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American Morning
90-Second Pop, Culture Watch
Aired September 15, 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's time now for "90-Second Pop." Our panel of entertainment experts gives us 90 seconds each on three hot topics from around the world of culture -- pop culture.
Joining us this morning, Peter Castro. He's an assistant managing editor of "People" magazine. B.J. Sigesmund. He is an entertainment report for "Newsweek." And Andy Borowitz. He's the author of "Who Moved my Soap: the CEO's Guide to Surviving in Prison."
Good morning to all of you.
Peter, let's start with you. Oh, my goodness!
PETER CASTRO, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: It's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: Breaking news in the entertainment world.
CASTRO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Benifer (ph), done.
CASTRO: It's over. Yes, he -- I think he came to his senses. I mean, you know, they blamed it...
O'BRIEN: Ouch!
CASTRO: Well, no.
(CROSSTALK)
CASTRO: They blamed it a lot on the media.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: Don't hold back.
CASTRO: But I think he just had a moment of clarity, and he was thinking, you know, what am I doing? Rather than go through a whole divorce and all that messiness later, he decided, let's just chill out and -- but they are split. I mean, you never know what might happen with these two, however. It's very Liz and Dick and...
O'BRIEN: So, you're saying that he is the one who called it off.
CASTRO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: But, I mean, all of that sort of background stuff of he was at the strip club. And I don't even read this stuff, but, of course, I know all the gory details. BOROWITZ: Oh, sure you don't, yes.
O'BRIEN: I never read that stuff in the supermarket aisles. But he was at a strip club...
CASTRO: You know, he was at a strip club and he was very naughty at the strip club.
O'BRIEN: Right. So...
CASTRO: And, you know, she must be thinking, like, I forgive this guy, I've put up with all of this and this is what I get? But he really did decide that this was not the thing to do right now. And he was -- over the weekend, he was in Gardenia, California in a casino. She was in South Beach on the beach.
O'BRIEN: Raise your hand if you thought this was going to happen -- this wedding.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "NEWSWEEK": I didn't think it was going to happen. My question is: If it is indeed over, what was this all about to begin with? You know, what -- really, was it just two people coming to together and getting caught up in a huge media storm? Why did it take so...
BOROWITZ: Well, you know, I think the media was part of the problem, I think, because actually, I...
SIGESMUND: They loved it, though. They courted it.
BOROWITZ: No, no, no, I read actually that they hated the fact that the press kept on calling them Bennifer (ph). They wanted to be called Aff-Lo (ph), OK? And that was the problem.
O'BRIEN: I don't know. But I agree with you. It's a whole weird thing.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And we certainly are devastated for the couple.
BOROWITZ: I did not see it coming.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we hope they divide up all of the property. You didn't see (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
CASTRO: What happens to that Georgia mansion? I mean, it's, like, $7 million.
O'BRIEN: Put that thing back on the market, 3-point-something million for each of them and they'll be fine.
CASTRO: But they stayed in it three nights, which is, like, over $2 million a night.
O'BRIEN: They got that kind of money, Peter. They just got that kind of money.
CASTRO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Madonna. OK, last book, the sex book.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: This book, the kiddie book.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: What's going on here?
SIGESMUND: They day the sex book came out, two girlfriends of mine came over. I was in college at the time, and we inhaled it. And I think the reaction to this one is going to be a little different, although I think it will be the same people who are buying it.
O'BRIEN: Right.
SIGESMUND: I'm not exactly sure that parents are going to be running out to buy this for their kids. I think it's Madonna fans, first, who are going to be buying it and thinking about it.
O'BRIEN: Is it a good book? I mean...
SIGESMUND: Well, no one has read it yet. That's the funny thing. It comes out to be a million copies come out today, and not one critic has seen it. We know that it's about a little girl who gets alienated by the group of popular girls, and this little girl happens to be smart and beautiful and really athletic.
O'BRIEN: Her name's Madonna.
SIGESMUND: But she feels alienated. And Madonna herself said that growing up in Bay City, she often felt alienated.
O'BRIEN: OK.
SIGESMUND: So she's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: The little girls who are smart beautiful and popular are so not ever alienated, ever.
SIGESMUND: No, it's the ones who are dull and boring and not attractive who get alienated.
BOROWTIZ: It's a disturbing trend, because I heard that Mick Jagger is writing a children's book now, called the very horny caterpillar. Is that true?
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: All right, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I want to talk about movies, Andy. OK. "Once Upon a Time in Mexico."
BOROWITZ: A big hit.
O'BRIEN: A big hit. Did it surprise anyone, do you think? I mean, Robert Rodriguez is a wonderful director.
BOROWITZ: He's hot, and Johnny Depp is hot right now. And so, I think we may be out of the summer doldrums. It could be. Although I have another theory, which is, you know, there are all of these naked photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger circulating on the Internet right now, and people may be just going to the movies to get those images out of their minds. I think that's a another possibility.
O'BRIEN: There also seems like there are some decent other options. I mean, a couple of weeks ago, there was nothing to see.
BOROWITZ: A huge, great movie to see...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: And that's actually done pretty well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It fell to No. 4.
BOROWITZ: A movie just in New York and L.A., but is a wonderful movie that's lost in translation with Bill Murray, directed by Sophia Coppola, Frank Coppola...
O'BRIEN: And she's gotten wonderful reviews.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And some of them have said that it's the best, really, role for Bill Murray in a long time.
BOROWITZ: It's the best...
O'BRIEN: And this is a guy who has had some great roles.
BOROWITZ: It is the -- he is a really deep talent, and I'm sure its the best thing he's ever done. I really do think so.
O'BRIEN: I like when he used to say, "I'm serious."
BOROWITZ: Actually, well...
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BOROWITZ: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) there, don't you...
O'BRIEN: He's being serious.
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: In a rare moment there, he's serious.
O'BRIEN: "Matchstick Men," good or bad? BOROWITZ: We're hearing some mixed things. I did (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for looking at those kinds of yardsticks. So I don't know if that's -- is that considered a disappointment? Would that promote...
SIGESMUND: I think that that's really (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I think that they would have rather it have been the No. 1 one movie, but "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" jumped out of there. I think it's amazing -- just to get back to Depp for a second -- this guy was nowhere for many, many years. And now, suddenly, he's got two movies in the top four.
O'BRIEN: OK, "21 Jump Street" is so not nowhere?
SIGESMUND: That was a long time ago, Soledad. That was a long time ago.
CASTRO: Well, he's also a Teflon movie star, because he said some very not nice things about the United States, and people seemed not to care.
BOROWITZ: But he's really good in everything he does.
CASTRO: Yes, oh, definitely.
BOROWITZ: Even in a bad movie, he's always interesting.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, thanks, you guys, for the update. Appreciate it. Still shocked by the Jennifer and Ben...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Yes, I am, but that's all of the time we have today.
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 September 15, 2003 - 07:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's time now for "90-Second Pop." Our panel of entertainment experts gives us 90 seconds each on three hot topics from around the world of culture -- pop culture.
Joining us this morning, Peter Castro. He's an assistant managing editor of "People" magazine. B.J. Sigesmund. He is an entertainment report for "Newsweek." And Andy Borowitz. He's the author of "Who Moved my Soap: the CEO's Guide to Surviving in Prison."
Good morning to all of you.
Peter, let's start with you. Oh, my goodness!
PETER CASTRO, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: It's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: Breaking news in the entertainment world.
CASTRO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Benifer (ph), done.
CASTRO: It's over. Yes, he -- I think he came to his senses. I mean, you know, they blamed it...
O'BRIEN: Ouch!
CASTRO: Well, no.
(CROSSTALK)
CASTRO: They blamed it a lot on the media.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: Don't hold back.
CASTRO: But I think he just had a moment of clarity, and he was thinking, you know, what am I doing? Rather than go through a whole divorce and all that messiness later, he decided, let's just chill out and -- but they are split. I mean, you never know what might happen with these two, however. It's very Liz and Dick and...
O'BRIEN: So, you're saying that he is the one who called it off.
CASTRO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: But, I mean, all of that sort of background stuff of he was at the strip club. And I don't even read this stuff, but, of course, I know all the gory details. BOROWITZ: Oh, sure you don't, yes.
O'BRIEN: I never read that stuff in the supermarket aisles. But he was at a strip club...
CASTRO: You know, he was at a strip club and he was very naughty at the strip club.
O'BRIEN: Right. So...
CASTRO: And, you know, she must be thinking, like, I forgive this guy, I've put up with all of this and this is what I get? But he really did decide that this was not the thing to do right now. And he was -- over the weekend, he was in Gardenia, California in a casino. She was in South Beach on the beach.
O'BRIEN: Raise your hand if you thought this was going to happen -- this wedding.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "NEWSWEEK": I didn't think it was going to happen. My question is: If it is indeed over, what was this all about to begin with? You know, what -- really, was it just two people coming to together and getting caught up in a huge media storm? Why did it take so...
BOROWITZ: Well, you know, I think the media was part of the problem, I think, because actually, I...
SIGESMUND: They loved it, though. They courted it.
BOROWITZ: No, no, no, I read actually that they hated the fact that the press kept on calling them Bennifer (ph). They wanted to be called Aff-Lo (ph), OK? And that was the problem.
O'BRIEN: I don't know. But I agree with you. It's a whole weird thing.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And we certainly are devastated for the couple.
BOROWITZ: I did not see it coming.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we hope they divide up all of the property. You didn't see (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
CASTRO: What happens to that Georgia mansion? I mean, it's, like, $7 million.
O'BRIEN: Put that thing back on the market, 3-point-something million for each of them and they'll be fine.
CASTRO: But they stayed in it three nights, which is, like, over $2 million a night.
O'BRIEN: They got that kind of money, Peter. They just got that kind of money.
CASTRO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Madonna. OK, last book, the sex book.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: This book, the kiddie book.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: What's going on here?
SIGESMUND: They day the sex book came out, two girlfriends of mine came over. I was in college at the time, and we inhaled it. And I think the reaction to this one is going to be a little different, although I think it will be the same people who are buying it.
O'BRIEN: Right.
SIGESMUND: I'm not exactly sure that parents are going to be running out to buy this for their kids. I think it's Madonna fans, first, who are going to be buying it and thinking about it.
O'BRIEN: Is it a good book? I mean...
SIGESMUND: Well, no one has read it yet. That's the funny thing. It comes out to be a million copies come out today, and not one critic has seen it. We know that it's about a little girl who gets alienated by the group of popular girls, and this little girl happens to be smart and beautiful and really athletic.
O'BRIEN: Her name's Madonna.
SIGESMUND: But she feels alienated. And Madonna herself said that growing up in Bay City, she often felt alienated.
O'BRIEN: OK.
SIGESMUND: So she's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: The little girls who are smart beautiful and popular are so not ever alienated, ever.
SIGESMUND: No, it's the ones who are dull and boring and not attractive who get alienated.
BOROWTIZ: It's a disturbing trend, because I heard that Mick Jagger is writing a children's book now, called the very horny caterpillar. Is that true?
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: All right, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I want to talk about movies, Andy. OK. "Once Upon a Time in Mexico."
BOROWITZ: A big hit.
O'BRIEN: A big hit. Did it surprise anyone, do you think? I mean, Robert Rodriguez is a wonderful director.
BOROWITZ: He's hot, and Johnny Depp is hot right now. And so, I think we may be out of the summer doldrums. It could be. Although I have another theory, which is, you know, there are all of these naked photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger circulating on the Internet right now, and people may be just going to the movies to get those images out of their minds. I think that's a another possibility.
O'BRIEN: There also seems like there are some decent other options. I mean, a couple of weeks ago, there was nothing to see.
BOROWITZ: A huge, great movie to see...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: And that's actually done pretty well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It fell to No. 4.
BOROWITZ: A movie just in New York and L.A., but is a wonderful movie that's lost in translation with Bill Murray, directed by Sophia Coppola, Frank Coppola...
O'BRIEN: And she's gotten wonderful reviews.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And some of them have said that it's the best, really, role for Bill Murray in a long time.
BOROWITZ: It's the best...
O'BRIEN: And this is a guy who has had some great roles.
BOROWITZ: It is the -- he is a really deep talent, and I'm sure its the best thing he's ever done. I really do think so.
O'BRIEN: I like when he used to say, "I'm serious."
BOROWITZ: Actually, well...
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BOROWITZ: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) there, don't you...
O'BRIEN: He's being serious.
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: In a rare moment there, he's serious.
O'BRIEN: "Matchstick Men," good or bad? BOROWITZ: We're hearing some mixed things. I did (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for looking at those kinds of yardsticks. So I don't know if that's -- is that considered a disappointment? Would that promote...
SIGESMUND: I think that that's really (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I think that they would have rather it have been the No. 1 one movie, but "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" jumped out of there. I think it's amazing -- just to get back to Depp for a second -- this guy was nowhere for many, many years. And now, suddenly, he's got two movies in the top four.
O'BRIEN: OK, "21 Jump Street" is so not nowhere?
SIGESMUND: That was a long time ago, Soledad. That was a long time ago.
CASTRO: Well, he's also a Teflon movie star, because he said some very not nice things about the United States, and people seemed not to care.
BOROWITZ: But he's really good in everything he does.
CASTRO: Yes, oh, definitely.
BOROWITZ: Even in a bad movie, he's always interesting.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, thanks, you guys, for the update. Appreciate it. Still shocked by the Jennifer and Ben...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Yes, I am, but that's all of the time we have today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
