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CNN Live Today
Celebrity Dramas
Aired August 22, 2003 - 10:51 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Comedian Al Franken sends his attorneys to court today. Will he get the last life laugh, or is it going to be the news network that says that he stole his slogan? All right, it' just one of the celebrity dramas putting stars in the legal spotlight this morning. And joining us from L.A. Pat Lalama, correspondent for the TV show "Celebrity Justice" to go through all of this today.
Good to see you, Pat.
PAT LALAMA, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Hi, Leon. How are you?
HARRIS: I'm doing OK. Sorry, we don't have a lot of time, so we are going to have to do the "Celebrity Justice" lightning round for you this morning.
LALAMA: Let's do it, OK.
HARRIS: Let's get right now to this Al Franken case. Fox may have not (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but they're really helping this guy sell a lot of books.
LALAMA: Well, here's the thing. I can understand Fox's position in some way. That is their sort of slogan, fair and balanced. But at the same time, this guy is a comedian. He's making fun. It's a parody. And the First Amendment says you can do that. You can do that. You can make fun of it, and that's what he's doing.
HARRIS: Yes, and they're suing him over the use of the words "fair and balanced."
LALAMA: But you know, Leon, I was using that term in journalism school a hundred thousand years ago.
HARRIS: It wasn't that long ago, get out of here.
LALAMA: Almost.
HARRIS: So we'll see what happens in the courtroom there.
But here's something out of a courtroom. This in Colorado, the Kobe Bryant case now, word coming out that the arrest warrant in this case is going to be released. What does that do?
LALAMA: All right. Listen, this is very important to understand. The arrest warrant we are going to get, it really means nothing. What we would really like to have as members of the media and public is the arrest warrant affidavit, because that really gives you the details of why cops felt they needed to go and arrest Kobe Bryant.
Basically, we're going to get a piece of paper that says go arrest Kobe Bryant, and that's as good as it gets. I think what judge is trying to do is stop all the inflammatory reporting. He's concerned for the victim, and he's concerned for Kobe's right for a fair trial. So he's limiting what we get to have.
HARRIS: In this world, with the Internet and everything, it appears that's going to have as big an impact as anything because the Internet and the information about the victim in this case, or the alleged victim, I should say. I heard she was getting threats at home from a guy in Iowa, and he's arrested now.
LALAMA: Yes. This is really ugly, and it makes me very sad to hear this sort of thing, but apparently he's a rabid, by you might say, Kobe fan, and he left messages on her machine threatening to kill her and using a coat hanger to hurt her, and it's really sad and insidious, but he is is arrested, and let's just hope that doesn't happen again.
HARRIS: Finally real quick, Peabo Bryson? Say it ain't so.
LALAMA: I remember him. Listen, the IRS is a very serious entity, and he apparently owed them $1.2 million. And you know, what I know about the federal government and the IRS is that they will negotiate with you, they will give you some time too try to work things out. And when you don't, they bring in that big old truck, haul it in, go in and say, I like this, I like this, this is good, this is worth some money. Sorry, Peabo, we're leaving with your stuff.
HARRIS: And then the local TV station pulls the camera up outside and gets the whole thing on tape.
LALAMA: How about that. Darn media, I'm telling you.
HARRIS: You know, that's you too.
Thanks, Pat. That's all we got time for. Always good to talk to you. Have a good weekend. Pat Lalama (ph) "Celebrity Justice."
LALAMA: Thank you. You, too.
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 August 22, 2003 - 10:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Comedian Al Franken sends his attorneys to court today. Will he get the last life laugh, or is it going to be the news network that says that he stole his slogan? All right, it' just one of the celebrity dramas putting stars in the legal spotlight this morning. And joining us from L.A. Pat Lalama, correspondent for the TV show "Celebrity Justice" to go through all of this today.
Good to see you, Pat.
PAT LALAMA, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Hi, Leon. How are you?
HARRIS: I'm doing OK. Sorry, we don't have a lot of time, so we are going to have to do the "Celebrity Justice" lightning round for you this morning.
LALAMA: Let's do it, OK.
HARRIS: Let's get right now to this Al Franken case. Fox may have not (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but they're really helping this guy sell a lot of books.
LALAMA: Well, here's the thing. I can understand Fox's position in some way. That is their sort of slogan, fair and balanced. But at the same time, this guy is a comedian. He's making fun. It's a parody. And the First Amendment says you can do that. You can do that. You can make fun of it, and that's what he's doing.
HARRIS: Yes, and they're suing him over the use of the words "fair and balanced."
LALAMA: But you know, Leon, I was using that term in journalism school a hundred thousand years ago.
HARRIS: It wasn't that long ago, get out of here.
LALAMA: Almost.
HARRIS: So we'll see what happens in the courtroom there.
But here's something out of a courtroom. This in Colorado, the Kobe Bryant case now, word coming out that the arrest warrant in this case is going to be released. What does that do?
LALAMA: All right. Listen, this is very important to understand. The arrest warrant we are going to get, it really means nothing. What we would really like to have as members of the media and public is the arrest warrant affidavit, because that really gives you the details of why cops felt they needed to go and arrest Kobe Bryant.
Basically, we're going to get a piece of paper that says go arrest Kobe Bryant, and that's as good as it gets. I think what judge is trying to do is stop all the inflammatory reporting. He's concerned for the victim, and he's concerned for Kobe's right for a fair trial. So he's limiting what we get to have.
HARRIS: In this world, with the Internet and everything, it appears that's going to have as big an impact as anything because the Internet and the information about the victim in this case, or the alleged victim, I should say. I heard she was getting threats at home from a guy in Iowa, and he's arrested now.
LALAMA: Yes. This is really ugly, and it makes me very sad to hear this sort of thing, but apparently he's a rabid, by you might say, Kobe fan, and he left messages on her machine threatening to kill her and using a coat hanger to hurt her, and it's really sad and insidious, but he is is arrested, and let's just hope that doesn't happen again.
HARRIS: Finally real quick, Peabo Bryson? Say it ain't so.
LALAMA: I remember him. Listen, the IRS is a very serious entity, and he apparently owed them $1.2 million. And you know, what I know about the federal government and the IRS is that they will negotiate with you, they will give you some time too try to work things out. And when you don't, they bring in that big old truck, haul it in, go in and say, I like this, I like this, this is good, this is worth some money. Sorry, Peabo, we're leaving with your stuff.
HARRIS: And then the local TV station pulls the camera up outside and gets the whole thing on tape.
LALAMA: How about that. Darn media, I'm telling you.
HARRIS: You know, that's you too.
Thanks, Pat. That's all we got time for. Always good to talk to you. Have a good weekend. Pat Lalama (ph) "Celebrity Justice."
LALAMA: Thank you. You, too.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
