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Moscow Airport Attack; Lebanese Lash Out; Egyptians Take on Leaders

Aired January 25, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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


KRISTIE LU STOUT, ANCHOR: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.

The Russian president vows to punish those responsible for what he calls substandard security after a deadly airport bombing.

Political uncertainty sparks a day of rage in Lebanon as a new Hezbollah- backed prime minister is appointed.

And "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech" go toe to toe for the top Oscar nominations. And we will have the announcement live about a half an hour from now.

Russia is stepping up security after a deadly attack on Moscow's busiest airport. A suicide bomber killed 35 people and injured more than 100 others, many critically.

Now, these people show you just how strong that explosion was. Now, President Dmitry Medvedev has vowed to track down the terrorists behind the blast, but he also blamed airport authorities for insufficient security and said that they should be fired.

Now, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but fingers have been pointed at the usual suspects -- Chechen rebels.

Our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us now from the airport where the attack took place.

And Matthew, what is the latest on the investigation? And who is responsible.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the investigation seems to have gone quiet at the moment in the sense that there's not much information coming out from the investigative committee, which is sort of the police body overseeing this in the building behind me. It's still a crime scene. We haven't been permitted to go into the place where the explosion took place yet to see for ourselves what the situation is there. It's still being scoured for forensic evidence so that those investigators can put together a full, comprehensive picture of which group it was perhaps that carried out this attack.

And again, no formal claim of responsibility either, as you mentioned. But the suspicion is falling, as you've mentioned, on groups from the North Caucasus, a very volatile part of southern Russia which has been the source of numerous suicide bombings in the past.

Now, of course Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, has been sharply critical not just of the individuals who, of course, carried out this attack, but also of the airport authorities, for failing to provide adequate security. He spoke on national television a few hours ago. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. DMITRY MEDVEDEV, RUSSIA (through translator): What happened at Domodedovo shows that the airport lacks security. It's unbelievable that such a huge amount of explosives was brought into the terminal. Those officials responsible for security at Domodedovo must be punished for their decisions. This is a terror attack, a grief, a tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: So heads likely to roll in the management of Domodedovo Airport. But what the president is also promising is that security regulations will be tightened up to make it much more difficult for suicide bombers to get inside the airport in the futures -- Kristie.

STOUT: Now, Matthew, Russia will soon be hosting the Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Will Moscow be able to make sure that militants won't strike again?

CHANCE: Well, again, President Medvedev, the Russian leader, has addressed this issue. He said that they will be looking again at the security arrangements for the Sochi Olympics in 2014, the Winter Olympics.

Already, the security obviously was going to be very tight. There's been a long-running problem with bomb attacks, particularly suicide bomb attacks, in Russia, and the authorities are obviously very aware of that. But give this latest incident, that security will be reviewed and possibly enhanced.

But I think what's understood, although perhaps not stated by Russian officials, is that it is going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to prevent a determined suicide bomber from penetrating what would essentially be a public area. That's something that not just the Russians have to live with, but with all countries that are susceptible to these kind of attacks have to deal with -- Kristie.

STOUT: All right. Matthew Chance in live in Moscow.

Thank you.

Now, an estimated 22 million flew through that targeted airport last year, making it the largest in Russia.

Tom Foreman shows us exactly where this gruesome attack struck.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's take a look at where this happened.

Moscow, of course, is over here on the western end of Russia. The airport in question is outside of the city, on the south side of town. It's a big, sprawling airport, as you would expect in any major city in the country.

And let's look a little more closely at the exact spot where this happened.

This is the main body of the airport. The international arrivals are down on this end. This happened at 4:32 in the afternoon, 15 pounds of TNT. That's a tremendous blast power inside of a building, wrapped in metal shards that flew out into the crowd.

The busiest airport in Russia, 22 million passengers in 2010. But let's look a little more closely inside the room and see what we see.

When we bring up details, you can see this part of the airport down here with international arrivals has the baggage carrousels up here. Then security in this area. And right out here would be where all the people gathered to meet people coming out of these international flights. This is where the blast occurred.

The important part about that seems to be that it implies the attacker either didn't try or couldn't get through security. The bad part about this, beyond the initial horror of the attack itself, is that it once again raises for airports and governments all around the world the question of, how far do you have to take security out to ensure the safety of citizens?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Tom Foreman there.

Now, witnesses say the bomb, it was filled with metal shrapnel to inflict even more damage. Here's how one woman described the aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA IOFFE, FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE WRITER: There's one man who came out who said he was there at the time of the blast. His jacket and pants are covered in blood and hair and gore. He said the back of his head was covered in intestines that he's since washed off. But he reported seeing a man with a suitcase walk into the center between two flanks of people waiting for passengers to arrive, and that he then exploded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: A very gruesome account there.

Now, Russia's health minister says 41 people are in serious or critical condition, and she spoke to some of the survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TATYANA GOLIKOVA, RUSSIAN HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): They are in shock right now. Their General feeling boils down to "Thank God we're alive," because there was a young man I just talked to. He was deafened by the blast. For now, he still hasn't recovered his hearing. He was standing just two to three meters from the explosion, but luckily he survived and will live.

So far, those are only impressions. There was an explosion, and they survived.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Well, this is the second major attack on Moscow in less than a year. Last March, two female suicide bombers set off explosives at Moscow metro stations. They killed more than 30 people.

In November, 2009, a bomb blast derailed a passenger train heading for St. Petersburg. At least 26 people were killed, 100 wounded.

And in 2004, two Russian passenger planes blew up almost at the same time, killing at least 89 people. Both planes had taken off from Domodedovo Airport.

And also in 2004, some 40 people were killed in another suicide blast on board a Moscow metro train.

Now, here in the region, four people were killed in a bomb explosion on a passenger bus in the Philippines capital, Manila. Now, officials say the explosion was so powerful, that it blew this hole through the side of the bus.

Now, police think the bomb might have been planted under a seat. The bombing happened in Manila's financial district, which had been placed on high alert.

Now, ahead here on NEWS STREAM, a new prime minister for Lebanon is announced, but he is not universally popular. Thousands of protesters storm the streets to fight a Hezbollah takeover.

It's President Obama's big day in Congress, but ahead of his "State of the Union Address," it is the seating arrangement that everyone is talking about.

And we are just minutes away from this year's Oscar nominations. "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech" are favorites, but will it really be a case of Web versus Windsors?

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP, "THE SOCIAL NETWORK")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need the algorithm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need the algorithm.

(END VIDEO CLIP, "THE SOCIAL NETWORK")

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, Lebanon's president, Michel Suleiman, has appointed Hezbollah-backed Najib Mikati as the country's new prime minister. It is a move that will add fuel to the fire on the nation's streets.

Now, these were the scenes earlier as demonstrators set an Al Jazeera TV vehicle alight. Lebanon's government collapsed two weeks ago, and supporters of caretaker prime minister Saad Hariri have accused Hezbollah of trying to fix his replacement.

Now, the government collapsed because Hezbollah withdrew its support for Hariri, but today's protesters and Western leaders would prefer he stay in charge because Hezbollah has a militant wing and is backed by Iran.

Nic Robertson joins me live from Beirut with more.

Nic, we now know Hezbollah-backed Najib Mikati is the country's new prime minister. What is the reaction in the street?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the reaction has been sort of gathering steam, because it was pretty clear that Mikati was going to be the pick. And we've seen supporters of Saad Hariri, the previous prime minister, out on the streets, condemning Mikati, saying that the elections have been stolen, or, essentially, this position has been stolen by Hezbollah for Iran. They're calling it a coup.

We've seen them burning tires on the streets today, throwing rocks at soldiers, burning that satellite truck from the news network Al Jazeera. So it's been angry demonstrations, but Mikati has been speaking as well.

Within the last hour since being nominated, he's come out and said, look, "I'll work with all parties. There's no reason why any political leadership here in the country shouldn't come and work in this new government."

So, clearly, he's sort of extending an olive branch to Hariri, who said that he won't work with this new government. But Hariri has also been on TV today, and he's been telling his supporters, tone it down, this isn't the way we should express ourselves. He even apologized to Al Jazeera for that truck getting destroyed -- Kristie.

STOUT: Nic, we've seen some very dramatic pictures of the protesters, and today's day of rage happening across Lebanon. Will the protesters have any influence on the makeup of the new government in Lebanon, or is a Hezbollah takeover a done deal?

ROBERTSON: You know, I think what we're going to hear more of here, this isn't a Hezbollah takeover. When we hear more from Mikati, he's going to cast himself as, you know, a Sunni politicians who is a moderate, who has been picked at a time of crisis for the country, who is going to, as he said, extend his hand to all the different political leaders.

Will these demonstrations make a difference? Well, I think all the political leaders here know that there's a tinderbox of sectarian tensions, particularly between some Sunnis and some Shia in the country, so that they know that this is the background that they're working against.

So, will the demonstrators actually make a difference? They'll remind the politicians of what's at stake, but they know very much. So what we'll see today, will it make a difference? Only if something really bad happens and there's a spark that sets off wider violence. And again, that backdrop, people retreat to their sectarian corners, and it's much harder to make political deals.

STOUT: And what is the possibility here for wider violence? Could we see a return of the bombings and political assassinations that we saw after the assassination of Rafic Hariri years ago?

ROBERTSON: You know, if Mikati can form a government that gets ratified very quickly, then the chances of that happening are lunatic (ph). But if there's a sort of political vacuum, and he struggles to get the consensus that he wants, the form of government that he wants, that's going to be acceptable to a simple majority of the 128 parliamentarians, if he struggles to do that, then it's in that vacuum that the potential exists.

So, yes, it could happen. He's going to start meeting with MPs on Thursday, he said, to try and form this new government. So, how quickly is he going to do it? That's what the people on the streets here are waiting to see -- Kristie.

STOUT: All right. Nic, thank you for that.

Nic Robertson, joining us live from Beirut.

Now, in nearby Egypt, protesters are hoping to replicate the success of Tunisians in holding their government accountable. Now, the center of Cairo is playing host to demonstrators fighting corruption and failing economic policies.

Now, tension has been simmering for days, and disillusioned Egyptians have found their voice online. Now Facebook and Twitter have taken a central role in galvanizing the protest movement. And pages like this one on Facebook are keeping Egyptians on top of all anti-government activity.

Now, this group, it's called "We are all Khaled Said." This has proven to be very popular. It was set up in memory of an activist from Alexandria who was allegedly beaten to death by police.

While Tunisian authorities try to suppress social media activity in Egypt, it is clearly on the rise.

Now, the Cairo protests fall on Police Day. It is a national holiday giving more Egyptians a chance to attend, and the timing challenges a police force accused of pervasive corruption.

Ben Wedeman joins me live from the Egyptian capital with an update.

And Ben, what are you seeing on the streets of Cairo?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, I'm seeing what I haven't ever seen in Egypt before, which was protesters actually outnumbering and overwhelming the security forces. Basically, these protesters, who number anywhere between 700 and 1,000, have made a great big circle around downtown Cairo. And time after time, they were able to push through police lines and essentially overwhelmed them.

Surprisingly, though, the police have been, by Egyptian standards, very restrained. Normally they're armed with billy clubs. And today they don't have them. So they seem to be under strict orders to avoid the kind of -- at least violence that's so common.

We've heard much more than the usual small numbers of people here calling for President Hosni Mubarak, who's been in power for 29 years, to resign, calling for the minister of the interior who's held responsible for the deaths of many Egyptians, the result of (INAUDIBLE), for him to resign. People are angry about the rising cost of living. And of course they're inspired by the example of Tunisia, which has been very closely watched by its citizens (ph) -- Kristie.

STOUT: Yes, you can't help but draw direct comparison with Tunisia, but what really is the likelihood that the political upheaval we've seen recently in Tunisia could happen again in Egypt?

WEDEMAN: Well, that's really difficult to say. I mean, you do have many of the similar conditions. You have an autocracy. You have official corruption. You have police brutality. You have many of those things.

But what you have in Egypt that they don't have in Tunisia is a very powerful army and an incredibly powerful security services which are unlikely to give much ground to protesters. And, at the end of the day, you know, 40 percent of the kids (ph) who live on $2 a day, they can't really afford to go out into the streets and start to protest for prolonged periods at a time.

So, there are similarities, but the differences are also significant -- Kristie.

STOUT: All right. Ben Wedeman there.

Thank you very much, indeed.

Ben joining us live from Cairo.

And coming up next on NEWS STREAM, the U.S. president, Barack Obama, is gearing up for his second "State of the Union Address." And we'll tell you what's likely to be at the top of his to-do list.

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "INCEPTION")

LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: Where are you right now?

ELLEN PAGE, ACTOR: We're dreaming?

DICAPRIO: You're actually in the middle of the workshop right now --

(END VIDEO CLIP, "INCEPTION")

STOUT: -- the makers of "Inception" aren't the only ones dreaming of an Oscar. Stay tuned to find out who else has their sites on the statuette.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you are back watching NEWS STREAM.

Now, the U.S. president, Barack Obama, is preparing to make his second "State of the Union Address." He is expected to focus on the U.S. economy, job creation, and making the company more competitive on the global stage.

Now, this year, the "State of the Union" is also being streamed online. You just go to this Web site. Now, this is the White House home page. You can find it online at WhiteHouse.gov.

And of course CNN will have live coverage as well. Now, the speech, it begins 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, there in Washington. If you're watching in London, that's 2:00 a.m. in the morning on Wednesday. And for viewers here in Hong Kong, that is at a more agreeable 10:00 in the morning.

Now, our White House correspondent Dan Lothian is standing by in Washington to preview the speech for us.

And Dan, what is the U.S. president expected to call for?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, two things, first of all.

This is an important speech for the president. As you pointed out, it's the second address that he has made as president. And it's a chance for him to not only focus on some of the things that have been working in this administration over the past year, the progress that has been made, but also some of the challenges.

And those challenges that he'll be focused on will be -- one of them in particular will be jobs and job creation. Not only in the short term, but over the long term.

Two buzzwords that we've been hearing a lot about here at the White House over the last few days, "competitiveness" and "innovation." We'll hear the president mention those words again during his address, perhaps several times, when the president will talk about the need for the United States to win on the global stage throughout educating competitors overseas.

I'm told by a senior administration official that the president will lay out a plan on how to win. Some of those points will be things that we've heard before, some of them will be new issues that the president will reveal during his address.

One of his top advisers, Valerie Jarrett, this morning talked about the scope and the power behind this address. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIE JARRETT, SR. WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Tonight is his opportunity to lay out for the country his priorities. The last two that I didn't get to that are very important, we have to figure out how to make government more efficient, we have to streamline government, we have to make sure that we're creating in the environment where companies want to invest in growth. And very importantly, we have to tackle our fiscal deficit in a very responsible way and bring that down.

And at the end of this evening's speech, I think that message will be loud and clear to the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: And for Republicans, what they really want to pay attention to closely is what the president has to say about tackling the deficit. They're very concerned that this administration has been trying to spend its way out of trouble, only leading the economy and the country into a deeper rut. And so they want to make sure that when the president talks about innovation, and all of the additional spending that will take place, that he'll also pay close attention to reducing the deficit, which they believe will harm the country in the long term.

One other point I should point out, Kristie, is that the president has been working on this speech extensively last week, spending a lot of time on it over the weekend as well. Yesterday, in the Oval Office, early in the morning, he met with his top advisers to go over some aspects of his address. So it shows sort of the critical nature of this speech and what it means to this administration. We're told that he'll be making some edits right down to the wire before delivering the address tonight.

STOUT: All right. Dan Lothian joining us live from the White House.

Thank you.

Now, the "State of the Union Address," it is often a sober assessment of the nation's well-being, but this one could be different. Republicans and Democrats have been urged to sit together, and that has got the media debating, who is dating whom?

Now, CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on the state of those unions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget standing up and sitting down. Now it's who you're sitting with that counts. The "State of the Union" is not only starting to sound like a political prom, but a gay prom.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: I've already asked Tom Coburn.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: Mark Kirk and I are going to sit together. I'm bringing the popcorn. He's bringing a Coke with two straws.

MOOS: Republicans and Democrats are sending out joint press releases resembling engagement announcements. Senators like Chuck Grassley are tweeting their date to be. There's matchmaking live on TV.

SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R), TEXAS: I don't have a date.

SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: Kay, I'm available.

I just asked Kay.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, ABC NEWS: I know. All right. Well, we'll see you two sitting together.

MOOS: Even those who have really gotten on each other's nerves are getting into the act.

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: I will not yield to the gentleman! And the gentleman will observe regular order!

MOOS: Now we're going to observe both gentleman sitting together. It was Republican Congressman Peter King's wife's idea.

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: She said, "Why not have the two biggest loudmouths who are always fighting -- have them sit with each other?" I said, "Who are you talking about?" She goes, "You and Anthony Weiner."

LUTHER VANDROSS, SINGER (singing): Let me hold you tight, if only for one night.

MOOS: The press is having a field day nicknaming couples.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are the Land of Lincoln Laddies, the Southwest Soulmates.

MOOS: Michelle Malkin's Web site even dressed them up for their prom photo.

And the front-runners for prom king and queen?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cutest couple might go to the South Dakota Republican John Thune and New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.

MOOS: At "Politics Daily," they made up personal adds: "Cap and trade Democrat seeks pro-life Republican for one-nighter."

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's getting a little icky, guys.

MOOS (on camera): And if one date isn't enough, how about a "State of the Union" orgy involving, say, a softball team?

(voice-over): Maine Democrat Chellie Pingree says she's sitting with some members of the bipartisan congressional women's softball team.

Even the South Carolina Republican who once yelled, "You lie!" --

REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: You lie!

MOOS: -- will be sitting between two Democratic congresswomen, no lie.

Not everyone's playing the state of the date. Take Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: I'm going to sit where I usually sit.

MOOS (on camera): Now, if only I could get someone from Fox News to sit with me while I watch the speech.

VANDROSS (singing): -- if only for one night.

MOOS (voice-over): But even a one-night stand beats all that standing. Just keep your hands to yourself.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, still to come here on NEWS STREAM, the Oscar nominations. "The King's Speech" versus "The Social Network" -- who will it be? This year's Oscar nominations are coming up in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM, and these are your world headlines.

Now, 24 hours after a massive suicide bomb ripped through Moscow's busiest airport, and no one has yet claimed responsibility. The attack killed 35 people and injured more than 100 in the arrivals hall at Moscow's busiest airport on Monday. Now Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has criticized airport management for what he calls security lapses.

Lebanon's president Michel Suleiman has appointed Hezbollah backed Najib Mikati as the country's new prime minister. It is a move that will further anger protesters who took to the streets in their thousands. Now they had been fighting Hezbollah's influence in forming a new government after the group brought down the last administration two weeks ago.

U.S. president Barack Obama is getting ready to deliver his annual State of the Union address tonight in Washington. And in job creation that issue is likely to top his to-do list. Now this year, the spotlight will also fall on the audience, Republicans and Democrats have been urged to sit together rather than with members of their own party.

Now last year, the Hurt Locker hurt Avatar's Oscar hopes, but can The King's Speech drown out The Social Network's buzz when this year's nominees are revealed? Now they are the two movies in poll position to scoop up a bundle of these little fellows, but Hollywood watchers will be intrigued to see whether anyone can rain on the frontrunner's parade. Now the nominations will be announced within minutes. But first, let's take a closer look at one of the contenders.

Now Colin Firth won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of this man, Britain's King George VI. Now the movie, "The King's Speech," is about his struggle to overcome a lifelong stammer. And Nick Glass finds out how film makers learned about the king's friendship with his therapist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK GLASS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In some archive, retrieved from storage after half a century and spread across a kitchen table in north London -- old letters, documents, albums, photographs, and newspaper cuttings. Here's the story of a friendship between a man who would be king and the Australian speech therapist who helped him overcome his stammer.

The real Lionel Logue was more deferential and rather shorter than his movie counterpart, but the king's speech from the film is historically accurate word for word as it had to be.

COLIN FIRTH, ACTOR: In this grave hour, perhaps the most in our history...

GLASS: These may well be the pages George VI held in his hands when he spoke on radio at the outbreak of war in 1939. Lionel Logue marked the pages in pencil, stress this word, pause here.

A grandson has pieced the story together from documents he inherited.

MARK LOGUE, GRANDSON OF LIONEL: The content of the letters between them are incredibly friendly, like you'd expect between two friends. There's this kind of etiquette that Lionel still abides by, which is, you know, "your royal highness." The letters back to him from the king are "my dear Logue." The first thing that really was startling was the appointment card.

GLASS: In tiny handwriting, Logue assessed his new patient Albert Duke of York in 1926.

LOGUE: Has an acute nervous tension which has been brought on by the defect.

GLASS: The appointment card shows that the Duke saw Logue almost every day for the next two or three months in advance of a royal visit to Australia. The friendship as it became lasted for the rest of the their lives. Although they were never, it seems, photographed together.

At the coronation in 1937, Logue is seated in the royal box with his wife Mertyl (ph). They are so high up, she is using opera glasses.

Mertyl (ph) died suddenly of a heart attack just after the war ended.

LOGUE: Dear Logue, I must send you one line to tell you how terribly sorry I was to hear of your bereavement. And I send you all my deepest sympathy in your great grief. I am your sincerely, George.

Sorry, I'm kind of quite choked up reading this, because -- because, I don't know, it's something about thinking about him being, you know, hurting after Mertyl's (ph) death is kind of -- makes it kind of real.

GLASS: The producers of the movie approached him just a few weeks before filming began. The screenplay was tweaked. And from Logue's diary, a joke was added.

LOGUE: I went to Windsor on Sunday evening for the broadcast, only one mistake -- W in weapons. After the broadcast, I shook hands with the king and congratulated him and asked him why he stopped on the W. And he replied with a grin, I did it on purpose. If I don't make a mistake, people might not know it was me.

GLASS: George VI died in 1952, the following year his friend Lionel Logue died too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now "The King's Speech," it lost out to The Social Network at the Golden Globes. Now will Oscar give it another chance? Entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter is waiting for the announcement. And Kareen, which movie will dominate the nominations? What do you think?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well definitely The King's Speech. Colin Firth gave quite a performance. We're going to get to the favorites in just a minute, Christie, but we're waiting here, we're about four or five minutes away from this morning's big announcements here in Beverly Hills. And we had quite a treat, that's because one of the people who will be hitting the stage making the announcements this morning is last year's big Oscar winner, Mo'Nique. Remember her riveting role. She took home a best actress, best supporting actress award for her role in Precious. So she'll be making the announcements this morning along with the president of the Academy.

You know it's really hard going into Oscar nominations to predict exactly which films, which actors and actresses will take home that coveted statue, but some things -- some films that we can mention: The Social Network, True Grit as well as "The King's Speech," can't forget about Black Swan as well -- Christie.

STOUT: All right, Kareen, thank you. And do stick around because after the break we'll go straight back to you as we have live coverage of the nominees at Oscar's for 2011. You're watching News Stream. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Now the 2011 Academy Award nominees are being announced. And any moment, the excitement is building over the Oscar nominations. The Social Network and "The King's Speech," two movies likely to lead the list of nominees, but we'll be waiting to hear that list any moment. And hosting the nominations is Mo'Nique, the actress who won the best supporting actress award last year as well as the Academy president.

Now let's take you live to the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

(BEGIN COVERAGE)

TOM SHERAK, ACADEMY PRESIDENT: Good morning. I'm Tom Sherak, president of the Academy. Welcome to our home. We've got some big news to announce this morning. And to help me, I'm very happy to welcome Academy Award winner Mo'Nique.

MO'NIQUE, ACTRESS: Thank you, Tom. And good morning everyone.

SHERAK: The 2010 nominees for best performance by an actress in the supporting role are: Amy Adams in "The Fighter," Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech," Melissa Leo in "The Fighter," Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit," and Jackie Weaver in The Animal Kingdom -- Mo'Nique.

MO'NIQUE: Thank you.

For best performance by an actor in a supporting role the nominees are: Christian Bale in "The Fighter," John Hawkes in Winter's Bone, Jeremy Renner in The Town, Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids are All Right," and Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech."

SHERAK: For best performance by an actress in a leading role the nominees are: Annette Bening in "The Kids are All Right," Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone," Natalie Portman in "The Black Swan," and Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine."

MO'NIQUE: The nominees for best performance by an actor in a leading role are: Javier Bardem in Beautiful, Jeff Bridges in "True Grit," Jessie Eisenberg in "The Social Network," Colin Firth in The King's Speech and James Franco in "127 Hours."

SHERAK: For best achievement in directing: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan, David O. Russell for "The Fighter," Tom Hooper for the "The King's Speech," David Fincher for "The Social Network," and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for "True Grit."

MO'NIQUE: For best original screenplay the nominees are: Mike Lee for "Another Year," Scott Silver, Paul Tomasy, Eric Johnston and Keith Dorrington for "The Fighter," Christopher Nolan for "Inception," Lisa Choladenko and Stuart Blumberg for "The Kids are All Right" and David Seidler for "The King's Speech."

SHERAK: For adapted screenplay we have: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy for 127 Hours, Aaron Sorkin for "The Social Network," Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkritch for "Toy Story 3," Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for "True Grit," and Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini for Winter's Bone.

MO'NIQUE: For best foreign film language -- for best foreign language film we have: From Mexico "Beautiful," from Greece, "Dog Tooth," from Denmark "In a Better World," from Canada, "Incendies," and from Algeria, "Outside the Law."

SHERAK: For best animated feature film the nominees are: "How to Train Your Dragon," Chris Sanders and Dean DeBois, "The Illusionist," Sylvain Chomet, and "Toy Story 3," Lee Unkrich.

MO'NIQUE: And finally, I'm pleased to announce that the 10 films selected as the best picture nominees for 2010 are: "Black Swan," Mike Medavoy, Ron Oliver and Scott Franklin producers, "The Fighter," David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, and Mark Walberg producers, Inception, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan producers, "The Kids are All Right," Gary Gilbert, Jeffery Levy-Hint, and Celine Rattray producers, "The King's Speech," Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Gareth Unwin producers, "127 Hours," Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, and John Smithson producers, "The Social Network," Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, and Cean Chaffin producers, "Toy Story 3," Darla K Anderson producer, "True Grit," Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen producer, and "Winter's Bone," Anne Rosellini, and Alix Madigan producers.

SHERAK: You're invited to join us on February 27th when we celebrate the very best that movies have to offer. We'll see you then, thank you.

STOUT: And there you have it, the nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards. As you heard just then, a number of nominations for the movie "The King's Speech," including best picture. And let's -- since it is the biggest award for the Academy Awards, let's go over again the nominations for best picture for the 2011 Oscar: Black Swan, Fighter, Inception, "The Kids are All Right," "The King's Speech," "127 Hours," which is interesting since it stars James Franco and he will be co-hosting the event, "Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," and "Winter's Bone."

Interesting point about "True Grit," Jeff Bridges was also named as a nominee for best actor. Of course he won the Academy Award last year, so this is his second nod two years in a row.

Before the nominees were announced, there was a lot of discussion about whether two movies will be going toe to toe, the Social Network and of course the King's Speech. And judging from what I heard just then, I think most of the nominees went to the movie The King's Speech. It sounded as if the King's Speech was dominating the awards and the Social Network was basically shut out of the acting categories, even though it did get a nod in the screenplay, director and best picture nominations.

One interesting note, the movie The Fighter receiving a number of nominations. The movie a relative -- relative unknown compared to the other big names. And also an interesting line-up of women being named for best actress.

But let's get the overall picture with our entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter. She joins us there live. And Kareen, I asked you earlier, which film will dominate and you called it -- The King's Speech.

WYNTER: Yeah, and I'm looking here. And again we just got the hand-out. I'm going through this, really, for some of the information here for the first time. So bear with me, Christie. The King's Speech got a total of 12 nominations followed by True Grit with 10 and then Inception and the Social Network tying for 8. And everything is really, really gone along as expected based on all the critical acclaim that so much of -- so many of these films have received this season also from the recent Golden Globes. And you know, they're not always on, but they are a great, great indicator of how the Oscar race will shape up.

Let's get to some of the categories again, starting with best performance by an actor in a leading role -- Javier Bardem, and I have to say that's a bit of a surprise. I don't believe Javier was nominated at the recent Golden Globes. I know Beautiful was. It's a submission from Mexico in terms of the countries there. Jeff Bridges also nominated in "True Grit," Jessie Eisenberg, no surprise at there at all, Christie, The Social Network. Colin Firth in The King's Speech. And James Franco in 127 Hours.

And what's really also interesting about this, we saw the same match-up last year in the Oscar race between Jeff Bridges and Colin Firth, Jeff Bridges winning last year for his amazing performance in Crazy Heart. So they are back at it again this year.

As for actresses in a leading role: Annette Bening in the Kids are All Right, Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone, Natalie Portman in Black Swan and Michelle Williams, another surprise some critics would say, for her performance in Blue Valentine.

I had a chance to speak with Natalie Portman several times this award season. And she's always been so humble. She said it was so challenging the role she took on as that ballerina in the thriller Black Swan. And she says, you know, going into a movie like this, she knew it was something special, Christie, but she had no idea that it would be receiving the recognition that it's been receiving. You know, she walked away with a big win recently, The Golden Globe award. And even when I interviewed her on the red carpet, I said it's your big night, you know. She has a lot going on these days. She's expecting, she's engaged. And I really don't think it has really sunken in yet just how amazing her performance has been, all the recognition that it's been receiving. And she wouldn't even dare looking ahead to Oscar nominations. She said, you know what, I'll wait until that happens if that happens. I'm just really taking it all in now. So it's going to be a big, big year for her.

And let's get to some of the contenders in the best motion picture category. Again, Natalie Portman's film Black Swan, "The Fighter," Inception, The Kids are All Right -- I just saw that movie, amazing, amazing performance by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening who also got a nod this morning, "The King's Speech," 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, which again, this is something new that the Academy is doing, this is second year where they've opened up the categories to 10 categories. So like last year, you know, Up, another animated film that made the cut in terms of nominations. And that's what allows for films that perhaps in previous years would not have made it into this category. So it's great to see an animated film make this category. I saw Toy Story 3 with my son and he loved it. It was a hit with the kids. So it's not really a surprise. Finally True Grit and Winter's Bone, just a sample of what went on a short time ago for this year's big Oscar race -- Christie.

STOUT: And Kareen, just looking at this sheer number of nominations alone, can we safely say that The King's Speech is the frontrunner for best picture of the year now?

WYNTER: It really is. Again, going back to the critical acclaim that this film has received, the critics love it, the reviews. Colin Firth is really, really going to be the man to beat. The King's Speech I believe, according to critics and all the amazing reviews, that is going to be the film to beat. But, you have to look at Black Swan, an amazing, amazing performance by Natalie Portman, so beautifully directed and produced. So that's what makes it so exciting, you just don't know. You just look at the films and how they resonated with the audiences, obviously the Academy, and it just makes it exciting going into Oscar night knowing it's really anyone's, anyone's statue for the taking.

I want to also just get quickly to the best foreign language films. Beautiful, again, was nominated from Mexico, Dog Tooth from Greece, In a Better World, that's from Denmark, Incendies from Canada, and Outside the Law, Algeria.

It'll be interesting too, Christie, to get that reaction from past Oscar winner Javier Bardem, a big morning for his film, a big morning for him with his nomination. So it's great to see these really, really diverse pieces of work make the cut -- Christie.

STOUT: Yeah. And now so many more movies on my to-watch list. Kareen Wynter joining us live from Hollywood. Thank you so much, Kareen, there.

Now the Oscars will be handed out on February 27th. Now, a different sort of award ceremony happened the day before, the Razzies. They single out the worst movies of 2010. And leading the pack is The Last Airbender. It's up for 9 Razzies, including worst picture, worst remake, and a new category worst eye gouging misuse of 3D. Also up for nine Razzies, this picture, including worst picture, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Now other worst picture nominees include The Bounty Hunter, stared Jennifer Aniston who is also up for worst actress. And she will face the entire cast of Sex in the City 2, it's also up for worst picture.

You're watch News Stream. We'll be back right after the break.

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STOUT: Welcome back. Now a Wisconsin man set a new Guinness World Record for perfect bowling. And he did it with this -- yes, I'm talking about Wii bowling. And you may be expecting to see some tech savvy teen, but there's another twist, 85-year-old John Bates is the record holder, and it's no Wii accomplishment. Bates bowled nearly 3000 perfect games in a span of 18 months. And if we did the math right, that is 28,500 strikes. The retired high school principal says his next goal is to set a world record in Wii golf. Good luck to you.

Now Caroline Wozniaki is making headlines at the Australian Open, and not just for her performances on the court. Don Riddell is here with more on that -- Don.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christie. You're absolutely right, the world number one has taken another huge step towards winning her first major title. For her opponent at the Australian Open today, it was a step too far for Fransceca Schiavone. The Italian, as you know, was coming off the back of a 4 hour and 44 minute marathon in the previous round, and she actually wasn't far off another incredible win today. You'd never have guessed that Schiavone was coming off the back of such a huge match. She took the first set 6-3. But Wozniaki turned it around by winning five games in a row in the second, grinding out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win. Schiavone fought tooth and nail, though. She saved three match points. But in the end Wozniaki was just too good.

Now if Wozniaki becomes a major champion in the weekend, she'll be a really popular winner, but whatever happens she'll never forget this year's adventure at the Australian Open. You may recall that earlier in the tournament, she made up a story about being attacked by a rather irritable kangaroo. The joke back-fired somewhat, but she showed today that she's able to laugh at herself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROLINA WOZNIAKI, TENNIS PLAYER: I noticed there were a lot of requests for me to have a picture with a kangaroo, so here it is. And now I'm actually ready to fight just in case this would actually attack me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: She injured her leg, by the way, because she walked into a treadmill.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer is looking forward to a semi-final match against Novak Djokovic after destroying Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets. This was a clash of two unbeaten players so far this year. And the defending champion Federer was in superb form against his Davis Cup teammate. He only dropped seven games as he marched into the semis 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. Federer, to be honest, hadn't quite looked the real deal in the earlier rounds, but he sent a clear message to his challengers today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER FEDERER, TENNIS PLAYER: My play is obviously very different to watch Roddick or Mumphries (ph) or other players might do against him, and clearly it's not an easy match for him also. I mean, I've been so many quarterfinals or in these situations so many times before that I have the experience and I have the game to be tricky for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Finally, one last note from the NFL. And it turns out that Jay Cutler does have a knee injury after all. The Chicago Bears quarterback came in for some serious criticism after he missed almost the entire second half of the NFC title game on Sunday. Cutler endured a miserable first half against the victorious Green Bay Packers, but that was nothing compared to the second half where Cutler sat out with an injury that was widely questioned by his peers. For example, check this out, from Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars, quote, "all I'm saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee. I played the whole season on one." The Bears defended Cutler. And on Monday, they said he actually did sprain his knee. Whether that will satisfy his online critics, that remains to be seen.

And to be honest, Christie, I'm not sure it will, because many of them think that he should have played through the pain and put the team first given that a date with the Super Bowl was on the line.

STOUT: Yeah, what can you do? You can never satisfy your online critics. Don Riddell, thank you, and take care.

And time to go over and out there now with a look at the day's lighter news. And for some of our viewers, a little light relief is just what the doctor ordered. You've heard of the Monday blues, right? Now researchers in the UK have reached the conclusion that the Tuesday blues are even worse. And if you're currently watching in any of the regions call it a cheerful shade of red on this map, you should in theory be worse afflicted. Yes, 10:00 on Tuesdays in the hour when the weight of the world may just get too much.

So, if you're in Greenland or in certain parts of Latin America, here's a picture of Vladimir Putin cuddling a puppy to cheer you up.

And that is NEWS STREAM. But the News continues at CNN.

"WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" with Maggie Lake and Andrew Stevens is next.

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