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CNN Larry King Live

Attempts to Rescue Utah Miners; Melanie Brown to Have Eddie Murphy's Baby

Aired August 09, 2007 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Tonight, despite reports a driller was close to piercing the cavity where those six miners have been trapped since Monday, still no word if they're alive or dead. We're on location in Utah with all the latest. Plus ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIE BROWN, SINGER: She will always know that she was planned and wanted by the both of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Exclusive -- Spice Girl Melanie Brown's first TV interview since she filed a paternity suit against Eddie Murphy. And since she broke the news of her secret wedding. It's all next on LARRY KING LIVE.

We top, of course, with the major story in Utah with our two ace reporters on the scene, Gary Tuchman is at the command center in Huntington, Utah, and Ted Rowlands is also in Huntington, Utah. Gary, you were taken inside the Crandall Canyon Mine last night, that kind of access very unusual. We'll take a look at it and some of your reporting. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A three-mile journey in a small truck that would take about a half hour in utter darkness. We passed rescue workers in their vehicles on the way to our ultimate destination.

BOB MURRAY, CEO, MURRAY ENERGY: Right there is where the rescue effort is going on.

TUCHMAN: This is as far as we could go. This is where the mine collapsed. The six trapped miners are believed to be tantalizingly close, but with tons of coal separating them from us -- this was an unusual opportunity to see how much work rescue workers still have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Gary, what was that like?

TUCHMAN: Larry, it was very intimidating. It was scary. It was nerve-racking. It was also informational, educational. Mine owners never let us in mines even when there's no disaster in their mine. We wanted to do many stories over the years. They are very protective of their mines.

This guy decided to change the story a little bit, the owner of this mine, Bob Murray. He decided after a couple of days of asking to let us into the mine and led us right up to where his people were working to show how hard the work is and let me tell you, I have a new respect for what mine workers do after going in the mine for two and a half hours last night.

KING: You would not be a mine worker?

TUCHMAN: It's a really tough job, Larry. It was funny because while we were down there we were talking about how dark and cold and windy it is and how claustrophobic it is. And Bob Murray and he goes, hey, we like that. We don't like being in the sun with all the bugs around us. It's good working down here.

So you have to have a certain attitude to work in a coal mine especially right now. Because it's a very solemn and tense time in that mine one mile behind me right now.

KING: What's the latest from the press conference? Anything new, Gary?

TUCHMAN: We thought there was a possibility that they'd be able to get these drills into the top of the mine and find out if these men were alive. We thought it would happen tonight. We have just been informed there's two drills coming down. The men are about 1,900 feet below the ground. One of the drills is about 100 feet away, the other drill is about 1,000 feet away. They expect that both drills will drill small holes in the ground some time tomorrow. One drill probably tomorrow morning and the other probably tomorrow night.

They are hoping to have those small holes, able to put cameras, microphone and food and determine once and for all if these six men are alive. If they are alive, Larry, it will take at least a week to get them out because of the work that you saw in my story just there being done. It's very slow and it's slowed down once again because of unstable ground and roof issues.

KING: Ted Rowlands, what do we know about these men? We only have four pictures, right?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, CNN has identified four of the men, they are all described as family men with children and they have varying degree of mining experience. They range between their 20s and into their 50s and a lot of their extended family, as you can imagine, have gathered in this area awaiting news.

And tonight they were hoping to get some good news. What they got was more waiting. They're going to have to wait at least a day as Gary said because the drill isn't in there yet. They are still hopeful they will find a sign of life in that mine and they're just holding on, waiting for the latest.

KING: How is the community reacting, Ted? ROWLANDS: Last night a wonderful candlelight vigil, huge response to it. We went to it and it was very emotional. Very touching. Everybody in the surrounding area came out to support these families. There was another service today. Families are doing everything they can to support their brethren, coal miners and non-coal miners. There's a real respect for the coal miners in this area of the country, and they are showing it 100 percent for these families and a family member came out today and said, you know what, we know we're getting this type of support and we really, really appreciate it from not only here but around the country. People interested in this story, hoping these miners will come out alive.

KING: Now Gary, we have mixed reports on what might have went wrong. Was this an earthquake or an inner explosion catastrophe inside a single mine?

TUCHMAN: That's a really interesting part of this story.

Bob Murray, the owner, has stated unequivocally since Monday that it was an earthquake that caused this disaster. Now there was a reading of 3.9 on the Richter scale. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey are telling us their evidence shows that the mine collapse made this reading appear, that it wasn't an earthquake and there have been at least 10 aftershocks since then. Bob Murray says they're earthquake aftershocks. These scientists say they're aftershocks because of the mine continuing to shift.

Either way, though, I don't think that's the main story. I'm trying to stay away from that a little bit. We want to see if these men are rescued. That will, though, Larry, become a real big story as time goes on, what cause this had mine collapse. One thing I want to tell you, Larry, is really amazing, we had to take a course last night, an hour course, to go into the mine, a mine safety course and the man teaching the course is a very solemn, nice guy. I noticed his last name and it matched the last name of one of the men in the mine. I asked if he was related. He said, yeah, that's my cousin who was trapped in the mine. He was the guy who taught us the safety last night.

KING: Wow. Joining us now in Huntington is Nate Carlisle a reporter form the "Salt Late Tribune" who has been covering this story from day one, gained insights into all six. What can you tell us about these men, Nate?

NATE CARLISLE, "SALT LAKE TRIBUNE": Well, they're real human beings. We're learning more about them today. There's Manuel Sanchez who we're told had a self-depreciating sense of humor. He liked to joke around with his fellow workers. And as fate or whatever you want to call it has it, his granddaughter woke up screaming just about the time the mine collapsed.

There's also Don Erickson. I'm told he's a more serious man, more straight laced. I'm also told by a former co-worker that if Don Erickson is still alive, the other miners are in good hands. He's going to take care of them. And then we also know a little bit about Kerry Allred. He was another jokester. He liked to flex around, do an impression of Mr. Burns from "The Simpsons" of all things. And every person we hear a little more about (inaudible).

KING: Gary Tu -- Ted Rowlands, is there, I want to use the word, is there any optimism around?

ROWLANDS: Plenty of optimism, Larry, and these families are resilient and they're getting support. There is obviously concern, huge concern, and there is that side there's a very good chance that all of these miners are dead, that nobody is ignoring that fact. However, the optimism is plain. I tell you, at that vigil last night, you could feel it and there's hope.

Until they're told that there is no sign of life, these people, these families and this town and this region are clinging and hoping because it's been done before many times. Miners have been trapped for days and they're hoping that's the case here. There's a very good chance of a huge cave -- huge pocket of air. And if there is and if those guys are in it, there's a very good chance that they're alive.

KING: Gary, have you gained any insight as to why they do what they do?

TUCHMAN: Yeah, I have. One of the reasons they do what they do is because they love the work. And in a lot of cases, frankly, it's all they know. Their fathers did it, their grandfathers did it, their great-grandfathers did it.

And in regions like this, there's not a lot of other high-paying job. They're relatively high paid. One thing we just found out, once the drill gets into the top of the mine, at that point which could happen as early as tomorrow morning, it will take two hours to lower the instruments inside the mine and then be able to definitively ascertain if any of the six men are still alive.

KING: We'll take a break and be back with more on this continuing saga with prayer. Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN (voice-over): You're looking at the effort to drill into the coal and rock to rescue the six men. The machine is called a continuing mining vehicle and has a spinning drum on the front of it with blades. It cuts into the coal, rock, and other debris that is mixed in from the mine collapse and then deposits it on the back of what's known as a shuttle car which can transport 12 tons of coal at a time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TUCHMAN: We hear a boom that shakes the mine and startles the workers and especially us. The owner says it's another seismic event. One more and we evacuate.

MURRAY: When the coal breaks away from the rib it just kind of lays there. We call that sloughage.

TUCHMAN: But there are no more. We do see other damage to the mine walls caused by the initial collapse, but it's the feverish work to rescue six men, dead or alive, that stays in our minds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Welcome back to LARRY KING LIVE. We're joined now Huntington by Bob Murray, the chairman of the Ohio based Murray Energy Corporation, co-owner of the Crandall Canyon Mine, a fourth generation miner. Mr. Murray, we thank you for being with us. Can you tell us how we know the drilling is going in the right place?

MURRAY: First, the smaller drill, the two and a half inch drill, we were very selective in the drilling company that we hired to do the drilling. They have an excellent reputation and they've been able to drill very straight holes without much deviation. With regard to the eight and five eights inch hole, sir, there is a motor on the drill stem itself that allows us to steer that drill hole to within a fraction of an inch of where we want it to be. There will be no question that hole will hit within a fraction of an inch of where we want to be.

The smaller drill was positioned by a helicopter due to the rough terrain. It may not be as accurate but we'll know in a matter of hours if we've hit the cavity where the men are or a block of solid coal.

KING: And will there be a time you know whether they are alive or dead?

MURRAY: It will be soon. I hesitate, Mr. King, to give you an exact hour. The small drill is down 1,570 feet, on its way to about 1,828 feet. We're getting very close. We're drilling at a rate of about 20 feet an hour. The large drill will need to go down about the same distance, and it is down about 860 feet.

The underground recovery effort, the third prong that we undertook last Monday, to exhaust every possibility to recover these miners as quickly as possible, has advanced about 360 feet last night. I was in the mine myself twice observing the effort, and things are moving about as rapidly as we can.

It hasn't moved rapidly enough, Mr. King. We had more seismic activity that wiped out about two days of our work underground and we had to start over. But the significance is the drilling work will allow the men to stay alive. We can provide air, sustenance, communication, and keep them alive indefinitely until the underground recovery reaches them.

KING: Mr. Murray, yours is a pretty big company. Do you know these men?

MURRAY: Yes, I do. I am no more important than any one of my miners. I live my life that way. I take the safety for these people to bed every night. We are all very serious about our mine safety. I do know these men. I do know their supervisors. I meet with them regularly. I go underground with them regularly and as I said, sir, I have my job in these companies financing selling coals but I don't mine a pound of coal. They mine every bit of it and they're just as important in the company as I am. The day I don't think so, I'll retire.

KING: Would you say, Mr. Murray -- I don't want to put words in your mouth -- that you're cautiously optimistic?

MURRAY: No, sir, I won't say I'm cautiously optimistic. I will say that I'm optimistic. In going underground there is good ventilation where the recovery efforts are going on. If the men were not killed in the original concussion, Mr. King, from the original earthquake and then the aftershock earthquake and their bodies were not thrown and they were not destroyed then, and that's only in God's hands, then there's a very good chance, sir, that they're alive because I believe the ventilation is there and that's all they have needed. There's plenty of water and let's pray that we find them alive.

KING: We don't know the whys yet, do we? That's not important now, is it?

MURRAY: Not to me. For the last four days, sir, I and my professional miners -- I have 134 dedicated miners of our company from all over in there working as fast as we can. In fact, it's hard to get them out and get them to go home. Mr. King, it's not important. There's two things that are important right now. One, getting access to these men as quickly as we can. If they're dead or alive, that's already been determined and I can't control that. But it is my job to see that we get access to them as quickly as possible.

There's a second prong to this, sir, and that is administering to the families. To see that the trauma that they're going through is minimized and we have worked very hard at that, secluded the families so that we can maintain their privacy and kept them informed.

What I've started doing is one of the trapped miners' son is also a miner. Another of the trapped miners who is Hispanic is a brother of another trapped miner. They're both experienced miners. One man being on the rescue team in another mine.

So I invited them to come underground with me yesterday and let them give the report to their own families. Then we did it again today. And then early at 6:30 this morning, Mr. King, I flew them with a helicopter up on the mountains where the drilling is and we allow -- we asked them to give the reports and, frankly, sir, they can give a better report to these families than I can.

KING: Mr. Murray, will you give me a few more moments?

MURRAY: Yes, sir. KING: We'll be right back with Bob Murray on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under a tree in Cesar Sanchez's front yard we talked about how Manuel Arturo's nine brothers and sisters are coping with the waiting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm hoping but it's tough. It's a tough deal.

LAVANDERA: how about the rest of your family?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have a lot of hope. They're strong. They're giving me a lot of hope. It's rubbing off onto me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Bob Murray. We thank him for giving us this time. Mr. Murray, what about reports over the past three years that inspectors have cited at least 300 times -- 118 citations, safety citations, against this mine? How do you respond?

MURRAY: You have to understand what a citation is. A citation can be not having any toilet paper at the port-o-potty underground. That's a meaningless thing.

Let me tell you what is important. I've been in the coal business on my own as Murray Energy Corporation for 20 years. In that 20 years I've only had one serious accident and that was to one employee. I received the leadership award as the top CEO in the world from the International Society of Mine Safety Professionals for my dedication to mine safety. We have one of the best safety records in the industry.

This was a natural disaster. Seismic earthquake, 4.0 on the Richter, lasted four minutes. Followed up two and a half hours by another at 2.0 on the Richter and another 2.3 minutes and then, sir, two days later another aftershock.

The mine was in total compliance with all requirements of the government and all of our mining plans at that location were approved by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, and they are very scrupulous about every detail before they approve a mining plan, so any reference to the citations, there has to be a whole explanation to go with that.

KING: I got you.

MURRAY: And I know it doesn't sound very good but I think you need to look at the safety record of Murray Energy which is one of the best in the world in all types of mining.

KING: Well answered. I want to clear up one thing. The sister of one of the trapped miners said that during one of the meetings you had with family members you got angry and walked out. Is that true? MURRAY: No, that is not true. That rumor is all over and I have asked that question. What I have done, sir, is brought in the son and the brother of two trapped miners, the Mexican consulate interpreters, professional trauma counselors from outside, medical people provided sequestration and every need they could possibly have.

I stood on my feet in front of them for three days every three hours until I finally physically could not do it and now others are doing that and as I said, the family members of the trapped miners are doing a far better job than I did.

If there's one thing -- there are two things going right in this effort, Larry, it's, one, the administration that we have done of the needs and the grief of the families and, two, there's not been any mistakes that we have made yet in advancing the recovery efforts of the miners.

KING: Mr. Murray, are you going to continue to stay in this business?

MURRAY: Sir, it's all I know. I've been doing it for 67 -- or 50 years of my 67. We provide the 52 lowest cost percent, 52 percent lowest cost electricity in America. America needs us and somebody needs to do it and, sir, once again, it's all I know.

KING: Are you always finding more places to mine?

MURRAY: I try. It's becoming more difficult with the new regulations in America to mine in America. I am strictly a domestic company, but it's being much more difficult to mine here. The industry is virtually being destroyed in this country which is unfortunate because any manufacturer depends on low-cost electricity or any family on fixed income must have coal because it's one-fourth to one-fifth cheaper than natural gas or any other form of energy and we can burn it cleanly with the right technology.

So, yes, I'm looking for opportunities but most companies now are going overseas because Congress seems to be adamant of destroying our domestic industry which is going to destroy the economy of our country in my judgment.

KING: And summing up, Mr. Murray, when will we know know -- when will we know the condition of these miners?

MURRAY: Within two hours of the time that the drill hole breaks through into the cavity, the two and a half inch hole. We will drop down communication devices and we could know then. That hole could be done within the next 24 hours. I don't wish to speculate any closer than that, sir because, as you know, we're drilling very deep and it's slow and the mechanics of the equipment, it does stop and break down.

We'll know within two hours, though, whether we have life or not. That doesn't mean, though, if we have no signs of life, sir, that they're dead. It just means that through that two-inch hole that we didn't get them.

But the eight-inch hole and five eighths is come right behind that and it will be done in a day. We're putting a huge camera that can see 300 feet in every direction, 360 degrees. That should tell us what we're going to find.

KING: Godspeed, Mr. Murray. Thank you.

MURRAY: Well, thank you, Mr. King. I want to say, sir, thank you to all Americans for their concern about this tragedy, these six miners and their families. It is a traumatic event. America has really made an outpouring and we appreciate it very much.

KING: Thank you. Bob Murray. We'll come back with some more and then we're going to meet Melanie Brown who is the mother of Eddie Murray's child. Eddie Murphy's child, rather. All that ahead on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LARRY KING, HOST: We're back. Let's check in with a few folk of prime interest in this matter and then we'll meet Melanie Brown, first Mayor Hilary Gordon, the mayor of Huntington, Utah.

How is the community dealing with this, Mayor?

MAYOR HILARY GORDON, HUNTINGTON, UTAH: You know, absolutely phenomenally but these people are strong people. It's a basic mining community with outer industries falling -- you know relying on the mining industry. And so these people are strong and everyone has great hope and great expectation tonight, Larry.

KING: Do you know people in -- any of those six, Mayor?

GORDON: I did not really know the men. Some of them -- we have a nursery, floral shop, here that my daughter and I run and some of them -- I did remember some of the men came in and out but to personally know them, no. I know some of the wives and some of the parents of the men.

KING: Thank you, Mayor.

Allyn Davis is director of the Denver Regional Office of The U.S. Mine, Safety, and Health Administration.

Allyn, are you hopeful?

ALLYN DAVIS, DIRECTOR OF DENVER REGIONAL OFFICE, U.S. MINE, SAFETY & HEALTH ADMINISTRATION: Yes, I'm very hopeful. In fact, we're seeing a lot of encouragement today. The drilling has been consistent. We've made good, steady progress. We're getting very close. If we can keep that pace up then we'll get that bore hole into the mine very soon.

KING: I asked Mr. Murray if he was cautiously optimistic. He said he was optimistic not cautiously optimistic. Are you optimistic?

DAVIS: I'm very optimistic at this point. You know the first hurdle we have to get over is to get this first drill hole into the mine and get the steel out of the hole and get a microphone down into the mine and try to communicate with the miners. That process can move swiftly after the hole is completed. And at this point the drilling is going well.

KING: Thank you, Allyn -- Allyn Davis.

Now we go to Victor Pecheco, a retired miner. He's been involved in mine collapses and rescue operations. We're told that memories of the 1984 Willburg Mine fire that claimed 27 lives still persists in this area. Is that true, Victor?

VICTOR PACHECO, RETIRED MINER: Yes, it is.

KING: And how fearful are you of these -- well, what are your thoughts about these men?

PACHECO: Well, I haven't given up hope. Hope is something that we have and hopefully that -- the men that are down in the mine are behind the cave and they'll have plenty of air. And that's what we hope for, that the men that are down there are behind the cave and they have plenty of air.

KING: You have been trapped in a mine, Victor?

PACHECO: No, I haven't. I've been down there when three men got covered up and they sent a rescue team down there. And they got covered up and they pulled them out and I happened to be on the third rescue team.

KING: Wow!

PACHECHO: And this was in Kaja Steel (ph) and I -- we got the men out, all deceased.

KING: Thank you very much.

And finally, Julie Jones, Huntington City councilwoman. Her son is a miner. In fact, he's part of the rescue team working to reach the six trapped miners.

What has he said to you about what's going on, Julie?

JULIE JONES, HUNTINGTON CITY COUNCILWOMAN: Well, Larry, you know, personally for the last couple of days, I really haven't spoke to him. He's worked extra hours. His crew has worked extra hours just to do whatever they can possibly do to get those miners out. That's their hope. They want him to walk out of there, walk out of there soon and come home to their families.

KING: How do you deal with the fact that your son faces this all the time?

JONES: You know my husband's been a coal miner for 30 years. It's part of our lives. It's part of our community's lives and this is what they do for the country. You know they dig the coal so we can have electricity to turn on our lights and to turn on the televisions and get the heart of America running.

KING: I salute you. Thank you, Julie.

JONES: Thank you.

KING: And our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this. And of course CNN will stay right atop this story.

Melanie Brown has filed suit against actor/comedian Eddie Murphy about paternity or paternity that Mr. Murphy has admitted to right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: We are here today to announce that this morning we filed a petition on behalf of Melanie Brown to establish paternity of her baby girl.

MELANIE BROWN, SINGER: She has two parents, two parents who desire to be responsible for her during her life and who love her so much.

ALLRED: We are asking the court to legally establish Eddie Murphy as the father of Melanie and Eddie's baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: And we welcome Melanie Brown to LARRY KING LIVE. She's filed suit against comic/actor Eddie Murphy. Melanie is also known as Scary Spice from the British pop music phenomenon, The Spice Girls. Her attorney, Gloria Allred, is aboard as well.

First, congratulations on your marriage to Steven Belafonte. Why was that a secret?

BROWN: Well, I -- we were going...

KING: I know you're Sneaky Spice.

BROWN: No, we made plans to have, like, a big wedding for all of our friends and family. So we wanted it to be a private thing right now and a commitment just for me and him. That was important.

KING: So you are going to have a big reception?

BROWN: Yes, a big one, yes.

KING: Do you want children with him?

BROWN: Yes. I'd like to, of course.

KING: Now you have a child from a prior marriage, right?

BROWN: Yes, she's 8, yes.

KING: OK. Did you tell anyone about the new marriage or did you really...

BROWN: No, it's very, very private and it's been private for nearly two months now.

KING: Why are you filing this lawsuit against Eddie?

BROWN: I think the most important thing for me is that Angel knows her dad. And her daddy is Eddie Murphy and she has every right to know who he is. And I want to stand up for all the other single parents/mothers out there that are in the same position as me. I mean this isn't the first time it's happened to a woman. I think it's time for fathers like that to stop and be responsible and be -- you know, be an emotional support to their kids.

KING: Gloria, is he being irresponsible?

ALLRED: Well, we think that the way to be responsible, Larry, is to -- for him to be involved in the life of his child, to visit his child, to hold his child, to hug his child, to kiss his child, to bond with his child, and to...

KING: You can legally force someone to do that?

ALLRED: Well, to date he has not done that. And it's not indicated to us that he will.

KING: Can you legally force someone to...

ALLRED: No, legally, he cannot be required to visit his child, to be a part of the child's life in that way emotionally but we think he has a moral obligation.

KING: So why are you here? You're not here morally. You're here legally.

ALLRED: Well, I'm here because we filed a lawsuit to establish paternity. It's called a Petition to Establish Paternity. And Melanie is seeking a sole physical and legal custody, and reasonable child support and a legal determination that Eddie is, in fact, the father of little Angel Iris Murphy Brown.

KING: We have an email question that fits right in there. It's from Denise in Redlands, California: "Melanie, why are you worried if Eddie Murphy doesn't want to be a part of your daughter's life. It's his loss. Why try to force him into a relationship if he doesn't want one?"

BRONW: Well, I'm not forcing and so far even though he's shown that he doesn't want any interest, I think he has to know it's important for kids to know who both their parents are and for them to be involved in their lives. I mean listen, it takes two parents to make a baby. It has to take two parents to raise, definitely.

KING: We spoke with Eddie Murphy's camp earlier today, and according to them, Murphy's attorneys made an offer of child support to Melanie's attorneys June 26. Melanie then hired Gloria Allred a day later, subsequently filed suit and went public. Why? They made an offer to you. Why didn't you negotiate? Why do you need a press conference?

ALLRED: OK. Well, we don't talk about discussions between attorneys, but I will say this...

KING: But they told us, so...

ALLRED: Yes, well, they can tell you whatever they want to tell you. But we think that the proof is going to be in a court of law and we're saying that he needs to be responsible legally, morally, emotionally for that child.

KING: But if they've offered to be responsible, what are -- why are you going public like this if they've already offered it?

ALLRED: OK. Well, because her primary concern, Larry is that he be involved in the life of the child. And that he sees the child...

KING: But you can't -- you already said you can't legally make someone do that.

ALLRED: Well, but we can -- you can set -- you said why are we having a press conference. Because there are millions of fathers out there like Eddie Murphy who, unfortunately, have decided they're not going to be part of their child's life.

KING: How would you...

ALLRED: Now Mr. Murphy has...

KING: ...force them to be part of their life?

ALLRED: And Mr. Murphy has acknowledged that little Angel Iris is his baby.

KING: Correct. So why are we have we got a lawsuit?

ALLRED: OK. Because we need a legal determination. It's not enough if her father says it. I would suggest that every mother out there if a father says he is -- that he is the father of the child and he took a DNA test so he knows he is, then they still need to go to court and make sure that that is established legally so that the child is protected. This is all about the baby.

KING: Melanie, I know legal is fine and press conferences. It's a wonder everybody loves press conferences. Why don't you just call up Eddie and say, "Eddie, it's your baby." And he says, "Yes, Melanie, I know. I love your baby. How much money do you need?" I mean this is a good idea. You don't need Gloria Allred at all. He doesn't need his lawyer. Deal, done, you can go down to Small Claims Court.

BROWN: I thought that that was the way it was going to happen...

KING: Right. And what happened?

BROWN: ...once the DNA test results were in. It's just been ignored and no matter how hard I try and get in contact...

KING: Have you called him and he wouldn't talk to you?

BROWN: No.

KING: He wouldn't talk?

BROWN: No. And we actually had a brief conversation in September and it was the left that he would call me back and we'd discuss this. And you know I was pregnant. I was in a very emotional state and I needed some kind of emotional support from him.

KING: Did you ever think possibly of not having the baby?

BROWN: Absolutely not. This is a planned baby.

KING: He wanted it. You wanted it.

BROWN: We both sat down -- yes, we both sat down and we discussed it. Listen, I have an 8-year-old. I'm not about to just have a baby by accident. I'm a very responsible parent. We both sat down and planned it and -- yes

KING: But you didn't plan to be married?

BROWN: Yes, we didn't make set in stone plans to be married but we definitely spoke about it. And that was, yes, one of the things.

KING: Were you in love with him?

BROWN: Yes. Why would you have a baby with somebody if you're not in love with them?

KING: So you were in love him and you wanted to have his baby...

BROWN: Very much so. We wanted to have a baby and we planned it, Larry.

KING: It's none of my business. None much my business. What changed? What happened?

BROWN: I think...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Don't get mad at me, I'm just asking.

BROWN: I'm not completely sure but, you know, our lifestyles are very different. I'm a very hands-on mom and I'm very low key. You know dating somebody like Eddie Murphy, you have to change your lifestyle and that was all kind up for discussion. So our communication broke down, obviously and I was left to deal with what I had to deal with and go through a beautiful birth of Angel Iris.

KING: Do you think he's handled this poorly? BROWN: I think he's been extremely disrespectful. And I don't think anybody should be allowed to get away with saying what he said while someone is pregnant and knowing that was the plan.

KING: What did he say?

BROWN: That he's not sure if the baby is his and needs to do a DNA test. And even when the DNA test results were in, there was still nothing further said, which I found baffling after all this, then still nothing. It's unacceptable.

KING: He like dismissed you?

BROWN: Yes, completely.

ALLRED: And that also affected her reputation, of course.

BROWN: Completely.

ALLRED: Because she knew that was her baby and his baby and his baby. And, in fact, it was and is.

KING: Yes.

We'll take a break and be back with more with Melanie Brown and her attorney Gloria Allred. Up next, Eddie Murphy's official response to this scary lawsuit that Melanie filed against him. Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Angel is my baby and Eddie's. She will always know that she was planned and wanted by the both of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back. And now we have the statement issued on behalf of Eddie Murphy.

"Eddie Murphy always has and will continue to honor his responsibilities as a father. Mr. Murphy and Miss Brown dated very briefly and never made any plans of any sort. He acknowledges paternity of the child, Angel, and has paid child support to Miss Brown as well as covering the expenses of her pregnancy. Mr. Murphy views this as a private matter and as such will not be making any further comments about it."

His camp also tells us that you wanted Eddie to buy you a $9 million home. Do you want to comment on his statement?

BROWN: Yes. I think there are a few things in there that are incorrect. And our relationship may have been brief but it was intense and we were very much in love and wanted to have a family together. That's that. I mean we're both tattooed. You don't tattoo somebody's name on your body if it's brief and unimportant, let's put it that way.

ALLRED: And Larry, he says he honored his responsibilities as a father. You're a great father. You have two little boys. Wouldn't those boys have lost something really important in their lives if you had not ever been involved with them as a parent?

KING: But there's no legal paper that said I had to.

ALLRED: Well, but you would anyway because...

KING: Yes, I would have.

ALLRED: ...I can see you love your little boys.

KING: Of course.

ALLRED: You love Chance and Canon. There's no law -- and, by the way, I'd like the law to be changed. But right now there is no law that says a father must see his children and must take a role in their lives.

But, you know what, I'm a mother. I wouldn't need a law to require me to take care of my daughter. I know that's my duty as a parent. And by the way, it's a great joy. He's missing a great joy in his life. But, more importantly, the child is missing something not having the father as well as the mother in her life. She's fighting for her child not for herself but for her baby.

KING: Has he seen his new daughter?

BROWN: No.

KING: No. Has he inquired about her health or...

BROWN: No.

KING: ...paid any attention to her?

BROWN: No, nothing. And she's so adorable. She's the best baby. She's beautiful.

KING: Why didn't you bring this to light sooner?

BROWN: Because I was waiting and hoping that he would do what he said he was going to do, which was take care of the situation and be responsible. I believed that.

KING: Did you ask him for a $9 million home?

ALLRED: No, we're not here to talk about finances and we're not here to counter kinds of, you know, allegations that they may wish to make. Any kind of issue regarding finances will be dealt with in a court of law and that's the proper place.

But we are here to say that he has not even asked to visit his baby. He hasn't asked. We'd like nothing more than that and this baby will always know that her mother fought for that -- asked that the father be part of her life. Whether he does or not, this mother tried.

KING: Right away, did you have a relationship with Belafonte while you were dating Eddie?

BROWN: No. He's been a close friend of mine for many years.

KING: What does he do, Steven, by the way?

BROWN: Steven, he's a movie producer.

KING: Steven, a movie producer.

And e-mail question from Kim in Cincinnati: "Why do you keep talking to the media about this? Why not try to handle it all privately?"

BROWN: I wish we could handle it privately. But when my name is thrown out there, when I'm four months pregnant with, you know, the DNA testing and is it mine, I don't know, of course I'm going to stand up for myself. I don't want that to be out there when it was -- when it's all completely untrue.

KING: He's now...

BROWN: And I think I've kept quiet for long enough, to be honest.

KING: ... he's now engaged to producer Tracey Edmonds. Do you have any thoughts on that?

BROWN: I think she's a great woman. I have nothing but respect for her. I think what she does for black Hollywood is brilliant. I have nothing but respect. And if they're happy, then I'm happy.

KING: E-mail, Yolanda, Dallas: "Why did you wait so long to file this lawsuit?"

BROWN: Because, like I said, I was waiting for him to do what he said publicly he was going to do, which is do the right thing.

KING: Got you. Your feelings towards Eddie right now?

BROWN: Well, let me take a breath on that one. I think he's a great guy. At the end of the day...

KING: You do?

BROWN: ...the person that I fell in love with was amazing. The person that I know now and have seen his actions, and what he's saying and the way he's conducting himself, I'm kind of appalled.

ALLRED: But you know, it's not over, Larry. He still has a chance to take his responsibility as a parent seriously...

BROWN: Exactly.

ALLRED: ...and come in and get to know his baby and his child.

KING: What does Steven think of all of this?

BROWN: We don't really talk about it too much.

KING: No?

BROWN: Yes...

KING: Is he going to be the father of the child?

BROWN: Angel has one father and that's Eddie Murphy.

KING: But she's going to be living with Steven.

BROWN: We have -- yes, we're building a nice family, yes, of course.

KING: More spicy stuff with former Spice Girl Melanie Brown including the reunion of her all-girl group, which of course includes, Mrs. David Beckham. More on that when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's about our fans. You know it's about really, you know, really right time. It was kind of now or never.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to be playing cities and countries that we never got to see the first time around.

BROWN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to see them really.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean when are they going to release the tickets?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: The Spice Girls are reuniting and they're touring again, including Victoria Beckham.

How do you feel about that? She called it like being divorced and getting remarried?

BROWN: I wouldn't go that far. I think we're all very, very excited about getting together and we're excited about the response. I mean, we opened the flood light though and millions of people called in to come and see us.

KING: And you're all bringing your children, right?

BROWN: Yes. Between the five of us, we've got seven kids.

KING: What do you make of all of this attention Beckham is getting?

BROWN: I think it's great. They're a great -- very in love couple. It's nice to be around them.

KING: You recently had a very public lunch with Eddie's ex-wife Nicole.

BROWN: Yes.

KING: Was that deliberate?

BROWN: All I can say...

KING: Because that got the focus of the attention of the tabloids.

BROWN: My whole thing is that I want Angel to know her brothers and sisters. And that's important to me and it's important to Nicole. And she's a great woman, by the way. She's lovely.

KING: Do you think Eddie is going to wind up being a father, just do you think?

BROWN: I hope. I hope. I hope so for Angel's sake not anything to do with me, for Angel's sake.

KING: Has the suit been responded to yet?

ALLRED: No. We have not received any kind of written response to it. But we are seeking sole legal and physical custody as well as a legal acknowledgement of paternity, and he can have visitation if he seeks it, he'll have that right, and of course, reasonable child support.

KING: Have you asked an amount? Have you...

ALLRED: No. Reasonable. In other words, whatever the judge decides we will accept. And we think that that's fair. But she's standing up for her baby and that's why I'm so proud of her, proud of everything she's doing.

BROWN: Thank you.

KING: You've got a beautiful baby.

BROWN: I know. Thank you.

KING: Gloria, always good seeing you.

ALLRED: You too.

BROWN: You're lovely.

KING: Yes, yes. Driving him crazy, Larry.

ALLRED: You can sing and dance afterwards too.

KING: And don't forget to go to our website, CNN.com/LarryKing and you can send an email or a video question to upcoming guests, participate in a quick vote or download our pod cast. We've even got an Elvis photo gallery for you. It's all on CNN.com/LarryKing. Right now let's head to New York. "AC 360" will be hosted tonight by Soledad O'Brien.

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