OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK SPECIAL "OPRAH AND THE LEGENDARY CAST OF 'ROOTS' 35 YEARS LATER" TO PREMIERE ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY, MONDAY, JANUARY 16 AT 8:00 PM ET/PT
Appearances Include: Cicely Tyson, LeVar Burton, John Amos,
Leslie Uggams, Louis Gossett Jr. and Ben Vereen
In the upcoming one-hour OWN special, "Oprah and the Legendary Cast of 'Roots' 35 Years Later," Oprah Winfrey welcomes "Roots" cast members - Cicely Tyson, LeVar Burton, John Amos, Leslie Uggams, Louis Gossett Jr. and Ben Vereen - to her California home as she marks the 35th anniversary of the groundbreaking miniseries that captivated the nation, set ratings records and changed the way Americans thought about their history and the sin of slavery.
Nearly 80 million viewers stayed home night after night to watch "Roots," the adaptation of Alex Haley's Pulitzer Prize-winning story of his own family's descent from the captured African slave, Kunta Kinte. At the time, Oprah was a television reporter in Baltimore and was assigned to cover the "Roots" phenomenom. Now, 35 years later, she looks back at its impact and offers viewers an unprecedented look at her Montecito, California estate.
For the first time ever, Oprah conducts an interview from her living room. She asks living legend Cicely Tyson about playing Kunta Kinte's mother, Binta, the death of her own mother and about her legacy. Later, LeVar Burton recounts stepping into the lead role of Kunta Kinte. He was still in college when he was tabbed to star in the miniseries, which landed him on cover of Time magazine and brought him instant celebrity. Then, John Amos, Leslie Uggams, Louis Gossett Jr. and Ben Vereen share their own anecdotes from filming "Roots" and describe how the miniseries changed America and television forever.
"Oprah and the Legendary Cast of "Roots" 35 Years Later" premieres on Monday, January 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
For a first look at the special, please visit:
http://www.oprah.com/own/First-Look-Oprah-and-the-Legendary-Cast-of-Roots
|