The After Words

"Life is so precious. Please, please, let's love one another....Peace be with you. God is great." --Julia Roberts, America: A Tribute to Heroes

"I wouldn't be talking to you if there wasn't this tragedy. I mean, I get it, I'm just sort of saddened by it all.... But if you're a reporter, you want to report real things that matter. And this is a real thing that really matters." --CNN anchor Aaron Brown on his newfound celebrity

"People like Drew Barrymore. Don't be afraid, honey. It ain't scary here. I mean, it can't be any worse than spending the night with Tom Green alone." --Howard Stern, at the Concert for New York City in response to Barrymore's publicized fear of the city

"People realize that it is not the time to move forward with the frivolous, exploitative action films." --David Ladd, an independent producer and former MGM executive

"And we're told that they were zealots, fueled by religious fervor...religious fervor. And if you live to be a thousand years old, will that make any sense to you? Will that make any goddamned sense?" --David Letterman

"[Arnold Schwarzenegger's Collateral Damage] is just too painful for people. This picture is, like, so on the money it's unbelievable." --Damage producer David Foster, explaining why the film's debut would be pushed back

"What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?" --Ellen DeGeneres, hosting the Emmy Awards

"The difference was unbelievable. In one month the cards went from 'really enjoyed it' to 'we need this movie now.' The responses were stunningly different. And we hadn't changed a thing." --Behind Enemy Lines director John Moore on how test-screening audiences reacted to his movie pre- and post-9/11

"I don't buy into this concept that all people want to see right now is Zoolander." --Oliver Stone

"Tone is really important in everything when we talk about comedy, gossip, music, and television. But where does that all fit in this new reality we are in?... Where is the bottom going to be in terms of pop music and Fear Factor on television? The narcissistic tone in pop culture--my desire, my problems, my possessions; sensational[ism]--is coming to an end.... That kind of party is over.... In music, there will be a reemergence of songs that offer a sense of community or spiritual and social purpose.... Artists in the music world have pretty good instincts." --Tom Freston, CEO of MTV Networks

"Bad people can't be recognized on sight. There's no point trying." --Toby (Richard Schiff), on a 9/11 react episode of The West Wing

"Every person on the planet knows the world has absolutely and utterly changed. It's not going to change back tomorrow, or the next year, or even in our lifetime. That ripple effect will continue, but the truth is it's not all doom and gloom." --Director Baz Luhrmann