Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Eminem Movie Out Today

Aired November 08, 2002 - 06:51   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hip hop star Eminem hopes to light up the silver screen. His new movie "8 Mile" comes out today. The sound track is already a huge hit.
Our Jason Carroll has more on the controversial rapper and his new role.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's one of the great talents of the last 25 years.

BUSTA RHYMES, RAP ARTIST: The dude is an incredible M.C. period.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a man who at 30 may just be hitting the top of his game. He's Eminem. His real name is Marshall Mathers, an artist who thought most people wouldn't even hear his music.

EMINEM, HIP HOP STAR ACTOR: His palms are sweaty...

I'm a lyricist, you know, and I never, I never thought I would be anything above an underground M.C.

CARROLL: Eminem has two albums on Billboard's Top Ten. His latest, the sound track from the motive "8 Mile," stands at number one. The film is Eminem's first starring role.

CURTIS HANSON, DIRECTOR, "8 MILE": He's got the career in movies that he wants should he want it.

CARROLL: "8 Mile" is a semi-autobiographical look at life growing up poor just outside of Detroit.

EMINEM: Yo, yo, Scott cashed his whole check and bought one ho- ho.

CARROLL: If "8 Mile" does as well as some predict, it could catapult Eminem from rap star to movie star.

ALAN LIGHT, "SPIN" MAGAZINE: Well, Eminem really is king of the world right now.

CARROLL: "Spin" magazine's Alan Light has followed Eminem's career and he's heard it all, including comparisons to Elvis, an artist who gained his success putting a white face on what radio stations then referred to as black music. LIGHT: Eminem hates the Elvis comparison stuff.

EMINEM: The parents still listen to Elvis.

CARROLL: What Eminem likes is talking about rap music and his philosophy behind it.

EMINEM: You don't have to be able to sing, you don't have to be able to dance, you don't have to be able to do shit, but you can still, if you can write poetry and put it in rhyme form and rhyme it over beats, then you can still speak your mind, you know? That's what hip hop is to me.

CARROLL: Just two years ago, Eminem was in court facing weapons charges and a number of his detractors were speaking their minds about his music.

EMINEM: Slim Shady, yes, I'm the real Shady.

CARROLL: The vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, criticized the rapper known as Slim Shady.

LYNNE CHENEY, WIFE OF VICE PRESIDENT: I simply read the lyrics from his song and pointed out that they were not only demeaning to women, that they seemed to advocate violence against women.

CARROLL: Gay rights advocates were complaining, too.

SCOTT SEOMIN, GLAAD: But Eminem was glorifying and encourage violence against gays and lesbians.

CARROLL: But Eminem surprised his critics by appearing with an openly gay Elton Johnson during the 2000 Grammy Awards. Lately, it seems much of the controversy has faded. Now it's awards and accolades. He's crossed over into the pages of the "New York Times," the "L.A. Times," even the "Wall Street Journal."

LIGHT: After this week, when you've got the biggest selling album and the top movie in the country, you can't really present yourself as an outside.

CARROLL (on camera): Right, so can you still then appeal to those people who like that part of you?

LIGHT: That's what we're going to find out.

CARROLL (voice-over): That and whether the nation's top selling musician will also become the nation's top box office draw.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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






Aired November 8, 2002 - 06:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hip hop star Eminem hopes to light up the silver screen. His new movie "8 Mile" comes out today. The sound track is already a huge hit.
Our Jason Carroll has more on the controversial rapper and his new role.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's one of the great talents of the last 25 years.

BUSTA RHYMES, RAP ARTIST: The dude is an incredible M.C. period.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a man who at 30 may just be hitting the top of his game. He's Eminem. His real name is Marshall Mathers, an artist who thought most people wouldn't even hear his music.

EMINEM, HIP HOP STAR ACTOR: His palms are sweaty...

I'm a lyricist, you know, and I never, I never thought I would be anything above an underground M.C.

CARROLL: Eminem has two albums on Billboard's Top Ten. His latest, the sound track from the motive "8 Mile," stands at number one. The film is Eminem's first starring role.

CURTIS HANSON, DIRECTOR, "8 MILE": He's got the career in movies that he wants should he want it.

CARROLL: "8 Mile" is a semi-autobiographical look at life growing up poor just outside of Detroit.

EMINEM: Yo, yo, Scott cashed his whole check and bought one ho- ho.

CARROLL: If "8 Mile" does as well as some predict, it could catapult Eminem from rap star to movie star.

ALAN LIGHT, "SPIN" MAGAZINE: Well, Eminem really is king of the world right now.

CARROLL: "Spin" magazine's Alan Light has followed Eminem's career and he's heard it all, including comparisons to Elvis, an artist who gained his success putting a white face on what radio stations then referred to as black music. LIGHT: Eminem hates the Elvis comparison stuff.

EMINEM: The parents still listen to Elvis.

CARROLL: What Eminem likes is talking about rap music and his philosophy behind it.

EMINEM: You don't have to be able to sing, you don't have to be able to dance, you don't have to be able to do shit, but you can still, if you can write poetry and put it in rhyme form and rhyme it over beats, then you can still speak your mind, you know? That's what hip hop is to me.

CARROLL: Just two years ago, Eminem was in court facing weapons charges and a number of his detractors were speaking their minds about his music.

EMINEM: Slim Shady, yes, I'm the real Shady.

CARROLL: The vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, criticized the rapper known as Slim Shady.

LYNNE CHENEY, WIFE OF VICE PRESIDENT: I simply read the lyrics from his song and pointed out that they were not only demeaning to women, that they seemed to advocate violence against women.

CARROLL: Gay rights advocates were complaining, too.

SCOTT SEOMIN, GLAAD: But Eminem was glorifying and encourage violence against gays and lesbians.

CARROLL: But Eminem surprised his critics by appearing with an openly gay Elton Johnson during the 2000 Grammy Awards. Lately, it seems much of the controversy has faded. Now it's awards and accolades. He's crossed over into the pages of the "New York Times," the "L.A. Times," even the "Wall Street Journal."

LIGHT: After this week, when you've got the biggest selling album and the top movie in the country, you can't really present yourself as an outside.

CARROLL (on camera): Right, so can you still then appeal to those people who like that part of you?

LIGHT: That's what we're going to find out.

CARROLL (voice-over): That and whether the nation's top selling musician will also become the nation's top box office draw.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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