Amazing Charlie Rose

At the end of the year it's not unusual for a TV program to produce a feature about people who have died during the past 12 months.  They say a few words and show a few clips of the person being acknowledged.

Charlie Rose does it differently.  He shows an excerpt from an interview he did with that person.  Yesterday, as I watched him honor person after person after person I asked myself, "Is there anyone this guy hasn't interviewed?"  Since he's done about 20,000 interviews, the answer is clear.

There they were:

Paul Newman

Sidney Pollack

George Carlin

Bernie Mac

Eartha Kitt

Harold Pinter

Van Johnson

Robert Rauschenberg

Heath Ledger

Bill Buckley

Osbourne Elliot

Tim Russert

Anthony Minghella

Studs Terkel

Michael Crichton

And more . . .

In my eyes the tribute is to him as well as to those he is honoring.  Every time he talks with someone I learn something.  In a calm, probing conversation without polemics, he goes about his work with the demeanor of a close friend and the skill of a brain surgeon.

Thank you, Charlie Rose.