Could you tell us about your charity?
Well, I went to a high school in Philadelphia which had a lot of, you know, some well-off kids, a lot of working-family kids, and I want to make it, uh, stay that way--and help the kids that don't have much money to go to that school again.
Are you more or less nervous to play Jeopardy! this time?
I'm more nervous this time. [Laughs] I'm a lot more pressured this time than the last time. Last time it was a game, this time it's--it's a challenge.
Did you prepare differently for this appearance than the last time?
I--I made a list of things I know. I filled a couple pages. [Laughs]
What stands out in your memory about your previous appearance?
I hope I can replicate, uh, the image I projected of being an opera expert, because I knew Caruso from the 19th century, and I couldn't think of anybody else that would've recorded opera in the 19th century besides Enrico Caruso. So I came off as a genius.
What categories are you hoping to see?
Oh, POLITICS. Anything to do with post-World War II American politics, I should get--I should get. But I know it's a competitive group here.
What do you think of your competition?
I think actors spend a lot of time reading. There's a lot of reading time in the business, from what I can tell, and people extraordinarily self-educated, like Jack Nicholson, you hear about all the time. Ronald Reagan. There's a good example of self-educated. |
"Once a presidential speechwriter, he's had his own political talk show on MSNBC for the past 12 years. Please welcome the host of Hardball..."
Playing on behalf of LaSalle College High School.
Intense, experienced, straightforward, and outspoken, Chris Matthews brings a powerful and influential political commentary to The Chris Matthews Show. "There are enduring human truths in the rules that politicians play by," says Matthews. With over 15 years of working in an environment where politics is the name of the game, Matthews is determined to present a unique brand of talk that will allow viewers to take away a new perspective on the latest news stories.
Matthews is an author, international journalist, and no-nonsense political commentator. He was until recently a nationally syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and is the author of best-selling books such as Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (2001), Hardball (1988), and Kennedy and Nixon (1996), which was selected by Reader's Digest magazine as part of its "Today's Best Nonfiction". He joined the San Francisco Examiner in 1987 where he served as Washington Bureau Chief for 13 years. Prior to entering journalism, Matthews served as White House aide and speechwriter to President Jimmy Carter and as a top aide to former Speaker of the House Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.
Matthews covered the opening of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa, the historic peace referendum in Northern Ireland and the ongoing violence in the Middle East. In 1997 and 1998, his digging in the National Archives produced a series of Examiner scoops on the Nixon presidential tapes. He has twice received the Washington Post's "Crystal Ball" award for his successful predictions of U.S. elections.
A graduate of Holy Cross, Matthews completed graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina and was a trade development advisor with the U.S. Peace Corps in Swaziland. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from St. Leo University, Loyola College (Maryland), Niagara University, Fontbonne College, Beaver College, the New England School of Law, Anna Maria College and Chestnut Hill College.
He is married to Kathleen Matthews, a news anchor for the ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. They live in Chevy Chase, MD with their three children. |
