Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Life & Death of Whitney Houston; Heavy Shelling Pounds Syrian City; Senate Passes Payroll Tax Cut; Whitney Houston: Entertainer; Remembering Whitney Houston; Payroll Tax Deal Clears Congress; Star of "The Walking Dead" Talks; Fashion Week 2012

Aired February 17, 2012 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

I want to get you up to speed.

If you're keeping an eye on the 401(k), you know the Dow is making up for lost time. Strong economic reports has the Dow closing in on 13,000. Right now it is up by 25 points, the highest level in four years.

Final preparations are under way now for a farewell to not just a pop superstar, but a daughter, a mother, a friend. Whitney Houston's funeral is tomorrow in the church where she sang as a child.

The pastor says that the service will be personal, it's going to be dignified. It's also going to be a gathering of celebrities, including Houston's godmother, Aretha Franklin.

On "The Today Show" she talked about the difficulty of singing at this service tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARETHA FRANKLIN, SINGER: It's not going to be easy. I can tell you that. It's not going to be easy. But Cissy asked me to, and I'm just going to try to do my best.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what you're going to sing?

FRANKLIN: I'm not really sure right now. Not really sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Heavy shelling pounding the city of Homs for a 14th straight day. The explosion you just saw is said to have hit a civilian building. An opposition group says nine bodies were found in Homs this morning.

Congress now halfway done approving the payroll tax cut extension. Just a short time ago, the House passed it by a vote 293- 132. Right now, the Senate is voting as well.

Now, the bill extends the tax cut for the rest of the year. So if you make $50,000 a year, that is $83 a month you get to hang on to. It prevents a cut in fees for Medicare doctors and extends unemployment benefits.

GM posting record profits, and it has Rick Santorum talking about his Detroit roots during a speech just outside the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When my grandfather first came, he actually came to Detroit and worked in the auto factories for two years. So I have a little history here in southeast Michigan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: A new American Research Group polls suggesting that Michigan, once considered a lock for Mitt Romney, who grew up there, now up for grabs. Santorum is the top choice of likely Republican voters with 37 percent support. Romney, coming in second, with 32 percent.

And the New Jersey State Assembly has passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage. But Governor Chris Christie is promising he's going to veto that. He says instead of a law, he wants a statewide referendum. Gay rights proponents got a boost earlier this week when Washington State legalized same-sex marriage.

Less than 24 hours from now, family, friends, a who's who from the entertainment world are going to gather to say goodbye to Whitney Houston. A source tells CNN there's going to be a private viewing at the funeral home today for Houston's family.

While they remember her life, the investigation continues as well into how she died.

Kareen Wynter, she's joining us live from Los Angeles.

And Kareen, is there anything new that we're learning about what investigators are doing today?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, investigators in the Whitney Houston case, they're focusing right now on the singer's prescriptions, as well as behavior, in the days leading up to her death.

Let's begin, Suzanne, with the prescriptions.

A source close to the death investigation tells me that investigators have, in fact, contacted physicians, as well as pharmacies, around the country for information, including the Mickey Fine pharmacy in Beverly Hills. One of the prescriptions, Suzanne, found in the hotel suite where Houston died was from Mickey Fine, but the source tells me the pharmacy did nothing criminal and is not the focus of the investigation at this time.

Now, one of the prescription drugs found in the suite was the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, but investigators don't know whether she took it the day she died, Suzanne. Medicines, as well as pill bottles found in Houston's hotel room, they're currently undergoing basic testing, I'm told. But nothing so far indicates anything criminal occurred here.

Suzanne, the coroner's office is also awaiting toxicology repots, which, as you know, can take six to eight weeks, but a source close to the investigation tells me that investigators have, in fact, put a rush on those reports. So we may see something a lot sooner -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Kareen, we know that the investigators were talking about that portion in the days before her death. Are her friends or her family, people who knew her well, are they also taking about what things were like for her leading up to that day?

WYNTER: You know, it's quite interesting, Suzanne.

Houston's family members and staff, they confirmed she did indeed use the medication Xanax. One source close to the family told CNN earlier this week that the singer was taking medication for a throat infection, as well as Xanax, or a similar drug, for anxiety, and that this was to help her sleep.

Now, the friend said Houston was also known to have a drink or two if she went out. Investigators are looking at possible hotel surveillance video that may reveal, you know, a whole lot more info about Houston's behavior, as well as her activities in the common areas of the hotel in the days leading up to her death. However, a source close to the investigation was not able to confirm if that video actually exists. But, Suzanne, you know if it's out there, they're going to be looking at it.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely.

Tell us about tomorrow. I know that there are a lot of people who are out in Los Angeles where you are, and there's great anticipation about what's going to be taking place, and it's really going to be a who's who is who in the music industry.

WYNTER: Yes. Absolutely. You said it.

A few names that CNN has been able to confirm include actor, as well as Houston's "Bodyguard" co-star, Kevin Costner. He'll actually speak at the private, invitation-only funeral, according to a source with knowledge of the funeral plans.

Now, the ceremony, it will feature performances by Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys and Houston's godmother, Aretha Franklin. A rep for Houston said Houston's former husband, Bobby Brown, and singer Roberta Flack, they're also expected to attend.

And I know you touched on this at the top, Suzanne. I just want to reiterate that a source close to the Houston family, they've confirmed to CNN that there will be a private viewing today. The source says the viewing is for family only and it will be held at a funeral home, Suzanne, in New Jersey. No other information would be disclosed regarding details.

But when also asked how Houston's mom, Cissy Houston, was doing at this time, we're told she's doing well, trying to hang in there, considering the circumstance of this incredible loss -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Obviously, a very tough time for the family. Thank you very much, Kareen.

CNN has full coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral. That is tomorrow morning, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Join Piers Morgan, Soledad O'Brien, Don Lemon as the world remembers a legend. "Whitney Houston: Her Life, Her Music," live tomorrow on CNN and CNN.com.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Staunch opposition to Syria's government is spreading across the northern part of the country now. Our correspondent there says that pockets of resistance have popped up in towns, villages, neighborhoods across the country over the last 11 months, but the larger cities, they're being pounded daily by government forces, especially in the city of Homs.

Our Arwa Damon, she takes us to the streets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very difficult to get around. There's only certain roads that we can take because of sniper positions, and some parts, drivers really have to gun it to get across to avoid being targeted.

(voice-over): The streets are mostly deserted. The majority of residents are staying indoors or have already fled.

(GUNFIRE)

(on camera): Just the constant sound of gunfire, nonstop.

They use to bury the dead in the old graveyard over there, but once government forces came in, they stopped being able to do that. And this, again, is another position where we can't actually move out into the road because, once again, you're exposed to sniper positions that are just around the corner on the other side of those buildings.

(voice-over): We come across some members of the Free Syrian Army who take us around.

(on camera): This is another spot that you can also see the government (INAUDIBLE).

If you look up here, through this hole in the wall, just to the right, up against the wall of the building, you can see one of the tank positions that they have set up. This room that we're taking the video from, just take a look at it. There's a baby crib right next to the bed, a Winnie the Pooh bag hanging off of the side of it.

And a lot of these homes, it looks as if the families just fled in a panic. Shoes have been left behind, and obviously there were children who were living here. One can only imagine what took place, because this building also was hit in one of the strikes.

Personal belongings are all still inside. We're going through this hole in the wall right now because it's safer.

These types of holes were dug into various walls inside the neighborhoods, we're being told, by the Free Syrian Army, and this was how they were getting families out, because there was so much firing from the front end. They weren't able to evacuate that way, so they were forced to come out like this to get to relative safety.

(voice-over): And when residents are able to finally come back home, this is what they are going to return to.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Homs, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Anthony Shadid has died. He was a multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for "The New York Times."

He died yesterday while reporting in eastern Syria, apparently after suffering an asthma attack. Shadid was one of four journalists kidnapped in Libya last year. He was someone we got to know on this show. He was fearless and insightful.

I spoke to him not long after his release after six days in captivity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Did you think that you would make it out alive?

ANTHONY SHADID, REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": It was a frightening ordeal, there's no question. I think we feared probably for our lives only on that first day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHADID: I think there are some stories that are worth taking risks for. It is a little bit of a cliche, but I think there is some meaning to it, that unless you're there covering it, no one is going to know about it. Unless you're there trying to bring meaning to it, to bring a certain depth to it, it won't be done otherwise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Anthony Shadid was just 43 years old. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for his reporting from Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: This just in. Want to make sure everybody gets the very latest here.

This is a payroll tax cut. The Senate has just passed it. It's 60-36. The House passed it within the last hour.

Next on, the president is going to sign this into law. This is going to actually extend the tax cut for 160 million workers, as well as extend the jobless benefits through December.

So, what does this mean?

If you make, say, $50,000 a year, it means $83 a month that you get to keep. This is the extension of the tax cut.

It extends the tax cut for the rest of the year, also prevents a cut in fees for Medicare doctors. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, this deal is going to raise the federal deficit by $89 billion over the next 10 years.

So it's very controversial. Democrats, Republicans eventually coming together on this. The president says he's going to sign it. Some Republicans still saying, look, we don't know how we're going to pay for all this, but this is clearly something that is going to benefit a lot of Americans who are suffering during this time.

Now, that was just passed in the Senate, the House. Next to the president's desk.

The unemployment rate fell to the lowest level in two years. Last month, we're talking about 8.3 percent.

But for African-Americans, this rate is still high. It is actually their unemployment rate twice that of whites. And some economists say that black-owned small businesses, they may be the key to improving the numbers.

That is today's "What Matters."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON JACKSON (ph), OWNS PRINTING COMPANY: Alan (ph), you finished that project?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

JACKSON: The next thing we need to go to, we need to go to those envelopes.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Don Jackson (ph) owns a small printing and design company in Atlanta and has been in business for 23 years. But when the economy took a downturn, Jackson had to make some tough decisions to keep his business going. JACKSON: 2011 was like a freight train, a train wreck, if you will. We actually ended up having to lay one person off completely and then we had to do some furlough dates (ph). We had to dip into our 401(k) programs. I sold one of the presses. And there's been weeks that I actually haven't gotten paid.

MALVEAUX: The recession impacts a lot of people in the job market, but studies show that African-Americans have been hit the hardest.

By the end of 2011, the unemployment rate for blacks hit almost at 16 percent, almost double the national average. Economist Danny Boston says that, historically, even in good years, the unemployment rate has been higher than in any other group.

DANNY BOSTON, ECONOMIST: Go back to, for example, to periods where we had the run-up in the -- the Internet boom, housing boom. And the end of those periods, black unemployment was still twice that of white unemployment. And so, when things get bad, they just get that much worse for blacks.

MALVEAUX: Boston says as the economy turns around, small black- owned businesses may hold the key.

BOSTON: Two-thirds of the workforce in black-owned businesses are black, so we need to develop policies that focus more on growing the capacity of those businesses, because they're hiring a larger and larger segment of black workers.

MALVEAUX: Now things are starting to improve for Jackson's printing company.

JACKSON: I'm in the final stages of the negotiation of buying a new digital press. So I certainly wouldn't be doing that if I didn't feel optimistic about the future.

MALVEAUX: If companies like Jackson's continue to grow, job opportunities for blacks may get better.

JACKSON: Our mantra here is, for things to get better, we've got to get better. For things to change, we've got to change. We're changing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Whitney Houston -- a network who recently honored her was celebrating her comeback.

(MUSIC)

MALVEAUX: A powerful gospel voice bringing people to their feet at BET's celebration of gospel.

Debra Lee, she is here. She's the CEO of BET. We're going to talk about what set Whitney Houston apart from all the rest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: BET, Black Entertainment Television, recently honored Whitney Houston with the BET Honors Entertainment Award just as the singer was announcing a new phase of her career, a comeback.

I had the privilege of attending that awards presentation. And Debra Lee, of course, was there. She's the CEO of BET.

And Debra, one of the things I was struck by was just how incredibly humble and grateful she was for that recognition. And I just want our audience to see a little bit, to share a little bit about what we experienced that evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: To the BET committee, I thank you. You are my family. It is an amazing, it is a wonderful, marvelous feeling to be looked at and not judged.

(APPLAUSE)

HOUSTON: Judged not for your flaws, but for your triumphs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Debra, what struck you about Whitney Houston that night?

DEBRA LEE, CEO, BET: Well, what struck me was that she seemed so happy to be there. She seemed so moved by the honor. Her mother was in the audience, and it was just a great night.

She was very humble. She was very down to earth.

A lot of people call her a diva. She wasn't a diva. She was a regular person with an outsized talent, a great voice.

She was a performer and she was very glamorous, but inside she was a real person who always had a great connect to BET. She had showed up the year before when we honored Tyler Perry, and when she came out, the audience gasped, because she hadn't been seen in so long.

So, for us to be able to turn around the next year and honor her was just really special. I mean, she was such a great talent and such a great person.

MALVEAUX: And, you know, there was so much hope and love in that room that you could feel.

LEE: Right.

MALVEAUX: You know, it really was an amazing feeling. You could tell how much it really meant to her at that moment.

LEE: Yes. MALVEAUX: When you got this news, this devastating news that she had died, did it take away some of that hope that everyone had experienced in that room?

LEE: Well, of course it was just devastating, and what a horrible tragedy. There was so much excitement about her new movie, "Sparkle." I had heard from everyone associated with that movie that Whitney is fabulous as she plays the mother to Jordin Sparks. So I did feel like that hope had been extinguished, that this great comeback was not going to happen. I've had the privilege of knowing Whitney since 1996 when we honored her with our Walk of Fame award.

And I had a lady's luncheon in honor of her and I've seen her over the years. We've honored her so many times, but I really feel like she's grown up on BET. She was one of our artists. We broke her. She always showed up for us.

We up supported her, she supported us. So it was just the pain and agony and especially for it to happen right before Clive Davis' party wherever year the question at that party is, will Whitney come, will she perform? You know, how will she sound?

I mean, that was her event. That's where she was shown to the world for the first time and for her to pass away on that day is just so surreal. And I think it's going to take us a long time to deal with it. It's very sad.

MALVEAUX: And, Debbie, you deal with celebrities all the time. You are in their company. How was she different? Was she different than some of the others?

LEE: Well, I think her talent was just so incredible and her voice and her presence and even when she was first on the scene as a younger woman, she just had that presence and happiness that made you feel good and when she was singing an upbeat song, you wanted to dance along.

When she was singing a ballad, it really touched you. So it was her multi-octave singing voice and her talent, but also her humanity. As I said before, she was just a great person.

Every time I saw her. It was a big hug. It was a big, how are you doing? You know, she was just -- she was a girlfriend to so many people and as Ashanti said earlier, she was a role model for so many women. That she had this great professional life, but that she was also a real person also.

MALVEAUX: Thank you so much, Debra Lee and obviously, BET stuck by Whitney Houston. When she lost all of her support, BET was there. Whitney Houston was there for BET as well. Thank you very much.

Preparations are under way for Whitney Houston's funeral tomorrow, but long before she was a music legend, she was a young girl just singing in a church choir. Gary Tuchman reports on Houston's childhood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Frankly, elementary school in East Orange, New Jersey where Whitney Houston went to school from first to fifth grade.

But in 1997, it was renamed the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts. The principal is Henry Hamilton, the same man who was principal when Whitney was there as a little girl.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was I proud of her? You better believe it. Yes, I was.

TUCHMAN: This is the enrolment document from Whitney Houston's days at the school. It shows she entered in 1969 and went on to middle school in 1974. In the principal's office, pictures of him with Whitney and lots of other pictures of Whitney after she became famous.

HENRY HAMILTON, PRINCIPAL, WHITNEY E. HOUSTON ACADEMY: She was a beautiful little girl, very quiet. Not a talkative person, but she was well-respected, never came to my office for distant problems, well-behaved.

TUCHMAN: Raymond Sheppard used to teach at the school. He reminisces about when Whitney, the niece of Dione Warwick and the goddaughter of Aritha Franklin was about to make it big.

RAYMOND SHEPPARD, FORMER TEACHER: When she was leaving to go to California to be with Dione Warwick, she came to the local store we owned and the owner, John, said I'm so glad to see you going. I hope you -- I wish you the best and gave her a $100 bill. He said, here, this is to help you on your way.

TUCHMAN: The Houston family home was the center of activity in the summertime because it was the only house in the area that had a built-in swimming pool so young Whitney had a lot of friends that came over. Erica Taylor, the same age as Whitney, was one of those friends.

ERICA TAYLOR, CHILDHOOD FRIEND: We've talked about boys and what we did over the summer and how it was just fun to be in a pool.

TUCHMAN: And after they would be done swimming in the pool behind the house, they would all watch Whitney hit tennis balls against the wall.

(on camera): How come none of you played tennis with her?

TAYLOR: We wanted to talk to her. We would actually ask each other, like, remember when she would play tennis and we would ask her what it was like to meet Michael Jackson because of her Aunt Dionne and because of --

TUCHMAN: You knew she had celebrity fashions.

TAYLOR: Yes.

TUCHMAN: She was a kid then.

TAYLOR: But her aunt was Dionne, her godmother was Aretha so she would meet the stars when we were kids.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Many who knew Whitney realized her voice was special from her early days singing in the church. Some remember her belting out tunes even earlier.

ALEASE GRIFFITH, RETIED EAST ORANGE PRINCIPAL: The first time I met Whitney, she was -- and we called her Nippy back then. She was about 5 years old.

TUCHMAN: Alease Griffith is a retired principal from another East Orange elementary school, but was a friend who attended a Houston family Christmas party more than 40 years ago.

GRIFFITH: One of the back rooms, Nippy was -- had her cousins surrounded by her and she jumped up on the coffee table and started singing.

TUCHMAN: Back at the Whitney Houston Academy, in Room 109, one of Whitney's classrooms --

(on camera): Whitney used to be your hero?

(voice-over): The pride from current students is unmistakable.

CIARA ALLEN, STUDENT, WHITNEY E. HOUSTON ACADEMY: With all of her accomplishments, I think I know that I want to be just like her when I grow up.

HAMILTON: They tell me I'm father of all these youngsters here and I take that role.

TUCHMAN (on camera): So you do consider her a daughter?

HAMILTON: I consider her a daughter. You better believe it. My daughter forever. I lost a daughter.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, East Orange, New Jersey.

MALVEAUX: CNN has full coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral tomorrow morning beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Join Piers Morgan, Soledad O'Brien and Don Lemon as the world remembers a legend. Whitney Houston, her life, her music live on CNN and cnn.com this Saturday morning beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Payroll tax extension clears Congress. Now heads to President Obama for his signature. How is it going to impact benefits for millions of unemployed Americans? We're asking Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange so break it down for us, Alison. ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK. So what could happen is that the number of weeks for jobless benefits may actually be dialed back because right now unemployment checks can actually go out for up to 99 weeks.

Now, if the president signs this payroll deal, as you said the House and Senate have just passed it today. So if the president does sign this deal, those benefits would drop to 73 weeks or less and it's really going to depend on what state you live in.

So if you live in a state where the unemployment rate is lowest, like let's say 6 percent in North Dakota and Vermont, those jobless benefits will be available for 54 weeks.

If the unemployment is higher, let's say 9 percent in Florida and Nevada, those benefits could be extended for 73 weeks. If you want to know where your state follows on this whole spectrum, you can go to cnnmoney.com -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Alison, how does this impact the economy as a whole? Can it absorb this?

KOSIK: Well, you know what? Yes, I mean, some experts say yes, it really can absorb this because what this essentially is a gradual pull back. It means it's not going to be a huge shock to the economy.

Also, fewer people get unemployment checks right now compared to how it was during the depths of the recession. So there's really less of a need to see these extended benefits continually going out.

Still there's no doubt about it, you know, it's thousands of dollars lost income for the long term unemployed, but many lawmakers and experts say it's really time to cut back on spending and this is one way to do just that -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Alison, have a great weekend.

So check it out. If you are a walking dead fan, stick around. We're going to have a zombie invasion right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENTA: Time now for the "Help Desk" where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this how, Donna Rosato is a senior writer with "Money" magazine. David Novick is a certified financial planner and an adjunct professor of finance in New York University.

Thank you both for being here. David, your question comes from Rose in Kansas City, Missouri. Rose wrote in, "I've got a large number of open credit card accounts with zero balances. I only open them for promotional services and never use them again. How can I shut down the cards without damaging my credit score?"

DAVID NOVICK, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, PROMETHEUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Good question. First thing is, I wonder why she's moving all of these accounts all over the place. But the thing is, she should start by looking at her credit utilization ratio.

Basically, what that is the credit available to the credit that she's used on all of her cards. She wants to make sure that it stays no more than 30 percent.

Once she has done that, she can close out cards without affecting that rate. So I would start by looking at the newest cards and start closing them out until she gets the point where she has utilization rate no more than 30 percent.

And finally, what she ought to do is refrain from doing this in the future because inquiries into new accounts will affect her credit score.

HARLOW: Absolutely. You've got to do the math, is it worth it or not. Donna, your question comes from Amber. Amber wrote in to us, "I anticipate that my take home income will be $105,000 this year. I contribute to my company sponsored 401(k) and expect to max that out in fiscal year 2012. I'm 29, single, and have approximately $48,000 in my 401(k). Should I open a traditional IRA or Roth IRA?

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, MONEY: Well, first, it's great that Amber is saving so much money toward her retirement and you know, maxing out her 401(k) at such a young age.

The Roth is often a better option because you can take the money out tax free down the road. Unfortunately, she earns a little bit too much to directly put into a Roth.

The income for contributing to a Roth has to be $110,000 or less for your adjusted gross income and she earns too much for that. But she can put money into a traditional IRA that is non-deductible and that have that converted to a Roth IRA.

She may take a tax on any of the gains, but if she's just funding it to start with, she won't take such a big hit.

HARLOW: And she'll have more of a selection in an IRA?

ROSATO: That's right.

HARLOW: Good point. Thank you very much, guys. If you've got a question you want answered, just sent us an e-mail anytime to the CNN "Help Desk" at cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The AMC thriller, "The Walking Dead," breaking all kinds of entertainment records. It drew more than eight million viewers this week. So, if you ever watched the show, check out the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know about the dead (ph) people, right? The walkers (ph). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife and son, they're alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) got out of here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Atlanta?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Military (ph) protection, shelter, food.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Atlanta sounds like a good deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Andrew Lincoln plays Sheriff Rick Grimes. He's joining us now.

Andrew, I know a lot of people love this show. I love this show. It's a huge hit. It's shot here in Atlanta. And I learned something today, a big surprise, that you play the, you know, the southern cop with the accent to match, but you're actually British. Is that right?

ANDREW LINCOLN, ACTOR, "THE WALKING DEAD": That -- yes, I am, I'm afraid. I'm so sorry, but I am. Yes.

MALVEAUX: Oh, please don't apologize. I'm totally crushed out by this accent that you've got here.

Tell me a little bit about why you think this show is so successful.

LINCOLN: Well, I don't know. I mean, you always hope that people are going to watch the show you make. But this kind of reaction is sort of ridiculous. I mean we're still pinching ourselves. And, I don't know.

I mean, of course, you know, the apocalypse and that sort of theme is -- seems to be around and in the air at the moment. But also I think that, you know, AMC and the writers have made it a very, very character driven show, you know. And it is about survivors. And when everything's been taken away from you, can you survive without turning into a monster in every sense of the word?

MALVEAUX: Yes, and you -- absolutely. I mean it's got so many different layers to the plot and to the writing. And you actually film, you shoot this in Atlanta. It's provided a lot of jobs.

LINCOLN: Yes, we do.

MALVEAUX: What do you think of shooting down here in Atlanta, in the south?

LINCOLN: Well, it's hot. I'll tell you that much for nothing.

MALVEAUX: It's hot. LINCOLN: It's -- the weather is apocalyptic. So it is actually one of the great privileges to work and live down there for half of my life. And the crew are spectacular. It's also a part of the country that -- you know, I know the East Coast and I know the West Coast pretty well, but Atlanta and the south wasn't really an area I traveled to. And I love it there. I love the people. The crew and the cast, everybody there, have become family. And my family -- I'm married with two children -- you know, we transplant and live there as well. And my wife adores the place.

MALVEAUX: And we love having you here. Real quickly here, because I know we're running out of time, we -- you've kind of teased a little bit for the next season. What are we expecting next season go-round? The last one was so incredible. A lot of people were shocked at that final scene. Tell us a little bit about what we expect coming up.

LINCOLN: Well, with the death of Sophia and something dies in Rick and he's starts to turn much more to the dark side and colder. And also as a result, the rest of the characters go into a bit of a tailspin. And all I will say is that not everybody gets out alive.

MALVEAUX: Not everybody gets out alive. That's a good tease there. That's a pretty good tease. Are you going to make it? Do we -- can you tell us that at least?

LINCOLN: Well, I hope so.

MALVEAUX: All right.

LINCOLN: But, you know, never say never.

MALVEAUX: All right. We all hope you make it. Thank you very much. Great having you on. And, of course, we will be watching. Thank you very much.

LINCOLN: And please send my love to Atlanta.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely.

After more than 300 shows, the curtain coming down on New York's Fashion Week. We're going to take a look back at the annual extravaganza.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: From DKNY to the uniforms at McDonald's, Alina Cho has the inside ticket to Fashion Week. Here's a look ahead at her special airing next weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 27 years, Donna Karen has been an icon in the fashion world. But even though this 63- year-old loves designing, her latest passion is Haiti. Karen helps Haitian artisans in the earthquake zone by buying their products and selling them in her Urban Zen stores. DONNA KAREN, DESIGNER: One hundred percent of the profit all goes back to the Haitian artisans. So not only are we buying product from Haiti, but we're also foundationally giving all the money back to Haiti.

CHO (on camera): What do you get out of it, then?

KAREN: My heart.

CHO (voice-over): We also talked to the designer behind red carpet sensation Marchesa. Georgina Chapman takes me behind the scenes for a look at the gowns warn by Halle Berry, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez. She also answers the question of whether her husband, Hollywood heavyweight producer Harvey Weinstein, encourages A-list actresses to wear Marchesa gowns.

CHO (on camera): It doesn't hurt.

GEORGINA CHAPMAN, DESIGNER: It doesn't hurt. No, of course it doesn't hurt. I think, you know, his relationship with actresses is a very different relationship. I don't think that anybody's going to let Harvey tell them how to get dressed.

CHO (voice-over): A growing trend is designers who are not just creating looks for the runway, but for FedEx too. Prabal Gurung is doing it for Sephora. Sophie Theallet has remade the uniforms for the cocktail waitresses at a New York hotel. Dan Herman has been designing uniforms for more than 40 years.

DAN HERMAN, DESIGNER: I was a hot designer on 7th Avenue and somebody approached me and said, would you like to do uniforms? And I said, what is that? And they said, it's clothes. And I discovered that I loved doing it because it was like branding -- branding corporations.

CHO: And what's Fashion Week without supermodels. This season it's all about Joan (ph). Joan Smalls. Seemingly overnight she went from catalog model to cat walk stunner. Global face of Estee Lauder. And a new face of Chanelle (ph).

JOAN SMALLS, SUPERMODEL: It's kind of like a go-getter heart. Like, I'm coming. You know, I'm coming to get it. I'm coming to be great.

CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: For more of Alina's inside look at the fashion industry, you can watch "Fashion Backstage Pass" airing Saturday, February 25th, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: CNN has full coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral tomorrow morning begin at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Join Piers Morgan, Soledad O'Brien and Don Lemon as the world remembers a legend. "Whitney Houston: Her Life, Her Music" live tomorrow on CNN and cnn.com.

Well, he's the media giant who's empire, News Corp., has been under fire now for months. But he's not backing down. Today, Rupert Murdoch said he plans to launch a new Sunday edition of the British tabloid, "The Sun." The move comes after the arrest of five News Corp. employees in the U.K. over the weekend. They're being charged, in part, of a growing hacking scandal. The new edition of "The Sun" will replace another Sunday paper, "The News of the World." That is what Murdoch shut down during the peak of the crisis this summer.

New Jersey's state assembly has passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, but Governor Chris Christie is promising to veto it. He says, instead of a law, he wants a state-wide referendum. Gay rights proponents got a boost earlier this week when Washington state legalized same-sex marriage.

And checking stories our affiliates are covering across the country.

Workplace violence hitting one of the office of the federal immigration agency known as ICE. An agent fired several rounds at another agent in a Los Angeles office, wounding him. A third colleague shot and killed the shooter. No word yet what this dispute was about.

And a crane cable snapped at a World Trade Center site, sending three huge steel beams crashing 40 stories to the ground below. Fortunately, no one was injured. Each beam weighed several tons.

And you see the plane. It strayed into restricted air space during President Obama's visit to Los Angeles. Police found a load of marijuana on board.

The CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.

Hey, Ashleigh. Have a good weekend.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne Malveaux. Thank you. And to you as well.