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CNN Live Today

A Study on Blondes

Aired July 11, 2001 - 14:39   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.
LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi everybody, I'm Laurin Sydney with a question: Who wants to win a lawsuit? The final answer: A former contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

Richard Rosner is suing the producers and ABC, on the grounds that the correct answer wasn't one of the four choices he was given. Rosner, who now works as a producer on NBC's game show "Weakest Link," wants a million dollars or another try on "Millionaire."

The $16,000 question he missed was: What capital is located at the highest altitude above sea level? La Paz, Bolivia, is the world's highest capital, but it wasn't among the four choices he was given.

Reese Witherspoon plays a brainy blonde in the new movie, "Legally Blonde." She's not the first actress who is stopping traffic as a big screen bombshell. Our own bombshell, Rachel Wells, has much more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REESE WITHERSPOON, "LEGALLY BLONDE": You would immediately assume that she's not very bright because of the register of her voice, or the way she dresses, but then she just turns it all around in a -- in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LEGALLY BLONDE")

WITHERSPOON: Girls, I'm going to Harvard!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL WELLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unexpectedly complicated. Add the "Legally Blonde" Reese Witherspoon to a classic Hollywood list: bonafide bombshell.

Just what makes a bombshell tick? We shopped for answers with Laren Stover, author of "The Bombshell Manual of Style."

LAREN STOVER, AUTHOR: We held roundtables to deconstruct the bombshell, like we were studying an exotic butterfly or an exotic species.

The main thing a bombshell needs -- and she considers this a daily essential, like vitamins -- are false eyelashes. This is La Petite Coquette, and it's one of the bombshell's favorite lingerie stores.

Lingerie, they adore it. It doesn't even need to be seen, although if they happen to be standing over a grating and it shows, that's OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "BOMBSHELL")

JEAN HARLOW, ACTOR: Oh, what did you do that for? Something kind of cute was about to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOVER: I think the first bombshell was Jean Harlow. The movie was called "Bombshell." She had a pinwheel personality. Her publicist, you know, her publicist created her.

WELLS: Give me a few examples of quintessential bombshell movie moments that you can think of.

STOVER: Well, "Gentleman Prefer Blondes."

WELLS: Jayne Mansfield -- you use a lot of "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter"?

STOVER: I think she does the ultimate bombshell pose in the towel.

WELLS: You say it's important for the bombshell to create an entrance, to make an entrance.

STOVER: There's a great movie called "The Postman Only Rings Twice," and the entrance is made in a simple diner. It's Lana Turner. She uses the doorway to frame herself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANSFIELD: What do you fellows do -- sleep here?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: But this is the one that your father and I went over...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOVER: When a bombshell leaves, it's always before you're ready to have her leave -- or if she's having a tantrum, she will sort of like swing her stole around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WITHERSPOON: I've already spent too many hours crying over you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WITHERSPOON: And suddenly you realize you've been dealing with a real tough cookie all from the beginning.

Rachel Wells, CNN Entertainment News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SYDNEY: Suddenly, plain Jane is feeling good to me.

You can see Reese play the tough cookie when "Legally Blonde" opens this Friday.

The new movie "Final Fantasy," starring Ming-Na and James Woods makes it's way from the arcade to the big screen today. We'll have more on the sci-fi film during our "Showbiz Today" report, and that is at 4:35 p.m. Eastern time.

Until then, I'm Laurin Sydney in New York.

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