Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Former NFL Player Pat Tillman Killed in Duty in Afghanistan

Aired April 23, 2004 - 10:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the headlines "At This Hour."
We begin with former NFL star Pat Tillman. He has been killed in action in Afghanistan. Tillman walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract. He left the NFL in 2002 to join the Army. Tillman played for the Arizona Cardinals. He was also a star player for Arizona State.

Other headlines. A Swedish diplomat in North Korea says the government now believes a deadly train explosion near the Chinese was touched off by a power line. Showing you some file video of the train. According to the Red Cross, officials there are now at the scene. It was carrying non-military explosives.

In Saudi Arabia, state television reporting today that four people killed in a shoot out with police in Jeddah. They were on a list of most wanted fugitives and suspected in several bomb attacks in the country.

"USA Today" managing editor Hal Ritter has resigned. He's following Karen Jurgensen who quit Tuesday as the paper's top editor in the wake of an editorial scandal. An internal investigation found numerous fabrications and plagiarisms by former reporter Jack Kelly. And it said that senior editors should have known something was wrong.

In Oregon, the wording of a ballot initiative to ban same sex marriage has been challenged. The American Civil Liberties Union says the name does not convey the true scope of the measure. Until the issue is resolved, petitioners cannot collect signatures to get that measure on the ballot.

President Bush is back in south Florida today highlighting his administration's efforts to protect America's wetlands. And he's raising money for the Republican party. Our Elaine Quijano has more on that. Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

President Bush is heading to a wetlands reserve in Naples, Florida today to push his environmental agenda. Now this visit comes just one day after the president announced an environmental initiative yesterday to protect the America's wetlands and increase them over the next five years.

Now the president's brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, is also expected to be on hand for that visit. The president is scheduled to meet with state Republicans later at two GOP fund raisers. The first in Naples, the other in Coral Gables.

Now this is the president's 21st trip to the Sunshine State since he took office. You'll recall that the president narrowly won Florida by just 537 votes back in 2000.

In addition to rallying support for the Republican Party there, the president is also seeking to bolster his standing on environmental issues even though polls show that protecting the environment is not a big concern as other issues like health care, jobs and the economy. Still, it's an area the president's rival, Democratic Senator John Kerry has vowed to make a central issue in the presidential campaign.

And, today, during the president's appearance at that wetlands reserve, President Bush is expected to discuss the need to encourage programs that would remove non-native plant species in order to protect indigenous plant life, specifically in wetlands areas. That part of the president's effort to improve his standing on environmental issues -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine, what about the controversy brewing over the pictures, the photographs that have been released -- well, not official released. But leaked about the flag-draped coffins of bodies coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan?

QUIJANO: Well just a short time ago, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said that the president had in fact seen those photographs, controversial photographs as you noted. And said that the president was quite moved by them.

The White House also saying that the privacy of the families is the first priority and continues to be the first priority. But the president seeing those photos saying the -- the White House saying he was very moved by them -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the White House.

There is a new twist in the Scott Peterson case. The judge seals an anonymous letter sent to the court. We'll tell you what we know about that.

And from 13 to 30 in a flash. Jennifer Garner goes from action film to romance comedy. MR. Moviefone joins us for a preview. This is CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Lets check the news from across America. There more troubles this morning to report. Well, we'll get to that story in a minute.

Other news today. A public wake is being held for Dru Sjodin. The young Minnesota disappeared from a mall nearly five years (sic) ago. Her body was found last week in a ravine near Crookston, Minnesota. Her family is trying to come to terms with what happened. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SVEN SJODIN, VICTIM'S BROTHER: You know, I'd say we're all doing very well. They're doing very well for the circumstances. You know, we have a great strength amongst our families. You know, we've been given strength from above.

And we thank -- we just thank God that she's not lost anymore. You know, we know where she is now. So that's -- it's a slight peace but also disturbing in the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Both Sjodin's brother and her boyfriend say they plan eventually plan to visit the site where her body was found. Funeral services will be held tomorrow.

A California judge seals an anonymous letter claiming someone else may have been killed Laci Peterson. Her husband Scott is charged with the murder. His attorneys say they will investigate the claims made in the letter. Laci and her unborn child were killed in December 2002.

Nuclear power officials in Vermont hope that an underwater camera will locate two missing nuclear fuel rods at the bottom of a storage pool. More now from CNN's Dan Lothian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): It's a mystery of the Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Vermont. Two pieces from a highly radioactive fuel rod, like these, are missing the discovery made during an inspection.

BOB WILLIAMS, VERMONT YANKEE SPOKESMAN: We're doing a full check of the spent fuel pool with underground cameras to thoroughly check all areas.

LOTHIAN: One piece is about the size of a pencil. The other is 17 inches long. They were supposed to be in a 40-foot deep spent fuel pool after being removed from a nuclear reactor here 25 years ago, so where are they?

CURT MEBERT, EXEC. VP, ENTERGY CORPORATION: They're either at the bottom at the pool or they're at one of two licensed facilities with an authorized move.

LOTHIAN: Officials insist security is too tight, the pool is too deep and the pieces are too dangerous to have been stolen but even if this is just an accounting problem, nuclear plant safety advocates say losing track of something so dangerous raises a lot of red flags, especially in post 9/11 America.

PAUL BLANCH, NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SAFETY ADVOCATE: I don't know whether this is in the hands of terrorists or not. I doubt it but without proper accounting and accountability and proper security of these nuclear power plants we can see how poorly this is being handled.

LOTHIAN: Vermont's governor wants answers.

GOV. TIM DOUGLAS, VERMONT: We expect the operators of the plant to keep track of their spent fuel rods and that's why we're going to investigate and find out what happened.

LOTHIAN (on camera): To do that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ordered a special inspection but the NRC says it's "highly improbable" that someone smuggled the material out of the plant, which by the way is shut down for refueling and maintenance.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Want to get back to our breaking news story. Word out of Iraq that Pat Tillman, the former NFL player who walked away from a more than $3 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army has been killed in action in Afghanistan.

For more on this let's bring Jeff Chadiha, an NFL writer with "Sports Illustrated." Jeff, absolutely shocking news coming out of Afghanistan.

JEFF CHADIHA, NFL WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Yes, horrific news. I was shocked when I heard it. You know I was talking to people today about this. You know, so many people were concerned about him being over there but also realized that's where he wanted to do. Felt he was really doing something very important being over there. It's a huge loss.

KAGAN: People are going to say Pat Tillman, is not obviously one of the famous stories or -- not stories, but names coming out of the NFL. But he did an incredible thing, walking away from a starting position with an NFL team.

CHADIHA: Exactly. And when he did it, like I said, I think it shocked people who followed the NFL. But I think people who were close to realized that he's always been a guy who followed his heart. Something in him told him he wanted to be a part of what was going over there. His brother as well.

And leaving, he left a lot of money on the table, as you mentioned, a $3 million contract. But his coaches and his friends said that's what he wanted to do and that's what obviously led him there.

KAGAN: We're also seeing on the screen that he went to ASU, he played for their football team, for the Sun Devils.

As you said, people who know -- who knew him talk about that he always kind of did go to the beat of a different drummer.

CHADIHA: No question. No question. And that's -- that goes as far back to his college days. I mean you look at the way he was when he came out of school. He was an undersized linebacker who had been (UNINTELLIGIBLE) defensive player of the year but he wanted to be a safety in the pros.

And I remember Dave McGinnis, he head coach tell me how would sit out there and over drill after drill after drill when he was working out for the team to show how much of a perfectionist he was, how much he wanted to get things down.

And I think that, you know, he made a lot of strides in the league because of his personality.

KAGAN: And when he made that decision to walk away and join the Army, along with his brother Kevin who had a minor league baseball career going, when he made that decision, he did it privately and didn't even give up any interviews.

CHADIHA: Exactly. And, actually, asked his family to do the same thing. I mean there was so little information about this story. It was a huge story at the time. I mean a lot of people wanted to write about that because I think of another NFL played or pro athlete for that matter who has ever done what he did.

But if you talk to his family, his other brother, his coaches, his teammates, they'll all tell you the same thing. Pat asked us to keep this private and they acknowledged him for that.

KAGAN: Well and just showing how much he went against the values that might permeate other professional athletes, not shockingly after he did it some people were almost even disparaging. Other professional players saying well he did it, he walked away because he wasn't going to have a starting position anymore. Really trying to belittle the huge sacrifice he was making going to fight for the U.S.

CHADIHA: Yes, and I can't understand that because I tell you what -- and this is no knock on NFL players or pro athletes in general. But I can't imagine you'd find 10 percent in that position who would do what he did, regardless of whether they were going to start or not.

So anybody who would knock him for doing that doesn't really understand the kind of person he was or what he was looking to accomplish.

KAGAN: Well as it is, he dies as a hero not just for the NFL but for the U.S. as well.

Jeff, thank you for your time today.

CHADIHA: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Jeff Chadiha from "Sports Illustrated."

Pat Tillman dying on active duty in Afghanistan after walking away from his NFL career to join the Army. We'll have more on the story ahead.

Right now, we take a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAKOTA FANNING, ACTRESS: What do you think about that, Creasy?

DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: Run!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Looking at a clip of the new movie "Man on Fire." It stars Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Mickey Rourke and a lot of others. Tony Scott directed the thriller for 20th Century Fox. The movie opens at theaters today.

Joining us to talk about that and what else is new at the weekend box office, Mr. Moviefone, Russ Leatherman in L.A. Russ, good morning.

RUSS LEATHERMAN, "MR. MOVIEFONE": Hey! Happy Friday, Daryn!

KAGAN: To you, too! This is what I need to know about this movie. It has Denzel. End of story. That's all I need to know!

LEATHERMAN: Are you looking forward to the movie?

KAGAN: I look forward to anything that Denzel Washington does.

LEATHERMAN: You know what? He's fantastic in this movie. He really is. I think some of the best work he's done. He plays an ex- CIA assassin, I guess. We never know exactly what he does.

But he takes a job as a bodyguard for this 10-year-old girl played by Dakota Fanning and for this Mexico City family. And guess what happens? Of course, she gets kidnapped. And then he spends the rest of the movie really doing very bad things to everybody who had anything to do with the movie.

Now, a lot of the critics are hammering this movie, you know, because of Tony Scott's direction. They say it's too choppy, too much editing. I don't know, I think in the sea of sort of bad movies over the last month or so, this movie is really watchable. I liked it from moment one to the moment it ended. I thought it was very engaging. Now it is dark. It is really gritty. But Dakota Fanning is fantastic. I mean, she's just an unbelievable little actress. Denzel Washington is great. So I would say, you know, don't listen to the critics here, go see the movie, because I thought it was really, really good.

KAGAN: Go support Denzel. You know I don't like to see those scary movies. He's the one person who can get me into the theaters for one of those.

LEATHERMAN: You know what, you're going to love him in this movie. If you're a Denzel fan, this is all about you, Daryn. KAGAN: It is all about me and Denzel. Let's just have a little moment about that.

All right, opposite end of the spectrum, let's talk about Jennifer Garner and her big debut as a leading lady in the screen and that's "13 Going on 30."

LEATHERMAN: OK, now, I hear it coming already, Daryn, so don't even start, OK?

KAGAN: You hated it?

LEATHERMAN: This is a romantic comedy. And I love good romantic comedies.

KAGAN: You do not. Name one romantic comedy that you like.

LEATHERMAN: You know I can name a hundred of them, but we don't have the time.

It is Jennifer Garner. She plays this 13-year-old girl who sort of hates her life and is getting picked on by the popular kids, some fairy dust falls on her hair, voila, all of a sudden, she's 30 years old, so she's really a kid in a grown-up body. Now we've seen this movie before, right?

KAGAN: In "Big," right?

LEATHERMAN: I loved Tom Hanks in "Big." I thought he was fantastic. I really liked Jamie Lee Curtis in "Freaky Friday." I thought that she was pretty good. Jennifer Garner in "13 Going on 30," not so much. Here's why, Daryn, you have to believe the little kid inside her. You have to believe the actress as a little kid. I didn't. Within the first five minutes I'm thinking, oh no, she's mugging, she's sort of doing all that stuff, you really don't want to see her do.

And frankly, I'm not sure who the movie was made for. I thought it was geared towards 14, and 13 and 15-year-old girls, but there is a lot of sexual innuendo in the movie and some orgasm talk, and you don't want to be sitting there with your 13-year-old girl and the 'gasm conversation comes up, you just don't want to do that. So I don't know who the movie was made for, but I'm sure there is an audience for it. If you're a Jennifer Garner fan, you're probably going to like it, but if you just want a really good romantic comedy, I don't think this is it.

KAGAN: I know that's your trek in life, you are looking for a really good romantic comedy, and one day you will find one.

LEATHERMAN: One day we will. There is also "Clifford's Big Movie" that's out. That's for the really little kids, the 3-year-old, not much for the parents.

And also "Sacred Planet," which is a big IMAX movie, and I love everything IMAX, so go check that one out. KAGAN: Got it, appreciate the tips. Russ Leatherman, Mr. Moviefone, thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend at the movies.

LEATHERMAN: Have a great weekend, Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, talk about a fun ride, but there is danger in the water. Find out what surfers risk to surf in a once-a-year phenomenon.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 23, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the headlines "At This Hour."
We begin with former NFL star Pat Tillman. He has been killed in action in Afghanistan. Tillman walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract. He left the NFL in 2002 to join the Army. Tillman played for the Arizona Cardinals. He was also a star player for Arizona State.

Other headlines. A Swedish diplomat in North Korea says the government now believes a deadly train explosion near the Chinese was touched off by a power line. Showing you some file video of the train. According to the Red Cross, officials there are now at the scene. It was carrying non-military explosives.

In Saudi Arabia, state television reporting today that four people killed in a shoot out with police in Jeddah. They were on a list of most wanted fugitives and suspected in several bomb attacks in the country.

"USA Today" managing editor Hal Ritter has resigned. He's following Karen Jurgensen who quit Tuesday as the paper's top editor in the wake of an editorial scandal. An internal investigation found numerous fabrications and plagiarisms by former reporter Jack Kelly. And it said that senior editors should have known something was wrong.

In Oregon, the wording of a ballot initiative to ban same sex marriage has been challenged. The American Civil Liberties Union says the name does not convey the true scope of the measure. Until the issue is resolved, petitioners cannot collect signatures to get that measure on the ballot.

President Bush is back in south Florida today highlighting his administration's efforts to protect America's wetlands. And he's raising money for the Republican party. Our Elaine Quijano has more on that. Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

President Bush is heading to a wetlands reserve in Naples, Florida today to push his environmental agenda. Now this visit comes just one day after the president announced an environmental initiative yesterday to protect the America's wetlands and increase them over the next five years.

Now the president's brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, is also expected to be on hand for that visit. The president is scheduled to meet with state Republicans later at two GOP fund raisers. The first in Naples, the other in Coral Gables.

Now this is the president's 21st trip to the Sunshine State since he took office. You'll recall that the president narrowly won Florida by just 537 votes back in 2000.

In addition to rallying support for the Republican Party there, the president is also seeking to bolster his standing on environmental issues even though polls show that protecting the environment is not a big concern as other issues like health care, jobs and the economy. Still, it's an area the president's rival, Democratic Senator John Kerry has vowed to make a central issue in the presidential campaign.

And, today, during the president's appearance at that wetlands reserve, President Bush is expected to discuss the need to encourage programs that would remove non-native plant species in order to protect indigenous plant life, specifically in wetlands areas. That part of the president's effort to improve his standing on environmental issues -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine, what about the controversy brewing over the pictures, the photographs that have been released -- well, not official released. But leaked about the flag-draped coffins of bodies coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan?

QUIJANO: Well just a short time ago, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said that the president had in fact seen those photographs, controversial photographs as you noted. And said that the president was quite moved by them.

The White House also saying that the privacy of the families is the first priority and continues to be the first priority. But the president seeing those photos saying the -- the White House saying he was very moved by them -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the White House.

There is a new twist in the Scott Peterson case. The judge seals an anonymous letter sent to the court. We'll tell you what we know about that.

And from 13 to 30 in a flash. Jennifer Garner goes from action film to romance comedy. MR. Moviefone joins us for a preview. This is CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Lets check the news from across America. There more troubles this morning to report. Well, we'll get to that story in a minute.

Other news today. A public wake is being held for Dru Sjodin. The young Minnesota disappeared from a mall nearly five years (sic) ago. Her body was found last week in a ravine near Crookston, Minnesota. Her family is trying to come to terms with what happened. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SVEN SJODIN, VICTIM'S BROTHER: You know, I'd say we're all doing very well. They're doing very well for the circumstances. You know, we have a great strength amongst our families. You know, we've been given strength from above.

And we thank -- we just thank God that she's not lost anymore. You know, we know where she is now. So that's -- it's a slight peace but also disturbing in the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Both Sjodin's brother and her boyfriend say they plan eventually plan to visit the site where her body was found. Funeral services will be held tomorrow.

A California judge seals an anonymous letter claiming someone else may have been killed Laci Peterson. Her husband Scott is charged with the murder. His attorneys say they will investigate the claims made in the letter. Laci and her unborn child were killed in December 2002.

Nuclear power officials in Vermont hope that an underwater camera will locate two missing nuclear fuel rods at the bottom of a storage pool. More now from CNN's Dan Lothian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): It's a mystery of the Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Vermont. Two pieces from a highly radioactive fuel rod, like these, are missing the discovery made during an inspection.

BOB WILLIAMS, VERMONT YANKEE SPOKESMAN: We're doing a full check of the spent fuel pool with underground cameras to thoroughly check all areas.

LOTHIAN: One piece is about the size of a pencil. The other is 17 inches long. They were supposed to be in a 40-foot deep spent fuel pool after being removed from a nuclear reactor here 25 years ago, so where are they?

CURT MEBERT, EXEC. VP, ENTERGY CORPORATION: They're either at the bottom at the pool or they're at one of two licensed facilities with an authorized move.

LOTHIAN: Officials insist security is too tight, the pool is too deep and the pieces are too dangerous to have been stolen but even if this is just an accounting problem, nuclear plant safety advocates say losing track of something so dangerous raises a lot of red flags, especially in post 9/11 America.

PAUL BLANCH, NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SAFETY ADVOCATE: I don't know whether this is in the hands of terrorists or not. I doubt it but without proper accounting and accountability and proper security of these nuclear power plants we can see how poorly this is being handled.

LOTHIAN: Vermont's governor wants answers.

GOV. TIM DOUGLAS, VERMONT: We expect the operators of the plant to keep track of their spent fuel rods and that's why we're going to investigate and find out what happened.

LOTHIAN (on camera): To do that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ordered a special inspection but the NRC says it's "highly improbable" that someone smuggled the material out of the plant, which by the way is shut down for refueling and maintenance.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Want to get back to our breaking news story. Word out of Iraq that Pat Tillman, the former NFL player who walked away from a more than $3 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army has been killed in action in Afghanistan.

For more on this let's bring Jeff Chadiha, an NFL writer with "Sports Illustrated." Jeff, absolutely shocking news coming out of Afghanistan.

JEFF CHADIHA, NFL WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Yes, horrific news. I was shocked when I heard it. You know I was talking to people today about this. You know, so many people were concerned about him being over there but also realized that's where he wanted to do. Felt he was really doing something very important being over there. It's a huge loss.

KAGAN: People are going to say Pat Tillman, is not obviously one of the famous stories or -- not stories, but names coming out of the NFL. But he did an incredible thing, walking away from a starting position with an NFL team.

CHADIHA: Exactly. And when he did it, like I said, I think it shocked people who followed the NFL. But I think people who were close to realized that he's always been a guy who followed his heart. Something in him told him he wanted to be a part of what was going over there. His brother as well.

And leaving, he left a lot of money on the table, as you mentioned, a $3 million contract. But his coaches and his friends said that's what he wanted to do and that's what obviously led him there.

KAGAN: We're also seeing on the screen that he went to ASU, he played for their football team, for the Sun Devils.

As you said, people who know -- who knew him talk about that he always kind of did go to the beat of a different drummer.

CHADIHA: No question. No question. And that's -- that goes as far back to his college days. I mean you look at the way he was when he came out of school. He was an undersized linebacker who had been (UNINTELLIGIBLE) defensive player of the year but he wanted to be a safety in the pros.

And I remember Dave McGinnis, he head coach tell me how would sit out there and over drill after drill after drill when he was working out for the team to show how much of a perfectionist he was, how much he wanted to get things down.

And I think that, you know, he made a lot of strides in the league because of his personality.

KAGAN: And when he made that decision to walk away and join the Army, along with his brother Kevin who had a minor league baseball career going, when he made that decision, he did it privately and didn't even give up any interviews.

CHADIHA: Exactly. And, actually, asked his family to do the same thing. I mean there was so little information about this story. It was a huge story at the time. I mean a lot of people wanted to write about that because I think of another NFL played or pro athlete for that matter who has ever done what he did.

But if you talk to his family, his other brother, his coaches, his teammates, they'll all tell you the same thing. Pat asked us to keep this private and they acknowledged him for that.

KAGAN: Well and just showing how much he went against the values that might permeate other professional athletes, not shockingly after he did it some people were almost even disparaging. Other professional players saying well he did it, he walked away because he wasn't going to have a starting position anymore. Really trying to belittle the huge sacrifice he was making going to fight for the U.S.

CHADIHA: Yes, and I can't understand that because I tell you what -- and this is no knock on NFL players or pro athletes in general. But I can't imagine you'd find 10 percent in that position who would do what he did, regardless of whether they were going to start or not.

So anybody who would knock him for doing that doesn't really understand the kind of person he was or what he was looking to accomplish.

KAGAN: Well as it is, he dies as a hero not just for the NFL but for the U.S. as well.

Jeff, thank you for your time today.

CHADIHA: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Jeff Chadiha from "Sports Illustrated."

Pat Tillman dying on active duty in Afghanistan after walking away from his NFL career to join the Army. We'll have more on the story ahead.

Right now, we take a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAKOTA FANNING, ACTRESS: What do you think about that, Creasy?

DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: Run!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Looking at a clip of the new movie "Man on Fire." It stars Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Mickey Rourke and a lot of others. Tony Scott directed the thriller for 20th Century Fox. The movie opens at theaters today.

Joining us to talk about that and what else is new at the weekend box office, Mr. Moviefone, Russ Leatherman in L.A. Russ, good morning.

RUSS LEATHERMAN, "MR. MOVIEFONE": Hey! Happy Friday, Daryn!

KAGAN: To you, too! This is what I need to know about this movie. It has Denzel. End of story. That's all I need to know!

LEATHERMAN: Are you looking forward to the movie?

KAGAN: I look forward to anything that Denzel Washington does.

LEATHERMAN: You know what? He's fantastic in this movie. He really is. I think some of the best work he's done. He plays an ex- CIA assassin, I guess. We never know exactly what he does.

But he takes a job as a bodyguard for this 10-year-old girl played by Dakota Fanning and for this Mexico City family. And guess what happens? Of course, she gets kidnapped. And then he spends the rest of the movie really doing very bad things to everybody who had anything to do with the movie.

Now, a lot of the critics are hammering this movie, you know, because of Tony Scott's direction. They say it's too choppy, too much editing. I don't know, I think in the sea of sort of bad movies over the last month or so, this movie is really watchable. I liked it from moment one to the moment it ended. I thought it was very engaging. Now it is dark. It is really gritty. But Dakota Fanning is fantastic. I mean, she's just an unbelievable little actress. Denzel Washington is great. So I would say, you know, don't listen to the critics here, go see the movie, because I thought it was really, really good.

KAGAN: Go support Denzel. You know I don't like to see those scary movies. He's the one person who can get me into the theaters for one of those.

LEATHERMAN: You know what, you're going to love him in this movie. If you're a Denzel fan, this is all about you, Daryn. KAGAN: It is all about me and Denzel. Let's just have a little moment about that.

All right, opposite end of the spectrum, let's talk about Jennifer Garner and her big debut as a leading lady in the screen and that's "13 Going on 30."

LEATHERMAN: OK, now, I hear it coming already, Daryn, so don't even start, OK?

KAGAN: You hated it?

LEATHERMAN: This is a romantic comedy. And I love good romantic comedies.

KAGAN: You do not. Name one romantic comedy that you like.

LEATHERMAN: You know I can name a hundred of them, but we don't have the time.

It is Jennifer Garner. She plays this 13-year-old girl who sort of hates her life and is getting picked on by the popular kids, some fairy dust falls on her hair, voila, all of a sudden, she's 30 years old, so she's really a kid in a grown-up body. Now we've seen this movie before, right?

KAGAN: In "Big," right?

LEATHERMAN: I loved Tom Hanks in "Big." I thought he was fantastic. I really liked Jamie Lee Curtis in "Freaky Friday." I thought that she was pretty good. Jennifer Garner in "13 Going on 30," not so much. Here's why, Daryn, you have to believe the little kid inside her. You have to believe the actress as a little kid. I didn't. Within the first five minutes I'm thinking, oh no, she's mugging, she's sort of doing all that stuff, you really don't want to see her do.

And frankly, I'm not sure who the movie was made for. I thought it was geared towards 14, and 13 and 15-year-old girls, but there is a lot of sexual innuendo in the movie and some orgasm talk, and you don't want to be sitting there with your 13-year-old girl and the 'gasm conversation comes up, you just don't want to do that. So I don't know who the movie was made for, but I'm sure there is an audience for it. If you're a Jennifer Garner fan, you're probably going to like it, but if you just want a really good romantic comedy, I don't think this is it.

KAGAN: I know that's your trek in life, you are looking for a really good romantic comedy, and one day you will find one.

LEATHERMAN: One day we will. There is also "Clifford's Big Movie" that's out. That's for the really little kids, the 3-year-old, not much for the parents.

And also "Sacred Planet," which is a big IMAX movie, and I love everything IMAX, so go check that one out. KAGAN: Got it, appreciate the tips. Russ Leatherman, Mr. Moviefone, thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend at the movies.

LEATHERMAN: Have a great weekend, Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, talk about a fun ride, but there is danger in the water. Find out what surfers risk to surf in a once-a-year phenomenon.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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