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Military Plane Crash in Iran Leaves Scores Dead; The History of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Aired December 06, 2005 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, she's been praised for furthering the cause of democracy in such places like Afghanistan and East Timor, but today the United Nations fired her. Carina Perelli was the U.N.'s top elections official, but she was fired over allegations including sexual harassment. Perelli denies those charges and vows to fight them.
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, will about guest on "LOU DOBBS" tonight. You can see the interview right here on CNN beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Tragedy in Iran today. A military plane in trouble and trying to make an emergency landing, but it never made it. Our Andrew Carey brings us the latest on the crash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smoldering wreckage just yards from a ten-story apartment building. The plane clipped the building while trying to make an emergency landing and burst into flames. One eyewitness said the crash felt like an earthquake.

More than 90 people were on board the plane. There were no survivors. Officials say there were also fatalities inside the apartment building, which houses military personnel and their families. Anxious friends and relatives crowded around the building as emergency services battled put out the flames. Reports spoke of people throwing themselves out of the windows to escape the fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many people, including the passengers and the residents of the building, have lost their lives. And as a result of a massive emergency response, the number of deaths and injured are now clear. They have been carried to hospital. The only problem is the crowd of people, which is slowing down the emergency operation.

CAREY: Some of the wounded taken to hospital told reporters what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There was a lot of fire. The plane came, and when we went outside, there was fire everywhere.

CAREY (on camera): Do you know what time it was?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't remember. CAREY: Can you please explain to us what happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We were sitting and all of a sudden, fire hit us.

CAREY: Where do you live?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): At the Heboni Shamshadie (ph) district.

CAREY (voice-over): The plane was an Air Force C-130 like this one operated by the United States. It reported technical problems shortly after taking off from Tehran's main airport. It was en route to the southern port of Bandar Abbas. About half of those on board were journalists going to cover Navy maneuvers in the Persian Gulf.

It's the latest in a series of recent crashes involving Iranian military planes. Two and half years ago, more than 250 elite soldiers died when a Russian-made Ilyushin crashed in the southeast of the country. Iran has blamed its poor safety record in part on U.S. sanctions which prevent it from getting hold of aircraft parts.

Andrew Carey, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And despite U.S. opposition, it looks like Russia will be selling missiles to Iran. Russian media reports say that Moscow will be sending up to 30 surface-to-air missiles to Tehran over the next two years. While the Russians say the missiles will be used for defensive purposes, there are concerns the deal could upset the Middle East balance of power. Just last Friday, U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters that he had voiced concerns with Kremlin officials.

Straight ahead, rebuilding New Orleans. Vice Admiral Thad Allen joins us live at 3:00 Eastern today. He's going to take some of your e-mail questions. Just drop us a line at livefrom@CNN. Don't miss it, today, 3:00 Eastern. Just a little while away. Noon Pacific. You'll only see it right here on LIVE FROM.

And also next on live from, what can Brown do for you? Well, he put you in the Christmas spirit. That's what. Can you believe we're celebrating 40 years of this pop culture classic. And it airs tonight, and guess what? We're talking with the man who made it happen. He's joining us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: More now on that Harrier crash that took place. Betty Nguyen working the story from the newsroom -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the search was on for the pilot of that Harrier has been found. Well, we have just learned that the pilot has been found. The Coast Guard picked him up around 1:20 Eastern time. Now, the name of this pilot has not been released, until this person's family has been notified.

But you can take a look at the pictures right now. The AV8B Harrier jet crashed off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, this morning around 9:20 Eastern time. At that time, it was unknown whether as to whether the pilot survived the crash, although witnesses said that they did see a parachute.

And we have since learned that the pilot has been rescued by a Coast Guard boat, around, oh, about an hour ago, and that person is being taken right now for medical tests to determine if there were any injuries.

As to what caused the crash, that's still unknown at this time. But what we do know is that a Marine Corps jet was headed on a routine training mission when the crash occurred this morning. But, the good news, Kyra, the pilot has been found. We don't know the extent of any injuries, if there are any, but we'll keep you posted on all of that.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll stay checked in with you. Thanks so much< Betty.

We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, some icy statues warming hearts in Austria. For the 10th year in a row, international ice sculptors have creating what they say is the world's largest nativity scene made of ice, some 43 tons of ice to be exact.

Colored lights illuminate the nativity scene from inside. A half million visitors are expected to see it over the holidays. It will be dismantled January 7th, which is when Catholics traditionally take down their Christmas decorations.

Well, baseball fans have opening day, Capistrano has it's swallows, but for the past 40 years, American kids have depended on their own seasonal event to mark the official arrival of Christmastime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE BROWN, CARTOON CHARACTER: I've killed it. Oh! Everything I touch gets ruined.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Oh. Good grief, Charlie Brown. Can you believe that "A Charlie Brown Christmas" almost never got made, and once it was, television execs didn't think it would fly? Kids depressed about the holidays? A character that quotes directly from the King James Bible? No laugh track and a jazz music score?

An Emmy, a Peabody, and countless fans later, well, it's still a hit and a rite of holiday passage. Although it's been out on video and DVD for years, it still gets top ratings every time if airs, which it does again tonight on network TV.

Well before you go and dig out your flannel pajamas and start heating up the cocoa, a little more on the history and legacy of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Producing Lee Mendelson joins us now on the phone from Hawaii -- how lucky are we -- to tell us about mixing Peanuts and Coca-Cola into a classic that's way beyond Coke. Lee, I hope we didn't mess up your vacation in any way.

LEE MENDELSON, PRODUCER, "CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS": No. It's funny having Christmas over here with all the trees and lights and it's 80 degrees. Everything started in Atlanta because Coca-Cola called us and asked us if we had a Christmas show.

PHILLIPS: Well, OK. Give us a little background about how this idea came together and how you worked, of course, with Charles Schulz and how CBS actually saw this rough cut in the '60s and said, don't like it.

MENDELSON: Well, they weren't the only ones. When Bill Melendez and I finished it, our animator for all these years, we thought we had destroyed Charlie Brown because he thought it was kind of slow and -- you know, it just didn't feel right.

And then we took it to the network, and they didn't like it. So we figured it would go on one time, and that was it. In those days, you only had three networks. And 47 percent of the country tuned in to our little show, and we're still in shock.

PHILLIPS: So I'm curious. Do you still watch it every year?

MENDELSON: Oh, sure.

PHILLIPS: You do?

MENDELSON: Yes. Every year, and we always see Schroeder's hands off the piano when they shouldn't be, and it always gives us a chill, but we never changes the original so ...

PHILLIPS: You get goosebumps to this day.

MENDELSON: It all goes back to Charles Shultz' characters and his midwestern values and we had the great privilege of working with him for 38 years.

PHILLIPS: You know, that's what's so amazing about him. He always believed there was a market for innocence, didn't he?

MENDELSON: That's right. I remember when he told me that, and if you look at all the movies, you know -- movies, television, whatever -- it's always the G-rated movies that are on the top of the heap at the end of the year.

PHILLIPS: Well, you took a lot of risks when making this. One thing is that you used real children for the voices of these characters. What was that like? Was it hard to gather them all together or were they well-behaved? How did you pick them? MENDELSON: No, they were 9 and 10 years old, the older kids, and 6-year-old for Sally. And we never had any problems with them. They're now 50 years old, by the way.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

MENDELSON: And we just were with them the other day. And, of course, every two or three years, we had to get a new cast. But we always matched the original cast as best we could.

PHILLIPS: So all those kids are still alive and you still keep in touch?

MENDELSON: Oh, yes. We're going to get together at the Charles Shultz Museum up in Santa Rosa. If anybody is ever out in California, it's really worth the trip up there.

PHILLIPS: We've got to go see that museum. You just gave me another great idea.

MENDELSON: There you go.

PHILLIPS: So, what's your favorite part, Lee?

MENDELSON: Well, everybody, of course, points to him reading from the Bible, and I remember when Mr. Shultz said he's going to read from the Bible, and Bill and I kind of looked at each other because there'd never been any animation from the bible. And he said -- I remember what he said, Mr. Shultz. He said if we don't do it, who will?

PHILLIPS: And of course, you're talking about Linus when he reads the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke.

MENDELSON: But I like when he gets the tree at the end, because he actually wins something on the show! It's funny, the characters are so real to us. And I know they were real to him too.

PHILLIPS: Well, they're so real to so many. I mean, people to this day, I mean -- it's amazing. It's the message and the sense of humor that just seems to be timeless.

MENDELSON: And I think that the music, too, the jazz music had a lot to do with it to keep the pace going, you know, where we needed it. And we always could call on Snoopy, who's our Harpo Marx. That's always a nice safety valve.

PHILLIPS: How did you -- you talk about the piano, the jazz. How did you pick Vince Guaraldi? Why did you go that route? How did that happen?

MENDELSON: Well, I had heard -- I had always loved jazz and I heard "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," which had won a Grammy back in '62, I think it was. And he lived in San Francisco and I lived there, and we just got together and he called up one day and said I got to play this song for you. And it was the first time I ever heard Linus and Lucy and I still haven't gotten over that one.

PHILLIPS: And you said that was it. This is going to work.

MENDELSON: And we knew that that was just right. And Mr. Schulz loved it.

PHILLIPS: So tell me, as you, you know, of course, moved on -- I mean, your kids, your grandkids, everybody that was a part of this -- I mean, is this something that you just wanted to make sure was a part of their lives? Did they want it to be part of their lives? Did they ever say to you oh grandpa, or oh dad, not again!

MENDELSON: No. Everybody -- they watch it every year. And it's still a thrill for us. And as I say, what an honor to work with that national treasure named Charles Schulz.

PHILLIPS: Do you think we need more of this? I mean, I think probably the scariest day is when we're not going to see this air on primetime network television anymore. I mean, it's a cult. There's a following.

MENDELSON: ABC has been tremendous for us, and they're going to be running these holiday shows at least through 2010, and then we'll just go them into getting in the 50th anniversary.

PHILLIPS: What was it like to get the Emmy? We found a picture of you guys when you received it.

MENDELSON: Oh, it was unbelievable. You know, it was our first time. We were up against Disney. We assumed we were going to lose. All of a sudden they call our names and we stand up in front of all of these famous people and I almost passed out. I don't know. I can't speak for the other two.

PHILLIPS: So what's the meaning of Christmas for you, Lee?

MENDELSON: I think -- well, you know, we wrote a song called "Christmastime Is Here." And the closing lyric is it would be "so nice if we could have the same spirit throughout the year." That probably sums it up for me.

PHILLIPS: Lee Mendelson, I'm so glad we able to track down your son and track you down in Hawaii.

MENDELSON: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Have a great rest of your vacation.

MENDELSON: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: We can't wait to watch tonight.

MENDELSON: Thanks so much.

PHILLIPS: All right. Take care.

Well, entertainment news is straight ahead. Sibila Vargas joins us with a preview. Hey, Sibila.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Well, I'll tell you why Steven Spielberg is on a mission with his latest project. I'll have all the details when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you saw the movie "Titanic," you probably have the impression that it took almost forever for the huge ship to sink. Now some historians say that's not necessarily so.

About 1,500 people died when the legendary ocean liner hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. Up until now, experts believe that the ship's stern remained afloat for 20 minutes, prolonging the agony of the terrified passengers.

But opinions are changing following the recent discovery of two large pieces of the ship's hull about a third of a mile from the spot where the stern sank. One Titanic expert says that suggests the stern remained afloat only for about five minutes.

Director Steven Spielberg has tackled many varied subjects on the big screen. Now, in his new movie "Munich" he's taking on the topic of terror. Sibila Vargas in Los Angeles with the details.

Hey, Sibila. The trailer looks pretty amazing.

VARGAS: Can't wait to see the film. Steven Spielberg's new movie focuses on the horrific events of the 1972 Olympics. The film is much more than that.

The director is tackling the daunting subject of unrest in the Middle East. Through this work, he says he is trying to make a difference.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (voice-over): These are the devastating pictures of today's brutal Palestinian suicide bombing outside an Israeli shopping mall. The violent blast left five dead and could possibly threaten renewed hopes for peace in the region. Hope echoed across the globe, and here in Hollywood by one of the most powerful and renowned directors in the world, Steven Spielberg.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm speaking to you live just outside the Olympic village in Munich, West Germany. At this moment, eight or nine athletes of the Israeli team are being held prisoner.

VARGAS: Spielberg is taking on terror in his film, "Munich," which takes us back over 30 years to tell for the first time ever on film the story of the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes by a Palestinian terror group, and the Israeli government's war of revenge that followed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have 11 Palestinian names. Each have a hand in planning Munich. You're going to kill them, one by one. VARGAS: Just like that secret mission, a veil of secrecy surrounded the movie. "Time" magazine got the first look and "Time's" Richard Schickel got the only interview with Spielberg about the ambitious project.

Can it make a difference?

RICHARD SCHICKEL, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Steven said to me, he doesn't feel that in film or book or any work of art can actually address the stalemate there. I mean, the only thing that's going to solve that stalemate is, Steven says, is just talking, talking, talking, talking, until, as he says, you're blue in the face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Picks up the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hit the remote.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. Hello?

VARGAS: "Munich" stars Eric Bana as a Mossad agent who tracks the Palestinian terrorist who assassinated the Israeli athletes.

Spielberg said it's not "Rambo," but a story about human beings and regret. Spielberg said in the "Time" article, quote, "You are assigned a mission and you do it because you believe in the mission, but there's something about killing people at close range that is excruciating," and added that, "it's bound to try a man's soul."

Aside from the movie, Spielberg has another plan to impact the Middle East. He told Schickel he admits it's a small effort.

STEVEN SPIELBERG, DIRECTOR: We want to give video cameras to about 125 Palestinian children, 125 Israeli children. And just let them shoot their ordinary lives, as he says, what movies we go to, what we had for dinner last night, what my father's like, what my mother's like.

And then they would exchange videos, because, you know, at the level of childhood, there isn't, or should not be, any ideology. They're just people who wish to live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: Some are wondering if in this film, Spielberg takes a pro-Israel stance. But again, "Time" writer Richard Schickel, one of the few that have actually seen the film at this point, he thinks it's balanced and fair and gives both sides of human face.

"Munich" opens in theaters December 23 and is already getting Oscar buzz, Kyra. So we're going to be talking about this quite a lot.

PHILLIPS: Can't wait to see it. Sibila, thank you.

Charles Atherton was the man behind such memorable monuments as the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, The National World War II Memorial, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.

Now he's dead, and under some pretty bizarre circumstances. Atherton was hit by a car on the street in Washington last week and police issued him a jay walking ticket. They say Atherton was at fault in the accident and was conscious when they issued the ticket.

Other witnesses say the say the 73-year-old man was badly injured and unresponsive. Atherton died later in the hospital of his injuries. His family found the jaywalking ticket with his belongings. A police spokesperson said they wouldn't have ticketed him if he knew he was going to die.

We want to check back in with a live hearing that's going on right now on the hill. A number of Katrina evacuees expressing their frustration with lawmakers on what they went through when Katrina hit, and we just wanted to make it clear, you might have been watching about an hour ago, where we had dipped in and then pulled out, because some pretty emotional testimony was taking place.

One of the evacuees was talking about witnessing military and police murdering people, and it was just a very -- emotional testimony. We just want to make it clear that we have not substantiated any of those allegations.

The individuals coming before lawmakers are, of course, operating completely on their own, and what they are saying, we're not privy to any script or any prepared speech that they're making.

We've just been trying to dip in and listen as it's been happening. Therefore, when we hear those type of allegations, we want to make it clear that we have not substantiated any of that. We're just listening, trying to get a feel for it emotion. So you see what they are talking about and how lawmakers are responding.

Also, we want to reiterate that coming up in the next hour, we're going to have Vice Admiral Thad Allen with us, U.S. Coast Guard, as you know, he is the man in charge there on the ground, trying to get New Orleans, other parts of the Gulf Coast rebuilt.

If you have any questions for him, he can answer it all. From health issues to housing, you name it. LIVE FROM at CNN.com.

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