Return to Transcripts main page

Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Rescuers Work to Save Those Trapped in Mudslide; Calves Quarantined for Mad Cow; Flights from France Resume, Terror Alert Still in Effect

Aired December 26, 2003 - 17:00   ET

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

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARYN KAGAN, HOST (voice-over): Up to 20 missing in mud 12 feet deep. The search continues.

Security increase. Air travel under scrutiny. The latest on the U.S. terror threat.

Mad Cow. Are U.S. inspectors doing enough to keep us safe?

Jackson, Kobe, Harris, Durst a look back at the year's headline grabbing legal battles.

The parents of JonBenet Ramsey, seven years after her tragic death.

The year-end box office rush. A weekend guide to holiday movies.

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is Anderson Cooper 360.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Good evening. Welcome to 360. Anderson is off tonight. I'm Daryn Kagan.

Let's start with the devastating southern California mud slides.

In the last hour, rescue workers found a sixth body. The frantic search is still on for at least ten others, including several children.

Our Charles Feldman is covering this story from the command post in San Bernadino.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First came the Christmas day rains, heavier than anyone expected. As much as three and a half inches in a very short period of time.

Then came the mudslides, cascading down the mountains in an area recently burned by wildfires, the lack of trees and vegetation leaving a clear path for the mud to flow. At the St. Sophia youth camp in Waterman Canyon, the caretaker had apparently invited over a large group of friends or relatives for the holiday. In a flash, two structures were swept away by a moving wall of mud reaching as high as 12 feet.

This woman's sister is among the missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have about six or more dogs involved and 65 to 75 search and rescue people on the ground.

FELDMAN: Besides the devastation at the camp site, some homes in the area were also destroyed by the mudslide.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We survived the fire. We were one of seven that survived the fire. And then ours were the very first structures threatened in the fire. And -- but we didn't survive the flood.

FELDMAN: Some 20 minutes away in nearby Davor (ph), more than 30 trailers were wrecked by the mudslides, at least one person was killed and others remain missing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Charles Feldman joins us live right now from San Bernadino.

Charles, are officials gearing up for the possibility of more mudslides?

FELDMAN: Well, yes, Daryn. You know, right now, as you can tell, there has been a break in the weather. It's been dry all day. But there is, unfortunately, some rain, not a lot, but some rain in the forecast over the weekend.

And any more water is likely to cause some more mud slide and more importantly, make it that much more difficult for this search and rescue operation to go on -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Charles Feldman tracking the situation for us from southern California. Thank you for that.

We turn now to the Mad Cow investigation.

There are several new developments this evening. Confirmation on the first U.S. case came from a British lab today. And now U.S. officials have quarantined two calves who were born to that affected cow.

Plus four grocery store chains have voluntarily recalled meat that might be contaminated. All of this comes as the beef industry braces for the fallout.

More now from CNN's Kris Osborn.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These Nebraska cows will soon see the slaughterhouse. Their owner, Omaha cattle man Bill Rhea, feeds a herd of about 5,000. His farm has no record of Mad Cow Disease, but his business is already feeling the pressure.

BILL RHEA, CATTLEMAN: Ten percent of our production is export business. So as of yesterday, all our trading partners say, no, we don't want any product from the U.S. If the consuming public says, no, we don't have faith in the government, in safe food, then our markets will go down.

OSBORN: The scope of the first-ever outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in the United States has not yet been determined, but federal authorities, cattlemen and scientists believe the risk to humans is extremely low.

RHEA: And you cannot get Mad Cow from the muscle cuts. Only from the spinal tissue and spinal fluid.

FELDMAN (on camera): Cows are typically born and bred by ranchers, then sent to places like this, a feed lot, where they're fattened up before they're then slaughtered by packers and they go to the retailer or grocery store.

Already the concern in Washington State has affected the entire chain here.

(voice-over) Les Leach's (ph) meat procession business sells 95 percent of its product to Japan, one of the countries now banning U.S. beef.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole issue is how long can we survive until this gets resolved? I'm thinking -- it will get resolved eventually, but we just don't know how long it will take.

OSBORN: So time is of the essence for the beef industry here in Nebraska and across the country. Farmers can only hope that a new day does not uncover more cases of Mad Cow.

Kris Osborn, CNN, Omaha, Nebraska.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Just before the Mad Cow scare, demand for beef had been actually growing. The USDA reports that Americans consumed on average 63 pounds of beef per capita in 2001. And that same year, Americans spent a total of $57 billion on beef. That was the most in history.

Mad Cow Disease is also the subject of tonight's buzz question. "Will you cut your beef consumption due to fears of Mad Cow Disease?" Vote now online: CNN.com/360. We'll have the results at the end of the show.

On to now the terrorism front. Two Air France planes were delayed leaving Paris for the U.S. today for more extensive screening. One of the planes is estimated to arrive in Los Angeles about two hours from now.

Also there was an update on the war against terrorism from the homeland security secretary.

All of that now from CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air France resumed flying from Paris to Los Angeles, but concern about the terrorist threat not over.

Tom ridge, the secretary of homeland security, speaking to CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: There's a continued threat reporting stream with regard to aviation, and whenever we get a threat, a report of a threat, regardless of where it is in the world, we will share that information appropriately with people who can act on it.

STARR: Ridge saying since the U.S. went to Code Orange, discussions have been stepped up with other countries on putting air marshals on their flights to the U.S. Mexico already has increased its aviation security.

Ridge offered little public information on the intelligence about the canceled Air France flights.

RIDGE: There is information derived from this investigation, derived from the French interrogation that we will probably be able to use in the future.

STARR: Still, passengers on the resumed flights found additional security screening. And plans were made in Los Angeles for the planes not to come directly to the terminal, passengers to be screened again at a remote airfield site.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And, Daryn, Secretary Ridge making it clear, the threat is serious, but the U.S. better prepared than ever before to defend the homeland -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr in Washington. Thank you for that, Barbara.

The threat also serious in Iraq, where five U.S. soldiers have died in the last 24 hours there. That makes 11 deaths since the beginning of the week.

Most of the violence occurred in an area known as the Sunni Triangle.

One soldier died in a rocket propelled grenade attack. Two others were killed in a mortar attack on their base. Two more troops were killed by improvised explosive devices.

And now to southeast Iran. That is where more than 5,000 people are dead, 30,000 others injured after a powerful earthquake leveled much of an ancient city. The death toll could go much higher.

Iranians are now observing a three-day period of mourning. President Bush is offering his condolences, while the international community is answering the call for help.

CNN's Matthew Chance has the latest details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is fast becoming one of the worst catastrophes that Iran has seen. Reports from the remote town of Bam in the southeast of the country say the bodies of thousands of people have already been pulled from the rubble.

As local rescue workers scramble to dig out survivors, the Iranian authorities have appealed to donations of blood and international assistance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Priorities in terms of help that we need at the moment are the experts who can actually identify the people who are trapped in the rubble. Also the medical facilities, and also other facilities and other equipments and items such as tents, and clothes that can provide some immediate accommodation. And...

CHANCE: The earthquake struck in the early hours of Friday morning as most residents were still sleeping. The U.S. Geological Survey says the shockwave registered a powerful 6.7 in magnitude.

Eyewitnesses say more than 60 percent of buildings have been destroyed, including an historic 2,000-year-old citadel.

Iran, which straddles geological fault lines, has long been prone to tremors, some with devastating consequences. Thirty-five-thousand people were killed in 1990, in an earthquake that left more than half a million Iranians homeless. The human cost of this latest disaster has yet to be reckoned.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: More than 5,000 people were killed in today's quake. Actually though, it is not the deadliest in modern times. Let's take a flash back.

The deadliest quake of the 20th Century hit the town of Tongshou, China, in the middle of the night on July 28, 1976. The magnitude 7.8 quake struck an area where it was totally unexpected, obliterated the city, killing more than 240,000 people as they slept.

Right now we are following a number of other stories across the country.

Let's start in West Palm Beach, Florida. A deal for Lionel Tate.

Tate who was only 12 when convicted of killing a 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick while pretending to be a pro wrestler. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Well, you might remember that two weeks ago an appeals court threw out his conviction. Prosecutors say they will offer Tate the same plea bargain deal that he was offered before his conviction.

Concord, New Hampshire, innocent until proven guilty. Howard Dean says that even Osama bin Laden should be convicted by a jury in a trial before being pronounced guilty. Dean said he would not state his preference for a punishment for the al Qaeda leader before a trial.

To Lake Tahoe, California. Check out this winter wonderland. Ski resorts in the California Sierra Nevada are recording up to three feet of new snow from the storm that blew into town early this week. Travel was difficult over Christmas, but conditions are improving today.

Crawford, Texas. Home for the holidays. The president and Mrs. Bush are vacationing at their ranch over Christmas and New Year's.

Mrs. Bush gave the president a book and a couple of shirts for Christmas. He gave her a gold necklace, a pair of earrings and some dessert plates that she had seen in Georgetown.

And that's tonight's "Cross Country."

Now a bizarre story in Florida. A mother is found murdered. The father apparently met the same fate years ago. An investigator suspects there is a family connection to both deaths.

Also ahead, peace efforts shattered in the Middle East with a suicide attack.

Plus, the JonBenet Ramsey murder seven years later today. Where does the investigation stand now?

But first, let's take a look inside the box at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Turn now to a gruesome story which is unfolding in the Orlando, Florida, area. It started with the discovery of two buried bodies, one of them a mother who had been missing for three months, the other a father missing for 15 years.

Our Susan Candiotti has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind a house brightly lit with Christmas decorations, a grisly discovery.

The body of 65-year-old Marilyn Kananen found buried in her daughter's backyard shed, the body wrapped in a blanket and plastic five feet down.

SHERIFF KEVIN BEARY, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Needless to say, this is a very bizarre case for Orange County.

CANDIOTTI: Bizarre because the alleged killer, the victim's son Richard Kananen, is also suspected of killing and burying his father. Both parents discovered at about the same time.

Kananen's father was found buried in his garage. The father disappeared 15 years ago but was never reported missing. His wife told friends he abandoned her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Kananen, you're going to be held on a no- bond status pending further order of court. Any questions?

RICHARD KANANEN, SUSPECTED OF KILLING PARENTS: No, sir.

CANDIOTTI: The pieces slowly came together after the mother disappeared. A complicated trail led police to Kananen and his sister.

Police say when they realized authorities were onto them, investigators found them inside a garage with the car running and suicide notes. "She is in the ground by the shed," read one note.

Both brother and sister survived.

SGT. JOHN ALLEN, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: They basically acknowledged some involvement in the deaths of their parents.

CANDIOTTI: The motives also complicated. Authorities say Kananen claims he hated his father after years of abuse and his mother for still loving his father.

And then there's the matter of a sizable inheritance in their mother's bank account.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Now, take a look at some international stories. Here now the "Uplink."

Rural China gas well disaster. Nearly 200 people dead, hundreds more hospitalized. China's state-run news agency said a drilling accident triggered the toxic fire. More than 9,000 people were treated for gas poisoning, and they remain homeless.

Pakistan, assassination attempt. The information minister says that local and international terrorists are behind the latest attempt to kill President Musharraf. Officials say at least one of the three suicide bombers apparently was not a Pakistani, judging from his remains. Yesterday's attack killed 15 people, including the bombers.

South Hampton, England. Hail to the queen. Hundreds turned out to welcome the world's largest cruise ship into the home port. The $800 million Queen Mary II will embark on its maiden voyage in early January.

Today's reception was toned down out of respect for the 15 people who died last month when a gangway attached to the cruise liner collapsed.

And also in England, a polarizing annual past time continued today, much to the chagrin of animal rights activists.

Thousands of decked out fox hunters took part in the various Boxing Day hunts throughout the countryside. Protesters say it's barbaric as a tradition, and it ought to be banned.

And that is tonight's "Uplink."

Whatever lull there might have been in suicide bombings in the Middle East, it is over. Very violently. Two incidents on Christmas day could plunge the region into more peril and uncertainty.

CNN's John Vause has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surrounded by armed men, Moqled Hamid's funeral procession wound through the streets of Gaza. He was, Israel says, the target of missile strike which killed five others, including a teenage boy.

Hamid was the military leader of Islamic Jihad, a ticking bomb, according to Israel, who was just days away from ordering a mega- terrorist attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't reveal details about him making an attack because of course, that's not the type of thing we discuss over the airwaves.

VAUSE: It was the first targeted killing by Israel in months, and it brought vows of revenge from Islamic Jihad.

Just moments after the air strike in Gaza, a suicide bomber killed four people and wounded more than 20 others just outside Tel Aviv.

In response, Israel sealed off the Palestinian territories and destroyed the family home of the suicide bomber, an 18-year-old man from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Among his victims, three soldiers.

This was the first terrorist attack inside Israel in 81 days. Many believed, had hoped, there was an unofficial cease-fire in place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't believe in a cease-fire in the first place, either with Hamas or Jihad or with any other terrorist group.

VAUSE: The Palestinian authority condemned the violence on both sides.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This resumption of violence is not going to be helpful for any of the parties to reach their objectives.

VAUSE: John Vause, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Here in the U.S., there are Mad Cow fears. Just how safe is the meat? We'll get some answers for you, coming up.

Plus, it's been seven years since the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. What's the latest on the search for her killer?

And big, bad hair. Oh, my. We've all been there. You might remember these days. We relive hair's dos and don't.

But first, today's "Buzz." "Will you cut your beef consumption due to the fears of Mad Cow Disease?" Vote now: CNN.com/360. The results for you near the end of the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The presents have been opened. Perhaps Santa did not bring you what you wanted. So now it's your chance to take part in the post-holiday shopping extravaganza.

CNN's Adaora Udoji reports there are a lot of bargains for you to catch out there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Those shopping for a big bargain the day after Christmas say it's all part of the holiday cheer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife won't have any part of it. She doesn't like to get up early, but I do it every year.

UDOJI: This year, retailers waited to slash prices, now up to 50 percent off across the board. They hope to recover after the weather dampened sales in recent weeks.

But while the malls were swamped, some experienced shoppers like Helen Baker were not impressed.

HELEN BAKER, CONSUMER: The prices were OK. Not great.

UDOJI: Retailers, though, can still count on others who are just starting to open their wallets. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go to these places before Christmas and then you go after, and you know, half off. So I usually like to wait.

UDOJI: And more, four to six percent of gifts will be returned, often reaping rewards for the stores.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I ended up buying stuff more than I returned stuff, which I didn't want to do but I did.

UDOJI: Overall, analysts predict retailers will make roughly a six percent gain over last year, the strongest since 1999.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luxury items were great.

UDOJI: High-end stores like Bloomingdale's apparently found a winning combination by scaling back on pre-Christmas promotions and inventory.

RICK RANGE, BLOOMINGDALE'S: In general -- and I speak for Roosevelt Field -- post Christmas is very important. You know, as I've said, we've got a lot of business to do over the next eight days.

UDOJI: Rick Range knows well ultimately the shoppers will decide how this season really turns out.

Adaora Udoji, CNN, Garden City, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: OK. But hold on a second here. You might not want to cash in that gift certificate to your favorite steakhouse just yet.

The first confirmed case of Mad Cow Disease in the U.S. has quite expectedly raised the anxiety level about eating beef.

Earlier I talked with Caroline Smith Dewaal. She is a director of the food safety program at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. And I asked her why the USDA is having trouble tracking down the source of the disease.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINE SMITH DEWAAL, CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: That's because we don't have a mandatory animal identification system in the U.S., unlike many other countries that have already implemented it.

In fact, Canada implemented their program several years before discovering their first case of Mad Cow Disease.

KAGAN: And in fact, when you look at what the U.S. system has in place, it in no way compares to what's done in Europe and Japan.

It almost seems like a case of don't ask, don't tell. If we don't ask about having Mad Cow, then we won't have Mad Cow. DEWAAL: In fact, as we urged the department to put in more protections, both for the cattle industry, but more importantly, for U.S. consumers, over and over again we were told that we shouldn't worry about this, because we don't have Mad Cow Disease in the U.S.

Well, clearly, that's not an excuse anymore.

KAGAN: And the bottom line here is people who are preparing holiday dinners or going to the market or going to restaurants, should they feel safe eating U.S. beef?

DEWAAL: Most muscle meat is completely safe. It's really not a problem when it comes to the types of steaks or roasts that many people are used to.

There is some meat that is produced that can contain bits of spinal cord or nervous system tissue, and that's the meat we're most concerned about. Though it's a very small volume of meat, it gets mixed in with ground beef. It gets mixed in with meat for hot dogs or sausages, pizza toppings, or taco fillings.

And this meat comes from advanced meat recovery systems. We're urging USDA to ban the use of spinal columns, neck bones in those machines. But in fact, the U.S. government hasn't done it.

We started asking them back in 1997. We formally petitioned the government in 2001. So the Bush administration has been very slow to act, to put in protections for U.S. consumers.

KAGAN: And as you said, there's many in the beef industry that say that they don't believe that that's needed. But bottom line, would you personally eat the type of meat that you were talking about, hot dogs, sausages, pizza meat, would you eat it today?

DEWAAL: I think it's -- for me, it would be best to avoid it until I know more about how many cows are infected.

It's not this one cow that's the problem. This cow was found. They're recalling the meat. The problem is this cow probably was exposed with other cattle who may still be in the system and could be going into U.S. slaughter plants today or tomorrow.

KAGAN: And American consumers will be asking questions. Caroline Smith Dewaal, director of food safety program for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Thank you for joining us.

DEWAAL: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Seven years since JonBenet Ramsey's murder. Will the real killer be found?

A brief history of hair. When it got big and how bad it got.

"The Weekender" looks at the attack of the kid flicks, the holiday movie guide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And it's time to get you back up to speed. Here is your "Reset."

Six bodies have been found near a pair of California camp sites that became engulfed by mudslides. At least 10 people are still unaccounted for. Many of them are children.

Florida prosecutors are offering a new plea deal to Lionel Tate, the teenager who faced life without parole for killing a 6-year-old girl when he was 12. The new deal would force him to serve three months in a juvenile facility, one year of house arrest and 10 years of probation. Tate won a new trial two weeks ago.

Just two days after six flights were canceled today, two more Air France jets that fly to Paris, Los Angeles and fly that route were hung up due to security concerns. A U.S. aviation official said that today's delays were caused by more comprehensive passenger screening. One of those flights is due in Los Angeles about two hours from now.

Terry Anderson, you remember him? He was held hostage in Lebanon for nearly seven years. He says he'll run for the Ohio Senate next year. Anderson is a former Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press. He was held captive by pro-Iranian Shiite Muslims from 1985 until 1991.

And now for "Justice Served," a look back at a year of trials and arrests. And what a year it was. There was that eccentric millionaire who admitted dismembering his elderly neighbor. And then there was the scorned wife who ran over her cheating husband. And that's only in Texas.

Our Kris Osborn has a look back the legal dramas of 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kobe, Rosie, Michael Jackson, Robert Blake, famous names headlining a year of gripping legal action.

Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, an impeccable off-court reputation to go with his on-court greatness, now charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a Colorado resort. Wife by his side, he admits adultery, but insists the sex was consensual.

KOBE BRYANT, NBA PLAYER: I'm so sorry.

OSBORN: Best known as TV's "Baretta," Robert Blake is out on bail, waiting to face trial on charges of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. He, too, insists he's innocent.

So does the king of pop. But Michael Jackson is booked, printed, charged with seven counts of lewd acts upon a child. His high-profile defender, Mark Geragos, is on the offensive, saying Michael's accusers are attempting to shake down the star for money.

And, yes, you've seen Geragos before, defending this man, once unknown, now famous, defendant Scott Peterson. He's accused of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and her unborn child. Peterson has admitted having an affair with this woman, massage therapist Amber Frey, but says he has nothing to do with the disappearance and death of his wife.

Also pleading not guilty, Phil Spector, all-star producer charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in his Los Angeles mansion.

While all of those cases remain unresolved, New York real estate heir, millionaire Robert Durst was found innocent. Though he admitted killing and butchering 71-year-old Morris Black, the jury believed his claim of self-defense.

Also resolved, the Houston courtroom drama of Clara Harris. She was convicted of killing her husband by running him over in a Mercedes Benz.

Finally, not a crime, but a bitter trial that earned tabloid headlines. Rosie O'Donnell and her magazine publisher sued each other in a bitter contract dispute, ended, essentially, in a draw.

Kris Osborn, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Joining us now, someone who has watched more trials than most people. In fact, it's her job, Court television anchor Lisa Bloom. We tracked her down in Columbus, Ohio.

You can run, but you can't hide, Lisa.

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV ANCHOR: Hi, Daryn.

KAGAN: Happy holidays.

Just want to pass out kind of some unofficial trial awards here. And we're going to start with some of the news that broke today. Most interesting redo, the big redo that's taking place in Florida concerning Lionel Tate. Were you surprised that they came up with this plea deal?

BLOOM: I was surprised, Daryn, although there was certainly a national outcry after Lionel Tate became the youngest American to be sentenced in life in prison without the possibility of parole for a murder that he committed at the age of 12. And the prosecutor in that case was one of the people who joined in that outcry, saying that that sentence was just too harsh.

Well, the prosecutor has stuck with that position. He's now offering the same plea deal he offered before the first trial, three years for Lionel Tate. When you count time served, that means he's going to be out in a couple of months, if he accepts the deal.

KAGAN: Many tragedies in that case.

How about the most shocking verdict of 2003? What was that for you, Lisa?

BLOOM: Well, that has to be the Robert Durst case, the billionaire who admits to killing and then chopping up his neighbor, taking the pieces of his body, putting them in garbage bags, dumping them in Galveston Bay.

And his high-priced defense team was able to convince that Galveston jury that actions that happened after the killing, namely the butchering of this man's body, were completely irrelevant to the case, were not to be considered by them in reaching their verdict of not guilty. That really shocked a lot of us, Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, money can't buy you love, but it can buy you good legal representation, apparently.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: OK, so you've watched all this court. You've watched a number of verdicts. Just the one day, the most shocking day or the most interesting day of 2003 in court for you, which was it?

BLOOM: Buried by a lot of newspapers was the Green River killings. And that was really a significant case this year; 48 women were murdered by the Green River killer. And if you had 10 minutes to talk to the murderer of your beloved daughter, your sister, your mother, what would you say to him face to face?

Well, 48 families had to answer that question as they spoke at his sentencing. And we saw on live television the range of emotions, from rage, calling the man a monster, to some surprising emotions, where two of the family members said they forgave him. And we saw tears roll down his cheeks when he was given forgiveness by some family members. It was really a very moving day of ordinary people going into the courtroom and talking face to face with a killer.

KAGAN: All right, we look forward to having you around in 2004 to look at some more trial then.

BLOOM: Thanks, Daryn. Happy holidays.

KAGAN: Happy holidays to you. Enjoy the rest of the time off, Lisa Bloom.

BLOOM: I will.

KAGAN: "Flashback" now to seven years ago today. The body of JonBenet Ramsey, strangled and beaten, is found in the basement of her parents' Boulder, Colorado, home.

The murder remains unsolved. The images of the 6-year-old beauty queen mesmerized the nation. JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, have maintained their innocence all along. They say an intruder killed their daughter. Earlier, I had a chance to speak with the couple's attorney, Lin Wood. And I asked them how much of a difference the new district attorney working on the case has made this past year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN WOOD, ATTORNEY FOR RAMSEY FAMILY: Well, it makes a major difference.

Mary Keenan, who has been the district attorney for the past three years, one year ago, in December of 2002, took the Ramsey murder investigation away from the Boulder Police Department and brought the investigation under her auspices in the Boulder district attorney's office. Mary Keenan, for the first time, has aggressively pursued the DNA evidence.

The Boulder Police Department had not pursued it. And, in the past year, Mary Keenan has now had that evidence put into the FBI national DNA data bank and also has had it sent to a number of state data banks. DNA holds the answer to this murder, and Mary Keenan is following the DNA. It's good news.

KAGAN: And do you fear that it's too late, though, for that DNA to give the kind of clues that you need it to?

WOOD: No. No.

We see periodically cases that are solved by DNA evidence that has been -- quote, unquote -- "cold cases" for many years. We also see individuals who have been wrongly convicted and imprisoned who are released from prison after many years based on DNA evidence. It's the best evidence in this case. It demonstrates the innocence of the Ramsey family. And it will, I believe, one day bring the killer of JonBenet to justice.

KAGAN: Really quickly, I need to ask you about this lawsuit that you have filed on behalf of the Ramsey family against Fox News.

WOOD: Yes.

We filed that lawsuit a couple days ago. It arises out of a false statement broadcast in December of last year on the 6th anniversary of JonBenet's death, where the correspondent for Fox intentionally stated, falsely, that there had never been any evidence linking an intruder to the brutal crime, conveying that it had to be one of the family members, either John, Patsy or their son, Burke.

KAGAN: And we did contact Fox News. They say they have no comment on the lawsuit. So we'll leave it that at that.

Just quickly, to wrap this up, I have to ask you, how do the Ramseys mark this time of year, not only the holidays, obviously, but the anniversary of JonBenet's death?

WOOD: They spend Christmas each year with family members and close friends. They're here in Atlanta. They recently moved to Charlebois (ph) end of the summer. But they're back here in Atlanta.

It's a time of sadness for the Ramsey, but it's also a time of hope, hope that one day the killer of their child will be brought to justice. There is more hope this year, since Mary Keenan is on the case, than there ever has been before.

KAGAN: And on that note, we thank you for joining us, Lin Wood, attorney for the Ramsey family.

WOOD: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Still ahead, we lighten things up a little bit. We'll "Flashback" to some big, bad hair days. Oh, there have been some. We've all been there.

Plus, does rocker Mick Jagger have a love nest? That's in "The Current."

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: All right, time to talk hair.

If there is one thing you learn quickly in the TV news business, it's that viewers care about your hair. They care too much. Well, without question, but care they do. So it's kind of hard not to get hypersensitive about hair, which is why there is a new book that's called "Big Hair." And it caught Anderson Cooper's eye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Of course, big hair has a legendary history, one that shows the French even surrender to bad hair trends.

But it wasn't until the 20th century that scientific advances fell into the wrong hands and hair care products were used indiscriminately to pile hair higher and higher, sometimes with monstrous results.

During the 1960s, when trendsetters turned on and tuned out their barbers, hair's bigness was mostly confined to the downward direction. But glam rock in specific and '70s sensibilities in general helped bring big hair back, bigger and hairier than ever. And this time, it wasn't only the man who got to have big hair. And though the freaky fro had become an endangered species in the '80s, the decade was the golden era of volumizer. Who didn't have big hair?

Only the highest hair could tempt those at the height of power. Today, big hair remains an accepted fashion statement, a statement that says to the world, hey, I have big hair.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KAGAN: Anderson was asking for some of my old big-hair pictures for my piece, but the check wasn't big enough. So they'll stay in the safe.

But he had have a chance to talk with James Innes-Smith, who is the author of "Big Hair." And that was just the other day.

He started by asking the question we all want to know: Why are we all so obsessed by hair?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES INNES-SMITH, AUTHOR, "BIG HAIR": It's one of the few things that we have that we can actually have some kind of control over. And we take advantage of that. We perm it. We straighten it. We do whatever we want.

COOPER: And do you really think you can tell something about a person by the type of hair that they have?

INNES-SMITH: I think probably you can, yes.

In the '80s, big hair was all about power, money. The bigger your hair, the bigger your wallet, the bigger your shoulders, all that stuff.

COOPER: It had to be big. It was like "Dynasty" big.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: But, now, in your book, which is just a fun read -- and it's the second one in sort of the hair series that you've done -- you're a little follically obsessed -- a lot of the photos come from sort of old barber shop images.

INNES-SMITH: That's right, yes.

COOPER: Well, how did you come up with the idea?

INNES-SMITH: Well, just from my local barber that I used to hang out at.

They still had these horrible posters in the window advertising the latest styles. And I just thought, well, this would make a really kitschy, kind of fun coffee table book.

COOPER: When you look at some of the images in your book, do you think those hairstyles can ever come back?

INNES-SMITH: Well, apparently, they are coming back on the catwalks this season.

COOPER: Oh, come on. Really?

INNES-SMITH: So they say. And back in England, the mullet is having a bit of a comeback, the classic long in the back... COOPER: Of course. The mullet is always a classic.

INNES-SMITH: It's sort of -- it's got a kind of naughties take on the whole thing, but it's still basically short on top and long in the back. And the book has got many mullets to

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Who are some of the biggest big hair transgressors, if you were doing a wanted poster of big hair people?

INNES-SMITH: Well, I suppose Dolly Parton is quite a good contender.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: She's got great big hair, yes.

INNES-SMITH: I know she cheats sometimes with wigs.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: What? What are you saying? Get off. Get out of here.

(LAUGHTER)

INNES-SMITH: And, of course, Cher is another kind of big wigger.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: Big wigger? Is that what you call them?

INNES-SMITH: That's what I call them, yes.

COOPER: Is there one particular hairstyle in the book that's your favorite?

INNES-SMITH: There is a girl who has big glasses, as well as big hair. And she has got sort of two tufts on the side of her head and a big tuft on top and these enormous kind of '80s spectacles. She's great. I want to find out who she is. If she knows -- if she's watching this, come to me. I want to apologize.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: I want your comment on some hairstyles that I'm told we have some pictures of and see what you think.

INNES-SMITH: OK.

COOPER: Now, I guess that's more of a Mohawk really.

INNES-SMITH: Yes. There are no more Mohawks in the book.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: There is a little bit of big hair, sort of big, tragic gray hair with extensions.

INNES-SMITH: It's like a judge's wig, that one, isn't it?

COOPER: That was an attempt at a mullet.

INNES-SMITH: Well, that's cute.

COOPER: I don't even know what that is.

INNES-SMITH: You're like a sort of "Happy Days" happy-go-lucky.

COOPER: It's like a freak Ken doll gone horribly, horribly, in like some tragic nuclear accident.

Yes, so those are some of the possible hairstyles.

James Innes-Smith, I appreciate you joining us.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Thanks. It's a great book.

INNES-SMITH: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Anderson looked great with all those hairstyles.

Time to check in now on the pop news in tonight's "Current."

"The New York Post" says rumors are flying that 60-year-old Mick Jagger might actually have moved in with his girlfriend, a 36-year-old stylist. We should point out, of course, this is a totally unconfirmed rumor. And CNN has no reason to believe that Jagger would ever date anyone as old as 36.

"The New York Daily News" reports that "As the World Turns" is taking some new turns, that the plots will no longer be told in strictly linear fashion. The narrative switch is being seen as a radical change, but only by those people who were able to follow the soap opera plots in the first place.

And the Subway sandwich chain has signed a deal with the Dr. Atkins diet. The chain will start selling low-carb sandwiches next week. In a statement, the rival Daryn Kagan diet announced, it's maintaining its existing relationship with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. I highly recommend that.

After all the holiday time with the family, you might be looking to get of here. Why not see a movie? We're going to go over to the new big screen options coming up.

Also ahead, old school music with a new beat. It is rocking retro.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: Tonight's edition of "The Week-Ender" falls sort of in the middle of an extended weekend, at least for those of you not stuck behind the desk today. Not surprisingly for Christmas weekend, a lot of new movies are out. And a good number of them are kid-friendly, if not always smart kid friendly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): "Peter Pan" arrives with a revolutionary concept, that Peter should be played by a guy. The casting gives a sharper edge to the classic kid's story about growing up and his interaction with the ladies, magical and otherwise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PETER PAN")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Promise me one thing. Leave Hook to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN")

STEVE MARTIN, ACTOR: Twelve kids later and we still got the heat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: "Cheaper by the Dozen" casts two tweener idols, Hilary Duff and Ashton Kutcher, but mostly relies on the moviemaking theory that zaniness, plus chaos equals comedy, and counts on Steve Martin to fill out the modern-day movie daddy formula. They're either bad or they're boobs.

If, instead, your kid is a sucker for horses, specifically gargantuan horses, Disney has made "Young Black Stallion' specifically for IMAX screens, but may have sold the story short in the process.

Grownups have two choices this weekend. "Cold Mountain" is a period piece from the past, as wounded Confederate soldier Jude Law tries to make his way back home to Nicole Kidman, who is enduring struggles of her own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SEX AND THE CITY")

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: The only thing a girl needs to get a date is another date.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: In DVD, "Sex and the City" offers its fifth season on disc.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SEX AND THE CITY")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's huge.

KIM CATTRALL, ACTRESS: The way God and Madison Avenue intended. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: All right, joining us now with some thoughts of his own on the grownup movies OUT there, "New York Times" film critic Elvis Mitchell has some opinions.

Let's get right to it.

ELVIS MITCHELL, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I brought my big hair to me.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I appreciate that. Anderson says thank you for that.

"Cold Mountain," I'm going to see this tomorrow. So what am I in store for?

MITCHELL: A big movie. There is lot of picture here. It's not a religious experience, as somebody I know might have said.

KAGAN: Yes.

MITCHELL: It's from the novel. And it's really impressive in a lot of ways.

Anthony Minghella, who did "The English Patient" and "Talent Mr. Ripley," have an enormous amount of skill. And sort of -- he wants the picture to be incredibly emotional. But it's a movie about the Civil War that was shot in Prague with a bunch of British and Australian actors.

KAGAN: Kind of have something missing there.

MITCHELL: America and Americans.

KAGAN: Yes.

MITCHELL: So it's a really strange, impressive movie. It's sort of like a bad dream airline picture, where people get the accents right, but not the speaking rhythms. And you wait for like the villagers to come out and demand for Frankenstein's head, because Prague doesn't look like the American South. It's like a Civil War epic shot in the Black Forest.

But all those things aside, though, as a piece of filmmaking, it is something that's enormously powerful to watch. It's just kind of remote. I think cold might be the word I would use.

KAGAN: Cold. "Cold Mountain." E for effort, then, we'll give that.

MITCHELL: E? This was just a bad grade where I'm from.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: Yes, there you go.

"Paycheck," Ben Affleck looking to perhaps resurrect a blockbuster career?

MITCHELL: Ben Affleck in "Resurrection." There is a movie nobody has gotten around to yet.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: Anybody besides J.Lo going to see "Paycheck"?

MITCHELL: Well, she is going for free, so we can't count her. And she didn't go to the premiere last week either. So we should keep that in mind, too.

KAGAN: OK.

MITCHELL: It's made by the Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo, who basically created all the kind of slow-motion action motifs that every filmmaker has stolen ever since. It's like watching a third- generation Xerox. You've seen this movie by so many other people, there is kind of nothing new in it.

On the other hand, even though it's a kind of a dumb movie about smart people, kind of a big screen episode of "MacGyver," Ben Affleck is not bad in it. That's -- I know it's not saying a lot congressman from a man who made "Gigli" earlier this year. But he also made "Daredevil." And he's actually better in this than he was in "Daredevil."

And what's amazing about it is that Uma Thurman gives the movie kind of an emotional center. And it comes from a Philip K. Dick novel, as did "Blade Runner," as did "Total Recall," as did "Minority Report." And these are all movies that are kind of about the last frontier, basically, about keeping your psyche private and what happens when it's mortgaged, when it's stolen away from you in the future world.

And it's such a great subject and ends up being a minor movie, but it's not terrible.

KAGAN: OK, but I want to end with something fantastic, or at least a performance I've heard is fantastic, in "Monster," Charlize Theron.

We have 15 seconds. Sorry.

MITCHELL: People forget that Charlize Theron is an actress and she started off showing her talents, before she got shown off to being like the third-level starlet and stuff like "The Italian Job." She put on weight for this picture. She's wearing some weird mouthpiece, like she's going to go fight Joe Frazier.

Don't -- ignore that stuff. What's great is her performance. You so feel it. She's so different, not only physically, but emotionally. She builds a character from the inside out. And you get a sense of how desperate, how angry, how hostile. And all these things play in a way that makes this character incredibly emotionally complex. It's a great performance.

KAGAN: Thank you.

Elvis Mitchell, we'll look for you top 10 list, the top 10 movies of the year in this Sunday's "New York Times."

MITCHELL: Only if you ask.

KAGAN: Yes. And we'll have you back for that.

Elvis, thank you for that. Appreciate it.

Time now for the "Buzz." We asked you, will you cut your beef consumption due to fears of mad cow disease? Fifty-one percent of you say, yes, you will. Elvis think that's pretty funny there. He clearly didn't go vote; 49 percent said no.

Elvis, it's not a scientific poll. It's just a place for people to show off their "Buzz."

MITCHELL: So no wagering?

KAGAN: No wagering.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: So you're looking for some music to play on that state- of-the-art DVD home entertainment system you got from Santa? Well, you can forget about new songs.

CNN's Jason Carroll suggests rocking retro.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Something odd is happening with the sound of music, rocker Rod Stewart crooning in a tux.

ROD STEWART, MUSICIAN: There's no legal age for retirement for rock 'n' roll singers, you know?

CARROLL: Cyndi Lauper channeling Etta James.

CYNDI LAUPER, MUSICIAN: Some of my friends who used to say, just put the gown on, the black gown and the gloves and sing, you know, I finally did it.

CARROLL: And Chubby Checker rapping his '60s classic "Limbo Rock."

CHUBBY CHECKER, MUSICIAN: I'm looking forward to seeing you people out there at our concerts. We want to knock your head off.

CARROLL: The music industry trend, everything old is new again, artists like Elvis, Streisand, Simon & Garfunkel are on the charts again.

MICHAEL PAOLETTA, "BILLBOARD": People are looking for, I think, something that is comfortable, something that is warm sounding, something that reminds them of a simpler time, an easier time.

CARROLL: Despite the revivals, Checker left his signature tune alone.

(on camera): Was there any temptation at all to bring "The Twist" back?

CHECKER: No.

CARROLL: None at all?

CHECKER: "The Twist" is like the sunshine. It's here.

CARROLL (voice-over): "Raindrops Falling on Your Head" finally has a soul, with Ron Isley covering Burt Bacharach's original, creating a new audience of listeners with an ear for old school.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that's going to do it for ANDERSON COOPER 360.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Quarantined for Mad Cow; Flights from France Resume, Terror Alert Still in Effect>


Aired December 26, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARYN KAGAN, HOST (voice-over): Up to 20 missing in mud 12 feet deep. The search continues.

Security increase. Air travel under scrutiny. The latest on the U.S. terror threat.

Mad Cow. Are U.S. inspectors doing enough to keep us safe?

Jackson, Kobe, Harris, Durst a look back at the year's headline grabbing legal battles.

The parents of JonBenet Ramsey, seven years after her tragic death.

The year-end box office rush. A weekend guide to holiday movies.

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is Anderson Cooper 360.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Good evening. Welcome to 360. Anderson is off tonight. I'm Daryn Kagan.

Let's start with the devastating southern California mud slides.

In the last hour, rescue workers found a sixth body. The frantic search is still on for at least ten others, including several children.

Our Charles Feldman is covering this story from the command post in San Bernadino.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First came the Christmas day rains, heavier than anyone expected. As much as three and a half inches in a very short period of time.

Then came the mudslides, cascading down the mountains in an area recently burned by wildfires, the lack of trees and vegetation leaving a clear path for the mud to flow. At the St. Sophia youth camp in Waterman Canyon, the caretaker had apparently invited over a large group of friends or relatives for the holiday. In a flash, two structures were swept away by a moving wall of mud reaching as high as 12 feet.

This woman's sister is among the missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have about six or more dogs involved and 65 to 75 search and rescue people on the ground.

FELDMAN: Besides the devastation at the camp site, some homes in the area were also destroyed by the mudslide.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We survived the fire. We were one of seven that survived the fire. And then ours were the very first structures threatened in the fire. And -- but we didn't survive the flood.

FELDMAN: Some 20 minutes away in nearby Davor (ph), more than 30 trailers were wrecked by the mudslides, at least one person was killed and others remain missing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Charles Feldman joins us live right now from San Bernadino.

Charles, are officials gearing up for the possibility of more mudslides?

FELDMAN: Well, yes, Daryn. You know, right now, as you can tell, there has been a break in the weather. It's been dry all day. But there is, unfortunately, some rain, not a lot, but some rain in the forecast over the weekend.

And any more water is likely to cause some more mud slide and more importantly, make it that much more difficult for this search and rescue operation to go on -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Charles Feldman tracking the situation for us from southern California. Thank you for that.

We turn now to the Mad Cow investigation.

There are several new developments this evening. Confirmation on the first U.S. case came from a British lab today. And now U.S. officials have quarantined two calves who were born to that affected cow.

Plus four grocery store chains have voluntarily recalled meat that might be contaminated. All of this comes as the beef industry braces for the fallout.

More now from CNN's Kris Osborn.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These Nebraska cows will soon see the slaughterhouse. Their owner, Omaha cattle man Bill Rhea, feeds a herd of about 5,000. His farm has no record of Mad Cow Disease, but his business is already feeling the pressure.

BILL RHEA, CATTLEMAN: Ten percent of our production is export business. So as of yesterday, all our trading partners say, no, we don't want any product from the U.S. If the consuming public says, no, we don't have faith in the government, in safe food, then our markets will go down.

OSBORN: The scope of the first-ever outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in the United States has not yet been determined, but federal authorities, cattlemen and scientists believe the risk to humans is extremely low.

RHEA: And you cannot get Mad Cow from the muscle cuts. Only from the spinal tissue and spinal fluid.

FELDMAN (on camera): Cows are typically born and bred by ranchers, then sent to places like this, a feed lot, where they're fattened up before they're then slaughtered by packers and they go to the retailer or grocery store.

Already the concern in Washington State has affected the entire chain here.

(voice-over) Les Leach's (ph) meat procession business sells 95 percent of its product to Japan, one of the countries now banning U.S. beef.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole issue is how long can we survive until this gets resolved? I'm thinking -- it will get resolved eventually, but we just don't know how long it will take.

OSBORN: So time is of the essence for the beef industry here in Nebraska and across the country. Farmers can only hope that a new day does not uncover more cases of Mad Cow.

Kris Osborn, CNN, Omaha, Nebraska.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Just before the Mad Cow scare, demand for beef had been actually growing. The USDA reports that Americans consumed on average 63 pounds of beef per capita in 2001. And that same year, Americans spent a total of $57 billion on beef. That was the most in history.

Mad Cow Disease is also the subject of tonight's buzz question. "Will you cut your beef consumption due to fears of Mad Cow Disease?" Vote now online: CNN.com/360. We'll have the results at the end of the show.

On to now the terrorism front. Two Air France planes were delayed leaving Paris for the U.S. today for more extensive screening. One of the planes is estimated to arrive in Los Angeles about two hours from now.

Also there was an update on the war against terrorism from the homeland security secretary.

All of that now from CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air France resumed flying from Paris to Los Angeles, but concern about the terrorist threat not over.

Tom ridge, the secretary of homeland security, speaking to CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: There's a continued threat reporting stream with regard to aviation, and whenever we get a threat, a report of a threat, regardless of where it is in the world, we will share that information appropriately with people who can act on it.

STARR: Ridge saying since the U.S. went to Code Orange, discussions have been stepped up with other countries on putting air marshals on their flights to the U.S. Mexico already has increased its aviation security.

Ridge offered little public information on the intelligence about the canceled Air France flights.

RIDGE: There is information derived from this investigation, derived from the French interrogation that we will probably be able to use in the future.

STARR: Still, passengers on the resumed flights found additional security screening. And plans were made in Los Angeles for the planes not to come directly to the terminal, passengers to be screened again at a remote airfield site.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And, Daryn, Secretary Ridge making it clear, the threat is serious, but the U.S. better prepared than ever before to defend the homeland -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr in Washington. Thank you for that, Barbara.

The threat also serious in Iraq, where five U.S. soldiers have died in the last 24 hours there. That makes 11 deaths since the beginning of the week.

Most of the violence occurred in an area known as the Sunni Triangle.

One soldier died in a rocket propelled grenade attack. Two others were killed in a mortar attack on their base. Two more troops were killed by improvised explosive devices.

And now to southeast Iran. That is where more than 5,000 people are dead, 30,000 others injured after a powerful earthquake leveled much of an ancient city. The death toll could go much higher.

Iranians are now observing a three-day period of mourning. President Bush is offering his condolences, while the international community is answering the call for help.

CNN's Matthew Chance has the latest details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is fast becoming one of the worst catastrophes that Iran has seen. Reports from the remote town of Bam in the southeast of the country say the bodies of thousands of people have already been pulled from the rubble.

As local rescue workers scramble to dig out survivors, the Iranian authorities have appealed to donations of blood and international assistance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Priorities in terms of help that we need at the moment are the experts who can actually identify the people who are trapped in the rubble. Also the medical facilities, and also other facilities and other equipments and items such as tents, and clothes that can provide some immediate accommodation. And...

CHANCE: The earthquake struck in the early hours of Friday morning as most residents were still sleeping. The U.S. Geological Survey says the shockwave registered a powerful 6.7 in magnitude.

Eyewitnesses say more than 60 percent of buildings have been destroyed, including an historic 2,000-year-old citadel.

Iran, which straddles geological fault lines, has long been prone to tremors, some with devastating consequences. Thirty-five-thousand people were killed in 1990, in an earthquake that left more than half a million Iranians homeless. The human cost of this latest disaster has yet to be reckoned.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: More than 5,000 people were killed in today's quake. Actually though, it is not the deadliest in modern times. Let's take a flash back.

The deadliest quake of the 20th Century hit the town of Tongshou, China, in the middle of the night on July 28, 1976. The magnitude 7.8 quake struck an area where it was totally unexpected, obliterated the city, killing more than 240,000 people as they slept.

Right now we are following a number of other stories across the country.

Let's start in West Palm Beach, Florida. A deal for Lionel Tate.

Tate who was only 12 when convicted of killing a 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick while pretending to be a pro wrestler. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Well, you might remember that two weeks ago an appeals court threw out his conviction. Prosecutors say they will offer Tate the same plea bargain deal that he was offered before his conviction.

Concord, New Hampshire, innocent until proven guilty. Howard Dean says that even Osama bin Laden should be convicted by a jury in a trial before being pronounced guilty. Dean said he would not state his preference for a punishment for the al Qaeda leader before a trial.

To Lake Tahoe, California. Check out this winter wonderland. Ski resorts in the California Sierra Nevada are recording up to three feet of new snow from the storm that blew into town early this week. Travel was difficult over Christmas, but conditions are improving today.

Crawford, Texas. Home for the holidays. The president and Mrs. Bush are vacationing at their ranch over Christmas and New Year's.

Mrs. Bush gave the president a book and a couple of shirts for Christmas. He gave her a gold necklace, a pair of earrings and some dessert plates that she had seen in Georgetown.

And that's tonight's "Cross Country."

Now a bizarre story in Florida. A mother is found murdered. The father apparently met the same fate years ago. An investigator suspects there is a family connection to both deaths.

Also ahead, peace efforts shattered in the Middle East with a suicide attack.

Plus, the JonBenet Ramsey murder seven years later today. Where does the investigation stand now?

But first, let's take a look inside the box at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Turn now to a gruesome story which is unfolding in the Orlando, Florida, area. It started with the discovery of two buried bodies, one of them a mother who had been missing for three months, the other a father missing for 15 years.

Our Susan Candiotti has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind a house brightly lit with Christmas decorations, a grisly discovery.

The body of 65-year-old Marilyn Kananen found buried in her daughter's backyard shed, the body wrapped in a blanket and plastic five feet down.

SHERIFF KEVIN BEARY, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Needless to say, this is a very bizarre case for Orange County.

CANDIOTTI: Bizarre because the alleged killer, the victim's son Richard Kananen, is also suspected of killing and burying his father. Both parents discovered at about the same time.

Kananen's father was found buried in his garage. The father disappeared 15 years ago but was never reported missing. His wife told friends he abandoned her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Kananen, you're going to be held on a no- bond status pending further order of court. Any questions?

RICHARD KANANEN, SUSPECTED OF KILLING PARENTS: No, sir.

CANDIOTTI: The pieces slowly came together after the mother disappeared. A complicated trail led police to Kananen and his sister.

Police say when they realized authorities were onto them, investigators found them inside a garage with the car running and suicide notes. "She is in the ground by the shed," read one note.

Both brother and sister survived.

SGT. JOHN ALLEN, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: They basically acknowledged some involvement in the deaths of their parents.

CANDIOTTI: The motives also complicated. Authorities say Kananen claims he hated his father after years of abuse and his mother for still loving his father.

And then there's the matter of a sizable inheritance in their mother's bank account.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Now, take a look at some international stories. Here now the "Uplink."

Rural China gas well disaster. Nearly 200 people dead, hundreds more hospitalized. China's state-run news agency said a drilling accident triggered the toxic fire. More than 9,000 people were treated for gas poisoning, and they remain homeless.

Pakistan, assassination attempt. The information minister says that local and international terrorists are behind the latest attempt to kill President Musharraf. Officials say at least one of the three suicide bombers apparently was not a Pakistani, judging from his remains. Yesterday's attack killed 15 people, including the bombers.

South Hampton, England. Hail to the queen. Hundreds turned out to welcome the world's largest cruise ship into the home port. The $800 million Queen Mary II will embark on its maiden voyage in early January.

Today's reception was toned down out of respect for the 15 people who died last month when a gangway attached to the cruise liner collapsed.

And also in England, a polarizing annual past time continued today, much to the chagrin of animal rights activists.

Thousands of decked out fox hunters took part in the various Boxing Day hunts throughout the countryside. Protesters say it's barbaric as a tradition, and it ought to be banned.

And that is tonight's "Uplink."

Whatever lull there might have been in suicide bombings in the Middle East, it is over. Very violently. Two incidents on Christmas day could plunge the region into more peril and uncertainty.

CNN's John Vause has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surrounded by armed men, Moqled Hamid's funeral procession wound through the streets of Gaza. He was, Israel says, the target of missile strike which killed five others, including a teenage boy.

Hamid was the military leader of Islamic Jihad, a ticking bomb, according to Israel, who was just days away from ordering a mega- terrorist attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't reveal details about him making an attack because of course, that's not the type of thing we discuss over the airwaves.

VAUSE: It was the first targeted killing by Israel in months, and it brought vows of revenge from Islamic Jihad.

Just moments after the air strike in Gaza, a suicide bomber killed four people and wounded more than 20 others just outside Tel Aviv.

In response, Israel sealed off the Palestinian territories and destroyed the family home of the suicide bomber, an 18-year-old man from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Among his victims, three soldiers.

This was the first terrorist attack inside Israel in 81 days. Many believed, had hoped, there was an unofficial cease-fire in place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't believe in a cease-fire in the first place, either with Hamas or Jihad or with any other terrorist group.

VAUSE: The Palestinian authority condemned the violence on both sides.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This resumption of violence is not going to be helpful for any of the parties to reach their objectives.

VAUSE: John Vause, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Here in the U.S., there are Mad Cow fears. Just how safe is the meat? We'll get some answers for you, coming up.

Plus, it's been seven years since the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. What's the latest on the search for her killer?

And big, bad hair. Oh, my. We've all been there. You might remember these days. We relive hair's dos and don't.

But first, today's "Buzz." "Will you cut your beef consumption due to the fears of Mad Cow Disease?" Vote now: CNN.com/360. The results for you near the end of the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The presents have been opened. Perhaps Santa did not bring you what you wanted. So now it's your chance to take part in the post-holiday shopping extravaganza.

CNN's Adaora Udoji reports there are a lot of bargains for you to catch out there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Those shopping for a big bargain the day after Christmas say it's all part of the holiday cheer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife won't have any part of it. She doesn't like to get up early, but I do it every year.

UDOJI: This year, retailers waited to slash prices, now up to 50 percent off across the board. They hope to recover after the weather dampened sales in recent weeks.

But while the malls were swamped, some experienced shoppers like Helen Baker were not impressed.

HELEN BAKER, CONSUMER: The prices were OK. Not great.

UDOJI: Retailers, though, can still count on others who are just starting to open their wallets. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go to these places before Christmas and then you go after, and you know, half off. So I usually like to wait.

UDOJI: And more, four to six percent of gifts will be returned, often reaping rewards for the stores.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I ended up buying stuff more than I returned stuff, which I didn't want to do but I did.

UDOJI: Overall, analysts predict retailers will make roughly a six percent gain over last year, the strongest since 1999.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luxury items were great.

UDOJI: High-end stores like Bloomingdale's apparently found a winning combination by scaling back on pre-Christmas promotions and inventory.

RICK RANGE, BLOOMINGDALE'S: In general -- and I speak for Roosevelt Field -- post Christmas is very important. You know, as I've said, we've got a lot of business to do over the next eight days.

UDOJI: Rick Range knows well ultimately the shoppers will decide how this season really turns out.

Adaora Udoji, CNN, Garden City, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: OK. But hold on a second here. You might not want to cash in that gift certificate to your favorite steakhouse just yet.

The first confirmed case of Mad Cow Disease in the U.S. has quite expectedly raised the anxiety level about eating beef.

Earlier I talked with Caroline Smith Dewaal. She is a director of the food safety program at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. And I asked her why the USDA is having trouble tracking down the source of the disease.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINE SMITH DEWAAL, CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: That's because we don't have a mandatory animal identification system in the U.S., unlike many other countries that have already implemented it.

In fact, Canada implemented their program several years before discovering their first case of Mad Cow Disease.

KAGAN: And in fact, when you look at what the U.S. system has in place, it in no way compares to what's done in Europe and Japan.

It almost seems like a case of don't ask, don't tell. If we don't ask about having Mad Cow, then we won't have Mad Cow. DEWAAL: In fact, as we urged the department to put in more protections, both for the cattle industry, but more importantly, for U.S. consumers, over and over again we were told that we shouldn't worry about this, because we don't have Mad Cow Disease in the U.S.

Well, clearly, that's not an excuse anymore.

KAGAN: And the bottom line here is people who are preparing holiday dinners or going to the market or going to restaurants, should they feel safe eating U.S. beef?

DEWAAL: Most muscle meat is completely safe. It's really not a problem when it comes to the types of steaks or roasts that many people are used to.

There is some meat that is produced that can contain bits of spinal cord or nervous system tissue, and that's the meat we're most concerned about. Though it's a very small volume of meat, it gets mixed in with ground beef. It gets mixed in with meat for hot dogs or sausages, pizza toppings, or taco fillings.

And this meat comes from advanced meat recovery systems. We're urging USDA to ban the use of spinal columns, neck bones in those machines. But in fact, the U.S. government hasn't done it.

We started asking them back in 1997. We formally petitioned the government in 2001. So the Bush administration has been very slow to act, to put in protections for U.S. consumers.

KAGAN: And as you said, there's many in the beef industry that say that they don't believe that that's needed. But bottom line, would you personally eat the type of meat that you were talking about, hot dogs, sausages, pizza meat, would you eat it today?

DEWAAL: I think it's -- for me, it would be best to avoid it until I know more about how many cows are infected.

It's not this one cow that's the problem. This cow was found. They're recalling the meat. The problem is this cow probably was exposed with other cattle who may still be in the system and could be going into U.S. slaughter plants today or tomorrow.

KAGAN: And American consumers will be asking questions. Caroline Smith Dewaal, director of food safety program for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Thank you for joining us.

DEWAAL: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Seven years since JonBenet Ramsey's murder. Will the real killer be found?

A brief history of hair. When it got big and how bad it got.

"The Weekender" looks at the attack of the kid flicks, the holiday movie guide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And it's time to get you back up to speed. Here is your "Reset."

Six bodies have been found near a pair of California camp sites that became engulfed by mudslides. At least 10 people are still unaccounted for. Many of them are children.

Florida prosecutors are offering a new plea deal to Lionel Tate, the teenager who faced life without parole for killing a 6-year-old girl when he was 12. The new deal would force him to serve three months in a juvenile facility, one year of house arrest and 10 years of probation. Tate won a new trial two weeks ago.

Just two days after six flights were canceled today, two more Air France jets that fly to Paris, Los Angeles and fly that route were hung up due to security concerns. A U.S. aviation official said that today's delays were caused by more comprehensive passenger screening. One of those flights is due in Los Angeles about two hours from now.

Terry Anderson, you remember him? He was held hostage in Lebanon for nearly seven years. He says he'll run for the Ohio Senate next year. Anderson is a former Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press. He was held captive by pro-Iranian Shiite Muslims from 1985 until 1991.

And now for "Justice Served," a look back at a year of trials and arrests. And what a year it was. There was that eccentric millionaire who admitted dismembering his elderly neighbor. And then there was the scorned wife who ran over her cheating husband. And that's only in Texas.

Our Kris Osborn has a look back the legal dramas of 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kobe, Rosie, Michael Jackson, Robert Blake, famous names headlining a year of gripping legal action.

Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, an impeccable off-court reputation to go with his on-court greatness, now charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a Colorado resort. Wife by his side, he admits adultery, but insists the sex was consensual.

KOBE BRYANT, NBA PLAYER: I'm so sorry.

OSBORN: Best known as TV's "Baretta," Robert Blake is out on bail, waiting to face trial on charges of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. He, too, insists he's innocent.

So does the king of pop. But Michael Jackson is booked, printed, charged with seven counts of lewd acts upon a child. His high-profile defender, Mark Geragos, is on the offensive, saying Michael's accusers are attempting to shake down the star for money.

And, yes, you've seen Geragos before, defending this man, once unknown, now famous, defendant Scott Peterson. He's accused of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and her unborn child. Peterson has admitted having an affair with this woman, massage therapist Amber Frey, but says he has nothing to do with the disappearance and death of his wife.

Also pleading not guilty, Phil Spector, all-star producer charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in his Los Angeles mansion.

While all of those cases remain unresolved, New York real estate heir, millionaire Robert Durst was found innocent. Though he admitted killing and butchering 71-year-old Morris Black, the jury believed his claim of self-defense.

Also resolved, the Houston courtroom drama of Clara Harris. She was convicted of killing her husband by running him over in a Mercedes Benz.

Finally, not a crime, but a bitter trial that earned tabloid headlines. Rosie O'Donnell and her magazine publisher sued each other in a bitter contract dispute, ended, essentially, in a draw.

Kris Osborn, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Joining us now, someone who has watched more trials than most people. In fact, it's her job, Court television anchor Lisa Bloom. We tracked her down in Columbus, Ohio.

You can run, but you can't hide, Lisa.

LISA BLOOM, COURT TV ANCHOR: Hi, Daryn.

KAGAN: Happy holidays.

Just want to pass out kind of some unofficial trial awards here. And we're going to start with some of the news that broke today. Most interesting redo, the big redo that's taking place in Florida concerning Lionel Tate. Were you surprised that they came up with this plea deal?

BLOOM: I was surprised, Daryn, although there was certainly a national outcry after Lionel Tate became the youngest American to be sentenced in life in prison without the possibility of parole for a murder that he committed at the age of 12. And the prosecutor in that case was one of the people who joined in that outcry, saying that that sentence was just too harsh.

Well, the prosecutor has stuck with that position. He's now offering the same plea deal he offered before the first trial, three years for Lionel Tate. When you count time served, that means he's going to be out in a couple of months, if he accepts the deal.

KAGAN: Many tragedies in that case.

How about the most shocking verdict of 2003? What was that for you, Lisa?

BLOOM: Well, that has to be the Robert Durst case, the billionaire who admits to killing and then chopping up his neighbor, taking the pieces of his body, putting them in garbage bags, dumping them in Galveston Bay.

And his high-priced defense team was able to convince that Galveston jury that actions that happened after the killing, namely the butchering of this man's body, were completely irrelevant to the case, were not to be considered by them in reaching their verdict of not guilty. That really shocked a lot of us, Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, money can't buy you love, but it can buy you good legal representation, apparently.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: OK, so you've watched all this court. You've watched a number of verdicts. Just the one day, the most shocking day or the most interesting day of 2003 in court for you, which was it?

BLOOM: Buried by a lot of newspapers was the Green River killings. And that was really a significant case this year; 48 women were murdered by the Green River killer. And if you had 10 minutes to talk to the murderer of your beloved daughter, your sister, your mother, what would you say to him face to face?

Well, 48 families had to answer that question as they spoke at his sentencing. And we saw on live television the range of emotions, from rage, calling the man a monster, to some surprising emotions, where two of the family members said they forgave him. And we saw tears roll down his cheeks when he was given forgiveness by some family members. It was really a very moving day of ordinary people going into the courtroom and talking face to face with a killer.

KAGAN: All right, we look forward to having you around in 2004 to look at some more trial then.

BLOOM: Thanks, Daryn. Happy holidays.

KAGAN: Happy holidays to you. Enjoy the rest of the time off, Lisa Bloom.

BLOOM: I will.

KAGAN: "Flashback" now to seven years ago today. The body of JonBenet Ramsey, strangled and beaten, is found in the basement of her parents' Boulder, Colorado, home.

The murder remains unsolved. The images of the 6-year-old beauty queen mesmerized the nation. JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, have maintained their innocence all along. They say an intruder killed their daughter. Earlier, I had a chance to speak with the couple's attorney, Lin Wood. And I asked them how much of a difference the new district attorney working on the case has made this past year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN WOOD, ATTORNEY FOR RAMSEY FAMILY: Well, it makes a major difference.

Mary Keenan, who has been the district attorney for the past three years, one year ago, in December of 2002, took the Ramsey murder investigation away from the Boulder Police Department and brought the investigation under her auspices in the Boulder district attorney's office. Mary Keenan, for the first time, has aggressively pursued the DNA evidence.

The Boulder Police Department had not pursued it. And, in the past year, Mary Keenan has now had that evidence put into the FBI national DNA data bank and also has had it sent to a number of state data banks. DNA holds the answer to this murder, and Mary Keenan is following the DNA. It's good news.

KAGAN: And do you fear that it's too late, though, for that DNA to give the kind of clues that you need it to?

WOOD: No. No.

We see periodically cases that are solved by DNA evidence that has been -- quote, unquote -- "cold cases" for many years. We also see individuals who have been wrongly convicted and imprisoned who are released from prison after many years based on DNA evidence. It's the best evidence in this case. It demonstrates the innocence of the Ramsey family. And it will, I believe, one day bring the killer of JonBenet to justice.

KAGAN: Really quickly, I need to ask you about this lawsuit that you have filed on behalf of the Ramsey family against Fox News.

WOOD: Yes.

We filed that lawsuit a couple days ago. It arises out of a false statement broadcast in December of last year on the 6th anniversary of JonBenet's death, where the correspondent for Fox intentionally stated, falsely, that there had never been any evidence linking an intruder to the brutal crime, conveying that it had to be one of the family members, either John, Patsy or their son, Burke.

KAGAN: And we did contact Fox News. They say they have no comment on the lawsuit. So we'll leave it that at that.

Just quickly, to wrap this up, I have to ask you, how do the Ramseys mark this time of year, not only the holidays, obviously, but the anniversary of JonBenet's death?

WOOD: They spend Christmas each year with family members and close friends. They're here in Atlanta. They recently moved to Charlebois (ph) end of the summer. But they're back here in Atlanta.

It's a time of sadness for the Ramsey, but it's also a time of hope, hope that one day the killer of their child will be brought to justice. There is more hope this year, since Mary Keenan is on the case, than there ever has been before.

KAGAN: And on that note, we thank you for joining us, Lin Wood, attorney for the Ramsey family.

WOOD: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Still ahead, we lighten things up a little bit. We'll "Flashback" to some big, bad hair days. Oh, there have been some. We've all been there.

Plus, does rocker Mick Jagger have a love nest? That's in "The Current."

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: All right, time to talk hair.

If there is one thing you learn quickly in the TV news business, it's that viewers care about your hair. They care too much. Well, without question, but care they do. So it's kind of hard not to get hypersensitive about hair, which is why there is a new book that's called "Big Hair." And it caught Anderson Cooper's eye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Of course, big hair has a legendary history, one that shows the French even surrender to bad hair trends.

But it wasn't until the 20th century that scientific advances fell into the wrong hands and hair care products were used indiscriminately to pile hair higher and higher, sometimes with monstrous results.

During the 1960s, when trendsetters turned on and tuned out their barbers, hair's bigness was mostly confined to the downward direction. But glam rock in specific and '70s sensibilities in general helped bring big hair back, bigger and hairier than ever. And this time, it wasn't only the man who got to have big hair. And though the freaky fro had become an endangered species in the '80s, the decade was the golden era of volumizer. Who didn't have big hair?

Only the highest hair could tempt those at the height of power. Today, big hair remains an accepted fashion statement, a statement that says to the world, hey, I have big hair.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KAGAN: Anderson was asking for some of my old big-hair pictures for my piece, but the check wasn't big enough. So they'll stay in the safe.

But he had have a chance to talk with James Innes-Smith, who is the author of "Big Hair." And that was just the other day.

He started by asking the question we all want to know: Why are we all so obsessed by hair?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES INNES-SMITH, AUTHOR, "BIG HAIR": It's one of the few things that we have that we can actually have some kind of control over. And we take advantage of that. We perm it. We straighten it. We do whatever we want.

COOPER: And do you really think you can tell something about a person by the type of hair that they have?

INNES-SMITH: I think probably you can, yes.

In the '80s, big hair was all about power, money. The bigger your hair, the bigger your wallet, the bigger your shoulders, all that stuff.

COOPER: It had to be big. It was like "Dynasty" big.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: But, now, in your book, which is just a fun read -- and it's the second one in sort of the hair series that you've done -- you're a little follically obsessed -- a lot of the photos come from sort of old barber shop images.

INNES-SMITH: That's right, yes.

COOPER: Well, how did you come up with the idea?

INNES-SMITH: Well, just from my local barber that I used to hang out at.

They still had these horrible posters in the window advertising the latest styles. And I just thought, well, this would make a really kitschy, kind of fun coffee table book.

COOPER: When you look at some of the images in your book, do you think those hairstyles can ever come back?

INNES-SMITH: Well, apparently, they are coming back on the catwalks this season.

COOPER: Oh, come on. Really?

INNES-SMITH: So they say. And back in England, the mullet is having a bit of a comeback, the classic long in the back... COOPER: Of course. The mullet is always a classic.

INNES-SMITH: It's sort of -- it's got a kind of naughties take on the whole thing, but it's still basically short on top and long in the back. And the book has got many mullets to

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Who are some of the biggest big hair transgressors, if you were doing a wanted poster of big hair people?

INNES-SMITH: Well, I suppose Dolly Parton is quite a good contender.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: She's got great big hair, yes.

INNES-SMITH: I know she cheats sometimes with wigs.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: What? What are you saying? Get off. Get out of here.

(LAUGHTER)

INNES-SMITH: And, of course, Cher is another kind of big wigger.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: Big wigger? Is that what you call them?

INNES-SMITH: That's what I call them, yes.

COOPER: Is there one particular hairstyle in the book that's your favorite?

INNES-SMITH: There is a girl who has big glasses, as well as big hair. And she has got sort of two tufts on the side of her head and a big tuft on top and these enormous kind of '80s spectacles. She's great. I want to find out who she is. If she knows -- if she's watching this, come to me. I want to apologize.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: I want your comment on some hairstyles that I'm told we have some pictures of and see what you think.

INNES-SMITH: OK.

COOPER: Now, I guess that's more of a Mohawk really.

INNES-SMITH: Yes. There are no more Mohawks in the book.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: There is a little bit of big hair, sort of big, tragic gray hair with extensions.

INNES-SMITH: It's like a judge's wig, that one, isn't it?

COOPER: That was an attempt at a mullet.

INNES-SMITH: Well, that's cute.

COOPER: I don't even know what that is.

INNES-SMITH: You're like a sort of "Happy Days" happy-go-lucky.

COOPER: It's like a freak Ken doll gone horribly, horribly, in like some tragic nuclear accident.

Yes, so those are some of the possible hairstyles.

James Innes-Smith, I appreciate you joining us.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Thanks. It's a great book.

INNES-SMITH: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Anderson looked great with all those hairstyles.

Time to check in now on the pop news in tonight's "Current."

"The New York Post" says rumors are flying that 60-year-old Mick Jagger might actually have moved in with his girlfriend, a 36-year-old stylist. We should point out, of course, this is a totally unconfirmed rumor. And CNN has no reason to believe that Jagger would ever date anyone as old as 36.

"The New York Daily News" reports that "As the World Turns" is taking some new turns, that the plots will no longer be told in strictly linear fashion. The narrative switch is being seen as a radical change, but only by those people who were able to follow the soap opera plots in the first place.

And the Subway sandwich chain has signed a deal with the Dr. Atkins diet. The chain will start selling low-carb sandwiches next week. In a statement, the rival Daryn Kagan diet announced, it's maintaining its existing relationship with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. I highly recommend that.

After all the holiday time with the family, you might be looking to get of here. Why not see a movie? We're going to go over to the new big screen options coming up.

Also ahead, old school music with a new beat. It is rocking retro.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: Tonight's edition of "The Week-Ender" falls sort of in the middle of an extended weekend, at least for those of you not stuck behind the desk today. Not surprisingly for Christmas weekend, a lot of new movies are out. And a good number of them are kid-friendly, if not always smart kid friendly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): "Peter Pan" arrives with a revolutionary concept, that Peter should be played by a guy. The casting gives a sharper edge to the classic kid's story about growing up and his interaction with the ladies, magical and otherwise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PETER PAN")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Promise me one thing. Leave Hook to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN")

STEVE MARTIN, ACTOR: Twelve kids later and we still got the heat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: "Cheaper by the Dozen" casts two tweener idols, Hilary Duff and Ashton Kutcher, but mostly relies on the moviemaking theory that zaniness, plus chaos equals comedy, and counts on Steve Martin to fill out the modern-day movie daddy formula. They're either bad or they're boobs.

If, instead, your kid is a sucker for horses, specifically gargantuan horses, Disney has made "Young Black Stallion' specifically for IMAX screens, but may have sold the story short in the process.

Grownups have two choices this weekend. "Cold Mountain" is a period piece from the past, as wounded Confederate soldier Jude Law tries to make his way back home to Nicole Kidman, who is enduring struggles of her own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SEX AND THE CITY")

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: The only thing a girl needs to get a date is another date.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: In DVD, "Sex and the City" offers its fifth season on disc.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SEX AND THE CITY")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's huge.

KIM CATTRALL, ACTRESS: The way God and Madison Avenue intended. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: All right, joining us now with some thoughts of his own on the grownup movies OUT there, "New York Times" film critic Elvis Mitchell has some opinions.

Let's get right to it.

ELVIS MITCHELL, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I brought my big hair to me.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I appreciate that. Anderson says thank you for that.

"Cold Mountain," I'm going to see this tomorrow. So what am I in store for?

MITCHELL: A big movie. There is lot of picture here. It's not a religious experience, as somebody I know might have said.

KAGAN: Yes.

MITCHELL: It's from the novel. And it's really impressive in a lot of ways.

Anthony Minghella, who did "The English Patient" and "Talent Mr. Ripley," have an enormous amount of skill. And sort of -- he wants the picture to be incredibly emotional. But it's a movie about the Civil War that was shot in Prague with a bunch of British and Australian actors.

KAGAN: Kind of have something missing there.

MITCHELL: America and Americans.

KAGAN: Yes.

MITCHELL: So it's a really strange, impressive movie. It's sort of like a bad dream airline picture, where people get the accents right, but not the speaking rhythms. And you wait for like the villagers to come out and demand for Frankenstein's head, because Prague doesn't look like the American South. It's like a Civil War epic shot in the Black Forest.

But all those things aside, though, as a piece of filmmaking, it is something that's enormously powerful to watch. It's just kind of remote. I think cold might be the word I would use.

KAGAN: Cold. "Cold Mountain." E for effort, then, we'll give that.

MITCHELL: E? This was just a bad grade where I'm from.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: Yes, there you go.

"Paycheck," Ben Affleck looking to perhaps resurrect a blockbuster career?

MITCHELL: Ben Affleck in "Resurrection." There is a movie nobody has gotten around to yet.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: Anybody besides J.Lo going to see "Paycheck"?

MITCHELL: Well, she is going for free, so we can't count her. And she didn't go to the premiere last week either. So we should keep that in mind, too.

KAGAN: OK.

MITCHELL: It's made by the Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo, who basically created all the kind of slow-motion action motifs that every filmmaker has stolen ever since. It's like watching a third- generation Xerox. You've seen this movie by so many other people, there is kind of nothing new in it.

On the other hand, even though it's a kind of a dumb movie about smart people, kind of a big screen episode of "MacGyver," Ben Affleck is not bad in it. That's -- I know it's not saying a lot congressman from a man who made "Gigli" earlier this year. But he also made "Daredevil." And he's actually better in this than he was in "Daredevil."

And what's amazing about it is that Uma Thurman gives the movie kind of an emotional center. And it comes from a Philip K. Dick novel, as did "Blade Runner," as did "Total Recall," as did "Minority Report." And these are all movies that are kind of about the last frontier, basically, about keeping your psyche private and what happens when it's mortgaged, when it's stolen away from you in the future world.

And it's such a great subject and ends up being a minor movie, but it's not terrible.

KAGAN: OK, but I want to end with something fantastic, or at least a performance I've heard is fantastic, in "Monster," Charlize Theron.

We have 15 seconds. Sorry.

MITCHELL: People forget that Charlize Theron is an actress and she started off showing her talents, before she got shown off to being like the third-level starlet and stuff like "The Italian Job." She put on weight for this picture. She's wearing some weird mouthpiece, like she's going to go fight Joe Frazier.

Don't -- ignore that stuff. What's great is her performance. You so feel it. She's so different, not only physically, but emotionally. She builds a character from the inside out. And you get a sense of how desperate, how angry, how hostile. And all these things play in a way that makes this character incredibly emotionally complex. It's a great performance.

KAGAN: Thank you.

Elvis Mitchell, we'll look for you top 10 list, the top 10 movies of the year in this Sunday's "New York Times."

MITCHELL: Only if you ask.

KAGAN: Yes. And we'll have you back for that.

Elvis, thank you for that. Appreciate it.

Time now for the "Buzz." We asked you, will you cut your beef consumption due to fears of mad cow disease? Fifty-one percent of you say, yes, you will. Elvis think that's pretty funny there. He clearly didn't go vote; 49 percent said no.

Elvis, it's not a scientific poll. It's just a place for people to show off their "Buzz."

MITCHELL: So no wagering?

KAGAN: No wagering.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: So you're looking for some music to play on that state- of-the-art DVD home entertainment system you got from Santa? Well, you can forget about new songs.

CNN's Jason Carroll suggests rocking retro.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Something odd is happening with the sound of music, rocker Rod Stewart crooning in a tux.

ROD STEWART, MUSICIAN: There's no legal age for retirement for rock 'n' roll singers, you know?

CARROLL: Cyndi Lauper channeling Etta James.

CYNDI LAUPER, MUSICIAN: Some of my friends who used to say, just put the gown on, the black gown and the gloves and sing, you know, I finally did it.

CARROLL: And Chubby Checker rapping his '60s classic "Limbo Rock."

CHUBBY CHECKER, MUSICIAN: I'm looking forward to seeing you people out there at our concerts. We want to knock your head off.

CARROLL: The music industry trend, everything old is new again, artists like Elvis, Streisand, Simon & Garfunkel are on the charts again.

MICHAEL PAOLETTA, "BILLBOARD": People are looking for, I think, something that is comfortable, something that is warm sounding, something that reminds them of a simpler time, an easier time.

CARROLL: Despite the revivals, Checker left his signature tune alone.

(on camera): Was there any temptation at all to bring "The Twist" back?

CHECKER: No.

CARROLL: None at all?

CHECKER: "The Twist" is like the sunshine. It's here.

CARROLL (voice-over): "Raindrops Falling on Your Head" finally has a soul, with Ron Isley covering Burt Bacharach's original, creating a new audience of listeners with an ear for old school.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that's going to do it for ANDERSON COOPER 360.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Quarantined for Mad Cow; Flights from France Resume, Terror Alert Still in Effect>