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Joy Behar Page
Countdown to Oscar; Camille Grammer on the Red Carpet
Aired February 25, 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 Sunday night is the Oscar ceremony, or as we like to call it around here, the gay Olympics. I`ve been watching the Oscars for years and there are some things I`d like to see this year and some things I`d like to put to bed right now.
For starters, stop fawning over the audience. You like me, you really like me. I really did like you, up until the speech.
And stop thanking the Lord, if God`s sake. The man is tired being thanked for awards. He`s busy with tsunamis and earthquakes. He may not have even seen your movie. He might be waiting for it on Netflix for all you know.
But you know what I`d like. I`d like more costumes and fewer boring outfits. Take a page from Lady Gaga. If Bjork can wear a swan, why can`t you pull together a parrot or a pheasant?
What I really want to say though is less cleavage and more male nudity and by that I mean James Franco and George Clooney. Not Ernest Borgnine and Wilford Brimley, OK.
Finally, about the in memoriam reel, would it kill you to clap for everybody who died and not just the ones you did drugs with or hoped to play in the bio-pic? Even if you don`t care, pretend. You`re actors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW, a special countdown to the Oscars. Joy and her all-star panel are here to preview all the big questions. Will Franco and Hathaway have the chops to carry the show? Will the academy go old school with "The King`s Speech" or new school with "The Social Network"? And what fashion trends will we see.
Plus, Camille Grammer gets ready to work the Red Carpet for HLN. She`ll tell Joy about prepping for the most glamorous event of the year.
That and more starting right now.
The Academy Awards` on Sunday and I know all of you will be watching to see who wins the Oscar. I of course just want to tune in to see if Helena Bonham Carter will be wearing matching shoes. That`s all I care about.
Here now to preview the Oscars are: Robert Verdi, celebrity stylist and co-creator of firstcomesfashion.com; very, very talented actress Rosie Perez, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the movie, "Fearless"; and A.J. Hammer, co-host of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", right here on HLN.
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes.
BEHAR: All right. Let`s start with the hosts, James Franco and Anne Hathaway. Anne has said that she`s not going to be mean, so why bother watching, is my question?
ROSIE PEREZ, ACTRESS: I think it`s worth watching because James Franco is gorgeous. I`m going to tune in just for that and be very unpredictable. He has a great sense of humor.
BEHAR: Yes. That`s true.
ROBERT VERDI, CELEBRITY STYLIST: She`s not that interesting to me, Anne Hathaway.
BEHAR: Anne Hathaway?
PEREZ: I know.
VERDI: She`s just -- she doesn`t strike me as somebody who has the ability to entertain.
HAMMER: Did you see her on "Saturday Night Live"?
VERDI: She was funny.
HAMMER: She was great and I think that`s a big reason why they chose her.
VERDI: I think that one skit was funny, her doing what`s her name -- the friend, Tom Cruise`s wife.
BEHAR: Yes. All right.
Let`s look at this Oscar promo featuring Miss Hathaway. Let`s see what you think of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE HATHAWAY: All I want to do is zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom-zoom and boom- boom. Shake your rump. All I want to do is zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom-zoom and boom-boom. Got to shake your rump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: So what do you think?
VERDI: She won me over with that skit.
HAMMER: Nothing can go wrong with a rump-shaker. I mean really.
BEHAR: What are they trying to do, trying to say that she`s funny?
VERDI: I didn`t get that.
BEHAR: What is zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom-zoom --
HAMMER: It`s the rump shaker.
VERDI: It wrecks an effect, come on. Old school.
(CROSSTALK)
VERDI: You`re a comedian. Do you think she`s funny?
BEHAR: I don`t even understand it, much less -- no offense to -- I don`t get it.
VERDI: That`s exactly the point.
HAMMER: I don`t mean to cast you out here, Joy, but really, the point is they`re going for this younger audience. I mean that`s the obvious thing that they`re doing, is they`re trying to bring in the --
(CROSSTALK)
VERDI: That was a shot from A.J.
BEHAR: That was so bitchy A.J.
HAMMER: All right. Throw me out, if you want.
PEREZ: Well, I think it`s terrible that they`re playing into that.
BEHAR: Well, wait a minute. You`re the younger audience, are you?
HAMMER: Sure. I`m still straddling along here.
BEHAR: So what does zoom-a-zoom-a mean?
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: I honestly don`t know why they chose that particular old school rap song to use, to show her --
BEHAR: Oh, it`s a rap song.
PEREZ: It`s a rap song; it`s about sex.
VERDI: And she`s dressed as Eva Peron.
BEHAR: Oh, I see. That`s what the whole joke is?
HAMMER: I guess.
But the truth is, you know, whenever we watch the Oscars, what always ends up happening and first, I think it will be more unpredictable than Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were -- I actually like them but it got very scripted. I think these guys, we don`t know what they`re going to bring.
And then really, as the show sort of wears on, the hosts always disappear anyway. Right?
BEHAR: Yes. They sort of do, but everybody remembers them and criticizes them. It`s a very risky spot, actually.
VERDI: It`s a loss for these (INAUDIBLE) hosts to be out there.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: You can`t really win. I mean Steve Martin did a great job. Billy Crystal.
VERDI: David Letterman.
BEHAR: Whoopi Goldberg, my co-worker did a great job but they`re comics. These two are not comedians. It`s tricky when you`re not a comic.
HAMMER: I guess. I think James Franco though has sort of proved he is the guy who can do it all. I don`t know how he`s fitting in the time. He`s at school studying right now. He`s got his movie, of course. He`s nominated for best actor for "127 Hours".
VERDI: If his arm gets caught in Anne Hathaway`s wardrobe closet, he can cut it off and make it to the stage in time.
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: All right. Well, you know, there are ten movies nominated for best picture. The only film that is not up is Lindsay`s footage in the jewelry store. That`s the only movie that --
We have "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "The Kids are All Right", "The King`s Speech", "The Social Network", "Toy Story 3", "127 Hours", "True Grit", "Winter`s Bone" and "Inception".
VERDI: Two things. The kids are not all right. But second to that, I think the black swan diet is what we really need here. I think that she started a diet craze. I think anything that can have a product line underneath it.
BEHAR: She lost 20 pounds for that role and she was only about 110 to begin with.
PEREZ: I really appreciate that "Winter`s Bone" was nominated.
VERDI: I wake up to that every morning.
BEHAR: Winter`s bone? Me too. We`re old, that`s why.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: No, I don`t think that`s what Robert was talking about Joy.
BEHAR: But you know what; do you think they should have a category for best supporting lesbian? I mean there were two movies with a lot of lesbian make-out sessions.
HAMMER: I think it`s a great idea. Things are getting very progressive with the Oscars and now they`re trying to shake things up.
VERDI: A younger audience. That`s what they`re looking for -- a younger, bisexual audience.
BEHAR: What`s your choice? What`s your pick? Do you have one?
PEREZ: For best picture? Wow. I`m kind of straddling --
VERDI: You too.
BEHAR: Everyone`s straddling.
PEREZ: I`m in between "King`s Speech" and "Social Network".
BEHAR: You like that better?
PEREZ: Which one?
BEHAR: "The Social Network"?
PEREZ: I like them both. I can`t stand this, you got to pick one type of deal, but I really appreciate both.
VERDI: They need a runner-up like Miss America.
PEREZ: Yes. And they`re both very two different films.
BEHAR: Yes. They are two different films. What about you, A.J.?
HAMMER: Who do I think is going to get --
BEHAR: Who do you want to win, first?
HAMMER: I actually do want "King`s Speech" to get it. I just thought it was a terrific movie. And it`s weird -- I feel weird saying that because it`s sort of like classic what the traditional academy voters look for. But it was just so --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: But it`s British. It`s not an American film.
HAMMER: All the films that were nominated were amazing. I mean they really were. I had --
VERDI: I want the "Black Swan" diet to win.
BEHAR: "Inception", I slept through that.
VERDI: I watched "Inception". Oh, man it was great.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREZ: I didn`t care for it. I love the actor, Leo. I love you but I didn`t like the movie and I felt like if you have to see the movie twice to get it and I`m no dummy, don`t let the -- you know, I just don`t think it should have been nominated for best picture.
BEHAR: But you were nominated.
PEREZ: I was nominated.
BEHAR: For a movie called "Fearless" in 1993. Is it enough to be nominated or do you have to like fake it or what? What`s the truth about that?
VERDI: She has a business card that says, "Rosie Perez, Oscar Nominee". It has no number, no contact information.
PEREZ: That`s true.
I would say what was really bad about the process is that everybody had me in such hysterics about what I was going to wear. How long my hair was going to be. Who was going to do my make up? What jewelry was I going to walk on the Red Carpet? They didn`t give me enough room to breathe and enjoy the experience.
VERDI: Well, those are the most important things.
PEREZ: Yes, of course.
VERDI: Those really are the most important things.
HAMMER: Did you not have fun?
PEREZ: I had a ball because I took my father as my date.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREZ: And I took my father and my father just enjoyed the whole process. So I was able to relax and enjoy it as well.
BEHAR: You were.
PEREZ: And right before they you know called my category, he leaned over and he goes, you`re not going to win. I go, you think?
BEHAR: Very supporting.
PEREZ: Yes and he goes you can`t compete with a kid. And then --
BEHAR: Who`s your father, Billy Ray Cyrus?
What about the gowns and outfits Robert? I mean I want to see swans and I want to see crazy. I want to see Cher.
VERDI: You want to see Bjork.
BEHAR: I want to see Barbra Streisand when she was half naked. They are boring.
VERDI: They are boring. I think that people have become really scared. I think the celebrities are scared that they`re going to get slammed in the media. I think that they`re scared that they`re not going to have the opportunity to be on the cover of magazines and strike deals to be in contracts with beauty brands.
BEHAR: yes.
VERDI: I think that they get very scared, so they kind of play it safe. And the most exciting women are the ones who don`t play it safe.
BEHAR: Who don`t play it safe.
The other thing about the Academy Awards this year is Melissa Leo, who is nominated for "The Fighter". She`s already won a Golden Globe, et cetera. She had to take out her on ad in the Hollywood Press in order to be recognized. You think that that -- she`s getting a lot of flak for it because usually the studio pays for it.
PEREZ: You know what, I say kudos to her because she`s a person who`s saying look, it is a game. We all know it`s a game and I`m just putting my cards on the table. And the thing is that everyone acts like they do not do self-promotion or whatever and they all do it. And so God bless her. She just said, you know, hey --
BEHAR: Do you think there`s been a backlash.
VERDI: No. I think she`s not the first woman to do it, anyway. That whole tent, that night, the Oscars have the most insecure egomaniacs under one tent. It`s like a mine field and a circus together.
BEHAR: But she should get the -- she`s nominated for supporting actress. That was a phenomenal --
(CROSSTALK)
VERDI: She was incredible.
BEHAR: Wasn`t it?
PEREZ: Yes.
HAMMER: No, it`s extraordinary.
BEHAR: So, my pick Melissa Leo and Christian Bale was fantastic. I love him.
(CROSS TALK)
PEREZ: I love him too.
BEHAR: Geoffrey Rush is very great also --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m -- I`m in between Geoffrey Rush and Christian Bale. Because I love Geoffrey Rush`s performance, for an actor, I just --
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: He`s brilliant.
PEREZ: -- kept watching it over and over again and plus Christian Bale played a crack head like no other.
BEHAR: That`s true.
PEREZ: And if you know a crack head, you know name of it.
BEHAR: Do you know any crack heads?
PEREZ: Unfortunately I do.
BEHAR: You know what; let me tell you something, Rosie, you`re sitting between two crack heads. Thank you very much.
For more information on Rosie Perez`s charity, logon to IrvinArchPartnership.org. She has a charity.
And catch A.J. Hammer live from the red carpet Sunday night at 7:00 on CNN and 11:00 on HLN. Back in a minute with Camille Grammer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: You can`t talk Oscars without talking fashion and who better to talk about that than always fashionable Camille Grammer. She`ll be reporting from the red carpet for "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT".
Hi, Camille. How are you darling?
CAMILLE GRAMMER, CASTMATE, "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS": Hello Joy, great.
BEHAR: You`ve got a new gig, I love it. Congratulations.
GRAMMER: Thank you. I`m very, very excited. I`m looking forward to it.
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: And congratulation -- and also, congratulations, the divorce is final with Kelsey.
GRAMMER: Thank you.
BEHAR: He got married -- he got married today, I think.
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: Are you going to send him a gift?
GRAMMER: Yes, sharp steak knives and a crock pot.
BEHAR: Why bother with the crock pot?
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: Ok, so I mean, it`s pretty lavish, he got married at the Plaza Hotel today. This is his fourth time.
(CROSS TALK)
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: I mean, really -- I have nothing more to say about it.
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: Let`s watch and see how that works out. We hope for the best, right?
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: Ok.
GRAMMER: Absolutely.
BEHAR: Yes.
Let`s talk Oscars. Now, you`ve walked many red carpets in your day. And -- exactly how much work does it take to prepare, just to walk on the carpet?
GRAMMER: Well, getting ready or walking on the carpet?
BEHAR: No, getting ready. Getting ready for the whole thing.
GRAMMER: Getting ready. It takes about you know, to get ready, hair and makeup is about two hours, and then you know, we used -- we used to live in Malibu, so it was like a two hour drive with traffic. So by the time we got out of the limo to walk the red carpet, we usually were pretty nauseous -- but you know, that`s putting that aside it`s you know, it`s -- there`s preparation. And --
BEHAR: There`s a lot, yes.
GRAMMER: And you know, it takes a lot, absolutely. Absolutely.
BEHAR: Now, have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet?
GRAMMER: You know, sometimes people walk, you know everybody is walking in line to get to the next interview and sometimes, you know people are walking on your dress and you`re trying to pull your dress along and if you`re -- especially if you have a long train.
BEHAR: Yes.
GRAMMER: That can get -- it`s going to complicate it.
BEHAR: I think -- I think you should have one this time, this Sunday because it`s good publicity. You know, it`s like ratings, you know, it`s good. In fact, I was thinking taking this couple off right now. That`s what I want.
I always feel kind of bad for the spouses on the red carpet, you know, you -- you were in that position with Kelsey.
They all seemed to be ignored. Did you feel ignored when you were --
(CROSS TALK)
GRAMMER: Sometimes, yes. Once in a while but -- for most of the time, everybody was very, very friendly. (INAUDIBLE)
BEHAR: Was there ever -- was there ever a report of who you were scared of, or you didn`t want to talk to?
GRAMMER: No, no.
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: No.
GRAMMER: I think one time, Nancy O`Dell -- was it O`Dell stood in front of me, and kind of pushed me away from Kelsey.
BEHAR: She pushed you away from Kelsey, really?
GRAMMER: Well, kind of behind her. You know, she kind of pushed herself.
BEHAR: So, why don`t you just trip her the next time you see her?
Who are you excited to see on the carpet? Who are you excited?
GRAMMER: Who am I excited to see, I`m really excited to see Natalie Portman. And pregnant, she`s adorable. I love her style. She is amazing. She is absolutely brilliant in "Black Swan."
BEHAR: She was?
GRAMMER: So I`m excited to see her.
BEHAR: She was. And she had a lot of lesbian scenes too which you know.
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: She enjoyed those, I think. But not as much as you adore getting pregnant with her choreographer, who happens to be straight, that choreographer is straight. Imagine that. It`s shocking.
That deserves an award right there. She found a straight choreographer to have sex with and have a baby. It`s unbelievable.
All right, Camille --
(CROSS TALK)
GRAMMER: And so -- go ahead.
BEHAR: All right. You have nothing to say on that. Ok, you`re playing it very close to the vest, I think. I guess you want to keep this job. All right.
What -- what about -- what about the best actress break up curse. Like Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Winslet. Do you think Natalie Portman should refuse to accept?
GRAMMER: No she should absolutely accept and I believe there is no curse for what could happen.
BEHAR: There is no curse.
GRAMMER: No curse.
BEHAR: What about the one you put on Kelsey?
All right, so, so what are you planning to wear? What are you going to wear? Tell me about the outfit.
GRAMMER: I have two choices at this point and I haven`t decided yet. So you know.
BEHAR: Well, like what? What color?
GRAMMER: Ok, what color, a sequined silver, by John Perez and I`m really excited about that. It`s just stunning, stunning gown and I`ve got some really good choices and my other choice is Odei Shakar (ph) gold sequins gowns.
BEHAR: Sequined, sequined, sequined, sequined.
GRAMMER: A little vavavoom (ph).
BEHAR: Yes. I see.
You have to pay for those dresses or are they going to give to you?
GRAMMER: No, they`re loaners.
BEHAR: They`re loaners. Oh, so you give them back.
GRAMMER: Yes.
BEHAR: I see, ok.
GRAMMER: Yes. I don`t get to keep them. That would be nice, it`s a nice dress.
BEHAR: Don`t be surprised if Kathy Bates is wearing them next year, ok.
Ok, thank you Camille. Good luck with your new job.
GRAMMER: Thank you.
BEHAR: And remember, this Sunday --
(CROSS TALK)
GRAMMER: Thank you.
BEHAR: -- you can catch Camille live at the Oscars for "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", "ROAD TO GOLD". She`ll be a special fashion and celebrity commentator.
And also, A.J. Hammer and Brooke Anderson will also be live from the red carpet starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN and continuing at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN with all the late breaking news from the Oscars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Nearly 20 years have passed since comedian Sam Kinison died in a tragic car crash. But his legacy lives on. And thanks to new DNA tests, it looks like his legacy also includes a daughter that no one knew was his until now.
Joining me is comedian Carl Labove who was Sam Kinison`s best friend. Hey, Carl, how are you?
CARL LABOVE, COMEDIAN: Good Joy. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.
BEHAR: Ok. Now, you were Sam`s best friend. In fact, you were there with him when he died in the tragic car accident I mentioned, but you two had a lot more in common than people realized. Would you like to explain that to our audience?
LABOVE: Well, I found out a year after his death that he had fathered my daughter, who was 4 at the time.
BEHAR: You found out a year after he died; you thought the baby was yours?
LABOVE: Correct. Yes. I sure did, of course.
BEHAR: How did that all happen? He was sleeping with your wife, no doubt.
LABOVE: That`s usually how it happens.
BEHAR: Yes. And then a year -- so, she`s passes the baby on as your baby and a year later, you find out it`s Sam Kinison`s baby. So how did you react to that, I`m wondering?
LABOVE: I wasn`t very happy.
BEHAR: No? Were you angry? Were you angry, Carl?
LABOVE: Of course I was. I mean I was devastated. We`re talking about at the time, a 14-year friendship. We started out together. So we had survived living on the streets.
You know what it`s like to start on comedy. I mean we stole fruit from the bar at night just to eat and slept in my car and, you know, we survived for a very long time and then with the Rodney Dangerfield special, it changed our lives. And of course, Sam became huge and I was his head writer and his best friend. We never lived more than a mile apart.
So that 14-year journey was a phenomenal trip and after he died, I was devastated, obviously, and started my life all over again. And I was separated from my wife a year after Angelica was born. So I paid child support for three years and once -- you know, a year after Sam passed, I couldn`t make my bills, so I called my ex to explain to her that I was having a tough time and that`s when she told me that Sam had fathered my child.
BEHAR: I see. Now, you have been paying child support all these years even though your ex admitted the child was Sam`s. Why? Why were you paying child support?
LABOVE: Correct. Because I`m stuck in a system that won`t allow DNA to get me out of Child Services -- I`m trapped in a hell. I`ve been fighting this battle for 17 years. But I had no proof, I only had the story. She told me that Sam was the father of the child, but I had no way of proving this.
BEHAR: Ok. But now, you have DNA to prove it.
LABOVE: Correct. Not only do I have DNA to prove it, but I also have DNA that proves that Sam was the father. And I don`t know, they told me I couldn`t legally say that because DNA just proves that she is a part of the Kinison family.
But I know that she didn`t sleep with Richard. I know that she didn`t sleep with Bill and Sam was the only one that had a key to my house.
BEHAR: So there you are. I mean ipso facto, it`s Sam`s baby. Now, will the Kinison family reimburse you at all now? Anything? You don`t.
LABOVE: No, I don`t want them -- I`m not looking for them to reimburse me. I want no money from this. I want them to tell the truth to the court so they should take responsibility for Sam`s daughter and I want Sam`s daughter to get her name.
BEHAR: Ok. All right Carl.
LABOVE: I want nothing from this. I can make my own living. I just want to be able to keep my own money.
BEHAR: Of course. Ok Carl. Thanks, good luck. Good luck to you.
LABOVE: Thank you so much.
BEHAR: It`s been a rough ride for you. Ok. And you`re a very funny guy.
Ok. Thanks very much.
We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: 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 what 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 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, 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 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: There was -- the other people involved were, like I said, the presiding judge at the time of the court, and as well as the person who developed the -- had 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, now, 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 of discretion.
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 things -- well, we didn`t know about the corruption, 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 then 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 were just kind of 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 forum, because obviously we can`t through the criminal case.
BEHAR: All right. This is a terrible, terrible story, I think, and I just want to go out with Mrs. Fonzo, who appeared on CNN this weekend. Because this woman -- it`s just 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 with, 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: 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 Sudeikis, 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.
BEHAR: I`m in the movie.
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.
P. FARRELLY: 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 Sudeikis 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 a 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
