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Renowned Dancer Takes a Bow; Five Ways Vacations Help Careers; Lady Gaga's Big Entrance; George Wallace is Back; Five Sets of Brothers in Marines; Valentine's Gift Ideas; Valentine's Day Spending
Aired February 13, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Things started to get back to normal on the streets of Cairo today, but there were big changes behind the scenes. Egypt's new military rulers suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament. The Armed Forces Council says it will call the shots for the next six months, or until new elections can be held.
CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sunday, the first day of reckon week here in the Arab world, but also specifically Cairo and the military getting down to work, announcing that the parliament would be suspended. Also the constitution would be suspended and a committee formed to look at various amendments - possible amendments to it. After that, a period of time any constitutional referendum will be put before the people of Egypt.
Now, there were some protests today, although much of the city got back to work, protests outside some banks with the are people claiming that the higher echelons of management in these banks had been guilty of corruption. That plus the fact that the stock market has been closed and will be closed until Wednesday probably contributed to the authority deciding to close the banks tomorrow. They were to be closed on Tuesday anyway for a national holiday.
The emphasis on the part of the military here, to try and bring some stability to allow the people, the demonstrators who have been on the streets for weeks to savor their freedom but also to encourage them by letting the steam of their jubilation to eventually go back to work and to have the country running back to business as usual.
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The drama of Egypt's revolution up close and personal. We've got incredible pictures and videos from our iReporters who watched the events unfold in Cairo.
In this iReport from an Iranian-American who lives in the Egyptian capital describing Friday's scene in Tahrir Square as the world's biggest party after news that President Mubarak was stepping down. Police believe the body of a man pulled from this canal yesterday is the same man suspected of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend's 4-year-old son. The little boy's body was found in the canal 12 days ago. The pair was last seen January 18th after the suspect allegedly snatched the boy from his grandmother's arms and then drove away. Here's the 4-year-old's mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TABITHA CARDENAS, 4-YEAR-OLD VICTIM'S MOTHER: I just want to say that I'm relieved that all of this is over. I want to let Jose's mom - that I feel her pain, because I know what it's like to lose a son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Police have yet to positively identify the body found yesterday. They will conduct scientific tests to be sure that it is the man that they have been looking for all this time.
All right. This house north of Atlanta is where police say a man killed two of his sons, injured a third and then stabbed himself to look like a victim. The father is now in jail charged with his children's murder. The two young boys, 1 and 3 years old, were found stabbed to death on Wednesday. The father initially told the responding officers that another man attacked the family. Police say the suspected killer had an ongoing domestic problem with his children's mother.
All right. We're going to talk about some weather as people get ready to get back to work this Sunday. So far it's feeling very spring-like in a lot of corners of the nation. We like that. Jacqui Jeras from the Weather Center.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, when we think of spring, we think of beautiful weather, lots of sunshine, warmer temperatures and we have that out there. But one other signature of spring is windy conditions. So we've got a whole lot of that to talk about today.
We've had a storm system that's been tracking very near the U.S./Canadian border and it's brought damaging winds from Washington all the way to Minnesota now. Here you can see the wind advisories and warnings which are in effect. We've seen a wind gust that's even reached hurricane strength believe it or not, yes, 70 to 80 miles per hour.
We do have some video to show you out of Washington of some of the damage. It's been a very rainy weekend for you folks, and there you can see that those strong winds have been bringing down trees and also some scattered power outages as a result of that. A new storm system is going to be moving into the west. And here you can see the first one moved through, and here comes number two. So this is going to be impacting you tomorrow, another storm on Wednesday and then potentially another one down the line. It's kind of a conga line of storms. Unfortunately, you guys are going to have a very wet and a very windy week ahead. Now, what we're going to be seeing across parts of the east is that that wind maker gets into your neck of the woods by tomorrow morning. So the Great Lakes and into the northeastern quarter could see those gusty winds up to 40 miles per hour, and that's enough to cause problems at the airports. So if you have flight plans, say, from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, D.C., possibly even down towards Charlotte and Atlanta, some delays maybe as much as 30 - 60 minutes can be expected.
One good consequence, though, of those winds, is that it tends to bring in warmer temperatures. Oh, yes, that's right. And that's what we have been seeing across much of the lower 48 today. This is the warmest temperature since November 11 in Minneapolis. You broke the 40-degree mark. How about that? You've got 60s and 70s across parts of the south and some of you are going to be pushing those mid-70s, almost 80 by the middle of the week.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my God.
JERAS: Feeling good.
WHITFIELD: That's going to be really rude though if it gets cold again after that.
JERAS: Anyway.
WHITFIELD: The folks get all excited and happy, and you know what, winter's not over.
JERAS: We do think this is just a taste.
WHITFIELD: Just to say (ph). All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui.
All right. The new leader of one the most well-known American dance companies in the world talks about his plans for the future. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is in the midst of a 24-city tour celebrating 50 years of the company's most famous revelations routine. This is also a year of the dance company's changing of the guard. Artistic Director, Judith Jamison, has been the face of Alvin Ailey for 20 years. She's now passing the torch to director designate Robert Battle.
Jamison and Battle joined me yesterday and Battle reflected on how his family upbringing shaped his love of artistic expression.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT BATTLE, ARTISTIC DIR., DESIGNATE, ALVIN AILEY DANCE TROUPE: It was quite a journey, but we always had art in the house. You know? Come from a culture that has that. I mean, we sang around the piano. My mother played piano for the church choir. We recited poetry. We did all of that without calling it art. It was just a part of our upbringing.
And so I went from singing soprano, I know it's hard to tell, to playing the piano and dance is the one thing that grabbed hold of me, and I - it never let me go.
WHITFIELD: So what do you see in Alvin Ailey as the Artistic Director Designate? What do you - where do you want to take Alvin Ailey?
BATTLE: I think to just keep opening the door. I mean, it's already been laid out by Mr. Ailey when he made this repertory company in 1958 so that we're constantly in the past, present and future and it's a part of a continuum with Ms. Jamison and now me to continue to open that door as wide as possible and bring the largest dance audience to the theater. Yes, people -
WHITFIELD: So, figuratively, big shoes to fill.
BATTLE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Is it nerve-racking? Scary?
JUDITH JAMISON, ALVIN AILEY DANCE TROUPE: Whoa, whoa. Wait. He's got a line. Big shoes. I love this line. I have to say your line. "Oh, Robert, you've got big shoes to fill." "Well, I wear a size 13. I think I'm OK. I think I'll be OK." That's the best line. I love it. And it's true.
WHITFIELD: That is true.
JAMISON: It's true.
WHITFIELD: That's great. So any trepidations? Butterflies? Or you're just - you're in it.
BATTLE: I - I always say that -
WHITFIELD: In it to win it, as they say?
BATTLE: I'm necessarily nervous, but we as performers know what that means. It's a good - it's a good feeling. Because when you lose that feeling, you lose the whole thing, and that sense of being nervous before you step out on that stage, but you step out anyway, and that's what gives you electricity, and that electricity will translate into more people coming to see us, 31 marvelous dancers and it's going to be a wonderful ride. I'm ready.
WHITFIELD: And Judith, what is the next act for you? Twenty years leading Alvin Ailey, more than a decade dancing for Alvin Ailey.
JAMISON: Oh, I just turn that switch off and just don't do anything. Yes.
WHITFIELD: I don't buy that, for sure.
JAMISON: No. The mantra is still the same. We were talking about that, entertaining, educating, uplifting. That always stays the same, and within that framework, there are many, many things to do. So I'm not retiring. I'm rewiring. And you will see maybe more of me, but in different ways. I'm very excited about the future and very excited about sitting in the audience and seeing what Robert, and where Robert is going to be taking the company. I'm so excited about it.
WHITFIELD: Exciting. So Alvin Ailey, this 24-city tour began in Washington, D.C., at Kennedy Center and you are in Atlanta.
JAMISON: Sold out (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Next stop?
BATTLE: The next stop is Clearwater, Florida -
JAMISON: Clearwater and then Miami.
BATTLE: -- and then my hometown, Miami, Florida.
JAMISON: I like that, fireworks. Fireworks there.
WHITFIELD: A wonderful homecoming.
BATTLE: Yes. Yes.
WHITFIELD: Fantastic.
Judith Jamison, always good to see you. You've become like the resident, you know, guest here. I think like (ph) her fourth time and I love seeing you every time.
JAMISON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And Robert Battle, congratulations.
BATTLE: Thank you so much.
WHITFIELD: Good to see you as well.
BATTLE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. How about taking a vacation? How it can actually help your career. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So take a break from work, will you? A vacation is certainly good for your brain and your family, but did you know that taking time off can actually benefit you professionally? We'll talk about that coming up after a look at the top stories.
No questions now who is in full - fully in charge in Egypt. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces today dissolved the parliament, suspended the constitution and said Egypt is a military-run country, at least for the next six months. A military statement issued today declaring that when elections are held, voters will choose both Houses of parliament and a new president.
At the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington State, one house caught fire yesterday and then it spread to at least 15 others. No one was hurt, but thousands of stacked logs at a nearby saw mill are still burning and will be for several more days. Firefighters blame high winds for the fire's fast spread.
And this man is accused of going on a deadly rampage. New York Police say that he stabbed three people to death, slashed at least five others and then ran over and killed a man with a stolen car. Among the victims, his stepfather, and ex-girlfriend and her mother. New York Police Commissioner calls the case horrendous and bizarre and has no explanation.
Many American workers are not taking vacations fearing that they wouldn't have a job when they get back, but you may not realize that vacations can actually enhance your career.
Career Coach Paula Caligiuri is here to tell us five ways that vacations can actually benefit you, professionally. Good to see you, Paula.
PAULA CALIGIURI, CAREER COACH: Nice to be here.
WHITFIELD: So people are going to love this. I love it already. Your first tip to viewers is to use up all of those vacation days, besides saving yourself some - some grief, if you don't use them all up, why do you say use them all up?
CALIGUIRI: Well, it's so critical now more than ever. About 30 percent of Americans in the past few years haven't been using all of their vacation days. Companies have been laying off. People are a little bit nervous about, you know, not having a job when they return from vacation, so that was pretty critical.
This year, though, it's a little different. Companies are lean. Folks are now doing jobs that were once done by multiple people. And so now more than ever, we're seeing work-related stress at an all-time high, so absolutely this could be a very important year to be taking your vacation.
WHITFIELD: OK. And you say for one thing, it really will benefit your health-wise because you will somehow lower your stress level when you go on vacation?
CALIGUIRI: There's terrific research that's coming out. No great surprise but it helps with, you know, well-being and physical symptoms of stress if you can go and take a nice relaxing vacation. So the key there is relaxing.
Now, if a lot of people like to do those home improvements -
WHITFIELD: That's hard. Yes. I'm one of those crazy people that wants to plan a whole lot of stuff in my vacation, and I come back and I'm pooped.
CALIGUIRI: But, you know, Fredricka, that might be - that might be really relaxing for you. Some people might just want to veg out and lay on a lounge chair and read a book. Everybody's a little bit different in this regard, so we have to kind of go with whatever's the most relaxing.
WHITFIELD: And then you say post vacation, you need to pay attention of the things that start to stress you out all over again, right?
CALIGUIRI: Right. There's two ways to think about stress and coping. There is - there's symptom-related stress and then there's - and coping, and then there's problem focus coping. What we do with vacations is we focus on the symptoms. So for those that one little week that we're on vacation, we're feeling really good. We get back to work, though, a few days into work, and we're feeling all stressed out again.
In that period of time, those few days right after vacation, think about those triggers of stress, one of the things just - that are causing the stress and then see if there's a way to work on those triggers. That's really going to be key to have a lasting effect after vacation.
WHITFIELD: And then you say vacation should demonstrate your consciousness. What do you mean?
CALIGUIRI: Well, a lot of people think about vacation, and that, you know, if they take vacation, they'll be really worried they wouldn't look conscientious. And actually the opposite is true if you do it well. So for instance, don't take a vacation. I wouldn't even recommend asking for a vacation if you can avoid it during your busiest season. Try to - try to stay away from that.
The other thing you can do is to really think about those critical tasks. What are the things that you do that are most critical to the organization and then be very pro-active and try to plan for that. So, for example, if you have some critical tasks you might be able to get a few of them done before you go on vacation. Or you might be able to ask a co-worker to step in and do a couple of them in your absence. It's a great way to show you're connected with your organization and you really care about your work.
WHITFIELD: All right, conscientious. I misread that.
All right. So, now, your vacation ought to be an opportunity to re- invent yourself as well. To what extent?
CALIGUIRI: Well, you can do it a couple different ways. Vacations are great time to kick start a good habit. Like maybe something that raise your energy level. Like getting enough sleep. Exercising.
WHITFIELD: Like that?
CALIGUIRI: Why not. Right. And then there's - then there's the other piece of this, too. You could also think about, especially if you're at pivot point with your career and you might think about doing something else, you could think about using that week of vacation to maybe shadow somebody who's doing something really interesting or maybe take a short course in something. There's lots of things you could do, but, it really, you know, think about investing time in yourself during that vacation.
WHITFIELD: New ways - new ways to look at that vacation and make it work for you. All right. Thanks so much. Paula Caliguiri, good to see you.
CALIGUIRI: My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: Iman, the fashion icon, and wildly successful businesswoman speaks out about the revolution in Egypt.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: With Hosni Mubarak out, Egypt's military takes control. The generals have dissolved the country's parliament and suspended the constitution. They say they'll be in charge for six months or until elections can be held.
A new protest outside the National Bank and word the chairman and two top deputies have resigned there. Egyptian state television reports all banks will be shut down until Wednesday. And for the first time since the uprising began, traffic moved freely around Tahrir Square. Most shops were open and people started cleaning it up.
Among the voices reacting to the uprising in Egypt, Iman, the global fashion icon, former model, current business mogul and co-host of a fashion reality TV show. Born in Somalia, Iman spent part of her childhood in Egypt. She told me "Face to Face" about her ties to country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IMAN: I was there during 1967 war, I was going to high school there. And I was - I'm in love with Egypt and always have been in love with Egypt since the day I went there for school, and including my youngest daughter with David Bowie, she - her name is Alexandria, after the city.
WHITFIELD: So did you ever see this potential of this kind of rise of a revolution? Even then, in the late '60s?
IMAN: Yes, because, you know, I was - I was in Egypt when Nasr was around, you know? So there was always that kind of feeling especially just in the third world and especially in volatile places like the Middle East, there's always that - you're at the - on that edge that anything can happen at any given time. But to have something of a revolution happen like this happens so peacefully, it's quite unheard of and it's quite brilliant.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Catch my entire "Face to Face" interview with Iman next Saturday. She'll talk about building herself as a fashion icon and business mogul and she reveals the secret to the her 20-year marriage to rocker David Bowie.
All right. Now, a red carpet that you don't want to miss as this is the BAFTA Awards. Is that not grand and gorgeous? That's the British version of the Oscars and the show has just wrapped up. That's a real red carpet there. It's a pretty big deal in this country as well, because it can indicate how the Oscars will go.
"The King's Speech" nearly swept the awards ceremony. It won best picture, best leading actor, best supporting actor and actress, best screenplay. And "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" won the best non- English language film. And "Toy Story III" won best animated film.
And then on to Los Angeles, it's the Grammy Awards that have people there getting to the red carpet as this is music's big night, and it's where we also find "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S" Brooke Anderson looking ever so lovely.
Brooke, we'll talk about the music in a minute. But first, we talked last about Lady Gaga and her grand entrance in a pod or an egg or something. Have we figured out what was?
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT HOST: I haven't quite figured it out. It was a membraney, gelatinous-looking pod, yes, egg or pod, or something like that. I know. Definitely - definitely interesting, Lady Gaga, always makes an entrance that people are going to talk about for days, for weeks, maybe even longer after the whole thing is said and done.
But I spoke with - shortly after she entered, I spoke with her creative director, Laurie Ann Gibson, who works with her, with her choreography. And I asked her what the inspiration was for this idea. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURIE ANN GIBSON, LADY GAGA'S CREATIVE DIRECTOR: The inspiration came out of that brilliant record that she wrote "Born This Way." And what's actually happening, as you saw the vessel, is that she's incubating. And it was necessary to incubate her for a certain amount of time, because tonight she's actually birthing a new race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. So, Fredricka, I asked Laurie Ann if, yes, I asked her Gaga was going to be birthed from that egg onstage? We call it an egg. She calls it a vessel and she would not tell me anymore. So she's trying to keep it a secret.
But I will tell you this, Gaga, nominated for six Grammy's tonight. She's already won one at the Grammy pre-telecast. Best short form music video for "Bad Romance."
WHITFIELD: OK. And just so I understand that clearly, she said birthing a new race actually, right? ANDERSON: Right. And her performance is going to be for her single "Born This Way." And that's the title track of her new album which drops in May, and it was written as a tribute to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community. So I have a feeling it's along those lines. She's very passionate about that. She definitely wants to make a statement and wants to send a message with whatever she does. And I'm sure it will be that way tonight onstage.
WHITFIELD: And I think she's also already made a statement with that egg, or pod, or thing that she was in.
ANDERSON: Vessel or whatever.
WHITFIELD: Vessel - vessel, that was the word. OK. Good.
All right. Brooke Anderson, thanks so much, in Los Angeles.
All right. Well, if you're looking for someone to borrow money from, don't ask George Wallace. He is not your guy. We'll tell you why, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A woman with extreme fingernails, jilted fans at the Super Bowl, a whole lot to talk about with comedian George Wallace less than a minute from now. But first a look at our top stories.
Egypt's military has dissolved parliament and will run the country for six months or until elections are held. The prime minister says the government is now reporting to the military high command in the same way it reported to President Hosni Mubarak before he stepped down.
Anger today in the streets of Italy. Women from across the country gathered to protest against what they see as degrading media coverage of the sex scandal surrounding Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Earlier this week, Italian prosecutors formally requested that Berlusconi be put on trial for abuse of power and sex with an underage prostitute.
And in Arizona, two murder charges against shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner had temporarily been dropped. But prosecutors say it's only a procedural motion and they intend to re-file the charges in a superseding indictment.
Loughner is accused of shooting 19 people including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a political event. Six people were killed in the shooting spree.
All right, the Super Bowl might be over but the controversy surrounding it is not. And you can bet comedian George Wallace has a lot to say about it. He joined me earlier after arriving back in Atlanta.
WHITFIELD: So good to see you.
GEORGE WALLACE, COMEDIAN: Well, first of all, it is so good to see you. I haven't seen you since last year.
WHITFIELD: I know.
WALLACE: It is almost really --
WHITFIELD: It's been a while.
WALLACE: Last year. It's been a while but I'm here with you.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WALLACE: I'm back. I apologize, I was running late today. I'm tired. I just got off the airplane, I was in Chicago.
WHITFIELD: You've been all over the place.
WALLACE: It's still cold in Chicago. They're selling mink bras up there for men.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WALLACE: Yes. To keep you warm.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Did you make it to the Super Bowl last week? Dallas? Were you among the 400 who got jilted with their seating arrangement?
WALLACE: No. I've been to seven Super Bowls so far. And you know my brother went to three Super Bowls and my family thing like that.
WHITFIELD: Yes. I think that's your problem right now.
WALLACE: My telephone is ringing right now while we're on the air. Can you believe that?
WHITFIELD: No, I can't believe it.
WALLACE: This is the second time this has happened to me.
WHITFIELD: Actually it does happen to folks every now and then.
WALLACE: Well, this time -- it's the second time, it's Jerry Seinfeld, I'm hanging up on him. How about that?
WHITFIELD: They're going to have to call back. Sorry, Jerry, unless Jerry wants to join us right now.
WALLACE: Well, next time he comes to Atlanta we'll both -- come on the air with us.
WHITFIELD: Yes. We shall have him on.
WALLACE: But I've just been flying today. It has been a good day. First of all, I called Delta. I told them I needed a flight to Atlanta around noon. And the stupid lady on the line says, it's that 12:00 noon. I told her, no, there's two noon. You know? Then she wouldn't put me on the plane.
Then I get on the plane, I'm the last one to get on the plane.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WALLACE: And I said, I had to go to the bathroom. You're rushing down and got to go to the bathroom. Said, I got to go to the bathroom. Flight attendant, the plane can't leave until you sit down. I said, how ironic? Well, I want to leave also.
I'm concerned about these 400 people plus with the bad seats.
WHITFIELD: Yes. They're concerned, too.
WALLACE: NFL is offering them like a ticket to next year's Super Bowl and triple the value of the ticket.
WHITFIELD: Yes, yes.
WALLACE: And -- or any Super Bowl you want to go to. A round-trip ticket --
WHITFIELD: Right. Are you happy -- would you be happy with that?
WALLACE: Hell no.
WHITFIELD: You want to --
WALLACE: I want to see my team play. I don't want to see the next Super Bowl team. What if my team was the Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh? You know?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WALLACE: And they want to go next year? What if the Browns win next year? What -- no, that ain't going to happen.
WHITFIELD: OK. And so speaking of money, I understand -- my producer, Antoinette Campbell, is saying maybe she could --
WALLACE: She's a prissy lady.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Yes, maybe she could actually borrow some money from you because you got a story or two to say.
WALLACE: No way in hell. She became a friend of mine. I don't -- I cannot loan my friends -- none of my friends pay me back.
WHITFIELD: But you got it. You don't share?
WALLACE: No, I don't lend anymore. None of my friends -- why won't my friends pay me back? They won't -- the producer, she's a good friend of mine. I loaned her some money last week, took her out to dinner. I won't see it. But people won't way you back. Every one of my friends, I'm going to call out their names.
WHITFIELD: I think when you loan friends money, maybe they don't expect that they need to pay it back?
WALLACE: No. No. The problem, you ask, what about my money? They get angry with you for asking. That's not right. Why won't my friends pay me back? That's what I'm concerned about. If you have this problem, I mean, people, go online, Facebook, whatever you need to get to me, what should I do to these people that won't pay me back?
I mean, my best friends. I'm down to, like, two friends now. And they won't call me. And the only person don't owe me money -- that doesn't owe me money is Jerry Seinfeld. He's the only -- he's my only friend.
WHITFIELD: Now we can get him on the phone again.
WALLACE: Well, he's the only friend that doesn't owe me money. Bless his heart.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WALLACE: I owe him money. And --
WHITFIELD: Oh. So it only goes one way. Right?
WALLACE: I mean so much in the news you didn't talk about this time.
WHITFIELD: What did I miss?
WALLACE: There was a lady --
WHITFIELD: Oh yes, with these long fingernails. Tell me about that. I missed that.
WALLACE: Did you see it?
WHITFIELD: No, no. I didn't see that. What's that all about? Tell me about it.
WALLACE: I hope they can bring a clip of that. I hope they can bring a clip of there. The lady had 20-inch nails, and they were just wrapping around, and I just think, I don't know about personal hygiene, not -- but she's a nice lady.
I just can't believe it. And I'm thinning, if she go these long nail, I mean, if she goes to the bathroom, she can't even wipe her own nose. I got you on that one. Didn't I?
WHITFIELD: You scared me. Yes. You made me a little nervous there.
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: But it's comparing the nails to the kid walking around with the pants hanging off the butt.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WALLACE: I don't know which one is worse.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WALLACE: Look at this. Nails and the kids with the pants -- it's just terrible.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Sometimes they can go a little too far for you.
WALLACE: When I'm in charge of this country -- by the way, when I come back, I'm going to -- I'm going to creating a new country for myself. It's going to be called Wallaceberg.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WALLACE: It's going to be between down uptown --
WHITFIELD: Have a nice little ring to it. Wallaceberg.
WALLACE: Between Buckhead (ph) and Atlanta, midtown, and there's going to be some changes made. You going to want to move to my country.
WHITFIELD: No long fingernails, no pants on the ground.
WALLACE: No way. No pants on the ground.
WHITFIELD: And you must pay back, if you borrow money.
WALLACE: And you must pay back. And if you walk around with a gun in Wallaceberg, it will be used on you.
WHITFIELD: My goodness.
WALLACE: There's going to be some -- and if your kids talk back to you, don't mind you, you can bring them down to my office. And take a page out of the (INAUDIBLE) book and you can knock the hell out of them.
WHITFIELD: Ok. George Wallace, always good to see you. Love your take on the news.
WALLACE: I'm going back to the Flamingo and Las Vegas. Every night. Tuesday through Saturday.
WHITFIELD: We'll catch you in Vegas.
WALLACE: You got a deal.
WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Thanks so much for dropping in. You never know what you're going to get. But that's his take on the news.
All right, imagine one regiment, five sets of brothers, and all heading for the same war zone. You don't want to miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead with my fave, Don Lemon. Your fave, our fave.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You're looking very go-go-ish.
WHITFIELD: Do I have the little go-go thing going on?
LEMON: Yes. It's working, it's working.
WHITFIELD: Boots are made for walking.
LEMON: You would have needed those boots at the Super Bowl. Because remember how cold it was last week?
WHITFIELD: Yes. Really cold if you didn't have a seat.
LEMON: Yes. And so remember last weekend I told you about all those fans.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: You knew all about all those fans. It's like 1200 of them or more who were displaced.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: Because when they showed up they didn't have seats. They have to watch --
WHITFIELD: Seats were not ready.
LEMON: Well, Fred, how mad would you have been? They have filed a class action lawsuit. The NFL is trying to make a peace offering to them, but the people say, you know what? It's just not enough. They're going to sue over. We have got the attorney -- we've got the attorney who is --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Representing them.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEMON: For this class action suit. So, he's going to join me.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
LEMON: In just a little bit.
OK, I want to tell you about this.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: This is interesting. An interesting take on the Egypt story. What does a comic book have to do with the revolution in Egypt? All right? "The Montgomery Story." It's called the "Montgomery Story."
WHITFIELD: Fascinating.
LEMON: Take a look at this. It was published more than 50 years ago, Fred. It tells the story of a non-violent movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., specifically the Montgomery bus boycott.
In recent years it was translated and distributed in the Middle East, and Dr. King's daughter, Bernice King is going to join us to talk live about how one movement can inspire another across ideology, across geography and across time.
WHITFIELD: Interesting.
LEMON: But again it was in 2008. It was translated. It was originally printed 50 years by the Reconciliation Council. And so the Arab world got their hands on this comic book --
WHITFIELD: And the feeling, there was really a correlation, a real tie here?
LEMON: Isn't that -- can you believe that?
WHITFIELD: Actually, fascinating.
LEMON: It is fascinating.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And I've been saying, you know, there was a connection between the civil rights movement and this all week long. And then when I saw this story, I go there it is. I'm not crazy. I am crazy, by the way.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: OK.
WHITFIELD: Well, it will be interesting dialogue.
LEMON: I need to go. Valentine's Day. We're going to tell you how to --
WHITFIELD: You're (INAUDIBLE) humbug, are you?
LEMON: I am. Not a big thing on Valentine's Day.
WHITFIELD: Don, Don, but the red. You got the red tie on. That's telling me you're in the spirit.
LEMON: I don't think you need a day to tell someone, "Ii love you."
WHITFIELD: You can do it all the time.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: But universally? LEMON: Yes. We're going to tell you how --
WHITFIELD: Embrace -- chocolates are always fun.
LEMON: To make Valentine's Day better.
WHITFIELD: February 14th. Yes.
LEMON: Are you listening to me?
WHITFIELD: No, no, I'm not. Go ahead.
LEMON: We're going to tell you how to make Valentine's Day better, and if you're looking for love especially online, we're going to tell you what to do and what not to do, how to take the best picture.
WHITFIELD: Mm-hmm.
LEMON: Mm-hmm.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEMON: You are so crazy.
WHITFIELD: It's still all about chocolates for me.
LEMON: By the way, it's not Valentine's Day yet.
WHITFIELD: Chocolates. Chocolates.
LEMON: But I love you. You're awesome. Happy Valentine's Day.
WHITFIELD: I love you, too. All right. Thank you so much. No, I had to much of the giggle to go on. So will you please help me out here?
LEMON: OK. A band of brothers prepares to do a battle in Afghanistan. Five sets of reservists who ended up in the same Marine battalion.
Ed Lavandera has this exclusive (INAUDIBLE).
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A deep bond runs through this line runs through this line of Marines, but this is a brotherhood beyond the uniform.
LT. COL. TODD ZINK, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I was almost surprised when I heard it myself. I didn't realize we had five sets of brothers right away.
LAVANDERA: The U.S. Marine Corps' first battalion 23rd regiment is a family, an infantry unit made up mostly of Texas Reservists and includes five different sets of brothers. All about to deploy to the war in Afghanistan. Will and Raul Hernandez, Matthew and Jonathan Fosler (ph), Josh and Daniel Beams (ph). Bobby and Cody Henrickson. Francisco and Hector Vega.
(On camera): Have you leaned on each other quite a bit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. To give us a sense of home.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Their brotherhood eases the pressure of heading into the battlefield.
LANCE CPL. WILL HERNANDEZ, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I don't think there's anybody better to keep me safe than him.
PFC. RAUL HERNANDEZ, U.S. MARINE CORPS: This will be, you know, one of the biggest struggles we go through together as brothers.
GUNNERY SGT. HECTOR VEGA CIGARROA, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Do we worry? Absolutely. You never know what's going to happen out there. We have to take care of each other, because that's all we have.
LAVANDERA: Only Josh and Daniel Beams have experienced war together before. Three years ago they rode on the same street patrols in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not many brothers are in a situation where they are both able to deploy together or even be in the military together at the same time much less being in the same unit.
LAVANDERA: The families of these Marines face an emotional time during their seven-month deployment. Double the fear, twice the stress.
(On camera): How about your folks?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they're -- they're --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're having a hard time back home knowing that we're here. You know? But they support us in everything we do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: True.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We kind of left them with no choice, anyways so.
LAVANDERA (voice-over: These Beams brothers wanted to fight in Afghanistan so they volunteered to join this unit. The Hernandez brothers come from a family with deep military service. The Vega brothers have also served separate tours of duty in the Iraq war. The Fosler brothers are first generation Marines and this will be the Henrickson brothers' first tour of war duty.
In the dangerous days ahead, good old-fashioned sibling rivalry will help lift their spirits.
CIGARROA: He knows that if he doesn't do something right, I'll jump on him. But then again, I'll give him flashbacks of the younger days when I used to get a lot more rougher. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always tell my mom, and tell her he's picking on me.
CIGARROA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He used to beat on me up a lot. I didn't do too much beating on him.
LAVANDERA (on camera): So the best question I could ask then, who's the better Marine?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think based on that, he takes the prize for this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, he is.
LAVANDERA: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the better Marine.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Here they're all brothers in arms, and that's where the rivalry ends for this band of brothers.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Camp Pendleton, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Lots of love for them and lots of love for everybody else out there, because Valentine's Day is now just hours away. So what is the most popular gift out there? We'll tell you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Instead of chocolates and flowers, what about gadgets for your gal? Earlier I talk with our tech guru Marc Saltzman and here are some of his ideas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: Let's start off with an iPod preloaded with her favorite music. I think that's a nice touch. This is the iPod Touch which starts at about $229. So you can gift it already with the favorite music on it. Maybe she likes to exercise and get a great dance mix on there.
And if you order it online while it's a little too late for it, tomorrow is Valentine's Day, you can also have a free inscription engraved on the back.
WHITFIELD: That's sweet.
SALTZMAN: This one here by the way says -- it says I love you in spite of your musical tastes. I don't know if you can see that one. But -- WHITFIELD: That's cute. Yes, I like -- that's a nice gift. Who wouldn't like that? And there are the real book lovers out there who might enjoy a new way to receive a book, read a book. What do you have?
SALTZMAN: Exactly. So digital books or e-book readers are very trendy right now and they make for a great gift for a book lover. I'll show you two of my favorites. This is of course the Amazon Kindle. It was -- this is a refreshed version of it that came out in the fall. It's lighter, it's faster, better looking screen and of course you know all the advantages e-books give. You can adjust the font, the size of the text to your liking. Shop 24/7.
With the case of the Amazon Kindle, you can even have a book read back to you --
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.
SALTZMAN: -- if you're one of your -- fatigued on a plane ride, press a button, have it read to you. If you want something a little bit beefier, almost like a tablet, the new NOOK Color from Barnes & Noble is a good pick. This is also -- this is a seven-inch e-book reader that has colors and it's got the ability to read children's books out loud as well. You can surf the net, pick up your e-mail and even use some apps like games. So this is $249. The Amazon Kindle starts at $139 for the Wi-Fi version.
WHITFIELD: Very fancy stuff. Now, what about those loves who are in long distance relationships? What do you have for them?
SALTZMAN: Well, yes. Definitely a Web camera and a high definition one could help spice up a long distance relationship. I'll leave it at that.
WHITFIELD: Watch out, Marc.
SALTZMAN: You can use your imagination. You know, just for blowing kisses and things like that.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Of course. Of course. Little conversation, yes.
SALTZMAN: I don't know what you're thinking about, Fredricka. But this is the Microsoft LifeCam. This is the studio that sells for about $70. It's a 1080p or the highest quality video quality in a Web camera that lets you send video greetings by e-mail or chat in real time for free around the world so this is a top of the line model.
If you don't want to spend quite as much, there are other models, this one here from Logitech is called the QuickCam C310 and it sells between $50 and $60, and it's still high definition but not quite top of the line but you know, there's lots of options out there that are better than the Web cam that came with your laptop.
WHITFIELD: Fancy schmancy stuff. All right. Marc Saltzman -- oh, do you have more for me?
SALTZMAN: I just wanted to add.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SALTZMAN: A digital camera is also a great pick and companies like Sony, for example, have pink and red ones which are nice for Valentine's Day.
WHITFIELD: Cute.
SALTZMAN: So if your significant other could use an upgrade when it comes to a compact digital camera, you can buy one that has an engraving on it as well, and of course pick a Valentine's color, as well. So I just wanted to throw that out there as food for thought.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. So guys out there, you are served notice. So no excuses for not remembering what day it is tomorrow, guys and gals.
All right, putting your money where your heart is. Valentine's Day spending will certainly give the economy a boost. So how much are Americans spending and what are the big sellers? Here's CNN's Stephanie Elam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Love is in the air, America. After pinching pennies hard for a couple of years, consumers are once again ready to shower their loved ones with gifts. In fact, according to Ivas World Research, Americans will spend $18.6 billion this year on Valentine's Day purchases. That's nearly 6 percent more than last year and breaks down to about 125 bucks a person.
So what are folks buying?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Candy, chocolate, of course, which my husband and my daughter and her son.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, probably $100 probably going towards food.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I probably would split dinner for my boyfriend and then go out to a museum or something.
ELAM: No doubt greeting cards, flowers, clothing and jewelry are all popular gifts but Americans will spend most of their dough on romantic getaways, candy and the most popular expense of all, dining out. All those meals will cost us $8.8 billion this year.
When it comes to gender, it looks like men just don't trust the old adage, it's the thought that counts. The National Retail Federation says the average man will drop more than $158 for Valentine's Day, while the average woman will only spend about $75.
And Valentine's Day is not just for humans. The National Retail Federation says the average person will spend just over five bucks on the family pet. Of nearly $2 from last year.
But let's face it. Not everyone has a valentine to lavish. That doesn't mean however that these folks aren't spending. In fact the NRF says consumers will spend an average of $6.30 on friends, about $5 on classmates and teachers and just over $3 on co-workers. After all, Valentine's Day is on a Monday.
Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Happy Valentine's. Get ready to hear about spending cuts, investments and some tax moves.
Let's start with Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
It was another solid week for stocks. The major averages gained more than 1 percent each despite uncertainly about developments in Egypt. Investors focus on the positive. We had a round of mergers, strong sales from McDonald's and improvement in unemployment claims.
Mortgage rates are rising. The national average for a 30-year fixed is above 5 percent, that's according to Freddie Mac. Rates haven't been that high since last May. Higher rates can temporarily boost home sales because it pushes buyers to jump in before those rates go any higher -- Stephanie.
ELAM: Thanks, Alison.
More Americans are relying on plastic. Credit card debt rose by $2 billion in December, the first increase in two years. Because of the recession, Americans had been paying down debt and using cash so this may mean that consumers are feeling better about spending again.
Calling all tax cheats, if you're hiding money in an offshore account, you can avoid jail time if you confess to the IRS by the end of August. It's time to pay back taxes, interest and fees. Last year's program reeled in 15,000 tax evaders.
Poppy has a look ahead of what's coming up in business news. Hi, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Thanks so much, Stephanie.
President Obama set to unveil his 2012 budget proposal on Monday and one thing is for sure. There are going to be cuts.
Right now, the nation's debt stands at $14 trillion and the president is expected to propose temporarily freezing spend on non-security discretionary items and also he made call for cuts in defense spending. He also wants to let those tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire.
The big question, though, is whether the president will or won't address Medicare and Social Security. They make up the bulk of the federal budget and their costs have been climbing.
We'll certainly be watching on Monday, Fredricka, and we'll track it all for you on CNNMoney.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, ladies.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. I'll see you back here next weekend. Don Lemon is here in minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
