Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Brady at His Best

Aired November 19, 2002 - 11:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(SINGING)
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That will not be the soundtrack for her next movie, I don't think. But he can sing, he can act, he can dance. Some call him a modern-day Flip Wilson. Some of us think he's bigger than that even. Talking, of course, about actor, comedian, dancer, singer, you name it, whatever you want to call him, Wayne Brady.

Last year, Brady was nominated for an Emmy Award for his comedic work on the ABC show "Whose Line Is It Anyway," and that's also on Comedy Central. That's where I first found this guy.

Now he is in the second season of his own self-titled TV show. The star of the show, Mr. Brady himself, is joining us this morning in the early hours from set there in Los Angeles.

How are you doing today, man?

WAYNE BRADY, ENTERTAINER: Hey, Leon, how are you?

HARRIS: I'm great, man, since you're here with us to talk this morning, because I got to admit, I've been a fan for quite a while, man. You are something else. I've been watching you since the Comedy Central started showcasing you guys on that "Whose Line Is It Anyway." One question I've got to ask you, is there some kind of a pill or some kind of exercise you go through to get rid of yourself consciousness, because you guys, you do anything at any moment there?

BRADY: It's improvisational Viagra. No, it's just from years of -- I think the end result that people see on "Whose Line" is "Whose Line" helps educate people about improv. We've been doing improv in small theaters around the country for years. I was doing it for 10 years before I got on "Whose Line," and it teaches you to be fearless on stage, to Just go out and not care how you look and do it. And then, you know, at the end you have to cringe at some of the stuff that you know you've done on stage, but it is for the audience's enjoyment, and you have to commit yourself fully. So I'm having a good time doing it.

HARRIS: See that was the question I was going to ask you, man. Any time you've been out there and following some sort of line of this improvisational shtick you're going on, and then just you realize how far out there you are, and then do cringe?

BRADY: No, you can't be self-conscious. So I try not to think about it. Because if you are, then the gig's up. The audience knows that you don't believe in what you're doing, so how can they believe in you and buy stock in you?

HARRIS: We want to show a piece of tape from the show, very special moment for some of us who have been watching for awhile. You talking to Halle Berry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRADY: Being a Bond girl now, were you a fan of the Bond movies themselves?

HALLE BERRY, ACTRESS: You know, I was. I didn't always understand them as a child. You know, I watched them for the women and the gadgets, but as I've gotten older, I really have become a fan since, you know, Pierce has been involved. Pierce Brosnan is my Bond, because that's my guy. He's Bond, and he just keeps getting better and better and better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Now, tell the truth, how in the world did you pretend to actually be listening to her answer?

BRADY: Oh, I didn't pretend. I hung on every word that she said. Now, ask me if they all made sense to me because I was so enraptured by her. All I heard was like on "Peanuts," wonk, wonk.

HARRIS: Now, coming into this piece, I mentioned that some people say you're more like a Flip Wilson. But I got to ask you, because his show was so popular for the time that it was in, but that was an age where there were lot of variety shows like yours, on the air with Carol Burnett and whatnot. Do you think maybe you may have been born with the right collection talents of talents at too late a time, or what?

BRADY: You know what, I said this once on the show, I was born at the exact right time, to be the age I am now and growing up, as an actor, not just as a talk show host. A talk show host is fifth on my ladder of things in my life, you know, because I really don't think of this as a talk show, that I really think of this as an entertainment show for people to tune in to, that if it was just straight talk, then, click, and we probably wouldn't be as successful as we are slowly becoming.

I love the fact that we entertain. We make folks laugh. We make them think a little bit. We have great guests, we do music, we do comedy,. and stick it into our music. That's not a talk show.

HARRIS: Yes, exactly. You know what, that's a perfect reflection of you and your collection of talent. Are you going to you do the Miss America show again next year?

BRADY: I can't make any promises on that. Life is moving a little bit too quickly. So if they ask, I would be -- I would love to talk to them about it, because I had a wonderful time, and I broke a little barrier there, too. So I look forward to doing stuff like that. It's really cool. HARRIS: Well, listen, I look forward to continuing watching you break the barriers and break records, OK?

BRADY: Thank you so much, Leon.

HARRIS: Wayne Brady, all the best to you.

BRADY: All right, man, bye-bye.

HARRIS: Good to see you, "The Wayne Brady Show" on ABC.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 19, 2002 - 11:40   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(SINGING)
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That will not be the soundtrack for her next movie, I don't think. But he can sing, he can act, he can dance. Some call him a modern-day Flip Wilson. Some of us think he's bigger than that even. Talking, of course, about actor, comedian, dancer, singer, you name it, whatever you want to call him, Wayne Brady.

Last year, Brady was nominated for an Emmy Award for his comedic work on the ABC show "Whose Line Is It Anyway," and that's also on Comedy Central. That's where I first found this guy.

Now he is in the second season of his own self-titled TV show. The star of the show, Mr. Brady himself, is joining us this morning in the early hours from set there in Los Angeles.

How are you doing today, man?

WAYNE BRADY, ENTERTAINER: Hey, Leon, how are you?

HARRIS: I'm great, man, since you're here with us to talk this morning, because I got to admit, I've been a fan for quite a while, man. You are something else. I've been watching you since the Comedy Central started showcasing you guys on that "Whose Line Is It Anyway." One question I've got to ask you, is there some kind of a pill or some kind of exercise you go through to get rid of yourself consciousness, because you guys, you do anything at any moment there?

BRADY: It's improvisational Viagra. No, it's just from years of -- I think the end result that people see on "Whose Line" is "Whose Line" helps educate people about improv. We've been doing improv in small theaters around the country for years. I was doing it for 10 years before I got on "Whose Line," and it teaches you to be fearless on stage, to Just go out and not care how you look and do it. And then, you know, at the end you have to cringe at some of the stuff that you know you've done on stage, but it is for the audience's enjoyment, and you have to commit yourself fully. So I'm having a good time doing it.

HARRIS: See that was the question I was going to ask you, man. Any time you've been out there and following some sort of line of this improvisational shtick you're going on, and then just you realize how far out there you are, and then do cringe?

BRADY: No, you can't be self-conscious. So I try not to think about it. Because if you are, then the gig's up. The audience knows that you don't believe in what you're doing, so how can they believe in you and buy stock in you?

HARRIS: We want to show a piece of tape from the show, very special moment for some of us who have been watching for awhile. You talking to Halle Berry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRADY: Being a Bond girl now, were you a fan of the Bond movies themselves?

HALLE BERRY, ACTRESS: You know, I was. I didn't always understand them as a child. You know, I watched them for the women and the gadgets, but as I've gotten older, I really have become a fan since, you know, Pierce has been involved. Pierce Brosnan is my Bond, because that's my guy. He's Bond, and he just keeps getting better and better and better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Now, tell the truth, how in the world did you pretend to actually be listening to her answer?

BRADY: Oh, I didn't pretend. I hung on every word that she said. Now, ask me if they all made sense to me because I was so enraptured by her. All I heard was like on "Peanuts," wonk, wonk.

HARRIS: Now, coming into this piece, I mentioned that some people say you're more like a Flip Wilson. But I got to ask you, because his show was so popular for the time that it was in, but that was an age where there were lot of variety shows like yours, on the air with Carol Burnett and whatnot. Do you think maybe you may have been born with the right collection talents of talents at too late a time, or what?

BRADY: You know what, I said this once on the show, I was born at the exact right time, to be the age I am now and growing up, as an actor, not just as a talk show host. A talk show host is fifth on my ladder of things in my life, you know, because I really don't think of this as a talk show, that I really think of this as an entertainment show for people to tune in to, that if it was just straight talk, then, click, and we probably wouldn't be as successful as we are slowly becoming.

I love the fact that we entertain. We make folks laugh. We make them think a little bit. We have great guests, we do music, we do comedy,. and stick it into our music. That's not a talk show.

HARRIS: Yes, exactly. You know what, that's a perfect reflection of you and your collection of talent. Are you going to you do the Miss America show again next year?

BRADY: I can't make any promises on that. Life is moving a little bit too quickly. So if they ask, I would be -- I would love to talk to them about it, because I had a wonderful time, and I broke a little barrier there, too. So I look forward to doing stuff like that. It's really cool. HARRIS: Well, listen, I look forward to continuing watching you break the barriers and break records, OK?

BRADY: Thank you so much, Leon.

HARRIS: Wayne Brady, all the best to you.

BRADY: All right, man, bye-bye.

HARRIS: Good to see you, "The Wayne Brady Show" on ABC.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com