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American Morning
90-Second Pop: Culture Watch
Aired July 03, 2003 - 07:51 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It's time now for our "90-Second Pop," when we're joined by a quick-witted panel to explore pressing issues from the world of popular culture.
Our guests this morning, quick-witted as they are, B.J. Sigusmund, entertainment editor for "Newsweek," Leah Rozen, "People" magazine movie critic, and Ben Pappas, senior write for "Us Weekly."
Thanks so much for being here, guys. A lot to talk about this morning.
The first is Princess Diana as a super hero. Now, I've got to ask right off the top, what will she do?
B.J. SIGUSMUND, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, "NEWSWEEK": She will fly through the air. She's sort of like an X-Man type super hero in this very bad idea, I think, that's come out of Marvel Comics. You know, No. 1, comics are traditionally a male sort of thing, and I don't think guys are interested at all in Princess Diana, especially six years after her death. And women who might still buy a biography of Diana, for instance, would not be interested in reading a comic book in which she is a super hero. They would not find that funny at all.
LEAH ROZEN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: But she is saved by the super heroes from bad euro trash.
SIGUSMUND: I guess that's supposed to be Buckingham Palace? I'm not sure.
BEN PAPPAS, "US WEEKLY": We have to put this in context, too. These are super heroes that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) anyway. These aren't your traditional super heroes.
ROZEN: Right.
PAPPAS: These are super heroes that have a little bit of an edge to them, a little bit of social commentary there. So...
SIGUSMUND: So, it's a little bit of a media commentary, but I think it's going to get lost and eclipsed by the whole idea.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, there have got to be some people who are going to be offend by this.
ROZEN: Buckingham Palace and certain British papers that have made enormous money off Diana already have come out officially and said, how can they do this? SIGUSMUND: But I just don't get it. Like, you would be interested in maybe reading a comic book that made fun of Martha Stewart right now, but not Princess Diana. There's just nothing at all that appeals about it to anyone, I couldn't think.
COLLINS: All right, so let's move on. How about that?
ROZEN: It's a comic book. I'm a girl.
COLLINS: We hate it.
ROZEN: Yes.
COLLINS: OK, so, Leah, big movies out this week, let's go ahead and talk about those. Weve got "Legally Blonde 2," "Terminator 3." Any surprises with these two? I've heard about...
(CROSSTALK)
ROZEN: And you've got "Sinbad," so there's something for everyone at the megaplex.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROZEN: "Terminator 3" is the surprise. It's a whole lot of fun. Who thought there was still life in that series? It is a dozen years that goes since "Terminator 2." Arnold is, as we say, nicely old as the hills. But the movie is a lot of fun, and they kind of -- they make fun of themselves. It works. There are good special effects, and it's only 109 minutes.
COLLINS: Well, is that part of it? I mean, this is the third one.
ROZEN: That...
COLLINS: So, by the time you get to the third one, you just keep making them shorter?
ROZEN: Well, that's a plus, because so many movies that are sequels are so bloated, they're so full of themselves, they're so self-important. And this one is just a lot -- it's amusing, and they have the right attitude.
PAPPAS: It's a great special effect to make unnecessary plot turns go away, and I think this movie sort of cuts to the chase and that really does help a lot.
COLLINS: Does it?
SIGUSMUND: This has always my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger role.
PAPPAS: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes. SIGUSMUND: I a big fan of T-1 and T-2, and I would go see this one no matter what the reviews were like.
ROZEN: It's the one he enjoys doing most. They keep all of his sentences under five words. And, you know, you get to hear ponder the cultural significance of Arnold going, "Talk to the hand."
COLLINS: Yes.
SIGUSMUND: He's a man born to play a machine.
ROZEN: Yes.
COLLINS: And that might be possible. Now, wait, what about "Legally Blonde 2." I mean, when it first came out, it was kind of a surprise. I don't think people expected to like it as much as they did. But should they have stopped there?
ROZEN: Well, they're going to make money off it. It's every woman I know wants to see it, but it is legally bland. It's basically -- yes, it's basically Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," except it's "Prettier in Pink" this time.
SIGUSMUND: I hear that the script is terrible, and I wonder if they were going to spend $15 million on Reece Witherspoon that why they wouldn't have spent more money to come up with a script that was at least as clever as the first one.
ROZEN: Because they spent $20 million coming up with really bad scripts for male stars they are paying 20 and 25 million. It's one joke. It's semi-amusing, you know.
COLLINS: Ben, what do you think of it?
PAPPAS: I think Reece is always better than her material. I think that's the same here. If you're a big fan of Reece, you're going to enjoy this movie.
COLLINS: All right, let's move on now to Bravo's new reality show, "The Clear Eye for the Straight Guy," which is -- it's a fashionably challenged straight man who meets up how many is it? Five gay fashion experts. He's going to get a makeover from them. What do you think about this? Is this entertaining or is it more stereotyping, Ben?
PAPPAS: I've seen the show. It's far from flawless, but I think its heart is in the right place. I think it's good to take a chance. I think if TNN really wants to be the real male network, they should get a show like this, represent all different types of male lifestyles. Again, not a perfect show, but there were a couple of good tips in there for all types of people.
ROZEN: Anything that makes men better on the dance floor is a plus.
SIGUSMUND: I agree. I saw the show, too. And I found it very charming and sort of self-deprecating in the way that "Will and Grace" is kind of funny and self-deprecating. And I think Bravo is not only targeting gay men obviously with this, but women, too, women who watch makeover shows I think are going to be very interested.
ROZEN: I mean, Bravo knows there are numbers out there watching. Bravo scored its highest ratings ever with its gay wedding show opposite the Super Bowl.
COLLINS: Well, we will have to wait and see all of this, but that was definitely an interesting contradiction there.
All right, B.J. Sigusmund, entertainment editor for "Newsweek," Leah Rozen, movie critic for "People" magazine, and Ben Pappas, senior writer for "US Weekly," thanks so much for being here, guys.
SIGUSMUND: Thank you.
PAPPAS: Thank you.
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 July 3, 2003 - 07:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It's time now for our "90-Second Pop," when we're joined by a quick-witted panel to explore pressing issues from the world of popular culture.
Our guests this morning, quick-witted as they are, B.J. Sigusmund, entertainment editor for "Newsweek," Leah Rozen, "People" magazine movie critic, and Ben Pappas, senior write for "Us Weekly."
Thanks so much for being here, guys. A lot to talk about this morning.
The first is Princess Diana as a super hero. Now, I've got to ask right off the top, what will she do?
B.J. SIGUSMUND, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, "NEWSWEEK": She will fly through the air. She's sort of like an X-Man type super hero in this very bad idea, I think, that's come out of Marvel Comics. You know, No. 1, comics are traditionally a male sort of thing, and I don't think guys are interested at all in Princess Diana, especially six years after her death. And women who might still buy a biography of Diana, for instance, would not be interested in reading a comic book in which she is a super hero. They would not find that funny at all.
LEAH ROZEN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: But she is saved by the super heroes from bad euro trash.
SIGUSMUND: I guess that's supposed to be Buckingham Palace? I'm not sure.
BEN PAPPAS, "US WEEKLY": We have to put this in context, too. These are super heroes that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) anyway. These aren't your traditional super heroes.
ROZEN: Right.
PAPPAS: These are super heroes that have a little bit of an edge to them, a little bit of social commentary there. So...
SIGUSMUND: So, it's a little bit of a media commentary, but I think it's going to get lost and eclipsed by the whole idea.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, there have got to be some people who are going to be offend by this.
ROZEN: Buckingham Palace and certain British papers that have made enormous money off Diana already have come out officially and said, how can they do this? SIGUSMUND: But I just don't get it. Like, you would be interested in maybe reading a comic book that made fun of Martha Stewart right now, but not Princess Diana. There's just nothing at all that appeals about it to anyone, I couldn't think.
COLLINS: All right, so let's move on. How about that?
ROZEN: It's a comic book. I'm a girl.
COLLINS: We hate it.
ROZEN: Yes.
COLLINS: OK, so, Leah, big movies out this week, let's go ahead and talk about those. Weve got "Legally Blonde 2," "Terminator 3." Any surprises with these two? I've heard about...
(CROSSTALK)
ROZEN: And you've got "Sinbad," so there's something for everyone at the megaplex.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROZEN: "Terminator 3" is the surprise. It's a whole lot of fun. Who thought there was still life in that series? It is a dozen years that goes since "Terminator 2." Arnold is, as we say, nicely old as the hills. But the movie is a lot of fun, and they kind of -- they make fun of themselves. It works. There are good special effects, and it's only 109 minutes.
COLLINS: Well, is that part of it? I mean, this is the third one.
ROZEN: That...
COLLINS: So, by the time you get to the third one, you just keep making them shorter?
ROZEN: Well, that's a plus, because so many movies that are sequels are so bloated, they're so full of themselves, they're so self-important. And this one is just a lot -- it's amusing, and they have the right attitude.
PAPPAS: It's a great special effect to make unnecessary plot turns go away, and I think this movie sort of cuts to the chase and that really does help a lot.
COLLINS: Does it?
SIGUSMUND: This has always my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger role.
PAPPAS: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes. SIGUSMUND: I a big fan of T-1 and T-2, and I would go see this one no matter what the reviews were like.
ROZEN: It's the one he enjoys doing most. They keep all of his sentences under five words. And, you know, you get to hear ponder the cultural significance of Arnold going, "Talk to the hand."
COLLINS: Yes.
SIGUSMUND: He's a man born to play a machine.
ROZEN: Yes.
COLLINS: And that might be possible. Now, wait, what about "Legally Blonde 2." I mean, when it first came out, it was kind of a surprise. I don't think people expected to like it as much as they did. But should they have stopped there?
ROZEN: Well, they're going to make money off it. It's every woman I know wants to see it, but it is legally bland. It's basically -- yes, it's basically Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," except it's "Prettier in Pink" this time.
SIGUSMUND: I hear that the script is terrible, and I wonder if they were going to spend $15 million on Reece Witherspoon that why they wouldn't have spent more money to come up with a script that was at least as clever as the first one.
ROZEN: Because they spent $20 million coming up with really bad scripts for male stars they are paying 20 and 25 million. It's one joke. It's semi-amusing, you know.
COLLINS: Ben, what do you think of it?
PAPPAS: I think Reece is always better than her material. I think that's the same here. If you're a big fan of Reece, you're going to enjoy this movie.
COLLINS: All right, let's move on now to Bravo's new reality show, "The Clear Eye for the Straight Guy," which is -- it's a fashionably challenged straight man who meets up how many is it? Five gay fashion experts. He's going to get a makeover from them. What do you think about this? Is this entertaining or is it more stereotyping, Ben?
PAPPAS: I've seen the show. It's far from flawless, but I think its heart is in the right place. I think it's good to take a chance. I think if TNN really wants to be the real male network, they should get a show like this, represent all different types of male lifestyles. Again, not a perfect show, but there were a couple of good tips in there for all types of people.
ROZEN: Anything that makes men better on the dance floor is a plus.
SIGUSMUND: I agree. I saw the show, too. And I found it very charming and sort of self-deprecating in the way that "Will and Grace" is kind of funny and self-deprecating. And I think Bravo is not only targeting gay men obviously with this, but women, too, women who watch makeover shows I think are going to be very interested.
ROZEN: I mean, Bravo knows there are numbers out there watching. Bravo scored its highest ratings ever with its gay wedding show opposite the Super Bowl.
COLLINS: Well, we will have to wait and see all of this, but that was definitely an interesting contradiction there.
All right, B.J. Sigusmund, entertainment editor for "Newsweek," Leah Rozen, movie critic for "People" magazine, and Ben Pappas, senior writer for "US Weekly," thanks so much for being here, guys.
SIGUSMUND: Thank you.
PAPPAS: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
