The old Katie Couric — the one of the playful, endearing personality of the Today Show that earned her the title America's Sweetheart — was back in full form on Tuesday. As she chatted with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta on stage at the Hilton Americas-Houston, there was little evidence of the dour-faced Katie of the CBS Evening News desk.

Couric headlined M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's "A Conversation With a Living Legend" luncheon with Gupta conducting the relaxed interview that touched both on her career and on her commitment to finding a cure for colon cancer, the disease that killed her husband, Jay Monahan, in 1998. Covering a range of emotions, the interview evoked everything from the signature Couric grin and laughter to a serious, tear-laced commentary on the "terrible, terrible ordeal" of her husband's battle with cancer.

One-on-one

Before the luncheon began, CultureMap talked with Couric about her move to ABC News in August. In a conservative navy blue suit and open-toed pumps, she wore her hair casual, her makeup light and her demeanor genuine and endearing.

Her syndicated, hour-long talk show, Katie, is set to begin airing next September.

"In some ways, it's frustrating to have so much time before it goes on the air," she said. "In other ways, it's really wonderful to have lead time and time to think about what we want the show to be, what kind of things we want to be on it. Ideas for franchises. Ideas for contributors. We have to build a staff. This is something that we are building from the ground floor up and there is something both very liberating and exciting about that."

The program will have its serious moments when it follows developing news, she says, and will have lighter moments when it focuses on pop culture. Her example: It could be the death of Osama bin Laden one day and Lady Gaga on another. Multiple subjects, single subjects — the format will be flexible.

"It feels very entrepreneurial, which is fun for me because I've always worked for a major broadcasting network. I was first with ABC, then with CNN, then to NBC, then to CBS and now back to ABC. I'm like a TV gypsy," she laughed.

While developing the one-hour talk show, Couric remains busy with ABC News. She is working on a piece on Regis Philbin and his upcoming retirement and she has stories in the mill on Lady Gaga and Stephen Spielberg and his work on the film Lincoln. There is a year-end special in the works covering the big news events of the year.

"So I'm busy," she said. "It's nice. One of the things I'm really enjoying is not being on television every single day. It's nice not to have to get out the trowel and put on the spackle and be camera ready every day and to having a little flexibility . . . It's just a nice change of pace because I've been on daily television for the last 20 years."

Back to the ballroom

During the lengthy discussion with Gupta, Couric touched on the establishment of the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

"Because of my journey and that ordeal, I decided to establish the Jay Monahan Center to provide compassionate and comprehensive care, a center where patients could be treated in one place . . . I really wanted to provide people with a port in this storm."

Following her interview with Gupta, Katie was presented an M.D. Anderson Making Cancer History award by cancer center president Dr. Ronald DePinho. She was recognized for her impact on public health through her advocacy of colon testing and establishment of the Stand Up to Cancer foundation that has to date raised $180 million for cancer research with some of those dollars going to M.D. Anderson.