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Live From...
Florida Girl Missing; Interview With Ebert & Roeper
Aired February 25, 2005 - 14:57 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: And welcome back, everyone, to CNN LIVE FROM. I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips.
Our focus right now, the nationwide search for a Florida third grader who seems to have disappeared without a trace. Jessica Marie Lunsford was last seen Wednesday night safe and sound in this home, which she shares with her father and her grandparents. Well, her grandmother says that she tucked Jessica in around 10:00 p.m. And the next morning, her father says she was gone, the front door unlocked.
And earlier today, he appealed to anyone who may have known where she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really need as much help as I can get right now. I just -- I want my daughter home. I went to my room. I changed my clothes, got ready for work, her alarm clock still going off. And when I opened her door to her room, she wasn't there. I don't care who you are. Drop her off on the corner and call me. I'll come get her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: After searching the house, police say that Jessica Lunsford left apparently wearing only a pink nightgown. The only other thing missing is a doll.
Here with us with some insight, our law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks.
And you were saying, from what you see and the evidence so far, she probably knew this person.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: She left with a doll. A doll is missing from the room, no shoes. The door was unlocked. As a former investigator, I would that leans more towards someone that may have known her, that may have come in, given her the doll to keep her quiet, lifted her out of bed, didn't even bother to get any shoes and then took her somewhere.
But police don't have enough to say it's an abduction as of yet. They're saying things aren't right and this was not in her character to just run away without telling her grandparents, without telling her father where she was going. And she had never done this before, very responsible little girl. And it just doesn't fit her character.
PHILLIPS: Well, at what point do you decide it's an abduction?
BROOKS: When they are able to get some evidence. They're going to keep interviewing the parent, the father. The mother, who they've now found in Ohio, is being interviewed by the FBI right now.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: She's estranged from her daughter, right?
BROOKS: Exactly, since she was about 1 year old.
But you also ad the grandparents. There was a rumor going around earlier that the grandfather had something to do with it. In fact, it was asked of the sheriff during a news conference earlier. Basically said that right now, the grandfather didn't have anything to do with this, but they're still going to look at all the friends and associates of the grandparents, of the father, of anyone who lived in this fairy rural area.
PHILLIPS: But haven't we covered cases like this before, where there was sort of hesitation on, do we do an Amber Alert, do we not do an Amber Alert? And then, if they would have done an Amber Alert, that maybe they would have found the child even quicker?
BROOKS: Well, to do an Amber Alert, you have to have something to go on. Right now, they don't have a car. They don't have anything at all except her description. And having it on CNN is just as good as an Amber Alert, because people are watching this.
But it's good to have Amber Alert, because people on the highways see it and those kinds of things. But there's no description of a vehicle. They can't say whether or not it's an abduction or not. And you have to have an abduction to make it an Amber alert. They've taken her computer from her room. Apparently, she had some access to the Internet.
But she just went through a local course there called "Child Lores" that basically warns them of hazards of the Internet and people who send them messages. She had just finished that class. She apparently was a fairly responsible young girl, from what her grandparents were saying.
PHILLIPS: All right, Mike Brooks, we'll continue to follow it. Thanks so much.
BROOKS: Yes, we will.
HARRIS: News across America now.
Score one point for the Michael Jackson defense team. At a court hearing today, the judge paved the way for the jury to learn about a previous claim of inappropriate touching leveled by the mother of Jackson's accuser. The defense hopes to undermine the mother's credibility. Opening statements are expected on Monday in Jackson's molestation case.
The Robert Blake murder trial is nearing conclusion now. Today, more prosecution rebuttal of Blake's defense case. The longtime actor is accused of killing his wife.
And Hunter Thompson's widow says she and her late husband were talking on the phone when the author dropped the receiver and shot himself dead. The account contradicts initial reports that the suicide occurred at some point after the call. The family is said to be considering Thompson's wish to fire his ashes from a cannon.
PHILLIPS: I can't imagine it going any other way.
HARRIS: Any other way.
Well, a reported sexual predator is free in the nation's capital even, though authorities they caught him red-handed.
PHILLIPS: So, why is he on the loose? Two words, as CNN's Andrea Koppel reports, diplomatic immunity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When police in Roanoke, Virginia, arrested 41-year-old Salem Ali Al- Mazrooei, a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates, they said he was expecting to meet a 13-year-old girl for a sexual encounter.
But police say what Al-Mazrooei didn't realize is that the teenager he's accusing of soliciting over the Internet through instant messaging was actually an undercover police officer hunting for sexual predators.
MIKE BROWN, BEDFORD COUNTY SHERIFF: From the initial contacts that were sexual, very graphic sexual comments as to what he wanted to do to her and what he wanted her to do to him, it was no question in his mind that this was going to be a sexual encounter and it was no doubt in his mind that this was a 13-year-old female.
KOPPEL: But soon after he was arrested, Al-Mazrooei claimed diplomatic immunity. The charges were dropped, and he was on his way back to Washington, D.C. where he works as an attache in the United Arab Emirates Cultural Affairs Office.
QUESTION: Were you expecting to meet a 13-year-old girl today? Because those are the charges.
SALEM ALI AL-MAZROOEI, SUSPECT: That's all wrong.
QUESTION: All wrong?
KOPPEL: The embassy also told CNN Al-Mazrooei denies the charges and said he had driven to Virginia to buy a car.
BROWN: This case in particular, I don't know, it was maybe a little more frustrating to us because of what we knew that this person was capable of doing, possibly had done in the past, and certainly would be capable of doing in the future.
KOPPEL (on camera): The Bedford County, Virginia, Commonwealth's attorney told CNN he's lodged a formal request through the State Department to the government of the UAE to waive Al-Mazrooei's diplomatic immunity, so that he can be formally prosecuted. A grand jury will seek an indictment against him next week.
For its part, the State Department, which could pressure the UAE to waive diplomat immunity or send Al-Mazrooei home, says it doesn't comment on an individual case.
Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, you usually asleep before the Oscars are over? I sure am. And is this man the antidote?
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
PHILLIPS: That's true. Maybe I will stay up this year.
HARRIS: Oh, yes. Yes.
PHILLIPS: The academy is betting on Chris Rock to keep things lively. Toure is up after a break, the Chris Rock review.
HARRIS: And will "The Aviator" finally get Martin -- what is it, Scorsese or Scorsese?
PHILLIPS: Scorsese.
HARRIS: Is it Scorsese? His...
PHILLIPS: I think. We'll ask Sibila.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: OK, let's do that?
Or will Clint Eastwood's "Baby" take home take home the little gold man? Ebert and Roeper are on the carpet to talk plots, subplots, and general intrigue when we come back.
PHILLIPS: That's deep.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now the latest turn in the struggle swirling around brain-damaged Terri Schiavo. Word in now to us here at CNN a Pinellas Circuit Court judge has extended the stay, keeping Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in place until March 18. Now, a court order stay on the removal of her feeding tube had expired today. Now the judge is saying the feeding tube will stay in place until March 18. Her parents want it extended, of course, against her husband's wishes. Today actually is the 15th anniversary of the heart attack that left Terri Schiavo in this vegetative state. We'll continue to follow the story.
Well, a new voice will be at the mick -- or at the mike, rather -- when Hollywood gathers for its biggest night of the year. Chris Rock is hosting the Academy Awards for the very first time. Tony will be watching. I'll be watching.
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: And, as one famous movie line goes, buckle your seat belts. Toure takes a look at Rock's often provocative brand of humor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY HBO)
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: If you're black, you've got to look at America a little different. If you're black, America's like the uncle that paid your way through college but molested you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" (voice-over): Chris Rock is one of the most unpredictable mouths in show biz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM, COURTESY AMPAS)
ROCK: Look at this crowd. It's like the million white man march here today. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE: Now the Motion Picture Academy is passing the host's mike to Rock, hoping he'll help the Oscars avoid the ratings slide other awards shows have had.
GIL CATES, PRODUCER, 75TH ACADEMY AWARDS: He really is someone who is very adept at dealing with an audience of people under 40, funny, irreverent.
NELSON GEORGE, FORMER PRODUCER, CHRIS ROCK SHOW : The reason the Oscars have him there, the Oscars will have him hosting the show, is not to make Warren Beatty laugh. They have him there to make Joe Six Pack laugh.
TOURE: In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rock's comment that straight black men don't watch the Oscars may have unnerved some Academy members, but not the show's producer. CATES: Poor Chris, in the sense that he's a comedian. He's supposed to make people laugh and he gets bombarded for doing that.
TOURE: Rock appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno to clarify his remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, COURTESY NBC)
ROCK: I was quoted in the magazine as saying only gay people watch the Oscars.
JAY LENO, HOST: Right.
ROCK: I did not say that. I said only gay people watch the Tonys.
LENO: Oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE: And he sounded surprised over the brouhaha about his recent interviews.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, COURTESY NBC)
ROCK: And I think I'm just doing a gig. I'm like OK, I act like I'm playing yuk yuks in Toronto. And I mean people are really like hey, don't you disrespect the Oscars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Is that true, Tony?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Straight black men don't watch the Oscars?
HARRIS: OK, come on, don't bring me on in that.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I'm sorry.
HARRIS: Oh, my goodness.
PHILLIPS: I just thought, you know, you're a straight black man. I thought I'd just ask you.
HARRIS: Right. Right. And I happen to be named Tony. And here we go down the -- down the rabbit hole, right?
(CROSSTALK) (LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Swirling down the drain. Swirling down.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: That was Toure with the capital T., by the way, our pop culture correspondent, kind of like Madonna with an M.
HARRIS: With an M.
Oscar night...
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
HARRIS: Could have as much suspense as a good thriller. There is a buzz surrounding a number of films and performances this year.
Joining me now with their favorite pick are films critic Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, co-hosts of the syndicated show "Ebert and Roeper."
Gentlemen, good to see you.
ROGER EBERT, FILM CRITIC: Hey, Tony.
RICHARD ROEPER, FILM CRITIC: Hi. How are you?
HARRIS: Oh, we're going to take some time -- I'm great. We're going to take some time and work through all of this.
First of all, let's talk about -- let's pick up on that Chris Rock note. Don't you want...
EBERT: You know, I think...
HARRIS: Yes, go ahead. Go ahead, Roger.
EBERT: The whole -- the whole controversy over Chris Rock is just being generated, I think, by The Drudge Report on the Web. I don't think anybody else is concerned.
I think he's very funny. He's very quick. He's very smart. I recommended him as the host six or seven years ago.
HARRIS: Did you really?
EBERT: I think he's going to do a great job.
ROEPER: He tries to take credit for everything. You know, I recommended him seven years ago. Nobody else would have thought of it. (CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: You know, Tony, the truth is, Chris Rock is a smart guy. He knows the difference between going on HBO and hosting the Oscars.
EBERT: Yes.
ROEPER: It will be funny.
EBERT: Yes.
ROEPER: He'll walk right up to the edge, but he won't jump over it.
HARRIS: And that's the point, Richard. Don't you want him to be Chris Rock? Don't you want him to essentially do a two-hour stand-up, where he's making fun of everything?
ROEPER: Yes. I want him to go into the crowd and do a lot of ad-libs.
HARRIS: Yes.
ROEPER: I want him to make those people in the crowd, who take themselves far too seriously, I want him to make those people uncomfortable.
EBERT: Two hours is a good idea. That way, the Oscarcast can run for six hours.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Hey, what else are you expecting out of the show? There are some changes. Nominees are going to be on the stage and then they're...
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: No, I love that idea. They're going to put five nominees on the stage and then they're going to give the Oscar to one of them. And the other four, it is going to be like "American Idol." They will just have to go off stage left and weeping. Their lives are over.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: They claim, though, that for the people at home, when they have those five pictures on the screen.
HARRIS: Right.
EBERT: And then one wins, people are fascinated by looking at the losers.
HARRIS: Oh, well.
EBERT: They always have to smile as if they're so delighted that they lost.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Oh, Lord.
OK, we have got to get you guys on record now on some of these nominations, these categories. Let's start with the biggie, of course, the best picture. First of all, did all of these nominees, "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland," "Million Dollar Baby," "Ray" and "Sideways," did they make your list, your year-end list as the best pictures?
EBERT: "Finding Neverland" didn't. I would have put "Kill Bill" up there. I think "Kill Bill" was a great picture last year.
HARRIS: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: Well, I'm still reeling from the fact that "White Chicks" and "Soul Plane" were shut out this year.
(LAUGHTER)
ROEPER: I thought about boycotting the Oscars, but I'm over it now.
HARRIS: Richard, that is outrageous. That is outrageous.
You know, that's totally appropriate for LIVE FROM, right?
ROEPER: Yes, it's just not right. It's just not right.
OK, all right so those are nominees.
Roger, what's your best picture?
EBERT: Yes. Who is going to win?
HARRIS: Who is going to win?
EBERT: "Million Dollar Baby." "Million Dollar Baby" is going to win.
HARRIS: Really?
EBERT: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: Because is it reaches -- it reaches the heart. And the academy voters tend to vote for the pictures that have the biggest emotional impact. And that one does in this category. HARRIS: Well, Richard, doesn't the academy also like big epic films of scope and scale?
ROEPER: Yes. They do. They love pictures like "The Aviator," 2 1/2 hour biopics. Things like that have won the Academy Award in the past.
I think we could see a split, where Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank win and then "The Aviator" wins and Marty Scorsese wins. That's what makes it interesting this year. It's not a sweep, like "Return of the King" last year, where we knew it was going to win everything.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: So, Roger, what do you think? And we can go right to best director then. Do you think that...
EBERT: Well, you see...
HARRIS: Yes.
EBERT: There is a predictor that, whoever wins the Directors Guild always wins the Oscar. So, this year, that would be Clint Eastwood. So, that gives you about an 85 percent chance that he will win the Oscar.
But I think they're very aware of the fact that Scorsese has never won an Oscar. And what they may do is say, we can vote for Clint for best picture.
HARRIS: Right.
EBERT: Or even for best actor.
HARRIS: Yes.
EBERT: So, we'll vote for Scorsese for best director. So there could be a surprise in that category.
HARRIS: No, Richard, that doesn't happen. You vote for the director who did the best job helming that film.
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: Well, you'd think that would be the way it works. But, a lot of times, politics play into this thing. People vote for their favorites. They vote for people based on their entire careers.
So, Al Pacino won for "Scent of a Woman."
HARRIS: Right.
ROEPER: That wasn't his best film. It was "Godfather." It was "Dog Day Afternoon." It could be the same thing with Scorsese. He should have won for "Goodfellas." He should have run for "Raging Bull." (CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: He should have won for "Taxi Driver." So now they're going to make good and give him the Oscar this year.
HARRIS: OK, before I run out of time, let me get you on the record.
So, Richard, your best picture is what?
ROEPER: I think "Million Dollar Baby" is going to win. "Aviator" has the outside shot.
HARRIS: OK, and your best director?
ROEPER: Scorsese.
HARRIS: And, Roger, best picture?
EBERT: Best picture, "Million Dollar Baby".
HARRIS: Best director.
EBERT: Best director, probably Eastwood.
HARRIS: Annette Bening crashes the party and takes the award from Hilary Swank?
EBERT: It could happen, but I think the dark horse in that category is probably Imelda Staunton from England. And I think Hilary Swank will win.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: We might get a surprise?
ROEPER: Annette Bening is a great actress, but she is playing an actress in that role. That's a real stretch for her.
HARRIS: Right.
OK, so who is the pick?
ROEPER: It's Hilary Swank.
HARRIS: Hilary Swank?
EBERT: Hilary Swank, yes.
HARRIS: OK. All right, so, best actor now. Is there...
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: Jamie Foxx.
HARRIS: ... gate-crasher here that's going to keep this from going to Jamie Foxx?
ROEPER: No. Jamie Foxx is the biggest favorite in any category.
EBERT: Yes.
ROEPER: If he doesn't win, that will be the biggest upset of the night. Clint Eastwood has an outside shot at that, but I think it's Jamie Foxx's night.
HARRIS: All right. All right. Let me just throw this out here, because my job is to stir this pot with a big old spoon. He is doing an impersonation. He's not creating this character from whole cloth.
EBERT: That's not true. He's performing.
HARRIS: The source material is already there. He's doing an impersonation. He is Rich Little doing Carson?
(LAUGHTER)
EBERT: You try -- you try do Ray Charles' body language without looking like a complete idiot, and you will see how hard it is to do.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: Everybody knows what Ray Charles looked like. And he does a great job.
ROEPER: Yes, tony. Do that. Do that.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Don't fall into Kyra's little trick bag here.
ROEPER: Rich Little.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: I look like a fool. I look like an idiot. And he does a great job.
HARRIS: So, you know, I think he should have been nominated for best actor for "Collateral." That movie is about him. He is really the lead actor in that performance.
ROEPER: Oh, yes, that's true. Yes, he's the lead in "Collateral." There is no doubt about that. But you know what? There are no rules about supporting actor or lead actor. They can nominate in any category they want.
EBERT: They positioned. They figured that he would be nominated -- or at least get more votes in the best actor category for "Ray."
HARRIS: Yes. EBERT: So, they positioned him in best supporting in order to increase his chances. And it worked.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: OK, very quickly, because I'm flat out of time. Best supporting actor is?
EBERT: Morgan Freeman.
ROEPER: Morgan Freeman will win, but he shouldn't win, because he's played that character before.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: And best supporting actress is?
ROEPER: Virginia Madsen.
HARRIS: OK.
EBERT: Virginia Madsen.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Gentlemen, good to see you. That was fun. That was fun. That's good TV on a Friday. Enjoy the show.
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: Thanks.
HARRIS: Kyra, why don't you do this, because I'm flat out. I'm tired.
PHILLIPS: No Ray? No Ray?
HARRIS: No, no Ray.
PHILLIPS: All right. All right. All right. Market check straight ahead. Wal-Mart, there was a union vote today. How did it go?
And then gold medalist Scott Hamilton on his latest health scare. We're going to talk about both those stories straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
HARRIS: You know, we've been talking about entertainers during this half-hour. And although many of us might wish we could be as well known as some of those folks, fame is no guarantee of a free pass. Olympic gold medal skater Scott Hamilton knows that all too well. After successfully beating cancer a few years ago, he's facing down a new medical challenge, a brain tumor. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Scott Hamilton, Olympic gold medalist: The doctor came in the recovery room and he said we know what it is and we have to discuss how we're going to treat it. But it's good news is that we know what it is. It's benign. It's slow-growing, but it's causing me some problems because of where it's attached. So we just had to go from there. And...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: This weekend on CNN, much more with Scott Hamilton, a champion on and off the ice. It's a two-part interview we will be airing Saturday and Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. All done.
PHILLIPS: Well, that wraps up our edition of LIVE FROM. Thanks so much for being with us.
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 February 25, 2005 - 14:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back, everyone, to CNN LIVE FROM. I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips.
Our focus right now, the nationwide search for a Florida third grader who seems to have disappeared without a trace. Jessica Marie Lunsford was last seen Wednesday night safe and sound in this home, which she shares with her father and her grandparents. Well, her grandmother says that she tucked Jessica in around 10:00 p.m. And the next morning, her father says she was gone, the front door unlocked.
And earlier today, he appealed to anyone who may have known where she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really need as much help as I can get right now. I just -- I want my daughter home. I went to my room. I changed my clothes, got ready for work, her alarm clock still going off. And when I opened her door to her room, she wasn't there. I don't care who you are. Drop her off on the corner and call me. I'll come get her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: After searching the house, police say that Jessica Lunsford left apparently wearing only a pink nightgown. The only other thing missing is a doll.
Here with us with some insight, our law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks.
And you were saying, from what you see and the evidence so far, she probably knew this person.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: She left with a doll. A doll is missing from the room, no shoes. The door was unlocked. As a former investigator, I would that leans more towards someone that may have known her, that may have come in, given her the doll to keep her quiet, lifted her out of bed, didn't even bother to get any shoes and then took her somewhere.
But police don't have enough to say it's an abduction as of yet. They're saying things aren't right and this was not in her character to just run away without telling her grandparents, without telling her father where she was going. And she had never done this before, very responsible little girl. And it just doesn't fit her character.
PHILLIPS: Well, at what point do you decide it's an abduction?
BROOKS: When they are able to get some evidence. They're going to keep interviewing the parent, the father. The mother, who they've now found in Ohio, is being interviewed by the FBI right now.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: She's estranged from her daughter, right?
BROOKS: Exactly, since she was about 1 year old.
But you also ad the grandparents. There was a rumor going around earlier that the grandfather had something to do with it. In fact, it was asked of the sheriff during a news conference earlier. Basically said that right now, the grandfather didn't have anything to do with this, but they're still going to look at all the friends and associates of the grandparents, of the father, of anyone who lived in this fairy rural area.
PHILLIPS: But haven't we covered cases like this before, where there was sort of hesitation on, do we do an Amber Alert, do we not do an Amber Alert? And then, if they would have done an Amber Alert, that maybe they would have found the child even quicker?
BROOKS: Well, to do an Amber Alert, you have to have something to go on. Right now, they don't have a car. They don't have anything at all except her description. And having it on CNN is just as good as an Amber Alert, because people are watching this.
But it's good to have Amber Alert, because people on the highways see it and those kinds of things. But there's no description of a vehicle. They can't say whether or not it's an abduction or not. And you have to have an abduction to make it an Amber alert. They've taken her computer from her room. Apparently, she had some access to the Internet.
But she just went through a local course there called "Child Lores" that basically warns them of hazards of the Internet and people who send them messages. She had just finished that class. She apparently was a fairly responsible young girl, from what her grandparents were saying.
PHILLIPS: All right, Mike Brooks, we'll continue to follow it. Thanks so much.
BROOKS: Yes, we will.
HARRIS: News across America now.
Score one point for the Michael Jackson defense team. At a court hearing today, the judge paved the way for the jury to learn about a previous claim of inappropriate touching leveled by the mother of Jackson's accuser. The defense hopes to undermine the mother's credibility. Opening statements are expected on Monday in Jackson's molestation case.
The Robert Blake murder trial is nearing conclusion now. Today, more prosecution rebuttal of Blake's defense case. The longtime actor is accused of killing his wife.
And Hunter Thompson's widow says she and her late husband were talking on the phone when the author dropped the receiver and shot himself dead. The account contradicts initial reports that the suicide occurred at some point after the call. The family is said to be considering Thompson's wish to fire his ashes from a cannon.
PHILLIPS: I can't imagine it going any other way.
HARRIS: Any other way.
Well, a reported sexual predator is free in the nation's capital even, though authorities they caught him red-handed.
PHILLIPS: So, why is he on the loose? Two words, as CNN's Andrea Koppel reports, diplomatic immunity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When police in Roanoke, Virginia, arrested 41-year-old Salem Ali Al- Mazrooei, a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates, they said he was expecting to meet a 13-year-old girl for a sexual encounter.
But police say what Al-Mazrooei didn't realize is that the teenager he's accusing of soliciting over the Internet through instant messaging was actually an undercover police officer hunting for sexual predators.
MIKE BROWN, BEDFORD COUNTY SHERIFF: From the initial contacts that were sexual, very graphic sexual comments as to what he wanted to do to her and what he wanted her to do to him, it was no question in his mind that this was going to be a sexual encounter and it was no doubt in his mind that this was a 13-year-old female.
KOPPEL: But soon after he was arrested, Al-Mazrooei claimed diplomatic immunity. The charges were dropped, and he was on his way back to Washington, D.C. where he works as an attache in the United Arab Emirates Cultural Affairs Office.
QUESTION: Were you expecting to meet a 13-year-old girl today? Because those are the charges.
SALEM ALI AL-MAZROOEI, SUSPECT: That's all wrong.
QUESTION: All wrong?
KOPPEL: The embassy also told CNN Al-Mazrooei denies the charges and said he had driven to Virginia to buy a car.
BROWN: This case in particular, I don't know, it was maybe a little more frustrating to us because of what we knew that this person was capable of doing, possibly had done in the past, and certainly would be capable of doing in the future.
KOPPEL (on camera): The Bedford County, Virginia, Commonwealth's attorney told CNN he's lodged a formal request through the State Department to the government of the UAE to waive Al-Mazrooei's diplomatic immunity, so that he can be formally prosecuted. A grand jury will seek an indictment against him next week.
For its part, the State Department, which could pressure the UAE to waive diplomat immunity or send Al-Mazrooei home, says it doesn't comment on an individual case.
Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, you usually asleep before the Oscars are over? I sure am. And is this man the antidote?
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
PHILLIPS: That's true. Maybe I will stay up this year.
HARRIS: Oh, yes. Yes.
PHILLIPS: The academy is betting on Chris Rock to keep things lively. Toure is up after a break, the Chris Rock review.
HARRIS: And will "The Aviator" finally get Martin -- what is it, Scorsese or Scorsese?
PHILLIPS: Scorsese.
HARRIS: Is it Scorsese? His...
PHILLIPS: I think. We'll ask Sibila.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: OK, let's do that?
Or will Clint Eastwood's "Baby" take home take home the little gold man? Ebert and Roeper are on the carpet to talk plots, subplots, and general intrigue when we come back.
PHILLIPS: That's deep.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now the latest turn in the struggle swirling around brain-damaged Terri Schiavo. Word in now to us here at CNN a Pinellas Circuit Court judge has extended the stay, keeping Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in place until March 18. Now, a court order stay on the removal of her feeding tube had expired today. Now the judge is saying the feeding tube will stay in place until March 18. Her parents want it extended, of course, against her husband's wishes. Today actually is the 15th anniversary of the heart attack that left Terri Schiavo in this vegetative state. We'll continue to follow the story.
Well, a new voice will be at the mick -- or at the mike, rather -- when Hollywood gathers for its biggest night of the year. Chris Rock is hosting the Academy Awards for the very first time. Tony will be watching. I'll be watching.
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: And, as one famous movie line goes, buckle your seat belts. Toure takes a look at Rock's often provocative brand of humor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY HBO)
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: If you're black, you've got to look at America a little different. If you're black, America's like the uncle that paid your way through college but molested you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE" (voice-over): Chris Rock is one of the most unpredictable mouths in show biz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM, COURTESY AMPAS)
ROCK: Look at this crowd. It's like the million white man march here today. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE: Now the Motion Picture Academy is passing the host's mike to Rock, hoping he'll help the Oscars avoid the ratings slide other awards shows have had.
GIL CATES, PRODUCER, 75TH ACADEMY AWARDS: He really is someone who is very adept at dealing with an audience of people under 40, funny, irreverent.
NELSON GEORGE, FORMER PRODUCER, CHRIS ROCK SHOW : The reason the Oscars have him there, the Oscars will have him hosting the show, is not to make Warren Beatty laugh. They have him there to make Joe Six Pack laugh.
TOURE: In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rock's comment that straight black men don't watch the Oscars may have unnerved some Academy members, but not the show's producer. CATES: Poor Chris, in the sense that he's a comedian. He's supposed to make people laugh and he gets bombarded for doing that.
TOURE: Rock appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno to clarify his remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, COURTESY NBC)
ROCK: I was quoted in the magazine as saying only gay people watch the Oscars.
JAY LENO, HOST: Right.
ROCK: I did not say that. I said only gay people watch the Tonys.
LENO: Oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOURE: And he sounded surprised over the brouhaha about his recent interviews.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, COURTESY NBC)
ROCK: And I think I'm just doing a gig. I'm like OK, I act like I'm playing yuk yuks in Toronto. And I mean people are really like hey, don't you disrespect the Oscars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Is that true, Tony?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Straight black men don't watch the Oscars?
HARRIS: OK, come on, don't bring me on in that.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I'm sorry.
HARRIS: Oh, my goodness.
PHILLIPS: I just thought, you know, you're a straight black man. I thought I'd just ask you.
HARRIS: Right. Right. And I happen to be named Tony. And here we go down the -- down the rabbit hole, right?
(CROSSTALK) (LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Swirling down the drain. Swirling down.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: That was Toure with the capital T., by the way, our pop culture correspondent, kind of like Madonna with an M.
HARRIS: With an M.
Oscar night...
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
HARRIS: Could have as much suspense as a good thriller. There is a buzz surrounding a number of films and performances this year.
Joining me now with their favorite pick are films critic Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, co-hosts of the syndicated show "Ebert and Roeper."
Gentlemen, good to see you.
ROGER EBERT, FILM CRITIC: Hey, Tony.
RICHARD ROEPER, FILM CRITIC: Hi. How are you?
HARRIS: Oh, we're going to take some time -- I'm great. We're going to take some time and work through all of this.
First of all, let's talk about -- let's pick up on that Chris Rock note. Don't you want...
EBERT: You know, I think...
HARRIS: Yes, go ahead. Go ahead, Roger.
EBERT: The whole -- the whole controversy over Chris Rock is just being generated, I think, by The Drudge Report on the Web. I don't think anybody else is concerned.
I think he's very funny. He's very quick. He's very smart. I recommended him as the host six or seven years ago.
HARRIS: Did you really?
EBERT: I think he's going to do a great job.
ROEPER: He tries to take credit for everything. You know, I recommended him seven years ago. Nobody else would have thought of it. (CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: You know, Tony, the truth is, Chris Rock is a smart guy. He knows the difference between going on HBO and hosting the Oscars.
EBERT: Yes.
ROEPER: It will be funny.
EBERT: Yes.
ROEPER: He'll walk right up to the edge, but he won't jump over it.
HARRIS: And that's the point, Richard. Don't you want him to be Chris Rock? Don't you want him to essentially do a two-hour stand-up, where he's making fun of everything?
ROEPER: Yes. I want him to go into the crowd and do a lot of ad-libs.
HARRIS: Yes.
ROEPER: I want him to make those people in the crowd, who take themselves far too seriously, I want him to make those people uncomfortable.
EBERT: Two hours is a good idea. That way, the Oscarcast can run for six hours.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Hey, what else are you expecting out of the show? There are some changes. Nominees are going to be on the stage and then they're...
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: No, I love that idea. They're going to put five nominees on the stage and then they're going to give the Oscar to one of them. And the other four, it is going to be like "American Idol." They will just have to go off stage left and weeping. Their lives are over.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: They claim, though, that for the people at home, when they have those five pictures on the screen.
HARRIS: Right.
EBERT: And then one wins, people are fascinated by looking at the losers.
HARRIS: Oh, well.
EBERT: They always have to smile as if they're so delighted that they lost.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Oh, Lord.
OK, we have got to get you guys on record now on some of these nominations, these categories. Let's start with the biggie, of course, the best picture. First of all, did all of these nominees, "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland," "Million Dollar Baby," "Ray" and "Sideways," did they make your list, your year-end list as the best pictures?
EBERT: "Finding Neverland" didn't. I would have put "Kill Bill" up there. I think "Kill Bill" was a great picture last year.
HARRIS: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: Well, I'm still reeling from the fact that "White Chicks" and "Soul Plane" were shut out this year.
(LAUGHTER)
ROEPER: I thought about boycotting the Oscars, but I'm over it now.
HARRIS: Richard, that is outrageous. That is outrageous.
You know, that's totally appropriate for LIVE FROM, right?
ROEPER: Yes, it's just not right. It's just not right.
OK, all right so those are nominees.
Roger, what's your best picture?
EBERT: Yes. Who is going to win?
HARRIS: Who is going to win?
EBERT: "Million Dollar Baby." "Million Dollar Baby" is going to win.
HARRIS: Really?
EBERT: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: Because is it reaches -- it reaches the heart. And the academy voters tend to vote for the pictures that have the biggest emotional impact. And that one does in this category. HARRIS: Well, Richard, doesn't the academy also like big epic films of scope and scale?
ROEPER: Yes. They do. They love pictures like "The Aviator," 2 1/2 hour biopics. Things like that have won the Academy Award in the past.
I think we could see a split, where Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank win and then "The Aviator" wins and Marty Scorsese wins. That's what makes it interesting this year. It's not a sweep, like "Return of the King" last year, where we knew it was going to win everything.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: So, Roger, what do you think? And we can go right to best director then. Do you think that...
EBERT: Well, you see...
HARRIS: Yes.
EBERT: There is a predictor that, whoever wins the Directors Guild always wins the Oscar. So, this year, that would be Clint Eastwood. So, that gives you about an 85 percent chance that he will win the Oscar.
But I think they're very aware of the fact that Scorsese has never won an Oscar. And what they may do is say, we can vote for Clint for best picture.
HARRIS: Right.
EBERT: Or even for best actor.
HARRIS: Yes.
EBERT: So, we'll vote for Scorsese for best director. So there could be a surprise in that category.
HARRIS: No, Richard, that doesn't happen. You vote for the director who did the best job helming that film.
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: Well, you'd think that would be the way it works. But, a lot of times, politics play into this thing. People vote for their favorites. They vote for people based on their entire careers.
So, Al Pacino won for "Scent of a Woman."
HARRIS: Right.
ROEPER: That wasn't his best film. It was "Godfather." It was "Dog Day Afternoon." It could be the same thing with Scorsese. He should have won for "Goodfellas." He should have run for "Raging Bull." (CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: He should have won for "Taxi Driver." So now they're going to make good and give him the Oscar this year.
HARRIS: OK, before I run out of time, let me get you on the record.
So, Richard, your best picture is what?
ROEPER: I think "Million Dollar Baby" is going to win. "Aviator" has the outside shot.
HARRIS: OK, and your best director?
ROEPER: Scorsese.
HARRIS: And, Roger, best picture?
EBERT: Best picture, "Million Dollar Baby".
HARRIS: Best director.
EBERT: Best director, probably Eastwood.
HARRIS: Annette Bening crashes the party and takes the award from Hilary Swank?
EBERT: It could happen, but I think the dark horse in that category is probably Imelda Staunton from England. And I think Hilary Swank will win.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: We might get a surprise?
ROEPER: Annette Bening is a great actress, but she is playing an actress in that role. That's a real stretch for her.
HARRIS: Right.
OK, so who is the pick?
ROEPER: It's Hilary Swank.
HARRIS: Hilary Swank?
EBERT: Hilary Swank, yes.
HARRIS: OK. All right, so, best actor now. Is there...
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: Jamie Foxx.
HARRIS: ... gate-crasher here that's going to keep this from going to Jamie Foxx?
ROEPER: No. Jamie Foxx is the biggest favorite in any category.
EBERT: Yes.
ROEPER: If he doesn't win, that will be the biggest upset of the night. Clint Eastwood has an outside shot at that, but I think it's Jamie Foxx's night.
HARRIS: All right. All right. Let me just throw this out here, because my job is to stir this pot with a big old spoon. He is doing an impersonation. He's not creating this character from whole cloth.
EBERT: That's not true. He's performing.
HARRIS: The source material is already there. He's doing an impersonation. He is Rich Little doing Carson?
(LAUGHTER)
EBERT: You try -- you try do Ray Charles' body language without looking like a complete idiot, and you will see how hard it is to do.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: Everybody knows what Ray Charles looked like. And he does a great job.
ROEPER: Yes, tony. Do that. Do that.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Don't fall into Kyra's little trick bag here.
ROEPER: Rich Little.
(CROSSTALK)
EBERT: I look like a fool. I look like an idiot. And he does a great job.
HARRIS: So, you know, I think he should have been nominated for best actor for "Collateral." That movie is about him. He is really the lead actor in that performance.
ROEPER: Oh, yes, that's true. Yes, he's the lead in "Collateral." There is no doubt about that. But you know what? There are no rules about supporting actor or lead actor. They can nominate in any category they want.
EBERT: They positioned. They figured that he would be nominated -- or at least get more votes in the best actor category for "Ray."
HARRIS: Yes. EBERT: So, they positioned him in best supporting in order to increase his chances. And it worked.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: OK, very quickly, because I'm flat out of time. Best supporting actor is?
EBERT: Morgan Freeman.
ROEPER: Morgan Freeman will win, but he shouldn't win, because he's played that character before.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: And best supporting actress is?
ROEPER: Virginia Madsen.
HARRIS: OK.
EBERT: Virginia Madsen.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Gentlemen, good to see you. That was fun. That was fun. That's good TV on a Friday. Enjoy the show.
(CROSSTALK)
ROEPER: Thanks.
HARRIS: Kyra, why don't you do this, because I'm flat out. I'm tired.
PHILLIPS: No Ray? No Ray?
HARRIS: No, no Ray.
PHILLIPS: All right. All right. All right. Market check straight ahead. Wal-Mart, there was a union vote today. How did it go?
And then gold medalist Scott Hamilton on his latest health scare. We're going to talk about both those stories straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
HARRIS: You know, we've been talking about entertainers during this half-hour. And although many of us might wish we could be as well known as some of those folks, fame is no guarantee of a free pass. Olympic gold medal skater Scott Hamilton knows that all too well. After successfully beating cancer a few years ago, he's facing down a new medical challenge, a brain tumor. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Scott Hamilton, Olympic gold medalist: The doctor came in the recovery room and he said we know what it is and we have to discuss how we're going to treat it. But it's good news is that we know what it is. It's benign. It's slow-growing, but it's causing me some problems because of where it's attached. So we just had to go from there. And...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: This weekend on CNN, much more with Scott Hamilton, a champion on and off the ice. It's a two-part interview we will be airing Saturday and Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. All done.
PHILLIPS: Well, that wraps up our edition of LIVE FROM. Thanks so much for being with us.
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