Barbra Streisand Among First Guests on Couric's New Talk Show KATIE

The incomparable Barbra Streisand will make a rare television appearance on the debut season of Katie Couric's new daytime talk show KATIE. The superstar will discuss her passion, women and heart disease, as well as her return to Brooklyn for her first performance there in more than 50 years.

Streisand has appeared on Broadway in I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE and FUNNY GIRL, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Streisand won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actress for the role in the film version of the musical. Her next two movies were also based on musicals, Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly!, directed by Gene Kelly (1969), and Alan Jay Lerner's and Burton Lane's On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, directed by Vincente Minnelli (1970). Additionally, she has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, one special Tony Award, five Emmy Awards including one Daytime Emmy, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award.

Katie Couric returns to daily television with the premiere of her new, nationally syndicated talk show, on Monday, September 10th. The one-hour program, in front of a live studio audience in New York, has been cleared on leading broadcast television stations in more than 96% of the country (check local listings, www.katiecouric.com).

The longtime co-anchor of NBC's "Today" and anchor of the "CBS Evening News" will mark her "new beginning" by featuring conversations with women who are also marking similar transitions in their lives.

On Monday, September 10th, the premiere episode of "Katie" will be packed with surprises. In addition, Katie will be joined by Platinum recording artist, TV personality and fashion designer Jessica Simpson, who will reveal what life has been like after having her first child this past May. For the first time, she'll discuss some of her most intense challenges, including losing the weight she put on during her pregnancy, the journey to get back into shape, the nasty rumors that have surrounded all of that, and how she's learned to juggle motherhood and her billion dollar business empire. Also on the premiere episode: nine-time Grammy-winning artist Sheryl Crow, who is 50, and like Katie, a single mom and embarking on an exciting new phase of her own career. Crow, who has written and performed the theme song for "Katie," entitled "This Day," will also talk, for the first time, about her recently diagnosed brain tumor.

On Tuesday, September 11th, Katie has an exclusive interview with 24-year-old Aimee Copeland, a Georgia graduate student who this summer lost parts of all her limbs to a rare flesh-eating bacteria. Still facing a rigorous recovery process and learning to use her prosthetics, Aimee defies all odds and walks, for the first time, onto Katie's stage, demonstrating extraordinary strength and courage. Aimee shares her story of survival, how she encouraged those closest to her during this trying period and discusses her new life.

In the weeks ahead, Katie will be joined by Jennifer Lopez, who will talk about her own "new beginnings," including life after "American Idol," life after divorce, and her stunning career reincarnation that has landed her at the top of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. And Katie will also explore the theme of "new beginnings" with Heidi Klum, the host of "Project Runway," actress Susan Sarandon, late night talk show host and author Chelsea Handler, and Sofia Vergara, the dynamic and always charismatic star of "Modern Family," who will come by on the day her prime time program returns for the fall season.

Important topics, newsmakers and fun will also be front and center in September. Author E L James will visit Katie for her first extended conversation since the "50 Shades of Grey" trilogy passed the milestone of 25 million books sold, and became the biggest cultural phenomenon of 2012. Singer and actress Demi Lovato, who begins her new role as a judge on "X Factor" the same week as Katie's premiere, will discuss the anorexia and bulimia that nearly ruined her career, and Katie will tackle the broader issue of eating disorders. Sharon and Lexie Love, whose daughter and sister, Yeardley, was murdered two years ago by her ex-boyfriend at the University of Virginia, will break their silence in an exclusive interview with Katie. That conversation will be the centerpiece of a program exploring the epidemic of dating violence. Katie will introduce viewers to a new face and new voice, research professor and motivational speaker Brené Brown, whose new book, Daring Greatly, inspired Katie as she embarked on a daring new adventure of her own -- launching this program. Brené will give the audience the tools needed to live a more fulfilling life. Raffaele Sollecito, who was Amanda Knox's boyfriend, talks for the first time on American television about the murder case that made international headlines, life after his ordeal in an Italian prison and his reunion with Amanda. And talk show personality Wendy Williams will join Katie to talk about one of the nation's most secret obsessions: HAIR! Wendy will reveal why she wears wigs and Katie will show off a brand new 'do!

"Katie" will reach viewers beyond the television screen. The show will include invited bloggers in the studio audience every day; they'll be blogging about the show as it airs. Social media will play a prominent role in the program, with viewers invited to interact with Katie via Facebook (Facebook.com/KatieShow), Twitter (@katiecouric) and on her website (www.katiecouric.com), so they can be included in the daily conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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