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Joy Behar Page
Anti-Obesity Campaign Slammed; Ray of Light
Aired May 13, 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 the delightful Rachael Ray is here. Let`s be honest, the girl is so cheerful and perky she makes Katie Couric look like Sylvia Platt.
Then Stephen Baldwin has gone from Christian crusader to a stripped- down sex god in the British edition of "Cosmo".
And Laura Bush says she`s pro gay marriage; looks like somebody`s going to find herself on the guest list at Barney Frank`s wedding.
That and more right now.
Rachael Ray has a talk show, two cooking shows. She writes cook books. She writes regular books. She lobbies politicians. And yet somehow she`s always perky and happy. I don`t really know how she does it.
I leave here. I turn into Sunny Von Buelow (ph).
I`m happy to welcome back to my show, the very busy, the very lovely, Rachael Ray.
RACHAEL RAY, TALK SHOW HOST: Hi Joy.
BEHAR: Hi.
RAY: I`ve missed you darling.
BEHAR: How are you?
RAY: I`m great. I`m great.
BEHAR: First of all, let me congratulate you on two new Emmy nominations.
RAY: And you.
BEHAR: Yes, I happened to -- I didn`t want to bring mine up because I was talking about you but since you mentioned it --
RAY: I won money on you last year. I bet my money on you guys and you guys won me 20 bucks. Thank you very much.
BEHAR: Oh, boy.
RAY: I may take that bet again.
BEHAR: So -- that`s exciting anyway. So Oprah is leaving her show.
RAY: Yes.
BEHAR: And there`s some talk that you might replace her in that spot. Is that a better spot for you?
RAY: You know what, I have never given a thought to that part of the equation. My job is to go to work and give my customer, my consumer the best product I can.
I`m still very much a waitress at heart. So that`s what I focus on. Going to work and coming up with new ideas about how to make next season better with our great team. That`s really all I focus on. That`s where my job begins and ends for me.
BEHAR: Right. So you`re not thinking about any of that right now?
RAY: I don`t get to decide where the affiliates put it. We have a crack sales team that`s out there trying to position us the best they can. I just like to give an unusual show and I think our show has its own personality.
BEHAR: It has you.
RAY: Aww.
BEHAR: That`s the personality.
Let`s talk about fitness. I had a good day at "The View" today and I owe it all to L.L. Cool J who decided to show up his muscles. Look what he did.
RAY: He`s fantastic. I know he`s fantastic.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Can you see this? Look what he did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Do Joy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Ok. Now, that is my new exercise regime.
RAY: That`s fantastic.
BEHAR: Every week he`s going to come over twice a week and do that and I`ll lose weight.
RAY: Can I come. I love it. I took up running as you know, but that looks like a really good addition to the workout routine.
BEHAR: You know running will hurt your knees. You better be careful.
RAY: My right knee is killing me as we speak.
BEHAR: Yes. I mean you better be careful about that. You don`t want to have bad knees. Knee replacements, that`s painful.
RAY: And expensive.
BEHAR: And expensive.
Now the right-wingers out there are criticizing Michelle Obama`s anti- obesity campaign.
RAY: Why?
BEHAR: They`re saying that we`re living in a nanny state. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: I don`t want to be told how many calories are in my Big Mac meal or my quarter pounder meal. I don`t want the government telling me that I can`t put salt on my food. Isn`t that our job? Do we have any role or responsibility in life anymore?
MICHELLE MALKIN, AUTHOR, "CULTURE OF CORRUPTION": No apparently not. And it`s this administration`s view that they`re going to usurp as much authority over life as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Now, what do you think, Rachel, about the White House telling us what to eat?
RAY: I disagree with everything I just heard.
BEHAR: Tell me. Talk to me.
RAY: First of all, she`s working on behalf of our children and we can either pay now or pay later. We can either come up with some more money for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act that`s going up. We only get a chance to discuss it every five years. We can either help get healthier food into our kids and get a handle on our obesity and type 2 diabetes right now or we can suffer the consequences later.
I for one want to be part of the solution to that. I don`t want to be somebody that helps sink our boat. And I think what she`s suggesting is that we all live a life of moderation and to teach our children to eat nutritious food and to exercise on a regular basis. I have no problem with that.
BEHAR: I guess their point is they don`t want the government involved in choices that we`re making. Like Bloomberg wants to take salt, wants to tell people about salt.
RAY: I like the disclosure aspects of that. You should at least be getting the correct information when you`re going to go make a choice. You should be aware that a muffin, as I was discussing with the mayor this morning, I didn`t know this -- muffins can have more sodium than a small sack of potato chips. I mean that`s shocking to me.
BEHAR: Really? I didn`t know that.
RAY: They should have to put the sodium count on there so people can make choices.
BEHAR: Why do you think the kids are so obese these days? What`s going on with that?
RAY: I think it`s a lot of things working at the same time and I think we have to turn the tide. We let this happen. We all collectively let this happen. A lot of the schools just simply don`t have the funding anymore to provide our kids with more nutritious food which is what I was lobbying for in Washington.
BEHAR: Right. Now you`re lobbying in D.C. for that. I heard you were a very tough cookie over there.
RAY: You know I just went in and, you know, graciously asked what more I could do as a citizen. Letter writing turns out still helps, signing up to form letters. We offer them on our Web site. Calling, you know, or e-mailing or writing snail mail your representatives and saying we care about this.
BEHAR: So what are you trying to get? What are you trying to get?
RAY: The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act comes up every five years but the changes that are being proposed now, what the president asked for as a goal, is a $1 billion a year increase for the next ten years even though the conversation can be only had every five years.
We can make a change that can really add a lot to our public food program for our school kids for the next decade. And if we let this pass before -- if we don`t get a vote on this before Congress breaks, we won`t even be able to have the conversation for yet another year. Our kids won`t get any more money.
BEHAR: I see.
RAY: The school programs do so much more than just provide lunch. We want those lunches to be healthier. But for a child that`s at risk of hunger, it`s the only access they have to food period. For kids that are the next step up suffering from obesity and type two diabetes, that`s because their families can`t get access to good nutritious food at a fair price. And we should work on that, too.
BEHAR: You know I don`t understand that. When I was a kid we grew up -- you know I grew up in an Italian neighborhood. We didn`t have any money. No one had any money. For some reason we ate nutritious meals.
RAY: There was less processed food in the world at large period. So you were getting a higher nutrition.
BEHAR: We had a fruit store. There was a butcher. There was a fish store.
RAY: There was access exactly. There was access.
BEHAR: And that has disappeared in the country?
RAY: Correct. There are food deserts all over the country. We`re trying to turn that tide, too.
BEHAR: Isn`t that an economic thing? Isn`t it a class thing? In poor neighborhoods you`re not going to have a whole foods where people can go and get good fruit and vegetable.
RAY: That`s why we`re trying to start community gardening projects and gardening projects in our public schools and to teach kids about nutrition at a very early age so they become the owners of their own food destiny.
It not only makes them healthier. It keeps them more alert in school. You end up with brighter, more well-balanced graduates.
BEHAR: Now, you know, KFC just introduced the double down. Have you seen this thing?
RAY: The double bypass I call it.
BEHAR: It has -- the double bypass --
RAY: Yes.
BEHAR: Two fried chicken fillets instead of bread.
RAY: And two bacon and two cheese and sauce.
BEHAR: Oh, that`s the part that`s bad because the chicken is better than the bread, which is white flour crappy bread.
RAY: I just don`t see a need for it. It`s like handing people a gun. I`m a person that thinks of all things in moderation. I`ve had a piece of KFC in my life. It was pretty tasty. I just think that that whole mindset that you can have everything you want all the time and at once is a very dangerous mentality when it comes to anything including food.
BEHAR: That`s true. I mean, it`s a shame that that kind of food is more inexpensive though. People who don`t have money can go to KFC. They say feed a family of eight for $10 or whatever it is and it`s done.
RAY: It`s so many levels to this conversation. And that`s part of what I try and do with the content on the show or in any -- like the magazines or books is to show people easy, affordable -- that`s the key word -- easy and affordable meal options.
BEHAR: It`s hard to do.
RAY: They`re not armed with that when they go in the grocery store. They don`t know where to look. You have to look high, you have to look low. You have to read unit price, not package price.
It`s a multilayered thing. We`ve got to do more lobbying. We have to have more conversation about the quality of food we give our kids in school and out of school and we have to teach people what our grandparents knew how to do.
BEHAR: Yes, did know how to do it.
RAY: Stretch a buck, take a couple of items.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Well, I mean we come from Italian families. I mean they knew how to cook. And they knew how to -- they always used fresh food in my family. I don`t think I ever had anything processed as a kid.
RAY: We have to get this education back into the public school system as part of the overall education of our young people. It really does do so much for our child`s self-esteem other than just their health and mental well-being. Being able to provide for themselves the rest of their lives on a couple of bucks knowing they`re not going to starve, that they can provide for themselves, gives them a center of gravity. When times are tight and money is tight they`re not as scared as the next guy because they know they`re not going to starve.
BEHAR: That`s true. That`s true.
Even Paris Hilton, who chowed down a Carl`s Jr. burger in those ads she did, she has now sworn off fast food. Do you think she ever ate that fast food? I mean come on, she`s skinny.
RAY: Her physique certainly says that she eats a lot of healthy food. But you know what, I think that anybody that can add to the conversation, Paris Hilton to your next-door neighbor, to the kids in some of the schools I`ve been visiting. Anybody who wants to continue the conversation or add to it or get more people involved in it, fantastic. More power to you.
BEHAR: Ok, we`re going to talk some more in the next segment, so don`t go away.
We`ll back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY: Now, we`re in the kitchen, which is a very uncomfortable place for Nick.
NICK CANNON, HOST, "AMERICA`S GOT TALENT": Very.
RAY: Because I thought he could make this for Mariah on a weekend. He could give her a little breakfast in bed or next anniversary he could give her a little breakfast in bed.
CANNON: Ok.
RAY: It`s really simple. All right, that`s a whisk.
CANNON: Oh, ok.
RAY: If you don`t -- you don`t play the drums with it.
CANNON: Oh, ok, right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Ok, that was Rachael Ray on her show with the host of "America`s Got Talent" Nick Cannon who happens to be married to Mariah Carey. You know those two just we renewed their wedding vows.
RAY: They`re going to do it every year.
BEHAR: And you know who else, Tori Spelling and her husband Dean, whatever McDermott and Heidi Klum and Seal. What is this some kind of an annoying trend?
RAY: Well you know, I have to say I`m part of that annoying trend. John and I don`t renew our vows but every year we go back to where we got married and we bring our friends and our family and we kind of relive the day.
BEHAR: But you don`t do the whole thing over again --
ROBERTS: No, we don`t.
BEHAR: -- the vows again? I think it`s -- I`ve said this before but I think it`s a dangerous thing to do. Because if the guys says, darling would you like to -- should we renew -- I don`t feel like it.
RAY: It is very risky actually.
BEHAR: You know, I really don`t want -- I`m not that much in love with you anymore so let`s plan to call it quits now. That`s a good opportunity to get out.
RAY: Yes. It`s actually very dangerous. Very dangerous.
BEHAR: Now, natural is in. Not just food. We were talking about natural food. But also I was reading that Hollywood is now looking for natural actresses. They`re over the botox no expression look and they want girls and young girls and women to not have that anymore. No plastic surgery. Do you think that`s going to stick?
RAY: I think they`ll probably end up with a happy medium. You know what I mean? But --
BEHAR: Have you had anything done? You`re so young.
RAY: No.
BEHAR: Would you do it?
RAY: I don`t have the time. If I did I would lop off my butt. At one time they said in the tabloids that I had had a brow lift. And I`m like if I was going to take the time to go under the knife voluntarily, I would work off the other end.
BEHAR: I don`t think self mutilation is part of the deal here, Rachael?
RAY: No.
BEHAR: But I`m talking like a few shots to the forehead to like take those annoying anger lines out.
RAY: I think -- I think everybody should do whatever they want to feel good about themselves so they have energy and feel like moving around in life. Do you know what I mean?
BEHAR: I understand that Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda went on the air this morning --
RAY: Yes.
BEHAR: -- without makeup. Oh there they are.
RAY: Oh I go around --
BEHAR: Look at this.
RAY: -- around the world all the time without makeup.
BEHAR: Oh look at that she looks gorgeous.
RAY: Who is that girl?
BEHAR: She`s gorgeous. I don`t even know who that is.
RAY: My goodness that`s what everybody --
BEHAR: Kathy Lee has got like red rosacea (ph), rozacea (ph) or something.
RAY: My face is real red, too, without make up on.
BEHAR: Yes.
RAY: If I`m not taping television I walk around all the time without makeup.
BEHAR: I know.
RAY: Because I`m a huge -- I will spend half of what I earn on creams and potions. I`m slathered up, greased like a pig from the second I walk in the house. I got it everywhere I mean --
BEHAR: What about this kid Montag, this Heidi Montag who got ten surgeries in one day.
RAY: That I think is so sad, she`s such a pretty girl and --
BEHAR: And she wants her boobs bigger because they`re only HH she wants them ZZ or something.
RAY: I don`t know. I mean, again all for whatever anybody needs to do to feel great about themselves but that is just makes me -- that makes me a little bit sad.
BEHAR: Yes.
RAY: Because she`s a beautiful girl.
BEHAR: Yes she was but now she looks like everybody else --
RAY: Yes.
BEHAR: -- that`s in Hollywood with that look.
Now, another controversy that we could talk about is Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court nominee. There`s this whole thing about this photo that showed -- that showed up on the cover of "Wall Street Journal". Have you seen it?
Oh take a look. See that, can you see it?
RAY: Yes.
BEHAR: Ok.
RAY: She`s playing softball.
BEHAR: It`s a very -- it`s a -- what`s the word I`m looking for -- butch. It`s a butch look.
RAY: It is?
BEHAR: You know what I mean, yes.
RAY: Because she likes to play softball?
BEHAR: Well, she likes to play softball. Look, when I`m playing softball, I look like a lesbian too. I haven`t played softball in 40 years, but that`s beside the point.
They`re saying she might be a lesbian because of that photograph. What do you make of that?
RAY: Who cares if she is? I don`t get it.
BEHAR: That`s -- that`s -- a lot of people are saying who cares if she is. A lot of people --
RAY: Who cares if she is?
BEHAR: Well, I guess the only issue would be if you are in fact gay and you`re out and you`re on the court then you would be more sympathetic to gay marriage and gay adoption --
RAY: Well, that`s ridiculous? Why? It changes the way your brain processes information? It doesn`t affect the rest of the court that they are straight. I mean, that`s a -- I don`t understand that.
BEHAR: I know. I know, it`s a crazy story that`s popping around.
RAY: That doesn`t make any sense to me --
BEHAR: They`re looking for stuff. Ok, another good thing --
RAY: If that`s the worst they can come up with, good for her. She seems so smart and funny. I dig her. I think she`s cool.
BEHAR: She`s cool, she`s very smart. And I think she`s going -- she`s going to be a shoo-in. But you know --
RAY: I hope so.
BEHAR: Do you have time for the "Jersey Shore" because I want to talk to you about that group too.
RAY: Ok.
BEHAR: The "Jersey Shore" cast mate got into a physical altercation. Apparently this time it was Sammy Sweetheart. Who is Sammy Sweetheart?
RAY: They all have their nickname, the Situation and Snooki --
BEHAR: Who the hell is Sammy Sweetheart? Is this like a new one that I missed? Oh, it`s a woman?
RAY: Oh, she is on there. She`s a woman, yes.
BEHAR: Ok, now I find that show -- I find that show annoying because it makes Italians look really stupid.
RAY: Yes.
BEHAR: You and I are Italian. We are not stupid people. And yet that show it`s like such a gavon (ph) show, you know what I mean? Like gavon --
RAY: You know, I`ve heard a lot of people just criticize the show because they`re from Jersey and they don`t want everybody to think that everybody from Jersey is like that. But you know, I mean, nobody is forcing anybody to watch it.
BEHAR: You have to a moron to think that an entire state is filled with Sammy Sweetheart and the Situation and that other gavon -- what`s his name? What`s the other one`s name, Pauley D.
RAY: But they didn`t make it popular. You know what I mean, they went and they filmed their story and people choose to watch it or don`t choose to watch it.
BEHAR: But they`re violent. They`re always fighting with each other. I mean, they set a very bad example and the girls are throwing themselves at the situation. He`s like a hot number.
RAY: Well, because he has the situation going on.
BEHAR: Oh, is that what the situation is?
RAY: The situation is here, yes. Yes.
BEHAR: I see. All right, well, so it doesn`t upset you? It doesn`t --
RAY: No, it doesn`t upset me.
BEHAR: It annoys me.
RAY: I mean, it`s because people have the right to change the channel or not and they`re hugely popular. And you know, I think that`s part of what`s great about the country. There gets to be something of everybody. I like that that adds a little flavor to something.
BEHAR: You know, I think it`s because when I grew up there were kids in the neighborhood who were not Italian. They lived on the other side of the bridge and they used to sort of say nasty things about Italians all the time. And I used to say, you know, do I have to pull out my renaissance files. I was like 12 and I was dragging Michelangelo into the conversation.
So I have a history with this.
We`ll be back with more of Rachael Ray in just a minute.
I did, I used to do that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: I`m back with the lovely Rachael Ray. I have some Twitter questions for you. People write to me, they want to know.
This is a funny question. "Have you ever taken a bite out of something someone else cooked that was awful and would you tell them or pretend to like it?"
RAY: I would pretend to like it and I have a few times.
BEHAR: Really?
RAY: Yes. Even things that like literally I couldn`t stomach.
BEHAR: How do you do it? Just demonstrate that.
RAY: You do it sort of like eating an oyster. You put it in your mouth and knock it back like a shooter kind of. You avoid the chewing process.
BEHAR: I see.
RAY: So each time you take a bite, you take a swig of something and literally just knock it back there.
BEHAR: It`s like getting a colonoscopy. That prep is disgusting.
"Do you have any new lunch ideas? If I make one more sandwich, I`m going to cry," this woman says.
RAY: If she makes one more sandwich, she`s going to cry.
BEHAR: She`s going to cry. She needs a new idea.
RAY: Chicken (INAUDIBLE), people love this. You take chicken, boneless skinless breast or thighs, marinated or not, it doesn`t even matter. Olive oil, salt, after you grill it up, you can stack them up in the freezer, they defrost very quickly and you put (INAUDIBLE) salad on top, like tomato, basil -- right exactly.
And a little olive oil and balsamic on top.
BEHAR: That`s delicious. E-v-o-o
RAY: A little bit of EVOO, yes.
BEHAR: "Considering all the cheese you eat, how do you stay so skinny?"
RAY: I`m not skinny. I`m skinnier than I used to be and that`s because I run. I try to detox now as much as I tox and I do love cheese. I run a 5k every morning and I spend another half hour in the gym after that.
BEHAR: Now, what`s this I hear that you like tofu hotdogs?
RAY: I do like tofu hotdogs. I`m not a tofu fan because for me I have to add so much salt and fat to tofu, it kind of defeats the purpose of eating the tofu. I like he Edda Mamie (ph), you know, that`s good. And I must say that`s the one exception is that I like tofu dogs. They taste good.
BEHAR: I like mommy dearest.
"Has Rachael spoken to Martha Stewart since Martha criticized Rachael?"
RAY: I never took it really as a criticism. She wrote me a lovely note quite frankly --
BEHAR: She did?
RAY: She did -- which I thought was really --
BEHAR: She takes the blows too.
RAY: Very, very classy of her.
BEHAR: She`s always being criticized and made fun of and everything but that`s because she does things like take your husband`s shirt and makes it into a pillow. It`s annoying. You know what I mean? So people are going to go after her for that.
RAY: She`s simply a truthful person and she has every right to have anything she wants.
BEHAR: Oh, I know. She`s fabulous. I mean what would we do without her?
Now, let`s go to -- I want to ask one more question. Simon Cowell is leaving "American Idol" and they really need a replacement. What about you for that?
RAY: I don`t know enough about it but I -- you know I don`t know enough about music to be a valid judge. I love music. My husband is in a band and we throw these music festivals --
BEHAR: Good enough. Sold.
RAY: -- parties all the time. I would be thrilled. But I don`t think I got the right experience.
BEHAR: I could do it. I love Frank Sinatra. Is that good enough?
RAY: You know my friend Steve (INAUDIBLE) is actually trying to rally for the job. He wants the job. He too produces. He is a big record producer.
BEHAR: Somebody with some music background I think would be a good idea. Now "Dancing with the Stars" finale is next week. We like to know whether you`re going to put yourself out there and do a little dance. You must be very good because you run and you`re Italian.
RAY: I love to dance. I do not love the size of their costumes on that show and I would therefore never put myself through that arduous process.
BEHAR: Well, you could wear a burqa and do a cha-cha. Who says you have to wear a skimpy outfit?
RAY: They do. Look at what they put those poor women in and through. No.
BEHAR: Rachael thanks so much for coming.
RAY: I love it. Thank you.
BEHAR: It`s always fun to have you here. Ok. So come again.
RAY: I love you. Any time you ask.
BEHAR: Up next born again Christian Stephen Baldwin poses nude. Is that what Jesus would do? I don`t think so.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Actor Stephen Baldwin has gone broke and gone Christian and now he`s decided to go commando. He`ll appear nude in the UK version of "Cosmopolitan" magazine`s June issue. Who knows maybe it will get him a role in "Free Willie 3." Here to discuss this and so much more are comedian, JB Smoove, "Self" Magazine entertainment director Laura Brounstein. And actor and comedian, Hal Sparks. Laura, I`m going to start with you because you`re the only female here on the panel besides me, of course, I`ll defer to you. What do you think of the photo? Here take another look at it.
LAURA BROUNSTEIN, SELF MAGAZINE: Really, really? I had it on my computer all day. And it was just -- oh my.
HAL SPARKS, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: It`s a screen saver.
BROUNSTEIN: Yes well no, on my phone because I want it with me all the time really.
SPARKS: Sure.
BROUNSTEIN: The thing that is the saddest to me is the -- I don`t know if you notice the H.M. on the shoulder.
BEHAR: What is that for?
BROUNSTEIN: I`m sorry to tell you that is Hannah Montana. And he did that to try to get on the Hannah Montana show.
BEHAR: Really?
BROUNSTEIN: And it was a bet that she said tattoo my initials and you`ll get on the show. So he did that and he has not yet gotten on the HANNAH MONTANA SHOW.
BEHAR: That is cruel, cruel, cruel.
BROUNSTEIN: I don`t want to bring anybody down -
SPARKS: One step of the process after Hannah Montana is nudity.
BROUNSTEIN: I guess -
SPARKS: This is the next step apparently. That`s a weird show.
BEHAR: All right, he`s a born again Christian. JB, he`s been very outspoken about his Christianity. I mean isn`t this kind of like a conundrum? What should we call it oxymoron, Christian nudity? Doesn`t quite work does it --
JB SMOOVE, COMEDIAN: It doesn`t work together, no, not at all. You know these Baldwin brothers man, I think it`s a test - there`s always something, you know what I mean?
BEHAR: It`s always something.
SMOOVE: Something on every show. Every show these guys have been on. "BIGGEST LOSER," "PRINCESS." "I`M A CELEBRITY GET ME OUT OF HERE."
BEHAR: Yes.
SMOOVE: What haven`t they done?
BEHAR: When you say these guys, you don`t mean Allan -
SMOOVE: The brothers. All the time these brothers appear on something crazy like this we lose a piece of Alec Baldwin I`m telling you. The man is slowly dying. He just lost his pancreas just now. This guy is slowly dying.
SPARKS: The whole thing, the whole family lump the whole family together.
SMOOVE: Sure is. The guy is deteriorating. I`m telling you, every time these brothers do something crazy like this, they lose the best one of the bunch.
BEHAR: I know. BROUNSTEIN: He needs to come on "GOSSIP GIRL" and be Serena`s uncle. Billy came on last week.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: He`s got three ministries. Did you know that?
SPARKS: Yes, he`s got three ministries and one of them is like a skateboard oriented ministry for youth culture and stuff. I don`t know quite what this one is. It`s a little Koreshy for me.
BEHAR: David Koreshy.
(LAUGHTER)
SPARKS: Oh this was like -- maybe he tried to walk on water and failed miserably. And he`s like my clothes are waiting me down. Because he`s climbing out of the water - he`s climbing out of a pool.
BROUNSTEIN: Talk about eating pancake.
SPARKS: Here`s the thing, look at the lip gloss. There are volumes, I mean YOU have to look at it online but the amount of lip gloss he`s wearing and the pursy face that he`s making they just did the people who are most homophobic are the most add madly homosexual respond more naturally to home erotic pictures than anyone else. They had a big study where they hook you up to electrodes -
BEHAR: No kidding.
SPARKS: You get more aroused or not, it is usually based on how offended you are by homosexuality. And hyper-Christians like that tend to have that - lean on that direction and they always seem to come up with these kind of things. When you find that they are naked someplace -
BEHAR: Yes.
SPARKS: Or they lose something, it`s way off the charts. It`s not like, oh yes, like that Speedo is too small. It`s like I`m naked at a retreat with other men beating a drum.
BEHAR: All right but I still like those Baldwin lips. Let me do another story. Next topic, former first lady Laura Bush says she`s pro- choice and pro gay marriage. Not to be outdone her husband, George, then said he`s pro count chocula and pro cocoa puffs. Take a look at what she told Larry King about gay marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: I think there are a lot of people who have trouble coming to terms with that because they see marriage traditionally between a man and a woman. But I also know that when couples are committed to each other and love each other that they ought to have I think the same sort of rights that everyone has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Well, what do you make of that? Finally she`s coming out. All those years she could have done something. Now she talks.
SPARKS: Now that it doesn`t matter. Ultimately you hear a lot of that. Often on the right there`s a big problem with the fact that the woman is supposed to keep her mouth shut and the man makes policy. You don`t see that in the Democratic side a lot. You have a lot of equal conversation between husband and wife. In this situation, she`s -- on gay marriage, on abortion, these are huge issues that Bush did not sit still for. He didn`t just go I`ll let the law sit or whatever. He actively campaigned against a woman`s right to choose and actively campaigned against gay rights. For her to sit will with her mouth shut during that and now say it now -
BEHAR: Yes.
SPARKS: That everybody hates Bush, it`s a positive pr thing.
BEHAR: Isn`t it like a day late and a dollar short?
BROUNSTEIN: It is but I also feel like, you know what, welcome to the party.
SPARKS: Right.
BROUNSTEIN: We`re happy to have you -- we`re happy to have you out there saying things that --
BEHAR: It`s almost like retired generals who are against war. Always.
SPARKS: Right, exactly.
BEHAR: Go ahead, JB.
SMOOVE: You know what, I hate when people pop up -- they pop up -- where has the lady been at? She hasn`t been -- I haven`t seen this lady`s face in so long. Where has she been?
SPARKS: Writing.
SMOOVE: She pops up. Trying to sell a book, now she pumps up. You know what I mean?
SPARKS: Yes.
SMOOVE: Where has this lady been at?
BROUNSTEIN: Yes, I know.
SMOOVE: I thought it was going to be over on May 23rd. You know what I mean? Where did it come from?
BEHAR: Let me show you what she said about abortion. Another piece from Larry`s show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST: How about choice?
BUSH: I think it`s important that it remain legal because I think it`s important for people for medical reasons and other reasons.
KING: So you -- that would be two areas of disagreement?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Can you believe it?
SPARKS: Right, absurd, absurd.
BROUNSTEIN: But you know what, it`s interesting. I mean hopefully people will hear that she says that and people who might not have been open to that way of thinking now will be. But she sounds so nervous.
BEHAR: Well she`s scared.
BROUNSTEIN: Do you hear her voice shaking?
BEHAR: Republican party breathing down her neck.
BROUNSTEIN: I mean -
SPARKS: Absolutely -
SPARKS: I mean there are tigers eating their cubs right now anyways, that`s the methodology there. But I mean ultimately she`s got -- she`s part of the group that is pretending George Bush doesn`t exist anymore. Only it`s her husband. You know what I mean?
BEHAR: Well that`s wishful thinking.
SPARKS: Do you know what I mean - what did Bush do? Like eight years of Bush who happening right now?
BROUNSTEIN: Don`t we all have awkward relatives we don`t want to bring up?
SPARKS: She married him though, that`s a choice.
BROUNSTEIN: I know.
SPARKS: I have awkward relatives but they are my uncle, I had no choice in the matter, I was born into it.
BEHAR: JB., was she being the perfect political wife all those years, the goody goody little Republican wife?
SMOOVE: Yes but even though, even in this interview she did, it`s so basic. She`s not saying anything off the cuff, she`s not putting any sauce on it. This is basic stuff that anybody can say. I want to hear some sauce. Don`t throw something out there where we can say she has an opinion. No personality --
(CROSSTALK)
SPARKS: Yes. She could go on and admit she`s divorcing George, marrying a woman and adopting a child.
BEHAR: Yes, right, JB, listen if I said it, it would be one marinara sauce but when she says it`s arribiata (ph), you know what that is? It`s a hot pepper in it, because it is her.
(CROSSTALK)
BROUNSTEIN: It will be heard coming from her because people will be so surprised.
BEHAR: Right, I think a lot of people. OK, let`s go to another story. Oscar winner paparazzi winner kicker Sean Penn was sentenced to 36 hours ever anger management training and boy was he pissed. Take a look at the video from TMZ that led to the sentencing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN PENN, ACTOR: This is really brutal, get out. Get out! Get the (EXPLICATIVE DELETED) out!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Temper.
SPARKS: I cannot be more -- I like Sean Penn`s work and I like him as a human being and humanitarian. I like him even more now.
BEHAR: Do you really?
SPARKS: Yes, absolutely. Here`s the thing, Sean Penn is not just an actor. Sean Penn does a lot of activism and he does a lot - he`s very outspoken.
BEHAR: He was good on Haiti. Very good, yes.
SPARKS: Yes, and he was also very outspoken playing Harvey Milk, these kinds of things. And when you do those you get all kinds of things, you get all kinds of death threat, you get like we`re waiting to find out where your kids go, all that kind of stuff. And then you look at paparazzi in a different way than Britney Spears does.
BEHAR: I know but -
SPARKS: These people -
BEHAR: But you know what, can`t he control his temper a little bit?
SPARKS: No, he deserves it.
BEHAR: I mean in 1987 he was in jail for a month for a paparazzi assault.
SPARKS: Punching, yes.
SMOOVE: Tell you something. This guy is undefeated.
SPARKS: I think I would know.
SMOOVE: He`s like Pacquiao. He`s undefeated right now. This guy is like Mayweather. This guy is incredible. This guy, he can`t lose. Hey, we can`t sit at this table and blame this on Sean Penn. I blame it on the paparazzi who can`t fight. That`s who I blame it on. You got to have to kick this guy`s ass --
BEHAR: Why don`t they -
BROUNSTEIN: He has a nice high kick though, we`re going to have that in "Self" magazine next month as a work out for paparazzi kick. Did you see how high he got up there?
BEHAR: Go ahead.
SPARKS: Well personally, I think if you look at it first he kicks the car. And then the guy keeps shooting or whatever. How many times I got to tell you now it`s you. Now I`m not kicking the vehicle. Now you`re next.
BEHAR: You know what I don`t trust a man who hits anybody frankly from a woman`s point of view.
SPARKS: Really?
BEHAR: I don`t care who he`s kicking, who he is hitting even if they deserved it, the paparazzi. He`s just trying to do his job. He`s got a camera. He needs to make a living. The guy doesn`t have to kick him. Go to jail.
SPARKS: Now everybody who knows how to get to Sean Penn`s house where the front door is which door is locked.
BEHAR: Listen that`s a systemic issue. Not that particular man.
SPARKS: He told them to go away, three other guys he didn`t kick at. The other two, that was like a shark surrounding things.
(CROSSTALK)
SPARKS: Oh, I`m sorry.
BEHAR: This is the one who will get the job. He`s the one that will get the picture in "The Enquirer" and make some money.
SMOOVE: He`ll get some money but I tell you that guy is undefeated. They have to bring him down. Get in the gym paparazzi and work out. Let me tell you something --
BROUNSTEIN: He has a move, I mean who is his trainer.
SMOOVE: Let me tell you something -
BEHAR: Didn`t he have trouble with Madonna when he was married to Madonna? To paparazzi.
BROUNSTEIN: Yes, yes, yes.
BEHAR: Isn`t that what it`s about? I mean come on, anger management. You know what he is getting, 36 months of probation whatever that means. Nothing, right? Three hundred hours of community service and 36 hours of anger management therapy.
BROUNSTEIN: His work in Haiti is actually going to be the community service which is good.
BEHAR: He`s doing that already.
SPARKS: Time served. As far as community service goes, he`s got time served.
SMOOVE: This whole thing, that`s what I`m telling you. That`s why I do not want to get to that "a" level. I tell you I want to stay right down here.
BROUNSTEIN: You are not going to be able to -
SMOOVE: I don`t want to be that big of a celebrity. I still want to have the ability --
BEHAR: Well you have a lot of company, OK, with the "B" level. Thanks, guys. On June 4th watch Hal`s stand-up special Charm-A-Getton on Showtime or buy it on Amazon.
OK, switching gears. A teacher is caught on tape beating up her student. A lot of beatings. I`ll have the details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: A shocking cell phone video of a teacher in a charter school beating a student has surfaced. And even though the teacher has been fired, it has hardly quelled the storm. With me now is Terry Real, family therapist and best-selling author. Beth Karas, correspondent for "IN SESSION" on TRUTV and Robin Sax, former prosecutor and author of "Predators And Child Molesters." OK Robin, let me start with you. The teacher was fired, but could she face criminal charges?
ROBIN SAX, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Absolutely. Not only could she face criminal charges, she should be facing criminal charges for, not just for the potential of assault and battery but there is also a potential special child abuse allegation that could be charged for a teacher who is in a position of trust beating a child.
BEHAR: Yes, have you seen the video? It`s just -- really outrageous, you know. I mean she was arrested today and she posted bond for an unrelated charge, criminal mischief after slashing a woman`s tires. Should she have been allowed to teach this woman?
BETH KARAS, "IN SESSION": Well one has to wonder. If she was teaching at the time of this case. This warrant outstanding goes back to march of 2009. Now I spoke with the office of her -- of the attorney for the boy.
BEHAR: Right.
KARAS: Isaiah Regans is his name. His mother is Alecia Johnson. They just filed this civil suit against her. And as it turns out, earlier today the lawyer was meeting with the sheriff`s department in Harris County. So it looks like they could very well be filing charges. And the charge would be a felony assault. It`s a third degree assault because she`s a teacher -
BEHAR: Yes, right.
KARAS: And she`s a child. I mean 14 and under it`s an enhanced type of assault.
BEHAR: Terry, let me ask you. The woman does not -- the teacher does not have a teaching certificate because she worked at a charter school. First of all, can you tell me what a charter school exactly means?
TERRY REAL, FAMILY THERAPIST: Well, a charter school is like a private school. The parents have choice about it. But it`s within a public setting. There`s no extra charge for the most part. But the thing is, Joy -
BEHAR: Yes.
REAL: These teachers in charter schools are not certified. They`re not regulated. Anybody with a high school degree and proficiency in the subject will be hired. There`s no overarching body of any kind with these uncertified teachers.
BEHAR: I see. Well, the student who was beaten spoke out on "GOOD MORNING AMERICA." listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISAIAH JOHNSON, 13-YEAR-OLD VICTIM: She started beating on my chest and she threw the desk and I was -- I was, I was frightened. The teachers didn`t break it up. They were just standing there. And she just stopped. So I got up. And then I looked around and then I left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Robin, he says that the teachers didn`t do anything. Shouldn`t they be held responsible for that? I mean, just stood around and let her beat this kid up?
SAX: Absolutely. I think that there`s a potential actually as co- defendants with co-conspirator liability if those teachers who also have a duty to protect children sat there and did not do it, it certainly rises in my opinion above regular negligence into the criminal negligence area for perhaps even allowing it to continue on as long as it did.
BEHAR: And how high up should this go? I mean what about the principal? Where is the principal in all of this?
KARAS: Well the civil suit that was just filed is against the school -
BEHAR: Uh huh.
KARAS: And it says that any of the employees who had a duty to act and failed to act, omission is the legal theory, should be holding the school responsible, not just this teacher. So that`s just been filed and we doesn`t know what they`re seeking because they don`t have the amount. But they`re looking for punitive damages because the actual medical expenses aren`t that much. But the school should be punished for allowing this to happen.
BEHAR: Absolutely but let`s just talk about the teacher for a second. Terry, I was a teacher. It can get very rough in those classrooms. And this is special ED class. Not that I`m condoning what she did, because I`m not. She`s out of control this woman. But if the kid is -- what is a teacher going to do in a situation where the child is really acting wildly?
REAL: Yes. Although of course in this video, this child is not acting wildly. There has been some talk about him teasing another child and the teacher intervening. But she is absolutely out of control. Look, this is a difficult situation for the teachers. They need support. They need counseling. They need some training on how to deal with conflict situations. I`m not sure that she got much of any of that. But the school also needs to screen who they`re hiring.
BEHAR: Yes. I`d like to point out that over 150,000 teachers were attacked in the years 2007 to 2008. Students attacking teachers. So it goes both ways. Yes, go ahead.
REAL: Yes. There`s an epidemic of violence in schools. It`s mostly students to teachers. One in six teachers are saying they`ve been assaulted in some way. And then of course bullying and meanness and out and out violence kid-to-kid is really reaching an epidemic in our country right now. And bystanders are central. You cannot sit still and watch somebody get beaten like that and do absolutely nothing, whether it`s kid- to-kid or teacher-to-kid.
BEHAR: OK, everybody. Sit tight. We`ll continue this discussion right after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: I`m back with my panel discussing school violence. You know in a way, Beth, this is a good case for allowing cell phones in schools. Because without the video, she would have gotten away with this. It`s like the Rodney King beating.
KARAS: Good point.
BEHAR: You know it reminds me of that.
KARAS: But the school says they had videos too but they say they didn`t show anything. So who knows where those cameras are pointed. And this happen by the way on April 29th, but it`s all just coming to light now. You know, I did speak with Joe Delostera (ph) who is an assistant to the attorney representing Isaiah. And he was explaining to me that Isaiah thought this whole thing was a joke. He was not being assaultive. Of course, this is the defense -- or the child`s side saying --
BEHAR: You mean the teacher or previous?
KARAS: Previous to it. He was not being assaultive to the teacher or before. And she intervened. Apparently what she thought may have been a situation out of control. But you can only use the amount of force reasonable to control the situation if you`re being threatened or a third person and she wasn`t threatened. No weapons were brandished, nothing.
BEHAR: Nothing.
KARAS: And she kicked him over at the groin -
BEHAR: She went over the edge.
KARAS: She went way over the edge
BEHAR: Robin, Robin, do we need security guards in schools now? Is that what it`s coming to?
SAX: You would think so, but you`re absolutely right that the cameras were the best evidence. That`s what`s actually going to strengthen this case and also from a prosecutor point of view, you`re looking at this case, and this kid did not go home and tell on the teacher or even go and report the case. This only came to light after Isaiah`s mother found out from another person and seen the video of what happened to her son and really Isaiah was having his butt kicked. It wasn`t even a close call of a push or a shove or defense. I mean, this was him getting, you know, beaten up by a teacher. And that`s just not acceptable for any adult.
BEHAR: Absolutely true. Now, Terry, let me ask you because you mentioned bullying before. There seems to be a lot of talk about bullying. That young girl who committed suicide because they bullied here.
REAL: Phoebe.
BEHAR: Right, Phoebe Prince. Do you think that it`s because of the internet that there`s this rise in bullying, and what can parents do about it, do you think?
REAL: I think that there`s a rise in violence across the nation in our schools. You know, there`s a rise amongst kids. Kids generally are behaving at younger ages like older kids which means that their sexuality is more pronounced and their aggression and dangerousness is more pronounced. There was that boy who was called gay, went home and hung himself. I mean, there`s a lot of meanness going on. There are anti- bullying programs. Get involved if you`re a parent. Insist that these kind of programs go on in your school. Tell your kids to really talk to you. It`s telling that Isaiah didn`t even mention anything. Really open up that line of communication with your child and get involved. This is an epidemic.
BEHAR: It really is. I was reading an article about bullying yesterday that said that children who are overweight, obese children, get bullied no matter how old they are, no matter what class in terms of economic class, gender, race or anything. They are bullied because they`re fat kids. That`s kind of sad.
KARAS: Absolutely.
REAL: Fat kids are bullied. You know, if you`re a boy and you`re a little bit effeminate, you`re going to get bullied. Anybody who breaks the pattern of the stereotypical kid is vulnerable.
SAX: Bullying lasts way beyond the school yard now. That`s the other thing. Is because of the internet, bullying takes place 24 hours a day online. It wreaks havoc on these kids lives.
BEHAR: Yes, indeed.
KARAS: But it`s always been here.
BEHAR: It`s always been here. I know, absolutely. I think this is a story that doesn`t go away so easily. Thank you, everybody, for joining me. And thank you all for watching. Good night, everybody.
END
