to have the arrogance to not put in their all, to me, is sinful.
00:28:52.898 --> 00:28:53.898
Meredith Vieira: What are you doing there then?
00:28:54.178 --> 00:28:54.758
Jill Rappaport: Exactly.
00:28:54.758 --> 00:28:56.218
Meredith Vieira: And then if it fails, it fails.
00:28:56.238 --> 00:29:00.738
Meredith Vieira: But I have been knock on wood pretty lucky in the sense that I've done well.
00:29:00.758 --> 00:29:03.838
Meredith Vieira: And I attribute that to the teams and the hard work.
00:29:04.218 --> 00:29:04.978
Jill Rappaport: And talent.
00:29:05.138 --> 00:29:08.458
Meredith Vieira: Well, yeah, a little, a little of that.
00:29:08.718 --> 00:29:10.618
Jill Rappaport: Give yourself a little pat, Meredith.
00:29:10.638 --> 00:29:13.518
Meredith Vieira: You know, but if Bill had trained me, I would have true talent.
00:29:15.958 --> 00:29:17.518
Jill Rappaport: This is so amazing, Meredith.
00:29:17.538 --> 00:29:19.018
Jill Rappaport: You're going to find this very interesting.
00:29:19.038 --> 00:29:24.218
Jill Rappaport: Bill and I talked about this, and I've talked to Bill about various jobs that he's been working on.
00:29:24.518 --> 00:29:30.478
Jill Rappaport: And Bill, you've even made comments to me that they've referred to you as being maybe a little too old for the gig.
00:29:30.618 --> 00:29:32.058
Jill Rappaport: You've made that comment to me.
00:29:32.078 --> 00:29:32.498
Jill Rappaport: Yes.
00:29:32.558 --> 00:29:33.138
Jill Rappaport: Right, Meredith?
00:29:33.338 --> 00:29:34.558
Jill Rappaport: Tell us about that, Bill.
00:29:34.678 --> 00:29:40.078
Bill Berloni: Well, as we all know, entertainment is a young person's business, both on camera and off camera.
00:29:40.378 --> 00:29:42.418
Bill Berloni: And like you said, you get to a certain age.
00:29:42.778 --> 00:29:53.398
Bill Berloni: And I guess people assume I'm older and feeble and not as quick as I used to be, when in fact, I'm just much smarter, and I don't have to waste as much energy making mistakes.
00:29:53.718 --> 00:29:57.298
Bill Berloni: The New Yorker just profiled me about this experience on The Friend.
00:29:57.618 --> 00:30:04.678
Bill Berloni: And the reporter said, you know, Bill Berloni stands there very calm and you don't know whether he's zen or he's about to explode.
00:30:04.998 --> 00:30:09.938
Bill Berloni: And, you know, people take that inactivity as something like, oh, he's just not with it.
00:30:10.018 --> 00:30:12.178
Bill Berloni: But the thing that it brings it back to is our pets.
00:30:12.518 --> 00:30:18.058
Bill Berloni: Meredith, you said, and we all have to put up this armor because we get all this negative tivity and all this stuff.
00:30:18.198 --> 00:30:22.658
Bill Berloni: And even when we go home, sometimes our spouses aren't sympathetic to what's happened.
00:30:22.998 --> 00:30:24.238
Jill Rappaport: That's why I don't have one.
00:30:24.278 --> 00:30:25.178
Jill Rappaport: I'll take the pets.
00:30:27.398 --> 00:30:30.078
Bill Berloni: We could take off our armor around our pets.
00:30:30.278 --> 00:30:33.338
Bill Berloni: Truly, you know, and just feel that unconditional love, you know.
00:30:33.358 --> 00:30:35.778
Jill Rappaport: I can't believe you being a man.
00:30:35.818 --> 00:30:38.498
Jill Rappaport: And I'm sorry, but it is about in this business.
00:30:38.518 --> 00:30:40.258
Jill Rappaport: They look at women and they say too old.
00:30:40.518 --> 00:30:43.138
Jill Rappaport: You've experienced ageism big time.
00:30:43.458 --> 00:30:43.838
Bill Berloni: Sure.
00:30:44.018 --> 00:30:44.318
Jill Rappaport: Yeah.
00:30:44.478 --> 00:30:45.158
Jill Rappaport: What do they say?
00:30:45.178 --> 00:30:47.118
Jill Rappaport: You're too old to train on our film.
00:30:47.278 --> 00:30:47.598
Bill Berloni: Yes.
00:30:47.718 --> 00:30:48.798
Bill Berloni: You're not fast enough.
00:30:48.858 --> 00:30:51.318
Bill Berloni: I mean, I understand all the references sometimes in the scripts.
00:30:51.698 --> 00:30:55.298
Bill Berloni: You know, I may have to do a little more research to know what exactly they're talking about.
00:30:55.438 --> 00:30:57.238
Bill Berloni: And so they just take that as a sign of weakness.
00:30:57.658 --> 00:31:05.978
Meredith Vieira: Do they ever bother to look at your track record and your experience and go, Oh my God, like you just said, it's going to be so much easier with Bill because he already knows all this stuff.
00:31:06.118 --> 00:31:12.258
Bill Berloni: Maybe the producers do who hire me, but the crews, you know, they're not going to Google my experience.
00:31:12.278 --> 00:31:14.698
Bill Berloni: And so, yeah, I'm just the old guy.
00:31:15.198 --> 00:31:16.638
Jill Rappaport: Now I'm really depressed.
00:31:17.918 --> 00:31:22.158
Jill Rappaport: Now, on that note, first of all, this has been such an amazing show.
00:31:22.478 --> 00:31:28.418
Jill Rappaport: Catching up with both of you and hearing what unbelievable lives, what's been going on in the last year.
00:31:28.758 --> 00:31:31.938
Jill Rappaport: Meredith, we haven't spoken to you since our last anniversary show.
00:31:31.958 --> 00:31:35.738
Jill Rappaport: And Bill, I haven't spoken to you in so long because of your crazy busy schedule.
00:31:35.758 --> 00:31:40.678
Jill Rappaport: But I'm so thrilled that everything is going so great professionally for both of you.
00:31:40.698 --> 00:31:46.078
Jill Rappaport: Meredith, I know it's a little difficult right now, but you're married to a tough, amazing man.
00:31:46.118 --> 00:31:50.438
Jill Rappaport: And I know he's going to get through it, and he's going to be the best grandpa in the world.
00:31:50.838 --> 00:32:02.098
Jill Rappaport: And it's just so wonderful to have you both here and spreading the message of the joy and the love that our animals give us and how desperately we need them as much as they need us.
00:32:02.578 --> 00:32:07.818
Meredith Vieira: Well, you know, Bill, when you were saying on the set how people look at you and go, well, he's either Zen or what did you say?
00:32:07.838 --> 00:32:10.678
Meredith Vieira: He's either Zen or about to explode about to explode.
00:32:10.698 --> 00:32:17.918
Meredith Vieira: Mine is she's either Zen or senile early stages of senility and just lost.
00:32:18.278 --> 00:32:19.758
Meredith Vieira: And I say a little of both.
00:32:19.778 --> 00:32:20.438
Meredith Vieira: And you know what?
00:32:20.458 --> 00:32:23.758
Meredith Vieira: My kitty cat, Felipe, will take me just the way I am.
00:32:23.858 --> 00:32:25.478
Meredith Vieira: So that's good enough for me.
00:32:25.578 --> 00:32:26.678
Bill Berloni: And again, there's the ages.
00:32:26.698 --> 00:32:28.558
Bill Berloni: I mean, there's ages and discrimination.
00:32:28.938 --> 00:32:32.438
Bill Berloni: Men obviously might get violent, but women are just like out of it.
00:32:32.798 --> 00:32:33.918
Meredith Vieira: Yeah, exactly.
00:32:34.078 --> 00:32:35.458
Jill Rappaport: So what's the message here?
00:32:35.478 --> 00:32:41.018
Jill Rappaport: The message is just surround yourself with animals because they love us just the way we are.
00:32:41.158 --> 00:32:42.078
Meredith Vieira: Absolutely.
00:32:42.138 --> 00:32:44.418
Meredith Vieira: And don't listen to the noise out there.
00:32:44.578 --> 00:32:47.098
Meredith Vieira: Listen to what's inside you and you'll be fine.
00:32:47.118 --> 00:32:48.418
Meredith Vieira: That always works.
00:32:48.638 --> 00:32:52.638
Jill Rappaport: Well, you know, thank goodness for age because I'm at a point I can't hear the noise out there.
00:32:54.938 --> 00:32:57.038
Jill Rappaport: But it's so great having both of you.
00:32:57.078 --> 00:32:58.238
Jill Rappaport: And I can't wait.
00:32:58.258 --> 00:33:00.698
Jill Rappaport: The next time I'll be talking to you is when you're a grandma.
00:33:00.718 --> 00:33:02.118
Jill Rappaport: I'm going to be calling you.
00:33:02.218 --> 00:33:02.558
Jill Rappaport: I know.
00:33:02.838 --> 00:33:09.838
Jill Rappaport: So excited and thank you all for tuning in today for this very special edition of Rappaport to the Rescue.
00:33:10.298 --> 00:33:16.298
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