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Two U.S. Officers Killed in Kabul; Nelson Mandela Hospitalized; Last Stand Before Michigan, Arizona; RFK Son's Legal Trouble; Three New Technological Products; Competition to Solve Problems; Romney Rally in Flint, Michigan; Life After Drugs; Doctor Makes Remote House Calls; Oscar Predictions; Gas Prices Up 3 Cents Overnight

Aired February 25, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

RICHELLE CAREY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. I'm Richelle Carey in for Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday, the 25th of February.

In Afghanistan, two high ranking American officers are shot and killed. The Taliban says the Americans were killed in retaliation for the burning of Korans at a NATO base earlier this week. Protesters have been packing the streets for five days now, furious over the Koran burning. We will go live to Afghanistan for details in just a couple of minutes.

Nelson Mandela is spending the night in the hospital. A family member tells us he had hernia operation - a surgery for that and he is resting comfortably. The former South African president is 93 years old.

And a huge explosion rips through a neighborhood in the Syrian City of Homs. People there have been trapped by shelling and sniper fire for three weeks now. Syrian officials agreed to a cease-fire yesterday to let wounded people and some women and children evacuate. At least 75 people are reported killed across Syria just today.

NATO's reacting swiftly to the shooting deaths of two American military officers in Afghanistan. Both were shot dead inside a government building in Kabul earlier today. Protesters have been packing the streets across Afghanistan for five days furious over the burning of Korans at a NATO base.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins us from Kabul. Nick, what are NATO and the U.S. going to do to get other westerners out of harm's way? Because clearly the situation is not stable.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. What they've immediately done is the head of our staff here, General John Allen, has withdrawn advisers from ministries in and around Kabul.

Now, that's not a huge number of people, but it is deeply symbolic because obviously this is a war going on here and they're in a deep hurry to train up Afghan Security Forces to take over the job of keeping this country secure.

So NATO can leave. This isn't going to help at all. An incident like this plays much more, though, widely into the essential trust between Afghan soldiers and Americans and NATO here undertaking that training mission.

Let me tell you exactly what we do know at this point. ISAF sources say the gunman who according to Afghan police officer managed to enter a secure part of that secure Interior Ministry where the Americans were, ISAF sources said that gunman was not a westerner and that he is at large. So he escaped from that particular shooting.

As you said, the Taliban have claimed responsibility for this, naming the gunman as Abdul Rahman and saying he was acting to revenge the burning of the Koran. At this point, that's not something ISAF or Afghan officials wish to corroborate, but we are also hearing that the Afghan Defense Minister has apologized this instant and has agreed to cooperate in the investigation, suggesting perhaps to some that maybe Afghan security personnel was somehow involved, Richelle.

CAREY: So we understand that the gunman is not in custody. Is anybody in custody at all?

PATON WALSH: Not as far as we're aware, no. And this is the big mystery, how did this gunman it seems get into a securest part of this very secure ministry, carry this out and then escape. Many questions to be answered certainly.

But let's not - bear in mind whatever the investigation brings out, the damage could already be done. We have the withdraw advisories for ministries, and as I say we have this huge impact on the psychology I'm sure many NATO soldiers here. They should have been very safe where they were in this part of the ministry, but somehow somebody got to them and it happens of course in this climate of Afghan fury about the burning of the Koran a week ago at a U.S. base not far from where I'm standing.

Really, we've seen protests across the country for the fifth straight day, four dying in the North in Kundos (ph) as they try to approach the U.N. building there, clashing with police. And really concerns as to how that climate of Afghan discontent and this incident could really play into how NATO soldiers feel here - Richelle.

CAREY: So no doubt the ramification still yet to be seen. Nick Paton Walsh in Afghanistan. Nick, thank you so much.

A concrete reminder of Osama Bin Laden's life is going away. It's tRicky to make this out, but in the distance, that's the three story building where Bin Laden was hiding and where he was killed by U.S. Special Forces last May. Cranes and heavy machines are working through the night knocking down the walls around that compound and the building itself.

A Pakistani official says they don't want the place to become a shrine for people who may be followers of Osama Bin Laden.

All of South Africa and admirers of Nelson Mandela all around the world, they're really eager to get details on the health of the former South African president today. That's after news emerge that Mandela went to the hospital. We checked in with our reporter in Johannesburg a little while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The South Africans very worried, wanting more information. And in the last 30 minutes or so, we received an updated statement from the presidency.

The presidency is dealing with all the communications around Mr. Mandela's health. And this is what they're saying. Mr. Mandela is in a satisfactory condition in hospital. He's comfortable. He went through a planned procedure. We can only assume that the hernia surgery that our sources have told us about to investigate the causes of this abdominal complaint that the presidency spoke about.

President Zuma tonight saying that Mr. Mandela is fine and fully conscious and that doctors are satisfied with his condition which they say is consistent with his age. They're stressing today that Mr. Mandela is not in any danger and that's exactly what his party, the African National Congress, has been saying the whole day.

KEITH KHOZA, ANC SPOKESMAN: It's not an emergency. It was pre- planned and it finally happened today.

MABUSE: Is it life threatening?

KHOZA: It's not. He's fine. He's OK. And that's what we've been communicating to South Africans that there's no need to panic.

MABUSE: The ruling party, the African National Congress and the presidency telling South Africans and the world not to panic and that Mr. Mandela is expected to be released from hospital - discharged from hospital either tomorrow or Monday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: And that was CNN's Nkepile Mabuse. No word on exactly where Nelson Mandela is recovering from surgery. The family is wanting to keep that private.

Next, the race for the GOP nomination heats up with tough words from Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum just ahead of Tuesday's critical vote.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: A big showdown is just around the corner from Republican presidential hopefuls. Michigan and Arizona vote Tuesday. A lot of people see Michigan as critical for Romney. He's in a dead heat with Santorum in both states. It's a tense moment with Super Tuesday just seven days later.

So much going on in a very short period of time. CNN's Joe Johns is in Troy, Michigan, a big focus on Michigan. Joe, is too much being made of Michigan or is that just not even possible?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: No, I don't think so. You know, you think about it, this is a place where Romney grew up, so you sort of expect to see, you know, how well he does, Richelle.

I mean, here in Troy is a very interesting place to sort of see both of these candidates in the home stretch, if you will. Santorum appearing in the morning, then Romney in the afternoon, both in the very same room, before the very same crowd, group of 1,200, 1,500 people with Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group.

Their approaches in their speeches here in the home stretch seem to be very similar. First, they obviously talk about what they're for, and then they make that sort of seamless turn to what they're against, which would include certain policies of the Obama administration.

And then they would turn attention to each other with selective critiques, if you will. Fascinating I think that neither of these candidates really found it necessary to adhere to Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment that's been made so famous, "Don't speak ill of another Republican."

So listen to the sound bites and I'll talk to you about it in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In that last debate, we heard something about business as usual in Washington. But when the Senator mentioned that sometimes you have to take one for the team, what he was describing in those circumstances where he disagreed with something on principal but he had to vote for it because that was taking one for the team.

We can't do that anymore. We can't continue to take one for the team. My team is the people of the United States of America and I'm going to fight for that team, not for the partisans in Washington.

RICK SANTORUM, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't - I go out and crow that I impose the first carbon cap on power plants. As Governor Romney did when he was governor of Massachusetts and talk about how we're responding to the severe threat of manmade global warming.

I didn't buy it. I didn't buy climate science. I didn't buy it because I knew this climate science wasn't climate science, it was political science.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So Richelle, also important to say as you noted at the top, Michigan is not the only state in play right now. Arizona is, too. They also vote on the 28th and there's a new poll just out today that seems to suggest that Romney's lead there is narrowing a bit, it's now within the margin of error, so it looks like it could be a pretty close race in these two states as we enter the final 48 to 72 hours.

CAREY: So much to watch. So much to watch and so much to talk to you about. So we'll talk to you again, Joe Johns. Thank you.

JOHNS: You bet. CAREY: All right. A member of the Kennedy Family is in a bit of trouble. This is so odd. It involves a maternity ward, two nurses and surveillance video. And that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: A member of the Kennedy Clan is fighting accusations he got into a scuffle with two nurses in a maternity ward. Douglas Kennedy is the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has more on this really unusual story. So Susan, I know you've been doing some digging. Layout the details for us as you know them.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Richelle, to call this strange is an understatement.

What you have is a father, in this case a son of Robert F. Kennedy facing criminal misdemeanor charges after trying to take his newborn baby from a maternity ward outside for some fresh air. This happened last month.

According to court documents, the baby was almost three days old. Douglas Kennedy was visiting his wife who was recovering from a C- section. He was holding his baby boy, Beau, swaddled in a blanket and a cap. Nurses told him will he needed permission to leave the maternity ward.

Kennedy's lawyer says trouble started when another nurse told Kennedy he could not go outside. When sworn depositions to police, the nurses said they talked Kennedy out of an elevator, but then he headed into a stairwell. A nurse tried to stop him from leaving. Here's their attorney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only aggressors were the nurses. And in fact initially the nurses said that he could go outside. And it only changed when another nurse and then another nurse after that became aggressive and blocked Douglas from walking with his baby outside to get fresh air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, that was actually the lawyer representing Mr. Kennedy, not the lawyer for the nurses.

An emergency room doctor, who's a family friend of Kennedy's, who says he saw the whole thing, issued a statement. In his words he said, "I can state unequivocally that the nurses were the only aggressors. To charge Mr. Kennedy with a crime is simply incomprehensible.

Now, according to the nurses, they said that when Kennedy had the baby in his arms and when they tried to stop him from leaving, that the baby's head was shaking violently. Now, the lawyer representing Mr. Kennedy says that absolutely did not happen. So again, Mr. Kennedy is not charged with assaulting the nurses. He faces a misdemeanor charge of endangering a child and two lesser charges, violations for harassing allegedly the nurses - Richelle.

CAREY: Right, Susan. Again, such an - I don't know - such an unusual story. And, again, it happened a while ago, but it's just now coming to light, right?

CANDIOTTI: Just about six weeks ago, right. And again, the baby we're told is not harmed in anyway, is not injured. The district attorney's office is not commenting nor is the hospital at this time.

CAREY: OK. Susan, thank you for that reporting. Appreciate it.

There's a whole new way of watching the Oscars this year. When it comes to the Oscars, there's an app for that. Don't go anywhere, we'll tell you how it works right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Sony launches a new gaming system and BlackBerry updates its tablet and the 84th (sic) Academy Awards allows backstage access with an official app. Lots of technology news.

So let's go ahead and get started. Let's start with gaming and gadgets expert Marc Saltzman. OK, Marc, let's start with the Playstation Vita. Sony says that sales are very positive. Tell us about this.

MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: Sure. So this is Sony's second major handheld gaming system, the successor to the Playstation Portable or PSP.

The PS Vita are now available starting at $249 is a great piece of hardware in my review, I'm very positive about it. It's got a gorgeous five-inch OLED screen, so organic light emitting diodes for amazing contrast and colors.

There's five ways to play the games. You've got a touch screen on the front, a back touch panel. You've got dual analog sticks so it feels like a video game console. There's tilt sensors, familiar Playstation buttons on the front. There's a lot going for.

And the first batch of games led by Unchartered Golden Abyss, which is one of their key signature franchises on the Playstation 3 looks and plays great. So it's really like having a console in your pocket.

The problem that I have and I'm not alone here is the price of the games. $30 to $50 a pop for a portable game and that's pretty steep when you're talking about a culture now used to paying 99 cents for Angry Birds. You know, that's a lot. Granted again we're talking console-like quality in both video and control.

But I think that's going to be a hard sell for Playstation, but in terms of, you know, if you want to don't look at the price, if you look at the name, the quality of the games, the selection, there's a very strong future with this platform.

CAREY: And Marc - and please don't laugh at me. My little cousin will be laughing at me. Don't the kids like borrow the games and then return them? I mean, isn't that how it works with the games?

SALTZMAN: So you can rent PS Vita games. They come on tiny, little memory cards. And then there are some that you can download inexpensively that are digital only, kind of like Angry Birds.

But, yes, the kids could swap them. There's no reason why you couldn't. When you play a multiplayer game however, usually both require the same game, but that could happen. And - but I hope Sony takes a good hard look at the numbers and decides to just bring down the overall price of the games.

CAREY: OK. Thanks for not bursting out laughing at me when I have to say (ph) -

SALTZMAN: Not at all. That's a valid question.

CAREY: OK. All right. Now, let's talk about the BlackBerry Playbook software update. Apparently does this make a difference in the functionality of the tablet? Did it really do that?

SALTZMAN: I think so. The question is, it too little too late? We're talking about the seven-inch BlackBerry tablet that came out in April of 2011 to very sort of lukewarm reviews. It was a lot of experts including journalists like myself felt that it was rushed to market, you know, in the wake of the popularity of the iPad and Android Tablet.

So this new software update, which is free to BlackBerry Playbook owners adds a lot more functionality. It does allow you to now pick up your e-mail and calendar entries and appointments on the Playbook. You can now download a lot more apps. That was lacking significantly. Including the ability to play some Android apps.

So it's expanding - it's expanding its catalog considerably. And there's a number of other improvements. Again, it's a free download. If you already own a BlackBerry Playbook, no question, it's really going to unlock a lot more of the capabilities of this more portable tablet.

But for those who are still on the fence as to which one to buy, I still think that RIM, Research in Motion, is still playing catch-up in this space as much as they are in the smartphone space. So but the $200 price point is pretty attractive, so it's going to help the company out to how - you know, to what degree is the big question. CAREY: OK. And tell us about the official Oscar app.

SALTZMAN: Right. So speaking of apps, of course tomorrow might is the 84th Academy Awards. And there is an official iPad app from ABC. And it's really meant to serve as a second screen. You've got this iPad on your lap while you're watching the Oscars tomorrow night, and it allows you to do a number of things. First of all, before the Oscars even take place, much like your office pool, you can predict who the winners are going to be in all the categories and then when they're announced in real time, you're going to be measured on your success, how good were you at guessing the winners and compare them with your friends on Facebook.

The second thing perhaps more importantly, more exciting is the ability to choose what cameras you want to see. There's a lot of exclusive video and live feeds that you get to choose on the iPad. So while you're watching it on your big screen TV, you've got backstage access, red carpet, the Kodak Theatre chat. There's a thank you cam for winners who want to say thanks to their fans on camera.

There's a control room cam. So if you're interested in broadcast journalism, you want to see how it works behind the scene, it's pretty and exciting and free app if you're an iPad owner.

CAREY: That sounds like a lot of fun. All right. Good stuff, Marc Saltzman. Appreciate it.

SALTZMAN: Thanks, Richelle.

CAREY: Absolutely. For more high tech ideas and reviews, just go to CNN.com/Tech and look for the "Gaming and Gadgets" tab.

And speaking of the Academy Awards, there's a couple of really hot races this year. Who do you want to win tomorrow night? Our movie expert is sharing her picks.

And just ahead, a former NBA star goes public with his addiction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I woke up in the back of an ambulance. The police officer cuffed me. And said, my man, you were just dead 30 seconds ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: Candid talk about drugs from a guy who had everything and nearly lost it all when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: What if no problem either man made or natural was too big for us to solve?

Peter Diamandis firmly believe that this is true. He's the chairman and founder of the X PRIZE Foundation. He's also the co-author of a new book, "Abundance: The Future is Greater Than You Think."

So you with the X PRIZE, you give incentives to solve problems. And you find this very interesting because this democratization has meant that some of the people who have come up with interesting solutions to some of the big problems of the world would not have been in place to do that 20 or 30 years ago.

PETER DIAMANDIS, CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER, X PRIZE FOUNDATION: Exactly. In fact, a lot of the large companies and a lot of the biggest thinkers are really invested in keeping the solutions the way they are, keeping the situation. Because they're the experts and the way it is.

VELSHI: Yes.

DIAMANDIS: But a real breakthrough comes from a right angle and it's disruptive and it was a crazy idea the day before some of the breakthrough. So a lot of the teams that we're seeing winning our large X PRIZE competitions are really - come out of no place. They are people with a great idea, they're passionate about solving it and their idea is so disruptive and different that it's a breakthrough idea.

VELSHI: In fact, you have this one X challenge to clean up oil from water as a result of the Gulf Oil spill.

DIAMANDIS: Yes. The Wendy Schmidt Oil Clean-up Competition, we had a team that came out of no place to place in the finals that met in a Las Vegas tattoo parlor. And these guys built a scale model in their pool of this oil clean-up facility and the first time they tested it, it doubled the existing capability that had been the standard for the last 20 years.

VELSHI: Peter, thank you.

I'm Ali Velshi with this week's "Fortune Brainstorm."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Welcome back.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is holding a grassroots rally right now in Flint, Michigan. Michigan is where he's from. Let's go ahead and listen in.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time for us to make sure that we can live with our own - our own resources.

And some things - some things are easy to get rid of. We won't cry when they go. Obamacare is number one on that list. We'll get rid of that right away.

And there's some other things that I like that we're going to have to say, guys, you've got to stand on your own feet. I mean, for instance, we borrow money so that you guys, when you were little, when you watched Big Bird and Bert and Ernie, you didn't have to see any advertisements. I'm not willing to borrow money from other people to do that. You're going to have to get used to Big Bird and cornflakes on the same program. You know how it is (ph)?

We're going to have - we're just not going to borrow money from other people to do all these things we don't have to do. And that -

CAREY: OK. And the big bird is Tuesday in Michigan.

OK, moving for politics to sports and how former NBA star Chris Herren travels the country telling people how addiction nearly killed him. He really focuses on children, on teenagers.

CNN's Jason Carroll has this really powerful story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for being here.

CHRIS HERREN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Hey, thank you.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chris Herren is back on the court.

HERREN: In two minutes left, my name's called in the starting lineup.

CARROLL: But this one time raising basketball star is not performing the way he had once imagined.

HERREN: My first memory as a Boston Celtic was hanging on a street corner, waiting (INAUDIBLE).

CARROLL: Herren is speaking to students at Pingree School in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, talking about who he really is.

(on camera): How do you define who you are?

HERREN: I'm a recovering drug addict. Extremely grateful, grateful for one day at a time.

CARROLL (voice-over): In a basketball town like Fall River, Massachusetts, Herren was the answer to all those who dreamed of making it, a 2,000 point scorer at Durfee High School, a McDonald's All-American, a "Sports Illustrated" darling - all before Herren started for Boston College.

HERREN: I was just like every other kid, you know? I was an athlete. I went out Friday and Saturday nights, thinking, you know, this is what high school kids do. And I just took it one step further than most.

A dollar bill was handed to me, and at 18 years old I snorted my first line of cocaine.

CARROLL: Three failed drug tests, and a year later his career at Boston College was over. But Herren wasn't out of the game. He landed at Fresno State, the Denver Nuggets, then with his hometown Boston Celtics.

But his drug use escalated, turning to deadly overdoses.

HERREN: I woke up in the back of an ambulance. A police officer cuffed me and said, "My man, you were just dead 30 seconds ago."

In the world of addiction, you hate yourself, you know? So escape yourself. So whatever drug's in front of me, I'm going to take, because I don't like being me.

CARROLL: After years of abusing heroin, cocaine and prescription drugs, after losing his career and nearly his family, Herren finally accepted help through a 12 step program. His troubled past detailed in the book, "Basketball Junkie." He's been sober since August 1st, 2008.

(on camera): Three years sober -

HERREN: Three and a half.

CARROLL: Three and a half.

HERREN: Don't cheat me (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) NBA basketball player, Boston (INAUDIBLE) Chris Herren.

CARROLL (voice-over): Speaking about addiction is therapy for Herren, taking his story to schools nationwide and reaching out to people like Luke Szarythe and his father. Luke has had trouble with alcohol.

LUKE SZARYTHE, COLLEGE SENIOR: It's helped put a perspective on, you know, there's a path where I can take from this point.

CARROLL: It took Herren 14 years to find his path to sobriety.

(on camera): Do you ever think to yourself what could have been?

HERREN: Who cares? Who cares? Honest to God, why should I care? Because it's - I'm too happy where my feet are today to worry about my footprints behind me.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: You can't dwell on the past.

Herren started a nonprofit in 2011 to help people with addictions. In one year the Herren Project has paid for the treatment for 100 addicts.

Taking medicine to remote areas. The lack of easy access isn't keeping this CNN Hero from making his rounds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. BENJAMIN LABROT, "FLOATING DOCTORS": My name is Dr. Benjamin LaBrot. I don't have a private medical practice. I make no salary.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ben, do you want to take her to the (INAUDIBLE)? LABROT: I started an organization called "Floating Doctors" to use a ship to bring healthcare to communities that have fallen through the cracks and been denied access to healthcare. "Floating Doctors" has a 76-foot, 100 ton ship that we refurbished from a completely derelict hull, and we use that to transport all of our supplies.

Since we set sail about two and a half years ago, our mission has been continuous. We were two months in Haiti to transit into Honduras, and we've been working in Panama for about the last eight months.

In the last two years, we've treated nearly 13,000 people in three countries. I find patients who have never seen a doctor before in their lives.

That was about as good a result in that ultrasound as we could possibly hope.

A typical community is usually living with no electricity, with no running water, with no sewage, essentially living with none of the basic requirements as we understand it. We've built schools. We've done community projects. We provided health education for thousands of patients.

"Floating Doctors" is an all volunteer organization. Nobody gets paid. All of our medical supplies are donated.

I had to postpone many aspects of my own personal life. I don't have a home somewhere. I have to give up a lot, but I gained everything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: The 84th Annual Academy Awards right around the corner. Everyone's making their predictions, including our movie critics.

Three of five Best Actress nominees are being nominated for the first time. Will one of them take home an award on the first try? Our expert predictions are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: OK, let's have some fun. The 84th Annual Academy Awards are tomorrow. We're going to start making some predictions today. I mean, why not?

We have both our critics at the same time this afternoon. Matt Atchity from Rottentomatoes.com and Grae Drake from Movies.com. Guys, it's so fun to do this.

OK, let's get started. Before we get your predictions on Best Actress and Best Actor, first I want your take on whether or not you think it's a good batch overall, whether or not you think it's a really deep category this year. Grae, first, what do you think about the - the Actor category?

GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, FANDANGO AND MOVIES.COM: Well, I think that the Actor category is really, really strong this year. It's packed with fantastic performances, and a couple of surprises as far as nominations went, being - especially Mr. Brad Pitt for "Moneyball," I say. He's always been great, so it's a really strong category.

CAREY: OK, Matt, what do you think? Are you impressed with the overall category, before we get to who your prediction is?

MATT ATCHITY, EDITOR IN CHIEF, ROTTENTOMATOES.COM: Absolutely. I think we've got some really great performances that are nominated this year. Any one of them are a standout in, you know, in what they've done. It would be - if I was voting, it would be hard to choose.

CAREY: OK. Do you feel the same way about the Actress category? I mean, you've got Meryl - Meryl Streep, like always.

ATCHITY: Absolutely. You know, I think that we've got a really strong category, too, although I think in this particular case it's probably down to two of them. I think it's really down to Meryl and Viola Davis in this category. Those would be I think probably the two strongest contenders.

CAREY: OK, Grae, what do you think about that? And we're looking at - I think that's Mera - Rooney Mara right there. But Grae, what do you think about the - the overall - the Actress category?

DRAKE: I think the Actress category is missing a few people, like Tilda Swinton from "We Need to Talk About Kevin." But I agree that the big race is between Viola and Meryl.

However, I just want to point out that we live in a world where Glenn Close has never gotten an Oscar. That's crazy.

CAREY: That's a crazy world to you.

You know guys, let me ask, sometimes do - do Oscars just flat out come down to a popularity contest as opposed to who is just the most talented? Grae, I see - I see both of you nodding. Grae, go ahead. Answer that.

DRAKE: You know, unfortunately, this is - this is basically Hollywood high school, where the most popular kid wins. And occasionally you'll get people that win for an entire body of work instead of the actual performance, and that one is always tricky.

CAREY: Matt, you concur?

ATCHITY: I absolutely agree. You know, one of the best examples was when Dame Judi Dench won for "Shakespeare in Love," which was a fine performance, but she's onscreen for just a couple of minutes, and really that was the Oscars really - you know, the Academy really honoring previous efforts and really feeling like it was her time to win.

CAREY: OK, let's - let's get to some particulars now. Let's start with the Actress category, guys. OK, you mentioned Glenn Close. It's Glenn Close for "Albert Nobbs;" Viola Davis, of course, for "The Help;" Rooney Mara for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo;" Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady;" and Michelle Williams for "My Week with Marilyn."

OK, Matt, I will let you go first. Who do you think will get it, and who do - and who do you think should get it?

ATCHITY: I think this is going to go to Viola Davis. In other years, I might say it would be a real toss up between her and Meryl, but I think Meryl loses points because the movie she was in, "Iron Lady," didn't do that well. People weren't that happy with it.

I think Viola Davis turned in a great performance in a fantastic movie, and I think she's going to win. And honestly I think she deserves to win.

CAREY: OK, Grae, your turn.

DRAKE: Well, I've got to agree with Matt. There's an interesting statistic about the Oscars. Every year that Glenn Close and Meryl Streep are nominated in the same category, they both lose.

CAREY: OK. All right.

DRAKE: They split the vote.

CAREY: So, OK. So, having said that?

DRAKE: And so I think that this is going to be Viola's year. And I would just like to point out, however, that Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn" was truly amazing, creating not just an imitation of Marilyn Monroe, but just, you know, bringing that character and that woman back to life. I don't think this is her year, but -

CAREY: OK. That's a great scene right there. Look at that. She's fantastic.

OK, let's get to the Actors now. Demian Bachir for "A Better Life," George Clooney for "The Descendants" - that was really on my to do list. I just haven't gotten to it yet. Jean Dujardin for "The Artist," Gary Oldman for "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," and Brad Pitt for "Moneyball," which is actually sitting on my DVR but I haven't gotten to it yet.

OK, Grae, you get to go first. Who do you think should win? Who do you think will win?

DRAKE: OK, well just first and foremost, who is definitely absolutely going to win, Jean Dujardin, for sure. He did something in "The Artist" that no one else in this category did, which is shut his mouth and speak with his eyes.

He didn't even have to speak English as a first language in order to win everybody's hearts. Acting is universal, and that is what Jean Dujardin showed.

However, also I just got to speak up for the little guy again, because we - not only has Glenn Close never won an Oscar, but in this category Gary Oldman has never gotten an Oscar for delighting us for decades, and this would be an amazing surprise tomorrow.

CAREY: So it almost sounds like you're saying he should get one for - for the body of work type of award, right?

DRAKE: Very, very true, because this guy can do anything. He can be a drug dealer, he can be Dracula, or he could also be Beethoven. I love Gary Oldman.

CAREY: You're making a good case.

OK, Matt, you have the floor.

ATCHITY: I actually disagree with Grae in this category. I think that this movie - I think that this award's going to go to George Clooney this year. I think that he put in a great performance.

I mean, they all in this category put in great performances, but I think Clooney has a lot of friends in the Academy. He hasn't won Best Actor before, and I think he's going to go home with it this time.

CAREY: I'm sorry, you said that you think George Clooney - George Clooney is going to win, and who do you think should win?

ATCHITY: Yes. Yes. I - if I were voting, I would be voting for Gary Oldman. I do agree with Grae. I think that Oldman's performance in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was a level of subtlety that we haven't seen from him before. He's fantastic in that movie and I'd love to see him continue to do other quieter roles than we've seen in the past.

CAREY: You know, I think it's so funny. I think that it's hilarious the way that George Clooney and Brad Pitt, who everyone knows are good friends, the way that they - they rib each other in the press about being up against each other. But it sounds like neither one of you mentioned Brad Pitt, so you don't think he has a chance.

DRAKE: No.

ATCHITY: I don't think so.

DRAKE: I don't think this is Brad Pitt's year at all.

CAREY: No?

DRAKE: No, and, I mean, quite honestly -

ATCHITY: I don't think. I would like to see him get it, but -

(CROSSTALK)

CAREY: Sorry. I'm sorry. It sounds like - Grae, you go ahead.

DRAKE: I don't think this is Brad Pitt's year because he also deserves a body of work Oscar, but I am more than willing to put down some money on my choice, Matt. Let's - let's do this.

ATCHITY: Oh, absolutely. I'm right there with you. $20 bucks. Let's do it.

CAREY: You - you guys are funny. You guys are funny. You're so funny we're going to talk next hour, OK?

Matt and Grae will be back to talk about Best Picture predictions. So I will dial you guys up in just a little bit.

All right, gas prices jumped again overnight. We'll tell you how much right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Drive by a gas station today and start crying. I mean, you know what I'm going to say. Gas prices jumped another three cents overnight. It is relentless.

The national average is now $3.67 for a gallon of regular unleaded. That's up 30 cents from just a month ago. But some cities are seeing upwards of $5 a gallon.

So what in the world is going on? Let's bring in Josh Levs. Josh, please explain why some cities are getting hit harder than others. What's going on?

Josh levs, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's really confusing to a lot of people especially now when we're seeing video like this.

Let's show what we're getting out of Orlando, a lot of people are talking about this. Now, I want people to know. This is not typical even for Florida, but there are a couple of places in Orlando getting a lot of attention because they're way high in the $5s. Often you will find this in these tourist trap locations charge a little bit more.

And we also have video out of Los Angeles, there in California, the average is over $4 and there are some sites in California that are way high up in the $4s. And it's really kind of amazing now.

Just to remind you, kind of recap the basic reasons, some of this is an uptick in the economy. Some of this is what's going on in the stock market. And a lot is concern over Iran. The concerns about what could happen with Iran's oil supply affects the world oil markets. Also the speculations.

So all these things come together to impact crude oil which ultimately impacts gas prices. But what we're looking at right now folks is this. Take a look here. This shows you the differences in prices all over the country. The more red, the more expensive.

Take a look at the average right now in California. This is from CNN.com here. $4.20 average in California. But just jump right over here to Colorado, $3.12 average. Jump over here and let's got over to the northeast, in New York, you've got $3.91 average. Now, let's jump down to the south, here in Georgia, $3.60 average.

So what's going on? Why are these things so different? Let me talk you through a few basic reasons and we've got them on screens for you. I want to make this clear.

The four major factors I can point to. One of them is the taxes are very different in different states. And different counties all over this country, folks, have taxes end up making a difference.

Another is environmental rules. Individual states and in some cases individual counties have specific environmental rules about what happens to gasoline. That can add to your price.

Two more here. Distance from the supply. If it takes more of an effort to get the gasoline to where you are, that's going to show up in price difference.

And the other, which helps explain what we saw at the beginning out of Orlando there is competition. If you have a lot of - it's just on any commodity, if you have a lot of places selling gasoline near each other, it can work the prices down. If you have one place right near where you return a rental car, they might be able to go up higher. So that helps explain some differences.

Take a look at this. One more map I want you to see, which is fascinating to me. This map in blue shows you how much of your income goes to gasoline. And the darker blue, the more Montana folks, lately 11 percent of income going to gasoline. Down here in Mississippi, which is the highest, 12 percent of income going to gasoline.

And Richelle, that has a lot to do with the price of gasoline, how much people drive, also average incomes all coming together, but it's really stark when you see it like this. It's striking how much money people having to spend in this economy at the gas pump.

CAREY: Oh, that's a fascinating map, Josh.

LEVS: Yes.

CAREY: How about this? Help us out. Nobody wants to waste all their gas driving around looking for the cheapest gas. You know, like I don't want to go there. I don't want to go there. So help us out and tell us how to find the cheapest gas so we don't have to do that.

LEVS: And here's a little tip for you. Let's - well, Paul (ph), let's quickly show my screen. There are a few places for you right there that will link for you. Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN. The blog, CNN.com/Josh. I've got some places for you.

Also next hour, I'm going to show how to use them. So be with us in the 4:00 Eastern Hour, 1:00 Pacific. Richelle and I will break down for you how to use the web to save money at the pump.

CAREY: OK. Let's do it, buddy.

LEVS: All right.

CAREY: Let's do it. Thank you, Josh.

LEVS: See you later. CAREY: OK. Now, watch this. Wild winds, enough to knock you down. The weather has been kind of weird from east to west. What's going on and what you can expect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Chances are no matter where you are in the country you had a smack down with some wind somewhere. Am I right, Jacqui Jeras?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I love that, a smack down.

CAREY: But there's something going on. What's going on?

JERAS: It's crazy. Well, you know, it's differences in pressure is what drives the wind, Richelle. And we've got that all over the country, particularly in the northeast and the northwest today.

So a lot of people are dealing with this. And it's actually kind of dangerous to be out there from time to time when we've been seeing peak wind gusts around 40, 50 miles per hour.

Look at those strong winds. And you can really see it with the radar on top of this how those winds are driving the snow showers, how the cold air is moving over the Great Lakes and bringing that snowfall all across parts of the northeast.

Now the advisories are out from New England, all the way down through the Appalachians. And this is going to start to quiet down after sundown. So that's the good news out of all this for today. The bad news is that it makes for an ugly day and for a lot of travel problems.

This is New York City, Central Park looking at gusts around 30 miles per hour right now and that's really helping to keep those temperatures down today, as well.

Here are the airport delays as of this hour. Newark looking at delays just over an hour, about 1-1/2 hours at Washington Dulles. Everything is reported fine at Reagan National at this time. We'll see if that continues to hold as well.

All right. Let's show you some of the current gusts across the region. They're really quite impressive. We saw the highest one so far this afternoon was out of Boston at Logan, 52 mile-an-hour gusts. You're still at 38. So that's enough to bring down some tree limbs. There are a couple of hundred people without power. So it's not widespread or anything across the northeast, but it could happen to you.

All right, high pressure in place across the nation's midsection, with its strong low up here, strong low over here, that's what's driving in those winds.

So this is going to be the next system that we're watching today. It's impacting you in the Pacific Northwest now, but it's going to be on the move across the country. So watch this move across parts of Montana, through the Dakotas, through parts of Minnesota for tomorrow. And by Wednesday, or Monday, excuse me, it's going to be across parts of the Great Lakes. And some of those numbers are going to be pretty high.

You know, on a typical winter, this wouldn't be a major storm for you, but this winter, this is kind of a big deal for you, you know, when you're talking six to nine inches that's going to make for some very difficult travel.

So kind of an ugly weekend and a good one to stay inside not get hit or smacked around, like you said.

CAREY: You liked that, didn't you?

JERAS: I loved it. That's a good one.

CAREY: Thank you, Jacqui.