Edie: Women at first fell in love with our next guest as Byron Sully on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. Joe Lando is back on TV, minus the long hair and the beard as a headmaster on Fox Family Channel's Higher Ground. He's taking care of adverse teens who constantly test his will. Take a look …. (insert clip of Peter and Scott from Higher Ground).

But he's here live right now. Joe Lando, good morning.

Joe: Thank you. Like the way I handled that? (referring to the clip). Get outta here you knucklehead.

Steve: You're good with kids aren't you?

Joe: Yeah, I have a way.

Steve: When you see a picture of you in Higher Ground now – do people remember you from Medicine Woman – because you used to have the really full beard …

Joe: I had a real beard ...

Steve: Do people recognize you as much now since your clean shaven because it's almost as if you're in the witness protection program … - ?

Joe: that's the way I feel actually Steve, after seven years of that …

Steve: Because that was your real hair, that's not a wig, that's Joe's hair.

Joe: Yeah that was my real hair.

Edie: Do you like it better long or short?

Joe: I like it better this way. When you have a day that you hide, the long hair is great except everybody can recognize you …

Steve: Hey, look Fabio!

Joe: Exactly. Fabio and Andre Agassi I used to get a laugh – and the worst was – watcha-ma-call-it now ...

Edie: That's probably because you were running around in your tennis whites.

Joe: No, I was with Brooke Shields, … Lorenzo Lamas. Aren't you Lorenzo's double? You do something on TV don't you?

Steve: Tell us about Higher Ground.

Joe: Higher Ground is my new show and I'm very proud of it and I'm one of the co- producers of it and it shoots in the Pacific Northwest, up in Vancouver, and it deals with kids at risk , teenagers who would either wind up dead or in jail, who are very troubled and we try to handle all kinds of issues from sexual abuse, to drug abuse …

Edie: You have your own child, a 21 month old so you probably aren't dealing with many issues right now other than diaper changing and that sort of thing …

Joe: And making it through the night ….

Edie: Right, but from working on the show you've clearly thought what teenagers are facing ---

Joe: What we try to address the most is the opening up of conversation between parents and their children. Parents and adults - it's so tough, you tend to forget and think you're still a teenager. And I realize now on the set with kids who range in age from 17 to 22 that I'm not as young as I used to be –

Edie: So you're getting parenting experience?

Joe: I'm taking mental notes saying this is what I have to do, this is the way I have to address these issues – this is what kids don't want hear. Don't try to be cool. So I just act like a fool and do my thing and I work with a really great group of young actors that I was part of the hand picking so I've seen them actually develop as actors and I think certainly Hayden Christensen and a couple of the other folks who are on our show are really going to make it big and hopefully we can send them out into the world and they'll have huge careers.

Steve: There are so many comedy cooky shows out there for kids, it's nice to see one with a good moral center to it.

Joe: Yeah, and we deal with some really tough issues, but we try not to get too heavy handed and we have fun with scenes like this, (referring to a clip from Higher Ground of Peter and Sophie which is playing while they speak). This is where some of my dough experience came in handy,

Steve: And speaking of the dough, tell us the story. Now you taught Kevin Kline how to make pizza, is that right?

Joe: I taught Kevin, and Tracy Ullman and River Phoenix.

Steve: How to make pizza?

Joe: Yeah.

Steve: Were you working at the Hollywood Dominoes?

Joe: I was working at a restaurant in the Pacific Palisades, where I met my wife, 12 years ago, and anyway, Lawrence Kasden, or someone who works for Kasden came in and saw me working in the kitchen, and I was very … showy I'd say, when I was in the kitchen (laughs) and so they actually hired me, called me up and said we'd like you to come down and throw some pizzas with our actors and I said well I'm kinda busy and they said well the other guy we hired got kind of nervous at lunch, got drunk, and didn't come back, so I said who are these other actors and they said Kevin Kline, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, William Hurt, Joan Plowright - so I said okay I'll be right there and so they gave me the job and I worked in the kitchen for 6 weeks and had a great time. My hands are the hands that are cutting at the beginning of the movie and I'm still getting residual checks. I got a check for 14 cents the other day.

Steve: That clip we just showed was from I Love You To Death. Will you make a pizza and show us how to throw it?

Edie: Then maybe we can become big TV stars.

Joe: Look at it as something to fall back on.

Steve: We are going to scramble around and try to find something …. Joe, stay with us Joe ...

Edie: I think Rupert Murdoch was making the pizzas yesterday.

Steve: He's got the "dough" alright.

Steve: Joe Lando. You know him from TV. He has a brand new show on Fox Family Channel called Higher Ground. His hands have been seen in a movie making pizzas fly through the air with the greatest of ease and he's going to show us so that you folks at home …

JOE: Ready? We start with this ... flour, get these out of here ... Steve are you going to help? Okay, get it flat. Get a groove going here with this … (Joe is now making pizza dough with lots of his own sound effects).

Steve: Where did you learn how to do this Joe?

JOE: In a restaurant – working while I was in acting class.

Edie: What was your pickup line for your wife?

Joe: When you turn 18 I'm taking you out sister.

Edie: Good one

JOE: I havent done this for ten years - keeps spinning and whistling

STEVE: look at you, WOW.

JOE: I haven't done this in 10 years (Joe keeps tossing the pizza dough as he keeps twirling and whistling, the dough appears to hit a studio light and Joe laughs)

STEVE: I don't think they had lights in the pizza place. That's very good Joe.

EDIE: (trying to work on her dough on the table) Now wait, now wait, hold on, I missed, what do I....How do I go from here to throwing it?

JOE: Joe-You go like this in either direction (Joe starts to knead the dough for E.D.)

JOE: And then you go and finish up the crust (he takes the dough in his hand and makes the edge as he turns it)

JOE: Bam, Bam, Bam.

JOE: And then you get the all important stretching (Joe puts his hands under the dough and slightly tosses and stretches it)

JOE: See that?

EDIE: Uh huh.

JOE: Now when I throw it up you catch it. Ready?

EDIE: OK.

JOE: One, two.. (Joe tosses the dough into the air to Edie who catches it.)

JOE: Bam.

STEVE: Yeah, (clapping) very nicely done.

JOE: Now, go, go, (jesting with his hands for Edie to throw the dough back to him. She tosses it to Joe and Joe catches it a little off camera)

STEVE: Oh look at that.

(Joe continues to toss the pizza dough in the air)

STEVE: Hey once again, keep in mind folks, Joe's new show Higher Ground, where he plays a guy who doesn't make pizza, but sure makes kids life's a lot better. It's called Higher Ground it runs on Fox Family Channel Friday's at 9:00.

(Edie starts tossing pizza dough again and when Steve stops talking)

EDIE: Catch it Steve (She tosses the dough to him and he catches it)

(Joe pulls a pizza box from under the table and opens it)

STEVE: Thank you very much. This is before (showing the dough in his hand) and this is after (looking at the cooked pizza in the open box)

JOE: This is how they pay me. (Taking a piece of pizza from the box)

STEVE: (laughing) Very nicely done. Joe thanks very much (they shake hands)

JOE: Thank you.

STEVE: Good luck to you.

(Edie starts wiping off Steve's suit coat, which has flour on it, with her hand)

EDIE: (laughing) Those weren't clean were they?

(Joe takes a bite of his piece of pizza)

JOE: (shaking E.D.'s hand) Thank you.

EDIE: Thank you.

STEVE: John is joining us from Studio B, John good morning to you.

(Edie grabs a piece of pizza and takes a bite)

(Joe grabs a napkin and wipes his face as he goes off camera)