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CNN Live Today

Finding Fame; A Child's View

Aired April 17, 2006 - 11:33   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Discovered on a Web cam. That is a the success story of a teenager in London. She posted her talent on her own Web site, and made so many fans around the world that record companies came calling.
Jim Boulden reports from Sandi Thom's basement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sandi Thom was not alive in 1969 or '77. She's just 24. Her single, "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker," hearkens back to a time to times without things like the Internet.

But in March, from a Web camera attached to this lamp, Sandy and her band performed for 21 straight nights, from this basement in Tooting, South London. The world basement tour came about when her car broke down while touring.

SANDI THOM, SINGER/SONGWRITER: We've just gone so many miles, and then we broke down, and we just thought, we've got to do something.

BOULDEN (on camera): There's got to be a better way.

THOM: There's got to be ban easier way.

BOULDEN (voice-over): The first night, 70 registered to watch, quickly becoming nearly 700. Within days, it was 60,000. Sandy's mix of folk and pop led to a record deal with Sony BMG's RCA label.

PHILLIPA DEMONTE, SONG BMG: It was one guy getting a tipoff from a couple of school girls really, as all the best finds are.

BOULDEN: Her first single will be out next month, but Sandy says she's no one-hit wonder.

THOM: It was just a typical musician's lifestyle, like, you know, gigs a few times a week to pay rent king of thing. So then -- no, it's not been an overnight success.

BOULDEN: Bands like hers and Britain's Arctic Monkeys built a fan base without a record deal.

MATT PHILIPS, BPI: But ultimately they did sign that record deal, because they know you don't have to deal with things like international marketing, and licensing and all that kind of stuff. BOULDEN: Stuff like dealing with publicity, something bombarding Sandy, thrilled with the attention her music is getting, and with all the Converse shoes sent to her when she was caught on camera wearing them night after night.

Jim Boulden, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We're looking at tragedy through the eyes of children. When Hurricane Katrina smashed the Gulf Coast, kids at Elm Place Middle School near Chicago wondered what they could do to help. So armed with cameras and pens, they reached out to students near Mobile, Alabama, and recorded their view of the devastation.

Here with their stories in Chicago, Susie Greenwald, the teacher at Elm Place Middle School, and Adam Bloom, a seventh-grade student.

Hello to you. We'll get to you in just a moment.

And from Mobile, Alabama, Sheila Hagler, director of photography at Alba Middle School, and Caitlin Johnson, an eighth-grade student.

Hello to you.

Caitlin, let me go ahead and start with you. When Hurricane Katrina hit, how bad did it hit your school?

CAITLIN JOHNSON, 8TH GRADE, ALBA MIDDLE SCHOOL: It hit our school really bad. All the lockers were lost, and all the floors were destroyed. Our gym, it looked like there was a tidal wave on the floor. All the classrooms had to be redone. And they're still doing renovations right now.

KAGAN: But school is open, right, and you guy are back in school?

JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am.

KAGAN: OK, now let's go to Illinois.

Adam, I want to talk to you. We're going from kid to kid here.

Now, you're growing up in Illinois. You're going to middle school there. Louisiana, Alabama, this is all a really far away. So how did you guys connect with these kids down in Alabama?

ADAM BLOOM, 7TH GRADE, ELM PLACE MIDDLE SCHOOL: We had a parental connection with the superintendent of schools in Mobile County. So when we wanted to do something, we contacted them. We asked well, what else can be done? All these charities have been donating money, and that's not enough. So they told us that the one thing they had not received was a way for the kids to heal. And when we were in bad times, the one way we could always heal is through photography and writing. So we provided them with the resources so they could that. KAGAN: That's really cool.

Let's go back down to Alabama to the teacher, Sheila Hagler. Sheila, I know you're an art teacher. And you thought that art and photography could help these kids heal. How do you see that happening?

Actually, Caitlin, I don't think the teacher can hear. So can you then ask your teacher if she can answer this question. You're going to help me play reporter here.

Ask Mr. Hagler, how, as an art teacher, how did art and photography helps you kids heal.

JOHNSON: As the art teacher, how does art and photography help the kids heal?

SHEILA HAGLER, ALBA MIDDLE SCHOOL: When there's a tragedy like Katrina, when it comes in and it's so unexpected, because we were not aware that actually Bayou La Batre would be flooded, but it was flooded exactly the way New Orleans was.

However, the water did subside afterward. But literally kids lost everything they had -- their clothes, their shoes, their artwork. And photography helps them process it. They take their cameras and they photographed things in their homes that were damaged or destroyed, that last document. It's really helped to ground them and give them something to hold on to, because this has been quite devastating.

KAGAN: Back to Illinois and Adam. So you and a bunch of your friends back down actually came down to Bayou La Batre, and you came down and saw firsthand for yourself?

BLOOM: Correct.

KAGAN: And what was that like?

BLOOM: Well, it's completely different than just watching this on TV. You actually get to see it yourself, and it's just so heart touching. It's just so much devastation. You can -- and even looking at photos and what their school was like right after the hurricane, it's just -- nothing like I can imagine, like the gym floor is completely warped, their lockers completely ruined, classrooms -- they still had water in them.

KAGAN: And, Caitlin, let's go back to you. What was it like to have these kids from Illinois show up and want to help, and be supportive and help you guys with these art supplies and photography supplies?

JOHNSON: It was really surprising. But I was really glad they did it, and a lot of people were, because it actually let us know that somebody actually cared, not just to get down there and give supplies just to make themselves feel like they did something.

KAGAN: And then you guys then went up to Chicago.

JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am.

KAGAN: And what was that trip like for you?

JOHNSON: It was a lot of fun. It was my first time going up there, and we got to see a whole bunch of different things.

KAGAN: Little different than Bayou La Batre, I bet?

JOHNSON: Yes, ma'am.

KAGAN: Yes, I bet it's different.

Susie Greenwald in Chicago, I want to talk to you, too, about Elm Place Middle School. The things that you've seen the children learn, both your kids there in Illinois and the kids in Alabama, these are lessons that you can't teach out of textbooks.

SUSIE GREENWALD, ELM PLACE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER: Exactly. I think that -- well, one thing we all learned was that people are survivors. I think my students saw the way that -- just the way people can survive just about anything. And at the very same time, they saw the incredible pain that students their age went through and are continuing to go through. They learned a lot about trauma. Before they went there, they talked about what helps them get through really painful, difficult times in their own lives.

And one of the main things, they said, besides art, was friends. They really wanted to befriend these students in person, face to face. And that's exactly what they did, because they recognized that although friendship is intangible and not something you can send on a truck going down to Bayou La Batre, is incredibly helpful and healing to actually be there for somebody else.

KAGAN: Well, we've learned a lot from listening and watching these kids develop these friendships, and we thank you for that. Thank you to Adam and Susie and also Caitlin and Sheila in Alabama. Thanks for sharing your project and your experience.

GREENWALD: You're welcome. We did bring a poem that we wanted to share. Is that possible?

KAGAN: OK, real quickly. Adam, you want to give that to us?

GREENWALD: "A memory of a Wind" by Charlotte Higgenson (ph).

BLOOM: "I e-mail my friend about a memory of a wind, 90 miles per hour. "

GREENWALD: "He e-mails back saying he was on his roof during the hurricane in the path of a 150-mile-per-hour wind."

BLOOM: "My experience was fun, where I could lean back and be caught by the wind just holding me in the air." GREENWALD: "His wind wasn't catching him but pushing him, and that's it. He pushed it out of his mind. Not wanting to talk about it and changing the subject."

BLOOM AND GREENWALD: "Leaving the wind dead."

GREENWALD: We'd also encourage anybody that would like to donate a book to the Alba Library to call 1-800-772-4220. And for $5 they can donate a book to help this library. Again, 1-800-772-4220. And thank you so much for having us.

KAGAN: And we will get that number a little bit later for the folks who didn't catch it. Good reminder, because they are trying to rebuild the school there at Alba School. So thank you to the Alba kids and also to the Elm Place Middle School, as well. And thanks for the poem. Appreciate it.

GREENWALD: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Still ahead, another incredible young woman you're going to meet. Forget skinny. You're going to meet "Seventeen" magazine's real girl model. She's a size 12, and the readers picked her as their choice. That's coming up this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Fashion models, superstars, ultra-skinny and underweight, delivering a message to teenage girls that there's no room for real girls on the runway. Or is there? When readers of "Seventeen" magazine had a chance to vote for a model, they bypassed the Barbies and they chose Chelsea Grider, a 16-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky. She is a real girl with a size 12 body, and she is my guest today. Also from New York is Gina Kelly, fashion editor of "Seventeen" magazine.

Ladies, good morning.

CHELSEA GRIDER, "SEVENTEEN" MAGAZINE MODEL WINNER: Good morning.

GINA KELLY, FASHION EDITOR, "SEVENTEEN" MAGAZINE: Good morning.

KAGAN: Chelsea, first to you, congratulations.

GRIDER: Thank you so much!

KAGAN: When you sent in your picture, what did you think your chances of winning were? I mean, 11,000 girls wanted exactly what you just won.

GRIDER: I know. I couldn't believe it. I was just so excited, and it was such a dream come true. It was just amazing. I couldn't believe it.

KAGAN: So when you sent in these pictures, did you really think you had a chance, Chelsea?

GRIDER: Yes?

KAGAN: Did you really think you had a chance when you entered the contest?

GRIDER: Well, I sort of entered the contest on more of a whim, you know. I didn't really think that I had a chance. But I got it, and I was so surprised. I think that it shows that other girls, you know, should go for their dreams.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Now, let's be honest here and talk about your size, size 12. Size 12 is not fat, and you know that, right?

GRIDER: Yes.

KAGAN: But it's also not size zero, which is what we see a lot of these celebrities, you know, that look anorexic on television. So how do you feel about your body and your size?

GRIDER: Well, you know, usually in magazines, you just see skinny, you know, skinny, perfect models. And if girls are seeing these things in magazines, then they're going to want to be like that. But "Seventeen" magazine is all for diversity and, you know, all for different shapes and sizes, which is why I like it so much. And, you know, hopefully other magazines will, you know, start catching on to the trend because it's a really big situation with girls. And adults as well.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Gina, let's bring you in. I guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that someone like Chelsea would be comfortable in your magazine, because the contest did ask for real girls of all sizes.

KELLY: Oh, yes. I mean, like you said, we got over 11,000 entries. And, for us, sifting all through those entries, it was about someone who was confident, you know, who was a real leader at school. You know, it's a new definition of what a model is.

KAGAN: Super super skinny. What do you think when you see them?

GRIDER: Well, I think that celebrities are also victims of the media, you know, as well as teens. They see how other girls look, and, you know, they want to be like that, too. So I think celebrities are a victim of the media, as well, I think, not just teens.

KAGAN: Part of the big win is that you get this modelling contract.

GRIDER: Oh, I'm really excited about the contract!

KAGAN: yes. That's huge. Gina...

GRIDER: I...

KAGAN: One second, Chelsea. Tell us what the modelling contract is. KELLY: Well, it's a $10,000 contract with Ford Models. They were our partner in this contest. And they really stand behind Chelsea, too. But, Chelsea, I don't know, talk about what you're going to -- what's coming up for you, too.

KAGAN: Yes, tell us. Chelsea?

GRIDER: Hopefully big things. I'm really excited about, you know, modeling for Ford Models. It's always been a big dream of mine.

KAGAN: Do you plan to stay true to yourself and your size, or do you think once you get in the modeling world, that there might be some pressure?

GRIDER: Yes!

KAGAN: Are you worried about that at all?

GRIDER: You know, not really. I'm just going to be who I am, and you know, if other people don't like that, then, you know, I can't help that. I'm not going to change for anyone, and I don't think any girl should.

KAGAN: Well, that is the spirit we like to hear. Meanwhile, could this be possibly true? You don't have a date to the prom, Chelsea? Have you found a date to the prom?

GRIDER: Oh, yes, I did. I did.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: OK, my notes said you were looking for a date to the prom. I found that very hard to believe. But we made you blush.

You have a great time at the prom and a great time with this new modelling contract. And congratulations to you not just winning, but having such a great attitude about being a teenage girl today. Very refreshing.

Chelsea Grider, thank you. And Gina Kelly from "Seventeen" magazine, thank you as well.

KELLY: Thanks, Chelsea!

GRIDER: Bye.

KELLY: Bye.

KAGAN: Well, it's an Easter basket filled with fighting words. The archbishop of Canterbury lashes out at the faith-shaking novel, next on LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The passage of Easter and the renewal of Christian faith. But some of latest challenges to that faith have come from pop culture. Whether it's "The Da Vinci Code," or the so-called "Gospel of Judas," some of the longest standing pillars of Christianity are under assault. And many religious leaders are fighting back.

Details now from reporter Shiulie Ghosh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIULIE GHOSH, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like any book critic, Dr. Williams didn't pull any punches. Novels like "The Da Vinci Code" have made us cynical, he says. So fascinated by mystery and conspiracy that we now treat biblical text like unconvincing press releases trying to hide the truth.

MOST REV. ROWAN WILLIAMS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: Well it all makes a good and characteristically modern story about resisting authority, bringing secrets to light, exposing corruption and deception. It evokes Watergate, "All The President's Men." As somebody remarked after a television program about "The Da Vinci Code," it's almost that we'd prefer to believe something like this instead of the prosaic reality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Witness the biggest cover-up in human history.

GHOSH: Soon to be released as a Hollywood movie, "The Da Vinci Code" is about a church-led conspiracy to hide an ancient secret that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and fathered a royal blood line which still exists today.

(on camera): "The Da Vinci Code" has been incredibly successful, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide. But the Archbishop of Canterbury says society is obsessed with books like that which portray the Christian faith as a series of conspiracies and cover-ups.

(voice-over): Author Dan Brown is no stranger to criticism, he recently won a High Court battle over charges of plagiarism. But the publicity surrounding his book highlights the growing appeal of alternative biblical theories.

Dr. Williams also poured scorn on the recent discovery of the Gospel of Judas, which apparently reveals the apostle wasn't a trader. The archbishop wasn't alone in condemning these challenges to traditional Christian beliefs. Dan Brown's best seller has also been denounced by the Vatican, which branded it a betrayal of Jesus.

Shiulie Ghosh, ITV News, Canterbury.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Want to get this 800 number for you. Once again, these were the kids out from Bayou La Batre there. Their school was seriously damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Their library destroyed. Some kids in Illinois are also helping them raise funds to rebuild their library. Get that number for you again, 1-800-772-4220; $5 buys a new book for the kids at Alabama Middle School in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. I'm Daryn Kagan. International news is up next. Stay tuned for "YOUR WORLD TODAY." And I'll be back from the latest headlines from the U.S. in about 20 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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