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American Morning
90-Second Pop, Culture Watch
Aired August 18, 2003 - 07:52 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We call it "90-Second Pop." We spend 90 seconds or about that on two of the hottest pop culture topics.
Here is this morning's fast-talking panel for us. Toure is back. Nice to see you, man. Contributing editor of "Rolling Stone." The blackout is over. They are still cool. Thelma Adams, "US Weekly," a film critic and "US Weekly", check that. Tom O'Neil, senior editor for "In Touch Weekly." I am a little slow with the blackout stuff coming back.
California, these guys know all about energy blackouts and stuff. This governor's race -- what is going on?
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE": Well, you know, the thing is that it's so funny and such a circus, but there is something really serious going on. I mean, once again, the Republicans are ignoring the will of the voters, are usurping an election, you know, just trying to push the Democrat out to get ready for the '04 election. And there is something really disgusting going on beneath this, and all of the humor sort of masks that.
HEMMER: And Gary Coleman is going to go debate a porn star?
TOURE: I mean, you know -- but a ruler, a governor is going to come out of this. And, like, this is the fifth biggest economy in the world. Like, this is not a joke.
THELMA ADAMS, "US WEEKLY": As big as France.
HEMMER: That's when I say, 'What you talking about, Willis?'
At the movies, Thelma, Freddy and Jason are...
ADAMS: "Freddy vs. Jason"...
HEMMER: They did great, didn't they?
ADAMS: They did fabulously well. People underestimated them. It's because now they've been around since the '80s. Dads are taking their teenage sons to see it. If you think about it, it's as big, is if "Terminator" went against "Rocky."
HEMMER: Yes.
ADAMS: You know, you've got to think about it from that.
HEMMER: Listen, put some numbers on the screen. They made $36 million based on the early returns.
TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": The projection was only 20 million, so it's almost twice what it was expected to take.
HEMMER: So, this is a combined total that is better than the last editions of Freddy and Jason combined.
ADAMS: Right.
HEMMER: Which was what, 17 movies in that series?
ADAMS: Together, 17 together.
HEMMER: Combined.
ADAMS: So, you know, two great tastes that taste great together, what do you say?
(CROSSTALK)
O'NEIL: The pairing of this suggests future pairings like the Terminator versus Governor Gray Davis or George Bush versus Saddam Hussein. Talk about scary.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Oh, the mind reels. You know what I think is interesting? In a summer of sequels, this one has taken off.
ADAMS: This was hot. Exactly. I think -- and thank God, it also marks the end, the death of the summer sequels.
HEMMER: You're not going to tell us who won that battle when they went head-to-head by the way, are you? Don't give it away just yet.
ADAMS: Oh!
HEMMER: There is a report that says Renee Zelwegger has signed up to make about $100,000 for every pound she gains. Is this true?
O'NEIL: She got a bonus for filming the latest Bridget Jones sequel in which she was paid $106,000 per pound for the 30 pounds of weight that she gained here. That's if you divide the bonus up. Now, Bill, I would do it for 100,000 a pound. You know, you've got to undercut the competition here. But that's where the chitzniness (ph) ends. You know, she did this with the donuts and pasta. I would hold out for Dove bars. I want...
ADAMS: I would do it for less than 100,000 a pound, because why not? Fifty thousand a pound. This is the deal. Then you can pay a Pilates instructor to get, you know, fit.
HEMMER: So true. Back up a little bit. Was that part of the agreement? OK, I'll gain x amount of weight if you pay me x amount of money? Or is it just that she is going to gain x amount of pounds, and that's the equivalent to her take for the salary for the film?
O'NEIL: Right. Actually, it's just a bonus for the movie working out as well as it did during filming. They are giving her this money for being a good sport.
ADAMS: It's not a fat premium.
HEMMER: What do you think, Toure?
O'NEIL: It's not a fat premium.
TOURE: I don't know. I remember DeNiro gaining weight for "Raging Bull." He was an artist. Now, this is somehow something a little different.
O'NEIL: And why don't these roles ever go to Laura Flimboyle (ph) and Krista Flockhart (ph)?
TOURE: Now, that would be fun.
ADAMS: Yes, I would say that...
(CROSSTALK)
O'NEIL: If they gained 30 pounds they would look normal. They wouldn't look...
HEMMER: The taste of chocolate just got a bit richer, did it not?
How was the weekend, by the way, with the electric going out?
TOURE: Well, it was back on where I was, so, you know, it was peaceful.
HEMMER: Well, you live in a cool part of town, obviously. Wasn't it nice over the weekend, just a little more mellow in this city?
ADAMS: People were nice.
HEMMER: I didn't hear my first horn until 3:00 on Saturday afternoon.
ADAMS: Excellent!
HEMMER: By the way, that's over. We're back to normal.
ADAMS: Back to nasty.
TOURE: Amazing what you learn to appreciate.
HEMMER: Isn't it? Like an elevator.
ADAMS: I've learned that I lived eight miles from work!
O'NEIL: And you don't have to go to the gym for a while.
ADAMS: And I walked it. I don't have to go to the gym for a while.
HEMMER: A woman left the building and said, "I'm just going to have a nice stroll home to Queens."
Thanks, Thelma. Thanks, Tom. Thanks, Toure. See you a bit later in the week, all right?
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired August 18, 2003 - 07:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We call it "90-Second Pop." We spend 90 seconds or about that on two of the hottest pop culture topics.
Here is this morning's fast-talking panel for us. Toure is back. Nice to see you, man. Contributing editor of "Rolling Stone." The blackout is over. They are still cool. Thelma Adams, "US Weekly," a film critic and "US Weekly", check that. Tom O'Neil, senior editor for "In Touch Weekly." I am a little slow with the blackout stuff coming back.
California, these guys know all about energy blackouts and stuff. This governor's race -- what is going on?
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE": Well, you know, the thing is that it's so funny and such a circus, but there is something really serious going on. I mean, once again, the Republicans are ignoring the will of the voters, are usurping an election, you know, just trying to push the Democrat out to get ready for the '04 election. And there is something really disgusting going on beneath this, and all of the humor sort of masks that.
HEMMER: And Gary Coleman is going to go debate a porn star?
TOURE: I mean, you know -- but a ruler, a governor is going to come out of this. And, like, this is the fifth biggest economy in the world. Like, this is not a joke.
THELMA ADAMS, "US WEEKLY": As big as France.
HEMMER: That's when I say, 'What you talking about, Willis?'
At the movies, Thelma, Freddy and Jason are...
ADAMS: "Freddy vs. Jason"...
HEMMER: They did great, didn't they?
ADAMS: They did fabulously well. People underestimated them. It's because now they've been around since the '80s. Dads are taking their teenage sons to see it. If you think about it, it's as big, is if "Terminator" went against "Rocky."
HEMMER: Yes.
ADAMS: You know, you've got to think about it from that.
HEMMER: Listen, put some numbers on the screen. They made $36 million based on the early returns.
TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": The projection was only 20 million, so it's almost twice what it was expected to take.
HEMMER: So, this is a combined total that is better than the last editions of Freddy and Jason combined.
ADAMS: Right.
HEMMER: Which was what, 17 movies in that series?
ADAMS: Together, 17 together.
HEMMER: Combined.
ADAMS: So, you know, two great tastes that taste great together, what do you say?
(CROSSTALK)
O'NEIL: The pairing of this suggests future pairings like the Terminator versus Governor Gray Davis or George Bush versus Saddam Hussein. Talk about scary.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Oh, the mind reels. You know what I think is interesting? In a summer of sequels, this one has taken off.
ADAMS: This was hot. Exactly. I think -- and thank God, it also marks the end, the death of the summer sequels.
HEMMER: You're not going to tell us who won that battle when they went head-to-head by the way, are you? Don't give it away just yet.
ADAMS: Oh!
HEMMER: There is a report that says Renee Zelwegger has signed up to make about $100,000 for every pound she gains. Is this true?
O'NEIL: She got a bonus for filming the latest Bridget Jones sequel in which she was paid $106,000 per pound for the 30 pounds of weight that she gained here. That's if you divide the bonus up. Now, Bill, I would do it for 100,000 a pound. You know, you've got to undercut the competition here. But that's where the chitzniness (ph) ends. You know, she did this with the donuts and pasta. I would hold out for Dove bars. I want...
ADAMS: I would do it for less than 100,000 a pound, because why not? Fifty thousand a pound. This is the deal. Then you can pay a Pilates instructor to get, you know, fit.
HEMMER: So true. Back up a little bit. Was that part of the agreement? OK, I'll gain x amount of weight if you pay me x amount of money? Or is it just that she is going to gain x amount of pounds, and that's the equivalent to her take for the salary for the film?
O'NEIL: Right. Actually, it's just a bonus for the movie working out as well as it did during filming. They are giving her this money for being a good sport.
ADAMS: It's not a fat premium.
HEMMER: What do you think, Toure?
O'NEIL: It's not a fat premium.
TOURE: I don't know. I remember DeNiro gaining weight for "Raging Bull." He was an artist. Now, this is somehow something a little different.
O'NEIL: And why don't these roles ever go to Laura Flimboyle (ph) and Krista Flockhart (ph)?
TOURE: Now, that would be fun.
ADAMS: Yes, I would say that...
(CROSSTALK)
O'NEIL: If they gained 30 pounds they would look normal. They wouldn't look...
HEMMER: The taste of chocolate just got a bit richer, did it not?
How was the weekend, by the way, with the electric going out?
TOURE: Well, it was back on where I was, so, you know, it was peaceful.
HEMMER: Well, you live in a cool part of town, obviously. Wasn't it nice over the weekend, just a little more mellow in this city?
ADAMS: People were nice.
HEMMER: I didn't hear my first horn until 3:00 on Saturday afternoon.
ADAMS: Excellent!
HEMMER: By the way, that's over. We're back to normal.
ADAMS: Back to nasty.
TOURE: Amazing what you learn to appreciate.
HEMMER: Isn't it? Like an elevator.
ADAMS: I've learned that I lived eight miles from work!
O'NEIL: And you don't have to go to the gym for a while.
ADAMS: And I walked it. I don't have to go to the gym for a while.
HEMMER: A woman left the building and said, "I'm just going to have a nice stroll home to Queens."
Thanks, Thelma. Thanks, Tom. Thanks, Toure. See you a bit later in the week, all right?
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
