NBC In 'The Miracle,' program focuses on Roy, attack



Journalist Maria Shriver, a longtime friend, is conducting the interview.
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Roy Horn of Siegfried & amp; Roy is doing his first public interview tonight since a tiger mauled him onstage in Las Vegas almost a year ago.
The interview also marks the return to TV for journalist Maria Shriver, who has been absent since her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was elected governor of California.
Shriver interviews Horn, his partner Siegfried Fischbacher, doctors and others in "Siegfried & amp; Roy: The Miracle," a special, produced by the NBC entertainment division, airing at 9 p.m. (EDT/PDT).
The program examines the night of Oct. 3, when a white tiger mauled Horn onstage at The Mirage casino and hotel. The attack abruptly ended their more than 25 years of magic shows on the Strip in Las Vegas.
Viewers will see Horn's battle to regain his motor skills after the tiger attack and subsequent stroke left him in a wheelchair.
"I started working on putting it together in March, and we started filming at the end of May," Shriver said. "I've seen [Horn] every week for several months."
Going on
Shriver said she has learned to go ahead with her own career, despite those who question her objectivity as a member of the Kennedy family and wife of a governor.
"I've had a public life since I can remember talking," Shriver said.
She said she feels she can weigh all the journalism ethics and be impartial: "I try to do the best I can and be honest."
When Shriver became first lady of California, she stepped down from NBC News to avoid conflicts, but made an arrangement with NBC Productions on the entertainment side to do nonpolitical interviews.
"It was important for me to get back on the air," she said. "I will continue to pester NBC to find ways to use me or point out to them ways they can use me."
Shriver will host an upcoming Travel Channel special about California and its historic landmarks. And she has written four books. Her latest, a best seller titled "What's Happening to Grandpa?" deals with Alzheimer's disease. It was released in May.
She said her 20-year relationship with Horn and Fischbacher helped her secure the exclusive interviews with them. "I found these two men to be incredibly inspirational," she said. "It's a great story for anyone who finds themselves disabled or in an accident. Life can go on. It may be different, but it can go on."
About the special
The special was filmed at The Mirage, at both houses Horn and Fischbacher share and at Siegfried & amp; Roy's Secret Gardens, their wildlife refuge at The Mirage.
The special covers the night the 380-pound tiger, Montecore, mauled Horn onstage in front of 1,500 people. Immediately after the attack, Horn urged that the tiger not be hurt.
"Roy is adamant that this was not the tiger's fault," Shriver said.
"We interviewed many people in the audience," she said. "There was quite a consensus that they found it to be eerily calm, that there was no great attack. They thought it was part of the act until Siegfried came out and said the show was over. Only two people know what happened -- Roy and Montecore -- and one of them isn't talking."
Horn is eager to become more independent, Shriver said. "He's up and talking and dreaming and planning and working toward the future. Is he the same Roy as a year ago? Absolutely not. But in his mind, he's a better Roy."
Horn and Fischbacher haven't set a timeline for their entertainment projects, whatever form they take, and they're in the process of reinventing themselves, Shriver said.
The magicians have received offers from publishers wanting them to write inspirational books on their lives and careers, Shriver said. "The story is far from over. It's a story one has to continue to update."

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