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American Morning
Ready, Set, Shop!; Piano Man on the Mend; As Worn By Darth Vader; Stores Report Sales Are Up From Last Year on Black Friday; Savings Portfolios May Change In New Year; Life after a Brain Tumor; 2010 CNN Hero of the Year
Aired November 26, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's Friday, November 26th, Black Friday.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Black Friday. With all that turkey in you, you got to get out and exercise by shopping.
JOHNS: Absolutely. And I saw some of the stores open when I walked in here at 4:00 this morning. It was so strange.
COSTELLO: People -
JOHNS: Little brown bags. You know? People --
COSTELLO: Fall in line.
JOHNS: Blurry-eyed, full of turkey.
COSTELLO: Blurry-eyed, full of turkey and ready to shop. So, happy day after Thanksgiving.
We have a lot to talk about this morning and why not talk more about Black Friday madness?
Some 138 million shoppers expected to hunt down the holiday bargains today. Retailers are competing even harder for your dollars. Many stores like Sears and Toys "R" Us opened up on Thanksgiving night. Others have been opened all night -- will be opened all night tonight.
A live look at the action is just ahead.
JOHNS: And the calendar still says it's fall, but it's beginning to look a lot like winter. Blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of Montana. There's also the threat of snow, sleet and ice in other parts of the Midwest. We're live with a possible impact on your travel plans.
COSTELLO: And it's been a rough year for a lot of Americans. So, how can you turn things around and make more money in the New Year? We got new tips on how to make your savings and investments work for you.
JOHNS: Happening now: Black Friday starts earlier than ever this year. Stores finding that if they want to win over the wallets of shoppers, they have to do more.
COSTELLO: But is it really possible to find a big deal? For that -- of course, it is!
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: For that, we're going to turn to Poppy Harlow. She's been camped out at Macy's for a few hours now in New York's Herald Square.
So, tell us about the bargains.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They're everywhere. They abound.
And I have to tell you, I'm just sort of trying to make my way through the sea of people and they're pulling their suitcases full of goods. It's gotten more crowded here, guys.
But just for a sense of what this was like at 4:00 a.m. this morning, as Joe said, the stores were open, take a look at these people waiting in line all night just to bust through these doors at Macy's -- 7,000 of them. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Five, four, three, two, one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All right. So, those were the 7,000 people this morning. I can guarantee you guys, there are many more here. This is nine floors of shopping here at Macy's and Herald Square, in the center, the heart of New York.
And this is also the beginning of mission critical for these retailers. They're going to do about half of their entire year's worth of business between now and December 27th.
We just had a chance to speak with the CEO of Macy's and he had some good news for us. He said, look, we have 850 stores across the country. There's a lot of strength here in New York, a lot of strength in the Midwest. They have hired 65,000 regional workers for the season, for about the next month and a half. They'll keep on about 2,000 or 3,000 of those.
But I want to bring in some of the shoppers because we found deals (ph). But let's bring in Katherine (ph) and Pauline (ph). They came here, guys, all the way from right outside Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Honestly, you came here just to shop?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We're serious shoppers. And, boy, do we love a bargain.
HARLOW: What kind of bargains have you been finding?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been finding children's clothes and I'm on a search for a handbag.
HARLOW: You're in the right department for what. We're going to help you find that in a minute. But I want you to show our folks some of the deals that you got because they're pretty incredible, especially compared to the prices you would pay at home, right?
Let's take a look at this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a Ralph Lauren jacket I got for my grandson. I got it for $99. And at home it would maybe be equivalent of $250. Very easily.
HARLOW: Wow. You have more children's clothes in there. Is it really worth it? I have to ask, to fly, what, seven, eight hours to get to New York just for these deals? They're that much better?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, they are very much better. Because the handbag I'm looking for is a Michael Kors handbag and I can't get them in the U.K.
HARLOW: I know Carol and I are big fans of Michael Kors. I'm going to help you -- help you find that. But, overall -- I mean, are you the anomaly? Or are there a lot of people that you've met that are here shopping?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our flight yesterday from Belfast was full of women. Shopping.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All shopping.
HARLOW: All shopping. All right. I think that says it all, guys. I'll send it back to you. We're going to go look for handbags, but here all the way from Ireland just for the deals.
COSTELLO: That's incredible that they came all way to New York to shop. But we're glad that you're here spending money in the United States.
Poppy, I understand that you bought something for Phil, one of our intrepid crew members?
HARLOW: I did. I did. Let me get it. Phil -- I was in makeup this morning at 4:00 a.m. and he said, don't forget me, get me Smurf.
So, Phil, $14.99. Here it is. I don't really know why he want it but --
PHIL, CNN CREW MEMBER: I'll leave the money on your desk, Poppy.
HARLOW: OK. Please, sounds good. Enjoy, Phil.
PHIL: Thank you.
HARLOW: I'll see you guys later.
COSTELLO: I'm frightened. Thank you, Poppy. We appreciate it.
HARLOW: You got it.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
COSTELLO: It's a pretty interesting news to tell you about right now. Saudi Arabia says nearly 150 suspected members of al Qaeda have been arrested, 124 of them are Saudis. The Saudi interior ministry says, over the last eight months, forces dismantled almost 20 terrorist cells.
JOHNS: Wow.
COSTELLO: And, of course, we'll continue to update you on this story as more details become available. But 150 suspected members of al Qaeda rounded up in Saudi Arabia.
JOHNS: That's a lot of people in one single -- what it sounds like operation. That's incredible.
All right. In other news, potentially scary news out of Tennessee this morning. An urgent search is under way for a missing radioactive package. It was being shipped by FedEx -- and when it went missing Thursday in the Tennessee area. FedEx plans to speak to two employees who handled the shipment when they return today.
The radioactive material in the package is said to have been a medical device. FedEx also says the package is safe as long as no one tampers with it.
COSTELLO: Don't touch that baggage.
Tensions between North and South Korea on the verge of boiling over again this morning. Right now, the unpredictable and nuclear North is accusing the United States and South Korea of pushing the peninsula closer to the brink of war. It's upset over the joint military drill that's scheduled for this weekend.
Washington says the drill had been planned before the North's attack on a South Korean island and will go forward. It will be there. The warship will be there on Sunday.
JOHNS: A third explosion rocked the Pike River Mine in New Zealand overnight. That's the mine where 29 miners died in a blast earlier this year. Fortunately, no one was injured this time. Authorities say the latest explosion will not affect attempts to recover the bodies of the 29 men.
COSTELLO: A secret sophisticated underground drug tunnel just uncovered under the U.S./Mexico border. Authorities say it stretched from a warehouse in San Diego to a home in Tijuana, Mexico. The tunnel is apparently similar to another one discovered earlier this month that was used to bring tons of marijuana into the United States. More now on a developing story -- the rescue of three teenage cousins after 50 days lost in the South Pacific island on a six-foot boat. They're back on dry land today, dehydrated and sunburned, but they're OK.
The trio got lost trying to reach a nearby island last month and ended up drifting 800 miles off course. The first mate on the fishing vessel that found them says when the supply of coconuts ran out, the boys had to improvise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAI FREDRICSEN, HELPED SAVE TEENS LOST AT SEA (via telephone): They were able to capture water, rain water through the night as it rains quite often in the Tropics and they were able to catch a sea bird. I still don't know how they did it. And they won't tell me their secret.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: They caught a bird, a bird landed on the boat. They caught it. They ate it. They ate fish and they only had those two coconuts.
JOHNS: That's just incredible. And drinking precipitation as you were just to survive and then they ran out of it and started to have to drink salt water, which is not so good.
COSTELLO: It stopped raining. So, they were rescued just in the nick of time. Two 15 year olds and a 14-year-old. They'd actually been given up for dead. Their families eulogized them. But now, happy reunions are in store very soon.
JOHNS: Wow. Incredible story.
Karen Maginnis, speaking of precipitation and having to drink it out there, probably not here in the United States -- but there is some to speak of, isn't there?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we have seen some rainfall across the Eastern Seaboard. And as we do, most of that is on the light side. But on the backside of this frontal system, what we're looking at is mostly some precipitation that's changing over to a rain/sleet, possibly even snow.
We did get a report out of Charleston, West Virginia, that there was rain and sleet being reported there. Now, that will end. It's very shallow.
But as we go into the afternoon, the frontal system slides its way towards the east. The rain starts to taper off, but so do the temperatures. Temperatures that are in the 50s right now will drop into the 40s as you go into the afternoon. So, if you're still shopping by then and you didn't bring a coat or some rain gear, you'll be surprised because this afternoon, those temperatures are going to be dramatically cooler. Southeast is a little on the wet side. And, Joe and Carol, Sunday is the busiest air travel day of the year. What does the forecast hold? It could be a little messy in spots. I'll have those details coming up.
COSTELLO: Great.
JOHNS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Karen.
So, do you enjoy shopping as sort of a contact sport? Or would rather chill on your couch with your laptop? Plenty of deals out there, we know that.
JOHNS: Shop until you drop.
COSTELLO: Shop until you drop. But why not do it from the comfort of your own home? We'll have a preview of Cyber Monday -- coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
JOHNS: Isn't that nice?
Smart shoppers know how to get good deals without leaving the house. But the idea of Cyber Monday, we only have one day to find holiday steals online, does seem to be fading.
COSTELLO: It does. Joining us on Skype with some ideas on why that's happening and which sites are really worth your time, Molly Wood. She's executive editor at CNET.
Hello.
MOLLY WOOD, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CNET: Hi there.
COSTELLO: Coming from us from snowy North Dakota.
JOHNS: Yes. It's snowing out there.
COSTELLO: Yes, but you're snug.
WOOD: I'm just probably going to stay here in the basement and shop today. I'm not going anywhere.
COSTELLO: Good idea, because I hear it's snowing there and there what? You said felt like there are 100-mile-an-hour winds.
WOOD: It feels like it. The house is rocking a little bit. I'm a little nervous.
COSTELLO: OK. We'll keep our fingers crossed for you.
So, should we wait? Let's talk about Cyber Monday. Should we wait until Cyber Monday to go online and find those great deals? Or is that a thing of the past?
WOOD: You know, I think this is the first year where we find out that Cyber Monday is -- has always been a marketing ploy. And now, those deals, they started rolling out at the beginning of this week. So, you definitely shouldn't wait until Monday.
It doesn't mean you can't shop on Monday and I suspect really good deals that day. But, you know, if you feel like shopping right now, there are some amazing prices out there.
JOHNS: Yes. I know from all of the online coupons I get and whatever, there are just millions and millions of choices online out there. What would you say is the best way to sort of wade through the options and make sure you're getting a good deal?
WOOD: Yes. I mean, you're definitely going to get those e-mails that are touting a good deal and a lot of times they are, but you should always make sure that you're comparing prices.
So, if you see something online -- I know you feel like you're in a hurry and you need to get it right away -- just take the time to do a search on a site called Nextag, Shopper.com, if you're searching for electronics, even Amazon. Just make sure you're getting the best deal.
And then check a coupon site to see if you can't add a coupon on top of the already existing discounts. And maybe, you know, get a little extra bang for your buck there.
COSTELLO: Yes. You know, the nice thing that's happening this year is a lot of places are offering free shipping. Should we now expect this to happen? Because so many places are.
WOOD: Yes. You know, I really do. I have gotten very diva about online shopping. I will not pay for shipping.
And unless you're buying furniture or something that's traditionally very large and includes shipping, I don't settle for paying for shipping.
COSTELLO: Now, you guys at CNET put together this list of the top 10 tech deals and apparently, there are a bunch of LCD TVs that made the list. Why is that?
WOOD: Yes, you know, I have heard that earlier in the year, there was a big glut of LCD production. They made basically way too many of these things. It's been going on for about a year and a half. The prices on most TVs were already really good. Now, they're phenomenal. I think we saw one, there was a 32-inch TV and it was about $198.
JOHNS: Wow.
WOOD: And so, they're really just pushing these things right out the door. Although, I will say you can probably expect to see those deals continue pretty much all year long. JOHNS: So, you know, can you just run through some of the other top deals that are out there that you, guys, think are really good?
WOOD: Yes. We've also -- we did put together this list of the top ten. It's pretty great at (INAUDIBLE). There's a 55-inch Vizio TV at Sam's Club that is about $1,500 which, you know, considering what prices on a 50-inch LCD used to be, that's amazing. Wal-Mart always has really great laptop deals. They're going to have one that's $198. If you're looking for an E-reader, the new colors came out. You don't mind the older model, that's down to $99.
JOHNS: Wow.
WOOD: And that's a good one. And, you know, I would say a lot of people called earlier in the week and wanted to know about the $399 iPad at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. I heard those are already sold out.
JOHNS: Yes. They've got to be. There's no way that stays on the shelves very long at all.
WOOD: That's out of there. Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes. That's out of there. What great tips, though -- OK. So, I'm going to go online. I am not going to go into the stores physically. I think -- I think you guys are crazy. You lovers of Black Friday. You're crazy.
JOHNS: Well, it's just the excitement of it all, you know?
COSTELLO: I know. Molly Wood, --
JOHNS: Yes. Thanks so much, Molly.
COSTELLO: Thank you very much. And I hope the weather improves in North Dakota.
JOHNS: And you have a great name, by the way. Molly Wood, we just love it.
COSTELLO: Bye, Molly.
WOOD: Bye.
JOHNS: All right. So, busted iPhone? Call a doctor. No. Seriously. We'll explain in this morning's "Talkers" segment next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Morning talkers time. Billy Joel may take you the way you are, but you can't say the same for the piano man. The 61-year- old recently underwent double hip replacement surgery, but he's doing extremely well this morning. His rep actually telling CNN, Joel should be backed home in Long Island by the end of the weekend.
JOHNS: Wow. That's incredible. It's usually no problem for "Star Wars" fans to get their geek on, but Christie's auction house may have overestimated the power of the Darth side. An original Darth Vader costume from "The Empire Strikes Back" failed to sell at auction. Christie's expected the outfit jet black helmet, mask and armor to go for between $250,000 and $365,000, but no bidder offered to pay the minimum price, so the costume was yanked.
COSTELLO: I am surprised by that.
JOHNS: Yes. Me, too.
COSTELLO: I thought somebody would save (ph) them.
JOHNS: Absolutely. Great for Halloween, but I just don't have that kind of money.
COSTELLO: I think if I paid $250,000, I wouldn't be wearing it on Halloween.
JOHNS: Depends on the party.
COSTELLO: Yes, it's true.
Try to wrap your head around this one. A platinum plated diamond encrusted human skull.
JOHNS: Not big on this. That thing looks scary. Look at that.
COSTELLO: I said human skull. It's on display in Florence, Italy, costs $89 million (ph). It's said to be the most expensive piece of work by any living artist. It was kept under tight security until now, and as you can see, this beautiful diamond-encrusted skull is now on display.
JOHNS: But it's still a skull, you know? That's scary. I don't know. Anyway, bad dreams and nightmares.
The new video game called "Call Of duty: Black Ops" has quickly become one of the most popular games ever. Get this -- it's raked in record $650 million worldwide in its first five days. Experts predict that once the holiday season is over, more than 20 million copies of the game may be sold.
COSTELLO: That's incredible. Supposed to be an amazing game. I mean, it's amazing to play. It's challenging. It's sort of real life.
JOHNS: And awesome graphics, yes. All the things you want.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Is your iPhone damaged or broken? Who are you going to call? CNN's Poppy Harlow introduces us to a self- described iPhone doctor who, don't you just know it, makes house calls.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRENDAN MCELROY, IPHONE FIXER: We do everything from, you know, from iPhones, iPads, the iTouch.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): He's known around town as Dr. Brendan. And if your iPhone looks like this or this, he can bring it back to life.
MCELROY: Aside from like liquid damage, there's not -- you know, generally not an iPhone I can't fix.
HARLOW: If it's crushed, busted, broken, 28-year-old Brendan McElroy knows how to fix it, and he says he'll do it for less than half what Apple charges.
Would you consider yourself a tech geek?
MCELROY: I'm a bit of a tech geek. I'm not a full-on tech geek.
HARLOW: After dropping his own iPhone while bartending last year, he surfed the web and taught himself how to fix it.
MCELROY: I'll be honest with you, I butchered it a bit.
HARLOW: He's not a real doctor, but his self-proclaimed tinkerer who zips from customer to customer on his motorcycle.
MCELROY: This is my fourth house call of the day.
HARLOW: This emergency call is at the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's this problem with the LCD screen where there's a stripe in the middle.
HARLOW: Ten minutes, $75, and it's done. But there's one catch. Having your iPhone fixed outside of Apple could void your warranty.
Why Dr. Brendan?
DR. SEETAL MEWAR, CUSTOMER: Apple is a hassle to me. I just -- the one time I went in there, you have to schedule the appointments. You wait. They tell you they can't fix it.
HARLOW: Next stop, back home to more customers.
MCELROY: So, what's up with your phone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I dropped it.
MCELROY: Oh no.
HARLOW: It's a story he hears over and over again.
MCELROY: Were you very upset?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
MCELROY: No, you weren't? Some people breakdown and cry.
HARLOW: The fix just takes a tiny screwdriver, a razor blade and, of course, the screen.
MCELROY: Courtesy of China. And that is a new iPhone screen there.
HARLOW: How did you find all the right components?
MCELROY: I found something, some post from some distributor that claimed to sell these parts. I e-mailed them, and I was very nervous because it's just like, oh, send this cash to China, you know? And --
HARLOW: But it worked out.
MCELROY: It worked out.
HARLOW: It's 5:00 p.m., he's already fixed seven iPhones and more customers are on their way. In fact, business is so good, Dr. Brendan quit his bartending gig, and he's opening his own store this fall.
What's the oddest story you've heard about how someone broke their phone?
MCELROY: There's been a lot of stories about, you know, my girlfriend saw my text messages and threw it at me. There was another one that someone's son actually bit the phone and --
HARLOW: Oh, did you fix it?
MCELROY: Yes.
HARLOW: And it seems those fixes speak for themselves. Amazingly, Dr. Brendan hasn't spent a single dollar on advertising, and he now boasts customers from as far away as Greece.
In New York, Poppy Harlow, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Dr. Brendan is amazing. That's a great idea.
JOHNS: Really. That's incredible. I hope he's able to fix iPads, too, because that's going to be a come up problem (ph) very soon.
COSTELLO: That will be the next step, I'm sure of it.
Coming up, here's a reason to get up early today. Cheap LCD TVs. Cheap. Electronic stores are rolling out the deals this Black Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
COSTELLO: Time for this morning's top stories.
We're following breaking news. Saudi Arabia says nearly 150 suspected members of al Qaeda have been arrested, 124 of them are Saudis. The Saudi interior ministry says over the last eight months, forces dismantled almost 20 terrorist cells.
JOHNS: The U.S. hopes a show of force can convince North Korea to hold its fire. Right now, it's sending warships to the region to take part in a joint military exercise with South Korea this weekend, but the move has the north seeing red and accusing Washington of pushing the peninsula, quote, "closer to the brink of war."
COSTELLO: Rescuers say three teenage cousins were just skin and bones when they were found alive after 50 days adrift aboard a tiny boat in the south pacific. The boys are back on dry land after surviving on rain water and raw fish at sea. The three got lost during a routine boat ride between small islands. A fishing boat picked them up about 800 miles away from their original destination.
JOHNS: From Wal-Mart to target and the gap to Best Buy, stores are hoping to lure the masses with extremely low prices.
COSTELLO: Extremely low prices. As Martin Savidge is finding out, he's been keeping an eye on all the pre-dawn action in Atlanta. He's at Best Buy Store. Martin, bring us up to date. What kind of deals can you get?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here I am -- look at this. I've always wanted to be in television, and now, I'm surrounded by about 200 of them here at Best Buy and television sets, in case you don't know, the flat screen ones are the hot item this year. Actually, say hello here. We got John who's from Atlanta, Brian who's the associate who's helping him out here, and John is the one who's been looking for a TV. Good morning, John.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
SAVIDGE: So, what are we looking for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking for a 50-inch. First issue is plasma versus LCD, and we're going with plasma. My Fiancee was pretty strong on the plasma.
