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CNN Live Today

Interview With 'Entertainment Weekly's' Steve Daly

Aired March 22, 2002 - 14:29   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: "E.T." returns to movie theaters this weekend to celebrate a 20th anniversary. Universal Pictures sending a retinkered and digitally enhanced version back to the big screen. Next week's issue of "Entertainment Weekly" features a cover story on that release, and "EW" senior writer Steve Daly live from New York to talk about it. He has seen it. Steve, good afternoon.

STEVE DALY, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": How are you.

HEMMER: I'm doing just fine. Thanks for being patient with us. You saw this movie when you were 19; I saw it when I was 19. And the thing I remember is my little sister crying at the end. It had that kind of impact on a whole lot of people who watched it.

DALY: Well, I think you are going to find same the impact now, even though the movie has gotten sort of the -- I wouldn't call it a full plastic surgical makeover, but it's gotten a few sort of beauty tips. Because computer technology allows a director to replace virtually any element in a shot that he wants to, Steven Spielberg and a team at IOM (ph) were able to go back into the film and fix shots where "E.T." looked sort of rickety or his expressions weren't quite up to snuff.

HEMMER: Let's talk about more about that. Also, I understand, a gun scene has been changed as well. What happened there?

DALY: Well, it always bothered Steven Spielberg, according to him, after he had children that there were scenes in the film that showed federal agents running after the main characters with guns drawn. So they have gone back into the film and digitally erased those guns and replaced them with walkie-talkies.

HEMMER: Does this stand up two decades later? What were your impressions watching it?

DALY: It stands up very well. I think depending on what age you are, when you see it for the first and second time, different parts of the film will have more of an impact on you.

HEMMER: I read somewhere Henry Thomas, the young boy who played Elliot in the movie, watched the film, when he saw the first time in a screening before it was released, he saw the reaction of the audience and he knew at that time that this thing was something special. Do you recall that story at all? DALY: I do, and many stories of people who went to early preview screenings of "E.T." Remember, this was 1982, it was a lot less media-driven era. There was no Internet. People had a lot less idea of what they were going to see when they went into a theater.

HEMMER: All right. Listen, I know it was short, but we're kind of short on time after that guy in Florida did what he did a short time ago, but thanks for talking. Steve Daly.

Go ahead.

DALY: He could have used a magic bicycle.

HEMMER: That he could have. He'd still be on the run. Thanks, Steve, have a good weekend.

DALY: Very good.

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