This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," November 16, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Four-time Grammy winning singer, actress, and breast cancer survivor Olivia Newton-John goes "On the Record." She's here in Washington D.C. performing in a show called "Kaleidoscope," and we caught up with her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAN SUSTEREN: Olivia, nice to see you.
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN, SINGER-ACTRESS: Nice to see you.
VAN SUSTEREN: In person last time you were at the Great Wall.
NEWTON-JOHN: I talked to you from China. It was a great wall walk I was doing for my hospital.
VAN SUSTEREN: It's lovely to have you here in Washington. Why are you here?
NEWTON-JOHN: I need to be part of this wonderful, inspiring show called "Kaleidoscope." It's a story of survivorship and thrivership (ph), and many of the participants have been through cancer, and it's to inspire the people who are going through it. So it's great to be a part of it.
VAN SUSTEREN: What is the program? I've seen Nancy Kerrigan and Dorothy Hamill practicing. So there's some sort of tease that she will be skating? You'll not that stupid, am I?
NEWTON-JOHN: Scott Hamilton is also skating. It's very moving, actually, to see them skating. I always found ice skating so beautiful. It's very beautiful.
Music and skating, and they are using some film of some children. David Foster and I wrote a song with this group of children who have been through cancer, and they wrote lyrics and we put it to a song. So we're singing with them and a group of children from California.
VAN SUSTEREN: What's even more powerful about it, just watching it, not just the people who are supporting the survivorship and breast cancer research, but so many people have had their own horrible experience and have come through it and serve as a sense of inspiration.
NEWTON-JOHN: A woman every minute is diagnosed with breast cancer. So it's really important to get the word out about early detection, which is what important to me. We should get women to do regular self-exams.
VAN SUSTEREN: I went with the former first lady Laura Bush all over the Middle East on a breast cancer awareness trip a few years ago, and it was extraordinary how much more freely we talk about breast cancer in this country than those countries. The women in those countries have a far bigger challenge than we do in confronting it.
NEWTON-JOHN: It must be incredibly -- it's such a personal thing. I mean, they're covered up. And to even talk about examining their breasts must be almost embarrassing for them. But those people need it more than anything.
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, they've got to get permission from their husbands to get a mammogram. Then in Saudi Arabia, then they have to get a ride there, because they can't drive. And if they go there, the woman running the machine, you can only see this much of her face.
And then if there should be a bad test result, then you have to go back to your husband again to get it signed so that you can have a biopsy, and not all men or husbands or fathers will sign at that point. So it is quite a structured thing around the world compared to even here.
We have a very personal experience at Fox News, and I have her permission to mention her, Jennifer Griffin, who just got diagnosed, and she's going through chemotherapy. And so it's personal for many of us at FOX News.
NEWTON-JOHN: I extend my love to her and positive thinking. I'm sure she will survive this. I'm sure she will.
VAN SUSTEREN: She'll be here tonight with her family, so that will be fun.
Tell me, "Grease," everybody loves "Grease." what is it about it? Why does that captivate.
NEWTON-JOHN: I think the music is kinds of eternal. The '50's era always appeal to people, because it was so fun. It's like everyone is dressed up in costume. I'm kinds of today, but didn't intend to be.
But I think that everyone knew someone like that at school. I think it epitomizes every character you had in school. It's kinds of perfect.
And the music is just fun and there's a great energy in the film. When we were making it, the producer used to come to us every day and get us going and get our energy up, and I think it translated.
VAN SUSTEREN: It was so popular when it came out, but it's still popular. You see little kids still watching who were born 20 years after it came out.
NEWTON-JOHN: It' s amazing to me. I still get amazed. But it's lovely. I feel very lucky to be a part of it.
VAN SUSTEREN: You have a new CD?
NEWTON-JOHN: I have a new Christmas CD that is out just now, and I'll be singing some of the songs off that.
VAN SUSTEREN: Tell me about the poor little kitty from the Great Wall that you showed us -- I probably shouldn't even ask you about it because it's a heartbreaker, the kitty you had at the Great Wall.
NEWTON-JOHN: Yes. I found the kitten when we were walking. We were walking in the snow, and we found this kitten in a pond. Someone had thrown it in a pond.
VAN SUSTEREN: In China.
NEWTON-JOHN: This was in China. Rescued it, it was soaking wet. The eyes were closed. And for three weeks I carried it like this. And you saw it. It kept us all going. We called it magic. The kitten was like our little, what do you call it? Our inspiration.
And when I left China, I couldn't take him with me and I left him with one of the crew, and unfortunately, he only survived a couple of days after I left, and it really broke my heart. It was so sad. It was a beautiful little animal.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you ever get nervous coming out and singing in front of a crowd, or is it just so fun?
NEWTON-JOHN: I always have a little nerves. It's exciting, but always a little bit of nerves. I think that's a good thing, though. It kind of gets your energy up. You're the kind of gal like I don't care, but I always care. I call it excitement. I just change the word from "nerves" to "excitement."
VAN SUSTEREN: And favorite song ever to sing?
NEWTON-JOHN: Oh, gosh. That's a very difficult one. You know, of all the songs I've ever sung, one of the favorite ones was "Don't Cry for me Argentina." I don't know why, but I used to sing that many years ago. And then of all the new ones, there's "I honestly love you."
VAN SUSTEREN: Things are good, though?
NEWTON-JOHN: Life is wonderful. I just got married a year ago. And life is terrific.
VAN SUSTEREN: Tonight we'll have great skating, and when will this air?
NEWTON-JOHN: Thanksgiving Day.
VAN SUSTEREN: So this will be taped and everybody gets to see it.
NEWTON-JOHN: Yes, everyone has a chance to see it, and I think it will be a very inspiring show for a lot of people and enjoyable.
VAN SUSTEREN: I'm certain it will be. Anyway, nice to see you.
NEWTON-JOHN: Thank you, good to see you, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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