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CNN Sunday Morning
Seven Shooting Victims Found in Small Wisconsin Town
Aired June 10, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks for watching. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Stay tuned now for more news on CNN.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, SUNDAY MORNING: Next on CNN's SUNDAYMORNING, the silence of a small town just shattered by gunfire. Six people found dead inside a Wisconsin home. We're going to take you live to that scene with the latest.
TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, SUNDAY MORNING: Well, it's damage assessment. Space shuttle astronauts get a chance to check out damage that occurred during Friday's lift off.
NGUYEN: Many of you know the song well and of course, the television series. In just a few hours, we will find out if Tony Soprano lives or if he is a goner. The ground breaking television series is coming to an end and a lot of people are not happy about that but really anticipating what is going to happen. It is Sunday, June 10th. TJ will be watching tonight. In the meantime, good morning, everybody from the CNN center here in Atlanta. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm TJ Holmes, so glad you could be with us this morning.
NGUYEN: We do have some breaking news to tell you about out of Turkey this morning. Istanbul, we have learned that there has been an explosion outside a shop there in Istanbul causing several injuries. Now the cause of the explosion is not known at this point. But it did occur on a busy street in this city. As you may know, Istanbul is Turkey's most popular city. It's also its cultural and financial center. Again, there's been an explosion outside a shop there in Istanbul causing several injuries. As soon as we get more information, we'll bring it straight to you.
In other news, six people shot to death, a seventh, a child who is in critical condition. That is the situation that we're following right now in the small town of Delavan, Wisconsin. Police say they responded to a report of shots fired at a home. The SWAT team found six gunshot victims dead inside this house and authorities say a small child was found in a vehicle outside the residence with a gunshot wound to the chest. We're going to take you live to Wisconsin for the latest in just a few minutes.
HOLMES: Cheers instead of jeers greeting President Bush this morning. The president is in Albania, the latest stop on the European tour. He is the first sitting U.S. president to visit that country and he's getting a pretty warm welcome there. Albania is mostly Muslim and it's pro- American. President Bush touched on religion in a news conference just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. Prime minister, I appreciate the fact that Albania is a model of religious tolerance. And I appreciate the fact that Albania is a trusted friend and a strong ally. And this visit today hopefully will send the signal to the people of Albania you can count on America, just like America can count on you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And after Albania, the president then heads to Bulgaria.
NGUYEN: NASA engineers are taking a closer look at pictures of a damaged thermal heat blanket on the shuttle "Atlantis." You can take a look at it right now. They don't think though at this point that it is a serious problem. NASA will get a better report on the condition of the shuttle a little bit later today when it docks with the international space station. You see that hole right there. They're looking at that very closely. The station crew will be looking at those heat tiles as well on the shuttle's underbelly.
If repairs do need to be made on that heat blanket which we just showed you there, they'll be done during a scheduled space walk. CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien takes a closer look at the potential problems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a four inch triangular gap in a thermal blanket and it has NASA's attention. Four and a half hours after a nearly flawless countdown and launch, the crew of "Atlantis" and flight controllers in Houston spotted the problem during a routine TV survey of the space ship. The two-inch thick blanket is either torn or bunched up at a place where it meets some heat resistant tiles. The torn or bunched up thermal blank is located right about here on the front part of this hump just to the left of "Atlantis'" tail. It houses a big rocket that is used for major navigation changes when the shuttle is in space.
But here's the key point -- it's one of the coolest places on a shuttle orbiter as it returns to earth. These locations, where you see the black tiles and the other material that's darker, the temperature can approach 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Up here though, temperature usually is about 600 degrees. That's exactly where Columbia's heat shield was breeched in January of 2003. A large piece of foam fell off the external fuel tank about a minute after launch, leaving a big hole in the leading edge of the wing. Sixteen days later, the shuttle disintegrated in the heat of re-entry killing the crew of seven. Since then, NASA has changed the way the insulating foam is applied to those external fuel tanks and on this launch, only a few small pieces broke off harmlessly, not a surprise, not a worry say the engineers.
WAYNE HALE, SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGER: It was at the very end or just past the aerodynamically sensitive time and so that is something that we have come to understand and expect.
O'BRIEN: It's too early to say what might have hit the quilted blanket made of silica and woven glass. During the first shuttle mission in 1981, NASA had not yet developed the thermal blankets and no less than 16 heat resistant tiles fell off the orbital maneuvering system pod on Columbia and of course that, mission ended with a happy landing. So given the history, NASA engineers say they're not too worried. As one told me, it doesn't raise my blood pressure at all. Miles O'Brien, CNN, Cocoa Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Want to get an update now on a story we're following this morning out of Wisconsin. Six people shot to death and a child now critically wounded. It happened in the small a small town in Delavan in southern Wisconsin. Tom Murray of our affiliate WTMJ is there. He joins us now live. Good morning to you again Tom.
TOM MURRAY, WTMJ CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning. People in the small town of Delavan about an hour from Milwaukee, about two hours from Chicago just now waking up to this news. Here on this small town in the upper level of this two-story home in an apartment the home split into two apartments, four adults and two children were found dead. Now there is a minivan that is parked in the driveway. That is where authorities last night found one other victim, a young girl, two or three years old. She was taken to a hospital in Rockford, Illinois and then taken on to more specialized care at UW Madison, the last word described in very critical condition.
I just had a chance to speak with a neighbor. He says the driver of that van is a young man in his 20s that has two daughters that lives in that upper level of the apartment. This may be a murder/suicide. Police do not believe there is a killer on the loose. Just a few minutes ago we saw some body bags and stretchers brought into that unit. They had just been doing a very careful sketch of the crime scene, trying to figure out exactly what happened here. As this investigation continues, the police chief calling this the worst shooting in his 35 years on the force. From Delavan, Wisconsin, Tom Murray. Back you to, TJ.
HOLMES: And Tom you told us there were two children found dead. Do we have any idea about the age of those children and also any idea about the relationship among the people who have been found dead? Do they live in that house?
MURRAY: We still don't know that information. We do believe that one of the people, at least, is from a small town called Elkhorn (ph) which is a little bit -- it's not right next door -- next to this town. But we don't know the relationship of the victims at this time.
HOLMES: All right. Tom Murray for us from affiliate WTMJ. Tom, thank you so much for keeping us updated this morning.
NGUYEN: We have a warning for you this morning. This one for anyone who uses a lot of those over counter creams to ease pain and aching muscles. A New York teenager is dead and the medical examiner says she died from using too much of those muscle creams like Bengay and Icy Hot. The 17-year-old high school track star Arial Newman (ph) died in April. The medical examiner says her body absorbed lethal levels of a chemical commonly found in the creams and adhesive patches.
If that wasn't enough, here is another warning for you, this one for anyone planning a back yard barbecue today. Check the label carefully if you're using frozen ground beef. United Food Groups is now expanding its recall to include nearly six million pounds of packaged ground beef. The beef was sold at 12 different grocery chains in 11 western states. Here's a look at those states on the map. It was also packaged under six different brand names. The full recall involves ground beef with sell by dates between April 6th and May 7th.
HOLMES: We got something for you to take a peek at, look at this. Yeah. That's part of weekend storms hitting the nation's midsection. What can we expect today? We'll find out in about three minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Are you happy now? Are you happy? Good. Good. Just go. Just go. Good. Go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what else? You know what else? Get back in here. Get in here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a horrible teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You would know because you're a horrible student.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Bring back memories of high school?
HOLMES: I know that guy.
NGUYEN: Exactly. You're probably the kid walking out the room. A teacher's fictional tale of his real life experiences in public education. Coming up in 10 minutes, I'm going to talk live with a man behind the new mocumentary called "Chalk.".
HOLMES: And please don't forget to weigh in on our e-mail question of the day. How do you want the "Sopranos" series to end? E- mail us at weekends@cnn.com. We're going to be reading some of those on the air here just shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: This is some new video we want to show you, we're just getting, the first video we're getting out of this explosion we've seen that's taken place in Istanbul in Turkey. The word right now is that at least six people have been injured, this happenin in a crowded mixed shopping and residential district of that city. Of course, this is the major hub in Turkey. Some 10 plus million people live in Istanbul. So a major area that has seen heightened tensions lately, at least in Turkey according to officials there. Been dealing with some separatist groups, dealing with some radical groups, seeing several explosions, several attacks and bombings over the past several weeks.
Turkish authorities now investigating this explosion. Don't know exactly know the cause just yet. But this did happen in a fairly crowded area in Istanbul. Again this is the newest video we're getting. Still working trying to find out exactly what caused this blast. No word on anyone who has claimed responsibility for this attack or this blast. But the injured right now number six. No word on deaths just yet. Again, might be fortunate to have dodged a lot more injuries since this is, again, a very crowded mixed residential and shopping district very busy district of that town. We're keeping an eye on this story, a developing story right now. As we get more information in to us, we'll certainly pass that along you to.
We do want to turn back to this country now and to Oklahoma. Storm chaser got this on tape, a lot of damage, a lot of rain, a lot of flooded roads, a lot of downed trees but no injuries to report. There but certainly they got hit with some wicked weather.
NGUYEN: Yes, they did, so where is that weather today and is it going to affect you? Well, Bonnie Schneider is in the weather center. She's keeping a watch on all of it. Hi there Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi Betty. You know we have more rain for Oklahoma. Not necessarily for Tulsa, but Oklahoma City getting hit hard with strong thunderstorms. Also you'll find rain to the south and west Texas where we've had reports of hail. And we've also been watching Jefferson City in Missouri from Kansas City all the way across towards St. Louis. But the storms in Jefferson City have been so bad we've had reports of penny-sized hail. So it's a dangerous situation with strong gusty winds that could take down trees or power lines. So just be careful out there.
Also, there's been reports of some flash flooding in the vicinity into Missouri and also into parts of Kansas and down through Texas. You can see some flash flood watches and warnings are posted. This is the severe thunderstorm warning I was telling you about for Jefferson City and to the south into Texas, also potential areas where we'll see flooding. One of them is just in the Houston area, a little bit further off to the east towards Beaumont. We'll be seeing some heavy rain as well.
We've been watching rain across parts of the northeast. You can see that it's still coming down in the same place it was yesterday through western Massachusetts, Connecticut, down through the north shore of Long Island and into Suffolk County where there was heavy rain yesterday. Looking at our forecast map, you can see we have warm and dry conditions, actually very dry. Beautiful weather for Chicago looking terrific there. Hot conditions, fire danger for parts of Utah and in Nevada. But, remember, Utah is known for its skiing and unfortunately sometimes accidents can happen even when they're planned.
I want to show you some video that comes to us from our I- reporter. He says that he saw some -- an actual avalanche. This was a man-made avalanche. This was shot by Dane Brooke, a 16-year-old guy who did this from a helicopter. This was actually a planned avalanche. And these avalanches are often done with explosives in and around the ski resort areas to prevent a dangerous avalanche from occurring. He said it was larger than what he expected. And it's certainly something to see. You can see the snow coming down the mountain. We're not looking at any snow coming across areas for today, certainly warm conditions. We'll watch out for easterly winds and it will be cloudy and cool, a little soggy for parts of the northeast for today. High temperatures are very warm all the way into the 90s for most of the nation. Seattle, Portland and Boston, cloud coverage, cool conditions. That will keep you in the 60s. Betty? TJ?
NGUYEN: Thank you, Bonnie.
Do you remember this guy, take a look. Yep, him, Morgan Spurlock. He gained fame for his personal look at the nation's fast food diet in "Super Size Me." Now a new film that he is distributing takes on the nation's education system. Check out "Chalk" ahead right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HOLMES: And what would the morning be without a Paris Hilton reference? She says that she is shocked with all the attention that she has been getting.
NGUYEN: Shocked.
HOLMES: We'll tell you what she says we should be paying attention to. You got to hear this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the first day of school. How you are feeling? We can teach if we want to we can leave no child behind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David, David, put that down!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wasn't planning to be in AP at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Fletcher was found guilty. So there was an opening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just get out!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's real life in high school right there. "Chalk," a new film that could end up being what teachers would think "Spinal Tap" is to heavy metal bands. A mocumentary out in limited release this weekend. "Chalk" is the first offering by a new company that's promising to make socially relevant films and joining us this morning from New York where the film just opened, two of the people behind "Chalk," Morgan Spurlock best known from "Super Size Me," the documentary about fast food and obesity. He he lost a lot of weight, thank goodness and former high school teacher who co-wrote and directed "Chalk." Guys, thanks so much for being with us today. This is a really fantastic mocumentary and we're going to get into some clips in just a minute. But Morgan, let me start with you. When you watch this film, what sold you on it?
MORGAN SPURLOCK, "MORGAN SPURLOCK PRESENTS": I grew up in a family full of teachers. My mom was a teacher. My aunts were teachers. Throughout my whole life I was corrected by them any time I did something wrong. The film really resonated with me because I think educators are some of the most important people we have in our lives. And we don't pay them well. We don't treat them well. I think the film really recognizes how hard their job is.
NGUYEN: Yes. It does. And Mike, you were a teacher. In fact, you co-wrote this. Why did you choose to go the mocumentary way instead of documentary?
MIKE AKEL, DIRECTOR, "CHALK": We had $10,000, to start with.
NGUYEN: OK.
AKEL: And we thought --
NGUYEN: Reason number one.
AKEL: ... on $10,000. As Chris always says, $10,000 would have got us maybe one person to New Zealand.
SPURLOCK: That's right.
AKEL: And we love comedy and we felt like we want to do something, you know, different than "Mr. Holland's Opus" that really showed what it is like on the front lines, behind the mail boxes in the teacher's lounge. We just thought this would be a great way to show it with this style of film.
NGUYEN: We want to show our viewers just a clip from it. It's where a teacher kicks one of the kids out of the class. It is really pretty hilarious. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right Are you happy now? Are you happy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm real happy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good. Just go. Just go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good. Go. You know what else? You know what else? Get back in here. Get in here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a horrible teacher. You know that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you would know because you're a horrible student.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enjoy your career.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Hey, I'm not laughing. If you'd like to join him, you can go with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: OK. I'm laughing. I probably better leave the set now. Mike --
SPURLOCK: That was me getting thrown out of the classroom when I was a kid. I was him.
NGUYEN: My question you to, Mike, was that the kind of teacher you were?
AKEL: I'm not going to lie. I had some tough moments. You know, a lot of this was based on my first-year experience. And, you know, Troy who plays, you know, Mr. Lowry's character really captured that struggle. Get out here, get back in here. You want to be this great role model but you're human. Sometimes these kids, it's sad, some of these kids will cuss at you in the hallways. You have to be just iron faced and it's tough. So but it was great. A lot of times I'd come back in and say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. And apologize to the student in front of the kids and teach them about, you know, forgiveness, love, inspiration.
NGUYEN: All right. I'm going to break you two guys up here. Morgan, this is a film, would you say, where people can watch it and really relate to the characters? At least say, you know what? I knew someone just like that when I was in high school?
SPURLOCK: I think you can relate to the students that are in the film. I think you can relate to the teachers. We've all had teachers that we loved you know more than anything. We've all had teachers that inspired us. We've all had teachers we couldn't stand and I think this film shows them all and in the United States, teachers quit, half of them, more than half of them within the first three years of becoming a teacher. This is not an easy job. It's not an easy profession. And for me, we need to be championing these people and really reminding people how important they are.
NGUYEN: So, Mike, is that the message? What is the message of this movie?
AKEL: You know, we love comedy and we feel like comedy allows you, just like a "New Yorker" cartoon, to sort of bring down the walls and then say, take a look at this without shoving it down your throat and that's what we love with Morgan's stuff, "Super Size Me," "30 Days." And so we use comedy to sort of say hey, something is wrong. We're not giving you all the answers, but take a look at what is really going on here. Fifty percent of teachers are quitting. That's, you know, that's a tragedy. So that is the kind of the thing. Take a look. The teachers, honestly, one of our goals was just to bless teachers and say, look, we emphasize with you. My mom taught for 30 years.
SPURLOCKS: It ain't easy.
AKEL: It ain't easy, folks.
NGUYEN: And Morgan, you are so behind this. In fact, this is, what, the first film under your new label Morgan Spurlock Presents?
SPURLOCK: Yeah, a good friend of mine (INAUDIBLE), the president of Arts Alliance America, he and I formed this company. We traveled around the world, went to film festivals, saw all these great movies that just disappeared. I think there are so many movies out there that have a message, that have a higher purpose that could really reach audiences and "Chalk" is one of those movies and It's the first one to come out in theaters. I'm just proud to be a part of it.
NGUYEN: Last time I saw you, you were working on a film that had a message as well. What is the latest with that?
SPURLOCK: We're finishing up a movie that is going to look at Osama bin Laden and the war on terror and you and I were in a hostile environment training camp together.
NGUYEN: Yeah, you were bandaging me up.
SPURLOCK: I was bandaging you up. We're finishing that film right now. It'll be out later this year.
NGUYEN: That's very good. Before I let you go, Mike, you also are working on something that is kind of getting into the cutthroat world of little league baseball?
AKEL: You heard -- you heard the latest news.
NGUYEN: Hey this is CNN.
AKEL: Yes. CNN. Yes, Chris, co-writer, best friend, creative genius, creative media genius, we're doing a film in the style of "Chalk" that is about the behind the scenes world of little league baseball, the parents, the coaches, the kids. Again, not so much the "Bad News Bears" approach but really in the trenches of what's going on. We're excited about -- that's with Universal Pictures.
NGUYEN: Is it going to be frightening? Is that what I'm hearing?
AKEL: It could be frightening. I saw frightening things when I played little league, so yeah, I think it can be.
NGUYEN: Wonderful great projects. Looking forward to "Chalk." Mike Akel, Morgan Spurlock, as always, it's been a pleasure. TJ?
HOLMES: Unraveling a mystery that's fit for a TV crime drama. Several sets of human remains found in Florida. Now new clues about who the victims may be.
NGUYEN: Plus, the latest in the legal issues for Paris Hilton. And why is she saying she won't appeal the judge's decision.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm TJ Holmes.
NGUYEN: We want to update you on our top story this morning. Six people shot to death, a seventh, a child, critically wounded. That is the situation that we are following right now in the small town of Delavan, Wisconsin. Police say they responded to a report of shots fired at a home. The SWAT team found six gunshot victims dead inside the house. Authorities say a small child was found in a vehicle outside the residence with a gunshot wound to the chest. She was taken to the hospital where she right now is in critical condition.
HOLMES: New details now in an on going mystery in Ft. Myers, Florida. The skeletal remains of eight people founded in a wooded area and now reports of a possible link to another high profile case. We get that story from Patrick Flanary of affiliate WBBH in Ft. Myers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK FLANNERY, WBBH REPORTER (voice-over): He has been sitting on death row since 2000 for murdering a vagrant in Charlotte County, yet Daniel Conahan has long been suspected of killing five others, all of them transient men in the nude, each allegedly lured into wooded areas by Conahan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try to, you know, be careful and not, you know, talk to strangers and things like that.
FLANNERY: Flash forward to March of this year, when investigators uncover skeletal remains in Fort Myers, not far from where a drifter accused Conahan of attacking him back in 1994.
CHIEF HILTON DANIELS, FORT MYERS POLICE: We have been trying to identify the remains. And we have used several experts in order to do that.
FLANNERY: Forensics investigators point out the eight skeletons belong to men, aged 18 to 49, who wore no clothing when they died. And dental records show at least one of them was a drifter.
HEATHER WALSH-HANEY, FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR: What is interesting is the completeness of these skeletonized remains, of these human remains. And that is that we have nearly 90 percent of each individual.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, police still have not positively identified any of the eight victims. Meanwhile, suspected serial killer Daniel Conahan denies he killed anyone. NGUYEN: Well, it looks like Paris Hilton is feeling better this morning. In a statement posted on the celebrity Web site tmz.com, the heiress says she told her attorneys not to appeal the judge's decision that sent her back to jail. And Hilton says she is "shocked at the public attention devoted to her situation." She urged people to pay more attention to the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the statement went on to say: "This is by far the hardest thing that I have ever done, during the past several days I have had a lot of time to reflect and have already learned a bitter but important lesson from this experience."
The Reverend Al Sharpton is calling for a fair justice system.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, SOCIAL ACTIVIST: Clearly, we must raise the question if the appearances are that some people are treated differently based on their wealth or based on their color, and there are any number of cases that has been cited where there has been different strokes for different folks, none of us have any negative or personal feelings one way or another about Paris Hilton, but we are all concerned that people from South Central are treated the same as people in Hollywood Hills.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Sharpton plans to meet tomorrow with L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca.
Well, the stage is set for a political showdown tomorrow over Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Senate Democrats say they will push for a no confidence vote on Gonzales. President Bush has called the whole thing "pure political theater." Gonzales is under scrutiny over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year.
HOLMES: Young, professional and rich. I haven't been accused of being any of those three lately. But those three words could describe New York dentist Dr. Trey Wilson. Those words don't define him. That's because Wilson takes his dental office on the road providing dental care to Kenya's poor. That makes Dr. Trey Wilson a CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TREY WILSON, "MEDICAL MARVEL": Every single one of us has that capacity to be of service to others. And I just did something about it.
I'm Trey Wilson. I live in New York City and I provide free dental care and dental education to Kenyans.
Dental care in Kenya is virtually nonexistent. When I arrived in Kenya, routinely I saw in my clinic 4-year-olds with 20 teeth that needed to be extracted. I bring a team of dentists and volunteers who provide dental care in two clinics that we've established in Kitale, which is the fifth-largest city in Kenya. When we arrive in the morning, there are already 400 or 500 people assembled, ready to be seen. My organization gives patients the opportunity to have their teeth fixed. We provide dental education. And we hand out toothbrushes to people.
There was a woman who waited seven hours to see me because she said, I like my smile and I won't have anything to smile about if they pull my front tooth.
I think that it would be a good idea to try to save that tooth.
She was so happy that her beauty -- I mean, her beauty really came out.
Give me a hug. All right.
My life would have been a Monday through Friday Madison Avenue dentist, getting in my car and driving out to the country and gardening all weekend, but I had a revelation that with just a little bit of effort, I could make a huge impact.
All of us are far more resourceful than we ever think we are. And we have much more to give than we think that we have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Do you know someone who is doing exceptional things? Someone you'd like to nominate as a hero? You can find out more at cnn.com/heroes.
NGUYEN: Well, it has almost been six years since September 11th.
HOLMES: And there is still a battle over a memorial site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK WHITE, COUSIN DIED ON FLIGHT 93: If there is a price for it, the down payment has been paid. Forty lives were given for this land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And that land is in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Some say the owner wants to profit. But he says it's a matter of livelihood. Both sides of the story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A serious dispute is brewing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It centers around the field where United Flight 93 crashed on 9/11. And at issue, how much is hallowed ground worth?
CNN's Alina Cho takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly six years later, they still come to this remote field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to see for themselves where United Flight 93 crashed on that fateful day, a place where one day this memorial will be built. But nothing will happen until the land is sold.
WHITE: If there is a price for it, the down payment has been paid. Forty lives were given for this land.
CHO: Patrick White's cousin, Joey Nacke, was among the victims. He says the man who owns the land wants to profit to the tune of $10 million from what is now hallowed ground, a figure far above market value. The families say they offered to buy the land for more than a half million dollars, but were rejected by land owner Mike Svonavec.
MIKE SVONAVEC, CRASH SITE LAND OWNER: I can't afford to give it away. I don't have -- I mean, it's an asset of my corporation.
CHO: Svonavec says he never demanded $10 million and just wants to settle on a fair price. If anything, he says he's losing money. Three months ago, when federal funding ran out for security, Svonavec says he began paying $10,000 a month for his own security guards. So this week, he set up a donation box which further angered the victims' families and the National Park Service which manages the temporary memorial and put a plastic bag over the box.
JOANNE HANLEY, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: We didn't feel it lent itself to the dignified setting and the solemn setting we were trying to convey to our visitors.
CHO: Family members, like Debbie Borza, who still wears her daughter's ashes around her neck, call the donation box and Svonavec's desire to make money on the land offensive.
DEBBIE BORZA, DAUGHTER DIED ON FLIGHT 93: I don't think there is a dollar figure that would ever satisfy him.
CHO (on camera): Svonavec owns 273 acres in all, including the most critical piece of land, the four-acre crash site. He has maintained from the very beginning that he will not accept money for the actual crash site. It's the surrounding land that's in dispute. And nothing will be done here until that land is sold. A $58 million memorial is planned with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for the tenth anniversary of the attacks.
Alina Cho, CNN, Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. It was eight years ago when this song became a part of American pop culture.
(MUSIC PLAYING, "WOKE UP THIS MORNING")
HOLMES: All right. The theme song of the hit TV series "The Sopranos," coming up later we'll examine the show's legacy. NGUYEN: But first, take a look at this, more than 6,000 couples lip -- ooh! Stop it! Can we just change the video. Lip-locked, but why and we really did not need to see the tongue. Find out next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
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HOLMES: Well, checking now some of the most popular stories on cnn.com this morning. Must have been bike in the buff day. Bicyclists wearing little or no clothing hit the streets yesterday in numerous cities across the globe. Betty has been showing me this video all morning on the computer over here for some reason.
NGUYEN: It's a new story.
HOLMES: You like this story for some reason.
NGUYEN: I didn't say I liked it, I was just showing you the pictures.
HOLMES: Well, this stunt was a protest of the world's heavy reliance on the automobile and on oil.
Also, most popular this morning, the police dragnet for fugitive Kelly Frank, the convict once accused of plotting to kidnap David Letterman's son. Frank and another inmate are believed to have fled from a prison ranch in Montana. The search is focused in the area around deer lodge in the western part of that state.
Also Web users interested in the International Indian Film Awards in Sheffield, England, also known as the Bollywood Awards. The big winter is "Paint In Yellow," a film about young people in India becoming political activists.
NGUYEN: Well, you may not know this, but Hungary and the Philippines have been locked in an epic battle, lip-locked to be precise. OK. Brace yourself because some of this you really don't want to see. Too intense. Each country has set new world records for simultaneous kissing only to see the record taken away by its arch rival. This was the scene Saturday in Budapest. As of right now, Hungary holds the record with more than 6,400 couples smooching at the same time, some taking pictures. Whoa, they were kind of into it. But don't hold your breath. Because we expect another "Thrilla in Manila" that will be forthcoming.
HOLMES: Howard Kurtz, how you are doing? You want to follow that story? Good morning to you, sir.
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": That's a tough one to follow. Thank you, T.J.
Coming up on "RELIABLE SOURCES," Paris is out of jail, Paris is back in jail and the media breathlessly record every second of it. Is this about celebrity justice or plain old pandering?
Scooter Libby facing a much longer prison term than Paris and some conservative pundits demanding a presidential pardon. Didn't they take perjury much more seriously in the days of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski?
A big week of debates for the 2008 candidates and yet some of the media focuses on how the candidates' wives look and what they're wearing. What's up with that? All of that and more ahead on "RELIABLE SOURCES."
HOLMES: All right. Thank you so much. Good job there, Howard, after that kissing story.
NGUYEN: Well, it has been one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television and it all goes away in just a few hours. But the big question is, how will "The Sopranos" end?
HOLMES: Yes, up next, Newsweek entertainment editor Marc Peyser, there he is, he has all the answers. He knows how it's -- no, I'm just kidding. He does not. But he has some guesses. He's going to talk about the contributions of this groundbreaking program. We'll be right back to talk to him.
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HOLMES: Yes. How you doing? Good morning. Two words sum of the series finale of "The Sopranos," mob war. Tony Soprano goes into tonight's final episode sleeping with an assault rifle in a strange house heading for a showdown with rival Phil Leotardo. How in the world, after six groundbreaking seasons, do you end an amazing dark saga like "The Sopranos"? Who knows? Marc Peyser, maybe he knows. Newsweek senior editor for arts and entertainment has some pretty good insights here. He joins us now this morning from New York.
Good morning, sir. Kind of a sad day. Hate to see the show go away. How it is going to end, in your opinion? What would be appropriate, do you think?
MARC PEYSER, SENIOR EDITOR, NEWSWEEK: Well, I mean, obviously the big question is, should Tony live or should Tony die? I personally think Tony really needs to go. This show has really raised the stakes, all along it has been very real to life. It has been very -- violence has been a major part of the show.
Tony has gotten darker and darker, especially even this season. I think it would be a cop out if we let him sort of just go off to witness protection or something like that. He seems ready to go in that bed with that rifle there. That's what I would like.
HOLMES: Now is that -- what you would like. But from what we know of the writers of this show, what would they do to us? Because it's never that easy to guess. We never can guess what's going to happen on this show. Does that seem right in-line with what they've done to us over the past six years?
PEYSER: Absolutely. I mean, that's what the show so great. Is it has done things that no television show has ever done and has been doing it in an unpredictable way. So I think anything that you think might happen is probably not going to be in the cards.
You have to also remember that they don't always tie up loose ends in "The Sopranos." There is that Russian guy still running around from several seasons ago. They don't care if it comes to a complete closed circle. So maybe it won't be as simple as we all would like.
HOLMES: So you think they will stick to their game plan no matter what? They're not trying to satisfy the fans?
PEYSER: Well, I mean, they are trying to satisfy the fans somewhat. But they're trying to satisfy themselves and their feelings about the characters. It's just there are so many ways to go. It's -- I just think it needs to be obviously very dramatic. But as you know, T.J., ending a series is a really, really hard thing to do. More often than not the finales of shows tend to be disappointing. So we just hope that's not the case here.
HOLMES: A lot of people say it's just violence, just some entertainment. But what has this show really done for television? This show has upped the game, upped the ante as far as TV dramas go for the past six years.
PEYSER: Right. I mean, that is really the simplest way to put it. It has really raised the bar in so many ways. Certainly the way it portrays its characters, Tony is the darkest hero we've ever seen on television. Who knew that we would be able to sympathize with a guy who takes his daughter on a college tour one minute and strangles the guy next.
You see those kind of characters all over TV now. "House," Dr. House is a dark kind of doctor. But you sympathize with him. "The Shield," I mean, every drama these days tries to make their characters much more complex than it used to be. And that is probably the biggest contribution.
HOLMES: Now is it just cable? You mentioned "The Shield," the other. Why aren't the networks -- they don't have as many shows or are they doing things because of "The Sopranos"? Are they doing any better? Are we going to see shows like this and better shows on the networks?
PEYSER: Well, you have. I mean, frankly, there have been a lot of "Sopranos" imitators over the years. "The Sopranos" have been on the air for several years now. They don't always work as well. One reason is because HBO, there is no limits on what they can do. One thing that works so wonderfully is Tony is a dark guy in a tough world. And we hear the language. And we see the violence. And the networks can't really get away from that.
If you watch "The Sopranos" on basic cable, it doesn't carry the same punch because you feel that it has been whitewashed a little bit. So the networks have a little bit of a difficult time keeping up. That being said, they have pushed the limits that people have gotten -- the writers have gotten much more sophisticated. I think TV dramas are better than movies now myself. HOLMES: Now is there any chance that this -- "The Sopranos" is going to come back in any other form, come back in a movie, come back in any kind of a spin-off of one of the characters that possibly survives this evening?
PEYSER: Sure. You never say never in television. Everybody -- they all want to sort of move on. But in five years, if they're not working, I bet somebody can come back. They could do a prequel, T.J. They could bring back young Sopranos and start all over again.
HOLMES: Who would they get to play a young Tony, though?
PEYSER: Somebody you never heard of, like you never heard of James Gandolfini before he started either.
HOLMES: What is next for these characters? They are -- they're letting it go. What is next for these actors? Can Gandolfini ever pick up and start acting again and not -- and get away from that "Sopranos" character? And as far as the rest of the characters go, can they ever get away from what they have become and what we all know them as in the show?
PEYSER: It is obviously really, really hard to do that. But on the other hand, it's hardly the worst thing that could happen to an actor. This guy is established. His career is set. We know he has created an indelible character. There aren't many of those in the history of television. So he could well have difficulty moving out of the shadow of Tony Soprano. That being said, he's always going to be Tony Soprano.
HOLMES: All right. And there is going to be a huge void here now on HBO. A lot of people we know just get HBO subscriptions to watch "The Sopranos." And then they cancel their HBO subscriptions until the season starts again. But what is HBO going to do now? Do they have anything in the pipeline?
PEYSER: Sure, they have, of course, tons of shows in the pipeline. Right after "The Sopranos" tonight is a show from the guy who created "Deadwood" called "John from Cincinnati," which frankly could not be more different from "The Sopranos." It is about a family of surfers who are visited by a guy who could be from outer space or have amnesia. We don't even really know who he is.
But it's not really dark in the same way. It is a family drama. But it's absolutely going in a different direction. And that's what HBO is about, giving you something different.
HOLMES: All right. And finally here, we got it right that you think they have to off Tony in some kind of way. And do you think it has to be horrible? Does it have to be dramatic? Or can he just go quietly into that good night?
PEYSER: Well, I mean, Tony -- part of Tony's existence has been his feeling that he's alone in the world. So in a sense you could see him sort of going off quietly. But that feels a little soft to me. I would like to see him blown away by someone, possibly his wife, frankly. You never know.
HOLMES: Oh, Marc!
PEYSER: Well, she's -- I think she's angry now. She's really angry.
NGUYEN: Yes, yes.
HOLMES: Oh, he's a good husband in many ways.
NGUYEN: Oh, please!
HOLMES: In some ways.
PEYSER: Name two.
HOLMES: OK, he provides and he parents some.
(LAUHGTER)
PEYSER: That's a ringing endorsement, T.J. That's great.
HOLMES: All right. Marc Peyser, I would love to talk to you about this again. Can't wait to see what happens tonight, but Newsweek's senior editor, sir, thank you so much.
PEYSER: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Yes. With that display, don't ever be my agent. OK?
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: All right. Do want to let you know that HBO is out there because of Time Warner, Time Warner is the parent company of CNN. Just wanted to put that on the table for everybody. But speaking of "The Sopranos," we've been asking you how you would like to see it end. And we have got some really good ideas. You guys have been thinking out there this morning.
And this first one is from Keith in New York. He says: "I think the best ending involves Tony taking his own life for a change. It would confirm the seriousness of his own depression. The bleakness, of course, he chose and the irrepressible need for Tony to be in control."
HOLMES: You know, it kind of makes sense of it there. But I got Kate here in Saratoga Spring that says: "I hope Tony goes into protective custody." I'm with you, Kate, "and then they make a new series about Tony living in Arizona with his family under a new name and identity. I would like another eight years of Tony Soprano in a new HBO series.
And FH says: "I think that 'The Sopranos' will try to separate themselves from other mafia movies by letting us finally see an ending which is favorable to the main character," hmm, not so sure about that. But he says: "I think Phil is done and Tony will be fine." HOLMES: I'm pulling for that one as well. Finally here from Todd, he says, Tony is...
NGUYEN: All choked up.
HOLMES: Yes, a little bit. I'm emotional about this show, Betty. "Tony is abducted, taken out to sea on a boat, shot and dumped overboard. He survives, washes up on a beach of a small island where he meets Gilligan, Mary Ann, and the kids." I'm OK with that one, too.
NGUYEN: I don't think that's going to happen. Lastly, Albert says: "I would love to see them win the lottery and use the millions to get to another form of organized crime, maybe politics."
All right-y then. Tune in. It will be very interesting to see what happens tonight. My bet is on Tony being a goner.
HOLMES: I want him to be okay. Retire to northwest Arkansas, like I said.
NGUYEN: Work at a Wal-Mart, right?
HOLMES: And work at Wal-Mart, in Bentonville, yes.
NGUYEN: Well, crime, politics, and pop culture, that is coming up on "RELIABLE SOURCES." Howard Kurtz looks at the media coverage of the Paris Hilton and Scooter Libby legal cases.
HOLMES: And then at 11:00 Eastern, what is the state of immigration reform in the U.S.? Wolf Blitzer interviews the commerce secretary on "LATE EDITION."
But first a check of the morning's headlines.
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