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CNN Live Today

Hot Topic, 'Fahrenheit 9/11'; 'Everyday Hero': Blind Man Rescues Drowning Child

Aired June 24, 2004 - 10:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's check the top stories at this hour. It has been one of the most violent days in post-war Iraq in the number of deaths and widespread attacks. In Mosul alone, 58 people have been killed and up to 200 wounded in four suicide car bombings. There was another suicide car bombing in Baghdad, and police stations were attacked in Baqubah and Ramadi. Three U.S. soldiers were among those killed in today's attacks.
Just a few days before Turkey hosts a NATO summit, there have been a pair of bombings there. An explosion aboard a bus in Istanbul killed five and wounded more than 20 others. This follows this morning's detonation of a smaller bomb outside an upscale hotel in Ankara. There are reports that President Bush had been due to stay at that hotel.

A $447 billion defense spending bill now heads to a conference committee after Senate passage last night. That bill includes $25 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration plans to ask for an additional $25 billion in war funds after November's election.

In what may be a violation of privacy laws, three more airlines than previously thought provided the government with passenger data in 2002 and 2003. Two reservation systems also handed over personal passenger information. The data was used for a government screening test. Under the law, the government is supposed to notify people when personal information is gathered.

There is risky business for the two-member International Space Station crew this evening. They're going to conduct a space walk to replace a circuit breaker. Since no shuttle can fly that provides specific gear needed, the spacemen will be using the wrong gloves, they may have communication blackouts, and they must travel a long way to do that job.

Ron Reagan, the son of the 40th U.S. president, has some harsh words for the current officeholder. The 44-year-old Reagan, who often clashed publicly with his father's own conservative policies, said that President Bush misled Americans to win support for the war. On CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," Reagan said that he would vote for anyone who could oust President Bush, but he denied that he was referring to President Bush in his eulogy, praising his father for not being a politician -- quote -- "wearing his faith on his sleeve" to gain political advantage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON REAGAN, SON OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: I didn't say anything about Bush. Why would I mention George W. Bush in my father's eulogy? No, no, no, no. You know, the stuff about the religion? And I thought, huh, funny you would think I was talking about George W. Bush. And then I heard that everybody thought I was talking about George.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Well, what were you?

REAGAN: But people connected with George W. Bush thought I was talking about George W. Bush.

KING: That's true.

REAGAN: And I began to think, maybe I was. I just didn't know it.

KING: Well, do you think he wears his religion on his sleeve? He certainly refers to it more than your father ever did.

REAGAN: Well, you know, there was that answer that he gave to the question about, did you talk to your father about, you know, going into Iraq? No, I talked to a higher father, you know, the almighty. And when you hear somebody justifying a war by citing the almighty, god, I get a little worried, frankly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Ron Reagan also says he's angry over the Bush administration's limits of stem cell research, which could be used to combat diseases like the Alzheimer's that ravaged his father's life.

Former President Bill Clinton will be Larry King's guest tonight, and he'll be bringing him the title with him. The title (UNINTELLIGIBLE) author. His memoir, "My Life," sold more than 400,000 copies on Tuesday, the first day it was available. Tune in to "LARRY KING LIVE." Mr. Clinton is also taking your phone calls. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, here on CNN.

Michael Moore's documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," opens nationwide tomorrow, and the award-winning anti-Bush film has already set box office records at two New York theaters.

Our Jason Carroll reports the movie is definitely getting people talking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's got all the hype of a summer blockbuster. Kudos at Cannes, celeb arrivals in Los Angeles, New York, voices on the left and right strutting the same red carpet. All for a documentary? You bet.

Michael Moore is back, taking aim at President Bush and his administration in "Fahrenheit 9/11." MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: You're going to laugh a lot. You're going to cry. And you're going to leave, I think, feeling that, damn it, you know, this is a great country and it's ours, and we should do something about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to get members of Congress to get their kids to enlist in the Army, and go over to Iraq.

CARROLL: Its premise: the United States is led by an incompetent president who led the country into a war that should not have been fought. So controversial, Disney backed off from distributing it and made Miramax do the same.

It's R-rated, despite a personal plea from former New York Governor Mario Cuomo for a more appealing PG-13.

MOORE: I encourage teenagers everywhere to sneak in and see this movie.

CARROLL: Challenging with biting humor. It's more style, and there's plenty of it in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive.

CARROLL: Famed sci-fi author Ray Bradbury isn't laughing, upset the film's title borrows from his classic book about book burning, "Fahrenheit 451."

RAY BRADBURY, AUTHOR: It's very simple; I'd like him to return my title.

CARROLL: Critics say the documentary is less about facts, more about politics, but ultimately audiences will decide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Moore presents himself in a very one- sided way.

CARROLL (on camera): Did the film change anyone's opinion after seeing it? I mean, did you go in -- did anyone here go in with...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't a question of changing. It revealed the truth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd love to see Bush see it and see what he has to say about it. I would love that.

CARROLL (voice over): A spokesman for the president called it typical Hollywood, and in response to Moore's hope his film will sway the election, he says, the voters want fact not fiction when they cast their ballots.

Another controversial filmmaker put it in perspective.

SPIKE LEE, FILMMAKER: It's not that you have to agree with everything that's in the film. That's not the point. The point is that issues are raised, and people come out of the theater talking and discussing about what they just saw.

CARROLL: Plenty of that going on already.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Director Michael Moore will be my guest tomorrow to talk about "Fahrenheit 9/11." That's right here in the 10:00 a.m. Eastern hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

Living the southern lifestyle. If you're not sure exactly what that means, stay with us, because author Linda Bruckheimer paints another picture of the South in her new novel.

And getting your hands on some incredible bones. Pre-historic relics going on the auction block. We'll tell you where coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS NEWS UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast.

A 13-year-old southern California girl arriving in style at a Wisconsin aviation camp. She's flying cross-country, and she is piloting the plane herself. She left southern California on Monday. She is due to land in Osh Kosh later today.

From the magic of youth to the mystique of dinosaurs, hundreds of bones from dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures will go on the auction block in New York's Park Avenue Armory. The stars include a 700-pound mammoth skull. That is expected to draw about $90,000.

And here's a story to get your motor running. Two Tucson women attending a realtor's convention, they split a $75 raffle ticket. They won this crystal-encrusted motorcycle. And now they're putting it up for auction in Beverly Hills. They are promising some of the proceeds will go back to the medical charity that raffled it off. That is the Children's Miracle Network.

And now to our "Everyday Hero." Doug Handy heard the cries for help, but he couldn't see the boy who desperately needed his help. Doug Handy, you see, is legally blind, and he is our "Everyday Hero."

We get details now from reporter Doug Ray of CNN affiliate WGME in Portland, Maine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DOUG RAY, CNN AFFILIATE WGME REPORTER (voice over): Doug Handy hasn't had much luck reeling in the stripers lately, but earlier this week he did manage to land quite a catch from the banks of the Kennebec River.

DOUG HANDY, RESCUER: As soon as I heard "help," I was on the move. You know, it sounded so desperate.

RAY: Handy, who is legally blind, couldn't see who was yelling for help, but he could hear where it was coming from -- somewhere out in the water.

HANDY: I just jumped in, out of instinct, because there's no way I wanted to be part of somebody watching, you know, a child drown. And I don't think I could even live with myself knowing that I didn't at least try something.

RAY: Three children who had been swimming in the river were apparently struggling against the current. Seconds later, a 13-year- old boy and 14-year-old girl managed to get ashore, but a 9-year-old boy was still clinging to a rock, fighting to keep his head above water.

HANDY: I just kept listening. I could hear the girl was still screaming, and I heard the little boy hollering, "I'm going under."

RAY: Handy, who up until last year had to rely on a seeing eye dog, kept following the screams, until he got to the boy.

HANDY: I just grabbed him and helped him get to shore and tried to make a little joke of it all, you know, like, boy, I bet you're not going to go in this river again, are you, buddy, huh? You all right? And he's kind of not talking much.

RAY (on camera): Do you consider yourself a hero?

HANDY: No. No, God's the hero. Like, I say, God put that rock there for that little bugger to grab hold of. He grabbed the rock, and I was just a backup, a close backup. That was it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: All right, well, that that report was from Doug Ray of our CNN affiliate, WGME in Portland, Maine.

If you know of an "Everyday Hero," we'd like to hear about it. Send us an e-mail, LiveToday@CNN.com.

Straight ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, author Linda Bruckheimer joins us -- joins me, actually, to talk about her new book. It's called "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way." She knows the South and she knows Hollywood.

And this is what we're working on for next hour.

ANNOUNCER: Ahead, on CNN, the most trusted name in news. A series of coordinated attacks kills dozens of Iraqis and at least three U.S. soldiers. At 11:00, CNN is live from Baghdad with the latest developments.

And later at 1:00, what is Europe's influence in Iraq and the Middle East? An eclectic group of Europeans tackle the issues in a special town hall meeting, today at 1:00 Eastern.

Stay with CNN for complete coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Fans of Linda Bruckheimer's first novel, "Dreaming Southern," are due for a family reunion. The Wooten family is on the road again, and now it is 40 years later. This time, the grownup girls head back to Blue Lick Springs, Kentucky, and where "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way" rediscover their roots as they try to relive the good old days.

Linda Bruckheimer is here with us in Atlanta, back in your native South.

LINDA BRUCKHEIMER, AUTHOR, 'THE SOUTHERN BELLES OF HONEYSUCKLE WAY": That's right.

Good morning and welcome.

BRUCKHEIMER: Glad to be here. Thank you.

KAGAN: Welcome to y'all, we should say.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right.

KAGAN: To make you feel down home.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: Well, your story unto itself, before we even get to the book, is fascinating. How does a nice southern gal end up in Hollywood married to one of the biggest producers in Hollywood? And if the name sounds familiar, of course, your husband, Jerry Bruckheimer, is responsible for huge hits -- "Pirates of the Caribbean," "CSI," just to name a couple recent hits.

BRUCKHEIMER: Well, I live my life the way I write my books. No outline. So, I went to California with my family from Kentucky, and my impulses took me back to the South, which is where my heart is. And "Dreaming Southern" is really a valentine to Kentucky and the South and my family and my roots here, which you get in your system and it's difficult to get rid of them.

KAGAN: Even living with -- in the middle of Hollywood powerbrokers, it brings you back home to the South.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: Let's talk about one of your heroines in the book, in the current book.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way," Rebecca.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: Described as a nice girl from small-town Kentucky ending up in Hollywood. She's the slightly obsessed wife of a successful Hollywood CEO, never lost sight of her secret hometown dreams. Hmm.

BRUCKHEIMER: It sounds a bit familiar.

KAGAN: It sounds like it's somebody you know.

BRUCKHEIMER: I have to write about what I know.

KAGAN: Which is, like, the No. 1 advice when it comes to writing.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right. And I know that character.

KAGAN: And this particular character and the other women in the book get caught up in this small town in Kentucky, fighting developers and trying to hold on to the flavor of the small town that they knew growing up.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right.

KAGAN: And in real life?

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right. The same thing. Yes, I moved back to this small town, and I saw what was happening with development, and it tore my heart out. So, I started buying small buildings and restoring them and adding on to the farm that we bought. And now I'm there about 20 percent of the time, and I love it.

KAGAN: And could the young girl who left Kentucky and headed for California, could she have imagined a life where she's fighting real estate developers, where she's a real estate investor herself, and then living among Hollywood powerbrokers?

BRUCKHEIMER: No, beyond my wildest imagination, and I had some pretty big dreams.

KAGAN: Yes.

BRUCKHEIMER: So, I'm extremely lucky.

KAGAN: You even overstepped those?

BRUCKHEIMER: I did, yes.

KAGAN: What is it like being a southern girl in the middle of Hollywood? And what do you think are the biggest lessons that some of the people you meet in Hollywood could learn from the southern way of life?

BRUCKHEIMER: You know, I'm not sure. All I can tell you is when people come to -- before they've been to Kentucky, they'll say, "What do you do when you're in Kentucky?"

KAGAN: What do you do when you're in Kentucky?

BRUCKHEIMER: Well, I'll just tell you what they say. When they come and see it, "How do you ever leave this place." It's very inspirational. I do a lot of my writing there, and it's easy just to be myself and reconnect with my roots.

KAGAN: And how do you leave it? Because there's the -- the other world is fun as well?

BRUCKHEIMER: I have a fantastic husband and daughter in California. And I love California. I do love Los Angeles, and it wouldn't work unless I had both. So I am fortunate.

KAGAN: And you say it's the best, the best of both worlds.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right.

KAGAN: And what about this journey of becoming a best-selling novelist?

BRUCKHEIMER: Well, that's really beyond my wildest dreams. I love writing, and I just sit down and do what I do. And the rest is up to the audience. If they respond to it, then I'm lucky enough to get to write another book.

KAGAN: And do you find you get the biggest response from people who have southern roots, who like reading about that and feelings connected to that again, or you're introducing elements of the South in strong southern women to people who really have never been exposed to it?

BRUCKHEIMER: I think it's a little bit of both. I think people who are from the South embrace the South big time, like no other region of the country. And then people who aren't from the South are intrigued by it and they want to read more about it. So, I've covered a few bases there.

KAGAN: That's very good, and covering it well. Thank you so much for stopping by.

BRUCKHEIMER: Thank you.

KAGAN: Good luck with the book.

BRUCKHEIMER: Thank you so much.

KAGAN: Once again is "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way," Linda Bruckheimer, thank you.

BRUCKHEIMER: Nice to be here. KAGAN: And you can keep your eye on entertainment 24/7 by pointing your Internet browser to CNN.com/entertainment. Among the highlights, we'll bring you the British cult hit, "The Graham Norton Effect." But will develop a following here in the USA?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired June 24, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's check the top stories at this hour. It has been one of the most violent days in post-war Iraq in the number of deaths and widespread attacks. In Mosul alone, 58 people have been killed and up to 200 wounded in four suicide car bombings. There was another suicide car bombing in Baghdad, and police stations were attacked in Baqubah and Ramadi. Three U.S. soldiers were among those killed in today's attacks.
Just a few days before Turkey hosts a NATO summit, there have been a pair of bombings there. An explosion aboard a bus in Istanbul killed five and wounded more than 20 others. This follows this morning's detonation of a smaller bomb outside an upscale hotel in Ankara. There are reports that President Bush had been due to stay at that hotel.

A $447 billion defense spending bill now heads to a conference committee after Senate passage last night. That bill includes $25 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration plans to ask for an additional $25 billion in war funds after November's election.

In what may be a violation of privacy laws, three more airlines than previously thought provided the government with passenger data in 2002 and 2003. Two reservation systems also handed over personal passenger information. The data was used for a government screening test. Under the law, the government is supposed to notify people when personal information is gathered.

There is risky business for the two-member International Space Station crew this evening. They're going to conduct a space walk to replace a circuit breaker. Since no shuttle can fly that provides specific gear needed, the spacemen will be using the wrong gloves, they may have communication blackouts, and they must travel a long way to do that job.

Ron Reagan, the son of the 40th U.S. president, has some harsh words for the current officeholder. The 44-year-old Reagan, who often clashed publicly with his father's own conservative policies, said that President Bush misled Americans to win support for the war. On CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," Reagan said that he would vote for anyone who could oust President Bush, but he denied that he was referring to President Bush in his eulogy, praising his father for not being a politician -- quote -- "wearing his faith on his sleeve" to gain political advantage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON REAGAN, SON OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: I didn't say anything about Bush. Why would I mention George W. Bush in my father's eulogy? No, no, no, no. You know, the stuff about the religion? And I thought, huh, funny you would think I was talking about George W. Bush. And then I heard that everybody thought I was talking about George.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Well, what were you?

REAGAN: But people connected with George W. Bush thought I was talking about George W. Bush.

KING: That's true.

REAGAN: And I began to think, maybe I was. I just didn't know it.

KING: Well, do you think he wears his religion on his sleeve? He certainly refers to it more than your father ever did.

REAGAN: Well, you know, there was that answer that he gave to the question about, did you talk to your father about, you know, going into Iraq? No, I talked to a higher father, you know, the almighty. And when you hear somebody justifying a war by citing the almighty, god, I get a little worried, frankly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Ron Reagan also says he's angry over the Bush administration's limits of stem cell research, which could be used to combat diseases like the Alzheimer's that ravaged his father's life.

Former President Bill Clinton will be Larry King's guest tonight, and he'll be bringing him the title with him. The title (UNINTELLIGIBLE) author. His memoir, "My Life," sold more than 400,000 copies on Tuesday, the first day it was available. Tune in to "LARRY KING LIVE." Mr. Clinton is also taking your phone calls. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, here on CNN.

Michael Moore's documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," opens nationwide tomorrow, and the award-winning anti-Bush film has already set box office records at two New York theaters.

Our Jason Carroll reports the movie is definitely getting people talking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's got all the hype of a summer blockbuster. Kudos at Cannes, celeb arrivals in Los Angeles, New York, voices on the left and right strutting the same red carpet. All for a documentary? You bet.

Michael Moore is back, taking aim at President Bush and his administration in "Fahrenheit 9/11." MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: You're going to laugh a lot. You're going to cry. And you're going to leave, I think, feeling that, damn it, you know, this is a great country and it's ours, and we should do something about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to get members of Congress to get their kids to enlist in the Army, and go over to Iraq.

CARROLL: Its premise: the United States is led by an incompetent president who led the country into a war that should not have been fought. So controversial, Disney backed off from distributing it and made Miramax do the same.

It's R-rated, despite a personal plea from former New York Governor Mario Cuomo for a more appealing PG-13.

MOORE: I encourage teenagers everywhere to sneak in and see this movie.

CARROLL: Challenging with biting humor. It's more style, and there's plenty of it in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive.

CARROLL: Famed sci-fi author Ray Bradbury isn't laughing, upset the film's title borrows from his classic book about book burning, "Fahrenheit 451."

RAY BRADBURY, AUTHOR: It's very simple; I'd like him to return my title.

CARROLL: Critics say the documentary is less about facts, more about politics, but ultimately audiences will decide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Moore presents himself in a very one- sided way.

CARROLL (on camera): Did the film change anyone's opinion after seeing it? I mean, did you go in -- did anyone here go in with...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't a question of changing. It revealed the truth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd love to see Bush see it and see what he has to say about it. I would love that.

CARROLL (voice over): A spokesman for the president called it typical Hollywood, and in response to Moore's hope his film will sway the election, he says, the voters want fact not fiction when they cast their ballots.

Another controversial filmmaker put it in perspective.

SPIKE LEE, FILMMAKER: It's not that you have to agree with everything that's in the film. That's not the point. The point is that issues are raised, and people come out of the theater talking and discussing about what they just saw.

CARROLL: Plenty of that going on already.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Director Michael Moore will be my guest tomorrow to talk about "Fahrenheit 9/11." That's right here in the 10:00 a.m. Eastern hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

Living the southern lifestyle. If you're not sure exactly what that means, stay with us, because author Linda Bruckheimer paints another picture of the South in her new novel.

And getting your hands on some incredible bones. Pre-historic relics going on the auction block. We'll tell you where coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS NEWS UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast.

A 13-year-old southern California girl arriving in style at a Wisconsin aviation camp. She's flying cross-country, and she is piloting the plane herself. She left southern California on Monday. She is due to land in Osh Kosh later today.

From the magic of youth to the mystique of dinosaurs, hundreds of bones from dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures will go on the auction block in New York's Park Avenue Armory. The stars include a 700-pound mammoth skull. That is expected to draw about $90,000.

And here's a story to get your motor running. Two Tucson women attending a realtor's convention, they split a $75 raffle ticket. They won this crystal-encrusted motorcycle. And now they're putting it up for auction in Beverly Hills. They are promising some of the proceeds will go back to the medical charity that raffled it off. That is the Children's Miracle Network.

And now to our "Everyday Hero." Doug Handy heard the cries for help, but he couldn't see the boy who desperately needed his help. Doug Handy, you see, is legally blind, and he is our "Everyday Hero."

We get details now from reporter Doug Ray of CNN affiliate WGME in Portland, Maine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DOUG RAY, CNN AFFILIATE WGME REPORTER (voice over): Doug Handy hasn't had much luck reeling in the stripers lately, but earlier this week he did manage to land quite a catch from the banks of the Kennebec River.

DOUG HANDY, RESCUER: As soon as I heard "help," I was on the move. You know, it sounded so desperate.

RAY: Handy, who is legally blind, couldn't see who was yelling for help, but he could hear where it was coming from -- somewhere out in the water.

HANDY: I just jumped in, out of instinct, because there's no way I wanted to be part of somebody watching, you know, a child drown. And I don't think I could even live with myself knowing that I didn't at least try something.

RAY: Three children who had been swimming in the river were apparently struggling against the current. Seconds later, a 13-year- old boy and 14-year-old girl managed to get ashore, but a 9-year-old boy was still clinging to a rock, fighting to keep his head above water.

HANDY: I just kept listening. I could hear the girl was still screaming, and I heard the little boy hollering, "I'm going under."

RAY: Handy, who up until last year had to rely on a seeing eye dog, kept following the screams, until he got to the boy.

HANDY: I just grabbed him and helped him get to shore and tried to make a little joke of it all, you know, like, boy, I bet you're not going to go in this river again, are you, buddy, huh? You all right? And he's kind of not talking much.

RAY (on camera): Do you consider yourself a hero?

HANDY: No. No, God's the hero. Like, I say, God put that rock there for that little bugger to grab hold of. He grabbed the rock, and I was just a backup, a close backup. That was it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: All right, well, that that report was from Doug Ray of our CNN affiliate, WGME in Portland, Maine.

If you know of an "Everyday Hero," we'd like to hear about it. Send us an e-mail, LiveToday@CNN.com.

Straight ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, author Linda Bruckheimer joins us -- joins me, actually, to talk about her new book. It's called "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way." She knows the South and she knows Hollywood.

And this is what we're working on for next hour.

ANNOUNCER: Ahead, on CNN, the most trusted name in news. A series of coordinated attacks kills dozens of Iraqis and at least three U.S. soldiers. At 11:00, CNN is live from Baghdad with the latest developments.

And later at 1:00, what is Europe's influence in Iraq and the Middle East? An eclectic group of Europeans tackle the issues in a special town hall meeting, today at 1:00 Eastern.

Stay with CNN for complete coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Fans of Linda Bruckheimer's first novel, "Dreaming Southern," are due for a family reunion. The Wooten family is on the road again, and now it is 40 years later. This time, the grownup girls head back to Blue Lick Springs, Kentucky, and where "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way" rediscover their roots as they try to relive the good old days.

Linda Bruckheimer is here with us in Atlanta, back in your native South.

LINDA BRUCKHEIMER, AUTHOR, 'THE SOUTHERN BELLES OF HONEYSUCKLE WAY": That's right.

Good morning and welcome.

BRUCKHEIMER: Glad to be here. Thank you.

KAGAN: Welcome to y'all, we should say.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right.

KAGAN: To make you feel down home.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: Well, your story unto itself, before we even get to the book, is fascinating. How does a nice southern gal end up in Hollywood married to one of the biggest producers in Hollywood? And if the name sounds familiar, of course, your husband, Jerry Bruckheimer, is responsible for huge hits -- "Pirates of the Caribbean," "CSI," just to name a couple recent hits.

BRUCKHEIMER: Well, I live my life the way I write my books. No outline. So, I went to California with my family from Kentucky, and my impulses took me back to the South, which is where my heart is. And "Dreaming Southern" is really a valentine to Kentucky and the South and my family and my roots here, which you get in your system and it's difficult to get rid of them.

KAGAN: Even living with -- in the middle of Hollywood powerbrokers, it brings you back home to the South.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: Let's talk about one of your heroines in the book, in the current book.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way," Rebecca.

BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

KAGAN: Described as a nice girl from small-town Kentucky ending up in Hollywood. She's the slightly obsessed wife of a successful Hollywood CEO, never lost sight of her secret hometown dreams. Hmm.

BRUCKHEIMER: It sounds a bit familiar.

KAGAN: It sounds like it's somebody you know.

BRUCKHEIMER: I have to write about what I know.

KAGAN: Which is, like, the No. 1 advice when it comes to writing.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right. And I know that character.

KAGAN: And this particular character and the other women in the book get caught up in this small town in Kentucky, fighting developers and trying to hold on to the flavor of the small town that they knew growing up.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right.

KAGAN: And in real life?

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right. The same thing. Yes, I moved back to this small town, and I saw what was happening with development, and it tore my heart out. So, I started buying small buildings and restoring them and adding on to the farm that we bought. And now I'm there about 20 percent of the time, and I love it.

KAGAN: And could the young girl who left Kentucky and headed for California, could she have imagined a life where she's fighting real estate developers, where she's a real estate investor herself, and then living among Hollywood powerbrokers?

BRUCKHEIMER: No, beyond my wildest imagination, and I had some pretty big dreams.

KAGAN: Yes.

BRUCKHEIMER: So, I'm extremely lucky.

KAGAN: You even overstepped those?

BRUCKHEIMER: I did, yes.

KAGAN: What is it like being a southern girl in the middle of Hollywood? And what do you think are the biggest lessons that some of the people you meet in Hollywood could learn from the southern way of life?

BRUCKHEIMER: You know, I'm not sure. All I can tell you is when people come to -- before they've been to Kentucky, they'll say, "What do you do when you're in Kentucky?"

KAGAN: What do you do when you're in Kentucky?

BRUCKHEIMER: Well, I'll just tell you what they say. When they come and see it, "How do you ever leave this place." It's very inspirational. I do a lot of my writing there, and it's easy just to be myself and reconnect with my roots.

KAGAN: And how do you leave it? Because there's the -- the other world is fun as well?

BRUCKHEIMER: I have a fantastic husband and daughter in California. And I love California. I do love Los Angeles, and it wouldn't work unless I had both. So I am fortunate.

KAGAN: And you say it's the best, the best of both worlds.

BRUCKHEIMER: That's right.

KAGAN: And what about this journey of becoming a best-selling novelist?

BRUCKHEIMER: Well, that's really beyond my wildest dreams. I love writing, and I just sit down and do what I do. And the rest is up to the audience. If they respond to it, then I'm lucky enough to get to write another book.

KAGAN: And do you find you get the biggest response from people who have southern roots, who like reading about that and feelings connected to that again, or you're introducing elements of the South in strong southern women to people who really have never been exposed to it?

BRUCKHEIMER: I think it's a little bit of both. I think people who are from the South embrace the South big time, like no other region of the country. And then people who aren't from the South are intrigued by it and they want to read more about it. So, I've covered a few bases there.

KAGAN: That's very good, and covering it well. Thank you so much for stopping by.

BRUCKHEIMER: Thank you.

KAGAN: Good luck with the book.

BRUCKHEIMER: Thank you so much.

KAGAN: Once again is "The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way," Linda Bruckheimer, thank you.

BRUCKHEIMER: Nice to be here. KAGAN: And you can keep your eye on entertainment 24/7 by pointing your Internet browser to CNN.com/entertainment. Among the highlights, we'll bring you the British cult hit, "The Graham Norton Effect." But will develop a following here in the USA?

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