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CNN Live At Daybreak
What Made the Recall Funny
Aired October 08, 2003 - 05:58 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO")
JAY LENO: Tonight is a testament of just how important one appearance on "The Tonight Show" can be, ladies and gentlemen. You know, the critics said well, Arnold can't be an administrator. He's an actor. Oh, Arnold can't be an environmentalist, he's an actor. Oh, Arnold can't be governor, he's an actor. And, of course, Arnold was thrilled. For the first time in his career, the critics are calling him an actor, ladies and gentlemen. Apparently we have all been wrong. It is pronounced Cal-E-fornia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So Jay Leno had his big moment at Schwarzenegger campaign headquarters introducing the new governor of California. But Jay Leno as a comedian, well, maybe he'll have to turn to other targets now.
Jeanne Moos recalls what made the recall funny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Say it ain't over, Arnold. We'll be blue without Gray in the fray, left groping for puns. Comedians in particular took their cue from the recall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO")
LENO: Today, Arnold revealed his health care plan. Every woman gets a free breast exam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN") DAVID LETTERMAN: You know what happened while you folks were applauding? You know what just happened? Five more women accused Arnold of groping them. Two more gropes and he's an honorary priest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Comedians didn't even have to bother making jokes. They just had to come out of actual news clips with a smirk. The humor was built in.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ELECT: There's a lot of this stuff going on and there's a lot of stories...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you deny all those of those stories about grabbing?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Not at all. But I'm just saying this is not, this is not me.
MOOS: But it's not just comedians. Pity the cable news networks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly the wackiest election.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The quirky, mesmerizing...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eleven wild weeks in California.
MOOS: And what's a headline writer to do? They had just about run out of movie puns when the allegations of groping came to the rescue. Our favorite, "Arnie Groped By Wife." The Governator became the Gropanator. The "New York Post" showed Gray Davis kissing babies and Arnold kissing the baby's mom. "Recall Davis, Neuter Arnold" opined a cartoonist from Creators Syndicate.
Alas, we'll all have to go back to scarier subjects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN") LETTERMAN: Here's the newest videotape from Osama bin Laden. Take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve years ago on the set of "Terminator 2," I was groped by Arnold Schwarzenegger. You're a pig, Arnold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Now, there's a guy who deserves to be recalled.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 8, 2003 - 05:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO")
JAY LENO: Tonight is a testament of just how important one appearance on "The Tonight Show" can be, ladies and gentlemen. You know, the critics said well, Arnold can't be an administrator. He's an actor. Oh, Arnold can't be an environmentalist, he's an actor. Oh, Arnold can't be governor, he's an actor. And, of course, Arnold was thrilled. For the first time in his career, the critics are calling him an actor, ladies and gentlemen. Apparently we have all been wrong. It is pronounced Cal-E-fornia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So Jay Leno had his big moment at Schwarzenegger campaign headquarters introducing the new governor of California. But Jay Leno as a comedian, well, maybe he'll have to turn to other targets now.
Jeanne Moos recalls what made the recall funny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Say it ain't over, Arnold. We'll be blue without Gray in the fray, left groping for puns. Comedians in particular took their cue from the recall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO")
LENO: Today, Arnold revealed his health care plan. Every woman gets a free breast exam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN") DAVID LETTERMAN: You know what happened while you folks were applauding? You know what just happened? Five more women accused Arnold of groping them. Two more gropes and he's an honorary priest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Comedians didn't even have to bother making jokes. They just had to come out of actual news clips with a smirk. The humor was built in.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ELECT: There's a lot of this stuff going on and there's a lot of stories...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you deny all those of those stories about grabbing?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Not at all. But I'm just saying this is not, this is not me.
MOOS: But it's not just comedians. Pity the cable news networks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly the wackiest election.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The quirky, mesmerizing...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eleven wild weeks in California.
MOOS: And what's a headline writer to do? They had just about run out of movie puns when the allegations of groping came to the rescue. Our favorite, "Arnie Groped By Wife." The Governator became the Gropanator. The "New York Post" showed Gray Davis kissing babies and Arnold kissing the baby's mom. "Recall Davis, Neuter Arnold" opined a cartoonist from Creators Syndicate.
Alas, we'll all have to go back to scarier subjects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN") LETTERMAN: Here's the newest videotape from Osama bin Laden. Take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve years ago on the set of "Terminator 2," I was groped by Arnold Schwarzenegger. You're a pig, Arnold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Now, there's a guy who deserves to be recalled.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
