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CNN Newsroom
Tornado Blasts through St. Louis; Murder Caught on Webcam; Missing Teen Found; Countdown to Royal Wedding
Aired April 23, 2011 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Grounded a tornado slams into the St. Louis Airport forcing passengers to scramble and grounding flights.
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LEMON: Tonight a clearer picture of the damage, an entire airport shut down all day, and around the area more than 700 homes damaged. We'll have you there in just a minute.
Missing teen, missing no more. The tragic ending in the case of Phylicia Barnes and the raw emotion from her mother, and a message to her killer or killers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First come, first serve would get the least punishment from God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Plus the music that celebrates God being honored this weekend. My conversation with the outspoken host of this year's award "The View", Sherri Shepherd, about the Dove Awards and how God has helped her overcome some extremely difficult obstacles.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. The news starts right now.
We will begin with this. It is the most powerful tornado to hit St. Louis in more than four decades. Nine communities impacted. 750 homes damaged. Some of them obliterated into piles of rubble. Incredibly, no reports of death or serious injuries.
But the twister crippled the St. Louis Airport, passengers had to run for cover as it came right for them.
CNN Dan Simon at the airport tonight where only a handful of flights have landed.
Dan?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, we're at the main terminal at the airport. And you can see what's happening behind me. Crews busting out these windows that have cracks in front of them. You can see it all fall here to the ground. We're getting a real sense of what things looked like when the storm came through.
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SIMON (voice-over): Airport security cameras show what it was like inside the moment the tornado struck. Right now everything appears fine. Then the lights go out. Debris starts swirling. TSA officers run for cover. Another angle in front of a food stand. Watch as this guy on a cell phone looks behind him and sees things are not normal. Seconds later it appears this whole concourse is swept up by the powerful wind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go to baggage claim.
SIMON: The aftermath a scene of broken windows and an airport that has to be quickly shut down. One arriving passenger said he saw the wind actually force a plane to slide 20 feet from the gate.
ROSS TAYLOR, PASSENGER: By the time we got the terminal, lights were out, there was glass everywhere. It's just open. There was blood everywhere from where people had been cut.
SIMON: The tornado ripped through nine separate communities, destroying dozens of homes. But amid all the devastation mostly just minor injuries. Authorities credit that to people heeding the warnings.
WES BROWN, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: That was not only because we had a 34 minute lead time from the National Weather Service, but because our media partners carried that warning immediately to the public. And thirdly, that the public did what we have told home to do.
SIMON: Still with so many dislodged from their homes, the Red Cross opened several shelters.
Back at the airport, crews began the tedious process of boarding up windows. Any glass that had a crack was taken down. Airport officials say most operations will resume when the power is restored.
MAYOR FRANCIS SLAY, ST. LOUIS: We're hopeful to have a handful of inbound flights here at Lambert tonight, just inbound flights no out bound flights and we're working towards reopening the airport for tomorrow which will include inbound and outbound flights.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: While the airline traffic may resume, the cosmetic damage you see here may take months to repair.
Don?
LEMON: All right, Dan, thank you very much. The tornado also did some major damage to a St. Louis church, but that won't stop the Easter masses there tomorrow. High winds toppled the 40-foot steeple at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church and broke a cross standing outside. There was actually service going on inside at the time but no one, thankfully, was hurt.
Only about nine flights tonight are touching down at the St. Louis Airport. And there you see our Kasey Joyce. She is right there. She's with our affiliate, KSDK.
Kasey, thanks for joining us tonight.
What's the update on the airport and the situation there?
KASEY JOYCE, KSDK CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can see for the first time in two days we have lights here. That has come back on in the last two hours. And I think that was a welcomed sight for many who have been here for the last two days.
Now they were anticipating about nine flights flying in tonight. Two Air Trans flights and three American Airline flights and four Southwest Airlines Flights.
Well, I just got off the phone with both Airtran and Delta, rather, not American Airlines, and they have had to cancel those flights. So those flights that would have typically come in to terminal one, where we are standing, the terminal that sustained the most damage, those flights will not be coming in tonight. They're going to try and bring them in tomorrow instead.
So far, though, in terminal two, the terminal that was not really damaged by the storm, that's where Southwest is. We've seen three flights come in tonight. We've talked to some of the passengers over there who have kind of been juggled around in their attempt to get to St. Louis over the last couple of days.
Also in terminal two, we found about ten people who have been camped out there, stuck there since Friday. They are sleeping on covers. They are sleeping baggage carousels. They've kind of created their own little family of people as they are waiting for their flights to go out tomorrow morning. They are hoping that they can go out tomorrow morning. That's when the airport says that they expect to be at about 70 percent of their normal activity at the airport.
So ideally they will get those people to where they want to go by Easter morning. But that could all change depending on the progress that they make here tonight.
As you can kind of hear in the background behind me, there's lots of hammering and drilling as they are working to repair some of the broken glass and try and get this airport operational and fully functional as soon as they can.
LEMON: Kasey Joyce with our KSDK in St. Louis.
Thank You, Casey. No let up in the brutal crackdown. Government crackdown in Syria. Witnesses tell CNN that government security forces opened fire from roof tops today killing at least ten protesters who turned out to mourn dozens who were killed on Friday.
Friday's crackdown was one of Syria's bloodiest battles yet. Nearly 80 people were killed when security forces and demonstrators clashed across several cities.
Now to Libya, the Pentagon confirms the U.S. has launched its first predator drone strike. It happened earlier today. Details were scant, but NATO says the unmanned air strike destroyed a multiple rocket launcher used by Gadhafi forces outside the western city of Misrata. The launcher was being used to target civilian there.
And a major victory today for rebels in that key coastal city. Opposition leaders say they successfully forced Gadhafi troops out of Misrata City Center. They have also retaken the city's critical port.
Libya's government admits its soldiers are retreating, but vows tribal fighters will remain. A rebel's spokesman says Gadhafi is simply trying to disguise his army's defeat.
Gadhafi still clings to power, but Yemen's embattled leader said he is ready to quit. A government official says President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed in principle to step down within 30 days. Yemen's neighboring Persian Gulf nations brokered the agreement which grants complete immunity for Saleh and members of his regime, but Saleh has yet to sign it. The deal comes after months' of deadly protest across that country. Anti-government activists are pushing for reforms.
Just ahead here on CNN. Imagine chatting with a loved one via Webcam and seeing them attacked right before your very eyes. But you're helpless to do anything about it. This horrible nightmare really happened, and that story is next for you.
And do you remember the missing teenager. Her name is Phylicia Barnes. We covered her plight here in the CNN NEWSROOM. There are new and tragic details to tell you about tonight.
And many of you have been asking for information about the stories that we cover and social media. You can reach out to us on Twitter, on Facebook at CNN.com/Don and on FourSquare.com.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When they sent their only daughter from their home in Beijing to study in Toronto never did these parents imagine that seven months later they would be boarding a plane to retrieve her body.
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LEMON: That was a report from our CTV on the victim of a murder that was witnessed by her friend on the other side of the world.
A 23-year-old exchange student from Beijing was in her Toronto apartment chatting with her boyfriend in China over a Webcam. Suddenly a man knocked on her door asking to use phone. Then police say her boyfriend watched the screen helplessly as the man attacked her and then shut off her computer. She was later found dead naked from the waist down.
The crime sounds very much like something you would see rip from the headlines on a show like CSI.
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Well, Jim Clemente is a writer and an adviser for another crime show, the CBS family drama "Criminal Minds." He is also a former FBI special agent.
Jim, this is a horrible crime. But the Webcam adds another layer to it, doesn't it?
JIM CLEMENTE, ADVISER/WRITER, "CRIMINAL MINDS": Yes. It's as if they created an accidental cyber witness in this case. And basically documented something that happens often, but nobody really gets a chance to see it.
LEMON: All right, let's talk about this particular case. Reports say that the boyfriend who witnessed this tried to reach the victims friend. Two friends and the landlord found her body ten hours later. But why weren't the police involved earlier? Was there a window here to save her life that was missed?
CLEMENTE: Well, it looks like there may have been a window of opportunity that was missed. Perhaps it's this phenomenon that people when they see or experience something over the Internet, they don't take it seriously. Maybe he didn't really understand that her life was being threatened at that point. But he certainly could have, I guess, called 911 and hopefully they would have intervened.
LEMON: OK. Her body was naked from the waist down. The police say there were no obvious signs of sexual assault. We're also awaiting the cause of death. So when the coroner's report comes back, what will they likely find here?
CLEMENTE: Well, Don, it's very common in cases like this to actually not have any physical manifestation of sexual assault. But when you see a body like this that is naked from the waist down, there was at least sexual intent. And it maybe that he was interrupted and didn't get to finish what he had plan on doing, or the sexual activity that he actually engaged in was some kind of paraphilia that wasn't what we will call normal sex.
LEMON: OK. Let's talk about the suspect.
The suspect in this case is Brian Dixon, 29 years old, tall. Some have said he's good looking. How would he know to target this victim and why? CLEMENTE: Well, I don't know if he's actually the offender. But I will tell you, the offender had to be slightly educated in that he used a ruse. And that tells us that he has a level of sophistication, that he understands that he needs to assess the situation before he just barges in.
So he knocked on the door, he asked to use the phone to assess her vulnerability, her security awareness and probably also to determine if there was anybody else in the place.
LEMON: Have you ever done a case like this on "Criminal Minds," and are these shows helping or hurting law enforcement by giving killers a how-to about these investigations.
CLEMENTE: On "Criminal Minds" we stay away from really the offender behavior. We focus on the victims. Actually, what we focus on is not the forensics on how to commit a better crime, but we focus on the behavior that the offender does that's intrinsic to that person. It's very difficult for an offender to change that kind of behavior because it satisfies a need or desire of that particular offender.
LEMON: All right, let's look --
CLEMENTE: We did -- we have -- I'm sorry.
LEMON: Go ahead. No. Continue.
CLEMENTE: We've done other shows -- in fact, I just wrote one, and we shot it recently. It's going to air next month about bodies showing up or remains showing up on a beach and so sometimes it just happens that the shows that you put on the air document something that happens in real life as well.
LEMON: You're talking about one that is very close to the Long Island serial killings. They found a few teeth there. Does that say anything? Can you get DNA from that? Is that going to be helpful in the investigation? That's the latest from Long Island.
CLEMENTE: Sure. It depends. It's not the quantity of teeth, it would be the quality of teeth, the condition that they are in, but sure. It certainly capable to derive DNA from human teeth and identify a person.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that. Jim Clemente, we really appreciate you joining us here on Saturday night.
Up next here, a mother's plea. My interview with Phylicia Barnes' mother, including her powerful and emotional plea to those responsible for her daughter's disappearance.
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LEMON: Now to a story that we have covered closely here on this show, and a very sad ending to a report. Authorities say the body of Phylicia Barnes, that 16-year-old missing honor student from North Carolina has been found. Dam workers discovered her nude body in a Maryland river this week.
Barnes vanished in December after traveling to Baltimore to visit her half sister. The body of an unidentified man was also found in the river about four miles downstream. Officials say there's no evidence linking the two deaths, other than the close proximity of their bodies.
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FRED BEALEFELD, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: Finding her body is really going to be instrumental in giving us an opportunity to bring closure to the family. It just without it, it would have been an incredibly difficult case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Police have very few leads so far. Their first task is to identify the male found in the river near Barnes.
Obviously, it is a tragic ending for a bright and promising teen and a sad outcome for her parents and so many others who had held out hope since her disappearance last December.
I want you to listen to my interview with Phylicia's mother who came on the show back in January, particularly though her surprise emotional plea at the end of her daughter's safety.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The circumstances surrounding her disappearance, she went to stay with her stepsister for Christmas and you trusted --
JANICE SALLIES, PHYLICIA BARNES' MOTHER: Not step, her half- sister.
LEMON: Her half-sister. And you trusted this older person, I think her name is Adina.
SALLIS: Yes.
LEMON: And you trusted her and you said for you there were some odd circumstances on the evening that your daughter disappeared that you're concerned about?
SALLIS: Well, from what I read from the typed itinerary, it was very disturbing of what I read. And still a lot of loose ties that -- and a lot of dead fish that's continued to smell that makes sense to me.
LEMON: Like? Do you want to talk about it?
SALLIS: The time frames and that she had fallen asleep on the couch and it wonders if she fell asleep because she was doped up because that's not her character, to get dressed just to fall asleep. When she gets dressed, she's anxious to go to where she's planning on going.
LEMON: This is completely out of character for her.
SALLIS: Completely out of character that I know.
LEMON: OK. We talked about that. Some of the criticism we got in e- mails, social media, even the police said that he felt that some of the national media, that it was anemic. They're calling this Baltimore Police say it's their Natalee Holloway but they're not seeing it all over the media. Do you care to comment on that?
SALLIS: Not really because that's not important to me. The issues that racial and social issues, that's not important to me.
LEMON: You want your daughter back.
SALLIS: I want my baby back, and if -- even if I had her back, the racial and social issues still wouldn't be important to me because to me its wasteless and I don't focus on wasteful situations.
LEMON: I'm so glad you say that so I don't have to respond to everyone who wrote me a letter and asked about that. Do you have some idea of what you believe happened?
SALLIS: I can't honestly answer that because all type of ideas go through my head on what happened, what could have happened, what may have happened.
LEMON: And I have to ask you this question, are you prepared for the worst?
SALLIS: For reality, as best as I -- well, you really can't prepare for a tragic. You have to deal with it as it comes. There's no way to prepare.
LEMON: Yes.
SALLIS: You just have to keep asking god for the strength.
LEMON: Do you believe she's still with us?
SALLIS: I don't feel that she's disconnected from me.
LEMON: Alive?
SALLIS: I feel that she's still out there. However, I feel that she's being terribly mistreated inhumanely so.
LEMON: We hope she's alive. Thank you so much.
And we admire your courage and we're going to continue to follow this story and put her picture out there and thank you for being so honest. Best of luck. Our thoughts and prayers, OK.
SALLIS: I need to say something to anyone who knows any information or the people who may have her.
LEMON: Uh-huh.
SALLIS: Each and every day I feel that I am having labor pains because my daughter is not with me. I'm going to plead with all shut lips who knows about it, the perpetrators who have been involved in her disappearance. I'm going to ask you to please let my baby go.
However, if you choose not to listen to what I'm begging of you, I have already went to god and have written down in black and white the punishment that I have requested for each and every individual who is involved, and it's not very nice and it's going to be way, way far than what you think you can bear.
However, first come, first serve would get the least punishment from God.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: I spoke with Phylicia's stepfather yesterday. He said they are heartbroken. Obviously. Especially her mother who he says is having a tough time just keeping it together.
He thanked me for interviewing Phylicia's mother and putting the story on national television, and tonight our thoughts and prayers are with Phylicia's family and friends.
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EDWARD GRIFFITHS, DEPUTY MASTER OF THE HOUSEHOLD: For the event, we're going through every single detail that we possibly can so that it's planned in advance and don't leave anything to chance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Britain's royal wedding now has a very American twist to it. The image of Prince William and Kate immortalized on the "Etch-a- Sketch." Our affiliate WJW reports a London gallery commission artist George Vlosich to create the artwork. It's part of their growing craze about the event now just six days away.
Buckingham Palace released an edited guest list today, and CNN Zain Verjee is in London with the latest on who is invited.
Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, Westminster Abbey has always been seen as the historical and geographical anchor of the city of London. The last time this abbey saw a big royal wedding was 1986 when Prince Andrew married Fergie. Now it's just a few days go for us to see Prince William marry Kate Middleton. The excitement, Don, is building up.
I talked to a few people today. Listen to what they have to say. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Are you excited about the wedding or not really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm pretty excited. I didn't want to be here on the day because it would be way too busy. I'm having my mom tape it for me, even though I'm going to be in the U.K. when it's --
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: What about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we're pretty excited. But like she said, a little too busy, a little too crowded. Probably best to see it today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's going to be very form-fitting, long train. I don't think it's going to be anything like Diana's. I still remember watching Diana and Charles' wedding when I was a little girl and it was just unbelievable.
VERJEE: Do you think we need a good story like this, just something happy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Absolutely.
VERJEE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the world needs it. It's exciting to be here. Everybody is very excited. People are happy, so it's a great atmosphere.
VERJEE: Are you excited about the royal wedding?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm excited for them, but I'm here as a tourist, so I'm trying to avoid the royal wedding so that the people from England can have their time with the royals. And we Americans will come in and see the beautiful sights and then we'll be out of town.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: The guest list also came out today. There are members obviously of the royal family, also foreign royal dignitaries, as well as members of the defense and political establishment in this country.
And, of course, I had to pick out the celebrities here. Elton John, a close friend of the late Princess Diana, is invited. Rowan Atkinson, better known as "Mr. Bean," will also be here. David and Victoria Beckham are invited. The film director of "Lock Stock" and "Two Smoking Barrels," Guy Ritchie, will be here, too, as will the Australian Olympic swimmer, Ian Thorp, also known as the Thorpedo.
So it's Easter weekend here. Where are Prince William and Kate Middleton? They are, according to Clarence House, spending Easter weekend with family, and they're out in the countryside. Just a few more days to go before their big day.
And, Don, everyone here is saying, will the weather hold up on Friday? We're keeping our figurers crossed - Don.
LEMON: All right, Zain, thank you very much.
We want to remind you, CNN's coverage of the big day begins at 4:00 a.m. Eastern this Friday.
The royal wedding, as we said, less than a week away, about six days. And while there's been a lot of hype leading up to it, we want to know how many Americans, how many of you really care, and if so why or why not? So we went out and asked. I want you to listen to the reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ever since Diana passed, it's nice to see her son in that specific situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the most important thing to me is how long her train is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How big the rock is going to be and the big ring that she's -- the rock that he's giving her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's not marrying him for the money. She loves him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's love in the air.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he marrying Lindsay Lohan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to be watching the wedding?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about you? Are you going to watch the royal wedding?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show of hands, who's going to watch the royal wedding in a few weeks?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's beautiful. She's classy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm going to watch it. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's interesting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At 5:00 in the morning, are you going to watch it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm going to watch it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ambush interview, CNN. Who is that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is Prince William and Kate Middleton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what's happening in April?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are getting married.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me how much you care?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I care. I'll watch it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm more excited for the royal divorce than the royal wedding. I hope he is getting lawyers, prenup. Get her to sign. Be smart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. Twitter, first. "I heard you. I hear you. No more royal wedding stories."
We got to do it. It's a big event. I'm sorry.
Coming up, Lindsay Lohan, already out of jail. Just how short was her latest stint and hear why she will stay in her cell much longer next time. It's all after the break.
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LEMON: We want to update you on your top stories on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
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LEMON: Well, that's really frightening.
Running for cover inside the St. Louis airport, as a tornado bears down. It was the most powerful tornado to hit the city since 1967. Only a handful of flights are landing at the airport tonight. The planes won't really get back on schedule until Sunday.
Other areas got hit badly, too. About 750 homes were damaged, but there are no reports of deaths nor serious injuries.
A major developments out of Yemen tonight. A government official says embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed in principle to step down within 30 days. Yemen's neighboring Persian Gulf nations brokered the agreement which grants complete immunity for Saleh and members of his regime. He has yet to sign it, though.
No let up in the brutal government crackdown in Syria. I want you to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUN FIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Witnesses tell CNN that Syrian security forces opened fire from rooftops today, killing at least 10 protesters who turned out to mourn dozens who were killed Friday. Yesterday's crackdown was one of Syria's bloodiest battles. Nearly 80 people were killed when security forces and demonstrators clashed across several cities.
Now to Hollywood and Lindsay Lohan. She did time on Friday, did you know? But her stay in jail lasted about as long as a flight from New York to L.A., about five hours.
Lohan was in court yesterday for a charge she stole a necklace. A victory there since the judge reduced the count against her from a felony to a misdemeanor. That case is going to trial.
But Lohan did yesterday's jail time and is facing more for a separate reason. Her legal life has a lot of twists and lot of turns. And to sort it out with us now, CNN Wire team and editor, Alan Duke.
OK. More with the Lindsay Lohan saga.
Why did Lindsay Lohan go to jail yesterday, and how did she get out so quickly?
ALAN DUKE, CNN WIRE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Well, first of all it was quite a surprise to Lindsay Lohan not to me, but I don't think she thought her day in court would end with her fifth mugshot being made and five hours in jail. It was because of a probation violation indirectly because of the alleged necklace theft. Of course, that trial comes later, but it's against your probation if you are arrested and that she was. And so the judge said I got punish you for it. And this is all dating back to 2007. Two drunk driving convictions that year, the only thing she's been convicted of. That's why she went to jail yesterday that she faces four month.
LEMON: Alan, Alan, Alan -- hang on here. How many mugshots has she had taken?
DUKE: Five.
LEMON: And she's surprised that she went to jail? She should be happy that this is the first time that she did go jail.
DUKE: She's avoided long incarceration periods. She's been there 13, 14 days or a few hours here and there. But she's always been able to post bond or check into rehab instead. But this time it's a little bit different because this is about stealing something and the others were about alcohol and drug abuse. And is there a rehab for shoplifting? Perhaps Dr. Drew has one, but I can tell you that this judge thinks rehab is going to be in jail. LEMON: OK. So her attorney is appealing her probation. So what's going on with her trial on the theft charges now?
DUKE: She will be in court on May 11th for a pre-trial hearing and then June 3rd supposedly that trial will start. Of course, there could always now be a plea agreement. You know, a month ago she rejected a plea deal that probably would have given her five or six months in jail. Maybe now it's been reduced to a misdemeanor, maybe her lawyer Shawn Holley will get with the prosecution which probably is a different prosecutor now and they will plead it out and she will probably do some jail time. I think maybe do that four months under this judge.
LEMON: All right. We're going to have a meeting after the show. I'm debating a Lohan-free newscast.
DUKE: Oh, no.
LEMON: Oh, yes.
DUKE: You'll be out of business.
LEMON: Alan, let me tell you. Everybody is sick of Lindsay Lohan because she goes to court and then she gets off, and then she does something else and then they let her off. And then she goes again. It's enough already. Tough love. Get your act together. She has everything in the world going for her and she's screwing it up.
DUKE: Yes.
LEMON: So let's move on.
DUKE: It's very frustrating.
LEMON: Yes, a documentary debuted yesterday called "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold."
You spoke to his creator, which is Morgan Spurlock. And it's supposedly a really good flick. What's the point that he's trying to make in all of this?
DUKE: Well, he embraced product placement to make the point of product placement. Educate you, the viewer, about how you're being sold things all the time. So these sponsors that he went and got in the course of filming the movie actually paid the million and a half to produce the movie. He's a quite interesting guy. The one who brought us the "Super Size Me" movie that change my eating habits, as far as McDonald's goes.
Let's listen to something he explained to me.
LEMON: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN SPURLOCK, "THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD": I think the biggest takeaway for the film is, one, awareness. Understanding, literally, from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed someone is trying to sell you something. Someone is marketing to you. Someone is advertising to you.
And we live in a world today, where it's almost as if everything is brought to you by some sponsor. Even here at CinemaCon, there's sponsors every where that are making this happen. So ultimately the question becomes, "Do we want to live in a world where it takes sponsors to make everything a possibility."
DUKE: Well, you know, I'm just so refreshed to actually have a conversation with someone who is not trying to sell me something. I appreciate it.
SPURLOCK: But be sure to go see "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," in theaters April 22nd.
DUKE: Are you trying to sell me something?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes, Alan, so he's trying to sell his movie. Come on. Everything is about making money. It all is.
DUKE: Well, that was his point. And I hope you've seen "Super Size Me" because it will make a point, too. The guy is very smart story teller and he educates people about things happening in their world that they don't necessarily think about but have an impact in their lives.
LEMON: All right. Alan Duke, sorry to be so hard on you about Lindsay Lohan.
It's very frustrating. You understand how we feel around the rest of the country. We're not annoyed about it.
DUKE: It occupies a large part of my life.
LEMON: Yes, when you think about the economy, people out of work and wars and whatever, and you're like, come on, Lindsay, come on.
All right, thank you, Alan. Appreciate it.
All right, I have to admit, this week I was on another network. Here's a clip from "The View".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: You guys know who Tim Tebow is. Isn't he David Broncos?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is. Yes, --
SHEPHERD: Don Lemon from CNN was down there so it was really great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Did Whoopi just say I was cute.
Thanks, Whoopi.
So why is Sherri Shepherd talking about me? Because I spent a lot of time talking to her about why she loves Christian music, and how it helped her get through the shame in her past.
Shepherd's opened up like a few celebs do -- abortions, infidelity and much, much more.
But before we do that, I want to you remember this. We all remember 9/11 as a day of loss and destruction in New York City. And one New Yorker vowed never to forget the help his city received after the attack.
Since 2004 Jeff Parnes has been saying thank you, and he started a cycle of paying it forward that snow balled across the U.S. That's why he is this week's CNN hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF PARNESS, CNN HERO: September 11th was a very tough time for the fire department. I lost some friends. Guys I went to the academy with. Afterwards people came from everywhere to help us out. It was incredible. You knew you weren't alone.
As a New Yorker to see the outpouring of kindness and generosity was more powerful than the terror that happened. It really changed me. I'm Jeff Parness and I just want to show the world that New Yorkers will never forget what people did for us following 9/11.
Every year on the 9/11 anniversary, we take volunteers from New York and send them to some part of the country where they had a disaster and help folks rebuild.
The whole thing there is the grain silo. It's definitely a little culture shock. Rebuilding homes or barns or churches is our way to say thank you. Now it's more than half our volunteers are not from New York. People from all the small towns that we helped, they keep showing up to help the next community. They're from Louisiana and California and Indiana and Illinois. Every year you see more and more t-shirts from more locations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got to pitch in as much as we can. After Katrina we jumped on his bandwagon. The whole paying it forward thing is just contagious.
PARNESS: It's like this big dysfunctional family reunion of all the disaster survivors who get together to do a barn raising.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're banging nails and building something, but it's the relationship that helps you heal.
PARNESS: It's about using the 9/11 anniversary to celebrate the volunteer spirit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll see you next year.
PARNESS: People say thank you for doing this. I say you want to thank me, show up on the next one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Jeff's next project is to rebuild an animal shelter in Georgia destroyed by a tornado earlier this month. A documentary about his work titled "New York Says Thank You" premiers at the Tribeca Film Festival next week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Sherri Shepherd will make you laugh as she does every day co-hosting the talk show "The View". So, you know she's got the comedy in her and the talk in her, but we all know that -- did you know she has got the music in her as well. Gospel music.
Shepherd is hosting tomorrow night's Dove Awards, which honors the best in Christian music. And in tonight's "What Matters," Shepherd talks about her relationship with God and godly music, and how it's lifted her through troubled times.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEPHERD: And this is all because Christian music is just progressing, progressing. It's, you know, some people say how come -- what am I going to get out of watching something like The Dove. But it's an alternative to other music.
I mean, sometimes you can only listen to "Drop It Like It's Hot" music for so long. And then you need some lyrics that are going to uplift you, you know. And they have lyrics, you know, "Cass and Crowns," is like, you know, "when you fall the scars are there. Get back up."
LEMON: Yes.
SHEPHERD: You know, get back up again. That's TobyMac. Anybody, no matter what religion you're in or who you are, somebody is saying get back up again, you can do this.
LEMON: What do you know about "Drop it Like it's Hot?"
SHEPHERD: you know, before I was in my little glory days, we all had our -- stop, Don, like you didn't. I saw you at the club last Tuesday. 9:30.
LEMON: No, that was last night. Tuesday, last night.
SHEPHERD: Right there. LEMON: But you know about that, too. You can be a Christian. You can be born again. You can change your life. And still have a rough past. You had a rough past. You said you had more abortions than you wanted to even count.
SHEPHERD: Yes, absolutely. And I got to tell you, it was music that got me through that because, you know, back way when, I was young, I didn't know a lot about anything and so I did. And I had a lot of shame with that.
And somebody said something at a Women of Faith concert I went to. And they were singing a lot of gospel music. And one of the artists said to me, you know what, when you get up to heaven, all your babies are going to be there with their arms open wide saying mama.
And it was just someday, it just kind of released me from being so ashamed of what I did. And this is like, so, I tell those kind of stories to be able to inspire other people to say, you know what, everybody has got a past, but you don't have to relive it all the time. And that past is not you.
LEMON: It's a wake. It's in the back.
SHEPHERD: That's right. That's right.
LEMON: It's like waking at the back of the boat.
Do you think that religion, do you think church does enough to allow people to be able to say, I did that, I'm sorry, I can be forgiven for it. Or do you think it's something that we just sort of keep squashed down.
SHEPHERD: Oh I think a lot of people do keep it squashed down. And, you know, you go to church to be able to have somebody help you with knowing how to do something like that. But it's not -- you know not only church, I think it's about our relationship with God.
Like I say even being on "The View", I don't want to thump you over the head with my Bible. I hope you can see just my heart. And I want people to know, it's very cool to love God. It's not, you know, -- I don't want to go, "you're going to hell." That's not the way I live my life. I live my life -- it's just so cool to love this God.
LEMON: But you got people love you, I mean, and people love Elizabeth for being conservative. They love you for being religious, but then you also get a lot of criticism for it, too. What do you say to that?
SHEPHERD: You know what, you're going to get criticized no matter what you do. This is a line from Katt Williams that I love. "If you don't have six --
(CROSSTALK)
SHEPHERD: And I'm talking about the Load and Katt Williams. "If you don't have six haters by the end of June, you're doing something wrong."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. But wait, Sherri Shepherd has much, much more to say. Right after the break, she'll talk to me about how she's participating and helping to raise, follow me here, the son of her now ex-husband and his mistress.
That's right. The child born from her man's infidelity.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEPHERD: You're like the old -- OK.
LEMON: Don't move this mountain.
SHEPHERD: I'm climbing up on the rough side of mountain.
As my grandmother said.
LEMON: That's what I like.
SHEPHERD: But that's what I grew up listening to.
LEMON: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's what I grew up listening to as well. The Dove Awards airs tomorrow. Christian music's night of honors.
And this year's host Sherri Shepherd told me God and his music had helped her heal and learned to forgive. She is living true by those lessons, accepting a situation many women would gladly avoid. She's helping to raise her son with a child born out of her husband's extramarital affair.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEPHERD: I'm very, very open. I've been very open about my divorce and everything. It was infidelity, which resulted in a child out of wedlock that was not mine. And we try to make it work.
You know, the thing about it is you try to make things work. You try to do as much as you can, and it didn't work. And we're really trying to be the best parents that we can be to our son.
And my son has the most beautiful brother that I could ever ask for. You know, it's so funny. My son is black. His brother is white. And they look just alike when they see each other. Because you got to let all the ugliness go. You got to love your kids and whether you hate each other. So when they look at each other and go boo-boo head, boo-boo head, and they just run towards each other. And so out of all of the ugly, there's these two beautiful little boys from craziness but who love each other.
LEMON: That's amazing. Is it different than when you grew up, a black son, a white son, all together? Is it different? What does it say to you about race in this country now?
SHEPHERD: Well, when you look at children, they don't know. My son doesn't care that his brother is a different color. His brother doesn't care that he's -- you know, he calls me Mommy Sherri and he calls her mommy, the other woman.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: The other woman.
(CROSSTALK)
SHEPHERD: No, we know her as the other woman. But they don't care. Kids don't care. And that's the way it's supposed to be. And it really should -- we should be like that. And I wish we could get that way. But it's going to take a while.
LEMON: How do you do all that?
SHEPHERD: Prayer. A lot of prayer going. Really, truly, Lord, what do you want me to do? You know, I feel like this is an amazing blessing. This life, I feel I'm dreaming.
LEMON: Getting married.
SHEPHERD: I'm getting married.
LEMON: Got divorced.
SHEPHERD: Look at that. Look at that.
OK, I'm getting married. Look at that, you got a divorce. OK.
LEMON: Do you get compared to Star Jones a lot?
SHEPHERD: You know what, In Vegas, over the New Year's. If I could put a penny in a jar every time somebody said oh, you're Star Jones, oh, my Star Jones is here.
I was like, no, me and Al are not together anymore. Weird. It's OK. You know, it's so -- I get compared to Star all the time. And Star even said to me we got to go out so people can see that we're two different people.
LEMON: Yes.
SHEPHERD: But, you know what, thank you for the compliment. That is an honor to be compared to Star Jones.
LEMON: Can we talk about diversity. There are two African- American women on "The View".
SHEPHERD: Nowhere on television can you see two black women hosting a major television show.
Even as an actress, I'm Sherri Shepherd, I'm the black girl in all the white sitcoms. You see white sitcoms, it's usually one African-American.
So Barbara Walters, the fact that she was innovative and progressive enough to say I understand that you're not saying the same thing, because that's what people think.
They think well, we got one black person, we don't need her. We have one Asian person, why do we need another? But we don't all say the same thing. Whoopi and I frequently disagree because we're two different generations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Thank you, Sherri Shepherd.
Shepherd host the Dove Awards tomorrow night on the Gospel Music Channel held here in Atlanta. It is the first time the Christian Music Awards will be outside of Nashville.
Good luck with that, Sherri.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out. Go to baggage claim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And they are top stories tonight.
Running for cover inside the St. Louis airport, as a tornado bears down. It was the most powerful tornado to hit the city since 1967. Only a handful of flights are landing at the airport tonight. The planes won't really get back on schedule until Sunday. Other areas got hit hard as well. About 750 homes were damaged, but there are no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here tomorrow night at 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Good night.
