Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Showbiz Today Reports: Highly Anticipated `Planet of the Apes' Opens Today
Aired July 27, 2001 - 10:47 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: We're going to check on our showbiz news. Big world -- big news from the world of music. Do you think they'll register?
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, sure -- Harrods, yes.
KAGAN: Talking about Paul McCartney, of course, and his future bride.
Michael Okwu, what do you know?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you what I know, as a matter of fact...
KAGAN: OK.
OKWU: ... there will be no more lonely nights for Paul McCartney, you are right.
He and girlfriend Heather Mills announced they are engaged to be married. The former Beatle won't spill the details on how he proposed, but proudly flashed the gems at reporters outside his north London home Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL MCCARTNEY, MUSICIAN: Would you want to show them the ring, darling? Would you like to show them the ring?
There it is.
It's a sapphire from India. It's an Indian sapphire.
We're very happy, and we'll get married sometime next year. That's about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: I love that rock.
Stars were rushing out to catch a glimpse of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker at the Hollywood premiere of "Rush Hour II," the highly anticipated sequel to the box office blockbuster warranted two premieres in one day, although we only had time to get to one of them. And while fans were there having fun, the film's stars were making fun of each other.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACKIE CHAN, ACTOR: Jackie, -- nobody understands what he's saying. Every time -- Jackie, come over, how are you doing -- yes, yes, yes, good, good, good. I need a translation -- always.
CHRIS TUCKER, ACTOR: Jackie -- you know what, Jackie talks like this. He says, Cliss, Cliss, we have to do big stunts in the "Rush Hour II." Let's do "Rush Hour III" right now. We'll have to do it right away. He talks real slow, you know, like one of my ancient movies -- we must do "Rush Hour II." I was like, all right, OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: I'm not going to touch that.
While movie lovers were waiting for the sequel to the sequel, they can go out and see a remake. Theater owners are hoping for a lot of monkey business this weekend. The creative director Tim Burton's long awaited remaking of "Planet of the Apes" crash lands on the big screen starting today. As Burton tells our Bill Tush, this is the "Beetlejuice"'s creator's own interplanetary vision of simians at play and at war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL TUSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Charlton Heston who played the marooned astronaut who lands on a strange world ruled by apes in the 1968 classic "Planet of the Apes."
This time around Mark Wahlberg assumes the role.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PLANET OF THE APES")
MARK WAHLBERG, ACTOR: Talking monkies can't exist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAHLBERG: I said, well wait a second. Charles Heston wears a loincloth the entire time. He's barefoot.
TUSH (on camera): That's right, too.
WAHLBERG: I was like, oh God.
TUSH (voice-over): Luckily, Wahlberg didn't have (AUDIO GAP) loincloth. The others actors, though, weren't so lucky. They spent hours every day in a makeup chair to get into their characters. That's where director Tim Burton's six-time Oscar winning makeup artist Rick Baker came into play.
TIM BURTON, DIRECTOR: Yeah, he's great. You know, obviously he knows his stuff, you know. And, you know, he's great because he understands ultimately what it's all about, which is that it's really about, you know -- it's the design, but it's also about letting the actors have the mobility to act and do their thing.
TUSH: One of those actors: Helena Bonham Carter. The Oscar winner plays Ari, the rebel ape with a heart who joins the astronaut in his escape attempt. Carter, like the other ape actors, not only had to endure endless hours in makeup, but had to attend ape school.
HELENA BONHAM CARTER, ACTRESS: So I thought, oh God, he's going to stand back and say find your inner ape and all that.
TUSH: What did she learn?
CARTER: Their legs are much shorter. Chimps' legs are much shorter than human legs. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) bowed sort of position for me, keep them there. Have flat feet, bottom in, head out, neck out, and then sort of walk. But with some sort of grace and some sort of coordination and a fluidity of movement.
TUSH: And if that's not hard enough...
(on camera): What happens when you have a bathroom break?
PAUL GIAMATTI, ACTOR: That was the hardest thing for me. I don't know about everybody else, but that was a nightmare for me, because I had to take my hands off and I had a fat suit on. And it took me about a good 15-20 minutes to go to the bathroom every day.
TUSH (voice-over): Paul Giamatti is the sleazeball of the group: a human slave-trader.
The real evil one is Thade. Under that ape skin beats the heart of actor Tim Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PLANET OF THE APES")
TIM ROTH, ACTOR: Is there a soul in there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUSH (on camera): Was there ever a point you said, what the heck did I do this for?
ROTH: Oh, many times. We'd scream at Tim sometimes -- only joking. But we would, you know, curse him as he walked by.
TUSH (voice-over): And with all of the hype "Planet of the Apes" has been getting lately, by Monday these people might be in the biggest film on earth.
Bill Tush, CNN Entertainment News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OKWU: Later on "Showbiz Today Reports": Why are kids soaking up SpongeBob and Squarepants? We'll talk to the masterminds behind the popular Nickelodeon cartoon that's taking off like hot pants. That's at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. In New York, I'm Michael Okwu.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
