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American Morning

90-Second Pop, Culture Watch

Aired July 21, 2003 - 07:52   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: All right, time for "90-Second Pop," our lightening-fast look at what's happening in the world of pop culture. We could not do it without our quick-witted panel and they're the A-team today.
Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone" back with us. Good to see you. B.J.Sigesmund, "Newsweek" entertainment reporter. Good morning, B.J.

B.J. SIGESMUND, "NEWSWEEK" ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Good morning.

HEMMER: And humorist Andy Borowitz, author of "Who Moved my Soap?: the CEO's Guide to Prison." Andy knows all about that. Good morning. How are you?

ANDY BOROWITZ, AUTHOR, "WHO MOVED MY SOAP?": Hey, Bill.

HEMMER: I want to get to three topics -- Kobe Bryant. Oh, wow! Is this thing going to get nasty or what?

TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE": Yes, so sad. You know, I mean, this is a black man accused of raping a white woman in America. I mean, can anything be scarier? He's gone from Joe Lewis to the Scottsborough (ph) Boys in a heartbeat, you know. And the thing is, all of you people who are watching him cry and feeling for him, this is a guy who cheated on his wife and his new baby. I mean, nothing could be worse except in cheating on a pregnant woman.

SIGESMUND: But, you know, Toure, they are doing everything they can do. I mean, Kobe Bryant, the world feels that he's not the sort of person who could do this sort of thing. And on Friday, he and Vanessa gave the public an image that plays into that perception. You know, this is all they can do. They're losing everything. It's slipping through their fingers right now.

TOURE: Yes, yes, I mean, we didn't expect him to be an adulterer either. So, all of those people who said, oh, this doesn't sound like him, we've got to recalibrate what we thought of him.

HEMMER: Don't you think he worked extremely hard at living a very private life?

TOURE: And being, I'm not going to show you what you think -- what you think of the high school guy failing, of the NBA family failing. He's worked very hard to maintain this image, and yet, you know, we all know it takes years to build a reputation and a moment to screw it up. HEMMER: You know, someone once said the only normal people are the people you don't know.

TOURE: Yes.

HEMMER: Could this be a case?

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: If you're Nike, if you're Sprite, if you're McDonald's...

SIGUSMUND: Bye to those endorsement deals.

(CROSSTALK)

SIGUSMUND: By what?

TOURE: His life is over. It's totally changed. It cannot go back to what he was.

HEMMER: So, you think run away from him if you're endorsing Kobe Bryant, get away from it now and drop...

TOURE: O.J. was super clean and loved before this whole thing started with Nicole.

BOROWITZ: I would say that if I'm Nike, though, I would not switch to the guy who hit the sausage with the bat. That's not a good way to go either.

HEMMER: Well, he's got his own legal matters, does he not? Let's talk about "The Restaurant." Last night it debuted on NBC. I saw about the first 20 minutes of it. I had to go to bed. 4:00 a.m. comes early, by the way.

SIGUSMUND: Exactly, yes.

HEMMER: Did you like it, B.J.?

SIGUSMUND: I thought it was great. I think Mark Burnett (ph) has done a great job of finessing this show. It's got a lot going for it. Rocco DiSpirito is a great engaging personality, and it's a great, unique set up that's not tawdry like so much of reality TV right now, nor gimmicky. What I'm worried about, though, is if America is really that interested in and fascinated by the inner workings of a Manhattan restaurant.

TOURE: But we've all worked in restaurants. There are so many of us have worked in restaurants. It's not just Rocco...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: Now, that is true, and there is drama in every restaurant. But his point is: Does anyone outside of New York care? BOROWITZ: I think they will be. I think they will be, because now with the unemployment rate where it is, I think it's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you see people with jobs.

SIGUSMUND: I mean, the thing that I like so much about it is it doesn't rely...

BOROWITZ: I want to see Kinko's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

SIGUSMUND: There is just so much reality TV right now, it just seems like a joke that's based on, you know, ripping off something that was successful on another channel. "Who Wants to Marry my Dad?" I mean, that's a punch line.

TOURE: But this is good, smart, real reality TV. Like, it's not a setup. I mean, it is a setup, but it's not a setup. There are actually restaurants that open all of the time. We get to see inside all of the little things that have to go into it. I had no idea they would be...

HEMMER: There's a lot...

TOURE: ... struggling until the last second to get it together.

SIGUSMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: There's a lot of...

TOURE: This vast distinction between the front of the kitchen and the front of the house and your kitchen, and I love that.

SIGUSMUND: And, of course, they stack the deck, too. I mean, they gave them seven weeks to open this restaurant...

TOURE: Right, right, right.

SIGUSMUND: ... which is unheard of in Manhattan.

HEMMER: Well, are you suggesting that that fire last night was not legitimate? Come on! Where is the baking soda when you need it?

Finally, a great weekend for Jerry Bruckheimer.

BOROWITZ: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Has this ever happened with the same producer, has the two top movies in the same week? The "Pirates of the Caribbean" is second; now "Bad Boys II" was No. 1.

BOROWITZ: Well, you know, the great thing about having Jerry -- two Jerry Bruckheimer movies that if you're in a multiplex and you're watching a Jerry Bruckheimer movie and you're hearing explosions in the Jerry Bruckheimer movie next door, it doesn't wreck the explosion in the Jerry Bruckheimer you're watching. It makes it even more enjoyable. I think it's great. But I loved "Bad Boys II," because I think the best thing about it is the title because it's so simple. It's not Bad Boys II Reloaded and it's not Bad Boys II Full Throttle, and it's not Too Bad, Two Boys, which could have been bad.

SIGUSMUND: I want to -- and that was great. I think that, though, he is celebrating "Bad Boys II," but Bruckheimer also is probably thrilled with "Pirates of the Caribbean," because it slipped not even 30 percent this weekend, which bodes incredibly well for it long term, whereas, you know, "Matrix" slipped 60 percent the first week...

HEMMER: Yes.

SIGUSMUND: ... and "Charlie's Angel's, 70 percent, you know, next week.

TOURE: Right.

SIGUSMUND: And so, you know, "Pirates" is going to do very, very, very well.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: We've got to go, guys. We're out of time. Thanks. Good to see you, B.J., Andy, Toure. It's my first time doing "90- Second Pop."

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: They finally allowed me.

BOROWITZ: You are Mr. Pop Culture.

TOURE: You're OK with us.

HEMMER: You can see it all over my face.

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 21, 2003 - 07:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, time for "90-Second Pop," our lightening-fast look at what's happening in the world of pop culture. We could not do it without our quick-witted panel and they're the A-team today.
Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone" back with us. Good to see you. B.J.Sigesmund, "Newsweek" entertainment reporter. Good morning, B.J.

B.J. SIGESMUND, "NEWSWEEK" ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Good morning.

HEMMER: And humorist Andy Borowitz, author of "Who Moved my Soap?: the CEO's Guide to Prison." Andy knows all about that. Good morning. How are you?

ANDY BOROWITZ, AUTHOR, "WHO MOVED MY SOAP?": Hey, Bill.

HEMMER: I want to get to three topics -- Kobe Bryant. Oh, wow! Is this thing going to get nasty or what?

TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE": Yes, so sad. You know, I mean, this is a black man accused of raping a white woman in America. I mean, can anything be scarier? He's gone from Joe Lewis to the Scottsborough (ph) Boys in a heartbeat, you know. And the thing is, all of you people who are watching him cry and feeling for him, this is a guy who cheated on his wife and his new baby. I mean, nothing could be worse except in cheating on a pregnant woman.

SIGESMUND: But, you know, Toure, they are doing everything they can do. I mean, Kobe Bryant, the world feels that he's not the sort of person who could do this sort of thing. And on Friday, he and Vanessa gave the public an image that plays into that perception. You know, this is all they can do. They're losing everything. It's slipping through their fingers right now.

TOURE: Yes, yes, I mean, we didn't expect him to be an adulterer either. So, all of those people who said, oh, this doesn't sound like him, we've got to recalibrate what we thought of him.

HEMMER: Don't you think he worked extremely hard at living a very private life?

TOURE: And being, I'm not going to show you what you think -- what you think of the high school guy failing, of the NBA family failing. He's worked very hard to maintain this image, and yet, you know, we all know it takes years to build a reputation and a moment to screw it up. HEMMER: You know, someone once said the only normal people are the people you don't know.

TOURE: Yes.

HEMMER: Could this be a case?

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: If you're Nike, if you're Sprite, if you're McDonald's...

SIGUSMUND: Bye to those endorsement deals.

(CROSSTALK)

SIGUSMUND: By what?

TOURE: His life is over. It's totally changed. It cannot go back to what he was.

HEMMER: So, you think run away from him if you're endorsing Kobe Bryant, get away from it now and drop...

TOURE: O.J. was super clean and loved before this whole thing started with Nicole.

BOROWITZ: I would say that if I'm Nike, though, I would not switch to the guy who hit the sausage with the bat. That's not a good way to go either.

HEMMER: Well, he's got his own legal matters, does he not? Let's talk about "The Restaurant." Last night it debuted on NBC. I saw about the first 20 minutes of it. I had to go to bed. 4:00 a.m. comes early, by the way.

SIGUSMUND: Exactly, yes.

HEMMER: Did you like it, B.J.?

SIGUSMUND: I thought it was great. I think Mark Burnett (ph) has done a great job of finessing this show. It's got a lot going for it. Rocco DiSpirito is a great engaging personality, and it's a great, unique set up that's not tawdry like so much of reality TV right now, nor gimmicky. What I'm worried about, though, is if America is really that interested in and fascinated by the inner workings of a Manhattan restaurant.

TOURE: But we've all worked in restaurants. There are so many of us have worked in restaurants. It's not just Rocco...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: Now, that is true, and there is drama in every restaurant. But his point is: Does anyone outside of New York care? BOROWITZ: I think they will be. I think they will be, because now with the unemployment rate where it is, I think it's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you see people with jobs.

SIGUSMUND: I mean, the thing that I like so much about it is it doesn't rely...

BOROWITZ: I want to see Kinko's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

SIGUSMUND: There is just so much reality TV right now, it just seems like a joke that's based on, you know, ripping off something that was successful on another channel. "Who Wants to Marry my Dad?" I mean, that's a punch line.

TOURE: But this is good, smart, real reality TV. Like, it's not a setup. I mean, it is a setup, but it's not a setup. There are actually restaurants that open all of the time. We get to see inside all of the little things that have to go into it. I had no idea they would be...

HEMMER: There's a lot...

TOURE: ... struggling until the last second to get it together.

SIGUSMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: There's a lot of...

TOURE: This vast distinction between the front of the kitchen and the front of the house and your kitchen, and I love that.

SIGUSMUND: And, of course, they stack the deck, too. I mean, they gave them seven weeks to open this restaurant...

TOURE: Right, right, right.

SIGUSMUND: ... which is unheard of in Manhattan.

HEMMER: Well, are you suggesting that that fire last night was not legitimate? Come on! Where is the baking soda when you need it?

Finally, a great weekend for Jerry Bruckheimer.

BOROWITZ: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Has this ever happened with the same producer, has the two top movies in the same week? The "Pirates of the Caribbean" is second; now "Bad Boys II" was No. 1.

BOROWITZ: Well, you know, the great thing about having Jerry -- two Jerry Bruckheimer movies that if you're in a multiplex and you're watching a Jerry Bruckheimer movie and you're hearing explosions in the Jerry Bruckheimer movie next door, it doesn't wreck the explosion in the Jerry Bruckheimer you're watching. It makes it even more enjoyable. I think it's great. But I loved "Bad Boys II," because I think the best thing about it is the title because it's so simple. It's not Bad Boys II Reloaded and it's not Bad Boys II Full Throttle, and it's not Too Bad, Two Boys, which could have been bad.

SIGUSMUND: I want to -- and that was great. I think that, though, he is celebrating "Bad Boys II," but Bruckheimer also is probably thrilled with "Pirates of the Caribbean," because it slipped not even 30 percent this weekend, which bodes incredibly well for it long term, whereas, you know, "Matrix" slipped 60 percent the first week...

HEMMER: Yes.

SIGUSMUND: ... and "Charlie's Angel's, 70 percent, you know, next week.

TOURE: Right.

SIGUSMUND: And so, you know, "Pirates" is going to do very, very, very well.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: We've got to go, guys. We're out of time. Thanks. Good to see you, B.J., Andy, Toure. It's my first time doing "90- Second Pop."

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: They finally allowed me.

BOROWITZ: You are Mr. Pop Culture.

TOURE: You're OK with us.

HEMMER: You can see it all over my face.

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