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Interview with Neal Boortz and Mike Luckovic; CNN Uses New Microphones

Aired July 28, 2004 - 13:30   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a long way from Crawford to Boston, in so many ways. While the president kicks back on the ranch, the Democrats are busy trying not to kick up dust at the convention -- Miles?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right...

PHILLIPS: You're taking it from here.

O'BRIEN: I think we're going to introduce these gentlemen together. These guys are so good, it takes two anchors to introduce them.

Joining us from high above the FleetCenter, up there in the nosebleed seats, a couple of guys who are -- well, one of them is fleet of mouth. That's Neal Boortz. The other is pretty quick with a pen -- Mike Luckovich.

And they've got those moles on their face. Are you guys OK? Right? Everything all right?

NEAL BOORTZ, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Miles, I've got to tell you, the first time I saw these in my hotel room, I thought, good grief, that anchor has a zit. But they're actually quite comfortable.

O'BRIEN: It's the latest in technology. Gentlemen...

BOORTZ: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: ... good to have you both with us. Hey, I heard a rumor that John Kerry did some service in Vietnam. Have you heard about that at all this week there?

BOORTZ: I didn't -- I didn't know about it until today.

O'BRIEN: There you go.

BOORTZ: I was completely clueless that he had ever been in Vietnam until just this morning when I got a news release.

O'BRIEN: All right. Mike Luckovich...

MIKE LUCKOVICH, EDITORIAL CARTOONIST: I'm glad it's getting out now, though.

O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. Now, is this something -- a little inspiration there when that ferry is kind of crawling across Boston Harbor? The siege of Boston or something?

LUCKOVICH: You know, I think they should have had like gunfire, you know, with blanks or something, just to add a little more excitement to this convention. It's been kind of a -- I don't know about you, Neal, but I've been suffering.

It's -- you know, normally the Democrats are just all over the place. And they're so unified that all the cartoonists are bitching because there's just nothing interesting, other than -- other than Teresa Heinz and her "shove it" comment.

O'BRIEN: Ah, the "shove it" comment.

LUCKOVICH: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Now, let me -- I know you have a cartoon to show me this, but I want to ask, while we get the cartoon ready, Neal...

BOORTZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: ... what -- your callers, all over the nation now, because you're syndicated -- well, really, all across the universe, if you think about it -- but syndicated all across the nation. What are people saying about the show so far there?

BOORTZ: Well, it's interesting. It's -- three complete days of shows here now. I don't know how many guests. Every single guest, thus far, every one of them, has talked about how bad George Bush is. I've got one day left, Miles. I'm waiting for one guest, one Democrat, one representative, one delegate, one DNC official to sit down -- are we supposed to stand right now? -- to sit down and tell me how great John Kerry is.

LUCKOVICH: And -- but you know that at the Republican convention, there's probably not going to be a lot of Republicans that are singing Kerry's praises. So, I mean, you know, it's a convention...

O'BRIEN: ... that's how it works, Neal...

LUCKOVICH: ... for crying out loud.

BOORTZ: I want a fight. I want a fight here. I want to see something happening. But this is a coronation. This is the senior prom.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it is. And you could say it's been homogenized into utter -- well, it's virtually catatonic at times. Let's get...

BOORTZ: Just a bit.

O'BRIEN: Let's get the cartoon -- this is a good cartoon, Mike. And I wouldn't just say that to you because you're here with us.

LUCKOVICH: Thank you. Yes, you would, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, yes, all right, yes I would, because you're here with us. The "shove it" line, which of course didn't happen...

LUCKOVICH: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: ... in Boston. Here we go.

LUCKOVICH: Yes, yes. This was my cartoon on that. I've got John Kerry saying to Teresa, "Teresa, remain on message. Don't say "shove it" again." And she says, "OK."

The second panel, she's taking to a reporter and she says, "Bite me."

O'BRIEN: That's good strategy. All right. Any other inspiration that you've had there, in spite of the fact that the convention's been a bit on the lackluster side?

LUCKOVICH: Yes, you know what? One of the great things for me, I was -- I was happening by the talk radio row where Neal is, and I happened upon Al Franken and Sean Hannity going at it. And it was so great because it was unscripted, and it was on Air America on Al Franken's show.

And it was -- you know, there wasn't a lot of love. But - and they were insulting each other. And when Al Franken would say something funny, Sean Hannity would say, "Well, that's funny, Al." And when Al Franken would say something that wasn't funny, Sean Hannity would say, "Well, that's not funny."

And Al Franken says, "Hey, listen, if it's funny, just laugh. If's not funny, don't laugh. Don't label everything." You know, but by the end of it, they were hugging each other. And Sean Hannity...

O'BRIEN: No.

LUCKOVICH: ... Sean Hannity started weeping. And he was saying, "You know, Al, you're right. I've been wrong all along." So, that was special.

O'BRIEN: That's a moment. That's a moment. Those things don't happen on your show, Neal Boortz. It's...

BOORTZ: I didn't see that. You know...

LUCKOVICH: It may not have happened exactly like that.

BOORTZ: And then, Al Franken is following me down a hallway today barking at me like a rabid Shitzu...

LUCKOVICH: I saw that.

BOORTZ: ... over something that I -- you saw that, didn't you?

LUCKOVICH: I saw that. I saw that, and I...

O'BRIEN: This really happened?

LUCKOVICH: ... thought -- yes.

BOORTZ: Yes.

LUCKOVICH: I actually did a cartoon on it. You don't know this, Neal, but you know, I know that you guys do not get along that well. And so, I was drawing Neal...

BOORTZ: Uh-oh.

LUCKOVICH: ... and I did this one. This is just silly, but I've got Neal here. He's on talk radio row. And he's thinking to himself, "Oh, my God, I think Al Franken smiled at me."

BOORTZ: And he was licking his lips, which is really making me nervous.

LUCKOVICH: So...

O'BRIEN: Well, I know -- go ahead, go ahead.

LUCKOVICH: Oh, I was just going to say, so the only reality, the only real type stuff I've seen is in Neal's neighborhood on the talk row area.

BOORTZ: We're having a great time on talk radio row, Miles, while you're back there in the staid, buttoned-up CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.

O'BRIEN: Yes, here we are here. But I've got to say, you've been doing your best to kind of, you know, make a story there, Neal.

BOORTZ: No, I've been trying to stir the pudding here.

O'BRIEN: Stir the pudding, whatever the case may be.

BOORTZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Keep the listeners all riled up.

I want to -- one thing you had today on your Web site, on -- it's at boortz.com. I'll put in the plug for you there -- Neal's news. The conspicuous absence of mikehael Dukakis. What about that?

BOORTZ: Well, I mean, they bring Jimmy Carter, and up until this convention, they wouldn't let Jimmy Carter in the same state as the Democratic National Convention. Then, they parade him out here on opening night.

But what about New England's own mikehael Dukakis. One of their great -- I think one of their better presidential candidates, also. So -- and by the way, if you went to my Web site today, you also saw the great picture of John Kerry in his bunny outfit, too, didn't you?

O'BRIEN: Ah, yes. Let's talk about that. Now, that has got to be inspiring political cartoonist -- Mike, you haven't done one yet on this. LUCKOVICH: No, that's -- I probably will do something. But you know, that's not really a fas paux. Actually, I saw Andre from OutKast. He's wearing the same outfit. It's taken on a hip-hop kind of edge to it now. So...

O'BRIEN: It's so square, it's hip.

LUCKOVICH: Yes.

BOORTZ: Well, Woody Allen wore the same costume in a movie one time, too.

O'BRIEN: You know, here's the interesting -- I've been talking to my pals at NASA about this: This stuff was not leaked. It turns out that the Kerry campaign asked for all these images and then distributed them to the media.

So, they didn't realize -- yes, I know you're slack-jawed...

BOORTZ: You're joking.

O'BRIEN: Yes -- yes, they let it out.

BOORTZ: You're joking. Well, we were talking this morning that the difference between the Dukakis tank picture and the Kerry bunny suit picture, being nice, is that in the tank picture, the campaign actually distributed that. And now you're telling me that the Kerry campaign has admitted the same thing?

O'BRIEN: You can run with it. I -- this is true, the folks at NASA, who are absolutely incredulous...

BOORTZ: Wow.

O'BRIEN: ... that it was leaked, because they set the whole thing up at the request of the Kerry campaign to distribute the images.

Mike?

LUCKOVICH: Well, at least he's not wearing a big diaper or something. I mean, you know, it's...

O'BRIEN: It could be worse.

LUCKOVICH: It could be worse.

O'BRIEN: It depends, I guess.

BOORTZ: The diaper happens on November the 3rd. And I dare Mike to draw a cartoon on November the 3rd, page on why the long face?

O'BRIEN: All right. Final thought.

LUCKOVICH: Well, he's just going to be upset seeing Bush in Crawford watching daytime TV. BOORTZ: Yes, that's probably true.

O'BRIEN: Final thought here: Do you think the Republican convention will be any more lively than this?

Boortz: No. No, from my standpoint, although I'm Libertarian, and I did not vote for Bush the first time around, I think when it comes to fun and partying and just having a good time, obviously the Democrats are much much, much better at that, I think, than the Republicans.

LUCKOVICH: No, you know what? This is different, because at the Republican convention, you're going to see protests. You're going to see real things happening. Not just Sean Hannity and Al Franken going at it. You're going to see a whole city PO'ed and going nuts and a lot of reality happening.

So, I think it's going to be more exciting than this convention.

BOORTZ: What's this Sean Hannity thing? I keep hearing that name. Who is he, anyway?

LUCKOVICH: I don't know, he's...

BOORTZ: Sean Hannity -- maybe they ought to nominate him around here.

O'BRIEN: We've never heard about him around here at all.

LUCKOVICH: No.

O'BRIEN: No, not at all. Neal Boortz, Mike Luckovich -- gentlemen, always a pleasure having you drop by. We appreciate it.

BOORTZ: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: And let's do this again in New York, shall we?

BOORTZ: OK, Miles. Let's go flying.

O'BRIEN: I like that idea a lot.

BOORTZ: OK.

O'BRIEN: ... we'll go upside down.

BOORTZ: Decathlon.

O'BRIEN: Excuse me, Decthalon. My apologies, Kyra. I got the plane wrong -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, overseas now to the next big event. The opening ceremony for the summer Olympics just 16 days away. And a massive high-tech security plan is taking shape in Athens.

CNN's Guy Raz takes a look at what's involved in guarding the games.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Remember these? The Patriot missiles made famous during the 1991 Gulf war and now ressurected.

These anti-missile missiles will make a cameo appearance this summer at the Athens Olympics. Patriots are capable of countering an attack by ballistic and cruise missiles and aircraft. Radar stations throughout the city are now on full alert, monitoring all air traffic over Athens.

Truck scanners are in place: massive x-ray machines that will scan every vehicle entering Olympic venue sites. Security measures are unprecedented. Greece will spend $1.2 billion on security -- four times more than Sydney spent during the 2000 games. Seventy thousand officers will patrol the streets. Fighters jets will continuously patrol the skies to counter any attempt to disrupt the games.

THOMAS MILLER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GREECE: There's nothing specific credible that I'm aware of right now, which doesn't necessarily mean everyone should breathe easy. It just means that there's nothing we're aware of on a specific credible level right now.

RAZ: Greek officials aren't taking any chances. Anti-terror squads have been training for nearly a year. With two weeks to go, Fortress Athens is now ready for its moment in the spotlight. Guy Raz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: In Utah, the police search for a missing pregnant woman has turned again to a landfill.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is following developments for us in Salt Lake City. Kimberly, what's the latest?

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

Well, Mark Hacking remains here at the University of Utah Medical Center on a psychiatric ward. He remains hospitalized here on a voluntary admission, although there is a police officer on that ward.

I just spoke with Assistant Direct Attorney Bob Stott, and he says there is no hold on Hacking, so he is free to leave here. He also tells me that no evidence at this point has been turned over to their office by police.

Now, police, for their part last evening, served for the second consecutive night in a row in an area landfill. They searched using cadaver dogs searching for evidence. And the reason? Well, we are told that the dogs actually work much better, much more efficiently in the cooler evening climate. Homikeide is involved, as well as other agencies in this investigation. Although, we are told from police that the FBI has not been called. Now, typically the FBI is called in many missing person cases. Police say they are not searching for a mattress. Detective Dwayne Baird said they had received hundreds of calls from the public about mattresses, and they have what they needed. Mark Hacking bought a mattress some 30 minutes before he called to report his wife missing, before he called police to report his wife missing. Police say this is still considered a missing person case under very suspicious circumstances. No charges have been filed.

Police are naming Mark Hacking as the only person of interest in the case. The Hacking family has retained prominent local criminal attorney Gil Athay. Now we are told that Mr. Athay was retained on Thursday evening. Since then, he has been here to the hospital every day to consult with Mark Hacking.

Now the fact that Mr. Hacking is in a psychiatric facility does not have any bearing on an arrest, should police want to do that -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kimberly, yesterday you were saying it could take a couple of weeks for some of this forensics evidence to come back. What's the latest on that?

OSIAS: That's exactly right. Actually, Miles, police tell us that they have received some small pieces of evidence, some results back on that. But they're not willing to share that with the media at this point. Obviously, in a case of this magnitude, with this kind of intense publicity, they want to make sure their t's are crossed and their i's are dotted. So it may be some time, but Friday at the earliest -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kimberly Osias, in Salt Lake City, thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Other news across America, January 31st, that's mikehael Jackson's new date in court. The judge pushed back the entertainer's child molestation trial by four months. Jackson wasn't at yesterday's hearing. He was in Houston, reportedly talking with lawyers about a much different issue, a music contract. Jackson stopped at a mall to shop and sign some autographs.

O'BRIEN: Feeling blue at Yellowstone, 134 people sick, mostly park employees. They picked up a stomach bug at Yellowstone earlier this summer. The suspected culprit, highly infectious nor (ph) virus, which has caused similar outbreaks on cruise ships.

PHILLIPS: And it was no day on a beach for a police officer caught in a flash flooding at the National Zoo. He had to be fished out of his car. Heavy rains in the D.C. area left dozens of people stranded in their vehicles.

O'BRIEN: What's lightweight sounds great, but looks, well, Maybe not the most flattering?

CNN's Jeanne Moos has the sound and the fury behind those headset mikerophones dealies our correspondents are wearing at the Democratic National Convention. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, some folks are wired, and we're not talking about Howard Dean on a triple latte, rather CNN crews trying out a new high-tech way to report from the floor. Is it a hit or a miss?

Jeanne Moos has the fashion and the fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What does Britney Spears have in common with journalists on the convention floor? Just call him Britney Blitzer. Sure, some journalists still look like they're planted in the 1950s. But these days, the headset mike keeps your hands free to hold a fake cocktail. The big clunky headset, and that stick mike stuck in, say, Howard Dean's face, has new competition.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's very directionable. In other words, you can hear me right now, but they can be blaring huge music behind me, and it might won't pick it up.

MOOS: With such high-tech wonders, no wonder David Letterman picked this CNN highlight of the night.

Hey, at least our anchors remembered to put on their mikes.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC ANCHOR: Then there are guests who forget to take off their mikes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The governor of New Mexico walked off with his mike, which is a big problem, because they're $800 mikes.

MATTHEWS: He eventually brought it back. Taking off one of these gizmos recalls language used in airplane takeoffs. To avoid that unsightly earmuff look, there are ear bugs that hermetically seal you off from noise, while transmitting only what you need to hear.

John King before in the old days, John king after. ABC couldn't resist a catty comment on its Web site. "What's with that moley- looking mikerophone your anchors wear?" I wouldn't get molier than thou ABC if my floor reporters looked like this. Anyway, it's probably just the wind screen.

BLITZER: That looks like a mole.

MOOS: Audio technicians have their hands full, full of hair on female guests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They need to lift it up, and usually they've just been through makeup and hair, and here I am destroying it on them.

MOOS: Donna Brazile's earrings got pinned by the headset mike. They were later liberated by a hand mike.

Hillary Clinton's people didn't want her to wear the headset, saying it felt experimental and looked questionable. But Ernestine (ph) the operator would have headset envy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have I reached the party with whom I am parlaying?

MOOS: By the way, that's an actual mole under Bill Richardson's eye, not our mike.

Bill Richardson, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: OK, thank you, Jeanne. It's become an integral part of our political campaign. Judy Woodruff will face the music next.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Black Eyed Peas getting ready for a sound check. You remember probably one of the most popular song, "Where Is the Love?" Justin Timberlake doing a cameo on that deal. Anyway, I don't think Justin's going to be there today. But we will take Black Eyed Peas as soon as they fire up the mikes.

Meanwhile, beyond what you see at the political conventions is what you hear. Music can go a long way toward setting a mood. For instance, did you happen to notice that while Howard Dean was approaching the podium last night, the Beatles song "Revolution" was playing in the background.

CNN's Judy Woodruff has the soundtracks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Back in the days of "Pomp and Circumstance," Republican and Democratic conventions struck similar chords, played by big bands on brass instruments. It all seemed so quaint these days.

Four years ago, the GOP used Ricky Martin to emphasize their big tent compassionate conservatism, hoping, perhaps, to harness the energy of the mother of all convention anthems...

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: ... and one of its successors...

(MUSIC "DON'T STOP THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW")

WOODRUFF: ... the Fleetwood Mac tune that was such a hit for Bill Clinton and Al Gore that they brought it back four years later. Yes, it's the gold standard of convention music.

And then there's this... (MUSIC "MACARENA")

WOODRUFF: And this...

(MUSIC "ELVIRA")

WOODRUFF: We all have our moments.

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: It's silly to make too much of convention tunes, but some years they do provide a fitting soundtrack to a bigger story.

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: Take the 1992 Republican convention, the one that came to symbolize closed-door intolerance.

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: That show in Houston was all country all the time. Hardly a portrait of musical diversity.

But in the end, convention songs aimed to inspire...

(MUSIC "AMERICA")

WOODRUFF: ... in viewing raw politics with pure emotion, set to music that knows no party.

(MUSIC)

(MUSIC "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL")

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Wow, now, that's a voice. Now according to Carlson Watson, who does political analyzing for us here on CNN, music actually goes all the way back to the 1800s when it comes to election time. Very interesting.

Meanwhile right now, we want to take you to the soundcheck. There they are, Black Eyed Peas. You may remember that their song "Where Is the Love" was nominated for record of the year. Let's listen in and see what they're rapping to right now.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: Miles, I want to see you dance. Is it getting hot in here?

O'BRIEN: Is that the rap version of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too"?

PHILLIPS: Hey, that's from 1800. Very good.

O'BRIEN: Take me down. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). All right. PHILLIPS: Oh, Miles.

O'BRIEN: I'm going to quit while I'm behind here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You remind us of the lack of rhythm.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, how are the women stars of the Democratic National Convention doing with the women of America? We'll find out what women think of Teresa Heinz Kerry and Elizabeth Edwards. LIVE FROM hour of power begins right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired July 28, 2004 - 13:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a long way from Crawford to Boston, in so many ways. While the president kicks back on the ranch, the Democrats are busy trying not to kick up dust at the convention -- Miles?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right...

PHILLIPS: You're taking it from here.

O'BRIEN: I think we're going to introduce these gentlemen together. These guys are so good, it takes two anchors to introduce them.

Joining us from high above the FleetCenter, up there in the nosebleed seats, a couple of guys who are -- well, one of them is fleet of mouth. That's Neal Boortz. The other is pretty quick with a pen -- Mike Luckovich.

And they've got those moles on their face. Are you guys OK? Right? Everything all right?

NEAL BOORTZ, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Miles, I've got to tell you, the first time I saw these in my hotel room, I thought, good grief, that anchor has a zit. But they're actually quite comfortable.

O'BRIEN: It's the latest in technology. Gentlemen...

BOORTZ: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: ... good to have you both with us. Hey, I heard a rumor that John Kerry did some service in Vietnam. Have you heard about that at all this week there?

BOORTZ: I didn't -- I didn't know about it until today.

O'BRIEN: There you go.

BOORTZ: I was completely clueless that he had ever been in Vietnam until just this morning when I got a news release.

O'BRIEN: All right. Mike Luckovich...

MIKE LUCKOVICH, EDITORIAL CARTOONIST: I'm glad it's getting out now, though.

O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. Now, is this something -- a little inspiration there when that ferry is kind of crawling across Boston Harbor? The siege of Boston or something?

LUCKOVICH: You know, I think they should have had like gunfire, you know, with blanks or something, just to add a little more excitement to this convention. It's been kind of a -- I don't know about you, Neal, but I've been suffering.

It's -- you know, normally the Democrats are just all over the place. And they're so unified that all the cartoonists are bitching because there's just nothing interesting, other than -- other than Teresa Heinz and her "shove it" comment.

O'BRIEN: Ah, the "shove it" comment.

LUCKOVICH: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Now, let me -- I know you have a cartoon to show me this, but I want to ask, while we get the cartoon ready, Neal...

BOORTZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: ... what -- your callers, all over the nation now, because you're syndicated -- well, really, all across the universe, if you think about it -- but syndicated all across the nation. What are people saying about the show so far there?

BOORTZ: Well, it's interesting. It's -- three complete days of shows here now. I don't know how many guests. Every single guest, thus far, every one of them, has talked about how bad George Bush is. I've got one day left, Miles. I'm waiting for one guest, one Democrat, one representative, one delegate, one DNC official to sit down -- are we supposed to stand right now? -- to sit down and tell me how great John Kerry is.

LUCKOVICH: And -- but you know that at the Republican convention, there's probably not going to be a lot of Republicans that are singing Kerry's praises. So, I mean, you know, it's a convention...

O'BRIEN: ... that's how it works, Neal...

LUCKOVICH: ... for crying out loud.

BOORTZ: I want a fight. I want a fight here. I want to see something happening. But this is a coronation. This is the senior prom.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it is. And you could say it's been homogenized into utter -- well, it's virtually catatonic at times. Let's get...

BOORTZ: Just a bit.

O'BRIEN: Let's get the cartoon -- this is a good cartoon, Mike. And I wouldn't just say that to you because you're here with us.

LUCKOVICH: Thank you. Yes, you would, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, yes, all right, yes I would, because you're here with us. The "shove it" line, which of course didn't happen...

LUCKOVICH: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: ... in Boston. Here we go.

LUCKOVICH: Yes, yes. This was my cartoon on that. I've got John Kerry saying to Teresa, "Teresa, remain on message. Don't say "shove it" again." And she says, "OK."

The second panel, she's taking to a reporter and she says, "Bite me."

O'BRIEN: That's good strategy. All right. Any other inspiration that you've had there, in spite of the fact that the convention's been a bit on the lackluster side?

LUCKOVICH: Yes, you know what? One of the great things for me, I was -- I was happening by the talk radio row where Neal is, and I happened upon Al Franken and Sean Hannity going at it. And it was so great because it was unscripted, and it was on Air America on Al Franken's show.

And it was -- you know, there wasn't a lot of love. But - and they were insulting each other. And when Al Franken would say something funny, Sean Hannity would say, "Well, that's funny, Al." And when Al Franken would say something that wasn't funny, Sean Hannity would say, "Well, that's not funny."

And Al Franken says, "Hey, listen, if it's funny, just laugh. If's not funny, don't laugh. Don't label everything." You know, but by the end of it, they were hugging each other. And Sean Hannity...

O'BRIEN: No.

LUCKOVICH: ... Sean Hannity started weeping. And he was saying, "You know, Al, you're right. I've been wrong all along." So, that was special.

O'BRIEN: That's a moment. That's a moment. Those things don't happen on your show, Neal Boortz. It's...

BOORTZ: I didn't see that. You know...

LUCKOVICH: It may not have happened exactly like that.

BOORTZ: And then, Al Franken is following me down a hallway today barking at me like a rabid Shitzu...

LUCKOVICH: I saw that.

BOORTZ: ... over something that I -- you saw that, didn't you?

LUCKOVICH: I saw that. I saw that, and I...

O'BRIEN: This really happened?

LUCKOVICH: ... thought -- yes.

BOORTZ: Yes.

LUCKOVICH: I actually did a cartoon on it. You don't know this, Neal, but you know, I know that you guys do not get along that well. And so, I was drawing Neal...

BOORTZ: Uh-oh.

LUCKOVICH: ... and I did this one. This is just silly, but I've got Neal here. He's on talk radio row. And he's thinking to himself, "Oh, my God, I think Al Franken smiled at me."

BOORTZ: And he was licking his lips, which is really making me nervous.

LUCKOVICH: So...

O'BRIEN: Well, I know -- go ahead, go ahead.

LUCKOVICH: Oh, I was just going to say, so the only reality, the only real type stuff I've seen is in Neal's neighborhood on the talk row area.

BOORTZ: We're having a great time on talk radio row, Miles, while you're back there in the staid, buttoned-up CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.

O'BRIEN: Yes, here we are here. But I've got to say, you've been doing your best to kind of, you know, make a story there, Neal.

BOORTZ: No, I've been trying to stir the pudding here.

O'BRIEN: Stir the pudding, whatever the case may be.

BOORTZ: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Keep the listeners all riled up.

I want to -- one thing you had today on your Web site, on -- it's at boortz.com. I'll put in the plug for you there -- Neal's news. The conspicuous absence of mikehael Dukakis. What about that?

BOORTZ: Well, I mean, they bring Jimmy Carter, and up until this convention, they wouldn't let Jimmy Carter in the same state as the Democratic National Convention. Then, they parade him out here on opening night.

But what about New England's own mikehael Dukakis. One of their great -- I think one of their better presidential candidates, also. So -- and by the way, if you went to my Web site today, you also saw the great picture of John Kerry in his bunny outfit, too, didn't you?

O'BRIEN: Ah, yes. Let's talk about that. Now, that has got to be inspiring political cartoonist -- Mike, you haven't done one yet on this. LUCKOVICH: No, that's -- I probably will do something. But you know, that's not really a fas paux. Actually, I saw Andre from OutKast. He's wearing the same outfit. It's taken on a hip-hop kind of edge to it now. So...

O'BRIEN: It's so square, it's hip.

LUCKOVICH: Yes.

BOORTZ: Well, Woody Allen wore the same costume in a movie one time, too.

O'BRIEN: You know, here's the interesting -- I've been talking to my pals at NASA about this: This stuff was not leaked. It turns out that the Kerry campaign asked for all these images and then distributed them to the media.

So, they didn't realize -- yes, I know you're slack-jawed...

BOORTZ: You're joking.

O'BRIEN: Yes -- yes, they let it out.

BOORTZ: You're joking. Well, we were talking this morning that the difference between the Dukakis tank picture and the Kerry bunny suit picture, being nice, is that in the tank picture, the campaign actually distributed that. And now you're telling me that the Kerry campaign has admitted the same thing?

O'BRIEN: You can run with it. I -- this is true, the folks at NASA, who are absolutely incredulous...

BOORTZ: Wow.

O'BRIEN: ... that it was leaked, because they set the whole thing up at the request of the Kerry campaign to distribute the images.

Mike?

LUCKOVICH: Well, at least he's not wearing a big diaper or something. I mean, you know, it's...

O'BRIEN: It could be worse.

LUCKOVICH: It could be worse.

O'BRIEN: It depends, I guess.

BOORTZ: The diaper happens on November the 3rd. And I dare Mike to draw a cartoon on November the 3rd, page on why the long face?

O'BRIEN: All right. Final thought.

LUCKOVICH: Well, he's just going to be upset seeing Bush in Crawford watching daytime TV. BOORTZ: Yes, that's probably true.

O'BRIEN: Final thought here: Do you think the Republican convention will be any more lively than this?

Boortz: No. No, from my standpoint, although I'm Libertarian, and I did not vote for Bush the first time around, I think when it comes to fun and partying and just having a good time, obviously the Democrats are much much, much better at that, I think, than the Republicans.

LUCKOVICH: No, you know what? This is different, because at the Republican convention, you're going to see protests. You're going to see real things happening. Not just Sean Hannity and Al Franken going at it. You're going to see a whole city PO'ed and going nuts and a lot of reality happening.

So, I think it's going to be more exciting than this convention.

BOORTZ: What's this Sean Hannity thing? I keep hearing that name. Who is he, anyway?

LUCKOVICH: I don't know, he's...

BOORTZ: Sean Hannity -- maybe they ought to nominate him around here.

O'BRIEN: We've never heard about him around here at all.

LUCKOVICH: No.

O'BRIEN: No, not at all. Neal Boortz, Mike Luckovich -- gentlemen, always a pleasure having you drop by. We appreciate it.

BOORTZ: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: And let's do this again in New York, shall we?

BOORTZ: OK, Miles. Let's go flying.

O'BRIEN: I like that idea a lot.

BOORTZ: OK.

O'BRIEN: ... we'll go upside down.

BOORTZ: Decathlon.

O'BRIEN: Excuse me, Decthalon. My apologies, Kyra. I got the plane wrong -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, overseas now to the next big event. The opening ceremony for the summer Olympics just 16 days away. And a massive high-tech security plan is taking shape in Athens.

CNN's Guy Raz takes a look at what's involved in guarding the games.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Remember these? The Patriot missiles made famous during the 1991 Gulf war and now ressurected.

These anti-missile missiles will make a cameo appearance this summer at the Athens Olympics. Patriots are capable of countering an attack by ballistic and cruise missiles and aircraft. Radar stations throughout the city are now on full alert, monitoring all air traffic over Athens.

Truck scanners are in place: massive x-ray machines that will scan every vehicle entering Olympic venue sites. Security measures are unprecedented. Greece will spend $1.2 billion on security -- four times more than Sydney spent during the 2000 games. Seventy thousand officers will patrol the streets. Fighters jets will continuously patrol the skies to counter any attempt to disrupt the games.

THOMAS MILLER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GREECE: There's nothing specific credible that I'm aware of right now, which doesn't necessarily mean everyone should breathe easy. It just means that there's nothing we're aware of on a specific credible level right now.

RAZ: Greek officials aren't taking any chances. Anti-terror squads have been training for nearly a year. With two weeks to go, Fortress Athens is now ready for its moment in the spotlight. Guy Raz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: In Utah, the police search for a missing pregnant woman has turned again to a landfill.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is following developments for us in Salt Lake City. Kimberly, what's the latest?

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

Well, Mark Hacking remains here at the University of Utah Medical Center on a psychiatric ward. He remains hospitalized here on a voluntary admission, although there is a police officer on that ward.

I just spoke with Assistant Direct Attorney Bob Stott, and he says there is no hold on Hacking, so he is free to leave here. He also tells me that no evidence at this point has been turned over to their office by police.

Now, police, for their part last evening, served for the second consecutive night in a row in an area landfill. They searched using cadaver dogs searching for evidence. And the reason? Well, we are told that the dogs actually work much better, much more efficiently in the cooler evening climate. Homikeide is involved, as well as other agencies in this investigation. Although, we are told from police that the FBI has not been called. Now, typically the FBI is called in many missing person cases. Police say they are not searching for a mattress. Detective Dwayne Baird said they had received hundreds of calls from the public about mattresses, and they have what they needed. Mark Hacking bought a mattress some 30 minutes before he called to report his wife missing, before he called police to report his wife missing. Police say this is still considered a missing person case under very suspicious circumstances. No charges have been filed.

Police are naming Mark Hacking as the only person of interest in the case. The Hacking family has retained prominent local criminal attorney Gil Athay. Now we are told that Mr. Athay was retained on Thursday evening. Since then, he has been here to the hospital every day to consult with Mark Hacking.

Now the fact that Mr. Hacking is in a psychiatric facility does not have any bearing on an arrest, should police want to do that -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kimberly, yesterday you were saying it could take a couple of weeks for some of this forensics evidence to come back. What's the latest on that?

OSIAS: That's exactly right. Actually, Miles, police tell us that they have received some small pieces of evidence, some results back on that. But they're not willing to share that with the media at this point. Obviously, in a case of this magnitude, with this kind of intense publicity, they want to make sure their t's are crossed and their i's are dotted. So it may be some time, but Friday at the earliest -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kimberly Osias, in Salt Lake City, thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Other news across America, January 31st, that's mikehael Jackson's new date in court. The judge pushed back the entertainer's child molestation trial by four months. Jackson wasn't at yesterday's hearing. He was in Houston, reportedly talking with lawyers about a much different issue, a music contract. Jackson stopped at a mall to shop and sign some autographs.

O'BRIEN: Feeling blue at Yellowstone, 134 people sick, mostly park employees. They picked up a stomach bug at Yellowstone earlier this summer. The suspected culprit, highly infectious nor (ph) virus, which has caused similar outbreaks on cruise ships.

PHILLIPS: And it was no day on a beach for a police officer caught in a flash flooding at the National Zoo. He had to be fished out of his car. Heavy rains in the D.C. area left dozens of people stranded in their vehicles.

O'BRIEN: What's lightweight sounds great, but looks, well, Maybe not the most flattering?

CNN's Jeanne Moos has the sound and the fury behind those headset mikerophones dealies our correspondents are wearing at the Democratic National Convention. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, some folks are wired, and we're not talking about Howard Dean on a triple latte, rather CNN crews trying out a new high-tech way to report from the floor. Is it a hit or a miss?

Jeanne Moos has the fashion and the fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What does Britney Spears have in common with journalists on the convention floor? Just call him Britney Blitzer. Sure, some journalists still look like they're planted in the 1950s. But these days, the headset mike keeps your hands free to hold a fake cocktail. The big clunky headset, and that stick mike stuck in, say, Howard Dean's face, has new competition.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's very directionable. In other words, you can hear me right now, but they can be blaring huge music behind me, and it might won't pick it up.

MOOS: With such high-tech wonders, no wonder David Letterman picked this CNN highlight of the night.

Hey, at least our anchors remembered to put on their mikes.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC ANCHOR: Then there are guests who forget to take off their mikes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The governor of New Mexico walked off with his mike, which is a big problem, because they're $800 mikes.

MATTHEWS: He eventually brought it back. Taking off one of these gizmos recalls language used in airplane takeoffs. To avoid that unsightly earmuff look, there are ear bugs that hermetically seal you off from noise, while transmitting only what you need to hear.

John King before in the old days, John king after. ABC couldn't resist a catty comment on its Web site. "What's with that moley- looking mikerophone your anchors wear?" I wouldn't get molier than thou ABC if my floor reporters looked like this. Anyway, it's probably just the wind screen.

BLITZER: That looks like a mole.

MOOS: Audio technicians have their hands full, full of hair on female guests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They need to lift it up, and usually they've just been through makeup and hair, and here I am destroying it on them.

MOOS: Donna Brazile's earrings got pinned by the headset mike. They were later liberated by a hand mike.

Hillary Clinton's people didn't want her to wear the headset, saying it felt experimental and looked questionable. But Ernestine (ph) the operator would have headset envy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have I reached the party with whom I am parlaying?

MOOS: By the way, that's an actual mole under Bill Richardson's eye, not our mike.

Bill Richardson, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: OK, thank you, Jeanne. It's become an integral part of our political campaign. Judy Woodruff will face the music next.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Black Eyed Peas getting ready for a sound check. You remember probably one of the most popular song, "Where Is the Love?" Justin Timberlake doing a cameo on that deal. Anyway, I don't think Justin's going to be there today. But we will take Black Eyed Peas as soon as they fire up the mikes.

Meanwhile, beyond what you see at the political conventions is what you hear. Music can go a long way toward setting a mood. For instance, did you happen to notice that while Howard Dean was approaching the podium last night, the Beatles song "Revolution" was playing in the background.

CNN's Judy Woodruff has the soundtracks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Back in the days of "Pomp and Circumstance," Republican and Democratic conventions struck similar chords, played by big bands on brass instruments. It all seemed so quaint these days.

Four years ago, the GOP used Ricky Martin to emphasize their big tent compassionate conservatism, hoping, perhaps, to harness the energy of the mother of all convention anthems...

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: ... and one of its successors...

(MUSIC "DON'T STOP THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW")

WOODRUFF: ... the Fleetwood Mac tune that was such a hit for Bill Clinton and Al Gore that they brought it back four years later. Yes, it's the gold standard of convention music.

And then there's this... (MUSIC "MACARENA")

WOODRUFF: And this...

(MUSIC "ELVIRA")

WOODRUFF: We all have our moments.

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: It's silly to make too much of convention tunes, but some years they do provide a fitting soundtrack to a bigger story.

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: Take the 1992 Republican convention, the one that came to symbolize closed-door intolerance.

(MUSIC)

WOODRUFF: That show in Houston was all country all the time. Hardly a portrait of musical diversity.

But in the end, convention songs aimed to inspire...

(MUSIC "AMERICA")

WOODRUFF: ... in viewing raw politics with pure emotion, set to music that knows no party.

(MUSIC)

(MUSIC "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL")

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Wow, now, that's a voice. Now according to Carlson Watson, who does political analyzing for us here on CNN, music actually goes all the way back to the 1800s when it comes to election time. Very interesting.

Meanwhile right now, we want to take you to the soundcheck. There they are, Black Eyed Peas. You may remember that their song "Where Is the Love" was nominated for record of the year. Let's listen in and see what they're rapping to right now.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: Miles, I want to see you dance. Is it getting hot in here?

O'BRIEN: Is that the rap version of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too"?

PHILLIPS: Hey, that's from 1800. Very good.

O'BRIEN: Take me down. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). All right. PHILLIPS: Oh, Miles.

O'BRIEN: I'm going to quit while I'm behind here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You remind us of the lack of rhythm.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, how are the women stars of the Democratic National Convention doing with the women of America? We'll find out what women think of Teresa Heinz Kerry and Elizabeth Edwards. LIVE FROM hour of power begins right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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