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Glenn Beck

Is Cheating Chic?; "Sopranos" Star Discusses Show, New Book; Sampling the Latest Technology

Aired June 14, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Guests at the GLENN BECK show stay at Courtney Love`s Motel 2, Courtney Love`s Motel 2. Now with 40 percent less DNA on our linens.
GLENN BECK, HOST: A recent study from the Intelligence Group`s Cassandra Report says that 59 percent of young adults between the ages of 14 and 30 think that the American dream, believe it or not, is to become famous. That is as sad, ridiculous, and quite honestly awkward as my teenage years, and they were -- all right. We don`t need to show my teenage years.

People need to understand that fame and fortune are meaningless. Now granted, that`s easy for me to say. I have my own TV show, radio show, magazine and a pretty sweet house in Connecticut. But so what? I still cry myself to sleep at night.

You want to know why the suicide rate is so high and why people are eating Prozac for breakfast? It`s because I really believe on some level people feel like they`re entitled to become the next Omarosa. And isn`t that a dream come true?

Here`s what we need to realize. There`s something meaningful in doing something small and not telling the whole fricking world about it. You want to make a difference? Instead of wasting our time making an audition tape for "Deal or No Deal", why don`t we volunteer our time?

Here`s a story about a fat guy. No, not me. A guy who`s fed up with his life. But instead of getting off his butt and fixing it, he went on a quest for fame. It`s got a sad ending. We`ll give it to you after you watch this piece.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Here`s the thing I thought of, Steve, when I read this story about you. To my calculations, it took you 33 miles to lose a pound.

STEVE VAUGHT, "FAT MAN WALKING": Well, you`ve got to take into consideration, too, that there was ups and downs. I actually gained weight and lost weight. And went through the...

BECK: This isn`t helping. This is -- because I know a lot of people. I talked about it on the radio show. A lot of people wrote me. They`re like, "Hey, he`s an inspiration." Really. Come on, at 33 pounds, a mile, and then you ended up gaining weight at the end. I find that depressing. I may never exercise again.

VAUGHT: Well, the thing is exercise alone is not enough. If exercise were enough, there wouldn`t be any overweight people. This is really about correcting bad behaviors, and there`s no way to quantify that on a per mile basis. It`s a struggle you have to go through from beginning to end.

BECK: You started out, you were weighing 400 pounds.

VAUGHT: Four hundred and ten.

BECK: Four hundred and ten pounds. You walked across the country, and you dropped 100 pounds, but then toward the end didn`t you just put back like 15 pounds?

VAUGHT: Actually, I`ve lot 130 pounds. I got down to 282. And in the last -- in the last, probably, four or five weeks I`ve had to adjust my diet because of health issues, and I`ve put on a little bit more weight, but that`s -- that`s not a big deal, because I know I can take it back off in the next couple of weeks when I have better access to food.

BECK: So what were you eating?

VAUGHT: I was eating about 80 percent protein and about 20 percent carbohydrates and I kind of messed up my innards a little bit, and I have to make some adjustments.

BECK: Have you ever encountered a moment in life -- this is a yes or no question -- where you found out too much information about somebody?

VAUGHT: Yes.

BECK: OK. That happened to me. I looked at your story and I`m reading through your story. And at the beginning of your journey I found out you were duct-taping your underpants in place to prevent chafing.

VAUGHT: I don`t know where you got that from.

BECK: Really? That didn`t happen?

VAUGHT: No.

BECK: No duct taping of your underpants?

VAUGHT: No duct taping of anything.

BECK: So what else could you duct tape?

VAUGHT: Although it`s not a bad idea.

BECK: OK. So you said -- tell me if this is right. You said the worst part of your trip was in Texas.

VAUGHT: Texas was rough. Texas is flat and featureless, the Panhandle anyways.

BECK: It was your 40th birthday. What happened?

VAUGHT: The days are mixed up a little bit. Actually in Texas, I was on antidepressants when I started this. I had a really bad struggle with depression. And in Texas I decided that if I was going to fix anything I had to do it without medication, and I came off of it.

BECK: Good for you.

VAUGHT: And the Panhandle of Texas is not the best place in the world to be coming off of antidepressants, I`m here to tell you.

BECK: Yes, I understand what you`re saying.

Too much information question again. You went through, what, 15 pairs of sneakers?

VAUGHT: About 15. I believe I`m on my 15th pair right now.

BECK: OK, but I understand only three shirts?

VAUGHT: Yes. Three of the outer shirts. A ton of the inner shirts.

BECK: OK, all right. That`s probably better.

Have you ever considered walking back to California just to drop a few more pounds?

VAUGHT: Not even for a second.

BECK: Right. Would you ever do it again? If you knew then what you know now, would you ever do it again?

VAUGHT: I would, I would, because you know, this has been difficult, and it`s -- there`s been really bad days, and that`s where the growth is. The growth is in the adversity and in the hardship. Had I known this before I left I probably never would have one it, but now I feel like I`m stronger mentally and physically. Certainly I`d do it again.

BECK: What was the hardest thing or the most unexpected thing that you learned from the journey?

VAUGHT: I think the hardest thing was just staying out there day after day, and I think the most unexpected thing was that you do reach a point where you sort of turn the bend, and you turn the corner and you start to really make, you know, good emotional progress.

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, man, I would have started in California, I`d hit the Sierras, and I`d be like OK, I`m done. I couldn`t do it.

VAUGHT: When I came over the horizon I seriously thought what the heck am I doing?

BECK: Yes, you had to have. Thank you so much. I appreciate it, sir.

VAUGHT: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Inspired by that guy? If you`re inspired by him, don`t be. Whatever happened to Steve Vaught? Apparently, he didn`t exactly walk across the whole country. There are large undocumented gaps in his progress and, as a result he lost his book deal. His wife`s divorcing him. Hey, seriously, way to go it, tubby.

Seems to me like more and more people just don`t get it that cheating is wrong. You`re not going to end up, you know, on the top of the band wagon. Maybe they need to hear it from an 8-year-old kid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Do you cheat?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huh-uh.

BECK: How come?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I know I`m not supposed to cheat.

BECK: Do you ever cheat?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

BECK: You had to think about that. Are you hiding something?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have only cheated, like, once or twice in my life, so I don`t know very much about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I took a test, and I looked at someone else`s papers, I`m cheating.

BECK: What happens if you were cheating...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BECK: ... but it was the only way that you could win?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s unfair.

BECK: What happens if you were cheating and you could make a lot of money?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I still wouldn`t do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then there`s cheaters (ph).

BECK: Is it OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody really notices it.

BECK: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I cheat really well.

BECK: Let`s say that you -- there is a -- somebody playing sports and they`re not as strong as everybody else. And they have found this medicine that will make them super strong. OK. But they`re not supposed to take the medicine. But they can take it and nobody would know about it. Should they take that medicine to make them super strong, even though they`re not supposed to?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huh-uh.

BECK: How come?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because that would be cheating.

BECK: And that`s wrong? How come? Nobody would know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: It`s amazing, even kids get it. Sadly, cheating is everywhere these days. It`s in sports; it`s in school; it`s in Washington, D.C. I mean, I cheated to get this job. No, really, I told them that I was Larry King`s older brother.

But it seems as though cheating has become so acceptable that it`s almost chic. It`s like cheating is the new black, isn`t it? For an answer to that I went to ethicist Bruce Weinstein.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: He`s known as "the ethics guy."

Has cheating always been a part of life? Or is it -- I mean, is this a new thing? Is it more popular nowadays?

BRUCE WEINSTEIN, AUTHOR, "LIFE PRINCIPLES": You know, Glenn, human nature has not changed in thousands of years. Even though we often say that the previous, the younger generation is screwing up, if you look at Plato`s "Republic"...

BECK: Yes.

WEINSTEIN: ...written several thousands of years ago, on the third page, you have an elderly character complaining about the youth of today. So this may just be something that older people like to complain about and yet...

BECK: Go ahead. And yet?

WEINSTEIN: There is something that is new about our society, namely the speed with which we communicate with one another. And, you know, with the pressure not just in sports but let`s say in journalism, I mean, the whole thing with Dan Rather last year was a result to a large degree because of the pressure to get ratings and to be No. 1 and to be the first to call the election, let`s say. So this is what is giving rise, to some degree, to this problematic behavior.

BECK: A couple of years ago I was flying out to California, and I was reading Peter Singer`s book which Peter Singer -- I want to hang myself when I read Peter Singer -- but I was reading his book on ethics, and my daughter said to me, she said, "What are you reading, Dad?"

I said, "Ethics."

And she said, "What are ethics?"

And I said, "Well, you know, it`s like would you kill a bunny rabbit if you could cure somebody from cancer?"

And she said, "Yes."

And I said, "OK, would you kill every bunny rabbit if you could cure cancer?"

And she sat there for about five minutes thinking about it. And she just looked at me and all she said was, "Wow. Dad, ethics suck." And she`s right.

And I think that is the way all society feels about ethics right now: "It just sucks. I don`t even want to think about it, especially when I can make a buck right now."

WEINSTEIN: The problem, though, is that, if you think about it in the long run, we personally benefit by taking the high road and doing the right thing. And conversely, when we take the low road, like Ken Lay or Jeffrey Skilling and you know, we`re sent to prison, sent to the big house for our wrongful conduct, that`s the worst possible P.R., if you will, that we could bring upon ourselves.

BECK: When are people going to catch on that the easy way is not necessarily the good way? I mean, it seems -- you take Martha Stewart, everybody else. Sure you can make more money right now, but if you do it the right way, you make more money for a longer period of time.

WEINSTEIN: Well, you know, with George Santayana said, those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

BECK: I love George.

WEINSTEIN: We ignore these moral lessons at our peril. I`d like to ask you, why do you think "The Sopranos" and "Goodfellas" and "The Godfather" and "Scarface" are so popular?

BECK: I think...

WEINSTEIN: Why do you say that -- think that they`re so popular?

BECK: I think they`re popular because people get to take -- take things into their own hands. They don`t have to sit around and wait for a system that many times people perceive as broken.

WEINSTEIN: Well, that`s part of it. But I`d like to think that in their own way these films and TV shows teach important moral lessons, moral lessons that we have to remind ourselves.

And you know, if you look at "The Sopranos", this is the sixth season. Every single character, and I do mean every single one, is worse off than they were at the beginning of the run. And so, if you -- if we ignore these...

BECK: Well...

WEINSTEIN: ... these lessons at our peril.

BECK: Except for the guy with the pool stick where the sun doesn`t shine.

Bruce, thanks a lot. I appreciate your time.

WEINSTEIN: Thanks Glenn.

BECK: You bet. Bye-bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: They`ve got me all on the monitors and everything else, and he`s like yes, yes. Now, he does the blood tests, he comes back, and he`s like, "OK, it doesn`t show signs of a heart attack. So you know, I could admit you or let you go home. I`m really on the fence."

And I said, "All right."

And he said, "What do you think?"

And I looked around like who are you asking? Are you asking for a second opinion from me? So I checked myself out, and the doctor says, you know, "You should take it easy for the next few days because you could have indigestion or be having a heart attack."

I said, "Thanks, Doc. I appreciate that." I diagnose death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: I really -- I really didn`t have a lot of confidence in that doctor. It was like "Columbo", except the murderer got away.

Well, "The Sopranos" are coming back with eight new episodes sometime in January in some year way distant in the future. I actually spoke to Bobby Bakala himself and Steve Schirripa about it. What a great guy.

We talked about whether all the gay sex in the show is turning the show has turned "The Sopranos" into "The Sopornos", which is it just me or is a little disturbing? I mean, I don`t really -- I tune into my, you know, gangster movies to say gee sex. But then to each his own, I guess.

We also discussed his tips in his new health book, "The Goomba Diet". Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVEN R. SCHIRRIPA, ACTOR: First of all, obviously my book is a joke book. It`s a joke. I would give anything to lose 40 pounds myself, but it`s a joke book, and it`s about -- all the things in life...

BECK: No, I want somebody who says I`m fat and I`m OK with being fat.

SCHIRRIPA: It`s all the things that are important to me: food, love, work, family. Have a good time, enjoy yourself.

BECK: Right.

SCHIRRIPA: Forget macrobiotics, forget yoga.

BECK: Right.

SCHIRRIPA: You can go outside, God forbid, and you`ll get hit by a car. Enjoy yourself.

BECK: Atkins should have had the banana split. He fell down the stairs and died.

SCHIRRIPA: On the goomba diet...

BECK: Yes.

SCHIRRIPA: ... you feel like you`re putting on a couple pounds. You find fatter friends. All right. You need motivation. You don`t pay your bookie for three weeks. All right? If the doctor says you`re too fat get another doctor.

BECK: Yes.

SCHIRRIPA: Enjoy yourself. Obviously, it is a joke book. Am I OK fat? I`m all right. There`s a lot of skinny actors out of work. You know what I mean?

BECK: yes.

SCHIRRIPA: I`m doing all right. TV needs fat guys.

BECK: Yes, but I mean, you know, the amazing thing is, I saw Gandolfini on "The Sopranos", I don`t know, a couple of weeks ago. And I thought, "He`s gained a lot of weight. Hasn`t he? Since the series began? Come on.

SCHIRRIPA: I guess, but the series began in 1997.

BECK: But it`s the only TV show in America where...

SCHIRRIPA: There`s a fat man...

BECK: A fat man screaming to get out.

SCHIRRIPA: Come on over. Come with me. Glenn, come with me brother, you can do it.

BECK: Right.

SCHIRRIPA: I mean we talk about the book and all things that are good to eat, and there`s a lot of junk and a lot of crap. I`m talking just real good Italian food and fun and conversation and wine. You can`t watch every minute of your life.

BECK: Yes.

SCHIRRIPA: You can`t. You could overdo it.

BECK: Yes.

SCHIRRIPA: You know, look, if I actually watch what I eat. If I didn`t watch I would be like one of those guys you got to need a forklift to get out of the apartment.

BECK: Right, I watch it as it`s shoveled into my mouth. I married into an Italian family. Holy mother of everything that`s good and sacred. You never stop eating in an Italian place.

SCHIRRIPA: And there`s no bad time. You never hear an Italian say how could you eat at a time like this? We could eat at any time. A funeral, give me the food.

BECK: The first time I was at a holiday, it was -- I think it was Christmas or Easter, and we sat down at the table to have dinner, and it was like 1 p.m. in the afternoon. My brother-in-law who married in, he`s not Italian either. I loaded up my plate, and he nudged me at the table and said, "Slow down, brother. You have no idea." We didn`t get out of the table until 7:30.

SCHIRRIPA: What happens is usually eat and then it`s, like, 3 or 4 o`clock and take a little rest and then 6 or 7 it comes again.

BECK: No, but then grandma comes in: "Who wants chicken?"

SCHIRRIPA: Well, what`s wrong with that? Nothing wrong with that.

BECK: I can`t eat that much.

SCHIRRIPA: You take your time, you know, you take small bites.

On the show we eat a lot. And I`ll tell you what, there is -- you know, it`s like 6 in the morning, you go wow, chicken cacciatore. I go I`ve got a license to eat chicken cacciatore, but now it`s six hours later.

I didn`t feel good about that. Can we take it one more time, please? You know what I mean?

BECK: Yes, I know. I mean, that`s what I mean. You`re feeding my lasagna. I don`t think so.

SCHIRRIPA: Until it`s, you know, six hours later. Now, you`re going I mean, I can`t eat the chicken no more. James Gandolfini was clucking in one scene.

BECK: Are you married?

SCHIRRIPA: I`m married.

BECK: Children?

SCHIRRIPA: My wife`s skinny.

BECK: I wasn`t going to ask you that.

SCHIRRIPA: Of course, fat man, fat wife.

BECK: No, no, no. I think "Sopranos" star, hot wife. What`s the secret?

SCHIRRIPA: I`ve been married for 17 years before I was on "The Sopranos."

BECK: You`ve got it good. What`s the secret?

SCHIRRIPA: You know what?

BECK: Let me ask you, what`s the secret for being for a long time to a beautiful woman and you being fat?

SCHIRRIPA: Being nice. Being nice. I`m a nice guy. I remember the anniversary?

BECK: Good for you.

SCHIRRIPA: What`s so hard? Is it so hard? Flowers here and there. Take her out. What`s the big deal?

BECK: Let me change -- let me change gears.

SCHIRRIPA: She has 85 pairs of shoes.

BECK: I came into the studio, I do a radio show. Came into the studio on Monday, and the guys that produce the radio show are all talking, and they all watch "The Sopranos", and they came in, and I said were you watching gay porn this weekend? Just based on their conversation. What the heck is happening with the gay sex between fat mobsters?

SCHIRRIPA: Vito told me to give you a kiss, but I`m not going to do it, because he`s got his eye on you. He`s got his eye on you.

BECK: Every -- not just gay men. It is straight men, gay women, everybody in America wants to see him having sex.

SCHIRRIPA: He would be like way on the bottom of my list. I don`t know who`s on the top.

BECK: That`s hell. That`s my definition of hell.

SCHIRRIPA: To go to bet with Vito.

BECK: For eternity. I come down, and he`s got horns and he`s like, "You`re having sex with him for all time."

SCHIRRIPA: He`s a good cook. He`s going to feed you before. Make it something nice.

BECK: Really? Something really good?

SCHIRRIPA: Let me tell you, I think Joe Gannascoli, who`s the actor who`s playing Vito, did a great job. I commend him. Not easy to do. He`s straight. You know. Also...

BECK: David Chase to do this.

SCHIRRIPA: I mean I give him a lot of credit. I mean, of course there`s gay characters on shows, but a gay mobster? A gay waddling mobster.

BECK: Steve Schirrip, thank you so much for being on the program. Pleasure, sir. Good luck to you. Bye-bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. So some kid in Los Angeles loads his class notes into a handheld e-mail device and then uses them to cheat during a test. And then over at San Jose University some journalism students, and I thought we could always trust journalists, were using spell checks on their laptops during a spelling test.

Let me ask you a question. Whatever happened to the good old days when you wrote the answers on your arm or you took the time to copy off the smart kid sitting next to you? Technology is ruining us. Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned cheating days?

Let`s talk to David Pogue. He`s from "The New York Times". He`s a technology -- hello, David.

DAVID POGUE, "NEW YORK TIMES": Sorry, sorry.

BECK: Are you picking up NSA transmissions there?

POGUE: You know what it is?

BECK: Yes.

POGUE: It`s CNN Headline News. They have a satellite radio station. Is that cool?

BECK: Holy cow.

POGUE: You heard of that network?

BECK: Yes, I have heard about that network.

David, my daughter is going into college, and, you know, I`ve got to equip her with everything that she needs. What does she need? Do you have, like, the newest, smallest "I`m going to drop it and destroy it or it will be stolen so it`s got to be cheap" laptop?

POGUE: Do I ever, man? I`m like a walking Circuit City right here. This is it. First one hot off the press is the stealth laptop. This is Apple`s new Mac book. It`s a beauty, jet black and $1,100 bucks. It`s ideal for people going to -- how about that, the video camera built right into the top. You don`t need all this fancy equipment.

BECK: Wait a minute. So she could -- if she ever would call me, you know.

POGUE: Call you?

BECK: Hopefully it won`t be from jail. I can actually see her.

POGUE: Yes, you don`t need to call her. You can video chat with her. Get with the times.

BECK: Right. I know, I know. I`m going to have to charge you for that "Times" reference there.

POGUE: OK.

BECK: What about if I want to steal music?

POGUE: Stealing music? That...

BECK: I need the fastest, easiest way to steal music.

POGUE: You`ve got it right here. Check it out. Looks like an iPod. It is, brings in the mp3 files, just like an iPod. But this little puppy is an antenna. We`re talking satellite radio, XM satellite radio, 120 stations. When you hear a song you like, you press this button, and you`ve just recorded that song for free. Straight to the device.

BECK: Whoa. Hold it just a second. I`m on XM Satellite Radio. I don`t believe you have permission from me to steal my program.

POGUE: Excuse me, I`m paying my 13 bucks a month. I can do whatever I like.

BECK: Really? Let me tell you something. You need serious psychological help if you`re stealing my program. If you`re "I`ve got to download this and save it", you`re a freak.

POGUE: You`re a serious -- no, Sirius is the other.

BECK: That`s right.

POGUE: This is XM. I`ll be here till Thursday. Thank you.

BECK: Some more comedy from "The New York Times".

POGUE: But seriously, it is a little controversial, because the recording industry, that beloved organization of record executives, are suing these puppies because they`re saying, wait, this amounts to stealing music.

BECK: You know what, it is true, though. It is true. I hate to defend anybody in Hollywood or the recording industry, but it`s true. I mean, that is...

POGUE: In what way is it true? I don`t get to pick what songs they air. And I`ve already paid for them. All I`m doing is time shifting. Didn`t you ever put a cassette in the stereo and record a show to listen to it later? How is it any different?

BECK: Well, no, I never did. OK.

POGUE: That explains a few things right there.

BECK: Right, OK. David, we`re out of time. David, thank you very much. I appreciate it. We`ll see you again.

POGUE: My pleasure.

BECK: Bye-bye.

POGUE: Bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Last month, a really fancy Washington, D.C., steakhouse served its last meal at one of the city`s best-known hotels. It shut its doors. I mean, why would I get on national television and tell you about this? Why should you even care?

Not because of the restaurant, but because what it meant to some very special people who ate there, not power-lunch lobbyists, but a bunch of guys who gathered in the backroom every Friday night to share a lot more than just a meal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This restaurant means the world to me. I can actually tell you that they didn`t just save my life; they`re saving all of these soldiers` lives.

BECK (voice-over): For 2 1/2 years, Fran O`Brien`s Stadium Steakhouse provided a weekly respite for some of the most seriously injured veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

JIM MAYER, VETERAN DINNER ORGANIZER: Fran`s was a community of volunteers and businessmen that wanted to show today`s soldiers and marines that they really appreciate the job they`re doing for this country.

BECK: Jim Mayer got the idea for the vet dinners while volunteering at Walter Reed Hospital, where rehab can stretch on for years. Having lost both his legs in the Vietnam War, he knew what a simple dinner amongst friends could mean.

MAYER: I can remember back 37 years ago when I was wounded, I really wanted to get out of the hospital. The first time I got out, I was incredibly nervous, so this is like a safe haven for them.

WASIM KHAN, U.S. ARMY SERGEANT: When I was in the hospital, I didn`t talk to anybody. I was kind of depressed and just angry and just -- I told people to just leave me alone. Then Jim Mayer, who met me, and he introduced me to doing dinners at Fran O`Brien`s steakhouse, so he brought me up here.

BECK: With Fran O`Brien`s owners picking up the tab, Jim Mayer began inviting soldiers to come down to the restaurant to get away from the grueling recovery process.

MAYER: I did a count of 390 soldiers and Marines that have been through the dinners. Of those 390, 180 were amputees, pretty devastating stuff. He thought they would do better if they got a night away from the hospital.

BECK: Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Bain, who was severely injured in an Iraqi mortar attack, is a Fran O`Brien`s regular.

CHRISTOPHER BAIN, U.S. ARMY STAFF SERGEANT: I`m not cutting any steak any time soon, so I was sitting down next to an amputee and he didn`t have any legs, or didn`t know if he only had one leg, or maybe he didn`t have his prosthetic yet. But I told him, hey, this is the deal: I get your food, you cut my steak. And he goes, "Not a problem."

BECK: But now, the vets must look for a new place to carry on this military tradition.

BRIAN KELLEHER, GENERAL MANAGER, CAPITAL HILTON: We`ve at this point decided that the lease is terminated.

BECK: On May 1st, Fran O`Brien`s was forced to close its doors when the landlord, the Hilton Hotel Corporation, decided not to renew their lease. Hilton called it strictly a business decision.

HAL KOSTER, CO-OWNER, FRAN O`BRIEN`S: We sent them a letter back saying, well, you know, why not just give us the five-year lease extension that`s part of the lease, except that you have to put in the wheelchair lift? And next thing we got was an eviction notice.

BECK: So the sometimes painful scene of dozens of young men and women in wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs making their way through this hotel lobby to enjoy a simple night out will no longer happen, at least not at the Hilton.

BAIN: Whoever made the decision, I mean, maybe they need to come down and have a dinner with us. I don`t know. But they must not understand what this means to me and all of the other soldiers.

KOSTER: Oh, the dinners will continue. The volunteers will continue to give invitations, and we`ll find a venue where we can put them.

BAIN: I can`t wait until they do find another place. I`m willing to go out there and help them -- go out there and find a place for them and help them. And whatever they need, we`re here for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: When we first shared this story, a lot of you wrote asking how you could help. And, yes, you can, and I`ll tell you about it in just a second. First, I want to welcome back the organizer of the vets` dinners, Jim Mayer.

I hear you not only have a new temporary home, Jim, but you also had a very special event at the Italian Embassy in D.C.? What`s the update?

MAYER: Hi, Glenn, right on both counts. First, the special dinner was May 19th at the Italian Embassy hosted by the ambassador from Italy.

BECK: How great is that, huh?

MAYER: It was something like I`ve never seen before. It redefined gracious hospitality to me.

BECK: Who was there?

MAYER: The ambassador, his family, his personal staff, the ambassador`s chef.

BECK: I mean, on your side, did the vets get to come with you...

MAYER: Oh, yes, sir.

BECK: ... and it was all the guys who were going to the dinner?

MAYER: Yes, sir, it was about 50 attendees, service members wounded and injured, and their family members from Walter Reed.

BECK: Oh, I wish we could have been there. How great was that moment? And now you also have a new place.

MAYER: Yes, thanks for the hospitality of the Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C., we`ve got a home for a number of months, and we still have some special locations coming up, too.

BECK: OK. How long can you stay there, for two more months?

MAYER: Well, we`re thinking it could -- according to Hal Koster, the co-owner of Fran`s, we`re thinking three months.

BECK: OK. And anybody who didn`t get it from just watching that piece here a second ago, how does this change people?

MAYER: Well, I don`t know if I can describe it briefly, but in my mind what I`ve seen the soldiers and Marines go through and their families is they think they`re coming out for one of their first meals since being wounded or injured and it turns into like a sense of community and rehabilitation and kind of like their first step back into society.

BECK: So they have really no idea what to expect when they first go out?

MAYER: They know they`re headed for a good time, because other patients and families have told them it`s good.

BECK: Right. And, Jim, we were deluged with people who wanted to help. I mean, the mail was just outrageous. And, really, I mean, it just gave you a good sense of hope, you know? How can people get involved and help?

MAYER: Well, I think the best way anybody who uses the Web, they should go to www.Aleethia.org. Hal Koster, the co-owner of Fran`s, has started a small foundation for that.

BECK: And I understand that you have news on the Hilton?

MAYER: Yes, we just learned today from veterans` service organizations that the Hilton corporate management has organized a meeting and invited the six largest veterans` groups, national organizations, to a meeting with them.

BECK: Oh, that`s great. That`s great. Good job on the Hilton and, as always, what a pleasure to have you, sir, and just an honor to know you and your organization. Best of luck to all the boys.

MAYER: Thank you very much.

BECK: You bet.

These vets are living proof that there is a difference between having a meal and sharing a meal.

I want to switch gears for a second. You know, I know it`s really hard to get the whole family together at what used to be called dinner time. I`m busy; I struggle to get home on time. The kids are at soccer practice, doing homework, or, God forbid, watching reruns of "My Super Sweet 16." But it`s important, isn`t it?

Here`s the question: Is the sacred tradition of the family dinner slowly slipping away from us?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK (voice-over): Family dinner? I mean, who`s got time? We`re busy people. I mean, between work, school, homework, soccer, cheerleading, chess club, Tae Kwon Do, yoga, book club. Man, we barely have enough time to chew our food, let alone eat it together as a family.

But that doesn`t stop us from trying. Some families are good at getting everybody to sit down to dinner. Others, eh, not so good.

Meet the Stell (ph) family. Well, actually some of the Stell (ph) family. Supper at the Stells (ph) seems less like a family dinner and more, well, like a pit stop at Daytona.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So hurry and up and eat. Come on. We`ve got to go.

If we`re lucky they`ll have 20 minutes between times. I hope that they`ve gotten their homework done.

All right. We`re going to pack this up for Daddy, so when he comes home, he can make a plate and eat alone.

BECK: Can you say indigestion?

Meanwhile, just across the street is the Dempsey (ph) family. What a difference 30 yards can make.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all kind of merge back here 7:00-ish. And have dinner and try and catch up with each other to find out what everyone`s been doing, and all of the things that I have to yell at them for. Did you do your homework? Did you do your book report, you know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s tough spending time together. I don`t get home until later in the evening. And of course, they`re very hungry by then. And...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No kidding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But we do the best we can.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`d say four out of seven nights we wait for him to come home.

BECK: Now, the Dempseys aren`t any less busy than most families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mondays through Thursdays I usually have dance or volleyball practice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Varsity dance team, sports night, volleyball.

BECK: But for some families, just getting dinner together can seem like a monumental task. If only there was some way to take the brainwork out of making dinner. Hmm. What do we have here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Super Suppers is an assembly kitchen where you come and assemble meals for your family.

BECK: They do the shopping, the chopping and the cleaning. You just assemble a couple of weeks` worth of meals and pop them into the oven. Easy, right?

But of course, it takes more than a week`s full of precooked meals to get families around the table. So why are some households able to sit down to dinner and not others? It`s actually quite simple. They make it a point to do so.

Today, only about half of families in the United States have dinner together on a regular basis. And a recent study by Columbia University found that teens who have dinners with their families at least five times a week are less likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or try marijuana. And these same kids also perform better at school. And, there`s also the added bonus of knowing your kids and strengthening family bonds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t think there`s any other way of keeping your family close to you than sitting down together and spending time, and the best time to do it is meal time. Because other than that, with school and work and all this, you`re just forcibly going to be apart from each other.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I find out so much more between salad and dinner than I would, you know, if I sat down and said, "So tell me." I think when you`re eating and you`re relaxed and if they like it. And let`s say all of a sudden one of their favorite meals, I don`t want to eat this. Well, now I know something is bothering them. You get a read of the kids.

And they`re away from their friends at that time. They don`t have to act anyway. They don`t have to be cool. They don`t have to be cute. They, you know, their true colors come out.

BECK: And after all, isn`t that the whole point?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: Glenn, just a quick comment.

BECK: Yes?

CALLER: Your show on television is outstanding. You went from a host that would look like he was scared to death to one that is very professional does a great job. I love it.

BECK: Thank you.

CALLER: However, you should never be allowed to have an attractive woman on the show and you need someone less attractive to deliver the news. You turn into a babbling idiot.

BECK: I`ve always been that -- wait a minute. I`ve always been way around women. I am a babbling idiot. But wait a minute. I had Katharine McPhee on last night. She was fine; I was fine with her.

CALLER: You know, actually, it came (INAUDIBLE) that you did better with her than I`ve ever seen you do, but you act like the rest of us would and we look to you for inspiration.

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: I am no different than you, David. I am no different than you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: If you`re guy, you`ve seen her in "Sports Illustrated," the swimsuit issue. If you`re a woman, you`ve seen her in every single fashion magazine, star of NBC`s "Las Vegas."

Hi, Molly, how are you?

MOLLY SIMS, MODEL: Hi, Glenn, how are you?

BECK: Pleasure, nice to have you.

SIMS: So nice to meet you.

BECK: Let me just say this right off the top. I know what you`re thinking. And the answer is, no, I`m a happily married man.

SIMS: You do look like Tim Allen, "Tool Time."

BECK: I look like Tim Allen?

SIMS: From "Tool Time."

BECK: Really?

SIMS: Because you have like -- you know, you`re very, like, perfect, but you`re funny.

BECK: Macho. Macho is what you`re...

SIMS: No, you`re not too macho.

BECK: No, I`ve got a pink shirt on. Let me ask you this, because I have so many things I want to talk to you about. Let me start with this.

I saw this in the paper, and my wife and I were talking about. I mean, I say the paper. It`s the stupid "Globe," but I saw this in the paper. And my wife and I talked about it over the week.

How do people in Hollywood -- how do our kids win? I mean, you are stunning. You`re beautiful. You`re a supermodel. Blah, blah, blah, all this stuff that you know.

Nicole Ritchie looks like this now. Can you get a shot of this? Wait a minute. Hang on. I`m trying to learn how to turn it. There it is. This is what Nicole Ritchie looks like. Frightening, don`t you think?

The whole article is about, "Look at how she has gotten to so skinny." But yet, in the same article, they have this picture of her with the word "chunky" over her. How do you win?

SIMS: You don`t. That`s the thing. You don`t win. If you`re too heavy, then you`re too heavy. If you`re too thin, then you`re too thin. It`s never perfect and it`s never right.

BECK: What is your life like? What`s a supermodel`s life like?

SIMS: You know, I think, as a model -- and I`ve done it now for almost 11 years -- it was much more difficult, in terms of the weight issue, because you have to fit into sample size. The designers only make between size zero and four, so there, on its own...

BECK: Four? What kind of fat cows are wearing fours?

(LAUGHTER)

SIMS: But seriously, so, in that way, there was much more pressure. And I think, because everything depended on what you looked like, that made it very difficult.

BECK: So you are successful, obviously, as a supermodel. You are, you know, on NBC, an actress, a successful...

(CROSSTALK)

SIMS: But now I think it`s much easier, because not everything depends on what I look like.

BECK: Right.

SIMS: You know, I get to use my brain and intelligence and...

BECK: It`s got to be horrible. What`s the core of you? What is the thing that you`re most proud of, that makes you -- what completes you? Besides me, what completes you?

SIMS: It`s funny. Right before we came on, I heard that Anderson Cooper was sitting in the makeup room. And I was like, "I have to go. I have to go and I just have to introduce myself, because I love his stories, I love, you know, his reporting." And I guess one thing that I`ve gotten into is charitable work, because it makes you feel so good about yourself, and you give back.

BECK: You are involved with an orphanage in Mexico.

SIMS: Yes, called El Faro. And we take care of 110 kids. We feed them; we bathe them; we educate them; and we help them with medical.

BECK: Is it true you work your whole schedule -- you build your life around that?

SIMS: I don`t necessarily build my life around it, but we`ll go down there once every four weeks. And we have about 20 people who do. I think what happened with me is, after September 11th -- and I found out that I`d given all this money, and I was living in New York at the time, I`d given all the money -- not all the money, but the money that I was giving to the charity, to Red Cross, I found out that it actually didn`t go to people, and I couldn`t believe it.

BECK: Right.

SIMS: And I thought...

BECK: You wanted to get in personally involved? I felt the same.

SIMS: Of course.

BECK: I think everybody in America did.

SIMS: And, you know, I think and that`s kind of where I changed. And now that I know that, if I give a dollar, I know it goes to either bathe them, feed them...

BECK: Right.

SIMS: ... get them in and out of the hospital, whatever. And I know that that money goes there. And that, to me, that makes a big difference.

BECK: OK. My crew is yelling at me here because we have about a minute left. And tonight, you`re unveiling a pen...

SIMS: Tonight, at the Whitney Museum of American Art, we`re unveiling these beautiful waterman pen, and they`re 44...

BECK: And, look, it matches your outfit.

SIMS: I know. That wasn`t actually done...

BECK: How supermodel of you.

(CROSSTALK)

SIMS: ... but that wasn`t done on purpose. But you have to look. It`s a set of four. It`s a limited edition.

BECK: Wow.

SIMS: And it`s the four elements, and they`re $11,000 apiece.

BECK: I can`t tell how many $11,000 pens I have...

SIMS: Well, you`re going to have another one, because...

BECK: The problem is, I lose them.

SIMS: I got you one.

BECK: Shut up. It`s an $11,000 pen.

SIMS: Very beautiful.

BECK: Shut the hell up. Is it really?

SIMS: Yes, there`s 161 series. And the number two set is actually being auctioned off, and all the proceeds go back to the Whitney.

BECK: Well, I`ve got to have a supermodel on this show more often.

SIMS: Yes, you do.

BECK: Wow, thank you very much.

SIMS: Thank you so much.

BECK: They`re beautiful.

SIMS: They`re beautiful.

BECK: So are you...

SIMS: Thank you.

BECK: ... more on the inside than the outside.

SIMS: Thank you.

BECK: God bless you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Hey, fatty, is that you? No, I mean, literally, is that you on the screen? If so, good god, are you fat! And I don`t mean the kind with a "ph." I mean the kind like this, where they put you on the TV with your face not shown, you know, for legal reasons. Man, you are so fat!

AUDIENCE: How fat are you?

ANNOUNCER: Well, you`re so fat that when you -- sorry, not appropriate. I was saying, if you are one of these people, listen up, because we`re about to whip you into shape. It`s time for the Glenn Beck Diet Revolution. It`s time to be scared skinny.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK, hold on just a second. Roll that back. Roll the video back for a second, will you? What are the ethics of this kind of stock footage? Why is it OK to show all of their fatness, but not their head? I`m just wondering. I think there`s like 12 people that specialize in this type of shot, you know?

They just waddle down the street. Look at that. Wouldn`t you be horrified if you got home and you were like, "Holy cow, that`s a nice, tight shot on my gut." You know, look at some of these shots. There are people walking towards the camera whose faces you can see clear as a day.

You`re allowed to apparently show thin peoples` faces as they walk down the street, but if you`re fat I`m only allowed to show you -- legally only allowed to show your butt.

What we`d like to do is to make sure that you`re never appearing on cable news stock footage, help you get thin. I`ve actually had a lot of e- mail from people who asked me, you know, "Glenn, you say on the radio that you`re fat," that`s because I`m a recovering fat person. I lost about 40 pounds in the last year or so.

And, really, the way I`ve done is just scared -- before I knew I was going to have a TV show, this was not white, OK? Just scare the living crap out of you that, you know, you`re going to look like the biggest fat tub of lard ever on television.

If you want to lose weight, I need to get you on TV. Go to GlennBeck.com and see "Scared Skinny." There`s a Web form there that we want you to fill out, if you`re really committed to dropping weight.

Here`s the outline in a nutshell. You set a goal for how much weight you want to lose in the amount of time, and then you send me a picture of you in a Speedo or something low cut and lacy. If you don`t make your weight loss goal, I show the picture of you on TV. I also put you up at GlennBeck.com and I publish it in our magazine, "Fusion."

Now, there`s more to it, and I`m sure there`s a huge legal disclaimer there, but you can get all the details at GlennBeck.com.

By the way, Steve Schirripa of "The Sopranos" going to be on the radio show on Monday. And another Steve, one of our fantastic camera guys, is leaving us for a little bit. Want to wish him the best of luck.

Have a great weekend. See you then, you sick, twisted freak.

END

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