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American Morning
90-Second Pop, Culture Watch
Aired November 24, 2003 - 07:44 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 "90-Second Pop," our lightning-fast look at what's hot in the world of pop culture.
And with us this morning, humorist Andy Borowitz. Jessica Shaw joins us. She's from "Entertainment Weekly." And B.J. Sigesmund is a staff editor for "US Weekly."
Good morning to all of you. Thanks for joining us.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Jessica, let's begin with you. We've got to start with M.J. -- Michael Jackson.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": It's all about M.J.
O'BRIEN: It so is all about M.J. to some degree, and I'm feeling very sad about that. I think it's going to dominate the news and more for the next year, at least. Musicians, though, are coming out in support of him, and I want to first listen to a clip before we talk about it.
SHAW: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson has had a positive impact on my life, and the way the media is stalking him I think it's wrong.
L.L. COOL J., JACKSON SUPPORTER: I'm a fan. I support him a hundred zillion percent. Until I see evidence, I'm not going to be convinced. I'm not going to be brainwashed. Do you know what I mean?
ALICIA KEYES, JACKSON SUPPORTER: I feel offended for him. Do you know what I mean? I feel offended by the way that the media is handling a man who really has been a major force in American culture since the day that he was born virtually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: L.L. Cool J. saying a hundred zillion percent.
SHAW: That's the defense you want.
BOROWITZ: I'm not entirely sure that's a number.
O'BRIEN: How many zeroes is that actually? No surprise here, right, Jessica?
SHAW: Right. And P. Diddy is no stranger to handcuffs himself. But I don't know. I mean, do you really want to hear Alicia Keyes saying he's been a major force in American culture; therefore, he must be innocent?
BOROWITZ: Where are his fellow '80s artists, though? Where is Duran Duran? Where are Aha (ph)? I'd like to hear from them at this point.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": Also, somebody else who supported him is Corey Feldman -- don't forget about Corey Feldman -- who slept over at his house many times actually when he was a kid and said that he never saw anything.
O'BRIEN: I thought they had a falling out.
BOROWITZ: They did.
SIGESMUND: They have had a falling out, but he told Larry King last week that he never saw anything inappropriate at Michael Jackson's house.
SHAW: We're going to be seeing some "Free Michael" t-shirts coming out very soon, like the "Free Martha," "Free Winona" variety.
O'BRIEN: I bet you by the time you guys head out of the studio, around the corner they'll be on sale on 6th Avenue.
SIGESMUND: Well, you know, he's the one who always says I have huge fans around the world. And this is -- you know, we're seeing it. You know, not everyone thinks that Michael Jackson is eccentric. Other people say -- as we have seen -- you know, that Michael Jackson is a wonderful force.
O'BRIEN: He's a beautiful soul -- look at that sign.
SIGESMUND: And Michael Jackson deserves a fair trial. And, you know, he does really have a lot of fans who are sticking by him.
O'BRIEN: All right, enough chitchat about Michael Jackson. Let's move on to talk about the box office "Cat in the Hat." It got terrible reviews.
SIGESMUND: It's awful.
O'BRIEN: I think it's fair to say, across the board, it's bad.
SIGESMUND: Awful.
BOROWITZ: It's proof again that 4-year-olds don't read a lot (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SIGESMUND: Yes, no, that's...
(CROSSTALK) BOROWITZ: "Cat in the Hate."
SIGESMUND: That's exactly the point. The reviews were terrible across the board, but Universal marketed this thing so well that every kid across the U.S. knew that this movie was coming out, and they all forced their parents to take them to it this weekend. And it made $41 million. It was review-proof. This is a perfect example of that.
SHAW: So, please have, like, a shred of dignity in what you're putting out. I mean, "Finding Nemo" was great, and that did really well. I mean, make a good movie.
SIGESMUND: Yes. No, it's true. Movie-making is hard, but Universal is saying this morning, we didn't making this movie for parents, we didn't make it for critics, we made it for kids.
O'BRIEN: So, then the theory, it just doesnt matter. When you're talking about 4-year-olds, honestly, kind of stick to the topic, don't be too confusing...
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: And Dr. Seuss is hot. I mean, Nicole Kidman has committed to "Green Eggs and Ham," which I think is going to be a big one, too.
O'BRIEN: All right, we have two seconds to talk about "Gothica, 19.6 million, "Elf" No. 3, 19.1. Who is going to be the big winner overall, B.J., do you think?
SIGESMUND: "Elf" is. "Elf" is.
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: Genuinely funny. Genuinely funny and kids like it.
O'BRIEN: Well, actually it's well-written.
SHAW: Right. It actually works at the box office.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Could we talk a little bit about the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office launching a probe into how the "Post" got a early copy, a pre-released copy of "The Passion of Christ," which is Mel Gibson's movie?
BOROWITZ: Well, this is very controversial, because the "Post" somehow did get this copy of this very controversial film, and the FBI is looking into it. Personally, I'm very glad that's how they're using their time. I'm not going to sleep well until those evildoers are captured.
But, it's going to be a controversial movie. I mean, Mel Gibson said that he made the movie not to offend, but to inspire. But that's also what he said about 'Lethal Weapon 4." So, who knows? O'BRIEN: The COO of Paramount Pictures said the "Post" is promoting chaos. Overstating? No, you don't think so?
SHAW: Do you see the riots outside? There's chaos.
O'BRIEN: There's chaos in the streets.
SIGESMUND: Really, they're just offended. I mean, studios get offended when things get out of their control, and, you know, a copy of this film is making the rounds. Mel Gibson is showing it to people now, just not movie critics and not newspapers.
BOROWITZ: I would like the FBI to find out who released "Cat in the Hat" on Friday. I would like to put a stop to that.
O'BRIEN: You want that person brought to justice?
BOROWITZ: Yes, absolutely.
O'BRIEN: 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 November 24, 2003 - 07:44 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 "90-Second Pop," our lightning-fast look at what's hot in the world of pop culture.
And with us this morning, humorist Andy Borowitz. Jessica Shaw joins us. She's from "Entertainment Weekly." And B.J. Sigesmund is a staff editor for "US Weekly."
Good morning to all of you. Thanks for joining us.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Jessica, let's begin with you. We've got to start with M.J. -- Michael Jackson.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": It's all about M.J.
O'BRIEN: It so is all about M.J. to some degree, and I'm feeling very sad about that. I think it's going to dominate the news and more for the next year, at least. Musicians, though, are coming out in support of him, and I want to first listen to a clip before we talk about it.
SHAW: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson has had a positive impact on my life, and the way the media is stalking him I think it's wrong.
L.L. COOL J., JACKSON SUPPORTER: I'm a fan. I support him a hundred zillion percent. Until I see evidence, I'm not going to be convinced. I'm not going to be brainwashed. Do you know what I mean?
ALICIA KEYES, JACKSON SUPPORTER: I feel offended for him. Do you know what I mean? I feel offended by the way that the media is handling a man who really has been a major force in American culture since the day that he was born virtually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: L.L. Cool J. saying a hundred zillion percent.
SHAW: That's the defense you want.
BOROWITZ: I'm not entirely sure that's a number.
O'BRIEN: How many zeroes is that actually? No surprise here, right, Jessica?
SHAW: Right. And P. Diddy is no stranger to handcuffs himself. But I don't know. I mean, do you really want to hear Alicia Keyes saying he's been a major force in American culture; therefore, he must be innocent?
BOROWITZ: Where are his fellow '80s artists, though? Where is Duran Duran? Where are Aha (ph)? I'd like to hear from them at this point.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": Also, somebody else who supported him is Corey Feldman -- don't forget about Corey Feldman -- who slept over at his house many times actually when he was a kid and said that he never saw anything.
O'BRIEN: I thought they had a falling out.
BOROWITZ: They did.
SIGESMUND: They have had a falling out, but he told Larry King last week that he never saw anything inappropriate at Michael Jackson's house.
SHAW: We're going to be seeing some "Free Michael" t-shirts coming out very soon, like the "Free Martha," "Free Winona" variety.
O'BRIEN: I bet you by the time you guys head out of the studio, around the corner they'll be on sale on 6th Avenue.
SIGESMUND: Well, you know, he's the one who always says I have huge fans around the world. And this is -- you know, we're seeing it. You know, not everyone thinks that Michael Jackson is eccentric. Other people say -- as we have seen -- you know, that Michael Jackson is a wonderful force.
O'BRIEN: He's a beautiful soul -- look at that sign.
SIGESMUND: And Michael Jackson deserves a fair trial. And, you know, he does really have a lot of fans who are sticking by him.
O'BRIEN: All right, enough chitchat about Michael Jackson. Let's move on to talk about the box office "Cat in the Hat." It got terrible reviews.
SIGESMUND: It's awful.
O'BRIEN: I think it's fair to say, across the board, it's bad.
SIGESMUND: Awful.
BOROWITZ: It's proof again that 4-year-olds don't read a lot (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SIGESMUND: Yes, no, that's...
(CROSSTALK) BOROWITZ: "Cat in the Hate."
SIGESMUND: That's exactly the point. The reviews were terrible across the board, but Universal marketed this thing so well that every kid across the U.S. knew that this movie was coming out, and they all forced their parents to take them to it this weekend. And it made $41 million. It was review-proof. This is a perfect example of that.
SHAW: So, please have, like, a shred of dignity in what you're putting out. I mean, "Finding Nemo" was great, and that did really well. I mean, make a good movie.
SIGESMUND: Yes. No, it's true. Movie-making is hard, but Universal is saying this morning, we didn't making this movie for parents, we didn't make it for critics, we made it for kids.
O'BRIEN: So, then the theory, it just doesnt matter. When you're talking about 4-year-olds, honestly, kind of stick to the topic, don't be too confusing...
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: And Dr. Seuss is hot. I mean, Nicole Kidman has committed to "Green Eggs and Ham," which I think is going to be a big one, too.
O'BRIEN: All right, we have two seconds to talk about "Gothica, 19.6 million, "Elf" No. 3, 19.1. Who is going to be the big winner overall, B.J., do you think?
SIGESMUND: "Elf" is. "Elf" is.
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: Genuinely funny. Genuinely funny and kids like it.
O'BRIEN: Well, actually it's well-written.
SHAW: Right. It actually works at the box office.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Could we talk a little bit about the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office launching a probe into how the "Post" got a early copy, a pre-released copy of "The Passion of Christ," which is Mel Gibson's movie?
BOROWITZ: Well, this is very controversial, because the "Post" somehow did get this copy of this very controversial film, and the FBI is looking into it. Personally, I'm very glad that's how they're using their time. I'm not going to sleep well until those evildoers are captured.
But, it's going to be a controversial movie. I mean, Mel Gibson said that he made the movie not to offend, but to inspire. But that's also what he said about 'Lethal Weapon 4." So, who knows? O'BRIEN: The COO of Paramount Pictures said the "Post" is promoting chaos. Overstating? No, you don't think so?
SHAW: Do you see the riots outside? There's chaos.
O'BRIEN: There's chaos in the streets.
SIGESMUND: Really, they're just offended. I mean, studios get offended when things get out of their control, and, you know, a copy of this film is making the rounds. Mel Gibson is showing it to people now, just not movie critics and not newspapers.
BOROWITZ: I would like the FBI to find out who released "Cat in the Hat" on Friday. I would like to put a stop to that.
O'BRIEN: You want that person brought to justice?
BOROWITZ: Yes, absolutely.
O'BRIEN: 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.
