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Sandusky Speaks Out; Herman Cain's Oops Moment; NYPD Evicts "Occupy Wall Street" Protesters; New Fighting in Syria; Scandal Could Change Pennsylvania Law; Black Friday Starting on Thursday; Pentagon Fears $600 Billion in Cuts; The Death of Heroes; NBA Players Reject Latest Offer; UConn Wins Again; Jets' Ryan Curses Fan; "Harmonic Kiss" Video Goes Viral

Aired November 15, 2011 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this morning Jerry Sandusky admits he horsed around but insists he's innocent. His first public comments may leave people even more sickened and more outraged.

The former Penn State football coach says he is not sexually attracted to young boys even though he admits to showering with them. He says it was just poor judgment.

Listen to Sandusky in his own words with Bob Costas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SANDUSKY, CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ABUSING CHILDREN: Just the fact that, you know, I shouldn't have showered with those kids. And so --

BOB COSTAS, NBC NEWS: That's it?

SANDUSKY: Yes, I mean, that's what hits me the most.

COSTAS: Are you a pedophile?

SANDUSKY: No.

COSTAS: Are you sexually attracted to young boys, underage boys?

SANDUSKY: Am I sexually attracted to underage boys?

COSTAS: Yes.

SANDUSKY: Sexually attracted. You know, I enjoy young people. I love to be around them. I -- but, no, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Jason Carroll is at Penn State.

So, Jason, what kind of reaction is this interview getting this morning? JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not a good one. In terms of what students are saying this morning and a few last night that this interview actually made Sandusky look worse. It's not like some of these students after the allegations had a high opinion of him after the allegations came out.

But, clearly, from what we're hearing at least so far, Kyra, after that interview, those who thought he was guilty before, their minds have not been changed and some others who were sort of dipping in and out of the story who happened to catch the interview now say whatever they felt about him before, they now feel even worse -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, Jason, you know, Sandusky also addressed one of the key questions of this scandal. What exactly did Joe Paterno know and when did he know it? Listen to a continuation of the interview with Bob Costas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COSTAS: To your knowledge, did Joe Paterno have any information regarding objectionable activities on your part prior to that report in 2002?

SANDUSKY: My -- I can't totally answer that question. My answer would be no.

COSTAS: Did Joe Paterno at any time ever speak to you directly about your behavior?

SANDUSKY: No.

COSTAS: Never?

SANDUSKY: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So, Jason, Sandusky dismisses all of this as just innocent goofing around. I know you had a chance to sit down with Sandusky's attorney. I know you talked to him for more than an hour. How did he portray all of this to you?

CARROLL: Well, a couple of things here, Kyra. I think a lot of this is going to come under a great deal of scrutiny because back in 1998, as you know, according to the grand jury report, Sandusky had showered with a boy here at Penn State and that was actually brought to the attention of university police as well as police here in the community.

So it would stand within reason that the coach and some others here would know -- coach, meaning Coach Paterno would know about this situation of showering. So that's one point. Second point is this. Again, in 1998, Sandusky admits that he showered with a boy. He apologized for that. Apologized to the boy's mother, promised not to do it again, and then he did it again in 2000 and then again in 2002. I asked Joe's -- excuse me, asked Sandusky's attorney about that, why he continued to shower with boys. Want you to listen to what his explanation was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE AMENDOLA, JERRY SANDUSKY'S ATTORNEY: Jerry Sandusky is a big, overgrown kid. He's a jock. For anybody who's ever played sports, you get showers after you work out. I mean, when people hear he got showers with kids, oh, my goodness, you know, like, he got showers with kids. That makes him guilty, right? I mean, obviously, anybody who gets to shower with kids who's an adult has to -- has to be guilty of something. But the bottom line is, jocks do that. I mean they kid around, they horse around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, Joe Amendola also says that after that incident in 1998, Sandusky was just trying to make things better. That's why he apologized. But he says he never thought he had done anything wrong. That's why he didn't see a problem continuing to shower with young boys -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jason Carroll at Penn State there. Jason, thanks so much.

In less than 15 minutes from now, we're going to talk to a state senator from Pennsylvania. He wants to beef up the legal requirements for reporting child sexual abuse. Wayne Fontana joining me live at 9:15 Eastern Time.

Well, for the second week in a row, Republicans stumbles and suffers an embarrassing memory lapse. This time, it's Herman Cain. The setting, a meeting with the editorial board of Milwaukee, Wisconsin journal "Sentinel." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So you agree with President Obama on Libya or not?

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: OK, Libya. President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gadhafi. Just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing before I say, yes, I agree. I know I didn't agree.

I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reasons. That's a different one. I have to go back and see. I have all this different stuff twirling around in my head. Specifically, what are you asking me did I agree or not disagree with Obama on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Our deputy political Paul Steinhauser in Washington this morning. So, Paul, Herman Cain is laughing this off as no big deal. What is your take about how damaging this is and how kind of odd it is.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, tough to watch, first of all. Damaging, yes, I think so. Bad timing for Herman Cain because as you mentioned he's dropping in our brand new poll.

Listen, this thing went viral online last night and was the talk at Twitter. The campaign put a statement out pretty quickly saying that hey, Cain, got the answer right, it just took him a while to get his bearings. But later in the evening Cain was asked about this at an event in Wisconsin. As you mentioned, here's how he answered it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: I mean, they asked me a question about Libya and I paused so I could gather my thoughts. You know, it's really complimentary when people start documenting my pauses. You know it's one thing to document every word. It was a pause. That's all it was. Good grief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Now, Kyra, we're talking about Libya here. We're not talking about some obscure issue, we're talking about Libya. Story that's been in the news nonstop all year. And listen, foreign policy not Herman Cain's wheelhouse. That's kind of obvious. Remember just a couple of weeks ago one of the controversies surrounding him before the sexual harassment allegations was whether he knew or did not know if China had a nuclear weapons program.

So, remember, there's another debate coming up, a foreign policy debate, one week from tonight. Our own CNN debate. I guess Herman Cain will have another chance to prove his stripes on foreign policy -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, all our debates, all our polls, all the different leaders every week. It's hard to keep track of it all sometimes, Paul. Where do the Republican candidates stand as of right now?

STEINHAUSER: And right now, seven weeks to the day until those first votes in the Iowa caucuses. Take a look at our brand new poll, Kyra. CNN/ORC this is a national poll of Republicans, independents leaning towards the GOP.

There's Mitt Romney. Kind of where he's always been, a former Massachusetts governor, at 24 percent. Newt Gingrich now -- here's the big story, Kyra, look at him -- at 22 percent. Basically all knotted up with Romney. That's a big jump. Fourteen points in the last month for Gingrich. Cain, as you can see down to 14 points. He dropped 11 points. Rick Perry and Ron Paul kind of where they have been, Kyra. That's what our news numbers have.

PHILLIPS: All right. Paul, thanks. And as Paul just mentioned, you can join us one week from tonight for the first debate of the 2012 presidential election. The focus exclusively on national security and foreign policy. The CNN Republican National Security debate co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.

That's next Tuesday night, 8:00 Eastern. Our Wolf Blitzer, the moderator.

All right. We'll have your next political update in just about an hour and you can always go to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com.

All right. Let's turn now to the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. Long before the sun came up patience ran out and New York police went into the tent city early this morning, evicting protesters and breaking up the encampment.

Poppy Harlow of CNNMoney.com was actually there on the scene for the crackdown.

So, Poppy, was it mostly peaceful?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: No, it was not mostly peaceful, Kyra. It was just quite a scene here. Starting at about 1:00 when the protesters from Zuccotti Park started getting evicted. They filled the streets here in New York. Police barricades were set up for blocks and blocks around Zuccotti Park.

I was woken up by a protester at about 1:30 a.m., who called me to tell me what was going on. I ran down here. Even the press was not allowed anywhere near Zuccotti Park. We were held for three hours behind police barricades. Eventually we made it through into the park to see them finishing up the cleanup.

As you can see now, Kyra, the police are in the park, the protesters are not. They have not been allowed back in this park, even though they were told by the city they would be allowed back in this morning to occupy, once again.

I want you to take a listen to a man named John Murdock. He was arrested last night, he said, for being about a block away from the park. He was arrested, he was just released from jail and I asked him, what does this mean for the movement? Are you going to stop?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MURDOCK, OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTER: It's not about a physical space per se. It is now worldwide. The terms of the debate have changed around and the deal is now we have to evolve. This means -- might mean it gets harder, but now it's more important than ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And that, Kyra, is a sentiment echoed across the board from all the protesters that I talked to. They are not quitting, they are not standing down. What the New York City Police Department tells us is that 100 protesters were arrested overnight. There are no injuries in terms of police officers. Mayor Bloomberg issuing a statement overnight and then having that press conference just saying, look, it's been two months and he said inaction was not an option at this point. We'll follow it very closely. I suspect the minute that they open this park, it will be filled with protesters -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. And we actually are monitoring a live picture from our affiliate there on the other side of the screen.

Poppy from WABC, thanks. Looking pretty camp at the moment. You keep us update. It's been a long night for you.

Thanks, Poppy.

Well, there are reports of new fighting between Syrian forces and anti-government protesters and it comes a day before the country's suspension from the Arab League over its violent crackdown on the opposition.

Zain Verjee is following that for us out of London.

Zain, what do you know?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra. I've been taking a look at some of the newspapers around the world. Let's see what they're saying.

"The Guardian" here in the UK has a comment piece and its headline say says losing friends. It goes on to say, "Syria's expulsion from the Arab League tomorrow marks a change for an organization whose more traditional posture is astride a fence. The move is largely symbolic, but symbolism matters."

In Canada, the "Global and Mail", "Assad's Regime has Few Friends Left." This is an analysis piece that says, "All signs are pointing to the end of the line for the Syrian regime of Bashar al -- Assad. The overwhelming majority of Arab states now openly oppose the Syrian leader, and even Iran, is now edging its bet. Finally in the UAE, the "National" has this headline, Kyra.

"On Syria, rare Arab-west rapprochement." It says, "The surprising alliance evolved to its full extent with the unfolding events in Syria and now the Arab in Western positions are completely consistent in supporting the uprising and calling upon President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

It is really rare for an Arab regime in the West to be on the same page here, Kyra. And it's also a really big deal to have monarchs in the Arab world calling for one of their own to step down. King Abdullah of Jordan has done it and let's see who may do it next -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We'll follow it with you, Zain. Thanks. Well, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in her own words. She spoke to ABC's Diane Sawyer in her first full interview since the January shooting rampage in Tucson. She says she does hope to return to Congress some day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK KELLY, CONGRESSMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' HUSBAND: She wants to get better.

REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D), ARIZONA: Better.

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: You want to get better.

GIFFORDS: Better.

SAWYER: And so you think to yourself, I'll go back to Congress, if I get better.

GIFFORDS: Yes, yes, yes.

SAWYER: And that's where you are right now?

GIFFORDS: Yes, yes, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, said that she's too tough to let this beat her.

The alleged crimes at Penn State could change Pennsylvania law. Coming up, we're talking to the lawmaker who introduced a bill dealing with child abuse in 2005. We'll ask him why it didn't pass back then and if it could have prevented this scandal.

And Black Friday. Just over a week away, but this year it's turning into Black Thursday. Retailers are opening up on Thanksgiving day as billions of dollars are on the line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking news across country now:

In Wisconsin, an effort to get Governor Scott Walker removed from office. Thousands of residents are upset about changes to collective bargaining rights and the state's new voter ID law. So, they started a petition to force a recall election; 500,000 signatures are needed.

Pop tarts and Gatorade, that's what kept a North Carolina girl alive for two days while she was pinned upside down in a car after an accident. Her father did not survive that crash.

And in Minnesota, three Americans once jailed in Iran on spy charges got a chance to personally thank the friends and strangers who supported them financially and emotionally during their time in prison. The event was organized by a support group on Facebook.

Well, the scandal at Penn State has changed the school's football coaching staff and administration. And it soon could change Pennsylvania law. Legislators are trying to make Senate Bill Number 886 law ASAP.

It would require anyone who works with kids to call police if they believe someone is abusing a child. Right now, the law says if you suspect child abuse, you just have to tell the person in charge. Well, the idea is to bypass the boss and go right to the cops.

The thing is: SB-886 isn't new. State Senator Wayne Fontana proposed back in 2005.

What were you thinking about when you heard about Sandusky and what has happened and the fact that this bill was just sitting there on the sidelines?

WAYNE FONTANA (D), PENNSYLVANIA STATE SENATE: Well, the bill was introduced in 2005, as you mentioned. It's changed numbers. It's actually Senate bill 549 at this point. What I was thinking was that if 549 was law, that graduate assistant would have been required to report what he's seen directly to and immediately to either child protective services or law enforcement.

PHILLIPS: So, Senator, why wasn't this bill passed in 2005?

FONTANA: Well, there was some issues and concerns from groups. One of the issues was false reporting and another was immunity and another was confidentiality. But we vented all those issues and concerns in the last few years.

I would think now, it's just a matter of the legislation being bogged down here in Harrisburg. We need to move it. Leadership needs to step up and move this bill. It already went through committee back in May. It was re-referred to appropriations committee, which I'm not sure why it's there.

But at this point in time, the leadership here in Harrisburg can move this bill as quickly as tomorrow, if they want to.

PHILLIPS: Well -- and I'll get to that in a second, but it's a shame to hear that this could have possibly been prevented. This scandal could have been prevented if, indeed, this law was in place as you saw it should be.

I'm curious what the talk is like among you and others there looking at what has happened now and the fact that you could have done something about this.

FONTANA: Well, there's no question that the talk here in Harrisburg is the law, the Pennsylvania law needs to be tougher. It needs to be more precise and it needs to be clear. This bill makes it clear as to what the procedure should be and reporting all child abuse.

Sexual, physical -- it puts everybody on the same standard on the same page as to what to do. No matter who the perpetrator is, no matter what the child abuse is, you report it to child protection agencies and/or law enforcement. That's the first step.

You can continue and you should continue to report it to administrators, but they're not the ones that would be required to report it to child services or law enforcement. The person, the first person that's seen it is the one that you're reporting.

PHILLIPS: You say that this could be passed tomorrow. What exactly are you going to do, Senator, to make that happen?

FONTANA: Well, I stood on the floor of the Senate yesterday and pleaded with my leadership to put it on the agenda and move it to the Senate full floor and let us vote on it and, hopefully, they'll hear the plea and they'll move this legislation this week.

PHILLIPS: We're talking about 549 now. Let us know what happens, Senator, we'd like to follow up. Thank you for your time.

FONTANA: Thank you for inviting me.

PHILLIPS: We're going to talk more about the Penn State scandal with ESPN writer L.Z. Granderson. He says it's another example of how heroes like Joe Paterno are human. L.Z. is with us at 9:40 Eastern Time.

And coming up, a mega mystery in China. Satellite photos show some huge structures, for lack of a better word. So, what the heck are they?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Conspiracy theorists are working overtime on this one -- so is Zain Verjee. She's been looking at these satellite photos over the Chinese desert, showing some pretty strange design, structures just laid out in the middle of nowhere.

Zain, what do you think?

VERJEE: I'm a little worried because it's true, I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time poring over these images that you can actually see from space, Kyra. What are they? Conspiracy theorists around the world and at CNN Center in London are really enjoying looking at these pictures. And take a close at this one, OK?

You've got circles here as well as these grid-like patterns and these weird structures out in the middle of the Gobi Desert in China. These pictures have been captured on Google maps.

So, Kyra, I have a multiple quiz for you. Could it have something to do with China's space program? Is China testing its nuclear or military hardware here? Or they're just using this kind of environment for some kind of military target practice?

Or the other option, Kyra -- are these marks from visitors from other planets?

PHILLIPS: All I could think about is Peru and the Nazca lines, you know? And you can't explain that one either, right?

VERJEE: Right. That's true. I mean, this is like a mile long, 3,000-feet wide. It's inexplicable. We don't really know exactly what this is. But it is happening in an area of the desert where it is known typically that China does test military space and other nuclear hardware.

So, I'm hoping it was visitors from space, but it seems maybe, you know, the practical explanation will have to fly.

PHILLIPS: All right, my dear theorist, you just keep studying that and let me know what more develops. Appreciate it.

VERJEE: I will. I will. All right.

PHILLIPS: Well, black Friday, the kickoff to the holiday shopping season moving up on the calendar. Get this -- stores are actually going to open on Thursday, Thanksgiving.

So, Alison Kosik, you'll chow down on all that turkey, get really tired and then jump in the car and go and do some shopping.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And then work it off.

PHILLIPS: Yes. There you go.

KOSIK: Exactly, go work it off.

You know what? Just when you thought retailers, Kyra, couldn't mess with Thanksgiving Day, here they go doing exactly that. You know, in the old days, those door-buster deals meant a Friday 4:00 a.m. wakeup call.

But this year, Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Kohl's, they all said, hmm, you know what? Let's go ahead and open at midnight on Thanksgiving.

And then, of course, Wal-Mart trying to one up those retailers said, you know what? We're going to open even earlier at 10:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

And, of course, not to be outdone, Toys "R" Us said, we are going to open even earlier at 9:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Now, here's why these retailers are doing this: we spent almost $11 billion on Black Friday last year. This is the kickoff to the big holiday shopping season for retailers. And not surprisingly, some people aren't taking this sitting down. There is some backlash. In fact, there are petitions and boycotts on Facebook and Change.org with one Target worker saying he's going to miss Thanksgiving altogether because he has to sleep during the day just to be ready for work at 11:00 p.m. -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, what kind of open are you expecting on Wall Street today?

KOSIK: Expect a second day of losses, Kyra. There's a new report out of Europe showing that it's growing, but barely, and that's kind of stoking more worries that Europe is on a brink of recession.

Also, we've got those continuing worries about how Europe's going to get a handle on its debt crisis. That's going to weigh on the markets as well. But we did get decent reports on retail sales and inflation. That's going to keep those losses in check.

The opening bell is ringing in about three minutes -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Alison, thanks.

The dire warnings from Pentagon over potential budget cuts. We're going to go live to Washington just ahead.

And in showbiz news, new role for actress Pamela Anderson. Can the "Playboy" playmate actually become the Virgin Mary?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now:

Former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky denies abusing any young boys, but he does admit horsing around and showering with them. Sandusky talked to NBC's Bob Costas by phone.

The NBA season is one step closer to being scrapped. The players-union turned down the league's latest offer. The union says it's prepared to file an antitrust suit against the NBA.

Check out the newest tourist attraction in Congo. This volcano in the national park has been erupting since last week and shooting lava nearly 1,000 feet into the air. The government wants tourist to camp out and watch the show.

Well, the Pentagon turning up the heat over military budget cuts. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says cuts triggered by a failure of the congressional supercommittee would be devastating to the military. Today, he's testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

And CNN's Barbara Starr is joining us from the Pentagon with more.

So, Barbara, how much money are we actually talking about?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kyra, what Panetta is focusing on is first the $450 billion in cuts that the Pentagon's promised to make. And if that supercommittee plan doesn't work, perhaps as much as another $500 billion coming down the road, in an additional across the board budget cuts at the Pentagon. Panetta calling it devastating. It's the new doomsday scenario around here.

He has sent a letter to this very committee he's testifying in front of about all the cuts that would have to happen in airplanes, warships, combat vehicles, all of it. He says it will lead to a hollow force.

So, what is a hollow force?

Here's what the secretary has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's a ship without sailors. It's a brigade without bullets. It's an air wing without enough trained pilots. It's a paper tiger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now, we've talked to a number of analysts about this. So, if it's such a problem, what would it mean for national security? Many analysts say it means that if you went to all of these cuts, the U.S. military would not be able to prosecute to fight two major wars, perhaps one in Asia and one in the Middle East.

So, it's beginning to raise this really interesting question. Will the U.S. military ever, again, prosecute a major land war overseas? Will it have the forces to do it?

This is Washington. The Congress is working on an out for all of this, a backdoor safety mechanism to put some of those cuts back in place in the coming months, if it all happens -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, talking about Leon Panetta. Barbara, the story last week that was just devastating was this scandal at Dover Air Force Base. The fact that remains of our men and women killed in combat being dump under to a landfill.

What has happened in regard to that? Has anyone been fired over that? And will Panetta face criticism concerning what happened?

STARR: Well, we're going to be watching this hearing very carefully, to see if any of these senators even bring this up. This story is far from over. Panetta has ordered two reviews, but, both of those reviews have been problematic. He did not know about some of the devastating conclusions that an independent council came to criticizing the Air Force.

This is very problematic right now. Families are very upset. It may not be getting a lot of attention outside of Washington, but for U.S. military families, this is really a very heartfelt issue, and Panetta has promised to address it in the coming weeks.

But so far, nobody has been fired. And many in Congress say that's the key issue for them. Who is going to be held accountable for all of this? Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll definitely stay on the story. Barbara, thanks.

Well, coming up, "G.Q." magazine crowns Jay-Z as king. Find out why he's got the cover and a new title, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you know Jay-Z as the music mogul and he owns his own clothing label. He's part owner of an NBA team. Is there anything else that he needs to accomplish?

Showbiz correspondent Kareen Wynter has the latest accolade, I guess you should say.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Of course, Kyra. There's always something for Mr. Jay-Z to accomplish. And I know you probably have a couple C.D.s from back in the day in your collection. So, this will excite you.

"G.Q." magazine, they have named Jay-Z king. The magazine decided to crown Jay-Z in its annual man of the year issue, which names multiple men and at least one woman in various categories. There you see Jay-Z right there. Now, the honors in part for his "Watch the Throne Tour" and album collaboration with Kanye West, which was about the biggest thing in the music world over the last year.

Plus, Kyra, he's also had a pretty good year personally as he and his pop star wife, Beyonce, they announced they are expecting a baby. Yes. In the magazine, he's asked if he plans on changing diapers. And he says, of course, 100 percent.

Kyra, this guy doesn't do anything halfway.

PHILLIPS: No, he doesn't.

WYNTER: He doesn't at all. Some of the other people named in the magazine include showman Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake, "Breakout" star Michael Fassbender, and "Knockout" Mila Kunis.

Interesting. It seems like we're talking about Mila and Kunis again today.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

WYNTER: I guess we can't get enough of these two people.

PHILLIPS: You know, it's all about the Marine Corps ball. All right.

WYNTER: Of course, we're talking about it still.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

OK. This is one that caught everybody's attention. Pamela Anderson and the Virgin Mary.

WYNTER: I'm still trying to figure this out. This is interesting. A little bit of interesting casting, wouldn't you say?

Pamela Anderson will play the Virgin Mary in a Christmas special. While the role of Virgin played by sex tape star Anderson doesn't seem like a good match to me, call me crazy. It is a great publicity stunt, right? The show "Russell Peters Christmas" is a sketch comedy for a comedy special for a Canadian television starring Canadian comic Russell Peters.

And, you know, Kyra, they actually released a publicity photo of Peters and Anderson in a manger with a baby Jesus.

Anderson, she's Canadian. So, I'm sure that appealed to the producers and show producers. And so, the idea that if you cast her as the Virgin Mary, a lot of people might be paying attention to it and talking about it, as we are today.

Anyway, the special is scheduled to air early next month. So, a lot of people will keep an eye out for that.

PHILLIPS: I'm speechless. Kareen, you will be back with more on "Showbiz Headlines" -- including one of the most anticipated movie premieres of the year. OK. The wait is almost over for "Twilight" saga fans.

Kareen will be back. We'll have a preview from her.

All right. Well, police move in and move protesters out. Those who won't leave, go to jail. We'll show you the overnight raid that happened from city to city right after the break.

And the death of heroes. It's on a lot of people's minds with this Penn State scandal and the focus of L.Z. Granderson's op-ed this week. He joins us live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking news across country now:

In New York, more than 100 people were arrested after police in full riot gear moved into Zuccotti Park overnight, removed hundreds of protesters because they posed a health and fire hazard. Zuccotti Park reopened this morning. Protesters will be allowed to return but not camp out.

And protesters and police are still at odds at "Occupy Oakland." On Monday, 33 people were taken to custody after police tore down tents at their encampment near city hall.

The city's emergency management says that "Occupy Oakland" has cost them $2.4 million now.

And then you got to "Occupy Portland" -- it's in limbo. Camps where protesters once gathered are fenced up and now they must find a new place to come together.

Well, a new opinion piece on CNN.com says that we're living in a new kind of America -- one without gods, role models or heroes. L.Z. Granderson wrote that op-ed.

Once I got past being depressed, L.Z., I guess putting people on a pedestal just is not practical. We're all human. We all fail. And you mentioned Joe Paterno among many others in your piece.

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely. You know, one of the things that I found really shocking about last week's events regarding Penn State was the amount of passion people had and defending Joe Paterno's involvement at all with the allegations.

I can understand wanting to not see bad happen to people that you really like, but, in my opinion, if you don't really know the person, you're just kind of going upon what the media has told you. There's been a lot of college coaches involved with scandals.

And so, if you just pay attention, you could see the plausibility of another college coach being involved with the scandal. I didn't understand why people were so shocked by that.

PHILLIPS: So bigger picture, L.Z., I mean, do we have the wrong idea of what a hero is?

GRANDERSON: I think we have unrealistic ideas of what a hero is. You know, in the past, as I mentioned in the piece, we just didn't know these type of stories about the people in the public eye. We didn't know all of their flaws, we didn't know all of their business.

Today that's not the case. We know everything, right? I mean, you can go back and say, when did that start? I don't know, was it Bill Clinton saying boxers or briefs? I'm not really sure when it started but we know everything.

And because we know everything, now our heroes that used to appear flawless we now see all of their flaws, too. And we're a little confused, I think, culturally. We overreact and we tear them down completely because we think that they've committed one thing wrong, so they must now be a villain.

We have to get more mature as a nation and as a culture and understand that there are good guys and there are bad guys and there are guys in the middle and most of us are those guys in the middle.

PHILLIPS: Maybe we value the wrong things in our heroes. Maybe we need to re-evaluate that.

GRANDERSON: Absolutely. You know I think one of the most heroic things you can do is admit that you're not perfect. You know, I think there is a great deal of pressure that we put on ourselves and we put on the public figures to live up to this great expectation. And I don't think there's nothing braver than saying, you know what, "I am flawed. I am greatly flawed, I screwed up in the past and I guarantee I will screw up in the future."

PHILLIPS: So I'm curious, before I let you go, who's your hero?

GRANDERSON: Wow, my son. My son is my hero. You know, he -- he really does, he's made me such a better person and a better man because he just demands more. When you are there and you see your child's eyes looking at you, you just expect more out of yourself. And each and every day he comes back to me and he wants me to be a better man. And so, because of that, he is my hero.

PHILLIPS: Wow, now you're my hero as I tear up. You're right, kids -- kids are so humbling. I'll tell you what, it's a miracle.

GRANDERSON: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: They are -- they are true miracles. L.Z., thanks.

GRANDERSON: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: You can read L.Z.'s latest piece.

GRANDERSON: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

PHILLIPS: CNN.com/opinion. If you like, you can join the conversation, as well. Leave a comment for him and talk about your hero.

All right, NBA arenas across the country hosting nothing but dust. Another stumble in efforts to kick start the 2011 season.

Jeff Fischel has all the details for us in sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, checking stories making news later today.

NASA announces its process for selecting the next class of astronauts, that's at 1:00 Eastern in Washington.

President Obama leaves Honolulu for Australia at 1:30 Eastern.

And in Los Angeles 2:00 Eastern, the stars of the movie "West Side Story" get their hands and footprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

All right, we're following lots of the developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get in first with Elizabeth Cohen here in Atlanta -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, this morning I'll be talking about the Occupy Movements. In those parks, urine, trash, feces, viruses, all the public health threats -- I'll be talking about that at the top of the hour.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN Political Desk. Remember Rick Perry's lapse laughs, his oops moments last week? Well, now Herman Cain has his own memory lapse. The campaign consequences coming up at the top of the hour. ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Alison Kosik, at the New York Stock Exchange, Penn State University takes its first financial hit. One major advertiser is jumping ship, and others could follow. Kyra, I'll have details in the next hour.

PHILLIPS: All right, thanks guys.

Also ahead, the sex scandal at Penn State: the accused child molester speaks out, and his defense is not likely to tamp down the outrage. Hear it for yourself coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Jeff Fischel, what you got cooking in sports?

JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: Oh it's all about the NBA right now and what's not happening. We're not seeing any games because it's not looking good. The negotiations between players and owners going nowhere and we've moved from talks to threats.

The players rejected the latest proposal by the owners. That led NBA Commissioner David Stern to warn that the league is headed for a, quote, "nuclear winter", and that the entire season is at risk completely. We might not see a game all season. The players now say they'll disband their union, which will allow them to sue the league. They're hoping the threat of lawsuits could get the owners to make a better offer.

Monday night football featuring the undefeated Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, Kyra's favorite team. And they toyed with the Minnesota Vikings. It's just not fair. The Pack's rookie Randall Cobb, like Green Bay needed another offensive weapon. He takes the punt return back for a touchdown and of course the Packers have -- well, right now the best quarterback in the game, Aaron Rodgers. In a word, awesome.

Four more touchdown passes, this one to Greg Jennings. The final 45-7. Right now there's a big gap between the Packers and everybody else. They're still undefeated.

College hoops -- at least we have college hoops with no NBA, right? UConn picking up where it left off. After winning it all last year, Shabaz Napier controlling the floor. Nick Wagner, the sophomore guard led everyone with 21 points. Huskies win 78-66. There goes Napier to the end. UConn hasn't lost a pre-conference game on its home campus since 1973.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan just could not keep his mouth shut. A fan taunted him during the Jets' loss Sunday to the New England Patriots, and their coach Bill Belichick. This is YouTube video when the Jets were heading to the locker room at halftime. Kyra, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rex, Belichick is better than you.

REX RYAN, COACH, NEW YORK JETS: Shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISCHEL: He told him.

PHILLIPS: He told him.

FISCHEL: Ryan has apologized. The NFL has not announced if Ryan will be fined. The thing about Rex Ryan, he doesn't have that filter. He knows the league has rules. Rex Ryan, he doesn't have a filter. What comes to his mind, it comes out of his mouth.

PHILLIPS: I can relate. Why do you think I'm always in trouble? Thanks, Jeff.

It's not exactly passionate. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on a musical way of puckering up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the movies, you've seen accidental.

Shy kisses. And passionate kisses. And even Spider-Man's upside down kiss. But if you think a kiss is just a kiss, pucker up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the mommy kiss.

MOOS: We're not talking about transmitting germs when we say that the 2-year-old harmonic kiss has just now gone viral. Typical reaction, "What the hell did I just watch?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One percent just to say "ooh".

MOOS: Tranquang Hai (ph) man is well-known in the field of overtones even if his harmonic kiss sounds a little dirty.

ROLLIN RACHELE, PROFESSIONAL OVERTONE SINGER: Take a person's mouth cavity and put it next to your resonator.

MOOS: Founder of overtonesinging.com explains a person can sing more than one note at the same time by changing the shape of their mouth - becomes -- but the harmonic kiss got the kiss-off from many.

"Gross, you guys. Get a room."

"They're like fish."

Not quite the mermaid man-kiss in "Splash". Tranquang Hai moves his wife around as he comes in for the kill like Patrick Swayze in "Ghost".

And though the harmonic kiss is mostly for fun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have used it for music therapy. MOOS (on camera): Therapy to solve marital problems, though some might consider it grounds for divorce. Tranquang Hai definitely has a display of whimsy, displaying his musical talent, using his fingers, a credit card, and spoons.

When it comes to the harmonic kiss, this is one of those things that, once you see it, cannot be unseen.

(voice-over): Sort of like the Al Gore-Tipper kiss. At least women can say to the harmonic kisser what Deborah Kerr said to Burt Lancaster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody can kiss me the way you do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody?

MOOS: Nope, nobody. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)