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American Morning

Minding Your Business: Too Racy for Wal-Mart

Aired June 09, 2003 - 08:48   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Checking business right now, Andy Serwer watching a cover-up afoot right now at Wal-Mart. What gives?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, the culture police are out again in force at Wal-Mart. Remember a couple of weeks ago they banned those racy men's magazines like "Maxim" and "Stuff?"

KING: Gone.

SERWER: Gone. They're out. They're out of the stores. Well now, they are putting covers on some venerable women's magazines that they consider too racy, only at the checkout counters, though. They're leaving them unadorned in the magazine section. But, you know, some magazines you might not think of as being so racy, but I was checking them out today, and you know, there's Faith Hill looking good.

KAGAN: Hubba, hubba.

SERWER: And, you know, sexiest is right there. Here we go. This one here, "Redbook" -- I didn't think that -- "Three amazing sex moves." You know. that's what's on there. "Secret passion." "Jennifer Aniston talks about making babies," you know. Here's Marie Claire, "Sex and men survey."

Daryn, do you read these things?

KAGAN: You know, I've just got to stay up-to-date.

SERWER: There you go. And how about this one? The one here. This is Drew Barrymore on "Cosmo," the sex special, of course, "Be your sexiest," "Sex dreams." And then here's something about having to -- well, I'm not even going to read that one.

KAGAN: Yes, that's a good idea.

SERWER: I mean, that's too racy for even me to say. I mean, so maybe Wal-Mart has got a point, right?

KAGAN: You know, people are in there with their families and their kids. If you want the magazine, you know where to get it, and you just don't need to explain all of those things to your kids when you go through the checkout line.

SERWER: I didn't know these things were so...

HEMMER: Enjoy your reading. KAGAN: Then you've got to read them.

SERWER: ... spicy, yes.

KAGAN: Hey, speaking of spicy, how about Christina Aguilera?

SERWER: Christina Aguilera is spicy, and she is doing a new bunch of advertisements for Sun Microsystems Java computer language. I mean, you've got Java computer language here, you've got Christina Aguilera there. I kind of don't get -- I get -- is that dirty? That's dirty.

KAGAN: That's her video. That's not the commercial.

SERWER: No, that's not the commercial. That's dirty, though.

KAGAN: Right.

SERWER: And, you know, Java is used on phones. It is this computer language. It's an Internet computer language. I don't really get it, though. I mean, she's kind of appealing to -- I've got a phone here with Java on it. A lot of phones have Java. There it is. It says "Java-powered." But I'm not really sure I get why Christina Aguilera is advertising...

HEMMER: Not much (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Maybe it's the amount of the contract that's worth it, huh?

SERWER: Yes, I guess. I mean, you know...

KAGAN: Maybe now Christina Aguilera would call you on your telephone.

SERWER: Maybe she will. I mean, that would be really something else.

HEMMER: That would make a really good Monday, huh?

KAGAN: That would be a story.

SERWER: I'm complaining about things, but, you know, you never know. Sometimes you've got...

HEMMER: Whoa!

SERWER: Oh, that's Christina. I'll have to call you back, baby. I'm sorry. That's pretty good.

HEMMER: He's busy.

SERWER: That's pretty good. I mean, you know, calling me up like that. Maybe she's complaining. Don't complain.

HEMMER: Send her a...

SERWER: Another question.

KAGAN: Caller ID.

HEMMER: Send her a text message.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Forty minutes to the markets, what are you seeing today so far?

SERWER: Now futures are down a little bit, because of Motorola. Some Motorola phones, apparently they're not selling enough of them in Asia, so that's hurting.

HEMMER: Enjoy your reading today, Andy.

SERWER: I've got...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: See you later.

KAGAN: Just have Christina to call more people, and they'll sell more phones.

SERWER: Yes, OK. You bet.

KAGAN: There you go. Andy, thank you very much.

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 June 9, 2003 - 08:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Checking business right now, Andy Serwer watching a cover-up afoot right now at Wal-Mart. What gives?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, the culture police are out again in force at Wal-Mart. Remember a couple of weeks ago they banned those racy men's magazines like "Maxim" and "Stuff?"

KING: Gone.

SERWER: Gone. They're out. They're out of the stores. Well now, they are putting covers on some venerable women's magazines that they consider too racy, only at the checkout counters, though. They're leaving them unadorned in the magazine section. But, you know, some magazines you might not think of as being so racy, but I was checking them out today, and you know, there's Faith Hill looking good.

KAGAN: Hubba, hubba.

SERWER: And, you know, sexiest is right there. Here we go. This one here, "Redbook" -- I didn't think that -- "Three amazing sex moves." You know. that's what's on there. "Secret passion." "Jennifer Aniston talks about making babies," you know. Here's Marie Claire, "Sex and men survey."

Daryn, do you read these things?

KAGAN: You know, I've just got to stay up-to-date.

SERWER: There you go. And how about this one? The one here. This is Drew Barrymore on "Cosmo," the sex special, of course, "Be your sexiest," "Sex dreams." And then here's something about having to -- well, I'm not even going to read that one.

KAGAN: Yes, that's a good idea.

SERWER: I mean, that's too racy for even me to say. I mean, so maybe Wal-Mart has got a point, right?

KAGAN: You know, people are in there with their families and their kids. If you want the magazine, you know where to get it, and you just don't need to explain all of those things to your kids when you go through the checkout line.

SERWER: I didn't know these things were so...

HEMMER: Enjoy your reading. KAGAN: Then you've got to read them.

SERWER: ... spicy, yes.

KAGAN: Hey, speaking of spicy, how about Christina Aguilera?

SERWER: Christina Aguilera is spicy, and she is doing a new bunch of advertisements for Sun Microsystems Java computer language. I mean, you've got Java computer language here, you've got Christina Aguilera there. I kind of don't get -- I get -- is that dirty? That's dirty.

KAGAN: That's her video. That's not the commercial.

SERWER: No, that's not the commercial. That's dirty, though.

KAGAN: Right.

SERWER: And, you know, Java is used on phones. It is this computer language. It's an Internet computer language. I don't really get it, though. I mean, she's kind of appealing to -- I've got a phone here with Java on it. A lot of phones have Java. There it is. It says "Java-powered." But I'm not really sure I get why Christina Aguilera is advertising...

HEMMER: Not much (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Maybe it's the amount of the contract that's worth it, huh?

SERWER: Yes, I guess. I mean, you know...

KAGAN: Maybe now Christina Aguilera would call you on your telephone.

SERWER: Maybe she will. I mean, that would be really something else.

HEMMER: That would make a really good Monday, huh?

KAGAN: That would be a story.

SERWER: I'm complaining about things, but, you know, you never know. Sometimes you've got...

HEMMER: Whoa!

SERWER: Oh, that's Christina. I'll have to call you back, baby. I'm sorry. That's pretty good.

HEMMER: He's busy.

SERWER: That's pretty good. I mean, you know, calling me up like that. Maybe she's complaining. Don't complain.

HEMMER: Send her a...

SERWER: Another question.

KAGAN: Caller ID.

HEMMER: Send her a text message.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Forty minutes to the markets, what are you seeing today so far?

SERWER: Now futures are down a little bit, because of Motorola. Some Motorola phones, apparently they're not selling enough of them in Asia, so that's hurting.

HEMMER: Enjoy your reading today, Andy.

SERWER: I've got...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: See you later.

KAGAN: Just have Christina to call more people, and they'll sell more phones.

SERWER: Yes, OK. You bet.

KAGAN: There you go. Andy, thank you very much.

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