SHE'S AN ACTRESS, A PHILANTHROPIST, AND A NEW YORK
TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR.
HER MEMOIR "THE BEAUTY OF LIVING TWICE" IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE.
RIGHT NOW, PLEASE WELCOME THE ONE AND ONLY SHARON STONE.
♪ SHARON STONE ♪ ♪ MAKING HER WAY ON THE STAGE ♪
♪ >> James: THERE SHE IS,
SHARON I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU.
>> IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> James: I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE IN PERSON.
HOW ARE YOU?
>> I'M OUT, OUT IN THE WORLD.
>> James: DOES IT FEEL WEIRD?
>> IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU FROM A FAR.
I LIKE YOU FROM OVER THERE.
>> James: DO YOU KNOW I GET THAT A LOT.
THERE'S SO MUCH TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT.
YOU'RE HAVING AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR AT THE MOMENT.
YOU HAVE A BEST-SELLING BOOK AND YOU'VE ALSO AND I DON'T KNOW IF
PEOPLE KNOW THIS YOU'VE RELEASED A NEW SINGLE.
A SONG THAT YOU WROTE WHICH I DON'T THINK MANY PEOPLE KNOW
ABOUT YOUR MUSIC CAREER.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS.
>> WELL IT'S KIND OF BEEN MY SIDE HUSTLE FOR QUITE A WHILE.
I'VE HAD NUMBER ONE HITS IN SEVERAL OTHER COUNTRIES BUT I
DIDN'T WANT TO -- ALSO LET'S FACE IT, NOBODY'S GOING TO LET
YOU IN TO THE MUSIC BUSINESS HERE JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO.
I HAD TO PROVE MYSELF WRELS.
IT JUST HAPPENED THIS YEAR A SONG I WROTE THE LYRICS FOR, A
WONDERFUL AWR 'TIS HAYLEY SALES HIT.
IT WENT UP TO NUMBER 4 ON ADULT CONCONTEMPORARY MANAGERS, ROBIN
THICKE JUST TOOK A FEW SONGS FOR HIS ARTISTS.
I'M BRAGGING, I'M NAME-DROPPING, I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO PRETEND
I'M NOT.
AND MY SONGS ARE GOING OUT TO PEOPLE AND IT'S REALLY EXCITING!
>> James: IT'S INCREDIBLE.
YOU'RE DOING LOTS OF WRITING NOT JUST SONGS AND MUSIC.
WE HAVE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE INCEDE BLID SUCCESSFUL
MEMOIR, THE BEAUTY OF LIVING TWICE.
>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
>> James: I HAVE TO SAY LIKE PERSONALLY I'VE LOVED SEEING THE
OUTPOURING OF LOVE AND SUPPORT THAT YOU'VE HAD FOR THIS BOOK.
HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE RESPONSE THAT YOU'VE HAD FROM PEOPLE?
>> IT WAS ONE THING WRITING IT.
I DON'T THINK I WAS PREPARED FOR THE CONCEPT THAT PEOPLE WOULD
ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK I WROTE.
SO WHEN THEY STARTED READING IT, I STARTED PANICKING.
LIKE OH NO!
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO READ MY BOOK!
BUT I DIDN'T REALLY THINK THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD READ THE
BOOK.
>> James: BUT I THINK PEOPLE HAVE RESPONDED TO IT BECAUSE YOU
WRITE SO HONESTLY ABOUT EVERY SORT OF FACET AND CORNER OF YOUR
LIFE.
YOU TALK SO POIGNANTLY ABOUT THE NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE YOU HAD
AND YOU SAW THE WHITE LIGHTS.
>> YES.
>> James: WHAT WAS THAT?
>> IN MY CASE, I HAD BEEN BLEEDING INTO MY BRAIN FOR
SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL.
AND I WAS -- I -- I BECAME UNCONSCIOUS WHEN I GOT THERE.
I FELL OUT OF THIS TRUCK AND I BECAME UNCONSCIOUS.
AND THEY PUT ME IN A CAT SCAN MACHINE TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS
HAPPENING TO ME AND I WAS UNCONSCIOUS THAT WHOLE TIME.
AND THEN WHEN I CAME TO, I WAS IN A TABLE IN A VERY QUIET
EMERGENCY ROOM.
WHICH IS NEVER GOOD.
WHEN IT'S LIKE NO ONE'S IN THERE, JUST THE DOCTOR, NO ONE'S
RUNNING AROUND, NOBODY'S DOING ANYTHING URGENTLY.
YOU WAKE UP AND YOU'RE LIKE OH!
RIGHT?
AND THE DOCTOR IS JUST LOOKING AT ME SO COMPASSIONATELY AND I
WAS LIKE OH AND SO I SAID, AM I DYING?
BECAUSE I REALIZED THIS IS A BAD SITUATION.
THIS IS WAY TOO QUIET, DMOB'S HELPING, NOTHING'S HAPPENING AND
HE STROKED MY HAIR AND I THOUGHT OH.
YEP!
YEPERS.
AND HE SAID YOU'RE BLEEDING INTO YOUR BRAIN.
AND I WAS LIKE OKAY.
SO I CALLED MY MOM.
AD THEN HE SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO TRANSFER ME TO A
NEUROLOGICAL HOSPITAL, THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE WHAT I NEEDED.
AND SO THEY PUT ME ON THAT GURNEY THAT THREE WERE GOING TO
BE ABLE TO MOVE SO THAT THE AMBULANCE COULD TAKE ME
ELSEWHERE.
AND ONCE I GOT ON THAT GURNEY ALL OF A SUDDEN THAT WAS IT.
I WAS JUST GONE.
AND I FELT MYSELF KIND OF DO THIS SWEEP UPWARDS AND THERE WAS
JUST THIS LIKE TUNNEL OF LIGHT.
AND I WAS SWOOPING UP THROUGH THIS TUNNEL OF LIGHT.
AND AT THE TOP OF IT WAS KIND OF A HOLE.
AND SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT I HAD BEEN VERY CLOSE TO OR HAD BEEN
THEIR CARE TAKERS UNTIL THEY DIED WERE KINDS OF LOOKING DOWN
LIKE THIS THROUGH THAT OPEN HOLE AT THE TOP AND LOOKING AT ME AND
I FELT LIKE THEY WERE KIND OF TELLING ME THIS IS AIL GREAT,
THIS IS ALL FINE, THIS IS GOING TO BE WONDERFUL AND I FELT LIKE
OH I'M GOING TO BE WITH YOU GUYS, OKAY.
AND I WAS REALLY MOVING QUICKLY.
IT WAS LIKE THE TUNNEL WAS MILES AND MILES LONG AND I WAS WHOOSH
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I FELT LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY
DEFIBRILLATED ME OR SOMETHING HAPPENED BUT I FELT LIKE I GOT
KICKED IN THE CHEST REALLY, REALLY HARD.
I FELT LIKE I WENT OH LIKE THAT AND I WENT LIKE OH AND SAT UP
AND I WAS BACK IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM ON THE GURNEY.
AND SOMEONE SAID, WHAT'S HAPPENING?
AND THE DOCTOR SAID, DON'T TOUCH HER.
DON'T TOUCH HER.
AND THE DOCTOR SAID, WHAT DO YOU NEED?
AND I SAID, "I REALLY HAVE TO PEE."
AND HE JUST POINTED TO THE BATHROOM.
THAT NOBODY SHOULD TOUCH ME.
I LOOKED DOWN AND I FELT LIKE THE FLOOR WAS VERY FAR AWAY.
I FELT LIKE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW I WAS GOING TO GET DOWN.
IT JUST FELT LIKE I WAS FLOATING.
AND THEN THEY TOOK ME TO THE OTHER HOSPITAL.
IT WAS REALLY -- IT WAS VERY STRANGE.
IT WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL.
VERY STRANGE.
AND THEN IT WAS, LIKE, I WENT TO THE OTHER HOSPITAL, THEY GAVE ME
A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPENED.
BAD AND GOOD.
BUT ULTIMATELY, THEY GAVE ME AN ANG YOA GRAM, THEY MISSED MY
BRAIN BLEED, I CONTINUED TO BLEED INTO MY BRAIN FOR ANOTHER
LIKE FIVE OR SIX DAYS AND THEY THOUGHT THAT I WAS FAKING IT.
AND I GUESS -- BECAUSE THEY MUST THINK I'M A REALLY FABULOUS
ACTRESS.
>> James: WELL YOU ARE!
>> BUT EVENTUALLY THEY WERE GOING TO SEND ME HOME.
AND I SAID TO MY BEST FRIEND YOU KNOW, I'M DYING!
I'M DYING!
AND SHE SAID, OKAY.
AND SHE WENT OUT AND JUST DLOOU A FIT AND SAID -- THREW A FIT.
SHE SAID, YOU CANNOT SEND HER HOME.
NOBODY SLEEPS 20 HOURS A DAY.
SHE'S GOING IN AND OUT OF A COMA.
YOU CAN'T SEND HER HOME.
SO THEY SAID, WE'LL GIVE HER ANOTHER ANGIGRAM, BUT WE HAVE TO
SEND HER HOME AFTER THAT.
I HAD A SEVEN HOUR SURGERY AND THEY PIT LIKE 22, 23 COILS IN
PLACE OF MY ARTERY.
AND I SURVIVED A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT SURGERY.
AND WHEN I WOKE UP, THEY TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED.
AND WAS LIKE OH YOU GOT TO GET THIS BECAUSE I WAS ON DILAUDID
WHICH WAS LIKE A SYNTHETIC HEROIN.
I SAID, YOU HAVE TO GET THIS OUT OF MY ARM.
THEY SAID NO, WE CAN'T, YOU'LL HAVE A SEIZURE.
YOU HAVE TO STEP DOWN.
NOW I'M LIKE A DRUG ADDICT, THIS IS HONORABLE.
THEY MOVED ME INTO INTENSIVE CARE TO GET ME OFF THE DRUGS.
IT WAS QUITE A JOURNEY.
IT WAS REALLY -- AND I HATE TO MENTION IT.
BUT IT WAS LIKE I THINK LIKE TEN DAYS AFTER 9/11.
SO ALL THOSE IMAGES WERE PLAYING ON THE TV AND EVERYBODY WAS SO
FREAKED OUT AND, YOU KNOW, SO THE WHOLE WORLD WAS UPSIDE DOWN.
>> James: I THINK THIS IS WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT THE BOOK,
THAT YOU'VE WRITTEN.
YOU TALK WITH SUCH HONESTY AND THERE IS SO MUCH OF YOUR --
THERE IS SO MUCH OF YOUR LIFE, OF YOUR BEING WHICH IS REALLY
JUST ABOUT LIKE BEING A FORCE FOR GOOD.
I THINK YOUR WORK WITH AMFAR IS INCREDIBLE.
>> OH THANK YOU.
>> James: AND SO UNDERAPPRECIATED AND SO MANY
PEOPLE TELL ME STORIES ABOUT YOU AS AN AUCTIONEER.
AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE THE FIRST TIME YOU TOOK A MICROPHONE AND
YOU AS AN AUCTIONEER, I'VE HEARD, WHY IS IT -- WHAT DO YOU
DO AS AN AUCTIONEER AND WHY IS IT YOU ARE SO GOOD AT RAISING,
YOU MUST HAVE RAISED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR THAT
CHARITY.
>> IN THE BEGINNING I WAS NOT GOOD, PERSONALLY I'M VERY SHY
AND I WAS VERY NERVOUS THE FIRST TIME.
AND THEN, AS I GOT INTO IT, I REALIZED I HAD TO KIND OF INVENT
A CHARACTER.
AS WE DO.
YOU HAVE TO INVENT A CHARACTER IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE ON STAGE
DOING THIS.
I TRIED TO DO IT LIKE MYSELF AND I WAS CRYING AND I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT TO ODID.
AND THEN I KIND OF INVENTED THIS CHARACTER THAT IS THE AUCTIONEER
CHARACTER.
AND SHE'S KIND OF DIRTY.
HA HA HA!
AND LOVES TO PICK PEOPLE OUT OF THE ROOM AND SAY, REALLY CRAZY
THINGS TO THEM.
YOU KNOW LIKE I WILL ASK, OR CALVIN KLINE WAS IN ONE OF THE
AUDIENCES AND I SAID WHO WILL GIVE ME, I STARTED AT FIVE
WHO WILL GIVE ME FIVE GRAND TO SEE IF CALVIN ACTUALLY HAS ON
CALVIN KLINE UNDERWEAR.
WE RAISED A BUNCH OF MONEY AND CALVIN HAD TO ACTUALLY OPEN HIS
PANTS AND SHOW US HIS CALVIN KLINE UNDERWEAR.
>> James: NEVER LET IT BE SAID SHARON SHONE IS ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING BUT A FORCE FOR GOOD.
HER BOOK IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE.