This Friday, Sept. 25, Rabbi Shmuley, who has one of my favorite interviews in Epiphany (it’s only in the book, I haven’t filmed him yet), is going to be on NBC’s Dateline in a one hour special covering his new book, ‘The Michael Jackson Tapes: A Tragic Icon Reveals His Soul in Intimate Conversation’ that also comes out Friday, about his conversations with Michael Jackson.  I have to say, when I interviewed Rabbi Shmuley, I had no idea he was a spiritual advisor to people like Michael Jackson and Madonna.  It makes what he says in his Epiphany interview that much more interesting…here is an excerpt from our interview:

“These days when I look around at how America is so celebrity focused and celebrity obsessed, I’m reminded of that (his epiphany)…to want to be famous is to unwittingly acknowledge that you have no inner light.  You must therefore compensate by being in the spotlight.  But really each and every one of us has a glow, an inner glow, which we can use to illuminate other people’s darkness.  That’s what love is, that’s what a relationship is, that’s what being a parent is, and that’s what being a friend is.”

His interview on Dateline should be fascinating.  Apparently, they are going to highlight a new initiative that Rabbi Shmuley’s organization, This World: The Values Network, has been implementing for the past year. “Turn Friday Night Into Family Night,” is a national initiative to have families of every denomination, ethnicity, and persuasion adopt Friday night as the time to turn off the noise that so invades the modern home and focus exclusively on their children, and was an initiative that Michael was particularly passionate about.  Go read Rabbi Shmuley’s blog about it – and Set your Tivo and DVRs!