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CNN Live Today

Interview With Harvey Levin of "Celebrity Justice"

Aired May 08, 2003 - 10:58   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: Time to look behind the celebrity legal headlines. For that, we bring in Harvey Levin, executive producer of "Celebrity Justice," joins us with his take on Hollywood's latest sagas.
Harvey, good morning, good to have you with us.

HARVEY LEVIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Hi, Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's look at Sir Paul McCartney. He is none too happy about a documentary that is out there concerning his young, lovely wife, is he?

LEVIN: He is really upset. There was a British documentary that aired last night that essentially calls her a calculating gold digger who set her sights on him for his money, and Paul McCartney has instructed his lawyers to watch that documentary and if he sees fit, he says he may sue the British documentary producer for libel.

KAGAN: But how does this work with public figure rules in London -- I mean, in England?

LEVIN: Well, if you remember, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman won a libel action against a British tabloid when they suggested -- when the paper suggested that the marriage was a sham, so it is possible for celebrities to win this. They still have to prove a fairly high standard, but McCartney at least wants his lawyers to look.

KAGAN: Let's keep it in Britain and talk about rocker Pete Townshend. He gets off a little bit off these child porn charges, but not completely?

LEVIN: Not completely at all. What happened is, Townshend says, Look, I never downloaded any kind of kiddie porn, and the police agree, but apparently he did go to a Web site involving child porn. The police say that is enough to constitute a crime. So what he has done essentially is copped a plea, and he has agreed to be registered as a sex offender for five years. It is not a criminal conviction, and if nothing happens beyond that, it will go off his record. But bottom line, he says he was doing research. Police say it still constitutes a crime.

KAGAN: And finally, seems like we just wrapped up the shoplifting saga around Winona Ryder, and now there is another crisis, perhaps, for a sitcom star out there. LEVIN: Well, it involves this time $449 worth of costume jewelry. You know who Rosario is, the maid on "Will and Grace?" Shelley Morrison allegedly cleaned up at the Robinsons-May department store a couple of weeks ago. They say she put that jewelry in her pocket, walked out of the store. Misdemeanor charges have been filed against her. She is planning on pleading not guilty to the charge in the next couple of days, but it is Winona revisited, but scaled down, Daryn.

KAGAN: Just a little bit, and going to Robinsons-May instead of Sachs.

LEVIN: Right. And you know what is interesting is, it was -- her very first job was at Robinsons-May when she was 15 years old.

KAGAN: Well, innocent until proven guilty. We'll leave it like that.

LEVIN: Absolutely.

KAGAN: Harvey, thank you so much. Harvey Levin from "Celebrity Justice."

LEVIN: My pleasure.

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 May 8, 2003 - 10:58   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to look behind the celebrity legal headlines. For that, we bring in Harvey Levin, executive producer of "Celebrity Justice," joins us with his take on Hollywood's latest sagas.
Harvey, good morning, good to have you with us.

HARVEY LEVIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Hi, Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's look at Sir Paul McCartney. He is none too happy about a documentary that is out there concerning his young, lovely wife, is he?

LEVIN: He is really upset. There was a British documentary that aired last night that essentially calls her a calculating gold digger who set her sights on him for his money, and Paul McCartney has instructed his lawyers to watch that documentary and if he sees fit, he says he may sue the British documentary producer for libel.

KAGAN: But how does this work with public figure rules in London -- I mean, in England?

LEVIN: Well, if you remember, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman won a libel action against a British tabloid when they suggested -- when the paper suggested that the marriage was a sham, so it is possible for celebrities to win this. They still have to prove a fairly high standard, but McCartney at least wants his lawyers to look.

KAGAN: Let's keep it in Britain and talk about rocker Pete Townshend. He gets off a little bit off these child porn charges, but not completely?

LEVIN: Not completely at all. What happened is, Townshend says, Look, I never downloaded any kind of kiddie porn, and the police agree, but apparently he did go to a Web site involving child porn. The police say that is enough to constitute a crime. So what he has done essentially is copped a plea, and he has agreed to be registered as a sex offender for five years. It is not a criminal conviction, and if nothing happens beyond that, it will go off his record. But bottom line, he says he was doing research. Police say it still constitutes a crime.

KAGAN: And finally, seems like we just wrapped up the shoplifting saga around Winona Ryder, and now there is another crisis, perhaps, for a sitcom star out there. LEVIN: Well, it involves this time $449 worth of costume jewelry. You know who Rosario is, the maid on "Will and Grace?" Shelley Morrison allegedly cleaned up at the Robinsons-May department store a couple of weeks ago. They say she put that jewelry in her pocket, walked out of the store. Misdemeanor charges have been filed against her. She is planning on pleading not guilty to the charge in the next couple of days, but it is Winona revisited, but scaled down, Daryn.

KAGAN: Just a little bit, and going to Robinsons-May instead of Sachs.

LEVIN: Right. And you know what is interesting is, it was -- her very first job was at Robinsons-May when she was 15 years old.

KAGAN: Well, innocent until proven guilty. We'll leave it like that.

LEVIN: Absolutely.

KAGAN: Harvey, thank you so much. Harvey Levin from "Celebrity Justice."

LEVIN: My pleasure.

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