I don't think there's any way it could have failed. We don't know failure in this band. We didn't know failure. We got to know it a little after awhile but at that time there was no such word.

I think some parents now look at a youngster failing as the final thing. It's a process and failure is part of the process. I would like it if the teacher and the parents would connect more. I think that used to be but we're losing a little bit of that right now.

A little more persistence a little more effort and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.

With a lot of films people are sitting on the outside looking in but I want the audience to get a bit more intimately involved with what's going on so that they maybe can experience it a little bit more intensely.

I feel that between my experience and my mother's breast cancer is a little bit like someone who lives next door. I know what that person looks like and what their daily habits are.

In my experience it's all wonderful with girls until about 16. Around that time boys kind of calm down and start focusing their testosterone. Girls get a little challenging especially for fathers.

People were being so mean as a result of my ability - a gift really. So I think that's what makes me fight harder to provide an option to aspiring kids or artists. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I went through... to see a little girl or a little dancer experience such unnecessary rejection.

If you're out there stressing on your pro day then you're not going to perform well so I plan on having a little fun. Play a little music while we're out there throwing the football have everybody tapping their toes and bobbing their head and just go out there and make the most of the experience.

A great deal has been written in recent years about the purported lack of motivation in the children of the Negro ghettos. Little in my experience supports this yet the phrase has been repeated endlessly and the blame in almost all cases is placed somewhere outside the classroom.

No characters in 'Stay Close ' including the leads are black and white. I want them to be grey. I think that makes for a much more interesting reading experience something that will stay with you a little bit longer.