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Larry David Played Senator Bernie Sanders on "SNL"; Eddie Murphy Impersonated Bill Cosby; Congressman Brendan Boyle Says VP Biden Will Run for President. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired October 19, 2015 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:31:18] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: It's a comic genius that maybe rivals Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin, this time "Saturday Night Live" where Bernie Sanders with another (INAUDIBLE) Larry David and can we say spot on? Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY DAVID, COMEDIAN: I'm the only candidate up here who is not a billionaire. I don't have a super PAC. I don't even have a backpack. I carry my stuff around loose in my arms like professor, you know, between classes. I own one pair of underwear. That's it. Some of these billionaires, they got three, four pairs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does the email scandal say about your ability to handle other crises as president?
KATE MCKINNON, COMEDIAN: Well Coop, I welcome this had question because I rehearsed this one the longest.
DAVID: You know what? Can I just jump in here? This may not be great politics, but I think the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.
MCKINNON: Thank you, Bernie. God, it must be fun to scream and cuss in public. I have to do all mine into tiny little jars.
DAVID: Hey, what's the deal with emails anyway? I forgot my password the other day so they say we'll email you a new one. But I can't get into my email to get the password.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That opening sketch 100 percent killed. I'm lucky enough to have these two next to me. "Daily Beast" contributor Dean Obeidallah, he is also the host of Sirius XM, the "Dean Obeidallah show." Also joining me comedian Sherrod Small who is a correspondent and commentator of the VH1 "Best Week ever," also the host of Sirius XM "Raise Word."
Hello, welcome.
(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: Thank you. Thank you.
So first to you, Dean, about the Bernie.
(CROSSTALK)
SHERROD SMALL, COMEDIAN: I'll work on it.
BALDWIN: Larry David, brilliant.
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, POLITICAL COMEDIAN: Unbelievable. It was so good I'm going to vote for Bernie Sanders because I want to see Larry David come back and play that for like eight more years.
BALDWIN: So many people are saying that today.
OBEIDALLAH: No. But it was good because his comedy, political comedy that hurts a candidate and sometimes it helps. This helps because it's gone viral. It's reaching young people who don't know anything about Bernie or what he stands for. And the comedy was good. It told people about his policies. Like he wants to break up the big banks, they did a joke about it. That's really part of his policy.
BALDWIN: Do you guys think that Larry David went to Loren Michaels and said hey, I got this? How do you think it was?
SMALL: No. I think Loren, everybody was saying that Bernie Sanders sounded like Larry David during the debate. I think Loren is so big time, he got on the phone like this. Get in New York. When do I skit?
BALDWIN: Get me Larry David right now.
SMALL: He spoke to Larry David and then hung up on Larry David and said get to New York and hung up on him. But he nailed it. Who can separate old, you know, grumpy white dudes?
OBEIDALLAH: It was good. It was like a mix into --
(CROSSTALK)
OBEIDALLAH: -- and Bernie Sanders into one person like all the time yelling and staff. It was more animated and more fun than Bernie. Bernie applauded it the next day.
BALDWIN: Speaking of, we have it. Let's take a look at the real Bernie Sanders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am told that I don't have a sense of humor. So I'm going to start off with a joke. Are you all ready for a joke? Here is the joke. My name is Larry David and Bernie asked me to do this speech.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: If you listen to Bernie Sanders, if you close your eyes, I'm hearing Larry David.
SMALL: Yes, they are the same dude. They have the same voice and the same mannerisms. It is natural.
BALDWIN: How much do you think, to both of you, what "SNL" is able to do, you know, with bringing in -- I'm sure they were salivating to get back on the season because they had so much material, but how much does it actually affect the campaign?
SMALL: I think it definitely affects it. I think it brings more attention to the candidate, first of all. And if you didn't know Bernie Sanders before this, you know him now. You know him from the skit that has gone viral with the young kids watching it. So, it can't hurt.
[15:35:06] BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE)
OBEIDALLAH: Right. But I think it can hurt. Not this one. I think this one I think really helps. But Sarah Palin, how many people said I can see Russia from my house. She never said that. (INAUDIBLE) face of that. That ended up defining Sarah Palin as a foreign policy lightweight. So comedy is a double-edged sword. It can make you see you and like you.
This was a really good one for Bernie. Jim Webb, it wasn't that good. And for Hillary, the narrative over and over is I'm a shape shifter. I'll go with any form you need. I'm so desperate to be president. That's comedic the narrative on "SNL." It came as (inaudible).
SMALL: Everybody is trying to use it. I can't wait to see Donald Trump.
BALDWIN: I was about to say. I was at the show Saturday night. There are signs all over 30 rock. Like November 7th, Donald Trump.
SMALL: It is going to be huge.
BALDWIN: Yes. It's going to be awesome. Can we talk about Eddie Murphy?
SMALL: OK.
BALDWIN: Eddie Murphy, this guy has not done standup or told jokes in front of a live audience in 28 years. He received the Mark Twain prize for American humor last night at the Kennedy Center. I was talking to Joe Piscopo who was on and I was with him last hour. He said he 100 percent killed. Why do you think he waited 28 years, a, to do that and, b, to impersonate Bill Cosby?
SMALL: Bill? First of all, I know Eddie Murphy, I have heard him say that he didn't want to do standup anymore because once he's in the clubs, people tape him on the phone before the joke is ready and then put the joke out and people say Eddie Murphy is not funny.
BALDWIN: Taking him out of context?
SMALL: He can't work on a joke before he can put it out this to the public. So that's hard for a comedian, definitely if you're famous. And secondly, I thought it was great he did spoke on the Bill thing, Bill Cosby situation. He didn't do that on "SNL" 40.
BALDWIN: He didn't do any of that.
SMALL: Right, anything. But he came out now and said he did an impersonation of him like them trying to take the award back from Bill Cosby.
BALDWIN: That's right. He got it in 2009. Let's all remember, Eddie Murphy, 1987 robbed. This is the first time he impersonated Bill Cosby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDIE MURPHY, COMEDIAN: And I was like hello, Mr. Cosby? I would like to talk to you about some of the things that you do in your show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Dean, do you think that was like a special one off? If you got to be in the Kennedy center, you got to see Eddie Murphy do his thing and now he is going back to --?
OBEIDALLAH: I'm shocked that he did it because he wouldn't do it at the 40th anniversary. People talked about that. So I don't know, (INAUDIBLE), but why he would go and do that now, it's really a mystery.
SMALL: Because it is out now. Because everybody is standing out. Even Bill Cosby's wife is looking at him funny. So you can talk about it. Everybody is doing it now. He nailed it. It was uncomfortable. You can tell Eddie was kind of nervous on stage because he had both his hands on statue.
BALDWIN: You saw the clip.
SMALL: I saw the clip. He looked a little nervous. But he got through it. It was funny. It was hilarious.
BALDWIN: Do you think will we see more of this?
SMALL: I hope so. I mean, the world needs more Eddie Murphy.
BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE), that's what I hear.
SMALL: Yes.
BALDWIN: Right? It so good.
Sherrod and Dean, thank you both so much.
SMALL: Brooke, thank you. You are looking good, Brooke. BALDWIN: Good to hang after "SNL."
SMALL: Yes. We went to the after after party.
BALDWIN: Moving on, moving on.
Just ahead here, this was created for a doomsday scenario. A seed vault to replant earth's farms in the case of a global catastrophe, but now it's being opened. We will tell you what this is and why.
Plus weight watchers, the stock is soaring because Oprah bought a huge stake in the company. We'll look at whether the famous new board member can turn around the struggling weight loss company. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:42:56] BALDWIN: It's been awe while since media mogul Oprah Winfrey put her magic touch behind a product, but she has done it again this time it's with the (INAUDIBLE) company weight watchers. She owns a 10 percent stake, has a seat on the board of directors and plans to use the products. She now owns 10 percent stake, has a seat on the board of directors and says she plans to use the products. She can probably guess the news sent stocks soaring.
So joining me now, CNN analyst and the Grio entertainment editor Chris Witherspoon. Also here is celebrity blogger Rob Shuter with naughty gossip. So great to see both of you.
Weight watchers, why?
ROB SHUTER, CELEBRITY BLOGGER: It's so random. It is about random thing. So when this story broke, I think everybody was scratching their heads asking, why has the great Oprah decided this company? Rumors are that Gail is a particular fan of weight watchers. Gail is her best friend. And so maybe that's the reason Oprah did this.
CHRIS WITHERSPOON, CNN ANALYST: You know, I'm not really sure. I think that Oprah is the queen of weight loss. She's been on this journey for like 25 years. I keep thinking of her bringing out the red wagon out a while ago and he eaten all the fat, yes. So I think that Oprah has been on this roller coaster of weight loss. It is perfect. It's a natural fit. And I think Weight Watchers is still accessible. Oprah has billions, but she's choosing this thing that's accessible for women all across the country.
BALDWIN: Can we just say that we saw Oprah and Gail last week?
WITHERSPOON: We did.
(CROSSTALK)
WITHERSPOON: Yes, stunning.
BALDWIN: Moving on to "Star Wars, the force awaken." The trailer debuts tonight during the big "Monday night football" game. Here is the - I think this is the trailer to the trailer. Do we have it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fingerprint technology?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Chewy. The trailer before the trailer. Why do you think during "Monday night football"?
[15:45:00] WITHERSPOON: Here is the thing. I think that the hard core "Star Wars" fans are already clued. And they watched every trailer. This is what the folks that are back home in like Ohio and different places watching football that might not have been keeping up on "Star Wars." And they are going to see this like whole nostalgic film and why not, you know, go to film.
SHUTER: They are reaching millions and millions of people to not miss this. And I think this --
BALDWIN: Just a few people watch football.
SHUTER: Yes. That thing is really, really clever about it. I think what they decided is tonight after the trailer airs tickets will be available. So the minute you see this, you can go on the internet or online or on the phone and buy tickets. So they think people are going to watch this (INAUDIBLE).
BALDWIN: OK. Here's the story I'm most excited about. Back to the future - I mean, we all watch "back to the future." I can't believe we're now living like in the future. Like that future days and I imagine Jetsons --.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: So October 21st, 2015, as predicted in "back to the future 2." And there are these ways that people can celebrate.
SHUTER: Yes. There are lot of different steps.
BALDWIN: Where's my hover board?
WITHERSPOON: I know.
SHUTER: Some of the stuff didn't come true. So I think they predicted flying cars which clearly hasn't happen. But some of the stuff has actually happened.
BALDWIN: Walk me through are some of that?
SHUTER: (INAUDIBLE).
WITHERSPOON: I mean, the cubs, that's the big story. The Cubs might go to the World Series. BALDWIN: Playing the Mets right now.
WITHERSPOON: They predicted that happened in 2015. That like it the really big story. That happened so much about that I'm shocked hasn't come true -- the flying cars, the hover boards, I mean, there was like the lace-up sneakers they took by themselves. So much in this film that was kind of a fantasy. But kudos to Robinson (INAUDIBLE) who did a great job in this film and made something that was so transformative and futuristic for that time period.
SHUTER: There was a limited edition Pepsis right there. So I think it is about 6,000 bottles that will cost you $21 each, but they produced these bottle.
BALDWIN: There's also a Toyota ad. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those are the sneakers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got 3D movies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have fingerprint technology.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was self-tied sneakers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm waiting for those.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We haven't gotten there yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you believe these are fax machines would still be around?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I thought it passed the scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you fax?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I fax the people I fax.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One guy in Ohio has a fax machine. You fax him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll fax you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUTER: It's great to see Michael J. FOX back. Some celebrities don't embrace their past. When they move on, this is a long time ago. Some never want to go back, but he's going back which tells us how much he love s this film.
BALDWIN: Hover board.
WITHERSPOON: Give me one.
BALDWIN: All right, you two. Rob and Chris, thank you both so much. I appreciate it. SHUTER: Good to see you.
BALDWIN: Is Joe Biden running for president? This is one of those we wish we could see in the future things. We're getting tired actually of asking the question and the timing of the decision depends on which media outlet you want to pay attention to. But one U.S. represent says he's heard a decision has been made.
Jim Acosta, live in Washington. You just talked to him.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I did. I just got off the phone with Congressman Brendan Boyle. He represents these 13 district in Pennsylvania right outside of Philadelphia. And earlier this morning, Brooke, you were talking about the flurry of speculation. He started one himself when he tweeted I have a very good source close to Joe that tells me VP Biden will run for president. That got everybody, you know, spinning like a top pretty much all day long. But in just the last several minutes, the congressman did call me and did say he stands by this tweet. He says it's accurate. He would not say who the source is, but he described the source as close to the vice president and his team. And he said quote, I'll read this. "If he didn't run it would be pulling back from a decision that's already been made." And he also said that he believes that an announcement is coming soon.
This congressman also noted the vice president's Pennsylvania roots. And so, this congressman feels like, you know, this is something that he has some credibility on being from that area. But at the same time, we should point out, you know, the vice president's office has been saying no decision has been made, but a lot of Democratic sources around Washington believe we are close. The question is how close. We have heard this before. We heard the vice president's team and people say he's close to a decision and those expectations have been dashed. We have to be careful about this, but this one congressman believes that a decision is coming very soon.
BALDWIN: A decision via tweet, carrier pigeon, I have kidding. But you know, we'll take what we can get.
Jim Acosta, since I have you, tell me your reporting regarding on Ben Carson and Donald Trump. They want this secret service protection.
ACOSTA: They do. Donald Trump has been saying in the last several days look at the crowds I'm getting, you know. If this were Barack Obama I would have secret service protection by now. There is some truth to that. Because President Obama when he was running in 2008 had secret service protection very, very early. Actually earlier in this stage in the race.
But the document of homeland security says that Donald Trump and Ben Carson have both made formal requests or at least their campaigns have, for secret service protection. That process is under way. There's a special congressional committee that looks at this along with DHS and then render a decision. But that's basically a formality, Brooke. That decision is expected to come fairly quickly and they'll have that secret service protection. It's an indication of just these big crowds that both of these candidates are getting. And that secret service protection that they rightly deserve.
[15:50:24] BALDWIN: Jim Acosta, thank you.
ACOSTA: You bet.
BALDWIN: Next, it was created for a doomsday scenario, a seed vault to replant the earth in the case of global catastrophe. But now the war in Syria has actually forced experts to make a withdrawal sooner than they ever expected. We'll take you there and show you what this is next on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:54:56] BALDWIN: The Syrian civil war prompting scientists to do something they had never hoped they would ever have to, open up a doomsday vault. This is deep in the side of an arctic mountain. This vault containing seeds from all over the world an insurance policy of sorts in case of a global agricultural disaster.
CNN's senior international correspondent Arwa Damon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This location was chosen because of its remoteness, how far away it is from the conflict zones around the world and also because of the natural geography that exists here. But no one who was involved in this Svalbard global seed vault project ever thought they'd see a withdrawal in their lifetime.
Imagine earth decimated, essential food crops wiped out by catastrophe. It is here very deep in an arctic mountain where the seeds for humanity's survival are stored. But it wasn't an environmental disaster that caused the first mass withdrawal from the so-called doomsday seed vault. It was war. The war in Syria. Cut off from its vault in battle torn Aleppo, (INAUDIBLE), the international center for agricultural research in the dry areas requested a portion of the seeds it deposited back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where we are storing the seeds, the first shipment of seed that came around Svalbard.
DAMON: Now based in Lebanon, ICARDA director Mahmoud El Soth has a challenging job of keeping precious genetic lines alive. This is a wild relative of wheat that likely doesn't exist in nature anymore.
Why is what I'm holding in my hand so important?
MAHMOUD EL SOTH, DIRECTOR GENERAL, ICARDA: This is a source of desirable trade including drought tolerance, including heat tolerance, including resistant to diseases and so forth.
DAMON: But it's not just the wild strains. Its other crops like these (INAUDIBLE) seeds that are putting grown by farmers over hundreds of years.
This seed contains traits that might end up being necessary for the survival of the species. And we just don't know it yet.
EL SOTH: Exactly.
DAMON: The seeds with traits potentially vital to help us adapt to climate change will be replanted in Lebanon just across the border from Syria. Another vault built to replace the one in Aleppo lost to war and to parallel project in Morocco.
Crop diversity is a prerequisite for food security. And experts say our past is fundamental to our future survival. But war has meant that humanity has had to activate its backup plan sooner than anyone ever anticipated.
Once they have managed to rebuild its owned stockpiles of this vital genetic material, the seeds will be sent back and stored once again here in Svalbard. There are around 860,000 different types of seeds from around the world kept in a refrigerated area at negative 18 degrees Celsius. And even if the power were to go out, that vault would stabilize at negative eight, meaning that the genetic material would be available for generations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Now to this Chicago father, this father is now caught in as a judge calls it the ultimate tragedy. Police say this former gang member Michael Santiago illegally bought a gun to protect himself because he has testified in a gang trial. But the gun wound up in the wrong hands. Not in the hands of another gang member, rather a member of Santiago's own family, his 6-year-old son. Police say the boy shot his 3-year-old brother in the head during a game of cops and robbers. And their father is now charged with felony child endangerment. The children were in the care of their grandfather who says he had no idea that a loaded gun was sitting on the top of the refrigerator wrapped in pajama pants when he allowed the boys to go downstairs. The brothers live in a unit just below this grandfather.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL LASALLE, SHOOTING VICTIM'S GRANDFATHER: I heard a pop, so I ran down there and I grabbed him. He was laying flat. And I grabbed him and flipped him over and he had blood all over him. He was a good kid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: According to the CDC, 69 children under the age of 14 die from accidental gun discharges in the year 2013. Of those 30 were younger than five.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. I'll be back in tonight filling in for my friend Don Lemon at 10:00 eastern. Now "The LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts now.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Jeb Bush and Donald Trump locked in the fears and uncomfortable debate about 9/11.
I'm Jake Tapper. This is "the LEAD."
END
