[Just after the DVD promo for Reading Rings ran on the large screen.]

Bruce: I'd just like to ask...I got a handful of students that took part in the Operation and were very key components as they created a DVD about the experience on LA's student television station. And also I'd like to welcome up a woman based here in LA whose gonna be my co-producer on this, Rebecca Kirkland. But also please welcome Winnie Jackson.
We've only got a couple of minutes left, so if anyone would like to sort of ask any questions...or would you (to Winnie) like to say something?

Winnie: Before I...let me say this, I want you to meet some of the most amazing young people in the world and a teacher I think is extraordinary. The young people, their the center of Operation Read. Cerritos High School has the most advanced technology department that I've ever seen. I want the young people to come up, Carla, where are you?

Audience: Miss Gilmore! Miss Gilmore! (cheers)

Winnie: This is the teacher, at nine o'clock, nine thirty, 10 o'clock at night she's at school and these kids are working their magic in technology. When we had young people...we were invited to have young people on the red carpet for the world premiere of Lord of the Rings with the total embrace of Peter Jackson and the entire cast and New Line Cinema. And it was so funny, because the media was covering our children interviewing the stars cause the stars didn't want to move away from the children cause they had intelligent questions. I told them, if any stars are not prepared today, they in big trouble. Because these kids had been studying questions they were going to ask for at least a month. And so therefor Gabriel Ibarra was on the carpet, Gabriel, and in fact, Peter Jackson stayed with her so long and then Ian got into it and then they sorta made a bunch on the red carpet it was so funny because the people didn't know what to do because the stars kept wanting to go to the kids. Because they weren't asking 'what are you wearing?' or 'who are you dating?'. They had these profound questions ready and they had to think. In fact, the young lady that played 'elven'...what's her name?

Gabriel: Liv Tyler.

Winnie: Liv Tyler was so shocked. She went, 'uh, da, da, duh, uh...' But the most amazing thing had been Bruce to me. Because when your willing to make the journey into the communities where the film is being shown. We impacted over 20,000 kids, actually, 12,000 got to see the movie. The kids had to read the book, they had to do the research. Do you know, in parts of Los Angeles they don't teach geography and history anymore? So the kids, we were connected to the Prime Minister of New Zealand. I got her aboard, and the whole country came aboard. We sent seven kids to New Zealand to actually see their young people in school. They are so far ahead of us. It is absolutely amazing. When we got there to do the last premiere, the Maori tribe, the dancers came. Our children learned so much, it was absolutely amazing. But this man(Bruce) was willing...Not everyone is willing to go into jails, lockups, close the door and lock you in with them. But that's going above and beyond the call of duty. Because it inspired the young people they have their favorite characters, they wrote about how it impacted them. One young lady, she chose Gamling...no wait a minute (to the students behind her), is that Gamling? Which one is it?

Bruce: Ah, he's the good looking one...

Winnie: No, no, no, no, the one, the little creature, what's his name?

Audience: Gollum.

Winnie: She chose Gollum because, this was a young person from Downey...

Bruce: The guy with laryngitis.

Winnie:
Yeah...her mother was a gang banger, her mother's mother was a gang banger, mother's mother was a gang banger. All her brothers were gang bangers. Every last one of them. Whatever it was about that character, she decided she would not be like that character, she would make a decision. So she moved with a relative and I'm proud to say she is entering her first year of college. We have another young person who came from Taiwan, he wasn't talking to anybody, he had went inside himself, cause he was forced to come here to live with a grandparent. Whatever it was about Sam and Frodo made him feel that he needed a friend. We have another girl that was being abused and wouldn't tell anybody. Whatever it was about the film, made them open up. When Bruce went to the camp, the young people were able to lay out their feelings. And he did more than that, he brought Royd Tolkien with him. Now that is amazing, because that is connecting the past with the present. So the young people were able to identify with Tolkien, because they saw a descendant of Tolkien. Do you see what I'm saying? Not only that, he brought some of the actors with him. All of them were very good, but I wanted you to meet Carla, and I wanted you to meet the young people(students and teacher on stage), because they're extraordinary people. When you got a teacher that will stay till ten, eleven, twelve o'clock with students and you see what they've produced. That is exceptional. That is exceptional. Then we have the good fortune to meet Rebecca, poor Rebecca...we have taken Rebecca...so Rebecca has been our interim while we wait for Bruce to come. We hope you like what you saw so far in the documentary. Because no one thinks about the fact, Southern California is 65% illiterate...65% illiterate! How can that be? Using book and film are great tools. You got a spokesman, got a person that wants to present the story. Perhaps we can lead the nation to the understanding that if the children can not continue, we don't have a future. We can not continue. Thank you for allowing me to share this moment.

Applause as she hugs Bruce and remembers one more thing

Winnie: Oh and let me say one thing more, we do have...supervisor Don Knabe allowed Operation Read to extend to a convention tool because we wanted to keep young people out of the juvenile justice system. Just so you can know, a lot of the children entering the system are not reading above the third/forth grade level. That says something is failing. Something is failing. And as a community of people that live here in Southern California, I just want you to be aware of what is going on at your schools. I believe with all my heart, there is a difference between a born teacher and a taught teacher. A born teacher doesn't beat the kids out the door when the bell rings. They will stay and give those children what they need. So you guys just remember that as we go through this time of trying to get our educational system up where we are. Thank you.

Bruce: Ladies and gentlemen, the first woman president of America. I think we could solve a few problems if we had this sheila in the white house. Oh, sorry I used the word 'sheila'. 'Sheila' is kind of a slangy term used in New Zealand for female. (To Winnie) Hope you don't mind me calling you a 'sheila'?
Ok, well, now I've probably gone over my time, so I better get myself off stage. (to the students, Winnie and Rebecca as they exit the stage) Thank you very much. (to the audience) I'd just like to wish you all a wonderful weekend, I know there's um, a huge day tomorrow, like this afternoon. I know you got the wonderful, wonderful Dominic. So cool to see. It's such a nice...cause I knew he was doing the pilot for the tv series that he's in now and um and he was going off to Hawaii to film the pilot, what, I think it might have been last year that I was in LA. It was such a buzz to hear that the pilot went to series and when I last heard about it, it's like, it's become pretty big, hasn't it?

Audience: (cheers)

Bruce: So cool hearing that Dom has been able to come along. And I know...the reason...like he's gonna be...he's flat out(kiwi term for busy) at the moment. But the reason he comes along is because of the juices, the passion that went on with filming Lord of the Rings. That's why I feel so privileged to have been a part of it. They already became a family for nine months. I come on the scene, I didn't even work with half the guys who are here at the convention. And um, but whenever I'm sorta in their company they treat me like part of the family. It's such a joyous, joyous feeling. And also, major, major component is you fellas sitting out there. Because of what you give, you give back. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to receive. So thank you very much.

Audience: (Cheers) as Bruce does a tumble on stage before signing the banners on stage.