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American Morning

Isley Brothers Riding High with Hit New Record

Aired August 24, 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.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN ANCHOR: The new movie which has been courting some controversy premiered in Los Angeles last night. The cast of "Bubble Boy," Jake Gyllenhaal, Marley Shelton and Swoosie Kurtz, came to christen the new comedy. Families affected by immune deficiency diseases says the film makes light of serious illness and have called on Disney to fund an awareness campaign.

For the film's stars, the comedy was fun, and in good taste.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE GYLLENHAAL, ACTOR: The bubble boy is a hero, he's a hero, and I would never commit myself to anything, to anything that ever portrayed anything less than that.

MARLEY SHELTON, ACTRESS: The movie in no way mocks this illness, and it's just a fun ride and makes everyone laugh at themselves.

SWOOSIE KURTZ, ACTRESS: I would not want to be a part of anything that makes fun of this disease. We make fun of everything and everyone else in this disease, except the disease, believe me. We are equal opportunity offenders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: In their almost 50-year long career the Isley Brothers have produced their fair share of hit songs, a little diddy called "Twist and Shout," for starters, and recently fans have been showing some Isley brotherly love, vaulting the soul superstar's most recent record, "Contagious" to number 3 on the Billboard album chart.

CNN's Paul Vercammen reports on how these funky founding fathers are spreading their music like the flu.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

You're contagious, sexy lady touch me baby give me what you've got

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Isleys are once again showing they're some of the baddest brothers ever to bust a rhyme and a bust out an outfit with their hit "Contagious."

RON ISLEY: It's like a soap opera piece, you know, with three people singing little pieces of songs, with certain rhythms and that type of thing.

VERCAMMEN: "Contagious" and other tunes from the Isley Brothers' new record, "Eternal," pairs up the group with other music superstars, from R. Kelly to Chante Moore to Jill Scott.

ISLEY: It's basically like our Super Bowl record. This is the record we wanted to be the thriller for us.

ERNIE ISLEY: People, I think, with this album are going to start to understand just how special the Isley Brothers' situation is -- is, you know, was and is.

VERCAMMEN: The Isley Brothers have been stirring up screams for five decades. Don't forget the Isley Brothers recorded "Twist and Shout" before the Beatles ever belted out the throat-scratching anthem.

R. ISLEY: The Beatles sampled "Twist and Shout." They just sang it the way we did. They sang "Shout" the way we sang "Shout," and shook their hair, and were just getting off like we got off.

VERCAMMEN: The brothers from Cincinnati are constantly sampled and downright ripped off, often by modern hip-hop stars whose work is a cheap imitation.

Now with "Contagious," Ron's alter ego, Mr. Big, takes center stage. The Isley's think this song can be a multimedia extravaganza.

E. ISLEY: let's do it. Let's turn it into a movie. Let's turn it into a play. Let's take it all the way. "Contagious" is a cologne, it's a perfume -- it's everything.

VERCAMMEN: The sweet smell of excess has long lingered over the Isley Brothers.

Paul Vercammen, CNN Entertainment News, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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