Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

90-Second Pop, Culture Watch

Aired October 06, 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 "90-Second Pop" time, a lightning-fast look at pop culture. Our experts give us 90 seconds each on three hot topics.
And with us this morning, B.J. Sigesmund, he is a staff writer for "U.S. Weekly." Toure is a contributing editor for "Rolling Stone" magazine. And Andy Borowitz is a humorist and columnist with "The New Yorker."

Didn't you get -- I always say "U.S. Weekly," don't I?

B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY" MAGAZINE: It's "US Weekly."

O'BRIEN: It's "US Weekly." OK, sorry.

SIGESMUND: OK.

O'BRIEN: I'm off to such a bad, slow start. Can I claim that I'm still jet-lagged from my trip overseas? Anyway, welcome. Do you know how many times I've done that? I so apologize. You read it on the prompter, you know.

Let's first talk about the election in California. B.J., does it surprise you at all that now the number is 15 women who are coming forward saying that Arnold Schwarzenegger...

SIGESMUND: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... governor wannabe, has groped them, grabbed them.

SIGESMUND: Right. Well, whether these allegations are true or false, I don't really think that they're surprising anyone. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself said when he announced on "Leno" that he was -- they were going to say all sorts of things about him, that he tried steroids, that he was a womanizer. He owned it from the very beginning.

The article from "Oui" magazine in the '70s kind of showed the wild lifestyle that he was a part of, and he's never really hidden that.

O'BRIEN: But some of these allegations are not from 1975. They're from 2000. So, I mean, I guess...

TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Yes.

SIGESMUND: It just doesn't... O'BRIEN: Why is there no hue and cry from California? I've been surprised that some...

SIGESMUND: It just doesn't seem that they're sticking. He's a Hollywood figure.

TOURE: I think a lot of people are dealing with just that he's a Hollywood figure, and they're sort of seduced by that. And, I mean, even if he's elected, they're going to want to recall him in six months, nine months. I mean, a honeymoon only lasts a few months in politics, and then they'll be banging on him just the same.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST/COLUMNIST: Plus, he has a lock on the women- groping, Nazi-loving vote. And that's not to be underestimated.

O'BRIEN: I don't know that that would push you over the top and just kind of...

BOROWITZ: No.

O'BRIEN: ... live there, and people seem to, you know...

BOROWITZ: It's his face, I think.

O'BRIEN: All right, let's talk about "K Street." Toure, you've seen this.

TOURE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Critics hate it. Do you like it?

TOURE: Yes, well, I don't know why they hate it. I mean, if you don't know who...

O'BRIEN: I do.

TOURE: If you don't know who Joe Klein is, if it doesn't mean anything to you, who Howard Kurtz is, then, no, the show is not going to mean anything to you.

O'BRIEN: Right.

TOURE: But if you're into politics and you read "Drudge" all of the time, this is fun. You know these D.C. people want to be Hollywood. It's like -- D.C. is like Hollywood done ugly anyway, because they all want to be stars. So, it's fun, and they get into it, and they have these little family dramas. It's very sort of Osbourne-y-like (ph), too, the way that Mary and James sort of go back and forth. And he doesn’t agree, and then she's, like, what? What? That was terrible.

SIGESMUND: Plus, it's on HBO. It's only a half an hour long. And also, because it's on HBO, it has more time. You know, they're not going to cancel it after two weeks, because it's not doing well. You know, it can grow, and it is sort of an inside -- it is literally inside the Beltway.

TOURE: It's inside.

BOROWITZ: The one criticism I keep hearing is people say they don't know what part is real and what is not.

TOURE: Yes.

SIGESMUND: But that's the fun of the show.

BOROWITZ: Like the president's State of the Union address, you know, it just leaves people guessing.

O'BRIEN: That was real.

BOROWTIZ: Yes, yes, I guess so.

O'BRIEN: Well, let's talk about the box office wrap. Jack Black has a new movie out called the "School of Rock," which apparently is a really good movie. I mean, the...

BOROWITZ: Yes, I've seen it. It's -- you know, it's utterly charming. It's -- you know, usually when they say it's the feel-good movie of the year, that's like...

O'BRIEN: It like kills it completely.

BOROWITZ: Exactly. That's kind of like, you know, it may...

O'BRIEN: Never want to see it.

BOROWTIZ: It may cause projectile vomiting, you know.

O'BRIEN: So, you liked this one.

BOROWTIZ: It's -- you know, it's just really charming. He's really -- and also what really helps is that there are all of these moves about rock and roll bands and stuff, but Jack Black can actually play the guitar and he can actually sing. And so, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for fans of his little, cult band.

TOURE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Yes, but on the other hand, you have Jack Black, you have Denzel (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BOROWTIZ: Yes, but, you know, Denzel --Denzel plays a guy who is accused of something heinous, and then realize he would dust himself off and run for governor. It's just not -- it's really hard to see that as a big deal.

SIGESMUND: They also did a great thing with "School of Rock," which was to promote it to both kids and adults.

O'BRIEN: Right.

TOURE: Right.

SIGESMUND: So you had people all over from all demographics (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this weekend.

BOROWTIZ: That was the audience that I was with. And, you know, for adults, it's like he is really schooling the kids and all this music they don't listen to, like Led Zeppelin and, yes, and Rush. So, it works completely for both audiences. It's fun.

O'BRIEN: Now, how about another movie, "Kill Bill."

TOURE: So exciting. I saw this last week. So violent. So campy. So much fun.

O'BRIEN: See, again?

TOURE: The arms are coming off and the blood is spurting. I mean, like, if you're an 18-year-old boy...

O'BRIEN: Yes, some people said...

TOURE: ... this is perfect for you.

O'BRIEN: Oh.

SIGESMUND: I think that's going to hurt it, though. I think the violence -- the reviews are going to say it's way too violent and it's going to turn off a lot of people, who aren't teenaged boys. The non- teenage boy audiences are going to say I hear there's too much blood. I'm not really that excited about this.

TOURE: But if you've ever seen Tarantino before, you know what you're getting. And it's just fun. It's campy. I mean, there's a tone that leavens the violence.

(CROSSTALK)

BOROWTIZ: I will withstand the blood for Uma.

TOURE: There you go.

BOROWITZ: I will say it's for Uma.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Oh, you all laugh when I say I think Denzel is a hottie, but then when we suddenly into Uma (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it's all OK.

BOROWTIZ: We grew up on rowdy movie sets. You have to excuse us.

O'BRIEN: All right, you guys, as always, thanks 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 October 6, 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 "90-Second Pop" time, a lightning-fast look at pop culture. Our experts give us 90 seconds each on three hot topics.
And with us this morning, B.J. Sigesmund, he is a staff writer for "U.S. Weekly." Toure is a contributing editor for "Rolling Stone" magazine. And Andy Borowitz is a humorist and columnist with "The New Yorker."

Didn't you get -- I always say "U.S. Weekly," don't I?

B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY" MAGAZINE: It's "US Weekly."

O'BRIEN: It's "US Weekly." OK, sorry.

SIGESMUND: OK.

O'BRIEN: I'm off to such a bad, slow start. Can I claim that I'm still jet-lagged from my trip overseas? Anyway, welcome. Do you know how many times I've done that? I so apologize. You read it on the prompter, you know.

Let's first talk about the election in California. B.J., does it surprise you at all that now the number is 15 women who are coming forward saying that Arnold Schwarzenegger...

SIGESMUND: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... governor wannabe, has groped them, grabbed them.

SIGESMUND: Right. Well, whether these allegations are true or false, I don't really think that they're surprising anyone. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself said when he announced on "Leno" that he was -- they were going to say all sorts of things about him, that he tried steroids, that he was a womanizer. He owned it from the very beginning.

The article from "Oui" magazine in the '70s kind of showed the wild lifestyle that he was a part of, and he's never really hidden that.

O'BRIEN: But some of these allegations are not from 1975. They're from 2000. So, I mean, I guess...

TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Yes.

SIGESMUND: It just doesn't... O'BRIEN: Why is there no hue and cry from California? I've been surprised that some...

SIGESMUND: It just doesn't seem that they're sticking. He's a Hollywood figure.

TOURE: I think a lot of people are dealing with just that he's a Hollywood figure, and they're sort of seduced by that. And, I mean, even if he's elected, they're going to want to recall him in six months, nine months. I mean, a honeymoon only lasts a few months in politics, and then they'll be banging on him just the same.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST/COLUMNIST: Plus, he has a lock on the women- groping, Nazi-loving vote. And that's not to be underestimated.

O'BRIEN: I don't know that that would push you over the top and just kind of...

BOROWITZ: No.

O'BRIEN: ... live there, and people seem to, you know...

BOROWITZ: It's his face, I think.

O'BRIEN: All right, let's talk about "K Street." Toure, you've seen this.

TOURE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Critics hate it. Do you like it?

TOURE: Yes, well, I don't know why they hate it. I mean, if you don't know who...

O'BRIEN: I do.

TOURE: If you don't know who Joe Klein is, if it doesn't mean anything to you, who Howard Kurtz is, then, no, the show is not going to mean anything to you.

O'BRIEN: Right.

TOURE: But if you're into politics and you read "Drudge" all of the time, this is fun. You know these D.C. people want to be Hollywood. It's like -- D.C. is like Hollywood done ugly anyway, because they all want to be stars. So, it's fun, and they get into it, and they have these little family dramas. It's very sort of Osbourne-y-like (ph), too, the way that Mary and James sort of go back and forth. And he doesn’t agree, and then she's, like, what? What? That was terrible.

SIGESMUND: Plus, it's on HBO. It's only a half an hour long. And also, because it's on HBO, it has more time. You know, they're not going to cancel it after two weeks, because it's not doing well. You know, it can grow, and it is sort of an inside -- it is literally inside the Beltway.

TOURE: It's inside.

BOROWITZ: The one criticism I keep hearing is people say they don't know what part is real and what is not.

TOURE: Yes.

SIGESMUND: But that's the fun of the show.

BOROWITZ: Like the president's State of the Union address, you know, it just leaves people guessing.

O'BRIEN: That was real.

BOROWTIZ: Yes, yes, I guess so.

O'BRIEN: Well, let's talk about the box office wrap. Jack Black has a new movie out called the "School of Rock," which apparently is a really good movie. I mean, the...

BOROWITZ: Yes, I've seen it. It's -- you know, it's utterly charming. It's -- you know, usually when they say it's the feel-good movie of the year, that's like...

O'BRIEN: It like kills it completely.

BOROWITZ: Exactly. That's kind of like, you know, it may...

O'BRIEN: Never want to see it.

BOROWTIZ: It may cause projectile vomiting, you know.

O'BRIEN: So, you liked this one.

BOROWTIZ: It's -- you know, it's just really charming. He's really -- and also what really helps is that there are all of these moves about rock and roll bands and stuff, but Jack Black can actually play the guitar and he can actually sing. And so, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for fans of his little, cult band.

TOURE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Yes, but on the other hand, you have Jack Black, you have Denzel (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BOROWTIZ: Yes, but, you know, Denzel --Denzel plays a guy who is accused of something heinous, and then realize he would dust himself off and run for governor. It's just not -- it's really hard to see that as a big deal.

SIGESMUND: They also did a great thing with "School of Rock," which was to promote it to both kids and adults.

O'BRIEN: Right.

TOURE: Right.

SIGESMUND: So you had people all over from all demographics (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this weekend.

BOROWTIZ: That was the audience that I was with. And, you know, for adults, it's like he is really schooling the kids and all this music they don't listen to, like Led Zeppelin and, yes, and Rush. So, it works completely for both audiences. It's fun.

O'BRIEN: Now, how about another movie, "Kill Bill."

TOURE: So exciting. I saw this last week. So violent. So campy. So much fun.

O'BRIEN: See, again?

TOURE: The arms are coming off and the blood is spurting. I mean, like, if you're an 18-year-old boy...

O'BRIEN: Yes, some people said...

TOURE: ... this is perfect for you.

O'BRIEN: Oh.

SIGESMUND: I think that's going to hurt it, though. I think the violence -- the reviews are going to say it's way too violent and it's going to turn off a lot of people, who aren't teenaged boys. The non- teenage boy audiences are going to say I hear there's too much blood. I'm not really that excited about this.

TOURE: But if you've ever seen Tarantino before, you know what you're getting. And it's just fun. It's campy. I mean, there's a tone that leavens the violence.

(CROSSTALK)

BOROWTIZ: I will withstand the blood for Uma.

TOURE: There you go.

BOROWITZ: I will say it's for Uma.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Oh, you all laugh when I say I think Denzel is a hottie, but then when we suddenly into Uma (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it's all OK.

BOROWTIZ: We grew up on rowdy movie sets. You have to excuse us.

O'BRIEN: All right, you guys, as always, thanks 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.