i want to talk about that gifts of god, what punishments of god are not gifts. i'm quoting tolkien, not me. because in the tolkien mythos, there are children and men, the one god within the tolkien mythos. >> and elves lived forever. >> they are part of the world. >> whom do we know who is an expert on all things "lord of the rings"? folks, when i spent my entire teenage years reading all of tolkien. not just hobbit and lord of the rings. smith of wooten major, i knew i was preparing myself for something important. why else would i ignore all my classwork, abandon sports and achieve a paleness i have yet to shake off. >> your mom studied theater. wanted to be an actress? >> yes, she was going to carnegie. >> was that something that -- and that she was then in haiti for reasons i'm not sure. >> i think it was haiti.