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Live From...
Geography Whiz; Cannes Performance
Aired May 26, 2005 - 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This just in to CNN, an Amber Alert to tell you about. County sheriff's department in Charleston, Illinois have confirmed a child abduction that occurred at the United Methodist Charleston Community Daycare. The child is a white female, 2 1/2-year-old, actually, child, Elvade Terwilliger. Her mother, birth mother, the one that does not have custody of her, Angela Terwilliger, they believe, a 19-year-old, has taken her and they're now on the run. You're asked to call the police, the Illinois state police, or the county sheriff's department there in Charleston, Illinois if you know the whereabouts.
In Santa Maria, California, the prosecution begins its rebuttal case in the Michael Jackson molestation trial, and the judge allows the jurors to see a video of a police interview with Jackson's teenage accuser. As a result, the defense may call the boy and his mother back to the stand when they get to their rebuttal case.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, now to an event that calls for a live from word of the day. Participants in this competition are likely to become, listen up, sudoriferous, sudoriferous, an adjective meaning sweaty or sweat producing. Never applies to me, of course. This little TV gig is nothing like the pressure felt by 13-year-old Nathan Cornelius yesterday. Watch and learn:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK: Put your cards up. They have written different responses. If one of them is right, he will be the new champion. The correct response -- Lake Ghaton, part of the Panama Canal system was created by damming the Chagres River.
Nathan Cornelius, congratulations, young man. You are the 2005 National Geography Bee champion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Now of course we knew it was the Chagres River. We're CNN, the most trusted name in news.
Kyra, what's the Panama Canal? Where is that?
PHILLIPS: Enough about us, continue.
O'BRIEN: All right, the young man of the hour is Nathan Cornelius. And you just watched the big moment. Nathan claimed the National Geography Bee championship. We're glad to have him join us today from New York, where everybody should know where that is. Nathan, congratulations to you, sir.
NATHAN CORNELIUS, NATL. GEOGRAPHY BEE WINNER: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: How nervous were you yesterday? Were you focused? Did you have your -- sort of your eye on the prize?
CORNELIUS: Yes, kind of. I wasn't really that nervous.
O'BRIEN: Really?
CORNELIUS: No.
O'BRIEN: Oh, come on, that's got to be a little bit nerve- wracking.
CORNELIUS: Some of the times I was a little bit nervous, like there was some pretty good competition near the end. So I was a little nervous if those guys were ever going to miss a question again.
O'BRIEN: Yes, well, that's it. You know, you just got to keep going.
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Keep answering those questions correctly, eventually you'll win.
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Tell us a little bit about yourself. You're from Minnesota.
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And you're home-schooled.
CORNELIUS: Uh-huh.
O'BRIEN: Is geography something you're just naturally interested in?
CORNELIUS: No.
O'BRIEN: Does your mom or dad insist you learn it?
CORNELIUS: No, I think I'm just naturally interested in it. I mean, I've always loved it. When I was a kid, I'd draw maps of imaginary places. And we heard about the bee, and I thought, oh, I like geography, let's get involved.
O'BRIEN: When you were a kid, huh?
CORNELIUS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Now he's all grown up. O'BRIEN: He's all grown up now.
CORNELIUS: Well, yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes, well, they do grow up quickly, don't they? It's all -- what is it about geography. I have a son, a 12-year-old, who's fascinated by it, and I think he's just fascinated by imagining himself in other places. Is it like that for you?
CORNELIUS: Yes. I like seeing these places on the maps, and I'd like to go to a lot places I've read about, so yes.
O'BRIEN: You know what's interesting, though, in a lot of schools these days, they don't teach geography. And if you'd gone to a public school, you wouldn't have probably had as many opportunities to learn about it, would you?
CORNELIUS: No, I don't think so. I think homeschooling is a real big advantage.
O'BRIEN: Well, let me ask you this, do you that is, in general, is that a bad thing? Should kids know more about the world around them, do you think?
CORNELIUS: Yes, I think that would be good if they -- if the American kids in general just knew more geography, and that's part of why they started the bee, was to help them learn more and give them some incentives.
O'BRIEN: All right, you want to do a few questions?
CORNELIUS: Sure.
O'BRIEN: All right, here we go. You might have already answered these. For 250 year, Spanish galleons -- and, Kyra, please participate...
PHILLIPS: Oh, no, no, no.
O'BRIEN: And those of you at home may play, too.
PHILLIPS: I'm not going to let him show me up.
O'BRIEN: Spanish galleons carried on a flourishing trade between Acapulco and a port on an island in east Asia. Name this port, which served as Spain's trade center for east Asia.
Now, I now, Nathan, you know this, right?
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Kyra, want to guess? Want to guess?
PHILLIPS: Oh, no! Manila?
CORNELIUS: Yes, I think Manila. O'BRIEN: You saw the preset. It's Manila.
PHILLIPS: I was thinking Manila. I swear.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I mean, if you know anything about the Philippines and influences there, that makes sense.
OK, and you know that one, right, Nathan?
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Of course, no problem.
All right, now, another one, name the channel formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates River that flows into the Persian Gulf.
Kyra, I think you've been there.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I have, so I'm not answering this one, because I know this one for sure.
O'BRIEN: And, Nathan, what is it?
CORNELIUS: It's the Shatt Al Arab.
O'BRIEN: Shatt Al Arab. Of course. Kyra was there in a little Zodiac -- oh yes, we've got to ding it. There we go.
OK, now, oil refining is an important economic activity on the largest island of the Netherlands Antilles. Name this island. You know, this is kind of a trick question, because there's only one island here that's in the Netherlands Antilles. And, Kyra, you want to venture a guess on this one?
PHILLIPS: No, I want him to guess.
O'BRIEN: All right.
Nathan, what is it?
CORNELIUS: It's Curacao.
O'BRIEN: Curacao, it's the only one in there. Dominica...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Martinique is a French -- now that's -- not even -- that's a red herring, the oil thing. All right, finally -- oh, ding for you, Nathan.
And of course this is -- this pales by comparison to the $25,000 scholarship you got. We don't have any big money for playing along here. Maybe we'll send you a mug.
PHILLIPS: I want a mug with Nathan's picture on it. That's what I want.
O'BRIEN: Well, he's a handsome kid.
PHILLIPS: Yes, he is.
O'BRIEN: One of the world's largest hydroelectric dams spans the Angara River at Bratsk. And that Bratsk is what gave me a tip. The dam is in what country, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: I just like to eat Bratsk.
Isn't it Angora? Or is it Angara?
Nathan, how do you say the river?
CORNELIUS: I think it's Angara, but I'm not sure.
PHILLIPS: Ooh, I knew that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, so go.
PHILLIPS: I'm not going to guess.
O'BRIEN: Nathan, the correct answer is?
CORNELIUS: It's Russia.
O'BRIEN: It's Russia. It's Russia.
See, just looking at that..
PHILLIPS: I want to give him full credit.
O'BRIEN: All right now, let me ask you this, when we -- and as we take our little keyhole map venture to that part of the world. Let me ask you this, Nathan, how many of these did you just know cold, and how many of you did you just kind of by process of elimination get?
CORNELIUS: Pretty much all them I knew. I wasn't really guessing on all of them. The one I missed, it was just because I was thinking too quickly and didn't think it through enough. But if I thought it through, I would have known that one, too.
O'BRIEN: So you are allowed to miss one?
CORNELIUS: Yes, you can miss one in the finals and still be OK.
O'BRIEN: Can you tell us which one you missed? Do you mind sharing?
CORNELIUS: No. It was Arm Helmland (ph) is in northern Australia and includes a large tract of aboriginal owned land and is to the west of what gulf?
O'BRIEN: Oh, boy. Nathan, you don't know that one?
What's the answer?
CORNELIUS: Well, it's the Gulf of Carpinteria.
O'BRIEN: And did you just have your mind go blank on that one?
CORNELIUS: No, I said the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, which it's east of that gulf. I confused west and east.
PHILLIPS: Can I ask a quick question?
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, go ahead.
PHILLIPS: I mean, obviously, Nathan, you're brilliant in this area. But are there any subjects that are difficult for you, or you do pretty well in all subjects? Math, English, writing?
CORNELIUS: Well, I kind of -- I think I do kind of well in all of them. Spanish is a little tough for me but...
PHILLIPS: Spanish is tough.
O'BRIEN: Yes, but he's a smart kid. I think he's -- he's acing all this stuff. Final thought here. Some advice you'd like to pass along to other kids who might be interested in this subject. What's the best way to kind of, you know, familiarize yourself with the world?
CORNELIUS: Well, the best way is to get a good world atlas and just read it through and that will tell you where most of the countries are and -- yes, where all the countries are and where their rivers are and if it has country descriptions, it will tell you what life is like there. So I think that's the most important thing to get and study.
O'BRIEN: Simple as that, get an atlas, start reading.
CORNELIUS: Yes, I mean, other geography books will help. But my "National Geographic" world atlas is the biggest help to me of all the books, I think.
PHILLIPS: I love it. All kids are reading "Harry Potter," but Nathan is reading the atlas.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: That's impressive.
O'BRIEN: And Nathan's got a little payoff as a result. Young man...
PHILLIPS: College? Where are going to college? You have a favorite?
CORNELIUS: No, I haven't thought much about it yet, but...
PHILLIPS: OK. You keep us posted. O'BRIEN: What a cute kid. Anyway, Nathan, thank you for stopping by. Congratulations to you.
CORNELIUS: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: And I hope that scholarship serves you well in the future. And hey, maybe you'll be back next year, huh?
CORNELIUS: Well, no, since I won the scholarship, I can't come back next year.
O'BRIEN: Oh, you can't be a two-time winner?
CORNELIUS: No.
O'BRIEN: All right, Nathan Cornelius, this year's "National Geographic" Geography Bee champion.
PHILLIPS: Congratulations.
O'BRIEN: It was a great pleasure to have you drop by. We'll keep an eye on you. All right?
CORNELIUS: OK.
PHILLIPS: Another pretty amazing person straight ahead on LIVE FROM. She nabbed a big nod at a big film festival, but who knew she had a hot stand-up career? Well, we did. A new name to know in entertainment joins us live, just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: CNN.com is helping you prepare for hurricane season. This year, seven to nine hurricanes could hit the United States between June and November. Last year alone, four hurricanes slammed into the Florida coast. Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne caused scores of death and tens of billions of dollars in damage.
Scientists say this year's warmer waters in the Atlantic could spawn some fierce storms. See how it all begins. Our interactive hurricane guide explains how warmer climate can turn into a tropical storm and then a devastating hurricane. The East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico are most vulnerable.
If you think your family might be in danger from a hurricane, study our safety tips. Stay away from low-lying areas. Evacuate mobile homes. In you live in a wooded area, make trees more wind resistant by cutting out weak limbs so that wind can blow through. And while you're online, click through our gallery of past hurricanes, including the ten worst ever.If and when the hurricanes hit, find out what to call it. Check out the list of names for 2005 storms for the Atlantic and eastern north Pacific.
But the only name you need to remember is CNN. We've got your online hurricane special at CNN.com/hurricanes. Reporting from the dot-com desk, I'm Christina Park.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right, movie buffs. Even the most die-hard film geeks in this country probably have never heard of our next guest. She's only made a handful of movies and is best known in her native Israel playing the funny lady roles on television. So just who is this woman who received the highest honor for an actress at the Cannes Film Festival? She's a veteran of performing, but trust us, there's no shortage of off-screen drama in her own life story.
Hanna Laslo, recipient of (INAUDIBLE), as in Best Actress. She joins me now live from Tel Aviv. Oh, it's so wonderful to see you, Hanna.
HANNA LASLO, BEST ACTRESS, CANNES: You, too. I don't see you, but I can hear you, I can feel your energies. I like it.
PHILLIPS: Oh. Now we should probably explain to folks who don't know you very well -- I mean, this is your moniker, this your fan. You always have this fan with you, right?
LASLO: Oh, usually summer, you know, but it doesn't have to actually be summer or winter because I'm in menopause, you know, so I always have those -- I call it wave -- age waves, you know. When I'm hot, so I'm just doing it. And everybody likes it. It also looks nice. I call it menopause fans, you know?
PHILLIPS: It's very sophisticated and I'm going to need one really soon, trust me.
LASLO: It is?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes.
LASLO: It's not as sophisticated as sweat.
PHILLIPS: No, you're glistening, you're not sweating, OK?
LASLO: Yes. I'm listening now. Hi, Kyra, how are you?
PHILLIPS: Oh, now we have to be serious. But we do -- we do want to get serious for a minute here.
LASLO: OK.
PHILLIPS: I want to talk about your comedy.
LASLO: I can be serious.
PHILLIPS: I know you can. And the film that won, you won Best Actress for this film, "Free Zone," an absolutely incredible film. Not only do you have an incredible sense of humor, but you have a social and political conscious. Tell us about "Free Zone," Hanna.
LASLO: "Free Zone" is a movie that was made directly by Amos Gitai, that usually does movies that are always the -- like realistic movies, you know the commentary, political message. But this time, with the character that I play, Hanna Benuche (ph) -- I left my name, Hanna -- we took this heavy, very heavy subject which is, you know, the Israeli/Palestinian problem. I guess people in the states would see it on the television, they'd just zap because you're tired of it. And we decided to just let my humor and my humanity to get into the character and it made it kind of lighter and more -- like friendly political movie, you know? It's easier to watch.
PHILLIPS: Sure.
LASLO: When it's kind of -- it's with humor.
PHILLIPS: And a lot of people, especially here in the United States, we think, my gosh, how can you find humor in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict? And I think you do an amazing job at mixing comedy and drama, when it comes to the Middle East.
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Tell me how you do that, because it is important, and I think being a good comedian also make a very good dramatic actor.
LASLO: I think that I had a very good school because my parents -- both my parents are Holocaust survivors from Auschwitz. My father is dead already for 20 years. And that's the way they brought me up, you know, coming out of a family that lost everyone. We are only -- the four kids that, you know, we were, were the only family. We had to grow up with a sense of humor to survive. It's -- my humor is more than humor; it's surviving.
And I think also in the Middle East you have to have -- not -- it's horrible to say. I have also a one-woman show now called (INAUDIBLE), that I'm telling about my childhood, and I'm telling about the Holocaust through my eyes as a child. And it's horrible to say stand-up about Holocaust, but it's not funny, like I'm telling the real -- the sad story through my eyes and you have certain kind of angles that are funny. The minute it's funny, you dry your tear from sadness, from crying, and the other minute you laugh. But this is I think the key, the secret, also of the movie, like to pass this message with humor.
And the song that we're hearing now, it's about my father that died -- actually being my show is an homage. I donated it to my father, to the memory of my father, because we had a wonderful relationship, and he taught me -- he was a funny guy. He taught me -- he was a hatmaker, you know? He taught me -- I speak a very good Yiddish, a fluent Yiddish, because I had to speak with a Yiddish, and he taught me humor and to mix humor with everything, even when it's really sad.
PHILLIPS: So you dedicated this show to your father, yet I know when you got best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for "Free Zone," you dedicated the award to your mother. Tell us about your mom.
LASLO: Well, it had to be fair, you know, because I dedicating the show to my father. My mother is still alive, even though she's sick now, very sick. She has got cancer. And I love her very much. And, you know, I always say to her, mom, you cannot die, because I still need you here, because I'm really good friend with her and always she advises me, you know. Even when I'm -- I did the last show and I was very -- you know, before you come out, I was very fragile. I didn't know. I said mom, I don't know what you should do. He said, Hanna -- we speak in Yiddish. She says, yes -- I don't want to speak in Yiddish.
Anyway, I donated it to her because she deserves it, and I love her very much, and I donate also to all the other victims -- not victims actually, Holocaust survivors there were victims that are still alive all over the world, and to victim of both side, the Palestinians and the Israelis. I think it's about time that we really should love and not cry, you know.
PHILLIPS: Well, in this film, "Free Zone" is truly a tribute to women of the region, wouldn't you say?
LASLO: Can you please repeat?
PHILLIPS: Yes, the film "Free Zone"...
LASLO: The film is what?
PHILLIPS: ... definitely a tribute to women in the region, wouldn't you say?
LASLO: Of course, women -- Natalie Portman is a wonderful actress and a wonderful person, that we really got friendly, and Yema Bas (ph), the Palestinian girl -- woman, that actually she was born here in Nazareth and she's working in Paris, we became so friendly and we worked so nice together, and it's a tribute to women in the Middle East. Because maybe if women will take, you know, the process, you know, men -- we saw what men can do. Men can go to wars, you know, and fight. Maybe it's about time that women will take, you know, the things to their hand and start to communicate and maybe there's going to be some more results for the peace process.
PHILLIPS: Well, you have already done it. You have already done it, and you're speaking out. Hanna Laslo...
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: ... the film is "Free Zone." We salute you.
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: And our love to your mom, too.
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Hanna. LASLO: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Bye.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: No need to call the Illinois state police. The Amber Alert has now been called off. We can tell you that 2 1/2-year-old Elvade Terwilliger and her mother, Angela, have been found safe and sound. We've got this confirmed through the Mount Vernon Illinois Police Department.
Evidently, this mother, birth mother, who did not have custody of the child abducted her. Both now have been found, and they are safe.
More LIVE FROM right after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 May 26, 2005 - 13:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This just in to CNN, an Amber Alert to tell you about. County sheriff's department in Charleston, Illinois have confirmed a child abduction that occurred at the United Methodist Charleston Community Daycare. The child is a white female, 2 1/2-year-old, actually, child, Elvade Terwilliger. Her mother, birth mother, the one that does not have custody of her, Angela Terwilliger, they believe, a 19-year-old, has taken her and they're now on the run. You're asked to call the police, the Illinois state police, or the county sheriff's department there in Charleston, Illinois if you know the whereabouts.
In Santa Maria, California, the prosecution begins its rebuttal case in the Michael Jackson molestation trial, and the judge allows the jurors to see a video of a police interview with Jackson's teenage accuser. As a result, the defense may call the boy and his mother back to the stand when they get to their rebuttal case.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, now to an event that calls for a live from word of the day. Participants in this competition are likely to become, listen up, sudoriferous, sudoriferous, an adjective meaning sweaty or sweat producing. Never applies to me, of course. This little TV gig is nothing like the pressure felt by 13-year-old Nathan Cornelius yesterday. Watch and learn:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK: Put your cards up. They have written different responses. If one of them is right, he will be the new champion. The correct response -- Lake Ghaton, part of the Panama Canal system was created by damming the Chagres River.
Nathan Cornelius, congratulations, young man. You are the 2005 National Geography Bee champion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Now of course we knew it was the Chagres River. We're CNN, the most trusted name in news.
Kyra, what's the Panama Canal? Where is that?
PHILLIPS: Enough about us, continue.
O'BRIEN: All right, the young man of the hour is Nathan Cornelius. And you just watched the big moment. Nathan claimed the National Geography Bee championship. We're glad to have him join us today from New York, where everybody should know where that is. Nathan, congratulations to you, sir.
NATHAN CORNELIUS, NATL. GEOGRAPHY BEE WINNER: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: How nervous were you yesterday? Were you focused? Did you have your -- sort of your eye on the prize?
CORNELIUS: Yes, kind of. I wasn't really that nervous.
O'BRIEN: Really?
CORNELIUS: No.
O'BRIEN: Oh, come on, that's got to be a little bit nerve- wracking.
CORNELIUS: Some of the times I was a little bit nervous, like there was some pretty good competition near the end. So I was a little nervous if those guys were ever going to miss a question again.
O'BRIEN: Yes, well, that's it. You know, you just got to keep going.
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Keep answering those questions correctly, eventually you'll win.
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Tell us a little bit about yourself. You're from Minnesota.
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And you're home-schooled.
CORNELIUS: Uh-huh.
O'BRIEN: Is geography something you're just naturally interested in?
CORNELIUS: No.
O'BRIEN: Does your mom or dad insist you learn it?
CORNELIUS: No, I think I'm just naturally interested in it. I mean, I've always loved it. When I was a kid, I'd draw maps of imaginary places. And we heard about the bee, and I thought, oh, I like geography, let's get involved.
O'BRIEN: When you were a kid, huh?
CORNELIUS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Now he's all grown up. O'BRIEN: He's all grown up now.
CORNELIUS: Well, yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes, well, they do grow up quickly, don't they? It's all -- what is it about geography. I have a son, a 12-year-old, who's fascinated by it, and I think he's just fascinated by imagining himself in other places. Is it like that for you?
CORNELIUS: Yes. I like seeing these places on the maps, and I'd like to go to a lot places I've read about, so yes.
O'BRIEN: You know what's interesting, though, in a lot of schools these days, they don't teach geography. And if you'd gone to a public school, you wouldn't have probably had as many opportunities to learn about it, would you?
CORNELIUS: No, I don't think so. I think homeschooling is a real big advantage.
O'BRIEN: Well, let me ask you this, do you that is, in general, is that a bad thing? Should kids know more about the world around them, do you think?
CORNELIUS: Yes, I think that would be good if they -- if the American kids in general just knew more geography, and that's part of why they started the bee, was to help them learn more and give them some incentives.
O'BRIEN: All right, you want to do a few questions?
CORNELIUS: Sure.
O'BRIEN: All right, here we go. You might have already answered these. For 250 year, Spanish galleons -- and, Kyra, please participate...
PHILLIPS: Oh, no, no, no.
O'BRIEN: And those of you at home may play, too.
PHILLIPS: I'm not going to let him show me up.
O'BRIEN: Spanish galleons carried on a flourishing trade between Acapulco and a port on an island in east Asia. Name this port, which served as Spain's trade center for east Asia.
Now, I now, Nathan, you know this, right?
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Kyra, want to guess? Want to guess?
PHILLIPS: Oh, no! Manila?
CORNELIUS: Yes, I think Manila. O'BRIEN: You saw the preset. It's Manila.
PHILLIPS: I was thinking Manila. I swear.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I mean, if you know anything about the Philippines and influences there, that makes sense.
OK, and you know that one, right, Nathan?
CORNELIUS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Of course, no problem.
All right, now, another one, name the channel formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates River that flows into the Persian Gulf.
Kyra, I think you've been there.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I have, so I'm not answering this one, because I know this one for sure.
O'BRIEN: And, Nathan, what is it?
CORNELIUS: It's the Shatt Al Arab.
O'BRIEN: Shatt Al Arab. Of course. Kyra was there in a little Zodiac -- oh yes, we've got to ding it. There we go.
OK, now, oil refining is an important economic activity on the largest island of the Netherlands Antilles. Name this island. You know, this is kind of a trick question, because there's only one island here that's in the Netherlands Antilles. And, Kyra, you want to venture a guess on this one?
PHILLIPS: No, I want him to guess.
O'BRIEN: All right.
Nathan, what is it?
CORNELIUS: It's Curacao.
O'BRIEN: Curacao, it's the only one in there. Dominica...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Martinique is a French -- now that's -- not even -- that's a red herring, the oil thing. All right, finally -- oh, ding for you, Nathan.
And of course this is -- this pales by comparison to the $25,000 scholarship you got. We don't have any big money for playing along here. Maybe we'll send you a mug.
PHILLIPS: I want a mug with Nathan's picture on it. That's what I want.
O'BRIEN: Well, he's a handsome kid.
PHILLIPS: Yes, he is.
O'BRIEN: One of the world's largest hydroelectric dams spans the Angara River at Bratsk. And that Bratsk is what gave me a tip. The dam is in what country, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: I just like to eat Bratsk.
Isn't it Angora? Or is it Angara?
Nathan, how do you say the river?
CORNELIUS: I think it's Angara, but I'm not sure.
PHILLIPS: Ooh, I knew that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, so go.
PHILLIPS: I'm not going to guess.
O'BRIEN: Nathan, the correct answer is?
CORNELIUS: It's Russia.
O'BRIEN: It's Russia. It's Russia.
See, just looking at that..
PHILLIPS: I want to give him full credit.
O'BRIEN: All right now, let me ask you this, when we -- and as we take our little keyhole map venture to that part of the world. Let me ask you this, Nathan, how many of these did you just know cold, and how many of you did you just kind of by process of elimination get?
CORNELIUS: Pretty much all them I knew. I wasn't really guessing on all of them. The one I missed, it was just because I was thinking too quickly and didn't think it through enough. But if I thought it through, I would have known that one, too.
O'BRIEN: So you are allowed to miss one?
CORNELIUS: Yes, you can miss one in the finals and still be OK.
O'BRIEN: Can you tell us which one you missed? Do you mind sharing?
CORNELIUS: No. It was Arm Helmland (ph) is in northern Australia and includes a large tract of aboriginal owned land and is to the west of what gulf?
O'BRIEN: Oh, boy. Nathan, you don't know that one?
What's the answer?
CORNELIUS: Well, it's the Gulf of Carpinteria.
O'BRIEN: And did you just have your mind go blank on that one?
CORNELIUS: No, I said the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, which it's east of that gulf. I confused west and east.
PHILLIPS: Can I ask a quick question?
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, go ahead.
PHILLIPS: I mean, obviously, Nathan, you're brilliant in this area. But are there any subjects that are difficult for you, or you do pretty well in all subjects? Math, English, writing?
CORNELIUS: Well, I kind of -- I think I do kind of well in all of them. Spanish is a little tough for me but...
PHILLIPS: Spanish is tough.
O'BRIEN: Yes, but he's a smart kid. I think he's -- he's acing all this stuff. Final thought here. Some advice you'd like to pass along to other kids who might be interested in this subject. What's the best way to kind of, you know, familiarize yourself with the world?
CORNELIUS: Well, the best way is to get a good world atlas and just read it through and that will tell you where most of the countries are and -- yes, where all the countries are and where their rivers are and if it has country descriptions, it will tell you what life is like there. So I think that's the most important thing to get and study.
O'BRIEN: Simple as that, get an atlas, start reading.
CORNELIUS: Yes, I mean, other geography books will help. But my "National Geographic" world atlas is the biggest help to me of all the books, I think.
PHILLIPS: I love it. All kids are reading "Harry Potter," but Nathan is reading the atlas.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: That's impressive.
O'BRIEN: And Nathan's got a little payoff as a result. Young man...
PHILLIPS: College? Where are going to college? You have a favorite?
CORNELIUS: No, I haven't thought much about it yet, but...
PHILLIPS: OK. You keep us posted. O'BRIEN: What a cute kid. Anyway, Nathan, thank you for stopping by. Congratulations to you.
CORNELIUS: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: And I hope that scholarship serves you well in the future. And hey, maybe you'll be back next year, huh?
CORNELIUS: Well, no, since I won the scholarship, I can't come back next year.
O'BRIEN: Oh, you can't be a two-time winner?
CORNELIUS: No.
O'BRIEN: All right, Nathan Cornelius, this year's "National Geographic" Geography Bee champion.
PHILLIPS: Congratulations.
O'BRIEN: It was a great pleasure to have you drop by. We'll keep an eye on you. All right?
CORNELIUS: OK.
PHILLIPS: Another pretty amazing person straight ahead on LIVE FROM. She nabbed a big nod at a big film festival, but who knew she had a hot stand-up career? Well, we did. A new name to know in entertainment joins us live, just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: CNN.com is helping you prepare for hurricane season. This year, seven to nine hurricanes could hit the United States between June and November. Last year alone, four hurricanes slammed into the Florida coast. Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne caused scores of death and tens of billions of dollars in damage.
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PHILLIPS: All right, movie buffs. Even the most die-hard film geeks in this country probably have never heard of our next guest. She's only made a handful of movies and is best known in her native Israel playing the funny lady roles on television. So just who is this woman who received the highest honor for an actress at the Cannes Film Festival? She's a veteran of performing, but trust us, there's no shortage of off-screen drama in her own life story.
Hanna Laslo, recipient of (INAUDIBLE), as in Best Actress. She joins me now live from Tel Aviv. Oh, it's so wonderful to see you, Hanna.
HANNA LASLO, BEST ACTRESS, CANNES: You, too. I don't see you, but I can hear you, I can feel your energies. I like it.
PHILLIPS: Oh. Now we should probably explain to folks who don't know you very well -- I mean, this is your moniker, this your fan. You always have this fan with you, right?
LASLO: Oh, usually summer, you know, but it doesn't have to actually be summer or winter because I'm in menopause, you know, so I always have those -- I call it wave -- age waves, you know. When I'm hot, so I'm just doing it. And everybody likes it. It also looks nice. I call it menopause fans, you know?
PHILLIPS: It's very sophisticated and I'm going to need one really soon, trust me.
LASLO: It is?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes.
LASLO: It's not as sophisticated as sweat.
PHILLIPS: No, you're glistening, you're not sweating, OK?
LASLO: Yes. I'm listening now. Hi, Kyra, how are you?
PHILLIPS: Oh, now we have to be serious. But we do -- we do want to get serious for a minute here.
LASLO: OK.
PHILLIPS: I want to talk about your comedy.
LASLO: I can be serious.
PHILLIPS: I know you can. And the film that won, you won Best Actress for this film, "Free Zone," an absolutely incredible film. Not only do you have an incredible sense of humor, but you have a social and political conscious. Tell us about "Free Zone," Hanna.
LASLO: "Free Zone" is a movie that was made directly by Amos Gitai, that usually does movies that are always the -- like realistic movies, you know the commentary, political message. But this time, with the character that I play, Hanna Benuche (ph) -- I left my name, Hanna -- we took this heavy, very heavy subject which is, you know, the Israeli/Palestinian problem. I guess people in the states would see it on the television, they'd just zap because you're tired of it. And we decided to just let my humor and my humanity to get into the character and it made it kind of lighter and more -- like friendly political movie, you know? It's easier to watch.
PHILLIPS: Sure.
LASLO: When it's kind of -- it's with humor.
PHILLIPS: And a lot of people, especially here in the United States, we think, my gosh, how can you find humor in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict? And I think you do an amazing job at mixing comedy and drama, when it comes to the Middle East.
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Tell me how you do that, because it is important, and I think being a good comedian also make a very good dramatic actor.
LASLO: I think that I had a very good school because my parents -- both my parents are Holocaust survivors from Auschwitz. My father is dead already for 20 years. And that's the way they brought me up, you know, coming out of a family that lost everyone. We are only -- the four kids that, you know, we were, were the only family. We had to grow up with a sense of humor to survive. It's -- my humor is more than humor; it's surviving.
And I think also in the Middle East you have to have -- not -- it's horrible to say. I have also a one-woman show now called (INAUDIBLE), that I'm telling about my childhood, and I'm telling about the Holocaust through my eyes as a child. And it's horrible to say stand-up about Holocaust, but it's not funny, like I'm telling the real -- the sad story through my eyes and you have certain kind of angles that are funny. The minute it's funny, you dry your tear from sadness, from crying, and the other minute you laugh. But this is I think the key, the secret, also of the movie, like to pass this message with humor.
And the song that we're hearing now, it's about my father that died -- actually being my show is an homage. I donated it to my father, to the memory of my father, because we had a wonderful relationship, and he taught me -- he was a funny guy. He taught me -- he was a hatmaker, you know? He taught me -- I speak a very good Yiddish, a fluent Yiddish, because I had to speak with a Yiddish, and he taught me humor and to mix humor with everything, even when it's really sad.
PHILLIPS: So you dedicated this show to your father, yet I know when you got best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for "Free Zone," you dedicated the award to your mother. Tell us about your mom.
LASLO: Well, it had to be fair, you know, because I dedicating the show to my father. My mother is still alive, even though she's sick now, very sick. She has got cancer. And I love her very much. And, you know, I always say to her, mom, you cannot die, because I still need you here, because I'm really good friend with her and always she advises me, you know. Even when I'm -- I did the last show and I was very -- you know, before you come out, I was very fragile. I didn't know. I said mom, I don't know what you should do. He said, Hanna -- we speak in Yiddish. She says, yes -- I don't want to speak in Yiddish.
Anyway, I donated it to her because she deserves it, and I love her very much, and I donate also to all the other victims -- not victims actually, Holocaust survivors there were victims that are still alive all over the world, and to victim of both side, the Palestinians and the Israelis. I think it's about time that we really should love and not cry, you know.
PHILLIPS: Well, in this film, "Free Zone" is truly a tribute to women of the region, wouldn't you say?
LASLO: Can you please repeat?
PHILLIPS: Yes, the film "Free Zone"...
LASLO: The film is what?
PHILLIPS: ... definitely a tribute to women in the region, wouldn't you say?
LASLO: Of course, women -- Natalie Portman is a wonderful actress and a wonderful person, that we really got friendly, and Yema Bas (ph), the Palestinian girl -- woman, that actually she was born here in Nazareth and she's working in Paris, we became so friendly and we worked so nice together, and it's a tribute to women in the Middle East. Because maybe if women will take, you know, the process, you know, men -- we saw what men can do. Men can go to wars, you know, and fight. Maybe it's about time that women will take, you know, the things to their hand and start to communicate and maybe there's going to be some more results for the peace process.
PHILLIPS: Well, you have already done it. You have already done it, and you're speaking out. Hanna Laslo...
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: ... the film is "Free Zone." We salute you.
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: And our love to your mom, too.
LASLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Hanna. LASLO: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Bye.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: No need to call the Illinois state police. The Amber Alert has now been called off. We can tell you that 2 1/2-year-old Elvade Terwilliger and her mother, Angela, have been found safe and sound. We've got this confirmed through the Mount Vernon Illinois Police Department.
Evidently, this mother, birth mother, who did not have custody of the child abducted her. Both now have been found, and they are safe.
More LIVE FROM right after a quick break.
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