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Former CBS News Producer Pleads Guilty to Attempted Grand Larceny; Massa Resigns
Aired March 09, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOY BEHAR, HOST: Tonight on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, Joe Halderman pleaded guilty to extorting David Letterman today. He has to serve 6 months in jail and give (INAUDIBLE) back rubs forever.
Then, is Gabby Sidibe`s work in "Precious" proof that an actress doesn`t have to be an anorexic stick figure to work in Hollywood?
And there`s a "Kanye Moment" at the Oscars. Elinor Burkett has been called pushy, rude and out of line. And the problem is?
That and more right now.
David Letterman`s alleged blackmailer Joe Halderman can officially drop the word "alleged". He pleaded guilty this afternoon to attempted grand larceny and made this statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT "JOE" HALDERMAN, PLEADED GUILTY IN EXTORTION CASE: Just wanted to say that, again, I apologize to Mr. Letterman, his family, Stephanie Birkitt, her family and certainly to my friends and family. I will not be doing any interviews and I thank you all for your patience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Ok. Halderman was nabbed last year for attempting to squeeze $2 million out of Letterman in exchange for not exposing Dave`s workplace sexual liaisons.
Joining me with the update is Vinnie Politan, host of "In Session on TruTV. Yo, Vinnie, how are you?
VINNIE POLITAN, TRUTV HOST, "IN SESSION": Good, good Joy. Thanks so much for having me on. Appreciate it.
BEHAR: Ok. Was this plea deal expected do you think?
POLITAN: I think so for a couple reasons. One, the guy`s facing 15 years in prison. That`s number one. Number two, they`ve got audiotapes. And when you have audiotapes that means you have strong evidence.
So now you have a criminal defendant who is sort of cornered. The evidence is strong, ok? What does he do? His lawyer is going to try to get the best deal possible.
On the other hand, you`ve got a victim here. As much as Letterman said I`m ready, willing and able to go in to court, trust me, David Letterman did not want to go into court; did not want to have to testify in this public trial. So it`s a win across the board for everybody and it makes a lot of sense.
BEHAR: Right. He had to agree.
POLITAN: He`s going to do six months.
BEHAR: But I mean Letterman had to agree to the plea deal, right? This way he avoids all of the embarrassment of the trial, right?
POLITAN: It`s not just embarrassment, it`s being put on the hot seat and cross examined. What any good defense attorney does is make you look like the bad guy. And that`s what this case would have been about. It would have been about David Letterman and everything that he`s ever done. Now he can avoid all that.
This guy can avoid 15 years of exposure in prison. He`s going to do six months, he`ll be on probation. But maybe he can pick up the pieces of his life and maybe work some day.
You have any producer openings over there, Joy?
BEHAR: Not right this minute but you never know.
So is this typical sort of sentence for extortion cases or did he get special treatment?
POLITAN: I don`t think he got any special treatment and I don`t think they wrapped this case up any quicker because it was David Letterman. What I think you had a case, again -- strong evidence -- this is a guy who doesn`t have any criminal background, he doesn`t have any record. And it wasn`t your typical extortion case.
Remember, he was paid by check and negotiated the thing with Letterman`s lawyers. So for those of us looking from the outside in and said hey maybe the defense does have some sort of case here.
But at the end of the day, it`s a good deal for everybody. The prosecutor says you know what? This guy doesn`t get away scot-free. He`s going to be on probation for five years. He`s got to do six months in the county jail, which I wouldn`t want to do. And David Letterman, again, avoids having to deal with this any further.
BEHAR: Ok.
POLITAN: It`s a win-win.
BEHAR: Thanks. Thanks very much, Vinnie.
POLITAN: Thank you, Joy.
BEHAR: Ok. Let me get my panel in on this.
Joining me are Niecy Nash, actress, host of "Clean House" and the new cast member of "Dancing with the Stars", Rob Shuter, AOL`s Pop Eater columnist and Anjelah Johnson, actress and comedienne, who`s movie "Our Family Wedding" opens March 12th.
Ok. Now Letterman must be breathing a sigh of relief, am I right?
ROB SHUTER, COLUMNIST, AOL POP EATER: Oh yes.
Totally. The last thing he wanted to do was to take the witness stand. This whole debate has been framed by David; it`s been on his terms. He hasn`t answered any questions. It`s like a Tiger Woods press conference in many ways. David has been saying what he wants to say, no one has asked him a question. He wants this to go away quick.
BEHAR: He`s sort come out looking pretty good, Letterman. He`s took the high road, he came out and fessed up.
ANJELAH JOHNSON, ACTRESS COMEDIAN: Definitely. Fessing up, he got us back on his team like ok, we can`t hate him too much. He told us the truth.
SHUTER: Yes. We`re to busy hating Conan. It sort of went on during this case and --
BEHAR: Nobody hates Conan.
SHUTER: No, but hate is -- we were too busy talking about Conan to sort of remember this Letterman case until today and it only popped back up and tomorrow we`ll find something else to talk about.
BEHAR: Niecy, let me talk to you Niecy. Here`s the thing. In the "Vanity Fair" article, the girls at Letterman`s show refer to him as a God. He`s electric. Did you ever see Letterman in that light? I never really thought of him that way.
NIECY NASH, HOST, "CLEAN HOUSE": I didn`t see it that way. But you know, maybe it`s something to behold up close. I don`t know.
SHUTER: That`s what the boys refer to you as on your show.
BEHAR: A goddess.
SHUTER: Like electric, yes.
BEHAR: Yes, they do, don`t they?
Go ahead.
NASH: That may be the case. I just think, you know, that as a comedienne, I appreciated that he brought some of that to bringing it to the public and now, you know what? I`m ready for him to just go on back home and be a better husband. Let`s put this to the side and focus on some other things.
BEHAR: Yes, there is the wife.
But you know. Let me ask you something. I`ve never been in prison, have you?
SHUTER: I`ve not -- no.
JOHNSON: No.
BEHAR: Ok. Well, my question is, is he going to like have trouble in prison? You know what I`m saying?
SHUTER: Oh.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: You know what I`m saying. Are they going to get it -- in his world wide pants -- that`s what I want to know.
JOHNSON: He might have to join a gang, I don`t know. He might have to get affiliated, throw on a color bandanna or two. You don`t know.
BEHAR: You think so?
JOHNSON: He might.
BEHAR: Niecy, what do you think?
NASH: You know what? I don`t even want to think about it.
BEHAR: I don`t want to think about that either.
And also, the other thing I was thinking will Halderman be able to now write the screenplay? It`s all out there now.
SHUTER: I guess he will. Like, yes.
BEHAR: It will be what they call (INAUDIBLE).
SHUTER: I though of those.
BEHAR: Yes, haven`t you.
BEHAR: Ok, everybody. Sit tight.
Up next, Gabby Sidibe has sparked a debate in Hollywood. We`ll be back in 60 seconds to tell you all about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GABOUREY SIDIBE, ACTRESS: Let me tell you something about this dress. Get it, all of it. If fashion was porn, this dress is the money god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: I just love her.
SHUTER: I love her.
BEHAR: I`m back with my panel.
Now we`re going to talk about Gabby Sidibe, because the casting directors in Hollywood are saying that she`s basically too fat --
SHUTER: Yes.
BEHAR: To get parts. And it so happens we just found out a little while ago that she just got picked up for 13 episodes on "Showtime".
SHUTER: Good for her.
BEHAR: So she`s working.
JOHNSON: Yes.
BEHAR: So it`s not true that she can`t get a part.
SHUTER: Well, I think what they`re saying is the type of roles that this girl wants it`s going to be very hard for her to get. I`m not saying this is a good thing, I`m just reporting what casting directors have told me and they`re saying that it`s going to be hard now for her to find a role.
BEHAR: But she`s -- I`m telling you, she nailed it already.
SHUTER: She did, but she has to work again, like she wants another job and I think that now --
BEHAR: So you`re saying down -- Anjelah, do you think that down the road a bit, she needs to knock it off a little bit, the weight?
JOHNSON: I mean she`s already been nominated for an Oscar; she can do really whatever she wants to do. She`s a talented girl, you know. If she`s really -- look at her on the Red Carpet, she`s so confident. You know what I mean?
BEHAR: She`s very funny too.
JOHNSON: It`s not like we need to help you be a little more confident in yourself. She`s quite confident and funny and adorable. And I mean --
SHUTER: I wish al those things were what gave ladies parts in Hollywood and unfortunately they don`t. There`s lots of bad actresses out there that are very skinny and get lots of roles.
NASH: Well, if I may --
BEHAR: Yes. Niecy jump in.
NASH: Let me weigh in here on this. The thing of it is that either side in Hollywood, you`re struggling. Either you`re so tiny and you`re struggling with anorexia and Hollywood charges you with that, or you`re too heavy and now you can`t work because of that.
I feel like there`s always going to be something out there for you to do. And if you can`t find it, create it.
Here`s the rub, a 90-pound actress couldn`t have went in there and played "Precious". That wasn`t going to happen. Somebody needed to have a sandwich and go to work.
BEHAR: But she`s not -- Gabby, just to finish up on Gabby for a minute. She`s not just full figured. I mean the girl is a very big girl.
SHUTER: She`s a big girl.
BEHAR: I think that if she lost weight, like let`s say 80 pounds let`s say, I think that she would be a full-figured girl and maybe she could get more work that way. Or maybe not, I don`t know.
NASH: Here`s the thing, Joy.
BEHAR: Yes.
NASH: I think that if Gabby loses weight, if she wants to do that for health reasons that`s one thing.
JOHNSON: Right.
NASH: But to do it because Hollywood put pressure on you to do it, I don`t agree with that.
BEHAR: Ok, well, you know, Nikki Blonsky is an example of someone who was on "Hair Spray" and she was a full figured girl, I don`t know what she looks like right now, but she hasn`t gotten any work since then. So it`s not that easy in fact.
SHUTER: It`s not that easy --
BEHAR: But it`s easy if they`re men.
SHUTER: Absolutely, it`s just totally double standard. You know some really heavy guys out there who are working all the time and these beautiful, talented women are not getting the part.
BEHAR: I know. Why is it more acceptable for the men?
ANJELAH JOHNSON, "OUR FAMILY WEDDING": There is double standard all - - all over the place even just like within comedy, like if you`re not a man or if you`re a woman, you`re not overweight or look funny, then you can`t be funny. So there`s a double standard with that. Like with me doing comedy. And so that I definitely think there`s a double standard for bigger women trying to get roles as well as the bigger men.
BEHAR: Yes, there`s always a part for the John Goodmans, even Alec Baldwin.
JOHNSON: Because they are trying to be funny.
BEHAR: Who when he puts on weight is still hot.
SHUTER: You think?
BEHAR: I think so, yes. Maybe I`m a chubby chaser.
Thanks, everybody.
Up next, Rahm Emanuel gets naked for health care, allegedly. The details when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up a little later on "THE JOY BEHAR SHOW": Elinor Burkett, the Academy Award Interrupter, tells Joy about her Kanye moment. And CEOs go under cover, at their own companies. Now back to Joy.
BEHAR: Liberal Congressman Eric Massa resigned yesterday. At first he said he was run out by the Democrats but now he says he forced himself out by acting inappropriately. New allegations today surfaced that he has groped several male staffers.
Joining me mow to discuss are Dan Savage, sex columnist, and editor of "The Stranger" and Nia-Malika Henderson, White House reporter for "Politico." Ok, Massa is very angry at the Democratic leadership. Yesterday he went after Rahm Emanuel on his radio show. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ERIC MASSA (D), NEW YORK: They don`t have any shower curtains down in the gym. And I`m sitting there showering, naked as a jaybird and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest yelling at me because I`m wasn`t going to vote for the president`s budget.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil`s spawn. He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BEHAR: And we all know he leans to the left.
First of all, Dan, would you put it past Rahm to do that?
DAN SAVAGE, SEX COLUMNIST: I`d invite Rahm to do that to me. It certainly seems like Massa based on what we know now about these allegations may have been fantasizing about this encounter. Something he`s projecting, which if he is a tortured closet case and I`m not saying that he is, but which tortured closet case in the U.S. Congress wouldn`t appreciate Rahm Emanuel if you are going to get screamed at by Rahm Emanuel doing it in a shower naked and poking you that way.
BEHAR: Nia the story is crazy, isn`t it? I mean, exactly why did he resign?
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, POLITICO: Well, you`re right, it`s a story that`s crazy, it`s a story that`s seems to change every single day. And it looks like he was forced to resign because there are all these allegations that were coming out. He was under an ethics cloud, an investigation --
BEHAR: Right.
HENDERSON: -- that dates back to a year for all these allegations where there was groping male staffers or coming on to male staffers, some of the things that he`s already admitted.
So that`s what it looks like, he really wanted to leave before these allegations came out.
But what`s so odd is that he is of course giving, you know, talking about these allegations and he didn`t necessarily have to. The ethics investigation directed at him essentially goes away now that he`s resigning.
BEHAR: I thought he resigned originally because he got cancer.
HENDERSON: That was the original story, yes, exactly.
BEHAR: Yes.
HENDERSON: Yes and he`s changed it several times.
SAVAGE: But then he -- and he seemed to want of martyr of himself and he went and hid behind and -- invoked the right`s big bogeyman in this administration, which is Rahm Emanuel, which is a very strange choice. It was like he was angling to become the new Dick Morris, like turncoat dam, like oh, the vicious Obama machine and the Chicago polls forced me out; very strange and erratic behavior on Massa`s part.
BEHAR: So do you think that it`s a cover for the fact that the guy was groping these aides?
SAVAGE: Yes.
BEHAR: So this whole thing is just a smoke screen to cover that up?
SAVAGE: I believe it was an inept one and an attempt to creating a cover or creating a diversion by pointing at Rahm Emanuel who is the rights` bogeyman.
BEHAR: Ok, now he was -- Massa was on Glenn Beck`s though, "Glenn Beck Show" today to discuss those allegations. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASSA: Now they`re saying I groped a male staffer. Yes, I did. Not only did I grope him, I tickled him until he couldn`t breathe and these four guys jumped on top of me. It was my 50th birthday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Well, happy birthday. So is he saying he didn`t do it there?
HENDERSON: It sounds like he`s saying that he did it but it was all in good fun and didn`t necessarily have any sort of malicious or harassing undertones to it. But I mean, that`s what it sounds like he`s saying to me.
But I mean, this guy keeps kind of confessing this wrong doing. I mean, Dan talked about him wanting to have this smoke screen. But it doesn`t seem to be a very good smoke screen, because he seems to be admitting to many of these allegations that are coming out.
BEHAR: You know, he says that Rahm Emanuel is the devil, but he just met Glenn Beck. So maybe Rahm Emanuel just went up a notch.
Before we move on to the next story, you know, Rush Limbaugh has said that if health care goes through in the country, he is moving out of the country.
Hey, hello, good news tonight.
And any way, where would he`d move? Any decent country in the world has health care. So where is he going to go?
SAVAGE: Perhaps he can go to Canada like Sarah Palin and free load off Canada`s health care like Sarah Palin did.
BEHAR: Yes.
All right, let`s switch gears, Dan Rather appeared on Chris Matthews Sunday and said something about Obama that made many people`s ears perk up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RATHER, FORMER CBS NEWS ANCHOR: Listen, he`s a nice person, he`s very articulate. This is what`s been used against him. But he couldn`t sell watermelons if you gave this --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Of all the fruits to choose, why would he choose watermelon? There`s an orange, there`s a cantaloupe. I mean, any other fruit, why that?
SAVAGE: But if you drive through Texas in the summer, it is watermelon that is sold by the side of the road at produce stands.
You know Dan Rather is almost 80 years old and you can hear Chris Matthews and the other people -- guests on that show jumping in to interrupt him like you would jump in to interrupt great grandpa at Thanksgiving. When he starts to say something embarrassing and I really think that`s what`s going on. I don`t think Dan Rather is a closet racist.
BEHAR: So it`s a Ratherism, as we call it, right?
HENDERSON: Yes, that`s what it seems.
BEHAR: Yes.
HENDERSON: Like, I mean as Dan said, I mean I`m from South Carolina and yes people do sell watermelons on the side of the road and this is an older guy. And as you said, Chris Matthews kind of jumped in there to try to save him.
I think there is something here that in some ways we talked about this whole idea of a post-racial society. But in some ways I think we end up having conversations about race even when we don`t mean to. And sometimes we do have these deep-seated stereotypes or they kind of come up even when we are good-hearted and we don`t mean them to come out. And in some ways I think some people might read it as that and some people might read it as a ratherism.
BEHAR: Ok. Sit tight, everyone. We`ll be back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: After his arrest for a DUI outside a gay nightclub, California State Senator Roy Ashburn went on the record yesterday, coming clean with the obvious.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ROY ASHBURN, CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR: I am gay. And so I -- those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: So why is it an issue? Ashburn can thank himself for that. He has repeatedly voted against a number of gay rights.
I`m back to discuss this with my panel. Dan, is this a big deal?
SAVAGE: It is a big deal. It`s just another -- more evidence that people who stump politically against gay rights very often have skeletons in their own closets or themselves entirely in their own closets.
Right now, the first follow up question for somebody like State Senator Ashburn who led an anti-gay marriage rally in Sacramento, should always be, "Are you gay, senator, yourself? "Is there something you`re trying to tell us by stumping against gay rights so aggressively and obnoxiously?"
BEHAR: Obnoxiously. Well, they guy voted against gay rights very often as you say.
Listen to him explain the reason.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ASHBURN: My votes reflect the wishes of the people in my district. And I have always felt that my faith and allegiance was to the people there, the district, my constituents.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BEHAR: Nia, what do you say to that, that he voted the way his constituents wanted him to vote?
HENDERSON: Well, I think the reality is that there are more gay politicians -- openly gay politicians, something like 700 across the country, mainly on the state and local levels; and more and more in the south as well.
So I think there is a movement and a more open acceptance of gay rights of gay people. And so I think that`s a lesson that was lost on this guy here who seems to think that he needs to vote in lock step with his constituency.
It does seem here that this guy is obviously going through kind of a personal issue here, even something of a personal meltdown in some ways. And so there is -- I think he does get some room to kind of grope with that and kind of figure that out on his own.
BEHAR: I think grope is the wrong word to use.
HENDERSON: I wish I could take that back.
BEHAR: It sort of reminds me, Dan, of when somebody is pro choice only for their constituency but they are basically not pro choice. So they`ll vote pro choice or anti-choice, depending on what the people want. Isn`t it a similar idea here?
SAVAGE: Perhaps. But you know, there are times when leaders need to lead and lead by example. And if he`s really concerned about what his constituents wanted and that`s what his top priority was, is to honor his constituents` wishes he should have been out of the closet all along. Because if his constituents are that bigoted and anti-gay, they wouldn`t have elected a gay man to represent them as senator in the first place.
BEHAR: Exactly. But you know, even though -- he`s not running again, but he says he`s not running -- but they wouldn`t re-elect him now is your point. Now that he`s out of the closet he`s toast in that particular area, right?
SAVAGE: Well, Jim Colby was re-elected to Congress after coming out, a Republican after coming out in Arizona in a conservative district.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: So what`s the difference?
SAVAGE: And Gary (INAUDIBLE) was re-elected after he came out. It`s not a given. I do think that he needs to soul search and if he decides to run again, he needs to change his position on gay rights issues.
BEHAR: Mia, a quick comment from you and then we`re going to go.
HENDERSON: Yes. I know. I think people are a lot more accepting than you give them credit for -- than people give them credit for and that could be something that he finds if he decides runs again. He could find that these people appreciate his honesty.
BEHAR: That would make me feel better about a lot of these areas. Thanks very much, you guys.
She busted up the Oscars and now she`s going to do the same with my show. Elinor Burkett joins me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up a little later on "The Joy Behar Show," what happens when the Boss goes Undercover to see what works and what doesn`t at his own company? We`ll meet the CEOs behind the controversial new series "Undercover Boss." now back to Joy.
BEHAR: The most memorable moment from this year`s Oscars occurred when a loud middle age redhead surprised millions by running up onstage and grabbing the microphone. And no, it wasn`t me demanding that George Clooney return my calls. It was her. And here to talk about what`s being called her Kanye West moment is one of the producers of the Oscar winning documentary "Music By Prudence," Elinor Burkett. Hey, Elinor, welcome to the show.
ELINOR BURKETT, PRODUCER, "MUSIC FROM PRUDENCE": Hey Joy, I wasn`t even asking for George Clooney to return my calls.
BEHAR: You didn`t?
BURKETT: No.
BEHAR: I would have. For anyone who missed it, let`s watch what happens when the winner was announced for best documentary short.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Music By Prudence" Roger Roth Williams and Elinor Burkett.
ROGER ROTH WILLIAMS: I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would end up here. This is so exciting.
BURKETT: Can we drop the man and let the woman talk.
WILLIAMS: This is so exciting.
BURKETT: The classic thing, you know, in a world in which most of us are told and tell ourselves that we can`t. We honor the band behind this film, teaches us that we`re wrong. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Okay, Elinor, you know, you`ve been compared to - Kanye -- it`s very funny. I tell you I enjoyed it because it was like the one moment in the Oscars that was worth watching, in a way.
BURKETT: It was dull. I mean the show was just like --
BEHAR: The show was dull.
BURKETT: I stood outside smoking most of the time. So --
BEHAR: Yes and then you came up and just made the whole thing happen. But you`ve been compared to Kanye West. David Letterman made fun of you last night. How do you feel about that?
BURKETT: Well I have to start by saying I live in Zimbabwe, so I didn`t know what the Kanye West reference was.
BEHAR: Oh.
BURKETT: I was backstage and I get a phone call from somebody saying your Kanye West moment - I didn`t know what they were talking about.
BEHAR: Yes. But now you do.
BURKETT: Well now I know and it`s just a little weird. Because like Kanye West didn`t get the Oscar. I mean that was the point.
BEHAR: No, that`s true, but he interrupted the flow, let`s put it that way.
BURKETT: Yes, I interrupted so I had two choices, right?
BEHAR: Yes.
BURKETT: Either I could let him blather on, for 45 seconds, because that was the max. This year was only one person could speak, or I could interrupt, so I get to talk.
BEHAR: Yes.
BURKETT: And everybody thinks I was bad for interrupting him. So they don`t think he was bad for like big footing me to prevent me from speaking at all.
BEHAR: Uh huh, big footing you?
BURKETT: Yes, well that`s what he did. You saw how he ran up, I mean, maybe I`m just like a middle age crazy person, could be.
BEHAR: Yes.
BURKETT: But I think, okay, you get up, then you wait for me to get up, we go up together graciously.
BEHAR: Yes.
BURKETT: And you don`t start talking at least while I`m halfway down the Kodak theater.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
BURKETT: I mean that was pretty big footed.
BEHAR: Well when they announced the winner, what went through your mind. You were sitting there with his mother, right?
BURKETT: Uh huh.
BEHAR: So what happened in your head?
BURKETT: That if I don`t get to that stage within three seconds, he`s not going to thank the band, he`s only going to talk about himself. That`s what he did.
BEHAR: Uh huh, that`s what he did. Let`s hear what Roger Ross Williams had to say on "Larry King Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST: The woman that cut into your speech claims that your mother used her cane and tried to block the path to the stage. True?
WILLIAMS: That`s ridiculous. My mother got up behind me my mother is 87 years old and has bad knees. And she just got excited like anyone mother would.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: So you are saying that the mother basically tripped you, she`s 83 -
BURKETT: Well go back over he didn`t hug his mother.
BEHAR: He didn`t hug his mother.
BURKETT: I mean when you - what you show to me now, I hate to do this, because it`s his mother. She`s a very nice mother. It`s not about his mother. But you saw in your first show -
BEHAR: Yes.
BURKETT: It was announced, he didn`t even turn to his mother. He didn`t hug her. He ran -- by the time his mother started to get up, he was halfway to the stage into his acceptance speech. His mother -- everybody around us was laughing. All because they didn`t know what to do to help me get out because I could not get out.
BEHAR: Why were they laughing?
BURKETT: Because they didn`t know what to do to get me out.
BEHAR: They saw that you wanted to get out.
BURKETT: Well obviously, my name had just been called, it`s the Oscar. The guy in front of me --
BEHAR: Yes, yes, but he wouldn`t have minded if you just went up and kept your mouth shut, right?
BURKETT: Oh but I`m really not very good at keeping my mouth shut.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: Oh I can relate.
BURKETT: You know this is not just something - that is like in my makeup. And it`s also like - you know, this is not "Avatar." and this is not (UNINTELLIGIBLE)--
BEHAR: Church walker. It`s not a big film.
BURKETT: Yes. I mean this is a documentary film, so the speech needs to be about the subjects of the film. Not about "I am so happy, I, I, I."
BEHAR: Yes, yes, yes.
BURKETT: The speech needs to be about the band.
BEHAR: Well you know this is what he said to Salone, she has nothing to do with the movie, she just ambushed me. How do you respond to that? That you have nothing to --
BURKETT: I have nothing to do with the movie? You see my name on this Oscar?
BEHAR: Well, I said before you got the Oscar.
BURKETT: The producer`s guild said I produced the movie. And I produced the movie.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
BURKETT: So I mean ambushing me makes it sound like I was really just some woman who like - for some reason stormed up on stage and I had nothing to do with the movie. I don`t think that the academy would have given me an Oscar if I had nothing to do with the movie.
BEHAR: Well that`s probably true but you know I also read that you say there`s a level of sexism in how all this played out. What do you mean by that?
BURKETT: Oh, I don`t think there`s any doubt. In fact, it`s been the funniest thing on the street. I mean how many women were up on the stage before me? Zero women. And when --
BEHAR: No, Catherine Bigelow did win the big one.
BURKETT: Yes that was late.
BEHAR: Yes, yes, yes.
BURKETT: But when there are mixed groups of men and women, who speaks for the group? Well all know who that is.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
BURKETT: And we spoke, it`s funny yesterday I was in the airport in L.A. trying to figure out through TSA.
BEHAR: Right.
BURKETT: And this woman, older woman like in her 50s --
BEHAR: Yes -- that`s old?
BURKETT: Stops and says, older.
BEHAR: Okay.
BURKETT: But look anybody is younger than me at this point because I`m 63.
BEHAR: Okay.
BURKETT: The woman stopped and she said you`re the one who wouldn`t let that rude boy speak, right? And I said yes and they started cheering.
BEHAR: They like that because they saw an assertive woman go up there and just go for it, is that why?
BURKETT: I think that`s why. I mean somebody else told me, just sent me an e-mail and said you can now buy a t-shirt of what I said.
BEHAR: Yes.
BURKETT: And I think there is still that feeling a lot of women have. But the men assume, because this could all have been avoided if Roger had been willing to like flip a coin with me. It`s very - you know, like we`re 5 years old.
BEHAR: Yes.
BURKETT: Okay, heads you speak, tails I speak and we`ll write the speech together.
BEHAR: But you know there`s another thing, you wrote a book called "So Many Enemies, So Little Time." are you a little paranoid, do you think? Do you have a little paranoia in your personality
BURKETT: No, that`s --
BEHAR: Oh that doesn`t mean they`re out to get you just because you`re paranoid.
BURKETT: No, I don`t think anybody was out to get me. I mean, listen, I knew that Roger was going to want to do the speech and I`m sure he knew I wanted. So he tried to make sure I couldn`t get there before him. He just didn`t think I would be so rude as to interrupt him.
BEHAR: Yes the only thing I would say is I wish you had interrupted some of that interpretative dancing. Next time would you mind just going up when they are doing some kind of -
BURKETT: I`ll tell you what -
BEHAR: Cirque de Soliel number and just go up there and -
BURKETT: You`ll wire me and you`ll come in and say, now, Elinor -- or we could do it together. We sit on the opposite sides
BEHAR: We`ll tag team them.
BURKETT: Yes.
BEHAR: Okay Elinor, --
BURKETT: Okay next time.
BEHAR: Thank you very much for stopping by and congratulations on the Emmy that you did win.
BURKETT: Oscar.
BEHAR: Oh I mean, the Oscar, of course. I have Emmy on the brain because I`m in television.
BURKETT: I wonder why.
BEHAR: I know. I`ll be joined by the stars of the hit reality show "Undercover Boss." Please don`t go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time I have to go to the bathroom, I would have to break off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow you pee in a can. Are you okay with that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I guess I have to be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean I was just struck. How do our female drivers deal with being on the road, you know, when nature calls? I feel like a male chauvinist or something. I mean I`ve never thought about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: That was a weird little moment from CBS reality series "Undercover Boss" where big time CEOs go undercover and try to do jobs they`re not qualified for.
Joining me are some of the featured bosses. President of Waste Management Incorporated, Larry O`Donnell. Executive Vice President of Churchill Down, Bill Carstanjen. And White Caslte owner and executive board member, David Rife.
Welcome to the show, guys. Let me start with Dave from White Castle, the show ratings - what we call a juggernaut. It`s killing in the ratings. What do you think is the appeal of this show?
DAVID RIFE, OWNER AND EXEC. BOARD MEMBER, WHITE CASTLE: You know, it`s amazing to me. But I think that people really can relate. I think that the average workers out there really want to see the bosses do what they do and live their life and go through their experiences.
BEHAR: Uh-huh.
Bill, do you think that the show taps into like regular Americans` anxiety about the economy right now and about their jobs, is that what this is?
BILL CARSTANJEN, "UNDERCOVER BOSS": I think so. I think in the case of our episode, everybody we worked with had their own challenges and I think really it epitomized America. So there are people with family issues, health issues, economic issues, just like everybody across the country faces.
BEHAR: Larry, let me ask you, were you surprised and horrified about how hard Americans are working?
LARRY O`DONNELL, "UNDERVOCER BOSS": Well, I knew our folks at Waste Management work really hard. You know, they have tough jobs that they do every day. And our customers depend on them to do their job well. You know, if they`re not up there picking up the trash, and the recyclables, it can cause a lot of problems for the customer`s businesses.
BEHAR: A lot of problems. You betcha.
O`DONNELL: Right.
BEHAR: So Dave, when you went undercover and I saw you doing the thing with the hamburgers and everything, what did you learn about your employees?
RIFE: You know our team members they face a lot of challenges in doing their jobs every day. And I was really glad I got to experience that, because it`s not as easy as it looks. I mean, you know, you walk up to that counter and you`re going to order some food. You think wow, that`s pretty easy. But it`s not. Those guys, you saw Joe, the one Joe and I worked with in Cincinnati, the way he made multitasking appear so easy, working the drive through and taking orders and giving customers what they want. It`s very challenging and it`s good to experience that.
BEHAR: Is that the guy who came one the sauce?
RIFE: No, no, that was Jose -
BEHAR: Oh that was another guy.
RIFE: No, that was a young man in Chicago, whose another extremely talented young man. We`re very fortunate.
BEHAR: Well this guy, what his name again?
RIFE: Jose.
BEHAR: Jose, came up with a great sauce and you were in love with the sauce.
RIFE: I was. I still am.
BEHAR: You were like, this is delicious.
RIFE: I still am.
BEHAR: And I`m wondering are you now going to incorporate it into the burgers?
RIFE: We are working through the process right now to see what we can do about helping develop that.
BEHAR: But Jose should get the most out of this. The most - he`s an entrepreneur.
RIFE: He is on board with the program and you know what? We talked to him about several different things and yes, we`re just very excited for Jose. You know, he`s got the opportunity to go to college now. We gave him a $20,000 scholarship to go through culinary school. Hopefully he stays with us we`d love to have him. He`s a valuable member of our team but never want to crush anybody`s dreams.
BEHAR: Listen he may become the CEO and dump you.
RIFE: More power to him.
BEHAR: Okay, let me ask Larry, the clip we saw earlier was you and an employee and she said that she had to pee in a cup. I mean, why doesn`t the woman get a break so that she can -- she`s not in Guantanamo, she`s working a job. Why can`t she get a pee break?
CASTAJEN: Yes, we do allow them to stop whenever they need to. That was really an unusual circumstance and it certainly caught me by surprise. You know, what we`ve done now for Janice is we`ve made sure that she has a stop, we`ve made arrangements with customers so that if nature calls, she has a place that she can go.
BEHAR: Yes.
CARSTANJEN: And we`re also working on making sure we`re making those types of accommodations for our other drivers.
BEHAR: Right why couldn`t she just go to a gas station like I do when I`m on the road?
CARSTANJEN: Well that`s a good question. But in any event, just to make sure, you know, we`ve made arrangements so that she knows there is a place that`s available to her.
BEHAR: Yes, did you feel bad when you found out she didn`t have a place to go to the bathroom?
CARSTANJEN: Oh I felt terrible. But you know what I got to tell you, Joy, because at first I didn`t know what it was. She engaged so well with our customers out on the route. We had one customer that gave us some cookies and another one that had given us some bottled water.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
CARSTANJEN: When she first gave it to me, I thought she said, pee can. I thought it was a can of pecans -- we call them pecans in Texas. But it wasn`t until, you know, when the can got into my hand, I realized I was dealing with something a lot different than I had originally thought.
BEHAR: Oh, my god Larry, that is so nutty.
CARSTANJEN: Yes, it is.
BEHAR: Now, I want to show you something. Arianna Huffington, you know who she is right?
CARSTANJEN: Uh huh.
BEHAR: She was on Bill Mauer last week talking about the show. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON: 30 years ago, the CEOs of "Undercover Boss" were making 30 times as much as the working people. Now they are making 300 times as much. We are about to become Venezuela or where Brazil. You know when the people at the top are basically behind their gate with guards to protect their kids from kidnapping.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: How do you respond to that, Dave?
RIFE: You know, we`re a family-owned business. So maybe we`re 40 years behind the times, but for us it`s about putting money back into the business. And our business is those people, those 10,000 plus team members we`ve got out there. So that`s the main crux of what we do and how we`ve been so successful for 89 years and how we`ll be around for at least 89 years.
BEHAR: But you know Bill and Larry what she`s really saying is that it`s capitalism run amok right now. I mean when you hear that the CEOs are making $300 million and the poor shmagegi - you know is flipping those burgers is making $4 an hour, it makes people crazy. And it didn`t used to be like that. And I mean I admire you guys for doing what you do, don`t get me wrong. I`m not criticizing you personally. I`m talking about the system. There`s something wrong. And this show is sort of spot lighting - -
O`DONNELL: You know I`ll tell you Joy.
BEHAR: That in a way -- go ahead.
O`DONNELL: I think you know, most people show up at their job every day wanting to do a good job and wanting to work hard.
BEHAR: Yes.
O`DONNELL: But you know I think they want to feel appreciated when they do a good job. They want to be recognized for that and they want to have a voice. And if you can create the type of culture and environment where people want to be there, it`s more than just showing up for a paycheck, it can be very powerful, not only for the company, but you can create a work environment that is a place that people want to be and be part of the team.
BEHAR: Yes, absolutely.
CARSTANJEN: That`s really what we`re trying to create.
BEHAR: Oh listen, you guys, I`m not mad at you guys. I mean you keep it in America for one thing. You`re not sending your jobs off to China like some companies, you know. So it`s good for you but it does sort of put a spotlight on the discrepancy, do you agree?
RIFE: I would agree that there`s you know, there`s definitely some points, there`s some disconnects, maybe.
BEHAR: A few disconnects. Okay, we`re going to have more on this subject when we come back, I have a few Twitter questions for you guys also. All right stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIFE: That was very frustrating. I don`t like messing things up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go.
RIFE: Why is that catching that top? I don`t like creating havoc, which is what I felt like I was doing. There was product getting destroyed.
Steve looked like he was getting frustrated with me as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: I`m back with the bosses from the CBS reality show "Undercover Boss." Dave, that was you wasting thousands of buns at White Castle Production.
RIFE: Yes it was.
BEHAR: It reminded me of that "I Love Lucy" sting where she has the candy going. You know that one, right?
RIFE: Yes, yes, I`ve heard that one a lot here in the past week. So --
BEHAR: I mean when I watched that I thought, why wasn`t he fired? Would you have fired you if you were in that room?
RIFE: You know, one thing I have to say, the people I work with, that I worked with that night, normally do a really good job of matching people`s skills up with the responsibilities. But that night - we just call it -- my family likes to call it the bundle in the bakery. So I really - I blew it.
BEHAR: Well, you`re not good at everything.
RIFE: I had to learn through this.
BEHAR: Well who is? You know you learned that. Now Larry, I understand you -- I remember seeing it that you were fired, weren`t you?
O`DONNELL: I was.
BEHAR: You were fired when you stepped in there.
O`DONNELL: Yes, I was fired for the first time and hopefully the only time in my career. And you know, Dave, it`s no fun being fired, I can assure you.
BEHAR: Okay now let me ask you a question. Now the show is just renewed for a second season. You`re a big hit. Do you think Bill that this will change the corporate culture in any way? Do you think it`s going to actually make a dent in American jobs and the way CEOs see their employees?
CARSTANJEN: I think it`s a great opportunity for any COO or CEO to go on the show and interact with their employees in a way that the employees otherwise wouldn`t be able to experience.
BEHAR: Uh huh.
CARSTANJEN: But is it going to change, you know, corporate America? I don`t think we`re curing cancer here. I think this is a great opportunity for those companies that participate in this to connect and build their own culture and hopefully people can take lessons from that. But every company is going to be different.
BEHAR: Right.
CARSTANJEN: For us, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I haven`t actually seen my episode yet because it doesn`t air -
BEHAR: Right, no your is - right.
CARSTANJEN: Until Sunday, but regardless of what`s on there and regardless of all the good hearted laughs people are going to have at my expense, I`ll never regret doing it. Because it was a great chance to connect our team across all our sites.
BEHAR: Right would you regret anything Dave, are you sorry you did this?
RIFE: No, you know what it was one of the highlights of my life. From the standpoint of being a boss, there`s no better way to connect with your people than to get out there and walk a mile in their shoes, and I am so glad I did it. I think our company is going to benefit from it. We learned some really key things. And we put great things in place because of it.
BEHAR: Did you actually -
O`DONNELL: And I think that`s why it`s been such a big hit because, you know, who wouldn`t want to see their boss, you know, walk in their shoes? I think that`s why everybody has really related to the show.
BEHAR: Right. They love it. Who wouldn`t want to see their boss screw up like Dave did?
O`DONNELL: Hey, we all did.
BEHAR: I mean, that was fun to watch.
RIFE: It was an educational experience.
BEHAR: It sure was. Thank you all very much for joining me. Catch "Undercover Boss" Sundays on CBS. Thanks for watching, everybody, and good night.
END
