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American Morning

'90 Second Pop'

Aired July 17, 2003 - 09:49   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The primetime Emmy nominees are at the top of our "90 Second Pop," and joining us this morning to explore the world of pop culture is Devin Gordon from "Newsweek," Suchin Pak MTV and Ben Pappas from "US Weekly."
Good morning, all of you. Thanks for joining us.

Devin, we're going to begin with you, because of course we had breaking news this morning. The Emmy nominations are out, and it seems like big news there is that "Law & Order," which could have had a record this year, missed the boat.

DEVIN GORDON, "NEWSWEEK": Yes, I'm going to give CNN a bunch of letters by saying thank God, it's about time. Maybe somebody finally noticed that "Law & Order" has been the exact same episode for the past 11 years. I, for one, am glad to have it off the list, make room for a more deserving entry.

O'BRIEN: Devon, this is your last time on the show with me, because I love that show so much, I can't even tell you.

Let's talk a little bit about best drama. Who do you like in that list, and let's see a list of the nominees this morning.

Who do you like for best drama, Suchin?

SUCHIN PAK, MTV NEWS: I have to go with everybody's favorite, "Six Feet Under." I think that that show is best drama, best comedy, best a little bit of everything. That's sort of my -- I think that's my prediction. What do you guys think?

BEN PAPPAS, "US WEEKLY": Yes, I think HBO really hit it out of the park this year per usual. We had "The Sopranos" back this year, a scheduling kind of glitch kept them off the Emmys last year. I think that helped muscle out "Law & Order," and I think that's a good thing.

GORDON: I got to say, I think I'm going to pick "The Sopranos." I think that this is "The Sopranos" year to win. I think that the year out of the Emmy nomination process actually may have helped them.

O'BRIEN: How so?

GORDON: I think it builds a little steam for "Sopranos." People are hooked, like happy to see them back. They haven't been a contender last year, because of scheduling problems, and I think this is just their year. People really want to give "The Sopranos" an award at some point. It's embarrassing that the show has been on for so long and it hasn't won a best drama Emmy.

PAK: I was going to say, but have you talked to a "Six Feet Under" fan. I mean, everyone one of my friends watches "Six Feet Under." It's like TiVo, DVD.

O'BRIEN: A little obsessed.

PAK: They are, T-shirts.

GORDON: I would pick "Six Feet Under," because it had a better season than "Sopranos."

O'BRIEN: So you're strategy it's a better show, you like it better, but you would vote for "Sopranos."

GORDON: No, I think "Sopranos" is going to win. I don't think I would vote for it, but I think "Sopranos" will end up winning.

O'BRIEN: All right, we only have a little bit of time left, but I want to talk about best actor, best actress.

GORDON: The best actor list is the same list you would have expected, and that's fine, because there are great actors there. James Gandolfini is probably going to win this time, and he probably deserves to. I think Michael Chiklis winning last year...

O'BRIEN: Big shock.

GORDON: It was a big shock, and I think people were just so surprised by a performance that came out of nowhere. That won't happen again this year. And I think James Gandolfini, everybody just reveres what that guy does. I think the one dark horse might be Kiefer Sutherland, because there's such heat behind that show. It's got viewers this season, and it's the critical reviews that it's been getting all along. He could win as well.

O'BRIEN: Ben, do you want to go to best actress?

PAPPAS: For best actress, I could go off the charts and say someone like Jennifer Garner could be a surprise there.

O'BRIEN: Really?

PAPPAS: Yes, I just think that show has been some building steam, and I think she would be a good...

GORDON: People love her. People just adore her.

O'BRIEN: But you know, you say people adore her, but the way the vote is, does that really play a gigantic role what the viewers think? We've all seen shows that have gotten Emmy nominations and should have won, viewers loved them, and they didn't.

GORDON: There has got to be some explanation for how Michael Chiklis won last year, and I think that's part of it. I think that there's momentum, and people just really liked him in that performance, but I think Edie Falco is going to win that award. I mean, her performance this past year with "The Sopranos," going through that breakup with Tony, that was just as good acting as you'll see on television ever, and I can't imagine she won't win that.

O'BRIEN: Great TV.

Let's turn and talk a little bit about Madonna.

Suchin, am I the only one who thinks this is a weird match. Madonna and The Gap?

PAK: I think at first when you read it on paper, you hear about it, it's a little odd. You're like, Madonna in T-shirts, I didn't know she did that sort of thing.

O'BRIEN: Khakis, couture.

PAK: But you know, Madonna has had a bit of a bit of a relationship with Gap. I mean, you know, the Gap has -- they have program music in the stores, if you ever get dressed and you're in the fitting rooms, and Madonna's, you know, been on that sort of program list for years.

O'BRIEN: But that's a big stretch going from music in the store.

PAK: Right, but she's done Pepsi, granted she's also done BMW. She's coming up with children's books. So I think she's kind of softening her edges a little bit.

O'BRIEN: So you think this is a Madonna engineer, this would be good for my image?

PAK: Surprise, surprise. I know, that's very hard to believe about Madonna. But I think it's a bit of the image, and as well, it's a Gap ad. She's not selling a breadmaker. You know, it's something, conceivably, she has a pair of khakis or a pair of Gap jeans somewhere, and I think that, you know, the album, yes, didn't do as well as she expected, 500,000 copes, I think, since it's been out, and so I think this will help a little bit. You know, she's also on there, I think, with Missy Elliott, which puts up a little bit of an edge and a credibility with a different audience.

O'BRIEN: Any risks, do you think? I mean, you mentioned the Pepsi ad as if it did really well. It wasn't a little controversial, which it was, and it kind of got yanked, right? So any risk there to this?

GORDON: There's not much risk for Madonna.

O'BRIEN: No, no, I mean for The Gap.

GORDON: For The Gap? I don't think there's much risk for them either. I think that, for them, any publicity that comes out of this. It's not like the gap it doing as well as they've been doing, say, three years ago. So any attention that comes out of this, it's the old bad publicity is good publicity, any publicity is good publicity, and you know, if some sort of any controversy should erupt with Madonna, I think they'll be delighted. I think it can only work out for them.

A Madonna has been praying for controversy at this point, you know what I mean, it's kind of like, it's Madonna, isn't she adorable?

O'BRIEN: ... world we live in. Everyone's praying for controversy. Devin Gordon, Suchin Pak and Ben Pappas, nice to see all of you. Thank you so 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 July 17, 2003 - 09:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The primetime Emmy nominees are at the top of our "90 Second Pop," and joining us this morning to explore the world of pop culture is Devin Gordon from "Newsweek," Suchin Pak MTV and Ben Pappas from "US Weekly."
Good morning, all of you. Thanks for joining us.

Devin, we're going to begin with you, because of course we had breaking news this morning. The Emmy nominations are out, and it seems like big news there is that "Law & Order," which could have had a record this year, missed the boat.

DEVIN GORDON, "NEWSWEEK": Yes, I'm going to give CNN a bunch of letters by saying thank God, it's about time. Maybe somebody finally noticed that "Law & Order" has been the exact same episode for the past 11 years. I, for one, am glad to have it off the list, make room for a more deserving entry.

O'BRIEN: Devon, this is your last time on the show with me, because I love that show so much, I can't even tell you.

Let's talk a little bit about best drama. Who do you like in that list, and let's see a list of the nominees this morning.

Who do you like for best drama, Suchin?

SUCHIN PAK, MTV NEWS: I have to go with everybody's favorite, "Six Feet Under." I think that that show is best drama, best comedy, best a little bit of everything. That's sort of my -- I think that's my prediction. What do you guys think?

BEN PAPPAS, "US WEEKLY": Yes, I think HBO really hit it out of the park this year per usual. We had "The Sopranos" back this year, a scheduling kind of glitch kept them off the Emmys last year. I think that helped muscle out "Law & Order," and I think that's a good thing.

GORDON: I got to say, I think I'm going to pick "The Sopranos." I think that this is "The Sopranos" year to win. I think that the year out of the Emmy nomination process actually may have helped them.

O'BRIEN: How so?

GORDON: I think it builds a little steam for "Sopranos." People are hooked, like happy to see them back. They haven't been a contender last year, because of scheduling problems, and I think this is just their year. People really want to give "The Sopranos" an award at some point. It's embarrassing that the show has been on for so long and it hasn't won a best drama Emmy.

PAK: I was going to say, but have you talked to a "Six Feet Under" fan. I mean, everyone one of my friends watches "Six Feet Under." It's like TiVo, DVD.

O'BRIEN: A little obsessed.

PAK: They are, T-shirts.

GORDON: I would pick "Six Feet Under," because it had a better season than "Sopranos."

O'BRIEN: So you're strategy it's a better show, you like it better, but you would vote for "Sopranos."

GORDON: No, I think "Sopranos" is going to win. I don't think I would vote for it, but I think "Sopranos" will end up winning.

O'BRIEN: All right, we only have a little bit of time left, but I want to talk about best actor, best actress.

GORDON: The best actor list is the same list you would have expected, and that's fine, because there are great actors there. James Gandolfini is probably going to win this time, and he probably deserves to. I think Michael Chiklis winning last year...

O'BRIEN: Big shock.

GORDON: It was a big shock, and I think people were just so surprised by a performance that came out of nowhere. That won't happen again this year. And I think James Gandolfini, everybody just reveres what that guy does. I think the one dark horse might be Kiefer Sutherland, because there's such heat behind that show. It's got viewers this season, and it's the critical reviews that it's been getting all along. He could win as well.

O'BRIEN: Ben, do you want to go to best actress?

PAPPAS: For best actress, I could go off the charts and say someone like Jennifer Garner could be a surprise there.

O'BRIEN: Really?

PAPPAS: Yes, I just think that show has been some building steam, and I think she would be a good...

GORDON: People love her. People just adore her.

O'BRIEN: But you know, you say people adore her, but the way the vote is, does that really play a gigantic role what the viewers think? We've all seen shows that have gotten Emmy nominations and should have won, viewers loved them, and they didn't.

GORDON: There has got to be some explanation for how Michael Chiklis won last year, and I think that's part of it. I think that there's momentum, and people just really liked him in that performance, but I think Edie Falco is going to win that award. I mean, her performance this past year with "The Sopranos," going through that breakup with Tony, that was just as good acting as you'll see on television ever, and I can't imagine she won't win that.

O'BRIEN: Great TV.

Let's turn and talk a little bit about Madonna.

Suchin, am I the only one who thinks this is a weird match. Madonna and The Gap?

PAK: I think at first when you read it on paper, you hear about it, it's a little odd. You're like, Madonna in T-shirts, I didn't know she did that sort of thing.

O'BRIEN: Khakis, couture.

PAK: But you know, Madonna has had a bit of a bit of a relationship with Gap. I mean, you know, the Gap has -- they have program music in the stores, if you ever get dressed and you're in the fitting rooms, and Madonna's, you know, been on that sort of program list for years.

O'BRIEN: But that's a big stretch going from music in the store.

PAK: Right, but she's done Pepsi, granted she's also done BMW. She's coming up with children's books. So I think she's kind of softening her edges a little bit.

O'BRIEN: So you think this is a Madonna engineer, this would be good for my image?

PAK: Surprise, surprise. I know, that's very hard to believe about Madonna. But I think it's a bit of the image, and as well, it's a Gap ad. She's not selling a breadmaker. You know, it's something, conceivably, she has a pair of khakis or a pair of Gap jeans somewhere, and I think that, you know, the album, yes, didn't do as well as she expected, 500,000 copes, I think, since it's been out, and so I think this will help a little bit. You know, she's also on there, I think, with Missy Elliott, which puts up a little bit of an edge and a credibility with a different audience.

O'BRIEN: Any risks, do you think? I mean, you mentioned the Pepsi ad as if it did really well. It wasn't a little controversial, which it was, and it kind of got yanked, right? So any risk there to this?

GORDON: There's not much risk for Madonna.

O'BRIEN: No, no, I mean for The Gap.

GORDON: For The Gap? I don't think there's much risk for them either. I think that, for them, any publicity that comes out of this. It's not like the gap it doing as well as they've been doing, say, three years ago. So any attention that comes out of this, it's the old bad publicity is good publicity, any publicity is good publicity, and you know, if some sort of any controversy should erupt with Madonna, I think they'll be delighted. I think it can only work out for them.

A Madonna has been praying for controversy at this point, you know what I mean, it's kind of like, it's Madonna, isn't she adorable?

O'BRIEN: ... world we live in. Everyone's praying for controversy. Devin Gordon, Suchin Pak and Ben Pappas, nice to see all of you. Thank you so 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