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CNN Live Today

Interview With Harvey Levin

Aired February 25, 2003 - 10:47   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Singer Michael Jackson is in the spotlight again. I know you are shocked about that one. It seems the king of pop -- can you believe it -- is royally peeved about a controversial British documentary. He is taking this case to court.
Joining us now to talk about that and other celebrity legal issues, Harvey Levin, as executive producer of "Celebrity Justice," he's seen it all.

HARVEY LEVIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Been around the block. You know.

KAGAN: I think so. Hey, Harvey, good morning.

LEVIN: Morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: On MJ -- he did not look good. Anybody who watched the documentary when it aired over on ABC would probably think he's not very happy, but does he have any grounds for a lawsuit?

LEVIN: Well, I don't think so. I think once you put yourself out there and you say, Look, you can shoot me. Now, if he's edited out of context, there is no way he is going to get an injunction. What we are hearing is that there may be a counteroffensive, and that the entire Jackson family is working on a secret contract that could earn them $100 million.

KAGAN: No.

LEVIN: Seriously. And for that, they would basically answer the world's criticism, and show unity. So that is in the works right now. It is not a done deal, but we're told that they are negotiating that as we speak.

KAGAN: Well, if that is true, somebody has too much money in this world, I'll tell that you that.

Let's move on to Robert Blake. Things pushing ahead for him. His preliminary hearing coming up here. There are going to be cameras in the courtroom?

LEVIN: Cameras in the courtroom, and Daryn, I think this is going to be a really interesting preliminary hearing. The prosecution is going to call more than two dozen witnesses, and two of them are really important. They are people that the prosecution says Blake went to and solicited them to kill Bonny Lee Bakley, both of them are ill. Now, one is particularly ill, and here is the dilemma. Normally in these preliminary hearings, the witnesses get on the stand, they talk, the defense doesn't cross examine much because they want to save it for the trial.

But if these guys are so sick that they can't make it to the trial and they are unavailable, the prosecution could use this tape and play it before the jury, so this could look, for real now, because the defense doesn't want to blow the opportunity if they get too sick. So this could really be a significant, perhaps longer, but I think pretty interesting prelim.

KAGAN: But meanwhile every defense lawyer's nightmare, just as this preliminary hearing is getting underway, this interview with Robert Blake and Barbara Walters will air this week.

LEVIN: I have got to tell you, it's just -- it is craziness that he did this, and yet what we hear from some extremely well-placed sources is that Barbara Walters did not shatter any new ground here, that Blake didn't confess, Blake didn't say anything particularly startling. And finally, at one point said to her, Look, I've lost two lawyers, I can't lose a third. So, she wasn't able to make headway where I guess she felt it counted.

KAGAN: Perhaps she just left it as, If you were a tree, Robert Blake, what kind of tree would you be?

LEVIN: Well, you know, what's really amazing is, you know who he was maddest at? This is what I love. He is in jail right now, charged with murder. You know who he is angriest at?

KAGAN: Who is that?

LEVIN: Jay Leno...

KAGAN: Jay Leno. OK.

LEVIN: ... for making fun of him.

KAGAN: Priorities. There you go. Harvey, we got to run.

LEVIN: OK, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thanks for stopping by. Good to see you. Harvey Levin, "Celebrity Justice".

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 February 25, 2003 - 10:47   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Singer Michael Jackson is in the spotlight again. I know you are shocked about that one. It seems the king of pop -- can you believe it -- is royally peeved about a controversial British documentary. He is taking this case to court.
Joining us now to talk about that and other celebrity legal issues, Harvey Levin, as executive producer of "Celebrity Justice," he's seen it all.

HARVEY LEVIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Been around the block. You know.

KAGAN: I think so. Hey, Harvey, good morning.

LEVIN: Morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: On MJ -- he did not look good. Anybody who watched the documentary when it aired over on ABC would probably think he's not very happy, but does he have any grounds for a lawsuit?

LEVIN: Well, I don't think so. I think once you put yourself out there and you say, Look, you can shoot me. Now, if he's edited out of context, there is no way he is going to get an injunction. What we are hearing is that there may be a counteroffensive, and that the entire Jackson family is working on a secret contract that could earn them $100 million.

KAGAN: No.

LEVIN: Seriously. And for that, they would basically answer the world's criticism, and show unity. So that is in the works right now. It is not a done deal, but we're told that they are negotiating that as we speak.

KAGAN: Well, if that is true, somebody has too much money in this world, I'll tell that you that.

Let's move on to Robert Blake. Things pushing ahead for him. His preliminary hearing coming up here. There are going to be cameras in the courtroom?

LEVIN: Cameras in the courtroom, and Daryn, I think this is going to be a really interesting preliminary hearing. The prosecution is going to call more than two dozen witnesses, and two of them are really important. They are people that the prosecution says Blake went to and solicited them to kill Bonny Lee Bakley, both of them are ill. Now, one is particularly ill, and here is the dilemma. Normally in these preliminary hearings, the witnesses get on the stand, they talk, the defense doesn't cross examine much because they want to save it for the trial.

But if these guys are so sick that they can't make it to the trial and they are unavailable, the prosecution could use this tape and play it before the jury, so this could look, for real now, because the defense doesn't want to blow the opportunity if they get too sick. So this could really be a significant, perhaps longer, but I think pretty interesting prelim.

KAGAN: But meanwhile every defense lawyer's nightmare, just as this preliminary hearing is getting underway, this interview with Robert Blake and Barbara Walters will air this week.

LEVIN: I have got to tell you, it's just -- it is craziness that he did this, and yet what we hear from some extremely well-placed sources is that Barbara Walters did not shatter any new ground here, that Blake didn't confess, Blake didn't say anything particularly startling. And finally, at one point said to her, Look, I've lost two lawyers, I can't lose a third. So, she wasn't able to make headway where I guess she felt it counted.

KAGAN: Perhaps she just left it as, If you were a tree, Robert Blake, what kind of tree would you be?

LEVIN: Well, you know, what's really amazing is, you know who he was maddest at? This is what I love. He is in jail right now, charged with murder. You know who he is angriest at?

KAGAN: Who is that?

LEVIN: Jay Leno...

KAGAN: Jay Leno. OK.

LEVIN: ... for making fun of him.

KAGAN: Priorities. There you go. Harvey, we got to run.

LEVIN: OK, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thanks for stopping by. Good to see you. Harvey Levin, "Celebrity Justice".

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