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Missouri Community Asking Questions Today After Return of Two Kidnapped Boys; Unusual Weather in Central Texas; Kentucky Train Crash

Aired January 15, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Honoring his history and preserving his legacy, Atlanta's mayor on why it was so important to keep MLK's papers and personal effects right here in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: Hundreds of thousands of people left powerless. A brutal storm blasts through the Midwest. We'll have an update on current conditions and where the bad weather is headed next.

LEMON: And this, relief, tempered with uneasiness, now that two missing boys are safe at home. Disturbing questions about their alleged kidnapper and why no one who knew him realized something was wrong.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Scouring their memories, searching for clues, scratching their heads. A Missouri community is asking a lot of questions today after the return of two boys. One missing four days, the other four years.

Why were they taken? Why didn't they make a break for it? And why didn't somebody suspect something?

Our Chris Lawrence is in Kirkwood, Missouri, with the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I spoke with a local sheriff who has talked to Shawn Hornbeck face to face. He says on the surface, Shawn seems happy. But he can tell that there is something there deep down that may take some time to bring out. He said Shawn is happy to be reunited with his family.

Now, during the last four years, Shawn did not attend school, but he did go out and he did have friends. One person told us at one point one of his friends said to Shawn that he looked like the boy who was missing, but that Shawn apparently just brushed it off.

As for Michael Devlin, at one point, he, himself, called police to his own apartment to settle a parking dispute. Just one of the many things investigators will be looking at as they try to figure out how Shawn could have remained undetected for so long.

The Internet will also play a part in the investigation. I looked at Shawn's Yahoo! profile, and although it is a profile for "Shawn," a teenage boy, the actual e-mail address is that of an MDevlin.

Also, CNN has learned that back on December 1, 2005, there were two postings to ShawnHornbeck.com. And those postings were under the name "Shawn Devlin."

Now, we don't know if it was Shawn writing or perhaps Michael Devlin, or perhaps neither. But the two postings said this. The first asked the family, "How long do you plan to search for your son?"

Then later that day there was another posting in very bad English that said, "I'm sorry for my last message, but I write poems, and I was wondering if I could write a poem in honor of Shawn Hornbeck. I can understand if you don't want me to."

Again, it's just one of the things that investigators will be looking at as they try to piece together how Michael Devlin could do what he has been accused of doing.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Kirkwood, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, these high-profile cases make parents want to hold on to their children just a little tighter. The threat of strangers lurking around every corner trying to snatch kids seems very real, but such kidnappings are actually rare. Joshua Levs has a CNN "Reality Check."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The faces and names become memorable. You'll probably recall these two boys and their story for years. Parents everywhere know the fear of it happening to their children.

How often does it happen? To answer that, the Justice Department compiled figures across the country for one year, 1999. Nearly 800,000 children were reported missing that year, but most were not kidnapped.

In many cases their whereabouts were temporarily unknown. Some ran away.

About 200,000 were abducted by family members, 58,000 were taken by non-relatives, 115 kids were classified as being taken by strangers. Kidnapped children lucky enough to be rescued sometimes take years before talking about everything that happened. But experts say they often can resume normal lives.

ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART: I haven't heard every detail, nor do I need to know every detail, because I know it was horrific. And the important thing is they are back home, and they are with you, and they are going to be able to be there and you are going to be whole as a familiarly again instead of this big gaping hole.

LEVS (on camera): Authorities have some advice from parents on how to protect your children from potential kidnappings. First of all, they say always know where your kids are and never leave your kids unattended in a car for any reason at any time. They also say a lot of parents are sure to teach their kids not to go anywhere with strangers, but you should also teach your kids not to take a ride from anyone they know, unless in that specific circumstance you have said that it's OK.

Now, obviously, these kinds of steps will not prevent all kidnappings. And we know from the stories we've covered here at CNN, a girl can be kidnapped from her bedroom. A boy can be riding his bicycle to a friend's house. But authorities say those kinds of steps can help keep kids safer.

Joshua Levs, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And stay with CNN throughout the day as we keep the spotlight on America's missing children. And tonight, CNN primetime shines that light just a little brighter.

8:00 Eastern, Paula Zahn will look at the role that race plays in the media coverage of missing children cases.

At 9:00, Larry King sits down with the officers who found Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby, as well as the attorney for alleged kidnapper Michael Devlin.

Then at 10:00, Anderson Cooper takes an in-depth look at that Missouri miracle about the camper that survived.

LEMON: Oh, the other big story of the day, in the deep freeze in the nation's heartland. A weekend ice storm leaves hundreds of thousands of people without power, mostly in Missouri, where the National Guard is going door to door to make sure everyone is OK. And it could get worse as more power lines and tree limbs snap under the weight of all that ice.

So far, 36 deaths are blamed on the storm. Three in Texas, where an icy drizzle caused even more hazards for drivers this morning.

The storm's now battering New England, where they are more accustomed to winter weather. But even there, icy roads are proving deadly.

And unusual this time of year for Texas. And why don't we head to Texas and News 8's Austin Reagan -- or News 8 in Austin's Reagan Hackleman. He joins us from Temple, Texas, with the very latest.

This is unusual for Texas, isn't it?

REAGAN HACKLEMAN, NEWS 8, AUSTIN: Don, this is very unusual in Texas. It happens maybe once a year, maybe once every two years. It is cold out here right now. Right now temperatures are hovering around 32, maybe a degree or two cooler than that. But the wind out here is about 10 to 15 miles per hour, which makes the wind-chill in the teens out here.

Now, let me show you something you don't see in central Texas that often. Take a look at this tree limb. I can snap it off fairly easily.

I mean, these trees all along I-35 in Texas are just covered in ice like this. The ground is covered in ice. All the grass out here is covered in ice. It's been covered in ice since early this morning.

But one good thing right now, at least from Austin, further north here to Temple, is the roads are not covered in ice. If you take a look, you are looking at I-35 right now. We're about an hour and a half north of Austin. And traffic is moving along pretty smoothly.

Now, that was not the case this morning in Austin between 5:00 and 7:30 this morning. It got pretty dicey there.

It started to rain. We had some sleet. We had a little bit of snow mixed up in there. And it got really slushy.

So drivers were taking it easy at that time. But as the day has gone on, the roads have cleared up quite a bit out here. But we're being told that this is the break in the storm right now.

We are expecting sometime this evening for the temperatures to drop again below freezing, and once the temperatures drop below freezing, we're expecting more rain, more snow, more ice to come from down in south Texas up north through central Texas. And they are saying we could have anywhere between an half an inch to an inch of accumulation tonight of snow and sleet, which means tomorrow morning we are going to have ice covering these roads.

And this interstate and most roads in central Texas are not going to look anything like this. They are going to be covered in ice. And it is going to be a dangerous situation.

So right now, everyone here in central Texas is preparing for the worst.

Don, back to you.

LEMON: And folks in those parts are not used to driving in this sort of weather and temperatures, so the advice is to stay off the roads or at last drive very carefully.

Reagan Hackleman from Austin, thank you so much for joining us.

PHILLIPS: Bonnie Schneider in our weather center now watching what's left of this winter storm.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Let's get more information on the train accident in Kentucky. Betty's bringing us the latest information.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we're continuing to follow this out of Irvine, Kentucky, Kyra, to be exact. What we understand so far, according to The Associated Press, is that four railroad cars broke loose today and they ran into a standing engine.

Here's some video shot just a little bit earlier from our affiliate there. You could see just moments ago the smoke billowing into the air. In just a few seconds you'll see some flames coming from that explosion site.

What residents have been told -- you see the flames right there -- is to not evacuate, but instead stay inside. Shut all the windows. Close the doors and put towels underneath the doors to make sure that that black smoke, the fumes from this explosion do not enter their homes. And that's why they are worried.

Officials say butyl acetate is what is burning at this scene. And we've done a little research to tell you a little bit more about what butyl acetate it.

It is a colorless, flammable, obviously, liquid often used in organic chemistry as a solvent. Now, it's also used to make lacquers, artificial leather, photographic films, plastics, all kinds of things like that. But it's also used as something in flavoring or in the fragrance industry.

It smells a little bit like pears. So even though it might smell nice, it's definitely something that can be considered toxic, and they are urging folks to stay indoors and put towels underneath their doors to keep those flames from coming into their homes.

And one quick note here, Kyra, to let you know. We have learned from authorities there on the scene that these four railcars that broke loose were traveling down the track for a little ways, several miles, indeed, before it hit that engine. Both the railcars and the locomotive engine, they were not manned. So no one was injured in this.

PHILLIPS: All right. Betty Ngyuen, thanks.

LEMON: Given up for lost but found in the nick of time. Details on an unbelievable wilderness rescue straight ahead.

PHILLIPS: A grim report from the gallows as two of Saddam Hussein's associates meet a brutal end in Baghdad. More on the hangings and Iraqi efforts to avoid a post-execution spectacle.

LEMON: And still to come, rare and deadly. What happens when kids have diseases too expensive to treat? Ahead in a special Dr. Sanjay Gupta report, "Saving Your Life."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Rescuers say it's a miracle she's alive. A woman who spent five weeks stranded in New Mexico's Gila National Forest, she's recovering at a hospital today. Carolyn Dorn set out on a solo camping trip at the beginning of December, but she became trapped by rain and snow-swollen rivers.

Now, five days -- that happened five days into her journey. Last week, two brothers hiking in the area discovered Dorn. One of them talked to CNN's Miles O'Brien on "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER KOTTKE, FOUND LOST CAMPER: About a mile into the hike we heard what we -- what sounded like either an animal or a person calling from the north bank. It kind of sounded like "eww, eww." And so w stopped, we looked around, and we heard it -- the call again, and we noticed someone kind of stumble out into a clearing and started waving at us.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.

P. KOTTKE: So we waved back to them, and crossed to the north bank of the river, where we came upon an older woman who was hunched over. Her arms were retracted and she couldn't open her fist or walk very well or move her arms or speak very well.

O'BRIEN: So she was not doing well, Albert. So she actually had seen you, and that was obviously very fortunate. And fortunately, you were close enough where she was able to get your attention.

What did she say to you at that point and what did you decide upon as the best course of action?

ALBERT KOTTKE, FOUND LOST CAMPER: At this point, she just said that she was starving, that she had been without food for three weeks, and that she'd been out for five weeks, that the weather had gotten really cold. And so she was uncomfortable crossing the rivers. And then so she stopped -- like she didn't do that, and then she started to get weak, and as she got weaker, she got more uncomfortable. So then she just sort of hunkered down.

O'BRIEN: Peter, you -- sorry, we don't have too much time. I just want to get to the rest of the story here. You realized pretty quickly that she was too weak to go out with you.

P. KOTTKE: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: So you had to leave her. That must have been difficult for both the two of you and her.

P. KOTTKE: Well, the problem was, we had maps that said, you know, five miles away there was a road, but we didn't know where that road went to. We didn't have any more maps beyond that.

So we talked to her, and she said she'd survived three weeks without food. So we prepared her to survive a couple more days. We gave her some more food to eat, we stocked her firewood, which was empty because she had sort of picked over a small area of land. Restocked her water, gave her a book to read, which she was really thankful for. And when we left, she gave us a good handshake. She was moving about, she was smiling. And so we felt really positive when we left that she'd be able to hang out for a couple more days until we could get some help.

O'BRIEN: And how long was it before you got there with the choppers and the night vision goggles and all of that stuff?

P. KOTTKE: We spent about a day and a half hiking out, and then -- so then we contacted the rescue personnel on the following evening. And -- but the high winds prevented them from getting in there until about 5:00 on the following morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, the woman's brother-in-law says she's an experienced camper who is "very much a free spirit." Rescuers say she should be fine.

PHILLIPS: More hangings in Iraq. And they didn't go as planned. Questions about what happened at the gallows straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Two more hangings in Baghdad today and another grisly outcome. No taunting this time, and no official release of pictures, both of which happened when Saddam Hussein was hanged.

But as CNN's Arwa Damon reports, it was gruesome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sixteen days after Saddam Hussein was hanged, two of his co-defendants, Barzan Ibrahim, his half-brother, the widely feared former intelligence chief, and Awad al-Bandar, former chief judge of the revolutionary court, met the same fate.

The Iraqi government was quick to assert the conditions that made a debacle of Saddam's execution had been avoided.

ALI AL-DABBAH, IRAQI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN (through translator): There was no violation of procedure. No chants and no insults were directed at the convicts, and the convicts were not subjected to any mistreatment.

DAMON: But the execution didn't go flawlessly. Barzan's head severed from his body.

The man reputed to have carried out gruesome acts of torture, infamous for his courtroom antics, showing up in his pajamas, outbursts, even sitting on the floor and turning his back to the judge, decapitated as he and co-defendant Awad al-Bandar fell to their deaths at 3:00 a.m.

According to one witness, the two appeared to have resigned themselves to their fate. BASAM RIDHA, ADVISOR TO IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: They were very apologetic. They said, "Please, don't execute me. I want to ask God for forgiveness. I want to do whatever you ask me for."

They were very apologetic. They were given in this time. They did not really give us all -- give the committee any problem whatsoever.

DAMON: The government enforced a clampdown to avoid any post- execution fallout and said it might not release the official video of the hangings and only showed the video of the execution with no audio to a select group of individuals.

According to witnesses, the men wore orange jumpsuits, black hoods, and trembled with fear. The aim, according to the Iraqi government, to dispel rumors that Barzan's body had been mutilated after he died, unless elicit video is once again leaked, as it was in Saddam Hussein's case.

The executions of Ibrahim and al-Bandar will be a story told only by the Iraqi government. On the streets of Baghdad, muted reaction. Predictably, in the Shia stronghold of Sadr City, residents expressed approval. Among others, sorrow and disgust.

In parliament, a heated debate when the speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashidani (ph), a Sunni, saying the government had rushed the executions and turned Saddam into a hero.

(on camera): Iraq's president had also urged the government not to rush to hang Saddam Hussein's two co-defendants, especially in light of the increasing sectarian tensions following the spectacle that was Saddam Hussein's execution. For many, these hangings only underscoring that this is a nation where brutality rules.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Hugo Chavez begins his new term as president of Venezuela this week. And he's already moving ahead with plans to tighten his grip on power.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange -- or is in New York with details on how this could affect some big American companies.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello once again. I'm Kyra Phillips live in the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. All the world is a stage for actor Jeremy Piven, as we're going to find out. That includes the NEWSROOM's anchor desk. The "Entourage" star drops by for a talk. He talks about Golden Globes and he does a few card tricks. Is that right? All of that live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. But at the bottom of the hour, we start with this. Remembering the dreamer and his dream. Today, a nation honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader, minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner. A man whose tireless efforts and sacrifice helped to change a nation. Many of those tributes taking place in his hometown right here in Atlanta. And our T.J. Holmes has more from the King Center near Ebenezer Baptist Church. Hey, T.J.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Don. Of course, this is one of the biggest. It's his hometown. Ebenezer Baptist right there to the right me. It's the historic church where so much of his message was heard. Right now we're down here at the King site where a rally is happening right now. A march is taking place and many of those folks are marching from downtown Atlanta, going to make their way here for this rally. But a lot of folks here already.

Now certainly a big part of this day was the commemorative service that took place several hours ago. Happened at Ebenezer Baptist Church, it's a historic church. This service was more for the VIPs, dignitaries, families and friends of the King family. They were treated to a huge celebration, a lot of music, a lot of speakers as well.

And one thing that was talked about and has been talked about a lot down here is that the new King papers, not new really, but it's new that they're coming to Atlanta. They are going to be on display for people to see. These are personal writings of Dr. King. And they give insight to this man's mind and his mission like never before. Here's one of the keynote speakers talking about those papers today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. OTIS MOSS JR., MLK CENTER TRUSTEE: To bring home the King papers will be a lasting contribution and a landmark in the history of leadership, for Atlanta is King's city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: King's city it is and we're in the heart of it here in downtown right now where again, a lot of folks are gathered for the rally and the marchers are headed their way here.

So it's been a full day of celebration. It made us a little nervous earlier. There was some rain, cloudy. Cloudy skies, it kind of took away from the crowd according to some organizers, people who have been here several years, saying the crowd was a little smaller, but certainly now the sun is out a little bit, clearer skies and more and more people showing up.

And Don, really so many people think about the King holiday and they ask, are you off work? Are you out of school? But really the focus of this as has been for several years is that today is supposed to be a day on for service and not a day off. Back to you, man.

LEMON: All right, thank you very much, T.J. We're going to talk to the mayor of Atlanta about that very thing that you said. T.J. Holmes reporting live in Atlanta. Thank you, sir.

PHILLIPS: T.J. mentioned a little bit about the weather. Other states looking at severe weather much worse than we have here in Atlanta. Hey, Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right, well this storm has brought about some incredible I-Reports to show you. And one of them comes from Maryland Heights, that's a suburb of St. Louis. Take a look at this picture. This is from Leo Harris. Now this photo actually happened because Leo was outside and he heard the tree branches crashing down.

He said to his wife, "Go get a camera," so he could take a picture of this. Right when she started taking the pictures, the fire began because the tree branch fell right onto a power line. So an incredible picture there. Power has been restored to the Harris family, so that's good news.

We have another picture to show you from Shawn Kelley. He's been submitting numerous photos for us. This is in Springfield, Missouri and this shows you some of the trees that are down. And what's interesting to note those trees aren't lying on the road. They're kind of hanging over the road. So cars can't pass over that area either. So that was a big problem for people just trying to get around.

Unfortunately, much of those tree branches are still there because they haven't been cleared out. It's still pretty cold there and still very icy into parts of Missouri. Now, we want to hear from you. If you have any photos or videos you'd like to send to us, go on to CNN.com. Click on I-Report and send in your report. I think we're going to have some really incredible ones going forward, Kyra and Don, because this winter weather is not over yet.

LEMON: All right. Bonnie, thank you so much. You know what, it's not just here in the U.S. Stormy times across much of Scandinavia. Thousands of people are in the dark. Train and ferry traffic canceled and at least three people have died, all blamed on what's being called the biggest storm in years. With hurricane-force winds battering the region, downed trees are blocking train tracks in southern Sweden and parts of Norway. And at one point, officials had to close a bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark.

PHILLIPS: Too expensive to treat? What happens with kids come down with rare, deadly diseases. Ahead in our special, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, "Saving Your Life."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: When too few people have a certain disease, finding a treatment is often too expensive for drug companies to invest their time and money. It's a heart-breaking scenario. Even more so when it's a child who is stricken.

More from chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in his series, "Saving Your Life."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight- year-old Kohl Benjamin spends most of his time inside away from dangerous germs that could threaten his life.

KOHL BENJAMIN, CANCER PATIENT: I used to like to play football. And me and my dad used to wrestle a lot. And now I can't play with my friends on the monkey bars.

GUPTA: You see, Kohl has Ewing's Sarcoma, it's a rare type of bone cancer. Childhood cancer in general is considered rare. The American Cancer Society estimates 9500 children under 14 were diagnosed last year, 1500 died.

DR. EUGENIE KLEINERMAN, M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER: Cancer will kill more children in the United States than any other disease.

GUPTA: The problem is that drug companies can lose money developing medicines for rare diseases because only a few will buy them. These drugs are known as orphan drugs and can receive federal funding to entice companies to make them. Dr. Eugenie Kleinerman is head of pediatrics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

KLEINERMAN: There are drugs out there right now that may help us save lives in children with cancer. And because they are under 18, we can't enroll them on a clinical trial.

GUPTA: The director of the FDA's orphan drug development plan, says children with cancer are neglected but stresses that the law does not need to change.

DR. MARLENE HAFFNER, FDA ORPHAN PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT: We need to improve our knowledge about the science of developing drugs and we'll be able to move more quickly and companies will be able to move more quickly.

GUPTA: Kleinerman says let parents make the decision whether to use experimental drugs.

For now, Randy and Kim Benjamin don't have to worry about an experimental drug to help their son. Since Kohl's cancer was found early, they are hoping the next step, surgery to remove the tumor, cures Kohl's cancer.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Never give up, never lose hope and never stop searching: a message from the two Missouri families whose boys are now back home. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children takes that message to heart. We'll take you there straight ahead in THE CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So what message should we take away from the miracle in Missouri? CNN's Gary Nurenberg at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Jean, may I help you?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The National Missing Children's Hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST got 319 tips about Shawn Hornbeck who was in its database for more than four years. The age progression images of him testament to the conviction here you never give up.

ERNIE ALLEN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSION/EXPLOITED CHILDREN: The key message for Missouri is hope. So many people assume that because you don't recover a child in the first hours or days, that you are looking for a body and it's gloom and doom. The reality is, children are recoverable. Most of America's missing children come home safely and we've got to keep hope alive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The poster that we have on Ben.

NURENBERG: Mike Shones, William Ben Owens missing poster was also online at Missingkids.com where the public can see the details surrounding each case. In Ben's, that included a description of the white pickup truck a friend of Ben's saw in the area where he disappeared, a vital clue in this case.

JOANN DONNELLAN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING/EXPLOITED CHILDREN: That type of information is critical when you are trying to find a missing child because the general public then has information to go on. So when they are driving down the street, they can look for that truck that has all of those critical descriptors.

NURENBERG: Although there is celebration here about Shawn and Ben, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children adds new cases every day.

NURENBERG: Take the time. Take a few minutes. Go to our web site and look. Eric is still missing. Avery is still missing. Tristan is still missing. There are thousands of children still missing, but the public has the power to help bring them home.

NURENBERG: Especially with this weekend's energizing reminder that happy endings do happen.

Gary Nurenburg, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, he's an agent with the heart of cold, but Jeremy Piven sure warmed up to the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEREMY PIVEN, ACTOR: I couldn't be an anchor and I'll tell you why.

PHILLIPS: Because the IFB in your ear keeps popping.

PIVEN: It would pop out and I would be fired.

PHILLIPS: Is it too big, too small.

PIVEN: Yes. I would be like, war at a glance. Ow.

PHILLIPS: Let me know, and I'll help you with that.

PIVEN: OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: How did you keep a straight face in that interview?

PHILLIPS: It was very hard. Believe me.

LEMON: Well, I guess we just had to get him away from the entourage. So stick around and see what the Entourage star has in store. Don't go away, the NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, let me introduce you to someone the whole world is out to get.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buddy "Aces" Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Card shark, illusionist, five-time Vegas Showman of the Year.

The wise guys, for some reason, love. They think he's like a mystic, you know, something special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: In fact, Buddy's (ph) so special, the Mob has put a million-dollar price on his head. He's played by actor Jeremy Piven in the upcoming film "Smokin' Aces".

You probably know Piven better for his role as the Hollywood agent in the hit HBO series "Entourage".

I recently sat down with him to talk about his new movie and whom he's taking to the Golden Globes tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY PIVEN, ACTOR: Tragically flawed characters are interesting to play. And so that's what I'm into right... PHILLIPS: Are you tragically flawed?

PIVEN: I tragically flawed? I would have to say yes, with a bullet, which means that I'm on the rise. I'm on my evolutionary rise.

PHILLIPS: As you showed those folks at "Entourage", that's for sure.

PIVEN: Yes, indeed. When the show started out, basically, the pilot, I had one kind of written scene. And you have to sign a contract based on that. So it was kind of a leap of faith in the way that I didn't know how the character would kind of be explored and heightened. But I knew that the material was really fertile and that HBO was the best place to work because they let a show find its voice, which is kind of rare today.

PHILLIPS: And you get to cuss a lot, too, which is...

PIVEN: It's very therapeutic, I don't mind saying. You know, it is. It's totally therapeutic.

PHILLIPS: I can just imagine.

PIVEN: I mean, they should have this as therapy. People should have to go and just go to a place...

PHILLIPS: And scream.

PIVEN: And simulate just firing people, breaking computers and barking. Because it's like, I get it all out. It's really fantastic. I'm very lucky.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll get back to that. But back to the movie, "Smokin' Aces"...

PIVEN: "Smokin' Aces".

PHILLIPS: Let's take a look at a clip.

PIVEN: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIVEN: What do you see right now? You see exactly and only what I choose to show you. That is illusion, Ivy (ph). That is the lie that I tell your eyes, making the magic happen in the moment, in that split second. I can shape it. I can shift it. I can make it as real as this room. That's why I am valuable here, Ivy. And that is why you are not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am value.

PIVEN: I am sorry. I love you. I never wanted it to be like this. You know that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Man, that's heavy. You play this illusionist, a bit crazed.

How did you learn all the tricks?

PIVEN: It was difficult. There's this guy named Paul Wilson (ph) who was with me the whole time and really amazing. And I had to -- literally, I had cards in my hands 24/7. I just used them as worry beads and had them stashed in my pants and coat and everywhere I -- like, my house was like, there were cards everywhere. When I first started out, you wouldn't have hired me for a Bat Mitzvah. I mean, I was that bad. I was like (INAUDIBLE). It was bad. And then just -- that's -- that was a trick. I mean, there's no CGI. There's -- Joe Carrnahan (ph), our fearless leader, said, "You know, if you can't sell these things, we're doomed."

PHILLIPS: All right. Give me something. Sell me.

PIVEN: You know what's so interesting is that -- talk about serendipitous. This is literally what's on my wall at home. I have this mug shot of Frank Sinatra and it's on the cover of these cards.

PHILLIPS: Does it inspire you?

PIVEN: You know what? It does in a way because it just shows you, you know, that there are many different paths that one can take. And this guy was a genius and had an amazing life. And Frank Sinatra -- actually, Buddy "Aces" Israel, my character, was kind of an homage to Frank. And that's where Joe Carrnahan...

PHILLIPS: Had a gift, had this bad boy side.

PIVEN: Yes. See, I don't know how -- I couldn't be an anchor. And I'll tell you why...

PHILLIPS: Because the IFB in your ear keeps popping out.

PIVEN: It would pop out and I would be fired.

PHILLIPS: Is it too big, too small?

PIVEN: Yes. I would be like, war at a glance, ow.

PHILLIPS: Let me know and I'll help you with that.

PIVEN: OK, yes.

PHILLIPS: So I see you got the flip. Can you do any ? Can you do any fancy moves?

PIVEN: Like, for instance, if I were to pop an ace like that.

PHILLIPS: OK.

PIVEN: That's what you do. Or if, for instance, if I were to -- don't catch my hands because, you know, it's been a long time since I've done any tricks.

PHILLIPS: OK. Didn't mean to put you on the spot.

PIVEN: OK. OK. So...

PHILLIPS: Hey, that was pretty good. Now who did you pick?

PIVEN: I don't know who this gentleman is. Don King.

PHILLIPS: Excellent.

So we trace back a little bit to your career, sort of your roots, I guess, how you started out. I had no idea that you popped up with Carol Burnett. Let's take a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIVEN: Oh, no.

What's for dinner?

CAROL BURNETT, ACTRESS: Go out and get a place of your own.

PIVEN: Chicken? We just had chicken.

BURNETT: And move away from me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Macaroni and cheese. Mother, you know I can't digest dairy products.

PIVEN: Gross. Your meatloaf sucks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: You've come a long way, my friend.

PIVEN: Wow.

PHILLIPS: What was that like?

PIVEN: That was like -- what I was just looking at is a guy who just came from the stage in Chicago and didn't realize there are microphones and you don't have to yell. For some reason I was still yelling. It took me a while to understand the medium. But...

PHILLIPS: What did you learn from Carol Burnett?

That must have been amazing working with her.

PIVEN: It was. I mean, you have to understand, her and Lucille Ball, I mean...

PHILLIPS: That's it. That's comedy.

PIVEN: ... there was no one like them. I was just completely in awe of her.

PHILLIPS: Let's take a look at "Entourage" and talk about that.

PIVEN: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Your business manager is on the phone.

PIVEN: I'm in the gym until 11:30, Lloyd. I need two more tickets for Vince.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we don't have any more.

PIVEN: Take two from Jimmy Woods (ph). He never uses them all anyway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. But your business manager...

PIVEN: The gym, Lloyd, the (CENSORED) gym.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty urgent.

PIVEN: It's pretty urgent that in the 15 minutes a day I have free, I take the time to keep this body fit and not just so you have a great (CENSORED) to look at. I want to live.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. He says that you bounced a check to your kid's school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you'll just send those tickets over? Thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: I'll admit I haven't missed an episode. It's brilliant. You hit a home run here.

PIVEN: Well, you know, when they throw it right over the plate at the fat part of your bat, you just have to lean in...

PHILLIPS: Nice and low and you just knock it out of the park.

PIVEN: Like Shakespeare said, the readiness is all, so...

PHILLIPS: Are you Ari Gold (ph) in real life in any way?

PIVEN: You know, in traffic, I get very confused and angry, and I do bark, you know. And then I don't recognize myself. Then I breathe through it. But look at me. I look like a Russian peasant right now. Who dressed me this morning.

PHILLIPS: I was wondering what's up. You look like you're ready to go to Antarctica. I don't think it was your mom, Joyce (ph), that dressed you today. That's for sure. Because she always looks very elegant, as I've noticed. And you take her to all the award shows.

PIVEN: Yes, indeed.

PHILLIPS: Tell me about mom.

PIVEN: She's -- she's -- Mom is really cool. This is my third time taking her to the Golden Globes. And in the beginning, she was overwhelmed by the whole situation. Now she's a cagey veteran and will, you know, basically just grab the mike from anyone and freestyle, you know, like Kanye West.

PHILLIPS: She raps?

PIVEN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Really.

PIVEN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: I know she did theater. But now she's moved into music? That's impressive.

PIVEN: My mom makes Kanye West look like Clay Aiken. She spits mad game, as the kids say.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Piven hopes that the third time is the charm. This is his third Golden Globe nomination for "Entourage". And mom will be right there, right next to him.

Thanks for staying with us. I'm Kyra Phillips live at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. Raising a king-sized fortune. How did Atlanta come up with millions of dollars in less than two weeks to buy MLK's most precious papers?

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LEMON: And two boys rescued from an alleged kidnapped. What can you do to keep your kids safe. We're looking for answers right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Shivering in the dark, sliding on icy roads. What a way to start the week for millions of Americans in the Heartland. And the misery spreading now to New England. CNN's Reynolds Wolf has more from icy St. Louis.

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