Return to Transcripts main page

Dr. Drew

Kim Kardashian Files for Divorce; Murray Trial Gets Intense

Aired October 31, 2011 - 21:00   ET

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


DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST (voice-over): Here we go.

So Kim Kardashian and what`s his name are getting a divorce. Were we scammed? Americans don`t take kindly to that, so will her fans make him pay?

Plus, a mother learns about her son`s death on Facebook. She`s here with words of warning about social networking.

Tune in and watch out. Let`s get started.

(on camera): Tonight - tonight, it`s breaking celebrity news, but it`s not surprising. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, they`re not getting along at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kim Kardashian is calling it quits on her husband number two.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So how could things be falling apart just a couple months after a big, lavish, expensive wedding? With all this high priced glitz and glamour, the Kardashian wedding really is an Americanized version of William and Kate`s wedding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rolling this big affair into a huge two hour special -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The big money that`s coming their way, from sponsorship to a lucrative photo deal, to an all access TV special on E!, this wedding is expected to go down as the most profitable star wedding of all time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kardashian is cashing in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make sure they have a really amazing, magical day that they`ll remember for the rest of their lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PINSKY: Well, after just 72 days of marriage, Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from her prince charming basketball player, Kris Humphries.

Tonight, people are, well, they`re angry. Was this whole thing just some sort of money-making sham? More than eight million people bought in and tuned into Kim`s fairy tale wedding on E! Kim and Kris made a whopping - listen to this - $18 million off of just getting married. They reportedly raked in $1.5 million by selling the pictures to "People" Magazine. They also sold bridal shower and engagement photos to other magazines.

They were married for 72 days. Now, we did the math here and that is $250,000 a day.

Now, I don`t blame them, I blame us. Why are we buying into a charade? Was this all simply a plot to make money and did we all fall for it?

Now, I`ve got to say the first thing this reminded me of for those of you that are of my vintage was Luke and Laura`s wedding on "General Hospital." Remember that? Now, the fact is that was actors. You know, those were - there it is alongside of me there. Those were actors on daytime drama, had a similar kind of impact.

Now we`re creating this same kind of iconography for people that are supposed to be living lives and setting cultural norms perhaps? Our kids are watching all of this.

Straight to my guests, I first got to my let here, my co-host on "Loveline," Mike Catherwood. I also have family law attorney Vikki Ziegler. On the phone, actress and comedian Sandra Bernhard, and Senior Executive Editor of RadarOnline.com, Dylan Howard.

Dylan, can you give us the latest?

DYLAN HOWARD, SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR, RADARONLINE.COM: Well, Dr. Drew, it came some relatively surprising for everyone, although "Star" Magazine now seized the publication at RadarOnline. We reported some three weeks ago that the marriage was over.

In fact, what we`ve been able to learn today is that some four weeks ago, Kim Kardashian met with a divorce lawyer in New York. Now, it turns out she couldn`t file for divorce because she wasn`t married in New York State, so she had to file in California. So for some weeks she has been lawyer shopping.

Now, I`ve spoken to a number of friends of the couple today, and I`m told, Dr. Drew, that there were two primary reasons for this separation, this split, this filing for divorce, and that is essentially that both families were unable to get along.

On one hand, you had Kris Kardashian - I`m sorry - Kris Humphries unable to assimilate with the Kardashian family, and that`s the key storyline of the show that the daughters of Kris Jenner and Bruce Jenner can`t get along with him.

And then on the flip side, Kris Humphries`s family wasn`t that embracing towards Kim Kardashian. Indeed a recent special highlighted an issue between the family and those family members were very upset with the way in which Kris Humphries was being portrayed.

The second issue is the allegations of infidelity. Certainly, Kris Humphries has not lived up to his end of the bargain in that vow of staying faithful. He`s been partying very hard. And as one person said to me today, he`s 26 years of age, going on 23.

PINSKY: Yes. I think that`s what I see when I watch all the footage is a young, young, young, naive man in a situation maybe is over his head.

But, Mike, a professional basketball carrying on, that I`m shocked. That`s to me is stunning.

MIKE CATHERWOOD, CO-HOST, "LOVELINE": Well, I mean - look, both parties had to know what they were getting into. I mean, look - look right across your family table at dinner, you see Chloe who`s with Lamar Odom. It`s not like the NBA lifestyle was any secret, but also Kris Humphries has to know what he`s getting into. You`re not marrying your average broad when you`re getting into that Kardashian family. You`re getting unprecedented access from the media into all your personal, you know, stuff -

PINSKY: And I`ll tell you what, you know, you - I challenge people to take a look at all of the homes and marriages that have allowed cameras in for reality shows. Very few of those marriages survived this.

Kim released this statement. Quote, "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands. This was not an easy decision. I`d hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don`t work out as planned. We remain friends and wish the best to each other."

Vikki Ziegler, 72 days? Is that really careful consideration? I`m not really buying that. And, by the way, why the rush to divorce, why not a separation or something else, but we`re going to get a divorce attorney right away? It`s almost like they planned it.

VIKKI ZIEGLER, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Dr. Drew, that is a loaded question. But I have so many questions, I would like to sit them both down and say, listen, if you did intend to get married forever, her statement actually insinuates that, I thought marriage was forever, then why aren`t you seeking counseling? Why aren`t you trying to figure out if there are potentially infidelity issues or if he is immature, why aren`t you trying to get a therapist to work on them?

That`s what makes me believe that this marriage perhaps was a hoax. Which would be devastating on so many levels and I`ll tell you why. Young people, I watched the Karadashian Wedding. I actually shed a tear. I mean, you know, most people out there, obviously not in my profession because it doesn`t surprise me, want to believe that people get married for the right reasons, for love, and it`s their fairy tale, and that`s exactly what people were hoping for.

If this was a sham marriage, and I really hope it isn`t, it`s really sending a bad message. There was no planning. Where is the premarital planning? It`s not just about the wedding and $20 million, it`s about the future.

PINSKY: That - that is my concern above all else here is making a sham of an institution that`s already been under attack for many, many years, decades let`s say.

And there`s another issue. Can you put up from the control room? I`d like you to put up Sandra Bernhard`s twitter. I want to talk to her about that. She`s on the phone. Could you put that up there for me so I can read it?

Here it is. "If you are a gay and demand marriage equality, ban the Kardashian show, just stop watching it. Help make this all go away."

Sandra, thank you so much for joining us. Tell us what your reaction is to all this. I know I have my own. Please give us your side of the story.

SANDRA BERNHARD, ACTRESS/COMEDIENNE (via telephone): No, I think first of all, there`s such - there`s such disparity in the world right now. I mean I`m in Boston right now. I went down to Occupy Boston tonight to say hello to everybody living in the Tent City. These people are trying to, you know, effect a big change in the way that, you know, the government treats us and, you know, kind of the social benefits we get from the government, and the economy, and everything is just so - it`s just so out of whack.

And then you see some - some completely over the top wedding like this where people are just, you know, getting paid for it, and who are these people? And then there`s people who really want to get married, gay couples that are fighting for the, you know, the right all over the country, and people who really, you know, they want to not only bond emotionally, but benefit from all the same things that, you know, straight couples does, and these people are just like - like profiteers.

It`s just - I don`t know. It`s disheartening I think for - for a lot of people, and I think also we`ve just got to stop celebrating people that are not contributing anything to our culture.

PINSKY: So Sandra, I agree with you on so much of what you`re saying, but the idea that it is disheartening and maybe sort of infuriating to people that are fighting desperately for this right, and here is somebody profiteering and making a sham.

By the way, I was instructed to be sure to point out that a lot of this footage that we`re getting is from E!, the wedding footage and whatnot. And speaking of the profiteering, I`m sure they`re continuing to make - make profits off of this footage.

But please, before we wrap this segment up, tell me more. Because I notice the gay community really reacting very strongly to this experience. The fact that I`m angry as someone that values marriage greatly and I love my own family and marriage, but gay individuals in some states are fighting just for that privilege, and here is someone really perhaps making a sham out of something that should be taken quite a bit more seriously.

BERNHARD: Yes. I mean, also, that did they really think they were going to make a go of it? I mean, this two sort of immature and kind of pointless people, and what were - and what were they looking for, you know, in this situation?

And there are people that have been together for 20, 30 years, you know, gay couples who really, really want, you know, like I said, just have the basic right that everybody in this country has who, you know, who`s straight and they can`t get it. And it`s just inequitable and unfair and ridiculous.

And so I just think that somehow, you know, the smart people, the thinking people in this country, we`ve got to just stop focusing on the stuff that`s so obviously, you know - just has no value, has no meaning, you know, all these reality shows with people who - who feign, you know, sadness and disappointment in their lot in life but they`ve created it just for - for entertainment, when there are actual people who are suffering and - but nobody wants to hear about that because that`s too much to take in emotionally to see people who are really struggling, so we have to fake up struggle and I don`t understand that.

And I think it`s time for everybody just to reassess their entire existence in this world and really put focus on what matters, because I think it`s really a question of our survival of our culture at this point, and you know, it concerns me just as an artist and somebody who cares about people who are saying things and, you know, who need and need love and support from - from not only the families but from the government, you know? It`s just - we`re at a very weird place culturally.

PINSKY: Yes. It`s more - more of the out of wackiness.

If you want more on these stories and others - thank you, Sandra, by the way - go to HLNTV.com. Check out one of the most interesting and user friendly website. That`s us on HLNTV.

Coming up, did the E! producers and the Kardashians try to actually cast a basketball star to be Kim`s love interest and husband on her new show? Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM KARDASHIAN, BUSINESSWOMAN/SOCIALITE: I`m honestly really torn between changing my last name for my future husband, but then I think it will be like such a mistake business-wise.

KRIS HUMPHRIES, AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER: A part of me thought that Kim was going to change her name for the marriage license. At this point, I feel like I`m not even getting married and I just don`t care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PINSKY: After 72 long days of connubial bliss, Kim Kardashian filed for divorce. Her so-called fairy tale TV wedding made millions when it aired on E!

Now, listen, I - I want to just take a quick beat here and remind people that this is actually is no fooling problematic to me, because the institution of marriage has been under assault from many fronts, and, of course, as the controversy we talked about with Sandra Bernhard. But we have Vikki, a divorce attorney, shedding a tear, having watched this idealized wedding - Mike is laughing at that. And we have -

ZEIGLER: Mike (INAUDIBLE). Yes.

PINSKY: -- people really - no, I - but I - but we have people buying into this being some sort of idealized experience, yet we lost the real essence of what a marriage is.

I - I believe that the kid, the basketball player, is actually very into this, more than anybody realizes, and is probably hurting, even though he may be misbehaving a little bit, and I think he`ll be back. But, the question remains, did the producers set up a casting call to find Kim`s so- called knight in shining armor?

The "New York Post" reporter producers - reports the producers of Kim`s show contacted the New York Knicks about a player, asking if he was single and if he wanted to date Kim, and said there was big money to be made. My - casting call, is that you - is that - I mean, that - to me, that`s disgusting. It gets - it gets so disgusting.

CATHERWOOD: It is. But you have to - look, and I feel like - exactly like you feel, like Kris Humphries was a guy who got into it not knowing what he was going to get into. He thought was he going to be a husband to Kim Kardashian -

PINSKY: He - they were going to move to Minnesota -

CATHERWOOD: -- a potential father.

PINSKY: I think that kid believes in marriage, not the fairy tale that we had to see on TV.

CATHERWOOD: But he just have to understand, you`re not signing up to be a husband, you`re signing up to be an ancillary member of a TV show about an Armenian chick with a fat ass and her rag tag family. And that`s the bottom line.

Look, when you - when you have a wedding with that much publicity and that - and you potentially sell off everything that goes on in your life, you - you -

PINSKY: I don`t think he bargained - the kid (ph), I don`t think he bargained on that.

CATHERWOOD: You`re right. I think -

PINSKY: I think once he got - I think that`s why he`s feeling that frustration. I don`t think he`s happy with the cameras. I don`t think he`s happy with any of this.

I - I have to show you this in honor of Halloween, Kelly Ripa and guest host Nick Lachey, dressed up as Kim and her soon-to-be-ex in happier times, on this morning`s "Regis and Kelly." Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, "REGIS AND KELLY": I am in love with you, Kris Humphries Kardashian.

NICK LACHEY, SINGER/ACTOR: I just want to say, how - how good does Kim look this morning?

RIPA: Thank you.

LACHEY: And I`m really, really tall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: He is, indeed.

And Dylan, I`m hearing, though, that Kris Humphries is in love and is trying to salvage this thing. What do you hear?

HOWARD: Well, yes, he was completely blindsided by this, and having spoken to his camp today, so much so he didn`t even know that she was going to file today. He`s back home in Minnesota, that place where he dreamed of settling down with Kim Kardashian.

And that was another reason that caused strain on this marriage, if you like. He wanted her to move to Minnesota for six months of the year and live in L.A. She didn`t want to be estranged from her family.

Whether or not these are genuine reasons, it remains to be seen. But that whole notion of casting - casting a husband, it was certainly a bad casting call if that was the case. And it`s really going to shed light and - and question the - the following, if you like, of the Kardashians. Will people be able to stomach this, if indeed it was a phony marriage?

Only time will tell with their ratings.

PINSKY: I - I think that`s the big question here, and, you know, Sandra Bernhard brought this up, that things are out of whack. But what`s out of whack is us. We`re out of whack. We - we watch this stuff.

Let`s break down the cost of Kim`s $10 million wedding that aired in a two part special on the E! Channel. First, $2 million 20 karat ring that Brink - that a Brink security truck had to deliver; $100,000 for a cake; three Vera Wang wedding dresses; dripping in millions of dollars of diamonds; and girls buy into this dream as opposed to the - the reality of what intimacy and family is supposed to mean.

Vikki, let me go to you real quick. You`re the divorce attorney. You bought into this. You shed a tear. Help me understand how that`s possible. You - you should be -

ZEIGLER: Well, let - hold on -

PINSKY: -- you should be steeped in the reality of all this. Go ahead.

ZEIGLER: I cry - I cry at commercials, so if - if I was with Mike and you right now, we`d be talking face to face. I cry no matter what. So, that`s the first thing.

The second thing is, I want to -

PINSKY: Vikki, that`s -

CATHERWOOD: Woah, woah, woah - I cry at commercials too, but it`s the ones with Sarah McLaughlin singing and the puppy with one eye behind the cage.

PINSKY: I was going to say, Vikki -

ZEIGLER: You know what -

PINSKY: -- it sounds like depression. We`ll have to talk later. But you -

ZEIGLER: No, no. I`m actually very happy.

PINSKY: -- you did shed a tear for this.

ZEIGLER: I`m happy.

PINSKY: And - and let`s just - we have less than a minute. We have less than a minute. Try to help me understand, even you bought into this. What`s wrong with us?

ZEIGLER: Well, there`s a lot of things wrong with this. First of all, you know what? I think people want to believe - and it`s not just women. I know men. I do their prenups all the time. People want to believe in marriage, that it`s going to work and it`s going to last forever. And - and listen, people are sensitive, so I think that`s part of it.

At the end of the day, the ballgame is this. If you don`t work on it and you don`t get to the basics and think about what`s going to make the marriage last, the wedding doesn`t mean anything. You can spend $10 million on the wedding, it doesn`t mean anything.

PINSKY: That`s - Vikki, that is - that is the point of the night. There are too many beautiful, fantastic weddings and crappy marriages. Marriages, I`m - I`m here to tell you, marriages can work.

Thank you to Vikki, Dylan, Mike, and of course Sandra from our last segment.

Coming up, a man learn - a mom learns about a son`s death, believe it or not, on Facebook.

But first, what do you think that the Conrad Murray trial has to tell us, as we wrap up? Want to know anything and everything about the case, go to our new website, HLNtv.com. Connect with that item and many other must see, must share stories.

Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PINSKY: Welcome back.

Today in the Conrad Murray trial, exchanges between the prosecutor and the defense witness, Dr. Paul White, became so intense the judge had to send jurors outside the courtroom. Now, you`ve been sending me a lot of questions about, of course, the trial and what happened today. So let`s begin with a post on Facebook.

Andrea asked, "How do you feel about Dr. White defending Dr. Murray`s decision to leave Jackson alone after he injected him with propofol because the danger of side effects would have passed?" Now, you know, I - I don`t really want to pile on Dr. White, but that kind of a response to me make him - makes, to me, him seem like a hired hand.

I mean, making that kind of excuse for somebody on a drug that is well known to require continuous monitoring, so long as you are on the drug - you are on that drug, you don`t breathe normally. You can stop breathing. The amounts can vary over seconds. You have to monitor what the patient is getting.

Yes, indeed, the more critical reactions are initially. You have to watch that during the initiation. But, for goodness sakes, I mean, it`s just - it`s just - it`s contrary to - to any kind of just basic understanding of monitoring a patient. And so it really makes him seem like a hired hand here. So, to me, very suspicious statement.

Pete on Twitter writes, "How did you react when you heard Dr. White characterize Dr. Murray`s deviation as perhaps between minor and serious, but not extreme?" Again, I`m not sure I can differentiate between a serious and an extreme deviation from the standard of care. They went over today the actual package insert of how to use propofol, and in the package insert it talks about needing to monitor the patient continuously.

Serious versus extreme, I think he`s talking about malpractice versus criminal. That`s up to the courts to decide, not up to a witness.

Let`s go to the phone. Stacy in Ohio, what`s on your mind?

STACY, CLEVELAND, OHIO (via telephone): Hi, Dr. Drew. I just have a quick question.

PINSKY: Hi, Stacy. Yes.

STACY: How is it a possible for a person who`s been treated for opiate addiction, when re-exposed only once, for their addiction to reignite, as you`ve mentioned before?

PINSKY: Yes. You need to understand that if you have a history of addiction of any type, when you are exposed to a chemical that - that activates what`s called the medial forebrain bundle, which is where the disease of addiction occurs. So anything that re - that sort of tickles that region of the brain carries the risk of reigniting the entire disease.

You know my - you know, Shelly, that - the blonde woman that I have on "Celebrity Rehab" with me, she tells a very vivid story - I may get her in here one of these nights to talk about it one night - where she was an opiate addict. She was in recovery. She had a surgery and woke up, having received some morphine, and her thinking was distorted.

She began lying, she began planning, scheming, and she wasn`t even aware of it. She knew something was different. It wasn`t until her sober peers came in and started pointing out to her how much her thinking had been distorted, how much her disease had reawakened.

That can happen. I`m not saying it always happens, but I`m saying they`re at risk for that. You have to plan for that, and that`s why you need a team around a person with addiction when you even expose them to these dangerous medicines, let alone continue to send them home with bottles and then give them stuff overnight and give them in the doctor`s office. That`s way out of line.

Now, next, a mother`s worst nightmare, finding out her child has died and finding out through Facebook.

As we all know, tonight is Halloween. If you want to see one of the most awkward celebrity costumes, who`s that going to be? Is that going to be (INAUDIBLE)? Is that going to be me? Go to HLNtv.com. Check it out.

In the meantime, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY (voice-over): Coming up, a concert stage collapsed in August and led to deaths and injuries, but the healing began over the weekend when Sugarland held a free concert and finally got their show on the road.

And next, a mother finds out on Facebook about her son`s death. Who is to blame and is there any way to prevent it happening to someone else?

JACKIE BARDEN, LEARNED OF SON`S DEATH ON FACEBOOK: On Facebook, it was on the news. That`s how I had to learn of my son`s death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: Imagine, opening a Facebook page and finding out one of your loved ones had been in a fatal accident. That is what happened to Jackie Barden when she learned of her son`s death from a Facebook post. On October 14th, Jackie`s 16-year-old son, a high school football player from Phoenix, New York, was injured. He had an intracranial hemorrhage after helmet to helmet contact with another player.

This is the dreaded injury of football other than a neck injury. I, myself had to witness one of my son`s friends have this and participate in a resuscitation of that young man. We were able to get him to a neurological surgical suite within minutes. He was back in chemistry class in three months. But, minutes, seconds matter, and it goes quickly from resuscitable, survivable to impossible.

Jackie`s ex-husband, Jody, was notified. He was notified apparently immediately, but the Phoenix Central School District failed to contact Jackie, because they didn`t have her updated information on file. Now, the question here tonight is, can this be prevented from happening to someone else?

Jackie Barden is with us tonight to talk about this. Jackie, I mean, again, I`m familiar with this. I`m so sorry. Our condolences go to you. Can you tell us about how you found out and what happened?

BARDEN: Yes. I was at home at the time and had gotten a phone call late that night from my daughter telling me that while being on Facebook, that people started giving her condolences about her brother, and she had tried to get a hold of Ridge`s dad and Ridge`s grandma, was unable to, and was frantically trying to have me see if I would be able to make contact. I called --

PINSKY: What went wrong? Yes. How do we prevent this from happening again? I`m just relating to what this must have felt like. I received a weird phone call from my son`s college yesterday. There was, you know, because of all that snowstorm, they sent out, this is an emergency, the college is being shut down.

But for a few moments, I was lost adrift, unable to get a hold of anybody not knowing what the emergency was. I mean, how do we prevent this? Is it just as simple as keeping you updated information on file at all cost with everybody around your children or is there something more sinister going on here with social networking?

BARDEN: I personally, I mean, I am to blame. I do take responsibility of not keeping that contact, but I also find responsibility fell to the point where the football coach, the minute he figured out he did not have my contact information, he should have got the ball rolling from the minute Ridge was in the hospital.

Somebody along any line should have said hey, wait a minute, where is this child`s mother and why are we not contacting her, and no one seemed to have done it.

PINSKY: Now, my understanding is Ridge`s dad was contacted. Do you think people assumed that maybe he was going to contact you?

BARDEN: Assume or not assume, I cannot say that. I just know for the fact that Ridge`s father did not contact me. I contacted him at least five to six hours after the fact of the injury.

PINSKY: And so, people understand how that was even possible, you and dad were not really on speaking terms at that time, is that correct?

BARDEN: No. At the time Ridge`s dad had blocked me from calling out to the house to talk to Ridge on his telephone.

PINSKY: Now, Ridge`s father, Jody, released a statement on the loss of his son that reads as follows. Quote, "I want to say thank you to all of you who have written me and are sending your prayers to me. October 14th will go down as the worst day of my life. I don`t know what I`m going to do without you, Ridge. I love you so much and cannot even grasp that you`re not here."

This is -- oh, Jackie, this is such a sad story. Again, though, do you think Jody was just overcome? Do we fault him for not contacting you or is it the school`s responsibility?

BARDEN: As I`ve said before, and I want to reiterate, I think it was from the minute that they realized that no one had my contact number that somebody should have got on the ball and started contacting me. You know, from Jody, Jody`s mom was contacted.

You know, the hospitals, as I said, the police departments, anyone could have got on the horn and just contacted me and at least let me know what was going on, instead of sitting home on Facebook, watching the news. I mean, calling frantically back and forth to numbers, trying to get a hold of somebody to figure out what was going on and what was happening to my son.

PINSKY: Now, HLN reached out to the Phoenix School District and did not get a response, but after the incident, the Phoenix school superintendent stressed the parents in divorced families need to make sure they update contact information. They made a point to do it every year. Listen, if you change your contact information at all, it needs to be updated.

I mean, this is, unfortunately, how it can go. It`s even more, in a way, I mean, I want to blame Facebook or social networking for sort of sabotaging you, but on the other hand, God only knows how you would have found out about this had it not been for Facebook. Jackie, I just want to say thank you for joining us.

I hope that telling your story helps other people. It is cautionary on two fronts. One is football is a dangerous sport, and this is one of the dreaded injuries that happen every year. It was on the front page of the "The New York Times" just last week, similar injury. And number two, that we need to stay vigilant, making sure people can contact us.

Thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it, and our condolences and prayers go out to you.

BARDEN: Thank you.

PINSKY: It has been 11 weeks since that Indiana stage collapse. There`s more to that story at our website, hlntv.com. Remember, it`s a new website.

Next, meet a survivor of that tragedy whose best friend was actually crushed under the rubble, but I believe survived. We`re going to hear that story. Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So much chaos around me, and there was -- I mean, people are yelling and screaming, and people were laying on the ground and bleeding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My best friend is here somewhere. I can`t find her. I am not leaving until I find her.

KENDRA STOCK, CONCERT GUEST: Kind of just laying right at the -- where the stage fell. She got hit on the right side of her head, and she has a skull fracture, and she had a brain bleed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A cloud of dust came from wind, and, all of a sudden, you just look up, and it happened so fast. It just came down. I saw people running, next thing you know, you look back, there`s people underneath the stage trying to get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: We are downtown in Los Angeles. We`re just across the street from the courthouse where the Conrad Murray trial is underway or has been under way and soon to be in the hands of the jury. There, behind me there is the city hall of Los Angeles. It`s quite iconic in Los Angeles. There it is.

That`s our exterior shot of it. Those of you again, I`ve mentioned before, remember the TV series "Dragnet," you remember that building, and of course, if you are Superman found from (ph) -- reading, perhaps, in earlier date, that was the Daily Planet. And it`s an example of some of the iconic architecture in and around Los Angeles. It`s hidden throughout here, but that is a building that has been with us for quite some time and has been in many, many a movie.

All right. We`re going to go back to talk what happened in Indianapolis when the house was packed on a Friday night, this last Friday night, as Sugarland delivered an emotionally charged free concert. This is a concert that was moments away from starting just last August 13th when the stage collapsed. Watch this. I think you`ll remember this image.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: Seven died that night from their injuries, and more than 40 others were seriously hurt. But as you see here, the most impressive part was the Indiana, -- the Hoosiers rushing in to help. It makes me emotional to watch, because these people were running into danger.

It was an example, in my mind, of the post 9/11 world we identify with where we identify with heroes, and we want to make a difference and want to help. We run towards danger, not away from it.

Joining me is Indiana native and country singer, Corey Cox, who is the opening act for Sugarland on Friday, and Kendra Stock who was at both concerts. Her best friend was almost killed in the August disaster. Kendra, I want to go to you first. Can you take us back to August 13th, walk us through that evening? When did you realize something was really wrong?

STOCK: You know, not right away I didn`t. My friend, it started to get dark outside. And, I looked over to the left of the stage, and I saw a big dirt storm coming towards us, and the stage started to sway a little bit. My friend just yelled, you know, the stage is going to fall, and at that moment, you know, we just all took off running. But prior to that, you know, there was no inclination of anything else.

PINSKY: Yes. I remember when this happened. The way the weather moved in was far beyond what anyone could have predicted. I have a question for both of you or either of you. Again, as I said, what really moved so many of us was watching your countrymen there, other Hoosiers running into the trouble, running into the danger. What was that like? Can you talk about that a little bit?

STOCK: Yes. It was -- at the time, honestly for me, it was -- the whole event was -- I mean, kind of a blur, a mix of emotions and stuff like that when I was down there. And, you know, I was looking for my best friend mainly, mainly, but to see everybody, you know, rush in there and just everybody was helping everybody. There were people everywhere.

And you know, there were people on the floor, and everybody was surrounding them. And so, it was -- I mean, it was incredible to see how fast everybody responded and how many people were down there right away.

PINSKY: and Sugarland was obviously very moved by their return to Indiana Friday night. Part of the healing process they wanted to be a part of and here is what they said about that. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER NETTLES, SINGER, "SUGARLAND": We went earlier today out to the site at the fairgrounds, which was the first time we have been there since August, and I can acknowledge that it may be an emotional show tonight, but it will also be a celebratory show tonight.

(CHEERING)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: Corey, you were actually a part of this performance. Can you tell me what that was like or what you were feeling up there?

COREY COX, INDIANA MUSICIAN: You know, Jennifer hit it right on the money. It was an emotional celebration, and I think that`s how, you know, we all thought it was going to be. And, you know, I was asked numerous times leading up to it how I thought the mood in Conseco (ph) was going to be that night, and I knew how it`s going to be.

It was an emotional celebration. People coming together to pay tribute to the ones we lost but also coming together and celebrate the healing of others. And, as Jennifer mentioned, the healing power of music, you know, it`s one of the best medicines there is. And, I was just blessed and honored to be a part of it. It was just such a great night for Indiana.

PINSKY: We actually have some reactions from concert goers who are at both events. This was really emotional for many. In viewers, you can imagine what this was like. Watch. This is from Friday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight is about being with the people that were there that night and healing all together and just getting to see them again after so long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, we`re coming back to try and heal for Sugarland. We want to be here together to experience it together. We also want to just be here for the band.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like we`re almost like completing something we started in August, and it`s kind of coming full circle. I`m glad we get to finally carry it out tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINSKY: You can really see the emotion. I want to go back, Kendra, to that night. Where did you eventually find your friend? I mean, can you -- I don`t know what happened to her. I think that was you describing that fact that she`d had a head injury. Can you tell me a little more about that?

STOCK: Yes. You know, it was a few hours until we found her. They ended up pushing everybody away from the stage, and we all went over to the Pepsi Coliseum, and we were trying to call out. I was trying to call her. And, we had no idea where she was, but they were taking people to -- we heard they were taking people to Wishard, and they were taking people to Methodist Hospital downtown Indi.

So, we just decided as, you know, as a group of friends, that we were just going to go, we`re just going to pick Methodist and just, you know, pray that she`s there. And so, that`s where we decided to go. And, when we went there, I know the social worker who works there, and she came down and said that there were two Jane Does. And then, we eventually identified her as one of those Jane Does.

PINSKY: And are you both Indiana -- were you from Indiana as well?

COX: Yes. Kendra and I are from the same town.

PINSKY: Is there a certain amount of pride people took? I talked to the governor just after it happened, and he was very proud of his citizens. You know, I know it`s just as awful thing, but was there a silver lining to it in terms of how people felt as a community and how they felt about how they responded?

COX: Yes. You know, I think I can speak for Kendra on this one, too. We were both just so proud of our hometown. You know, I was gone the week after August 13th, and I came back in town a week later, and our town was painted in pink ribbons, thousand of them, you know, in honor of Andrea. It`s her favorite color.

And you know, I was just emotionally, I got teared up. And it was just -- you know, I couldn`t be more proud of our hometown the way we came together. And, we`re still coming together. We`re still praying, and it`s great. And, you know, like I said, there`s something great about being from a small town and, you know, the way penned (ph) they came together I think it was just awesome.

PINSKY: And finally, Kendra, how is your friend doing now? Is she up and about? Can she watch this broadcast tonight?

STOCK: Yes, actually she can. I just went and saw her a couple of days ago. And you know, she`s walking, and she`s talking, she`s eating, she`s able to interact more. She still has a long way to go. You know, it is going to be a few years before mentally she gets, you know, more of herself, but she`s, you know, making progress. Each day she keeps getting better, so --

PINSKY: And I`m going to give you a little piece of valuable television real estate to go ahead and give her a message before we go to break.

STOCK: Yey! Andrea, I love you. You`re my best friend in the whole world, and I`m so proud of you. Keep fighting.

PINSKY: All right, guys. That is Corey and Kendra. They were there. I guess -- Kendra was there both nights. We`re going to have Kendra and Corey back for a little more conversation about that fateful night in Indiana and the healing that has occurred as of Friday night when Sugarland came back to that same fateful fair ground, for that same region.

If you want to go to hlntv.com, that is our new website. You can see what`s on tonight`s HLN 10. That`s right, the 10 top stories. You`re going to love this new website. It is very cool, and we`ll be back with more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PINSKY: Here we are again with that great picture of the Los Angeles City Hall. Again, a little bit of history. I remember growing up in Los Angeles, seeing that as the only tall building downtown. And indeed, that was completed in 1928. And for almost 40 years, it stood as the only tall building, really, tall building in downtown Los Angeles. That`s why it was so much of an iconic landmark.

Apparently, because of the inability to generate the necessary earthquake standards to withstand the kinds of quakes that we get here kind of routinely, now, we have 60, 70 story buildings in downtown Los Angeles that are on rollers and sway and all kinds of fancy technologies yet to be tested with a really big one, but one day, I`m sure we will.

We are back speaking of tragedy. We are back with our guests talking about the Indiana State Fair stage collapse last August 13th. Now, Kendra, is this the kind of thing that you figure is just going to stay with you and your best friend forever, and does it bring you, guys, closer together?

STOCK: It is absolutely going to stay with us forever. It`s changed my life in a lot of ways, and I think it will definitely bring us closer together.

PINSKY: And both to Corey and Kendra, back when this thing first happened, there was talk of blaming various people who ran the fair, or perhaps, weather forecasters. Is there any more of that kind of talk or has there been, for that matter, anything to correct to be sure this kind of thing doesn`t happen again?

STOCK: I think they`re looking into it. I mean, there`s always going to be talk, and that`s, you know, something that it`s hard to, you know, put a finger on and point blame. I don`t think you can really blame any one person for this situation. It`s just a freak accident that happened. It`s been unfortunate --

PINSKY: Yes. I hope people have stopped doing that. That was sort of unpleasant to hear that kind of blaming. And Corey, I`m going to give last word to you. You`re the performer that was there to heal that night. I`ve got less than about 40 seconds. What are the message that you want people in that community to know?

COX: I just wanted to thank everybody for coming out and coming together. You know, it was great for us to all come together as a state, as a city, and really, just celebrate the healing power of music, and you know, everybody, you know, just come together and pay tribute to the ones who lost their lives, but like I said also, just celebrate the healing and, you know, really come together as one.

PINSKY: And again, not just the healing, but the heroic standards that the Indiana citizens set in the face of what really was a dangerous disaster. Watching people run towards -- I get emotional every time I talk about it -- run towards the danger is something I will not forget. Thank you, guys, for joining us. And it`s Andrea, right, your friend, we wish the best for her and quick recovery.

STOCK: Thank you.

PINSKY: Got a few words before we go. Remember out in those first parts of this program tonight, we were talking about celebrities. We were talking about image, and the fact that we seem to worship both. Now, listen, I`ve written actually a whole book on this very topic, and I want people to remember that the stuff they`re watching on television, sometimes on reality shows are people playing roles, OK, in their professional lives.

And some of them may be doing that in their private lives. They are selling what they want us to believe, and many of us seem to be buying this. Now, we ask why does it matter tonight? Because it`s shaping our culture. Children are aspiring to be like this. They are chasing these fantasies that are, let`s call them, unhealthy.

Let`s call them empty, when the real meaning of relationships is something that, perhaps, gets missed. Keep that in your mind as you bring your children up, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for watching and I will see you next time.

END