As Far As Songwriters, I've

The Audience Got Jaded, They Want A Hit, They Want A Big Success, And So You Don't Want To Experiment Because You Say, Well, I'll Disappoint The Audience, They May Not Like It, I Better Do Something That I Think Is More Commercial.

I Don't Have A Mission. I Don't Have A Torch To Burn.

These Men Both Publicly And Privately Have Done So Much For Me. Without Nathan Lane And Matthew Broderick I Would Be Living In A Little Motel Just Around The Corner Here, Trying To Make Ends Meet.

When I'm Writing A Script, I Don't Worry About Plot As Much As I Do About People. I Get To Know The Main Characters - What They Need, What They Want, What They Should Do. That's What Gets The Story Going. You Can't Just Have Action, You've Got To Find Out What The Characters Want. And Then They Must Grow, They Must Go Somewhere.

What Ignited The Rocket That Sent You Up Into The Vast Regions Of Comedy, And Why? I Would Say, For Me, That Philosophical Treatise About Having Black Beginnings And Wanting Love To Compensate For That, Wanting Audiences And Wanting Attention - I Say, "au Contraire." Completely Opposite. I Want The Continuation Of My Mother's Incredible Love And Attention To Me.