Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Weekend Box Office: "O" and "Funny Girl"

Aired August 31, 2001 - 11:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The word is Labor Day weekend could be a big one the at box office.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Especially in all of those places where it's raining, people might want to head indoors.

HARRIS: Got to have something to do indoors, yes.

KAGAN: Let's check in with Laurin Sydney, standing by in New York with a preview of what is hot on the big screen.

Hi, Laurin.

LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. I thought I almost had to do the weather.

But, here to tell us about the most recent adaptation of the bard's classic and the rest of the weekend movies is Mr. Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone." "O."

PETER TRAVERS, "ROLLING STONE": "O," Oh boy!

SYDNEY: Is it out, and do we wait until it's on home video?

TRAVERS: I think you have to wait until it's on home video, although it's the last summer movie. So, I want to say a good word. It's an ambitious movie to take Shakespeare's "Othello," to put it in a southern high school and a basketball court, it takes a lot of guts.

You've got Julia Stiles in this from "Save The Last Dance" playing Desi, as in Desdemona. Josh Hartnett, the hotty from "Pearl Harbor," he's Iago, but he's called Hugo. And Mekhi Phifer is Odin James, no O.J. there, and he's Othello.

It's a nice, smart idea that just doesn't quite work, but I give it points for that ambition. And you know, that's the only movie out there this weekend, the only new one that's out there

SYDNEY: But, let's talk about an oldy but, Oh, so goody. 1968 "Funny Girl," bestill my heart, starring Barbra Streisand.

Did you like it, Peter?

TRAVERS: I didn't like it at all, I loved it. I loved it. SYDNEY: Oh, OK. You can say...

TRAVERS: I thought, here it is restored 1968 with the real star. You remember when...

HARRIS: Laurin, Peter, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we've got some breaking news coming in.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com