Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

90-Second Pop, Culture Watch

Aired November 13, 2003 - 07:45   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: Time again for "90-Second Pop," our regular look at the world of pop culture, and it's a good one today. Today's players: humorist Andy Borowitz. Andy, good morning. You've got a cot just like those guys in Washington, don't you? Amy Sohn from "New York" magazine. Good to have you back, Amy.
AMY SOHN, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Thank you.

HEMMER: And a first-timer, Mike LaFavore, editor-in-chief of "TV Guide." Great to see you, Mike.

Let's start with you, OK?

MIKE LAFAVORE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "TV GUIDE": OK.

HEMMER: Rosie, listen to this from yesterday after court and when the decision came down. Do we have it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE O'DONNELL, ENTERTAINER: I have no vengeance towards the company. I will never speak about that company again or any of its employees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: That's Rosie from yesterday. And in the end it's a tie. All that for a draw.

LAFAVORE: The lawyers were the big winners on this one.

HEMMER: Yes?

LAFAVORE: I have an employee who worked for the "Rosie" magazine, and he was out endless days giving depositions and testifying.

HEMMER: Do you think Rosie lost in reputation?

LAFAVORE: I think both of them lost. I mean, I think Gruner and Jahr got their dirty circulation laundry, you know, aired, the fact that they were inflating circulation numbers which, in the publishing industry, is not a good thing. I think Rosie got, you know, sort of a very nasty side of her personality got exposed. And I think in the end, the judge just said please go away. I don't think anybody won except the lawyers.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: I actually think the American people were the big losers, because we had to hear that speech from Rosie.

LAFAVORE: Yes, exactly.

HEMMER: We heard many speeches. The consolation prize could be attorney fees in the end.

"Taboo" is going to open up this weekend here.

SOHN: Yes.

HEMMER: Does this help ticket sales, do you think, or not?

SOHN: I don't think so, but I don't know that anything can at his point. The show has so much bad advance publicity that...

HEMMER: Someone says there is no such thing as bad PR. Rosie's attorney concedes her client is no Mother Teresa.

BOROWITZ: I'm glad he finally put that controversy to rest...

HEMMER: But then, who would?

BOROWITZ: ... because that's been my impression for some time.

SOHN: Yes, exactly.

HEMMER: Let's talk about Catherine Zeta-Jones. Amy, jump on this one a second. She wants to take on the Atkins Corporation, saying that she hasn't been on their diet, so don't give that company credit for how good she looks.

SOHN: Right, exactly.

HEMMER: Is that right?

SOHN: And she does looks good. I mean, let's admit it. She dropped a lot weight. She wasn't looking so good when she won her Academy Award. She was looking sort of cowish, you know, well beyond her "Chicago" days. But basically, Catherine Zeta-Jones just loves to go to court. I mean, she's incredibly suit-happy, and she can't stop suing people.

HEMMER: Well, they just had the case with the wedding pictures, right?

SOHN: Right.

HEMMER: That was settled.

SOHN: And they only got, like, 24,000, when they were looking for a couple hundred thousand, I think.

BOROWITZ: You know, given that she likes to sue people, I really want to give Amy tremendous credit for calling her "cowish" on television.

(CROSSTALK)

SOHN: Well, actually, did you know...

BOROWITZ: That's real courage.

SOHN: Yes. Did you know that actually to "zeta-jones" means to pig out? It does, yes.

HEMMER: Is that so?

SOHN: Yes. When you're just totaling chowing down and you go, oh, I was really zeta-jonesing (ph) lasting night.

BOROWITZ: Oh, my god!

HEMMER: So, what does she claim, though?

SOHN: She's saying that -- well, what I think is that she was about to sign a deal with one of the Atkins competitors and she didn't want this ruining it. But she's saying that she's being assumed to be someone who cares only about personal appearance and not about serious issues like health.

HEMMER: Somehow I think that...

BOROWITZ: That's not the Catherine Zeta-Jones I know.

LAFAVORE: No. And in Hollywood now, controlling -- I mean, it's all about control, control, control and controlling your image. And, you know, in her case, it's go to the courtroom if someone, you know, publishes a picture you don't like, says something you don't like.

HEMMER: Yes, let's talk about the uber (ph) woman, the uberfrau (ph), Britney Spears. She's going to be everywhere this weekend, right? Starting tonight?

BOROWITZ: Yes, she is almost in as many places as Paris Hilton right now. I mean, it's just amazing. There is actually some talk about overexposure with her now. I guess she's concerned about access a little bit, but she's promoting this new CD, I guess, "In the Zone."

HEMMER: Right.

BOROWITZ: And this is a whole new Britney. It's a sexy Britney as opposed to the Britney we've been seeing for the last few years, which hasn't been sexy at all. So, it's a tremendous departure for her.

HEMMER: I had told Soledad, "In the Zone," it sounds something out of Sports Center. Does she run the risk, Mike, Andy, do you think, of running too fast?

LAFAVORE: Oh, absolutely. I mean, you know, she should have learned something from Madonna, you know, in between, you know, the kisses that really -- I mean, this is not necessarily a great career move. It's just great -- they do great things with tape, though, at her photo shoots. It's like they're just barely clothes, or just sort of just barely on there, and, you know, the pants keep getting lower and lower. And, you know, eventually you end up posing for "Playboy" and then it's, you know...

HEMMER: That's a different type of exposure, though, obviously.

LAFAVORE: Yes.

HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) were prepared to get really sick of Britney Spears. Spears is going to fly to Scotland because she was reportedly feeling sick -- maybe of herself.

LAFAVORE: Well, join the club.

SOHN: I never get sick of Britney.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: No? Well, listen, we've got to run. Thanks to all three. And, Mike, thanks for coming in. Amy, good to see you again. And, Andy, see you soonest.

BOROWITZ: I guess so.

HEMMER: You got it. Thanks.

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 13, 2003 - 07:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Time again for "90-Second Pop," our regular look at the world of pop culture, and it's a good one today. Today's players: humorist Andy Borowitz. Andy, good morning. You've got a cot just like those guys in Washington, don't you? Amy Sohn from "New York" magazine. Good to have you back, Amy.
AMY SOHN, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Thank you.

HEMMER: And a first-timer, Mike LaFavore, editor-in-chief of "TV Guide." Great to see you, Mike.

Let's start with you, OK?

MIKE LAFAVORE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "TV GUIDE": OK.

HEMMER: Rosie, listen to this from yesterday after court and when the decision came down. Do we have it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE O'DONNELL, ENTERTAINER: I have no vengeance towards the company. I will never speak about that company again or any of its employees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: That's Rosie from yesterday. And in the end it's a tie. All that for a draw.

LAFAVORE: The lawyers were the big winners on this one.

HEMMER: Yes?

LAFAVORE: I have an employee who worked for the "Rosie" magazine, and he was out endless days giving depositions and testifying.

HEMMER: Do you think Rosie lost in reputation?

LAFAVORE: I think both of them lost. I mean, I think Gruner and Jahr got their dirty circulation laundry, you know, aired, the fact that they were inflating circulation numbers which, in the publishing industry, is not a good thing. I think Rosie got, you know, sort of a very nasty side of her personality got exposed. And I think in the end, the judge just said please go away. I don't think anybody won except the lawyers.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: I actually think the American people were the big losers, because we had to hear that speech from Rosie.

LAFAVORE: Yes, exactly.

HEMMER: We heard many speeches. The consolation prize could be attorney fees in the end.

"Taboo" is going to open up this weekend here.

SOHN: Yes.

HEMMER: Does this help ticket sales, do you think, or not?

SOHN: I don't think so, but I don't know that anything can at his point. The show has so much bad advance publicity that...

HEMMER: Someone says there is no such thing as bad PR. Rosie's attorney concedes her client is no Mother Teresa.

BOROWITZ: I'm glad he finally put that controversy to rest...

HEMMER: But then, who would?

BOROWITZ: ... because that's been my impression for some time.

SOHN: Yes, exactly.

HEMMER: Let's talk about Catherine Zeta-Jones. Amy, jump on this one a second. She wants to take on the Atkins Corporation, saying that she hasn't been on their diet, so don't give that company credit for how good she looks.

SOHN: Right, exactly.

HEMMER: Is that right?

SOHN: And she does looks good. I mean, let's admit it. She dropped a lot weight. She wasn't looking so good when she won her Academy Award. She was looking sort of cowish, you know, well beyond her "Chicago" days. But basically, Catherine Zeta-Jones just loves to go to court. I mean, she's incredibly suit-happy, and she can't stop suing people.

HEMMER: Well, they just had the case with the wedding pictures, right?

SOHN: Right.

HEMMER: That was settled.

SOHN: And they only got, like, 24,000, when they were looking for a couple hundred thousand, I think.

BOROWITZ: You know, given that she likes to sue people, I really want to give Amy tremendous credit for calling her "cowish" on television.

(CROSSTALK)

SOHN: Well, actually, did you know...

BOROWITZ: That's real courage.

SOHN: Yes. Did you know that actually to "zeta-jones" means to pig out? It does, yes.

HEMMER: Is that so?

SOHN: Yes. When you're just totaling chowing down and you go, oh, I was really zeta-jonesing (ph) lasting night.

BOROWITZ: Oh, my god!

HEMMER: So, what does she claim, though?

SOHN: She's saying that -- well, what I think is that she was about to sign a deal with one of the Atkins competitors and she didn't want this ruining it. But she's saying that she's being assumed to be someone who cares only about personal appearance and not about serious issues like health.

HEMMER: Somehow I think that...

BOROWITZ: That's not the Catherine Zeta-Jones I know.

LAFAVORE: No. And in Hollywood now, controlling -- I mean, it's all about control, control, control and controlling your image. And, you know, in her case, it's go to the courtroom if someone, you know, publishes a picture you don't like, says something you don't like.

HEMMER: Yes, let's talk about the uber (ph) woman, the uberfrau (ph), Britney Spears. She's going to be everywhere this weekend, right? Starting tonight?

BOROWITZ: Yes, she is almost in as many places as Paris Hilton right now. I mean, it's just amazing. There is actually some talk about overexposure with her now. I guess she's concerned about access a little bit, but she's promoting this new CD, I guess, "In the Zone."

HEMMER: Right.

BOROWITZ: And this is a whole new Britney. It's a sexy Britney as opposed to the Britney we've been seeing for the last few years, which hasn't been sexy at all. So, it's a tremendous departure for her.

HEMMER: I had told Soledad, "In the Zone," it sounds something out of Sports Center. Does she run the risk, Mike, Andy, do you think, of running too fast?

LAFAVORE: Oh, absolutely. I mean, you know, she should have learned something from Madonna, you know, in between, you know, the kisses that really -- I mean, this is not necessarily a great career move. It's just great -- they do great things with tape, though, at her photo shoots. It's like they're just barely clothes, or just sort of just barely on there, and, you know, the pants keep getting lower and lower. And, you know, eventually you end up posing for "Playboy" and then it's, you know...

HEMMER: That's a different type of exposure, though, obviously.

LAFAVORE: Yes.

HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) were prepared to get really sick of Britney Spears. Spears is going to fly to Scotland because she was reportedly feeling sick -- maybe of herself.

LAFAVORE: Well, join the club.

SOHN: I never get sick of Britney.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: No? Well, listen, we've got to run. Thanks to all three. And, Mike, thanks for coming in. Amy, good to see you again. And, Andy, see you soonest.

BOROWITZ: I guess so.

HEMMER: You got it. Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.