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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN Special Report, All The Best, All The Worst: 2019; A Glimpse at the Past, A Lesson for the Future; Mother Nature Adds Its Part in the History Books. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired December 26, 2019 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN HOST: Prepare to be amazed, mystified, and mesmerized by the biggest stories of the whole year in politics, sports, music, movies, pop culture and more.
We'll cover it all with our guests, comedians and actors Gilbert Gottfried, Judy Gold, Helen Hong, and Owen Smith. Plus, actor and model Kamie Crawford, voice actor Billy West, CNN's John Berman, and conservative political analyst Carrie Sheffield.
It's all the best, all the worst 2019.
Welcome. I'm Tom Foreman.
And this year really did feel like a wickedly deceptive magic show, full of misdirection, illusions, and sleight of hand. Every time we thought we knew exactly where things stood, suddenly they changed. And nowhere more than the place where we begin. The devilish world of hocus-pocus politics.
KAMIE CRAWFORD, ACTRESS: 2019 was a blur.
GILBERT GOTTFRIED, COMEDIAN: It's been a strange year.
CARRIE SHEFFIELD, WRITER AND POLITICAL ANALYST: A year of epic struggle.
HELEN HONG, COMEDIAN: I need a drink.
FOREMAN: It started off with the worst political story, the Ukraine scandal.
Or as President Trump called it --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Fake news. It's a hoax.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FOREMAN: It is a sordid tale of the president pressuring the Ukrainians to investigate political rival Joe Biden all for pushing a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, was to blame for U.S. election meddling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIONA HILL, FORMER SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE & RUSSIA, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: We're here just to provide what we know and what we've heard.
You swear or affirm that the --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Yet, once impeachment hearings got under way, one witness after another said the president and his team did precisely what that they are accused of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON SONDLAND, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: Everyone was in the loop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: The Republican response? Aside from rushing a hearing room trying to physically stop the proceedings.
SHEFFIELD: President Trump has clearly been a victim of incredible bias.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Impeachment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Some say his actions are bad but not impeachable. And that's one thing.
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TRUMP: A witch hunt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: There are others who just say something to the effect of, I am not listening, I am not listening, I am not listening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I want no quid pro quo. Quid pro quo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY GOLD, COMEDIAN: If I hear the term quid pro quo --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Ready?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: -- one more time --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You have the cameras rolling? Quid pro quo, quid pro quo, quid pro quo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: I'm going to quid pro myself, OK?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Quid pro quo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OWEN SMITH, WRITER AND ACTOR: I just wish someone would just make it really simple. It's like either he broke the law or he didn't break the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Worst use of thumbs. Trump's torrent of tweets against his foes laced with foul language, bitter accusations, lies, and one truly disturbing photoshopped picture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Quid pro quo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOTTFRIED: I kind of feel like I would like to take him aside and say, hey, I've had experience with Twitter, be careful.
FOREMAN: Best trend for Republicans, the way Trump continues to pack the federal courts with conservatives.
BERMAN: He is doing it in record numbers. That's what he promised. It's what he's achieving. And now it's what he's bragging about.
FOREMAN: Worst shell game, the president's non-stop attempts in the courts and Congress to keep his tax returns private.
GOLD: Can we all just agree, he's not releasing his taxes. He's not doing it.
FOREMAN: The best way to shake up terrorists. The killing of the ISIS leader in Syria.
SHEFFIELD: The president showed enormous courage, he made the right calls. The special forces who took down Al Baghdadi put their lives at enormous risk and we should all be grateful.
FOREMAN: Worst way to shake up the markets. Trump's flinging of tariffs at China.
HONG: There's famous quote in Princess Bride that say never --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never get involved in a land war in Asia.
HONG: I would like to add an addendum. Never get into a tariff pissing contest with China.
FOREMAN: Worst getaway vacation. Trump's unprecedented visit to the demilitarized zone with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un which produced only a photo op. Even that wasn't as cool as Kim's white horse photos later in the year.
[22:05:06]
SMITH: I feel like our president has definitely reshape the way politics are being played.
BILLY WEST, VOICE ACTOR: It's like crazy land right now. There's rules and laws that are being made up every second that none of us ever agreed on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It should be done pretty close to next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Best broken campaign promise as far as Democrats are concerned. That wall Trump pledged to construct, three years in, only a tiny fraction is finished.
BERMAN: The fact of the matter is the thing is not being built.
FOREMAN: And Mexico is not paying for any of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We must keep the government open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: As evidenced by a huge funding fight between Trump and Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PELOSI: It's a dark time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Which no one really won.
GOLD: In the very beginning of the year we had a government shutdown. And people were not getting paid. For no reason.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT MUELLER, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL, RUSSIA PROBE: Our investigation is complete.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Combine all that with the blistering fallout from the Russia report which did not condemn but also did not exonerate the president. A stampede of Democratic candidates vying to challenge Trump in 2020.
HONG: My mailman is running for president. My plumber is running for president. My neighbor's dog might be running for president.
CRAWFORD: Every time I watch a debate, I'm like who is this guy? I've never seen her before.
GOLD: As I'm sitting here right now, four more Democrats have entered the race for president. I'm just letting you know.
FOREMAN: Some of their calls for progressive reforms gave Republicans their best free shot.
SHEFFIELD: We're talking about socialism, folks. One of my favorite moments this year was when President Trump got up in the state of the union and he said --
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TRUMP: America will never be a socialist country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: That likely boosted Trump's better number, the roughly 90 percent of Republicans who approve of how he is doing his job.
HONG: You know what, in "Star Wars," the Sith Lord had a lot of followers.
FOREMAN: But President Trump's worst number, the more than 50 percent of Americans who have disapproved of his performance since day one. Polls now show any number of Democrats could beat him next fall.
SMITH: Whoever can get everyone to listen and get everyone's attention in a non-Trump way I think will be the person that everyone will rally behind.
WEST: I just hope people just, you know, think long and hard before they do any lever-pulling or inking or whatever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Quid pro qui.
PELOSI: The government is shut down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: And for all the uproar silliness and partisan sniping, the single most ridiculous political idea of the year.
SMITH: When Trump said he wanted to buy Greenland; I first have thought he was stealing one of my jokes.
FOREMAN: So, did Greenland, and they rejected the idea flat out.
CRAWFORD: Greenland doesn't want to be a part of our foolishness. Leave them alone.
FOREMAN: We'll have more on the big stories of the year in just a little bit. But for right now, hold on tight. We are about to let the games begin.
The decade in sports closed out with some truly historic finishes, especially for women who were playing harder than ever before. And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, bro. You, me, team bad ass. You don't want to be a part of this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buddy, it's about to go off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: We are on target to look at the golden age of television. Plus, later --
Hey, that's my car.
All best, all the worst, 2019 will be right back.
[22:10:00]
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FOREMAN: For sheer escapism, nothing could beat sports this year. And in football, no one could beat the New England patriots in the post- season. They cruised to a Super Bowl victory over the Los Angeles Rams, tying the record for most Super Bowl wins ever.
HONG: The Patriots won the Super Bowl again this year and I'm going to quote 97 percent of football fans by saying, boo.
SHEFFIELD: Tom Brady proved yet again that he is magical, go Pats. I don't understand the haters. Haters going to hate.
FOREMAN: Who hated it most? Fans in New Orleans who saw the worst blown call help knock their team out of the playoffs.
BERMAN: The Saints should have been in the Super Bowl. And everyone on earth knows it.
FOREMAN: In the World Series, the Washington Nationals with the oldest roster in the league beat the odds to square off against the Houston Astros. Then beat them dramatically in seven games.
GOLD: No one thought they were going to win. No one. That is the beauty.
WEST: I love it when a team just comes out of nowhere and starts kicking ass.
FOREMAN: The Stanley Cup went to St. Louis after the Blues put a beatdown on the Boston Bruins. In the NBC plenty of folks thought Golden State would take the trophy again but not the Toronto Raptors who ate up the Warriors.
SMITH: It turned into Canada versus America which was basically like universal health care versus good luck, everybody. Universal health care won.
FOREMAN: And in the WNBA, there was D.C. again with the mystics taking the title over the Connecticut Sun which is noteworthy because --
CRAWFORD: This was the year of women in sports.
FOREMAN: In soccer, the U.S. women's team won the World Cup again. The 2-zero victory over the Netherlands gave them back to back titles.
WEST: That's the American spirit of, you know, sheer determination.
FOREMAN: In tennis, the reigning queen rocked while 15-year-old Coco Gauff rolled into fan's hearts at the U.S. Open before falling to Japan's Naomi Osaka, which gave us the best moment in sportsmanship.
SHEFFIELD: So, the Coco/Naomi moment of coming together, hugging it out, that's what our country needs.
[22:15:02]
FOREMAN: Simone Biles gets the best bling, racking up the most world medals ever won by a female gymnast.
SMITH: It went as five months as she is, Simone Biles' height right now.
FOREMAN: And in running, sure, the great Eliud Kipchoge unofficially broke the legendary two-hour barrier for the marathon in a highly orchestrated demonstration. But in Chicago, Brigid Kosgei officially crushed a longstanding women's record for 26.2 miles. GOLD: Two hours and 14 minutes. That's how long it takes me to eat
brunch. You know, at a good place. Table service and stuff.
GOTTFRIED: I would like to take a car to the finish line and then just show up there and go -- and then collapse at the reporters' feet.
FOREMAN: If you weren't paying attention to sports, well, no problem. There were plenty of other entertainment options out there. In an astonishing year of television, all you had to do was figure out what to watch in the box of wonders.
Worst goodbye in all seven kingdoms. "Game of Thrones" sent its last dragon flying off. The series was a roaring success from the start but the end --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HONG: You know, the final season of "Game of Thrones" was kind of like vegan hotdogs. Really wanted to like it but it just made everyone really angry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it you really want?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ice cream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Best and most bittersweet wrap-up to a groundbreaking series, the final season of "Orange is the New Black."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You shouldn't be afraid. It's the first step in moving on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CRAWFORD: The last episode was really emotional for me. I was like in the middle of crying and then my post mate arrived and I had to stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No spoilers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another child --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Best show about people who really were locked up. "Mindhunter." Best show about people who really should be locked up. Succession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key here is to act like a happy family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: I get why people get into it. But I'm like, man, you're so rich.
FOREMAN: Worst problem with so many great programs coming and going, deciding which streaming service to buy into and what to watch once you do.
GOTTFRIED: I'm a very bad TV watcher. I sit there with the remote control and even if it's something I like, I click away from it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a problem?
FOREMAN: Best art imitating the worst life. It could be Barry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there ever a time in your life that you did something so terrible that you were ashamed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't think of anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: "Killing Eve."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wants me to know when she has killed someone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's behind that door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Or maybe Silicon Valley where making a killing is the whole point.
HONG: Silicon Valley, the final season. Guess who's on it? This kid. And it's about 50/50 whether you own a snake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His girlfriend owns a snake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Best show to make you worry in the worst way, "Euphoria."
SMITH: That show made me never want to let my kids leave the house, ever.
FOREMAN: Best shows based on the worst events, the unsettling, unbelievable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This guy is out there preying on the most vulnerable women he can find.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: The riveting spy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shake is your own only way in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: The horrifying Chernobyl. And the heartbreaking "When They See Us."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't see any lady.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to see my son right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CRAWFORD: It was beautifully tragic in so many ways. And it was amazingly accurate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The place is falling apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Best shows to watch with tea and biscuits, the crown and "The Great British Baking Show."
SHEFFIELD: The people are delightful. Everyone is so kind. The accents are glorious, darling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I'm going to win shark tank.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is "Dancing with the Stars."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: In reality TV "Dancing with the Stars" made the worst casting choice, giving former White House press secretary Sean Spicer a spin, bringing partisan politics right onto the dance floor.
BERMAN: I want fiction. I mean, I'm done with the idea of reality shows.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OutFront next.
BERMAN: I watch CNN.
WEST: Extra points for CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hannah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: And just when you thought the "Bachelorette" might be fading, the best one yet showed up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Figure it out or, like, I don't want to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CRAWFORD: Hannah Brown, I respect you. I was getting actually upset, I was yelling at my TV. It was amazing. I love Hannah Brown. I hate Luke P.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: And best body slamming comedy.
[22:20:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I do with my time is my business, my choice, baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: You could give it to "Russian Doll or "Fleabag."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to have sex?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: But we'll give the title to "GLOW," which continues to shine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wat do you think of Sandy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: You know why I love "GLOW?" Because I was young during that time period, so it takes me back. And then after the episode is over, I go look in the mirror and then that whole fantasy is gone.
FOREMAN: Don't you disappear. We have much more coming up including all of the big news. Fires, floods, and is it warm in here? Or is it just me?
Plus, we will look at the hottest films to streak through the theaters. And we'll say goodbye to a cool cat and hello once again to an unstoppable shark. It's all the best, all the worst 2019.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: The fierce political battles all around the world raged so loudly this year you could have easily missed an awful lot of other stories, and yet they kept happening.
Roaring blazes in California and the Amazon helped make the point.
SMITH: You walked outside and it smells like a neighbor is having a barbecue at an ungodly hour. You're like, who is barbecuing at three in the morning?
[22:25:02]
FOREMAN: So, did rising ocean temperatures and melting snow packs. This year provided the best, meaning the worst, evidence so far of the calamitous effects of climate change.
GOLD: I'm already up to like 50 sunscreen and I still get tan. All right. I don't really get that tan. But you know what I'm saying.
FOREMAN: Weather analysts say indeed 2019 will go down as one of the hottest ever. In Iceland folks even held a funeral for a glacier that vanished.
GOTTFIELD: I couldn't actually make it there. I was holding a funeral for an ice cube I had in a glass of soda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: How dare you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Best call for action. Give it to Sweden's Greta Thunberg, the young environmentalist who ripped world leaders for their lack of action.
HONG: She should write all the speeches and give all the speeches because she is an intense little person. CRAWFORD: Greta is a boss and I want to be more like her.
FOREMAN: Adding to the concern, natural disasters like hurricane Dorian which tore through the Bahamas, leaving breathtaking destruction.
SMITH: Every year there's some type of thing. But this, each year they seem to be getting stronger and stronger and stronger.
FOREMAN: Worst weather map. The one shown by President Trump with an extra loop apparently drawn on, seemingly to prove he was right when he said Dorian could hit Alabama even though meteorologists widely said he was wrong.
Best news for an economy that keeps on chugging along. Despite repeated warnings of an impending recession, unemployment is still super low, consumers are still buying, although maybe not as much as they might.
HONG: All I can tell you is that my local avocado toast is just getting really expensive. And now I can only have it like twice a week.
FOREMAN: But --
BERMAN: You talk to economists, what they will tell you is that the Trump economy and the numbers inside the Trump economy look a lot like the numbers from the Obama economy.
FOREMAN: The worse problem that shows no sign of easing, mass shootings. From a festival in California to an Ohio street to a Walmart in Texas.
CRAWFORD: Like, you can't even go grocery shopping for your family without thinking, I could potentially be putting myself in a harmful situation in a dangerous situation just by living my regular life.
FOREMAN: A close cousin of the mindless violence rising ethnic hatred which showed up in the U.S. and abroad, notably as worshippers were gunned down at a mosque in New Zealand.
GOLD: These people were praying; they're not harming anyone.
SHEFFIELD: We need a cultural revolution to stop this wave of hatred and anger where people feel that they need to go to a mass shooting to display hate.
WEST: Every year that I've ever lived in, at the end of the year I've always said, I can't wait until this year is over.
FOREMAN: Amid roiling unrest in all sorts of countries around the globe, the worst long goodbye goes to the tortured efforts of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.
HONG: Brexit has become more like brrr -- we're thinking about leaving maybe at some point. FOREMAN: Best news for those who have had with workplace harassment.
The Me Too movement is still motoring.
CRAWFORD: People are afraid of being held accountable for things. So maybe now we'll see real change moving forward.
HONG: We are finding out that more and more mostly men are really gross.
FOREMAN: Best example.
BERMAN: The Jeffrey Epstein case is the worst of humanity.
FOREMAN: The Uber-wealthy financier was facing charges related to years of sex trafficking minors and dodging the legal system. The scandal hit a member of the royal family and numerous other Epstein associates. He was eventually found hanged in his cell.
BERMAN: That's not the way the justice system is supposed to work and it's a disaster. It's just a disaster.
FOREMAN: Another legal disaster, the Jussie Smollett case. The actor from the popular "Empire" TV show claimed he was attacked very late at night by racists who threw bleach on him and put a noose around his neck. It incited national outrage until Chicago police conducted an extensive investigation and said he staged the whole thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: The whole story just -- it felt like the script that got thrown away from a show he was working on and he just used it. None of that made logical sense at all.
FOREMAN: Most mysterious cataclysm. The fire that engulfed a fishing boat off the California coast killing 34 people.
GOLD: My God, that was so sad.
FOREMAN: Worst trend to put parents on edge. The rise of vaping. This year, a series of deaths seemingly related to substances added to the vape juice.
CRAWFORD: I have sisters who are teenagers and preteens and vaping terrifies me.
[22:30:00]
FOREMAN: Worst helicopter moms. The college admission scandal in which investigators say wealthy and in some cases famous parents gave massive amounts of money to buy better test results and guaranteed admissions to top colleges for their kids, often through fake athletic scholarships.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we just talk about how that conversation even went? Listen, kids, you're going to go visit a school, act like you're really, really good at basketball, OK, just do it for mommy. Just do it for mommy.
FOREMAN: Many of the parents have denied it including actress Lori Loughlin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aunt Becky is digging she's like, bring it on, I will full house your face.
FOREMAN: Best cyber trend, the movement by Google and Twitter to limit micro targeting of voters with fake ads, especially political ones. Worst case of lagging behind, Facebook.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know anyone who walks around saying, I love Facebook, Facebook is great, their policies are awesome.
FOREMAN: Worst problem high in the air or not. After two massive fatal crashes overseas, Boeing 737 Max jets were grounded worldwide and are still not cleared for takeoff. Worst problem high on the ground, the latest official count an annual drug overdose deaths, 70,000 down slightly from last year but still helping lower average lifespan.
Best long sentence for a guy called shorty. Life imprison plus 30 years for the notorious drug lord Joaquim Guzman, a.k.a. El Chapo. and the best way to get away from it all, by booking a room at the International Space Station, which NASA this year open for visits by private astronauts.
Well, don't take off quite yet, because in a bit we're going to look at the movies of 2019, some frightening, some fascinating, and some out of this world in their own right.
And after our trip to the stars -- we'll be checking out tunes back here on earth with Lizzo, Lil Nas X and Hello, dolly. It's all the best, all the worst.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the best, all the worst: 2019 brought to you by NOOM. NOOM is based in psychology for lasting health and weight loss results.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:35:00]
THANOS: The stones you've collected for me. Create a new one. A grateful universe born out of blood. They'll never know.
FOREMAN: When it came to box office magic, almost nothing compared with the long-awaited Avengers: End Game. and there was a lot to love. A lot of characters, a lot of plot twists, and at over three hours, a lot of minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That movie was so long, I had to bring my dog, because I was afraid he was going to pee himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever it takes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everywhere I go, I see his face. I miss him.
FOREMAN: Lots of superheroes among the top grossing films, Spider- man, Captain Marvel, Shazam, and more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I saw a significant member of the movie in the top 20 is just at every movie I saw involve people wearing tights.
FOREMAN: But super villains had their say too and the baddest of the bad boys was Joker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you having any negative thoughts? All I have are negative thoughts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's almost like a horror film in real life because you're like, I hope everybody's calm, this is just a movie, guys, because it's almost like a case study in how white men could snap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Send in the clowns
FOREMAN: If you want to get crazy, we can get crazy.
Film fans squirmed over us. While It, Chapter 2 brought Pennywise back to the light.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I didn't love it as I loved chapter one. I mean, psycho clowns terrorizing little kids is awesome. Psycho clowns terrorizing James McAvoy, eh.
FOREMAN: But that just underscores the year's worst trend in movie making, the tendency to keep going with the same stories.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The force will be with you, always.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it's ridiculous. Sequel, sequel, sequel. Can someone come up with something new?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm kind of interested in seeing Spider-man: 508.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, watch it, buddy.
FOREMAN: Still, there were nice moments, especially in animation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was happy that Woody got a girlfriend.
FOREMAN: The Lion King roared. Aladdin got a reboot along with Pikachu, the Pets, and those brave sisters from Arendelle, let it go once again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe more than anyone or anything.
FOREMAN: The best tale of a real life hero. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harriett, welcome to the Underground Railroad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you haven't seen the movie Harriet, you need to run, not walk, to your local theater.
FOREMAN: The biggest uproar over a big name film, once upon a time in Hollywood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it misogynistic, is it racist against Asians? That's Hollywood for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I find it harder and harder to get to the movies nowadays.
FOREMAN: Best films you should have seen but probably didn't. The touching story of two friends in Paddleton. A terrifying tale of a desperate dad in American dreamer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I promise I won't hurt you.
FOREMAN: The lighthouse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keeping secrets, are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We call that white people doing white things. It was fantastic.
FOREMAN: And Downton Abbey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 1927. We're modern folk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was like going home and visiting your friends that you hadn't seen in a while.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever hit anybody?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a job?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
[22:40:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so.
FOREMAN: There were some late contenders to be among the year's best movies. But our pick for the most original film of 2019.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paul McCartney wrote it, the Beatles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I loved, I loved, loved, loved yesterday.
FOREMAN: The one where a guy wakes up to find almost everyone in the world has forgotten the Beatles music except him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey dude. Hey dude, are you sure?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's right, that's better.
FOREMAN: Music often just sits in the background of a movie but every now and then a tune will leap out on its own and become a sensation. And that's really something, because as any artist will tell you, creating a hit is a real trick.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
I want to take my heart to the old town road, I want to ride till I can't no more.
FOREMAN: Let's start with the hit of the year, the song that topped the charts for a record 19 straight weeks for Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Old town road, who would have thought it would have brought people together the way it did?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The one thing about Old town road is I really want to get a fringy cowboy jacket now.
FOREMAN: Not a bad idea.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Ten thousand hours, and 10,000 more.
FOREMAN: Best or worst trend depending on your taste? The rise in a country twang all across the charts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What country are we talking about? Here? In every country they have country music. But it's their country's music.
FOREMAN: But great tunes were moving in all styles. The best and biggest name in rap, still Drake.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
When I die I put my money --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guy who goes to the basketball games, keep your eyes on this Drake fella, yes, he seems to be doing all right.
FOREMAN: The most unexpected move by a rap star, Kanye West's new religious album.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That level of faith is what our country needs right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think I'm going to listen to that because I don't want to burn in hell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've gotten into the singer Perry Como recently. He's really good. And Andy Williams.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
It's the most wonderful time of the year
FOREMAN: The reigning queens of pop got rowdy. Taylor Swift took a political turn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Taylor Swift only has two speeds. She is either really pissed off or she is really in love.
FOREMAN: And Beyonce killed it at Coachella. But make room, ladies. This was the year of Lizzo.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I love Lizzo. Go girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lizzo is a boss queen. That's all.
FOREMAN: Still, the best new big name came on strong and fast. Billie Eilish.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you're a tough guy, I like you really rough guy
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it looks like the hot girls are winning.
FOREMAN: Song of the summer, Meghan (inaudible), hot girl summer.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Who going to handle me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I loved everything about it, you know, good for her.
FOREMAN: Most fun musical fact. Vinyl record albums are projected to outsell CD's for the first time in ages.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
How do you sleep when you lie to me?
FOREMAN: And the song that became the best soundtrack for the whole year, brace yourself. Yeah. That one. Baby shark
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Baby shark is probably the number one reason why I've decided not to have children.
FOREMAN: Keep your dancing shoes close at hand. The magic is not over yet. In just a moment I will ask you to watch very closely. From the astonishing time machine in your phone to a picture that will make you doubt your eyes to the dog who is casting an amazing spell on fans everywhere. All the best, all the worst will be right back.
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[22:45:00]
FOREMAN: It was no trick. The 50th anniversary of the moon landing was the year's best celebration of technology. Not far behind, the first all-female spacewalk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think women are now more empowered to take up space. And this is a beautiful thing to see.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All female spacewalk is going to be my band name.
FOREMAN: Back on earth, SpaceX (inaudible), Elon Musk had the worst rollout of new tech. His tesla cyber truck with unbreakable windows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Larry, pick up that metal ball and break the window. You said it couldn't be broken, Mo. Never mind what I said.
FOREMAN: Worst trip to the boneyard. The last Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line ending more than 80 years as an automotive mainstay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, the life of Volkswagen Beetle was made and this is going to stop these Volkswagen Beetles. The one that I blame is the Volkswagen Yoko ono.
FOREMAN: Worst reshuffle. Mattel came out with a UNO deck that does not include red or blue cards, designed to cut down on political friction during family holidays.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That may not be the issue here. Just saying. What about wild draw 4?
FOREMAN: Worst time machine. You have to allow anyone to see what they will look like years from now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god, the aging filter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do I need to look at it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was not the type of magic I want to see in my life.
[22:50:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Although, I'm Asian, so I'll probably look the same.
FOREMAN: Weirdest and sort of coolest new online service Cameo, which lets you find famous folks to help with your communications.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People can make requests of a particular person or a celebrity. Like please wish my brother, you know, happy birthday.
FOREMAN: Like the woman who hired Sugar Ray front man, Mark McGrath to give her boyfriend a hilarious heave ho.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You mean the world to her, but she's having difficulty staying in this long distance relationship.
FOREMAN: Best continuing trend, Pod casts still running strong with more than 750,000 to choose from according to Podcast insights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I just want people to listen to my podcast and ignore every other one.
FOREMAN: Well, expect for maybe our pod cast pick of the year. Dolly Parton America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dolly Parton, is an icon. She's awesome.
FOREMAN: She also killed it on her NBC special.
FOREMAN: The question, who is James (inaudible), the answer he's the most exciting jeopardy champion this year. Racking up a small fortune with his large memory.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm surprised jeopardy is still happening.
FOREMAN: Best chicken fight. The one between Chick Filet and Popeyes over who had the better sandwich.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the Popeyes, and (inaudible), it was all white people. It was not us. It was all right.
FOREMAN: Worst trend on the roads. Run away lack of rules governing cars, scooters, bikes and well, everything else. Trying to share the same space in creating a commuting mess. Best person to call to help you clean up. Marie Condo, who organize a revolution of, well, organization.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, you know, that you are a cultural phenomenon. If your name becomes a verb.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, understands she wants to put stuff back in my closet. And I'm not interested in that version of her.
FOREMAN: Most surprising baby talk. Researchers say, the number of children born in the U.S. is at a 32 year low. No wonder the royal baby got so much attention.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have paid zero attention to the royal family. Nothing against them. But I kind of think we have the Kardashian to worry about.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know why we can't just respect each other.
FOREMAN: Cutest new cultural icon to cause an internet sensation. Piglet, the pink rescue dog. He's blind and can't hear. But he can sniff out friend anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I call him lucky. Answers to the name of lucky.
FOREMAN: Saddest loss of a cultural icon, Grumpy cat. Known to her friends as tartar sauce, passed away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not a cat fan, but I am a grumpy cat fan.
FOREMAN: And best way to get over it. The tik tok app.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My favorite tik tok thing was the sandman song. Where you like floating your pets over the camera lens while Mr. Sandman is playing.
FOREMAN: You're getting sleepy. Sleepy. But hold on. We have one more spell to cast. Don't miss the surprising finish to all the best all the worst 2019.
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[22:55:00]
FOREMAN: We are almost done with 2019. But let's cast one more spell on our guest to invoke their wishes for the coming year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My wish for 2020, I just want the madness to end. I just want it to end. I want to stop looking at my phone alerts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wish and my new year's resolution for years, is that in the following year I would say one joke that was actually funny.
I have given up on that now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish that everyone will just take some time to go read a book. Or something. Or listen to Mozart. Or looking a beautiful painting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2020 I do wish that President Trump cruises to victory. That he's able to capture the White House again for a second term.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone in the White House right now just move to Mars.
Please, please make that happen, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the country. I wish that people talk to each other more. Get off the Facebooks. Speak to somebody. Speak to somebody, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope we enter the beginning of another age of enlightenment. I really hope we do. Because we've got to think long and hard about what comes after us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: World peace. Seriously, though. Because we actually need it.
FOREMAN: And that's it. Time to put the rabbits back in the hat. Thanks to all of our guest. Thanks to you for watching on behalf of everyone at Anderson Cooper 360 and the entire CNN family worldwide. I'm Tom Foreman wishing you all the best and none of the worst in 2020.
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Good evening. Thanks for joining us. I'm Erica Hill. Anderson is off.
