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One Dead, Four Injured In Ohio School Shooting; Reactions From Chardon Students; Violence In Afghanistan After Koran Burning; Gas Prices Continue To Climb; Plea From Missing Firefighter's Family; Understated Elegance At The Oscars; The Car-Less Community Solution
Aired February 27, 2012 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to all of you.
I want to continue right where she left off here with our horrible, horrible story out of Ohio today. Breaking news. The absolute, unimaginable unfolding at a Cleveland high school today. A gunmen opened fire inside the school hitting five students. Now we know one of those students has died.
Here's what else we know. These details are coming into us here. This is all according to this area newspaper, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer." The alleged gunman is T.J. Lane, who is believed to be a teenager. That paper also spoke with multiple eyewitnesses and one of the shooting victims. And if you look closely here at this video, this is video from our affiliate. It shows what appears to be, you see them walking off, police appear to be taking a suspect, perhaps the suspect here, into custody in a very snowy Ohio this morning.
Here's how it unfolded. The shooting took place inside Chardon High School a little before 8:00 this morning and police say a teacher chased the suspect out of the building. Ultimately that suspected gunman slapped in cuffs, taken into custody. And I want you to just hear how students and parents describe the chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard shots fired in the cafeteria. I thought it was firecrackers at first. I wasn't sure. But then I saw a bunch of people running out. So I started running. Once I got into the hallway, I went into the 300s (ph), and I heard someone yell behind me, get down, and I heard a bunch of shots fired behind me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought it was a drill, to be honest with you. But then it started getting -- you know, we heard over the announcement that it was actually a serious deal and so we were just hunkered down in a room, locked the door, like we drilled over and over before. And then we got a knock on the door, we were evacuating. So it was just a freak -- freak accident.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She texted me and said, there's been a shooting and I'm in a closet, but don't worry. And I just said, well, just keep texting me. So that's what we're doing. We're -- I just keep texting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So my son's over there and I have a daughter here in the middle school and I'm waiting to get them out and I just want to get them home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very nervous that everybody's OK. And I just hope they make it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you think about the fact that you weren't in school today, what's kind of going through your mind as you hear all this? Talk me through your morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm very lucky because I would have just been walking in the school -- I'm sorry -- I would have been walking in the school when this --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Speaking through tears, that student there this morning. Obviously our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to everyone there at that high school, both students and families.
I want to bring in Danny Komertz (ph). He was there. He joins me on the phone.
And, Danny, from what I understand, and I know you've been tweeting about this today, you were 10 feet away in the cafeteria. Tell me what you saw.
DANNY KOMERTZ, STUDENT, CHARDON HIGH SCHOOL (via telephone): All right. Well, what I saw was -- I mean our friends were walking together, having a good time, and we just heard a pop, and it was just pretty loud and pretty noticeable. And just looked up and I looked straight ahead and I saw a gun pointing at a group of four guys sitting at a table and he was about two feet away from them and he just fired two quick shots at them. And I saw one student fall. And I saw the other hiding, trying to get cover underneath the table.
BALDWIN: Danny, when you talk about how he was -- pointed a gun at these four students at a table, can you describe how he appeared to be shooting? Did he appear to be aiming or was he randomly shooting?
KOMERTZ: He was -- it was clearly, to me, that he was aiming right at them as he was two feet away and he was aiming right down at them. He wasn't shooting around the cafeteria at all. He was directly aiming at the four of them.
BALDWIN: Was he saying anything when he was shooting at them?
KOMERTZ: I'm not sure.
BALDWIN: You're not sure if he was -- you couldn't hear anything?
KOMERTZ: No, I didn't -- I couldn't hear anything if he was saying that he -- if he was saying anything.
BALDWIN: Do you know if those four students were saying anything? Were they pleading with him?
KOMERTZ: I know the four of them, but they're upperclassmen, so we're not good friends or anything. I just -- I know who they are, though.
BALDWIN: How many pops did you hear, Danny? You mentioned one pop.
KOMERTZ: I heard one, and then I looked up, saw it. I saw and heard the quick two. And then after the quick two, me and my friends ran out the doors. And I heard two more shots be fired behind me.
BALDWIN: So the initial pop, two, and then another quick two. "The Cleveland Plain Dealer," as we mentioned, this newspaper, it's identifying the suspected gunman as T.J. Lane. And I want to just play you a little bit of sound, this is what another student told one of our anchors here on CNN last hour. Let's just listen together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVAN ERASMUS, STUDENT CHARDON HIGH SCHOOL (via telephone): He was more of a quiet type of kid. He was really nice, though, if you did talk to him. He came from a broken home. My family knew his a little bit from high school. And he just came from a really broken down home and he was living with his grandparents. But other than that, that's all I really know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Danny, did you know -- do you know him at all, T.J. Lane?
KOMERTZ: No. Honestly, I have never heard of him. I've never seen him. And I don't recognize his picture at all, some (ph) of the pictures. But some of my friends that were there with me knew him and said that -- that I guess the group of four that he was shooting at, they bullied him. But I don't know if that's true. I don't know if it's rumors. But I don't know why he would just purposely shoot at them or if they did something to him. So that's all I really know about T.J.
BALDWIN: Can you describe how he appeared? What he was wearing? The look in his eye?
KOMERTZ: I didn't know anything he was wearing. I just straightly looked right at the gun and just had fear inside of me and I was really scared of what was going to happen. So I didn't look at his face, I just looked at the gun --
BALDWIN: And you ran out of there.
KOMERTZ: And I ran.
BALDWIN: I understand, Danny, a teacher chased him out of the building. What can you tell me about that? Did you see that at all?
KOMERTZ: The teacher was Mr. Hall (ph). He's like the study hall teacher and he's a very brave man. He broke up a fight earlier this year. So he's known to do some good things like that. And I guess he chased him out of the building and saved a lot of other students' lives, probably.
BALDWIN: And just to -- let me walk back and ask you this. What was happening right around 7:30 in the morning? Was it -- it was study hall? So it would make sense that Mr. Hall would be there with the students?
KOMERTZ: Yes, right around 7:30. That's right when first period begins. And announcements were ending. And so he was right around the area being the study hall teacher.
BALDWIN: And you would call him a hero, given what you've heard he did?
KOMERTZ: Yes.
BALDWIN: And you told me you don't know T.J. Lane. Do you know if he went to your high school?
KOMERTZ: Yes, I never heard of -- I don't know him, but I guess he goes to our high school. And -- but he mainly goes to a school for help -- a different school for help.
BALDWIN: Danny, do you know any of those upperclassmen you mentioned who were shot at? Do you know them at all?
KOMERTZ: Yes, I know them. I don't know them greatly. Like, I don't talk to them or anything. But, I mean, I know who they are. I know Nick Walczak was the captain crazy for the junior class, which is like the leader for the pep rallies.
BALDWIN: Did you see -- did you see where they were shot?
KOMERTZ: It appeared to me that Nick had been shot in the upper chest. And that's all I really saw. And then he fell.
BALDWIN: Danny, before I let you go, I know you have tweeted, "and I continue to ask, why Chardon, Ohio." How are you doing?
KOMERTZ: I'm just in shock. I can't believe that. I mean I'm only 15 years old and the first year of high school on a Monday. I just can't believe it. I don't think it's real. And I just -- it kills me that I saw someone hiding and now that someone is now dead.
BALDWIN: It's horrible and I'm sorry it's a reality for you and so many of your friends. But Danny Komertz, I thank you so much for calling and telling us what you saw. And again, we're thinking about all you guys. We're thinking about all of you in Ohio. Thank you so much.
Speaking of some of these victims, we've, in fact, just gotten a statement here at CNN from the family of the teenager who was killed today. His name was Danny Parmentor. And through the local hospital his families says, quote, "we are shocked by this senseless tragedy. Danny was a bright young boy who had a bright future ahead of him. The family is torn by this loss. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time," end quote.
Want to go straight to Paul Kiska from CNN affiliate WEWS. Paul, I'm sure you and all your colleagues, as we have, have just been, you know, all over this story today. Can you just bring me up to speed as far as what's happened at the school? I know I was watching the news conference earlier. Grief counselors are on standby and a vigil will be held tomorrow night.
PAUL KISKA, WEWS (via telephone): Yes, that's correct, Brooke, and we're all reporting on this with heavy hearts.
BALDWIN: Yes.
KISKA: We've seen the story unfold throughout the country. Now it's hit home in our backyard in a small, quaint town here in the snow belt of northeast Ohio. The FBI is searching a home -- perhaps the gunman's home. Quite a few FBI agents out there. They have battering rams. My colleague on the scene says they're going through some outbuildings on the property looking for any additional evidence perhaps at the gunman's house.
As you mentioned, grief counselors expected to be here about 3:00 today to 7:00 to meet with any students or parents and teachers that want to talk with them. There's a church right across the street, St. Mary's Church. They're already planning a candlelight vigil there tomorrow tonight at 7:00.
We did talk with some students, as you just did, who described the scene inside that cafeteria. They said the gunman was quiet. They heard about 10 gunshots. Students ran and hid. One girl told us she was hiding and she just remembers scrambling for her cell phone trying to get it on vibrate because she didn't him to find her. And then, as you said, that teacher chasing bravely, chasing the gunman, who we're told had a .22 caliber, chase him out of the school. Who knows what would have happened if that teacher didn't act and then he was arrested a short time later. That's what we have --
BALDWIN: Paul, has anyone --
KISKA: (INAUDIBLE) thorough coverage as well. That's what we know so far.
BALDWIN: Paul, has anyone talked to this brave teacher yet, this Mr. Hall (ph)?
KISKA: Not that I know of. I have his name, his phone number. I've been getting a lot of the answering machine. Obviously a lot of people in the country want to talk to him. Just a brave teacher. This could have been -- not to be a cliche, but it could have been a lot worse if it weren't for that teacher.
You know, the schools -- like a lot of schools, the superintendent, they train for this. So although there was chaos in the cafeteria, it was also a lot of very orderly situation. They went on lockdown. It seemed like the students knew what to do.
When I arrived here, it was just more of an emotional scene at that point. Police had already captured the gunmen. The parents were picking their kids up from school and just clutching them. Their arms around their neck. Their arms around their wrist. It was a very emotional scene. Every parent. Every kid.
BALDWIN: Right.
KISKA: You know, sometimes these teenagers don't want affection from their parents in front of people, but they were all being very affectionate and just holding onto each other tightly as they left the nearby middle school as well today.
BALDWIN: Right. We were just riveted by the live pictures as you watched these families -- these moms and dads, you know, waiting as their kids were let out of the school, sort of five at a time, earlier this morning. I do want to ask you about the four who were injured. Do you have any kind of update on their condition today?
KISKA: We know that there were five victims originally, all students, we believe in the junior range of this high school. Four boys, one girl. Three of the victims, the most seriously injured were lifeflighted to Metro Health Medical Center. That's a level one trauma center here in Cleveland. So three were taken there. One of those victims, a teenager, died, as you know.
The two other less serious injured victims that were shot were taken to a nearby Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Hillcrest Hospital. We're told they are in serious condition. But, obviously, if their wounds were worse, they would have been transported to the level one trauma center.
And it's just -- it's just emotional. You know, you see this as a reporter. You see it in national news. And -- but when you're standing outside the school, it's a far different feeling.
BALDWIN: It hits home.
Paul, before I let you go, I do want to ask, as we mentioned, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer" is identifying this shooter as T.J. Lane. What more do we know about him? Age, where he went to school, if he's even been charged of anything yet?
KISKA: He has not been charged. The Chardon police chief will be holding a news conference in about an hour 45 at 4:00 with the superintendent. They expect to get more information at that time.
BALDWIN: OK.
KISKA: They did tell us at noon that he acted alone. He is in custody, but he hasn't been charged yet. They weren't officially releasing his name at that time. We expect to learn more about him at 4:00, as well as these alleged social media postings that he may or may not have made. There was some pictures of him on the Internet. We're trying to make sure those are authentic before we use them.
BALDWIN: Right.
KISKA: And the FBI is also involved with this and they'll be talking more about the social media postings, allegedly, by the gunman at 4:00 as well as more about the gunman and an update on the victims.
BALDWIN: OK, Paul Kiska, WEWS, for us. We appreciate it. I'm sure we'll be taking that news conference live here as we'll get some more facts, as more information continues to come in on this horrendous story. This school shooting -- fatal school shooting out of Ohio.
Much more on this story, including what social media revealed as the news broke. But first, we have a lot more to cover for you in the next two hour, including this.
The Taliban's fight against America takes a disturbing new turn. Militants say they poisoned the food at a military base in Afghanistan. We'll tell you what was found in the coffee and the fruit. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
A mom writes her son's obituary after he kills himself during a night of college drinking. I'll ask her why she revealed so many candid memories when she joins me live.
Plus, inside the apparent assignation plot targeting Vladimir Putin. Just days before Russians head to the polls, we're now hearing how the suspect reportedly planned to kill the presidential candidate.
And as gas prices rise, at least one small business owner says it's killing his profit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say most companies are operating at break even.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Suzanne Malveaux gets the scoop 1,000 feet above the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, let's get you caught up on everything else making news this hour. "Rapid Fire." Let's go.
First up here, the family of that missing Florida firefighter is pleading for his safe return. I'm talking about Jerry Perdomo. He was last seen February 5th after he drove up to Maine, telling his wife he was traveling there to help a friend. Well, police in Maine have now questioned this couple here, Cheyanne Nowak and Daniel Porter, and searched Porter's father's home, believing the couple was the last to have had some kind of contact with Perdomo. Perdomo's loved ones, they have now traveled to Maine trying to find him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SKYE RAMOS, MISSING FIREFIGHTER'S SISTER: To think it would have to you. Never in a million years would I think I'd be hanging up missing posters of my brother. You know, you can't -- how can you sleep?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Coming up next hour, I will speak with the stepfather of the missing firefighter.
Also today, a sister ship of the doomed Costa Concordia cruise, this one runs into trouble. The ship is named the Allegra. It is adrift off the coast of the Seychelle Islands. The Italian coast guard says a fire broke out in the engine room leaving it without propulsion. A tug boat now on its way to help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know why they did that to her. She was nice. She was like innocent. She wasn't bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Friends of 11-year-old Joanna Ramos are coping with the loss of their friend. Ramos died after getting into a fight with another girl at her school apparently over a boy. When she came home after the ordeal on Friday, Ramos complained to her mom she had a headache. A couple of hours later, she died in the emergency room. And witnesses say the fight only lasted a minute and no one tried to stop it.
In the Rutgers spying case, a classmate of Dharun Ravi said he set up a webcam in his room because he was worried about his belongings. She also said he wanted to confirm his roommate, Tyler Clementi, was gay. But another classmate testified Ravi didn't have an issue with people's sexuality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT XU, DHARUN RAVI FRIEND & CLASSMATE: He did not say anything about disliking homosexuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Clemente committed suicide just a couple of days after that alleged spying. Ravi is not charged in his death.
And Sean P. Diddy Combs triggers a mob just trying to attend his own party. Look at the scene here. The crowds were pretty intense in Orlando for the NBA all-star game this weekend. They forced Diddy out of his SUV and had to walk the streets. His security escort, still on horseback, had to keep people back before Diddy was able to get into a club through the side door.
And perhaps some of the most hated words in Nascar, rain delay. For the first time ever, the Daytona 500 did not run on its schedule day. But today is looking a bit brighter as skies are forecast to clear out. Racers, including defending Sprint Cup champ Tony Stewart and, yes, Danica Patrick, will try again this evening at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
And unfolding this hour, food poisoning at a NATO air base in Afghanistan and the Taliban is taking credit for this. We're going to go live to Kabul after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: In Afghanistan today a deadly car bombing has stirred the pot of chaos. The Afghanistan Taliban is claiming responsibility. They say it's more retaliation for NATO's Koran burning. And the suicide blast happened in front of a NATO base in Jalalabad. At least nine people were killed, 12 were wounded. And before this latest attack, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said everyone involved needs to take a deep breath.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN CROCKER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO AFGHANISTAN: I think we need to let (ph) things calm down, return to a more normal atmosphere and then get on with business. And it doesn't mean that we're not doing business now. We are. With both military counterparts and civilian counterparts. Again, these are terrible tragedies and very worthy of the condemnation they've received. But this is not the time to decide that we're done here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I want to go straight to Kabul to CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.
And we heard Ambassador Crocker, Nick, says, you know, let's take a step back, allow things in Afghanistan to kind of calm down. Is there any indication that that's actually happening?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not really. I keep standing up here now seven days in a row with more strange events that seem to be taking this Koran violence to different levels. We've had violent protests. We've had today a suicide bombing killing nine, six of them Afghan civilians, and injuring (INAUDIBLE) some ISAF personnel in the east of the country here, which Taliban says was in vengeance for the Koran burning. The first time, I think it's fair to day, that they have said one of what you might consider to be their normal attacking style attacks was, in fact, relation to this particular one American mistake, Brooke.
BALDWIN: We know that there have been, Nick, four Americans killed so far. Is there any way at all to know the extent to which Afghan security forces are complicit in this?
WALSH: It's really hard to tell. I think at least they're guilty sometimes of poor vetting. There are many questions being asked about how this man, this intelligence officer, got into the secure part of the interior minister on Saturday and shot two of the American high- ranking officers dead. It appears he was in Pakistan until very recently, according to one intelligence source I spoke to, and then came back to join the intelligence ministry again, them having missed the fact that when he was in Pakistan he spent time at a madrassa, often linked to extremism. Deep concerns of the vetting here, the background checks done on Afghans who join the security forces here.
Of course, tragic results in one case, but yet I think the trust issue is the real thing here as we go into the months ahead. Americans having to work with their Afghan counterparts so intensely because of the training that's required, because of that vital handover of security of the country to the Afghan security forces so American troops can go home. It's all built on trust. And without that, you lose that ability to transfer security. And without that, the major plank of NATO's strategy here begins to crumble, Brooke.
BALDWIN: It's a huge concern. And speaking of trust, though, also, you know, you talk about Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He's proven to be a shaky ally. You know he said things at times that perhaps have, you know, incited violence. And today we know he's condemning the suicide bombing. Is he changing his tone? Is he becoming more reliable?
WALSH: I don't think it's really fair to say he's changed in any particular way. I think at the beginnings of these protests, many thought he was slow to come forward in calling for restraint, but then he did it repeatedly, very often calling for calm as more recently as yesterday, condemning today's attacks.
He's in a difficult bind. He has to represent sometimes the fury felt by ordinary Afghans, this Koran burning, but he has to keep the Americans on side, because they're his money, they're his infrastructure and they're his military support much of the time. So, a complicated role for him. But at the end of the day, complications like this just make the Americans financing the effort here, consider him less and less of a reliable partner as time goes by, Brooke. Very damaging for their presence.
BALDWIN: Nick Paton Walsh in Kabul. Nick, thank you very much.
Back here at home, another day, another rise in gas prices. Find out why after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Let's just be honest and say, I'm sick of having to say this, but here I go, 20 days straight now, you've heard this. Gas prices are up again. How high will they go?
It all kind of depends on where you live. Alison Kosik is live at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Ms. Kosik, do me a favor and just tell us, I don't know, I guess, who is getting hit worst?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK, you're sick of it, I'm sick of it. We're all sick of high gas prices. I'm laughing because it's become just every part of our lives these days.
What AAA is saying is that the national average is sitting at $3.70 a gallon. If you look at how gas is moving, it's actually moving right in last step with oil.
You look at over the past how they've moving. Oil and gas are up almost 9 percent. If you want to see how your state is faring as far as gas prices go, there is a great map on cnnmoney.com, which breaks it down for you.
The deep red states had the highest prices. States like California, Hawaii, Alaska, they're above $4 a gallon. New York, Connecticut, D.C., guess what? They're not far behind -- Brooke. BALDWIN: OK, so as I'm sitting here trying to pull up that map, so I'll tweet it out. Also, I know some lawmakers are calling on the president to tap into the strategic reserves, right? So how realistic is that?
KOSIK: Exactly. Now that's the question, right? Well, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was on CNBC on Friday. He suggested tapping the SPR is a possibility. But yes, you said it, the big question is, will it do anything? Will it lower oil and gas prices?
Critiques say no, it won't. The strategic petroleum reserve is meant to be used only if there's a supply emergency. Right now, there's a stash of about 700 million barrels of oil in there, but we get most of our imported oil from Canada, from Mexico, Saudi Arabia.
Not Iran, so supply is not the issue here. Fear of Iran squeezing the supply, that's what's driving prices. If you remember, the SPR was actually capped last summer after those political uprisings in Libya. And sure, gas prices dropped, but only for less than a month and then they went back up.
George W. Bush also tapped the SPR after Hurricane Katrina. That also had only a limited impact. So bottom line with this, Brooke, tapping the reserves is not a long term fix. We are at the mercy of the global trade of oil. Lucky for us.
BALDWIN: Lucky us. I was just talking to one of our photojournalists today and he said he had to fill up the crew car this morning. He paid over 100 chucks for the cheapest stuff, a 100 bucks. We're all taking the pinch.
KOSIK: It is a shocker.
BALDWIN: It is. Alison Kosik, thank you very much.
Coming up here, a fire fighter and former Marine just kind of up and disappeared while on this trip to Maine. Authorities have now named a person of interest in a disappearance here. We're going to hear from the man's wife, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A father, a firefighter from Florida has been missing now for nearly two weeks. His family absolutely desperate for him to come back. We're talking about Jerry Perdomo.
He was last seen on back on February 15th after he drove up to Bangor, Maine telling his wife he was simply traveling there to help a friend.
Well, police in Maine, they found his rental car in this store parking lot in Bangor. They have also searched the home belonging to a relative of this man, Danny Porter seen on the right.
Now investigators also have questioned his girlfriend, Porter's girlfriend, (inaudible) and our affiliate WFTB reports police believe they were the last to have contact with Perdomo and are now considered persons of interest in the case.
Just within this last half hour or so, Perdomo's wife spoke to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONYA PERDOMO, MISSING FIREFIGHTER'S WIFE: It's been really difficult, but I miss him and I just want him to come home. And our kids miss him. My daughter keeps asking about him. She stayed at a friend's last night and she called me so we could pray together to bring him back, and I just miss him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: She mentioned they have children. The Perdomos have a 10- year-old girl and 3-year-old boy, and coming up, next hour, we'll speak to the stepfather of the missing firefighter.
And now did you stay up and watch the glitz, the glamour, the good, bad and the ugly? Yes, we're digging through Oscar fashions with my friend.
TLC say yes to the dress Monty Durham live in studio and he dressed up a little bit for us. Don't miss this, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: OK, watch out there, here, we're talking about the Oscars. I'm sure you may be watched some of it, I know I did. We're just going to tell you straight up.
I was watching for the dresses, the hair, the colors, the jewelry, and I know I'm not the only one who was watching for that. This guy was as well, Monty Durham, my dear, dear friend. Fashion director, stylist, amazing guy, all of the above. Hello. I'm very underdressed. I didn't get the memo.
MONTY DURHAM, TLC'S "SAY YES TO THE DRESS ATLANTA": I figure I'd keep that mode going, that L.A. -- hip look.
BALDWIN: Who are you wearing?
DURHAM: Prada.
BALDWIN: Fancy. So last night, were you wowed by the fashion, or was it subtle? What did you think?
DURHAM: You know what? I was wowed in a way that was understated and elegant. I didn't feel that it was really old Hollywood glamour. I mean, the sex appeal was kind of step to the side --
BALDWIN: Well, let's pull out this picture because I think Gwyneth Paltrow was looking pretty good. I mean, one of the things is a lot of these ladies were in white.
DURHAM: A lot of white, pure tones. We saw jewel tones. A lot of white and you know, you know -- that kind of tell you not to wear a lot of white. It works on the red carpet. The hair was pulled back, very sleek, minimal jewelry, a lot of earrings, cuffs, but you didn't see a whole lot. There we see some glamour.
BALDWIN: Red lips though. You love Tina Fey. She was a winner.
DURHAM: My God, I was shocked when I saw her because, I mean, let's talk Audrey Hepburn here. She was beautiful. She cleaned up really well --
BALDWIN: Cleaned up. I hear laughs in the studio. She's a lovely lady.
DURHAM: She is and she did cleanup. And here we look at this peplum. A trend we're seeing in Brado.
BALDWIN: Wait, what's peplum?
DURHAM: It fits at the waist and it has an oval skirt around the waist before it enters into a skirt. It looks like a two-piece, actually.
BALDWIN: Talk to me about jewelry because you mentioned a lot of the ladies weren't even wearing earrings.
DURHAM: Yes, I was shocked to see that. I don't know if that's coming from a runway sense.
BALDWIN: No earrings?
DURHAM: Yes, beautiful gown and necklace.
BALDWIN: Little earrings.
DURHAM: So it was either one or the other. It was bold chandeliers, a lot of bold jewelry, rings, especially, big, chunky rings. A lot of bangles, bracelets, cuffs.
BALDWIN: Kristine Wig's hands -- so bangles, cuffs stunning. You did not like -- who did you not like?
DURHAM: Well, it's not that I didn't like it --
BALDWIN: Merle Streep, let's be honest. You did not like the gold.
DURHAM: Yes, I thought that was a little '70 retro dynasty. I'm a big fan of hers. I'm a huge fan.
BALDWIN: We're happy she won.
DURHAM: I'm excited she won. She deserved to win however, different dress next time.
BALDWIN: So what's our big takeaway as regular folks? Maybe not you, Mr. Glam in Prada here, but what's the takeaway as we get into spring here? How can this translate? DURHAM: Well, I think we're seeing understated. I wonder if we're taking a nod from our friend across the pond.
BALDWIN: The duchess?
DURHAM: Yes, of course. She's on any top dressed list in any magazine.
BALDWIN: You think a lot of our fashion is because of Kate.
DURHAM: Yes, understated. She's right on the edge, but she never pushes the envelope. She keeps it quiet. Another thing I noticed on the red carpet, there was a lot of expressions, laughter, eyes, no Botox.
Look at them. I mean, you can see lines. Maybe that's the trend we're seeing as well. I mean, we're seeing a lot of natural -- the high ponytail, I wasn't quite digging.
BALDWIN: Monty Durham, always a pleasure. You look amazing.
DURHAM: My pleasure always.
BALDWIN: Thank you very much. I'll wear my gown next time.
DURHAM: Yes, you will.
BALDWIN: Coming up here, imagine a city with no cars. Yes, no cars. Up next, we'll tell you about this out of the box plan to combat foreclosures by building homes in the middle of the street next.
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BALDWIN: Imagine living in a community with no cars and building smack dab in the middle of a street. This new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York is rethinking the entire way we live created as an answer to America's foreclosure crisis. Here with the story by CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: How do you fix it? Abandoned homes, foreclosures weighing down neighborhoods, it's America's continuing foreclosure crisis and it's playing out in cities just like this one, Orange, New Jersey.
Architects here at the Museum of Modern Art think they might have the solution, and believe it or not, it involves building in the streets.
MICHAEL MEREDITH, MOS ARCHITECTS: This is an experiment to look at what happens if you get rid of streets and we create a pedestrian city.
HARLOW (voice-over): The plan by Architechts' Hillary Sample and Michael Meredith is on display in an exhibit called "Foreclosed: Rehousing the American dream."
HILLARY SAMPLE, MOS ARCHITECTS: We're necessarily saying it's going to fix everything, but the idea that it provokes a kind of new discussion and conversation.
HARLOW: Their idea, fill the streets with housing and office space. Make it pedestrian friendly and eliminate the tax burden of upkeep on the roads. Looking at life after the foreclosure crisis, the exhibit re-imagines how we live.
BARRY BERGDOLL, CHIEF CURATOR MOMA ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN: It's not sufficient to fix subprime, globalized who holds the debt and go back to building mansions that take us three hours to drive to. There really is no such thing as a typical American suburb. It manifests itself quite differently in different parts of the country.
HARLOW: Curators Barry Bergdoll and Reinhold Martin challenged architects to re-imagine five suburbs across the country.
BERGDOLL: All of them lie within the metropolitan areas that are growing. There are opportunities in these decaying suburbs.
HARLOW: For example, picture Kaiser, Oregon as a city powered by its own methane dome.
(on camera): It's creative, but how is it a solution to foreclosure?
BERGDOLL: The show I should say in general is not trying to solve the mortgage crisis. That's for the banks to sort out. We're saying that since we have also learned from it, the way we build is part and partial of this massive foreclosure crisis.
HARLOW (voice-over): We took the plans out to Orange in Essex County, which has one of the state's highest foreclosure rates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounds like something from the Jetsons.
MEREDITH: It's hard to imagine that we can solve all the problems of Orange. I mean, the biggest problem we have to deal with is this constant sprawl and expansion.
HARLOW: Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins had not yet seen the plans.
(on camera): Could it help solve the crisis?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a novel idea. I think this might be a little bit more futuristic something down the road, but the theme in of itself is not that strange or different from what we're trying to establish here.
HARLOW: He and planning director, Valerie Jackson have made strides trying to turn Orange around. VALERIE JACKSON, ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, PLANNING DIRECTOR: Our strategy as it relates to foreclosed and vacant properties is a block by block approach.
MAYOR ELDRIDGE HAWKINS, ORANGE, NEW JERSEY: Where we're standing now, we used to have housing projects. We successfully demolished that entire estate and have now erected two and three-story townhomes.
HARLOW: So will building in the streets be next?
HAWKINS: Maybe in the future, but I will say directly answer your question, the entire city of Orange will not be a carless community.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't be laughing, Poppy Harlow, because of all the gas prices that we're talking about, right? They kind of like that idea.
HARLOW: Right.
BALDWIN: But seriously, is this something that could actually be implemented in, say, Orange, New Jersey, or is this just a thought- provoking exhibit?
HARLOW: Well, I think it's both. You ask those architects, they actually want to see this built. Maybe it will happen block by block. It would be pretty tough I would guess to get it past city council.
You heard the mayor there. He likes the idea, he's pretty skeptical. But this idea of taking what's not working and making it work. One example, in a suburb of Chicago, Brooke, it's a very industrial town, they took an old factory that's just abandoned and turned it into offices and apartments.
And you have a lot of energy generation within these cities, so it's taking a look at once we get past the foreclosure crisis, how do we build cities that work, because these mansions, for example, all over California did not work.
Obviously, we can't rebuild the same way again. It's interesting, you know, Rahm Emanuel said a few years ago, you never want to let a serious crisis go to waste, and I think this is sort of a perfect example of that.
BALDWIN: Interesting buildings in the middle of the street. We shall see, but we can read about it at cnn.money.com. Poppy Harlow, thank you so much.
Coming up next, it's Monday, and on this show that means it's "Music Monday." And I sat down with an extra special guest. Wait until you hear how this guest actually paid to have his last album made. That's next.
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BALDWIN: Today's "Music Monday" is a father who told me he's been singing forever. In fact, he rarely goes on stage without a tie and he has a lot of quick wit. He told me it's song writing that inspires him and mystifies him.
And you know what? If you like what you hear, call him up. He's actually played more than a few personal shows. In fact, that's how he financed his last album and sometimes when he plays and a guy is trying to win his way with a girl.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes, you'll hear, not so much. On this "Music Monday," I give you David Berkeley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: How long have you been playing music, 10 years?
DAVID BERKELEY, SINGER: About. I've been singing forever. It continues to be music that inspires me. All my songs basically come from experiences that turn into emotions that come out as music.
BALDWIN: Describe your music for people who have never heard you.
BERKELEY: I say it's Indy folk, but I don't really know if that's a genre.
BALDWIN: We'll make it one.
BERKELEY: OK, you know, I play acoustic guitar. There's more edge to my music, I think, than some more traditional folk artists.
BALDWIN: Your latest album you kind of came about fundraising for it uniquely?
BERKELEY: Yes.
BALDWIN: How?
BERKELEY: I just sort of asked my fans to chip in, but I felt kind of weird because there are so many better causes in the world to give your money to you than David Berkeley.
So I set up an exchange system where you could get certain things for different levels of donation. A guy hired me to try to help him win back a girl. After the first song, I realized she didn't want to be there. I had to continue to play, and it was really painful.
I love performing and I love writing songs, and I hope to be able to continue to do that as long as I have things to say, which I hope is a long time. But I'm definitely trying to find ways to do it and not tour quite as much because it's hard to leave my kids.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: David Berkeley, thank you. Thanks to my brother. My little brother turned me on to him a couple years ago. You want an encore? Of course, you do.
Go to my blog, cnn.com/brooke for all the backstage scoops. You can watch all my "Music Mondays." I'm always trying to find new people, new artists, so tweet me suggestions on any "Music Monday." I'm on Twitter @brookebcnn. Now this.
