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Coronavirus Death Toll Rises, Surpassing SARS; Thai Shooting Rampage Suspect Dead; America's Choice 2020; Virus Delays Adoption of Chinese Girl; At Least Two Troops Killed in Afghanistan; 2020 Oscars. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired February 09, 2020 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Ahead this hour, life under quarantine. CNN speaks with cruise ship passengers stuck in limbo as the coronavirus hits a tragic milestone.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): In Thailand, police kill a soldier accused of carrying out a deadly rampage. We'll hear from a survivor about what happened.

HOWELL (voice-over): And gaining momentum in New Hampshire. Ahead of the first U.S. election primary, we look at who leads and who's gaining ground.

ALLEN (voice-over): Much ahead this hour, welcome to our viewers here this hour we're coming to you live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL (voice-over): I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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ALLEN: Thank you again for joining us. Our top story: another day with more instances of coronavirus. At least six more cases have been confirmed aboard that quarantined cruise ship in Japan. We'll go live to Yokohama for more on that.

HOWELL: A second cruise ship quarantined in Hong Kong has been cleared. Those passengers will be allowed to leave the ship on Sunday with no further monitoring.

ALLEN: In the meantime, the overall death toll has risen to at least 813. That's more than the entire SARS outbreak of 2003. The World Health Organization is sending experts to China to study this new disease.

HOWELL: Around the world, the virus has infected more than 37,000 people, most of them in China. But at least 362 cases have now been reported worldwide. Let's cross live to Yokohama, Japan, where Matt Rivers is on the story.

We now know what people feared on that Diamond Princess cruise ship, the more they stay there, the more people that are getting sick.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean the numbers continue to go up, George. What the health officials are saying they presented symptoms later. They don't believe anyone contracted the virus after the quarantine period has ended.

But the fact remains that people onboard continue to get this virus or are diagnosed with it. In the meantime, Japanese officials saying this quarantine will go on until February 19th.

For those people who remain on board that aren't sick, it is boring and a bit tense.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS (voice-over): An early morning takeoff on a flight to see the Diamond Princess, the ship where dozens of people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Passengers on board under mandatory quarantine until February 19th.

The ship is actually returning to harbor. It was out of the harbor for about 24 hours to take care of some maintenance issues, including the production of fresh water. For the people on board it had the added effect of breaking up some of the monotony.

People below saw our helicopter flying around. Rose Yerex even shot this on her cell phone. We asked her and husband, Greg, to show us their cabin.

GREG YEREX, QUARANTINED PASSENGER: Small mini-fridge on the right, desk on the left. Swing around and there's Rose. And you can see there sure isn't much space in here.

ROSE YEREX, QUARANTINED PASSENGER: It's hard being stuck into a small room. But we are keeping ourselves occupied with all kinds of things, from watching movies and reading books.

RIVERS (voice-over): Breakfast dropped off at the door each morning. Yesterday they were allowed out on deck for an hour, masks on, at least two meters from others. It's all part of the quarantine. Health officials say it's the only way to stop the virus from spreading further. Some on board say it's like being in a cage.

MATTHEW SMITH, QUARANTINED PASSENGER: The time I really sense it is when the crew comes by and knocks on the door to hand you your food and then the doors close, as though somehow it's the feeding of the zoo animals.

RIVERS (voice-over): Matthew Smith says he gets it, though, and praises the action of the cruise company and the government. He feels the quarantine will work and is a good idea even though others onboard say they're afraid of catching the disease and have asked to get off.

SMITH: I think they could avoid that fear if they were a little more rational. But I understand, it's a stressful situation for everybody.

[04:05:00]

RIVERS (voice-over): Despite some people wanting off, the Japanese government says no chance the quarantine will end before February 19th. Tests will continue. Anyone diagnosed will be taken off. And if you are not sick, prepare for your room to be disinfected and settle in.

R. YEREX: We are really looking forward to being able to get home.

RIVERS: As we watch this ship docking into the harbor, it's strange to think that the passengers on board will not be able to get off. They are so close to land and yet so far away from being able to be on it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: There were some 428 Americans on board that ship. We know some of them have called publicly for the U.S. State Department and even President Trump to get involved to get them off before that quarantine period end.

However, the Japanese defense ministry said they talked to their counterparts in the American government and they're on board with the way the Japanese officials are handling this situation. They say the U.S. will not interfere to break that quarantine period.

So despite that, George and Natalie, it appears everyone on that ship who isn't sick and being taken off by health officials is going to remain on that ship until February 19th.

HOWELL: Matt, the perspective you gave us to see how close that ship is to land and to hear from people onboard to see what they're dealing with, really does give you a sense of how they are just waiting in limbo. Matt, thank you for the report.

ALLEN: It is one quarantine story after another to try to contain this. No one can really appreciate what they're going through there.

Four passengers from a cruise ship docked near New York City have now been discharged from the hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they all tested negative for the coronavirus.

But three of them were diagnosed with flu. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more now on when it's rescheduled to leave.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Officials with that cruise line want to make sure they were not exposed to coronavirus and that's why they've rescheduled the departure to Monday with a short itinerary.

When or if that ship goes out to sea, there will be additional health screening protocols and anyone who has traveled to or from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao in the last 15 days will be denied boarding. And any guest that comes into contact with anyone who has traveled in

that same region over that same amount of time. And most importantly here all holders of passports from China, Hong Kong or Macau will be denied boarding.

There will be mandatory specialized health screening for any guests who have come into contact with people who traveled to and from the affected region, as well as any guest who reports feeling unwell or showing flu-like symptoms.

This is the efforts of not just the Royal Caribbean cruise line but also Norwegian cruise lines who've announced the implementation of these additional measures as they try to keep the spread of coronavirus from happening in the United States -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

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HOWELL: Polo, thank you for the reporting.

Now to the shooting rampage in Thailand. A gunman opening fire at a busy mall in that country. Police say they shot and killed the gunman there.

ALLEN: That brought an end to a 12-hour-long standoff and hostage taking that left 26 people dead and 57 others wounded. The suspect, a heavily armed soldier who was apparently set off by an argument with a superior officer. Let's bring in our Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

Kristie, this is a highly unusual event in Thailand.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, highly unusual event. Mass shootings do not take place on a regular basis in Thailand. The gunman was heavily armed. He had a machine gun, hundreds of rounds of ammo and he was also a highly skilled shooter who won competitions.

We also heard from the Thai prime minister who said what triggered this was an argument over a land dispute. That is what triggered this mass shooting, starting at a military base and then ending at a shopping mall in the northeast part of the country.

A Thai soldier is accused of killing at least 26 people and injuring 57 others and, after a 12-hour standoff, he was shot dead by police.

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STOUT (voice-over): Terrified shoppers run out of the mall as a calm day turned deadly in one of Thailand's largest cities. Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat city, is where a Thai soldier opened fire at Terminal 21 mall, killing at least 26 people.

Hours after the rampage began, images on social media showed people sprinting across the mall as heavily armed Thai police and military evacuated them.

Jon Fielding, an English teacher, was inside the mall during the shooting.

JON FIELDING, TEACHER: I was just at the mall with a friend.

[04:10:00]

FIELDING: Everything was completely normal. And then all of a sudden, everyone started running. Lots of shouting and panicking. And we immediately knew something was wrong. And the immediate reaction is to kind of duck down and hide. And then everyone was running into the shops and restaurants and barricading the doors.

Luckily we were right next to a restaurant, so we went inside and shut the door. It's a huge mall, really busy, on a Saturday. There must have been thousands of people in the mall.

STOUT (voice-over): The tragic event unfolded in real time and security forces published images on social media, giving instructions for people trapped in the building to get out. Emergency workers livestreamed their rescue efforts as they were taking victims on stretchers out of the building.

ANUTIN CHARNVIRAKUL, THAI PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): We have been trying to bring out whoever we can. And we will gradually save others who are still stuck inside.

STOUT (voice-over): Thailand's defense ministry spokesman said the suspect, Army Sub. Lt. Jakrapanth Thomma, shot and killed his superior, then went around shooting his colleagues. After he escaped from his quarters he drove to the mall and started shooting civilians.

He added, the gunmen's motive is still unknown. Facebook said in a statement it had removed the suspected gunman's page, although there was no evidence of violent videos.

"We are working around the clock to remove any violating content related to this attack," the statement said. "Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this tragedy in Thailand."

The saga ended on Sunday when authorities confirmed the gunman was shot dead by police.

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STOUT: This day we learned from Thai officials that the gunman's mother was brought in to try to talk to her son and to negotiate and get him to stand down. We also confirm that the suspect was, indeed, holding hostages, leading to that fateful decision by Thai police to shoot him dead after a 12-hour standoff, Natalie.

ALLEN: So many people are suffering and grieving right now. Kristie Lu Stout, thank you.

HOWELL: The impact of the coronavirus goes well beyond the obvious health concerns. For one American family, it means their dream of adopting a young girl from China as the to be put on hold. ALLEN: Also, time is running out for Democratic candidates to garner

support in New Hampshire. How the candidates stack up ahead of the primary.

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ALLEN: We turn to Ireland now where vote counting has begun in their general election with exit polls suggesting there may be a tie between the three main parties.

The surveys showed the incumbent party, Fine Gael, the Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, and the center right Fianna Fail each have a little more than 22 percent support. Voters are electing 159 members of the lower house of Parliament.

HOWELL: Here in the United States, only two days to go until New Hampshire voters head to the polls for the first primary election.

ALLEN: Several Democratic presidential hopefuls took to the stage Saturday night for the New Hampshire Democratic Party 100 Club dinner. Despite their differences, they all spoke on the need for party unity and defeating President Trump.

Going into the primary, a new CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire shows senator Bernie Sanders is holding a narrow lead over his top rival. Sanders stands with 28 percent from likely Democratic primary supporters and Pete Buttigieg comes in with 21 percent and followed by Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren.

HOWELL: Candidates are feeling the heat as they scramble to secure as many votes as they can get.

ALLEN: We have two reports now, Leyla Santiago has more on the efforts from senator Warren and first Ryan Nobles on how Bernie Sanders is trying to maintain his momentum.

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RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt that Bernie Sanders and his campaign feeling very confident just a couple days before the vote here in New Hampshire. This is a state where Sanders should perform well.

Four years ago he soundly beat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. This time around, things are a little bit different, a much bigger field but some of the same strengths for Sanders are showing. He is drawing very big crowds and this state very close to his home state of Vermont. At an event at Rochester, New Hampshire, there were folks lined up as

early as 10:00 am in 25 degree weather. They had an overflow crowd that Sanders had to go and address before he came in here to speak to the population and did get in.

Sanders feels good but not taking anything for granted. Even though his campaign has the edge, this will be a close race come Tuesday night. And he said to the crowd here in Rochester not to take anything for granted.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we win here in New Hampshire and, with your help, I think we can win. It'll make it easier for us to win in Nevada, South Carolina and California.

It will make it easier for us to win the Democratic nomination and then have the opportunity to soundly defeat the most dangerous president in American history. Thank you, all, very much.

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NOBLES: Now it appears that Sanders' closest competition right now is the former South Bend mayor, Pete Buttigieg. They ran neck and neck in Iowa and it looks as if New Hampshire voters are giving Buttigieg a second look.

His campaign seems to be surging at this point. But Sanders believes there's a sharp distinction between the two of them. Specifically attacking Buttigieg's funding from big, wealthy donors, something that Sanders has rejected in this campaign. He thinks that and hopefully his strengths here in New Hampshire will help propel him to victory on Tuesday night -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, Rochester, New Hampshire.

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LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This afternoon, Senator Warren spoke in front of a pretty big crowd here in Manchester for a "get out the vote" canvas launch as a lot of people from beyond New Hampshire.

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SANTIAGO: I talked to people from Florida, New York, Massachusetts who were here to knock on doors on her behalf. Now she was very quick to kind of start off her speech saying, I am betting on you.

And her campaign will be very quick to point out that they have a grassroots movement that has been here for more than a year, reaching out to the voters of the very first primary in the country. Let me let you listen to what else she had to say.

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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is it. 2020 is our chance to make real change. We have had a country that has worked better and better and better for the people at the very top. 2020 is our chance to turn it around and make it work for everybody.

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SANTIAGO: All right. But now, let's talk about what happened just before she hit the stage. A new poll shows that she is in fourth place in New Hampshire just days away from the primary.

And one of the things I took note of is, among likely liberal voters, she's actually gone down 6 points to 15 percent. So I asked voters here how that makes them feel. They were quick to say they were happy with her performance in the debate but they did admit the poll numbers are a bit concerning and then pivoted to say that this is a long game. She can come back to this.

And they believe that, after Super Tuesday, she will be the candidate that will be in place to beat president Donald Trump in an election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: And now let's get perspective on this with Natasha Lindstaedt, professor of government and ethics in England. Live in Birmingham, England.

Good to have you with us.

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Thank you for having me.

HOWELL: Let's talk about the snapshot of what is and what is around the corner. Poll numbers showing Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders poised to do pretty well there. Bernie Sanders at 28 percent and Pete Buttigieg at 21 percent.

What is the appeal, Natasha, to voters there?

LINDSTAEDT: Well, I mean Buttigieg had the best outcome in Iowa because he sort of came out of fourth place -- third or fourth place to be really neck and neck with Bernie Sanders and turned out he did really well with rural voters.

And rural votes are portioned in a way that benefitted him and he seems to be doing well with moderate voters and seems to be taking away a lot of Biden's support base. It may be that some of these voters are thinking, I want something that is not as liberal or extreme as Warren or Sanders but I want someone who is new and fresh with new ideas.

And that's who he is appealing to. With Sanders, he seems to be taking a lot of Warren's voters and a couple reasons for that. He is not getting in too many specifics about what he's going to do. He's speaking about things in very broad terms and he does not get caught up in conversations about whether or not the middle class will pay for more taxes.

These were some of the heated discussions that Warren had with some journalists and he has a cult-like status with his supporters. They really, really love him. They made up their mind. So he's benefitting from these types of supporters. On the flip side,

people who have not made up their mind yet seem more likely to vote for Buttigieg than Biden.

HOWELL: Let's talk also about Elizabeth Warren, who was expected to do well there. Let's look at these numbers. You can see here on the chart, Elizabeth Warren not doing so well in this state. And then Joe Biden already admitted he would take a hit in the state.

How are these candidates missing the mark specifically?

LINDSTAEDT: Right. I think that she's just been losing out to Sanders, that they're seeing that he has more momentum and because they are so similar and appear to be so similar, voters are strategic. They are trying to figure out who has the best chance of beating Trump.

So what they're doing is just moving towards Sanders in this case, those that maybe would have been supporting Elizabeth Warren. As far as Biden is doing, he just did so terribly in Iowa. We thought he might come in second and we knew he wouldn't win Iowa but to come in fourth is a disastrous result.

He will probably come in third or fourth in New Hampshire. He is going to have to regroup. He will have to keep people thinking about what is going to happen in Nevada and South Carolina. He has to win big in South Carolina and he needs to win in Nevada.

If that doesn't happen, his campaign is in trouble. He also needs to do well on Super Tuesday on March 3rd. He has to remind people that this is a very long election period and will not be over after New Hampshire but I don't see him doing well there.

[04:25:00]

HOWELL: One person who has been monitoring the former vice president, Michael Bloomberg, the question of what happens with him. Not a matter of if, Natasha, but when this comes into play.

Do you see him heading off Buttigieg's rise as a centrist choice?

And how does that affect the other candidates?

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, Bloomberg is the wild card here. This really came out of nowhere that he was going to come the campaign and seems to get under Trump's skin and is willing to spend enormous amounts of money behind himself or really any Democratic candidate.

So he will have to do well on Super Tuesday. Something is going to have to shift here because you see he's not polling particularly good in New Hampshire.

What I see as most likely to happen is that he is going to flame out and then will put in tons of money behind another Democratic candidate. I just don't see how he's going to come out ahead, given the fact that he doesn't seem to have much support in any of the initial primaries.

HOWELL: Natasha with perspective, thank you for your time.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

ALLEN: We want to take you now to an airfield in Brazil. This is live video coming to us as a military flight carrying Brazilian nationals from Wuhan arrives.

Brazil is one of several countries bringing its nationals home as the virus spreads. British citizens have been arriving this morning as well as to a Royal Air Force base in the United Kingdom, where British citizens elsewhere in Mainland China and multiple airlines are still operating flights out of China to the U.K.

A little girl abandoned in China just days away from being adopted. But the coronavirus outbreak means the family that wants her will not be able to go to China until this crisis is over. Their story ahead here.

HOWELL: Plus Hollywood glitz and glam will be front and center later Sunday. We'll find out what to expect from this year's Academy Awards. Stay with us.

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ALLEN: Welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and all around the world, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM live. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

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HOWELL: A United States family spent most of the past two years preparing to adopt a small girl from China. She was abandoned when she was just six months old and had no family.

ALLEN: But just as the parents were about to head to China to bring their new daughter home, the coronavirus ruined those plans. CNN's Natasha Chen has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the child comes out and --

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Noah and Ivy Cleveland were supposed to be on a flight to China Friday night to pick up their adopted daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had this made for her to wear on her adoption day.

CHEN: Instead, they and their two sons spent Friday evening showing us the baby room. They spent months preparing for 3-year-old Ruby Faith's homecoming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we also like is dogs right here and --

CHEN: The Clevelands spent two years and an often unpredictable adoption process. They finally got the certainty of booked plane tickets, hotel rooms, only to have their adoption agency tell them less than two weeks before meeting their daughter that plans were on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak. This was just days before the U.S. announced restrictions on people traveling from China.

IVY CLEVELAND, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: This was the first time in my life that actually went to the point of being sick in my body. I just laid over her bed, over her crib that I had, you know, prepared for her and look at that, the pictures on the wall and her clothes in her closet. And just understanding that this is not happening right now.

CHEN: The State Department says adoption cases are still being processed, though the advised adoptive parents not to travel to China for the time being.

I. CLEVELAND: Our two boys were staying here. And so I had six different babysitters line that they care for them for the 14 days who would be gone.

NOAH CLEVELAND, ADOPTIVE FATHER: These are our suitcase all over the countries we've traveled --

CHEN: And because plans in this house often involve Noah Cleveland's out of town tours performing Christian music, the sudden change in logistics is also costly. More importantly, it's stretching their faith.

N. CLEVELAND: I know by my story and my life that I did -- there's many things I signed up to go through. But at the end, the way that God works it out I would never trade it. And I know this is just a part of our story. It's part of Ruby story and how incredible will it be to be able to tell her, look what -- look what -- look what we did to fight for you.

CHEN: What they did to fight for a girl who they say was abandoned in a hospital bathroom when she was six months old. A girl who's diagnosed with hydrocephalus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In that he built this sign.

CHEN: A girl whose new middle name is Faith, the very thing her family is relying on right now.

If you could say something to her that she would understand right now, what would you want her to know from you?

N. CLEVELAND: Mama and Daddy is coming. Just wait, we'll be there soon.

CHEN: Natasha Chen, CNN, McDonough, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Just hope everything comes together for them.

ALLEN: I'm sure it will, eventually.

We want to turn now to Afghanistan, where at least two U.S. troops are dead and six more wounded after a firefight in eastern Afghanistan.

HOWELL: Here's what we know, reports indicate that someone wearing an Afghan uniform opened fire on Afghan and U.S. forces using a machine gun, this is according to the U.S. military. Last year they saw a record high number of attacks by Taliban and other groups.

[04:35:00]

HOWELL: There are up to 13,000 U.S. troops still serving in Afghanistan.

ALLEN: For more journalist Jennifer Glasse is live in Kabul.

There's been a move to bring these troops back and make a deal with the Taliban but this certainly seems like a setback.

JENNIFER GLASSE, JOURNALIST: That's right, Natalie. So we know the Americans were from the 7th Special Forces group, that is a Special Forces group that specializes in unconventional warfare. They were in Eastern Afghanistan in Nangarhar province, completing a key engagement when this attack occurred.

Somebody in an Afghan military uniform opened fire on them and Afghan forces that they were working with killing two Americans and wounding six others. Those six are being treated at American military installations now.

We know U.S. military is investigating the cause. They don't know the cause or the motive behind this. We don't know right now whether the person in the military uniform was an Afghan soldier or whether it was someone who had stolen an Afghan army uniform. But it could certainly complicate peace efforts here.

ALLEN: We know that they're looking to reduce the number of our soldiers in Afghanistan to some 8,000.

But right now, how far are American troops spread out across this country?

GLASSE: There are about 13,000 U.S. troops here. About half of them part of the NATO mission to train and advise Afghan forces and the other half are involved in counterterrorism missions.

And those were the soldiers that were killed and wounded in this attack on Saturday. Exactly where those soldiers are, we don't know. That's kind of the nature of Special Operations forces.

Spread across the country but certainly in the east and in the south where we've seen the bulk of fighting against the Taliban but also fighting in the north and the west, as well. The Taliban control or contest more than half the country and we've seen attacks around the country.

The American forces trying to help the Afghan forces get a handle on this, helping with intelligence and helping with logistics and, of course, helping with air operations, as well.

ALLEN: We'll be finding out more about how this happened and we appreciate your reporting. Jennifer Glasse for us live in Kabul. Thanks, Jennifer.

HOWELL: Still ahead, very strong winds and torrential rain are hitting parts of Australia very hard. When we return, the latest on the tropical cyclone Damien and where it is headed next.

ALLEN: Also we are counting down to Hollywood's biggest night.

We'll talk about who is up for the gold statuette.

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ALLEN: We've had fires, heat waves and now we have a cyclone in parts of Australia.

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HOWELL: Want to take you now to live images we're monitoring. This is what you're seeing live in Hong Kong. People getting off the World Dream cruise ship. Health authorities there announced crew members onboard, that they tested negative for coronavirus.

So the total of 3,600 people, including crew and passenger, are now able to leave the ship. That ship after being quarantined there since February 5th.

ALLEN: That is a very good scene there.

HOWELL: Well, Natalie, you just think about it. They have been waiting in limbo for so long, waiting in the small rooms and unsure if they would get sick with this. But now we understand that, you know, they are able to leave.

ALLEN: They are disembarking.

HOWELL: Passengers have tested negative, again, to coronavirus.

ALLEN: So we still have the cruise ship in Yokohama and we're watching that one, still.

[04:45:00]

ALLEN: We are hours away from Hollywood's biggest awards show. What to expect and who to watch at this year's Academy Awards coming up this weekend.

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HOWELL: Well, the red carpet has been rolled out and, just hours away from now, Hollywood's biggest night gets underway in Los Angeles.

ALLEN: The show will be without a host again this year but plenty of star power on stage. Tom Hanks, Chris Rock, Will, Ferrell just a few presenters handing out awards and they have done it before and it worked out OK.

Sunday, for more on what to watch, let's turn to film critic Richard Fitzwilliams, joining us from London.

Richard, great to see you.

RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS, ROYALTY COMMENTATOR: And also to be back at another Oscars. But, again, there will be both drama and controversy. I mean, no question. The three issues that come instantly to mind.

Firstly, again the lack of diversity on the acting nominations.

Secondly, the lack of gender equality when it comes to Best Director, yet again, although it is a field very difficult to break into this year because of the high standard.

[04:50:00]

FITZWILLIAMS: And, thirdly, Netflix seems to have failed to break through, which they were hoping to do last year and don't look like doing this year.

ALLEN: Let's talk about who will probably take the stage.

Any chance Joaquin Phoenix won't win for "Joker" or Renee Zellweger won't take the stage for "Judy?"

FITZWILLIAMS: You're absolutely right. We know, I think, that Joaquin Phoenix is going to win for playing a comedian turned criminal in "Joker." It's a very powerful performance, etched on the memory. He's a slam dunk. There's no doubt about it.

Renee Zellweger all but got that award and it is an amazing performance. Judy Garland never won an Oscar, well, this will be an opportunity to pay tribute. Brad Pitt for supporting actor for "Once upon a Time in Hollywood" and no doubt for Laura Dern in "Marriage Story." Those we know.

ALLEN: I want to show a clip to our audience if they haven't seen that. Let's watch that with Laura Dern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MARRIAGE STORY")

LAURA DERN, ACTOR, "NORA FANSHAW": Fathers were expected to be silent and absent and unreliable and selfish. And we can all say we want them to be different. But on some basic level, we accept them. We love them for their fallibilities.

But people absolutely don't accept those same feelings in mothers. We don't accept it structurally and we don't accept it spiritually. Because the basis of our Judeo-Christian whatever is Mary, mother of Jesus, and she's perfect. She's a virgin who gives birth, unwaveringly supports her child and holds his dead body when he's gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: She called this role her most fun ever. And you could tell she's having a blast there, Richard.

FITZWILLIAMS: Oh, she is. This is my favorite movie because you played the clip from it and I think "Marriage Story" is fabulous. It's really remarkable and autobiographical. It's nominated for Best Picture. It's not going to win. We don't know which is.

This is the big question mark that will keep listeners and viewers absolutely riveted, at least I hope, in what will be a ceremony without a host. Last year it was three hours, 20 minutes. Probably similar this year.

Who will win Best Picture?

We simply don't know. It would appear that "1917," the Sam Mendes autobiographical, his grandfather was a messenger in the First World War and it's filmed in one take and it's a dramatic and brilliant film. Here's the question.

Could Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite," a visceral indictment of social inequality, and if it won, it would be the first foreign film ever to win.

Could it possibly?

ALLEN: I know. But you think about it is, I've seen clips from it and say I'm intrigued by "Parasite." It's an ensemble cast, I believe. They're all Asian actors but you talked about the lack of diversity with these Oscars. And there's been some questions about why none of the actors from "Parasite" were nominated.

What do you think about that?

FITZWILLIAMS: Well, I think, for example, I know Cynthia Erivo was nominated for playing Harriet Tubman in "Harriet." But she's the only person of color who was. Just as an example -- and you wonder whether all these voters have seen all the films they have been voting for.

Because Jennifer Lopez in "Hustlers," there was an absolute certainty about nomination for Best Supporting Actress and whereas I love Scarlett Johansson in "Marriage Story," she's not that exceptional in my opinion in "Jojo Rabbit," and she got nominated twice and the latter was included.

As a result, I think Awkwafina for the "The Farewell" was another possibility --

(CROSSTALK)

FITZWILLIAMS: -- quite a number and only one out of 20 made it and that is not good enough and it calls to gain a good deal of resentment. I do think with reference to women directors, only five have been nominated in 92 years; only one has won. And that is absolutely indefensible.

In this particular year, we have got the Tarantino "Once upon a Time in Hollywood" and Sam Mendes' "1917," which is absolutely suburb, Scorsese's "The Irishman" and Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite," and Todd Phillips' Joker, very tough in any year to break into that.

ALLEN: I think Sam Mendes got the idea for the movie "1917" from a story his grandfather told him.

[04:55:00]

ALLEN: And that's an interesting backstory to that movie, as well. I think you said Brad Pitt has taken home awards as Best Supporting Actor but I believe you said Joe Pesci should win for "The Irishman," is that right?

FITZWILLIAMS: Well, I feel that Joe Pesci was superb as an aging hood in "The Irishman." If had to vote -- I think Pitt was marvelous -- I think it would be for Joe Pesci but equally Al Pacino was very good, indeed, Of course Anthony Hopkins in "The Two Popes" has got a nod.

I also note Tom Hanks did "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," a female-helmed film, one of the ones that really, I thought, was exceptionally good. A very high standard overall. But I would vote for Pesci but he won't get it. It'll be very, very interesting to see who gets Best Director, by the way, because it'll Sam Mendes for "1917" against Bong Joon Ho for "Parasite."

And it's too close to call. It's also a big question mark, Tinseltown loves movies about itself. Tarantino, "Once upon a Time in Hollywood" is fantastic. He has never won for Best Director and, also, could it, because of the preferential voting system, could it win Best Picture?

I don't think so but you never know.

ALLEN: I didn't know Tarantino had not won for Best Director. Always a pleasure. We'll talk with you, again, Richard Fitzwilliams, thank you for joining us.

FITZWILLIAMS: A pleasure.

HOWELL: The day's top stories straight ahead for you. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen. We'll be right back.