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Royal Watcher: Good Time for Charles to Wed; Healing Efforts in Rwanda

Aired February 10, 2005 - 14:29   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: "Now in the News," the pope is out of the hospital. Pope John Paul II discharged last hour after a nine-day stay. He waved to doctors and well-wishers as his popemobile made its way back to the Vatican.
A threat, worrisome, but not a certainty, that's what Defense Secretary Rumsfeld says about North Korea's assertion that it has manufactured a nuclear weapon. Rumsfeld responded to Pyongyang's announcement today that it plans to make more nuclear arms and pull out of six-party talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Given their dictatorial regime and the repression of their own people, one has to worry about weapons of that power in the hands of leadership of that nature. I don't think that anyone would characterize the leadership in that country as being restrained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is shaking up his security forces following a new outbreak of violence. Abbas gave his three top security chiefs the boot. The firings came just hours after a Palestinian rocket and mortar attack in Gaza. That attack punctured a cease-fire with Israel.

Some Indiana charities are getting a boost from that ugly basketball melee last year. Today the Pacers announced their $2.4 million fine will go to 11 local youth organizations. Five players and four Detroit Piston fans were charged following that November 19th fight.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It will be the second marriage for both. Prince Charles and longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles are making it official. But news of another royal wedding isn't music to everyone's ears. Joining me now from London, royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams.

Richard, good to see you.

RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS, ROYAL WATCHER: Good to be on the program.

HARRIS: Well, I have to ask you, where do the Brits stand on this, the public at large, any polls to give us some clues as to what the British public feel about this? FITZWILLIAMS: At the moment, it's a bit early for polls. What we can do is surmise. My own feeling, based on the polls that I've seen in recent years, is that people are becoming accustomed to Camilla Parker Bowles' face. They're far more amiably inclined towards her, because I mean, remember, in 1997 after Diana's tragic death, Camilla all but disappeared. And then there was a certain rehabilitation which lasted for several years. And then that, too, was abandoned.

HARRIS: Richard, talk to us about that. How did she make -- and then I want to get to Prince Charles as well. But how did Camilla make this comeback? What did Charles do, what did the rest of the royal family do to help this process along the way? Remember, she was the home-wrecker for a long time there.

FITZWILLIAMS: Well, I mean, there's little question that the terrific pressure on the prince of Wales, almost everything he has done, over the last couple of years, has been dominated by his former wife, the princess of Wales. And there's still an inquest that's going on and hasn't reported yet into the princess' death. We've had books, we've had photographs, we've had a series of television programs and endless articles about her.

And I think the prince was finding it very difficult, indeed, that his own work for charity has being subsumed by all of this. And people were saying he and Camilla can't possibly marry at least until the inquest was over.

And I must say, I thought that. I think that, basically, Clarence House, which is where the prince lives with Camilla, who he said is non-negotiable, and Princes William and Harry, decided to be proactive, for once they've sprung a surprise. But this did have to happen because if you had the heir to the throne ascending it, if the queen died, for example, and if he hadn't married Camilla, this would be a matter for parliament, and I think it would be extremely undignified and very difficult.

HARRIS: Princess consort, what is that? What does that mean?

FITZWILLIAMS: Well, princess consort, of course, means the consort to the prince. The person who supports him as -- this is words taken from in the 19th Century, Albert wasn't -- couldn't become king, he was made prince consort and became known as such. And it was really an endearing term. That's where they've taken it from.

And also, as we know, when Camilla marries, she becomes her royal highness, a title that was very unkindly, I thought, taken from the princess of wales, as we all remember. The duchess of Cornwall. The prince is duke of Cornwall. Rather a charming perk of being prince of Wales. It dates back from 1337 and Edward III.

Interesting that Edward III, I know he founded the Order of the Garter and the Garter Ceremony, which is magnificent. I've been to it several times; is performed in the Chapel Royal at Winder Castle, which is where the blessing will take place. It will be a... HARRIS: I don't know what half of this really means, I really don't, but I appreciate the history lesson. I'll follow up, I promise you. But I've got to ask you, we talked about Camilla and rehabbing her image. How about Prince Charles? I mean, after all, he was the cheating husband. How has he made this comeback?

FITZWILLIAMS: Yes. And I absolutely agree with you. I hold no brief for the way the prince behaved during his marriage to the princess of Wales. And he's made some very bad mistakes, several in the 1990s. I mean, there is no doubt that -- I would put this point, he's someone who's done an amazing amount for charity, and all his work has, again, been constantly overlooked because of a public and press obsession with his private life.

Insofar as a comeback, I think it's at a very low point, but I do think people are prepared to give him a chance to move on because otherwise he'll be stuck in an impossible role. It's been said, and not so much of a joke, that being prince of Wales isn't a position. It's a predicament. It's very difficult to know what to do. Edward VII was a playboy, libertine. So was Sir George IV when prince of Wales, but no one was around to chronicle as they do today, every movement.

That's when the prince becomes attacked in the media and by so many individuals. But he's also got some very good points. And whether it's as a watercolor artist or as champion of organic foods or architecture, there are aspects to the prince.

It's extraordinary now that 10, 15 years ago, people would refer to him as a renaissance man. Now what we've got is someone who's been struggling for years, and this, at least, marks a new beginning and it formalizes something. Because it was a very embarrassing incident just a couple months ago, the society wedding of last year between the Vancuts (ph) and the Grovner (ph) families. What happened is the prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles come in, they're told they can't come in together. They can't sit together.

HARRIS: That's right.

FITZWILLIAMS: So that was -- it was a public humiliation, and I think that was one of the reasons that this got moving. You couldn't have this perpetually go on. But equally, if you consider the way they attempted to rehabilitate Camilla in the 1990s, I mean, there was tea with Prince William in 1998.

HARRIS: Richard...

FITZWILLIAMS: ... in 1999. The famous...

HARRIS: Richard, Richard, Richard, I know you enjoy this. Boy, you can just go, can't you? All right. But we're flat out of time. I apologize for that. Holding no brief, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Holding no brief.

HARRIS: No brief. PHILLIPS: And Camilla was rehabilitated.

HARRIS: Yes, Richard Fitzwilliams.

FITZWILLIAMS: She was being rehabilitated. The problem was that they put the royal butler on trial, Princess Diana's butler. And that was what was a mistake, a fiasco.

PHILLIPS: He could keep going.

FITZWILLIAMS: Another example. There have been many mistakes. Let them move on. That's what I say.

PHILLIPS: We're moving on, Richard. I hear you.

HARRIS: Richard, thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Stay tuned.

FITZWILLIAMS: Bye bye.

PHILLIPS: Coming up next -- Richard was great. We're also going to meet someone else who's pretty wonderful, a doctor who is making the house call of a lifetime, hoping to make the whole town's dream come true.

HARRIS: Everybody loves "Ray." The movie is smashing its own box office records even now.

PHILLIPS: A dazzling mystery solved. Where did the Hope Diamond come from? Some state-of-the-art detective work answers that question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In a world with billions of people, how can one person make a difference?

(CLIP FROM "HOTEL RWANDA")

PHILLIPS: That's the Oscar nominated movie, "Hotel Rwanda." And it brought the story of one man's heroic efforts to save his neighbors, his family and the orphans of a country torn apart by genocide.

Now we want to introduce you to this man from Rwanda, the Reverend Simon Surmekanga (ph). Simon saw the 1994 massacres that killed 800,000 of his countrymen and dozens of his own family members. He was living in Kenya at the time, but decided he needed to return to his homeland. He was going to help heal the wounds.

How did it all begin? Well, Simon called on friends like Atlanta doctor Scott Sasser. He joins us here live. Simon's a pretty amazing guy.

DR. SCOTT SASSER, EMORY UNIVERSITY: He is, he's a remarkable man.

PHILLIPS: Now here you are, an emergency medicine doctor at Emory. And you got a great life, you've got a great family. Simon calls you up. Why did you say yes? Why did you want to get involved?

SASSER: I think it was partly through Simon. It was that friendship that I had with him over the years, it was the relationships that had spawned from that friendship. And through that, I began to, I guess, in many ways, I was captured by the history of Rwanda, by the genocide, by the resilience of the Rwandan people as they recovered and struggled to recover from this horrific event. I was moved by Simon's church, their determination and commitment to heal their country. And I think mostly by Simon's vision, his vision for it.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about his vision and how you got involved now. Why don't we -- some of the kids that you've met -- I mean, it's unbelievable. You told me 400,000 orphans, 20 percent of those orphans run households because there aren't any adults to do it. You met one young girl that you said is a prime example of an orphan who just takes responsibility -- she's in the middle there -- for a lot of the kids around her.

SASSER: It is. It's a tragic part of the need. The healthcare infrastructure in and of itself in Rwanda was devastated by the genocide. Not to mention that they continued to face the public health burdens of any developing African nation. But one of the unique things about Rwanda, I think, is this large pediatric population and this large number of orphans that comprise a significant portion of their population.

And that many of these, some 80,000, are managing their own households. So when you walk around the streets and the villages, you see a young woman like this who has the responsibility, who's the primary caregiver for four, five and six -- you can see there's a baby on her back with the feet. So she's doing a remarkable job.

PHILLIPS: And what are the medical needs there? I know you guys are already planning to build this hospital. You want to help train doctors there.

SASSER: Right.

PHILLIPS: What are the needs medically, and why aren't there enough doctors or hospitals or medical care?

SASSER: Many of the -- the genocide, and I think as the movie reflects, was devastating to the individuals and the communities in Rwanda, but it also destroyed their healthcare infrastructure. Many physicians were killed and many had to flee the country. So since that time, they've been trying to rebuild and to retrain, but they don't have enough physicians to do the training.

And so they're just globally, across their healthcare system, there's a need. You combine it with this overwhelming pediatric population and this need to address their issues, I think it's hard to find an area in their healthcare system where there's not some specific need.

PHILLIPS: Tell us about this little boy that you met that has cancer. This just moved you tremendously.

SASSER: It did. I was visiting one of the local hospitals, central hospital in Kigali and was getting a tour there and trying to see the level of care that was provided there. I had the opportunity to walk onto the clinical care area. And this little boy came up and approached me and he immediately grabbed my hand, he wouldn't answer any questions, he wouldn't tell anyone his name, but he refused to leave my side and to let go of my hand.

And I began to ask some questions and was told that they were pretty sure that he had cancer, that they hadn't completely diagnosed it. And it was heartbreaking. When I had to leave, he was -- he literally had to be pulled away from me.

PHILLIPS: Unbelievable. So you're going to go over there with Simon, a number of other people that Simon has brought together.

SASSER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: And tell me exactly what you guys want to do. You want to build this hospital.

SASSER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: What else? What else is it going to entail?

SASSER: The hospital is part of a larger vision of Simon's church. And Simon is -- like we talked about earlier, is a unique individual. He sees his role as not just a Sunday worship service. He wants to have an impact in his community, spiritually, emotionally and physically. And he has a vision for this hospital that not only provides clinical care, but that provides community education, public health outreach, education for doctors and training, nurses, allied health professionals and that really is a source of comfort for his community.

So it's -- our hospital initially will be somewhat small, small number of beds in the hospital. We'll focus predominantly on pediatric care in the surrounding area of Kigali. And we have a larger vision, we have a huge vision to build a much larger hospital. But our initial steps are on this.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know it's going to happen. And as we look at the plans here, I also want to plug the Web site, www.rwandachildrenshospital.org. Here's the Web site. Now, can anybody, whether it be financial support -- can people e-mail you and say, hey, I'm a doctor, I want to come for a couple weeks and train certain individuals on how to do this procedure?

SASSER: Absolutely. And certainly we're in the construction phase now. We hope to begin construction as soon as possible because the need is so overwhelming. But there will be opportunities down the line. We envision for physicians, nurses, whoever, we want to come -- we're building on a wing for people to be able to stay and teach and live at the hospital. So there's an e-mail address on the Web site. Anybody can contact us. We'll be happy to hear from them.

PHILLIPS: 400,000 orphans. It's pretty mind blowing. Dr. Scott Sasser. It's amazing you're taking the time to do this. Thank you so much.

SASSER: Thank you.

HARRIS: Well, she's not nominated, but she may get more face time than anyone at this year's Oscars. Right, Sibila?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. We'll be seeing a lot of one surprise performer at this year's Oscars. I've got the scoop. Plus, Grammy's most nominated star does major name-dropping.

HARRIS: And get ready for dating on demand. If you don't find the love of your life on the Internet, there's a matchmaking idea in the works. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, things are heating up ahead of the Academy Awards. In fact, the Best Picture nominee, "Ray," is getting even hotter, if you can imagine that. With that and buzz about the Grammys this weekend, let's go to entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas in Los Angeles.

Sibila, good to see you, as always.

VARGAS: Nice to see you, too. And I love the way you say that, Sibila Vargas! I love it!

HARRIS: Sell it, sell it.

VARGAS: That works. That's right, Tony. "Ray" is making sweet music, its first week in home video sales, and get this, beating -- and I mean, beating, its box office total.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You're going to have to make it work, Ray.

JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: I'm going to make it do what it do, baby. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: You can say that again, Jamie. "Ray" grossed nearly $80 million in its first week on home video, surpassing the biopic's $74 million haul at the domestic box office. No doubt, sales were boosted by "Ray"'s recent Oscar nominations. It's up for six statues in all, including Best Picture, and in case you didn't know, Best Actor for Jamie Foxx. Well, she may not be busting records at video stores, but you can bet Beyonce will be busting some moves at this year's Academy Awards. The singer is slated to sing not once, not twice, but three times at the Oscars, including a duet with heartthrob Josh Groban. Many are saying Beyonce And this year's host, Chris Rock, have been recruited to help attract a younger, hipper audience. They're also hoping to avoid dramatic drops in ratings experienced by other recent awards shows.

And just in case things get out of hand, ABC officials have initiated a seven-second delay to this year's telecast. So Tony, no wardrobe malfunctions.

HARRIS: Got you. With Chris Rock up there, you never know. You might need that. All right, Sibila, this weekend's Grammys. What can you tell us?

VARGAS: Well, preparations and events are already going strong, including a week of concerts at L.A.'s world-famous House of Blues.

Kanye West brought down the house with a little help from fellow Grammy nominee John Mayer. There he is. The jam session was part of an American Express fund-raiser for VH1's Save the Music Foundation. The performance came on the heels of an interesting press conference in which West encouraged students to follow their dreams and also took a moment to make this personal announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANYE WEST, GRAMMY NOMINEE: My name, up until Sunday, is no longer Kanye. It's "The Face," "The Face of the Grammys."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: That's right. Just call him "The Face." Kanye says he's adopted the new moniker because his 10 Grammy nominations make him "The Face of the Grammys. So you got that, Tony?

HARRIS: Oh my. That's just so much trash talking, Sibila. All right, good to see you, good to see you.

VARGAS: All right. Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Thanks, Sibila.

PHILLIPS: I'll start calling you "The Face," "The Face of Television News."

HARRIS: You know what, God love you, because I sure do.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to talk about research now. And they've traced the Hope Diamond back to a 115-carat stone found in India that was cut into a 69-carat gem for the crown jewels of France. Well, it was stolen during the French Revolution. Reappearing decades later at 45 carats. That's what you'll see at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, one of the big stories on cnn.com right now is Prince Charles' big wedding news.

HARRIS: Yes. He and Camilla Parker Bowles are finally making it official. It just so happens that one of the world's most famous wedding dress designers is our guest next hour. We'll ask Vera Wang what kind of dress she'd design for the big day.

PHILLIPS: Bet Charles and Camilla are making out in the hallways.

HARRIS: A couple of hallways.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired February 10, 2005 - 14:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," the pope is out of the hospital. Pope John Paul II discharged last hour after a nine-day stay. He waved to doctors and well-wishers as his popemobile made its way back to the Vatican.
A threat, worrisome, but not a certainty, that's what Defense Secretary Rumsfeld says about North Korea's assertion that it has manufactured a nuclear weapon. Rumsfeld responded to Pyongyang's announcement today that it plans to make more nuclear arms and pull out of six-party talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Given their dictatorial regime and the repression of their own people, one has to worry about weapons of that power in the hands of leadership of that nature. I don't think that anyone would characterize the leadership in that country as being restrained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is shaking up his security forces following a new outbreak of violence. Abbas gave his three top security chiefs the boot. The firings came just hours after a Palestinian rocket and mortar attack in Gaza. That attack punctured a cease-fire with Israel.

Some Indiana charities are getting a boost from that ugly basketball melee last year. Today the Pacers announced their $2.4 million fine will go to 11 local youth organizations. Five players and four Detroit Piston fans were charged following that November 19th fight.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It will be the second marriage for both. Prince Charles and longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles are making it official. But news of another royal wedding isn't music to everyone's ears. Joining me now from London, royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams.

Richard, good to see you.

RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS, ROYAL WATCHER: Good to be on the program.

HARRIS: Well, I have to ask you, where do the Brits stand on this, the public at large, any polls to give us some clues as to what the British public feel about this? FITZWILLIAMS: At the moment, it's a bit early for polls. What we can do is surmise. My own feeling, based on the polls that I've seen in recent years, is that people are becoming accustomed to Camilla Parker Bowles' face. They're far more amiably inclined towards her, because I mean, remember, in 1997 after Diana's tragic death, Camilla all but disappeared. And then there was a certain rehabilitation which lasted for several years. And then that, too, was abandoned.

HARRIS: Richard, talk to us about that. How did she make -- and then I want to get to Prince Charles as well. But how did Camilla make this comeback? What did Charles do, what did the rest of the royal family do to help this process along the way? Remember, she was the home-wrecker for a long time there.

FITZWILLIAMS: Well, I mean, there's little question that the terrific pressure on the prince of Wales, almost everything he has done, over the last couple of years, has been dominated by his former wife, the princess of Wales. And there's still an inquest that's going on and hasn't reported yet into the princess' death. We've had books, we've had photographs, we've had a series of television programs and endless articles about her.

And I think the prince was finding it very difficult, indeed, that his own work for charity has being subsumed by all of this. And people were saying he and Camilla can't possibly marry at least until the inquest was over.

And I must say, I thought that. I think that, basically, Clarence House, which is where the prince lives with Camilla, who he said is non-negotiable, and Princes William and Harry, decided to be proactive, for once they've sprung a surprise. But this did have to happen because if you had the heir to the throne ascending it, if the queen died, for example, and if he hadn't married Camilla, this would be a matter for parliament, and I think it would be extremely undignified and very difficult.

HARRIS: Princess consort, what is that? What does that mean?

FITZWILLIAMS: Well, princess consort, of course, means the consort to the prince. The person who supports him as -- this is words taken from in the 19th Century, Albert wasn't -- couldn't become king, he was made prince consort and became known as such. And it was really an endearing term. That's where they've taken it from.

And also, as we know, when Camilla marries, she becomes her royal highness, a title that was very unkindly, I thought, taken from the princess of wales, as we all remember. The duchess of Cornwall. The prince is duke of Cornwall. Rather a charming perk of being prince of Wales. It dates back from 1337 and Edward III.

Interesting that Edward III, I know he founded the Order of the Garter and the Garter Ceremony, which is magnificent. I've been to it several times; is performed in the Chapel Royal at Winder Castle, which is where the blessing will take place. It will be a... HARRIS: I don't know what half of this really means, I really don't, but I appreciate the history lesson. I'll follow up, I promise you. But I've got to ask you, we talked about Camilla and rehabbing her image. How about Prince Charles? I mean, after all, he was the cheating husband. How has he made this comeback?

FITZWILLIAMS: Yes. And I absolutely agree with you. I hold no brief for the way the prince behaved during his marriage to the princess of Wales. And he's made some very bad mistakes, several in the 1990s. I mean, there is no doubt that -- I would put this point, he's someone who's done an amazing amount for charity, and all his work has, again, been constantly overlooked because of a public and press obsession with his private life.

Insofar as a comeback, I think it's at a very low point, but I do think people are prepared to give him a chance to move on because otherwise he'll be stuck in an impossible role. It's been said, and not so much of a joke, that being prince of Wales isn't a position. It's a predicament. It's very difficult to know what to do. Edward VII was a playboy, libertine. So was Sir George IV when prince of Wales, but no one was around to chronicle as they do today, every movement.

That's when the prince becomes attacked in the media and by so many individuals. But he's also got some very good points. And whether it's as a watercolor artist or as champion of organic foods or architecture, there are aspects to the prince.

It's extraordinary now that 10, 15 years ago, people would refer to him as a renaissance man. Now what we've got is someone who's been struggling for years, and this, at least, marks a new beginning and it formalizes something. Because it was a very embarrassing incident just a couple months ago, the society wedding of last year between the Vancuts (ph) and the Grovner (ph) families. What happened is the prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles come in, they're told they can't come in together. They can't sit together.

HARRIS: That's right.

FITZWILLIAMS: So that was -- it was a public humiliation, and I think that was one of the reasons that this got moving. You couldn't have this perpetually go on. But equally, if you consider the way they attempted to rehabilitate Camilla in the 1990s, I mean, there was tea with Prince William in 1998.

HARRIS: Richard...

FITZWILLIAMS: ... in 1999. The famous...

HARRIS: Richard, Richard, Richard, I know you enjoy this. Boy, you can just go, can't you? All right. But we're flat out of time. I apologize for that. Holding no brief, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Holding no brief.

HARRIS: No brief. PHILLIPS: And Camilla was rehabilitated.

HARRIS: Yes, Richard Fitzwilliams.

FITZWILLIAMS: She was being rehabilitated. The problem was that they put the royal butler on trial, Princess Diana's butler. And that was what was a mistake, a fiasco.

PHILLIPS: He could keep going.

FITZWILLIAMS: Another example. There have been many mistakes. Let them move on. That's what I say.

PHILLIPS: We're moving on, Richard. I hear you.

HARRIS: Richard, thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Stay tuned.

FITZWILLIAMS: Bye bye.

PHILLIPS: Coming up next -- Richard was great. We're also going to meet someone else who's pretty wonderful, a doctor who is making the house call of a lifetime, hoping to make the whole town's dream come true.

HARRIS: Everybody loves "Ray." The movie is smashing its own box office records even now.

PHILLIPS: A dazzling mystery solved. Where did the Hope Diamond come from? Some state-of-the-art detective work answers that question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In a world with billions of people, how can one person make a difference?

(CLIP FROM "HOTEL RWANDA")

PHILLIPS: That's the Oscar nominated movie, "Hotel Rwanda." And it brought the story of one man's heroic efforts to save his neighbors, his family and the orphans of a country torn apart by genocide.

Now we want to introduce you to this man from Rwanda, the Reverend Simon Surmekanga (ph). Simon saw the 1994 massacres that killed 800,000 of his countrymen and dozens of his own family members. He was living in Kenya at the time, but decided he needed to return to his homeland. He was going to help heal the wounds.

How did it all begin? Well, Simon called on friends like Atlanta doctor Scott Sasser. He joins us here live. Simon's a pretty amazing guy.

DR. SCOTT SASSER, EMORY UNIVERSITY: He is, he's a remarkable man.

PHILLIPS: Now here you are, an emergency medicine doctor at Emory. And you got a great life, you've got a great family. Simon calls you up. Why did you say yes? Why did you want to get involved?

SASSER: I think it was partly through Simon. It was that friendship that I had with him over the years, it was the relationships that had spawned from that friendship. And through that, I began to, I guess, in many ways, I was captured by the history of Rwanda, by the genocide, by the resilience of the Rwandan people as they recovered and struggled to recover from this horrific event. I was moved by Simon's church, their determination and commitment to heal their country. And I think mostly by Simon's vision, his vision for it.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about his vision and how you got involved now. Why don't we -- some of the kids that you've met -- I mean, it's unbelievable. You told me 400,000 orphans, 20 percent of those orphans run households because there aren't any adults to do it. You met one young girl that you said is a prime example of an orphan who just takes responsibility -- she's in the middle there -- for a lot of the kids around her.

SASSER: It is. It's a tragic part of the need. The healthcare infrastructure in and of itself in Rwanda was devastated by the genocide. Not to mention that they continued to face the public health burdens of any developing African nation. But one of the unique things about Rwanda, I think, is this large pediatric population and this large number of orphans that comprise a significant portion of their population.

And that many of these, some 80,000, are managing their own households. So when you walk around the streets and the villages, you see a young woman like this who has the responsibility, who's the primary caregiver for four, five and six -- you can see there's a baby on her back with the feet. So she's doing a remarkable job.

PHILLIPS: And what are the medical needs there? I know you guys are already planning to build this hospital. You want to help train doctors there.

SASSER: Right.

PHILLIPS: What are the needs medically, and why aren't there enough doctors or hospitals or medical care?

SASSER: Many of the -- the genocide, and I think as the movie reflects, was devastating to the individuals and the communities in Rwanda, but it also destroyed their healthcare infrastructure. Many physicians were killed and many had to flee the country. So since that time, they've been trying to rebuild and to retrain, but they don't have enough physicians to do the training.

And so they're just globally, across their healthcare system, there's a need. You combine it with this overwhelming pediatric population and this need to address their issues, I think it's hard to find an area in their healthcare system where there's not some specific need.

PHILLIPS: Tell us about this little boy that you met that has cancer. This just moved you tremendously.

SASSER: It did. I was visiting one of the local hospitals, central hospital in Kigali and was getting a tour there and trying to see the level of care that was provided there. I had the opportunity to walk onto the clinical care area. And this little boy came up and approached me and he immediately grabbed my hand, he wouldn't answer any questions, he wouldn't tell anyone his name, but he refused to leave my side and to let go of my hand.

And I began to ask some questions and was told that they were pretty sure that he had cancer, that they hadn't completely diagnosed it. And it was heartbreaking. When I had to leave, he was -- he literally had to be pulled away from me.

PHILLIPS: Unbelievable. So you're going to go over there with Simon, a number of other people that Simon has brought together.

SASSER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: And tell me exactly what you guys want to do. You want to build this hospital.

SASSER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: What else? What else is it going to entail?

SASSER: The hospital is part of a larger vision of Simon's church. And Simon is -- like we talked about earlier, is a unique individual. He sees his role as not just a Sunday worship service. He wants to have an impact in his community, spiritually, emotionally and physically. And he has a vision for this hospital that not only provides clinical care, but that provides community education, public health outreach, education for doctors and training, nurses, allied health professionals and that really is a source of comfort for his community.

So it's -- our hospital initially will be somewhat small, small number of beds in the hospital. We'll focus predominantly on pediatric care in the surrounding area of Kigali. And we have a larger vision, we have a huge vision to build a much larger hospital. But our initial steps are on this.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know it's going to happen. And as we look at the plans here, I also want to plug the Web site, www.rwandachildrenshospital.org. Here's the Web site. Now, can anybody, whether it be financial support -- can people e-mail you and say, hey, I'm a doctor, I want to come for a couple weeks and train certain individuals on how to do this procedure?

SASSER: Absolutely. And certainly we're in the construction phase now. We hope to begin construction as soon as possible because the need is so overwhelming. But there will be opportunities down the line. We envision for physicians, nurses, whoever, we want to come -- we're building on a wing for people to be able to stay and teach and live at the hospital. So there's an e-mail address on the Web site. Anybody can contact us. We'll be happy to hear from them.

PHILLIPS: 400,000 orphans. It's pretty mind blowing. Dr. Scott Sasser. It's amazing you're taking the time to do this. Thank you so much.

SASSER: Thank you.

HARRIS: Well, she's not nominated, but she may get more face time than anyone at this year's Oscars. Right, Sibila?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. We'll be seeing a lot of one surprise performer at this year's Oscars. I've got the scoop. Plus, Grammy's most nominated star does major name-dropping.

HARRIS: And get ready for dating on demand. If you don't find the love of your life on the Internet, there's a matchmaking idea in the works. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, things are heating up ahead of the Academy Awards. In fact, the Best Picture nominee, "Ray," is getting even hotter, if you can imagine that. With that and buzz about the Grammys this weekend, let's go to entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas in Los Angeles.

Sibila, good to see you, as always.

VARGAS: Nice to see you, too. And I love the way you say that, Sibila Vargas! I love it!

HARRIS: Sell it, sell it.

VARGAS: That works. That's right, Tony. "Ray" is making sweet music, its first week in home video sales, and get this, beating -- and I mean, beating, its box office total.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You're going to have to make it work, Ray.

JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: I'm going to make it do what it do, baby. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: You can say that again, Jamie. "Ray" grossed nearly $80 million in its first week on home video, surpassing the biopic's $74 million haul at the domestic box office. No doubt, sales were boosted by "Ray"'s recent Oscar nominations. It's up for six statues in all, including Best Picture, and in case you didn't know, Best Actor for Jamie Foxx. Well, she may not be busting records at video stores, but you can bet Beyonce will be busting some moves at this year's Academy Awards. The singer is slated to sing not once, not twice, but three times at the Oscars, including a duet with heartthrob Josh Groban. Many are saying Beyonce And this year's host, Chris Rock, have been recruited to help attract a younger, hipper audience. They're also hoping to avoid dramatic drops in ratings experienced by other recent awards shows.

And just in case things get out of hand, ABC officials have initiated a seven-second delay to this year's telecast. So Tony, no wardrobe malfunctions.

HARRIS: Got you. With Chris Rock up there, you never know. You might need that. All right, Sibila, this weekend's Grammys. What can you tell us?

VARGAS: Well, preparations and events are already going strong, including a week of concerts at L.A.'s world-famous House of Blues.

Kanye West brought down the house with a little help from fellow Grammy nominee John Mayer. There he is. The jam session was part of an American Express fund-raiser for VH1's Save the Music Foundation. The performance came on the heels of an interesting press conference in which West encouraged students to follow their dreams and also took a moment to make this personal announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANYE WEST, GRAMMY NOMINEE: My name, up until Sunday, is no longer Kanye. It's "The Face," "The Face of the Grammys."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: That's right. Just call him "The Face." Kanye says he's adopted the new moniker because his 10 Grammy nominations make him "The Face of the Grammys. So you got that, Tony?

HARRIS: Oh my. That's just so much trash talking, Sibila. All right, good to see you, good to see you.

VARGAS: All right. Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Thanks, Sibila.

PHILLIPS: I'll start calling you "The Face," "The Face of Television News."

HARRIS: You know what, God love you, because I sure do.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to talk about research now. And they've traced the Hope Diamond back to a 115-carat stone found in India that was cut into a 69-carat gem for the crown jewels of France. Well, it was stolen during the French Revolution. Reappearing decades later at 45 carats. That's what you'll see at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, one of the big stories on cnn.com right now is Prince Charles' big wedding news.

HARRIS: Yes. He and Camilla Parker Bowles are finally making it official. It just so happens that one of the world's most famous wedding dress designers is our guest next hour. We'll ask Vera Wang what kind of dress she'd design for the big day.

PHILLIPS: Bet Charles and Camilla are making out in the hallways.

HARRIS: A couple of hallways.

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