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CNN Larry King Live

Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help

Aired June 21, 2010 - 20:00   ET

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

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Tonight: the environmental catastrophe that threatens our country, our neighbors, our way of life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fishing is what I do. And I can't do it.

KING: This is a call to action. Why now? Because they need us now, a two-hour "LARRY KING LIVE" special: "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help."

Good evening. We have got two hours of all-star entertainment and information for you tonight. Now, you can donate three ways, by phone, 1-800-491-GULF, by Web and via Twitter. The information is at the bottom of your screen.

Now, you are directly helping three causes tonight, the United Way, the Nature Conservancy, and the National Wildlife Federation. The choice is yours. These organizations will see to it that those who need it most will get your contributions pronto.

Celebrities are manning the phones in New York and here in Los Angeles. And they are ready to talk to you right now. We have got reporters across the Gulf. And they have seen the need firsthand.

Anderson Cooper is in Woldenberg Park, New Orleans. Kyra Phillips joins us from Grand Isle, Louisiana. CNN news and weather anchor Rob Marciano is with us from the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Mississippi. And Soledad O'Brien is in Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana.

Let's go first to Anderson Cooper, who has been there from the get-go.

From your perspective, Anderson, why is this so important, what we're doing tonight?

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Well, Larry, I think there's kind of a lot of people falling through the cracks here.

We all think, well, BP is footing the bill for this thing. But as we have been reporting now for weeks, they have been very slow in the process. The U.S. government now has created this $20 billion fund that's going to be managed by a third party. But there's a lot of people in need right now. Numbers, the United Way has a phone number here. More people have been calling that looking for help buying groceries, just getting through the day, getting through each week while they wait for BP.

You know, it's been an eye-opener I think for a lot of people who are living here. They kind of thought a big company like this would be able to handle something like this, get checks to people in need. But it's not happening in a timely manner, as we have been seeing, Larry.

KING: That's Anderson Cooper in Woldenberg Park.

Let's go to Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana. Standing by is Soledad O'Brien, CNN anchor and special correspondent.

What have you been seeing from your vantage point, Soledad?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of uncertainty, people very, very worried about what this is going to mean for their livelihoods and for the livelihoods of their children in some cases, young people dropping out of school to help their parents navigate the system.

I'm in a place where there are a number of Vietnamese fishermen, where the African-American fishermen got their start in the late 1700s. So, there's tremendous pride here. Big problem they have is they're trying to keep the oil from hitting the shore. So, what they have been doing is flooding it with freshwater.

But the freshwater hits the brackish water, which is where the oysters are, and it kills the oysters. So, they are sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to keep the oil off the shore, but at the same time by doing that, they kill their very livelihood. But the fishermen here, they don't know what to do. They feel ignored.

They're going to go out for the first time tomorrow with BP. That's the first opportunity that they have had to work for that company. And they will finally get paid money for working. Many of them said they are so happy to just be working again. It feels good to just be employed.

KING: In a little while, we will check in with my friend Ryan Seacrest. He's with the phone bank. And we have got three top panelists to begin things on set with me.

But let's go back out to the Grand Isle area and Kyra Phillips.

What's the situation in Grand Isle, Louisiana?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You know what, Larry? For you and me, we would probably look at this setting and say, wow, it's beautiful. There's a sunset. The water is calm. There's not a lot of people around. They are enjoying their dinner. But that's not what the people of Grand Isle want. Usually this place is bustling by now. This is a bait boat, Larry. It usually -- you would have the trawl on the back. It would have been out since 5:00 this morning. Here in the boat, Larry, this entire part of the boat would be filled with live shrimp and live croaker. Fishermen from all over the area, shrimpers from all over the area come here for their bait.

Now, if you look over here, right in the back of the boat once again, we're at the Bridge Side Marina. And right here upstairs, the Vegas family, who has owned this for 39 years, is having to reinvent their business. Since they can't sell fish, they can't sell bait, they can't get out on these waters, they are actually making sandwiches, 900 sandwiches a day to feed the workers that are out here, trying to figure out how to make some money.

All the tackle has been taken down in that shop, Larry. And, instead, they are putting up hardhats, safety vests, rope, all for the workers that are out here trying to clean up the water. That's why they need our help.

We have got to raise money, Larry. We have got to help put money directly back into communities like Grand Isle.

KING: You are helping three different things tonight. You are helping animals, too. Let's go to Rob Marciano at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport.

What can you tell us from there, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Larry, we have all seen the pictures of the oiled birds. And it's incredibly heartbreaking. When you see these animals suffering up close and personal, it just punches you in the gut and gives you a feeling that is completely indescribable.

We have been all over this Gulf of Mexico reporting on wildlife issues. And there are so many things you just don't see, just grabbing a clump of what looks to be seaweed, a nuisance to most beachgoers. You grab that seaweed, you look at it out of the Gulf of Mexico, and you can see the baby shrimp, the baby crabs, the baby fish, a floating nursery that's in that Gulf of Mexico that's out there being affected by this oil spill directly.

There's been 1,000 animals that have been collected alive and rescued and are being rehabilitated. There's thousands more, you better believe it, that have died from this spill. Here at the Institute For Marine Mammal Studies, we're going to meet some of the animals and we're going to meet some of the brave people and the heroic effort and the part that they are doing to try to save the Gulf of Mexico. That's later on tonight -- Larry.

KING: Thanks, Rob.

Hey, remember, bureaucracy is slow. You can hear about billions being donated. It don't go there tomorrow. We're going to do our best to get it there like pronto.

We have got lots of star power helping us out tonight. Ryan Seacrest joins me to tell us who's doing what for the people of the Gulf tonight -- Ryan.

RYAN SEACREST, ENTERTAINER: A star-studded lineup here, Larry, as you can see, artists. Deepak Chopra is here as well, our world champion Ron Artest, so lots of big names. And this is what we're calling the social suite.

This is a two-screen experience. So, as you are watching television, you can also reach out and talk with these stars on Twitter and Facebook. Let me tell you how.

Hashtag on Twitter, #CNNHelpGulf. That's if you are tweeting. And then on Facebook, Facebook.com/disasterrelief. That will allow us to see what you are sending us, your stories. Tell us about the donation. Tell us if you live in the areas affected. And these celebs will be able to see it if the use the hashtag, and also that way on Facebook.

So, we will be checking in with them. Looking forward to reading about what's happening where you are in just a little bit.

One interesting bit of news to start us off, Larry, the folks at Bing will donate $10 to this telethon, up to $100,000, for every time someone re-tweets the one I just sent out at top of this telecast @RyanSeacrest. So, that's good news -- Larry.

Our panel here is Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International, Edward James Olmos, the actor and activist, and Ian Somerhalder, the actor now starring in "The Vampire Diaries" who has got so many ties to the region. We will talk with them in a moment.

Coming up: Justin Bieber, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sting, Robert Redford, and more. We're just getting started helping people and wildlife in the Gulf. Help now. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Welcome back to "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help."

The number, 1-800-491-GULF.

We're back with Philippe Cousteau, Edward James Olmos, and Ian Somerhalder.

We know this well. As the ecosystem goes, so goes the Gulf region and its people. What does that mean to every American if we lose this unique habitat? Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the Midwest is the nation's breadbasket, then South Louisiana is the pu-pu platter (INAUDIBLE) shrimping, trapping. This place is so productive. It's a delta.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are critical habitats. We lose these islands, there's no place for these birds to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the people that rely on this area for their livelihood, to feed their families, what are they going to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something else. They have to move on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's suffocating knowing that our livelihood, this is what we do for a living. We're out here every day showing this place off. And as every day goes on and that oil continues to creep closer and closer and closer, it gets scary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the black cancer that's spreading throughout the entire Gulf ecosystem, ruining lives and killing animals. And, unfortunately, it's going to be around for a long time to come. There's no quick, easy fix to this challenge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we stand to lose here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think people, especially in the rest of the country, realize what -- if this gets -- oil -- the impact that's going to have nationally. And we need to do everything we can to protect this area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every summer, every week, every spring break, every time we got an opportunity, we came here. Gulf Shores is our play place. This issue, what's going on with this has got to come to the surface. We as a community will have this job for the rest of our lives, of making sure people don't forget what happened here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are who we are because of this system. I know there is no place like this. And when it's gone, there will be no other place like it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: We're back. Great piece, Philippe.

Tough to do this.

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CEO, EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL: It is, Larry. Thank you.

KING: Yes.

Ian Somerhalder, you have a personal involvement. You have a -- your cousin was on the rig?

IAN SOMERHALDER, ACTOR: My cousin was on the rig. And he got off a couple days before it blew. So, all those guys that, unfortunately, lost their lives on that rig were his buddies. And, so, you can imagine the amount of funerals that those guys had to attend in a very short period of time.

KING: You were saying something about your eye.

SOMERHALDER: The shot of Philippe earlier, he had that highly viscous oil on his hands. And I made the mistake of getting it on my fingers, and then I went to rub my eye, and I didn't pay attention that I was touching my eye. And the whole thing swelled up, red, stinging. It's really toxic. So, I can't imagine having it on my entire body. KING: Edward, you produced this short video on the impact of the oil spill. And it was an attack on BP. Do you -- are you expecting that BP is going to start delivering this money that we're trying to get to them tomorrow?

EDWARD JAMES OLMOS, ACTOR: I -- yes, I think that they are going to try to do that. I think they're going to try to come across and help. The red tape will be overwhelming.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: That's why we're doing this...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: to circumvent...

(CROSSTALK)

OLMOS: I am so grateful to you and to everyone that is here, all of us, because this is something that's not going to go away. We will talk about it more as we go along, but what he did to himself by touching his eye, we -- you don't even have to touch your eye for your eyes to be infected.

We have to realize something. All of the workers that are going out there should be on breathing apparatuses, not just a mask, but a breathing apparatus.

Merle Savage, the woman who wrote "Silence in the Sound" about the Exxon Valdez oil slick, OK, with Riki Ott, Dr. Riki Ott, a toxicologist, who came across and wrote these books together. They wrote the -- she wrote the book, Merle book. It explains it very clearly.

Thousands of people died from cleaning that mess up. Think about it. No one has written about it. No one even comments on it. You are talking about something that's going to affect the entire base, all right?

KING: Philippe, what do these fishermen who can't fish, what do they do? What do they do all day?

COUSTEAU: I have to say they have -- I have been...

KING: No income.

COUSTEAU: ... covering this from the beginning. There's no income coming for them. A lot of them are really hoping that BP will then come along and pay them money every day, which is a little irony, to say the least.

But it's not just the fishermen. It's the mom-and-pop grocery stores. It's the hotels. It's the tourism industry that suffered. It's tens of thousands of people. This is a human tragedy. And people lost their jobs weeks ago and can't wait for this escrow fund to come into action in a couple months or a couple weeks for legitimate claims.

And the environment, too -- the NGOs that are on the ground mobilizing volunteers, doing the scientific research, baseline studies right now aren't getting funding for that.

KING: You are helping a lot of people.

Kathy Griffin is at our phone bank here in Los Angeles. Let's check in and see what's happening there -- Kathy.

KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIAN: Hey, Larry. Hey, Philippe.

So many of us, we hear about this and we feel powerless. So, what's great about this phone bank here with celebrities is, it's an easy and accessible way for all of you to help. So, I'm going to be rude and just ask everyone's name.

So, what's your name? I know you're on the phone.

TIMMY CURRAN, SURFER: I'm Timmy Curran.

GRIFFIN: That's right.

And you are famous for?

CURRAN: Surfing.

GRIFFIN: That's right. The surfers are here.

And what kind of things are you hearing on the phone?

CURRAN: Yes.

Just one second please, Suzanne.

GRIFFIN: He's getting money.

I will go to Victoria Principal.

Sorry.

Victoria Principal, what are you hearing on the phone?

VICTORIA PRINCIPAL, ACTRESS: We're just talking about the wildlife and we're talking about the importance of calling in and making donation. Any donation, $1, will be well received. We will be so grateful. And -- and...

GRIFFIN: And people can help. And it's easy.

PRINCIPAL: Thank you.

Julianna (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kathy Griffin is here, Barbara.

Hi.

GRIFFIN: And what are you hearing from people? Are they emotional? Who do they want to help and when?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a matter of fact, I'm on the phone with a woman named Barbara.

Hey, Barbara. I'm with Kathy Griffin right now. She's from Kokomo, Indiana. And she's saying it's the animals.

GRIFFIN: It's the animals.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's heartbreaking for...

(CROSSTALK)

GRIFFIN: Exactly.

Ted Danson is here.

Ted, what your hearing on the phone? How do people want to help?

TED DANSON, ACTOR: I'm so hard of hearing that I can't talk to both people at the same time.

GRIFFIN: But everyone wants to call and talk to Ted Danson. And you can call and you can help. And it's easy.

And it can be a $10 donation or anything.

DANSON: Thank you so much, so sweet.

People are calling from all over the country, making donations, and showing people in that area that they care.

GRIFFIN: And we do. And we care. It's a Gulf problem, but it's also a global problem. And we're back to you, Larry. Thank you so much.

KING: Thanks, Kathy.

We will be checking back with Kathy Griffin and Ryan Seacrest and all the rest. Tons of people involved, you don't see them behind the scenes, doing one thing, trying to help their fellow man. You see the information at the bottom of your screen. Please help now. Tim and Faith are live from Nashville next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I don't know what my grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to be doing in the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 47 years old. Who is going to hire me? Yesterday was the first day I ever took a physical to get a job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How would you sleep at night when you know you lot of your livelihood? And I got kids to feed, and -- and I don't know what I'm going to do next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Want to do yourself a great favor? Help someone else. You never feel better than when you help someone else.

Our friends Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been helping their neighbors in Nashville. They are suffering from the aftermath of terrible floods there. In fact, a benefit concert is tomorrow night. And they are taking time out from those preparations to be with all of us to lend a hand to others.

Tim, the Gulf disaster, I know, hits close to home for you. You are a Louisiana boy, right? How is this affecting you?

TIM MCGRAW, MUSICIAN: I am. I grew up in North Louisiana, but I spent a lot of summers down in South Louisiana and spent some time on Grand Isle as a kid catching crabs.

And, you know, it's devastating. It's such a beautiful part of the country, an important part of the country. The seafood there, the people, the culture, it's just something that is just a fantastic place. Anybody that's ever been down there will tell you that it's some of the finest people you will ever meet down in South Louisiana. And they will give you their shirt off their back.

And they're in trouble. It's different when, you know, you have hurricanes and you're used to hurricanes, and you can't stop a hurricane. But you can stop something like this from happening. When something that's manmade happens like this, it's just -- psychologically, it's got such a terrible impact on a community.

And it's just so devastating to see this happen. And generations and generations and generations of people have made their living on the Gulf there. It's -- it's just heartbreaking.

KING: Now, Faith, you are a Mississippi girl. And it's affecting your old state. You keep in touch with people there?

FAITH HILL, MUSICIAN: Oh, yes. I actually spoke to my oldest brother there today.

I was raised in Star, Mississippi. That's a couple of hours from the coast. My parents are still in Star. My oldest brother is there.

But we spent a lot of our childhood on the coast of Mississippi, Alabama and Pensacola, that entire area, Pensacola, Destin -- Louisiana, all of it. We have been down the entire coastline.

And it's heartbreaking. It's more than heartbreaking. It's life-changing. And we just thank you so much for hosting this special tonight and this telethon to bring in more awareness and money, because I know there's a lot -- a lot of people who need just the bare necessities to get by on a day-to-day basis down there right now.

So, thank you, Larry.

KING: I want to thank you both very much. I know you are both preparing. You have got a big concert tomorrow night to help the flood victims in Nashville. And thanks for taking time out for this.

HILL: Yes, absolutely.

MCGRAW: Thank you, Larry.

KING: Two great people, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

Back over to the social suite and Ryan Seacrest -- Ryan.

SEACREST: Yes, they were talking about Destin there. I remember growing up as a kid spring break and summer, the Panhandle. So, this is very important tonight.

You can see the celebrities (INAUDIBLE) typing away. If you want to talk to the stars here, it's #CNNHelpGulf on Twitter. And we're also on Facebook.

Deepak Chopra, he's multitasking.

You got a screens working back here. What are you up to?

DEEPAK CHOPRA, AUTHOR, "REINVENTING THE BODY, RESURRECTING THE SOUL": Well, on my cell phone, Facebook, on my iPad, with LinkedIn, we have a collective creativity group.

SEACREST: LinkedIn, yes.

CHOPRA: If you to LinkedIn.com, you can get to a collective creativity group, which is basically asking you how can we help the people affected by the current disaster in the Gulf. Let us come together collectively to create more proactive solutions and innovations to prevent these problems.

And, in the meanwhile, go to Twitter, everywhere else, and make donations to these three organizations.

SEACREST: Make donations. Tell us your stories.

Ron Artest, world champion Laker, what are you seeing?

RON ARTEST, NBA PLAYER: Well, a lot of people -- my main thing, I got four kids, so I don't know the detail and everything that happened, but you watch it on TV. So, my main thing is, like, what does this hold for the future of the kids?

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: Exactly. And this is about helping today, helping now.

Jenny McCarthy is with us. What have you found?

JENNY MCCARTHY, ACTRESS: Well, the consensus is everyone is really pissed off.

SEACREST: To put it frankly, yes?

MCCARTHY: But the last one I just got was from PinkJGO7140C (ph) that said, "I wish you and Ryan would have a baby and give it to me."

So...

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: Larry, you got any space at the desk?

(LAUGHTER)

SEACREST: Back to you.

KING: We will name it Louisiana.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: We will check back with Kathy, Kathy Griffin, in a minute.

Leave it to Ms. McCarthy to -- but you are helping people. And you can help in a number of ways. We have got some terrific items up for grabs through your charity buzz auction, Ron Howard's autographed script from "The Da Vinci Code," a signed jersey from LeBron James, to name just a couple. All you got to do is go to CNN.com/LarryKing, and ante up.

Sting and Robert Redford are on the way, Ted Danson, too. That's all coming up next. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JACK JOHNSON, MUSICIAN: Hello, my name is Jack Johnson. We're on tour here in Europe right now.

But, real soon, we're going to be coming home and we're going to be playing some shows in the states down near the Gulf Coast, and we're going to doing everything we can to raise money to alleviate some of the pain that the families and the wetlands and the wildlife that live within them are going through right now.

And just want to encourage everyone out there to do the same thing. Every little bit makes a big difference. So, go ahead and contribute what you can. Mahalo. Thanks a lot. We will see you guys soon.

KING: Thank you again. You're helping other people. Please help the people and the wildlife in the Gulf, innocent victims. The information is at the bottom of your screen.

Soledad O'Brien is back with us from Pointe a la Hache. She's got some guests with her -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, Byron Encalade is joining us. He's the president of the Louisiana Oystermen Association, also Keillen Williams. He's a shrimp fisherman. They join me now.

Let's begin with you, Byron.

Tell me a little bit about the history of black fishermen in Louisiana. Really centered here dating back to the late 1700s, right?

BYRON ENCALADE, PRESIDENT, LOUISIANA OYSTERMEN ASSOCIATION: Yes, we have been here from the plantations to everywhere else, with the Native Americans. And we have just always been here.

You know, and our lifestyle is, you know, fishing, farming, and that's all we have ever done.

O'BRIEN: When you took me out into the bayou today, we saw the place where freshwater is being pushed in. Why is that such a problem?

ENCALADE: Well, they are pushing the oil out and the freshwater is, of course, killing off the oysters. So, we are caught in this middle zone where...

O'BRIEN: Like a rock and a hard place.

ENCALADE: Rock and a hard place.

O'BRIEN: So the oil hasn't come to the shore yet and to do that you have got to put the freshwater in, which, in turn, kills the oysters anyway.

ENCALADE: Right.

Keillen, you have not been working since the oil spill really. How have you been making ends meet?

KEILLEN WILLIAMS, SHRIMPER: We aren't. Actually, right now, we're BP-dependent. We wait on checks from BP every month, from which I haven't received the second one yet. But we can't do anything until either they hire us or -- or I don't know what else to do.

O'BRIEN: You have a family. I met your daughter a little bit earlier.

Do you feel like BP is hearing you? Do you feel like they're reimbursing your losses?

WILLIAMS: I don't think they are reimbursing mine as quick enough -- quick as they supposed to. I have my own African-American shrimp brand, the only one, and it's not selling due to the oil spill.

So -- and I'm hearing problems with other fishermen receiving their pay on time. And their bills are behind. So, I don't think they are responding fast enough. O'BRIEN: Did you both lose a lot in Katrina?

ENCALADE: Five boats.

WILLIAMS: Five boats?

ENCALADE: Five boats. And, I mean, it's devastating. That's one of them right behind us, redone.

O'BRIEN: That boat right there?

ENCALADE: Right there.

O'BRIEN: So how hard has it been to rebuild your life after Katrina took almost everything?

ENCALADE: It was tough. It was real tough. And you stood for a long time debating whether it was really even worth it. But this was our life. We don't know how to live anywhere else.

And, so, you have no other choice. You go back to doing what you do best, and that's fishing.

O'BRIEN: How is this disaster and the response different or the same as Katrina?

WILLIAMS: Because here we are, minority, African-American fishermen, African-American community, and still left out, left behind.

Byron here is the only voice we have. Thanks to him, you guys are here. So, we appreciate that. But I -- if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have a voice.

O'BRIEN: Well, Byron, I thank you for talking with us this evening, Keillen as well.

We wish you the best of luck. We hope that you get some relief soon.

Well, Larry, this, obviously, is a typical conversation we have been having with a number of the fishermen out here. Kind of stuck. Tomorrow, they will get to go out with the BP boats, do some cleanup. But it's not the same, obviously, and not making as much money as if they were out there fishing.

KING: Thanks, Soledad.

And that's why you should help.

Let's check back in with CNN's Kyra Phillips in Grand Isle, Louisiana -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Larry, I've been talking to so many people throughout the afternoon into the evening. And this is just a perfect example of all the people that are being affected here in Grand Isle. Fishermen, shrimpers, head of the fishing rodeos in this area. Also, Nao Phan (ph), the perspective of the Vietnamese fishermen. But Dean Blanchard, I want to start with you. What has been the most heart-wrenching part of what's happening here for you to have to witness, suffer, go through?

DEAN BLANCHARD, SHRIMPER: Well, basically it's watching the animals, the fish, the bird and all of them see what's happening to all of them and see what's happening to our waters over here. A lot of times I've seen a lot of tough, tough men break down and cry in the last two months. It's unbelievable.

PHILLIPS: And, Archie, you mentioned that as well. Just seeing the heritage as you put it start to die. I mean, this is where you grew up. This is where you work. This is your livelihood. What's been the toughest thing for you throughout all this in the 60-plus days?

ARCHIE DANTIN, FISHERMAN: Well, like I said, the toughest thing I see is losing a way of life that we had down here for generations and generations. And it's -- people love to do what they do down here. They love to shrimp and they really love being out on the water. I mean, a lot of guys do this because they just truly love it. And that's the sad part about it all.

PHILLIPS: Bob Sevin, something interesting about you. You were in the oil industry for years. And you finally quit because of things you observed with regard to chemicals. And now you spend your whole life trying to save the fish.

BOB SEVIN, FISHERMAN: Absolutely. It's called invisible death. And that's what's going on out there. The dispersant that they're using is sinking the oil. And now the dispersant is affecting the fish but it's the oil that's getting in their gills. If they would let the oil float to the top and skim it, we'd be in a lot better shape than sinking it like they're doing now. And I have preached that and preached that but for some reason I'm not getting across to enough people. But, yes, I've seen it. My own experience. I used to sell that stuff.

PHILLIPS: You did. And now --

SEVIN: Not anymore.

PHILLIPS: Not anymore.

SEVIN: Not anymore.

PHILLIPS: Nao Phan (ph), quickly. We've got to head back to Larry, but you're seeing Vietnamese fishermen that don't speak the language totally confused out there, throwing catch back because they're afraid of the repercussions.

NAO PHAN (ph): Yes. A lot of these fishermen, the language barrier is the biggest problem for them. And with this closure that moved from day-to-day basis, it's hard for them to see whether they need to go catch their shrimp. And if they get caught which there, you know, there's something wrong, they make them throw it overboard. So that's the biggest problem for them right now. And they're afraid.

KING: And Larry, as I talk to these business owners, these locals, these folks that have grown up here, I thought for sure when I said where would you want to see the money raised tonight go, I thought for sure they would all say, well, my business. I want it to go right into my business. But they said the marshlands, the beaches, the environment, the wildlife. That's what's moving these guys in many cases even more than just what's happening to their pocketbooks.

KING: Thanks, Kyra. Let's check in with Kathy Griffin at the phone bank. What's happening there, Kathy?

KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIAN: You know, Larry, sometimes the easiest way to help is to do a simple text. So you can text united to 50555. You can text coast to 50555. Text nwf to 20222. We're here with Pete Wentz. Pete, are you a texter?

PETE WENTZ, MUSICIAN: I am.

GRIFFIN: Would you text a donation?

WENTZ: I absolutely would.

GRIFFIN: Because it's simple, yes?

WENTZ: It's very easy to do. I would pull over to the side of the road.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

WENTZ: Don't text and drive.

GRIFFIN: Exactly. We've made a pledge to Oprah.

WENTZ: Yes.

GRIFFIN: All right. Let me go talk to Timmy. Timmy, I know you're on the phone again. But tell me about the surfboard. You surfed in the Gulf Coast, correct?

TIMMY: Well, can you hold on one second? We're on TV.

Yes, we just did a music and surf film tour and I was just in Corpus Christi and Pensacola before the oil came to shore and --

GRIFFIN: And you're going to auction it off, correct?

TIMMY: Yes, that's the least I could do.

GRIFFIN: Good for you. Back to Larry. Thank you so much.

KING: Thanks, Kathy.

We're a trending topic on Twitter. Thanks, everyone. Cameron Diaz, performance from Sting all ahead. Don't go away. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a domino effect. It's affecting all of us. My father, my grandfather. They were all fishermen. It just breaks my heart every day. You know, sometimes you have nightmares at night. My nightmare starts when I wake up in the morning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON DIAZ, ACTRESS: We keep hearing the oil disaster spill in the gulf never should have happened. But it did. And seeing what's going on there makes me sad and mad and sick at heart. And I know that you feel that way, too. So I am asking you to take those feelings and act on them. Do something to help the gulf right now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But right now.

Make a donation to this telethon. Volunteer your time to environmental or community service. Start making a change in the way you live. What you buy. What you drive, what you eat. You can make a difference. You can help prevent a terrible tragedy like this from ever happening again. But you can't just sit there. You've got to do something. I'm going to say thanks to you in advance because I know that you will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Well said. In 35 minutes, we've raised over $200,000. Thanks. Keep the calls coming.

Sting, my buddy, is helping the people of the gulf tonight with a special performance. Here he is with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra from his Symphony City world tour. It's Sting performing "Fragile."

STING SINGING "FRAGILE": I want to dedicate this next song to all the people in the gulf who have lost their livelihoods because of this terrible oil spill. All the animals, all the birds we're losing, and to remember that our ecology is very fragile. And without -- without an ecosystem there are no economics. There's nothing left.

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one, drying in the color of the evening sun. Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away. But something in our minds will always stay. On and on the rain will fall.

Perhaps this final act was meant to clinch a lifetime's argument. That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could. For all those born beneath an angry star, lest we forget how fragile we are.

On and on the rain will fall like tears from a star like tears from a star. On and on the rain will say how fragile we are, how fragile we are. KING: Ian Somerhalder and Philippe Cousteau remain with us. We're joined here on the panel by Ted Danson, the Emmy-winning actor, long time environmental activist and member of the board of directors of Oceana, and Deepak Chopra, the spiritual teacher who was working with the Twitters before.

Ted, what's your reaction to this and what we're doing here? Because BP is promising $20 billion.

TED DANSON, ACTOR: Right. I -- first off, what's important is that it may take awhile for that money to filter down to people who need it immediately. And these three organizations are about getting money and your generous donations are about getting money there now when people need it, when they're losing their rents and their livelihoods and where animals are dying because they're not being taken care of. So this is brilliant what people are doing. And I'm so glad I was part of being on the phone bank because you can hear people's emotion, their fears, their sadness. And they're so sweet to be doing this.

KING: Why is it so important to you?

DANSON: I've been doing this for about 23 years. And one of the first times I was on your show --

KING: I know.

DANSON: -- I was talking about no more offshore oil drilling. You know, pump the wells you've got. But no more new offshore oil drilling because the risks, as we see, are way too high and the benefits are not that big.

KING: Deepak, as someone who talks about the sanctity of life and loving life, doesn't this disappoint you when man -- this is man made?

DEEPAK CHOPRA, SPIRITUAL TEACHER: Well, we have to recognize that the oceans are our circulation. They're not only the circulation of the planet and 70 percent of the planet is ocean. We call it planet earth, but it's planet ocean, recycles as our own circulation. What we do to it, we do to ourselves. So what you've done today is remarkable because you've harnessed the collective compassion, the collective intelligence --

KING: Well, a lot of people here have done it.

CHOPRA: Yes, well, I think CNN in general, but, you know, you've got Twitter, Facebook. On LinkedIn, we have a special site called "collective creativity group." And what we are saying to people is, raise -- we are raising money, but raise ideas as well because there's so much creativity, so much love, so much compassion. We harness that globally through CNN, through Facebook, through Twitter, through LinkedIn. We have to look at long-term solutions.

Our planet is sick. Our ocean is sick. We need a Manhattan-like project right now. Emergency to heal the planet. KING: Ian, do you think it's a tough sell?

IAN SOMERHALDER, ACTOR: Is what a tough sell?

KING: The gulf.

SOMERHALDER: It is in a way in which I think that we could all agree it's hard to get people to understand that we are so connected to the ecosystem. A lot of the nutrients that came out of that, I grew up on, have made me the person who I am. However, with a disaster like this, which is essentially man made, aid tends to come slower by virtue of the fact that you not dealing with just obscene amounts of human death and catastrophe. It's a slow-moving, very sort of hidden beast but it's down there.

KING: And by the way, call in and talk to our celebrities. Remember, you choose the charity or you can have your donations split between the United Way, the Nature Conservancy, and the National Wildlife Federation. Robert Redford is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help." The celebrities in our New York and Los Angeles phone banks are waiting to talk to you.

Joining us now from Sundance, Utah, a man who has been way ahead of the curve when it comes to protecting the environment. Robert Redford, member of the board of trustees of the National Resources Defense Council.

Robert, what are your feelings as you've seen this tragedy?

ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: Heartbreak. Frustration, because I think it was avoidable. Had somebody been connecting the dots and ignored the propaganda that was coming out of the company and the consequence of the collusion between government, people in Congress and the oil companies that has been going on for decades, we would have seen this thing coming. It wouldn't have been a question of if it was going to happen, but when. Because if you add up all the other disasters, you had Exxon, you had Santa Barbara, you had BP in Texas. You've got the Amazon with Chevron and Texaco. You had Britney (ph). You had Nigeria. I mean, there was enough along the road that countered their point about we're safe. We've got it all figured out. It's going to work. So now we get to a place where they don't know what to do because they weren't prepared. They took shortcuts because I think money -- profits drive the decision-make with that company. So it was predictable they'd take shortcuts to get us into this.

Had we connected the dots, we would not have bought the propaganda that says oh, we're safe, we're fine, and so forth. So it just makes me feel heartsick that we couldn't. But I think we have an opportunity now for a solution. I'm just sorry it's coming out of such pain for the people in the gulf.

KING: Robert, you worked in the oil fields as a teenager. How do you feel about the ordinary people who work there?

REDFORD: Yes.

KING: It's not their fault.

REDFORD: Well, I feel the same way I did with the -- not their fault. The oil company I worked for, the Standard Oil then. It's now -- it went to Chevron. People in the company, the employees, they were good people. They are still good people in these companies. My dad worked in the lower end of the accounting division, and I was in the labor in the oil field.

All of us were glad to have a job. It paid well. But I'm not sure all of us were prepared to see some things I saw that were disturbing. So I don't fault the people because, look, you got to have a job. What are you going to say, gee, I'm against the job I've got and then face not having a job at all? I'm sympathetic to that. But I think we have to look beyond and what, how can we take this disaster which is still going on, by the way. They haven't fixed it yet. I'm not sure they even know how yet.

The administration is caught off guard because they had bought the song for so many decades. Now, they're trying to scramble to take a leadership role. So while that's going on, I'm kind of focused on connecting the dots about how we got here and what's the solution. I'm kind of more focused on what I think the solution could be for this disaster.

KING: You're a great man. Robert Redford.

Let's check back now with Ryan Seacrest for a quick update on the money we raised -- Ryan.

SEACREST: We're in the social suite. And last we talked, we were at about $200,000. That went to $208,000. The Dallas-based private investment bank Allegiance Capital Corporation donated five grand a few minutes ago. Then the Bartee (ph) Charitable Foundation donated $25,000. Then, of course, we had that bing tweet at the beginning of our telecast. That brings our total to about $240,000. That's about where we are now to do some quick math -- Larry.

KING: Thanks very much. Stan Bardy and the Bardy group. They're terrific.

SEACREST: They're 300. 300.

KING: We're now at $300,000.

SEACREST: Wait, 300.

KING: I had no idea what we would expect tonight to be frank with you because, I mean, it's not Haiti. You're not seeing people ravaged by an earthquake. We're not focusing on -- focusing on sometimes a little abstract. But $300,000 in 50 minutes ain't bad. We're going back to the gulf after this. Plus, we got lots more coming up in our second hour, including Justin Bieber. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up here. I went to high school here and lived here my whole life. It hurts. It's painful. It's painful for all of us who live here.

CAPT. BEN WILLIAMS, GRAND ISLE: I started coming here. It's like a walk, you know. And there's fishing ever since I was five. So, you know, 15 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was your big kind of dream to come out here and do this.

WILLIAMS: Yes, you know, I love it. I was making money fishing, you know. I didn't think there was anything better than that. Pretty much everybody, you know, commercial fishes. But a lot of big population of people that commercial fish that are out of business.

PATRICK SHAY: I've caught my red fish. I'm done crabbing. I've had a life full of experiences. So what about him? And what about everybody's children? This is not just ours. This is just ours for a little while. And it concerns me deeply.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does this mean not just for the marsh here, what does this mean for southern Louisiana? What does this mean for the gulf?

DEAN BLANCHARD, GRAND ISLE: I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. I can't stay here for 10 or 15 years and wait for my life to come back. How can you put your life on hold for 10 or 15 years? But you know, you would go crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's it doing to this community?

WILLIAMS: This community is going downhill. And it's just hurting a lot of people.

SHAY: These people are good people here. They're very proud people. It's just unbelievable that this is happening and that you're standing here talking to me about this. This is like -- I feel like I'm in a bad dream.

BLANCHARD: It makes you want to cry. I ain't going to lie. When I look at this, it's sad. It's very sad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're just a little over 50 minutes into this special two- hour edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Rob Marciano is in Gulfport, Mississippi. And he's got somebody he'd like us to meet -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi again, Larry. Yes, we're at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. This is an amazing facility. Behind me is where they hold the dolphins that they're rehabilitating. They only have one in there. It wasn't affected by the oil spill. So, there are some good news, but turtles they've had a tougher time. I want you to meet my friend, Moby Solangi. He runs this place. You've been doing it for many, many years. We're going to meet some of your patients here, Moby.

DR. MOBY SOLANGI, INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MAMMAL STUDIES: Hi, Rob.

MARCIANO: What kind of turtle is this?

SOLANGI: Rob, this is a Kemp's Ridley turtle. It's one of the most endangered species, so far. We've handled 194 turtles, 215 of them have been in Mississippi. We've had 41 that are alive and 20 of them with fish hooks.

MARCIANO: Can we see the back of them as far as the shell? That's just an amazing animal. You say this is a very rare species, but it's been one of the most affected by this oil spill it seems.

SOLANGI: That's correct. Most of the ones that have died are the Kemp's Ridley and the ones that are going to be brought in are the Kemp's Ridley.

MARCIANO: All right. So, we just kind of caught you, guys, in the middle of what - you're cleaning tanks here. You take out the turtle and scrub down the tank? What else is going on?

SOLANGI: They are in rehabilitation. The veterinarian has taken out the hooks. She's now weighing the animal. She's taking water quality tests, documenting what she has observed. How much weight it has gained from there, you know, we have like, I said, we have about 21 turtles we're taking care of. The ones that are right here, and these two small tanks --

MARCIANO: These have been oiled.

SOLANGI: That is a loggerhead. And that came from Alabama. It's less than one year old.

MARCIANO: Look at that guy.

SOLANGI: Yes. And it was covered with oil. So, he has now recovered. He's in rehabilitation. He was on antibiotics.

MARCIANO: How long has he been here?

SOLANGI: He's been here for about two weeks now.

MARCIANO: Oh.

SOLANGI: Let me show you another one. There are five species of turtle that are found in the Gulf of Mexico. They spend their adult life here and the Kemp's Ridley goes to Mexico to lay the eggs. So, it's a global issue. This is the hawksbill. This is again another threatened species.

MARCIANO: Can I touch his back? SOLANGI: Oh, sure.

MARCIANO: That is so cool. It's a slick but very, very textured shell there and just gorgeous. Gorgeous animal.

SOLANGI: And, rob, one of the things we're noticing that a lot of the turtles are coming closer to shore. It looks like they're reducing their habitat. And 20 out of the 21 have fish hooks in them. It looks like they're looking for food, and they are going and biting on the bait that the fishermen sitting on peers.

MARCIANO: So, they're kind of being pushed out of their habitat, and they're going towards fishermen, and it's going after their bait.

SOLANGI: That's correct. And they all have hooks in them, but they've all recovered. You know, their guts get torn up, their beaks get torn up. We have a great veterinary staff. We have a lot of good people that have been taking care of them. These are an important species. It's a critical habitat. These animals are part of a chain. When one of the links goes away, the chain breaks. So, the importance of turtles is as important as any other species.

MARCIANO: I'm glad you're holding that length together. You guys do fantastic work. Thank you.

SOLANGI: Thank you very much.

MARCIANO: We'll be highlighting, of course, throughout the evening. Larry, you know, birds and dolphins certainly get a lot of the play here. But I can tell you up close and personal, these turtles are just as cute and cuddly as those other animals as well. They need to be saved, too -- Larry.

KING: Thanks, Rob. Scott Songbird Selections has made a $50,000 donation to the National Wildlife Federation. And they are challenging others to do the same. Now is the time. Stay with us because we're coming back with Justin Bieber, Lenny Kravitz, Herbie Hancock, India Arie and more. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Welcome back to hour number two of "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help." We've had a terrific response from you in the past hour. We're asking for more. 1-800-491-Gulf. The neighbors down south really need it. So make yourself heard. The information is at the bottom of your screen. Keep our celebrity phones and those banks in New York and Los Angeles busy. Ryan Seacrest is back with us in our social suite. Let's first check in with our correspondents. Back to Anderson Cooper in Woldenberg park, New Orleans, Soledad O'Brien in point a la Hache, Louisiana, and Kyra Phillips in Grand Isle, Louisiana. Anderson, we're up well over $300,000. We had no idea how this could do tonight. I guess that's an encouraging sign if people are responding to a kind of difficult subject.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: It is a difficult subject. It's also kind of confusing because we all know BP is supposed to be footing the bill for this, and so, I think a lot of people are wondering, why are you trying to raise money if BP is the one actually that's going to be footing the bill. the problem is, you know Larry, it's just lag time. There are an awful lot of people who we have been talking to now for weeks, you know, who put in claims who are still waiting to be made whole by BP.

There are people who -- I mean, this was prime shrimping season. It was a cold winter. People said this was going to be the best shrimping season in a long time. Shrimpers lose money for much of the year. This is the time they make their money and so to have folks out of work to not be bringing in their livelihood. They are really hurting. There's a lot of people out there. You know, there are food banks. There are people needing to pay their rent, needing to pay their mortgages on their boats.

It is a really tough situation. And it is, as we have seen, BP is not up to the task at this point in terms of getting money to people in a timely manner and in an organized way.

KING: Thank you, Anderson. So well done. We're skirting bureaucracy here. You know, eventually, it may come, but when you call in tonight, you're helping it. And we mean now. This is help now. Let's check back in with Soledad O'Brien who is in point a la Hache, Louisiana. Soledad, we're not doing bad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: No, not at all. And people desperately need that help, Larry. There are an estimated 6,000 Vietnamese fishermen in their families and a one-mile radius of New Orleans east. So, that's about 90 minutes from where I am. We visited a relief center in New Orleans east and we saw folks, who for the last two weeks, every morning, the fishermen and their families trying to get help navigating the red tape, navigating the paperwork, sometimes, getting mental health (INAUDIBLE). For some folks, English is not their first language, and so, it's particularly confusing, particularly difficult.

They need help. They can sign up for food stamps as well. And in some cases, food is being handed out to them. These are people who are desperately in need of help. And of course, as you have pointed out all evening, any amount that you can donate helps. So, I know that it's very much appreciated -- Larry.

KING: Thank you, Soledad. Well said. Back to Grand Isle, Louisiana, and our buddy, Kyra Phillips. Kyra, we got another hour to go. Let's hope it keeps coming in. What's the situation there?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I tell you, Larry. It seems to -- I find -- bottom line, I'll just tell you. We've been talking so much about the pain, the suffering, raising money, the people here losing their livelihoods. And I just came across in the past ten minutes, a group of people, one woman in particular, who said there's something that we're not talking about and that is the faith of this community. There's actually a very active Catholic Church here in Grand Isle. And I've just learned what members of that church have been doing to try and help this community. The power of prayer, bottom line, Larry. You know, we talk about the power of what money can do to help people in a situation like this. We're going to give you a little different angle coming up in just a few minutes. And you're going to meet some folks that are very involved in making a difference in this community through their church, how they're volunteering, and how they're believing in their faith right now over everything else, Larry.

KING: Thanks, Kyra. We'll check back. Let's see what's going on with our phone bank in New York. Ivanka Trump. Thanks for helping us out, Ivanka. Out in the people of the Gulf, what's cooking in New York?

IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP: It's such an honor to be here. And we're all just so excited being able to speak to people who are so profoundly affected by what's going on in the Gulf. It's been humanizing beyond belief. And I've got a great group of people here who can tell you a little bit about their personal stories. So, Carrie Kennedy has been working the phones like a lunatic. What have you been hearing?

CARRIE KENNEDY, PRODUCER: Well, you know, people are really concerned about the animals, of course, and really concerned about the people there. And they want to know how they can help. They want to know how they can donate and also how to get involved politically and actively involved.

TRUMP: The generosity is so amazing. I've had numerous people call in, and they've donated to all three charities and are just doing so selflessly. So, it's amazing. Keep it up. I don't want to take you away from the phone for too long.

KENNEDY: One of the things that we're doing is trying to get people to petition President Obama to sign a legislative order that will make 100,000 green jobs in the Gulf Coast. So, we hope that people will support that. OK. Thank you so much.

TRUMP: Thank you so much. Aaron, how is it going?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My arms.

TRUMP: MVP over here. You've been working hard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this phone has been ringing off the hook.

TRUMP: So, who have you been speaking to?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody. They're all concerned about -- mostly they talk about the animals. People have been crying on the phone and all. But they've been giving money.

TRUMP: Well, thank you so much. Thank you, Larry, for allowing us to participate in this. It's great to be able to do something. Thank you.

KING: Ivanka Trump in New York. Thank you so much. Over to our social suite and Ryan Seacrest -- Ryan.

RYAN SEACREST, HOST: Thank you, Larry. It's interesting to look on Facebook as I'm doing now and see the individuals that are touched and affected by this. For example, this is Hannah who says my father lost his job. Karen, my 6-year-old daughter, Bailey, came home from school quite upset over the spill and hearing about the animals and the people who are affected. Matt, I'm a local fisherman whose job has been brutally impacted.

So, you know, through social networking, you get a chance to actually hear from people directly about their individual stories. Jenny McCarthy has been here for a little while, and I understand that you and Chelsea are going to donate $5,000 each.

JENNY MCCARTHY, MODEL: We are.

SEACREST: Good news. Let's take that to the world champion. $5,000.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chelsea, she already put me in on this. So, I guess I have no choice, but it's a good thing.

SEACREST: It's been a pressure cooker between Jenny and Chelsea over here.

Alyssa Milano has been here for the past hour. So, what have you seen on Twitter, Alyssa?

ALYSSA MILANO, ACTRESS: Actually, I just had one of my followers remind me that the litigation during Valdez after that oil spill sometimes took two decades to get into the people. And the Gulf does not have two decades. We need help now. Every single day, there are animals dying and people suffering. You know, the count I had a follower tell me just now the official count here is 957 dead birds, 47 dead mammals, and 387 dead sea turtles.

SEACREST: That's unofficial but coming in through Twitter.

MILANO: Correct.

SEACREST: And it's definitely an important story, and I'm glad that we're doing this tonight. Larry, you and I were talking earlier this morning on the radio about the reason for this. And you said it to me on the air. It's about right now.

KING: Yes. It's about right now. Over to our panel. Hey, she's joined our panel. Kathy Griffin. What got you involved in this?

KATHY GRIFFIN, ACTRESS: Larry, this is such a great thing that you're doing because I think people feel frustrated and they think they can't do anything. So, you, guys, are making it so simple, just go to CNN.com/impact. And I was upstairs with the phone banks, too. And people are getting emotional and they're crying. And Philippe, tell everybody why it affects more than just the Gulf Coast, why it's a global issue? PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, GRANDSON OF CAPTAIN JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU: I think, you know, when we look at the Gulf, certainly on a national scale, this is a heritage issue. This is a critical habitat for this country, for our economy, for seafood. But not only that, you know, when we were filming the field segments with your team, Larry, last week that we've been playing regularly on the program tonight, I was just walking along the beach in Alabama and I saw a young lady, beaches are closed, they can't go in the water, standing out, looking over the water and she turned to her mother and said, you know why can't -- mommy, why can't I get in the water?

I think that's a question that we have to ask all of us. Robert said it. Cameron Diaz said it. This is part of a bigger problem that we need to face in this country.

KING: Ian, you've done a public service announcement just for the brown pelican, right? What is special about that bird? Is that the Louisiana bird?

IAN SOMERHALDER, ACTOR: It is. It's the Louisiana state bird. And so you have this amazing association with this bird. This sort of very beautiful, almost like majestic creature. And they were on the endangered species list for quite awhile. And unfortunately, I think they'll probably go back to that.

KING: Kathy, it's going --

GRIFFIN: This will affect us emotionally, you know. We see these pictures of these birds. And I might sound silly, but we identify with these animals because we see them frozen in the water. And it's a kind of paralysis that we can't imagine. And will this tragedy affect the entire food chain?

COUSTEAU: I mean there's no question. There's no question.

GRIFFIN: The entire food chain?

COUSTEAU: Well, oil is toxic. Deadly toxic. One part per billion in the water column. And if you can see, it's a lot more in one part per billion. So, yes, it's not just the shrimp and the fish that we think about commercially. It's every animal and it will be going on for decades. "Exxon Valdez" still oil on the shore, still oil in the sand, 20 years later, this is going to be around for a long time.

KING: And you know the bureaucracy is going to take some time before any of that $20 billion --

GRIFFIN: I think it's bigger than the bureaucracy, isn't it? I mean, to me, it's bigger than Tony Hayward now. And it doesn't matter if he's the CEO. We all dislike him. We all know that. So, if this goes up the stream, then it affects the country and the world.

COUSTEAU: Gulf stream and then goes into the Atlantic all the way to western coast of Scotland, the arctic, everywhere. KING: Target has made a $50,000 contribution to the cause. Thank you target. The Dallas-Based Private Investment Bank Allegiance Capital Corporation just committed $5,000 to the National Wildlife Federation. We're urging all small business owners to match it. By the way, some of our celebrity guests have articles on our blog. Want to see them? Go to cnn.com/larryking to read them. While you're there, check out the items up for bid on our charity buzz auction. The legendary Dr. John is taking us out to the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Welcome back to "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help." Calls, mobile, text donations, they now equal $713,842. $713,842. Want to know why people need your help now? They're here to tell you in their own words. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. My name is Mark Bruno. I was born and raised right here in Arabi, Louisiana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Irene Avatar (ph), Community Center in st. Bernard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Janet Woodward (ph) from Baton Rouge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Wendy Pierre (ph) and I live in Shalmet, (ph) Louisiana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Shawn Mars (ph), and I'm from the city of New Orleans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Brian Joseph Ritter (ph), born in Merryville, (ph) Louisiana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The oil spill has devastated people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's destroyed people's lives. There's fishermen that's been doing this for hundreds of years in our parish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hurricane Katrina destroyed us. Now, seafood is destroying us. What's next?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people are out of work. The seafood industry is devastated right now. Oysters and shrimp and crabs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody comes from all over the whole world to eat seafood, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's what feeds my kids, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If that seafood goes away, they can kiss New Orleans goodbye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Millions of barrels of oil still out in the Gulf, and we don't know when it's coming in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They just need to get it out of here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, what are we going to do if this continues? We're going to all have to move again and leave?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People need help. Get this all cleaned up and try to get back to some kind of normalcy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The more that we offer is the more ways that we can help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for somebody to really help us get this back together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need help. We need help now. Not later. Now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help. I like the idea of help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Let's go to our L.A. phone bank upstairs and check in with Giuliana Rancic. Ryan Seacrest's partner in crime every morning. What's happening up there, Giuliana?

GIULIANA RANCIC, ANCHOR: Larry, a lot is happening, raising a ton of money up here. It's been very exciting. Jenny McCarthy just came up, and she's on the phone. Jenny, I ask who are you talking to. Who's that?

MCCARTHY: What is your name? Benny?

RANCIC: From where?

MCCARTHY: Betty. Where you from, Betty?

RANCIC: Benny- Betty (ph).

MCCARTHY: She's from Pittsburgh. Who did you donate to today?

United way. Thank you so much. You know, everyone is calling in. The gratitude on the phone is amazing. They are thanking me and it's like, no, thank you.

RANCIC: I know. you know, I was working the phones before, and I noticed that as well. So, many of people are thanking us, but it's really everyone out there who is playing their part, calling in. I had a woman, Michelle, actually from Pennsylvania called in just a little while ago, unemployed and donated $100 which isn't -- isn't easy to do for someone who's out of work right now. Let's check in here with Tyson from the All American Rejects. Tyson, I am so sorry to interrupt you.

TYSON RITTER, FRONTMAN, ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS: One second, ma'am.

RANCIC: What are people saying on the phone today, Tyson?

RITTER: She's wondering why it's taken so long to sort of react to this disaster. I think everybody is sort of asking the same question. Why is it taking so long? So, I don't know. We're working on it. I don't know what the sort of --

RANCIC: We're working on it. That's all you can say right now. And Chelsea Handler, my friend is here. Funny girl.

CHELSEA HANDLER, COMEDIAN: Hold on, Giuliana Rancic is interrupting me. What is it Giuliana?

RANCIC: Excuse me. What are people saying, Chelsea? You've been talking to a lot of people/

HANDLER: I know. I just got a whole history on the Gulf. And a man from Florida called in telling me all about his animals and what's going on down there and how scared everybody is. So, this is a good thing we're all doing. Everybody is chipping in.

RANCIC: I've noticed that. A lot of concern obviously for the people. A lot of people donating to United Way to help people who can't pay their mortgage, who have lost their jobs, but a lot of animal lovers out there tonight who are donating. Have you noticed that?

HANDLER: I think that's a thing -- I mean, not surprising, but it's really so upsetting to everybody, you know, because a lot of -- that comes into effect kind of after the fact. Everybody now is thinking about the animals and it's really scary, especially for anybody, you know, especially for a bevy of reasons. But, I mean, we have to think about the animals out there. Everybody needs to be thinking about animals.

RANCIC: That's right. Thank you, Chelsea. Put your foot down. All right. We are going to continue up here doing great work and continue this raising of donations as we're doing right now. So back to you.

KING: Thank you very much. Ian Somerhalder has a challenge to his fellow thespians.

SOMERHALDER: A challenge. You know, we're all here doing this. Every single one of us is donating. And I could ask and challenge every single person in this community, the entertainment -- the entertainment world, acting, writing, directing, music, anything, call us. We're all here doing this together. And I challenge you and I thank you. Please.

KING: And look who's joined us. Randy Jackson who is a Grammy- winning record producer. one of the judges on "American Idol." an actual man who knows and likes Simon. That's two. Anyway -- a little joke. But he was born in Louisiana. This is your state here.

RANDY JACKSON, JUDGE, AMERICAN IDOL: Yes. yes.

KING: How does it make you feel?

JACKSON: You know, very, very sad, Larry. I mean, it's just amazing that this has happened in the Gulf. (INAUDIBLE). You know, hanging now in the Gulf, the people in Grand Isle, all the great people down there. A lot of these people make their livelihood from all of this work in the Gulf. The shrimping, the fish, the whole thing.

GRIFFIN: And what about the psychological effect? What is it like for morale down there?

JACKSON: It's really tough I think, you know, because I think people are, you know, this is a catastrophe that could have been avoided. This is not, you know, this is a man-made kind of disaster, mistake, you know. And it just keeps growing and growing. And people are frustrated that nothing is really being done. It just keeps --

GRIFFIN: They keep saying unprecedented. But I think the kind of donations that you're listening here tonight are going to be unprecedented as well. That's look great. You, guys, are making it easy for people to donate.

KING: I have no idea what we would do.

GRIFFIN: It's fantastic.

KING: Harry Connick Jr. is ahead and so is Lenny Kravitz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY CONNICK, JR., SINGER: Hey, Larry. First, I want to say thanks to you and your team for hosting this incredibly important telethon to benefit and to educate people about the oil spill in the Gulf. I, for one, have been watching TV, reading the newspaper, trying to gather as much information as I can about what's going on, and from what I can see, this is truly one of the great tragedies that our country has ever endured. And my heart certainly goes out to all of the people in the Gulf Coast region.

I think we're a great country, and we're a resilient people. And this is certainly going to put all of that resiliency to the test. So, again, thank you for having me on. Please know that my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected in any way by that oil spill. And hopefully, we can put an end to it soon. Thanks a lot, Larry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Thank you so much, Harry. Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and musician, Lenny Kravitz, is doing his part tonight. He's a resident of New Orleans, and he joins us from that city with his concerns. What's this doing to you, Lenny, emotionally?

LENNY KRAVITZ, SINGER: Emotionally, it's very difficult, Larry, because -- excuse me. A boat is going by. It's emotionally difficult because I know so many of the people down here. I've been coming down here for 17 years, and I know a lot of these people firsthand. People that work on shrimp boats. That own boats. That fish for, you know, their living. And I've sat down with people that have lost everything. You know, their families are trying to figure out what to do. And you see and you feel the sadness and it's hard down here. It's really hard down here right now.

KING: Tell us about this Gulf aid all-stars and this ain't my fault recording. What's that about?

KRAVITZ: Well, the Gulf aid thing came through Sydney Torres and Steve Rehage who put this together. We did a concert down here right when the oil started spilling. And the recording was done very off the cuff one night. Most deaf rewrote the lyrics to "Ain't My Fault." And I got a call to come down and I said I'd play guitar. And I called my friend, Trombone Shorty, who is a local legend here already at his young age. He's a trombonist and trumpet player. And we put this track together with the Preservation Hall Band. And it's on iTunes. It's on their front page and people can purchase this tune and donate to this great cause.

KING: Thank you so much, Lenny. Philippe Cousteau, what do you think your grandfather would have thought, the great Jacques Cousteau.

COUSTEAU: You know, Larry, last week -- it would have been over a week ago now his 100th birthday. And, you know, he talked to me all the time growing up about how important it was to protect the environment. Not only for the environment but for the people who rely on it. That's really all of us. As Kathy said, this affects all of us around the world.

I think he would have been horrified and saddened by this, because at the end of the day, this is a symptom of a bigger problem, our dependence on fossil fuels. We just refuse to get off. I think that we have to remember that all of us have a role to play, both tonight in helping this -- ease the suffering from the short-term catastrophe that's so necessary. But as Cameron Diaz said, in the long run, too.

KING: We're just doing a small part, but it's a big part when you help. The people of the Gulf need the help. We're trying to get it to them as quickly and efficiently as possible. That's where you come in. Check the bottom of your screen and donate. Go to CNN.com/LarryKing. You can bid on terrific auction items from Brett Michaels, Drew Brees, "American Idol" and others. More after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is pretty moving. It's a heartbreaking thing to think that these beautiful animals are soiled basically to make our lives convenient and simple. So it's -- we all have a hand in this. So I think we all have a hand in cleaning it up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KING: Soledad O'Brien joins us again from Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana. She has some special guests with her. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: Larry, that's right. I'm joined by some Vietnamese fishermen. It's been interesting to see just how tightly knit this community is. Wa Tran and her husband Tran , and their son Andrew, is joining us. Andrew has been called back from school to help the family out. And Also Tahua is joining us as well.

Let's begin with you, Wah. First of all, how tightly knit is -- let me get this bug off your hair. How tightly knit is the Vietnamese community, not only in New Orleans, but really the whole fishing community.

WENDY TRAN, VIETNAMESE FISHERMAN: They are really tight. They all bonded together. They help each other out. English is second language to most everybody, all the Vietnamese in the community. And it's the language barrier. But they do help each other out.

O'BRIEN: Has that made things particularly difficult? We talked earlier about sort of navigating the paperwork and the forms and all of those things. Not speaking English necessarily as a first language has got to really be challenging.

W. TRAN: Exactly. They are frustrated. They -- like I said, they all bond together. They all help each other out. Whoever's English is better, that person will, you know, help them out. So it is frustrating trying to file a claim and trying to get assistant with the Food Stamp Program.

O'BRIEN: Tah, tell me about your experience. How hard has it been for you?

TAH TRAN, VIETNAMESE FISHERMAN: Very hard. Very difficult.

O'BRIEN: How is your family doing?

T. TRAN: Terrible.

O'BRIEN: How so?

T. TRAN: We don't know where we're going to get our next bill from.

O'BRIEN: Literally that bad?

T. TRAN: Literally that bad.

O'BRIEN: You've been a fisherman for a long time.

T. TRAN: 20 Years.

O'BRIEN: What do you do now?

T. TRAN: Nothing.

O'BRIEN: Literally nothing?

T. TRAN: Literally nothing.

O'BRIEN: Have you heard back from BP? Do you feel like they're at least answering some of your concerns?

T. TRAN: They are. They tell me you're on the list. Just wait.

O'BRIEN: You've brought your son Andrew back from college. He's dropped out to come and help the family. Your husband has been fishing for more than 30 years. You both came over from Vietnam more than 30 years ago. What kind of help do you need from Andrew?

W. TRAN: A lot of support. Especially financial-wise.

O'BRIEN: Too expensive for college?

W. TRAN: Exactly. And we don't know what's going to happen us to now or in the future, financial-wise.

O'BRIEN: Is uncertainty the worst thing?

T. TRAN: Definitely. Uncertainty is the worst thing. I don't know where I'm going to go from here.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for talking with us. We appreciate it. As you know, it's a telethon. We hope people will-your worries and concerns and reach out to help.

Larry, this is a situation not just for the folks here, of course, but many we talked to. That's the worst thing, not really knowing what the next step is. That makes the worrying all the worst.

KING: Thanks, Soledad. You are seeing the people you are helping. Let's go back to Grand Isle and Kyra Phillips is with someone. Kyra go ahead.

PHILLIPS: That's right. I'm with Tony and Marty Rabalaif. I've had to practice that name a few times. And, you know, I want to talk to you about work in just a second, Marty. But one thing, Larry, that I noticed about Tina, her Saint Medals around her neck. It's an important time to point out that there's a very important Catholic community here in Grand Isle. You've been volunteering. A lot of people have been volunteering, putting in time to try to help this community out. But also on a much broader scale, if you want to talk about the power of prayer right now, right, Tina?

TINA RABALAIF, WIFE OF BUILDER: Yes. We are now -- on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., here at Bridgeside -- and the first time we did it on the beach. Now we did it on the little fishing pier that's empty now. But it's an interfaith prayer service. And we invite everybody on the island to come and pray.

PHILLIPS: And tell me why you are doing -- I mean, you have always been a faithful community. But why so many more prayer sessions now? T. RABALAIF: Because there has to be hope. And you have to trust in Jesus. And -- which is part of my medal is the divine mercy. And miracles can happen. And, also, just to keep our faith to live day from day so we don't live in tragedy. We have to live in hope. And the Catholic Church has also adoration on Tuesdays now at 3:00, which -- to pray for this. And it's just not the Catholic Church, but the Baptist Church and the Methodist and Presbyterian. They're involved with the inter-faith prayer service. And we're having a camp next week. And we're actually -- we have separate camps, but we're actually doing activities together like a field trip with all the faiths.

PHILLIPS: Larry, I think the one thing that the Rabalaifs have made perfectly clear is that fear is the lack of faith, that the one thing these folks have been telling me all throughout the day and other members of the community, fear is the lack of faith. And I can tell you, after spending almost a full 24 hours here, that it is something that they are holding to very tightly right now.

KING: Thanks, Kyra. Justin Bieber is next. And then we'll check in with Ryan and meet our new panelists, Sam Trammell and Victoria Principle. Stick around and donate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: Hey guys, I'm Justin Bieber. The oil disaster in the Gulf has been a big problem. But every little bit can help. There's no such thing as being too young to pitch in. And this is urgent. What we do now can affect our future. You can donate money or time or anything to the groups that you've heard about on this show.

Check out Larry's website to find out details on what's going on and how you can help. And if you are part of the Gulf, send in videos to Youtube, post things on Facebook, Tweet, do whatever to let people know what's going on. Thanks for listening and thanks for doing anything you do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: I like him. I want you to meet Olivia Bowler. She's 11 years old, raised a whole lot of money by painting water colors of birds native to the Gulf of Mexico. She wants to do more. She's drawing a picture right now that will be auctioned off. The proceeds, of course, going to wildlife funds. Her efforts have generated contributions from many.

She joins us from New York. How much money have you raised, Olivia?

OLIVIA BOWLER, PAINTER: About 150,000 dollars.

KING: Really? Why do birds matter to you so much? BOWLER: Well, I've always had an interest in birds. They are so fascinating to me. And we need to preserve them. So it's why I'm here today.

KING: Are they difficult to paint?

BOWLER: No, they're not. At least for me.

KING: What about kids. What can kids do tonight?

BOWLER: Well, kids can definitely donate and tell their parents to donate. And definitely just try to come up with their own way to help like bake sales, the girl scouts and cub scouts and everything and try to organize things where people can donate a dollar and you can add it up. And I've actually had -- I did a presentation to my -- to a class, and a lot of kids then are inspired and ready to do those things.

KING: Olivia, 11 years old. Amazing. There are so many ways to help, leave it to kids to inspire the rest of us. Let's go back to Anderson Cooper. What's up, Anderson?

COOPER: Larry, I'm with Lizzette Smith. You're here with Mark. Also these are your niece and nephew. And what's the idea here? You are selling lemonade. How did this get started?

LIZZETTE SMITH, LEMONADE STAND FOR GULF: My nephew called me and said I want to do a lemonade stand and I want to give all the proceeds to the pelicans. We thought it was a great idea. He put a simple lemonade stand together, and it's been amazing. People have loved it and the response has been just unbelievable.

COOPER: You have a website which is --

SMITH: It's LemonAidForTheGulf.com. You can go on and buy shirts and read about all the places that we're going to be sending the money.

COOPER: Why did you want to do this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I'm good at selling lemonade and the pelicans are getting hurt by the oil. And besides, they're our state bird.

COOPER: How did you get good at selling lemonade?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did a -- I did a lemonade stand last year.

COOPER: Oh, OK.

COOPER: Well, it's a good cause. Thanks for doing it. What groups are you giving money to?

SMITH: We are doing Tri-State Rescue and Research, the Louisiana Wildlife Hospital and the Audubon Institute.

COOPER: It's LemonAidForTheGulf.com. Do you plan to keep this lemonade stand going?

SMITH: As long as people want to buy lemonade and do the t- shirts, we want to do it. Obviously, this doesn't seem to be ending any time soon. So we need all the support we can get.

COOPER: Thanks for all you're doing.

SMITH: We appreciate what you all are doing.

COOPER: We're going to have all the news at the top of the hour on "360." Internal documents from BP that show they may have had internal estimates of this oil spill as high as 100,000 barrels a day. We'll show you the documents ahead tonight on "360," Larry.

KING: Anderson Cooper, 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific, following our two-hour special.

Our panel now consists Ian and Philippe, joined by Sam Trammell, one of the stars of HBO's "True Blood." He has family in Louisiana and is an avid surfer. And Victoria Principal, the actress, entrepreneur, author, very active in civic and philanthropic affairs. Sammy, do they Surf in the Gulf?

SAMMY TRAMMELL, ACTOR: Only behind big barges.

KING: What's your interest?

TRAMMELL: Well, I tell you. One -- I don't know if anybody has talked about this, but we're losing about a football field every 38 minutes of wetlands just every day because of -- the Mississippi used to flood and release sediment there, but the levees have kind of built it up. And the oil is now going in and killing the grass. And I think a lot of people are concerned about that, obviously, because that's holding what sediment there is now.

KING: A football field every 38 minutes. Victoria, what -- you get involved in everything.

VICTORIA PRINCIPAL, ACTRESS: Well, no I get involved in everything about the environment, and how it affects the animals and the people. But I am involved because I'm a member of this planet. Larry, I just want to say, you've organized this tonight. I am overcome with the phone calls that I've received, not only from the southern states or the states that have been affected, but from all over America and Canada. People are reaching out from all over the world and saying that's the one bright spot in this, is we're waking up. We're all connected. We all live on this planet. If this is happening there, it affects all of us because we're all in pass.

KING: We're all in this battle together. If you look at the universe, it's a small little part of it, isn't it? Please help the people of the Gulf. Show your support by staying with us. We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My livelihood was from a teaspoon full of water to knee deep. I'm a commercial fishermen. And it put me out of business. Fly over it every day. Watch it on the news every day. They fly over, oil, oil, oil. We can't fight it.

(INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Before we check in with three of the representatives of the three charities we're helping tonight, and in turn helping so many others, let's check in at the -- oh, we're back at the social suite with Ryan Seacrest. Ryan?

SEACREST: We are on Facebook, as you can see. Ten dollars can create a clean habitat for 300 oysters. Lots of stars. Pete Wentz here whose wife said what?

PETE WENTZ, SINGER: She was going to make a generous donation if she could get a picture with Sam over there.

SEACREST: Sam over at the desk. We'll get that in a second. Nicole Richie, why your here tonight?

NICOLE RICHIE, ACTRESS: I'm here to help. Every little bit counts. It's important that everyone get involved.

SEACREST: Well said. Kathy, how is it going for you?

GRIFFIN: I'm get interesting feedback. One of them is saying it's not a natural disaster. Why shouldn't BP just pay for everything. I think this is beyond a financial solution, so we all have to help each other. We may be the ones that get us out of this more than the government or even big oil.

SEACREST: Excellent. Jalen, what's happening for you, buddy? Let's give us some love.

ROSE: I'm all good. A lot of people want to know how does this affects me? It affects you at the gas pump. It affects you at the supermarket in so many ways. So please call and donate.

SEACREST: Lots of support tonight. Biz Sonte, the creator of Twitter, is supporting us tonight. He is with us. Larry, we're at a total of over a million dollars in this telecast, in about an hour and 43 minutes so far. Thank you very much, everybody.

KING: Thank you, Ryan. I often wondered how this would do. Let's meet the three organizations, the people representing the causes you are supporting tonight. Dave Mizejewski is a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. Keith Ouchley is the Louisiana state director of the Nature Conservancy. And Randy Punley is a spokesman for United Way.

Dave, we done all right for you. A lot of people going to benefit.

DAVE MIZEJEWSKI, NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION: Absolutely. We really appreciate it. The wildlife needs our help. There's over 1,600 birds that have been already brought in. Most of them are dead. We're seeing sea turtles, marine mammals. And National Wildlife Federation is the search and rescue for the wildlife operations. We're also really focusing on restoring the coastal Louisiana wetland habitats that both the wild life and the people of the entire Gulf rely on.

KING: Keith, what specifically does the conservancy do?

KEITH OUCHLEY, NATURE WILDLIFE FEDERATION: The conservancy focuses on restoring and conserving the important vital habitats around the Gulf. Things like the salt grass marshes in the Gulf, we have 40 percent of those in the nation right here in Louisiana. The sea grass beds, the oyster reefs, they are so vital to all the species, and so vital to our economy here along the Gulf Coast.

KING: And Randy, United Way, that's the direct to people organization. Are you surprised at how apparently well this has done?

RANDY PUNLEY, UNTIED WAY: No, I'm not. People's generosity can never be underestimated. As Anderson said throughout the broadcast tonight, United Way's 211 help line has really seen a tremendous spike in the number of calls for people looking for help and assistance. Your support tonight will really help United Way meet emergency needs, as well as help the families and communities in long-term recovery here on the gulf coast. Thank you, Larry, for all you are doing for us tonight.

KING: Thank you. Thank all three of you. Terrific work. We're happy to cooperate with you. Back to our panel. Sammy, are you surprised with this response?

TRAMMELL: I think it's great. I -- upstairs, just talked to a fisherman from New Jersey who is completely empathizing. And he's concerned about, of course, the oil coming all the way up around Florida and going up there.

KING: It can go anywhere. What happens if a hurricane hits?

PRINCIPAL: Yes, I have thought about it, and I don't want to think about it, but I think we all do. That's what's so wonderful about tonight. This money is going to go to help not only what is happening but what may happen. But, once again, we all need to realize that we can't point the finger right now and waste time doing that. We need to act now. There will be years, decades, centuries to look back.

KING: And it's going to get there quickly.

SOMERHALDER: It is going to get there quickly.

KING: Thank heavens for that. SOMERHALDER: Yeah. Can I just say one thing really quickly. When I was in Grand Isle, there was one tiny part of the beach left. It was the most important part of the beach in Grand Isle, because it was the way it was 300 years ago. It was the last natural beach left there. And it was covered in oil. And all the marine mammal -- all the -- just everything was dead. So they need this cleanup to preserve these marshes. They can -- you know, they can plant all the grasses that will help prevent this and just thank everyone so much.

KING: Philippe, when your going back?

COUSTEAU: I'm flying back on the red eye.

KING: Tonight?

COUSTEAU: Tonight. Back down to Florida. Some fund-raising with Bobby Kennedy Jr. and meeting with Governor Crist. But I want to say, it's -- there's been a lot of doom and gloom tonight. As we saw, there's a lot of hope, too. A lot of people fighting for the Gulf. I don't want tit to be all negative. I thing the nation has rallied tonight to help support this catastrophe. We have a long way to go. As Victoria said, with hurricane season coming, a lot of terrible things. I'm really proud of America right now and what we've done.

KING: The phone lines are open until 2:00 a.m. Eastern time. There's still time to call and help. Do you want to say something quick?

PRINCIPAL: The reason we're having more hurricanes is because we weren't thinking in advance about how we treat this planet. It's a wake-up call on every level.

KING: A great performance coming from Herbie Hancock and India Arie. They're next. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need the people to be responsible. We cannot take chances when you are deal with the kind of pressures that this planet can produce. That's what you are dealing with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's so much that is at risk for being lost for a long time to come and maybe forever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want people to know how special this area is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The single biggest way that people can help the Gulf Coast is by visiting. Visiting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know this community well. I know that we are resilient. We will fight like crazy to come back and bring it back. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a tremendous confidence in the human spirit, the fact that humans are going to be able to solve this problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want you all to hang on to us, don't let go of us. We'll hang on to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Welcome back. You know, there are many people who are doing all kinds of things for our friends in the gulf. Your support for our efforts is greatly appreciated. We're not finished yet. Keep the calls coming. We're a trending topic on Twitter tonight. Ryan Seacrest is the most re-Tweeted person on all of Twitter. We'll go to him before we go up to his partner, Giuliana. Hey, Twitterer, Tweet, Twitterer. Talk, Tweet Twitterer.

SEACREST: I Tweet. You Tweet. We Tweeted.

KING: Who's that character that Twitter Tweets?

SEACREST: Larry king?

KING: No, cartoon character.

What? Tweety Bird. You're our Tweety Bird.

SEACREST: I'm your Tweety Bird. All right, we are here in the social sweet. I'm honored. This is a great night tonight. I grew up in Atlanta and vacationed in that area, spent many, many months and weeks in the Destin Panhandle area of Florida. This is important to me, as it is to many of you watching tonight. Pete Wentz is here on Twitter, Tweeting. What have you been Tweeting about recently, Pete Wentz.

WENTZ: A lot of people have been kind of writing me and asking why they should be donating money when it's a corporation that's involved and it's big government. I want to say that this is a crisis that's affecting everybody, and we need to address it immediately. Anything that anyone can do is really important. We should come together and show our greatest and be hopeful now.

SEACREST: Absolutely, Pete. Thank you very much. Those who are just flipping us on may find it odd that Kathy and I are on your screen together. I can keep a seat between us. Apparently, I'm in your act. So this is strange.

GRIFFIN: I'm actually getting a lot of Tweets about the fact that you and I are in the same room. And I said, if I can be in the same room as Ryan Seacrest, you can donate. We're changing lives.

(CROSS TALK)

SEACREST: Which -- by the way -- which -- we'll take five (ph), that's cool. All right, thank you.

And listen, you've been here for the entire telecast. Anything else to add this evening?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to help out, because I think, like so many people, you sit at home and you see the videos and you see the images, and you feel completely helpless. And I thank CNN and Larry King for giving everyone in this country an opportunity to actually do something. Because I know it's been hard for everyone.

SEACREST: Absolutely. On this platform here, in the U.S. and around the world. And Larry, you said the phone lines will stay open until about 2:00 a.m., right?

KING: 2 a.m., that's right. We have got a minute more to check in with your partner, Giuliana, who is upstairs at the phone bank there. Giuliana, you want to give us a quick report?

RANCIC: Absolutely. Thousands of calls coming in. And we're just so thankful that people are calling in. And, Jenny, what are you hearing tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, everyone's donating to all three organizations, which I thought was pretty awesome. But the majority for me all came in from Pittsburgh.

RANCIC: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I was like, you go, people in Pittsburgh! It was pretty awesome.

RANCIC: Thank you, Pittsburgh.

And Gavin Rossdale is joining us now too.

GAVIN ROSSDALE: (inaudible), you're live on CNN.

RANCIC: Who are you talking to, Gavin?

ROSSDALE: Who am I -- what's your name, darling? Kathy? I'm talking to Kathy.

RANCIC: Very good. And what have you been hearing tonight, Gavin?

ROSSDALE: I've been hearing about how Larry has moved all these people to give this money.

RANCIC: Yes.

ROSSDALE: And this lady's giving to wildlife. She cares about the animals.

RANCIC: Absolutely.

ROSSDALE: So it's a beautiful thing.

RANCIC: Yes. Well, thank you, Gavin, and thank you for coming. And thank you to everyone here for coming, and especially thank you to all of you at home who are calling in and donating tonight. It means so much. And every single dollar counts. So thank you all so much.

KING: There's a wonderful website called wisdomculture.com, music and programs. They help the oil spill and the environment as well. So many people helping. And we did our small part here tonight.

If you haven't been inspired to pick up the phone and call us, we hope our next guest will do it for you. Herbie Hancock and India.arie are here. You will not want to miss this. And as we go to break, we want to thank Dr. John for joining us.

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KING: Kevin Costner's on our show tomorrow night. Joan Rivers on Thursday. Meanwhile, we want to thank all of our guests, especially all of you. At a time when money is tight, we know you sacrifice for others. We appreciate your generosity and concern.

Here are Herbie Hancock and India.arie and their rendition of "Imagine."

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KING: Our total so far, $1,329,235. Thank you, and remember, you can still donate online, and the phones are open until 2:00 a.m. Eastern. "AC 360" starts right now.