This week on "Sunday Morning" (January 7)

The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.  "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET. (Download it here.) 

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Hosted by Jane Pauley.

     
COVER STORY: "Your call is very important to us." Is it, really?
Everyone gets angry over customer service call centers – both the customers frustrated at having their complaints heard and resolved, and the employees who are on the receiving end of callers' ire. That's when an AI bot can step in to cut waiting time and help defuse the situation. Correspondent David Pogue talks with the founders of Gridspace, whose artificial intelligence customer service agent, named Grace, fills in for human agents at more than 100 airlines, banks, hospital chains and phone companies.

For more info:

• Gridspace
• National Customer Service Association
• The Assistance Fund
• Orlando Health
• Lighthouse Central Florida

      
ALMANAC: January 7
"Sunday Morning" looks at important historical events on this date.

ARTS: Juggling competition is a toss-up
Juggling is a lot more than keeping a few balls in the air. Correspondent Conor Knighton recently attended the International Jugglers' Association's annual festival in South Bend, Ind., where juggling competitions – using all kinds of objects – can get out of hand.

For more info:

• International Jugglers' Association
• David Cain / The Museum of Juggling History
• Juggler Wes Peden

MUSIC: Rapper-turned-country singer Jelly Roll on his journey from jail to the biggest stages in the world
The artist known as Jelly Roll is a 39-year-old former rapper whose songs tell of the troubled life he used to lead. He's now one of the biggest names in country music, with two Grammy nominations this year. With correspondent Kelefa Sanneh, we go with Jelly Roll to one of the many jail cells he lived in, where he wrote songs and hatched his plans to make it in music—eventually finding himself on the "holy ground" of Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.

For more info:

• Jelly Roll (Official site)
• Album: "Whitsitt Chapel" by Jelly Roll, on CD and Vinyl

       
SUNDAY JOURNAL: China
Elizabeth Palmer reports.

      
PASSAGE: In memoriam
"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.

TV: Taylor Tomlinson
Luke Burbank reports.

For more info:

• "After Midnight," hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, debuts on CBS and Paramount+ Tuesday, January 16.
• ttomcomedy.com

     
HARTMAN: Street singer

    
MOVIES: Veteran actress Jodie Foster: "I have managed to survive, and survive intact, and that was no small feat"
Two-time Oscar-winner Jodie Foster has been acting since she was three, but she has often contemplated leaving acting behind. Now, at age 61, she's starring as a detective facing a dark mystery in the new HBO series "True Detective: Night Country"; and as coach Bonnie Stoll opposite Annette Bening's endurance swimmer Diana Nyad in the Netflix sports drama "Nyad." Foster talks with correspondent Lee Cowan about being a "100% introvert," while also reaching a point in her career where she can, finally, relax. 

To watch a trailer for "Nyad" click on the video player below:

For more info:

• "Nyad" is now streaming on Netflix
• "True Detective: Night Country" debuts January 14 on HBO and streams on Max

      
MAILBAG: "Sunday Morning" viewers' questions
Jane Pauley opens up the "Sunday Morning" mailbag and addresses comments from viewers.

     
COMMENTARY: Jim Gaffigan on surviving the holidays
The comedian says spending the holiday season with extended family and office mates carries with it a heavy reality TV vibe – but you can't vote anyone off the island.

For more info:

• jimgaffigan.com | "Barely Alive" tour dates

     
NATURE: White-tailed deer in New York State

      

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WEB EXCLUSIVES:

THE BOOK REPORT: Ron Charles' favorite novels of 2023 | Watch Video
The Washington Post book reviewer offers his picks for the best fiction of the year. 

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The photographer's eye II (YouTube Video)
More classic "Sunday Morning" interviews with noted photographers, including a 1982 profile of Bruce Davidson, who documents passengers on New York City's subway; from 1984, Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt on capturing the "intimacies of history"; from 1995, Sebastião Salgado discusses preserving the toil and dignity of workers; from 2001, celebrity photographer Harry Benson on orchestrating boxers and Beatles; and from 2020, outdoor photographer Erin Sullivan on how - adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic - she turned her attention to miniature scenes shot indoors.    

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The photographer's eye (YouTube Video)
Watch classic "Sunday Morning" interviews with noted photographers, including a 2001 profile of Mary Ellen Mark; from 1980, Henri-Cartier Bresson narrates an exhibition of his work; two interviews, from 1981 and 1991, of photographer-painter Chuck Close, recorded before and after suffering paralysis; from 2000, William Wegman, noted for playfully photographing his Weimaraners; and from 2002, portraitist and fashion photographer Richard Avedon looks back on his career.

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The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.

DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city 

"Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET. (Download it here.) 

Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on CBSNews.com, CBS.com and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. 

Follow us on Twitter; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; and at cbssundaymorning.com.  

You can also download the free "Sunday Morning" audio podcast at iTunes and at Play.it. Now you'll never miss the trumpet!

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David Morgan

David Morgan is senior producer for CBSNews.com and the Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning." He writes about film, music and the arts. He is author of the books "Monty Python Speaks" and "Knowing the Score."

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