Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Tunisia Frees Man Held in Benghazi Attack; Violence, Gore Drive Hit TV Shows; A Gym Just for Overweight People; Women on the Hill

Aired January 08, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Thank you so much for being with us. It's just about at least 30 minutes past the hour. It's time to check our "Top Stories".

Two years after being shot by a gunman at a campaign appearance, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is entering the debate on gun control. Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly have launched Americans for Responsible Solutions. That's a political action committee and Web site dedicated to preventing gun violence while protecting responsible gun ownership.

A British council just ruled that Amy Winehouse did indeed die of accident alcohol poisoning. That's the finding of a new inquiry to the singer's death an investigation that was conducted after a previous coroner was suspended for not having the right qualifications. Winehouse was 27 when she died in 2011.

The only person held and questioned in the Benghazi terror attacks is a free man this morning after he was released by authorities in Tunisia.

CNN's Chris Lawrence is at the Pentagon with more. What happened?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol basically it's a big blow to the investigation obviously but basically the judge in Tunisia after the authorities had been holding this man for several months simply decided there was not enough evidence to keep him detained any longer.

This man's name was Ali Harzi, he's a man from Tunisia again had been arrested and held for several months. The FBI actually interrogated him back in late December. But as a witness to the attack on Benghazi, not necessarily a prime suspect.

When caveat to his release is that he does have to remain near the capital of Tunisia in case the court needs to get a hold of him. In this case in the Benghazi attack some of the cameras at the consulate did capture the faces of some people in that mob but very few people have been actually questioned as suspects, primarily because the Libyan government is so weak and some of the militia groups who may have been involved in that attack are very, very strong in that country. There's been a lot of criticism, that you know, President Obama promised during the campaign to bring the killers of Ambassador Chris Stevens to justice. Obviously that hasn't happened yet. But even though these are very different attacks, when you look back historically, the attack on the "USS Cole" took about two years to bring the mastermind to get an arrest in that case. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was arrested about a year and a half after the attacks on September 11th.

So sometimes those arrests and those investigations do take time, but one prime factor in this is the fact that they are just not getting a whole lot of help from a Libyan government that is really doing a lot of fighting with some of these militias internally right now.

COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence reporting live from the Pentagon this morning.

It looks like television dramas are going dark as more hit shows use violence and gore to grab you. So why do we have to feed our need for violence? We'll talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: TV has certainly come a long way from "Ozzie and Harriet", "Bonanza". Now shows like "The Walking Dead" and "Dexter" are all the rage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to be free to be who I am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a capital offense to be who you are.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the same amount of plastic wrap, the same positioning. You lied to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you don't get off my ass -- something bad is going to happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Images of crime and violence and murder dominates some of the biggest television hits right now. And what was once considered taboo is now becoming widely accepted.

Michael Schneider wrote "TV Goes Dark: Inside the Network's Twisted New Shows for TV Guide." He joins us this morning. Thank so much for being here.

MICHAEL SCHNEIDER, L.A. BUREAU CHIEF, TV GUIDE MAGAZINE: Absolutely. Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. I loved your article. I found it fascinating. Tell our audience why the networks or shows' producers feel that TV shows have to go so dark.

SCHNEIDER: Well part of the problem is right now for broadcast networks, they're competing against cable. And cable can do a lot more edgy content shows like "Dexter", "American Horror Story" on FX. These are really edgy dark shows and they're getting big audiences. And the broadcast networks are suffering from erosion, they have been for years. And they're watching this go on right now at the cable networks and they are wondering well, you know why don't we cater to that audience? And so that's why we're starting to see more of this dark edgy, really stylish but -- but really scary shows.

COSTELLO: But if these shows are different than let's say "CSI". Some line has been crossed, but I don't know how to put it into words. Can you?

SCHNEIDER: Yes I mean it's -- "CSI", "NCIS", "Criminal Minds" those shows are very, those are procedurals. They end at the end of each hour the bad guy is always caught. The good guys always win. And there's -- a lot of times humor even during the dark situations. Those are -- those are still traditional kind of TV shows.

The new shows that are coming on, they're dark and they'll continue to be dark sometimes there's not a light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes the bad guys win, sometimes the bad guys are the stars of the show. NBC is doing a new show in a couple of months called "Hannibal" which is based on Hannibal the Cannibal, the famous epileptic (ph) character. He's the star of the show. So the antiheroes are taking over.

COSTELLO: So I mean I don't know is that -- is that good or bad? Because that's reality right, sometimes the bad guys win.

SCHNEIDER: Well I think the important thing are these good show? Are these well-written shows? Do they still show consequences? You know and at the end of the day these aren't shows that are made just to shock people. It's not gore for gore's sake. It's not horror for horror sake. And by the way most of these shows are not gory, they're psychological thrillers.

COSTELLO: But some of the imagery they use is pretty graphic. I mean ice picks in people's eyes?

SCHNEIDER: Yes, no -- absolutely. It's not for everyone. You know a lot of these shows are definitely not for everyone. But you know if you talk to the show producers, the execs, they say it's not horror for horror's sake; that these shows are crafted; they're -- you know some of the biggest auspices in TV are behind them.

The new Kevin Bacon show that's coming on Fox is called "The Following" is written by Kevin Williamson, who is a very well- respected TV writer, who's done shows like "The Vampire Diaries" on the CW. So these shows they do have strong auspices. Now will audiences tune in? Are audiences interested in such dark shows right now? We're about to find out.

COSTELLO: Well OK so I'm going to ask you the question -- the question of the moment, I suppose.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

COSTELLO: So the people who are making these television shows are examining the psychology of these dark characters, but do they examine the psychology of the audience watching and how that might affect it?

SCHNEIDER: That's a good question. I mean the -- the short answer is they're examining whether or not viewers will tune in and watch them and whether or not there is an audience for these shows. At the end of the day these are businesses and they need -- they need eyeballs, they need ratings. And if audiences aren't interesting, and don't want to tune then these shows will quickly go off the air.

COSTELLO: OK, I lied. One last question. So -- so what's the next line to be crossed?

SCHNEIDER: Well, you know, I suppose some culture critics would say that we're going down a path of harsher language, more nudity on broadcast TV. You know there are still standards. The FCC does still police the broadcast networks. They don't police cable and if you watch cable, they've crossed quite a few lines when it comes to language and nudity. And I'm sure there are some broadcast execs out there that kind of wish they could do the same.

But -- but for now, at least, on the -- over the air, which is still publicly controlled, you still can't do a lot of stuff.

COSTELLO: Michael Schneider, thanks so much.

SCHNEIDER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Before and after success stories, a gym membership offers memberships only to people who are 50 pounds or more overweight. And also, there are no mirrors inside this gym. Why? We'll talk to the founder of Downsize Fitness to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A reality TV show like "The Biggest Loser" convinces people to lose weight by shaming them -- publicly shaming. At times it's uncomfortable to watch. Take a look

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISON SWEENEY, HOST, "THE BIGGEST LOSER": 650 pounds. Nicole, what's going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been faking it for so long, like everything is OK.

SWEENEY: The green team starts off with combined total of 579 pounds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I can't imagine. I mean think of the courage that takes for those people to do that.

Now take a look at this. It's the polar opposite of "The Biggest Loser". It's a gym where the focus is still of losing weight, but in an entirely different way. The Downsize Fitness chain isn't covered with mirrors like the weight rooms and other gyms. And here's something else that also sets Downsize Fitness apart -- you have to be at least 50 pounds overweight to join.

Francis Wisniewski is the founder of Downsize Fitness. Good morning, Francis.

FRANCIS WISNIEWSKI, FOUNDER, DOWNSIZE FITNESS: Good morning, Carol.

Well, first of all I'd really like to get your opinion of TV shows like "The Biggest Loser". What do you think when you watch shows like that?

WISNIEWSKI: I've always been a big fan of "The Biggest Loser' as far as entertainment, but it's not really realistic. People that come to our gym are trying to lose weight, they have jobs, they have kids, and they don't have six months to take off and go to a cushy little camp and to try to lose weight.

So we wanted to create something that you can't do on a daily basis. You can come one hour a day, five days a week and have the support team around that are helping you reach your girl.

I guess I was -- I guess I was talking about from a public shaming kind of way. Because there you are, on display for much of the nation to see with very little clothing on. I would find that nearly impossible to do. I would never have the courage to do that.

WISNIEWSKI: I agree with you and our members feel the same way. We fog up the windows so that people can't see. If you go to a normal you have mirrors, you always have windows. They're always trying to have you work out right in front.

So that people can see into the gym. That's not something we're trying to do we wanted a place where you can feel comfortable. You don't want people looking at you and feeling embarrassed about that. So we created something that allows people to come in without the fear of what it would like if you're at it -- a regular lie.

COSTELLO: So there are no mirrors in the gym, You have to be 50 pounds overweight to lose to join, so when you're looking at that person beside on you on the treadmill. They probably look a lot like you do. Although I will say when I'm in the gym and I'm beside a very fit person that sort of motivates me.

WISNIEWSKI: It could be motivating. It could also be discouraging. You know, if I'm running behind a girl that's 110 pounds and she's running seven-minute miles. And I'm walking 3-minute miles. And I might not feel like finishing my work out.

And I've been there, I started the gym, because I wanted to lose weight myself. I've lost 60 pounds, but I wanted to do it in a way I felt comfortable. There's a lot of people that feel like me, and we've gotten a lot of requests around the U.S. to bring our facilities to other cities.

RUFINO: OK, so -- we're looking at before and after pictures of some of your gym members. So when a person is no longer 50 pounds overweight and you have to say I'm sorry, you can't be a member any longer, how does that feel?

WISNIEWSKI: No, we don't. Do that. anybody can join -- in order to join that gym you must be 50 pounds overweight but you can stay as long as you want.

COSTELLO: Oh, good.

WISNIEWSKI: We want to keep those winners around. One, they encourage, they show our other members what's possible, and two, they need the support to keep it off.

One of the biggest challenges, and I've had to challenge myself, once you've lost the weight, is not gaining it back. It's just as hard as losing.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding, especially when you're over the age of 35. Francis Wisniewski, thank you for joining us, and congratulations on losing the 60 pounds.

WISNIEWSKI: Thank you. I appreciate it.

O'BRIEN: The new 113 congress has a record number of women. Our next guest says, "Hey, we need more."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The newly sworn in 113th Congress has a record number of women lawmakers -- 20 female senators and 82 female representatives, but some say that is certainly not enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE SCHRIOCK, PRESIDENT, EMILY'S LIST: These Republican men, and John Boehner in particular, tend to want to stand around and pound their chests rather than getting things done and solving our nation's problems. I think it's time to get the Speaker's gavel out of his hands and back in the hands of a woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Too much testosterone?

Joining me now Stephanie Schriock, she's the president of Emily's List, the political action committee that helps elect Democratic women who'd support a woman's legal right to abortion. Good morning Stephanie.

SCHRIOCK: Good morning. COSTELLO: You're celebrating 20 female senators and 82 female representatives. But when you take a step back and you look at those numbers. It's really not a whole lot.

SCHRIOCK: Well, that is so true. We picked about 20 percent of the United States Senate, but I have to say we are just so excited. This last election has really been a mandate for women's leadership across the country.

We have elected some great women: Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, Mazie Hirono in Hawaii, all United States senators and all the first women to be elected to the United States Senate from their home states. I mean just really incredible numbers.

COSTELLO: Do you celebrate Republican women congress people, too?

SCHRIOCK: Emily's list, we've been working for 27 years to advance Democratic women through this, but we do realize that getting more women involved any way we can is what we need to be doing. We've actually done some research, we polled independent women right after the election.

We asked independent women -- no Democrats, no Republicans, just Independent women, you know, when hearing that there's a historic number of Democratic women elected, did you think it was make a different? 56 percent of those independent women said yes and only 8 percent said no.

So there's a call for women with the right priorities to move this country forward and that's what we're doing.

COSTELLO: OK. So I want to go back to what you said during that press conference. You really think that testosterone is the problem with getting things done in Washington?

SCHRIOCK: I think -- Well, there's lots of challenges in moving policy forward here, but we know -- and there's research after research. In corporate boardrooms, the Harvard Business Review has come out with a number of pieces of research that when you have an equal number of women and men sitting at the table, whether it's a negotiating table in Congress or a corporate boardroom, you end up with better policies. We have found that businesses and corporations have actually profited when they have more women on their corporate boards.

We need to do a better job across the country of recruiting women to run for office, supporting those women and getting their voices there. Because they just bring a different -- really a different mind-set. I'm not saying these are the right opinions and the wrong opinions. I'm talking about adding voices that really want to find solutions and move the country forward.

COSTELLO: So I've always been curious about something, Secretary of State -- very high profile cabinet position right. And seemingly many women are considered for that cabinet post. Why do you suppose that is, as opposed to Secretary of Defense or something like that? SCHRIOCK: It's an excellent question. We've had a whole series of great women Secretaries if State, including of course, Hillary Clinton, who is thankfully is back to work this week. And we're thrilled to see that.

I mean it think I think it's something about bringing folks to the table to talk things out. But the other piece of this, and I think you'll see this in the years to come on things like Secretary of Defense, is that we have a lot more women who are working their way up the ranks of the military. And you're going to -- I think you're going to see a woman secretary of defense in the next few decades, because the number of women are increasing in the military as well.

But we have seen the secretaries of state. They've done an excellent job. It is something about bringing people together to find solutions in very tough situations.

COSTELLO: Stephanie Schriock from Emily's List. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

SCHRIOCK: My pleasure. Thank you so much.

COSTELLO: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Talk Back" question today: Why are we hooked on violence on screen?

This is from Ann: "I would say they're fascinated by the idea of how in the world does someone think of such crimes? For normal people, just play games while Twisted Sisters"; people asked him out."

This from Raymond: "How we have allow two beloved children's stories like into action violence movie? And Hansel and Gretel, turned them into action, violent movies. Really, is Hollywood that desperate?"

Although, Raymond, if you've ever read the real Grimm's Fairy Tales, those things were violent and I mean scary violent. I made the mistake of reading them as the child.

This from Stephen: "It might possibly be our message to release the dark side within all of us without violating any laws."

And this from Claudio: "Because it's fun to watch and it's not real. The people getting killed are actors, the guns have blanks and the blood is cornstarch dyed red. Nothing about it is real and should not be taken too seriously."

Please keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/CarolCNN or tweet me @CarolCNN.

And thank you, as always, for watching this morning. I'm Carol Costello.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.