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Rallies Support Egypt Protests; Interview with Will.i.am; Super Bowl Youthful Half-Time Program; Children Left Behind
Aired February 05, 2011 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for joining us.
We want to catch you up on the news now with our top stories. It is 2:00 a.m. in Egypt, the beginning of day 13 of a national pro- democracy uprising.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
LEMON: Unlike a week ago, Saturday's demonstrations were relatively peaceful and non-confrontational. Vice President Biden called Egypt's vice president to inquire about progress in resolving the crisis, stressing the need for a clear plan and timetable.
There were some tense moments. The army chose not to challenge protesters who had formed a human chain to block tanks from passing through barricades in Tahrir Square. Also on Saturday, Egypt's newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, met with a group of opposition leaders. They have called for continued public demonstrations until Mubarak steps down.
CNN reporters are on the scene coming up in just a moment here on CNN.
And here in the United States, Egyptian Americans and others are being quite vocal in their support for the anti-Mubarak protests. Rallies are taking place in cities across the country today. Protesters in Washington marched to the White House.
In New York, they gathered outside the U.N. to show solidarity with protesters overseas.
A newly leaked video showing a teen's apparent beating by police is causing an uproar in Houston. Take a look this. We know it's disturbing. We want you to look at it.
It shows a 15-year-old burglary suspect running from police last March. He is clipped by a police car. Officers then kick, punch and stomp him. Four officers face charges and have been fired.
Houston's mayor says she is shocked and disgusted by the tape. It is under investigation.
Police have confirmed some heartbreaking news for a California mother. The body found in a canal on Tuesday is that of her 4-year-old son, sadly. DNA from the body was matched to that of the boy's mother. The mother's former boyfriend allegedly abducted the boy last month.
Friends, family and former staff are among those honoring former President Ronald Reagan this weekend. He would have been 100 years old tomorrow. A newly renovated presidential library is set to reopen next week in Simi Valley, California, with artifacts including the Ronald Reagan era Air Force One. There it is right there.
In a speech last night at the Reagan ranch, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin described Reagan as one of a kind, and in her words, "You're not going to find his kind again."
Dallas is thawing out ahead of tomorrow's Super Bowl XLV. The area was hit with nearly twice its annual snowfall in a single night on Thursday. You're looking at live pictures now from our affiliate WFAA. It looks good now -- it looks good now, but it didn't earlier when ice was sliding off the roof of the Cowboys Stadium on yesterday, injuring people down below. There it is right there.
But temperatures rose today, as you can see. Look at that ice sliding right off. Temperatures rose and the forecast -- well, it's looking up for tomorrow. And the game will be under a dome.
Again, live pictures from Dallas, site of tomorrow's big Super Bowl. They're in a thaw. Maybe it will thaw out fast enough for all those people who are planning to come there tomorrow.
And the halftime show is one of the biggest stages in the world, right? One of the biggest music stars in the world, Will.i.am is joining me in about 15 minutes right here on CNN, as his group, the Black Eyed Peas get ready to blow the lid of Cowboys Stadium. And also, he's going to announce a new venture. Maybe he's even taking on Twitter?
(MUSIC)
LEMON: And as we mentioned earlier, people here in the U.S. are showing their solidarity with protesters in Egypt. Demonstrators marched today outside the United Nations, blasting President Hosni Mubarak and making their voices heard. It was a similar scene in Washington as well where protesters voiced support for the protests in Egypt.
And this picture right here showing Christians forming human chains to protect Muslims during prayers at Tahrir Square. Well, it speaks volumes about a country where Christians and Muslims are often divided.
Earlier today, I got a chance to meet some demonstrators right here in downtown Atlanta who talked about the show of unity between people of different faiths and why they are supporting the people of Egypt. Look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Down, down with Mubarak! LEMON: Well, most of the protests last week were focused on Mubarak. This week, they're focusing on this -- Egypt means Muslims and Christians, meaning unity among people who at once had been separated.
Why are you so passionate about this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because the (INAUDIBLE) Christians, they were protecting us in Tahrir Square. The Christians protecting us in Tahrir Square. (INAUDIBLE). Right now, Christians and Muslims in Egypt is one part, not two. It's one part, not two. It will never be two. It will be as one.
LEMON: People would say, why is a 10-year-old out here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here to support every age that's in Egypt, every age should have equal rights no matter how small or old you are.
CROWD: Down, down with Mubarak!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to tell all Americans if you're for freedom, if you're for democracy, get out here, protest for Egyptians. They deserve freedom just as much as anyone else.
And please, please, President Obama, I know you have the power to get him down. So just tell him that he needs to go. One phone call isn't enough.
LEMON: What's at stake for Syrians like you and other people of Arab nations?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's really going to set the tone for the whole Middle East. And hopefully, leaders around the region will start paying more attention to the voices of their people. The Egyptian people are our brothers. What happens to them is vitally important to them and all of us in the region. And we support them 100 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty years is too much. And unplugging Egypt from the rest of the world won't help. He can't unplug our voices.
CROWD: Hey, hey, ho, ho, Mubarak has got to go! Hey, hey, ho, ho, Mubarak has got to go!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Protests around the world showing support for the people in Egypt. That one right outside the CNN world headquarters right here in Atlanta.
And we'll talk with a tense Egyptian American who's trying to keep in touch with his family back home. That's next.
Plus, a special treat for you tonight, Will.i.am will be here as we look at live pictures of the Dallas sunset. Look at that. They're in the thaw right. They were, were frozen for days. They haven't seen temperatures like that in quite a long time. Live pictures now of Cowboys Stadium there in Dallas, Texas. What a beautiful sight. Let's hope they --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm out here because everything that they have done and said that they're going to do -- and by they, I mean the government -- was definitely not enough. And we're here until the president goes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The truth of the matter is, they're trying to wrap themselves in the flag of economic stability and they can't deliver economic stability. It will continue to be unstable for as long as they're here. If they really want to stabilize the situation, they need to abdicate their throne and gone.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone.
You know, it's been an incredibly tense time for Egyptian-Americans with loved ones caught in the turmoil in Egypt. And journalist and CNN iReporter Nancy Mousa joins us now. She joined us last week.
Thank you so much. It's good to see you. I want to ask you, you have many relatives who are in Cairo -- your grandparents, your uncles, you aunts, your cousins. How are they doing? Have you heard from them?
NANCY MOUSA, EGYPTIAN-AMERICAN JOURNALIST: They're doing good. I talked to them earlier today through Skype. I tried to speak with them every day. And as of today, you know, they're doing very well.
LEMON: How does your family feel about President Mubarak and the protesters?
MOUSA: They are in complete support of the Egyptian people there. They want him out of office. They're tired of everything that's been going on. Thirty years is too long and they're ready for him to go as well.
LEMON: I do have to say that people that were -- I got e-mails and letters and tweets from people who are saying, "Don, there are people who support Mubarak. There are people who support Mubarak." We had one guest on last week who is in support of Mubarak and says that, you know, he was the best thing to happen in a long time for the country.
What do you say to those people? Because there were people out last week when the violence happened, people who were in support of President Mubarak.
MOUSA: You know what? That's their opinion. There are so many more people who are against him for a reason, just look at the condition of the country. When I was there this past October, it was very evident. It was very evident since the first time I went back to Egypt since I was born. It's very obvious there's a big issue. And the underlying issue is the president.
LEMON: Anything change -- your attitude about the situation change, especially considering what happened over the past couple of days with the violence and all of that?
MOUSA: My attitude? No. I believe he needs to go. I support the people. And that's the best thing for Egypt.
LEMON: What do you think -- it was quite surprising for demonstrations that had mostly -- mostly been peaceful and then were sort of aimed at journalists a little bit. The people who were trying to show the story -- I shouldn't say a little bit. It was aimed at journalists. A couple of journalists got injured, including some of our very own here.
So, what do you make of that?
MOUSA: As a journalist myself, it's very scary. And I commend each and every journalist that's out there, getting the truth out because it's very important that we show people what's going on there. He is trying very hard to cover it up by not allowing people to go live and show protests. But as reporters, we can't allow that and we have to do our part for the United States and the whole world to show what's truly happening. And I'm very proud of them.
LEMON: So, you believe it was Mubarak supporters who did that to journalists?
MOUSA: A hundred and ten percent.
LEMON: Why do you say that?
MOUSA: Because before he turned -- he got certain people and he turned them -- excuse me -- he got them, he paid them and bribed them to then be against the protesters. And it's just very obvious that they're targeting protesters and they're targeting the journalists because they're trying to cover up what's happening. It's that simple.
LEMON: Yes. And there are critics who say the American government just doesn't get it. What do you say to that? And let's just be honest. That's what people are saying.
MOUSA: You know, I'll be honest with you. Part of me believes that as well. I feel like as the United States, we need to do more. There's --
LEMON: Like?
MOUSA: We need to get him out of power. We've supported him for several years. But we need to support the Egyptian people now because they are the ones living under his dictatorship. We need to support the people so they have a democracy just as they deserve. They deserve to live just like here in the United States as we live. I want to same for my family just as I get here in the United States.
LEMON: All right. So, if I was President Obama and sitting here, what would you say?
MOUSA: I would say, P Obama, do what you need to do as the president of the United States to get that man out of office and help protect the Egyptian people.
LEMON: The last time you were in Egypt was?
MOUSA: 2010, October.
LEMON: And you have pictures?
MOUSA: I have pictures.
LEMON: Walk us through them. Can we put them up?
MOUSA: Yes.
LEMON: So, what did you see when you were there? We have pictures of when you were in Egypt. But just describe to us what you saw and what it was like when you were there. There it is right there.
MOUSA: OK. Those are my cousins on my mother's side. When I was there in October, you know, it was a great time because I was able to be -- that's a photograph of my cousins. We were at Sharm el-Sheikh, with my parents and my uncles. And that's my uncle on my dad's side with my cousin.
It was wonderful to go visit my family. But at the same time, it's very sad because of how they're living -- trash everywhere. People don't understand the condition of the country.
LEMON: This one's at the pyramid.
MOUSA: That's my uncle and his daughter.
LEMON: You are -- you got emotional when you saw their faces.
MOUSA: It's hard because they're there and they're living through this and it's my family. Those are my people. That's my country. It's where I was born. I'm very proud to be Egyptian.
And it kills me inside that they cannot have the freedom that I have here. They deserve it.
LEMON: Yes.
MOUSA: They just want to go to school and they want to be able to be free.
LEMON: All right. I have two very quick things if you can answer.
MOUSA: OK.
LEMON: It's a weird question, but is this the price for democracy, even the violence and the deaths? We all wish it didn't happen. But when you think about the civil rights movements and you think about wars that people have fought. There have been many thousands of lives lost. If you have 12 lives, 30 lives or what-have-you -- is this the price?
MOUSA: Unfortunately, yes.
LEMON: Yes.
MOUSA: Somebody has to die in order for others to get their life -- their freedom.
LEMON: And one last -- one last picture. People -- the people I spoke to said this picture that was taken in Tahrir Square of Christians forming human chain to protect Muslims, it really speaks to the sort of unity that they want to happen in that country and in the region.
MOUSA: It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing that a country with -- that always fights within religions can unite as one because they all want this dictator out. And it's a beautiful thing. I'm very happy that these people, these Christians and Muslims can link together.
LEMON: Yes. Do you see that? Human chain.
MOUSA: It's beautiful.
LEMON: Thank you.
MOUSA: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Thank you very much. Thanks for joining us.
And next week, we'll keep you coming back.
MOUSA: OK. Great. Thank you.
LEMON: I like to have your perspective and have your relatives send you more pictures and tell us what's going on.
MOUSA: Absolutely. Thank you.
LEMON: All right. Nancy Mousa, journalist and one of our iReporters here.
You know what? They're one of the biggest musical groups in the world and tomorrow, they perform at one of the biggest shows on earth. I'm talking about the Super Bowl. And I'm talking about Will.i.am. Can we show him?
Will! Thank you for joining us.
WILL.I.AM, BLACK EYED PEAS: Hey, what's up, guys?
LEMON: Hey, I hear you're doing a lot. You're going to give us a sneak preview of what you're doing tomorrow. And you have this new thing called -- well, we won't say what it is, but I don't know. I think maybe you're going to rival Twitter or something. They're performing at the halftime show tomorrow. We're going to talk about his new venture as well. Coming up live on CNN: Will.i.am.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK, look at that. That's live pictures of the stadium tomorrow where they're going to hold the Super Bowl. The ice fell off of that today. That's from our affiliate WFAA.
And this is live, correct? These are live pictures from our affiliate WFAA, Dallas -- the Cowboys Stadium.
Ice fell off the stadium earlier, sort of sliding because there's a big thaw going on because it was so cold in Dallas, injured some workers and some people. It's believed they'll be OK. But again, it caused quite a stir and you see it caused some damage, too, the stadium as well.
I wouldn't assume that it's major damage or anything that puts the Super Bowl in jeopardy but we'll be checking on that. And it's sad to say that people were hurt. But, again, live pictures coming from a very cold and now warming-up Dallas, Texas, site of tomorrow's Super Bowl.
And in that vein, the Super Bowl isn't the world's most watched sporting event -- it is also one of the biggest stages for the world's top performers. And this year, the Black Eyed Peas will be the halftime entertainment. And one of the "peas," there he is right, one of the "peas" -- Will.i.am is joining us live from Arlington, Texas.
So, Will, thanks for joining us. Are you doing OK? Is it warm enough for you?
WILL.I.AM: Oh, it's getting warmer. I've been here for three days and -- wow, the past three days have been unbearable. My bones are cold. But now, it's getting warm and tomorrow looks like it's going to be a pretty warm day.
LEMON: Did you have any trouble getting in? Because they canceled over 800 flights yesterday and a day before and I think things are picking up. Did you have any trouble getting in?
WILL.I.AM: We got in right in the nick of time. When we got in, it wasn't snowing and then it just -- you know, it came down pretty hard.
LEMON: Yes. All right. So, over 100 million people. I know you're used to performing in front of big crowds. But 100 million people are going to watch you and that's in the U.S. alone. So, are you nervous?
WILL.I.AM: Oh, you know, this time, you know, we played the World Cup last year. But being an American citizen and, you know, football being an unofficial holiday and watching -- you know, growing up watching Super Bowls -- for us, this is like the biggest thing that we've ever done because we know what it means culturally. And we're just super thrilled, excited. We've got a lot in store, like great choreography. The outfits are like on the next level --
LEMON: OK, I want to ask you that. You're right. I think we have a poll that says 78 percent of Americans are going to watch the Super Bowl, all right? So that -- you know, I don't farewell in that because I'm on tomorrow during the same time as the Super Bowl. But that's all right. And, by the way, I think it's an official holiday.
OK. So, let's talk -- let's talk about those outfits. Fergie is going to be the first female star to perform since Janet Jackson, her -- remember that infamous wardrobe malfunction? So, I'm sure a lot of people want to know what Fergie is going to be wearing. And is there a possibility of a wardrobe malfunction?
WILL.I.AM: No possibilities on a wardrobe malfunction. The Black Eyed Peas, we have the best technology, the best costume-makers and we're fusing technology with fashion and no malfunctions.
LEMON: OK. So, you've got -- you're going to be performing about 12 minutes, right?
WILL.I.AM: Yes, we're doing 12 minutes. And, you know, I'm really excited because I was able to book in our performance with two spots that I directed. You know, the Super Bowl is so fresh that every single commercial is even on, you know, some next-level entertainment. And to be a part of that, not only performing but directing is -- I can't wait for the people to see these two spots.
LEMON: So, give us a sneak preview, then. You can't just tell the viewers -- oh, I'm directing two spots for the Super Bowl and not share with us some. Give us an exclusive here. What is it?
WILL.I.AM: So, I directed two spots for this product called Chatter.com. What it is, it's a chatter stream --
LEMON: OK, that's -- I thought there was another thing. I don't want you to give that away because I want to talk about that in a little bit because --
WILL.I.AM: All right. All right.
LEMON: I'm trying to get my information together on this and I want to be prepared for you because I'm hearing it's -- I don't know, it may rival Facebook or Twitter. So, hold your thought on that and let's talk again about the Super Bowl.
So, your performance -- when you're performing tomorrow, what can we expect? What songs are you going to perform and what's going to be -- going to blow it out of the water and be different than what you've done and what any other performers done at the Super Bowl?
WILL.I.AM: So, I don't want to give away too much. But, you know, we were inspired by the Olympics in China where everyone came together as one. I don't want to give too much, but it's to that level of --
LEMON: Really?
WILL.I.AM: -- you know, teamwork and, you know, it's to that level. I don't want to give it away.
LEMON: OK. All right. I won't be hard on you.
WILL.I.AM: Yes, that's the goal. That's the goal that we're trying to accomplish.
LEMON: OK. So, Will, now I want to talk to you about those two spots because I've gotten the information from producers. And, again, it's called -- it's a name, I think you mentioned it. But it's similar to Twitter and it's kind of like a Facebook --
WILL.I.AM: No --
LEMON: Hang on, though. Don't answer. Don't answer. I want to know what it's like.
So, Will, I need to get to a break and we're going to talk about this venture that you're part of and how huge it's going to be and what you did in it.
So, we're back in a moment. Don't go away. Will.i.am here on CNN.
WILL.I.AM: Plus, we have this for you. We want to tell you -- a wannabe burglar locks himself in a room and it's all caught on tape. It's part of our viral videos coming up here on CNN and then we're going to have Will.i.am again after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. You're looking at live pictures, Dallas, Texas, and Cowboys Stadium, the site of tomorrow's big Super Bowl.
What a beautiful sunset there. The stadium had some problems today. But I think workers are working on and trying to get it in shape for tomorrow's big game.
In the meantime, we're back with one of the biggest music stars in the world. We're talking about Will.i.am. He joins us now live. He is in Texas. He's going to be performing tomorrow -- the Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl.
So, Will, before the break, we talked about this business venture that you have that you're sort of part of and you directed their ads. A sneak preview of it and then you and I are going to talk about it. Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
LEMON: OK, so that's a promo of it. And you're in there, you're talking about it. So, Will, what is Chatter? What is that?
WILL.I.AM: Chatter is an online destination for groups, small businesses, big businesses, to come together, what the CMO follows the CFO, CFO follows the CEO, and they all follow the vice presidents and the executives and they get to -- you know, they need to follow -- they get to follow attachments or documents so that the whole unit, the whole team is on the same page, working on -- you know, to move the business forward.
So, this commercial was used -- this commercial was made using Chatter. So, we made the commercial in three months. You know, every single brand came to the Super Bowl with a commercial and maybe working on it for eight, nine months. We've been working on it for three months and we used the product to make the commercial.
And it's my first direct -- it's my first two commercials that I've ever directed. And I'm excited about it because it's the first time that the person performing in halftime actually directed the two spots that are bookending the performance.
So, you know, it's a great -- I'm just really, really thrilled of doing something that no one's ever done before. And I thank Chatter for letting me, you know, Marc Benioff and Salesforce for believing in my abilities to do that and pull it off and now getting ready to launch it tomorrow.
LEMON: How did you get involved with Chatter?
WILL.I.AM: Marc Benioff, he helps me with a lot of my philanthropic work. He's my friend from the Bay area. He started salesforce.com. So I send kids to college and I have my "I Am Home" mortgage program where I rescue families that are losing their homes because there's no jobs in America.
So he and I were just talking about a new thing that he was getting ready to launch. So I told him I was performing in the Super Bowl and we made it happen. It was that honest, that - I believed in the project. And Black Eyed Peas will use it when we go on tour. Our tour managers, our managers, our assistant, we all operate using chatter. So I said, "why don't we make a commercial that bookings our Super Bowl spot." (INAUDIBLE) you know, my company, we use your product and it's great.
LEMON: So Will, let me ask you, you're completely integrated then in this whole Super Bowl thing. And I know you said you didn't want to - but give us a little bit - just a little bit more of a hint of what you're doing tomorrow night. You know, it's not going to ruin anything. People are going to tune in because -
WILL.I.AM: No, no, so I can tell you one thing -
LEMON: OK.
WILL.I.AM: I can tell you one thing that I'm doing that's brand spanking new. And that's, you know, we all perform with microphones and big speakers and project the sound. And when Fergie's doing her part and when Taboo and Apl are doing their part, I'm going to be tweeting from stage, taking pictures of the crowd, taking pictures of what's going on and blasting it to all the people that are following my tweets.
So my handle is, @iamwill. So you can be a part of that broadcast from my phone. You know, my perspective on stage. That's never been done before. So we're really trying to fuse technology, art and fashion. That's all I can tell. (INAUDIBLE)
LEMON: I was just kind of letting you go on. I was like maybe he'll go on. Maybe he'll say something. So it's @iamwill and then I think the Black Eyed Peas is @bep. But if you want to be a part of this, you need to go at @iamwill, right?
WILL.I.AM: Yes. This is personal, right? I really want to have that connection with the people that are watching the Super Bowl. People that can't - no matter what country you are, follow me and you'll be connected straight to me where I'm showing you from my perspective on moments where I'm not singing to have that relationship, that interactivity between people watching and the person on stage.
LEMON: All right. Will.I.Am, it's been a pleasure -
WILL.I.AM: And be sure to check out the commercials. We're launching Black Eyed Peas animated characters in these two spots and I'm super, duper thrilled.
LEMON: All right. We're super, duper thrilled that had you're performing tomorrow and that you joined us tonight. And I hear people yelling at you, big fans out there. Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas, thank you. Performing tomorrow at the Super Bowl and he said it's going to be new and interesting and different. So make sure you stay tuned. All right. Will, see you. Good luck tomorrow.
WILL.I.AM: See you later. All right.
LEMON: This year's Super Bowl half-time entertainment will have a new look. We'll explain after the break.
But first, U.S. schools are spending lots of money and time helping kids reach the goal of passing reading and math tests to fulfill the "No Child Left Behind Act." As a result, some worry these schools are pushing aside the need of more gifted children.
CNN education contributor Steve Perry explores the possible consequences in tonight's "Perry's Principles."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): What do Lady Gaga and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have in common?
They're alums of the Center for Talented Youth, known as CTY. The 32- year-old organization seeks out and identifies kids who are academically advanced. PATRICIA WALLACE, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV. CTR. FOR TALENTED YOUTH: Sometimes the teachers don't know who they are because they may be the ones who sit in the back of the room who become behavior problems because they're bored. We start developing program that really challenge them. We never underestimate them.
PERRY: At Baltimore's Mt. Washington Elementary School, gifted students are solving advanced math problems at their own pace. The CTY on-line program which enrolled more than 10,000 students last year offers a variety of courses where kids around the world interact with teachers through the internet.
(on camera): What happens to kids when they don't have this in the school?
WALLACE: It's very frustrating. They will never make to it the potential that they're capable of without help. It's like an athlete. What would have happened to our great football players if they didn't have a coach?
PERRY: You spend so much money on public education and gifted and talented programs are the first to be cut?
WALLACE: They are. Because of the "No Child Left Behind" legislation, we collectively decided to put more of our resources into helping children who really need a lot of help. But one of the costs for that was that we started to neglect the ones at the top. We're paying a price in losing these kids. The cure for cancer is in the minds of one of these students. And we're missing the boat if we don't nurture that talent.
PERRY (voice-over): Steve Perry, Baltimore.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. We want to check your top stories right here on CNN. It is after 2:00 a.m. in Egypt, the beginning of day 13 of a national pro-democracy uprising.
(INAUDIBLE)
LEMON: But unlike a week ago, Saturday's demonstrations were relatively peaceful and nonconfrontational. Vice President Joe Biden called Egypt's vice president to inquire about the progress in resolving the crisis, stressing the need for a clear plan and time table.
There were some tense moments. The army chose not to challenge protesters who had formed a human chain to block tanks from passing through barricades in Tahrir Square. Also on Saturday, Egypt's newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, met with a group of opposition leaders. They have called for continued public demonstrations until Mubarak steps down.
Here in the United States, Egyptian Americans and others are being quite vocal in their support for the anti-Mubarak protests. Rallies have taken place in cities across the country today. Protesters in Washington marched to the White House New York. They gathered outside the U.N. to show solidarity with protesters overseas.
Friends, family and former staff are among those honoring former President Ronald Reagan this weekend. He would have been 100 years old tomorrow. A newly renovated presidential library is set to re- open next week in Simi Valley, California with artifacts including the Reagan era Air Force One.
In a speech last night at the Reagan Ranch, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin described Reagan as "one of a kind" and in her words, "you're not going to find his kind again."
Dallas, we've been showing you live pictures all evening, thawing out ahead of tomorrow's Super Bowl XLV. Take a look at this. The area was hit with nearly twice its annual snowfall in a single night on Thursday. Look at that ice sliding off the roof yesterday at Cowboys Stadium. It hurt some people below. Temperatures rose today. And the forecast looking good for tomorrow. The game will be under a dome fortunately.
And if you're the type who likes to watch the Super Bowl half-time show instead of flipping channels, you must remember this -
Yes, there is it is. That is the infamous wardrobe malfunction from 2004. Since then, the NFL has played it safer and older with its halftime acts. But this year, it is finally injecting a little youth into the festivities. We talked about that. Will.I.Am and the Black Eyed Peas are playing and other people will be performing.
And there is Maureen O'Connor. She is a staffer for gawker.com. Maureen, welcome. We talked to Will.I.Am earlier. Did you get a chance to hear any of it?
MAUREEN O'CONNOR, STAFF WRITER, GAWKER.COM: Mmm-hmm.
LEMON: You did?
O'CONNOR: Yes, yes, I did.
LEMON: OK. So the Black Eyed Peas, how is that going to change the halftime show from recent years?
O'CONNOR: Well, it's been since the disastrous wardrobe malfunction. The Super Bowl hasn't had anyone under the stage of 40 on their stage for the halftime show. Since then, this is the first time they're sort of, you know, getting their way back into sort of younger and what's really happening right now in music, Black Eyed Peas will be performing at the halftime show, of course.
Christina Aguilera will be singing the national anthem followed by Lea Michelle of "Glee" will be singing "America, the Beautiful" right after her. That - putting Lea Michelle in is meaningful given particularly that Fox will be playing a new episode of "Glee" right after the Super Bowl. So this ends up being a little bit of promotion for that. She's a young singer at the beginning of her career and she'll be singing before the largest audience possible 150 million people watching the Super Bowl.
LEMON: So Maureen, I guess, this is an effort to pull in as many people as possible - to pull in the demographic that they want, those people, you know, 25 and under or 18 to 49 or whatever that demographic is. Is that why they're bringing in these people from - people who are already on popular television shows?
O'CONNOR: Well, you know, people will watch the Super Bowl no matter what. What it really sort of signals is that this is helping the people who perform, that's helping their careers and that's helping what they do outside of that. Because say somebody - people who aren't familiar with "Glee," for instance, will all of sudden be seeing Lea Michelle singing. You can bet there will be promos for the show during the Super Bowl. So they're really bringing in the people who watch the Super Bowl, this huge audience giving them attention to other people, these new different stars.
You know, Will.I.Am, like he was saying, is going to be able to show off his uses of technology.
LEMON: He's going to be live tweeting.
But do celebrities bring people in?
O'CONNOR: Yes.
LEMON: I mean, they just watch the game. I mean, 78 percent of Americans are already going to watch. That's what they say.
O'CONNOR: You know, I think that it's really that the Super Bowl people will watch no matter what. It's what you can sort of sneak in to the Super Bowl - OK, and if you're a celebrity, if you're performing. What you get out of that.
LEMON: OK. I got you.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I want to go on, though, Maureen.
O'CONNOR: OK.
LEMON: I want to talk about Charlie Sheen.
O'CONNOR: OK.
LEMON: Let's talk about Charlie Sheen and his latest debacle. You guys have written about that. It is a mess. What does this mean for the show? He's checked out of rehab. He's going to do it at home. What does this mean for the show?
O'CONNOR: Well, initially if he had actually - he said he was going to take three months in rehab. And people thought that meant Warner Brothers was going to have to stall production by three months. But he said he's actually going back to the set and he's going to be filming. The show is actually only going to be two episodes off its production schedule, which is significant. I mean, that's, you know, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to Warner Brothers but not as bad as it could have been, pretty much.
When you sort of start crunching these numbers, if Warner Brothers had taken off those three whole months from "Two and A Half Men," and it was forecasted that they would have lost some $250 million. When you start looking at that money, you sort of understand the sort of incentive for studios to keep pushing forward and why a lot of these celebrities can sort of exist at the threshold of being a total train wreck and yet if they can keep making to it the studio and keep filming, that there's a huge incentive to keep doing so.
LEMON: OK. Maureen, I have to run. But I saw this on Gawker.
O'CONNOR: OK.
LEMON: Kim Kardashian's pictures.
O'CONNOR: Her nude pictures. Yes.
LEMON: Have you seen them?
O'CONNOR: Oh, I've seen them. Let's be honest, we've all seen them, have we not? Who isn't going to look at that? You know, she cried on her TV show saying she was so upset, that she thought she posed nude but thought somehow she was going to be more covered. But then just recently, she made a statement and said, you know, "looking back, I love the photos and I'm glad I did it."
LEMON: all right.
O'CONNOR: So really this sort of drama of her crying about it and then she feels better about it, it's, you know, grabbing a lot of attention for her TV show. That's for sure.
LEMON: It's all about ratings. It's all about ratings. And sex sells. She's nude - not even half nude. She's nude in the pictures.
O'CONNOR: She's nude.
LEMON: Yes. I'll be checking to see what you're writing about every single minute. Thank you, Maureen O'Connor, gawker.com.
O'CONNOR: Thanks so much, Don.
LEMON: All right. Your viral videos next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time for viral videos. And they're the most popular, of course. We're going to take you to Victoria, Australia, first. The young man dropping into the picture is an alleged thief who was hoping to burglarize a bakery by coming through a skylight. Unfortunately for him, though, he ended up stuck inside a locked office and storeroom with no way out but up. That's according to the time stamp. This was just a couple of days after Christmas. Look at this guy. He tried many times and failed to stand on stacked buckets. But he did finally got out. He did finally get out. At last report, police are still looking for him though. They got a great picture of his face.
You know, electronic gadgets can be hazardous to your health. A couple of weeks ago, we saw a woman fall into a mall fountain while texting. Remember her? Now, watch this video. This is from Milan, Italy. A young boy apparently so engrossed in his portable gaming console that he stepped right off the platform and on to subway tracks. Did you see that? The highlighted part there. It's a good thing that a train was not coming just then. One was scheduled to come at any minute. A policeman jumped down and rescued the boy. The hard fall shook him but the boy is otherwise OK. Very lucky.
Now something totally different for you, you've heard of the rock band Nine-Inch Nails, right? Now, try 20-inch nails. They are for real. Ison Sinkfield of Atlanta believes god has been growing them for more than 20 years. That's about one inch per year. What's wrong? Someone here says it's gross. To keep these nails in shape, it costs Sinkfield about $250 a month. There are some drawbacks to it, though. She can't type, she can't tie shoes, she can't remove jewelry and they get caught on a lot of snags. Probably can't do a lot of stuff that we won't talk about. But Sinkfield is convinced her nails will make her famous and maybe one day earn her a guest appearance on "Oprah." look at those nails, wow.
OK. Someone who has short manicured nails is our tech guru. She's going to tell us why this year is the most high-tech Super Bowl ever. You like those nails, Katie?
KATIE LINENDOLL, EMMY-WINNING TECH EXPERT: No, not my thing, Don. Not at all.
LEMON: All right. We'll talk more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Oh, Super Bowl XLV. Almost underway. And this is going to be the most high-tech Super Bowl ever from the way fans are buying tickets to the way they're wiring the stadium. Our friend, Katie Linendoll who is an Emmy Award winning tech expert. So listen, if you still want a ticket, is there hope online? Come on, tech guru, help us?
LINENDOLL: Yes, there is help on-line, but you're going to have to shell out some serious bucks. The face value of a ticket alone is $600 to $1,200. But you probably have to turn towards an on-line auction site like Ebay or Stub hub to find a ticket at this rate. And let me tell you what those are going for. On Ebay, the average price of a Super Bowl ticket is $4,875. Stub Hub, a little price drop, they think it's due to the weather, at about $3,500. They sold their least expensive last week at $1,700 and their most expensive at U$15,000. They have claimed this has been the highest grossing event in StubHub history.
And I have to tell you I was on Ebay searching and I found tickets for $200,000. They are not there anymore. So I'm hoping time expired and nobody actually went out and bought those. But of course, when we talk about money we have to talk about the ads. In 1967, an ad went for $40,000. There has been a price jump. A 30-second spot now costs about $3 million and of course, that does not include production cost. Don.
LEMON: Yes. And you know what all that free advertisement they usually get from the news media and you know, entertainment shows running the Super Bowl ads, well, we haven't run that much because we've been covering Egypt. So listen, real quickly, it's technology unprecedented inside the stadium as well because it's all going to be wired. You heard Will I am saying he's going to be tweeting. But Katie, before you go, I wanted to show you this picture, again, this lady with the nails. And just I'm thinking that you should get your nails done like this. I think that's a good look for you.
LINENDOLL: I think it's hilarious that we cut out the second half of the segment to show again the nails. That is - you are out of control in the studio tonight, Don.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: We know it's going to be wired. The whole stadium is wired. We know that. We know that and we love you. But we got to run. My producers are - we got to run. I want to put the video up.
LINENDOLL: Ciao.
LEMON: Hey, Katie. Thank you. Have a great time tomorrow watching the game. All right. We'll see you soon. Get those manicure -
LINENDOLL: Bye, Don. Thanks.
LEMON: Bye.
Best Super Bowl ads coming up, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's talk about Super Bowl ads. Time now for Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget Roethlisberger and Rogers, the up and coming stars of the Super Bowl could be a pug, a beaver, pint sized Darth Vader and maybe even Adam and Eve.
Most advertisers spend a bundle making professional commercials. BridgeStone Tires used a real beaver and a stunt beaver. But there will be a half dozen homemade Super Bowl commercials. Doritos and Pepsi Max asked folks to make their own ads.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check this out.
MOOS: J.R. Burningham (ph) created pug attack.
J.R. BURNINGHAM (PH): I always thought pugs running in slow motion was funny.
MOOS: So we borrowed a friend's pug. There were over 5,600 entries competing for cash and exposure - the sauna wasn't the finalist. Adam and eve was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A different take on an old story.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nah, I'm good.
MOOS: Some aspiring ad makers had the same creative concept. For instance, the chip on the butt. Neither of those made the finals. One called the best part did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You left the best part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm sure they're -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Umm, cheese.
MOOS: OK. That's not as cute as say Volkswagen's Super Bowl spot featuring a miniature Darth Vader finally get the force to work when his dad gives him a hand.
(on camera): In the days leading up to the game, some advertisers even released trailers for their commercials.
Co For instance, the tale of the Scorpion and the Anheiser Bush (INAUDIBLE) is to be continued. Dido for another Bridgestone tire ad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) you sent this e-mail reply all. You hit reply all.
MOOS: But those are created by agencies. The amateurs stand to win up to a million bucks if their homemade ads make it to the top of the "USA Today" ad meter.
(on camera): Now, if I were a betting girl, I would put my chips on the pug.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, don't hurt my dog.
MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Very funny. Only Jeanne Moos. Only Jeanne Moos. OK. So listen, everyone. Stop tweeting me about the lady with the nails. I get you. A lot of you don't like it. You are sending me some very interesting things. Things that I can't say on television. Listen, I know a lot of you don't like it. But no more tweets, please.
OK. So the Super Bowl brings lots of fun and excitement to the host city each year. But there is a dark side that comes with it. The big game is also a magnet for child sex trafficking and we're going to go in-depth tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
