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A Mother's Heartache; The Phenomenon That is Godzilla

Aired November 29, 2004 - 13:32   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.


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Stories in the news now. President Bush has nominated a new commerce secretary, Kellogg CEO Carlos Gutierrez. Mr. Bush calls Gutierrez one of America's most respected business leaders. If confirmed by the Senate, Gutierrez will succeed outgoing Secretary Don Evans. More in a live report from the White House in just a moment.
A major new trade deal has been reached among 13 nations in east Asia, including China. It creates the world's biggest free trade zone, totalling two billion people. The aim is to create a common market with common security goals.

In this country, thousands struggle to make it home from the holiday weekend. Bad weather in the West and Northeast delayed motorists and airline passengers. The situation was especially bad at Nevada's Reno Tahoe Airport. An instrument landing system failed in a snowstorm stranding 2,000 people whose flights were canceled or delayed.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Formal charges are expected to be filed today against a suspect in a bizarre shooting that left six hunters dead. Police say that Chai Vang opened fire on a group of hunters after a territorial dispute in Wisconsin just eight days ago. Vang is being held on $2.5 million bail. His attorney says he may consider a mental health defense.

After countless delays, it's now down to life or death for Scott Peterson. Jurors are scheduled to begin deliberations tomorrow in the penalty phase of the double-murder trial. The same jurors convicted Peterson earlier this month of killing his wife and unborn son. Last week, the judge denied a defense request to have a new jury decide his punishment.

Well, one woman who knows more than most people as to what the Peterson family is going through is Carol Kent. One night her family got a phone call that forever changed their lives. Their son, Jason, was a Naval Academy graduate, in training to become a Navy SEAL. The caller said Jason had been arrested for shooting and killing his wife's ex-husband. Jason apparently feared that the ex-husband might abuse his stepdaughters during parental visitation. Carol Kent writes about the nightmare in her book, "When I Lay My Isaac Down, Unshakeable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstance." She recently shared her story with me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL KENT, "WHEN I LAY MY ISAAC DOWN": Well, it was the middle of night. I work full time as a public speaker, and I had been out of state and came home late on a Sunday night. And my husband and I were in a deep sleep and suddenly the phone rang. And my husband picked up the receiver and I saw a look of horror on his face. And he pulled the receiver away, and threw choking sobs, he said, Carol, Jason has just been arrested for the murder of Douglas Miller Jr., and he's in the Orlando jail. I had never been in shock before. And I tried to get out of bed and my legs wouldn't hold my weight. Nausea swept over me and I started to crawl toward the bathroom. I thought this has to be the worst nightmare a parent could ever go through, it can't be true.

And I called the Orlando jail, and I got a rude voice on the other side that said, lady, your son ain't here, we ain't got nobody by that name in here. And, Kyra, for a moment, my hopes returned that maybe this was a nightmare. But as hours followed hours, the facts of case were confirmed. My son pulled the trigger in a public parking lot and a man died, and we were about to encounter a journey that no patient ever wants to live through in a lifetime.

PHILLIPS: My gosh. And when you think of all the emotions that you must have wrestled with, what do you think the main emotion was that you just -- was it anger? Was it curiosity? Was it frustration? Guilt?

KENT: Oh, I think every parent who goes through a crisis like this says, what could I have done to be a better parent, how could I have thwarted this before it ever happened? I was in a state of shock for a while. My husband went to Florida very quickly, because Jason had been in a dive school in Panama City, and he moved his wife, April, and the little girls, Chelsea and Hanna, to Orlando. And I was pulling together the major financial burden of paying the retainer for a very expensive criminal defense attorney.

And, Kyra, my phone rang, and I am not proud to say, I had never been in a jail or prison before my son was arrested. This just had never been a part of my world. And when I picked up the receiver, it was my son. And he was sobbing. And he said, mom, I've just been jumped by 10 guys. They were kicking me in the head. My two front teeth are broken off. I have a cut in my ear. I've been kicked in the eyes. And through his sobs he said after the beating, I was taken to the faith-based area of the jail, and he said those men came to me, and he said, they washed my wounds and they brought me soap and deodorant, and he through his sobs, he said, they were just like Jesus to me, mom.

And when you call a call from an institution like this, it lasts for 15 minutes and then is cut off. And, Kyra, I sat at my desk that day as a mom, and I heard this guttural wail come out of the depths of my being, and I just raised my hands to God and I started to pray, I said, Lord, I can't do this, I can't walk this journey, I cannot watch my son suffer like this. I would just as soon check out right now. And then the mama part of my kicked in. And I knew my son needed us as his advocates more than he ever had before.

But I began to understand what I talk about in the book, and that is the power of unthinkable circumstances, because when you're bottomed out, you need to ask for resources, for the help of people around you, and you certainly need to hold on to faith.

PHILLIPS: Carol, my gosh, just listening to that story, and then I just think about all the media attention that this case garnered, national media attention, very much like the Scott Peterson case. Your son now forever labeled as a murderer. As a parent, did you feel that because of that and because that image is so strong, was so strong, that people just forgot about your feelings as a parent, forgot about what you were going through? I mean, I'm thinking about Scott Peterson's family walking out of the courtroom and everybody cheering.

KENT: Yes.

PHILLIPS: I mean as a parent, it must have been heart wrenching for you. Was your voice forgotten?

KENT: It was a devastating experience in those first few days. I'm a very public person, and I found myself pulling my shades. We went through 2 1/2 years and seven postponements before our trial. And I had a friend who meant to be helping me call and say, you know, it's too bad that Jason didn't just shoot himself after he shot Douglas Miller, because then you'd grieve for a while and your grieving would be over, but this way it just never ends, does it? And I know people sometimes don't know quite what to say and they can be rude and inappropriate without meaning to be, so I empathize with the Peterson family tremendously.

But I think that something we forget about is that no matter how bleak a situation is, there is always something called redemption when we try to find the hope and the good that we can bring out of the bad that's happened.

PHILLIPS: Carol, if you could sit down with Scott Peterson's mom, what would you tell her?

KENT: Well, mostly I wouldn't talk. I would hold her in my arms and I would weep with her. And I would tell Jackie Peterson, don't fight the tears, the sorrow is so big. Our son was given a life without the possibility of parole sentence. He is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who had made his parents very proud. He was president of the National Honor Society when he was in high school. He was a young man who would shovel the snow off the sidewalks of widow ladies and disappear and not take the credit. And I understand what it's like to raise a child to be a good person and to be someone who gives back to society, and then the devastation of finding out they have somehow made a choice that has forever altered their future in a way that impacts everybody around you. And it is a difficult thing. And when we put our arms around people and share their burdens, and hear their hurts, and listen more than we talk, that's the way we help them most.

PHILLIPS: Carol Kent, the book is "When I Lay My Isaac Down," quite a different angle to this story. And your son is very lucky to have a mother like you. Thank you for your time, Carol.

KENT: Thank you. I'm lucky to have him as my son. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news across America now. Details are slowly coming in on a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Texas. That chopper carrying seven soldiers from Ft. Hood crashed near the Army base from apparently hitting a guy wire attached to a TV station transmission tower. There is no official word on injuries right now.

In Bethesda, Maryland, rescue crews are working to save a construction worker trapped in a partially collapsed parking garage. The six-story garage was under construction when one of the floors gave way. About a dozen workers have been rescued so far.

Transportation officials are on the scene of a deadly train collision in Florida. Two CSX freight trains crashed head on overnight in Richland, forcing four locomotives and more than a dozen car off the tracks. One person was killed, three others injured.

And the first trial stemming from the deadliest human smuggling attempt in the U.S. opens today in Texas. On trial, three suspects accused of trying to transport more than 70 immigrants from south Texas to Houston in a sweltering, locked trailer. Nineteen of those immigrants died.

HARRIS; A man who once sold cereal from the back of a van in Mexico, then rose to the top of a major American company, has been nominated to President Bush's cabinet as commerce secretary.

That story from CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Hi, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. That's right, Tony. Good afternoon to you.

As President Bush looks ahead to move forward on his economic agenda, his choice to replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Don Evans is Carlos Gutierrez, CEO of Kellogg.

Now in announcing his nominee in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, the president called Gutierrez a great American success story. Now if confirmed by the Senate, the president also says that Gutierrez would take office at a time of opportunity, a time when the president wants to press forward on issues like tax reform, and Social Security reform. Mr. Bush saying that Gutierrez's leadership would help accomplish those goals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Carlos Gutierrez, the Department of Commerce will have an experienced manager and an innovative leader. He will be a strong, principled voice for American business and an inspiration to millions of men and women who dream of a better life in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) QUIJANO: And here are some more background for you. Gutierrez has been chairman of the board of Kellogg since April of 2000. He's been chief executive officer since April of 1999. He joined the offices in Mexico for Kellogg in 1975 as a sales representative, and he was born in Havana, Cuba.

Now the president also had some warm wishes for his outgoing Commerce Secretary, Don Evans, the president saying that Evans led through a time economic difficulty, citing the September 11th terror attacks, also corporate scandals and a recession, and the president, Tony, also noting that Don Evans is a longtime friend, someone that he's known for more than 30 years -- Tony.

QUIJANO: Elaine Quijano reporting for us from the White House. Elaine, thank you.

HARRIS: And ahead on LIVE FROM, Japan's biggest movie star gets his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And he may be 50, but he's not done yet. He's got a three-picture deal, I'm told. We'll explain.

PHILLIPS: I wonder if he's going to be there.

HARRIS: I hope.

PHILLIPS: The first lady receives the first tree. Christmas at the White House. That's later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, you know, he's old enough to join the AARP. Where is this going? He's big enough to squash skyscrapers. He's radioactive enough to scorch entire cities. And now, he's reached the acme of celebrity. Godzilla meets the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Oh! The lovable lizard, will he be on his hands or will he crawl in for the ceremony today on Hollywood Boulevard. At the age of 50, Godzilla is no geezer. In his new movie, "Godzilla: Final Wars," he'll battle the old folks, like Mothra and Rodan. Although "Final Wars" is billed as Godzilla's last screen outing, fans have heard all this before. The head of the studio that owns the franchise says Godzilla will exhaust as long as humans do. (INAUDIBLE).

Just why is the world still so nutty about this overgrown gecko with anger-management issues?

CNN's Atika Shubert on the phenomenon that is godzilla and the actors who have risked their lives to wear the rubber suit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GODZILLA SCREAMING) ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The big G is back and looking a healthy 50 years old. He's got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and "Final Wars". A new movie that producers promise will be his last featuring every Godzilla friend and foe ever created.

It started as something of a joke. Who knew a guy in a rubber suit stomping around Tokyo would become a icon, much less the subject of serious discussion. What is Godzilla? Is he the embodiment of Japan's nuclear post-war trauma? Or is he Japan's national hope cleverly disguised as a fire-breathing monster?

(On camera): What is Godzilla is still under debate, but who is Godzilla is pretty easy to find out. Especially since all the actors who played him still live in Tokyo.

Haruwa (ph) Nakajima is the original Godzilla. He has suffered burns, electric shocks and near suffocation while playing the monster. Not surprising since the suit weighted almost 100 kilograms, about 200 pounds, powered by a car battery wedged between his knees.

Now 75, Nakajima says today's actors could learn something from playing a monster.

HARUWA (ph) NAKAJIMA, FIRST GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): Actors shouldn't show weakness, he says. You can't say I have no oxygen in the middle of filming. Actors shouldn't cry. If they complain, they should just quit.

SHUBERT: The current Godzilla, Tsutomu Kitagawa takes that advice to heart and happily gives us lessons in proper stomping technique.

(GROWLING)

TSUTOMU KITAGAWA, NEW GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): The suit is very tight. I can't see very well and inside there is a tube for breathing. Once it came undone while I was underwater and I was drowning. Godzilla may look great on the outside, but inside he's pretty desperate.

(GODZILLA SCREAMING)

SHUBERT: Godzilla creators never figured he would last beyond one movie; 50 years and 28 films later, Godzilla biggest problem is finding a way to stomp into the sunset for good -- Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Up next on LIVE FROM, from Godzilla to Christmastime at the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Washington. A huge 18 1/2-foot noble fir Christmas tree arrived at White House this morning. The official White House tree was hauled in by horse-drawn carriage of course. First lady Laura Bush offered some words as she received the tree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: We're always mindful, we were very mindful over the Thanksgiving holidays, and we certainly will be over the Christmas holidays of the people who have a loved one serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the people who have lost a loved one there and will have an empty place at the table at Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Nice sentiment.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: Coming up in our second hour of live from -- I'm just building up to this.

PHILLIPS: You're the singer of this group.

HARRIS: Oh, come on.

PHILLIPS: I know you know a little Jimmy Buffet, come on. Give me a little, give me a little.

HARRIS: Wasting away at margaritaville, looking for that lost salt shaker. How was that?

PHILLIPS: Funny that you say salt. That word is in his new book. We'll tell you all about it.

HARRIS: LIVE FROM's hour of power begins after this.

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 29, 2004 - 13:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Stories in the news now. President Bush has nominated a new commerce secretary, Kellogg CEO Carlos Gutierrez. Mr. Bush calls Gutierrez one of America's most respected business leaders. If confirmed by the Senate, Gutierrez will succeed outgoing Secretary Don Evans. More in a live report from the White House in just a moment.
A major new trade deal has been reached among 13 nations in east Asia, including China. It creates the world's biggest free trade zone, totalling two billion people. The aim is to create a common market with common security goals.

In this country, thousands struggle to make it home from the holiday weekend. Bad weather in the West and Northeast delayed motorists and airline passengers. The situation was especially bad at Nevada's Reno Tahoe Airport. An instrument landing system failed in a snowstorm stranding 2,000 people whose flights were canceled or delayed.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Formal charges are expected to be filed today against a suspect in a bizarre shooting that left six hunters dead. Police say that Chai Vang opened fire on a group of hunters after a territorial dispute in Wisconsin just eight days ago. Vang is being held on $2.5 million bail. His attorney says he may consider a mental health defense.

After countless delays, it's now down to life or death for Scott Peterson. Jurors are scheduled to begin deliberations tomorrow in the penalty phase of the double-murder trial. The same jurors convicted Peterson earlier this month of killing his wife and unborn son. Last week, the judge denied a defense request to have a new jury decide his punishment.

Well, one woman who knows more than most people as to what the Peterson family is going through is Carol Kent. One night her family got a phone call that forever changed their lives. Their son, Jason, was a Naval Academy graduate, in training to become a Navy SEAL. The caller said Jason had been arrested for shooting and killing his wife's ex-husband. Jason apparently feared that the ex-husband might abuse his stepdaughters during parental visitation. Carol Kent writes about the nightmare in her book, "When I Lay My Isaac Down, Unshakeable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstance." She recently shared her story with me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL KENT, "WHEN I LAY MY ISAAC DOWN": Well, it was the middle of night. I work full time as a public speaker, and I had been out of state and came home late on a Sunday night. And my husband and I were in a deep sleep and suddenly the phone rang. And my husband picked up the receiver and I saw a look of horror on his face. And he pulled the receiver away, and threw choking sobs, he said, Carol, Jason has just been arrested for the murder of Douglas Miller Jr., and he's in the Orlando jail. I had never been in shock before. And I tried to get out of bed and my legs wouldn't hold my weight. Nausea swept over me and I started to crawl toward the bathroom. I thought this has to be the worst nightmare a parent could ever go through, it can't be true.

And I called the Orlando jail, and I got a rude voice on the other side that said, lady, your son ain't here, we ain't got nobody by that name in here. And, Kyra, for a moment, my hopes returned that maybe this was a nightmare. But as hours followed hours, the facts of case were confirmed. My son pulled the trigger in a public parking lot and a man died, and we were about to encounter a journey that no patient ever wants to live through in a lifetime.

PHILLIPS: My gosh. And when you think of all the emotions that you must have wrestled with, what do you think the main emotion was that you just -- was it anger? Was it curiosity? Was it frustration? Guilt?

KENT: Oh, I think every parent who goes through a crisis like this says, what could I have done to be a better parent, how could I have thwarted this before it ever happened? I was in a state of shock for a while. My husband went to Florida very quickly, because Jason had been in a dive school in Panama City, and he moved his wife, April, and the little girls, Chelsea and Hanna, to Orlando. And I was pulling together the major financial burden of paying the retainer for a very expensive criminal defense attorney.

And, Kyra, my phone rang, and I am not proud to say, I had never been in a jail or prison before my son was arrested. This just had never been a part of my world. And when I picked up the receiver, it was my son. And he was sobbing. And he said, mom, I've just been jumped by 10 guys. They were kicking me in the head. My two front teeth are broken off. I have a cut in my ear. I've been kicked in the eyes. And through his sobs he said after the beating, I was taken to the faith-based area of the jail, and he said those men came to me, and he said, they washed my wounds and they brought me soap and deodorant, and he through his sobs, he said, they were just like Jesus to me, mom.

And when you call a call from an institution like this, it lasts for 15 minutes and then is cut off. And, Kyra, I sat at my desk that day as a mom, and I heard this guttural wail come out of the depths of my being, and I just raised my hands to God and I started to pray, I said, Lord, I can't do this, I can't walk this journey, I cannot watch my son suffer like this. I would just as soon check out right now. And then the mama part of my kicked in. And I knew my son needed us as his advocates more than he ever had before.

But I began to understand what I talk about in the book, and that is the power of unthinkable circumstances, because when you're bottomed out, you need to ask for resources, for the help of people around you, and you certainly need to hold on to faith.

PHILLIPS: Carol, my gosh, just listening to that story, and then I just think about all the media attention that this case garnered, national media attention, very much like the Scott Peterson case. Your son now forever labeled as a murderer. As a parent, did you feel that because of that and because that image is so strong, was so strong, that people just forgot about your feelings as a parent, forgot about what you were going through? I mean, I'm thinking about Scott Peterson's family walking out of the courtroom and everybody cheering.

KENT: Yes.

PHILLIPS: I mean as a parent, it must have been heart wrenching for you. Was your voice forgotten?

KENT: It was a devastating experience in those first few days. I'm a very public person, and I found myself pulling my shades. We went through 2 1/2 years and seven postponements before our trial. And I had a friend who meant to be helping me call and say, you know, it's too bad that Jason didn't just shoot himself after he shot Douglas Miller, because then you'd grieve for a while and your grieving would be over, but this way it just never ends, does it? And I know people sometimes don't know quite what to say and they can be rude and inappropriate without meaning to be, so I empathize with the Peterson family tremendously.

But I think that something we forget about is that no matter how bleak a situation is, there is always something called redemption when we try to find the hope and the good that we can bring out of the bad that's happened.

PHILLIPS: Carol, if you could sit down with Scott Peterson's mom, what would you tell her?

KENT: Well, mostly I wouldn't talk. I would hold her in my arms and I would weep with her. And I would tell Jackie Peterson, don't fight the tears, the sorrow is so big. Our son was given a life without the possibility of parole sentence. He is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who had made his parents very proud. He was president of the National Honor Society when he was in high school. He was a young man who would shovel the snow off the sidewalks of widow ladies and disappear and not take the credit. And I understand what it's like to raise a child to be a good person and to be someone who gives back to society, and then the devastation of finding out they have somehow made a choice that has forever altered their future in a way that impacts everybody around you. And it is a difficult thing. And when we put our arms around people and share their burdens, and hear their hurts, and listen more than we talk, that's the way we help them most.

PHILLIPS: Carol Kent, the book is "When I Lay My Isaac Down," quite a different angle to this story. And your son is very lucky to have a mother like you. Thank you for your time, Carol.

KENT: Thank you. I'm lucky to have him as my son. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news across America now. Details are slowly coming in on a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Texas. That chopper carrying seven soldiers from Ft. Hood crashed near the Army base from apparently hitting a guy wire attached to a TV station transmission tower. There is no official word on injuries right now.

In Bethesda, Maryland, rescue crews are working to save a construction worker trapped in a partially collapsed parking garage. The six-story garage was under construction when one of the floors gave way. About a dozen workers have been rescued so far.

Transportation officials are on the scene of a deadly train collision in Florida. Two CSX freight trains crashed head on overnight in Richland, forcing four locomotives and more than a dozen car off the tracks. One person was killed, three others injured.

And the first trial stemming from the deadliest human smuggling attempt in the U.S. opens today in Texas. On trial, three suspects accused of trying to transport more than 70 immigrants from south Texas to Houston in a sweltering, locked trailer. Nineteen of those immigrants died.

HARRIS; A man who once sold cereal from the back of a van in Mexico, then rose to the top of a major American company, has been nominated to President Bush's cabinet as commerce secretary.

That story from CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Hi, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. That's right, Tony. Good afternoon to you.

As President Bush looks ahead to move forward on his economic agenda, his choice to replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Don Evans is Carlos Gutierrez, CEO of Kellogg.

Now in announcing his nominee in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, the president called Gutierrez a great American success story. Now if confirmed by the Senate, the president also says that Gutierrez would take office at a time of opportunity, a time when the president wants to press forward on issues like tax reform, and Social Security reform. Mr. Bush saying that Gutierrez's leadership would help accomplish those goals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Carlos Gutierrez, the Department of Commerce will have an experienced manager and an innovative leader. He will be a strong, principled voice for American business and an inspiration to millions of men and women who dream of a better life in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) QUIJANO: And here are some more background for you. Gutierrez has been chairman of the board of Kellogg since April of 2000. He's been chief executive officer since April of 1999. He joined the offices in Mexico for Kellogg in 1975 as a sales representative, and he was born in Havana, Cuba.

Now the president also had some warm wishes for his outgoing Commerce Secretary, Don Evans, the president saying that Evans led through a time economic difficulty, citing the September 11th terror attacks, also corporate scandals and a recession, and the president, Tony, also noting that Don Evans is a longtime friend, someone that he's known for more than 30 years -- Tony.

QUIJANO: Elaine Quijano reporting for us from the White House. Elaine, thank you.

HARRIS: And ahead on LIVE FROM, Japan's biggest movie star gets his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And he may be 50, but he's not done yet. He's got a three-picture deal, I'm told. We'll explain.

PHILLIPS: I wonder if he's going to be there.

HARRIS: I hope.

PHILLIPS: The first lady receives the first tree. Christmas at the White House. That's later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, you know, he's old enough to join the AARP. Where is this going? He's big enough to squash skyscrapers. He's radioactive enough to scorch entire cities. And now, he's reached the acme of celebrity. Godzilla meets the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Oh! The lovable lizard, will he be on his hands or will he crawl in for the ceremony today on Hollywood Boulevard. At the age of 50, Godzilla is no geezer. In his new movie, "Godzilla: Final Wars," he'll battle the old folks, like Mothra and Rodan. Although "Final Wars" is billed as Godzilla's last screen outing, fans have heard all this before. The head of the studio that owns the franchise says Godzilla will exhaust as long as humans do. (INAUDIBLE).

Just why is the world still so nutty about this overgrown gecko with anger-management issues?

CNN's Atika Shubert on the phenomenon that is godzilla and the actors who have risked their lives to wear the rubber suit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GODZILLA SCREAMING) ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The big G is back and looking a healthy 50 years old. He's got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and "Final Wars". A new movie that producers promise will be his last featuring every Godzilla friend and foe ever created.

It started as something of a joke. Who knew a guy in a rubber suit stomping around Tokyo would become a icon, much less the subject of serious discussion. What is Godzilla? Is he the embodiment of Japan's nuclear post-war trauma? Or is he Japan's national hope cleverly disguised as a fire-breathing monster?

(On camera): What is Godzilla is still under debate, but who is Godzilla is pretty easy to find out. Especially since all the actors who played him still live in Tokyo.

Haruwa (ph) Nakajima is the original Godzilla. He has suffered burns, electric shocks and near suffocation while playing the monster. Not surprising since the suit weighted almost 100 kilograms, about 200 pounds, powered by a car battery wedged between his knees.

Now 75, Nakajima says today's actors could learn something from playing a monster.

HARUWA (ph) NAKAJIMA, FIRST GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): Actors shouldn't show weakness, he says. You can't say I have no oxygen in the middle of filming. Actors shouldn't cry. If they complain, they should just quit.

SHUBERT: The current Godzilla, Tsutomu Kitagawa takes that advice to heart and happily gives us lessons in proper stomping technique.

(GROWLING)

TSUTOMU KITAGAWA, NEW GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): The suit is very tight. I can't see very well and inside there is a tube for breathing. Once it came undone while I was underwater and I was drowning. Godzilla may look great on the outside, but inside he's pretty desperate.

(GODZILLA SCREAMING)

SHUBERT: Godzilla creators never figured he would last beyond one movie; 50 years and 28 films later, Godzilla biggest problem is finding a way to stomp into the sunset for good -- Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Up next on LIVE FROM, from Godzilla to Christmastime at the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Washington. A huge 18 1/2-foot noble fir Christmas tree arrived at White House this morning. The official White House tree was hauled in by horse-drawn carriage of course. First lady Laura Bush offered some words as she received the tree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: We're always mindful, we were very mindful over the Thanksgiving holidays, and we certainly will be over the Christmas holidays of the people who have a loved one serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the people who have lost a loved one there and will have an empty place at the table at Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Nice sentiment.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: Coming up in our second hour of live from -- I'm just building up to this.

PHILLIPS: You're the singer of this group.

HARRIS: Oh, come on.

PHILLIPS: I know you know a little Jimmy Buffet, come on. Give me a little, give me a little.

HARRIS: Wasting away at margaritaville, looking for that lost salt shaker. How was that?

PHILLIPS: Funny that you say salt. That word is in his new book. We'll tell you all about it.

HARRIS: LIVE FROM's hour of power begins after this.

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