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Uncovering America: State of the Black Union Forum; Car Repos on the Rise; Travel Trends; Texas Two-Step: Primary, Caucus on March 4; Preview of Academy Awards; Interview With Patti LaBelle

Aired February 23, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're horrible. No, horrible is not the word. They're miserable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. So many of you are waking up to cold snow, and then add a little ice on top of that.

We are tracking the winter storm and all those flight delays.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Also, look around your neighborhood. Are foreclosures forcing people to move? Well, what about their cars, their trucks, their vehicles?

Repo men busy these days. It's in our financial security watch.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes! The one and only Patti LaBelle joins us in the NEWSROOM. She is definitely worth waking up for this morning.

So a very good morning to you at the CNN Center right here. You are in the NEWSROOM.

It is Saturday, February 23rd. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.

10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia, and in the frigid Northeast. We will start there.

And it's nasty stuff all across the Northeast. At least nine inches of snow in New York City. New Yorkers digging out, and the roads and sidewalks just a slushy mess right now.

NGUYEN: But they are not alone. People in Philadelphia only saw about three inches of snow, but you know what? That was plenty. Schools there closed early and several flights were canceled.

Want to take a look at the icy roads. The Pennsylvania snowstorm soon turned into a terrible ice storm, making it hard for residents to go anywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AMEEN HALL, PITTSBURGH RESIDENT: It's real slippery. They just put the salt down. It looks like it might be a little easier to get down, at least walking. I don't know about automobiles. I haven't tried it yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The ice was especially bad in the hills. Police blocking off streets so that the plows could actually get through.

HOLMES: Also, in Florida, travelers were stranded for hours because some flights were canceled, not because necessarily a storm was hitting and snowing in Florida, but because, of course, of the snow up North.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHI MAYNARD, TIRED TRAVELER: We started off at BWI, and our flight was canceled. That was in Baltimore. The flight was canceled. We had to go over to Dulles...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dulles.

MAYNARD: We had to wait there for hours and hours, and our flight was delayed. And I hope my luggage is here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Oh, the luggage.

NGUYEN: That's the worst part.

HOLMES: Oh, the luggage.

NGUYEN: You get home and no luggage.

HOLMES: Well, about 90 flights going in and out of south Florida were canceled yesterday.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, let's take you to politics now. Lots going on today. Here's a look at what the candidates are doing.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are both campaigning in Ohio. Clinton is also planning to speak at the State of the Black Union Forum in New Orleans tonight.

HOLMES: And on the Republican side, John McCain will be in Washington at the Republican Governors Dinner, and Mike Huckabee will be in New York. He's got some business tonight on "Saturday Night Live." He's going to be a part of a skit there.

Well, talking about the issues this morning, the Democrats are staying on message, and one of the big issues, universal health care. Both Clinton and Obama are trying to sell their individual plans. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's morally wrong and it's economically dumb for us not to cover everybody, and we are going to do that if you help me get there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I put forward a plan that says every single person in these United States will be able to get health care that is at least as good as the health care I have as a member of Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Well, everyone is looking for an edge in Texas. That primary is coming up in just 1-10 days from now, on March 4th. Already, though, more than 50,000 people have voted early. That's thanks in part to some urging from the candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Go vote early, and then vote often. That's how we do it in Arkansas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the great thing about Texas is, this is a highly unusual place on every count, but this elections system of yours takes the cake. Texas is the only place in America where you can vote twice in the same election without going to jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: See? It brings new meaning to vote early and often.

What is former President Clinton talking about, though? Well, the Texas primary is what you might call unique. We'll hear about that from our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. That's coming up at the bottom of the hour.

HOLMES: Rebuilding a city, solving the crime problem, restoring faith in government. Volunteers, activists, and politicians are still working to clean up New Orleans more than two years now after Hurricane Katrina. Well, black leaders from across the country are in the Crescent City this morning, and our Sean callebs is at the State of the Black Union Conference.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Convention Center in New Orleans was the flash point for disaster in the aftermath of Katrina. Many of those in dire need were African-American. This weekend, the Convention Center will host the annual Focus on the State of the Black Union, an event led by talk show host Tavis Smiley.

TAVIS SMILEY, TALK SHOW HOST: And we owe it to them, those who survived, those who are still struggling to rebuild their lives, those who didn't make it. We owe it to them. We owe it to them to raise these issues now louder than ever.

CALLEBS: Issues for African-Americans everywhere that in New Orleans are glaring problems -- crime, lack of affordable housing, entire communities that still lack hospitals or emergency care. Even a fresh coat of paint means something to a school where 97 percent of the students qualify for a free lunch program. How and whether New Orleans should be rebuilt is still being debated.

(on camera): Is it pathetic that two and a half years after the storm we're still trying to make that argument?

REP. JUAN LAFONTA (D), LOUISIANA: And it's sad.

CALLEBS (voice over): State Representative Juan LaFonta is head of the Legislative Black Caucus. He's raised eyebrows by supporting Hillary Clinton, not Barack Obama. LaFonta says Clinton has been there when the region needed help.

LAFONTA: I don't support people just because they're black. I support people because they're qualified and they're committed to my issues that affect my constituent base.

CALLEBS: Hillary Clinton will be at the State of the Black Union. Barack Obama won't. In a letter to Smiley, Obama wrote he'll be campaigning in Texas and Ohio, "... talking directly with voters about causes that are at the heart of my campaign and the State of the Black Union."

SMILEY: I think that it's a missed opportunity on Mr. Obama's part. Now, I'm not interested in demonizing him for his choice, but I do disagree with it.

CALLEBS: Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: This next story, you can call it a $1.2 billion oops. Yes, the Air Force says a B-2 stealth bomber crashed on the island of Guam in the Western Pacific this morning. It is the first reported crash of one of the planes that costs more than $1 billion. The two pilots ejected before it went down shortly after takeoff from Guam's Anderson Air Force Base. Now, the pilots are in good condition, but the cause of that crash, that is still under investigation.

All right, look at this video. Japan launched a rocket this morning carrying an experimental satellite. It's aimed at providing super high-speed Internet to homes and businesses around the world. The service will initially focus on Asia-Pacific region there, and also an area close to Japan. So we'll stay on top of that. HOLMES: All right, another story here. We were looking at this video earlier. It is outrageous. You can't help but have your mouth drop open when you see this, but it's certainly a mother or a parent's nightmare, when you leave your child with somebody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I started to see things I didn't like. Picked them up like bales of hay, like puppies or kittens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: OK, that's a real baby. That's...

NGUYEN: That is not a doll. That is a baby. Look at that! Oh, jeez.

HOLMES: Unbelievable. She is tossing them around, and that's not all. We've got the rest of this video that will just -- really, your mouth will drop watching this stuff.

NGUYEN: Watch that. Watch it. Oh! And just leaves the baby there for a second.

HOLMES: And this was caught on nanny-cam. Please stick around for this one.

NGUYEN: Plus, a bus ride to school is deadly for some students. And this morning a community is trying to come to terms with that loss.

HOLMES: Also, you know him from "The Daily Show," and tomorrow Jon Stewart becomes Hollywood's host. We're live on the red carpet this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, 15 minutes past the hour on this Saturday morning. A quick look now at some other stories in the news.

(NEWSBREAK)

HOLMES: Well, it's sort of well known that the mortgage meltdown and the resulting credit crunch sending home foreclosures to record levels now.

NGUYEN: Yes, but it's not just homes that are Americans are losing in this tough economic time. As Christine Romans reports, more and more people are seeing their cars repossessed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Meet Art and Cyro, repo men on their way to repossess a truck from an owner four months behind on payments. They'll take it back to Art Christensen's repo lot. Like many across the country, full to capacity with vehicles Americans couldn't pay for. ART CHRISTENSEN, COMMERCIAL SERVICES CORP.: They over-finance with their homes, they over-finance with the cars, over-finance with the credit cards.

ROMANS: Like homes and credit cards, defaults on auto loans are skyrocketing. And car repossessions at this lot are up 25 percent to 30 percent on all kinds of cars, including luxury vehicles.

Ratings agency Fitch sees rise in defaults not only on riskier subprime car loans, but also on traditional prime loans made to buyers with good credit. These defaults, a combination of loose lending, a weakening economy, and job losses. So repo lots are filling up as repossessions rise.

TOM WEBB, MANHEIM CONSULTING: We were up 10 percent in 2007. Probably up another seven percent to 10 percent this year, which would bring us up to the highest level in a decade.

ROBERT MANNING, ROCHESTER INST. TECH.: And it shows us how severe the downturn in the American economy is becoming, that people are having to make a decision about whether to be able to afford to pay their car note or not.

ROMANS: The bottom line, people took out car notes they couldn't afford and lenders freely gave them.

MANNING: The reality of it is, of course, is that the consumer has to be responsible for their actions, but now we're going to find out where were the regulators and why were lenders making loans that they knew could not possibly be repaid?

ROMANS: The owner of this repoed truck said he just got behind in his payments.

CYRO MIRANDA, COMMERCIAL SERVICE CORP.: Today or tomorrow he's going to make his payments, pay the late fees, and he'll get his car back.

ROMANS: And that's exactly what he did.

(on camera): Losing a car is the height of financial distress. For many, this is the ride to work. And it's not just auto loans in trouble. Credit card and student loan defaults are also rising.

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, for more ways to keep your hard-earned money, go to CNN.com/specials, and Gerri Willis has "Right on Your Money, Right for your Lifestyle." Then join Gerri all next week, a special, CNN "Financial Security Watch," to help you manage your debt. She'll even be taking your phone calls live at Noon Eastern beginning Monday.

NGUYEN: Well, the travel industry is changing fast, and to keep up with everything, from the economy to the environment, travel expert Mark Orwoll takes a look at some of the trends in "On the Go." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK ORWOLL, "TRAVEL & LEISURE": Ecotravel is huge right now, so don't be surprised if, in addition to lying on the beach or fishing, you're offered the chance to go bear mapping, or helping with charitable efforts in the community.

Another trend is more hotels want to be like a home away from home, providing friendly faces and fireplaces. Plus, people are talking about spas, ones with lavish surroundings matched only by such exotic treatments as Arabian mud wraps, Mediterranean olive scrubs, and ancient herbal treatments from India.

With the dollar in the doldrums, American travelers are leading a trend toward more affordable destinations like Portugal, Mexico and Montenegro.

Finally, airports are offering more services and extras than ever before. At Heathrow's new terminal five, you'll soon find a Gordon Ramsay restaurant and high-end shops, including Prada and (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And we're talking travel there, and the presidential candidates know a thing or tow about travel.

NGUYEN: Yes, they do.

HOLMES: They're flying all the time, and those frequent flier miles are being logged a lot in Texas these days.

And our Bill Schneider, who is, of course, part of the best political team on television, he's going to be joining us next from Austin.

NGUYEN: And Patti LaBelle has a new movie. She is bringing the down low out in the open.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

I'm Betty Nguyen at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

HOLMES: And hello, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes.

Our top stories this half hour start in Iraq, where the government there is encouraged by radical clerk Muqtada al-Sadr, who says his militia will observe the ongoing cease-fire for another six months.

NGUYEN: A big winter storm is smacking the Northeast, creating plenty of problems for travelers. Snow and ice also led to the cancellation of more than a thousand flights.

HOLMES: And the presidential candidates are on the trail. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigning in Ohio. John McCain this week at a Republican Governors Dinner in Washington. And Mike Huckabee in New York to appear on "Saturday Night Live."

Well, of course we've got a close race among Democrats in Texas. The state's primary 10 days away now, but more than 50,000 people have voted early. So the process is getting started, but it's just getting more and more complicated.

And CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, he's going to help us try to figure this thing out. And he's live for us in Austin, Texas, this morning.

And people can actually vote twice in Texas.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. They have -- they do.

They have a unique system here. You might call it the Tex-Mex plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Tex-Mex restaurants have these things called combination plates, where you get a little of this and a little of that. The same way Democrats pick delegates in Texas.

PAUL BURKA, "TEXAS MONTHLY": We have 126 by election, 67 by caucus, and 35 more are what they call PLEOs, which are party leaders and elected officials.

SCHNEIDER: The 37 page menu officially called the Texas Delegate Selection Plan explains how it works. First, there's a primary. The results are determined by state Senate district. Simple? Not so much.

BURKA: The senatorial districts do not all have the same number of delegates chosen. The ones with big Democratic turnouts get up to eight. And the small ones can be as low as two.

SCHNEIDER: Hillary Clinton is expected to do well in low-turnout Latino districts. Those districts elect fewer delegates than high- turnout African-American districts, where Barack Obama is likely to be strong. But the primary is only the first step.

B. CLINTON: Texas is the only place in America where you can vote twice in the same election without going to jail.

SCHNEIDER: On primary night, voters are supposed to go to precinct caucuses, where they can vote again to select more delegates.

BURKA: You vote in the primary, but then you have to have the motivation to go back at 7:15 to the site of the primary where the -- your precinct election was held and vote for your candidate. And it may be a long evening.

SCHNEIDER: Who runs the caucuses? The guide says, if no precinct captain shows up, it's whoever gets there first. Imagine Clinton and Obama voters rushing to grab control. It's enough to give you the same thing you could get from a combination plate: heartburn. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: And one more thing. In Section One, Part B, paragraph three, Item A of the Texas Delegate Selection Plan, it says, "Participation in Texas' delegate selection process is open to all voters who wish to participate as Democrats." That includes Independents, who tend to like Obama, and Republicans, who may want to vote to stop Hillary Clinton -- T.J.

HOLMES: OK. And Bill, just tell us, is it just this is how it's been throughout history and they haven't bothered to change? Is there a point or an advantage to doing it this way? This sounds crazy.

SCHNEIDER: Well, I think it is the way they've done it in the past. I don't know how far back in the past they've done it this way, but this is the way they've been doing it for sometime, I'm pretty sure.

HOLMES: And it sounds like, as well -- I think we heard there in your piece, but this could possibly, because of the way it is laid out, and in areas Obama's expected to do well, there are me delegates there, it sounds like this process could work in his favor.

SCHNEIDER: That is exactly what the Clinton campaign is worried about. She could win more votes in the primary and it could end up, could end up that he gets more delegates because of the way the caucuses and the convention system works.

HOLMES: All right. Bill Schneider, we are sure glad we've got you this morning, because we would not have been able to figure this out on our own on a Saturday morning.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

HOLMES: Thank you so much, Bill. Good to see you.

SCHNEIDER: OK. Sure.

HOLMES: And, of course, on campus was Barack Obama. You know, they were in Austin. He got to go to the University of Texas in Austin, our own Betty Nguyen's old stomping ground. They haven't had a bigger name on that campus since Betty Nguyen.

Here he is. He's taking a good tour. Of course, football, big in Texas. He's there with coach Mack Brown.

NGUYEN: Mack Brown.

HOLMES: Head football coach there, and also Colt McCoy.

So, Betty, what do you think?

NGUYEN: Too bad I wasn't there to show him around, you know. I wonder if he got the chance to go back and check out Bevo, because, you know...

HOLMES: What's Bevo? What is that? NGUYEN: You don't know what Bevo is? That's our mascot. Longhorns? Hello?

HOLMES: Give him a tour around? Are you familiar with the football facility or...

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

HOLMES: You are. OK.

NGUYEN: Hook 'em, Horns. All right. I'll get off of that. I know how much you love it.

HOLMES: Please do. Please stop, Betty.

NGUYEN: Let's move on to this -- the Internet has helped transformed modern politics. Candidate Web sites, fundraising debates, all of that, and it's happening online. But there are also risks.

Josh Levs at the .com/DESK has been checking into that for us this morning.

What have you found?

JOSH LEVS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Hey there, Betty.

And by the way, I don't know if you know this, but T.J. actually signed up to join the Betty Nguyen fan club.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: He's president, right?

LEVS: And he was just showing me...

NGUYEN: It's not a paid position.

LEVS: I didn't realize I could join.

All right. Over to the serious.

Here's the deal. It's now in the news, because several hundred people recently received this e-mail -- I'm going to show you right here -- telling them to click on a link to see a Hillary Clinton video. Well, the computer security firm Symantec says people who clicked on that ended up automatically downloading a program that made their computer start sending out just tons of spam, and then something similar happened involving Ron Paul back in October.

Experts say if you receive a suspicious e-mail, you should go to the official Web sites of the candidates and make sure that you find what's posted on those sites. But here's the trick, all right? It sounds like it makes a lot of sense, but the candidates are also facing another kind of problem, hackers getting into their sites.

It happened in October to Duncan Hunter, his Web site. He was's one of the most hawkish presidential candidates -- or was before he dropped out. There were anti-Iraq War messages put on his site.

Then back in 2006, Joe Lieberman's campaign Web site went down. You remember this campaign. It was a big deal, him against Ned Lamont. Well, at the very end of his campaign, his site just pretty much disappeared, and his campaign is convinced it was an attack.

Also, one of the presidential candidates now, John McCain, his MySpace page last year was hacked by somebody posting some pro-gay marriage statements that are not his position.

So, candidates now have really stepped up their policing of their own sites to make sure that they're under their control. But, Betty, you know what? We've heard in recent days experts are saying that actually, they haven't done enough. So what we're expecting at this point is for all the candidates to really have to start stepping up all their security in the wake of this latest attack, in a sense, with the Clinton campaign.

NGUYEN: And so, do people also need to be careful about misspellings of Web sites and things like that as well?

LEVS: Yes. Actually, good point.

Yes, that's called typo squatting, and that's been happening, too. In fact, I think we can show you a couple sites here, where people create sites that have almost the exact same name as a candidate. There you go.

That's John McCaim, with an "M". JohnMcCaim.com.

Some folks are having fun with it. Let's take a look at hillaryclingon.com.

NGUYEN: Oh, jeez.

LEVS: OK?

So in these cases, I looked at both sites. They're pretty harmless. I mean, this one's funny.

But what the firms are saying is that in some cases, you might see fake sites ask for money. So we encourage people, even if you want to -- you go to the site, make sure you're actually at the site, then take a look. And you should be able to tell from the material.

NGUYEN: Well, that Hillary one was pretty apparent, you know? Come on. The outfit is nothing she would choose.

All right. Thank you, Josh.

LEVS: Yes. Thanks.

HOLMES: Well, Hollywood's big, big day is almost here. The 80th annual Academy Awards happening tomorrow, and you know who will be there? CNN's Kareen Wynter. She's joining us now from Hollywood with a preview. Good morning, ma'am. How are you doing out there?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, T.J. Good morning to you.

We are on the red carpet, right outside the Kodak Theatre. This is where it will all take place. And as you said, things are coming together for tomorrow's big show. This is where the stars will all file in before they take their seats for the big ceremony tomorrow.

And you know, we caught up with Jon Stewart a few days ago, and T.J., I'm sure you've watched "The Daily Show" a time or two. He is so much fun.

He is actually hosting again this year, and shed light on what we can expect. He's always unpredictable. You'll enjoy this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WYNTER: So, hosting the Academy Awards, it has to be one of the most stressful jobs in the world. Why would anyone want this...

JON STEWART, HOST, ACADEMY AWARDS: What?

WYNTER: Yes, of course! Look at the pressure.

STEWART: No it's not. Pressure, but not pressure. There's people that know how to take your heart out of your chest and restart it and put it back in. That's pressure. I'm just telling jokes.

WYNTER: And the heart's racing right now. I hear it.

STEWART: Mine? Can you really?

WYNTER: Yes.

STEWART: Wow. I should really -- I should get that checked out, because that's not good.

WYNTER: I shouldn't say that, because I'm scaring you, huh?

STEWART: Well, you certainly shouldn't say that to a hypochondriac. And here's another thing -- I think I see a tumor behind one of your eyes. I don't know, it could be a shadow. You might want to get that checked out.

WYNTER: And there's the music again.

STEWART: Thank you.

WYNTER: And you look nice and comfortable. You couldn't have dressed better.

STEWART: Thank you. Thank you. I have my tux on underneath.

WYNTER: Of course. STEWART: I'm just going to rip this off and go right out on stage.

WYNTER: What kind of issues -- can you give us a peek into what to expect?

STEWART: I'm going to go after -- you know, everybody expects us to go after, you know, the presidential race, and we're going to do that, but the one from 1972. It's going to be all Nixon and McGovern jokes.

People are going to go crazy. They're going to be like, yo, yo, yo, that McGovern joke was all that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WYNTER: T.J., he's such a load of fun. And you know, we were trying to get a little bit more out of him on what exactly, what kind of material he will be using tomorrow.

You know he's going to be touching on all the politics, all the election coverage. And so we'll have to wait and see what exactly comes out of his mouth.

Anyway, tomorrow, also -- in addition to the Academy Awards, we want viewers to know that we'll be having a big show. It's called "Hollywood Gold Rush," right before the actual ceremony begins.

We'll have I-Reports, live I-Reports from the bleachers. We'll be hitting all the great parties in town. Of course, speaking to all the celebrities on the red carpet.

So you don't want to miss that. It begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern -- T.J.

HOLMES: We will not miss that. And, of course, Jon Stewart makes folks like me, who are maybe not into the show, I at least want to see Jon Stewart, see what he has to say.

WYNTER: Absolutely.

HOLMES: But we're talking -- of course, everybody was worried about the strike, the writers' strike, and if it was going to be over in time. So, let's just say, what if it had still been going on right now? What would this show have looked like, and would Jon Stewart have still been hosting?

WYNTER: Well, that was a big question that all the media posed to the academy throughout this whole process, because everything, quite frankly, was just hanging in the balance. It was up in the air.

And they told us that there would be some sort of production that would have followed, but not really sure Jon Stewart would have been part of that. In fact, during the interview, I said, "How much time have you had to rehearse and practice?" And he said it really just got started because the strike just ended.

So, we'll see how he does tomorrow, but he's a pro, right? HOLMES: He is a pro, and he is funny always. So great stuff. Good to see him. I'm sure he was a blast to hang out and talk to for a little while.

Kareen Wynter for us out there.

We'll be looking for you tomorrow.

WYNTER: All right, T.J. See you.

HOLMES: All right. See you.

And, of course, CNN covers the Oscars race. Check out our interactive special, "Academy Awards Spotlight" at CNN.com. Lots of fun, galleries, and quizes for all you movie buffs out there.

That address, CNN.com/academyawards. And as Kareen just mentioned to us, tune in tomorrow night for "Hollywood Gold Rush," CNN's Oscar special at 7:00 Eastern.

NGUYEN: I know you can't wait, T.J.

Well, she has done it all, folks -- singing, acting, designing clothes. So what's next? Well, Patti LaBelle joins us live to tell us about her newest role.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. .

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(MUSIC)

NGUYEN: Whoa! Speaking of music, soulful diva Patti LaBelle, she is known for her awesome voice and concert performances. Well, now she is wearing a different hat, a role in a new movie called "Cover" which explores African-American men secretly living on the down low. That means having unprotected sex with other men and transmitting HIV to their girlfriends, even their wives.

Patti LaBelle joins us now from Philadelphia to talk about this serious problem.

Patti, good morning.

PATTI LABELLE, SINGER/ACTRESS: Good morning. How are you?

NGUYEN: I am doing fantastic.

LABELLE: Good.

NGUYEN: And you are a part of a story, a new movie that really hits to the heart of a problem within the black community.

Talk to us about this serious issue and how your character tackles it. LABELLE: I've been blessed, actually, by Bill Duke to ask me to do something like this. It's a subject that people don't talk about.

The movie is called "Cover," and it's about men marrying women or having girlfriends and having a man on the side. And they'll bring that home to the wife or to the girlfriend, and in this particular movie, it shows where it ends up killing her. You know, she -- of course, she dies of AIDS, and it's because everybody's so secretive and so down low and undercover.

And it's just not fair to the women. It's not fair, period, to live like this.

NGUYEN: Period. And, you know, I understand, according to some of the stats that I was looking at earlier, African-American women account for 70 percent of all new HIV/AIDS cases. So, when we talk about the down low, how prevalent is that?

LABELLE: Oh, it's very prevalent. I mean, it's a case of life or death, you know, in some cases.

It's just not -- it's not fair. I mean, if you're going to do what you're going to do, say you're going to do that so that so the lady can protect herself or just leave you alone. I mean, it's just -- it's just the way of life now. It's killing -- it's killing a lot of black women.

NGUYEN: It can be deadly, absolutely.

LABELLE: It is.

NGUYEN: So, as your character, and as you went through this movie, what did you learn about how women out there can prevent this? Because a lot of it is up to their boyfriends and their husbands to be truthful.

LABELLE: I say if you have a little suspicion, walk, girls. You know, because sometimes there are signs and you might not see them, and sometimes there are signs and you ignore them because you're so in love with these people.

NGUYEN: Right.

LABELLE: You know, walk, get away.

I play the part of a mother who has a son who's in the closet. I mean, he just didn't come out. You know, I found out. And there are so many people who go through this every day.

If you're going to live a lifestyle, don't be afraid of it, don't be ashamed. Tell somebody so that you can save somebody, you know?

NGUYEN: And 80 percent of the women infected don't even know they have it. That's according to the director of this movie.

Has this been an eye-opener for you, Patti? LABELLE: Oh, Bill Duke told me so much about it. It's been a great eye-opener for me, and for women who I've talked about with this subject, and some men that I've talked about this subject to.

And they said -- and it's awful, and it's about time somebody like Bill Duke brought it out in the open. So people have to go see this movie, because, you can -- you know, you can die, you know, and it's not good.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. The movie's called "Cover." It opened nationwide yesterday.

LABELLE: Yes.

NGUYEN: And a lot of folks will definitely want to check that out.

But I want to talk to you a little bit about what you are up to, because we got some old photos, Patti. We love doing this, pulling out the old photos.

You were into everything -- wigs, hot sauces, all this stuff. If we can bring up this one -- hopefully you have a monitor and you can see it.

That was Patti back in the day.

And man, has your, just image changed from the wigs that you used to wear and the outfits that you used to wear.

LABELLE: Oh, I have a lot -- I have a line of hot sauces called The Good Life, relishes. And I have a new line of wigs. So you won't see me in those other ones ever again.

NGUYEN: You don't think you'll be wearing that wig again?

LABELLE: Never. Never.

You know, and I have a DVD coming out, a new cookbook coming out. I have this great project coming out that I'll call you personally and tell you about before it hits the press. I have a few wonderful other things.

I'm just blessed. I'm so blessed. And I'm blessed to be here to talk about this movie "Cover."

Please, people, look at this movie. You have to see it.

NGUYEN: It's definitely a serious issue, and something that, like it says, it's "Cover." It's on the down low. It's something that a lot of people...

LABELLE: Ooh, honey.

NGUYEN: ... don't want to talk about, and it is deadly. At least it can be. LABELLE: Oh, yes, it's deadly. Believe me, it's deadly. Not too many people are going to slip away from it, you know. If you're touched by it, you might just leave by it.

NGUYEN: And so, as people watch this movie, what do you -- what message do you want them to come away with?

LABELLE: To come away with that there is so many people in your life that you touch, that you love, that you hug and hold. And they're slowly killing you, killing you slowly with pretend love.

You know, I want them to walk away and know that there is another way to live a love life. You know, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Check the men and the women that you're around, because somebody's lying.

NGUYEN: And if you have a suspicion, make sure you check up on that.

LABELLE: Make sure you check up on that, yes, please.

NGUYEN: Don't let love blind you.

LABELLE: Please check it.

NGUYEN: All right.

Patti LaBelle, we do appreciate your time today. And best of luck with all of your ventures. You've got a lot on your plate, including hot sauces and wigs.

Love it!

LABELLE: Yes, the good life, the good life.

NGUYEN: It is a good life.

LABELLE: Thank you.

NGUYEN: It is the good life, and you are living it.

Patti LaBelle, thanks for joining us live from Philadelphia.

LABELLE: OK.

Thank you, Bill Duke, too!

NGUYEN: Take care.

LABELLE: Bye-bye.

HOLMES: Boy, she looks good, doesn't she?

NGUYEN: She's great, isn't she?

HOLMES: She just...

NGUYEN: I love the new look. I mean, the old look was fabulous, fabulous. But...

HOLMES: OK. Yes, let's go with the new look.

NGUYEN: But the new look, digging that one.

HOLMES: All right.

Well, folks, I've got some video here to show you. Everybody into the pool for a game of hockey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Push! Come on! Push! Push!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right. An old sport gets a new twist.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Now, this is such a nice story here -- dogs that help U.S. soldiers survive the horrors of war in Iraq now being rescued and brought to this country. Some are arriving this weekend, and we'll bring that story to you tomorrow on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING."

NGUYEN: Yes, it is a really great story.

And this one gives you shivers, not because it's cold. Get this -- rescuers just had moments to reach this black Lab in Salina, Kansas, and the pooch had fallen through the ice on a pond. Several people had already fallen in trying to reach that dog.

HOLMES: Well, in a last-ditch attempt, an animal control officer shimmied on out to the dog, even though she, too, fell in. They both made it out and everybody is OK.

NGUYEN: And I believe the owner said that when he looked at the dog, it was actually crying. And he couldn't just let the dog drown. So everyone jumped in and all is well.

HOLMES: All is well. What people will do for their animals.

Well, hockey, played on ice, right?

NGUYEN: Right.

HOLMES: OK. I'm not a big hockey fan, but I at least got that part down.

NGUYEN: Normally it is.

HOLMES: All right. But if you don't have ice, you can play underwater? Does that make sense?

NGUYEN: I don't know.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER BACON, HOCKEY COACH: It's a game you play on the bottom of the pool. You have six people on each team. You're pushing a lead puck. And it's just like soccer or hockey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Well, this team is at a high school in Cincinnati, and underwater hockey hasn't exactly caught on yet...

HOLMES: Yes.

NGUYEN: ... as a major sport in high schools around the nation. So, you know, it's understandable that they don't have a lot of competition. But you know what? When it does, these guys say they will be ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOUCK, FMR. MLK CHAUFFEUR: Groups like the O'Jays, Gladys Knight & The Pips, you know? I mean...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you play it in the car?

HOUCK: We played it in the car. Sure, we listened to -- we listened to WAOK Radio in Atlanta. And this is before FM turns off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, the chauffeur of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., he witnessed one of the world's most dynamic and committed leaders of peace.

NGUYEN: Now he is writing a book. In part, revealing the lighter side of the civil rights leader. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield has that story at noon Eastern today. You don't want to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, this week's CNN Hero is a chef from Baltimore, Maryland, who's serving up second chances, along with some good food.

HOLMES: Yes. His name is Galen Sampson, and in a city with a significant crime and drug problem, he is actually turning lives around one by one in his kitchen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baltimore, although it has gone through a renaissance, many parts have been completely neglected, and it's -- there's a lot of despair. And there's no hope. And it just sort of is a downward spiral.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was a heroin addict. Never held a job because of my drug addiction. I was homeless for quite a few years, and after a while, you just feel like you are alone. That made me want to give up, but with Galen, I have another chance to make it.

GALEN SAMPSON, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: I am Galen Sampson, and I am helping people find the tools to rebuild their lives.

Need an egg sandwich with vegetables.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Galen Sampson is a five-star chef. His cooking, I guess it speaks for itself.

SAMPSON: In the hotel where I worked with our employees, I saw all these struggles and difficulties that people were having with addiction, with the criminal justice system. I had always dreamt of having my own restaurant. We decided that part of our restaurant would be a training program.

Show me how you would do that.

The name of the program is Chefs in the Making. It gives our people in transition paid jobs. It also allows us to give them hands-on, real-time instruction.

Push down, slicing forward, pull back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can learn a lot being in this kitchen, but it's fast-paced. It's hard work, but I like what I do.

SAMPSON: If you can do the job and you can perform, you're going to move up. And that's what we hope to instill in our apprentices.

You know, a lot of people think we're crazy. We've pretty much put, you know, everything that we have into this project. It's a risk, but to see what our apprentices have been able to do here has been very rewarding. We've developed a good, strong, tight-knit family, and I think we're a setting a foundation for something good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten years from now I see myself owning a home, maybe owning my own business. I don't know what the future's going to hold, but I'm looking forward to it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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