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American Morning

All Known Missing Accounted for in Coastal Town of La Conchita; An Interview with Mickey Rooney and His Wife, Jan

Aired January 13, 2005 - 09:30   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: Welcome back, everybody. 9:30 here in New York. The digging continues in California, perhaps though the hopes are dimming. We'll go back to the scene of that mudslide and hear from one member of the fire department about the mood and there and emotions and the way this entire community is pulling together in this search and recovery.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's a tiny community, and the stories out of there are so heartbreaking. What do you do when you lose your whole family in a mudslide?

HEMMER: In an instant.

O'BRIEN: It's terrible.

Also this morning, the tiny village in the northernmost reaches of Alaska. People there thought they might freeze to death when the power generators went out. Well, now, things are looking up, even though it's still just as cold as can be outside. We're going to talk to one man who was there. His story's very interesting.

HEMMER: If look at that city on the map, they are way up there, north of the Arctic Circle.

O'BRIEN: You said that they're kind of used to the, you know, the inclement weather, but after four days, he said he started to panic. Obviously four days, 24 hours of that, forget it. We'll tell you his story in a little bit.

Carol's got the headlines. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.

Now in the news, Secretary of State Colin Powell says the U.S. may begin withdrawing troops from Iraq this year if Iraqi security forces can take over. Secretary Powell said, as Iraq takes a greater role in its own country's security, the role of American troops there should diminish, but stopped short of giving a timeline for when all of the troops would be home.

In the meantime, more violence in Iraq to tell you about this morning. Authorities say gunmen killed six people and kidnapped a Turkish businessman outside of a Baghdad hotel. Earlier, insurgents gunned down an aid to prominent Shiite cleric Ali Al Sistani. The representative's son and four bodyguards were also killed. In Graniteville, South Carolina, hundreds of people are back home this hour, a week after being forced out by a train collision. Chlorine gas spilled during last Thursday's accident. Nine people were killed. More residents are expected to return throughout the next several days.

And boxing promoter don king is suing ESPN for apparently calling him a, quote, "shameless huckster." Kings says ESPN, the show Sportscenter, portrayed him unfairly in a segment last May. So now he's hurt and wants $2.5 billion. That's with a 'b' -- billion dollars. An ESPN executive says he has not read the lawsuit so he cannot comment on this time.

O'BRIEN: It doesn't sound like he's taking it too seriously if it's $2.5 billion. He's not gotten around to reading that. It's on the list of other things to do.

HEMMER: Slightly more than one of the big fights, right Carol. Thank you.

Let's get back to California this half hour now. All the known missing are accounted for in the coastal town of La Conchita. That's the site of Monday's mudslide that killed 10. Earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING, I talked with Jonathan Jessman. He's an engineer with the Ventura County Fire Department, telling us about rescue workers and their efforts for today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN JESSEMAN, VENTURA. CO. FIRE DEPT.: We're just doing the same thing we've been doing for the last two, three days now. We still are in a search mode. As far as we're concerned, there's still people in there, and we're doing everything we can to try to find them.

HEMMER: Based on reporting we have here, it's been since Tuesday early since any sign of life was detected there. What is the possibility anyone can survive that now on this Thursday morning?

JESSEMAN: I'll give you that, Bill, it's slim. But nevertheless, we're going to continue our efforts.

HEMMER: Yesterday you were with the father, Jimmy Wallace his name. He was there when they found his wife and three members of his family. How were you as a rescuer able to console him at such an incredible time of discovery for him?

JESSEMAN: Yes, that was a tough time. We -- normally we don't let the family members and the people in the area get too close to the rescue, but because of the environment at the time when this whole thing came down, the slide came down, the people were aggressively in there to help us. And so instead of fighting with him, we let him get involved. And we basically put him to work, and they really helped us out a lot. They worked their butts off, and they were a big help to us. So -- but then when it came town where we found his family, it was tough because he was pretty much looking over my shoulders as we were digging through the pile and the debris and cutting and sawing and getting everything out of there. And it was very difficult because we're trying to extricate his family; at the same time we were trying to not to expose them. We wanted to do it in a very controlled environment. You just don't want to pop his family out in front of the father's eyes for all to see.

So it was tough. Everybody in the neighborhood got together and they helped carry the litter out of the wife and the three daughters, and I just hope this, you know, now he can have some closure, that we found his family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: 6:30 local time in California now. The search there continues. The cleanup effort does, too. Jonathan Jesseman with the Ventura County Fire Department earlier today. The governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, declaring a state of emergency in that county. Officials now can ask for federal money to help with the cleanup -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Stormy weather that battered the west throughout the week, moving east now and leaving a huge mess in its wake. In southern Nevada, heavy flooding knocked 21 Union Pacific freight cars off the track yesterday near the Arizona border. No one was hurt, but the railroad is reporting that service disruptions throughout the region there. Also there's been heavy damage in the area where Utah, and Arizona and Nevada meet. More than 20 homes are lost in southern Utah. The water is so deep that officials say the only thing they can compare it to is a dam break.

And people around Flagstaff, Arizona are being warned to seek higher ground immediately. The Habusu (ph) Creek in that area is eight feet above flood stage, and every bridge along its way has been washed out. There are also flood warnings for much of Ohio. More rain expected there today. Many rivers above flood stage, still rising, too. The Army corps of engineers releasing some water from major dams. They're Trying to prevent a larger disaster if, in fact, they should spill over. Parts of Ohio, and West Virginia and Kentucky have been under water since last week. Terrible picture to paint for you this morning there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Well, imagine being stuck in a dark and frozen town, in a blizzard, without any power for four days. That's what happened in the Alaskan town of Kaktovik. Earlier I spoke with Mike Hadjukovich by phone. He's in Fairbanks, which is his home, but he was in Kaktovik, when the blizzard hit. He took pictures during the ordeal as well, and I asked him when he realized he wasn't getting out any time soon. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MIKE HADJUKOVICH: Even when the blizzard hit in Alaska you don't think -- I don't think I've ever been anywhere stuck for more than a day. So I was halfway, and I think everybody was kind of lighthearted about it, kind of joking around until the backup generator went out for the school and two-thirds of the power for the village was out, and it was time to move because the school was getting cold. So even up to that point, I didn't know what a blizzard was, and I'm from here. So I get all of my stuff bundled up, wrap a sheet around my head, put a hat on top of that, gloves, boots.

O'BRIEN: You gathered up a bunch of kids as well. Were you concerned at that point? I mean, you're talking about 3, 4, 5-year- olds. They could really -- I mean, you as well, but you could have some serious problems with temperatures this cold as it was.

HADJUKOVICH: Well, again, you know, they're from there. They're in blizzard country, and they've seen it. But this type of storm, as hard as it blew, and as long as it blew, they haven't seen for like 15 years. So once we actually went out into the wind and I never had been out in it, when I went out in it, and I felt that wind hit me, I had to grab on to one of the biggest high-schoolers there to pull me. And we both were sliding backwards. This is with an 80-mile-an-hour wind and snow hitting you in the face. So if you look at the wind and the snow to see where you're going, that's frostbite.

O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of what it was like. Were people panicking? Were people -- I mean, three, four days in, were they starting to panic and worry? Was food running out?

HADJUKOVICH: No, the food situation was great. These people here are extremely used to surviving. And the only thing that threw them off balance was the reliance on electricity for everything. But you know, I was worried about elders, about little kids. They did great. I mean, I was panicky at that point, after I felt what that wind was like.

But the high-schoolers that night were hiking from one end of town to grab a thing of propane and hauling it to another side of town to a person's house that was running low. They did that. They were crawling down the street so that they wouldn't get blown over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That was Mike Hadjukovich from Fairbanks, Alaska. He's back home now after he was stranded for four days in the town of Kaktovik.

HEMMER: That is one heck of a blizzard, too.

Lighter news in a moment, here. Mickey Rooney bares all. And one TV network says that is not acceptable. Mickey Rooney is our guest today. We'll talk about the surprising controversy in a moment.

And the star of "Ray" is Jamie Foxx, now poised to make history at the Golden Globes. And we'll tell you how right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: It was about a year ago when Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction took place at the Super Bowl. Now there's a side of Mickey Rooney you've never seen before. Fox rejecting an ad for this year's Super Bowl that includes a brief shot of the 84-year-old actor's bare behind. Here is what you will not see on Super Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ahh! Ahh!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Airborne, created by a teacher who was sick of catching colds in class. At drugstores everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Well, Fox had this to say about the controversy in a statement: "The ad in question was submitted to our Standards and Practices Department for review and was deemed inappropriate for broadcast television."

Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan with us now from L.A. to get you the, shall we say, bottom of this.

JAN ROONEY, WIFE OF MICKEY: Hello, Bill.

MICKEY ROONEY, ACTOR: Hello, Bill.

HEMMER: Hey, good morning to both of you. Hey, Mickey what did you think when you first saw the script for this commercial? What was your reaction?

M. ROONEY: Well, there was no script, Bill. We went up to Monterey to do it because a writer is a good friend of ours and his wife, who invented this great, healthful thing -- we wanted to do a good job and do a commercial. And they had us come up to Monterey.

HEMMER: Yes, did you ever suggest maybe that last shot should not be there? Or did you ever have that conversation?

M. ROONEY: Well, we didn't know that that shot was going to be in. Since we've done that, there's been a bunch of hoopla about all of this and that. And you know, there's nothing like good taste. We didn't know that was going to happen. And we've been -- I've been ridiculed and everything else. I -- for all my life, I've done pictures with good taste and there's nothing can replace good taste. We love children. We love families. And we don't want to do anything that is off color.

HEMMER: Yes, what did you think -- you know, last year you had the Janet Jackson ordeal. Do you think this is a -- I guess, more fallout from that, what we saw last year in Houston?

J. ROONEY: Yes, but of course, this is done in fun and it's completely innocent. I am just thrilled that my husband has one of the cutest tushys around. M. ROONEY: Come on, don't say that! Forget that, Jan! Forget it. Look it, we've got things...

J. ROONEY: And it was really, Bill, it was all in fun. And no harm was intended. There was nothing sexual whatsoever. And I'm just proud that he's in such good shape to be able to do these commercials. We do a Garden State Life Insurance commercial and...

M. ROONEY: And we don't want anything to hinder that because we have wonderful friends.

J. ROONEY: We'd like to keep everything in good taste and on the up and up.

HEMMER: You know, the irony of all of this, Mickey, is that Airborne's getting a whole lot of publicity, aren't they?

M. ROONEY: I beg your pardon?

HEMMER: Airborne's getting all kinds of publicity based on this, aren't they? Do you see the irony there?

M. ROONEY: God bless them, you know what I mean? But as long as publicity doesn't hurt our family and doesn't hurt our careers...

HEMMER: Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan. That 15-second Airborne spot would have cost the company $1.2 million to air during the Super Bowl Sunday night, February the 6th -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Now they're getting that kind of for free, aren't they?

Well, he is a comedian by trade, but these days Jamie Foxx is flexing some serious acting muscle. He's considered a front-runner at this weekend's Golden Globes. And there is Oscar buzz all around. CNN's Sibila Vargas has more on Foxx's Hollywood hat trick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: Damn it! My man, you all right?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Collateral."

FOXX (singing): Georgia, Georgia.

VARGAS: "Ray."

FOXX: I told you from the get-go it's about survival. Survival is why we were here, that's just the way it's been throughout history.

VARGAS: And "Redemption," the Stan "Tookie" Williams story. What a year 2004 was for actor Jamie Foxx, who got recognition for three performances.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jamie Foxx, "Collateral."

Jamie Foxx, "Ray."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jamie Foxx, "Redemption."

VARGAS: He's the first person in Golden Globe history to earn three acting nominations in a single year. He's already won a bunch of critics' awards.

(on camera): So where are you at in your career?

FOXX: I'm in the best spot of my life.

VARGAS (voice-over): At 37, Foxx has come a long way from his comedic days on "In Living Color."

FOXX (singing): 'Cause you don't you remember you told me that you love me?

VARGAS: And movies like "Booty Call."

FOXX: Now, I still got time to make my booty call.

VARGAS: But while doing those movies and paying his dues, Foxx always had his eyes on the acting prize.

FOXX: It's a great thing. It's a great thing. I mean, you know, I've always thought, like, if you played basketball, you want to go to championship.

VARGAS: At the ceremony, Foxx hopes to hear his name after, "And the Golden Globe goes to." But if it doesn't happen, he'll still walk away with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

FOXX: Whether it happens or not, you know, at least we're walking in the right direction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES (singing): Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Golden Globe Awards will be handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles. We're going to, of course, have coverage Monday right here on AMERICAN MORNING. I love him. I'm rooting for him.

HEMMER: Yes. A good film, too. In a moment here, don't trust everything you hear on TV. One drug company gets into trouble over some commercials. Back in a moment with that. Andy and Jack right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, back with Jack now, our "Question of the Day." JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill. Indonesia wants American troops out of the country by March 1st. "The sooner, the better" was the quote used by the country's vice president. These are our men and women who are over there trying to aid the victims of the tsunami. So we're asking how the United States ought to respond to the Indonesian government.

Tim in Des Moines writes: "If we truly aspire to be a great and compassionate country, then we must aid our fellow men without thanks, conditions, or motive. Indonesia's actually doing us a favor by putting a limit on the amount of time and money we expend."

Michael in Lafayette, Louisiana: "We've got people in this country eating out of trash bins, sleeping on the sidewalk in the winter and totally without medical care. Let's take the money and build some shelters to feed and house the indigents in this country."

And Marshall in Washington writes: "It appears as if the government of Indonesia wants our aid and logistical skills without having to tell their Muslim population that it's being supplied by the heathens." That would be us. "It would be a terrible thing for the grassroot population that Americans are generous and giving."

Lots and lots of e-mails.

HEMMER: Cuts a nerve. I was just telling you what -- there's a report just crossed about a marine, I think it was a helicopter or some sort of aircraft went down off the coast of Indonesia. Pilot ejected. Looks like he's going to be OK, based on the reports, so...

ANDY SERWER, COLUMNIST, "FORTUNE": People risking their lives.

HEMMER: That they are.

CAFFERTY: And of course, the helicopter gone, the Indonesian government won't pay for it, we will.

SERWER: Right. Yep.

O'BRIEN: Maybe there's a way to help both people in Indonesia and the indigents in this country. Wouldn't that be a nice thing?

CAFFERTY: You did have one more, didn't you?

O'BRIEN: Well, you know, I've got seven minutes left...

CAFFERTY: You promised.

O'BRIEN: ... in our broadcast today.

SERWER: Saved it up.

O'BRIEN: And as promised, I feel that I can weigh in on this today. Maybe I'll have some more -- oh, not tomorrow, because I'm off tomorrow. When I'm back on Tuesday.

CAFFERTY: Well, you'll have some days to think up something...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: I'm going to try.

Well a new headache over Pfizer over its ads for painkillers. Andy Serwer -- hello -- has that and an early check of the market. He's "Minding Your Business." Sorry, my mouth and my brain are not connecting.

SERWER: Not at all. I know the feeling. I've been there. Let's talk about the markets, first of all. The Dow is down a bit. The sellers back at work on Wall Street. Tough times. One stock, though, to the upside. And we've been talking about it all morning, Apple Computer. This is just remarkable. It's up 12 percent to $73. A new all-time high. Yes, even higher than back in the days of the Internet bubble and the tech bubble. Truly remarkable recovery for this company over the past couple of years. Profits up more than four-fold, they announced after the close last night. Taser is up 22 percent, as well. The government says that its stun guns are safe. That stock has been all over the place.

Meanwhile, Pfizer is down, and in part that's because the FDA has sent a letter to this company asking them to immediately halt all advertising for Celebrex. Which is kind of interesting because the company already has halted all advertising for Celebrex, but now instead of it being voluntary ban, it is mandated by the government. This, of course, after studies last month showed a link between high doses of Celebrex and heart risk. Let's see what's going on here.

Tuesday, we told you that Pfizer had problems with its advertisements for Listerine. Claims there that the government found were false. And so this is just more problems, Soledad, for this big drug company. And you know, Celebrex is supposed to sell $4 billion worth, 10 percent of its sales and it is just going to be a big, big hit for this company.

O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Coming up on CNN this morning, fashion faux pas or just a royal mistake? Whatever you call it, Prince Harry is in a whole heap of trouble. Rick and Daryn are going to take you across the pond, where some folks are just a little bit upset, to say the very least. British reaction in the next hour, on CNN "LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: That's it for us. We're out of time. Let's head right down to Daryn Kagan and Rick Sanchez, there at the CNN Center. They're going to take over for the next few hours on CNN "LIVE TODAY."

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 January 13, 2005 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. 9:30 here in New York. The digging continues in California, perhaps though the hopes are dimming. We'll go back to the scene of that mudslide and hear from one member of the fire department about the mood and there and emotions and the way this entire community is pulling together in this search and recovery.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's a tiny community, and the stories out of there are so heartbreaking. What do you do when you lose your whole family in a mudslide?

HEMMER: In an instant.

O'BRIEN: It's terrible.

Also this morning, the tiny village in the northernmost reaches of Alaska. People there thought they might freeze to death when the power generators went out. Well, now, things are looking up, even though it's still just as cold as can be outside. We're going to talk to one man who was there. His story's very interesting.

HEMMER: If look at that city on the map, they are way up there, north of the Arctic Circle.

O'BRIEN: You said that they're kind of used to the, you know, the inclement weather, but after four days, he said he started to panic. Obviously four days, 24 hours of that, forget it. We'll tell you his story in a little bit.

Carol's got the headlines. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.

Now in the news, Secretary of State Colin Powell says the U.S. may begin withdrawing troops from Iraq this year if Iraqi security forces can take over. Secretary Powell said, as Iraq takes a greater role in its own country's security, the role of American troops there should diminish, but stopped short of giving a timeline for when all of the troops would be home.

In the meantime, more violence in Iraq to tell you about this morning. Authorities say gunmen killed six people and kidnapped a Turkish businessman outside of a Baghdad hotel. Earlier, insurgents gunned down an aid to prominent Shiite cleric Ali Al Sistani. The representative's son and four bodyguards were also killed. In Graniteville, South Carolina, hundreds of people are back home this hour, a week after being forced out by a train collision. Chlorine gas spilled during last Thursday's accident. Nine people were killed. More residents are expected to return throughout the next several days.

And boxing promoter don king is suing ESPN for apparently calling him a, quote, "shameless huckster." Kings says ESPN, the show Sportscenter, portrayed him unfairly in a segment last May. So now he's hurt and wants $2.5 billion. That's with a 'b' -- billion dollars. An ESPN executive says he has not read the lawsuit so he cannot comment on this time.

O'BRIEN: It doesn't sound like he's taking it too seriously if it's $2.5 billion. He's not gotten around to reading that. It's on the list of other things to do.

HEMMER: Slightly more than one of the big fights, right Carol. Thank you.

Let's get back to California this half hour now. All the known missing are accounted for in the coastal town of La Conchita. That's the site of Monday's mudslide that killed 10. Earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING, I talked with Jonathan Jessman. He's an engineer with the Ventura County Fire Department, telling us about rescue workers and their efforts for today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN JESSEMAN, VENTURA. CO. FIRE DEPT.: We're just doing the same thing we've been doing for the last two, three days now. We still are in a search mode. As far as we're concerned, there's still people in there, and we're doing everything we can to try to find them.

HEMMER: Based on reporting we have here, it's been since Tuesday early since any sign of life was detected there. What is the possibility anyone can survive that now on this Thursday morning?

JESSEMAN: I'll give you that, Bill, it's slim. But nevertheless, we're going to continue our efforts.

HEMMER: Yesterday you were with the father, Jimmy Wallace his name. He was there when they found his wife and three members of his family. How were you as a rescuer able to console him at such an incredible time of discovery for him?

JESSEMAN: Yes, that was a tough time. We -- normally we don't let the family members and the people in the area get too close to the rescue, but because of the environment at the time when this whole thing came down, the slide came down, the people were aggressively in there to help us. And so instead of fighting with him, we let him get involved. And we basically put him to work, and they really helped us out a lot. They worked their butts off, and they were a big help to us. So -- but then when it came town where we found his family, it was tough because he was pretty much looking over my shoulders as we were digging through the pile and the debris and cutting and sawing and getting everything out of there. And it was very difficult because we're trying to extricate his family; at the same time we were trying to not to expose them. We wanted to do it in a very controlled environment. You just don't want to pop his family out in front of the father's eyes for all to see.

So it was tough. Everybody in the neighborhood got together and they helped carry the litter out of the wife and the three daughters, and I just hope this, you know, now he can have some closure, that we found his family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: 6:30 local time in California now. The search there continues. The cleanup effort does, too. Jonathan Jesseman with the Ventura County Fire Department earlier today. The governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, declaring a state of emergency in that county. Officials now can ask for federal money to help with the cleanup -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Stormy weather that battered the west throughout the week, moving east now and leaving a huge mess in its wake. In southern Nevada, heavy flooding knocked 21 Union Pacific freight cars off the track yesterday near the Arizona border. No one was hurt, but the railroad is reporting that service disruptions throughout the region there. Also there's been heavy damage in the area where Utah, and Arizona and Nevada meet. More than 20 homes are lost in southern Utah. The water is so deep that officials say the only thing they can compare it to is a dam break.

And people around Flagstaff, Arizona are being warned to seek higher ground immediately. The Habusu (ph) Creek in that area is eight feet above flood stage, and every bridge along its way has been washed out. There are also flood warnings for much of Ohio. More rain expected there today. Many rivers above flood stage, still rising, too. The Army corps of engineers releasing some water from major dams. They're Trying to prevent a larger disaster if, in fact, they should spill over. Parts of Ohio, and West Virginia and Kentucky have been under water since last week. Terrible picture to paint for you this morning there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Well, imagine being stuck in a dark and frozen town, in a blizzard, without any power for four days. That's what happened in the Alaskan town of Kaktovik. Earlier I spoke with Mike Hadjukovich by phone. He's in Fairbanks, which is his home, but he was in Kaktovik, when the blizzard hit. He took pictures during the ordeal as well, and I asked him when he realized he wasn't getting out any time soon. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MIKE HADJUKOVICH: Even when the blizzard hit in Alaska you don't think -- I don't think I've ever been anywhere stuck for more than a day. So I was halfway, and I think everybody was kind of lighthearted about it, kind of joking around until the backup generator went out for the school and two-thirds of the power for the village was out, and it was time to move because the school was getting cold. So even up to that point, I didn't know what a blizzard was, and I'm from here. So I get all of my stuff bundled up, wrap a sheet around my head, put a hat on top of that, gloves, boots.

O'BRIEN: You gathered up a bunch of kids as well. Were you concerned at that point? I mean, you're talking about 3, 4, 5-year- olds. They could really -- I mean, you as well, but you could have some serious problems with temperatures this cold as it was.

HADJUKOVICH: Well, again, you know, they're from there. They're in blizzard country, and they've seen it. But this type of storm, as hard as it blew, and as long as it blew, they haven't seen for like 15 years. So once we actually went out into the wind and I never had been out in it, when I went out in it, and I felt that wind hit me, I had to grab on to one of the biggest high-schoolers there to pull me. And we both were sliding backwards. This is with an 80-mile-an-hour wind and snow hitting you in the face. So if you look at the wind and the snow to see where you're going, that's frostbite.

O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of what it was like. Were people panicking? Were people -- I mean, three, four days in, were they starting to panic and worry? Was food running out?

HADJUKOVICH: No, the food situation was great. These people here are extremely used to surviving. And the only thing that threw them off balance was the reliance on electricity for everything. But you know, I was worried about elders, about little kids. They did great. I mean, I was panicky at that point, after I felt what that wind was like.

But the high-schoolers that night were hiking from one end of town to grab a thing of propane and hauling it to another side of town to a person's house that was running low. They did that. They were crawling down the street so that they wouldn't get blown over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That was Mike Hadjukovich from Fairbanks, Alaska. He's back home now after he was stranded for four days in the town of Kaktovik.

HEMMER: That is one heck of a blizzard, too.

Lighter news in a moment, here. Mickey Rooney bares all. And one TV network says that is not acceptable. Mickey Rooney is our guest today. We'll talk about the surprising controversy in a moment.

And the star of "Ray" is Jamie Foxx, now poised to make history at the Golden Globes. And we'll tell you how right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: It was about a year ago when Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction took place at the Super Bowl. Now there's a side of Mickey Rooney you've never seen before. Fox rejecting an ad for this year's Super Bowl that includes a brief shot of the 84-year-old actor's bare behind. Here is what you will not see on Super Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ahh! Ahh!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Airborne, created by a teacher who was sick of catching colds in class. At drugstores everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Well, Fox had this to say about the controversy in a statement: "The ad in question was submitted to our Standards and Practices Department for review and was deemed inappropriate for broadcast television."

Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan with us now from L.A. to get you the, shall we say, bottom of this.

JAN ROONEY, WIFE OF MICKEY: Hello, Bill.

MICKEY ROONEY, ACTOR: Hello, Bill.

HEMMER: Hey, good morning to both of you. Hey, Mickey what did you think when you first saw the script for this commercial? What was your reaction?

M. ROONEY: Well, there was no script, Bill. We went up to Monterey to do it because a writer is a good friend of ours and his wife, who invented this great, healthful thing -- we wanted to do a good job and do a commercial. And they had us come up to Monterey.

HEMMER: Yes, did you ever suggest maybe that last shot should not be there? Or did you ever have that conversation?

M. ROONEY: Well, we didn't know that that shot was going to be in. Since we've done that, there's been a bunch of hoopla about all of this and that. And you know, there's nothing like good taste. We didn't know that was going to happen. And we've been -- I've been ridiculed and everything else. I -- for all my life, I've done pictures with good taste and there's nothing can replace good taste. We love children. We love families. And we don't want to do anything that is off color.

HEMMER: Yes, what did you think -- you know, last year you had the Janet Jackson ordeal. Do you think this is a -- I guess, more fallout from that, what we saw last year in Houston?

J. ROONEY: Yes, but of course, this is done in fun and it's completely innocent. I am just thrilled that my husband has one of the cutest tushys around. M. ROONEY: Come on, don't say that! Forget that, Jan! Forget it. Look it, we've got things...

J. ROONEY: And it was really, Bill, it was all in fun. And no harm was intended. There was nothing sexual whatsoever. And I'm just proud that he's in such good shape to be able to do these commercials. We do a Garden State Life Insurance commercial and...

M. ROONEY: And we don't want anything to hinder that because we have wonderful friends.

J. ROONEY: We'd like to keep everything in good taste and on the up and up.

HEMMER: You know, the irony of all of this, Mickey, is that Airborne's getting a whole lot of publicity, aren't they?

M. ROONEY: I beg your pardon?

HEMMER: Airborne's getting all kinds of publicity based on this, aren't they? Do you see the irony there?

M. ROONEY: God bless them, you know what I mean? But as long as publicity doesn't hurt our family and doesn't hurt our careers...

HEMMER: Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan. That 15-second Airborne spot would have cost the company $1.2 million to air during the Super Bowl Sunday night, February the 6th -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Now they're getting that kind of for free, aren't they?

Well, he is a comedian by trade, but these days Jamie Foxx is flexing some serious acting muscle. He's considered a front-runner at this weekend's Golden Globes. And there is Oscar buzz all around. CNN's Sibila Vargas has more on Foxx's Hollywood hat trick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: Damn it! My man, you all right?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Collateral."

FOXX (singing): Georgia, Georgia.

VARGAS: "Ray."

FOXX: I told you from the get-go it's about survival. Survival is why we were here, that's just the way it's been throughout history.

VARGAS: And "Redemption," the Stan "Tookie" Williams story. What a year 2004 was for actor Jamie Foxx, who got recognition for three performances.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jamie Foxx, "Collateral."

Jamie Foxx, "Ray."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jamie Foxx, "Redemption."

VARGAS: He's the first person in Golden Globe history to earn three acting nominations in a single year. He's already won a bunch of critics' awards.

(on camera): So where are you at in your career?

FOXX: I'm in the best spot of my life.

VARGAS (voice-over): At 37, Foxx has come a long way from his comedic days on "In Living Color."

FOXX (singing): 'Cause you don't you remember you told me that you love me?

VARGAS: And movies like "Booty Call."

FOXX: Now, I still got time to make my booty call.

VARGAS: But while doing those movies and paying his dues, Foxx always had his eyes on the acting prize.

FOXX: It's a great thing. It's a great thing. I mean, you know, I've always thought, like, if you played basketball, you want to go to championship.

VARGAS: At the ceremony, Foxx hopes to hear his name after, "And the Golden Globe goes to." But if it doesn't happen, he'll still walk away with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

FOXX: Whether it happens or not, you know, at least we're walking in the right direction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES (singing): Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Golden Globe Awards will be handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles. We're going to, of course, have coverage Monday right here on AMERICAN MORNING. I love him. I'm rooting for him.

HEMMER: Yes. A good film, too. In a moment here, don't trust everything you hear on TV. One drug company gets into trouble over some commercials. Back in a moment with that. Andy and Jack right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, back with Jack now, our "Question of the Day." JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill. Indonesia wants American troops out of the country by March 1st. "The sooner, the better" was the quote used by the country's vice president. These are our men and women who are over there trying to aid the victims of the tsunami. So we're asking how the United States ought to respond to the Indonesian government.

Tim in Des Moines writes: "If we truly aspire to be a great and compassionate country, then we must aid our fellow men without thanks, conditions, or motive. Indonesia's actually doing us a favor by putting a limit on the amount of time and money we expend."

Michael in Lafayette, Louisiana: "We've got people in this country eating out of trash bins, sleeping on the sidewalk in the winter and totally without medical care. Let's take the money and build some shelters to feed and house the indigents in this country."

And Marshall in Washington writes: "It appears as if the government of Indonesia wants our aid and logistical skills without having to tell their Muslim population that it's being supplied by the heathens." That would be us. "It would be a terrible thing for the grassroot population that Americans are generous and giving."

Lots and lots of e-mails.

HEMMER: Cuts a nerve. I was just telling you what -- there's a report just crossed about a marine, I think it was a helicopter or some sort of aircraft went down off the coast of Indonesia. Pilot ejected. Looks like he's going to be OK, based on the reports, so...

ANDY SERWER, COLUMNIST, "FORTUNE": People risking their lives.

HEMMER: That they are.

CAFFERTY: And of course, the helicopter gone, the Indonesian government won't pay for it, we will.

SERWER: Right. Yep.

O'BRIEN: Maybe there's a way to help both people in Indonesia and the indigents in this country. Wouldn't that be a nice thing?

CAFFERTY: You did have one more, didn't you?

O'BRIEN: Well, you know, I've got seven minutes left...

CAFFERTY: You promised.

O'BRIEN: ... in our broadcast today.

SERWER: Saved it up.

O'BRIEN: And as promised, I feel that I can weigh in on this today. Maybe I'll have some more -- oh, not tomorrow, because I'm off tomorrow. When I'm back on Tuesday.

CAFFERTY: Well, you'll have some days to think up something...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: I'm going to try.

Well a new headache over Pfizer over its ads for painkillers. Andy Serwer -- hello -- has that and an early check of the market. He's "Minding Your Business." Sorry, my mouth and my brain are not connecting.

SERWER: Not at all. I know the feeling. I've been there. Let's talk about the markets, first of all. The Dow is down a bit. The sellers back at work on Wall Street. Tough times. One stock, though, to the upside. And we've been talking about it all morning, Apple Computer. This is just remarkable. It's up 12 percent to $73. A new all-time high. Yes, even higher than back in the days of the Internet bubble and the tech bubble. Truly remarkable recovery for this company over the past couple of years. Profits up more than four-fold, they announced after the close last night. Taser is up 22 percent, as well. The government says that its stun guns are safe. That stock has been all over the place.

Meanwhile, Pfizer is down, and in part that's because the FDA has sent a letter to this company asking them to immediately halt all advertising for Celebrex. Which is kind of interesting because the company already has halted all advertising for Celebrex, but now instead of it being voluntary ban, it is mandated by the government. This, of course, after studies last month showed a link between high doses of Celebrex and heart risk. Let's see what's going on here.

Tuesday, we told you that Pfizer had problems with its advertisements for Listerine. Claims there that the government found were false. And so this is just more problems, Soledad, for this big drug company. And you know, Celebrex is supposed to sell $4 billion worth, 10 percent of its sales and it is just going to be a big, big hit for this company.

O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Coming up on CNN this morning, fashion faux pas or just a royal mistake? Whatever you call it, Prince Harry is in a whole heap of trouble. Rick and Daryn are going to take you across the pond, where some folks are just a little bit upset, to say the very least. British reaction in the next hour, on CNN "LIVE TODAY." AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: That's it for us. We're out of time. Let's head right down to Daryn Kagan and Rick Sanchez, there at the CNN Center. They're going to take over for the next few hours on CNN "LIVE TODAY."

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