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Joy Behar Page
Heroism of Tucson; Ronald Reagan at 100; Clinton vs. Cheney; Palin`s Poll Numbers
Aired January 19, 2011 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOY BEHAR, HOST: This is my first week doing shows at 10:00 and I`ve had to make some, you know, adjustments. I`m at dinner earlier. I do my hair and makeup later. I just pray I haven`t missed time with time with Propofol.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, cops say the entire Arizona shooting massacre was caught on tape showing people sacrificing their lives to save others in the midst of the chaos. Meanwhile, Congresswoman Giffords husband says she feared being shot at the town hall event. Is gun control the answer?
Then, did Regis tell Kathy Lee about his retirement before telling current co-host Kelly Ripa?
Plus, the most outspoken mother-daughter duo in America, Joan and Melissa Rivers are here.
That and more starting right now.
BEHAR: We`ll start tonight with the latest from Tucson, where Representative Gabrielle Giffords continues to recover from her gunshot wounds and may actually be moved to a rehab facility on Friday. So it`s good news.
And authorities now have in their possession, a chilling surveillance video of the terrible rampage showing both the chaos and remarkable acts of heroism. Wait until you see it.
Here to discuss this are retired Nassau County, New York police officer Lou Palumbo; religion contributor for ABC News and the author of "Soul Provider", Father Edward Beck; and KGUN anchor joining us from Arizona, Jennifer Waddell.
Let me start with you, Jennifer, what do you know about Mrs. Giffords` condition?
JENNIFER WADDELL, ANCHOR, KGUN: Well, we can tell you that she improves every day and that`s the reason that we just found out today that, yes Joy, she is in fact going to be moved to a rehabilitation facility.
I got some information, not only from Mark Kelly, her husband, today but also from C.J. Karamargin, who is her spokesperson. We do understand that Gabby is going to be moved to a rehab facility in Houston. They said that they pretty much -- need to go look at rehab facilities across the country. They were considering D.C., you know, Chicago, New York and ultimately decided on Houston.
And part of the reason in that is that as you probably know, Mark Kelly lives in Houston --
BEHAR: Yes.
WADDELL: And not only is it a great rehab facility, but it`s close to where he lives.
BEHAR: That`s good. And speaking of Mark Kelly, Giffords` husband, who is an astronaut, he gave an interview to ABC. Let`s listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS HOST, "20/20": Have you been worried for her safety?
MARK KELLY, REP. GABBY GIFFORDS` HUSBAND: Absolutely. Yes. And she was, too.
SAWYER: Had there been death threats?
KELLY: Yes, she`s had death threats as a lot of members of Congress have death threats. She`s had them before. You know, she says some day, I`m really worried that somebody`s going to come up to me at one of these events with a gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Now, Jennifer, you also interviewed Mark. Did he speak about this fear to you?
WADDELL: You know, he didn`t specifically talk about the fear. But he talked about and acknowledges some of the issues that surround what his wife does for a living. And he did specifically talk about the rhetoric. He talked about the tone. He talked the fact that things have become really divisive.
I don`t know whether you are aware, but Congresswoman Giffords recent campaign got real nasty. I mean it was heated, it was nasty. And so what Mark talked about was some of the talk surrounding politics right now in general.
And we know for a fact because we`ve covered it here at the station, that she had received threats. She had vandalism happen at her office.
BEHAR: Right.
WADDELL: There have been thrown items through the glass at the front of her office.
BEHAR: I think she was worried.
WADDELL: It is something that they were aware.
BEHAR: Yes. I think they were worried.
WADDELL: I`m sure that she was. You know --
(CROSSTALK)
WADDELL: Yes, I think that anyone in that position is concerned about that now.
BEHAR: Of course.
You know, Father Beck, why do you think she kept doing it? I mean knowing that there are these threats coming?
FATHER EDWARD BECK, ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all, it was her job. I think she believed in the process. I believe that she wanted her constituents to have access to her.
BEHAR: Right.
BECK: So she didn`t want to totally isolate herself. And I think you can admire that.
BEHAR: I do.
BECK: I mean she was fearless in that way.
BEHAR: I do admire her. I mean everyone who`s a public speaker, including myself, gets nasty letters. I`m sure that people on the left and right in the political arena get threats all the time. You just have to keep doing it.
Yes, go ahead, Jennifer.
WADDELL: I was just going to say, we have followed Congresswoman Giffords throughout her political career here and this is totally indicative of how she served this district. I mean she was out almost every weekend doing this kind of event. She never thought twice about putting herself out there like that.
I traveled with her also for campaign stops during her campaign years and she would never turn anyone away.
BEHAR: Right.
WADDELL: I mean you could come up to her and have a complete opposite political viewpoint and she`s going to listen to you.
(CROSSTALK)
WADDELL: She would always put herself out there.
BEHAR: She was accessible, which was good.
(CROSSTALK)
WADDELL: Absolutely accessible.
BECK: You have a fear that this might end now.
BEHAR: Yes.
WADDELL: Well, it may, but you know, in fact, a lot of people would say she was late everywhere she went because she never turned anyone away. She was extremely accessible and even Mark Kelly told me yesterday. H said, Jennifer, I have no doubt that when Gabby is ready, she`s going to go back to a Congress on Your Corner Event and she`s going to go back to that Safeway.
BEHAR: Right.
Now, let`s talk about the surveillance video that police have of the shooting. The surveillance video hasn`t been released but take a look at this animation from ABC showing what`s on the tape. Ok. We`re looking at this.
Now, this animation shows Jared Lee Loughner pointing the gun at Ron Barber, who`s an aide to Giffords, as Judge John Roll jumps in to help him. I`m assuming that the real tape will be available at some point but not yet. So NBC has made this -- or ABC, rather, has made this animation.
Now, Lou, as a former police officer, I`m sure you`ve seen a lot of things in your day, so have you seen any act of heroism quite like that?
LOU PALUMBO, RETIRED NASSAU COUNTY POLICE OFFICER: Well, you can talk immediately to 9/11, where you were able to see New York City police officers, Port Authority police officers, New York City firemen rushing into a building, many of whom already realized that they wouldn`t be coming out.
BEHAR: Right.
PALUMBO: I mean through the course of being in the law enforcement community, about 38 years as an active law enforcement and post retirement, it`s just part of this job and, you know, it`s also part of our conditioning, it`s indoctrinated that that`s your job.
To see civilians do it like this, it goes well beyond this word called "courage". It really becomes a critique of who these people are; their essence and their soul, something way beyond one single word that describes them.
But the one thing I do want to say, Joy, if I may, I don`t believe that the Congresswoman was shot because of a political view. I think that there`s a problem with the indiscriminate acquisition of firearms by people that we need to psychologically screen before we give them access to firearms.
BEHAR: Yes.
PALUMBO: And that really is at the root of this problem.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: There`s also the point that he was mentally ill and so he was not screened.
PALUMBO: That is what I`m alluding to. That is exactly what I`m alluding to.
BEHAR: There`s a lot of crazy people out there who have access to guns is the point, whether legal or illegal and it`s frightening to think about that.
Father Beck, have we become the Wild West again in this country? That`s one question and you may not want to answer that one.
But what about the heroism? What leads a person to do that -- the average person? This was a judge and Officer Palumbo was talking about people who went into the buildings. That was their job. What about the average person?
BECK: First of all, I think some people are built that way and have a certain propensity to jump in and do whatever they can. I think part of it is upbringing; part of it is just this character development that occurs.
I mean real love, love is not a noun. It`s a verb. It`s when you really can put someone else first before you. And how many of us can really do that in those kind of situations. That`s ok, you can say, I`m going to lay down my life for my wife or my kids. But someone you don`t even know --
BEHAR: To do it for another human being --
BECK: -- I mean that`s real charity.
BEHAR: Isn`t it just like instinct in some people though. I mean at the last minute you just do it. Someone`s going to jump off a ledge and you grab them.
BECK: It is. But how come some can do it and some can`t? Like there was a kid in the floods recently in Queensland. His mother, he and his brother were in a car trapped. He`s 13 years old, the brother was 10.
BEHAR: Yes.
BECK: He said to the rescuer, take my brother. Save my brother; and he and the mother were swept away. Thirteen years old, I mean he couldn`t have been taught that at 13. He --
BEHAR: That is a heartbreaking story but --
PALUMBO: But I -- Joy, if I may speak to that just --
BEHAR: For a second only and I have no time left. Go ahead. Say it -- say what you want.
PALUMBO: That dynamic in those instances, that instinct is cultivated in family. I mean I`m father over the recent years and I can tell you, you just instinctively go in that direction. And I think that`s what lends itself to individuals being able to do that in instances that arise or arose like in Arizona.
BEHAR: I would consider it a great act of heroism if more people would just report crimes.
Just when you see something, say something. If the guy seems mentally ill, call 911 if he`s on the street and he looks, you know.
BECK: Right. At least that.
BEHAR: In the college, report it to the guidance counselors or whatever.
Anyway, thanks everybody very much.
We`ll be back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up a little later on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa drop by to talk about their new reality show: "Joan and Melissa, Joan Knows Best?"
Now back to Joy.
BEHAR: Ron Reagan, a pal of the show and the son of former President Ronald Reagan, he caused quite a controversy after writing in his new book that his father may have shown early signs of Alzheimer`s during his presidency.
With me now to set the record straight is Ron Reagan author of the new memoir, "My Father at 100". It`s so nice to have you here --
(CROSS TALK)
RON REAGAN, AUTHOR, "MY FATHER AT 100": Oh it`s so nice to see you.
BEHAR: -- in person you`re always out there.
REAGAN: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Yes. But you know the book is controversial even though mostly it`s about your life with your father and it`s a kind of a semi -- it`s a historical sort of document, too. Because you were there, you know.
(CROSS TALK)
REAGAN: Mostly I was there yes.
BEHAR: And yet, the controversy is what`s really -- you know, really sparking.
REAGAN: Yes, well, maybe it will sell more books, who knows but that was in my --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Well, that`s -- that`s the accusation.
REAGAN: That is and it wasn`t my intention, I -- I just knew that I was going to have to deal with Alzheimer`s in some way because after all he died of it. And once I decided that, I had to do it as honestly as I could.
I -- I think some of the controversy if you will or misunderstanding it comes from confusion between Alzheimer`s the disease, and dementia, which is a symptom of the disease.
BEHAR: Right.
REAGAN: -- which usually arrives in the later stages. Knowing what we know now about Alzheimer`s that it`s a process that extends for years, even decades before symptoms arise.
It -- it`s a kind of academic question as to whether the disease was present in my father --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: So, you were basically just saying he must have had it because he ended up with it.
REAGAN: One can deduce that --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: I see, I see.
REAGAN: -- that -- that he -- that the disease must have been present. But I say specifically, that I saw no dementia-like signs when he was in office.
BEHAR: You didn`t see dementia?
REAGAN: No, no.
BEHAR: But what did you see?
REAGAN: You know, every once in a while -- and -- and look, let`s recall that this is the oldest president ever elected at the time. By the time I`m --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: How old was he when he was elected?
REAGAN: -- he was just about 70.
So by the time he reaches his mid-70s, you know, he`s -- he`s losing his hearing, he`s been shot, nearly killed --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Right.
REAGAN: -- which will take a little wind out of your sails.
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: And of course, I`m worried about him all the time because he has a very tough job and it`s a lot of stress and all of that kind of thing.
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: And every once in a while, I would see -- almost like you`re watching television and -- and momentarily goes out of focus and then snaps back. And you think, what did I just see? But I didn`t know what it was; I just knew that I was concerned about him for all sorts of reasons. The shooting and not the least of --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: -- of that.
But again, I -- I -- I just deduce that it`s -- in retrospect it`s possible that some of those things were early signs of Alzheimer`s, but I don`t know --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: -- and I don`t really make that claim.
BEHAR: No of course. Well, you`re not a doctor.
(CROSS TALK)
REAGAN: No. I can`t diagnose.
BEHAR: So you don`t -- yes, I mean, I -- I was saying, I want to -- we were talking about this on my other show I think or here, I can`t remember. And we were saying you know, during the Iran-contra thing, when he was on the stand, I remember him saying, "I don`t remember. I don`t remember. I don`t remember."
REAGAN: Yes, this was after he left the presidency.
BEHAR: Yes.
And I thought to myself, he`s -- he`s making that up. He`s -- he remembers. But maybe now I think he doesn`t remember.
REAGAN: No, I -- I think that by that time, he didn`t remember.
BEHAR: Yes, you know.
REAGAN: That`s true.
BEHAR: And there`s another part of the story that has emerged which is "The Cain and Abel" story. Or should I call "The Half Cain and Abel" but Michael Reagan is only half a brother of yours?
(CROSS TALK)
REAGAN: Yes, I don`t think of it that way.
BEHAR: Ok or either he was adopted and you`re biological, right?
REAGAN: Yes, I -- I just think of him as my brother and always have but you know.
BEHAR: Yes, but he -- he`s tweeted this -- "My brother was an embarrassment to his father when he was alive and today he became an embarrassment to his mother." Nasty stuff. First of all, did he talk to your mother?
REAGAN: No. Not that I`m aware of. I spoke to her the night before last when I heard all of that stuff.
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: And I said to her look, you know, somebody`s going to ask me if you read the book and what you think of it. And I -- I don`t want to put words in your mouth unlike some other people. So tell me, what should I say when they -- they ask?
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: And she said, "You tell them that I read it, I loved it. It made me cry and I`m very proud of you."
BEHAR: Well, that`s nice.
REAGAN: Yes. That`s what mom did say --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Well, when the news first broke, that you said that he had Alzheimer`s. I remember your mother, there was a statement put out, true or false, and she said, I wish he hadn`t done that. You know, I wish he had kept that quiet and not really done this because it sort of sullies the image of President Reagan.
REAGAN: I -- I don`t recall that. But I --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: I -- I read that somewhere, so --
(CROSS TALK)
REAGAN: Well, ok.
BEHAR: It could have been just --
(CROSS TALK)
REAGAN: It could have been just --
BEHAR: You know, somebody said that and it was not true.
REAGAN: Yes. Yes I don`t recall that.
BEHAR: All right. Yes and it was -- we want the -- we were saying this before, how do you answer the -- the charge that you wrote this about your father to sell the book?
REAGAN: Oh, no, no, really, it`s -- it`s very literal of -- of the book and most of the book is an exploration of his character really by going back into his early life.
Again, I -- I take him to the end of his life and he died of Alzheimer`s, so I have to say it.
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: You have to say it.
REAGAN: And once you deal with it --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: -- the question of whether he had it in -- in office is going to arise.
BEHAR: I don`t think you`re the first person to think of that, either.
REAGAN: And no.
BEHAR: Plenty of people have said it.
REAGAN: No, no, of course not. And I was little surprised that people are treating this as some kind of you know, new revelations.
BEHAR: Exactly. Exactly.
So let`s -- let`s get struck about -- about -- you know it`s interesting to me, you know, you`re a liberal. Your sister Patty is a liberal and your father is famously a conservative.
REAGAN: Of course.
BEHAR: How did you guys turn out so bad? What happened?
REAGAN: I don`t know. There was something in the water that year or something like that. It was in the `60s and `70s. Who -- who doesn`t disagree with their parents sometimes --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: -- about politics and stuff. That didn`t seem too remarkable.
BEHAR: Did you have fights with them because of it? When your brother says that you`re an embarrassment to your father when he was alive, is that what he means?
REAGAN: I don`t know what Mike means there actually. My -- my father never expressed anything like that to me. So I -- I`m not sure what Mike was talking about.
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: But no, we would argue, though. We`d argue over the Vietnam War, we -- environmental issues, but it was amicable enough. We -- you know, we take each other to the mat.
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: Because we both, you know, we know our own minds and all that sort of things. But we were always friends.
BEHAR: Right.
REAGAN: I mean, we didn`t --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Wasn`t there a time when Patty was not speaking to the parents? She doesn`t talk to somebody else --
REAGAN: Oh, yes, I guess.
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: You know, that happens in families; can I go in and out and the whole family stuff.
BEHAR: Yes. Did -- your mother once told you that the President said you made him feel stupid.
REAGAN: Yes.
BEHAR: You think you did?
REAGAN: I -- you know, I -- I used to argue with him of course and -- and she did tell me that at one time. This is -- I -- I believe this is actually before he was in the White House. She just said, you know, he said you make him feel stupid. I think she was trying to tell me, you know don`t be so tough on your dad when you -- when you argue with him.
BEHAR: But a lot of times, I notice that -- this like -- victimhood in the white male conservative --
REAGAN: Yes.
BEHAR: -- against the liberals is, oh, you think I`m stupid. They respond like that, like the liberals think they`re so smart. The "New York Times" --
(CROSS TALK)
REAGAN: Yes.
BEHAR: -- the elites.
REAGAN: Right.
BEHAR: Yes, so maybe he was responding as a conservative to a liberal.
REAGAN: I don`t think so much, no.
BEHAR: No.
REAGAN: I think he was just a little frustrated that he couldn`t convince me of his point of view in just about everything. You know, he thought of -- if he had me alone for five minutes --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Yes.
REAGAN: -- you`d come out thinking just like he does. And I`m actually a little frustrated that it didn`t work --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: I think it`s nice that he -- it`s nice that he didn`t say my son is stupid. He makes me seem stupid.
REAGAN: Yes, yes.
BEHAR: It`s better. You know, that`s kind of nice. Not like that Chinese thing.
REAGAN: And he wasn`t stupid.
BEHAR: That Chinese -- the thing way of -- I know he wasn`t -- the Chinese way of raising children. What`s the name, Chua, "The Tiger Mom" --
REAGAN: Yes.
BEHAR: -- who says to the kid, you`re garbage. I think she`s coming on the show. I can`t wait to meet her.
Ok, we`ll have more with Ron Reagan after a short break.
I`m serious. She`s coming on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up a little later on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, from "Hot in Cleveland": actresses Valerie Bertinelli, Wendy Malick and Jane Leeves.
And did Golden Globes host, Ricky Gervais, go too far? We`ll hear what Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa have to say.
Now back to Joy.
BEHAR: I am back with Ron Reagan.
Let`s talk about Dick Cheney for a second. I saw him -- I think it was this morning.
REAGAN: If we must.
BEHAR: Yes, I`m afraid we`re going to -- well, he keeps popping up.
REAGAN: He does.
BEHAR: The man has had five heart attacks. Take a rest.
REAGAN: I know. He`s like some little golem figure that keeps coming up.
BEHAR: I love that. But he says the most annoying things. You just want to smack him. He worries that President Obama does not have the same commitment to terrorism --
REAGAN: He worries.
BEHAR: -- as George Bush had. Now Hillary Clinton --
REAGAN: Reminds you when 9/11 happened. Whose watch was that --
BEHAR: It was on the George Bush watch. I love that.
REAGAN: Yes. And they ignored the warnings -- just to refresh everybody`s memory about that.
BEHAR: I know. Wasn`t it -- how do you say -- al Qaeda --
REAGAN: Al Qaeda determined to attack in America and the details of that, was they`re planning to use airplanes. He was like, yes, yes, I`m on vacation. Whatever. We`ll deal with that later.
BEHAR: Unbelievable. I know. I love when Giuliani says no terrorist attack ever occurred on Bush`s watch. Hello.
REAGAN: Hello -- rewrite history.
BEHAR: Anyway, Cheney`s saying that Obama is not as good as George Bush.
REAGAN: He is not really keen at protecting the country. What an ugly thing to say about any president.
BEHAR: Is that a treasonous offense to say something like that?
REAGAN: I don`t know about that. It`s an offensive stupidity.
BEHAR: Doesn`t that give comfort to the enemy when you say that?
REAGAN: Well, we can pretend it does. That will work for you.
BEHAR: Let`s say I`m Osama bin Laden. I`m sitting in my cave smoking a cigar. And I hear Oh, Dick Cheney says that this guy is not really on the case. Good. Let`s try something.
REAGAN: Well, possibly yes. Keep in mind that Dick Cheney, and I like to pronounce his name correctly -- Cheney -- Dick Cheney is an unindicted war criminal. He presided over a policy of torture in this country. And torture is against our laws and against international covenants we have signed.
We are actually obligated as a nation to prosecute people who have committed torture. You know who signed the covenant against torture originally back in the 1980s, a U.S. president?
BEHAR: Ronald Reagan.
REAGAN: Exactly. Called it abhorrent and he meant it.
BEHAR: Now, Hillary Clinton responded.
REAGAN: Yes, good.
BEHAR: Secretary Hillary Clinton. Let`s watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I was certainly taken aback by it. I don`t know how anyone who was in the White House before or now could doubt any president`s absolute commitment to stopping the terrorists from attacking us. I don`t think it`s useful to make such a statement and I certainly reject it completely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Ok. So, she spoke out against it, which is good for the country to hear somebody say that I think.
REAGAN: Absolutely. It was an offensive thing for him to say, actually.
BEHAR: Maybe Cheney could, you know, take over for Regis.
REAGAN: Well, that`s a ratings --
BEHAR: Let`s talk about Sarah Palin for a minute even though she`s over talked about, I think. But her unfavorability rating is at an all time high -- 56 percent do not like her now, which changed. She used to be more popular. But 38 percent still hold a favorable view.
REAGAN: Which is remarkable.
BEHAR: Yes. Who are those people?
REAGAN: I don`t know. They`re the same people who don`t believe evolution occurred, I think.
BEHAR: Do you think that she`s done politically?
REAGAN: Yes, I do actually. I think she did herself in when she released that rather snarky defense statement after the Tucson shooting. I think people saw the contrast between that, you know that pity (INAUDIBLE) and then Barack Obama coming out the next day with this very eloquent, very thoughtful kind of take on the situation.
And I think people saw those two things together and they went -- I wouldn`t go under this one.
BEHAR: It almost felt like she thought of herself as one of the victims of the tragedy.
REAGAN: Exactly. She`s always --
BEHAR: It`s like they kill a 9-year-old kid, they kill other people. They put Congresswoman in the hospital and she`s the victim.
REAGAN: That`s right. Poor Sarah Palin. How much must she be suffering with this?
BEHAR: Exactly.
REAGAN: Yes. She`s done. She`s done.
BEHAR: She`s done. I think put a fork in her. She`s done?
REAGAN: I think she -- she may run. I can`t -- you know, it`s all about money I think.
BEHAR: But the Republicans don`t speak out against her because they still need her constituency to vote for them.
REAGAN: That 38 percent.
BEHAR: Right.
REAGAN: I`m amazed that it`s that high. I thought it would be down in the 20 percent, 15 percent.
BEHAR: No, not yet. It will be though soon.
REAGAN: Yes.
BEHAR: Anyway, thanks very much for joining us. I appreciate it so much.
The book is called "My Father at 100". We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: With me to talk about some dishy stories is the fabulous cast of TV land`s "Hot in Cleveland," the lovely Valerie Bertinelli, the lovely Jane Leeves and the lovely Wendie Malick.
Regis is retiring. Let`s start there, girls, all right? All right. So you know, here`s the thing of the dish on Regis. He told Kathie Lee apparently, way before he told Kelly Ripa.
WENDY MALICK, ACTRESS: He told me before he told Kathie Lee.
BEHAR: But do you think he`s having...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: But is he having an affair with Kathie Lee?
(CROSSTALK)
MALICK: There`s going to be a hole in morning talk shows. I think he`s one of the last of the old, classic old-school gentlemen. He`s a really lovely guy.
BEHAR: He`s a lovely guy. And he`s funny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
BEHAR: And he is spontaneous.
MALICK: And he is a gentlemen. And there is something sort of -- I don`t know. I sort of will miss him.
JANE LEEVES, ACTRESS: He`s going to be hard to replace. Who are you going to get to replace him is the thing?
BEHAR: That`s the question. Who would you put in there?
JANE LEEVES: Ricky Gervais.
MALICK: I think Helen Mirren would be good.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or Colin Firth.
(CROSSTALK)
MALICK: Somebody British would be nice.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Well, you need a man, I guess. Right?
LEEVES: I think you do, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think her husband should do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t think so.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They`re really adorable together.
BEHAR: I know you just got married, Valerie, but do you want to be with your husband 24/7?
VALERIE BERTINELLI, ACTRESS: Well, I like him, so yes.
BEHAR: You would like that?
BERTINELLI: I would, yes. Well, once in a while, it`s like, you`re still here? But...
BEHAR: But you would do that? I mean, it does not interfere with your...
BERTINELLI: Well, he`s my buddy, so it`s different than -- yes, I like hanging out with him.
BEHAR: Would you like to do it with a husband?
MALICK: My husband won`t even pose for a photograph. So this is not going to happen with my husband.
BEHAR: I understand that.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: How about you?
BERTINELLI: Richard comes to the show to watch our show once and he brings a "New Yorker" magazine.
(CROSSTALK)
BERTINELLI: And Marshall, her husband, comes with a surf board.
BEHAR: OK, now, let`s talk about Ricky Gervais. He is being slammed all over the place because he was rather risky at the Golden Globes.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Risky or risque?
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: It`s an English thing as well.
LEEVES: I think so, because we don`t take ourselves very seriously. We are actors, for crying out loud, you know, Philly (ph) actors, and we should poke -- be able to poke fun at ourselves.
MALICK: But I think there`s a difference between poking fun -- to me, what he did that I found sort of crossed the line was, it seemed mean- spirited and it wasn`t as funny as last year. So I think if you`re going to be that outrageous --
(CROSSTALK)
MALICK: And I think his stuff was not amusing.
BEHAR: I mean, I think it killed, but they just didn`t laugh.
MALICK: Made people feel dead.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: You know what I thought was funny? Conservative Republicans thought it was hilarious. They hate Hollywood. They hate Hollywood and everything that Hollywood stands for.
BERTINELLI: Hollywood`s filled with conservative Republicans, too.
MALICK: Usually above the line.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Angie Harmon. That`s true.
BERTINELLI: There is a lot of them out there.
BEHAR: What`s her name? The Ten, what`s her name?
MALICK: Bo Derek.
BEHAR: Bo Derek.
(CROSSTALK)
MALICK: She`s very into animal stuff. She`s very big on...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: She`s very nice, I`ve met her, but she is a conservative, also. And yeah. OK.
So, nobody was offended by anything anybody said. How do you feel when they attack -- when they make a joke about you girls? Do you...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`d be honored.
MALICK: She has a big crush on him.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Who, Valerie does?
MALICK: Yes.
BEHAR: You`re such a ho.
(LAUGHTER)
BERTINELLI: I`m only sleeping with one man, but I`ve got a crush on that one.
BEHAR: You`re a crush ho.
BERTINELLI: I`m a crush ho.
(CROSSTALK)
MALICK: It`s part of the deal. I know you were talking about this this morning. I think when people make fun of you, it`s sort of a bizarre form of flattery.
BEHAR: It is.
MALICK: For them to notice...
(CROSSTALK)
LEEVES: Isn`t that like the biggest ...
MALICK: I think it`s just when you trash the whole evening and you`re celebrating supposedly the best of the work that was done that year.
(CROSSTALK)
MALICK: A lot of very talented -- all right, never mind.
(CROSSTALK)
BERTINELLI: Come on, if we can`t laugh at ourselves, then we shouldn`t be doing it.
BEHAR: OK, speaking of sluts...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you looking at me?
BEHAR: Ashton Kutcher, he says because he`s promoting a movie, but he says that casual sex has now taken the place of dinner and a movie. Because in a way -- he`s talking about hopping into the sack before you get to know somebody. Do you think that`s true?
MALICK: So it`s like the `70s all over again.
BEHAR: Is that what you did in the `70s?
MALICK: I`m not saying I did.
(LAUGHTER)
MALICK: But people got to know each other that way, and some things were freer. And then there were diseases that came in and it all changed.
BEHAR: I know, those STDs are so pesky.
LEEVES: Different if you`ve got -- I mean, it`s not something you want your daughter to do, is it, or your son, actually.
BEHAR: Well, I think that dating is very barbaric. Especially blind dating, it`s just so barbaric.
LEEVES: Well, that`s horrible.
BEHAR: The whole idea of dating, and like, it`s so contrived. You sit there at dinner. So, what was your major? It`s lame. Let`s just do it, all right?
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: I believe if you have a sexual attraction to somebody, you might as well just hop in the sack. I agree with him.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Maybe not the dinner. I`m Italian, after all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, don`t skip the dinner.
MALICK: Can we just say -- with protection. Let me just put that in there.
BEHAR: Thank you, Wendy.
MALICK: You`re welcome.
BEHAR: This has been a PSA.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: You should be like Dr. Ruth. You could like do the whole sex thing.
MALICK: I don`t think so, Joy, but thank you.
BEHAR: Remember the book, "Fear of Flying?" By Erica Jong?
MALICK: Of course, Erica Jong.
BEHAR: She basically -- that was when, 1968?
(CROSSTALK)
BERTINELLI: Who did she have an affair with? She had an affair...
BEHAR: Erica Jong?
BERTINELLI: She had an affair with somebody she shouldn`t have...
MALICK: Many people.
BERTINELLI: ... like a married man.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: But she wrote a book called "Fear of Flying," and in it, she talks of the zipless schtup. Yes, and how you meet someone on a train, and you just do it. You don`t care who he is. You don`t want to know who he is. And it`s really exciting. Rather than knowing somebody first before you have sex.
LEEVES: No, you`ve got to get to know them, yes.
BERTINELLI: Because it starts here. For the guy, it starts there.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: There`s a survey that says, you know, what is the number now, that 16 percent of men are faking it. OK?
(CROSSTALK)
LEEVES: That reminds me of that scene in "Some Like It Hot" with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. They just pretend, the guy, no, feeling nothing. Try again. Yes.
BEHAR: He was lying.
(CROSSTALK)
BERTINELLI: How is it physically possible for them to fake it?
MALICK: I don`t understand the science of this?
BEHAR: I`ll tell you, you want to hear the science?
BERTINELLI: Aren`t there certain fluids that have to be expelled?
BEHAR: Yes, but that is not the point. There`s no experience of an orgasm. They just fake it. They have the -- I think...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: ... fluids, please, I despise...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Semen!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Semen!
BEHAR: That`s a body fluid!
I`m doing a PSA now on body fluids. Do not discuss -- no, but like...
(CROSSTALK)
LEEVES: ... a kids show in England, and one of the characters, it was about pirates, and one of the characters was Seaman Stains.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see why Ricky Gervais doesn`t upset anybody...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Since when are men concerned about a woman`s ego? A woman fakes it, yes, yes, you`re great. Oh, God, yes, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BERTINELLI: Stop the faking! Everyone stop the faking. How is he or she going to know you`re doing the job right if you fake it? Because then they`re going to do the same thing over again. And you`re like, oh God, got to fake it again. No! Do it right, and if you have an orgasm, you say, baby, that was good. And then they`ll know and they`ll do it the same way again. Right?
BEHAR: So how many of you women -- you`ve never faked it, I take it.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Who did you fake it with, the last husband?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t think we actually had sex very many times.
BEHAR: You were married to him so many years.
BERTINELLI: I know.
BEHAR: Eddie Van Halen. So cute.
BERTINELLI: He`s adorable.
BEHAR: He`s very cute.
MALICK: They look like brother and sister.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Some of the women here had sex with him. But you...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: So you guys never faked it? That`s why I just want to leave...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have faked it in the past.
BERTINELLI: What?
BEHAR: You have.
MALICK: I`m taking the Fifth.
BEHAR: Oh, Wendy.
MALICK: I don`t discuss my personal secretions on television.
BEHAR: So that is the PSA from Wendy. Taking the Fifth.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Be prepared and fake the orgasm.
MALICK: I`m not saying one should, I`m just saying sometimes, you know, you have a tight schedule.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: You know what? Thank you, ladies. You know what? They are going to be back tomorrow, OK? To talk some more. The new season with the same outfits -- the new season, "Hot in Cleveland," Wednesdays on 10:00 p.m. on TV Land. We`ll be back in a minute with Joan and Melissa Rivers. Another couple of fabulous gals.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Well, legendary comic Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa have often worked together and now they are moving in together. The fireworks ensue in a new reality show, "Joan and Melissa." Joan knows best.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: It`s premiering next Tuesday on We. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOAN RIVERS: I brought Lola.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you.
JOAN RIVERS: A little dribble. A little dribble. Sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s OK. We expect that.
MELISSA RIVERS: Why is your dog in my house?
JOAN RIVERS: You know I always travel with Lola. She`s the Gayle to my Oprah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: With me now, the lovely and talented Ms. Joan and Ms. Melissa Rivers. That is a funny line. This show to me is more like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," because we`re following your mother mostly gets all the laughs. You know, Melissa, you`re like a straight man to her.
MELISSA RIVERS: Yes.
BEHAR: And we`re following the character. It`s great. It`s very funny.
JOAN RIVERS: It`s funny, and our lives are funny, and then it gets -- there`s this one episode where there`s a scene that I literally moved out.
BEHAR: Really? That`s right, in the first episode.
JOAN RIVERS: No.
BEHAR: I saw that one.
MELISSA RIVERS: Why would we do that in the first episode?
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: But you two have had a volatile relationship over the years, right? So whose idea was it to move in together?
MELISSA RIVERS: I don`t think it`s volatile. It`s normal. I mean, a lot of people don`t understand, it`s normal, people fight with their parents.
BEHAR: What was the most normal thing you`ve done?
MELISSA RIVERS: Well, I haven`t killed her.
BEHAR: And she hasn`t killed you.
MELISSA RIVERS: Exactly. So that goes both ways.
JOAN RIVERS: Well, when the show ended, and it ended, thank God, on a very happy note.
MELISSA RIVERS: Yes.
JOAN RIVERS: You know, our first season, Melissa planned a wonderful mother-daughter weekend, and then she took a different mother.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: You know what I like about you, Joan, you always think she`s going to be serious, and then she`s not.
MELISSA RIVERS: No, no.
BEHAR: Now, in the show, she comes into the house and doesn`t realize that the boyfriend is living there.
MELISSA RIVERS: Well, I mean, first of all, my mother knows that Jason and I have been together. And it was one of those situations where we had made a decision that Jason was not going to renew his lease at his place and we had not gotten around to having -- I -- we talk 70 times a day and it`s for 30 seconds each time. And I just never had a chance to say...
BEHAR: But how come you didn`t know? She`s got a boyfriend.
JOAN RIVERS: She -- because she doesn`t -- does your daughter tell you everything?
BEHAR: No.
JOAN RIVERS: She doesn`t tell me anything.
MELISSA RIVERS: I just did not think it was a conversation we wanted to have over the telephone.
JOAN RIVERS: Jason comes down the stairs in a towel. I think I should say...
MELISSA RIVERS: But you know that we`ve been together for a while.
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: I didn`t know that he was circumcised. I mean...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I mean, you figure if she`s living -- if she`s got a boyfriend, she`s not a virgin. She`s living with a guy, no?
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: Mothers don`t want to hear this.
BEHAR: I love the part about the Swedish nanny. Let`s look at that piece of tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOAN RIVERS: This is just wrong. There`s a hooker watering the plants.
Melissa, what is going on in there?
MELISSA RIVERS: Mom, she`s great. Cooper loves her. She`s efficient, she`s clean, and for God`s sakes, she speaks English and can drive.
JOAN RIVERS: I think it`s fine...
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: (inaudible) in the morning, let`s finish the sentence like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: This bitch is right out of central casting, what are you, crazy?
(CROSSTALK)
MELISSA RIVERS: I have a wonderful nanny that went home for the summer, which is fine, and this lovely girl that has worked for people I know. She`s bright (ph), she`s smart, she speaks English, Cooper loves her, she knows our area, and it was a stopgap for me until school started for Cooper. And it was, you know, it`s panic time sometimes. I don`t know if you had nannies...
BEHAR: No.
MELISSA RIVERS: But you get panicky when you work and you`re a single parent.
BEHAR: Of course.
MELISSA RIVERS: And I`m not going to let her drive.
BEHAR: You need someone who looks like Helen Thomas, not like Ms. Sweden.
MELISSA RIVERS: Cooper does adore her.
JOAN RIVERS: Adores her, and she`s wonderful with Cooper.
MELISSA RIVERS: And she still babysits.
BEHAR: But Joan doesn`t like her, right, Joan?
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: I mean, come on, you don`t bring -- this is a girl that gets (inaudible) with Tiger Woods.
(CROSSTALK)
MELISSA RIVERS: Cooper has all-access pass to every major sports team now.
BEHAR: OK, let`s move on to the plastic surgery part of the show, which...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: It`s such a stretch. I don`t know where I come up with these ideas.
JOAN RIVERS: I`m getting tired of this...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: But you don`t want her to get any more. She wants to get her arms sucked out.
MELISSA RIVERS: Yes.
BEHAR: I know you would like to do that, but they have this -- the sleeves now.
JOAN RIVERS: Oh, yes, you can`t swim in sleeves.
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: We went to a lot of plastic surgeons, and all four said no.
MELISSA RIVERS: That is one of the great moments of my life, where I actually get to be right. Which are few and far between.
BEHAR: Yes, you say to her, no more elective surgery.
MELISSA RIVERS: Enough.
JOAN RIVERS: I don`t consider it elective.
BEHAR: When is enough enough?
JOAN RIVERS: Never. Never.
BEHAR: You have so say that there`s a stop to this, Joan, at some point.
JOAN RIVERS: Why?
BEHAR: Because.
JOAN RIVERS: Why?
Joy, if you can get some quack to do something to you, you go and you pray he knows -- and you know, he`ll give you a little anesthetic.
BEHAR: But you couldn`t find a quack in Beverly Hills?
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Go down to Ecuador. Brazil, Brazil, everybody does everything now.
MELISSA RIVERS: OK, thank you for season two.
BEHAR: Now you two -- oh really?
(CROSSTALK)
MELISSA RIVERS: You`re going to go home and write that down and put it in the file. Joy says.
BEHAR: It`s good, go to Brazil, do a location thing.
JOAN RIVERS: I`ll meet somebody who will do it. There`s always somebody who will say, OK.
BEHAR: Now, what about the red carpet? You`ve given up the red carpet?
MELISSA RIVERS: We stopped doing the red carpet coverage a while back, and suddenly after two years, people are going, you guys aren`t going to do it anymore? Its` like we haven`t done it for two years. My feeling was, from the producing point of view and the hosting point of view for me, we did it. We did it in my opinion better than anyone else.
BEHAR: I agree with that.
MELISSA RIVERS: No one has ever gotten the same ratings we got. Everyone copied everything we did, and it`s become so big and so overwhelming and so controlled, and so basically produced by the publicists.
BEHAR: What was the most fun of doing it and the worst fun (ph)?
JOAN RIVERS: I`m just such a fan, I mean, that somebody were to walk out and you got to meet Julia Roberts. You go to meet you know, you just go, oh, my God...
BEHAR: Not really. I`m not like that.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I mean, someone stopped me once to say, who were you wearing, I said Chicos (ph). It`s embarrassing.
(CROSSTALK)
MELISSA RIVERS: All the people you`ve met. That`s fun.
BEHAR: George Clooney, maybe.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: George Clooney.
JOAN RIVERS: Angelina (inaudible), with those big stupid lips.
BEHAR: OK, we`re going to have more with the Rivers girls when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: I`m back with Joan and Melissa Rivers. Now, what happened to you today at Fox?
MELISSA RIVERS: Well, we were supposed to -- we`re here promoting our show, "Joan and Melissa..."
BEHAR: Which is very funny. I have to say it, I really like the show, and people should watch it. Because...
MELISSA RIVERS: Tuesday nights at 9:00.
BEHAR: ... it`s really better than an average kind of reality show. It`s a comedy show.
(CROSSTALK)
MELISSA RIVERS: And we are here, I`m in town promoting, my mom is here for an extra day besides me. And I guess...
JOAN RIVERS: We said something somewhere in one of the hundred interviews...
MELISSA RIVERS: Or at -- (inaudible), my mom made a comment like, hi, I don`t think Sarah Palin is very smart.
BEHAR: Well, everybody says that.
MELISSA RIVERS: Right.
JOAN RIVERS: Exactly.
MELISSA RIVERS: And apparently we`re now...
JOAN RIVERS: Even Newt Gingrich is practically saying that now.
MELISSA RIVERS: We are no longer apparently...
JOAN RIVERS: We got called.
MELISSA RIVERS: And we were uninvited.
BEHAR: Where?
MELISSA RIVERS: "Fox and Friends."
BEHAR: Oh, "Fox and Friends."
JOAN RIVERS: So now we call it "Fox and Former Friends."
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: They called and they said to our PR lady, said why?
MELISSA RIVERS: Why.
JOAN RIVERS: And they said because of what was said about Ms. Palin. Because she`s a Fox contributor.
BEHAR: I guess.
JOAN RIVERS: She`s a Nazi, I don`t know. I mean, do they protect me over here at CNN?
(CROSSTALK)
MELISSA RIVERS: They`re saying nasty things about you from the network.
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: You know, I said to Melissa...
MELISSA RIVERS: Do you even remember what you said?
JOAN RIVERS: I don`t even remember what I said. I voted for her stupid daughter, I should have -- who couldn`t dance at all, because I felt sorry for her. I should have voted for David Hasselhoff because he was sober, and he would have understood.
BEHAR: That`s true. Give him points for that.
MELISSA RIVERS: Yes.
BEHAR: But you know what, there seems to be something going on against comedians, I noticed. Like Ricky Gervais was on the carpet at the Golden Globes...
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: First of all, I find it outrageous. They invite him on, they know what he does...
MELISSA RIVERS: They are paying him to host.
JOAN RIVERS: We`re comedians. And then he does what he`s supposed to do, and they all go, you shouldn`t say that.
MELISSA RIVERS: Right, right.
JOAN RIVERS: What is he supposed to say?
BEHAR: I know. They want him to be nice. But you know, he`s taking on the Hollywood elite. Come on, these people make gazillions of dollars.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: He sort of outed a couple of people. Kind of.
JOAN RIVERS: Outed. Surprise. I know, everybody`s standing there at the tables from their waist...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: And another topic before we go, Regis Philbin retired. You know, Joan, you said to me, I hope that I know when it`s over. When do you know?
MELISSA RIVERS: You don`t.
JOAN RIVERS: Well, she`ll pull the plug.
MELISSA RIVERS: Yes. And then she won`t know when it`s over, because I`m just going to walk in and yank.
BEHAR: What are you going to say? Mom...
(CROSSTALK)
JOAN RIVERS: Here, we`ll do it. Hello, Melissa, how are you?
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: I`m not talking about a do not resuscitate here.
MELISSA RIVERS: No, but that`s when she`s going to retire.
BEHAR: I`m talking about getting you off of TV.
MELISSA RIVERS: That is not going to -- I was actually saying to her assistant the other day, if necessary, I`ll build a little black room and a box with a spotlight and a mike and I`ll put cutouts of people and once a week invite a gay guy in just to make the laugh louder, and we`ll push around every...
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Oh, like "The King of Comedy."
MELISSA RIVERS: Yes, and she can just do her routine, and we`ll go, good job, good show, mom. And we`ll just wheel her right back in.
JOAN RIVERS: I think you retire.
MELISSA RIVERS: I think that`s kind.
JOAN RIVERS: All I know is you hold on -- when they cut off your hands, you hold on like this. When they cut that off, you hold on like that.
BEHAR: So you never retire.
JOAN RIVERS: (inaudible).
BEHAR: Larry King said, retire to what?
JOAN RIVERS: Retire to what?
BEHAR: I know. It`s hard, isn`t it?
JOAN RIVERS: I miss (inaudible).
BEHAR: And they`ll take you out feet first.
JOAN RIVERS: You`re damn right.
BEHAR: OK, "Joan and Melissa." Joan knows best? Question mark. premieres Tuesday, January 25th at 9 p.m. on WE-TV. Good night, everybody.
END
