Last week Alicia Keys spoke all about sex.
Sure, the songstress has always been one to stand up for safe sex, equal opportunity and sing melodies about love and lust, but the songstress has never divulged information about her personal sex life.
That is until she sat in Amanda De Cadenet’s living room.
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Amanda De Cadenet hosts lifetime’s new show, The Conversation, from her living room couch. No frills, no fancy set or live studio audience, just two women one-on-one, propped up by luxurious plush divulging their inner most feelings.
The Demi Moore-produced show is no different than what a group of girlfriends would do on a week night with a glass of wine, and that is what makes it so priceless: the purity of it.
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GlobalGrind caught up with Amanda on the seams of her show’s launch to learn a little more about the magic behind her skills at having The Conversation.
From verbalizing her pure passion for the task at hand, to confessing the reason she would love to have a conversation with Beyonce, she held nothing back.
Amanda’s ability to strip back the layers of celebrities to reveal their human skin always makes for an interesting read.
Check out what Amanda had to say about The Conversation in the exclusive interview below:
GlobalGrind: I was watching a clip for your show, “The Conversation,” and it looks like it’s going to be pretty deep. Tell us a little bit about the show, and what you aim to do with it.
Amanda de Cadenet: I think we’ve made a show that is different and unique, and is definitely a different take on the interview format. I’ve been doing these interviews for a couple years from my living room, and I was going to launch it online. Then I realized that I had an opportunity to put it on a network. I’ve been working on this for many years. It’s a lot of effort coming to fruition at this time. It’s very exciting.
Now that you’ve had the experience of sitting with celebrities and learning about their take on life, do you offer better advice to your loved ones and friends when you guys have talks like this?
You’re always asking questions about your own life, so it’s an on-going process. I’ve definitely learned some amazing things from some of the women who I’ve interviewed. I’m definitely a different woman today then I was when I started these interviews. Every single person gave me some amazing piece of insight. I’m just really pleased everything was on camera, and I get to share it.
These conversations were happening in my living room. That’s kind of how the idea came about. I was having these amazing conversations with my girlfriends in my living room, and I was saying, “Why can’t we find this on T.V. anywhere? Why can’t we find this? Why is no one having these conversations publicly that we’re all having?” All women I know have these conversations. It’s nothing new.
People have seen this for years in their own living rooms and kitchens. It’s just that it’s being put out there for people to see, and the great thing about The Conversation, they’re honest! They’re not pretending something is different than how it is.
Do you have any topics that are taboo, or off limits that you won’t discuss in these interviews?
No! The only way I don’t go near something is if someone is in conflict with that thing…but you know how it is, when you’re in the middle of something you don’t even have perspective on it.
Has anyone ever told you anything that made you take a pause; just took you off guard in the middle of an interview?
I have to say some of the responses to “What’s your favorite sex position?” had me saying “Really! Oh My God!” Whatever you’re down with is all-good, but some people I was like, “I did not think that would be what you were into!” I can’t say who those names are. You’ll have to watch the show. I’m sure you’ll have the same response.
Is there anyone you haven’t interviewed that you want to interview?
I want to interview Gloria Steinem, Beyoncé, and Hillary Clinton.
What’s alluring to you about Beyoncé? What would you ask her if you got her into your living room?
She’s a mama! I’m curious how being a mom has changed her life, and I will be curious how that affects her drive and ambition.
The world is waiting to see that.
I also think she’s one of the few women out there as far as role models go, who has integrity. She’s a sensual woman. She’s a smart woman. She’s a funny woman. She’s a playful woman. She’s a wife. She has integrity!
I interviewed Alicia Keys who I feel the same way about. I think she’s a great role model. Every woman I interviewed, I personally feel is a role model. I was sick of seeing women held up as role models who do more damage than good. In looking at the women who I interviewed on my show, I wanted to be mindful that I could say, “That woman leads by example!” Whether it was Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Sarah Silverman, Senator Julia Brandt, Gabbie Sidibe, people who have lived through things. Stand on the other side of it, and say, “This was really tough. It almost killed me, but I’m here and I’m good! I’m here to tell you if you’ve experience anything like what I went through, this is how I got through it.”
Why do you feel people feel comfortable opening up to you? Your interviews seem to get a little deeper. Why do they feel that comfortable with you?
Two things! One, my intention for doing something is everything. I could do the same interview, but if my intention was different than what it is, I think people would be able to pick up on that. My intention is to collaborate. It’s not about me trying to get you to say anything. It’s about what do you feel is important to you that you want to talk about. Second, it’s non-promotional as well. Nobody’s plugging anything, and I think that takes a certain attitude out of it. Nobody’s trying to sell anything other than some solutions to living through some stuff.
You have to see a celebrity as a person, not as celebrity.
Yeah! People are people. It doesn’t matter how many awards you win, it doesn’t mean you’re exempt from life. Life is going to happen. You’re going to experience love, lost, transformation, heartache, and sickness. You’re going to experience. Everybody is! You’re looking at people’s lives with what they’ll show you, and certain things that people are more interested in. Generally, it has to do with pain and suffering like when someone has a crisis and it’s public. It’s news. I love it when someone has success, and it’s news. People usually aren’t as interested. It’s just a sick fascination people have with a “train wreck.”
Is it the fascination with these “perfect” people going through hard times that keep people tuned in?
I don’t know if it’s about the hard times…Kelly Preston, enough time needed to pass for her to heal enough to put words to her experience. If I did my show a year ago, she wouldn’t have been a guest. I think that it’s not about the crisis; it’s about the solution. There’s not one interview that’s not optimistic because quite frankly, I don’t think me or my guest want to contribute anymore pessimism to the world. There’s enough of that. Who needs more?
Do you feel like there’s anyone else on television right now doing what you do?
Not really! My credentials for doing this is I’m a woman. I’m a viewer. I’m a mother. I have five-year-old twins. I have a teenage daughter. I’m trying to manage being a mom, a working mom. I shoot in my living room when they’re out to school. It’s kind of nuts, but I have an amazing crew. They roll in, and know the drill.
The Conversation airs on Lifetime Thursdays at 11pm/10pm central, be sure you check your local listings for more information.
Check out Alicia’s candid interview with Amanda in the videos below.
SOURCE: Lifetime
