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CNN Live Saturday
Bush Pitching Social Security Plan; New Survivors Found From Tsunami
Aired February 05, 2005 - 16:00 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.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SATURDAY: Super Bowl security kicks into high gear in Jacksonville and officials from Detroit, site of the next Super Bowl are there to study the city's methods.
This was buried treasure. Millions of nickels found. We'll tell you how.
And then -- more news. Hello. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Christine Romans. First, a check of the headlines.
Rescue crews are trying to reach a downed Afghan passenger jet. The wreckage of the plane that crashed two days ago has been found in a remote area of the Afghan mountains. Severe weather is hampering efforts to reach it. One hundred four people were on board. The State Department believes six of those were Americans.
The end is in sight for the biggest U.S. military operation in southeast Asia since the Vietnam war. A U.S. Navy commander who recently left the area says U.S. forces will likely wrap up their tsunami relief efforts in a couple of weeks.
Bishops who visited Pope John Paul II at the hospital in Rome today say he is getting better and is eager to return to work. The pope is expected to deliver at least part of his weekly blessing from his hospital room tomorrow. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
The search is over. A husband and wife accused of torturing children in their Florida home are behind bars thousands of miles away. John and Linda Dollar were captured last night in Utah with some high-tech help. Police tracked them through their cell phones. The Dollars are suspected of running a real life house of horrors. Authorities say they tortured five of seven children in their care, including pulling out their toenails with pliers. The victims were also allegedly starved. Police say they looked liked concentration camp victims. The couple will face aggravated child abuse charges.
There's another house of horrors in Huntsville, Alabama. Police there have charged a woman with killing her three children. Michaelene Horton (ph) from our affiliate WAAY reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELENE HORTON, WAAY TV (voice-over): Close to 3:00 in the afternoon, Huntsville police got a call from Hindi (ph), saying that when they responded to a medical call at apartment 1 in Whispering Hills, they found three young children dead. They were siblings. Eight-year old Christopher Ward, nine-year old Latricia Ward and 11- year old Shanieka Ward. The children were all in separate rooms on the floor without beds. There wasn't any power, either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The utilities had been turned off since January 12th. The children had been missing from school. They never returned to Ridgecrest after the school break.
HORTON: The children lived in the apartment with their 30-year- old mother Natasha Ward. Police say the children looked obviously undernourished. Relatives were on the scene when police arrived, one so emotional she fainted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said across the street upstairs and I used to see them going back and forth to school. When I used to go pick my stepdaughter up at school, I used to see them walking back. We used to walk over there together. She never did talk much.
HORTON: Cause of death is still undetermined. There's a lot of speculation surrounding the children's deaths, but with so many unanswered questions, police ask for your patience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please try not to speculate, read anything and go on rumors and innuendoes. This may be a long and extensive investigation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: That was Michaelene Horton from affiliate WAAY reporting.
Turning to Iraq, they waited half a century to vote in a free election. Now Iraqis have to wait just a little bit more to find out who officially won. Iraq's independent electoral commission today said it expects to release final results by Thursday. A Shiite-led alliance has a big lead so far. Interim Prime minister's Ayad Allawi's ticket is running second.
While Iraq awaits official election results, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in neighboring Turkey. The visit is the latest stop on her whirlwind tour of Europe and the Middle East. Earlier today was Rice was in Poland, one of America's key allies in Iraq. Rice thanked the country for sending troops to the region and expressed condolences for those killed in the conflict so far. Rice also said European allies are ready to mend relationships frayed by the war in Iraq. She heads to Israel tomorrow.
Back in this country, President Bush focuses on Social Security. He devoted part of his weekly radio address today to his plan to privatize part of the program. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House with details. Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you. That's right, Christine. President Bush just wrapped yesterday up a two-day campaign style push if you will, to try to convince the American people that Social Security and fixing the insolvency problem is an issue that needs to be tackled now and not down the road. And now today there is some new evidence to suggest that that message is in fact reaching the public. A new "Newsweek" found that Americans, when asked whether or not they felt Social Security was in a funding crisis or faces a funding crisis, the majority of Americans, 65 percent agreed, 26 percent disagree. But Americans were split on the president's ideas for changing the Social Security system, 26 percent favor them, 36 percent are opposed and 30 percent said they were not aware of the proposals.
Now, to raise that awareness, this week the president embarked on a post-state of the union road trip through five states to sell his idea. These were places that the president won, but where the White House is hoping to put pressure on Senate Democrats. The president in a series of appearances, outlined some principles and pushed what he says could be part of the solution. That is what he echoed today in his weekly radio address.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not increase payroll taxes. We will make the system a better deal for younger workers by allowing them to save some of their payroll taxes in voluntary personal retirement accounts, a nest egg they can call their own which government can never take away.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
QUIJANO: But Democrats and seniors are digging in for a fight. They vehemently oppose privatization and Christine, even some Republicans, people within the president's own party are nervous. They have to get reelected. President Bush does not. Christine.
ROMANS: And people start to get really kind of persnickety about the use of the word "privatization" even, person accounts versus privatization. Democrats pointing out, want to use the word privatization and the Bush White House wants to say personal accounts. A lot of semantics here, but people are really scratching their head how you're going to get tax relief, permanent tax relief, an overhaul of Social Security and you're going to cut the deficit. That's a tall order.
QUIJANO: Absolutely and some conservatives within the president's party are worried about just that. Some estimates put the cost of transitioning to these private or personal accounts, however you wish to refer to them, at up to $2 trillion and that is something that makes people very nervous. The White House's argument to that is it should not be viewed so much as a deficit or adding to the debt, but they believe that it is something that will end up in a savings over the long term. Nevertheless you're right, the numbers here crucial and we'll find out what the president hopes to do with the numbers. The budget is due to the Congress on Monday. Christine.
ROMANS: What are people saying about how much work the president has to do to sort of get a big coalition around this good idea? He says he's listening to all ideas. He'll take any good idea. It doesn't matter who it comes from. Is he going to be able to build some consensus on this?
QUIJANO: Well, that's the key question really and in fact, what President Bush has done, we heard this in the state of the union address as well, is put the ball effectively in Congress' court. And you're right. We have heard President Bush say on the trail if you will or out on that road trip, that he does welcome any ideas from Republicans or Democrats or independents on how they can make this work. Now what we know is that the president, as we heard in the radio address, is not willing to go so far as to raise payroll taxes, also the president very mindful of the powerful AARP, which represents the seniors in this country, saying quite clearly over and over again that he does not want to see any changes in benefits for those at or near retirement age. Nevertheless he has left the door open, if you will, all possibilities on the table and now leaving it up to Congress to come up with some ideas.
ROMANS: All right. Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thank you so much, Elaine. In case you all all haven't heard, Elaine Quijano and her cohorts will be moving with "On the Story" to Sunday, that starting this Sunday on 10:00 a.m. The inside word this week on the president, the pope and the Super Bowl on "On the Story."
More signs Pope John Paul II's health is improving. An Italian bishop says the pope is alert and speaking clearly today. He read a note signed by bishops gathered at the hospital in Rome where the pope is being treated for the flu and breathing problems. Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers has the latest from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-ove): For 2,000 years, Christians have prayed for recovery of the sick. And so in the hospital in Rome, bishops of the Roman Catholic church, along with other Christians offered their prayers along with doctors' efforts to hasten the healing of Pope John Paul II. Eight floors above this hospital chapel, Vatican officials say his holiness is recovering from respiratory problems and flu. Afterwards, several of the bishops who saw his holiness held a news conference, declaring John Paul II to be eating regularly and eager to return to work.
Surely he is going better, Bishop Vinchenzo Polia (ph) declared, but it will be from this hospital, not from the Vatican. A greatly weakened pope will perform his Sunday blessing to the faithful. A papal aide will read John Paul II's actual message. In recent years, the 84-year-old pontiff has greatly scaled back his travel, leaving day-to-day management of church bureaucracy to his most loyal aides. When you are said to be the vicar of Christ, heir to St. Peter and supreme maximus, there is no number two.
JOHN ALLEN, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: You become the successor of Peter when you're elected and that is non delegatable. You can't hand that off to someone else. So the system is set up to prevent the idea that someone else could just casually step into the role.
RODGERS: Vatican watchers say no more major decisions will be made affecting the lives of Roman Catholics at least under this pope and for now, some bishops entrust church government to a higher power.
BISHOP THOMAS PHILOPPILLII: Our faith is that the holy spirit runs the church.
RODGERS (on-camera): In ancient times, the Roman Catholic church was not always so autocratic, but modern popes have created a more centralized structure with no provision for transfer of power or major decision-making if a pontiff becomes incapacitated. Walter Rodgers, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Later in the hour, these tsunami survivors saw their village destroyed, ran for their lives and spent 38 days trying to stay alive until someone found them and they talk about their struggle.
Red hot in Hawaii, the lava from Kilauea keeps coming.
Up next, security watch at the Super Bowl and later Sibila Vargas at the SAG awards. Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The countdown has begun for the 11th annual SAG awards. I'll tell you what everybody is talking about when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Security will be super-tight at tomorrow's Super Bowl game in Jacksonville. Since 9/11, security has become the top priority as well as the largest expense for the National Football League's championship game. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): As fans enjoy pre-game activities, law enforcers are turning up security an extra notch. For example, pilots with a customs and border protection agency provided us an overview of Alltel stadium located right on the waterfront. These are some of the same pilots that will be flying over that air space before, during and after the game. Inside the stadium, dozens of cameras are set up that allow authorities to zero in on a single seat. There's a no-fly zone encompassing a 30-mile radius around the stadium.
On the water, before during and after the game, local, state and Federal law enforcement agencies are patrolling the St. Johns River, a 14-mile stretch. One tool that's being used by the Federal authorities is called a FLIR, stands for forward-looking infrared. It provides a reverse image in darkness and light and allows authorities a better look at what's going on on the water and on the ground as well. Here's a look at the technology you.
Trying to focus in on this guy. Camera's really having a hard time do it because of it's a daytime camera. We switch over to FLIR, I can see I've got right now two POBs, two persons on board, one with a flashlight just closed the cooler and is putting the cooler down, lay the flashlight down and is now transiting right in front of us.
CANDIOTTI: Among law enforcement agencies here, the people in charge of security for next year's Super Bowl in Detroit, including the assistant police chief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very involved. This is huge. This is huge. I didn't realize how huge it was until I got down here and seen all the pieces that Jacksonville -- the key components they have to take care of. It's a lot. It's a lot. But we're ready for the challenge.
CANDIOTTI: Detroit, like Jacksonville, is on the waterfront, adding an extra layer of concern. Jacksonville's sheriff in charge of this year's Super Bowl security says if his team does his job right, the teams on the field and the fans watching the game will feel secure and not worry about it. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Jacksonville, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
The New England Patriots are playing for their third Super Bowl win in four years tomorrow. To do it, they'll have to beat a determined Philadelphia Eagles team and its highly respected quarterback Donovan McNabb. CNN's Mark McKay joins us from Jacksonville with the story. Hi there Mark.
MARK McKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. It's as much a Super Bowl tradition, a Super Bowl weekend tradition as the tailgate party. It's the pro football hall of fame announcing its inductees and the class of 2005 is certainly going to be quite quarterback- heavy. Take a look. Dan Marino (ph), who spent his entire year with the Miami Dolphins, earns distinction -- this distinction in his first year of eligibility. Marino played for 17 seasons in south Florida. He ranks as one of the NFL's all time leading passers.
You know the guy standing next to him, Steve Young. Less than a month separates those two from age. Well, now they have something else in common. Young will be joining his compatriot and his contemporary this summer in the hall. Now, what resulted from Young's career, a 15-year career that included a Super Bowl MVP award. Another quarterback, Bennie Freidman (ph), who starred in the 1920 and '30s along with Fritz Pollard, the first African-American head coach in the National Football League, they too will go in the hall posthumously August 7th in Canton, Ohio.
Now on Sunday, two more quarterbacks will come into the spotlight. As my colleague Larry Smith reports, for one, it will mean a career that comes full circle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is not a love story. Donovan McNabb may have led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl in 24 years, but he was not welcomed in Philadelphia six years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Philadelphia Eagles select Donovan McNabb, quarterback, Syracuse University.
FREDDIE MITCHELL, EAGLES WIDE RECEIVER: For a young guy to come out of college and get booed and overcome that and be the better man and say, hey, you know what? I'm going to prove them wrong, that's a lot.
SMITH: This is not a story about race, even though last season, after three pro bowl appearances, it was suggested on national television that McNabb was overrated because he was black.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.
KOY DETMER, EAGLES BACKUP QUARTERBACK: Somebody was coming after him and saying some things that were wrong and all those were things, a natural reaction would have been to lash back or whatever and he took the high road and that's what he's always done.
SMITH: Nor is this a story about success. Since after leading the Eagles to within one win of the Super Bowl for three straight years, some fans still wondered if McNabb could ever get them any further.
DONOVAN McNABB, EAGLES QUARTERBACK: This could have been my second or possibly third time in the Super Bowl. And that's not just trying to outdo or overdo anything. It's just confidence-wise, but it didn't happen and I continue to grind and I continue to work, and that showed that I never let down.
SMITH: What this is is a story about class. Donovan McNabb has now won more playoff games than any quarterback in Eagles' history. He'll become just the third African-American passer to start a Super Bowl and he will hear plenty of cheers when he takes the field in Jacksonville Sunday.
McNABB: Some people may react differently in the stands. There are a lot of people out there who appreciate the things that I do and those are the people that I care about.
SMITH: He also knows what he will hear after the game when he returns to Philadelphia, win or lose. It's the only thing he ever listens for anymore --
McNABB: It brings a smile to my face when I can go in the city of Philadelphia and see kids walking around with my jersey on. They may not know I'm by them and they're talking to their friends, saying, you know what? I want to be just like Donovan. That right there makes me feel like I've touched someone and you know, not a lot of people can say that and I take pride in that.
SMITH: Larry Smith, CNN, Jacksonville.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
McKAY: Oh yeah, let's not forget about the other quarterback play on Sunday in Alltel Stadium, Tom Brady, Christine, he's a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs and he would like to get yet another MVP award to put on his trophy case. It should be a good one.
ROMANS: Should indeed, both a couple of classy quarterbacks leading those two teams. Let's talk about Terrell Owens and that ankle. He is seen as very important in this game. It looks like he's going to play, right? How important is he and any potential for MVP out of him?
McKAY: Now wouldn't that be a story, Christine? I know the fans here, the Eagles fans seem to outnumber the Patriots fans, have been saying TO, TO, TO, TO. They want him in tomorrow's game. TO says, Owens says he will in fact play. It'll be a unique story. They made it this far. He got injured back in December and they made it this far without him. It will be interesting to see how much coach Andy Reid (ph) actually uses them. He was very coy when it came to, whether he was going to start Owens tomorrow.
ROMANS: All right. Mark McKay, Jacksonville, All right. Thanks so much. Talk to you again soon.
If the teenage girls next door surprised you with homemade cookies, you might think, nice kids. So why did a neighbor sue two well-meaning Colorado cookie cutters and win?
And police in Miami prove you can find life's great treasures in your own backyard.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Here's what's happening across America.
Hawaii's Mt. Kilauea is putting on quite a show. The planet's most active volcano is beginning its 23rd year of continuous activity with a spectacular lava flow into the Pacific.
From our no good deed goes unpunished file comes this story from Durango, Colorado. Two teenage girls who baked surprise Valentine cookies for their neighbors must pay one of them nearly $900 for mental distress. A small claims judge found for a woman who said the girls triggered an anxiety attack when they knocked on her door late in the evening and ran away after leaving the cookies on her doorstep.
It's Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans' French quarter. Three days before Fat Tuesday, the boisterous annual pre-Lenter revelry is in full swing.
And police in Florida have found more than 3.5 million nickels buried in the backyard of a suburban Miami home. They're still looking for the trucker who was supposed to deliver those nickels, $180,000 worth of them to the Federal Reserve bank in New Orleans. His rig turned up empty December 21st at a truck stop in Ft. Pierce. Even if you don't have millions of nickels buried in your back yard, your home may be your most treasured asset. A new CNN weekend program offers valuable advice on all things real estate. Gerri Willis, host of OPEN HOUSE, is in our New York bureau. Gerri, today was the debut, a fantastic program. What are you doing?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, we're having a great time Christine. I'm telling you, whether you're buying a new house our just upgrading your old home, you're going to have to watch OPEN HOUSE 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday mornings. We're going to cover the gamut of topics, everything from renovation to how do you design? How do you upgrade? How do you make your house more beautiful and livable? In our show today, we took a look at the outlook for 2005, what's going on? With housing prices up housing prices up almost 50 percent over five years, is the bloom off the boom?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIS (voice-over): Las Vegas has always been about the money, and these days, the sure bet is real estate. Say investors like Debby Smith, who started her own club to spread the world about the new Vegas gold mine.
DEBBIE SMITH, INVESTOR INTELLIGENCE REPORT: You can buy a house for 130, and by the time you close it could have been worth 200 or more. Some people made 50 to 100, even $150,000 off a single-family home.
WILLIS: In fact, last summer, the National Association of Realtors reported Las Vegas has the fastest-growing market for home prices.
MAYOR OSCAR GOODMAN, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: It's just unbelievable. We have 6,000 people on a net basis move in here a month. We build a new home every 20 minutes, if you can imagine that.
WILLIS: Demand is so intense here that development has pushed out to the surrounding sierra foothills where the government holds title. The only direction to go now? Up says developer Marty Burger.
MARTY BURGER, RELATED COMPANIES: We're here and we're building this world market center, which is a 7 million square foot furniture showroom complex and we're also here building mixed-use developments that are non-gaming and residential high rises. This is a very, very strong market.
WILLIS: But Las Vegas' successes have not come without costs. In Joanne's Cappelletti's 55-plus community, prices on new homes were cut after a glut of investment properties hit the market. Residents here now worry that they overpaid for their homes.
JOANNE CAPPELLETTI, LAS VEGAS RESIDENT: We've saved or pennies and now we've bought our dream and then to find out that, you know, if something should happen, and maybe one of us becomes ill or something, we have to sell the house, where's our money? WILLIS: Is the bloom off the boom for Las Vegas real estate? Clearly, it depends on who you talk to. One thing's for certain, though, the extraordinary run-up in prices is causing concerns beyond Las Vegas. And they come from every part in the United States. Like Washington, D.C., buoyed by strong government spending. Once a bedroom community for Los Angeles, Orange County, California has emerged as a market in its own right. Florida coastal areas like Sarasota and West Palm Beach have attracted investors and retirees alike. Providence, Rhode Island, with its close proximity to Boston, is luring professionals and families who have the means to buy second homes. With all this expensive housing, could a bust be in store for 2005? One economist says yes.
KARL CASE, FISERV CASE SHILLER WEISS: Prices will stop rising and flat line and in many of these hot markets and then downward pressure will depend on whether the economy continues to grow as it is, or whether it slows down.
WILLIS: Not everyone is as worried. National Association of Realtors economist David Lereah.
DAVID LEREAH, CHIEF ECONOMIST, NAR: I think price appreciation will begin to slow, which is actually good news for the housing markets, because supply and demand have been out of balance for the past several years. I'm looking for about 5, 6 percent price appreciation in 2005, which is still very good, very healthy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: You know, Gerri, it's so interesting, because people have been talking about how prices have been going up in all kinds of different local real estate markets for several years now and you've missed it if you didn't get in and every time you've been wrong if you didn't get in. What's different now, or is there anything different now? Is there any reason now to be concerned about getting into the market at this level?
WILLIS: As we saw, talking to the experts, and I talk to people all the time about this very issue. Their real worry is some of the basic stuff. If interest rates spike, does that mean that demand will stop or slow down?
WILLIS: It's a real concern out there. That's what's different. And of course these higher prices are keeping some people out of the market because they can't afford houses in the first place. Just to let people know, in the coming weeks, we're going to be looking at a lot of fun topics, particularly in weekend projects, which is a two-day DIY project. We guide you through step by step. We'll do a couple interesting things, crown molding, refacing your kitchen cabinets, as well as how to install that home theater and Christine, I know people are thinking about this with the Super Bowl coming up this weekend.
ROMANS: Home theaters are very hot. That's in this country where we've go everything we want and a little bit more. Now we're adding home theaters to our houses. Thanks very much Gerri. WILLIS: You're welcome.
ROMANS: As she told you, OPEN HOUSE gives you this how-to approach on all things real estate, do it yourself. It's Saturdays, 9:30 Eastern only on CNN, OPEN HOUSE with Gerri Willis.
Let's turn now to -- stand by there. We're going to take a quick break here. We're going to bring back more news for you right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: There's a new concern in tsunami ravaged south Asia. Indonesia is bracing for a baby boom in refugee camps and villages. Some experts say birth rates may soar as parents who lost their children try to rebuild their families.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military expects to end its relief efforts for tsunami victims in Indonesia this month. The "USS Abraham Lincoln" has already left the waters off Sumatra after spending a month in the region.
Weeks after the tsunamis hit, there's an incredible story of survival. It's reviving hopes that some of those listed as missing may still be alive. CNN's Suhasini Haidar reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the first time Justin Edward has been in clean clothes in more than a month. He's one of nine survivors of the tsunami who were rescued 38 days after the waves swept through their homes on the western side of this island on the Indian Ocean.
JUSTIN EDWARD, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We saw the tsunami submerge or village, he says, and ran for our lives. We lived on coconuts for days. Then we met some jungle tribals who showed us how to make a fire and to hunt for wild boar. Police officials who found the group say they stumbled upon them when they took a motorboat on a random search operation. They say the route was made especially difficult because of trees that had fallen into the water and intense jungle environment.
BB CHOUDHURY RESCUE POLICE OFFICIAL: It's very difficult for a normal person (INAUDIBLE). You can't move more than four, five meters -- 100 meters in a whole day.
HAIDAR: News of their discovery has reenergized search and rescue operations here say officials. More than 5,000 men, woman and children are missing in tsunami hit regions of India, most of them from here in this string of islands off the mainland just about 100 miles from the earthquake's epicenter. Officials hope others are still living off the land waiting to be rescued. We were so happy when we saw the police, says Edward and so very tired, too tired and dazed to think about the future, says 12-year-old Clara. My parents probably died in the tsunami, she explains. I don't know what I'll do next, but these survivors say they'll take care of her and each other. They're all that's left of their village now, the only family they have. Suhasini Haider, CNN, Campbell Bay in the Indian Ocean.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Every week at this time we talk to Dr. Bill Lloyd who brings us some medical information and advice. What do you have for us this week, Dr. Bill?
DR. BILL LLOYD, U OF CALIF DAVID MEDICAL CTR: Hey, Christine. We're going to use these Mardi Gras beads to explain an important health issue affecting millions of Americans when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Carol Lin is here with a preview of what's to come. Carol, what's on tap for your show at 6:00 Eastern?
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're working on a lot of different things, but one of the things we're working on is the record-breaking expensive ads for the Super Bowl, $2.4 million for 30 seconds of air, but this year it's going to be G-rated, no farting horses or (INAUDIBLE) fighting dogs. But we are going to show you one particular ad that was banned at the last minute involving a priest and the ads that are actually going to make it this year. At 10:00 we're working on the Huntsville murder story, three kids found dead in a house. The mother is the prime suspect right now. We are going after everybody on that case, including the investigators.
ROMANS: That story is shocking.
LIN: Yes it is. Nobody -- it's such a mystery and they say that it's going to take some time to unravel this case. There's some complexities there I think make it even more interesting.
ROMANS: Very mysterious. We'll continue to follow that and we'll look for what you get on it. Thank you very much. Carol Lin at 6:00.
The closely watched murder trial of a South Carolina boy enters its second week Monday morning. The boy is accused of killing his grandparents in their sleep. A defense expert testified the anti- depressant drug Zoloft could be responsible. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Freed on bail after three years in bail, Chris Pittman walked out with the same hang-dog look he wears in court, but after hugs and kisses from his family, he showed a smile. His freedom may be temporary. Fifteen year old Chris could face life in prison for shooting his grandparents as they slept. That's why his lawyer is trying to convince the jury that an anti-depressant, Zoloft made Chris Pittman kill. His confession read in court was chilling. LUCINDA McCELLAR, LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT: When they went to bed, I waited about 10 minutes. I got the shotgun out of the cabinet. I took it in my room and loaded it. I took a box of shells from the cabinet. I put three in it, jacked one and put another one in it. I went in their room. I just aimed at the bed, I shot four times.
COHEN: The boy, only 12 at the time, burned down the house in rural South Carolina and fled with the shotgun in the car.
DAVID BLACK, CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATOR: I developed a (INAUDIBLE) the defendant.
COHEN: This was a troubled child from an unhappy home in Florida, sent to live with the two people he loved most.
MITCHELL SNELGROVE, BEST FRIEND: I don't know many people who would just get up in their grandparents' lap and say I love you pop pop or something like that in front of one of their friends.
COHEN: Yet police say there was no remorse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sorry, they deserved it, everybody hates me, I'm useless.
COHEN: I'm useless, familiar words from someone diagnosed with depression as Chris Pittman was by his family doctor who put him on Zoloft.
ANDY VICKERY, DEFENSE LAWYER: He was a 96-pound, 12-year-old, a boy a shy, decent boy, who was acting under the influence of a powerful mind-altering drug.
COHEN: Three years after the shootings, the Food and Drug Administration did warn drugs like this could cause suicidal behavior in some children, but the FDA has not linked the drugs to violence towards others. Still, the FDA has warned doctors to carefully monitor their young patients for agitation and aggression. A psychiatrist for the defense said this could lead to violence.
DR. DAVID HEALY, DEFENSE PSYCHIATRIST: The only reason I'm here is that I think there's a very strong argument that can be made for the fact that the drug has caused the problem.
COHEN: The prosecution version, Chris was furious at his grandparents because they wanted to send him back to his father after a school fight. The prosecution's psychiatrist.
DR. JAMES BALLENGER, PROSECUTION PSYCHIATRIST: I think he did it because he was very mad, very angry.
COHEN: The key question for the jury is did Chris Pittman know right from wrong when he killed his grandparents? The defense said he didn't. Prosecutors say he's a smart, angry boy who knew exactly what he was doing. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Charleston South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ROMANS: Patients who need a bone marrow transplant often have a tough time finding one if their ancestry is multiracial. What's the function of bone marrow for good health and why are multiracial matches harder to make than others? Dr. Bill Lloyd is minding health matters for us today in Sacramento. He's a surgeon with the University of California Davis Medical Center. Welcome to the program.
BILL LLOYD, UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS: Happy Mardi Gras, Christine.
ROMANS: Happy Mardi Gras. Now why are those beads instructive in trying to figure out about bone marrow transplants and bone marrow matches.
LLOYD: The bone marrow is the space inside of your bones. It's a very special tissue and if you need a bone marrow transplant, it could save your life but at the same time, it might jeopardize your life. Now imagine being at the Mardi Gras, being in the French quarter and needing just one person to match you as a bone marrow donor. Well, if you're a multiracial American, the odds are very remote and the chances are not one person in the French quarter will match you.
Let me tell you some special things about the bone marrow. It's the home to our blood cells, the red cells that help you breathe and the white cells that help you fight infection. When you have a bone marrow transplant, you have your entire inventory of cells replaced. Now everybody has specific proteins, and those proteins identify you and what race you come from. When you have a bone marrow transplant, there's a risk that the new cells that you get won't match the person who is receiving them, that is, the host.
And the problem could be where the new cells turn against the host. That's just the opposite of a kidney or a heart, where the body turns against the organ. So doctors have to use lots of immune suppression to help people getting a bone marrow transplant to stop that battle from happening.
ROMANS: Let's talk about making the match. One of my sisters in- laws was a perfect match for another sister in law. In fact there were several matches in our family. How do you find a match? How do you make sure that everyone out there can get a match quickly, because after all, when you need a bone marrow transplant, you're sick and you've got to move quickly.
LLOYD: The facts are, Christine, 70 percent of people who need a bone marrow transplant can't find a match. Only 30 percent can locate somebody in their own family, in their own bloodline. Now Caucasians have many common proteins, so by going to a national database, you can find somebody who's a pretty good match, just like these beads. The same is true for African-Americans. Millions of people have put their names on one of these prospective donor lists, but if we talk about a multiracial person who has many different types of proteins, it's very difficult to find a pair that match exactly. So we want more multiracial Americans to get enrolled in a donor program so they could become a prospective bone marrow donor if it becomes necessary. ROMANS: Where can you find these programs? How do you enroll? What if somebody watching right now says, gee, maybe this is something I should do, get myself out there in case somebody -- I'm a match for somebody and they need me?
LLOYD: Well, there's variety a rather of ways you can get involved. You can go to your local blood donor center. Every time you volunteer to donate blood, you get the opportunity to donate the identity of those cells, so just in case in the future, somebody needs a match, you may be the lucky donor. Remember, donating your bone marrow isn't like donating a kidney. It's relatively simple procedure that can be done time and time again. The trick is finding the multiracial Americans, many aren't even aware of it, that they too can participate and by putting them in a special database and using high speed computers, we can match prospective donors with people who need a bone marrow, just like the "CSI" show to match up somebody's fingerprint.
ROMANS: Dr. Bill, who needs a bone marrow transplant? What kind of patient is it used for?
LLOYD: Well, a sick bone marrow is often treated with a bone marrow transplant. About 85 percent of Americans who need a bone marrow transplant have some form of blood cancer involving their red cells or their white cells, but there's other people as well that need a bone marrow transplant. People who have a hereditary condition or people who don't make the right kinds of cells to fight infections. Those people as well need to get a bone marrow transplant. If you're a multiracial American, the odds of finding someone who's a perfect match so that bone marrow will take is very, very small.
ROMANS: Dr. Bill Lloyd, thank you very much. Mardi Gras beads, bone marrow transplants, only you can make those two work together. Thanks.
LLOYD: Happy Mardi Gras Christine.
ROMANS: You tool Let's go to Sibila Vargas now for our happy SAG awards. Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do Jamie Foxx, Leo DiCaprio and Terry Hatcher have in common? They'll all be making their way down this red carpet. I'll give you the scoop when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Two film stars are about to encounter hasty pudding, while a third is caught up in something stickier. Here's CNN's entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson with the Hollywood minute.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine Zeta-Jones will get her just desserts next week when she's honored by Harvard's Hasty Pudding Club as their woman of the year. The following week Tim Robbins will be honored as their man of the year. Both will be paraded through the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, surrounded by several young men in drag.
Macaulay Culkin's Oklahoma City court date for drug possession has been delayed. The hearing has been moved to April 6th. The actor was arrested during a traffic stop in September. Marijuana and Xanax were found in the car in which he was a passenger. Culkin pleaded not guilty to the charges.
"Variety" is reporting that Jack Nicholson has joined the all- star cast of Martin Scorcese's "The Departed." The remake of the Hong Kong hit "Infernal Affairs" also stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. The crime thriller begins shooting in April. With the Hollywood minute, I'm Brooke Anderson.
ROMANS: And what's airing on CNN's companion network TNT tonight is not a crime thriller, but they're still rounding up the usual suspects, the 11th annual screen actors guild awards will honor some top Hollywood performers. Entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas is in Los Angeles, ready to give us a preview. Hi there Sibila.
VARGAS: I am so ready. Hi there Christine. You said, the usual suspects. Those usual suspects today will be Jamie Foxx, Leo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, just a few of the stars that will be walking down this red carpet. One thing I will tell you, that no one will be going home empty-handed. No, no, no, no. You know that award shows are not just about just the award themselves, but about those fabulous gift bags.
Well, this year, SAG did not disappoint. The presenters will be going away with a gift bag that is worth something like tens of thousands of dollars and some of these gift bags, let me just tell you Christine, some of the things that they have, luxurious vacations to the Grenadines, Montana and Napa Valley, not too shabby, luxurious robes with SAG emblems, so that the stars can feel very fabulous as they usually do. Oscar de la Renta eyewear, Coach as well, because of course, stars have to look cool and you know, that's just their thing, trendy blue jeans as well, laser solutions to keep those eyes focused, and of course smiles on Rodeo, gift certificates to that places because the smile is worth a million dollars here in Hollywood.
But one thing that I thought was really interesting and something that's very special is that, this year they're auctioning off the gift bags, so if you're interested, Christine, and if any of our viewers are interested, you could go on eBay. The gift bags will - the proceeds will go to the SAG Foundation, which will help literacy programs. So this is something that's also very special and very neat, actually, for them to put this together. But if you want them, you better act fast. If you want a gift bag, you got to go on eBay because on February 8th, on Tuesday -- this Tuesday, this coming up Tuesday, it will be gone. Christine, what do you think? Are you going to be bidding?
ROMANS: No, I'm not going to be bidding.
VARGAS: A little expensive, right?
ROMANS: Well, you know, a couple weeks of my allowance, yeah. What's different about the SAG awards than some of the other awards that we watch?
VARGAS: What's really wonderful about this award show is that it's the actors giving awards to other actors. It's exclusive and no other award show has that. And I think another thing that's really special about it and also an embodiment of it, is that rather than look at films themselves, they look at the cast. They give awards to the cast, the ensemble cast. This year "Million Dollar Baby" and "Sideways" are the two top contenders. And one of the reasons is that if you watch "Million Dollar Baby" Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman were just incredible together. It's the chemistry. It's really what made that movie. "Sideways" the same thing. It's been a critics gem, but really, it's not about Paul Giamitti (ph). It's not about Thomas Hayden Church (ph). It's not about Virginia Matson (ph). It's about them all, how they each worked with one another and the director as well. So I think that's really something very special.
"The Aviator" is a movie that has been spoken about, that a lot of critics like, but "The Aviator" was really a vehicle if you really think about it, for Leo DiCaprio. Kate Blanchett (ph) did a fabulous job. She's been, she's got a supporting nomination as well, Kate (INAUDIBLE) did not get a nod, but she was fabulous as well. But really it's a film for Leo, but that's what really makes this award show very special and very unique.
ROMANS: And it also honors television as well, not just these big films, you've been talking about the past two minutes, but TV also involved.
VARGAS: Well, you know and the big thing this year, if you haven't heard, if you're living under a rock, I guess, would be the "Desperate Housewives." Teri Hatcher (ph), she got her award at the Golden Globes and the cast of "Desperate Housewives" did as well at the Golden Globes. And boy were we talking about it months before and we're still talking about it now, so I think expect some things to come out of the "Desperate Housewives" camp.
ROMANS: That is really a Cinderella story, especially for Teri Hatcher.
VARGAS: Yeah, especially and you know, really it was sort of sad, because during her acceptance speech, she said that she felt as if she had been a has-been, sort of telling of Hollywood in general, sometimes you become something very big and then all of a sudden you don't get any work and you feel that way, but she's never been a has- been. I'm just so happy for her. I'm happy that she did get an award and that she's up on top again.
ROMANS: And casting directors everywhere take note that there are some really high-profile, powerful 40-plus year old women in television and in movies this time around.
VARGAS: That's right. Absolutely.
ROMANS: All right. Sibila Vargas, have a good time.
VARGAS: Thank you, I will.
ROMANS: The SAG awards in Los Angeles and that's it for us here. Headlines when we come back and then, PEOPLE IN THE NEWS.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SATURDAY: Super Bowl security kicks into high gear in Jacksonville and officials from Detroit, site of the next Super Bowl are there to study the city's methods.
This was buried treasure. Millions of nickels found. We'll tell you how.
And then -- more news. Hello. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Christine Romans. First, a check of the headlines.
Rescue crews are trying to reach a downed Afghan passenger jet. The wreckage of the plane that crashed two days ago has been found in a remote area of the Afghan mountains. Severe weather is hampering efforts to reach it. One hundred four people were on board. The State Department believes six of those were Americans.
The end is in sight for the biggest U.S. military operation in southeast Asia since the Vietnam war. A U.S. Navy commander who recently left the area says U.S. forces will likely wrap up their tsunami relief efforts in a couple of weeks.
Bishops who visited Pope John Paul II at the hospital in Rome today say he is getting better and is eager to return to work. The pope is expected to deliver at least part of his weekly blessing from his hospital room tomorrow. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
The search is over. A husband and wife accused of torturing children in their Florida home are behind bars thousands of miles away. John and Linda Dollar were captured last night in Utah with some high-tech help. Police tracked them through their cell phones. The Dollars are suspected of running a real life house of horrors. Authorities say they tortured five of seven children in their care, including pulling out their toenails with pliers. The victims were also allegedly starved. Police say they looked liked concentration camp victims. The couple will face aggravated child abuse charges.
There's another house of horrors in Huntsville, Alabama. Police there have charged a woman with killing her three children. Michaelene Horton (ph) from our affiliate WAAY reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELENE HORTON, WAAY TV (voice-over): Close to 3:00 in the afternoon, Huntsville police got a call from Hindi (ph), saying that when they responded to a medical call at apartment 1 in Whispering Hills, they found three young children dead. They were siblings. Eight-year old Christopher Ward, nine-year old Latricia Ward and 11- year old Shanieka Ward. The children were all in separate rooms on the floor without beds. There wasn't any power, either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The utilities had been turned off since January 12th. The children had been missing from school. They never returned to Ridgecrest after the school break.
HORTON: The children lived in the apartment with their 30-year- old mother Natasha Ward. Police say the children looked obviously undernourished. Relatives were on the scene when police arrived, one so emotional she fainted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said across the street upstairs and I used to see them going back and forth to school. When I used to go pick my stepdaughter up at school, I used to see them walking back. We used to walk over there together. She never did talk much.
HORTON: Cause of death is still undetermined. There's a lot of speculation surrounding the children's deaths, but with so many unanswered questions, police ask for your patience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please try not to speculate, read anything and go on rumors and innuendoes. This may be a long and extensive investigation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: That was Michaelene Horton from affiliate WAAY reporting.
Turning to Iraq, they waited half a century to vote in a free election. Now Iraqis have to wait just a little bit more to find out who officially won. Iraq's independent electoral commission today said it expects to release final results by Thursday. A Shiite-led alliance has a big lead so far. Interim Prime minister's Ayad Allawi's ticket is running second.
While Iraq awaits official election results, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in neighboring Turkey. The visit is the latest stop on her whirlwind tour of Europe and the Middle East. Earlier today was Rice was in Poland, one of America's key allies in Iraq. Rice thanked the country for sending troops to the region and expressed condolences for those killed in the conflict so far. Rice also said European allies are ready to mend relationships frayed by the war in Iraq. She heads to Israel tomorrow.
Back in this country, President Bush focuses on Social Security. He devoted part of his weekly radio address today to his plan to privatize part of the program. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House with details. Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you. That's right, Christine. President Bush just wrapped yesterday up a two-day campaign style push if you will, to try to convince the American people that Social Security and fixing the insolvency problem is an issue that needs to be tackled now and not down the road. And now today there is some new evidence to suggest that that message is in fact reaching the public. A new "Newsweek" found that Americans, when asked whether or not they felt Social Security was in a funding crisis or faces a funding crisis, the majority of Americans, 65 percent agreed, 26 percent disagree. But Americans were split on the president's ideas for changing the Social Security system, 26 percent favor them, 36 percent are opposed and 30 percent said they were not aware of the proposals.
Now, to raise that awareness, this week the president embarked on a post-state of the union road trip through five states to sell his idea. These were places that the president won, but where the White House is hoping to put pressure on Senate Democrats. The president in a series of appearances, outlined some principles and pushed what he says could be part of the solution. That is what he echoed today in his weekly radio address.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not increase payroll taxes. We will make the system a better deal for younger workers by allowing them to save some of their payroll taxes in voluntary personal retirement accounts, a nest egg they can call their own which government can never take away.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
QUIJANO: But Democrats and seniors are digging in for a fight. They vehemently oppose privatization and Christine, even some Republicans, people within the president's own party are nervous. They have to get reelected. President Bush does not. Christine.
ROMANS: And people start to get really kind of persnickety about the use of the word "privatization" even, person accounts versus privatization. Democrats pointing out, want to use the word privatization and the Bush White House wants to say personal accounts. A lot of semantics here, but people are really scratching their head how you're going to get tax relief, permanent tax relief, an overhaul of Social Security and you're going to cut the deficit. That's a tall order.
QUIJANO: Absolutely and some conservatives within the president's party are worried about just that. Some estimates put the cost of transitioning to these private or personal accounts, however you wish to refer to them, at up to $2 trillion and that is something that makes people very nervous. The White House's argument to that is it should not be viewed so much as a deficit or adding to the debt, but they believe that it is something that will end up in a savings over the long term. Nevertheless you're right, the numbers here crucial and we'll find out what the president hopes to do with the numbers. The budget is due to the Congress on Monday. Christine.
ROMANS: What are people saying about how much work the president has to do to sort of get a big coalition around this good idea? He says he's listening to all ideas. He'll take any good idea. It doesn't matter who it comes from. Is he going to be able to build some consensus on this?
QUIJANO: Well, that's the key question really and in fact, what President Bush has done, we heard this in the state of the union address as well, is put the ball effectively in Congress' court. And you're right. We have heard President Bush say on the trail if you will or out on that road trip, that he does welcome any ideas from Republicans or Democrats or independents on how they can make this work. Now what we know is that the president, as we heard in the radio address, is not willing to go so far as to raise payroll taxes, also the president very mindful of the powerful AARP, which represents the seniors in this country, saying quite clearly over and over again that he does not want to see any changes in benefits for those at or near retirement age. Nevertheless he has left the door open, if you will, all possibilities on the table and now leaving it up to Congress to come up with some ideas.
ROMANS: All right. Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thank you so much, Elaine. In case you all all haven't heard, Elaine Quijano and her cohorts will be moving with "On the Story" to Sunday, that starting this Sunday on 10:00 a.m. The inside word this week on the president, the pope and the Super Bowl on "On the Story."
More signs Pope John Paul II's health is improving. An Italian bishop says the pope is alert and speaking clearly today. He read a note signed by bishops gathered at the hospital in Rome where the pope is being treated for the flu and breathing problems. Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers has the latest from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-ove): For 2,000 years, Christians have prayed for recovery of the sick. And so in the hospital in Rome, bishops of the Roman Catholic church, along with other Christians offered their prayers along with doctors' efforts to hasten the healing of Pope John Paul II. Eight floors above this hospital chapel, Vatican officials say his holiness is recovering from respiratory problems and flu. Afterwards, several of the bishops who saw his holiness held a news conference, declaring John Paul II to be eating regularly and eager to return to work.
Surely he is going better, Bishop Vinchenzo Polia (ph) declared, but it will be from this hospital, not from the Vatican. A greatly weakened pope will perform his Sunday blessing to the faithful. A papal aide will read John Paul II's actual message. In recent years, the 84-year-old pontiff has greatly scaled back his travel, leaving day-to-day management of church bureaucracy to his most loyal aides. When you are said to be the vicar of Christ, heir to St. Peter and supreme maximus, there is no number two.
JOHN ALLEN, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: You become the successor of Peter when you're elected and that is non delegatable. You can't hand that off to someone else. So the system is set up to prevent the idea that someone else could just casually step into the role.
RODGERS: Vatican watchers say no more major decisions will be made affecting the lives of Roman Catholics at least under this pope and for now, some bishops entrust church government to a higher power.
BISHOP THOMAS PHILOPPILLII: Our faith is that the holy spirit runs the church.
RODGERS (on-camera): In ancient times, the Roman Catholic church was not always so autocratic, but modern popes have created a more centralized structure with no provision for transfer of power or major decision-making if a pontiff becomes incapacitated. Walter Rodgers, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Later in the hour, these tsunami survivors saw their village destroyed, ran for their lives and spent 38 days trying to stay alive until someone found them and they talk about their struggle.
Red hot in Hawaii, the lava from Kilauea keeps coming.
Up next, security watch at the Super Bowl and later Sibila Vargas at the SAG awards. Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The countdown has begun for the 11th annual SAG awards. I'll tell you what everybody is talking about when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Security will be super-tight at tomorrow's Super Bowl game in Jacksonville. Since 9/11, security has become the top priority as well as the largest expense for the National Football League's championship game. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): As fans enjoy pre-game activities, law enforcers are turning up security an extra notch. For example, pilots with a customs and border protection agency provided us an overview of Alltel stadium located right on the waterfront. These are some of the same pilots that will be flying over that air space before, during and after the game. Inside the stadium, dozens of cameras are set up that allow authorities to zero in on a single seat. There's a no-fly zone encompassing a 30-mile radius around the stadium.
On the water, before during and after the game, local, state and Federal law enforcement agencies are patrolling the St. Johns River, a 14-mile stretch. One tool that's being used by the Federal authorities is called a FLIR, stands for forward-looking infrared. It provides a reverse image in darkness and light and allows authorities a better look at what's going on on the water and on the ground as well. Here's a look at the technology you.
Trying to focus in on this guy. Camera's really having a hard time do it because of it's a daytime camera. We switch over to FLIR, I can see I've got right now two POBs, two persons on board, one with a flashlight just closed the cooler and is putting the cooler down, lay the flashlight down and is now transiting right in front of us.
CANDIOTTI: Among law enforcement agencies here, the people in charge of security for next year's Super Bowl in Detroit, including the assistant police chief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very involved. This is huge. This is huge. I didn't realize how huge it was until I got down here and seen all the pieces that Jacksonville -- the key components they have to take care of. It's a lot. It's a lot. But we're ready for the challenge.
CANDIOTTI: Detroit, like Jacksonville, is on the waterfront, adding an extra layer of concern. Jacksonville's sheriff in charge of this year's Super Bowl security says if his team does his job right, the teams on the field and the fans watching the game will feel secure and not worry about it. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Jacksonville, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
The New England Patriots are playing for their third Super Bowl win in four years tomorrow. To do it, they'll have to beat a determined Philadelphia Eagles team and its highly respected quarterback Donovan McNabb. CNN's Mark McKay joins us from Jacksonville with the story. Hi there Mark.
MARK McKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. It's as much a Super Bowl tradition, a Super Bowl weekend tradition as the tailgate party. It's the pro football hall of fame announcing its inductees and the class of 2005 is certainly going to be quite quarterback- heavy. Take a look. Dan Marino (ph), who spent his entire year with the Miami Dolphins, earns distinction -- this distinction in his first year of eligibility. Marino played for 17 seasons in south Florida. He ranks as one of the NFL's all time leading passers.
You know the guy standing next to him, Steve Young. Less than a month separates those two from age. Well, now they have something else in common. Young will be joining his compatriot and his contemporary this summer in the hall. Now, what resulted from Young's career, a 15-year career that included a Super Bowl MVP award. Another quarterback, Bennie Freidman (ph), who starred in the 1920 and '30s along with Fritz Pollard, the first African-American head coach in the National Football League, they too will go in the hall posthumously August 7th in Canton, Ohio.
Now on Sunday, two more quarterbacks will come into the spotlight. As my colleague Larry Smith reports, for one, it will mean a career that comes full circle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is not a love story. Donovan McNabb may have led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl in 24 years, but he was not welcomed in Philadelphia six years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Philadelphia Eagles select Donovan McNabb, quarterback, Syracuse University.
FREDDIE MITCHELL, EAGLES WIDE RECEIVER: For a young guy to come out of college and get booed and overcome that and be the better man and say, hey, you know what? I'm going to prove them wrong, that's a lot.
SMITH: This is not a story about race, even though last season, after three pro bowl appearances, it was suggested on national television that McNabb was overrated because he was black.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.
KOY DETMER, EAGLES BACKUP QUARTERBACK: Somebody was coming after him and saying some things that were wrong and all those were things, a natural reaction would have been to lash back or whatever and he took the high road and that's what he's always done.
SMITH: Nor is this a story about success. Since after leading the Eagles to within one win of the Super Bowl for three straight years, some fans still wondered if McNabb could ever get them any further.
DONOVAN McNABB, EAGLES QUARTERBACK: This could have been my second or possibly third time in the Super Bowl. And that's not just trying to outdo or overdo anything. It's just confidence-wise, but it didn't happen and I continue to grind and I continue to work, and that showed that I never let down.
SMITH: What this is is a story about class. Donovan McNabb has now won more playoff games than any quarterback in Eagles' history. He'll become just the third African-American passer to start a Super Bowl and he will hear plenty of cheers when he takes the field in Jacksonville Sunday.
McNABB: Some people may react differently in the stands. There are a lot of people out there who appreciate the things that I do and those are the people that I care about.
SMITH: He also knows what he will hear after the game when he returns to Philadelphia, win or lose. It's the only thing he ever listens for anymore --
McNABB: It brings a smile to my face when I can go in the city of Philadelphia and see kids walking around with my jersey on. They may not know I'm by them and they're talking to their friends, saying, you know what? I want to be just like Donovan. That right there makes me feel like I've touched someone and you know, not a lot of people can say that and I take pride in that.
SMITH: Larry Smith, CNN, Jacksonville.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
McKAY: Oh yeah, let's not forget about the other quarterback play on Sunday in Alltel Stadium, Tom Brady, Christine, he's a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs and he would like to get yet another MVP award to put on his trophy case. It should be a good one.
ROMANS: Should indeed, both a couple of classy quarterbacks leading those two teams. Let's talk about Terrell Owens and that ankle. He is seen as very important in this game. It looks like he's going to play, right? How important is he and any potential for MVP out of him?
McKAY: Now wouldn't that be a story, Christine? I know the fans here, the Eagles fans seem to outnumber the Patriots fans, have been saying TO, TO, TO, TO. They want him in tomorrow's game. TO says, Owens says he will in fact play. It'll be a unique story. They made it this far. He got injured back in December and they made it this far without him. It will be interesting to see how much coach Andy Reid (ph) actually uses them. He was very coy when it came to, whether he was going to start Owens tomorrow.
ROMANS: All right. Mark McKay, Jacksonville, All right. Thanks so much. Talk to you again soon.
If the teenage girls next door surprised you with homemade cookies, you might think, nice kids. So why did a neighbor sue two well-meaning Colorado cookie cutters and win?
And police in Miami prove you can find life's great treasures in your own backyard.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Here's what's happening across America.
Hawaii's Mt. Kilauea is putting on quite a show. The planet's most active volcano is beginning its 23rd year of continuous activity with a spectacular lava flow into the Pacific.
From our no good deed goes unpunished file comes this story from Durango, Colorado. Two teenage girls who baked surprise Valentine cookies for their neighbors must pay one of them nearly $900 for mental distress. A small claims judge found for a woman who said the girls triggered an anxiety attack when they knocked on her door late in the evening and ran away after leaving the cookies on her doorstep.
It's Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans' French quarter. Three days before Fat Tuesday, the boisterous annual pre-Lenter revelry is in full swing.
And police in Florida have found more than 3.5 million nickels buried in the backyard of a suburban Miami home. They're still looking for the trucker who was supposed to deliver those nickels, $180,000 worth of them to the Federal Reserve bank in New Orleans. His rig turned up empty December 21st at a truck stop in Ft. Pierce. Even if you don't have millions of nickels buried in your back yard, your home may be your most treasured asset. A new CNN weekend program offers valuable advice on all things real estate. Gerri Willis, host of OPEN HOUSE, is in our New York bureau. Gerri, today was the debut, a fantastic program. What are you doing?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, we're having a great time Christine. I'm telling you, whether you're buying a new house our just upgrading your old home, you're going to have to watch OPEN HOUSE 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday mornings. We're going to cover the gamut of topics, everything from renovation to how do you design? How do you upgrade? How do you make your house more beautiful and livable? In our show today, we took a look at the outlook for 2005, what's going on? With housing prices up housing prices up almost 50 percent over five years, is the bloom off the boom?
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WILLIS (voice-over): Las Vegas has always been about the money, and these days, the sure bet is real estate. Say investors like Debby Smith, who started her own club to spread the world about the new Vegas gold mine.
DEBBIE SMITH, INVESTOR INTELLIGENCE REPORT: You can buy a house for 130, and by the time you close it could have been worth 200 or more. Some people made 50 to 100, even $150,000 off a single-family home.
WILLIS: In fact, last summer, the National Association of Realtors reported Las Vegas has the fastest-growing market for home prices.
MAYOR OSCAR GOODMAN, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: It's just unbelievable. We have 6,000 people on a net basis move in here a month. We build a new home every 20 minutes, if you can imagine that.
WILLIS: Demand is so intense here that development has pushed out to the surrounding sierra foothills where the government holds title. The only direction to go now? Up says developer Marty Burger.
MARTY BURGER, RELATED COMPANIES: We're here and we're building this world market center, which is a 7 million square foot furniture showroom complex and we're also here building mixed-use developments that are non-gaming and residential high rises. This is a very, very strong market.
WILLIS: But Las Vegas' successes have not come without costs. In Joanne's Cappelletti's 55-plus community, prices on new homes were cut after a glut of investment properties hit the market. Residents here now worry that they overpaid for their homes.
JOANNE CAPPELLETTI, LAS VEGAS RESIDENT: We've saved or pennies and now we've bought our dream and then to find out that, you know, if something should happen, and maybe one of us becomes ill or something, we have to sell the house, where's our money? WILLIS: Is the bloom off the boom for Las Vegas real estate? Clearly, it depends on who you talk to. One thing's for certain, though, the extraordinary run-up in prices is causing concerns beyond Las Vegas. And they come from every part in the United States. Like Washington, D.C., buoyed by strong government spending. Once a bedroom community for Los Angeles, Orange County, California has emerged as a market in its own right. Florida coastal areas like Sarasota and West Palm Beach have attracted investors and retirees alike. Providence, Rhode Island, with its close proximity to Boston, is luring professionals and families who have the means to buy second homes. With all this expensive housing, could a bust be in store for 2005? One economist says yes.
KARL CASE, FISERV CASE SHILLER WEISS: Prices will stop rising and flat line and in many of these hot markets and then downward pressure will depend on whether the economy continues to grow as it is, or whether it slows down.
WILLIS: Not everyone is as worried. National Association of Realtors economist David Lereah.
DAVID LEREAH, CHIEF ECONOMIST, NAR: I think price appreciation will begin to slow, which is actually good news for the housing markets, because supply and demand have been out of balance for the past several years. I'm looking for about 5, 6 percent price appreciation in 2005, which is still very good, very healthy.
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ROMANS: You know, Gerri, it's so interesting, because people have been talking about how prices have been going up in all kinds of different local real estate markets for several years now and you've missed it if you didn't get in and every time you've been wrong if you didn't get in. What's different now, or is there anything different now? Is there any reason now to be concerned about getting into the market at this level?
WILLIS: As we saw, talking to the experts, and I talk to people all the time about this very issue. Their real worry is some of the basic stuff. If interest rates spike, does that mean that demand will stop or slow down?
WILLIS: It's a real concern out there. That's what's different. And of course these higher prices are keeping some people out of the market because they can't afford houses in the first place. Just to let people know, in the coming weeks, we're going to be looking at a lot of fun topics, particularly in weekend projects, which is a two-day DIY project. We guide you through step by step. We'll do a couple interesting things, crown molding, refacing your kitchen cabinets, as well as how to install that home theater and Christine, I know people are thinking about this with the Super Bowl coming up this weekend.
ROMANS: Home theaters are very hot. That's in this country where we've go everything we want and a little bit more. Now we're adding home theaters to our houses. Thanks very much Gerri. WILLIS: You're welcome.
ROMANS: As she told you, OPEN HOUSE gives you this how-to approach on all things real estate, do it yourself. It's Saturdays, 9:30 Eastern only on CNN, OPEN HOUSE with Gerri Willis.
Let's turn now to -- stand by there. We're going to take a quick break here. We're going to bring back more news for you right after this break.
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ROMANS: There's a new concern in tsunami ravaged south Asia. Indonesia is bracing for a baby boom in refugee camps and villages. Some experts say birth rates may soar as parents who lost their children try to rebuild their families.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military expects to end its relief efforts for tsunami victims in Indonesia this month. The "USS Abraham Lincoln" has already left the waters off Sumatra after spending a month in the region.
Weeks after the tsunamis hit, there's an incredible story of survival. It's reviving hopes that some of those listed as missing may still be alive. CNN's Suhasini Haidar reports.
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SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the first time Justin Edward has been in clean clothes in more than a month. He's one of nine survivors of the tsunami who were rescued 38 days after the waves swept through their homes on the western side of this island on the Indian Ocean.
JUSTIN EDWARD, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We saw the tsunami submerge or village, he says, and ran for our lives. We lived on coconuts for days. Then we met some jungle tribals who showed us how to make a fire and to hunt for wild boar. Police officials who found the group say they stumbled upon them when they took a motorboat on a random search operation. They say the route was made especially difficult because of trees that had fallen into the water and intense jungle environment.
BB CHOUDHURY RESCUE POLICE OFFICIAL: It's very difficult for a normal person (INAUDIBLE). You can't move more than four, five meters -- 100 meters in a whole day.
HAIDAR: News of their discovery has reenergized search and rescue operations here say officials. More than 5,000 men, woman and children are missing in tsunami hit regions of India, most of them from here in this string of islands off the mainland just about 100 miles from the earthquake's epicenter. Officials hope others are still living off the land waiting to be rescued. We were so happy when we saw the police, says Edward and so very tired, too tired and dazed to think about the future, says 12-year-old Clara. My parents probably died in the tsunami, she explains. I don't know what I'll do next, but these survivors say they'll take care of her and each other. They're all that's left of their village now, the only family they have. Suhasini Haider, CNN, Campbell Bay in the Indian Ocean.
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ROMANS: Every week at this time we talk to Dr. Bill Lloyd who brings us some medical information and advice. What do you have for us this week, Dr. Bill?
DR. BILL LLOYD, U OF CALIF DAVID MEDICAL CTR: Hey, Christine. We're going to use these Mardi Gras beads to explain an important health issue affecting millions of Americans when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.
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ROMANS: Carol Lin is here with a preview of what's to come. Carol, what's on tap for your show at 6:00 Eastern?
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're working on a lot of different things, but one of the things we're working on is the record-breaking expensive ads for the Super Bowl, $2.4 million for 30 seconds of air, but this year it's going to be G-rated, no farting horses or (INAUDIBLE) fighting dogs. But we are going to show you one particular ad that was banned at the last minute involving a priest and the ads that are actually going to make it this year. At 10:00 we're working on the Huntsville murder story, three kids found dead in a house. The mother is the prime suspect right now. We are going after everybody on that case, including the investigators.
ROMANS: That story is shocking.
LIN: Yes it is. Nobody -- it's such a mystery and they say that it's going to take some time to unravel this case. There's some complexities there I think make it even more interesting.
ROMANS: Very mysterious. We'll continue to follow that and we'll look for what you get on it. Thank you very much. Carol Lin at 6:00.
The closely watched murder trial of a South Carolina boy enters its second week Monday morning. The boy is accused of killing his grandparents in their sleep. A defense expert testified the anti- depressant drug Zoloft could be responsible. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has the details.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Freed on bail after three years in bail, Chris Pittman walked out with the same hang-dog look he wears in court, but after hugs and kisses from his family, he showed a smile. His freedom may be temporary. Fifteen year old Chris could face life in prison for shooting his grandparents as they slept. That's why his lawyer is trying to convince the jury that an anti-depressant, Zoloft made Chris Pittman kill. His confession read in court was chilling. LUCINDA McCELLAR, LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT: When they went to bed, I waited about 10 minutes. I got the shotgun out of the cabinet. I took it in my room and loaded it. I took a box of shells from the cabinet. I put three in it, jacked one and put another one in it. I went in their room. I just aimed at the bed, I shot four times.
COHEN: The boy, only 12 at the time, burned down the house in rural South Carolina and fled with the shotgun in the car.
DAVID BLACK, CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATOR: I developed a (INAUDIBLE) the defendant.
COHEN: This was a troubled child from an unhappy home in Florida, sent to live with the two people he loved most.
MITCHELL SNELGROVE, BEST FRIEND: I don't know many people who would just get up in their grandparents' lap and say I love you pop pop or something like that in front of one of their friends.
COHEN: Yet police say there was no remorse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sorry, they deserved it, everybody hates me, I'm useless.
COHEN: I'm useless, familiar words from someone diagnosed with depression as Chris Pittman was by his family doctor who put him on Zoloft.
ANDY VICKERY, DEFENSE LAWYER: He was a 96-pound, 12-year-old, a boy a shy, decent boy, who was acting under the influence of a powerful mind-altering drug.
COHEN: Three years after the shootings, the Food and Drug Administration did warn drugs like this could cause suicidal behavior in some children, but the FDA has not linked the drugs to violence towards others. Still, the FDA has warned doctors to carefully monitor their young patients for agitation and aggression. A psychiatrist for the defense said this could lead to violence.
DR. DAVID HEALY, DEFENSE PSYCHIATRIST: The only reason I'm here is that I think there's a very strong argument that can be made for the fact that the drug has caused the problem.
COHEN: The prosecution version, Chris was furious at his grandparents because they wanted to send him back to his father after a school fight. The prosecution's psychiatrist.
DR. JAMES BALLENGER, PROSECUTION PSYCHIATRIST: I think he did it because he was very mad, very angry.
COHEN: The key question for the jury is did Chris Pittman know right from wrong when he killed his grandparents? The defense said he didn't. Prosecutors say he's a smart, angry boy who knew exactly what he was doing. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Charleston South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ROMANS: Patients who need a bone marrow transplant often have a tough time finding one if their ancestry is multiracial. What's the function of bone marrow for good health and why are multiracial matches harder to make than others? Dr. Bill Lloyd is minding health matters for us today in Sacramento. He's a surgeon with the University of California Davis Medical Center. Welcome to the program.
BILL LLOYD, UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS: Happy Mardi Gras, Christine.
ROMANS: Happy Mardi Gras. Now why are those beads instructive in trying to figure out about bone marrow transplants and bone marrow matches.
LLOYD: The bone marrow is the space inside of your bones. It's a very special tissue and if you need a bone marrow transplant, it could save your life but at the same time, it might jeopardize your life. Now imagine being at the Mardi Gras, being in the French quarter and needing just one person to match you as a bone marrow donor. Well, if you're a multiracial American, the odds are very remote and the chances are not one person in the French quarter will match you.
Let me tell you some special things about the bone marrow. It's the home to our blood cells, the red cells that help you breathe and the white cells that help you fight infection. When you have a bone marrow transplant, you have your entire inventory of cells replaced. Now everybody has specific proteins, and those proteins identify you and what race you come from. When you have a bone marrow transplant, there's a risk that the new cells that you get won't match the person who is receiving them, that is, the host.
And the problem could be where the new cells turn against the host. That's just the opposite of a kidney or a heart, where the body turns against the organ. So doctors have to use lots of immune suppression to help people getting a bone marrow transplant to stop that battle from happening.
ROMANS: Let's talk about making the match. One of my sisters in- laws was a perfect match for another sister in law. In fact there were several matches in our family. How do you find a match? How do you make sure that everyone out there can get a match quickly, because after all, when you need a bone marrow transplant, you're sick and you've got to move quickly.
LLOYD: The facts are, Christine, 70 percent of people who need a bone marrow transplant can't find a match. Only 30 percent can locate somebody in their own family, in their own bloodline. Now Caucasians have many common proteins, so by going to a national database, you can find somebody who's a pretty good match, just like these beads. The same is true for African-Americans. Millions of people have put their names on one of these prospective donor lists, but if we talk about a multiracial person who has many different types of proteins, it's very difficult to find a pair that match exactly. So we want more multiracial Americans to get enrolled in a donor program so they could become a prospective bone marrow donor if it becomes necessary. ROMANS: Where can you find these programs? How do you enroll? What if somebody watching right now says, gee, maybe this is something I should do, get myself out there in case somebody -- I'm a match for somebody and they need me?
LLOYD: Well, there's variety a rather of ways you can get involved. You can go to your local blood donor center. Every time you volunteer to donate blood, you get the opportunity to donate the identity of those cells, so just in case in the future, somebody needs a match, you may be the lucky donor. Remember, donating your bone marrow isn't like donating a kidney. It's relatively simple procedure that can be done time and time again. The trick is finding the multiracial Americans, many aren't even aware of it, that they too can participate and by putting them in a special database and using high speed computers, we can match prospective donors with people who need a bone marrow, just like the "CSI" show to match up somebody's fingerprint.
ROMANS: Dr. Bill, who needs a bone marrow transplant? What kind of patient is it used for?
LLOYD: Well, a sick bone marrow is often treated with a bone marrow transplant. About 85 percent of Americans who need a bone marrow transplant have some form of blood cancer involving their red cells or their white cells, but there's other people as well that need a bone marrow transplant. People who have a hereditary condition or people who don't make the right kinds of cells to fight infections. Those people as well need to get a bone marrow transplant. If you're a multiracial American, the odds of finding someone who's a perfect match so that bone marrow will take is very, very small.
ROMANS: Dr. Bill Lloyd, thank you very much. Mardi Gras beads, bone marrow transplants, only you can make those two work together. Thanks.
LLOYD: Happy Mardi Gras Christine.
ROMANS: You tool Let's go to Sibila Vargas now for our happy SAG awards. Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do Jamie Foxx, Leo DiCaprio and Terry Hatcher have in common? They'll all be making their way down this red carpet. I'll give you the scoop when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.
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ROMANS: Two film stars are about to encounter hasty pudding, while a third is caught up in something stickier. Here's CNN's entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson with the Hollywood minute.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine Zeta-Jones will get her just desserts next week when she's honored by Harvard's Hasty Pudding Club as their woman of the year. The following week Tim Robbins will be honored as their man of the year. Both will be paraded through the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, surrounded by several young men in drag.
Macaulay Culkin's Oklahoma City court date for drug possession has been delayed. The hearing has been moved to April 6th. The actor was arrested during a traffic stop in September. Marijuana and Xanax were found in the car in which he was a passenger. Culkin pleaded not guilty to the charges.
"Variety" is reporting that Jack Nicholson has joined the all- star cast of Martin Scorcese's "The Departed." The remake of the Hong Kong hit "Infernal Affairs" also stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. The crime thriller begins shooting in April. With the Hollywood minute, I'm Brooke Anderson.
ROMANS: And what's airing on CNN's companion network TNT tonight is not a crime thriller, but they're still rounding up the usual suspects, the 11th annual screen actors guild awards will honor some top Hollywood performers. Entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas is in Los Angeles, ready to give us a preview. Hi there Sibila.
VARGAS: I am so ready. Hi there Christine. You said, the usual suspects. Those usual suspects today will be Jamie Foxx, Leo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, just a few of the stars that will be walking down this red carpet. One thing I will tell you, that no one will be going home empty-handed. No, no, no, no. You know that award shows are not just about just the award themselves, but about those fabulous gift bags.
Well, this year, SAG did not disappoint. The presenters will be going away with a gift bag that is worth something like tens of thousands of dollars and some of these gift bags, let me just tell you Christine, some of the things that they have, luxurious vacations to the Grenadines, Montana and Napa Valley, not too shabby, luxurious robes with SAG emblems, so that the stars can feel very fabulous as they usually do. Oscar de la Renta eyewear, Coach as well, because of course, stars have to look cool and you know, that's just their thing, trendy blue jeans as well, laser solutions to keep those eyes focused, and of course smiles on Rodeo, gift certificates to that places because the smile is worth a million dollars here in Hollywood.
But one thing that I thought was really interesting and something that's very special is that, this year they're auctioning off the gift bags, so if you're interested, Christine, and if any of our viewers are interested, you could go on eBay. The gift bags will - the proceeds will go to the SAG Foundation, which will help literacy programs. So this is something that's also very special and very neat, actually, for them to put this together. But if you want them, you better act fast. If you want a gift bag, you got to go on eBay because on February 8th, on Tuesday -- this Tuesday, this coming up Tuesday, it will be gone. Christine, what do you think? Are you going to be bidding?
ROMANS: No, I'm not going to be bidding.
VARGAS: A little expensive, right?
ROMANS: Well, you know, a couple weeks of my allowance, yeah. What's different about the SAG awards than some of the other awards that we watch?
VARGAS: What's really wonderful about this award show is that it's the actors giving awards to other actors. It's exclusive and no other award show has that. And I think another thing that's really special about it and also an embodiment of it, is that rather than look at films themselves, they look at the cast. They give awards to the cast, the ensemble cast. This year "Million Dollar Baby" and "Sideways" are the two top contenders. And one of the reasons is that if you watch "Million Dollar Baby" Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman were just incredible together. It's the chemistry. It's really what made that movie. "Sideways" the same thing. It's been a critics gem, but really, it's not about Paul Giamitti (ph). It's not about Thomas Hayden Church (ph). It's not about Virginia Matson (ph). It's about them all, how they each worked with one another and the director as well. So I think that's really something very special.
"The Aviator" is a movie that has been spoken about, that a lot of critics like, but "The Aviator" was really a vehicle if you really think about it, for Leo DiCaprio. Kate Blanchett (ph) did a fabulous job. She's been, she's got a supporting nomination as well, Kate (INAUDIBLE) did not get a nod, but she was fabulous as well. But really it's a film for Leo, but that's what really makes this award show very special and very unique.
ROMANS: And it also honors television as well, not just these big films, you've been talking about the past two minutes, but TV also involved.
VARGAS: Well, you know and the big thing this year, if you haven't heard, if you're living under a rock, I guess, would be the "Desperate Housewives." Teri Hatcher (ph), she got her award at the Golden Globes and the cast of "Desperate Housewives" did as well at the Golden Globes. And boy were we talking about it months before and we're still talking about it now, so I think expect some things to come out of the "Desperate Housewives" camp.
ROMANS: That is really a Cinderella story, especially for Teri Hatcher.
VARGAS: Yeah, especially and you know, really it was sort of sad, because during her acceptance speech, she said that she felt as if she had been a has-been, sort of telling of Hollywood in general, sometimes you become something very big and then all of a sudden you don't get any work and you feel that way, but she's never been a has- been. I'm just so happy for her. I'm happy that she did get an award and that she's up on top again.
ROMANS: And casting directors everywhere take note that there are some really high-profile, powerful 40-plus year old women in television and in movies this time around.
VARGAS: That's right. Absolutely.
ROMANS: All right. Sibila Vargas, have a good time.
VARGAS: Thank you, I will.
ROMANS: The SAG awards in Los Angeles and that's it for us here. Headlines when we come back and then, PEOPLE IN THE NEWS.
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