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American Morning
Showbiz Today Reports: `America's Sweethearts' Does Not Deliver
Aired July 20, 2001 - 11:43 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: Let's check in with Laurin Sydney for showbiz news.
Hi, Laurin.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Laurin.
LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Daryn, hello Leon.
We are hearing good news, because Katharine Hepburn does remain hospitalized in Hartford, Connecticut today with what is described as a urinary tract infection. The 94-year-old four-time Oscar winner is described as doing better, and is hoping to leave the hospital tomorrow. A hospital spokesman says that she is showing improvement in her appearance and in her spirit.
"Variety"'s Army Archerd reports today that the anonymous bidder who bought Bette Davis' "Jezebel" Oscar was none other than Mr. Steven Spielberg. The director reportedly spent $578,000 at Thursday's Christie's auction in New York and bought the Best Actress statue. Archerd says that Spielberg will donate the award to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
His name was synonymous with the circus; world renowned lion tamer Gunther Gebel-Williams died yesterday of cancer at age 66. For 30 years Gebel-Williams thrilled Ringling Brothers audiences with his lions, tigers leopards, elephants and horses. He joined the circus at age 12, and never missed a show.
And more wild animals, prehistoric ones at that, when our film critic Mr. Peter Travers tells us what is dynamite at movie theaters this very weekend, so stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SYDNEY: They're big, they are ferocious, they will stomp you to the ground -- no, we are not talking about the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park III," we are talking about the egos of the movie stars Julia Roberts has to be subservient to in her new movie "America's Sweethearts." Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS")
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, ACTRESS: Sorry I'm late.
JOHN CUSACK, ACTOR: I thought you weren't feeling well?
ZETA-JONES: All better, just like that. Thanks, Kiki, you can go.
CUSACK: No, she doesn't have to go...
JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS: No, that's fine.
CUSACK: Stick around. Stay. Have dinner with us.
ZETA-JONES: I need some mouthwash.
ROBERTS: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SYDNEY: And with us now is "Rolling Stole" -- "Stone" film critic Peter Travers, one half of that bickering couple on CNN's "HE SAID/SHE SAID" show that airs every Saturday morning at 10:30 Eastern. Now that I gave that you big plug, let's talk about a big movie, Peter, "Jurassic Park III."
PETER TRAVERS, CO-HOST, "HE SAID/SHE SAID": I can talk about a big movie -- I can wish I could tell you that it's a great big movie, but it's not.
This is "America's Sweethearts," the movie that me and I think a lot of the country was waiting for: the romantic comedy the summer hasn't given us. We've had every kind of special effect movie, and now we get America's true sweetheart Julia Roberts, fresh from her Academy Award.
And what do we get? We get a comedy about Hollywood, that she's already done before in "Notting Hill," and better, in which she plays the unattractive, homely sister of movie star of Catherine Zeta-Jones. Catherine Zeta-Jones is married to John Cusack in this movie, but Julia pines away for John. And at a huge movie junket all of them come together.
Billy Crystal, Laurin, wrote this movie. Love Billy Crystal; love everything he does. The script just takes a dive, goes really flat. Didn't believe Julia Roberts for a second as the person who fades into the background. With that smile, come on, who are we kidding out there?
SYDNEY: I'll tell you one thing, though, no matter what you say, Daryn Kagan and I are going to see "America's Sweethearts"...
TRAVERS: Well, all right, you go, and you come back and you report to me...
SYDNEY: OK.
TRAVERS: ... as to what you thought and why it went wrong. SYDNEY: Now let's go to the big one, "Jurassic Park III." What do you think?
TRAVERS: And it is a big one, because this opened Wednesday, and here we are sitting Friday talking about it. On Wednesday it opened with $19 million. That's the second-biggest single day opening in the history of motion pictures. That means there's people out there that want to see dinosaurs. And you know what? They're going to see good ones. These dinosaurs are terrific looking.
What's the problem again? The people. Why can't they make one of these movies where you care about the characters? The other good thing to say about it, besides the dinosaurs, is that this is the first "Jurassic Park" movie that is only 90 minutes long. It's like a highlight reel; all you see is one dinosaur attack after another. They decided in that studio that the characterizations must have been bad anyway, so they just took them out...
SYDNEY: Or could it be 90 minutes, Peter, because then it means they can have more showings, thus more money?
TRAVERS: It does mean that, too. But it also means, for the people that really want to see this movie -- and that's the teenage boy audience all over America -- and teenage boys of all ages and sexes, I should say as well -- they don't have to bother with all this character development, they just go to it. And you know, the first one was a really good movie because you did care about the characters. And I think it misses because of that.
SYDNEY: OK, and some women want to see it all, so...
TRAVERS: They will go...
SYDNEY: Now to something that you have not found one little, itsy-bitsy problem with: "Hedwig."
TRAVERS: This is called "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." It's based on an off-Broadway musical that was done in 1998 starring John Cameron Mitchell, wrote the script of this, and who sings these songs, and who gives a performance that I think will get him an Oscar nomination later this year.
I can't go into -- it's a transsexual that he's playing. He's up on that stage playing the lowest American kind of bars while the songs that he created were stolen by somebody else who becomes a huge star. What I can say is this movie is funny; this movie is touching; it's more romantic than anything you'll see in "America's Sweethearts." It's actually exciting, and it's a fresh vision...
(CROSSTALK)
SYDNEY: ... buried at the box office because of the other two giants.
TRAVERS: It will just -- the dinosaurs will just go boom, boom, boom, you know. But after they have their few weeks -- Julia Roberts with the teeth and the dinosaurs with the teeth...
SYDNEY: And Hedwig, does he have teeth?
TRAVERS: He doesn't have teeth to match those, but he's going to hang around. He/she -- and I'm not plugging my own show -- are going to hang around.
SYDNEY: OK.
TRAVERS: All right.
SYDNEY: Let's go to Daryn Kagan. Daryn, I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn, speaking for you, but I know you love those kind of movies.
KAGAN: Laurin, you know you totally read my mind; you know we're there for "America's Sweethearts" this weekend.
So my follow-up question, then, to Peter is: So where, then, is the Meg Ryan movie this summer? Where's the Sandra Bullock? These are the movies that bring people like me and Laurin to the movies; not the dinosaurs. "Hedwig" is, actually, intriguing; but where are those movies.
SYDNEY: Thank you, Daryn.
TRAVERS: You know what, Daryn? You're not going to find one. What you're going to find is this, "America's Sweethearts." And this is probably as good as it's going to get for all of you this summer, sad to say.
SYDNEY: All of us?
TRAVERS: All of us, you know. I was waiting too. At least you get 15 or 20 minutes out of "America's Sweethearts" that will make you smile, but you don't get the love story. The love story does not work in there.
SYDNEY: But if people go see it, they will make more of those kind of movies that Daryn and I and many millions of other people out there adore.
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: I'm going to go out there on the edge for a second here. Peter, can I recommend one for you to review next week?
TRAVERS: Yes.
TRAVERS: Laurin, I know you would love this movie -- "The Closet"; the French movie "The Closet." Will you do that next week?
TRAVERS: Yes, I will come back and talk about that next week. And the fact is, it is -- it's very funny, but is it the romantic comedy? Uh-uh. But it is funny.
SYDNEY: Ooh-la-la.
KAGAN: Laurin, you'd like it.
SYDNEY: Au revoir, Daryn.
KAGAN: Tah-tah to both of you. Thank you; Laurin and Peter Travers as well, thank you.
SYDNEY: Bye-bye.
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