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Wesley Clark Describes Clinton Library Dedication; 'This Old House' Celebrates 25 Years
Aired November 18, 2004 - 14:30 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Carol Lin. Here is what's all new this half-hour.
The Clinton legacy, how will history judge the 42nd president? We're going to go in-depth.
O'BRIEN: And 25 years, still going strong. The fellows from "This Old House" in the house, we'll get some tips for your renovation, we're going to have them fix up our set.
But first, here's what's happening "Now in the News."
New fears surfacing over mad cow disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture saying preliminary testing came back inconclusive for the brain wasting illness. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, offering much more on this in 30 minutes. Stay tuned for that.
Government drug safety reviewer says the Food and Drug Administration is incapable of protecting the American public. That's what he told a Senate panel today, at least, during a hearing on the safety of the drug Vioxx. Senators are grilling the FDA and Vioxx makers to determine whether they ignored danger signals that may have forced the drug off the market sooner.
Door to door searches yield a major discovery in Falluja. U.S. and Iraqi troops found an abandoned safehouse linked to wanted terrorists Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Inside there were two letters. One from al-Zarqawi, the other was written to the insurgent leader.
Pomp and circumstance today at the opening of the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. About 30,000 invitation-only guests attending the day-long celebration. Mine apparently got lost in the mail. Among the VIPs and the FOBs at the Clinton bash is a former NATO supreme commander who took a run at the White House himself, retired General Wesley Clark. Joining us from Little Rock, Arkansas, today where we hope he's staying dry.
General Clark, always a pleasure to see you, sir.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED CMDR.: Good to be with you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Must have been a strange confluence of politics and nostalgia there today. Just give us a little sense because we couldn't hear the chit-chat. Allow us to be fly on the wall here. What were people talking about?
CLARK: People are really happy to see each other. A lot of these people served together. You have got former members of Congress. Current members of Congress. People who were in the Clinton administration from all walks of life. A lot of people who gave to the library. Everybody came together. So it was a reunion of sorts.
But it was at a special time. And it is a time where Bill Clinton himself has gone through his surgery, he's back. It is after a presidential election. We had the former presidents here and the current president here and the wives and the families. There was a lot of warmth. There was a lot of good spirit. There was a lot of humor. And of course, everyone is out in the rain under umbrellas and it was just an amazing day.
O'BRIEN: Well, let me ask you this though, because, you know, there's been a lot of talk about all that conviviality and bipartisanship and stuff. And I must say, in the wake of that very acrimonious election of which you played direct part for some period of time, I would think that the weather really reflected the mood of Democrats in that crowd there. And it must be difficult to kind of put a brave face on all of this.
CLARK: Well, you know, Democrats, we're just people like anybody else. And first of all, I mean, I think the Democratic Party did a fine job in this election. John Kerry was here and Teresa. And we're all proud of him. I think he ran a great race. He wasn't elected but he ran a great race. And so we're proud of him. We're proud of all of the people who stand for election and support those elections in this country. That's what our democracy is all about. Sure, people are thinking about the future. They're thinking about how can this party better represent all of the people of America? Bill Clinton is a great role model in that. And...
(CROSSTALK)
CLARK: ... about it himself today.
O'BRIEN: He's more than a role model. He really -- from Democrats' perspective, he is the gold standard for leadership for the party.
CLARK: That's exactly right.
O'BRIEN: And to the extent that those folks in the crowd may not measure up, is a poignant time for Democrats, a time to re-assess and at this point are you thinking about another run?
CLARK: I think anybody who has participated in electoral politics, after an election, one has to reassess. And I hope that all people in the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are reassessing. I think that's necessary. As for myself, no, I don't have any plans. I'm very happy in private life. And I'm going to continue to speak out from time to time and share my views on television or any other way that the American people are eager to receive them.
O'BRIEN: All right. One more thought before we get away because we got the "This Old House" guys here. And I have got to ask you honestly, General, this is one of the ugly buildings ever created, right?
CLARK: Actually it is a wonderfully elegant, beautiful construction. And if you go into this building and you see it, it is remarkable.
O'BRIEN: Really?
CLARK: Not only are there some fabulous displays in there that take you through the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency, sort of month by month, issue by issue with the most modern technology, but there's a complete reconstruction of the Oval Office and cabinet room in there. Full scale, exactly down to the finest, smallest detail. And I think it is going to be a real center for people to come and reflect on this country, on that eight-year period when we transitioned from the end of the Cold War into something else, a period of great economic vitality in America. And I think it is a real celebration of those eight years.
O'BRIEN: And all right, former supreme allied commander and an investment banker, a friend of Bill, and who knows what next? But we'll be watching him very closely.
CLARK: Well, I'm a friend of Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Aw shucks. Thank you so much, Wes Clark.
CLARK: You take care.
O'BRIEN: All right. You can drop by any old time. We'll see you.
CLARK: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: All right. When you need to find info fast, where do you go? Odds are Google, right? Well, the search engine is getting even smarter. We'll explain how.
And speaking of genius, the experts from "This Old House" in the house today on LIVE FROM. I don't think they like the looks of the Clinton Library either. We're going to ask them about it.
And the top 10 greatest rock 'n' roll songs of all time. We can bat that around with them as well. I would vote for Aretha, for sure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right. Before Ty Pennington picked up a hammer to do an extreme home makeover, before "House and Garden" TV, it's even an option on your cable package, before all that, back in the mid forties -- well, not quite there -- but there was this old house. And after 25 years, that show -- it started the home improvement craze still going strong. Started off on the kinescope (ph) there. And we're proud to say that it is part of our Time Warner family. That's part of our full disclosure as well, folks. This is the magazine that some of the stuff comes through. The great corporate entity which shields and protects us all. We're thrilled to have with us the guys who do the hammering, the plumbing and the hosting on the show. In the middle is Kevin O'Connor, Tom Silva sits to his right, and plumber Richard Trethewey joins me right here.
Richard, I want to start with you because you have been there since day one. Did you ever imagine that this is going to be a 25- year run?
RICH TRETHEWEY, PLUMBING & HEATING: We were having a nice quiet life for ourselves when they called and said we have an idea for a TV show.
O'BRIEN: And you said what?
TRETHEWEY: And they said we're public television. We have no money. Can you work for nothing? And we said yes, that's a great idea.
O'BRIEN: Can I wear my T-shirt, right? Isn't that what the deal was?
TRETHEWEY: That's right. And the rest is history really.
O'BRIEN: That makes it sound simple. Kevin, you're a little newer to the scene than this group.
KEVIN O'CONNOR, HOST, "THIS OLD HOUSE": I am the newest.
O'BRIEN: I think you were, what, about 11 when it started, right? And of course you were watching it in between Nickelodeon but at what point did you think this will be a cool gig?
O'CONNOR: The second they asked me. I've been a fan my entire life. And so when the phone rang -- and I got it in a very round about way. I was fixing up my own house and I was a banker in my former life. It just floored me when they actually asked me do you want to be the new host? And I jumped at it in a heart beat because it is a dream job for me.
O'BRIEN: How did you get from banking to this then? Was it one of your houses that was featured?
O'CONNOR: I did something that I would recommend a lot of people to do. When they start a renovation and they get in over their head, which is what my wife and I did very quickly we actually wrote a letter to these guys on -- at "This Old House" and said we need a little bit of help. And Tom Silver came to my house and he helped me with a little bit of a fixup job and from that they actually offered me the host position which is a dream for me. O'BRIEN: Now Tom, when you met Kevin, did you say this guy has got it? He could be a host. Was that in your mind or were you just thinking we've got to do some work here.
TOM SILVA, CONTRACTOR, "THIS OLD HOUSE": Actually it was a connection right along from -- right from the very beginning. He was just -- well, I hate to say it, he's sitting right here but he warm, he was friendly and he understood. He could basically ask the questions. He knew what to ask. And he was just there. He was great.
O'CONNOR: You have to understand, Miles. Tommy is used to seeing some of the most beat up broken down old houses so when he came across me, I didn't surprise him at all.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this, Richard, from the beginning to now, the formula is pretty much the same. You have stuck to your knitting on all of this. And in some sense the world has progressed on from all of this...
TRETHEWEY: ...gone up or down?
O'BRIEN: Well, leave that to the viewer whether you can really do a house in four days. I wonder what you think about the derivatives of this, in a way, I'm sure you're flattered because that is a form of flattery. But nevertheless does it somehow trivialize what you guys are all about which is serious restoration in some sense.
TRETHEWEY: There are so many channels and so many places for people to go. I think that they can go to these sort of knockoff shows. If they want content about how to do it from -- we're not actors. We are contractors and carpenters and plumbers and that's what makes our show different. None of us have waited tables ever.
O'BRIEN: And it is different, isn't it because it is all about human drama and surprising people and there's all these mechanisms built in. You never go to the contractor or the factory where they make windows and understand what windows are all about which if you're a real house geek like me is fun.
It is fun but you also get something I don't think the other shows give you and that's true craftsmanship. Richard comes from 100 years of plumbing and heating experts. It is in his blood. And Tommy, multigenerational contractors. So when you want the best information, when you want the true craftsmanship these are the guys you want to ask and that's why I wrote these guys and not some of the other shows because this is where you want to get the information from.
O'BRIEN: So the truth is you stick to what you're doing. Have you ever thought about tinkering with -- I know you have the "Ask This Old House" which allows people to participate a little.
SILVA: "Ask This Old House" answers the question that we get from thousands of viewers, why can't do you a project that we can relate to. But we go to their house and we show them how to start a crown molding or paint a wall or fix a leaky toilet. We get them in the right direction. We don't do the project for them but we teach them how to do it. That's what "This Old House" is about. Its proven information.
O'BRIEN: And the viewership is still there?
SILVA: They love it. They love it.
O'BRIEN: We're going to have that core audience, that niche that's always going to be there. The one thing that I take away sometimes is it seems like a lot of people have unlimited budgets on these projects. You don't really get into the nitty gritty of all that. Nevertheless, do you always do the high end stuff? How do you go about that?
O'CONNOR: I don't think we always do the high end stuff. The budgets are tricky because prices differ from state to state across the country. The show is going to be on in 25 years just like the shows we did 25 years ago are still on.
O'BRIEN: You sort of leave that aside.
O'CONNOR: But if you really want to show the latest and greatest technology which is what the show is known for, what is coming, you have to do it on a higher end scale to make sure that the audience can see what's coming.
TRETHEWEY: If it was strictly on lowest price we would have 26 episodes each year of how to just sheet rock and tape.
O'BRIEN: You guys would be stark raving mad by then.
O'CONNOR: If you want to find out what the latest and greatest in plumbing, Richard has to go out there and find out what is coming across the ocean for homeowners here in the United States.
SILVA: If you're looking for good, quality, solid information that you can trust. You watch "This Old House."
O'BRIEN: There you go. Did you say it to the camera there? Tom, Kevin, and Richard, thank you for dropping by. 25 years. Congratulations. And we'll have you back 25 years from now. We'll banter around then.
All right. "This Old House." 25 years. Pick up the magazine at newsstands. And of course watch it on a PBS station near you. Check your local listings.
Remember this guy coming up from yesterday? Yes. This one. You remember that one. The case of the missing marsupial. His owner has stepped forward. It wasn't hard to recognize the famous rapper. We'll reveal who it is.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Whoopi Goldberg is back on Broadway. We'll hear from the star herself. Plus the best songs of all time. "Rolling Stone" magazine has the answer. Do you? All that when LIVE FROM returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: All right, we've got some news just coming in to the CNN Center. We want to show you a picture of a house. This is going to be some tape of a house in Seattle. And here is what we understand went down here. CNN has confirmed that a group of people have been arrested here potentially on terrorism charges. But this is what the Associated Press is reporting so far, that 10 people arrested by police and federal agents with an anti-terrorism task force, arrested on immigration, bank fraud and weapons charges. No specifics on exactly who they are, what they may have been planning, but this just in so we're working hard on this story.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
O'BRIEN: All right. So is your favorite song one of the greatest of all time? Well, if it is your favorite song, I guess it would be. But no, there is a list, of course. But first before we do that, an old favorite is back on Broadway. With that and everything else we need to know about entertainment, we turn it over to Sibila Vargas -- Sibila.
VARGAS: Yes, Miles, it has been 20 years since she first appeared on Broadway, and now famed comedienne Whoopi Goldberg is doing it again. Never one to hold back, Whoopi tackles scandals, weight issues, and the recent backlash she faced after some risque comments she made about President Bush. Not to say that she is sorry about anything she said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTOR: Because it was media-invented controversy. I came out. I did my quarter of a minute thing, and the next thing I knew, you know, the fish hit the fan. The point of the matter is not what you say but you're right to say it.
Because I'm from New York, man. You have to be interested in architecture -- fall (ph).
It's kind of exciting to be able to stand before people 20 years later with a kaleidoscope of life behind me. It was a shock to discover that no longer could I just go on and do it, I had to actually get myself together. Pilates and, you know, stretching.
And I when I looked into the mirror again, I couldn't see anything. There wasn't nobody there. And then I was starting to walk away, and I thought, there it is again. You know what it was? I was being stalked by my own ass.
Fontaine (ph) is here. His thing is just trying to remind people that we have to keep our eye on the ball here. You can boo-hoo for only so long until you have to like come up with a plan.
And I found everything I wanted over there. Legally.
There is also the physically disabled lady who is always beautiful and wonderful because she reminds us that it is not the physical that we must look to.
People are nervous about people like me. Because I don't look like anyone else. I find that that's normal with most people, they are nervous with other things that don't make them comfortable.
It is very moving to discover that people held these characters in their hearts for 20 years. I had no idea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Whoopi's show runs now through January 20 at the Lyceum Theatre -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Sibila, tell us about this list -- "Rolling Stone" list of best songs of all time.
VARGAS: Oh, that's right, Miles. And I won't keep you guessing. Here are the best of the best.
Bob Dylan's unforgettable song "Like a Rolling Stone" made it to first place.
And speaking about Rolling Stones, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" was second on the list.
John Lennon's "Imagine" ranked third.
Followed by Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On."
And Ms. Aretha Franklin came in fifth with "Respect."
Round out the top 10 were "Good Vibrations," "Johnny B. Goode," "Hey Jude," "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "What'd I Say." For the entire list you can pick up the special edition of "Rolling Stone" magazine in newsstands on Friday.
By the way, Miles, what's your favorite song?
O'BRIEN: I don't know. You know, I'm kind of a big Cake fan. And I'm sure they didn't make it so...
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: "Sheep Go to Heaven Goats to Hell" is one of my favorites. All right. Got to go, Sibila. Thank you very much. All right. We're going to check the top stories straight ahead.
LIN: Maybe, or we'll just have you hum a few bars. Also, Condoleezza Rice, just nominated for secretary of state, is having surgery tomorrow. O'BRIEN: And U.S. troops uncover some interesting evidence in Falluja, including an SUV with ties to Texas. We'll have details on that one in our next hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 18, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Carol Lin. Here is what's all new this half-hour.
The Clinton legacy, how will history judge the 42nd president? We're going to go in-depth.
O'BRIEN: And 25 years, still going strong. The fellows from "This Old House" in the house, we'll get some tips for your renovation, we're going to have them fix up our set.
But first, here's what's happening "Now in the News."
New fears surfacing over mad cow disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture saying preliminary testing came back inconclusive for the brain wasting illness. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, offering much more on this in 30 minutes. Stay tuned for that.
Government drug safety reviewer says the Food and Drug Administration is incapable of protecting the American public. That's what he told a Senate panel today, at least, during a hearing on the safety of the drug Vioxx. Senators are grilling the FDA and Vioxx makers to determine whether they ignored danger signals that may have forced the drug off the market sooner.
Door to door searches yield a major discovery in Falluja. U.S. and Iraqi troops found an abandoned safehouse linked to wanted terrorists Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Inside there were two letters. One from al-Zarqawi, the other was written to the insurgent leader.
Pomp and circumstance today at the opening of the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. About 30,000 invitation-only guests attending the day-long celebration. Mine apparently got lost in the mail. Among the VIPs and the FOBs at the Clinton bash is a former NATO supreme commander who took a run at the White House himself, retired General Wesley Clark. Joining us from Little Rock, Arkansas, today where we hope he's staying dry.
General Clark, always a pleasure to see you, sir.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED CMDR.: Good to be with you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Must have been a strange confluence of politics and nostalgia there today. Just give us a little sense because we couldn't hear the chit-chat. Allow us to be fly on the wall here. What were people talking about?
CLARK: People are really happy to see each other. A lot of these people served together. You have got former members of Congress. Current members of Congress. People who were in the Clinton administration from all walks of life. A lot of people who gave to the library. Everybody came together. So it was a reunion of sorts.
But it was at a special time. And it is a time where Bill Clinton himself has gone through his surgery, he's back. It is after a presidential election. We had the former presidents here and the current president here and the wives and the families. There was a lot of warmth. There was a lot of good spirit. There was a lot of humor. And of course, everyone is out in the rain under umbrellas and it was just an amazing day.
O'BRIEN: Well, let me ask you this though, because, you know, there's been a lot of talk about all that conviviality and bipartisanship and stuff. And I must say, in the wake of that very acrimonious election of which you played direct part for some period of time, I would think that the weather really reflected the mood of Democrats in that crowd there. And it must be difficult to kind of put a brave face on all of this.
CLARK: Well, you know, Democrats, we're just people like anybody else. And first of all, I mean, I think the Democratic Party did a fine job in this election. John Kerry was here and Teresa. And we're all proud of him. I think he ran a great race. He wasn't elected but he ran a great race. And so we're proud of him. We're proud of all of the people who stand for election and support those elections in this country. That's what our democracy is all about. Sure, people are thinking about the future. They're thinking about how can this party better represent all of the people of America? Bill Clinton is a great role model in that. And...
(CROSSTALK)
CLARK: ... about it himself today.
O'BRIEN: He's more than a role model. He really -- from Democrats' perspective, he is the gold standard for leadership for the party.
CLARK: That's exactly right.
O'BRIEN: And to the extent that those folks in the crowd may not measure up, is a poignant time for Democrats, a time to re-assess and at this point are you thinking about another run?
CLARK: I think anybody who has participated in electoral politics, after an election, one has to reassess. And I hope that all people in the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are reassessing. I think that's necessary. As for myself, no, I don't have any plans. I'm very happy in private life. And I'm going to continue to speak out from time to time and share my views on television or any other way that the American people are eager to receive them.
O'BRIEN: All right. One more thought before we get away because we got the "This Old House" guys here. And I have got to ask you honestly, General, this is one of the ugly buildings ever created, right?
CLARK: Actually it is a wonderfully elegant, beautiful construction. And if you go into this building and you see it, it is remarkable.
O'BRIEN: Really?
CLARK: Not only are there some fabulous displays in there that take you through the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency, sort of month by month, issue by issue with the most modern technology, but there's a complete reconstruction of the Oval Office and cabinet room in there. Full scale, exactly down to the finest, smallest detail. And I think it is going to be a real center for people to come and reflect on this country, on that eight-year period when we transitioned from the end of the Cold War into something else, a period of great economic vitality in America. And I think it is a real celebration of those eight years.
O'BRIEN: And all right, former supreme allied commander and an investment banker, a friend of Bill, and who knows what next? But we'll be watching him very closely.
CLARK: Well, I'm a friend of Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Aw shucks. Thank you so much, Wes Clark.
CLARK: You take care.
O'BRIEN: All right. You can drop by any old time. We'll see you.
CLARK: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: All right. When you need to find info fast, where do you go? Odds are Google, right? Well, the search engine is getting even smarter. We'll explain how.
And speaking of genius, the experts from "This Old House" in the house today on LIVE FROM. I don't think they like the looks of the Clinton Library either. We're going to ask them about it.
And the top 10 greatest rock 'n' roll songs of all time. We can bat that around with them as well. I would vote for Aretha, for sure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right. Before Ty Pennington picked up a hammer to do an extreme home makeover, before "House and Garden" TV, it's even an option on your cable package, before all that, back in the mid forties -- well, not quite there -- but there was this old house. And after 25 years, that show -- it started the home improvement craze still going strong. Started off on the kinescope (ph) there. And we're proud to say that it is part of our Time Warner family. That's part of our full disclosure as well, folks. This is the magazine that some of the stuff comes through. The great corporate entity which shields and protects us all. We're thrilled to have with us the guys who do the hammering, the plumbing and the hosting on the show. In the middle is Kevin O'Connor, Tom Silva sits to his right, and plumber Richard Trethewey joins me right here.
Richard, I want to start with you because you have been there since day one. Did you ever imagine that this is going to be a 25- year run?
RICH TRETHEWEY, PLUMBING & HEATING: We were having a nice quiet life for ourselves when they called and said we have an idea for a TV show.
O'BRIEN: And you said what?
TRETHEWEY: And they said we're public television. We have no money. Can you work for nothing? And we said yes, that's a great idea.
O'BRIEN: Can I wear my T-shirt, right? Isn't that what the deal was?
TRETHEWEY: That's right. And the rest is history really.
O'BRIEN: That makes it sound simple. Kevin, you're a little newer to the scene than this group.
KEVIN O'CONNOR, HOST, "THIS OLD HOUSE": I am the newest.
O'BRIEN: I think you were, what, about 11 when it started, right? And of course you were watching it in between Nickelodeon but at what point did you think this will be a cool gig?
O'CONNOR: The second they asked me. I've been a fan my entire life. And so when the phone rang -- and I got it in a very round about way. I was fixing up my own house and I was a banker in my former life. It just floored me when they actually asked me do you want to be the new host? And I jumped at it in a heart beat because it is a dream job for me.
O'BRIEN: How did you get from banking to this then? Was it one of your houses that was featured?
O'CONNOR: I did something that I would recommend a lot of people to do. When they start a renovation and they get in over their head, which is what my wife and I did very quickly we actually wrote a letter to these guys on -- at "This Old House" and said we need a little bit of help. And Tom Silver came to my house and he helped me with a little bit of a fixup job and from that they actually offered me the host position which is a dream for me. O'BRIEN: Now Tom, when you met Kevin, did you say this guy has got it? He could be a host. Was that in your mind or were you just thinking we've got to do some work here.
TOM SILVA, CONTRACTOR, "THIS OLD HOUSE": Actually it was a connection right along from -- right from the very beginning. He was just -- well, I hate to say it, he's sitting right here but he warm, he was friendly and he understood. He could basically ask the questions. He knew what to ask. And he was just there. He was great.
O'CONNOR: You have to understand, Miles. Tommy is used to seeing some of the most beat up broken down old houses so when he came across me, I didn't surprise him at all.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this, Richard, from the beginning to now, the formula is pretty much the same. You have stuck to your knitting on all of this. And in some sense the world has progressed on from all of this...
TRETHEWEY: ...gone up or down?
O'BRIEN: Well, leave that to the viewer whether you can really do a house in four days. I wonder what you think about the derivatives of this, in a way, I'm sure you're flattered because that is a form of flattery. But nevertheless does it somehow trivialize what you guys are all about which is serious restoration in some sense.
TRETHEWEY: There are so many channels and so many places for people to go. I think that they can go to these sort of knockoff shows. If they want content about how to do it from -- we're not actors. We are contractors and carpenters and plumbers and that's what makes our show different. None of us have waited tables ever.
O'BRIEN: And it is different, isn't it because it is all about human drama and surprising people and there's all these mechanisms built in. You never go to the contractor or the factory where they make windows and understand what windows are all about which if you're a real house geek like me is fun.
It is fun but you also get something I don't think the other shows give you and that's true craftsmanship. Richard comes from 100 years of plumbing and heating experts. It is in his blood. And Tommy, multigenerational contractors. So when you want the best information, when you want the true craftsmanship these are the guys you want to ask and that's why I wrote these guys and not some of the other shows because this is where you want to get the information from.
O'BRIEN: So the truth is you stick to what you're doing. Have you ever thought about tinkering with -- I know you have the "Ask This Old House" which allows people to participate a little.
SILVA: "Ask This Old House" answers the question that we get from thousands of viewers, why can't do you a project that we can relate to. But we go to their house and we show them how to start a crown molding or paint a wall or fix a leaky toilet. We get them in the right direction. We don't do the project for them but we teach them how to do it. That's what "This Old House" is about. Its proven information.
O'BRIEN: And the viewership is still there?
SILVA: They love it. They love it.
O'BRIEN: We're going to have that core audience, that niche that's always going to be there. The one thing that I take away sometimes is it seems like a lot of people have unlimited budgets on these projects. You don't really get into the nitty gritty of all that. Nevertheless, do you always do the high end stuff? How do you go about that?
O'CONNOR: I don't think we always do the high end stuff. The budgets are tricky because prices differ from state to state across the country. The show is going to be on in 25 years just like the shows we did 25 years ago are still on.
O'BRIEN: You sort of leave that aside.
O'CONNOR: But if you really want to show the latest and greatest technology which is what the show is known for, what is coming, you have to do it on a higher end scale to make sure that the audience can see what's coming.
TRETHEWEY: If it was strictly on lowest price we would have 26 episodes each year of how to just sheet rock and tape.
O'BRIEN: You guys would be stark raving mad by then.
O'CONNOR: If you want to find out what the latest and greatest in plumbing, Richard has to go out there and find out what is coming across the ocean for homeowners here in the United States.
SILVA: If you're looking for good, quality, solid information that you can trust. You watch "This Old House."
O'BRIEN: There you go. Did you say it to the camera there? Tom, Kevin, and Richard, thank you for dropping by. 25 years. Congratulations. And we'll have you back 25 years from now. We'll banter around then.
All right. "This Old House." 25 years. Pick up the magazine at newsstands. And of course watch it on a PBS station near you. Check your local listings.
Remember this guy coming up from yesterday? Yes. This one. You remember that one. The case of the missing marsupial. His owner has stepped forward. It wasn't hard to recognize the famous rapper. We'll reveal who it is.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Whoopi Goldberg is back on Broadway. We'll hear from the star herself. Plus the best songs of all time. "Rolling Stone" magazine has the answer. Do you? All that when LIVE FROM returns.
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LIN: All right, we've got some news just coming in to the CNN Center. We want to show you a picture of a house. This is going to be some tape of a house in Seattle. And here is what we understand went down here. CNN has confirmed that a group of people have been arrested here potentially on terrorism charges. But this is what the Associated Press is reporting so far, that 10 people arrested by police and federal agents with an anti-terrorism task force, arrested on immigration, bank fraud and weapons charges. No specifics on exactly who they are, what they may have been planning, but this just in so we're working hard on this story.
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O'BRIEN: All right. So is your favorite song one of the greatest of all time? Well, if it is your favorite song, I guess it would be. But no, there is a list, of course. But first before we do that, an old favorite is back on Broadway. With that and everything else we need to know about entertainment, we turn it over to Sibila Vargas -- Sibila.
VARGAS: Yes, Miles, it has been 20 years since she first appeared on Broadway, and now famed comedienne Whoopi Goldberg is doing it again. Never one to hold back, Whoopi tackles scandals, weight issues, and the recent backlash she faced after some risque comments she made about President Bush. Not to say that she is sorry about anything she said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTOR: Because it was media-invented controversy. I came out. I did my quarter of a minute thing, and the next thing I knew, you know, the fish hit the fan. The point of the matter is not what you say but you're right to say it.
Because I'm from New York, man. You have to be interested in architecture -- fall (ph).
It's kind of exciting to be able to stand before people 20 years later with a kaleidoscope of life behind me. It was a shock to discover that no longer could I just go on and do it, I had to actually get myself together. Pilates and, you know, stretching.
And I when I looked into the mirror again, I couldn't see anything. There wasn't nobody there. And then I was starting to walk away, and I thought, there it is again. You know what it was? I was being stalked by my own ass.
Fontaine (ph) is here. His thing is just trying to remind people that we have to keep our eye on the ball here. You can boo-hoo for only so long until you have to like come up with a plan.
And I found everything I wanted over there. Legally.
There is also the physically disabled lady who is always beautiful and wonderful because she reminds us that it is not the physical that we must look to.
People are nervous about people like me. Because I don't look like anyone else. I find that that's normal with most people, they are nervous with other things that don't make them comfortable.
It is very moving to discover that people held these characters in their hearts for 20 years. I had no idea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Whoopi's show runs now through January 20 at the Lyceum Theatre -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Sibila, tell us about this list -- "Rolling Stone" list of best songs of all time.
VARGAS: Oh, that's right, Miles. And I won't keep you guessing. Here are the best of the best.
Bob Dylan's unforgettable song "Like a Rolling Stone" made it to first place.
And speaking about Rolling Stones, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" was second on the list.
John Lennon's "Imagine" ranked third.
Followed by Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On."
And Ms. Aretha Franklin came in fifth with "Respect."
Round out the top 10 were "Good Vibrations," "Johnny B. Goode," "Hey Jude," "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "What'd I Say." For the entire list you can pick up the special edition of "Rolling Stone" magazine in newsstands on Friday.
By the way, Miles, what's your favorite song?
O'BRIEN: I don't know. You know, I'm kind of a big Cake fan. And I'm sure they didn't make it so...
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: "Sheep Go to Heaven Goats to Hell" is one of my favorites. All right. Got to go, Sibila. Thank you very much. All right. We're going to check the top stories straight ahead.
LIN: Maybe, or we'll just have you hum a few bars. Also, Condoleezza Rice, just nominated for secretary of state, is having surgery tomorrow. O'BRIEN: And U.S. troops uncover some interesting evidence in Falluja, including an SUV with ties to Texas. We'll have details on that one in our next hour.
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