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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush-Blair Talks; Getting Out of Iraq; Family Vacation Ideas

Aired April 16, 2004 - 06:30   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Denmark's foreign ministry says a Danish businessman has likely been kidnapped in the Iraqi town of Taji (ph). The man was traveling from Basra to Baghdad at the time.
A series of explosions overnight at or near a U.S. Marine base five miles from Fallujah. No report on the blast, but reporters speculate the Marines were being attack with mortars.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are holding talks at the White House today on the fighting in Iraq. They're looking for ways to bring calm before the planned June 30 transfer of power.

CNN's Robin Oakley live in London with more for us now.

Hello -- Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Carol.

Well, this is going to be a meeting which publicly will be a show of unity, a determination of their resolve to see things through in Iraq. Both leaders can be expected to say there must be no postponement in that June the 30th date for the handover to an interim Iraqi authority. Both will probably indicate that if it's necessary, they'd be willing to commit more troops to Iraq.

I think it will be seen in Europe and in Britain as rather a test of Tony Blair's degree of influence with George Bush, following Mr. Bush's endorsement of Ariel Sharon's plans for Israel and the Palestinians, which many Europeans feel has pre-empted final status talks on the Middle East peace process. They will be looking in Europe for Tony Blair to reassert the need to get the Palestinians more involved in a peace process.

Also, some question how much Tony Blair will indicate to the president in private the unease felt in the British foreign office and the British military about what they see as heavy-handed tactics by the U.S. military in countering the insurgency in Iraq.

So, tensions perhaps behind the scenes, but a public show of unity -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live from London this morning. President Bush and the prime minister will hold a joint news conference later this morning in the Rose Garden, and CNN will carry that live for you at 11:55 Eastern.

Kellie Hamill says she has faith her husband will return safely from Iraq. Her husband, Thomas Hamill, a truck driver from Macon, Mississippi, was taken hostage a week ago when a fuel convoy was attacked west of Baghdad.

His wife spoke out on "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLIE HAMILL, HOSTAGE'S WIFE: Tommy is a very family-oriented man. He's a kind and loving father and husband. He takes care of his responsibilities. He would do anything for anyone if he could. He's just the most wonderful person I've ever met.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Kellie Hamill admits she's now -- she's more worried now following news that an Italian hostage has been executed in Iraq.

Russia had planned to send three planes today to evacuate its citizens from Iraq, but only one plane was needed, because many chose to stay. Three hundred sixty-six Russian workers were flown out of Iraq, and CNN's Ryan Chilcote met some of them at the Moscow airport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the first in a series of Russian planes to bring people from Iraq. For many of its passengers, this is not the first time they've been evacuated, nor is it the first time their work has been disrupted by fighting in Iraq.

"How couldn't we be sad?", says Alexander Kadashinka (ph). "We've been building a power station there since 1988. We wanted to finish it to see the fruits of our labor, but it didn't work out."

The evacuation was prompted by the abduction and then release of eight employees of a Russian company in Baghdad on Monday. An engineer from the same company was shot in the leg while working on Wednesday. A Russian official says a stray bullet came from an area, where U.S. soldiers were firing.

(on camera): The Russian government is encouraging all Russians to leave Iraq. Politicians here are certain that Russians, who are fiercely opposed to military action in Iraq, are now getting caught in the crossfire.

(voice-over): Another company, Russia's largest contractor in Iraq, says the violence has gotten too close for comfort for any of its staff. Its 300-plus employees are among the first home. The flights resume Friday.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And you can get more on the hostage situation in Iraq and the U.S. military operation there by clicking on to our Web site. The address: CNN.com.

Coming up on DAYBREAK:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. Can I help you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. I'm Karen Kim (ph). I'm the hospitality manager of the hotel. I have a welcome gift from the management.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's nice. Can you just leave it by the door?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Yes, another violent release from Quentin Tarantino, but "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" isn't the only movie hitting theaters this weekend. We'll check out the other box office offerings for you.

And a vacation doesn't have to include beach-front reservations. Coming up, off-the-beaten path, some different ideas that are a lot cheaper for your family's summer plans.

And then talk about distant travels. Wait until you hear the trip this kitty took.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, thank goodness the weekend is here. I know. You just have to get through your workday, and then it's Friday night. This weekend, actually you can "Kill Bill" twice or cozy up to "Connie and Carla" or even remember "The Alamo" in a widescreen weekend.

With new movie news, live in New York is Tom O'Neil, who is senior editor of "In Touch Weekly."

Good morning and thank you for joining us.

TOM O'NEIL, SENIOR EDITIOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Good morning.

COSTELLO: Do you want to start with "Connie and Carla?"

O'NEIL: OK. This movie is getting beaten up a lot. The critics don't seem to live it, but it's just a cute little bon-bon with Nia Vardalos, of course, from "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding," on the lam from some mafia guys in Chicago, who are chasing her and Toni Collette through Los Angeles clubs, gay clubs, where they pretend to be drag queens. What this sets up, of course, is one of those great gender- bending farces like "Victor Victoria." COSTELLO: Oh, so women pretending to be drag queens.

O'NEIL: Who then fall in love with guys who think they're -- you know, it's one of those...

COSTELLO: That (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I have not heard one good thing about this movie. I haven't.

O'NEIL: I know. I know. It's like a one-joke movie that just goes too far, but there are some really cute scenes in it, by the way. Unfortunately, it's a huge letdown for Nia Vardalos, because her TV version of "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding" bombed, and this, of course, is not the -- I loved "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding." Did you like it?

COSTELLO: I did. I liked that movie, but her TV series was not good.

OK, let's move on -- poor Nia. I'm sorry, Nia, if you're watching right now. Let's go on to "Kill Bill: Vol. 2." Is it as violent as the first?

O'NEIL: Not quite as violent. Actually, there is probably more word play than historic play compared to version one, which came out on Tuesday on DVD and sold two million copies. That tells you the kind of pent-up expectation there is for the movie, which opens today. This is going to be huge this weekend. It's going to make at least $20 million to $25 million, and it deserves to. It's actually better than part one.

COSTELLO: That's -- it just -- it also outlines -- well, it points to the fact that Americans love their violent movies. Do they ever.

O'NEIL: Yes, especially when it's a little absurd, like this is, and very, very sexy, too.

COSTELLO: Yes, it is, absolutely. Supposedly in "Kill Bill" two, there's more relationship things going on, too.

O'NEIL: More relationships, too, and a great cat fight. The audience just roars over this one scene between Uma Thurman and Daryl Hannah. When those gals go at it, sparks fly. It's great.

COSTELLO: Violence, sex and a cat fight, what more could you want?

O'NEIL: Whoa! And a good one, too.

COSTELLO: Yes. "The Punisher."

O'NEIL: Oh, punishing. Isn't this a wild name? This is John Travolta's latest dud. Apparently, battlefield Earth the sequel wasn't available. John just hit 50, and I think he's getting a little dodi (ph) on us. This is terrible. This is a movie -- it's a formula thriller. He plays a nightclub owner, trying to snuff out an FBI agent who had accidentally killed his son. And it's just exploding cars, pointless chase scenes, boom, boom, bang, bang. Save your money.

COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, you know, he's not really good at choosing movies, is he?

O'NEIL: That's what the problem is. He's a good actor, I think, Travolta is, but he has either got really bad advisors or terrible judgment.

COSTELLO: OK, the last movie we'll review this morning, "Young Adam."

O'NEIL: "Young Adam" is actually quite good. Ewan McGregor, this is his first big movie since "Big Fish," and he loves to leap from -- let me keep the metaphor going -- from pond to pond, from genre to genre as films go. He did "Moulin Rouge!," of course, and last year "Big Fish" was so great.

This is a film (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He plays a guy who works on a barge in Scotland right after World War II. The body of his old girlfriend floats by, and there's a husband and wife on this barge where he works that he seduces the wife. You don't know what's going on. It's very erotic and very sexy. The mood is terrific in this. It's not a great film, but it's pretty good.

COSTELLO: Good. OK, I'm glad to hear finally a good one, besides "Kill Bill" that is.

O'NEIL: Yes.

COSTELLO: I just cannot watch violent films, but that's just me.

"The Alamo."

O'NEIL: This is really bad, and this is my rant of the week, if I can get this in here. This movie deserves to go down like the real Alamo did. What few people realize is that Hollywood every few years is determined to make another Alamo movie. They all bomb essentially for the same reason. These guys weren't fighting for freedom. Quite the contrary. They were fighting for slavery.

What few people realize is that Mexico had outlawed slavery, and those settlers from Texas had slaves. They wanted their own kingdom, so that's what they were fighting for. Not only were they fighting for a terrible cause, they were scoundrels. Like Bowie was one of the biggest land scam artists in American history.

And you've got these people in the Alamo, and then they lose. What a terrible story! And the movie bombs.

COSTELLO: Well, this is like the third time "The Alamo" has been made. Why do they keep making a movie of the Alamo then?

O'NEIL: That's what I want to know. You know, John Wayne many years ago almost went personally bankrupt over his version of this movie. Leave it alone! It's a terrible story.

COSTELLO: Tom O'Neil, senior editor of "In Touch Weekly," thank you for joining us on DAYBREAK this morning.

O'NEIL: OK, thanks.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

President Bush will meet today with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Of course, Iraq is high on the agenda. You can watch their joint news conference live right here on CNN later this morning, probably around noon Eastern.

The CIA says the new Osama bin Laden audiotape is probably authentic. European leaders are rejecting the truce offered by the terrorist mastermind on that audiotape.

In money news, mortgage rates have jumped to their highest level since early December. That's because improving economic numbers suggest the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates sooner than expected.

In sports, Scottie Pippen, one of the NBA's 50 greatest plays, says this is probably his last season. If he indeed calls it quits this year, he'll be retiring at the ripe old age of 39.

In culture, "You're hired," the words of Donald Trump to Bill on the hit NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Bill beat out Kwame to get a $250,000-a-year job working for the Donald.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Now all of you that taped it to watch later today, we just ruined for you, but that's OK.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines.

Affordable vacations for the family. Just ahead, exciting places to explore at the right price.

And later, another blow to the bulky ballerina from the Bolshoi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm so glad it's Friday.

MYERS: You and me both. It's been a long week.

COSTELLO: It really has. But time to answer some stump-the- weatherman questions.

MYERS: You know, Carol, once in a while I get stumped.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

MYERS: Yes. And this was from Ron Gander (ph) on Newfoundland. He said -- it was 6:00 our time when he typed this in. "How come it's 7:30 here?" Because they have a different time zone than we do. They are on a completely different time zone. And: "Why do we have our own time zone? I think we're the only one in the world that has its own time zone." Wrong, Ron. Would you believe there are 37 time zones in the world?

COSTELLO: In the world.

MYERS: I had to take this map. I had to print it off the computer and find it. But you think of all of the time zones being 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, but there is 1:30, 2:30, 3:00, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30...

COSTELLO: That's crazy.

MYERS: Thirty-seven different zones across the world. I thought that was pretty interesting.

COSTELLO: So, technically he didn't stump you, because you were able to find the answer.

MYERS: Thanks to the Internet.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You bet.

COSTELLO: So, you want to go on a vacation, but you don't want to spend a lot of money and you don't want to go to the usual beach- front hotel, right? Right. Well, we've got you covered.

Travel Channel host Tracy Gallagher joins us live from Los Angeles with some suggestions.

Good morning. Boy, you...

TRACY GALLAGHER, TRAVEL CHANNEL: I hope I have you covered, Carol. It's very early.

MYERS: Oh, wow!

COSTELLO: We really appreciate you being with us this morning. But you have some terrific ideas for people. And the first one up this morning: National Parks.

GALLAGHER: You know, we are so lucky to have the National Parks in our country. You know, if people just go to the National Park Web site, NPS.gov, they will see the listings of all you can do. Every park has so much to offer beyond just the natural beauty. There are educational programs. There are things for children.

One of my favorite parks is Bryce Canyon. It has full moon hikes at nighttime, which is so unique. And people need to think out of the box when they look into the National Parks, because you don't know what they have to offer -- Junior Ranger programs for kids.

And it's all very affordable. You know, it costs -- most parks charge about $20 a vehicle to get in. It varies from park to park. But then you can camp for, like, $10 a night, or if camping is not your thing, they have affordable lodgings as well.

So, it's always a great bet, and I always encourage families to get out of the rut of going to a hotel and taking your kids to the pool. Get out in the outdoors.

COSTELLO: Definitely. Oh, and look at the pictures. They're absolutely gorgeous.

You say ski resorts in the summertime.

GALLAGHER: What a shock, huh? But the ski resorts want to lure you in their off-season, so the hotel prices go down by about 40 to 50 percent. That's a huge savings. And on top of that, there are a lot of free activities on the mountain and around the mountain. You know, Smugglers Notch in Vermont, Vail, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek in Colorado all have great things going on, like free summer music, kids' camps. You can take the gondola up the mountain, and that's...

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: Tracy, you're giving away my great secrets.

GALLAGHER: I'm so sorry.

MYERS: No one knew about this, and I was all alone in Vail last summer.

GALLAGHER: Yes, you're not going to be alone anymore.

MYERS: It's awesome. It's awesome out there in the summer. You think of only skiing in the winter, but horseback riding...

GALLAGHER: Right, it's beautiful.

MYERS: ... and flying fishing. Oh, it's great stuff.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm going to have to try that. That sounds terrific.

Oh, this is an interesting one. A home exchange?

GALLAGHER: This is a great concept. There are a few companies who do this, but the one I'm familiar with the most is HomeExchange.com. And what you do is you swap houses with people anywhere in the world, and you definitely build a relationship with the people that you swap with, so there's some level of trust. It's free.

MYERS: I don't think they're going to let me swap my house for that house.

GALLAGHER: It's free. It's free. It's free. And that's the great thing. And sometimes these houses come with cars, too, so you save money on car rentals. You can save money on food, because you use the kitchen. And look at these places.

MYERS: Wow!

GALLAGHER: I mean, these are mansions, some of them. They're just gorgeous. And then you get to live like the locals. You don't necessarily -- you stay in the neighborhoods some of the time. So, it's a really great experience, and it's a nominal fee for, like, you know, $50 a year to list your house.

COSTELLO: Wow! That's very...

GALLAGHER: Just check your insurance policy.

COSTELLO: Oh, definitely so. Good idea.

Quickly, though, because we only have a short time left. The last one you're going to talk about is to be a tourist in your home town. And I have done this, and it's amazing what you can discover right where you live.

GALLAGHER: I know, and it always takes visitors to come to town for you to go to these places. But for families of toddlers, I think this is a great idea, because kids just get excited about being in a new hotel. And in the downtowns of many large cities, the business hotels mark down prices on the weekends, so it's even cheaper. And, you know, go the museums. Go to the kids' museums. Look and see what the park programs are offering, because it really -- it saves the hassle on air fare and flying with children and then driving a long road trip. So, it's a nearby destination where you can really explore your own surroundings.

And can I also add America's National Parks week on the Travel Channel is next week?

COSTELLO: Of course.

MYERS: Oh, awesome.

COSTELLO: Since you got up so early, and you're out in California, sure. We love free plugs. Tracy Gallagher from the Travel Channel, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

GALLAGHER: Thank you. Happy travels.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

OK, now it's time for the new questions for the DAYBREAK mug.

MYERS: We have to give the mug away right now, and we'll give you a yellow one if you get this one right. Here they are.

Ben Wedeman had a story a little earlier about a play that was going on in an anti-American theater production. But what country is that playing in?

And what is the price of an annual or -- I'll even give you this one -- a daily pass to America's National Parks?

E-mail both answers and your address to Daybreak@CNN.com.

COSTELLO: Did she say the price?

MYERS: She did of the daily.

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: I heard it.

COSTELLO: All right. Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round" coming up, but first the latest headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is time for the Friday edition of our cheesy "Lightning Round," so let's get going, Chad.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: A malnourished cat was discovered in a box, shipped in from China. This cat was trapped for nearly a month inside that box, and this morning the cat is recovering in a Tampa, Florida, animal hospital. She's going to be just fine.

MYERS: Does that say anything about our national security that a cat got all the way through?

COSTELLO: I don't know, but my goodness, that cat survived a month with no food or water.

MYERS: Yes, right.

COSTELLO: Mardi Gras in Cuba? No. Actually, this is an international dance festival. Dancers from 11 countries gathered for a big street party. What could be better than that?

MYERS: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: The Russian ballerina who sued the chief of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater for $1 million loses her case, Chad. She was fired for being too heavy, all 110 pounds.

MYERS: I was going to say, she looks like a size 2.

COSTELLO: One hundred and 10, that's a size 0.

This is no place for a wallflower. New York's Rockefeller Center is in full bloom with orchids.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: Seventy-five thousand orchids are vying for the covered title of top orchid and 5,000 bucks. That's a tough competition.

MYERS: That's nice. COSTELLO: It sure is.

We leave you with those nice pictures, and we hope you have a wonderful weekend. But before we go, we have a little more time for weather.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello with Chad Myers, and "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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 April 16, 2004 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Denmark's foreign ministry says a Danish businessman has likely been kidnapped in the Iraqi town of Taji (ph). The man was traveling from Basra to Baghdad at the time.
A series of explosions overnight at or near a U.S. Marine base five miles from Fallujah. No report on the blast, but reporters speculate the Marines were being attack with mortars.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are holding talks at the White House today on the fighting in Iraq. They're looking for ways to bring calm before the planned June 30 transfer of power.

CNN's Robin Oakley live in London with more for us now.

Hello -- Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Carol.

Well, this is going to be a meeting which publicly will be a show of unity, a determination of their resolve to see things through in Iraq. Both leaders can be expected to say there must be no postponement in that June the 30th date for the handover to an interim Iraqi authority. Both will probably indicate that if it's necessary, they'd be willing to commit more troops to Iraq.

I think it will be seen in Europe and in Britain as rather a test of Tony Blair's degree of influence with George Bush, following Mr. Bush's endorsement of Ariel Sharon's plans for Israel and the Palestinians, which many Europeans feel has pre-empted final status talks on the Middle East peace process. They will be looking in Europe for Tony Blair to reassert the need to get the Palestinians more involved in a peace process.

Also, some question how much Tony Blair will indicate to the president in private the unease felt in the British foreign office and the British military about what they see as heavy-handed tactics by the U.S. military in countering the insurgency in Iraq.

So, tensions perhaps behind the scenes, but a public show of unity -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live from London this morning. President Bush and the prime minister will hold a joint news conference later this morning in the Rose Garden, and CNN will carry that live for you at 11:55 Eastern.

Kellie Hamill says she has faith her husband will return safely from Iraq. Her husband, Thomas Hamill, a truck driver from Macon, Mississippi, was taken hostage a week ago when a fuel convoy was attacked west of Baghdad.

His wife spoke out on "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLIE HAMILL, HOSTAGE'S WIFE: Tommy is a very family-oriented man. He's a kind and loving father and husband. He takes care of his responsibilities. He would do anything for anyone if he could. He's just the most wonderful person I've ever met.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Kellie Hamill admits she's now -- she's more worried now following news that an Italian hostage has been executed in Iraq.

Russia had planned to send three planes today to evacuate its citizens from Iraq, but only one plane was needed, because many chose to stay. Three hundred sixty-six Russian workers were flown out of Iraq, and CNN's Ryan Chilcote met some of them at the Moscow airport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the first in a series of Russian planes to bring people from Iraq. For many of its passengers, this is not the first time they've been evacuated, nor is it the first time their work has been disrupted by fighting in Iraq.

"How couldn't we be sad?", says Alexander Kadashinka (ph). "We've been building a power station there since 1988. We wanted to finish it to see the fruits of our labor, but it didn't work out."

The evacuation was prompted by the abduction and then release of eight employees of a Russian company in Baghdad on Monday. An engineer from the same company was shot in the leg while working on Wednesday. A Russian official says a stray bullet came from an area, where U.S. soldiers were firing.

(on camera): The Russian government is encouraging all Russians to leave Iraq. Politicians here are certain that Russians, who are fiercely opposed to military action in Iraq, are now getting caught in the crossfire.

(voice-over): Another company, Russia's largest contractor in Iraq, says the violence has gotten too close for comfort for any of its staff. Its 300-plus employees are among the first home. The flights resume Friday.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And you can get more on the hostage situation in Iraq and the U.S. military operation there by clicking on to our Web site. The address: CNN.com.

Coming up on DAYBREAK:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. Can I help you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. I'm Karen Kim (ph). I'm the hospitality manager of the hotel. I have a welcome gift from the management.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's nice. Can you just leave it by the door?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Yes, another violent release from Quentin Tarantino, but "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" isn't the only movie hitting theaters this weekend. We'll check out the other box office offerings for you.

And a vacation doesn't have to include beach-front reservations. Coming up, off-the-beaten path, some different ideas that are a lot cheaper for your family's summer plans.

And then talk about distant travels. Wait until you hear the trip this kitty took.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, thank goodness the weekend is here. I know. You just have to get through your workday, and then it's Friday night. This weekend, actually you can "Kill Bill" twice or cozy up to "Connie and Carla" or even remember "The Alamo" in a widescreen weekend.

With new movie news, live in New York is Tom O'Neil, who is senior editor of "In Touch Weekly."

Good morning and thank you for joining us.

TOM O'NEIL, SENIOR EDITIOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Good morning.

COSTELLO: Do you want to start with "Connie and Carla?"

O'NEIL: OK. This movie is getting beaten up a lot. The critics don't seem to live it, but it's just a cute little bon-bon with Nia Vardalos, of course, from "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding," on the lam from some mafia guys in Chicago, who are chasing her and Toni Collette through Los Angeles clubs, gay clubs, where they pretend to be drag queens. What this sets up, of course, is one of those great gender- bending farces like "Victor Victoria." COSTELLO: Oh, so women pretending to be drag queens.

O'NEIL: Who then fall in love with guys who think they're -- you know, it's one of those...

COSTELLO: That (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I have not heard one good thing about this movie. I haven't.

O'NEIL: I know. I know. It's like a one-joke movie that just goes too far, but there are some really cute scenes in it, by the way. Unfortunately, it's a huge letdown for Nia Vardalos, because her TV version of "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding" bombed, and this, of course, is not the -- I loved "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding." Did you like it?

COSTELLO: I did. I liked that movie, but her TV series was not good.

OK, let's move on -- poor Nia. I'm sorry, Nia, if you're watching right now. Let's go on to "Kill Bill: Vol. 2." Is it as violent as the first?

O'NEIL: Not quite as violent. Actually, there is probably more word play than historic play compared to version one, which came out on Tuesday on DVD and sold two million copies. That tells you the kind of pent-up expectation there is for the movie, which opens today. This is going to be huge this weekend. It's going to make at least $20 million to $25 million, and it deserves to. It's actually better than part one.

COSTELLO: That's -- it just -- it also outlines -- well, it points to the fact that Americans love their violent movies. Do they ever.

O'NEIL: Yes, especially when it's a little absurd, like this is, and very, very sexy, too.

COSTELLO: Yes, it is, absolutely. Supposedly in "Kill Bill" two, there's more relationship things going on, too.

O'NEIL: More relationships, too, and a great cat fight. The audience just roars over this one scene between Uma Thurman and Daryl Hannah. When those gals go at it, sparks fly. It's great.

COSTELLO: Violence, sex and a cat fight, what more could you want?

O'NEIL: Whoa! And a good one, too.

COSTELLO: Yes. "The Punisher."

O'NEIL: Oh, punishing. Isn't this a wild name? This is John Travolta's latest dud. Apparently, battlefield Earth the sequel wasn't available. John just hit 50, and I think he's getting a little dodi (ph) on us. This is terrible. This is a movie -- it's a formula thriller. He plays a nightclub owner, trying to snuff out an FBI agent who had accidentally killed his son. And it's just exploding cars, pointless chase scenes, boom, boom, bang, bang. Save your money.

COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, you know, he's not really good at choosing movies, is he?

O'NEIL: That's what the problem is. He's a good actor, I think, Travolta is, but he has either got really bad advisors or terrible judgment.

COSTELLO: OK, the last movie we'll review this morning, "Young Adam."

O'NEIL: "Young Adam" is actually quite good. Ewan McGregor, this is his first big movie since "Big Fish," and he loves to leap from -- let me keep the metaphor going -- from pond to pond, from genre to genre as films go. He did "Moulin Rouge!," of course, and last year "Big Fish" was so great.

This is a film (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He plays a guy who works on a barge in Scotland right after World War II. The body of his old girlfriend floats by, and there's a husband and wife on this barge where he works that he seduces the wife. You don't know what's going on. It's very erotic and very sexy. The mood is terrific in this. It's not a great film, but it's pretty good.

COSTELLO: Good. OK, I'm glad to hear finally a good one, besides "Kill Bill" that is.

O'NEIL: Yes.

COSTELLO: I just cannot watch violent films, but that's just me.

"The Alamo."

O'NEIL: This is really bad, and this is my rant of the week, if I can get this in here. This movie deserves to go down like the real Alamo did. What few people realize is that Hollywood every few years is determined to make another Alamo movie. They all bomb essentially for the same reason. These guys weren't fighting for freedom. Quite the contrary. They were fighting for slavery.

What few people realize is that Mexico had outlawed slavery, and those settlers from Texas had slaves. They wanted their own kingdom, so that's what they were fighting for. Not only were they fighting for a terrible cause, they were scoundrels. Like Bowie was one of the biggest land scam artists in American history.

And you've got these people in the Alamo, and then they lose. What a terrible story! And the movie bombs.

COSTELLO: Well, this is like the third time "The Alamo" has been made. Why do they keep making a movie of the Alamo then?

O'NEIL: That's what I want to know. You know, John Wayne many years ago almost went personally bankrupt over his version of this movie. Leave it alone! It's a terrible story.

COSTELLO: Tom O'Neil, senior editor of "In Touch Weekly," thank you for joining us on DAYBREAK this morning.

O'NEIL: OK, thanks.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

President Bush will meet today with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Of course, Iraq is high on the agenda. You can watch their joint news conference live right here on CNN later this morning, probably around noon Eastern.

The CIA says the new Osama bin Laden audiotape is probably authentic. European leaders are rejecting the truce offered by the terrorist mastermind on that audiotape.

In money news, mortgage rates have jumped to their highest level since early December. That's because improving economic numbers suggest the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates sooner than expected.

In sports, Scottie Pippen, one of the NBA's 50 greatest plays, says this is probably his last season. If he indeed calls it quits this year, he'll be retiring at the ripe old age of 39.

In culture, "You're hired," the words of Donald Trump to Bill on the hit NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Bill beat out Kwame to get a $250,000-a-year job working for the Donald.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Now all of you that taped it to watch later today, we just ruined for you, but that's OK.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines.

Affordable vacations for the family. Just ahead, exciting places to explore at the right price.

And later, another blow to the bulky ballerina from the Bolshoi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm so glad it's Friday.

MYERS: You and me both. It's been a long week.

COSTELLO: It really has. But time to answer some stump-the- weatherman questions.

MYERS: You know, Carol, once in a while I get stumped.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

MYERS: Yes. And this was from Ron Gander (ph) on Newfoundland. He said -- it was 6:00 our time when he typed this in. "How come it's 7:30 here?" Because they have a different time zone than we do. They are on a completely different time zone. And: "Why do we have our own time zone? I think we're the only one in the world that has its own time zone." Wrong, Ron. Would you believe there are 37 time zones in the world?

COSTELLO: In the world.

MYERS: I had to take this map. I had to print it off the computer and find it. But you think of all of the time zones being 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, but there is 1:30, 2:30, 3:00, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30...

COSTELLO: That's crazy.

MYERS: Thirty-seven different zones across the world. I thought that was pretty interesting.

COSTELLO: So, technically he didn't stump you, because you were able to find the answer.

MYERS: Thanks to the Internet.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You bet.

COSTELLO: So, you want to go on a vacation, but you don't want to spend a lot of money and you don't want to go to the usual beach- front hotel, right? Right. Well, we've got you covered.

Travel Channel host Tracy Gallagher joins us live from Los Angeles with some suggestions.

Good morning. Boy, you...

TRACY GALLAGHER, TRAVEL CHANNEL: I hope I have you covered, Carol. It's very early.

MYERS: Oh, wow!

COSTELLO: We really appreciate you being with us this morning. But you have some terrific ideas for people. And the first one up this morning: National Parks.

GALLAGHER: You know, we are so lucky to have the National Parks in our country. You know, if people just go to the National Park Web site, NPS.gov, they will see the listings of all you can do. Every park has so much to offer beyond just the natural beauty. There are educational programs. There are things for children.

One of my favorite parks is Bryce Canyon. It has full moon hikes at nighttime, which is so unique. And people need to think out of the box when they look into the National Parks, because you don't know what they have to offer -- Junior Ranger programs for kids.

And it's all very affordable. You know, it costs -- most parks charge about $20 a vehicle to get in. It varies from park to park. But then you can camp for, like, $10 a night, or if camping is not your thing, they have affordable lodgings as well.

So, it's always a great bet, and I always encourage families to get out of the rut of going to a hotel and taking your kids to the pool. Get out in the outdoors.

COSTELLO: Definitely. Oh, and look at the pictures. They're absolutely gorgeous.

You say ski resorts in the summertime.

GALLAGHER: What a shock, huh? But the ski resorts want to lure you in their off-season, so the hotel prices go down by about 40 to 50 percent. That's a huge savings. And on top of that, there are a lot of free activities on the mountain and around the mountain. You know, Smugglers Notch in Vermont, Vail, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek in Colorado all have great things going on, like free summer music, kids' camps. You can take the gondola up the mountain, and that's...

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: Tracy, you're giving away my great secrets.

GALLAGHER: I'm so sorry.

MYERS: No one knew about this, and I was all alone in Vail last summer.

GALLAGHER: Yes, you're not going to be alone anymore.

MYERS: It's awesome. It's awesome out there in the summer. You think of only skiing in the winter, but horseback riding...

GALLAGHER: Right, it's beautiful.

MYERS: ... and flying fishing. Oh, it's great stuff.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm going to have to try that. That sounds terrific.

Oh, this is an interesting one. A home exchange?

GALLAGHER: This is a great concept. There are a few companies who do this, but the one I'm familiar with the most is HomeExchange.com. And what you do is you swap houses with people anywhere in the world, and you definitely build a relationship with the people that you swap with, so there's some level of trust. It's free.

MYERS: I don't think they're going to let me swap my house for that house.

GALLAGHER: It's free. It's free. It's free. And that's the great thing. And sometimes these houses come with cars, too, so you save money on car rentals. You can save money on food, because you use the kitchen. And look at these places.

MYERS: Wow!

GALLAGHER: I mean, these are mansions, some of them. They're just gorgeous. And then you get to live like the locals. You don't necessarily -- you stay in the neighborhoods some of the time. So, it's a really great experience, and it's a nominal fee for, like, you know, $50 a year to list your house.

COSTELLO: Wow! That's very...

GALLAGHER: Just check your insurance policy.

COSTELLO: Oh, definitely so. Good idea.

Quickly, though, because we only have a short time left. The last one you're going to talk about is to be a tourist in your home town. And I have done this, and it's amazing what you can discover right where you live.

GALLAGHER: I know, and it always takes visitors to come to town for you to go to these places. But for families of toddlers, I think this is a great idea, because kids just get excited about being in a new hotel. And in the downtowns of many large cities, the business hotels mark down prices on the weekends, so it's even cheaper. And, you know, go the museums. Go to the kids' museums. Look and see what the park programs are offering, because it really -- it saves the hassle on air fare and flying with children and then driving a long road trip. So, it's a nearby destination where you can really explore your own surroundings.

And can I also add America's National Parks week on the Travel Channel is next week?

COSTELLO: Of course.

MYERS: Oh, awesome.

COSTELLO: Since you got up so early, and you're out in California, sure. We love free plugs. Tracy Gallagher from the Travel Channel, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

GALLAGHER: Thank you. Happy travels.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

OK, now it's time for the new questions for the DAYBREAK mug.

MYERS: We have to give the mug away right now, and we'll give you a yellow one if you get this one right. Here they are.

Ben Wedeman had a story a little earlier about a play that was going on in an anti-American theater production. But what country is that playing in?

And what is the price of an annual or -- I'll even give you this one -- a daily pass to America's National Parks?

E-mail both answers and your address to Daybreak@CNN.com.

COSTELLO: Did she say the price?

MYERS: She did of the daily.

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: I heard it.

COSTELLO: All right. Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round" coming up, but first the latest headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is time for the Friday edition of our cheesy "Lightning Round," so let's get going, Chad.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: A malnourished cat was discovered in a box, shipped in from China. This cat was trapped for nearly a month inside that box, and this morning the cat is recovering in a Tampa, Florida, animal hospital. She's going to be just fine.

MYERS: Does that say anything about our national security that a cat got all the way through?

COSTELLO: I don't know, but my goodness, that cat survived a month with no food or water.

MYERS: Yes, right.

COSTELLO: Mardi Gras in Cuba? No. Actually, this is an international dance festival. Dancers from 11 countries gathered for a big street party. What could be better than that?

MYERS: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: The Russian ballerina who sued the chief of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater for $1 million loses her case, Chad. She was fired for being too heavy, all 110 pounds.

MYERS: I was going to say, she looks like a size 2.

COSTELLO: One hundred and 10, that's a size 0.

This is no place for a wallflower. New York's Rockefeller Center is in full bloom with orchids.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: Seventy-five thousand orchids are vying for the covered title of top orchid and 5,000 bucks. That's a tough competition.

MYERS: That's nice. COSTELLO: It sure is.

We leave you with those nice pictures, and we hope you have a wonderful weekend. But before we go, we have a little more time for weather.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello with Chad Myers, and "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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