Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Emmy Awards Nominations Out
Aired July 19, 2003 - 14:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: The best on the small screen. The Emmy awards nominations are out and one of the TV shows up for best drama is "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" no big surprise there if you look at the ratings. The shows creator Anthony Zuiker joins us live from the lovely town of Los Vegas to talk about the nomination and his own rags to riches story. Anthony thanks a lot for joining us today we really appreciate it.
ANTHONY ZUIKER, CREATOR OF CSI: Thanks very much. How are you?
CALLEBS: What was it like for you this past week? Was it great to watch this unfold, the accolades come rolling in?
ZUIKER: It was so crazy. The last 24 hours, when the nomination hit. I worked all day on "CSI", wrote the "Globetrotters" till 2:30 in the morning, had two hours of sleep, had a wake up call at 5:30 and the first thing out of the box was "CSI", and screamed in my hotel room all alone. Then, we had breakfast that morning and had a good time all day. So it was a crazy 24 hours.
CALLEBS: You said you just got done working on "CSI" but does it ever end for you? I mean you must be consumed with this.
ZUIKER: It never ends. I mean between "CSI" and "CSI: Miami" writing a "I Want To Be" at Warner Brothers and the "Harlem Globetrotters" for Columbia, it's a constant effort, and no sleep and just trying to ride the wave.
CALLEBS: You are 34 years old, your leading the good life out in Las Vegas now. Tell us how you made this jump to be able to put together a hit show like this?
ZUIKER: Well I wrote the Globetrotters for Columbia, Jerry Bruckheimer got a hold of it, liked the read, called me in, and asked what I wanted to do for television, and I said something forensic. I was watching the new detectives on the Discovery Channel and that is sort of how the idea spawned off. My wife actually sat me down and said you have to watch this show. And that sort of inspired me to go out and do some research and write the pilot. And luckily CBS bought into it and it worked out.
CALLEBS: Why do you think this show has hit a nerve, has become so popular? Now you have "CSI: Miami" and if I'm not mistaken could we hear more in the future about "CSI"?
ZUIKER: Well I think the O.J. trial really opened up America's awareness to forensic science. I think if you are learning while you are watching, and I wasn't sure and I'm not sure Americans really knew there were CSI's that go in and reconstruct crimes based on evidence and I think watching our show week to week, watching the mystery unravel, chasing bad guys, knowing there is somebody there who will meet you on the worst day of your live who will try to solve the crime, and bring peace of mind to the survivors, that's an interesting thing every week.
CALLEBS: Well Anthony we are going to some recreating of our. We have some shots of you throughout the years, dating back to your early days in Vegas. Tell me about -- there you go -- explain this one here, what do we have?
ZUIKER: I can't really see the picture.
CALLEBS: Well, we have one of you. I can't really see it from where I am to, but I have seen one where you are holding like a little pointer, you had one those...
ZUIKER: Let me put my eyes on here as I go live.
CALLEBS: There we go. That is much...
ZUIKER: Yes, this is me when I worked at Merrill Lynch, I was sort of a junior stockbroker teaching people at the hospital how to invest in IRAs.
CALLEBS: That looks frightening, man, what was that like?
ZUIKER: You'd say invest in the future, and the crickets, nobody would say anything, so it was a very lonely business.
CALLEBS: And here is a good looking man full head of hair back in. This is when you the pride of Vegas right?
ZUIKER: This is definitely pre-college. When you eat nothing but Top Ramen and there you go, you loose all your hair.
CALLEBS: Tell me about early days in Vegas, just to give those folks out there who may have some interest in, I want to be a big TV producer or writer some day, there was a time when was any of this even this your wildest dreams?
ZUIKER: You know what, the funny thing is, when I was small, I always sort of new I would do something, whether write speeches or invent board games, or be in movies, or maybe be an actor, or speaker, I had no idea. So when CSI happened, it was, like, wow, I had a small dream as a child and it sort of came true. I have a lot of credit to give my mother who actually left me alone as an only child to sort of explore and be by myself and be alone in my thoughts. I have a great family foundation, amazing friends, two beautiful children.
CALLEBS: And save you from the world of stockbrokers.
ZUIKER: Right. I would rather sell tangibles, than intangibles.
CALLEBS: Great, Anthony, thanks very much, when everybody sends us their screen plays, we will forward them on to you. Anthony thanks a lot and best luck at the Emmys as well.
ZUIKER: Thank you very much, thank you, bye.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 19, 2003 - 14:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: The best on the small screen. The Emmy awards nominations are out and one of the TV shows up for best drama is "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" no big surprise there if you look at the ratings. The shows creator Anthony Zuiker joins us live from the lovely town of Los Vegas to talk about the nomination and his own rags to riches story. Anthony thanks a lot for joining us today we really appreciate it.
ANTHONY ZUIKER, CREATOR OF CSI: Thanks very much. How are you?
CALLEBS: What was it like for you this past week? Was it great to watch this unfold, the accolades come rolling in?
ZUIKER: It was so crazy. The last 24 hours, when the nomination hit. I worked all day on "CSI", wrote the "Globetrotters" till 2:30 in the morning, had two hours of sleep, had a wake up call at 5:30 and the first thing out of the box was "CSI", and screamed in my hotel room all alone. Then, we had breakfast that morning and had a good time all day. So it was a crazy 24 hours.
CALLEBS: You said you just got done working on "CSI" but does it ever end for you? I mean you must be consumed with this.
ZUIKER: It never ends. I mean between "CSI" and "CSI: Miami" writing a "I Want To Be" at Warner Brothers and the "Harlem Globetrotters" for Columbia, it's a constant effort, and no sleep and just trying to ride the wave.
CALLEBS: You are 34 years old, your leading the good life out in Las Vegas now. Tell us how you made this jump to be able to put together a hit show like this?
ZUIKER: Well I wrote the Globetrotters for Columbia, Jerry Bruckheimer got a hold of it, liked the read, called me in, and asked what I wanted to do for television, and I said something forensic. I was watching the new detectives on the Discovery Channel and that is sort of how the idea spawned off. My wife actually sat me down and said you have to watch this show. And that sort of inspired me to go out and do some research and write the pilot. And luckily CBS bought into it and it worked out.
CALLEBS: Why do you think this show has hit a nerve, has become so popular? Now you have "CSI: Miami" and if I'm not mistaken could we hear more in the future about "CSI"?
ZUIKER: Well I think the O.J. trial really opened up America's awareness to forensic science. I think if you are learning while you are watching, and I wasn't sure and I'm not sure Americans really knew there were CSI's that go in and reconstruct crimes based on evidence and I think watching our show week to week, watching the mystery unravel, chasing bad guys, knowing there is somebody there who will meet you on the worst day of your live who will try to solve the crime, and bring peace of mind to the survivors, that's an interesting thing every week.
CALLEBS: Well Anthony we are going to some recreating of our. We have some shots of you throughout the years, dating back to your early days in Vegas. Tell me about -- there you go -- explain this one here, what do we have?
ZUIKER: I can't really see the picture.
CALLEBS: Well, we have one of you. I can't really see it from where I am to, but I have seen one where you are holding like a little pointer, you had one those...
ZUIKER: Let me put my eyes on here as I go live.
CALLEBS: There we go. That is much...
ZUIKER: Yes, this is me when I worked at Merrill Lynch, I was sort of a junior stockbroker teaching people at the hospital how to invest in IRAs.
CALLEBS: That looks frightening, man, what was that like?
ZUIKER: You'd say invest in the future, and the crickets, nobody would say anything, so it was a very lonely business.
CALLEBS: And here is a good looking man full head of hair back in. This is when you the pride of Vegas right?
ZUIKER: This is definitely pre-college. When you eat nothing but Top Ramen and there you go, you loose all your hair.
CALLEBS: Tell me about early days in Vegas, just to give those folks out there who may have some interest in, I want to be a big TV producer or writer some day, there was a time when was any of this even this your wildest dreams?
ZUIKER: You know what, the funny thing is, when I was small, I always sort of new I would do something, whether write speeches or invent board games, or be in movies, or maybe be an actor, or speaker, I had no idea. So when CSI happened, it was, like, wow, I had a small dream as a child and it sort of came true. I have a lot of credit to give my mother who actually left me alone as an only child to sort of explore and be by myself and be alone in my thoughts. I have a great family foundation, amazing friends, two beautiful children.
CALLEBS: And save you from the world of stockbrokers.
ZUIKER: Right. I would rather sell tangibles, than intangibles.
CALLEBS: Great, Anthony, thanks very much, when everybody sends us their screen plays, we will forward them on to you. Anthony thanks a lot and best luck at the Emmys as well.
ZUIKER: Thank you very much, thank you, bye.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
