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American Morning

Interview with Larry King About New Book; "Da Vinci Code" Opens at Cannes to Lukewarm Reviews

Aired May 18, 2006 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us this morning.

(NEWSBREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: After 12 weeks in bed, Erin Peterson is now in the upright and unlocked position. We first told you about her a few weeks ago. She was lying down for the greater good of science, a NASA study to determine the effects of long-term stays in weightlessness. Well, the experiment rolls on. There are now some new guinea pigs who are hitting the rack for a long stint.

And Erin is back in the real world. She joins us from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where it all took place. Erin, great to have you with us. How are you feeling?

ERIN PETERSON, NASA BED REST VOLUNTEER: I'm doing a lot better. I'm up and moving around, and got my independence back. So I'm really happy.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I bet that lack of independence must have kind of worn on you over time. Did it?

PETERSON: Yes. Very much so. And I'm jumping up to get anything I can right now.

M. O'BRIEN: Be careful when you jump. I think you probably should take it pretty slowly.

PETERSON: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's look at you as -- of course, this is the way we saw you when we first met you a couple weeks ago. They actually had to suspend you as part of this whole study. While you were being suspended and doing nothing, another subject was actually running on a vertical treadmill. This is all to test whether exercise in space works well.

Now, from there, fast forward to this past week, when you took those first steps. And they slowly eased you up into the upright position. And there you went for your first steps. Tell me what you were feeling, what that was like. PETERSON: It felt like I had just gained about 500 pounds in my legs because I hadn't used them in three months. And my -- the bottoms of my feet are very hyper-sensitive now, and I'm having a lot of problems with that. But I was just really, really happy to be up and out of bed.

M. O'BRIEN: It occurs to me that what -- the symptoms you endured there are not unlike symptoms astronauts get after they return from a long stint in the space station. I guess that's the idea, right?

PETERSON: Right. Right.

M. O'BRIEN: So how has it progressed from that moment, that first -- those first few steps where there you seemed a bit -- you're walking gingerly, a little unsteady. How did it go from there?

PETERSON: I kept walking. I went down, I did a lot of testing. I went through MRIs, CAT scans, the whole nine yards. They're finishing up the testing today after this interview. And I'm still walking pretty slow. I hobble a lot. But I'm just really happy to be out of bed.

M. O'BRIEN: And do you -- when do they say you'll be back to normal? Do you have any idea?

PETERSON: They said I probably have a couple weeks of the tenderness on the bottoms of my feet, but I'm going home tonight. I've been staying in a hotel on hospital campus. But I'm going home tonight.

M. O'BRIEN: I see there they actually let you stand up suspended so you didn't put the full weight. That must have helped a little bit.

PETERSON: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: I want to talk a little bit -- you've been blogging this. And I want to -- if we can go to your blog site, which is stardustholiday, right?

PETERSON: Dot-blogspot-dot-com, right.

M. O'BRIEN: And if you go to that, you've been actually chronicling this whole thing. And there's a great passage -- this is right before you're about to come up. You're blogging the whole time. And we can show the blog site, as well.

But you said right before you're supposed to stand up, "I know I won't be able to sleep. I know that much. Mike finished emptying the rooms today. The walls are bare and depressing. My money tree is still here." Money tree? I want to know about that. "It's the first plant that came to the room, the last plant to leave. There are still odds and ends around here. Mike is coming back" -- that's your boyfriend, right? "to empty the suitcase, pack my clothes. I'm so anxious. I have a ticker tape going through my tape and all it says is get out of bed over and over and over. Were you going a little stir crazy?"

PETERSON: I was. Right towards the end, I knew that if I were to just sit up and get out of bed, I'd be sick. But I really was -- you know, three or four days before I got out of bed I was like I don't know what these last three or four days really count in the study. I just want to get out of bed.

M. O'BRIEN: At this point, let me go home. Do you feel like you accomplished something?

PETERSON: Absolutely. I accomplished a lot personally and a lot for science and the space program.

M. O'BRIEN: What is next for you? Back to the cashier job, singing in a rock band? What's the plan?

PETERSON: We actually got a show this weekend with the band. And I'm going to go back to work and I'm going to go back to school in the fall.

M. O'BRIEN: Would you ever do it again?

PETERSON: Absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: You would?

PETERSON: Yes, I would.

M. O'BRIEN: Erin Peterson, NASA study volunteer, now back in the world of the vertical. Good to see you. Glad it worked out well.

PETERSON: All right, thanks.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: Looks good.

M. O'BRIEN: She does look good.

S. O'BRIEN: Looks rested.

M. O'BRIEN: Very well rested, you might say, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Thirty-nine minutes past the hour.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: "The Da Vinci Code" opens in America tomorrow. Last night at the Cannes Film Festival, though, stars shrugged off the kind of bad reviews, walked the red carpet and then held a lavish after- party.

CNN's Brooke Anderson was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was judgment day. It was "Da Vinci" day.

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: This is not a documentary. This is not something that is pulled up and said these are the facts and this is exactly what happened.

ANDERSON: The film festival began with Tom Hanks and Ron Howard defending their drama.

RON HOWARD, DIRECTOR: This is supposed to be entertainment; it's theology.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Witness the biggest cover-up in human history.

ANDERSON: The thriller with biblical undertones has captured the world's attention. Religious leaders have denounced the film and called for boycotts, still the world premiere of "The Da Vinci Code" went off without a hitch. The night was capped off with a bash to celebrate the film's introduction to the masses.

(on camera): Here at the "Da Vinci Code" after-party, the mood is celebratory one for the cast and the crew, but the feelings of many critics who saw the film are decidedly different.

LEAH ROZEN, FILM CRITIC, "PEOPLE": This is a big disappointment. "The Da Vinci Code" is just kind of dull. It's dull for two-and-a- half hours, which is a long time to be dull. They sort of forgot to do character development and put in any humor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it was very good. I think especially the French actors are not good, especially (INAUDIBLE). I think it was not convincing at all.

ANDERSON: Others disagreed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything was perfect, everything. The actors are great. The actresses are really good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really a ride, full of adrenaline, explosions. It's nonstop.

ANDERSON: Inspired by a book read by millions, the true test of "The Da Vinci Code" the film now lies with moviegoers, a box office cult that won't be able to hide the real numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a film, it's going to make money. No matter what, this is going to

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it will probably be another one of these big Hollywood movies tenfold movies that does well, but not as well as everybody had hoped.

ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Cannes.

(END VIDEOTAPE) S. O'BRIEN: Box office watchers say they expect the movie is going to bring in $50 million to $80 million on the opening weekend alone, which are pretty good numbers, if it's really as boring as...

M. O'BRIEN: It's all where you set the bar, right?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, CNN's own Larry King, usually, as you well know, he's the guy who's asking the questions. Today, though, we turn the tables on him a little bit. We're going ask him about his new book. It's a tribute to dads. It's called "My Dad and Me."

Plus, Andy is "Minding Your Business" just ahead. Hey, Andy. What do you got coming up?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.

What would you rather give up, your morning coffee or your ability to surf the Web at work? Interesting question. We will answer that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: It's Thursday, so what does that mean, campers?

S. O'BRIEN: It's pipeline with Miles today.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. It is Miles-cam today. At 10:30 Eastern Time, we will be answering -- there is miles cam. There's the office.

SERWER: Wow. Nothing is moving.

M. O'BRIEN: Could be neater. Could be neater.

S. O'BRIEN: You moved your camera.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I put it up on some books. It's like propped up on three books.

S. O'BRIEN: I like your couch.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, Sandy picked that out. Anyway, that's the Miles cam. And we'll be there -- I'll be there -- actually we will be there today, 10:30 Eastern. You need to send us your questions now, though, to am@CNN.com. Cameo, special appearance by Soledad today.

S. O'BRIEN: Brief.

SERWER: The other O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Just helping out.

M. O'BRIEN: We will call it Sole-cam. S. O'BRIEN: Sole-cam. Absolutely.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we're back with our "30, 40, 50" series. Today we're taking a look at cancer-screening recommendations when you're 30, and then when you're 40, and then when you're 50. What do you need to know?

Also ahead this morning, he's the master of the interview, but today Larry King is taking our questions about fatherhood and his new book, which is called "My Dad and Me." That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Much has been made of the role of a mother in a child's life, but what lessons do you learn from your dad? CNN's Larry King lost his father when he was just nine years old. His new book explores what his father and all fathers really can teach us.

Larry, good morning.

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Good to be with you.

S. O'BRIEN: I guess -- thank you very much. I guess it's not a surprise that a guy who lost his father at a really critical age, just nine years old, would sort of focus on dads and lessons learned. Do you remember your dad well?

KING: Oh, very well.

S. O'BRIEN: Really?

KING: Now, I have a brother who's three years younger than me has no memory of him.

S. O'BRIEN: Really?

KING: Btu I was very close to him. We lost a brother, I didn't know him, who died a year before I was born. And he was six. So my father smothered me in a sense because he had lost a son. So I was very tight with him. And when he died, it was a total shock. Sudden heart attack and gone from your life. And especially at a pivotal point in your life. You know, he's your dad. And I see it now, having two small boys at home. You have a boy -- you know what it's like.

S. O'BRIEN: Right, right.

KING: And I have a 7-year-old and soon to be 6-year-old. And I know how close they are to me. They love their mother, but they're very attached to me. S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's a really special bond, if you have a bond with your dad. I mean, you write also that one of the reasons you started smoking is because he...

KING: My father smoked. I smoked what he smoked, Phillip Morris. I smoked Phillip Morris.

S. O'BRIEN: How did you come up with the idea for the book? Because you talk about your dad, but you bring in a lot of your friends, some famous, some less famous.

KING: Well, this book is not about me. It's a short part about me. We have about over 120 people. We wrote to them and talked to them, what memories do they have of their father? And I thought about it because of having two young boys and thinking about my dad. I think about my dad a lot, the older I get. You've know, I've outlived him. He died, he was 47. I'm 72. That's 25 years. I've outlived him by taking care of myself. I had a heart attack, got to watch myself.

So I got to think about how people look back at their fathers, what they think about fathers. Fathers are a unique -- they have a unique place in your life, if you think about your dad. He's not there all day. Mom is very close to you. In other words, when you cut yourself, you go to mom.

S. O'BRIEN: Moms, right.

KING: Boo boo is mom. Boo boo is never dad.

S. O'BRIEN: And dads are kind of the big lessons. I mean, if you looked at what people have written, it's sort of the big overriding moral of your life often seems to come from dad.

KING: Oh, I was fascinated by that. From the Bill Gates to the Donald Trumps to the Don Mattinglys to the Derek Jeters to the ballplayers to President Bush.

S. O'BRIEN: The list is very impressive. Let's talk about some people. C. Everett Koop. I thought -- I don't know why -- but I thought he'd sort of have a medical lesson that he would have learned from his father. Actually, his father taught him about money.

KING: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: The bottom line was, you know, spending -- buying is not the same thing as having money.

KING: And Jack LaLanne, who is a health freak, lives into his 90s, father never took care of himself. He was the opposite of his father. Bill Gates said his dad always had a deep sense of responsibility to work, to volunteering, "always willing to talk with us about what he was doing, even complex legal cases. And he would always tell what he really enjoyed and what he did. He would get always involved in our interests."

S. O'BRIEN: Clearly passed along from father to son.

KING: Passed along.

S. O'BRIEN: Marlo Thomas has a real -- I mean, some people write a line. You know, literally, what they contribute is one line. And it's so moving. Marlo Thomas said her father taught her -- her father, who everybody knew, of course...

KING: Danny.

S. O'BRIEN: Danny. Taught her about forgiveness. And I thought that was a really interesting, you know -- basically don't carry yesterday on your shoulders is the quote that he had.

KING: Some were a little angry. Oragella (ph), the famed psychic, his father was terrible.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, horrible, horrible.

KING: And his wife had eight abortions. Terrible. Donald Trump says, "I learned the best lessons about life from my father by example. He set high standards for himself and he lived them every day. He applied to both his personal life and his professional life a 24/7 sense of integrity. He was steadfast. Watching him and being around him was the greatest lesson any person could have." So that means when you think about Donald Trump and all his success and all work, his ego, his father is around him every day.

S. O'BRIEN: Phyllis Diller has very practical advice from her dad.

KING: Yes, I love that.

S. O'BRIEN: In a nutshell, but she says, you know, have a beginning, a middle and an end in your act, and then get off the stage.

KING: I never do encores!

S. O'BRIEN: You know, really, really practical. And then maybe Ben Carson is who we should end with. Because I thought -- talk about living by example, but the opposite example, living your life exactly as you would not want to be like your dad. Turns out his father had a whole second family.

KING: Unbelievable. A second family.

S. O'BRIEN: What a shock. And was a womanizer, and not a good guy.

KING: And he's director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins. You know, so you can learn from bad as well as from good. And I think the fun part of reading, of course, is obvious, with Father's Day around, we're releasing it now. But the fun part about reading it is you can stop and read it anywhere. S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you know, and also I think it also makes you think about your dad. I was sitting here thinking, if I had to sum up in a nutshell what my dad taught me. Gosh, there's so many...

KING: Is he living?

S. O'BRIEN: He is living, thank God, and he's well and healthy and a great guy. Great, great, great guy.

KING: Give him this for Father's Day!

S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely. This one, I'm going to give him for Father's Day.

KING: I'll sign it to him.

S. O'BRIEN: Larry, thank -- I would appreciate that. Nice to see you as always. Thanks for coming in to talk to us.

KING: See you tonight, 9:00.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you for the plug, too. Short break. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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