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American Morning

90-Second Pop, Culture Watch

Aired October 09, 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: "90-Second Pop," once again, our pop culture experts give us 90 seconds on three hot topics out there.
With us today, B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly," "New York" magazine columnist Deborah Schoeneman. Nice to see you, Deborah. First time for you. Great to have you here. Josh Elliott, staffer writer for "Sports Illustrated," covers the NFL like it's nobody's business. Good to have you back.

The "Newlyweds," this is with Jessica Simpson...

B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": Right.

HEMMER: ... Nick Lachey, 2.5 million people watched this last week. Listen to part of that show from a week ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "NEWLYWEDS")

NICK LACHEY, ACTOR: Brat.

JESSICA SIMPSON, ACTRESS: I'm not a brat.

LACHEY: You're a spoiled brat.

SIMPSON: So what if I'm spoiled?

LACHEY: You're a spoiled brat.

SIMPSON: But I'm not a brat. I am not. I am a nice girl.

LACHEY: You're a bratty girl.

SIMPSON: I treat you very nice. I hate you right now.

LACHEY: Good, go away, leave me alone!

SIMPSON: I am away. I'm always away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The perfect way to show the world your great tender newlywed relationship.

SIGESMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: What's the fascination? SIGESMUND: Bill, it's become everyone's guilty pleasure, and I know you're watching it too. You're sneaking it in. It's gotten huge ratings, and it's because, unlike the Anna Nicole show or something like that, even though she's sort of dumb and kind of a spoiled brat, there's something endearing about her, something charming about Jessica Simpson. And it's funny to see Nick sort of get annoyed by her and put up with her. And I think, also, everyone is fascinated with the first year of marriage within a celebrity marriage.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: One critic says it's compulsively watchable.

SIGESMUND: Yes, I mean, you get to see behind the scenes of celebrities -- limousines, music videos, premiers. At the same time...

JOSH ELLIOTT, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": But it's also -- it's not train wreck TV. It's like a fender bender TV. I mean, you know something's going to happen, but you know everybody is going to walk away from it, so...

SIGESMUND: And they love it, too. Jessica and Nick think it's great, and they can't wait to do a second season of it.

HEMMER: Well, they are going to start a second season, because they just signed them up. Let's move on right now. Deborah, I don't know if you saw last night, but Siegfried was talking live with Larry and talking about how this tiger was actually trying to help Roy Horn.

SCHOENEMAN: I did hear that.

HEMMER: What do you make of that?

SCHOENEMAN: I'm not really sure if I buy that, actually. I just think that this incident is going to change the whole live animal entertainment industry forever.

HEMMER: How so?

SCHOENEMAN: I wonder about circuses, or kids after hearing about this incident might be afraid if the show goes on again. Besides, Roy may even be afraid. But I think the cast members or people who pay all of this money in Vegas to see these shows might feel differently now and even more worried.

ELLIOTT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) by the way. I mean, the most stunning thing in that file footage is that those orchestra pits, the places where people are paying the most money for it, are also lunch. If that tiger decides to jump in there, where are they going to go? (CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: Well, have you heard about the report that maybe the tiger goes back to this hotel, goes back to the show area and is put on display? Have you heard about the possibility for that happening?

SIGESMUND: I think it's being watched and checked for rabies. I think that they're not putting it anywhere for now.

HEMMER: For the time being.

SCHOENEMAN: Well, I think that this tiger -- maybe all of this money that Siegfried and Roy have made should go to start some wildlife preserve in Africa. You know, bring the animals back there, bring the audiences there to spend money and help these animals instead of putting them on a stage.

HEMMER: You sigh.

ELLIOTT: You know, it's horrific. I'm glad he's OK, because we can all maybe enjoy a bit of a chuckle.

HEMMER: Let's enjoy this story out of Colorado today, which may or may not happen, the Kobe Bryant preliminary hearing. How does this guy take the floor this year with this circulating around him throughout the year?

ELLIOTT: Yes, I mean, I'll be stunned if the hearing goes off today, because whatever comes out will be damning for him, and he'll have to deal with it again. It's really going to come down to, when is that trial going to happen? If it happens in June, perhaps he can find solace on the court. And perhaps by playing out, he won't look like somebody who is taking refuge. He won't essentially look like a guilty man.

With that said, we are sailing into unchartered waters. This is an athlete at the height of his powers who is going to be -- who is facing, you know, life in prison. You know, regardless of his guilt or innocence, he is going to be tried in every new city they go into. It's going to be the biggest story every time he -- you know, every time they hit another airport.

HEMMER: What do you make of the tattoos he was showing in Honolulu, his wife's name, his daughter's name?

ELLIOTT: It's spin. I mean, it's spin. She was never on his arm until this happened. Now every public appearance he makes, she's there. You know, it's spin. He is now holding on for dear life I really think.

HEMMER: He has already said that this is the hardest thing he's ever faced off the court.

SCHOENEMAN: And it was from training camp that he was talking about his tattoos. The team has been talking about the game.

HEMMER: That's right.

SCHOENEMAN: Everyone is talking about Kobe, and I think that the team is going to have to be prepared to keep talking about Kobe instead of their game.

HEMMER: You got it. Thanks for coming in, the three of you, B.J., Deborah, Josh. We'll talk again, OK? 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 9, 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: "90-Second Pop," once again, our pop culture experts give us 90 seconds on three hot topics out there.
With us today, B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly," "New York" magazine columnist Deborah Schoeneman. Nice to see you, Deborah. First time for you. Great to have you here. Josh Elliott, staffer writer for "Sports Illustrated," covers the NFL like it's nobody's business. Good to have you back.

The "Newlyweds," this is with Jessica Simpson...

B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": Right.

HEMMER: ... Nick Lachey, 2.5 million people watched this last week. Listen to part of that show from a week ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "NEWLYWEDS")

NICK LACHEY, ACTOR: Brat.

JESSICA SIMPSON, ACTRESS: I'm not a brat.

LACHEY: You're a spoiled brat.

SIMPSON: So what if I'm spoiled?

LACHEY: You're a spoiled brat.

SIMPSON: But I'm not a brat. I am not. I am a nice girl.

LACHEY: You're a bratty girl.

SIMPSON: I treat you very nice. I hate you right now.

LACHEY: Good, go away, leave me alone!

SIMPSON: I am away. I'm always away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The perfect way to show the world your great tender newlywed relationship.

SIGESMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: What's the fascination? SIGESMUND: Bill, it's become everyone's guilty pleasure, and I know you're watching it too. You're sneaking it in. It's gotten huge ratings, and it's because, unlike the Anna Nicole show or something like that, even though she's sort of dumb and kind of a spoiled brat, there's something endearing about her, something charming about Jessica Simpson. And it's funny to see Nick sort of get annoyed by her and put up with her. And I think, also, everyone is fascinated with the first year of marriage within a celebrity marriage.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: One critic says it's compulsively watchable.

SIGESMUND: Yes, I mean, you get to see behind the scenes of celebrities -- limousines, music videos, premiers. At the same time...

JOSH ELLIOTT, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": But it's also -- it's not train wreck TV. It's like a fender bender TV. I mean, you know something's going to happen, but you know everybody is going to walk away from it, so...

SIGESMUND: And they love it, too. Jessica and Nick think it's great, and they can't wait to do a second season of it.

HEMMER: Well, they are going to start a second season, because they just signed them up. Let's move on right now. Deborah, I don't know if you saw last night, but Siegfried was talking live with Larry and talking about how this tiger was actually trying to help Roy Horn.

SCHOENEMAN: I did hear that.

HEMMER: What do you make of that?

SCHOENEMAN: I'm not really sure if I buy that, actually. I just think that this incident is going to change the whole live animal entertainment industry forever.

HEMMER: How so?

SCHOENEMAN: I wonder about circuses, or kids after hearing about this incident might be afraid if the show goes on again. Besides, Roy may even be afraid. But I think the cast members or people who pay all of this money in Vegas to see these shows might feel differently now and even more worried.

ELLIOTT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) by the way. I mean, the most stunning thing in that file footage is that those orchestra pits, the places where people are paying the most money for it, are also lunch. If that tiger decides to jump in there, where are they going to go? (CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: Well, have you heard about the report that maybe the tiger goes back to this hotel, goes back to the show area and is put on display? Have you heard about the possibility for that happening?

SIGESMUND: I think it's being watched and checked for rabies. I think that they're not putting it anywhere for now.

HEMMER: For the time being.

SCHOENEMAN: Well, I think that this tiger -- maybe all of this money that Siegfried and Roy have made should go to start some wildlife preserve in Africa. You know, bring the animals back there, bring the audiences there to spend money and help these animals instead of putting them on a stage.

HEMMER: You sigh.

ELLIOTT: You know, it's horrific. I'm glad he's OK, because we can all maybe enjoy a bit of a chuckle.

HEMMER: Let's enjoy this story out of Colorado today, which may or may not happen, the Kobe Bryant preliminary hearing. How does this guy take the floor this year with this circulating around him throughout the year?

ELLIOTT: Yes, I mean, I'll be stunned if the hearing goes off today, because whatever comes out will be damning for him, and he'll have to deal with it again. It's really going to come down to, when is that trial going to happen? If it happens in June, perhaps he can find solace on the court. And perhaps by playing out, he won't look like somebody who is taking refuge. He won't essentially look like a guilty man.

With that said, we are sailing into unchartered waters. This is an athlete at the height of his powers who is going to be -- who is facing, you know, life in prison. You know, regardless of his guilt or innocence, he is going to be tried in every new city they go into. It's going to be the biggest story every time he -- you know, every time they hit another airport.

HEMMER: What do you make of the tattoos he was showing in Honolulu, his wife's name, his daughter's name?

ELLIOTT: It's spin. I mean, it's spin. She was never on his arm until this happened. Now every public appearance he makes, she's there. You know, it's spin. He is now holding on for dear life I really think.

HEMMER: He has already said that this is the hardest thing he's ever faced off the court.

SCHOENEMAN: And it was from training camp that he was talking about his tattoos. The team has been talking about the game.

HEMMER: That's right.

SCHOENEMAN: Everyone is talking about Kobe, and I think that the team is going to have to be prepared to keep talking about Kobe instead of their game.

HEMMER: You got it. Thanks for coming in, the three of you, B.J., Deborah, Josh. We'll talk again, OK? TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.