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Joy Behar Page
Cash for Kids?; Labor of Love
Aired February 22, 2011 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, a judge is found guilty of throwing kids behind bars in exchange for cash. A practice so corrupt it apparently drove one child to suicide. Joy wants to know how this could happen and what kind of sentence this judge should get.
Then, a 61-year-old woman gives birth to her own grandson. Joy looks at the rise of surrogate grandmothers and tells us if she would ever do it.
Plus, they`re responsible for legendary comedies like "Dumb and Dumber, and "There`s Something about Mary". The Farrelly Brothers dish on working with Joy for new movie, "Hall Pass".
That and more starting right now.
JOY BEHAR, HOST: Here`s a story that really ticks me off. A Pennsylvania judge has been convicted for giving kids harsh sentences in private prisons for minor infractions. Why? Because the prisons were paying him, that`s why.
One kid who was sentenced by Judge Mark Ciavarella ended up committing suicide. Let`s watch his mother confront the judge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; My kid`s not here. He`s dead. Because of him. He ruined my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life. I would like him to go to hell and rot there forever.
You know when he told everybody in court, they need to be held accountable for their actions. You need to be. Do you remember me?. Do you remember my son?. An all-star wrestler? He`s gone. He shot himself in the heart. You scumbag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Here now to discuss this are Laurene Transue (ph), whose daughter was sentenced to a detention center by Judge Mark Ciavarella, the same one you just saw; Lourdes Rosado, associate director at the Juvenile Law Center; and Judge Glenda Hatchett, author of "Dare to Take Charge: How to live your life on purpose".
Let me start with you Lourdes. Tell me about this case of this boy who committed suicide because of this horrifying judge?
LOURDES ROSADO JUVENILE LAW CENTER: It`s a very sad case. Kenzakowski (ph) was, like so many of the clients that we`ve met over the last few years, he was arrested on a minor charge, having drug paraphernalia on him. And he was quickly sentenced and sent to a detention facility and then to a boot camp for several months. It really began a downward spiral in his life.
After he got out, his mom -- his family says he wasn`t the same, he started developing anger issues, got into trouble with the law again, and eventually committed suicide last year.
BEHAR: And he was -- what was he caught with? Drug paraphernalia?
ROSADO: I believe it was like a marijuana pipe.
BEHAR: That`s it?
ROSADO: That`s it. This was his first time involved in any kind of involvement with the criminal justice system, the juvenile justice system.
BEHAR: Judge Hatchett, this guy was sending children to detention centers, two to three more frequently than judges in other counties. Ok. I guess that`s what -- that didn`t tip anybody off? How did he get away with that?
JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT, AUTHOR, "DARE TO TAKE CHARGE": Because judges so often, Joy, operate in a bubble of autonomy and it really wasn`t until the law center got involved that other people started taking note. But really, he was just out here just acting independently.
And I will tell you, the state Supreme Court, when they reviewed these cases, Joy, they wrote specifically, that this was a travesty of justice. I mean, rarely do I get angry, but this is outrageous.
BEHAR: It`s outrageous. And to see that distraught mother. It just breaks your heart.
HATCHETT: My heart bleeds for her.
BEHAR: Yes. Now, Lourdes, how much money, exactly, was he getting in these kickbacks?
ROSADO: When the original indictments came down, they alleged that he and another judge, Judge Conahan received something like $2.6 million from the developer and co-owners of these private, for-profit detention facilities.
He was convicted last week on racketeering charges and the jury specifically found that he accepted at least $1 million in connection with this transaction.
BEHAR: There were other people involved with him and his family, weren`t there? He wasn`t the only one doing all the dirty deeds.
ROSADO: The other people involved were, like I said, the presiding judge at time of the court, and as well as the person who developed the -- the construction company that developed the facilities as well as the co- owner of the facilities.
BEHAR: What about his wife? Did she know about it?
ROSADO: There are no allegations against the wife.
HATCHETT: But the fact that the presiding judge was also involved added an extra layer of cover, so that people probably really just weren`t paying attention.
BEHAR: Yes. Ok, Laurene, your daughter, Hillary, was sentenced to a detention center by this judge. What did she do to get this sentence, and what was her sentence, anyway?
LAURENE TRANSUE, DAUGHTER WAS SENT TO DETENTION CENTER: My daughter, Hillary, was 15, and she was accused of creating a parody MySpace page of her assistant principal and we went to court, a hearing that lasted about 60 seconds.
She was adjudicated delinquent, which means legal and physical custody was taken away from her father and I, and she was sent to a boot camp for three months.
BEHAR: Because she did what?. Because she had a parody of somebody on the Internet?
TRANSUE: That`s right. The page actually in question had a disclaimer on it that said, this is a parody, this is a joke.
BEHAR: Oh, my --
TRANSUE: This is not really this person`s Web page --
BEHAR: Judge Hatchett, what happened to freedom of speech and expression? How can that be a crime?
HATCHETT: This is ridiculous. The thing is, Joy, what we have to remember is that the private -- these private facilities are getting so much money based on how many children are in the facility. So the more children that are there, the more money they`re going to get in per diems.
But incarceration should be the last alternative. It should not be a situation like this. And this really is outrageous. So the Supreme Court went back and literally looked at every case between 2003 and 2008 and threw out some 4,000 decisions that he had made, because this is absolutely outrageous.
BEHAR: It`s outrageous.
HATCHETT: It`s an abuse of power.
BEHAR: I mean, I was reading that a 12-year-old was sentenced to two years for joy riding in his mother`s car.
HATCHETT: In his mother`s car.
BEHAR: How did this guy get away with this? Was no one watching this man? Where were the police? Where were other judges? Where were the parents? Where was everybody?
HATCHETT: Good question. And again, and it`s also the problem is that judges often really are operating in an autonomous situation. But we took an oath to act in the public`s best interest, not to abuse it.
So I think that oftentimes, people just kind of accept the judge`s decision, but these were absolutely an abuse.
BEHAR: Laurene, let me ask you, how has your daughter changed since her detention? That woman, Mrs. Fonzo says her son was never the same. Do you relate to that?
TRANSUE: You know, I was there at the courthouse when Mrs. Fonzo was shouting at the judge. I`ve heard that recording several times, and each time, I start to cry. Because I realize there are thousands of children that that could have happened to.
For my daughter, I was very fortunate. My daughter was very fortunate in that I was able to get to the Juvenile Law Center and they took her case, realizing that this was probably just the tip of the iceberg and they were right.
So Hillary has some very lasting effects from her -- she ended up being there for one month. And it was very traumatic for her.
BEHAR: Of course.
TRANSUE: And I know for one month, I can`t imagine what it`s there for kids who are stuck there longer.
I do want to say something about the parents and why parents didn`t say anything. Some of them did, but they really didn`t know where to turn, or they really -- this has become almost a culture of corruption in this county and in this area. And I think they just -- it was kind of, you can`t fight city hall. They didn`t think they could win.
BEHAR: I see.
ROSADO: If I could add, one of the thing -- well, we didn`t know about the corruption and obviously the payoffs until the U.S. attorney issued its statement. What people did know is that Judge Ciavarella was regularly holding hearings without attorneys representing kids. It was very much like Hillary`s hearing where they were in a matter of 60 seconds, two minutes, the kid was admitting to something without even knowing exactly what they were admitting to or what the consequences of admitting to a charge was.
They didn`t have an attorney, and all of a sudden they were shackled and handcuffed and hauled out of the courtroom.
BEHAR: My God, it`s like a dictatorship in that county.
HATCHETT: Because an attorney could have raised the questions that you`re asking, Joy. An attorney would have intervened in a situation. That`s exactly why he was just railroading these children through, and parents are just sitting there in absolute fear, because there was no counter-voice in this courtroom.
BEHAR: Judge Hatchett, what`s going to happen to this judge? I hope they send him up for 50 years. What`s going to happen to him?
HATCHETT: It`s going to be very interesting. People have asked me if I think he will get more lenient sentencing because he is a judge, and I think not.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: What? To me, I think he should get a more severe sentence because he`s a judge. This reminds me of the scandal in the church with the priests. These people are wolves in sheep`s clothing and should get more detention and more prison time than the average person because the kids trust these people; people in this county trusted this guy.
HATCHETT: This is absolutely right. He took an oath to uphold the law, not to abuse it.
BEHAR: And what about financial compensation? What about Laurene and her daughter? Shouldn`t they get some money out of this?
HATCHETT: That`s going to be very interesting. I would be interested to see what the person from the law center says, but I would think that there`s a good taste of a civil action here. It`s hard to connect the child`s suicide directly but I think that there are some connections there that you can connect the dots.
ROSADO: We actually do have a federal civil rights action going on at this very time.
BEHAR: Good.
HATCHETT: Good.
ROSADO: We filed this lawsuit on behalf of -- we`re hoping to have a class certified of all the children who were adjudicated delinquent by this judge during the time period that he was taking the payoffs. And we are seeking monetary compensation through that form, because obviously we can`t through the criminal case.
BEHAR: All right. This is a terrible, terrible story, and I want to go out with Mrs. Fonzo, who appeared on CNN this weekend. It`s breaking my heart that she has to go through this because her son committed suicide because of this horrible person.
Just watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDY FONZO, SON TOOK OWN LIFE AFTER INCARCERATION: There is no justice. He`ll never receive my sentence; what I have to live, every day of my life without my son. He left on that beautiful day yesterday to go back with his family. I have nothing anymore. And he still has no -- nothing -- it was all for nothing. It was all for greed and for more and more. He never had enough and he took everything from me. And I`ll never, never forgive him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: 61-year-old Christine Casey made news this month when she acted as a surrogate for her daughter and gave birth to her own grandson. So do the complicated psychological issues outweigh the selflessness of this labor of love, so to speak?
Here now to discuss this are Crystal Sirignano, who at 52 acted as surrogate for her daughter; Kendra Sirignano, Crystal`s daughter; and journalist and entrepreneur, Joan Lunden. Welcome to the show.
Crystal, you had twins for your daughter at 52, younger than this other woman, but still not easy to do. Who came up with the idea and why did you do it?
CRYSTAL SIRIGNANO, ACTED AS SURROGATE FOR DAUGHTER: Well, my daughter had been through three failed IVFs. And she called me on the phone after the last one and was very upset and crying and she and I suggested maybe let me try to do it. And she wasn`t up for it. And then she thought it would be too dangerous for me, so we hung up the phone. And I called a fertility doctor here in Michigan where I live, and I made an appointment.
And I went in kind of behind her back and went in there and made the appointment and I had an examination and he thought I looked pretty good and I could do it. So I called her back on the way home and I told her what the doctor said. And I asked her, I kind of begged her to let me have one try at it. So I kind of had to talk her into it.
BEHAR: Didn`t the doctor tell you, you had the uterus of a 15-year- old.
C. SIRIGNANO: Yes, yes, he did.
BEHAR: That`s quite a compliment.
C. SIRIGNANO: I don`t know why, but -- yes, I was pretty excited. I couldn`t wait to tell her that. My husband with me, and we were both arguing over who was going to tell her that. We were so excited to tell her that.
BEHAR: So Kendra, what did your husband say when you told him this whole plot?
KENDRA SIRIGNANO, MOTHER WAS SURROGATE FOR HER TWINS: Actually, we were both together against the idea. Neither of us wanted to do it. We were very concerned about my mother`s health and hadn`t heard any other stories like this and didn`t really want to put her at any kind of risk. So we were both against the idea.
And we kind of came together when we found out she had seen a doctor. With we said, ok, you see our doctor now, and we get two opinions with both doctors agreeing that it may be safe, we will take the next step and decide if we`re going to go further with this.
BEHAR: I see. I mean, it is difficult for an older woman to do this. Apparently the older mother`s risk of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and miscarriage have to be taken into consideration.
Joan, I don`t even carry my own groceries, right, much less another woman`s baby. But I don`t know that I would be able to do it. What do you think?
JOAN LUNDEN, JOURNALIST: I know you would think I was nuts, but seriously if I was in that situation and had one of my three older daughters that were trying to get pregnant -- I mean when you go through rounds and rounds of IVF, you just get so built up and then it didn`t take. Or you get pregnant and then you lose it. I mean it`s just loss after loss and it`s really a lot of heartache.
And when you see a child go through that, if you could step in and do it, I would have done it for any of my three girls.
BEHAR: Really?
LUNDEN: I really would have. I have a girlfriend who still works with me now, who is actually at one time she had had one child, everyone said, you already have one child, give it up. Let go. Anyone who struggles with this understands that you want another child. And I would have done it for her. We actually discussed this.
BEHAR: You would have done it.
Kendra, did you consider an outside surrogate?
K. SIRIGNANO: No, I actually -- it`s interesting, because Joan is exactly right. I was in a three-year depression. I was at the lowest I`ve ever been in my life. I just wanted to be a mother. And I wanted to be -- I wanted to be pregnant.
And I wanted to experience that myself and by the time my mom offered to do this, I was so angry and so low in my life that I said, no, you know, I want to do this. I want this to be me. I don`t want anyone to do it for me. I should be able to do this.
LUNDEN: And there are tens of thousands -- I don`t know, might be -- I may be underestimating that, drastically -- of couples around this country who are struggling with this. I don`t know why we`ve had such a generation that struggles with infertility. Part of it is just that --
BEHAR: Older.
LUNDEN: It used to be we got pregnant at 18, 19, 20, 21; now women don`t get married until they`re 27, 28, into their 30s. But the fact that we have surrogacy as an option now should be looked at as a wonderful thing. And I`ve been reading comments on all different blogs --
BEHAR: Yes. Tell us about the nasty comments.
LUNDEN: This story that just happened. This woman who`s 61, I believe, her daughter had struggled for seven years. She had given birth to stillborn twins, then she had miscarried, they were at the end of their rope, financially. Everyone doesn`t have $50,000 laying around to pay an outside surrogate.
BEHAR: Yes, but 61, I`m in management, not labor. I mean that`s older.
LUNDEN: And she had gone through menopause, I think, ten years earlier, and I didn`t even realize this was possible. But she was in --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: You can carry a baby post-menopausally?
LUNDEN: I didn`t realize it was possible. But she was in great physical condition and every -- you know, you have to look at each case. But I think it`s a possibility.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I want to take a break. We have more to discuss on this. Don`t go away. We`ll be back in a minute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up a little later on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, the Farrelly Brothers talk about their latest outrageous comedy, "Hall Pass."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: I`m back with my panel and we`re talking about mothers who act as a surrogate for their daughters.
Kendra, I have to ask you --
K. SIRIGNANO: Yes.
BEHAR: What are you going to tell your twins when they get older?
K. SIRIGNANO: Well, Joy, actually, I have already told them, and I`m going to continue to tell them, throughout their lives, they`re two and a half now. And when they see pictures of my mom pregnant, they know that they were inside there. And they -- they don`t have any questions. They just say, oh, well there`s Nona, and where -- she carried us for you. And they -- they just turn the page and keep looking at pictures. And it`s not a big issue at all.
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: That is I`ll tell you, that is an Italian grandmother above and beyond the call of duty. I mean, you know --
C. SIRIGNANO: Yes.
BEHAR: Crystal, did you have any separation anxiety when you gave the baby over to Kendra, or was it -- it`s all in the family, so no big deal?
C. SIRIGNANO: No, it was -- that was also true, that they`re all in the family, but I never -- everybody asks me that question. I never really felt like they were my babies. I never had that mind-set. I just, you know, I just felt like I had to, you know, take care of them and, you know, do everything right.
But when I had -- even when I had them and we were all in the operating room, when they -- as soon as they came out and they handed them to my son-in-law was also in the operating room. And when they handed them to -- to Kendra and Aaron, I felt like grandma watching the babies be born.
(CROSSTALK)
C. SIRIGNANO: I didn`t feel like they were taking my babies away, like I was the mother. And if you could have seen, been in there and -- and seen how happy they were, my -- my big strong UFC son-in-law, he -- he fights for the UFC, you know he was crying and thanking me. And my daughter was crying and she kept bringing the babies over to me and --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: It`s -- it`s really --
C. SIRIGNANO: -- and showing me how big they were.
BEHAR: -- it`s really a very nice family story. And yet you say that when you read the comments on the Internet, people -- what is it they`re annoyed with?
LUNDEN: They`re -- they say, why don`t you adopt?
BEHAR: Why don`t you adopt?
LUNDEN: That`s one of the -- that`s one of the main things they say. And there`s not a plethora of newborn babies that are healthy to adopt in this country. There were years ago.
BEHAR: Do they think there`s something wrong with the grandmother carrying the baby?
LUNDEN: Yes, then you know, they think that it`s unnatural? What is the difference between the -- Kendra`s mom carrying her baby and a total stranger? Other than about $70,000 --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: Yes.
LUNDEN: -- that she would have had to pay a total stranger.
K. SIRIGNANO: Right. Right.
BEHAR: That`s true, Kendra, you got the whole thing for free. That must have felt good.
K. SIRIGNANO: Well -- and can I say too Joy.
(CROSS TALK)
C. SIRIGNANO: And I got grandchildren.
K. SIRIGNANO: Let me -- can I just say that, she -- she let me and -- and I think that this is the advantage of it as well, she let me control the pregnancy, somewhat. I got to talk to the doctors, I got to read the books, I got to tell her what to eat and what not to eat.
And she let me -- let me have that sense of control that I felt I needed with a surrogate. And so she allowed that. And that`s -- I mean, what`s better than that?
BEHAR: Right, you participated. That`s nice. That`s a good part of the story too. So Crystal --
(CROSS TALK)
LUNDEN: They could feel the baby when it kicked.
BEHAR: Yes. Crystal would you -- before --
C. SIRIGNANO: They could be part of the whole thing.
BEHAR: Ok, before I go, would you do it again?
C. SIRIGNANO: Yes, I would do it again, but they won`t let me. I`ve already said I would do it again -- but everybody --
(CROSSTALK)
K. SIRIGNANO: She gave us the offers
BEHAR: Yes by the time you do it again, your uterus will be 30 years old. Forget about it.
C. SIRIGNANO: It`s probable.
LUNDEN: My -- my surrogate after delivering the very last of our two sets of twins looked at my husband and said, if you want any more babies, you`re going to have to get a new surrogate. And I said, if he wants anymore babies, he`s going to have to get a new wife.
BEHAR: There you go. Ok, thank -- thank you ladies, very much, for sharing your story.
C. SIRIGNANO: Thank you Joy.
BEHAR: And you can check out Joan Lunden`s home collection on QVC March 3rd and 16th. Go to JoanLunden.com to find out more about Joan`s healthy leaving.
We`ll be back in a minute.
A.J. HAMMER, HLN`S CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," Justin Bieber`s hair-raising new look. How his new haircut sparked a frenzy; 11:00 p.m. and Pacific on HLN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) * BEHAR: Rush Limbaugh is trashing first lady Michelle Obama, calling the anti-obesity advocate a hypocrite for eating ribs while on a ski vacation in Vale. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK SHOW HOST: It doesn`t look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice. And then we hear that she`s out eating ribs at 1,500 calories a serving with 141 grams of fat. I`m trying to say that our first lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Maybe not, but I predict we will see Limbaugh`s fat butt on the cover of "Architectural Digest."
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: With me now to discuss this and other stories in the news are Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo, actress and star of "General Hospital." Comedian Tom Cotter. And the lovely Sarah Bernard, host of "The Thread" on Yahoo! Welcome to the show.
TOM COTTER, COMEDIAN: Honored to be here.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: OK, now, first of all, let me just say that the meal that she was eating was only 600 calories. It wasn`t -- what did he say? 1,500?
(CROSSTALK)
VANESSA MARCIL GIOVINAZZO, ACTRESS: How does (ph) he (ph) know this? So where does he get his stats for how many calories?
(CROSSTALK)
SARAH BERNARD, HOST, "THE THREAD": He didn`t understand exactly what she ordered. She was eating short ribs. He obviously doesn`t go out to fine restaurants very much. She was eating short ribs with a side of kale, by the way. She was on a ski vacation, and she went to this restaurant in particular because all the vegetables are grown by elementary school kids as part of this program, you know, to help promote healthy eating.
BEHAR: He doesn`t do his homework.
BERNARD: No!
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: And also, I believe what she is advocating is balance, right, to have balance in our eating lifestyle.
BEHAR: Right.
COTTER: And I thought that balance-wise, they were the ribs from the Fred Flintstone show that tipped over his car. That`s what I thought--
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Wait, she`s eating -- first of all, who eats kale on vacation?
COTTER: Ew.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: That`s a good point.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I don`t have kale on vacation. So she`s eating some kale with her ribs.
BEHAR: Kale is great.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: That`s called balance, that`s balance.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I do love kale, but I don`t eat it on vacations.
COTTER: The most shocking thing of this whole story was that black people ski, I think, frankly. I was shocked by that. I had no idea.
BEHAR: Really, where did you grow up?
COTTER: In New England. I grew up in New England.
BEHAR: Didn`t you have any black people in New England?
COTTER: We had a few. We had a few, but--
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: You guys didn`t have any?
COTTER: Well, you know.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: You sound like you`re Swedish.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: This is another thing, by the way, that this lovely woman is advocating is outdoor sports for her children.
COTTER: That`s true.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: So she has them -- she`s actually living up to that.
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: I`m so glad that you had a clip of him, actually what he looks like while he`s talking, because I mean--
BEHAR: I know.
BERNARD: -- it just reinforces the whole ridiculousness.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: And since when does a "Sports Illustrated" model, since when is that what we`re all kind of supposed to be -- that`s what we`re supposed to be looking like? I don`t think those women are--
BEHAR: I don`t think Michelle Obama is interested in looking like a swimsuit model.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: No.
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: There`s something hot about the first lady tearing meat off a bone with her teeth and then going out for ribs. I just love that.
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: It is hot, isn`t it?
BEHAR: Now, Sofia Vergara, she is a very attractive woman. She was on another show yesterday, and she talked to -- watch, just watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOFIA VERGARA, ACTRESS: They would send me the dresses, and it was impossible. I mean, no matter what I did, I mean, they would only come up, up to here. So somebody told me, it`s like you have to lose weight, because (inaudible) in the pictures, you`re going to look better. Look at the other actresses, how good they look. So I thought, yes, they might look better in pictures, but I look better naked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: I so identify with that.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Good to know, by the way.
BEHAR: Tom, would you rather look at a woman naked or with a dress?
COTTER: That`s a trick question. Let`s be honest.
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: Yeah, absolutely. And a Latina, hello! Very, I mean, she`s smoking.
BEHAR: She`s smoking?
COTTER: Oh, God.
BEHAR: What is it with Hollywood and why does everybody in Hollywood, the women, why do the guys want them to look like boys?
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I have to tell you, though, just to play devil`s advocate, I`ve been working for 20 years in the business and I`m Latin, and I`ve never been told to gain weight, I`ve never been told to lose weight.
BEHAR: Does anyone speak to you?
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Not really, they don`t talk to me that much. It`s true.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I mean, you`re tiny, that`s why.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I am tiny right now. I`m actually a little underweight right now, and I like myself a few pounds heavier.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I knew you`d like that. I knew you`d enjoy that, Joy.
BERNARD: I don`t understand, because I have heard this before. And it`s funny, because when you see Sofia Vergara in person, I mean, she is -- she has a bigger chest, and she`s -- but she`s not very big. Like, that`s the irony of it. It`s not like she`s enormous. I don`t get it.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Men like curvy women.
COTTER: She can`t fit in a doorway. I mean, she`s got gigantic -- I think the Spanish term -- you might know this -- is tatas gigante. Or something, is that it?
BEHAR: I think I dated him.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I don`t think anyone`s telling J.Lo to lose any of the booty.
COTTER: No!
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: But there is an issue with weight in Hollywood. Maybe they never told you, because you`re obviously petite and I would say look at you and that`s your natural weight, I think.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: It is, yes.
BEHAR: But if you`ve got big hips, they`d be on you.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I don`t know, but I am saying--
BEHAR: What`s your ethnic background?
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I`m Mexican, Portuguese and French.
COTTER: Oh, that is so hot!
BEHAR: But what`s with Giovinazzo? Giovinazzo is Italian?
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: That`s my husband`s last time.
COTTER: Married.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I`m a little bit of a Guido as well, inside.
BERNARD: But the irony is, now, of course, everyone wants to make her whatever dress she wants, right, so it all comes full circle.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Now she`s fine, right?
BERNARD: Now she can whatever and they`ll custom-make it right on her.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: She does, she has an 18-year-old child.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Joy, what are they telling you these days since you`re a movie star?
BEHAR: They tell me nothing.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Aren`t you a movie star?
BEHAR: They`re scared of me.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Aren`t you in movies?
BEHAR: I am, yes. We`re having the Farrelly brothers on tonight, as a matter of fact.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Are you?
BEHAR: For a movie called "Hall Pass." The only reason that I`m in all the trailers is because "Hall Pass" is -- are my lines. It defines the movie.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: That was very smart of you.
COTTER: You make the film.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: I did not ask for that. They just gave it to me.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: You`re ferociously smart and funny, so that`s also probably why.
BEHAR: Thank you. Thank you.
COTTER: Bravo. Well said.
BEHAR: OK, now, speaking of beautiful women, Colin Firth, who I love --
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I love.
BEHAR: Did you see "The King`s Speech?"
COTTER: Yes!
BEHAR: Oh, he`s so divine. But he`s married to a beautiful Italian girl 15 years. He says that he would never cheat on her because she`s so beautiful. I thought that was an interesting thing to say.
COTTER: When I first heard that, I got all choked up because the vomit got stuck in my trachea.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
COTTER: This guy clearly missed Valentine`s Day and is in full suckup mode now.
(LAUGHTER)
COTTER: And he has completely violated the male code.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I don`t know, look at her.
COTTER: And the male code is you don`t say something like that. Because now every woman in every marriage is now turning to her husband and saying, honey, would you cheat on me? And then we have two choices, we can lie or lie, we`re screwed.
BERNARD: I know. I don`t even know why it matters what he says he`s going to do. Have you seen her on the red carpet? Her name is Olivia. She has an eco-friendly store in the UK and she has done a blog for Vogue called the Green Carpet Challenge, where to every award show she`s wearing some fabulous gown made from recycled material, and she`s working with all these amazing designers. So she`s smart, she`s beautiful. I would be more worried what she thinks, if she`s going to, you know, leave him. I mean, he doesn`t exactly look like Mr. Darcy anymore. Let`s face it.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: You think he`s losing his looks?
BERNARD: He is, a little bit. I mean, "Pride and Prejudice," to this, I don`t know.
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: And what if she cheated on him with Elmer Fudd? Wouldn`t that be ironic?
BEHAR: With Elmer Fudd?
COTTER: Speech impediment? Come on now. Perfect, right in his wheelhouse.
BEHAR: What were you going to say, Vanessa?
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I was going to say that I actually saw it, just coincidentally, the interview, and what he did also say was he said that no matter how stunning the women are who come up to him -- and we all know, we all can imagine, right, who`s coming up to Colin Firth -- that he always looks at every woman and just thinks, no one compares to my wife. So my theory is he`s using beautiful in a very full --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: The inner beauty.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: The everything. That she`s--
BEHAR: The dreaded inner beauty.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: That she`s the full package. Which I have to say, how many beautiful women are the full package? I mean, other than Joy.
BEHAR: Yeah, right. But you know, is he saying that -- I mean, if you only love your wife or your husband because they`re good-looking, there`s something wrong with that.
COTTER: That`s shallow. Isn`t it?
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: And also, her beauty will fade eventually.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: But, again, he`s saying beautiful--
BEHAR: And then will he not love her anymore? You know?
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: Now he has to think about it. If he hadn`t said anything, we wouldn`t even question it.
BEHAR: And this idea that--
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: But won`t she be beautiful to him when she`s 80?
BEHAR: I hope so, for her sake.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: He loves her soul.
BEHAR: You know, when you say that a man won`t cheat on you because you`re beautiful, I can name him a few. Sandra Bullock, Elin Woods, Eva Longoria--
COTTER: Tiger Woods.
BEHAR: I`m talking about the women. Christie Brinkley. Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston. She`s beautiful-ish, you know?
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Madonna. Should we start a new rumor?
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: It`s almost like the inverse. The more beautiful your wife is --
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: I think it`s intimidating. I think if these women are beautiful and they`re powerful and they really are the full package, that they may get cheated on more often than the average woman.
BEHAR: Because?
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Because the men are intimidated and they become emasculated.
COTTER: Really?
BEHAR: So you are saying it`s better to be ugly and unsuccessful?
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Absolutely.
BEHAR: In order to hold on to a man?
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Yes, because it will last longer.
COTTER: Wow.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I see.
COTTER: Can I say for the record, my wife is hotter than his wife.
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Let`s see a picture.
BEHAR: Let`s see it.
COTTER: It`s tattooed. I`d have to pull down my pants.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: We have one more story, because -- the breaking news in the world today is that Justin Bieber cut his hair. And there are pictures that TMZ has -- can we see the pictures?
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I mean, he looks a little scary in that shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s adorable.
BEHAR: Who cut his hair? Edwards Scissorhands. They gave him one of the worst haircuts I`ve ever seen on a boy.
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: He looks like Ryan Phillippe. Didn`t he look exactly like him in that picture? That`s weird.
BEHAR: Didn`t he cheat on Reese Witherspoon?
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: I`m surrounded by estrogen right now and I`m feeling very intimidated myself.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIL GIOVINAZZO: Are you feeling emasculated?
COTTER: I am feeling emasculated. And now I have to trim the hair on my Justin Bieber voodoo doll, which is just annoying.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I ran out of time. You know, I wanted to also mention that Sandra Bullock`s ex, Jesse James, is coming out with a new tell-all book, and I just preordered it on my Kindle.
So thanks, guys. Anyway, and a quick note, Vanessa has partnered with Oral-B Glide. Go to glidefloss.com to pledge to improve oral hygiene. And who doesn`t want to do that. And Oral-B will donate $1 to Operation Smile. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: My next guests are responsible for such blockbuster comedies as "Dumb and Dumber," "There`s Something About Mary," and "Me, Myself and Irene." Their new film, "Hall Pass," opens Friday and stars Jason Sudakis, Owen Wilson and Christina Applegate. Please welcome to the show, Peter and Bobby Farrelly. OK, you guys.
PETER FARRELLY, FILMMAKER: Thank you.
BEHAR: Now, you know, I`m in the movie.
BOBBY FARRELLY, FILMMAKER: Yes, you are.
P. FARRELLY: We should get that out front.
BEHAR: And what`s interesting about my part in the movie, is I was there one day, and I shot like one, really, one scene.
B. FARRELLY: Well, it was a oner. It was a big walking scene with the girls.
BEHAR: A big walking scene. And then I -- but I`m in every trailer. So people think I`m actually the star of the movie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We like that.
BEHAR: Now, tell the audience -- let`s show a clip.
P. FARRELLY: OK, but before we do, I have to just tell your audience, just watch one thing in this clip. There`s a cardinal rule of all acting. The No. 1 thing is, you know, No. 2 is remember your lines. No. 1, never look in the camera. And if you notice in this clip, there`s one moment where you glance right into the camera and then back.
BEHAR: Do I really?
P. FARRELLY: Yes, you do.
BEHAR: So why didn`t you say cut?
P. FARRELLY: Because we get a kick out of it.
BEHAR: Why did you get a kick out of it?
P. FARRELLY: Because--
BEHAR: That`s idiotic. Would Meryl Streep do that?
P. FARRELLY: It`s our little laugh.
B. FARRELLY: We actually didn`t notice until the movie was all cut and ready to go. No.
BEHAR: But I didn`t mean to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, of course you didn`t.
BEHAR: How do you know I don`t have a wild eye or something?
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: No, there`s just one moment -- there`s one moment where you`re walking along, and all of a sudden, bam, right into the camera and then back at us.
BEHAR: How embarrassing.
P. FARRELLY: It`s fun.
BEHAR: There goes my whole movie career. All right, let`s watch this clip because I`m in it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn`t be better if they did cheat, just got it over with.
BEHAR: Listen, have you ever considered giving him a hall pass?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A what?
BEHAR: A hall pass. A week off from marriage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait a minute. Are you saying, let them go out and cheat?
BEHAR: I`m saying, give them a week off from marriage. Look, most married men have very foggy memories of their single days. And they begin to believe that if not for you, they could actually be with these other women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: OK. First of all, the gazoongas to -- I mean, on the big screen, I`m like --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They look good.
BEHAR: -- boobs for days.
(CROSSTALK)
B. FARRELLY: Boobs work on the big screen. No, you know what, Joy, thank you for coming into the movie, because that scene there--
BEHAR: Yes, tell about that scene-
B. FARRELLY: -- allows us -- that -- you introduce the concept of the hall pass to the two girls, and we were deathly afraid that making this movie that everybody in the audience would say, a hall pass? Who`s going to -- you know, this is a silly idea. But when you say it, you lend an authority to it.
P. FARRELLY: Seriously.
B. FARRELLY: And they`re listening to you like, huh, huh, great, and then it goes, like the audience is on board. Nobody ever questions it. And it`s a huge, you know, it`s a huge compliment to you, because they believe you.
BEHAR: Thank you.
B. FARRELLY: You`re very authoritative.
BEHAR: Who came up with the concept of the hall pass?
P. FARRELLY: Pete Jones.
BEHAR: Who`s he?
P. FARRELLY: Pete Jones was the original Project Greenlight winner 10 years ago, and he sent us the script. We didn`t know him, read it, laughed, loved it. We did a draft with Pete. We sent it to our -- showed it to our wives. My wife read it and said, I hate this thing, I hate everybody in it.
BEHAR: And you said, that`s a movie for us.
P. FARRELLY: Let`s make it, Bob.
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: No. And then I said, why? She said, because -- at that point, the guys have gotten the hall pass and the wives stayed at home biting their fingernails, going, I wonder what they`re doing now? You think they have women -- my wife said, if you get a hall pass, I get a hall pass.
And we rewrote it to that -- and the wives in this quickly realize, wait a second, if they have a week off from marriage, then who are we married to? And that`s when it gets really interesting.
BEHAR: Yes. The movie, it has vulgarity in it. I say that in a loving way. There`s one scene, I have to go over this one scene, where Owen Wilson is in a hot tub, he falls asleep because he`s an idiot, and he gets out like four hours later. He`s dying --
P. FARRELLY: Can`t move. His muscles have gone to jelly.
BEHAR: Can`t move, the muscles are jelly, and two big guys come to help him who are working for the gym. Right?
B. FARRELLY: Do you have that clip?
BEHAR: No.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: And the reason we don`t have that clip is because that -- let`s put it this way, there`s a lot of male genitalia in this thing.
P. FARRELLY: Yes.
B. FARRELLY: Yes.
BEHAR: OK, you have one guy with a humongous penis and another one with a tiny one.
B. FARRELLY: Are you going to ask if that`s related to us or not?
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: No. No. But I`m curious, where did you -- are those real? Those two penises? Are they real?
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: Yes, the large one is real.
BEHAR: Holy --
P. FARRELLY: That`s the real deal, and it`s the first time we`ve ever put ourselves in one of our movies.
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: It`s our Hitchcock moment, no pun intended.
(LAUGHTER)
B. FARRELLY: Porn [EXPLETIVE DELETED] would be more like it.
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: No, the big one is real, and the little one, we put a prosthetic device over a friend of ours, Rich Brown, who was a good sport about it.
BEHAR: I`ll say.
P. FARRELLY: Yeah.
BEHAR: Because I mean, the women are going to go see that and say, never mind, Rich.
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: But I mean, I can`t believe that that guy is so endowed to that extent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the real deal.
BEHAR: Holy -- oh, my God! How frightening! I mean, if you are ever in bed with a guy like that, it`s scary. It`s like, that thing is coming towards me!
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: I`d be petrified!
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: Rich, we actually had to have a de-fluffer on the set for the other guy, which has probably never happened. That was my -- by the way, that was my mother-in-law. No, I`m kidding you.
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: Joking. Mama, I love you. Where are you? Love you, mama. That`s my mother-in-law.
BEHAR: All right. You know, I had a lot of fun on that set, because you guys are fun. You do most -- you do like the interaction, and he`s sort of the child who`s in the attic.
P. FARRELLY: He`s the brains.
BEHAR: He`s working with the film -- or whatever he`s doing in there.
P. FARRELLY: Tells me what to do.
BEHAR: But you have the little -- the people thing going on, right?
P. FARRELLY: Well, what we do is on "Dumb and Dumber," we both talked to the actors for one week. We would both approach them and they would be looking back -- we -- it was confusing, and we finally said, this is stupid. One of us should talk to them. And so he sits at the monitor and he sees what`s going on. I go to him, what`s up? Do this. I usually am in agreement, because I`m watching it from a different angle, and then I go talk to the actors.
BEHAR: Right. So you`re like Fric (ph) and Frac (ph), you got your thing down.
P. FARRELLY: It`s a system.
BEHAR: OK, I love having you guys here. Stay right where you are. We`ll be back with more from the Farrelly brothers in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: I`m back with the lovely Farrelly brothers, the very funny Farrelly brothers. Now, you know, the thing about the movie is -- I don`t want to give the whole movie away -- but the guys go off with their hall pass. And you can just imagine out there what Jason Sudakis does with it, and the trouble that they get into. And how they really -- well, you tell it. I don`t want to give anything away.
B. FARRELLY: Well, I think -- they`ve been married for a long time and they -- the game has passed them by and they`re singles again and they really don`t have the skills that they think they do. So it`s hard for them out there.
But the girls meanwhile, when they get the hall pass, those are two very attractive girls, Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate. So they have a little easier go of it. But all in all, I think that they all come back around and are better -- their marriage is better and they`re better people for having done it.
BEHAR: But you two are married?
B. FARRELLY: Yes.
BEHAR: You two are married. How long are you married?
P. FARRELLY: Fourteen years.
BEHAR: And you?
B. FARRELLY: Twenty. In a row.
BEHAR: So when did you--
(LAUGHTER)
BEHAR: OK. And yours were in a row, too?
P. FARRELLY: Yes.
BEHAR: OK. So you`re still with the same women, you have kids and everything?
P. FARRELLY: Yes.
BEHAR: So as men, what year did the hall pass need kick in?
P. FARRELLY: You know, men are different than women. You know, women won`t stare at naked mannequins, for instance. You know, guys are messed up.
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: And we think differently and -- would I love hall pass? God, yes, unless my wife was getting one also, which is what happens in this movie, in which case I`d pull the plug on it immediately.
BEHAR: So you would prefer it if your wife was just home cooking while you were out getting the nookie?
P. FARRELLY: Yes. That wouldn`t happen, of course.
BEHAR: Why not? Why wouldn`t it happen to you, Peter?
P. FARRELLY: Because my wife, you know, is smarter than that. She would -- you know, what`s good for the goose is good for the gander.
BEHAR: She would do something.
P. FARRELLY: Yes.
BEHAR: And then you would be ticked off about it.
P. FARRELLY: I wouldn`t -- I wouldn`t go there. I just think --
B. FARRELLY: You know, we`re not promoting the hall pass.
P. FARRELLY: No. Pete Jones is, by the way.
B. FARRELLY: It makes for a good movie. It`s not going to happen in real life to too many people. Some people will probably get one as a result.
BEHAR: You know, we were talking in another segment today about Colin Firth. And he said that he would never cheat on his wife because his wife was too beautiful. How do you respond to that?
B. FARRELLY: Well, I don`t know. I`ll have to check her out.
P. FARRELLY: Honestly, that`s what -- like, you know, like the only reason I don`t cheat on my wife is because I would lose her.
BEHAR: You`d lose her.
P. FARRELLY: Yes.
BEHAR: She wouldn`t stab you?
P. FARRELLY: She wouldn`t take it.
BEHAR: No.
P. FARRELLY: No, she wouldn`t.
B. FARRELLY: Now that you mention it, I saw her the other night, yes, he does have a beautiful wife. But we do, too. And you know, it`s just a movie. It`s just joking around.
BEHAR: But does that mean that only a beautiful wife can hold on to her husband?
B. FARRELLY: No.
P. FARRELLY: No.
BEHAR: So what is he saying then?
P. FARRELLY: Well, you know, beautiful could mean anything. Could mean just -- he didn`t say she`s physically beautiful. It could mean she`s beautiful inside.
BEHAR: Oh, please.
P. FARRELLY: I haven`t seen her.
BEHAR: He`s a man. You know what he meant. He meant she`s beautiful outside, not inside.
P. FARRELLY: Well, you know--
(LAUGHTER)
P. FARRELLY: There`s a lot of beautiful women out there.
BEHAR: How far do you go in these movies? I mean, how far would you go? You`d have to top this one. This one has a lot. There`s one scene in a bathtub, I can`t go into it. It`s beyond gross.
P. FARRELLY: I`m very proud of that scene, actually, because we shot it well. You must say, we gave a good head fake.
BEHAR: Oh my--
P. FARRELLY: You were looking one way and we went the other, weren`t you?
BEHAR: Yes, I never expected it. I never expected it, and it was quite moving.
B. FARRELLY: There`s actually a medical term for that, what happened there. It`s called--
BEHAR: Don`t mention it.
B. FARRELLY: OK.
BEHAR: Don`t --
B. FARRELLY: But it does happen.
BEHAR: I can`t even hear the medical term, OK?
B. FARRELLY: But it does happen.
BEHAR: It does happen.
(CROSSTALK)
P. FARRELLY: The bottom line is -- and this is important. Beneath it all, you know, this is a guy concept, but this is a chick flick. It really is. The women win across the board.
BEHAR: Yes, they do. They do. The girls are great in this movie. And the boys are--
P. FARRELLY: Phenomenal.
(CROSSTALK)
P. FARRELLY: But I also think the movie`s heart is in the right place. Like there`s kind of a nice message here, you know. We didn`t do it for the message, we did it for the laughs. But I like the way it ends up.
BEHAR: I think it`s more of a message movie than "Dumb and Dumber" and even "Something About Mary." This one has heart. Thank you, guys, very much.
P. FARRELLY: Thank you, Joy.
B. FARRELLY: Thanks, Joy.
BEHAR: "Hall Pass" is in theaters Friday. Go see it. It`s funny. Good night, everybody. We did laugh. We laughed.
END
