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$650 Million Lottery Winner; Card Fraud Warning; Hank Haney Promotes His New Book; Titanic 3D Premiers in London
Aired March 31, 2012 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The big question today, who won the biggest mega millions lottery jackpot ever?
We don't know their names yet but we know the states where the lucky numbers were bought. The winning tickets were sold in Maryland, Illinois, and Kansas. Winners will split $650 million. The winning numbers are, just in case you're wondering, two, four, 23, 38, 46, and the mega ball, 23.
And check your credit and debit card balances. Hackers have hit a major company that processes the electronic information gathered each time a customer swipes a card. As many as 10 million card holders could be at risk. Both Visa and MasterCard say they have notified customers about accounts that could be compromised. Discover and American Express are also monitoring accounts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do we want it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And thousands of people are rallying in Sanford, Florida, demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. NAACP march to the Sanford Police Department crying out for the arrest of shooter, George Zimmerman. They also want Sanford's police chief to be fired. He temporarily stepped down after the shooting.
Former pro quarterback Ryan Leaf is out of jail on bond today. He was arrested in Montana on burglary and drug possession charges. The exact details of his arrest are not out. He was busted on similar charges in 2008 and received 10 year probation. He played three seasons for the San Diego Chargers and one for the Dallas Cowboys.
And GOP presidential candidates are in Wisconsin today. Jockeying for votes at an event sponsored by the Faith and Freedom Coalition. The conservative forum comes just days before Wisconsin's primary. And today, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich made personal appeals to Wisconsin voters. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I particularly appreciate the extraordinary introduction. Your congressman, Paul Ryan, what a leader in the party, what a conservative, a brilliant man.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I asked Calista to come stand with me because she's from Whitehall and spent all week campaigning here in Wisconsin as a Wisconsinite and we are having a great reception.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to thank you particularly because one of the things I hear everywhere I go as I cross the state, and frankly across the country, is that people are saying the same thing over -- even more than hello, which is I'm praying for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Now, more on the winners of the biggest mega millions lottery jackpot ever. $658 million. We don't know who they are yet, who are the new millionaires but we do know the winning tickets were sold in Maryland, Kansas, and Illinois.
CNN's Athena Jones reports from the place where the winning ticket was sold in Maryland.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. We're here at a 7-11 on the outskirts of Baltimore where last night at 7:15 p.m., the lucky winner came in and used that machine to buy - that red machine back there to buy a quick pick lottery ticket, spending $1 for one line of numbers, but luckily for this winner, it was the winning set of numbers.
And so this person will be able to share in this huge jackpot with the two other winners from across the country. Of course, this is a record jackpot. Much bigger than the 2007 record of $390 million. Now, the person who won here in Baltimore county hasn't yet come forward, but we had a chance to talk to the Maryland lottery director about how unusual that is. Let's listen to what he has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MARTINO, MARYLAND LOTTERY DIRECTOR: Maryland is one of the few states that does not require publicity of its lottery winners, so we had two power ball jackpot winners last year, and neither one of them decided to do any publicity. We'll have to see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: We also asked Martino what kind of advice they give to winners. He said, make sure you sign the ticket, make sure you put it in a safe place. Get a copy of it and also get a lawyer. Back to you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, great advice. Thanks so much, Athena. So we're learning a bit more about the winning tickets in Illinois. It was sold in a tiny farming town of Red Bud in the southern part of the state. It's not far from St. Louis, about 3,500, just 3,500 people live there. The manager of the Moto Mart where the ticket was sold joins me right now on the phone. Denise Metzger, all right, well tell me, a lot of people been coming in just to, I guess, just to feel a little bit of the activity surrounding your store?
DENISE METZGER, MOTO MART, STORE MANAGER: Oh, yes. A lot of people come in with big smiles on their face. A lot of energy around town.
WHITFIELD: All right. Even though the winner has not stepped forward, right?
METZGER: That's correct. Nobody has come forward at this time.
WHITFIELD: All right. So this is a small town. Just over 3,000 people. Does that mean there's a pretty good likelihood, if that person is from that area, you may have interacted with them before? You might know them?
METZGER: Yes, chances are very high that I do know this person, yes.
WHITFIELD: OK. So how are you informed that a winning ticket was purchased at your store?
METZGER: I was called by the lottery office this morning at 7:00.
WHITFIELD: And what did they say?
METZGER: They said, congratulations. Your store was one of three to sell a winning ticket.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So what does that mean for your store? Does this mean that you get a cut from the jackpot?
METZGER: Yes, the store gets $500,000.
WHITFIELD: $500,000. That's pretty sizable. That's bigger than in the state of Maryland. I think it was going to be about $100,000 where the winning ticket sold, that mart would get $100,000. So you would get $500,000. What are you going to do with that money?
METZGER: You know, that goes to the company. So our company's name is SKG Oil, and I'm sure they'll invest that wisely and of course, they'll give a percentage to myself and my team.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, perhaps you can give your company bosses some ideas on how they can share those winnings.
METZGER: I'm sure I can. Big plans.
WHITFIELD: Helping to print out the tickets, too.
METZGER: Yes. WHITFIELD: All right. Denise Metzger, thanks so much. We can't wait to hear who the winner is and maybe we'll get a chance to talk with you or that winner soon. Thanks so much.
METZGER: You have a great night.
WHITFIELD: All right. We also asked for your tweets or questions, what would you do if you won the lottery? Here are a few of the responses. Chris says, "Keep five percent and then build water wells in third world countries with the rest." And no comment tweeted this, with a big old comment, saying "If I won the lottery, the first thing I would do after putting it in the bank is set my church for life, for god."
All right. Sanford, Florida, in the spotlight following the death of Trayvon Martin. A CNN reporter who just returned says it's a town divided. She tells us why next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Thousands of demonstrators calling for justice in the Trayvon Martin death. They march to the Sanford, Florida, police department which has been slammed for allowing George Zimmerman, Martin's shooter, to remain free. The Reverend Jesse Jackson who joined other civil rights activists at the march there today, says this is a case of racial profiling.
Trayvon Martin grew up in Miramar, Florida, where his family and friends are grief stricken. Tonight, there will be a vigil in Miramar, held by members of the football team Trayvon had played with since he was just five years old. John Zarrella is live from Miramar right now where he has been talking to people who know him best and feel like, John, this tribute this evening is, you know, I guess the most they can do for that grieving family?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Fredricka, and this one, unlike so many of the others, is going to be personal because so many of the people who will be here this evening in just under two hours from now knew him very well, knew Trayvon intimately, from the time he was five years old, he played football on these fields, until he went to high school.
And at that time, his interests changed. I was talking to Jerome Horton, his former football coach and a family friend who was telling me that, you know, Trayvon's interests really turned to aviation. He talked about maybe being a pilot or maybe being an airplane mechanic. And even though after he stopped playing football, right here is the concession stand. We have heard a lot about that concession stand because Trayvon even after he stopped playing football, he volunteered his time and he worked in that concession stand. And Jerome Horton told me, he worked there right up until the time he left and went up to Sanford.
So he had been there all through his high school years, and people would come up to Jerome, Jerome told me, since the shooting, and have said, that young man that died, is that the young man who worked here in the concession stand? And Jerome would say, "Yes, that was him." And you know, few people here could believe it who did not know that it was the same person. But again, this evening here, we expect his family to be here, his parents are going to be here. Members of his football team that he played with in the optimist (ph) league here. So some very personal, personal memories will likely be shared here this evening. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Heartbreaking. All right. Thanks so much, John Zarrella, appreciate that, from Miramar.
CNN.com reported Mallory Simon returned from the once quiet Florida town of Sanford, Florida. She writes on dot.com, "For some, the case has become a rallying cry, a chance to air what they believe are years of grievances and cases of injustice between the police, the courts, and the black community. For others, it has forced them to defend their town as a place that is not inherently racist. A place where a young black man can not be killed without consequence."
So Mallory back with us in the studio. Give me your impression there. When you got there, it was really at the height of the outrage, the public outrage that we have seen about Trayvon Martin's killing, but you had a chance to talk with people about what the tone of the town was before that happened. How do you compare it?
MALLORY SIMON, CNN.COM REPORTER: Yes. You know, they said this was a place where you would come to retire, it was a lovely community, and now there's sort of been sort of thrown out the window. They're really struggling with how they deal with the fact that they have been put on the map in a very national way as a town where a horrible crime has happened. And everyone, you know, in that town believes this is a tragic death. But the divide comes when you talk about how the police have handled the case.
WHITFIELD: Because most admit, and many of the people you talk to, they didn't want their names revealed. Why is that, first of all?
SIMON: A lot of that is fear. You know, whether that's fear of the police or fear of the community. There are such strong emotions associated with this case. People feel really strongly one way or the another. And so there's this sense that if I speak out and I say something you don't like, there's kind of a fear of retaliation there.
WHITFIELD: Yet, they also expressed to you that there were problems - there was a racial divide. It's not an economic divide in that community, well before this happened with Trayvon Martin. So how did that impact how people got along, how they communicated with one another? How they coexisted? SIMON: You know, it depends on who you talk to. Some people will say "This town is great, it's fine. We don't have a race relations problem." But if you talk to other people, they point to you there was one case they kept bringing up to us. It was a case actually that happened in December 2010. And there was a homeless black man who was beaten up. It was all captured on videotape. Yet it took one month for there to be an arrest. It turned out that it was the son, the white son of a police lieutenant. And so they say this echoes strong with us. This is not the first time this has happened. Police chief Lee who stepped down since in this case was actually brought in to try to relieve some of those tensions.
WHITFIELD: So did that arrest come as a result of people expressing outrage or what was the explanation as to why the arrest ultimately came?
SIMON: I mean, it was very similar. What happened was really the local stations kept playing the tape over and over and over again. And there sort of became that same rallying cry. Obviously not on the same level, but a very similar level. The community there has told me at least in the black community, we're going to do the same thing here, we're going to rally around what we believe is an injustice, you know, perceived or not. They really think that this is a chance where they can take that stigma and they can run with it and try and make positive change for the rest of the community.
WHITFIELD: Mallory Simon, thanks so much. Great read on cnn.com to get a kind of different perspective of what Sanford, Florida, what their point of view is from the people that actually live there all the time. Thanks so much.
SIMON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Are you happy in your job? Career bliss, a job information web site analyzed more than 100,000 reviews and they asked workers about work environments, job resources, compensation, and employee/boss relations. So here are the top five happiest jobs. A warehouse manager, teller, and then tied is property manager and executive chef. For third, the number one happiest job when we come back.
Sanjay Gupta is having fun with toys tomorrow on "The Next List." Dr. Gupta profiled Jose Gomez Marquez who invents medical devices that are kid friendly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE GOMEZ MARQUEZ: My name is Jose Gomez Marquez and I use toys to make affordable medical devices. When you're using toys, it demystifies the process of medical technology. Often, we look at these medical devices and we think that they're a black box, and you need an expert to even take a screwdriver at it. You may not have the courage to hack a thousand dollar device, but you definitely have the courage to hack something that is $5, and then if you got a little ingenuity, it becomes something as powerful as a $5,000 medical device. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Tune in tomorrow to watch "The Next List" or set your DVR for 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, and then tomorrow at 2:30 Eastern, a new CDC study shows that one in 88 children has a form of autism. We're going to dig into this new research and examine the enormous financial strain on families. And what are some of the answers? Join me, Sunday, 2:30 Eastern time right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We're talking about the happiest jobs around from career bliss.com. At the top of the list is software quality engineer. I would have guessed that one. All right. Well, every week, we focus on ways to get a jump start in the work force. (INAUDIBLE) jobs there in America. If you don't have one of those happy jobs then you're going to make your job happy.
In our "Reclaim Your Career" segment, finding happiness in your current job and that's when we call on Valorie Burton. She is the queen of happy, author of "Successful Women Thinking Differently" joins me right now to explain what you call career well building.
VALORIE BURTON, AUTHOR "SUCCESSFUL WOMEN THINKING DIFFERENTLY": Well being.
WHITFIELD: Well being, right, and building it. How do we begin? Some people look at the list and they say, "OK, my job is not on there. I got this one. How do I find happiness?"
BURTON: It's not just about the job. Yesterday, I was talking to a group of people about the big lottery winning. If I win, I won't go to work on Monday. And I thought, I actually would go.
WHITFIELD: I would, too.
BURTON: At work. And you know, then keep the winnings a secret still. That would be key, right?
But you know, I think if you find number one, if you are able to make a contribution that is meaningful at work, that causes more happiness. So when I look at that number one job, you know, software quality assurance engineer, when I first looked at it I thought, "What, because that wouldn't be my thing." Right?
WHITFIELD: Right.
BURTON: But their job is so important to the well-being of that company. Nothing can go out - they're valued. And so you have to find what is your meaning. This is why it's so important for employers to help employees be clear about the mission and why their job is so important in the greater context of the company.
WHITFIELD: And of course, it helps if you're passionate about your job.
BURTON: That's right.
WHITFIELD: And finding that autonomy, in what way?
BURTON: Yes, so passion and autonomy both contribute to happiness. Obviously, if you're passionate about your work, it doesn't feel like you're working, but the autonomy people, we looked, for example, at the executive chef being at number two, you know, that person has a lot of ability to be creative, to really kind of make a difference in what is going on within that company, and they get to make decisions on their own. If you're working with people, if you're leading people, you want to make sure that they have some degree of autonomy, even if its flex time. Those kinds of things help people be happier in their jobs.
WHITFIELD: And something you can't always control, your coworkers, who you're working with. That, too, can build happiness. Sustain it or kill it.
BURTON: So when they interviewed. They did about 100,000 - surveyed about 100,000 people for this. A lot said I enjoy the people I work with. Whether it's the coworkers or the customers you work with. And there's an interesting Gallup study that said people who have a best friend at work are more loyal, they're more productive, and they perform better.
WHITFIELD: Really?
BURTON: So when you like the people that you work with, it makes a big difference.
WHITFIELD: It does make a big difference. And then using your strengths, meaning your own personal strengths. You're feeling valued, right?
BURTON: This isn't about "I'm going to be a software quality engineer or bank teller." This is finding the right fit for you based on your strengths. You know, if your strength is communication, doing what you do is going to come more naturally to you. Your job is going to be easier. You want to find the right fit for you, and don't negate your strengths. If you don't know what they are, ask people around you. You know, what is it that seems comes naturally for me, what do you see as being a strength and then find those ways to incorporate that into your job.
WHITFIELD: Fantastic. All right, so, you know, building that happiness at work means building your well-being.
BURTON: Yes, you're good, Fred.
WHITFIELD: The whole circle. Here we go. Feeling happy, feeling good.
BURTON: Feeling happy here.
WHITFIELD: Valorie Burton, thanks so much. Good to be with you.
BURTON: Good to be with you.
WHITFIELD: All right, a soldier returning from Afghanistan gets a special welcome home greeting. Watch after the break. That, too, is going to make you really happy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, you know, usually when something goes viral, it does involve a child or a pet. Well, this is one that involves a pet and it's just so much fun. Alexandra with me here, taking a look at an incredible greeting between man and best friend. Let's take a look.
This young man came back from Afghanistan. And probably the happiest one to see him was his pooch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy's home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make him feel so good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: I love that. That is so sweet. So the dog's name is Chuck. And Chuck just went bananas, as you can see. That's a great greeting.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, there's a book called "Dogs that know when their owners are coming home." And I mean, I don't have dogs, but people that have dogs believe there's such a connection, even, you know, a cerebral one, that they know in advance what their owners are going to do and where they're going to be.
WHITFIELD: I believe that. I believe that. That is so great. That just makes me happy right there.
STEELE: Happy guy. I'm so glad he's home, too.
WHITFIELD: A great greeting.
STEELE: Must be a good guy.
WHITFIELD: I know, after coming home.
STEELE: Makes me want to hug him.
WHITFIELD: I know. It's so nice that the doggy remembered him. It didn't matter how long he was gone.
STEELE: That's right.
WHITFIELD: He's happy. Very sweet. Thanks, Alexandra. We'll be right back. Much more straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now. We have more than one winner of the biggest mega millions lottery jackpot ever. Winning tickets were sold in Maryland, Kansas, and Illinois. The winners will split $656 million. We don't know who the new millionaires are, but we know their lucky numbers. Here they are. Two, four, 23, 38, 46, with a mega ball of 23.
All right, college basketball fans, I have two words for you - final four. Tipoff is less than two hours away. After a bracket-busting NCAA tournament, there are only four teams left, hence, final four. Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas and Ohio state. Kentucky is nine point favorite over Louisville, and Ohio state is favored by two over Kansas.
All right. Women's rights activists want to know if the Augusta National Golf Club is finally about to break the glass ceiling. IBM chairwoman Ginny Rometty could be the first female member in the club's 80 plus year history. IBM is a sponsor of the Master's and its CEO has traditionally received membership. The only comment from Augusta National is that membership is a private matter.
Tiger Woods is heading into next week's Masters tournament a winner. Many golf fans are wondering if his victory at the Arnold Palmer invitational last weekend is the beginning of a comeback. It was his seventh Arnold Palmer win. It was also his 72nd PGA tour win.
One man who can take much of the credit for Tiger's early success, swing coach Hank Haney. He has just released a new book, "the big miss." I spoke with Haney about his motivation for writing about woods and addressing the scandalous side.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANK HANEY, TIGER WOODS' FORMER SWING COACH: Yes. I had thought, you know, for a long time that, boy it would be interesting to write a book about my experiences coaching Tiger Woods. I mean, he's a fascinating person. He's an incredible golfer. I think the greatest golfer that's ever played and a very complex personality.
So, the book is about coaching, the book is about golf, the book is about, you know, life in many, many ways. A lot of people that are reading the book are making that comment, too. So, it's something I really enjoyed doing.
WHITFIELD: But does all that really take an aside because your book title is "the big miss, my year of coaching Tiger Woods." It would seem as though this book is really about your observations of Tiger Woods. And less about you and your experiences and what it is to, you know, impart on other coaches.
HANEY: Well, the big miss is really golf jargon for the big miss, the missed tee shot that puts you out of play, the big miss putt, the big miss opportunity to win a tournament, and it also, you know, can mean the big misses that both Tiger and I had in our lives and in our times working together.
WHITFIELD: His agent, in fact, released a statement saying Haney admits he never had an in depth personal discussion with Tiger. The self-serving book is full of guesses and false assumptions. What is your response to Steinberg's response and that Tiger Woods also told ESPN, you know, that he has no intention of reading this book?
HANEY: Well, I mean, Tiger always says that, but I also know that in the time I was with him, he read just about everything. As far as Marc Steinberg's comments, I mean obviously, how you would describe somebody's in depth conversations would be, I guess, up to the person. But I spent 110 days a year with Tiger. I was talking to him on the phone probably another 100 days a year. I played golf with him probably 50 times a year. So, you obviously, you have quite a few discussions.
But Tiger is a very closed-off person. You know, you don't get a lot of in depth conversations with Tiger, but obviously, I made a lot of observations and did talk to Tiger a lot during, you know, six years, over 200 day as year, you have a lot of conversations.
WHITFIELD: What do most people not know about him? You write in the book that while you didn't know about his extramarital activities, but upon reflection, you talked about how you thought Tiger also always had a wall up, that on, quote, "some deep level, I was expecting something to break."
What do you mean about that? Is that wall something that many people don't know about him or is it something else?
HANEY: Well, I mean, I think a lot of people do know that there's a wall up. I mean, I didn't know anything about the affairs he was having. In fact, the first time that I really, you know, heard an inkling, that there might be a problem, Marc Steinberg called me and he said that Hank, there's going to be an article coming out in the "National Enquirer." It's about Tiger and this girl, but it's not true and everything is going to be OK. So, if anybody interviews, you just don't say anything.
And then, you know, of course two weeks later, Tiger hit the fire hydrant, and then, you know, we found out that everything was true and there was much more behind it. But there is a wall up. I mean, but I think that's something that you see with a lot of people, especially, you know, somebody that is playing an individual sport and is an incredibly great achiever like Tiger Woods is, it's not that unnatural for them to be very self-centered and to, you know, have some kind of a wall up to insulate themselves. He's been dealing with a lot of pressures for his whole life.
WHITFIELD: And then given that really quick, was there any trepidation or any feeling that you were kind a betraying that coach/athlete relationship by writing about it? I mean, many athletes look at their coaches as their, you know, father or parent figure.
HANEY: Yes. Well, you know, I really, really thought that, you know, these were my memories, too. They weren't just Tiger's memories. He didn't have an exclusive on the memories. I'm not the first coach to ever write a book. I mean, Phil Jackson wrote a book, Joe Torre wrote a book. John Wooden wrote a book. Tony la Russa is writing a book.
There are many, many coaches that have written books. I'm just one of a long line of coaches who have written a book. So, if there's some code that I broke, I guess all of those coaches broke it, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. As the weather gets nicer, are you a woman who is now taking up running? In this week's health for her, Elizabeth Cohen looks as ways to prevent injury.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Liz Parish and her daughter, Lauren, are part of a 5-k training program geared toward new runners.
LIZ PARISH, RUNNER: We decided that it would be a great thing to do together.
COHEN: Sports medicine podiatrists, Dr. Perry Julian, says some arch shin and heel pain is normal when starting out, but new runners and prevented injury by following this tips.
DOCTOR PERRY JULIEN, SPORTS MEDICINE PODIATRIST: It's important when you start a new activity, whether it's running or tennis or bicycling, you sort of gradually increase your intensity, increase the duration, increase the frequency on a gradual basis.
COHEN: And flexibility is just as important.
JULIEN: When certain are muscles are tight, you then ask other muscles to overwork.
COHEN: He says number one is the cap stretch but don't forget the hamstring, quadroon steps and upper legs. Also, what you wear on your feet may make a difference.
JULIEN: Usually, we recommend somewhere 200 and 400 miles or three to six months to replace new shoes.
COHEN: But, if an injury does occur?
JULIEN: Any injury that lasts longer than seven days or gets worse or re-occurs should probably be seen by a sports medicine specialist.
COHEN: As for these ladies --
SUSAN JONES, TRAINER, ATLANTA TRACK CLUB: They goal is really to get fit, to be healthy, and that mentality says I just want to finish. We just want to have fun.
COHEN: Fit plus fun, a combination for success.
With this week's health for her, I'm Elizabeth Cohen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And who could forget this iconic movie scene?
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)
WHITFIELD: It will be back in theaters next weekend. Yes, 15 years later. Titanic is back. Our movie critic Grae Drake gives us the inside-scoop on the titanic 3D premiere that was in London. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Fifteen years after its original release, "titanic" is back in theaters, this time in 3D. It opens on the big screen next Thursday. Our movie critic, Grae Drake, the all doled out on the red carpet. I'm very excited. She was in London for the premiere of the "titanic 3D." I know you were so calm and excited about going. Did it live up to all of your expectations?
GRAE DRAKE, FILM CRITIC, FANDANGO & MOVIES.COM: It far exceeded them. I started out a fan of this movie, and everyone involved, and I left a crazy person for all of them. It was just wonderful.
WHITFIELD: Well, it didn't look like they were running away from you on the red carpet. So, they enjoyed talking to you. I understand, you did get a chance to get up close and personal with director James Cameron, and what did he have to say?
DRAKE: Well, he was just coming back from a record-setting dive in the Mariana trench. This man --
WHITFIELD: I don't know how he made that turnaround.
DRAKE: No kidding. He hops on a plane and his commitment to the movie and to giving all of us, you know, the scoop that we need was amazing. Because he flies, I think, 20 hours from this record-setting dive and ends up on the red carpet the next day. He was so lucid. And fantastic, I couldn't believe it. I mean, my favorite part of speaking to him was probably how he said that he was still committed to the effects of "titanic" as they were originally.
Now, like some other filmmakers who will remain nameless, who continue to change their films, James Cameron is not doing that, which I love. It's like honoring this amazing film.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So now, why did he decide to do this? What was it about this movie that he felt like it kind of, you know, needed 3D, need to make a comeback? What was he after?
DRAKE: Well, although I didn't ask him that exact question, I would love to speculate on it because he -- this movie meant so much, and it grossed so much money all over the world. This movie knew no language, no barriers, at all. Everyone loved that story of Jack and Rose, and this, you know, in honoring what happened to those people on the titanic 1 00 years ago this year.
WHITFIELD: OK. So, tell me about --
DRAKE: I'm sorry. No.
WHITFIELD: I'm just looking at the images there and again, envisioning you there on the red carpet, you stand now. You know, I have to know a little bit more about your point of view of the red carpet and all of the stars turning out, and the excitement of others who were lined up just trying to get a quick peek at Jack and Rose or anybody else.
DRAKE: It was wild. I mean, the premiere was at royal Albert hall in London, which was amazing in itself, but the people were so excited, and they were mostly young, like people who might not have seen this when it was first released in '97. And they were going bonkers, like wanting people's autographs. It was magical. Kate Winslet was a vision. She's a lovely, lovely lady. And that picture that you're seeing right there is very special to me because --
WHITFIELD: Why?
DRAKE: When I got to interview Kate Winslet, we instantly bonded over the enormous size of our feet.
(LAUGHTER)
DRAKE: Listen, you know how this is? Like you just -- you never know what's going to happen when you walk into one of these interviews. And she was very impressed with the fact that I would not -- she would not fit in my shoes. Her feet -- and so the interview goes amazing, and she's so excited to be there. A little bit, you know, a little bit nervous about seeing herself 15 years after the fact, but however --
WHITFIELD: Really?
DRAKE: I know she's so gorgeous and funny. At the end of the interview, I was able to live out one of my personal dreams, which was high five her for making it with Leonardo Dicaprio twice.
WHITFIELD: I was going to ask you, what is behind the high five? We saw the picture zoom by. That was very cute. I like that. I love that you had such a great time. I know you said you were, you know, just through the roof excited about going, and so glad it all worked out, and glad you had the time to come back and tell us about it.
DRAKE: Absolutely. And I'll tell you what, watching titanic in 3D is spectacular. The bigger sized screen the better, go out to IMAX, relive the whole thing because I just loved it and I bawled like a baby for the second time.
WHITFIELD: That's so fantastic. Well, Grae Drake, thanks so for bringing your point of view to us and the red carpet in London.
DRAKE: Yes, absolutely. WHITFIELD: As usual, you were looking electric. All right. Thanks so much.
Remember, you can get all of Grae's movie reviews in Grae's Fandango and movies.com.
All right, so want to own a piece of the "titanic." There's more. I ride already. Passenger belongings of video footage and other ship artifacts will be up for auction next month and it's going as a single lot. Prequalified bidders must submit bids to the auction house before April 2nd. Winners will be announced in type for the ship wreck centennial April 15th. Items can be pricey of course. In 2004, a dinner menu sold for about $100,000. The collection currently up for auction is valued at $189 million.
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WHITFIELD: All right. Time for a CNN equals politics update. We're keeping an eye on the latest headlines on CNNpolitics.com desk. And here is what is crossing right now.
Republican candidates for president are in Wisconsin this weekend. They're appealing to conservative voters gathering at an event sponsored by the faith and freedom coalition. The event comes just days before the Wisconsin primary.
An embarrassing moment between Mitt Romney and George H.W. Bush when the former president asked the candidate if his son, the other George W. Bush, had endorsed him. The answer, no.
President Obama wrapped up a fund-raising swing through the northeast, declaring Republicans are showing signs of madness in their economic policies. While raising campaign money in Vermont, the president says the GOP wants to return to policies predating the great depression.
And of course, for all of the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, CNNpolitics.com.
All right, much more of the newsroom straight ahead, my colleague, Don Lemon, in about 11 minute. But, here's a preview.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. So, we have been discussing this, you know this whole Trayvon Martin tragedy. George Zimmerman tragedy and talking about, what does this mean? Where do we go? And I said, well, you have to hearing people talk about white privilege and black rage, right? That it's -- it's brought on some of that, and we were trying to figure out how to put the story on air. And then there was a Piers Morgan interview last night with cultural commentator, Toure. It took place last night and it signified where we wanted to go. At issue, the Trayvon Martin killing, and I think it's safe to say that similar conversations, Fred, are being had across the country. Take a listen and you and I talk about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE, CULTURAL COMMENTATOR: Another black person who is unarmed and innocent, and not doing anything wrong, has been killed, and this is incredibly painful, and goes back before you were born and before your father because born and before my grandfather was born.
So these are things that hurt as an American very deeply. And you are too new to this situation to fully understand what's really going on here and what's really at stake for America.
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT: What a load of fatuous nonsense you speak, Toure, don't you? You think you have the only right to speak about what is serious in America. You think I don't have the right as somebody from Britain who spent the last six, seven years here --
TOURE: Six whole years. You have the right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: You're funny. Boy. I don't know what to say.
LEMON: My.
WHITFIELD: That sounds like it got explosive, even more so.
LEMON: It's to say the least. I saw it last night, and we were watching it. I almost fell off the couch. That was only 43 seconds of it. That was just only 43 seconds. We're going to play much of that, and we're going to have a discussion with our very own, cultural critic. I have been talking to Piers. Piers, doesn't really talk about it right now. But maybe he'll be moved to call in and tried to get in touch to Toure, same thing. He doesn't feel like talking about it. But I think it's a good discussion worth hamming.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: Interesting. Interesting.
WHITFIELD: We will see more of that. Don Lemon. Thanks so much. We'll see you at the top of the hour, nine minutes and counting away.
Thanks so much.
All right. Your child will need more than $22,000 to attend a public college. Find out where to get that money, next.
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WHITFIELD: All right, unless you just won the lottery, you're probably wondering how in the world you're going to pay for your child's college education.
Senior business correspondent, Christine Romans, has some ideas in this week's smart is the new rich.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: More than $22,000 is what you'll need to attend an average public college this year. At private colleges, the average asking price is twice that. Where are you going to come up with all that money?
The April issue of "Money" magazine uncovered 25 secrets to paying for college. Kim Clark is the senior writer at "Money" who co-wrote the story.
Kim, you say that kids can cut living expenses. They can take cheaper courses. These are two important ways to cut costs.
KIM CLARK, SENIOR WRITER, MONEY MAGAZINE: Right. Well, when you look at the $22,000 number, people don't realize that about nine or $10,000 of it that is living costs. That's a great way to cut your expenses. And one way to do that for example, is to ask for maybe less ritzy dorms. The standard dorm is shared with one other person. But if you ask to triple or quadruple up, you could save a thousand, $2,000.
The other way is to do chores. There are coops and scholarships where you work four or five hours a week. And you save huge amount of money. The scholarship passes around the university of Florida, they say cost only $2,000 a year for room and board, and that's a $6,000 a year savings.
ROMANS: And you can take cheaper courses? How do you do that?
CLARK: Right. A lot of schools are offering discounting tuition on summer school and of course, you could get your pre-recs out of the way by taking eight-day classes of community college course.
ROMANS: That is really good advice because you know that 40 percent of kids who get to school, get to college still need some remedial math or language. Do that first so you are not wasting the money on the more expensive course.
Thank you so much.
For smart is the new rich, I'm Christine Romans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, Alexandra and I listening intently. How are we paying for our kids' education? Start saving now. How are you doing?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good. Hi, everyone. Welcome to the weekend weather. You know, in the south, spring break for many people, and a lot of people in Florida, it's been incredibly stormy day there from Panama City all the way down to Ft. Myers and Miami. Even have a tornado warning for Miami. It has since expired and it's over, but still, lines of showers and storms moving through.
This is the southeast. Even from Nashville to Chattanooga and Huntsville, until 9:00 tonight. We do have a severe thunderstorm watch, the greatest potential, hail or some strong winds. But, other than that, no real tornatic threat thought.
To the west, what we have seen, rain and snow and of course, the winds, the heat and the winds and the fire danger really the triple threat here through much of the interior west. So, a few severe storms potentially. Add some snow, believe it or not, in the northeast today. Places that were 80 degrees in places like New Hampshire, also places even like Rhode Island had some snow, going to see some snow again tomorrow in the New York state area in the Adirondacks and green mountains.
WHITFIELD: All right. Last gasp of winter.
STEELE: That's right.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Alexandra.
STEELE: Sure.
WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks for being with me this afternoon. Much more in the newsroom straight ahead with Don Lemon.
LEMON: Bye, Fred.
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