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American Morning
90-Second Pop, Culture Watch
Aired November 03, 2003 - 07:43 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 once again for our segment, "90-Second Pop," a regular look at pop culture. Everybody is here this morning. Humorist Andy Borowitz joins us. Good morning, Andy.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone" magazine. Hey, Toure. Good morning.
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm well. Thank you.
And B.J. Sigesmund is a staff editor for "US Weekly." Good morning, B.J. Nice to see you.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's get going. Let's first talk about the "Globe" magazine. Trashy tabloid. They put it a full-body picture of the accuser in the Kobe Bryant case. In fact, you can see it there. We've actually cut out where the photo would be, because CNN and other news organizations do not release the picture of someone who is claiming sexual assault.
Are you shocked by this?
TOURE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Or are you shocked that it actually has taken quite awhile? I sort of thought...
TOURE: No.
O'BRIEN: I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier.
TOURE: No, no, I'm shocked by it. This is really despicable behavior on the part of the "Globe." I mean, like Bonnie Fuller is the head of the "Globe." It's her decision at the end, and I would expect more of a woman dealing with another woman. But instead, she says to herself, we need newsstand, so let's do it. And it doesn't matter if we destroy a life in the process. But this is soulless behavior. This is despicable. This is completely beyond the line.
O'BRIEN: The "Globe" editors are two head editors, and one of them is a woman as well. So, I mean, there are other people, you know.
TOURE: Yes. I mean, I would expect more of a woman. I would expect a man to say, hey, let's make as much as we can. But a woman, I would expect to say, hey, wait a minute, we're going to continue the destruction of this person's life. I mean, we don't know if Kobe raped her, but the "Globe" certainly has now.
SIGESMUND: Women's groups are very upset about this, too...
O'BRIEN: Yes, no question.
SIGESMUND: ... because they say that this sort of lack of privacy is the reason that so many women stay quiet about assault. So, it's really an affront to that idea.
O'BRIEN: Still though, in this day and age, I was kind of surprised it hadn't happened earlier.
SIGESMUND: The "Globe" -- remember, they published her picture at first with a bar over her eyes.
O'BRIEN: Right.
SIGESMUND: That was how they did it the first time a few months back, but this is really the first time that they've been out there.
BOROWITZ: I've canceled my subscription to the "Globe" just recently. I'm subscribing to "Weekly World News" now, because I feel...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: You are such a feminist, Andy. We knew it. We knew it.
Let's talk a little bit about CBS and this movie.
BOROWITZ: Oh, Reagan.
O'BRIEN: This Reagan miniseries. Oh, what a mess. The person who signed off on that originally is sorry they did, because that had...
BOROWITZ: Well, I know Jack Cafferty is a big fan of those...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Clearly not.
BOROWITZ: You know, it seems like a really kind of bone-headed decision, because, you know, it has a lot of apparent inaccuracies in it, and they've cast...
O'BRIEN: They made up weird quotes in addition to that.
BOROWITZ: Right. Right. And there were so many real weird quotes they could have drawn some, you know, they didn't have to make up any. But they've cast I guess James Brolin as Reagan, who is, you know, one heartbeat away from Barbra Streisand, which seems like a big mistake. But they've got more problems than that. And I understand they've also green-lighted this Dan Quayle miniseries starring Carrot Top, who also is a really bad...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: At the same time, you have to ask the question -- you have to ask the question -- I mean, these miniseries, Martha Stewart's, you know, movie, whatever...
BOROWITZ: Cybill Shepherd.
O'BRIEN: ... you know, Cybill Shepherd. You know, like...
SIGESMUND: They're huge ratings winners for CBS.
O'BRIEN: But do people really expect them to be the quote that Martha Stewart ever said really matching what she said? I mean...
TOURE: Well, I think people do take it as history. I mean, they shouldn't, but they do. They do.
BOROWITZ: There is something weird about Reagan. There was also that biography about him, "Dutch," a few years ago with -- you know, Adam Morris (ph) had sort of made up quotes. There is something about Reagan people feel the need to mythologize. I'm not sure why that is.
TOURE: I can't wait until the Clinton one, like, you know...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Yes, you want to see people...
(CROSSTALK)
TOURE: That one is going to be exciting and fun.
SIGESMUND: It ultimately might not even air. CBS is in talks to sell it to Showtime.
O'BRIEN: Let's get rid of it all together.
SIGESMUND: So, it might not even air on regular TV.
O'BRIEN: Or another option would be -- and actually it's the question of the day today -- would be to just not air it at all. Just not.
TOURE: Right.
O'BRIEN: Just not.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: It may go that way.
All right, B.J., let's talk about movies. "The Matrix Revolution" is the third. I feel like I just saw "The Matrix Reloaded" about 27 minutes ago.
SIGESMUND: Yes, absolutely.
O'BRIEN: What's going on?
SIGESMUND: This is a gamble on the part of Warner Brothers to release both "Matrix 2" and "Matrix 3" in the same year. A lot of people do feel like, wow, "Matrix 2" I just saw that. And they just released the DVD for "Matrix 2" with a lot of fanfare just two weeks ago.
O'BRIEN: Does it compromise the Academy Award chances?
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Kidding.
TOURE: You know, the first one was more than a movie. It was an iconic happening in all of our lives.
O'BRIEN: Right.
TOURE: The second one we went with this thing, like, our lives are going to change again, and, like, it was just a movie.
O'BRIEN: It didn't happen.
TOURE: It was so bad, it like broke a heart. This one, the third one, it's just a movie now.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
TOURE: Right.
SIGESMUND: I mean, the second one...
O'BRIEN: So, translate for me. Does that mean it does well or it does badly?
SIGESMUND: It's going to do really well. The second one made $280 million while the first had only made 170. People are still going to go. There is a lot of curiosity about "Matrix." But if people were disappointed by "Matrix 2" and it frustrated a lot of people because its story was so poor, they're going to be equally frustrated by "Matrix 3."
O'BRIEN: So, it wasn't just me who didn't understand what was going on in the "Matrix" movies.
TOURE: Well, there wasn't that much to misunderstand.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that's good to know. TOURE: There was a lot of action. The first one was so, like, story. The second one was just, like, let's show the toys...
O'BRIEN: Action.
TOURE: ... let's show the action.
SIGESMUND: And this one has so much -- just all of the same stuff, the same special effected, the same fight scenes all the time.
O'BRIEN: A good story line this time or no?
SIGESMUND: The story line is a little bit better than "Matrix 2," but...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: And you're predicting over $300 million.
BOROWITZ: Oh, is Matrixes or matrices?
O'BRIEN: Matrices.
BOROWITZ: That becomes important.
O'BRIEN: I've seen all the matrices.
BOROWITZ: OK. It becomes important.
O'BRIEN: All right, Andy and Toure and B.J., as always, thanks, you guys. We certainly appreciate it.
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 November 3, 2003 - 07:43 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 once again for our segment, "90-Second Pop," a regular look at pop culture. Everybody is here this morning. Humorist Andy Borowitz joins us. Good morning, Andy.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone" magazine. Hey, Toure. Good morning.
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm well. Thank you.
And B.J. Sigesmund is a staff editor for "US Weekly." Good morning, B.J. Nice to see you.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's get going. Let's first talk about the "Globe" magazine. Trashy tabloid. They put it a full-body picture of the accuser in the Kobe Bryant case. In fact, you can see it there. We've actually cut out where the photo would be, because CNN and other news organizations do not release the picture of someone who is claiming sexual assault.
Are you shocked by this?
TOURE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Or are you shocked that it actually has taken quite awhile? I sort of thought...
TOURE: No.
O'BRIEN: I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier.
TOURE: No, no, I'm shocked by it. This is really despicable behavior on the part of the "Globe." I mean, like Bonnie Fuller is the head of the "Globe." It's her decision at the end, and I would expect more of a woman dealing with another woman. But instead, she says to herself, we need newsstand, so let's do it. And it doesn't matter if we destroy a life in the process. But this is soulless behavior. This is despicable. This is completely beyond the line.
O'BRIEN: The "Globe" editors are two head editors, and one of them is a woman as well. So, I mean, there are other people, you know.
TOURE: Yes. I mean, I would expect more of a woman. I would expect a man to say, hey, let's make as much as we can. But a woman, I would expect to say, hey, wait a minute, we're going to continue the destruction of this person's life. I mean, we don't know if Kobe raped her, but the "Globe" certainly has now.
SIGESMUND: Women's groups are very upset about this, too...
O'BRIEN: Yes, no question.
SIGESMUND: ... because they say that this sort of lack of privacy is the reason that so many women stay quiet about assault. So, it's really an affront to that idea.
O'BRIEN: Still though, in this day and age, I was kind of surprised it hadn't happened earlier.
SIGESMUND: The "Globe" -- remember, they published her picture at first with a bar over her eyes.
O'BRIEN: Right.
SIGESMUND: That was how they did it the first time a few months back, but this is really the first time that they've been out there.
BOROWITZ: I've canceled my subscription to the "Globe" just recently. I'm subscribing to "Weekly World News" now, because I feel...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: You are such a feminist, Andy. We knew it. We knew it.
Let's talk a little bit about CBS and this movie.
BOROWITZ: Oh, Reagan.
O'BRIEN: This Reagan miniseries. Oh, what a mess. The person who signed off on that originally is sorry they did, because that had...
BOROWITZ: Well, I know Jack Cafferty is a big fan of those...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Clearly not.
BOROWITZ: You know, it seems like a really kind of bone-headed decision, because, you know, it has a lot of apparent inaccuracies in it, and they've cast...
O'BRIEN: They made up weird quotes in addition to that.
BOROWITZ: Right. Right. And there were so many real weird quotes they could have drawn some, you know, they didn't have to make up any. But they've cast I guess James Brolin as Reagan, who is, you know, one heartbeat away from Barbra Streisand, which seems like a big mistake. But they've got more problems than that. And I understand they've also green-lighted this Dan Quayle miniseries starring Carrot Top, who also is a really bad...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: At the same time, you have to ask the question -- you have to ask the question -- I mean, these miniseries, Martha Stewart's, you know, movie, whatever...
BOROWITZ: Cybill Shepherd.
O'BRIEN: ... you know, Cybill Shepherd. You know, like...
SIGESMUND: They're huge ratings winners for CBS.
O'BRIEN: But do people really expect them to be the quote that Martha Stewart ever said really matching what she said? I mean...
TOURE: Well, I think people do take it as history. I mean, they shouldn't, but they do. They do.
BOROWITZ: There is something weird about Reagan. There was also that biography about him, "Dutch," a few years ago with -- you know, Adam Morris (ph) had sort of made up quotes. There is something about Reagan people feel the need to mythologize. I'm not sure why that is.
TOURE: I can't wait until the Clinton one, like, you know...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Yes, you want to see people...
(CROSSTALK)
TOURE: That one is going to be exciting and fun.
SIGESMUND: It ultimately might not even air. CBS is in talks to sell it to Showtime.
O'BRIEN: Let's get rid of it all together.
SIGESMUND: So, it might not even air on regular TV.
O'BRIEN: Or another option would be -- and actually it's the question of the day today -- would be to just not air it at all. Just not.
TOURE: Right.
O'BRIEN: Just not.
SIGESMUND: Right.
O'BRIEN: It may go that way.
All right, B.J., let's talk about movies. "The Matrix Revolution" is the third. I feel like I just saw "The Matrix Reloaded" about 27 minutes ago.
SIGESMUND: Yes, absolutely.
O'BRIEN: What's going on?
SIGESMUND: This is a gamble on the part of Warner Brothers to release both "Matrix 2" and "Matrix 3" in the same year. A lot of people do feel like, wow, "Matrix 2" I just saw that. And they just released the DVD for "Matrix 2" with a lot of fanfare just two weeks ago.
O'BRIEN: Does it compromise the Academy Award chances?
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Kidding.
TOURE: You know, the first one was more than a movie. It was an iconic happening in all of our lives.
O'BRIEN: Right.
TOURE: The second one we went with this thing, like, our lives are going to change again, and, like, it was just a movie.
O'BRIEN: It didn't happen.
TOURE: It was so bad, it like broke a heart. This one, the third one, it's just a movie now.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
TOURE: Right.
SIGESMUND: I mean, the second one...
O'BRIEN: So, translate for me. Does that mean it does well or it does badly?
SIGESMUND: It's going to do really well. The second one made $280 million while the first had only made 170. People are still going to go. There is a lot of curiosity about "Matrix." But if people were disappointed by "Matrix 2" and it frustrated a lot of people because its story was so poor, they're going to be equally frustrated by "Matrix 3."
O'BRIEN: So, it wasn't just me who didn't understand what was going on in the "Matrix" movies.
TOURE: Well, there wasn't that much to misunderstand.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that's good to know. TOURE: There was a lot of action. The first one was so, like, story. The second one was just, like, let's show the toys...
O'BRIEN: Action.
TOURE: ... let's show the action.
SIGESMUND: And this one has so much -- just all of the same stuff, the same special effected, the same fight scenes all the time.
O'BRIEN: A good story line this time or no?
SIGESMUND: The story line is a little bit better than "Matrix 2," but...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: And you're predicting over $300 million.
BOROWITZ: Oh, is Matrixes or matrices?
O'BRIEN: Matrices.
BOROWITZ: That becomes important.
O'BRIEN: I've seen all the matrices.
BOROWITZ: OK. It becomes important.
O'BRIEN: All right, Andy and Toure and B.J., as always, thanks, you guys. We certainly appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
