HAPPENING
HAPPENING ACROSS THE REGION. FOR THE FULL LIST OF EVENTS,
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>>> THIS MORNING WE SIT DOWN
WITH THE STARS OF SOME BRAND-
NEW SHOWS THAT ARE COMING THIS
FALL.
FALL.
FALL. FUNNY, DRAMATIC.
FUNNY, DRAMATIC. BOB.
BOB.
BOB. >>
BOB. >> THESE WOMEN ARE ALSO IN DC
FOR THE MULTICULTURAL WOMEN'S
CAUCUS WHICH FEATURES SEVERAL
WOMEN FROM ACROSS MAJOR
ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS GATHERING
TO DISCUSS AND FOCUS ON THE
SCENES.
SCENES.
SCENES. >> JOINING US TO TELL US MORE
ABOUT THE EVENT IS OUR UPCOMING
GUEST.
GUEST.
GUEST. AND THEN WE HAVE GINA.
THEY ARE TESTING ME THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. >> LADIES, WE ARE SO HAPPY TO
HAVE YOU HERE.
I LOVE THE THEME OF THIS EVENT.
BE YOURSELF IN THE WORK YOU DO.
WE ARE SEEING A BIG PUSH FOR
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. ESPECIALLY WOMEN ON TV SHOWS
THAT ARE LOOKING MORE AND MORE
LIKE YOURSELF, YOU SEE
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF. WHAT IS THE MESSAGE YOU
CONTINUE TO PUSH WELL YOU ARE
HERE?
HERE?
HERE? >>
HERE? >> I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST
MESSAGES THAT ARE SHOW PUSHES
IS THAT WE HAVE MORE IN COMMON
THAN WE DO NOT.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, NO
MATTER THE BACKGROUND, NO
MATTER WHAT WE LOOK LIKE, WHAT
WE ALL WANT IS TO BE SURROUNDED
BY LOVE AND HAPPINESS AND THE
BEST FOR THE ONES WE LOVE.
>> IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU
LOOK LIKE OR WHO YOU ARE.
>> SO YOUR SHOW IS A ROMANTIC
COMEDY.
COMEDY.
COMEDY. >> WELL, KIND OF.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR BASIC
ROMANTIC COMEDY, BUT IT'S SORT
OF EVERYTHING.
OF EVERYTHING. IT'S A LONG AND SLOW PROCESS.
IT'S ABOUT, BASICALLY, TWO
CULTURES COMING TOGETHER WITH
TWO PEOPLE FINDING COMMON
GROUND AND FINDING THEY'VE GOT
THE SAME LIKES AND DISLIKES.
IT'S ABOUT A WOMAN WHO COMES TO
AMERICA, SHE WANTS THE BEST FOR
HER CHILD.
HER CHILD. SHE'S TRYING TO PROPEL FORWARD,
WHICH IS WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS.
IT'S ABOUT GETTING A PIECE OF
THE AMERICAN DREAM.
THESE PEOPLE FROM COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS MEET.
>> YOU COCREATED THIS, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> YOU'VE GOT TO FEEL PRETTY
GOOD GOING INTO THIS THAT YOU
HAVE HIM ON YOUR SIDE.
>> MY COMEDY BACKGROUND, SHOULD
BE GOOD.
BE GOOD.
BE GOOD. >> AND THEN CONGRATS ON THAT.
>> WHAT DREW YOU TO THAT ROLE
AND BEING THIS POWER WOMAN?
>> EMILY LOPEZ, MY CHARACTER,
IS JUST A DETERMINED,
PASSIONATE PUBLIC DEFENDER, AND
I THINK WHAT SPEAKS TO MY HEART
IS THAT SHE PASSIONATELY
BELIEVES IN EVERYONE'S DAY IN
COURT, EVERYONE'S RIGHT TO
JUSTICE, A FAIR TRIAL.
THAT'S HER COMPASS, YOU KNOW,
AND I LOVE THAT.
NO MATTER WHAT, SHE BELIEVES IN
WHAT IS RIGHT.
SHE IS SO FUN TO PLAY.
>> THERE IS MOMENTS OF LIGHT IN
BOTH OF THE SHOWS.
>> YOU ENJOY GETTING THAT
STRONG MESSAGE ACROSS BUT ALSO
MAKING IT ENJOYABLE.
YOU SEE AUDIENCES OPENING UP
MORE TO THE MESSAGE THAT WAY.
>> I THINK WHEN THERE IS HUMOR
INVOLVED, YOU CAN HAVE AN
IMPORTANT MESSAGE, AND IT MAKES
IT OKAY TO DEAL WITH WHERE
THERE IS LAUGHTER, JUST LIKE IN
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. IF
LIFE. IF YOU'RE LAUGHING, YOU'RE
DOING ALL RIGHT.
>> PEOPLE OPEN TO CHANGE AND
OPEN TO DIFFERENT IDEAS.
IT'S JUST ABOUT, OKAY, LOOK, WE
ARE ALL HUMAN.
WE WANT LOVE AND HAPPINESS, AND
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT.
JUST ENJOY THE PEOPLE FOR WHO
THEY ARE.
THEY ARE.
THEY ARE. >> ANYBODY'S LIVES, BUT WHAT'S
IT LIKE IN HOLLYWOOD AND L.A.
AS YOU ARE TRYING TO GET THESE
ROLES AND TRYING TO GET MORE
WOMEN OF DIVERSITY UP ON THE
SCREEN?
SCREEN?
SCREEN? IS IT STILL A STRUGGLE?
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> IT'S GETTING BETTER.
>> YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO, YOU
KNOW, HE DIDN'T DO IT, HE'S NOT
GOING TO COST AFRICAN PEOPLE.
IT WAS LIKE, I'VE GOT A GREAT
SHOW IDEA.
SHOW IDEA. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT, AND
THESE ARE THE CHARACTERS THAT
MAKE A GREAT STORY.
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT.
IF PEOPLE WOULD LOOK TO THE
STORIES, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THAT
ISSUE.
ISSUE.
ISSUE. PEOPLE ONLY LOOK TO PARTICULAR
STORIES OF WHAT THEY THINK IS
SPEAKING TO THEM.
AS A STAND OF, I TRAVEL ALL
OVER THE WORLD WHERE I MIGHT BE
THE ONLY BLACK PERSON IN THE
ROOM.
ROOM.
ROOM. PEOPLE MIGHT THINK THEY WON'T
RELATE TO ME.
THEN THEY THINK, I RELATED TO
THAT WEIRD LOOKING BLACK WOMAN
FROM LONDON.
FROM LONDON. >> ARE YOU FROM NIGERIA?
>> I GREW UP IN NIGERIA.
I ACTUALLY MOVED HERE RIGHT
AFTER SEPTEMBER 11th, ABOUT A
MONTH AFTER.
MONTH AFTER. >> WOW WHAT WAS THAT LIKE
COMING HERE AMIDST ALL OF THAT?
>> I REMEMBER WATCHING IT.
I REMEMBER WATCHING IT WITH MY
PARENTS.
PARENTS.
PARENTS. ALSO HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF THE
LAST TIMES I SAW MY DAD ALIVE.
IT WAS HEARTBREAKING,
OBVIOUSLY.
OBVIOUSLY. YET, IT WAS HEARTBREAKING TO
SEE THAT.
SEE THAT.
SEE THAT. >> SO WHEN YOU ARE AT THIS
EVENT THIS WEEK, OBVIOUSLY,
BANDING TOGETHER AS A GROUP OF
WOMEN MAKES IT, JUST EVEN
BRINGS IT TO THAT NEXT LEVEL,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? SO
RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU DECIDED TO DO THIS,
WHAT WAS KIND OF GOING THROUGH
-- WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BE
HERE, BE ON THIS PANEL, AND
SPEAK TO PEOPLE?
OBVIOUSLY, YOU GUYS HAVE
INCREDIBLE SHOWS COMING OUT.
YOU'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN YOUR
CAREER, BUT SPEAKING TO THOSE
THAT ARE IN HOLLYWOOD, JUST
WOMEN THAT ARE TRYING TO MAKE
IT EVERY DAY, WHAT IS YOUR
MESSAGE TO THEM?
>> JUST KEEP TRYING.
LOVE WHAT YOU DO, AND KEEP
PUTTING OUT THE GOOD WORK.
EVENTUALLY, THE UNIVERSE WILL
OBLIGE.
OBLIGE.
OBLIGE. I
OBLIGE. I WAS AN ENGINEER BEFORE I WAS
IN ENTERTAINMENT, AND IT'S THE
SAME STORY.
SAME STORY. IT'S ALL ABOUT JUST KEEPING
WORKING, DOING YOUR BEST WORK,
JUST KEEP PUSHING FORWARD.
>> TRUSTING YOUR INTUITION,
STAYING KIND AND POSITIVE.
EVENTUALLY, THE UNIVERSE WILL
GIVE YOU WHAT YOU'RE ASKING
FOR.
FOR.
FOR. >>
FOR. >> AND BELIEVING IN YOUR OWN
WORDS, BELIEVING IN YOUR OWN
VALIDITY, THAT YOU ARE WORTH
PURSUING YOUR DREAMS.
YOUR WORTH TAKING A SHOT ON
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF. MIND OVER MATTER.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN WILL WHAT YOU
WANT.
WANT.
WANT. I
WANT. I AM A TESTAMENT TO THAT, AND
THAT'S WHY I'M HERE.
IF YOU BELIEVE IT, IT CAN BE.
>> WE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT
AT OUR OFFICE.
>> WORKING HARD.
THE UNIVERSE IS GOING TO GIVE
BACK WHAT YOU PUT IN IT.
>> WELL, CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THE EVENT HAPPENS TODAY.
BUT YOUR SHOWS PREMIER
SEPTEMBER 27th.
SEPTEMBER 27th. >> 9:00.
>> 9:00.
>> 9:00. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. >> THE TRAILERS LOOK AMAZING.
>> THE FALL SEASON